The Shallows Rhetorical Analysis Essay examples - 1304 Words

The Shallows Rhetorical Analysis In the book â€Å"The Shallows†, Nicholas Carr develops his argument just as an architect would construct a building. The foundation is laid then in tedious and eloquent manner, he begins an argument that defines the book. Shedding light upon the dangers our society may encounter through the internet, Carr uses personal anecdotes, parallels, ethic and reason based arguments, and disguises himself as an authoritative figure to execute a view changing book. Exerting personal anecdotes on the way the internet has changed him; Carr begins his book in a subtle manner. He begins describing one of his first dilemma’s, â€Å"I had become trapped, not unhappily, in the â€Å"upgrade cycle† I retired the aging Plus in 1994,†¦show more content†¦Anything but non-existent, the parallel suggests that technology is having a definite change on our â€Å"plastic† brains. New technologies mold us to their likings whether we adhere to them or not. And as â€Å"mechanical clocks were not manufactured to spur the adoption of a more scientific mode of thinking†, the internet is not intended to create more adverted, shallow thinking humans. But all behaviors prevailing show that it is. Acknowledging this fact, readers can either begin to challenge that their life is being changed or affirm the conclusion. This parallel is exactly the strategy needed to convince readers that it’s an â€Å"invention’s int ellectual ethic that has the most profound effect on us.† Before entering the final crest of Carr’s gist, he reasons that many are bound to experience the negative effects of the Net because of its versatility and resilience. Carr state’s â€Å"Although mildly disorienting at first, I quickly adjusted to the Kindle’s screen and mastered the scroll and page-turn buttons. Nevertheless, my eyes were restless and jumped around as they do when I try to read for a sustained time on the computer.† The uniqueness of the Kindle brought on new changes in the way Carr was able to read, and describes the effects of reading on the device as distracting. He then explains about the internet, â€Å"When the Net absorbs a medium, it re-creates that medium in its own image. It not only dissolves the mediums physicalShow MoreRelatedDeliberative Rhetorical Analysis Of Shallow Waters1542 Words   |  7 Pages Shallow Waters Water is an important resource that maintains life and is arguably the most substantial resource for the essence of life. As humans, we drink water to stay alive. Shift the perspective to an animal the requires water to live, fish for example, without being submerged in the water it would die. The importance of water is crucial to any ecosystem, and imagine an instance where man-made structures inhibit the natural world and could eventually tip an ecosystem out of control. ThereRead MoreThe Millenials Article Review Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesName Instructor Subject Date Rhetoric Analysis: Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation by Joel Stein Introduction The millennial generation are an interesting group of social class that are going to change the world from their own point of view regardless of how the older generations view or relate to them. The article Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation is talking about the Millennials and how the society perceives them. The millennial is a group of the social generation that were born betweenRead MoreThe Role of Persuasion in Julius Caesar Essay examples1066 Words   |  5 Pagesis to an opportunity that had opened up in their lives which was a battle and that they must not miss their opportunity. Later Brutus also states â€Å"†¦Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries...† (IV, ii 269-267). Through this Brutus again tries to persuade Cassius that they must not miss their opportunity or they might repent it later. Such is also the meaning when Brutus later says â€Å"On such a full sea are we now afl oatRead MoreBlood Red Horse1335 Words   |  6 Pagesat times, such as when addressing the king, most commonly use informal language and their own forms of slang. This is partially as a result of the plethora of dialogue in the novel. A great deal of the story is of characters speaking. Finding rhetorical devices within the novel proved to be quite difficult. One or two of each device could be located, at the most, every couple of chapters. An analogy, as well as a litote and a simile, is present when the brothers go to war. Their father eventuallyRead MoreEssay on Analysis of major characters in 19841116 Words   |  5 Pages Analysis of Major Characters John - Although Bernard Marx lt;javascript:CharacterWindow(http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bravenew/terms/char_2.html, 0b1405ef1f, 500);gt; is the primary character in Brave New World up until his visit with Lenina lt;javascript:CharacterWindow(http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/bravenew/terms/char_4.html, 55db940fc2, 500);gt; to the Reservation, after that point he fades into the background and John becomes the central protagonist. John first enters the storyRead MoreSummary and Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†1708 Words   |  7 PagesSummary and Rhetorical Analysis of â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for protesting without a permit. The same day that King was arrested, a letter was written and signed by eight clergymen from Birmingham and titled â€Å"A Call for Unity†. The letter called for ending demonstrations and civil activities and indicated King as an â€Å"outsider†. On April 16, 1963, King responded to their letter with his own call, which has come toRead MoreThe Emotional vs. the Rational: Comparion of The Nymph ´s Reply to Her Shepherd and The Passionate Shephard to His Love1617 Words   |  7 PagesThe Emotional versus the Rational: A Literary Analysis and Comparison between Sir Walter Raleigh’s â€Å"The Nymph’s Reply to Her Shepherd† and Christopher Marlowe’s â€Å"The Passionate Shepherd to His Love† Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow—Horace Horace’s statement on first glance, especially in light of treatment of thematic issues related to carpe diem poetry, might have a ring of truth to it, and might appear to be a reasonable and logical statement. It puts forward theRead MoreA Rhetorical Analysis Of Dr. Martin Luther King On The Church1256 Words   |  6 PagesA Rhetorical Analysis: Dr. King on the Church Missionary and Professor Charles Porter vocalizes a profound point during a lecture, â€Å"The only person who justifies us is Jesus.† This speaks measures regarding the Church and their responsibility to uphold justice. As people who claim to follow Jesus, the Church should be leading the charge against injustice. However, in the past century it failed to act upon the injustice of segregation. Analyzing Letter from Birmingham Jail, it becomes clear thatRead MoreRhetorical Analysis, Global Warming - the Great Delusion1310 Words   |  6 PagesKevin Breuninger Prof. Jerry Phillips Prof. Harris Fairbanks English 3633W 23 February 2012 Rhetorical Analysis, â€Å" Global Warming – The Great Delusion† Matt Patterson argues in â€Å"Global Warming – The Great Delusion† that the alleged scientific consensus surrounding the theory of global warming is based not on fact, but rather on a web of mass hysteria and deceit. Patterson contends that â€Å"In fact, global warming is the most widespread mass hysteria in our species’ history†, and that the beliefsRead MoreIdentify Irony in Flanners Oconnors a Good Man Is Hard to Find1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe Irony in Flannery O’Connor’s Irony is a significant rhetorical technique used in demonstrating a condition which is conflicting or expression whereby the result is the exact opposite of what is anticipated. This device of literature creates absurdity in the story according to its tone. Irony has an element of indirectness hence making the writing interesting to the reader. In the story of Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† Irony has aided deeper comprehension and understanding

The Characteristics of Cause Efffect Essay Samples

The Characteristics of Cause Efffect Essay Samples The Good, the Bad and Cause Efffect Essay Samples An essay about the root of the American Civil War could start out with slavery and move on to other ideas, including states' rights. The most important issue is that there'll obviously be more people of retirement age who will be qualified to be given a pension. When writing this type of essay, in-depth understanding of the issue or event's roots will be of amazing benefit. For instance, a business major might talk about the causes of a business's success, focusing on its advertising strategy, growth program and client support. Writing about the reason and effect essay topics linked to the school's popularity or surviving the initial year in college could be fine to grab the interest of your peers. On the flip side, in the event the topic assigned is your decision, what you could do is to present a trend, phenomenon or event. The time has arrived for the government to think about a different approach to tackling crime. The very first bad effect technology has had on my life is the period of time it consumes. Conclusion plays an important role in receiving the readers impression in the event of essays. Once more, based on the content you must provide, the essay needs to be organized to suit your information efficiently and neatly. Your essay needs to prove your thesis statement. An excellent essay should be correctly backed up with information. Don't be afraid to get in touch with our Essay Writing Service and expert essay writers will gladly aid you with your assignment. Before you commence writing, it's important to make an outline with the research that you might have done about this issue. On the website mentioned at the onset of this column, a student may locate some totally free samples of such works. Have a look at Handmadewriting paper writing Guide to find out more about academic writing! New Step by Step Roadmap for Cause Efffect Essay Samples When something happens it produces an outcome. Cause and effect is a superb pick for those who need to better their skills not just in writing but logical thinking also. Or, a breakup is the consequence of poor communication. Try to remember your time is limited and you don't need to waste any of that attempting to develop an incorrect topic. Many methods to interpret the procedure for writing this kind of academic assignment exists. If you want more help on writing, consider learning plain writing. Once more, you'll need to demonstrate your thorough wisdom and analytical mastery of the area. Rumors, Deception and Cause Efffect Essay Samples There are a couple steps which you can utilize to assist you draft a cause and effect essay. Therefore, brainstorming is vital. To assist you better understand how these sentences are made, here are some examples which have been dissected to demonstrate the distinct cause and effect parts. Locate the best topics to have in your essay by brainstorming causes and effects. While describing a health problem such as some type of disease, it's possible to include a number of consequences. There has to be an obvious relationship between the effects and the reasons for the topic you opt for. The first source of obesity is too obvious and it's a massive intake food. In summary, it's evident there are several causes of obesity amongst children, and an assortment of negative consequences. Thus, the career preference culminates to the impact of disease vulnerability and threats in the area. There's psychological effect too. There is a huge need to grasp the complete grasp of the causes of crime so as to effectively combat this issue. The sociological causes of crime are the principal causes of crime.

Cooper and Brown Early American Literature free essay sample

This paper discusses in detail James Fenimore Coopers The Last of the Mohicans and Charles Brockden Browns Wieland and their contributions to the development of American literature. The author reviews in detail the The Last of the Mohicans and Wieland. She concludes that they are different in style and genre. Both Cooper and Brown contributed greatly to the development of a distinctly American literature. Cooper adapted the Romance; Charles Brockden Brown adapted the European Gothic novel to the American context. Coopers influence is seen in frontier fiction; Browns influence, in the works of Poe and Hawthorne. James Fenimore Cooper wrote in the vein of European Romantic writers like Walter Scott, while Charles Brockden Brown recreated the new form of the Gothic novel. Both adapted the original forms to the American experience, which meant not only embedding them in the land but also shifting the focus from aristocratic European characters to the common man in the democratic social order in America. We will write a custom essay sample on Cooper and Brown: Early American Literature or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Both Cooper and Brown elevated the common man over any ideas about the superiority of the aristocracy and did so in the American setting.

The Rise of Mussolini and Italian Fascism Essay Example

The Rise of Mussolini and Italian Fascism Essay In his exploration of 20th century fascism between the wars, Payne (1995) described Mussolini as the most liberal of the totalitarian personalities that dominated that period. Perhaps this was a vestige of his earlier involvement with revolutionary socialism, or a reflection from his early years. Yet, the fact remains that Mussolini, along with Hitler, was an architect of fascism and of the policies that led to World War II. The intention in the following pages is to explore Mussolinis rise to power, including his childhood and youthful political development. Benito Mussolini was born in July of 1883 in Varana di Costa, a village in the Commune of Predappio in Romagna. According to Ivone Kirkpatrick (1964), Romagna, at that time, was a hotbed of anticlericalism and republicanism. It was an era of rural nonconformity. Mussolini himself was named after both a Mexican revolutionary and two Italian revolutionary socialists. Both his grandfather and his father were politically involved, his grandfather in the struggle against the papacy and his father in the struggle to institute revolutionary socialism in Italy. However, his mother was deeply religious, conformist, and conservative. Both eventually had an important influence on Mussolinis development and choices. He became a political activist and political writer, like his father, but he was essentially conservative, like his mother. Mussolini himself asserted that his greatest love was for his mother, and that she had much influence on his character development and behavior (Mussolini, 1928). That character, at least in his early years, seemed to be unruly, rebellious, and antiauthoritarian. We will write a custom essay sample on The Rise of Mussolini and Italian Fascism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Rise of Mussolini and Italian Fascism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Rise of Mussolini and Italian Fascism specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Records of his behavior and demeanor in school indicated that he reacted poorly to any kind of authority and order, was passionate and unruly, hated discipline, and sought revenge in the case of any slight or injury. He was eventually asked to leave the school. His later schooling, however, was more successful. At this time, he began his involvement in politics and became known as an excellent public speaker. Still, he remained undisciplined, even while obtaining a diploma to serve as an elementary teacher. Although he received high marks in several of his subjects, his personality and character seemed highly unsuited to that career. A career as a political agitator seems much more appropriate. Ultimately, this was the course Mussolini followed. Although he served for a short while as a schoolteacher, this was not satisfying to him. Instead, he determined to emigrate to Switzerland, which some have asserted was simply to avoid being drafted into the military service in Italy. There he wandered much of the time, became involved with a number of women, and spent much of his time with revolutionaries, both Italian and Russian. He was not a settled young men, and he was a resentful, rebellious, disorderly one. This seems to have been the course of his early life, which included much violence and encounters with the police. These were not the result of Mussolinis revolutionary principles, but of his temperament. He continued to be an undisciplined individual who drifted into jobs, relationships, and political involvements. He was not a good companion, nor an individual who had much respect for the rights of others. His basic attitude toward other human beings seemed to be one of contempt, despite his early Socialist leanings. Unlike his father, he never exhibited compassion for people, but scorn. It was in 1908 that he began the main part of his political career, still a Socialist, writing a Socialist newspaper in Oneglia. Again, he had a very poor attitude toward most of his peers. He did not think well of the passivists in the Socialist party, nor the reformists. He was still extremely anticlerical and he began to speak for the most revolutionary element of the Socialist party. He was against anything that was established, anything that seemed connected to the middleclass. Ultimately this man spoke to the heart of the middleclass, but not in these early years. Kirkpatrick (1964) noted that Mussolini seemed to be motivated primarily by the desire for attention than anything else. He indicated that Mussolini did not care that the people love him, but that they notice him. Mussolini believed that it was actually more profitable to him for people to fear him than to love him. Ultimately it brought him more power. This desire for power and attention helps to explain the ongoing political changes that characterize Mussolinis early political career. Although he began as a Socialist and rose to prominence in that party by 1912, he abandoned it by 1914. As a Socialist, he had advocated violent revolution, rather than the gradual, evolutionary approach favored by many in the party. His writing and speaking ability helped gain him power in the party and the editorship of Avanti. This was the official Socialist newspaper (Payne, 1995). At the age of 29, then, Mussolini had obtained quite a bit of attention and power. He controlled the press of the Socialist party and was an acknowledged leader of its revolutionary, and leading, faction. Nonetheless, this was not satisfactory. He was dissatisfied with the pace of change within the country and felt that the Socialist party was inadequate to the challenges of the times. James Gregor (1979) noted that Mussolini was basically an authoritarian Socialist who shared much in common with Lenin, who actually endorsed Mussolinis success in 1912. Gregor indicated that both opposed bourgeois parliamentarianism, both believed that the masses were unable to lead the revolution, and both believed in a leadership of a minority of professional revolutionaries. Both also supported ongoing organized violence as a means to an end, and both thought that revolutionary consciousness would be imposed on the masses from without, rather than emerging from within (Gregor, 1979). This is interesting since the two men ultimately wound up on opposite sides of the struggle. Nonetheless, in these early days, Lenin and Mussolini were similar in their thinking. The initial break occurred in 1914 when Mussolini disagreed with the official Socialist position on World War I. That position was neutral and noninterventionist. Mussolini believed, however, that neutrality failed to serve the interests of the Italian state, which was relatively undeveloped. In order to protect those interests, he favored intervention on the side of the Entente. He asserted that Italy had to join those forces which were working to defeat the old European empires, and he actually received support from business interests which supported intervention (Payne, 1995). Payne (1995) indicated that Mussolinis stance now changed to support revolutionary war, rather than revolution within. He joined the Fascio Rivoluzionario in December of that year, involving himself with a conglomeration of forces and movements that still emphasized revolution, but with a different orientation. This revolution was more nationalist and involved the masses in its development and implementation. The Fascio Rivoluzionario itself was reorganized in January of 1915 and renamed the Fasci dAzione Rivoluzionaria. This was the nascent fascist movement that Mussolini joined. It was to have its first victory in May of that year, although the victory was overstated. The fascists, along with many others interested in intervention, mounted enormous protests in May, which ultimately pressured the parliamentary deputies into voting for intervention in the war. The fascists took credit for this achievement and publicized it as the first element of its antiparliamentary revolution. It is important to remember that Mussolini always distrusted the bourgeoisie and its institutions, whether church or parliament. From both the Socialist side and the Fascist side, he wanted to destroy these compromised institutions in favor of a more ideal, ideologically pure nationstate. It was during his service in the war that Mussolinis ideas underwent further change. From being a Socialist with an elitist stance on revolution, he became an extreme nationalist, with the desire to meld nationalism with socialism in a way involving the entire country. His involvement in the military seems to have given Mussolini new ideas about discipline and order, too. From henceforth, the elements of discipline and selfsacrifice were to be important aspects of his political philosophy (Payne, 1995). This change in both temperament and politics were the final piece in his development as a political leader. He returned to Milan after the war and became party leader again, only of the Fascists, not the Socialists. The Fascist movement actually became a viable political party only with Mussolinis intervention and revitalization of the movement in 1919. Like the Nazis in Germany, the new movement had few supporters in the beginning, with an initial attendance of less than 150 men. According to Kirkpatrick (1964), it was Mussolini who essentially determined the program of the party, although with great difficulty. He was never a very astute political thinker and was most often ruled by his emotions and his desires. As a consequence, he muddled along, gradually developing his ideas and principles, often in opposition to others. For example, his first important speech to the new party asserted that the Fascists needed to oppose the Socialists, not because they supported socialist principles, but because the Socialist party in Italy had acted against the best interests of the nation. This was a rejection of his earliest political connection, and a rejection of the philosophy of his father and grandfather. Mussolini had changed into a nationalist and this was the ruling element in the development of his program. He had gained new pride, along with Italy, and he wanted to solidify Italys position in the modern world, making it one of the powerful nations. The next decade was the important one, representing the advent of Fascist power in Italy. Always the movement was led by Mussolini, although he had an executive committee working with him. The Fascist movement was actually decreed to be the antithesis of traditional parties, which were associated with corruption and rigidity. It was to be an antiparty, a movement, a force of nature, in which the whole of the people would involve themselves with building a powerful nation (Lyttelton, 1973). This was the time when the Fascists went from one successful candidate in November 1919 to control of the government by 1929. The turn began with the decision by the Fascist movement to counterattack the Socialists in the rural area, using violent measures. These were the Blackshirts, analogous to Hitlers brownshirts. They obtained their support from the middle and upper classes, but also from some of the lower classes, interested in Italian pride more than Socialist class struggle (Lyttelton, 1973). By the end of 1921, the Fascist movement had become a mass movement and the largest political organization in Italy (Payne, 1995). They had, in other words, found the heart of the people. The rhetoric, too, began to change. Instead of being antibourgeoisie, Mussolini and the Fascists became antislacker. They supported all productive Italians, of whatever class, seeking to meld the classes together to create an ordered, disciplined, selfsacrificing state able to take its place at the center of world politics. Mussolini himself was challenged for the leadership of the party in 1921, but compromised some of his positions on violence in order to develop a more centralized and organized movement. At that time, the Fascist movement became the Partito Nazionale Fascista, with a central committee, an executive committee, and Mussolini, who had now become known as Duce (Payne, 1995). This set the stage for Mussolinis ongoing ascension to power, beginning with his service as prime minister in 19221925 and his development of the Fascist dictatorship from 19251929. Again, these are characterized by Mussolinis opportunism and tendency to compromise principles in favor of power. Eventually, this onetime Socialist became the quintessential leader of the middle classes, and an authoritarian dictator who relied on symbols and myths of ancient Roman glory to unite the nation behind him. References Gregor, A. J. (1979). Young Mussolini and the intellectual origins of Fascism. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Kirkpatrick, I. (1964). Mussolini. A study in power. NY: Hawthorn Books, Inc. Lyttelton, A. (1973). The seizure of power: Fascism in Italy, 19191929. New York. Mussolini, B. (1928). My autobiography. London. Payne, S. G. (1995). A history of Fascism, 19141945. Madison, WI: The

Practice in Turning Adjectives Into Adverbs

Practice in Turning Adjectives Into Adverbs Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. The adverb softly, for instance, comes from the adjective soft. (Note, however, that not all adverbs end in -ly. Very, quite, always, almost, and often are some of the common adverbs that are not formed from adjectives.) Instructions In each set below, complete the second sentence with an adverbial form of the italicized adjective in the first sentence. Example: Original:  Gus is usually a careful driver.Adverbial form: He always drives carefully when children are in the car. When youre done, compare your answers with those below. Practice Exercises We live on a quiet suburban street. Even the dogs bark _____.This is a dangerous road. Were driving _____ close to the shoulder.My friend Alice is a polite young woman. She asked _____ if she could borrow my boyfriend.The clown made a deep impression on my daughter. His sad smile touched her _____.I apologize for my foolish behavior. Yesterday I acted _____ in class.Ferdinands apology sounded sincere. He said he was _____ sorry for driving over your motorcycle with his tractor.I ordered a manual transmission. Are the windows operated _____?Shyla made a generous contribution to the Salvation Army. She gives _____ every year.This morning Gus had an accidental encounter with an ice cream van. He _____ backed his pick-up truck into the van.Marvin is a graceful infielder. He moves _____.This is an easy assignment. I expect to pass _____.Merdine is a brave woman. She _____ challenged the principal and the school board.There was a rapid change in the weather. The temperature dropped _____.I m troubled by my brothers strange behavior. Yesterday I heard him talking _____ to our cat. My father is a cautious man. When everyone else is upset, he speaks softly and acts _____. Exercise Answers   We live on a  quiet  suburban street. Even the dogs bark  quietly.This is a  dangerous  road. Were driving  dangerously  close to the shoulder.My friend Alice is a  polite  young woman. She asked  politely  if she could borrow my boyfriend.The clown made a  deep  impression on my daughter. His sad smile touched her  deeply.I apologize for my  foolish  behavior. Yesterday I acted  foolishly  in class.Ferdinands apology sounded  sincere. He said he was  sincerely  sorry for driving over your motorcycle with his tractor.I ordered a  manual  transmission. Are the windows operated  manually?Shyla made a  generous  contribution to the Salvation Army. She gives  generously  every year.This morning Gus had an  accidental  encounter with an ice cream van. He  accidentally  backed his pick-up truck into the van.Marvin is a  graceful  infielder. He moves  gracefully  when making a double play.This is an  easy  assignmen t. I expect to pass  easily.Merdine  is a  brave  woman. She  bravely  challenged the principal and the school board.There was a  rapid  change in the weather. The temperature dropped  rapidly. Im troubled by my brothers  strange  behavior. Yesterday I heard him talking  strangely  to our cat.My father is a  cautious  man. When everyone else is upset, he speaks softly and acts  cautiously.

Info About Public Online High Schools

Info About Public Online High Schools Many states offer public online high schools to interested teens. Public online high schools are free to residents and are usually accredited by the proper regional board. These programs are only open to students living in their district or state boundaries. Unlike ​online charter schools (which are also considered public schools), state-controlled online programs tend to have greater stability and government support. Public Online High School Accreditation Public online high schools are generally overseen by their state’s department of education and tend to be regionally accredited. Before enrolling in a program, be sure to verify its accreditation. Some newer programs may not have received accreditation reviews. Public Online High School Costs Public online high schools are funded by the government and charge no tuition. Some of these virtual programs will even pay for a student’s curriculum, computer, and internet fees. Public Online High School Pros Students attending public online high schools are often able to earn a regionally accredited diploma at no cost. Their parents don’t need to worry about paying for expensive private virtual programs which can cost upwards of $1,500 a year. State-wide online public schools are generally working with the state’s education department. Unlike online charter schools, they are generally not viewed as a threat by local districts. They tend to be more stable and receive less public scrutiny. Public Online High School Cons Most public online high schools adhere to a strict curriculum and schedule. They are less flexible than the majority of online charter schools and private programs. Students attending public online high schools may not have access to many of the extracurricular activities and curriculum choices available through other alternatives. Public Online High School Profiles You can find information about programs in your area in the state-by-state list of public online high schools.

Software Requirements Specification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Software Requirements Specification - Essay Example To address this problem PCI offers its clients a service that would allow clients to forward all their calls to them and PCI in turn would collect all the messages and forward them to employees that are on the road and away from their desk. These messages would usually be forwarded to their phones or pagers. Goals of the project The basic goal of the project is to ensure that the company’s clients’ businesses are not affected because their employees are on the road and important messages do not reach them. The second goal of the project is to improve communication between employees of a business and the headquarters of the business to ensure that there is better coordination amongst them all. The final goal of the project is to help PCI improve their overall service and ensure that they retain their old customers and obtain new customers as well. Stakeholders of the project The company: One of the main stakeholders for the project is the company for which the system is being created. The company would also be the main user of the software that is going to be developed through this project. The company’s name is PCI (Pivotal Communication Inc.). Clients: The second major stakeholders are the clients to whom PCI would provide its services to. These clients would be able to only get their desired service if the project being worked on is a success. Software Company and the development team: The software company that is responsible for developing the solution for the given issue have an equal share in this project. The software company tends to make a great deal of profit with the successful completion of this project. Other stakeholders: The complete list of stakeholders can be viewed in the diagram below Users of the software: The main users of the system developed would be PCI’s agents. Agents are responsible for answering and handling all the transactions regarding a call or message that is supposed to be provided to a particular cli ent. The second users of the system would be the clients that would interact with the system to manage messages and calls that they receive. Characteristics used to define users The users that have been identified above would be assessed in the following categories. The categories would be helpful in identifying the correct functional and non-functional requirements of the project. Understanding of technology Physical impairments Qualifications and credentials Project constraints Mandated constraints Resource constraints: The software is to be developed using the resources that have been provided by PCI. The developers have to work within the time frame provided and equipment that the company owns. Requirements constraint: The graphic user interface of the system should be easy to work and operate. Users of the system must easily understand how to operate the system and employees of client companies must be able to easily handle the messages they receive. Legal constraint: The contr act that PCI has signed with its clients states that PCI is responsible for storing all the messages it receives for at least 90 days. This means that the system should be able to store vast amounts of data. Furthermore PCI is required by law to inform callers that their calls are being recorded. This means that before recording a message the system must inform the caller that their call is being recorded. Glossary Glossary of all terms: The following table contains a

Lab report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Lab report - Essay Example Centripetal force is the description of the net force acting on an object moving in a circle. Any object moving in a circular motion will have a force acting on it to prevent it from deviating from the path of motion. The force also causes the object to deviate from its straight line motion. The direction of centripetal force is perpendicular to the velocity vector as the object is changing its direction and undergoing an inward acceleration (James Shipman). An object moving in a circular motion is accelerating. The acceleration is as a result of changing velocity either the changing magnitude of the velocity vector or the direction. Even if the body is moving at a steady speed, it is accelerating due to changing direction. The direction of acceleration is inwards towards the centre of the circle. In the diagram above, the particle is moving with constant speed but its acceleration is changing due to the changing velocity factor. Due to this change, acceleration is noted and directed towards the centre. The direction of instantaneous velocity is obtained by taking the two radial vectors defining a circle in constant motion. As the two radial vectors get closer together, becomes tangent to the circle. Since the direction of the velocity is equivalent to the direction of, then the velocity vector is in the direction tangent to the circle pointing perpendicular to the position vector (James Shipman). Resolving tesnion in 1 and 2 into vertical and horizontal elements, we find that horizontal components T1cosá µ ¨ and T2 cos á µ ¨ are in the same direction. These components add up to give centripetal force (James Shipman). The centripetal force for measurement 2 and 3 are the same because, in both cases, the masses on the hanger are almost the same. In measurement 2, the mass is 0.82 kg and in measurement 3, the mass on the hanger is o.84kg. These two masses produce relatively the same

Conagra Foods Essay Example for Free

Conagra Foods Essay ConAgra Foods Inc. is one of the largest food companies in the United States operating in such segments as Consumer Foods (66%) and Commercial Foods (34%) which are divided into three significant business operations segments – agricultural products, packaged foods and refrigerated foods (Table 1). Table 1. Net sales (in millions USD) 20102009%increase/decrease Consumer Foods 8,002 7,979-%. Commercial Foods 4,077 4,447(8)% Total12,07912,426(3)% Source: Annual Report 2010 Consumer Foods The Consumer Foods segment includes branded, private label and customized food products, which are sold in various retail and foodservice channels. The products include a variety of categories, such as meals, entrees, condiments, sides, snacks, and desserts across frozen, refrigerated and shelf-stable temperature classes. The Company’s major brands include Alexia, ACT II, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Chef Boyardee, DAVID, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp’s and Wesson. As of July 22, 2010, it had 39 domestic manufacturing facilities in Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin. As of July 22, 2010, it also had four international manufacturing facilities in Canada and Mexico (one 50% owned) and one in Arroyo Dulce, Argentina. Commercial Foods The Commercial Foods segment supplies frozen potato, sweet potato and other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. The products are sold under brands, such as ConAgra Mills, Lamb Weston, and Spicetec Flavors Seasoning. As of July 22, 2010, it had 41 domestic production facilities in Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Washington; one international production facility in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and Qingdao, China; one manufacturing facility in Taber, Canada; one 50% owned manufacturing facility in each of Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and the United Kingdom; one 67% owned manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico, and three 50% owned manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands. Company is mainly engaged in operations in the United States which count for more than 90% of total income (Table 2). ConAgra Foods Inc. owns approximately 50 brands (Table 3). Table 2. Pre-tax income from continuing operations (in millions USD) 201020092008 United States1,040. 3872. 1631. 9 Foreign 66. 6 64. 3 69. 6 Total1,106. 9936. 4701. 5 Source: Annual Report 2010 Vision and mission The vision of the company set by current CEO Gary Rodkin is: â€Å"One company. One goal. Making the food you love. † It reflects the overall company’s strategy to make â€Å"food people want in their lives every day†. The mission is reflected in company’s profile: â€Å"Preparing great food, being a strong partner to our customers and thinking about all of the people who enjoy our food and the difference it makes in their lives fuels our passion: making the food you love. † Goals Like every public-held company listed on NYSE (ConAgra Foods Inc. has ticker CAG) ConAgra Foods Inc. aims to increase earnings per share. The goal of the company is to achieve long-term growth through supply chain productivity, operational efficiency, innovation, selling, marketing and sustainability of great brands . Increase in supply chain productivity and operational efficiency lets the company to reduce its manufacturing, finance, administrative, transportation costs. Innovation and marketing orientation enhances the business processes and expands profit margins. Figure 1. Formula for growth Source: Annual Report 2010 ConAgra Foods Inc.operates under three principles while achieving its strategic goal: simplicity, collaboration and accountability. Using their resources rationally, nourishing employees and creating positive image within the community are the objectives which lead the company to be â€Å"good for you, good for the community, good for the people† . Strategic priorities The company focuses on the following business product groups. In each strategic group ConAgra Foods Inc. possesses significant manufacturing and innovation capabilities. Figure 2. Strategic priorities. Source: Annual Report 2010 Strategy â€Å"ConAgra Foods is focused on growing sales, expanding profit margins, and improving returns on capital over time. To that end, the company has significantly changed its portfolio of businesses over a number of years, focusing on branded, value-added opportunities, while divesting commodity-based and lower-margin businesses. † Acquisitions Company was founded in 1919 as Nebraska Consolidated Mills and in 2000 changed its name to ConAgra Foods Inc. Acquisitions are the major part of ConAgra’s strategy. The company implemented horizontal and vertical integration strategy after sustaining solid background in flour-milling operations and feed and poultry segment. The time and the trends in the food industry were crucial to the strategic acquisitions of the company. In 1970-1980s when home and industrial refrigerators became available for the consumers and packing techniques developed , which meant that now meat and vegetables will not spoil, ConAgra entered the frozen foods market with the acquisition of Banquet Foods in 1980 and other companies in the meat and poultry segment (Armour Foods, Beatrice Foods, Hebrew National Foods, etc.). In 1980-1990s when the welfare of American citizens began to improve and people began to value time the food that was easy to cook (which means basically just heat and serve) was highly demanded and ConAgra’s strategic move was highly appreciated by the investors in the stock market. The stock price of CAG tripled from 10$ in 1990 to 30$ in 1998. The total amount of acquired brands approximated 30 by the year 2000 (Hunt’s, La Choy, Wesson, ACT II, Chef Boyardee, etc. ) and company changed its name to ConAgra Foods Inc.to reflect its growing role as a food products manufacturer rather than just the food ingredients supplier. In the beginning of the twenty first century and nowadays when the society became more concerned about their health ConAgra Foods Inc. implemented several strategic acquisitions of such companies as Alexia Foods Inc. (natural and organic foods company) in 2007, Elan Nutrition in 2010 and others. The purchases that company makes â€Å"†¦reflect [our] acquisition strategy—find businesses that are great fits and enable [us] to grow by filling a need within [our] portfolio or giving [us] an adjacent category expansion†¦. † Figure 3. The acquisitions strategy helped ConAgra Foods Inc. to: ConAgra Foods Inc. divests the businesses which are either too complex to integrate with the core businesses or did not achieve a profit margin greater than the benchmark margin rate. In 2009 the company sold Pemmican (beef jerky business), in 2008 it sold â€Å"Knott’s Berry Farm† operations and others. Mostly, the divestitures are low-margin (commodity-based) businesses. Marketing and distribution Almost every American household has a number of ConAgra Foods brand-named products in their refrigerators. The ability to acquire well-known and customer-loved brands had secured for ConAgra beneficial position. Some of the acquired brands such as Peter Pan and Chef Boyardee had longer history than ConAgra and were so much identifiable in the consumer market that it makes no sense to advance the brand of ConAgra. Even though the company has so many brands in their â€Å"arsenal† many people don’t know what ConAgra does. And many consumers don’t identify ConAgra as the owner of the brand-named products that they buy. ConAgra is aimed to the better understanding needs of their customers. The health-conscious consumers (whose number is growing) chose nutritious and low-fat food. For increasing nutrition in its products company launched the program on sodium reduction and positions itself as a â€Å"safe food manufacturer† . In 2008 the company launched the program online startmakingchoices. com for people who are concerned with the healthy way of life. The website has several tests and tips on how to keep your life healthier. Also company designs packaging with the full information to help consumers improve their diet. â€Å"Taste, health, nutrition, convenience, sustainability and, of course, value are just some of the issues American shoppers are now faced with every time they go to a supermarket and theyre demanding to know more. † For the purpose of better serving its customers and help consumers with their choice ConAgra Foods Inc. launched â€Å"Food News Today† with Phil Lempert, a â€Å"leading consumer trend analyst and Supermarket Guru†. ConAgra Foods Inc. aimed to develop and improve their private labeling strategy. One of the most successful brands that company has, Healthy Choice, has retail sales of about 1 billion dollars. This label is licensed to other companies for use on their products. Company announced the Gold Store initiative in 2006, which focuses on driving growth by optimizing in-store conditions in three fundamental areas: distribution, shelving, and placement next to the companion products. As part of a plan ConAgras sales efforts are shifting from a strategy that relied heavily on short-term price discounts and couponing in order to push out sales volume to consumers to a strategy that relies more on ways to draw in consumers. The new strategy hopes to provide a more balanced mix of trade spending, consumer advertising, and product innovation than the company had in the past. Even though ConAgra Foods Inc. owns distribution and transportation businesses like J. M. Swank, most of company’s transportation equipment, distribution centers and storage facilities are being run by third parties. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and its affiliates, accounted for approximately 18% of consolidated net sales for fiscal 2010 . ConAgra combines hard data from retailers with its own qualitative research. â€Å"Gary Rodkin is on a quest to find what he calls the big, singular insight that will drive behavior change. †¦. He is using theories about buying habitsbacked by $399 million a year in advertising, marketing and in-store promotionsto convince grocery stores to provide ample shelves for its 45 consumer brands†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  Leadership. Charles M. Harper The â€Å"wizard† Charles M. Harper who led the company from 1974 to 1993 is well-known for launching acquisitions strategy and founding Healthy Choice brand. During his tenure at ConAgra, the company expanded its business operations from flour-milling business to frozen foods, poultry, prepared seafood, fertilizers and the sales rose from $636 million in 1974 to $9 billion in 1987. The main reason for making decisions on acquisitions strategy were cyclical profits that company faced in agricultural segment. Mike Harper decided to diversify the company from basic products to packaged goods. His main priority was to acquire companies while they were in their down cycle and he restructured the companies and refocused their marketing strategies. He reintroduced the brands which were highly recognizable by consumers and refocused the product lines. In 1988 Harper boasted that ConAgra was probably the only food products company to participate across the entire food chain. In the early 1990s ConAgra expanded at a rate of about 3-5 acquisitions and joint ventures a year, becoming the leader in the frozen goods industry . During his tenure the P/E ratio of the company was at all times high which means: the price of stock was rising faster than the earnings per share or in other words, the investors were overoptimistic about the future of the company. (Figure 4) Figure 4. P/E ratio of ConAgra Foods Inc. Bruce Rhode In 1998 Bruce Rhode was named a CEO of ConAgra and his first steps were to reduce costs by large amount. He instituted Operation Overdrive restructuring program, closing several production plants and storage facilities and cutting the workforce by seven thousand employees. The estimated savings from Operation Overdrive were approximately $600 million a year . The other problem that Bruce Rhode faced was strong decentralization of the company. Some of the food-processing and meat-packing companies, which operated under one brand name of ConAgra, purchased the products from the competitors rather than other ConAgra’s branches. The same uncoordinated actions were in marketing when â€Å"representatives from several ConAgra divisions, all selling similar products, visited the same restaurants and groceries†. Bruce Rhode emphasized team-approach to solve these problems. At the beginning of 2000s many retail grocery stores would like to promote their own brands in foods processing and packaging segment and that was another problem for Bruce Rhode to solve. He concentrated on product development and marketing, working closely with grocery stores to create displays of ConAgra products. Bruce Rhode continued acquisitions strategy of his predecessors acquiring more brand names in packaged food segment (International Home Foods in 2000) to increase gross sales of the company and he divided company into ten principal operating units: ConAgra Foodservice Company; ConAgra Grocery Products Companies; ConAgra Frozen Prepared Foods; ConAgra Dairy Case Companies; ConAgra Refrigerated Prepared Foods; ConAgra Meat Companies; ConAgra Poultry Company; ConAgra Food Ingredients; United Agri Products Companies; ConAgra Trade Group. The early years of his tenure coincided with the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997-1998 when the investors were cautious about the US domestic markets and the stock price fell significantly (Figure 4). Figure 4. Daily stock prices for ConAgra Foods, Inc. (CAG) since 1978 to 2010. Source: google. com/finance Gary Rodkin Gary Rodkin, the former CEO of PepsiCo Beverages and Foods of North America division, replaced Bruce Rhode as CEO of ConAgra Foods Inc. in 2005 and began reorganization trying to create one centralized consolidated company that consists of more than 500 subdivisions. As a result of refocusing its portfolio of businesses ConAgra Foods Inc. divested Butterball, Armour, Eckrich and others. Gary Rodkin, while continuing acquisitions strategy, transformed the company into a â€Å"more unified operating company† . With the changes of the new CEO many analysts were concerned that he would try to create ConAgra brand instead of coordinating many different brands. However, during his interview to SmartMoney (Wall Street Journal) in 2010 he said: â€Å"†¦. There is no product named ConAgra. So instead, we say, consumers make the brands relevant. We do need investors to better understand this company. But on the consumer side, we really don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze. † Performance Internal organization ConAgra Foods Inc. operates in a low-margin industry thus effectively managing its costs is the priority in achieving strategic competitiveness (Figure 6). Focusing on cost reduction the company could save 1. 1 billion USD through supply chain rationalization initiatives, the relocation of a divisional headquarters from Irvine, California to Naperville, Illinois, the centralization of shared services, salaried headcount reductions and other cost-reduction initiatives . Figure 6. Heres how the $4. 19 you pay for a frozen dinner like one from Healthy Choice breaks down. ConAgra makes 55 cents. Source: Forbes. com . Shopping Cart Psychology by Helen Coster. 08. 19. 09 For the fiscal 2010 year ConAgra Foods Inc. announced net sales of 12,079 million USD with the operating profit of 1,652 USD (Table 4). Table 4. Financial Highlights for the fiscal 2010 year Source: Annual Report 2010 â€Å"†¦.. Heightened competition, weak demand and inflation hampered food processor ConAgras fiscal first quarter, leading it to cut its outlook, though the maker of Healthy Choice and Orville Redenbachers brand foods increased its dividend†¦.. † . The company also decreased its earnings per share outlook from 8-10% growth to 5-7%. External environment ConAgra Foods Inc. is focused on value-added brand companies and private labeling in the food industry where it competes with such giants as Kraft Foods, Heinz, Nestle, etc. â€Å"†¦.. We experience intense competition for sales of our principal products in our major markets. Our products compete with widely advertised, well-known, branded products, as well as private label and customized products. Some of our competitors are larger and have greater resources than we have. We compete primarily on the basis of quality, value, customer service, brand recognition, and brand loyalty†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. † From the next figure it can be inferred that even though ConAgra Foods, Inc. operates better than overall US industries, it still underperforms the leading companies in food sector. Figure 5. 10-year comparison of ConAgra Foods Inc. , SP 500, SP 500 Packaged Foods Index. Source: Annual Report 2010 In the Processed and Packaged Goods industry companies operate under very narrow margins (Figure 6) and for that reason severe price competition after the financial crisis influences heavily the profits of ConAgra Foods Inc. Also, the retailers implement backward integration strategy and take away profits from famous brand companies since the consumers are losing interest in the brand-named products. Even though the there are some good news about the industry that the consumers are very conscious about the money and they eat-out less than before the crisis the competition in the industry makes it difficult for analysts to predict bright future for the food companies. In the Figure we can see that the general projections for the industry are either â€Å"buy† or â€Å"hold† rather than â€Å"strong buy†. Figure 7. Analysts recommendation about the industry and ConAgra Foods Inc. Source: wikinvest. com Zacks Investment Research, November 24, 2010. Bibliographies 1. Amanda Quick, â€Å"Company profiles for students†, (Thomson Gale, 1999) 2. bigcharts. com 3. ConAgra Foods Inc. Annual Report 2010 4. ConAgra Foods Inc. Corporate Responsibility Report 2010 5. conagrafoods. com 6. forbes. com 7. google. com/finance 8. http://www. hbs. edu 9. referenceforbusiness. com 10. wikinvest. com 11. wsj. com.

How I Will Grow From My MBA Experience Essay -- MBA Admissions Essay

Growth is an essential trait that builds people toward success. That being said, no two individuals are the same. However, like any challenge in life, the more effort and practice dedicated to a specific task, the sharper those skills become. Today’s world is continually altering into an ever more complex and highly competitive place. For this reason, people are being challenged, more than ever before, to pursue more education, increase their background of skills, and to carve their own personal niche that places them ahead of everyone else. Carol Dweck, a researcher at Stanford University says, â€Å"individuals with a growth mind-set believe that intelligence can be developed, like muscles† (Heath, Jul/Aug 2007, Issue 117). With this sort of mentality, you should continually push yourself for results, embrace challenges that test your abilities, and seek opinions about yourself from others. Working at Great American Opportunities has proven to me that growth is an essential part of business success. Knowing this, it becomes apparent that personal growth is the only way to ensure that we can acclimate ourselves for the next obstacle that life has to offer. Understanding of Leadership and Areas of Growth Understanding the process of growth plays an important role within a person’s concept of leadership. Leadership can be understood as an individual’s influence over a particular person or group that enables them to complete a shared and specific goal. Having studied Ken Blanchard’s (May 2008) model of situational leadership, I believe that leadership can be broken down into four main categories: â€Å"directing, coaching, supporting, and delegating† (p. 19). Blanchard then drives his process a little deeper and explains the ... ...m Christian Brothers University. Knowing that growth is not a one-time action, I plan to frequently ask myself the questions surrounding this assignment in an effort to continue my growth beyond the points I have already stated. References Blanchard, K. (2008). Situational leadership. Leadership Excellence, 25(5), 19-19. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.cbu.edu:9000/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=31950744&site=ehost-live&scope=site Heath, C., & Heath, D. (2007). Leadership is a muscle. Fast Company, (117), 62-63. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.cbu.edu:9000/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=25455522&site=ehost-live&scope=site Lombardo, M. M., & Eichinger, R. W. (2009). For your improvement: A guide for developing and coaching (5th ed.) Logimer International: A Korn/Ferry Company.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Eight

Bran The hunt left at dawn. The king wanted wild boar at the feast tonight. Prince Joffrey rode with his father, so Robb had been allowed to join the hunters as well. Uncle Benjen, Jory, Theon Greyjoy, Ser Rodrik, and even the queen's funny little brother had all ridden out with them. It was the last hunt, after all. On the morrow they left for the south. Bran had been left behind with Jon and the girls and Rickon. But Rickon was only a baby and the girls were only girls and Jon and his wolf were nowhere to be found. Bran did not look for him very hard. He thought Jon was angry at him. Jon seemed to be angry at everyone these days. Bran did not know why. He was going with Uncle Ben to the Wall, to join the Night's Watch. That was almost as good as going south with the king. Robb was the one they were leaving behind, not Jon. For days, Bran could scarcely wait to be off. He was going to ride the kingsroad on a horse of his own, not a pony but a real horse. His father would be the Hand of the King, and they were going to live in the red castle at King's Landing, the castle the Dragonlords had built. Old Nan said there were ghosts there, and dungeons where terrible things had been done, and dragon heads on the walls. It gave Bran a shiver just to think of it, but he was not afraid. How could he be afraid? His father would be with him, and the king with all his knights and sworn swords. Bran was going to be a knight himself someday, one of the Kingsguard. Old Nan said they were the finest swords in all the realm. There were only seven of them, and they wore white armor and had no wives or children, but lived only to serve the king. Bran knew all the stories. Their names were like music to him. Serwyn of the Mirror Shield. Ser Ryam Redwyne. Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. The twins Ser Erryk and Ser Arryk, who had died on one another's swords hundreds of years ago, when brother fought sister in the war the singers called the Dance of the Dragons. The White Bull, Gerold Hightower. Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. Barristan the Bold. Two of the Kingsguard had come north with King Robert. Bran had watched them with fascination, never quite daring to speak to them. Ser Boros was a bald man with a jowly face, and Ser Meryn had droopy eyes and a beard the color of rust. Ser Jaime Lannister looked more like the knights in the stories, and he was of the Kingsguard too, but Robb said he had killed the old mad king and shouldn't count anymore. The greatest living knight was Ser Barristan Selmy, Barristan the Bold, the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Father had promised that they would meet Ser Barristan when they reached King's Landing, and Bran had been marking the days on his wall, eager to depart, to see a world he had only dreamed of and begin a life he could scarcely imagine. Yet now that the last day was at hand, suddenly Bran felt lost. Winterfell had been the only home he had ever known. His father had told him that he ought to say his farewells today, and he had tried. After the hunt had ridden out, he wandered through the castle with his wolf at his side, intending to visit the ones who would be left behind, Old Nan and Gage the cook, Mikken in his smithy, Hodor the stableboy who smiled so much and took care of his pony and never said anything but â€Å"Hodor,† the man in the glass gardens who gave him a blackberry when he came to visit . . . But it was no good. He had gone to the stable first, and seen his pony there in its stall, except it wasn't his pony anymore, he was getting a real horse and leaving the pony behind, and all of a sudden Bran just wanted to sit down and cry. He turned and ran off before Hodor and the other stableboys could see the tears in his eyes. That was the end of his farewells. Instead Bran spent the morning alone in the godswood, trying to teach his wolf to fetch a stick, and failing. The wolfling was smarter than any of the hounds in his father's kennel and Bran would have sworn he understood every word that was said to him, but he showed very little interest in chasing sticks. He was still trying to decide on a name. Robb was calling his Grey Wind, because he ran so fast. Sansa had named hers Lady, and Arya named hers after some old witch queen in the songs, and little Rickon called his Shaggydog, which Bran thought was a pretty stupid name for a direwolf. Jon's wolf, the white one, was Ghost. Bran wished he had thought of that first, even though his wolf wasn't white. He had tried a hundred names in the last fortnight, but none of them sounded right. Finally he got tired of the stick game and decided to go climbing. He hadn't been up to the broken tower for weeks with everything that had happened, and this might be his last chance. He raced across the godswood, taking the long way around to avoid the pool where the heart tree grew. The heart tree had always frightened him; trees ought not have eyes, Bran thought, or leaves that looked like hands. His wolf came sprinting at his heels. â€Å"You stay here,† he told him at the base of the sentinel tree near the armory wall. â€Å"Lie down. That's right. Now stay—† The wolf did as he was told. Bran scratched him behind the ears, then turned away, jumped, grabbed a low branch, and pulled himself up. He was halfway up the tree, moving easily from limb to limb, when the wolf got to his feet and began to howl. Bran looked back down. His wolf fell silent, staring up at him through slitted yellow eyes. A strange chill went through him. He began to climb again. Once more the wolf howled. â€Å"Quiet,† he yelled. â€Å"Sit down. Stay. You're worse than Mother.† The howling chased him all the way up the tree, until finally he jumped off onto the armory roof and out of sight. The rooftops of Winterfell were Bran's second home. His mother often said that Bran could climb before he could walk. Bran could not remember when he first learned to walk, but he could not remember when he started to climb either, so he supposed it must be true. To a boy, Winterfell was a grey stone labyrinth of walls and towers and courtyards and tunnels spreading out in all directions. In the older parts of the castle, the halls slanted up and down so that you couldn't even be sure what floor you were on. The place had grown over the centuries like some monstrous stone tree, Maester Luwin told him once, and its branches were gnarled and thick and twisted, its roots sunk deep into the earth. When he got out from under it and scrambled up near the sky, Bran could see all of Winterfell in a glance. He liked the way it looked, spread out beneath him, only birds wheeling over his head while all the life of the castle went on below. Bran could perch for hours among the shapeless, rain-worn gargoyles that brooded over the First Keep, watching it all: the men drilling with wood and steel in the yard, the cooks tending their vegetables in the glass garden, restless dogs running back and forth in the kennels, the silence of the godswood, the girls gossiping beside the washing well. It made him feel like he was lord of the castle, in a way even Robb would never know. It taught him Winterfell's secrets too. The builders had not even leveled the earth; there were hills and valleys behind the walls of Winterfell. There was a covered bridge that went from the fourth floor of the bell tower across to the second floor of the rookery. Bran knew about that. And he knew you could get inside the inner wall by the south gate, climb three floors and run all the way around Winterfell through a narrow tunnel in the stone, and then come out on ground level at the north gate, with a hundred feet of wall looming over you. Even Maester Luwin didn't know that, Bran was convinced. His mother was terrified that one day Bran would slip off a wall and kill himself. He told her that he wouldn't, but she never believed him. Once she made him promise that he would stay on the ground. He had managed to keep that promise for almost a fortnight, miserable every day, until one night he had gone out the window of his bedroom when his brothers were fast asleep. He confessed his crime the next day in a fit of guilt. Lord Eddard ordered him to the godswood to cleanse himself. Guards were posted to see that Bran remained there alone all night to reflect on his disobedience. The next morning Bran was nowhere to be seen. They finally found him fast asleep in the upper branches of the tallest sentinel in the grove. As angry as he was, his father could not help but laugh. â€Å"You're not my son,† he told Bran when they fetched him down, â€Å"you're a squirrel. So be it. If you must climb, then climb, but try not to let your mother see you.† Bran did his best, although he did not think he ever really fooled her. Since his father would not forbid it, she turned to others. Old Nan told him a story about a bad little boy who climbed too high and was struck down by lightning, and how afterward the crows came to peck out his eyes. Bran was not impressed. There were crows' nests atop the broken tower, where no one ever went but him, and sometimes he filled his pockets with corn before he climbed up there and the crows ate it right out of his hand. None of them had ever shown the slightest bit of interest in pecking out his eyes. Later, Maester Luwin built a little pottery boy and dressed him in Bran's clothes and flung him off the wall into the yard below, to demonstrate what would happen to Bran if he fell. That had been fun, but afterward Bran just looked at the maester and said, â€Å"I'm not made of clay. And anyhow, I never fall.† Then for a while the guards would chase him whenever they saw him on the roofs, and try to haul him down. That was the best time of all. It was like playing a game with his brothers, except that Bran always won. None of the guards could climb half so well as Bran, not even Jory. Most of the time they never saw him anyway. People never looked up. That was another thing he liked about climbing; it was almost like being invisible. He liked how it felt too, pulling himself up a wall stone by stone, fingers and toes digging hard into the small crevices between. He always took off his boots and went barefoot when he climbed; it made him feel as if he had four hands instead of two. He liked the deep, sweet ache it left in the muscles afterward. He liked the way the air tasted way up high, sweet and cold as a winter peach. He liked the birds: the crows in the broken tower, the tiny little sparrows that nested in cracks between the stones, the ancient owl that slept in the dusty loft above the old armory. Bran knew them all. Most of all, he liked going places that no one else could go, and seeing the grey sprawl of Winterfell in a way that no one else ever saw it. It made the whole castle Bran's secret place. His favorite haunt was the broken tower. Once it had been a watchtower, the tallest in Winterfell. A long time ago, a hundred years before even his father had been born, a lightning strike had set it afire. The top third of the structure had collapsed inward, and the tower had never been rebuilt. Sometimes his father sent ratters into the base of the tower, to clean out the nests they always found among the jumble of fallen stones and charred and rotten beams. But no one ever got up to the jagged top of the structure now except for Bran and the crows. He knew two ways to get there. You could climb straight up the side of the tower itself, but the stones were loose, the mortar that held them together long gone to ash, and Bran never liked to put his full weight on them. The best way was to start from the godswood, shinny up the tall sentinel, and cross over the armory and the guards hall, leaping roof to roof, barefoot so the guards wouldn't hear you overhead. That brought you up to the blind side of the First Keep, the oldest part of the castle, a squat round fortress that was taller than it looked. Only rats and spiders lived there now but the old stones still made for good climbing. You could go straight up to where the gargoyles leaned out blindly over empty space, and swing from gargoyle to gargoyle, hand over hand, around to the north side. From there, if you really stretched, you could reach out and pull yourself over to the broken tower where it leaned close. The last part was the scramble up the blackened stones to the eyrie, no more than ten feet, and then the crows would come round to see if you'd brought any corn. Bran was moving from gargoyle to gargoyle with the ease of long practice when he heard the voices. He was so startled he almost lost his grip. The First Keep had been empty all his life. â€Å"I do not like it,† a woman was saying. There was a row of windows beneath him, and the voice was drifting out of the last window on this side. â€Å"You should be the Hand.† â€Å"Gods forbid,† a man's voice replied lazily. â€Å"It's not an honor I'd want. There's far too much work involved.† Bran hung, listening, suddenly afraid to go on. They might glimpse his feet if he tried to swing by. â€Å"Don't you see the danger this puts us in?† the woman said. â€Å"Robert loves the man like a brother.† â€Å"Robert can barely stomach his brothers. Not that I blame him. Stannis would be enough to give anyone indigestion.† â€Å"Don't play the fool. Stannis and Renly are one thing, and Eddard Stark is quite another. Robert will listen to Stark. Damn them both. I should have insisted that he name you, but I was certain Stark would refuse him.† â€Å"We ought to count ourselves fortunate,† the man said. â€Å"The king might as easily have named one of his brothers, or even Littlefinger, gods help us. Give me honorable enemies rather than ambitious ones, and I'll sleep more easily by night.† They were talking about Father, Bran realized. He wanted to hear more. A few more feet . . . but they would see him if he swung out in front of the window. â€Å"We will have to watch him carefully,† the woman said. â€Å"I would sooner watch you,† the man said. He sounded bored. â€Å"Come back here.† â€Å"Lord Eddard has never taken any interest in anything that happened south of the Neck,† the woman said. â€Å"Never. I tell you, he means to move against us. Why else would he leave the seat of his power?† â€Å"A hundred reasons. Duty. Honor. He yearns to write his name large across the book of history, to get away from his wife, or both. Perhaps he just wants to be warm for once in his life.† â€Å"His wife is Lady Arryn's sister. It's a wonder Lysa was not here to greet us with her accusations.† Bran looked down. There was a narrow ledge beneath the window, only a few inches wide. He tried to lower himself toward it. Too far. He would never reach. â€Å"You fret too much. Lysa Arryn is a frightened cow.† â€Å"That frightened cow shared Jon Arryn's bed.† â€Å"If she knew anything, she would have gone to Robert before she fled King's Landing.† â€Å"When he had already agreed to foster that weakling son of hers at Casterly Rock? I think not. She knew the boy's life would be hostage to her silence. She may grow bolder now that he's safe atop the Eyrie.† â€Å"Mothers.† The man made the word sound like a curse. â€Å"I think birthing does something to your minds. You are all mad.† He laughed. It was a bitter sound. â€Å"Let Lady Arryn grow as bold as she likes. Whatever she knows, whatever she thinks she knows, she has no proof.† He paused a moment. â€Å"Or does she?† â€Å"Do you think the king will require proof?† the woman said. â€Å"I tell you, he loves me not.† â€Å"And whose fault is that, sweet sister?† Bran studied the ledge. He could drop down. It was too narrow to land on, but if he could catch hold as he fell past, pull himself up . . . except that might make a noise, draw them to the window. He was not sure what he was hearing, but he knew it was not meant for his ears. â€Å"You are as blind as Robert,† the woman was saying. â€Å"If you mean I see the same thing, yes,† the man said. â€Å"I see a man who would sooner die than betray his king.† â€Å"He betrayed one already, or have you forgotten?† the woman said. â€Å"Oh, I don't deny he's loyal to Robert, that's obvious. What happens when Robert dies and Joff takes the throne? And the sooner that comes to pass, the safer we'll all be. My husband grows more restless every day. Having Stark beside him will only make him worse. He's still in love with the sister, the insipid little dead sixteen-year-old. How long till he decides to put me aside for some new Lyanna?† Bran was suddenly very frightened. He wanted nothing so much as to go back the way he had come, to find his brothers. Only what would he tell them? He had to get closer, Bran realized. He had to see who was talking. The man sighed. â€Å"You should think less about the future and more about the pleasures at hand.† â€Å"Stop that!† the woman said. Bran heard the sudden slap of flesh on flesh, then the man's laughter. Bran pulled himself up, climbed over the gargoyle, crawled out onto the roof. This was the easy way. He moved across the roof to the next gargoyle, right above the window of the room where they were talking. â€Å"All this talk is getting very tiresome, sister,† the man said. â€Å"Come here and be quiet.† Bran sat astride the gargoyle, tightened his legs around it, and swung himself around, upside down. He hung by his legs and slowly stretched his head down toward the window. The world looked strange upside down. A courtyard swam dizzily below him, its stones still wet with melted snow. Bran looked in the window. Inside the room, a man and a woman were wrestling. They were both naked. Bran could not tell who they were. The man's back was to him, and his body screened the woman from view as he pushed her up against a wall. There were soft, wet sounds. Bran realized they were kissing. He watched, wide-eyed and frightened, his breath tight in his throat. The man had a hand down between her legs, and he must have been hurting her there, because the woman started to moan, low in her throat. â€Å"Stop it,† she said, â€Å"stop it, stop it. Oh, please . . . † But her voice was low and weak, and she did not push him away. Her hands buried themselves in his hair, his tangled golden hair, and pulled his face down to her breast. Bran saw her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open, moaning. Her golden hair swung from side to side as her head moved back and forth, but still he recognized the queen. He must have made a noise. Suddenly her eyes opened, and she was staring right at him. She screamed. Everything happened at once then. ‘ The woman pushed the man away wildly, shouting and pointing. Bran tried to pull himself up, bending double as he reached for the gargoyle. He was in too much of a hurry. His hand scraped uselessly across smooth stone, and in his panic his legs slipped, and suddenly he was failing. There was an instant of vertigo, a sickening lurch as the window flashed past. He shot out a hand, grabbed for the ledge, lost it, caught it again with his other hand. He swung against the building, hard. The impact took the breath out of him. Bran dangled, one-handed, panting. Faces appeared in the window above him. The queen. And now Bran recognized the man beside her. They looked as much alike as reflections in a mirror. â€Å"He saw us,† the woman said shrilly. â€Å"So he did,† the man said. Bran's fingers started to slip. He grabbed the ledge with his other hand. Fingernails dug into unyielding stone. The man reached down. â€Å"Take my hand,† he said. â€Å"Before you fall.† Bran seized his arm and held on tight with all his strength. The man yanked him up to the ledge. â€Å"What are you doing?† the woman demanded. The man ignored her. He was very strong. He stood Bran up on the sill. â€Å"How old are you, boy?† â€Å"Seven,† Bran said, shaking with relief. His fingers had dug deep gouges in the man's forearm. He let go sheepishly. The man looked over at the woman. â€Å"The things I do for love,† he said with loathing. He gave Bran a shove. Screaming, Bran went backward out the window into empty air. There was nothing to grab on to. The courtyard rushed up to meet him. Somewhere off in the distance, a wolf was howling. Crows circled the broken tower, waiting for corn.

Italian Unification between 1815-1848 Essay

To what extent is it true to say that there was absolutely no movement or prospect of Italian Unification between 1815-1848? Between the years 1818 and 1848 there were many revolutions in Italy starting in the year 1821. The statement above states ‘absolutely no movement or prospect,’ therefore I strongly disagree with this due to the fact that there must have been some movement to achieve what Italy were finally able to. The following essay will give different points on the statement. In my opinion, I do not agree with the statement, one main reason being there were enough people in Italy that wanted it to be unified and that fought for what they believed in. For example the secret societies. During the times Italy was under the ruling of Metternich, many secret societies were formed, with passwords, mutual protection and sometimes even semi-religious rituals. The Carbonari, the most well known society and so consequently the most important. There were approximately 60,000 members involved, and it was particularly active in South Italy, especially in Naples. There aims were relatively mild, in Piedmont and Naples for example they hoped to establish a constitutional monarchy. It is already possible to see that there was some movement in Italy from secret societies that were hoping for Italian Unification. Another reason I disagree with the statement is due to Italy being under the ruling of Metternich. Although it was difficult living under the Austrians, and they were clearly putting an obstacle in the way of unification, I believe that it was actually a large contribution to the happening of unification. For example, due to Metternich trying to belittle the country by separating it into small constituencies, it made the Italian public want to fight back, and therefore as a consequence start revolutions. Three major revolutions occurred in Italy in the years, 1820-21, 1831-32, 1848-49. I believe this proves that things were being done to help unification rather than there being ‘absolutely no movement’. Additionally there is Giuseppe Mazzini, who is said to be a key figure in the history of Italian Unification. Mazzini was born in 1805, he had one overriding aim being ‘the brotherhood of people’. He believed in the equality of human beings and of races. In 1831, Mazzini founded ‘Young Italy’, this being Italy’s first real political party. Mazzini described the party as, ‘a brotherhood of Italians who believe in a law of†¦freemen and equals.’ Those in the party had to swear to commit themselves to make Italy ‘one free, independent, republican nation.’ Mazzini’s ideas were incredibly radical for that period of time, for example, his ideal was that the people should rise up agains their oppressors, there should be unification ‘from below.’ Eventually there was unification however it came more from above. Yet Mazzini proves once again that there was movement and prospect towards Italian unification, Young Italy being another example. Although Mazzini may not have been successful at that precise moment, we can now see that unification was actually reached. Linking to my previous point, it has been proven that Mazzini was not only famous for his radical beliefs but also for converting people to the cause. This point firstly proves that some movement was being made in the form of attracting people to the challenge that was Italian unification, but furthermore, proves further movement in the fact that there must have been an incredible number of supporters that were in favour of unification, and therefore plans must have been made to try and succeed. Finally, by seeing that Italian Unification was attained eventually, we can ultimately say that there must have been enough movement and enough prospect for the aim to be successful. For these reasons, i disagree with the statement ‘To what extent is it true to say that there was absolutely no movement or prospect of Italian Unification between 1815-1848?’ On the other hand, there are many events from this period of time that may agree with the statement previously specified. For example, after the French revolution, Metternich reinstated the previous monarchs of each constituency. Most of the monarchs were reactionary and therefore there was a large obstacle blocking the path to unification. Being such a large predicament, one can assume that there was ‘absolutely no movement.’ In addition, the lack of progress that went into uniting the country through language may have been seen as lacking and therefore lead ones opinions to believe once again no progress was being made. Furthermore, even with the countless revolutions that were attempted not one succeeded permanently. So, although this particular example goes against there being absolutely no movement, due to the fact there was clearly movement in the form of revolutions, it does agree however with there being no prospect of unification, seeing as every individual revolution from each specific country failed inevitably. This was in consequence of the Austrians suppressing the revolutions and then re inviting the previous leaders to come and transform the constituence to the way it had previously been. Following this, it is now possible to appreciate the separation between the North and South of Italy. The Northern half containing the wealthier half of the population, whilst the Southern half being populated with the poorer families. Due to this large partition, it is hard to see any prospect in Italian Unification and therefore one can easily agree with the statement above. In relation to the previous point is the division of the Apennine Mountains. In those times, the Apennine Mountains were practically the back bone of Italy, until it was partitioned into North-East and South-West by Metternich. It is understood that without a back bone, a body would be unable to stand, hence the fact that without the Apennine Mountains it would be incredibly challenging for the population of Italy to achieve the prospect of unification. Overall, one can see that there are many justifications for both sides of this argument. Although from this essay it seems the statement is in fact true, I strongly disagree. Understanding that there may be proof to support the statement, at the end of the day Italian Unification was achieved, and therefore it is impossible to say that there was ‘absolutely no movement’ because the aim was fulfilled and therefore some movement must have taken place. In conclusion, I disagree with the statement ‘to what extent is it true to say that there was absolutely no movement or prospect of Italian Unification between 1815-1848’ because this declaration clearly states that there was ‘absolutely no movement’ towards Italian Unification between those years, yet unification was completed, thus whether there was a lot of movement, or in some case a little, there was undoubtedly more than none, and for this reason I forcefully disagree with the statement.

How to Write a Book Review

How to Write a Book Review Many book aficionados write reviews. Thats great. However, if you are interested in writing reviews for publication or payment, you might consider how to formally write a review. In my own search for guidance, I came across this site that actually offers templates to escort you through the process. mybookbag.net.au/book-review-template/ But whether you write reviews for Amazon, blogs, magazines or newsletters/ezines, consider getting the formula right. Become known for your reviews and you might wind up as a paid reviewer, or as a minimum have a blog with advertisers knocking on your door. The University of North Carolina has a great post on this at its Writing Center. http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/book-reviews/ Basically, a reviewer gives the reader a concise summary, offers a critical assessment (good and bad), and ends the review with a suggestion as to whether the audience would enjoy the book. Drus Book Musings is a fine example of prolific reviewing. She leans toward the cozy mystery but isnt limited Or you can do reviews awash with humor or sarcasm or dark slaps, creating a voice for yourself. Some of NPRs reviews are done in that vein, such as Christian Grey Began His Fictional Career as a Vampire. npr.org/2015/02/08/384695847/christian-grey-began-his-fictional-career-as-a-vampire Or you can write for online magazines like Charleston Currents, a journal for the South Carolina Lowcountry. http://charlestoncurrents.com/ Or Columbia, SCs Free Times. It took my best query abilities to entice the arts editor to provide an interview/book review of the Carolina Slade series. free-times.com/arts/agriculture-experience-bears-fruit-in-south-carolina-mystery-series-052814 You can become known for book reviews, but like all forms of writing, you have to be a honed writer, diligent, and consistent. It takes time, but you can find a way to take your enjoyment of reading to the book review level. It takes practice, hard work, and a knack for querying like all writing. Or you can do reviews on your own, on your blog, and in that case, you need to build up your following and let authors know you are there for them. Then warn the postal person, because free books will flood your living room! FINAL NOTE: Of course, if you need practice, you are welcome to do so with a Carolina Slade or Edisto Island Mystery. How to Write a Book Review How to Write a Book Review Free Online Research Papers Introduction (in this section you need to include the author of the book, title of the book, year of publication, and notify the reader about the content of your book review.) Brief information about the author (in this part of book review format you need to include some details about the author; for example, why did the author write the book, what was his intention, is there a link between his life and themes of the books, etc.) Summary (summary section of book review format should cover the plot of the book; you need to limit this section to one or two paragraphs as your primary task is to write not the summary but a review) Overview and analysis of key themes (you need to talk about the issues raised by the author, main characters, etc. You need to be careful to avoid writing a book summary instead of review. Therefore, pay special attention to the language used by the author. Are the themes covered sufficiently? Are the main characters well-developed? Why does the author focus on the specific theme?) Critical analysis (this section of your book review is the most important one. Here you need to express your personal opinion about the book and justify your positive or negative evaluation). Your review should conclude with your personal observations. 1. Has the book challenged you intellectually, increasing your Knowledge, raising new questions, and/or presenting the material in a novel or provocative manner? On the other hand, does the author simply rehash what everyone already knows? 2. How did the book affect you? Were any previous ideas you had on the subject changed, abandoned, or reinforced due to this book? 3. Let the reader know whether or not the book is worth reading and why. In other words, why should anyone read it Research Papers on How to Write a Book ReviewHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenTrailblazing by Eric AndersonMind TravelStandardized TestingMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesQuebec and CanadaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andOpen Architechture a white paper

Calculations with Negative Numbers

Calculations with Negative Numbers The introduction of negative numbers can become a very confusing concept for some people. The thought of something less than zero or nothing is hard to see in real terms.  For those that find it hard to understand, lets take a look at this in a manner that may be easier to understand. Consider a question such as -5 ? -12.  What is ?.  The basic math is not hard but for some, the answer would appear to be 7. Others may come up with 17 and sometimes even -17.  All these answers have indications of a slight understanding of the concept, but they are incorrect.   We can look at a few of the practices that are used to help with this concept. The first example comes from the financial view.   Consider This Scenario You have 20 dollars but choose to purchase an item for 30 dollars and agree to hand over your 20 dollars and owe 10 more.  Thus in terms of negative numbers,  your cash flow has gone from 20 to -10.  Thus  20 - 30 -10.  This was displayed on a line, but for financial math, the line was usually a timeline, which added complexity above the nature of negative numbers.   The advent of technology and programming languages has added another way to view this concept that may be helpful for many beginners.  In some languages, the act of modifying a current value by adding 2 to the value is shown as   Step 2.  This works nicely with a number line.  So lets say we are currently sitting at -6.  To step 2, you simply move 2 numbers to the right and arrive at -4.  Just the same a move of Step -4 from -6 would be 4 moves to the left ( signified by the (-) minus sign.One more interesting way to view this concept is to use the idea of incremental movements on the number line.  Using the two terms,  increment- to move to the right and decrement- to move to the left,  one can find the answer to negative number issues.  An example:  the act of adding 5 to any number is the same as increment 5.  So should you start at 13,  increment 5 is the same as moving up 5 units on the timeline to arrive at 18. Starting at 8,  to handle -15,  you w ould decrement 15 or move 15 units to the left and arrive at -7.    Try these ideas in conjunction with a number line and you can get over the less than zero issue, a step in the right direction.

Group Meeting Minutes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Group Meeting Minutes - Essay Example UML were used to describe the current system on how it operates. Use case were in this study used to demonstrate this below are the minutes of the group that took place while looking at this case study. Further consultations about the group activities were done via social media where we created a group page on Facebook. Members with issues, suggestions could raise it here before or after the meeting. [Inception Phase Meeting 1] [ Group Name] Date: 5/31/2015 Location: Lab Group Members Present: Abdu, chairperson Benjamin, Benson, Emily assistant chairperson Fatima Hassan, Jason, Jennifer, Joseph, Karen organizing secretary to the group Shirntel 1. First Agenda Item The first meeting was held in a class with an aim of Identifying the need or usefulness of a project. The group members were to establish the following a. Establish a vision for the solution or enhancements planned b. Develop a business case statement for the project Decision(s): 1. The group agreed on a project which is a Fitness Centre that is planning to upgrade it information system to have modern and up-to-date cards for its members and backup procedures for its data. The group was to evaluate the current system what it does with an aim of proposing an appropriate upgraded system for the clients. 2. The vision for the project was established which was To Provide Better Services to the Clients. 2. Second Agenda Item Members sought to establish the requirements and the scope of the project which they had decided to undertake. The agenda was to: 1. Initial list of requirements 2. Identify scope or boundary of the new system or system enhancement Decision(s): a) The listed the initial requirements of the project as: i. Having the knowledge of the previous system, how the customers accomplish their tasks using the system. ii. Having the estimated time for the installing of the new project iii. Having possible tasks that will take place iv. Cost estimations from the time, tasks and what is already avai lable. How will the new system improve service satisfaction to the members and how will the staff benefit from the new system. 3. Third Agenda Item Develop preliminary schedules indicating areas of individual interests Decision(s): b) The following schedules and individual tasks were established Task Assigned Individual Responsible Additional Information Requirement engineering Benson, Jennifer Analyzing the user requirements Feasibility study Jennifer, Karen Study if the system is doable System analysis Jason, Emily & Benson Analyse the current system and define the system requirements according to priority Scheduling of the tasks to be done Joseph, Abdu, Hassan, Fatima Looking at what the group should do. UML designs Karen, Emily & Shirntel Design the system basing on the methodology(incremental) Looking the benefits of the new system Abdul, Benjamin, Emily Looking at the cons and pros of the proposed system in terms of cost and services delivery Presentation of the analysis to th e tutor/class All the team members The findings of the current and proposed systems Minutes prepared by: [Karen / Date ] Minutes Approved: [Abdul , signature] [Inception Phase Meeting 2] [ Group Name] Date: 5/31/2015 Location: Lab Group Members Present: Abdu, chairperson Benjamin, Benson, Emily assistant chairperson Fatima Hassan, Jason, Jennifer, Joseph, Karen organizing secretary to the group Shirntel 1. First Agenda Item Notes: the main objective of this second meeting was to allocate responsibilities to

Three Important Lessons by Kurlansky Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Three Important Lessons by Kurlansky - Assignment Example It is hard to understand what Kurlansky was driving to when he stated: â€Å"the state imagines it is impotent without a military because it cannot conceive of power without power† (Kurlansky 2006). This is evidenced by the fact that one can come up with many questions about this lesson. For instance, is it possible that Kurlansky implied that absence of power results to no state? Or is it possible that he thought that the state was the structural significance of power? Answering these questions enables one to understand the current power tussles in many states. Some Presidents of states have been overthrown because of lack of amicable cohesion between the government and their respective military. A good support of this claim is what took place in Egypt two years ago. The Egyptian army overthrew President Mohamed Morsi and held him together with his entire presidential term under house arrest. If President Morsi could have had a military, I mean him having a close relationship with the military; he could have secured his power as a president. In connection with the happenings in Egypt, many states are justified to consider themselves impotent if their relationship with their military is poor. As argued by Kurlansky, it is true â€Å"violence does not resolve. It always leads to more violence† (Kurlansky 2006). In relation to this claim, I came across a paper narrating what took place in Kenya as a result of election violence in 2007. The loss of the presidential results to one of the aspirants who was believed to have won through rigging the elections triggered violence between his supporters and those of his opponent. The majority of the people who participated in that election violence thought violence was the only way to solve their problem. Some politicians also fueled the hatred between people through financing their violence against each other. Unfortunately, the violence escalated beyond the control of the state leading to the loss of many innocent lives.