The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein - Bilbo Baggins :: essays research papers

The HobbitThis hobbit was a hobbit, and his name was Baggins. Baggins had lived in the neighborhood of The Hill some time, and people considered them real respectable, not only because most or them were rich, notwithstanding also because they never had any adventures or did anything unexpected. You could tell what a Baggins would say on any question without the bother of asking him. This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. He may have lost the neighbors respect, just he gained- well, you will see what he gained in the end. Bilbo Baggins lived a very simple life, a life he enjoyed very much, until the day when the wizard Gandalf arrived at his door one morning. Gandalf was searching for someone to share an adventure with, but Bilbo quickly declined, saying, We dont want any adventures here.You might try over The Hill or across The Water, and with that the hobbit dismissed the wandering wizard, but not befor e he had given the wizard an invitation for tea the following day. This of coarse, was the polite thing to do. except Gandalf saw something more in Bilbo and would not be discouraged. He left the hobbit, but not before he had scratched a sign on Bilbos door. The following day, Gandalf showed for tea, along with thirteen dwarves. This was the beginning of the adventures between the hobbit and the dwarves. The next day, Bilbo somehow found himself leaving his comfortable hobbit hole, and on what seemed to be an adventure. This was the beginning of not just one, but many adventures for Bilbo. The dwarves were on a quest to pay back and reclaim their famous treasure from the great dragon Smaug. It would be a long and difficult journey, and they felt it would be made simpler with the help of a burglar. This was what Bilbo was for, as yet if he didnt know it. Bilbo didnt want to be on the adventure, let alone play a vital role in it. But by the time the story concluded, Bilbo had chan ged from a well-to-do homebody into a burglar. The first time Bilbo exposed his hidden sense of adventure was early in the trip when he encountered a group of trolls. Bilbo was sent by the dwarves to investigate a strange fire in a forest, and

The American Dream in What’s So Great About America and Stupid White Me

The American hallucination is so many antithetic things to so many different people. term other countries around the World would like to argue that Americans only aspiration is to become infinitely wealthy, Dinesh DSouza claims that it is not wealth that Americans want. He call backs that it is barely a better life. Michael Moore in addition acknowledges Americans ambition, especially his own, to create a better life for themselves. These two views of the American Dream come from very opposite Americans, solely it is their differences that manipulate their ideals so beautifully unique. To begin the comparison between these two authors, I will first examine Moores ideology. As it is obviously verbalize in the title of his book, Moore is not exactly subtle person. He voices his contempt of what has become the American Dream through his own story of an underpaid and underappreciated voyage. Moore disgust for the pilots situation when he crudely utters, Never, ever let someone f ly you up in the air whos making less than the put one across at Taco Bell. (Moore, 48) Moore, of self-admitted wealth, sympathizes with men that collect food stamps. These pilots, as well as the rest of Americans, are being robbed of our American Dreams by corporate minions that buzz off been have income for the last, two decades. (Moore, 50) These same CEOs and other suits are the greed at the tops of huge corporations that, with the absence of Clinton, have had a sector day with ripping off Americans by and large through tax shelters, off-shore subsidies, and other means of defrauding the American Public. Moore drives this point home when he attacks Mercedes Benz tax safety valve of emissions fines as a blatant tactic, so that rich people could drive around big, fancy cars and ruin people lungs. (Moore, 53) Although he admits to living among the rich people, Moore points protrude that the g everywherenment too is among those that are flushing away the American Dream, becaus e tax audits have increased among the less paid in American society. Moore reveals that his true vision of the American Dream is the success of people who have, played by the rules, gave their heart and sole and first marriage to their company. (Moore, 55) Certainly success is anything but guaranteed in any agonistical competitive society. This competition is what makes America thrive. However, Moore feels that it is not Capitalism fault, as much as it is... ...ti-patriotism. I see his aggressive style as his way of include our democracy and forcing it to make our country better in any way it can. What he is saying is to refuse mediocrity in our own brass. I too deliberate we should always be striving to make our country better. It is this reason that I call DSouza nave. Our government did not become what it is over night. It has been hundreds of eld of fight and struggle from people like Moore that pushed America through her weaknesses, like segregation, racism, injustice, etc.. DSouza touches on this idea somewhat when he quotes V.S. Naipauls idea that Americans believe in an individuals potential for, perfectibility. (DSouza, 85) Because of our government, more directly its rule by the people, this perfectibility should also be extended to our every political ideal. tied(p) though I admire DSouza and his blind love for America, I agree that Moores head is in the right direction. Works CitedDSouza, Dinesh., Whats So Great About America (Washington, Regnery Publishing, 2002).Moore, Michael. Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation. New York Regan/HarperCollins, 2001. The American Dream in Whats So Great About America and Stupid White MeThe American Dream is so many different things to so many different people. While other countries around the World would like to argue that Americans only aspiration is to become infinitely wealthy, Dinesh DSouza claims that it is not wealth that Americans want. He believes t hat it is simply a better life. Michael Moore too acknowledges Americans ambition, especially his own, to create a better life for themselves. These two views of the American Dream come from very opposite Americans, but it is their differences that make their ideals so beautifully unique. To begin the comparison between these two authors, I will first examine Moores ideology. As it is obviously stated in the title of his book, Moore is not exactly subtle person. He voices his contempt of what has become the American Dream through his own story of an underpaid and underappreciated pilot. Moore disgust for the pilots situation when he crudely utters, Never, ever let someone fly you up in the air whos making less than the kid at Taco Bell. (Moore, 48) Moore, of self-admitted wealth, sympathizes with men that collect food stamps. These pilots, as well as the rest of Americans, are being robbed of our American Dreams by corporate minions that have been stockpiling income for the last, tw o decades. (Moore, 50) These same CEOs and other suits are the greed at the tops of huge corporations that, with the absence of Clinton, have had a field day with ripping off Americans by and large through tax shelters, off-shore subsidies, and other means of defrauding the American Public. Moore drives this point home when he attacks Mercedes Benz tax dodging of emissions fines as a blatant tactic, so that rich people could drive around big, fancy cars and ruin people lungs. (Moore, 53) Although he admits to living among the rich people, Moore points out that the government too is among those that are flushing away the American Dream, because tax audits have increased among the less paid in American society. Moore reveals that his true vision of the American Dream is the success of people who have, played by the rules, gave their heart and sole and first marriage to their company. (Moore, 55) Certainly success is anything but guaranteed in any competitive Capitalistic society. This competition is what makes America thrive. However, Moore feels that it is not Capitalism fault, as much as it is... ...ti-patriotism. I see his aggressive style as his way of embracing our democracy and forcing it to make our country better in any way it can. What he is saying is to refuse mediocrity in our own government. I too believe we should always be striving to make our country better. It is this reason that I call DSouza nave. Our government did not become what it is over night. It has been hundreds of years of fight and struggle from people like Moore that pushed America through her weaknesses, like segregation, racism, injustice, etc.. DSouza touches on this idea somewhat when he quotes V.S. Naipauls notion that Americans believe in an individuals potential for, perfectibility. (DSouza, 85) Because of our government, more directly its rule by the people, this perfectibility should also be extended to our every political ideal. Even though I admire DSouza and his blind lo ve for America, I agree that Moores head is in the right direction. Works CitedDSouza, Dinesh., Whats So Great About America (Washington, Regnery Publishing, 2002).Moore, Michael. Stupid White Men and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation. New York Regan/HarperCollins, 2001.

The Struggle for Acceptance in The Cider House Rules Essay -- Cider Ho

The Struggle for Acceptance in The Cider household Rules In The Cider House Rules, illusion Irving brings the orphan Homer Wells to acute life in a rather unusual way. Homers life and existence are part of a large symbolic touch on to the actual book itself. Homers life as an orphan struggling for acceptance and to Be of Use is shadowed by The Cider House Rules struggle for acceptance in the mass literary market and its need to purvey its views on abortion. After writing his first few books, Irving was left thwart that although the literary critics embraced them, for the general masses his books fell on deaf ears. (Hill 250) Unfortunately it is the general case that the masses and the elite are not in placement on what is worth reading. With this in mind, Irving set out writing The Cider House Rules with the intent of reaching not only the critics but the general masses as well. Similarly, Homer starts life accepted only within the narrow confines of the orpha nage he has grown up in. His first several attempts generate ended with failure, leaving Homer only the comfort of familiar arms. When Homer sets out several years later, with the maturity of one who has stared lifes failures and unwanted, he hits the world head on and starts to make gradual steps toward full acceptance. If asked, Irving will flatly deny that he had any ulterior motives in the man of The Cider House Rules. He will claim that the thought of abortion did not even enter the picture until he was well into the process. (Twaynes 12) However, alike Homer, this book was purposefully designed with abortion on the mind of the nurturer. Homers Dr Larch is a man who feels morally obliged to ... ...cs of storytelling in John Irvings The Cider House Rules.. Style 15 July 1998. 1 Apr. 2003 <http//findarticles.com>. DeMott, Benjamin. Guilt and Compassion. New York Times Book Review 26 May 1985 I25. Dickens, Charles. David Copperfield. N.p. n.p., 1849. H ill, Jane B. John Irvings Aesthetics of handiness Setting Free the Novel. The South Carolina Review 16 (1983) 38-44. Irving, John . The World According to Garp. New York Ballantine Books, 1982. Lewis, Roger. Larger than Life. New Statesman 109 (1985) McFadden, Maria. The Cider House Rules - non Human Life Review 2000. 13 Apr. 2003 <http//www.cinemagap.com>. The Cider House Rules. New York Ballantine Books, 1985. Weinkopf, Chris. The Cider House Rots. Human Life Review 2000. 13 Apr. 2003 <http//www.cinemagap.com/>.

My Teaching Philosophy Essay -- Education Teaching Philosophy

My Teaching Philosophy I believe that education extends far beyond the classroom walls, and involves umteen more volume than students and teachers. People should be learning wherever they go, and should continue learning long after theyve graduated from high school or college. program line isnt something that can be quantified with tests or report cards, but is instead something that people carry with them. Its a survival pack for life, and some people are better equipped in certain areas than in others. People with a solid education are prepared for nearly anything, as they leave behind be able to provide for their own physical, emotional, and aesthetic needs. That being said, I also believe that a crucial part of education does occur inwardly school during the formative years of a persons life. Regardless of whether a child is fortunate enough to come from an encouraging and loving home, it is the hypothesize of the school to provide emotional support as well as intelle ctual knowledge. The school, of course, is an abstract term which actually means the teachers and administrators. I...

The American Cancer Society Essay examples -- Cancer Education, Resea

The American Cancer golf club is a volunteer-based organization that is present across the United States. Its main purpose is to raise money and awareness about the severity and prevalence of cancer. Cancer education and research is where most of the focus and monetary donations are utilize for. The American Cancer ordering strives to fulfill their goal of less cancer and more birthdays across all generations and populations (ACS Inc., 2011). The American Cancer Society began its fight in 1913, starting as the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC), which included fifteen members in New York City (ACS Inc, 2011). Cancer was never a high-priority malady and was often pushed to the side due to the fact that there was no treatment, harsh conditions, and low diagnosis. In 1945, after WWII, the ASCC was reorganized and renamed as the American Cancer Society (ACS) (ACS Inc, 2011). At this point, America was able to recognize problems on the home-front, which major public he alth issues were obvious. In 1946, a woman by the name of Mary Lasker, a member of the original ASCC, helped raise more than $4 million for the Society, where one million of it was used to establish and fund infamous cancer research (ACS Inc, 2011). concisely after, Dr. Sidney Farber, one of the Societys first research grantees, achieved the first temporary cancer remission in a child with acute leukemia using the medicine Aminopterin (ACS Inc, 2011). The ACS has been developing research theories for decades, with approximately $3.5 billion dedicated to finding a cure to cancer through research (ACS, 2011). With the ACS name nationally recognized, they were able to help fund many national, government, and hospital barroom strategies and research. Currently, t... ...faith. Even though my friend lost his battle with esophageal cancer, he raised over $50,000 for the ACS with the help of our community, family, and friends. He wanted to repay ACS for what they did for him and wanted nothing more than to save someone else from what he was had to go through. ACS stayed by his side until the end giving him hope and support, and for that, I feel they are a remarkable organization. I do not feel that any improvements need to be made for this organization. They utilize all types of prevention and educational tools, including technology, media, and events. ACS can only continue their research in hopes of finding the cure to cancer. Time is the only factor that may be for, or against, the Societys efforts. Spreading faith, knowledge, and strategies to overcome cancer is the only way to keep individuals safe from the burden of cancer.

The American Cancer Society Essay examples -- Cancer Education, Resea

The American crabby person Society is a volunteer-based organization that is def devastation across the United States. Its main purpose is to raise money and awareness about the severity and prevalence of cancer. cancer education and research is where most of the boil down and monetary donations are used for. The American Cancer Society strives to fulfill their goal of less cancer and more birthdays across all generations and populations (ACS Inc., 2011). The American Cancer Society began its fight in 1913, starting as the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC), which included fifteen members in New York City (ACS Inc, 2011). Cancer was never a high-priority disease and was often pushed to the side due to the fact that there was no treatment, harsh conditions, and low diagnosis. In 1945, after WWII, the ASCC was reorganized and re dod as the American Cancer Society (ACS) (ACS Inc, 2011). At this point, America was able to recognize problems on the home-front, which maj or public health issues were obvious. In 1946, a woman by the name of Mary Lasker, a member of the original ASCC, helped raise more than $4 million for the Society, where one million of it was used to establish and fund disreputable cancer research (ACS Inc, 2011). Soon after, Dr. Sidney Farber, one of the Societys first research grantees, achieved the first temporary cancer remission in a barbarian with acute leukemia using the drug Aminopterin (ACS Inc, 2011). The ACS has been developing research theories for decades, with approximately $3.5 billion dedicated to finding a cure to cancer through research (ACS, 2011). With the ACS name nationally recognized, they were able to help fund many national, government, and hospital prevention strategies and research. Currently, t... ...faith. Even though my friend lost his battle with esophageal cancer, he increase over $50,000 for the ACS with the help of our community, family, and friends. He wanted to repay ACS for what they did for him and wanted nothing more than to save someone else from what he was had to go through. ACS stayed by his side until the end giving him hope and support, and for that, I feel they are a remarkable organization. I do not feel that any improvements need to be do for this organization. They utilize all types of prevention and educational tools, including technology, media, and events. ACS can only continue their research in hopes of finding the cure to cancer. Time is the only factor that may be for, or against, the Societys efforts. Spreading faith, knowledge, and strategies to overcome cancer is the only way to keep individuals safe from the burden of cancer.

Feudalism in Today’s Society Essay

When searching for information on feudalism it is difficult to find modern sources speechmaking of it in a positive connotation. Most seem to regard it as merely a necessary step to capitalism. However, there are many aspects of feudalism still present in our society. Our societys modes of defense and organization, as well as the devices used to cod our standard of living possible, can be traced back to the age of feudalism.The feudal body stemmed from the peoples need to defend themselves from their many enemies. The main reason that people were willing to r each(prenominal) vassals and plow for their lord was so that they could be protected by him (Tierney 162). In the same sense, people in modern society expect their government to give protection from any enemies that arise. In the feudal system, this protection was in the form of armies provided by the vassals to the lord. These armies where made up of knights who where expected to fight when called upon by their lords to do so (Tierney 162 ). In modern society the armies are also made up of people in the community who are called upon during times of war through, a system of drafts. In the Middle Ages, when a neighboring fief controlled by the same lord was attacked, the neighbor was expected to help defend it (Feudal Life). If one of the United States is attacked by a hostel force, soldiers are drafted from all of the adjoining states, not just the one under attack.The organization of the country into different states that are in knead divided into counties and cities is also reminiscent of the feudal system. Each successively smaller division is run by its own elected official and each official answers to the one higher up the ladder. This is very similar to the feudal system where the lord had vassals who in turn had vassals of his own and serfs. All of the vassals where involved in decision making of the land. Counsels had to be consulted before any major decisions were made (Tierney 162-163). A nother thing that emerged in the Middle Ages that we still see today is the bourgeois society.During the feudal era there were plenty of people who could farm so some of them started to do other things such as carpentry and blacksmithing. There were replete specialistsaround that the farmers didnt hand to do everything themselves anymore. For example, many manors in the Middle Ages had mills on the property. These Mills provided everyone with the flour needed to make bread ( explanation). Today, a couple of(prenominal) people in the general population would be able to do everything required for their survival. Everyone has one or two things that they are good at and that they make their living from and everyone buys what they need from other such people.In order to make all of the food and other goods required to keep modern society surgery normally, many devices are used that originate from the time of the feudal system. Around this time, slaves were replaced by serfs and free workers so ways of making the work easier surfaced. One of these was the execute of using work animals to help with farm labor (History). Granted this is not maked as much now as it was then because we now have things like tractors and cars to make labor easier, but there are still some animals used for labor.Another device developed during this time that made work easier for the workers was the wheelbarrow. This is still widely used today for all sorts of things, along with the gear or toothed wheel which is the basis for most machinery and clock mechanisms. Another practice started in the middle ages that is extremely useful to us is the use of wind and water for energy (History). We generally use the power of these elements to provide us with electrical energy where they used them for mills and similar applications, but the basic idea is still the same.So it is apparent that our society is indebted to the age of feudalism for many things that we do for granted. We still use as pects of feudalism for producing food, defense, and structuring our government. Perhaps those socialists that can only speak of feudalism as a necessary step to capitalism with an arrogant insularity to its true importance should be reminded of what it was like trying to survive during one of the most dangerous periods of civilization.Works CitedHistory of Feudalism in Europe History Interactive. National HeritageAcademies.http//michiganepic.org/NHA/Feudalism/feudalism.html.Feudal Life in the Middle Ages. Learner.org.http//www.learner.org/exhibits/middleages/feudal.htmlTierney, Brian. Western Europe in the Middle Ages 300-1475. Sixth Edition. TheMcGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 1999

Children in Victorian society Essay

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. He lived a quick-witted childhood. Everything was fine until 1824 when Dickens was 12 his father, John Dickens was sent to Marshalsea prison for debt. Dickens was put to work in the Warners blacking factory. When John Dickens left over(p) prison Dickens was told by his mother to stay on working at the factory. He found working there a humiliating ascertain alone the good thing is it inspi inflammation much of his fiction in later life. Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol as a warning to capital of the United Kingdom. London at the time was much divided, it was split into the execrable and rich living, and there was no middle class.The rich would be VERY rich, would own masses of land, they would dedicate extravagant clothes and foods with servants serving them their marvellous foods. Whereas the poor was VERY poor The vast majority would be homeless, probably scavenge for food and all that they possess would be the clothes th at they had on. The poor would be living on very dirty streets that were filled with disease and famine. On page 69 we get to c at a timeive how bad these streets are as Dickens gives us a graphic detail of them. He describes the alleys and arches as cesspools.Cesspools were pits at the end of some (most) streets where all pay off products were dumped including human waste This paragraph in the fable really shows us as the audience just how bad London was at the time. The warning was that If the children of straight off keep on growing up like they are, uneducated and neglected, the outlook for this country and its nation is a very bad one His very known play A Christmas Carol written in 1842 showed a great reflection of London society e. g. we had the poor and the rich skinflint (the main character) and niggling Tim (a disabled poor child. )The character of scrooge was a very cold and solitary(a) one. We can relate Scrooge to Dickens because scrooge had spent umteen Chr istmass alone at boarding school just like Dickens had at the factory. The boarding schools were very unpleasant places they were lonely and very exigent Parents would send their children to them to get them out of the way until they were old enough to work children were treated very badly in Dickens time. On pages 26 29 Dickens uses pathetic fallacy to describe Scrooges boarding school in his novel. Pathetic fallacy uses surroundings to create images of feelings.Dull red brick heralds me that this is place is dull, boring and not the best of places to be. The whole passage uses different images to show us how truly bad this place is. He describes the place as damp, mossy, dreary all these words are negative points. This shows us how depressing it must have been on the students e. g. Scrooge. The boarding school has had a dramatic impact in Scrooges life and has made Scrooge the way he is His personality reflects the description of the school the cold/upsetting environment has left Scrooge with a cold/icy personality.Dickens uses three ghosts to tell the story they show us the past, present and future of Scrooges life. The 1st ghost Past This ghost takes us back to Scrooges time at boarding school, it shows him alone and neglected as other children go home for Christmas with their warm, loving families. Scrooge is described as a solitary child neglected by his friends (pg 26. ) The ghost also shows that after Scrooge leaves school he is very mean and because he is very lonely his only friend is his money. We can see this in a scene with his girlfriend as he has to decide love of money, he chooses money and once again he is alone.The 2nd ghost present This ghost introduces us to the Cratchit family waiting for Bob Cratchit and tiny Tim to get back from church. minute Tim is a new-made boy, he is very ill and likely to die soon, and this is all due to poverty not neglect because he has a very caring family Tiny Tim is physically crippled and we see Scr ooge as emotionally crippled from his childhood. The ghost then shows some of Scrooges family having a Christmas celebration without him. They are playing a guessing/description game where one person thinks of something and others have to guess what it is or who it is by asking questions.The game starts with someone describing this person as a savage animal living in London. Someone guesses it as Uncle Scrooge He shows no emotion towards this and doesnt care what anyone thinks of him. The ghost finally shows Scrooge two children, a boy and a girl. The boy represents ignorance and the girl represents want. Dickens sees the boy as the one to be scared of, he uses the boy to tell us that with the lack of education the boy will turn out much worse than the girl of want (poverty. ) When we are first introduced to the children, Dickens describes them as wretched objects, frightful, hideous, and miserable.From this I get the idea that Dickens is confused about what he wants to portray by t hese characters. Dickens then describes them as yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish save prostate too. He has now decided to portray both these children as frighteningly scary. These children really bring up dickens massage of a poor future The last ghost future This ghost shows Scrooge some disturbing images in this stave, the stave starts off with people talking about a man who has died but people are quite happy about his death.They then see other people talking about what they have stolen from this all of a sudden man, just to get some money. Somebody has even stolen the sheets he was lying on. This shows that nobody really cares about the man that has died This ghost shows Scrooge the Cratchit family again but they are no longer happy and cheery this is because Tiny Tim has passed away due to the poverty. Finally the ghost shows Scrooge a gravestone with his name on it, this when Scrooge realises that nobody does car about him and that he is alone.He has caused the suf fering of the Cratchits with his evil greedy ways Scrooge w.akes up on Christmas mean solar day and changes who he is and helps Tiny Tim and the Cratchits. I think that this story works very well because look where we are today, there is no longer much acidulated poverty and all children are now educated in England. So I believe that this novel could have played a huge tell apart in this transformation because I woke people up to just how bad things were going to be. Charles Dickens passed away suddenly in 1870 without finishing his final novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Political Philosophy and User Responses Essay

1. The belief that a persons fate can be closely attributed to his or her own efforts is KNOWN AS ________ AND IS implicit in(p) TO THE AMERICAN DREAM. a. populism b. equality c. individualism d. republicanism e. fatalism Grade 1 exploiter Responses c. individualism Feedback 2. Which of the following attributes is associated with capitalism, the economic system in America? a. Government should be twisting in protecting the health of the financial industry over individual citizens rights. b. Government should allow the market economy to be free and unrestricted. c. Government should not obstruct individuals efforts to obtain blank space.d. Government should promote equality precisely to those who were born in the country. e. The national disposal should break down more involved in extract politics. Grade 1 substance abuser Responses c. Government should not obstruct individuals efforts to obtain property. Feedback 3. ________ often predict the degree and type of political part icipation, which shapes political culture. a. Political score b. Demographic factors c. Community-oriented economics d. Individual incentives e. Group dynamics Grade 0 user Responses a. Political determine Feedback 4. Belief in which of the following ideals is part of the substance of American political culture?a. Allegiance to parental homeland b. Strength in diversity c. Caste system d. Foreign diplomacy e. Government discourse Take the Chapter 02 Exam partition Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions try 25/25 calmness No 1/1 2 Grade 0 User Responses c. Caste system Feedback 5. Which of the following is advocated by socialism, which emphasizes think economies over free market economies? a. Government ownership of key industries b. Private jobs over public programs c. Higher taxes for the poorest citizens d.Financial rewards for productivity e. Government investment in large corporations Grade 1 User Responses a. Government ownership of key industries Feedback 6. Each individuals political beliefs are rooted in ________ and ________. a. ideals hold dears b. core beliefs experiential learning c. core beliefs political attitudes d. partisan bias values e. values religion Grade 0 User Responses b. core beliefs experiential learning Feedback 7. Which of the following constitutes an element of the United States national political CULTURE? a. Belief that individualism hampers the overall strength of the country.b. The citizen class a man or a woman belongs to c. The notion that governing is the basis for decisions that will affect all American citizens d. The idea that freedom is for those who earn it e. The rights and liberties citizens have Grade 0 User Responses a. Belief that individualism hampers the overall strength of the country Feedback Take the Chapter 02 Exam Section Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions seek 25/25 Submissi on No 1/1 3 8. Communitarianism refers to a set of beliefs with a long history of impacting political culture in the United States. Communitarianism emphasizes the importance of ______ __. a. economic classes and communism b. agrarian practices c. limited government d. needs of the lodge over needs of the individual e. voting and democracy Grade 0 User Responses a. economic classes and communism Feedback 9. In which means do Americans best render the essence of the American Dream? a. Their commitment to welfare programs b. Their universal support of limited government c. Their enthusiasm for capitalism d. By sending humanitarian assistance overseas e. By regularly voting in elections Grade 0 User Responses d.By sending humanitarian aid overseas Feedback 10. The term that refers to astray shared ideas about who should govern, toward what ends, and by what means is ________. a. subculture b. fundamentalism c. ideology d. political culture e. demography Grade 1 User Responses d. p olitical culture Feedback 11. What is the natural end of the United States history of immigration? a. A decline in diversity caused by the immigration rate b. Substantial racial and ethnic diversity in the American universe c. The foreign-born form the majority of the U. S. population d. Domination by foreign countries e.Substantial racism and anti-immigrant feelings in the majority of the American population Take the Chapter 02 Exam Section Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions Attempted 25/25 Submission No 1/1 4 Grade 1 User Responses b. Substantial racial and ethnic diversity in the American population Feedback12. A belief in free markets, limited government, and self-reliance in economic affairs, combined with a belief in tradition, law, and faith in social affairs are values upheld by ________. a. socialists b. the modern Republican companionship c.the Republican party historically d. modern libertarianism e. the C ommunist Party historically Grade 0 User Responses d. modern libertarianism Feedback13. A belief that individuals can provide conceptiveer chances for economic and personal betterment for their children, if not for themselves, is part of the ________. a. American Dream b. Communist Manifesto c. American exceptionalism d. expectations of society e. American socialization Grade 1 User Responses a. American Dream Feedback 14. Which of the following generally ensures that government follows the will of the people in a democratic system? a. Lobbying b.Elections c. Interest concourses d. Initiatives e. Opinion polls Grade 1 User Responses b. Elections Feedback Take the Chapter 02 Exam Section Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions Attempted 25/25 Submission No 1/1 5 15. One factor that has helped reduce political conflict over economic inequality in the United States is the strong belief in ________. a. equality of personal opp ortunity and individualism b. fate c. the promise of global competition for creating economic equality d. a strong consort ethic creating equal rewards e. strong government intervention.Grade 1 User Responses a. equality of personal opportunity and individualism Feedback 16. Most Americans would acknowledge that those with greater resources and connections to government officials are more likely to ________. a. participate in politics and be represented in government b. participate in a revolution c. become distrustful of the government d. be white-collar workers e. provide fewer opportunities to their kids than they had Grade 1 User Responses a. participate in politics and be represented in government Feedback 17.While no single religion represents all Americans belief system, most of the FOUNDING POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES WAS________, WHICH HAS HAD LASTING EFFECTS ON THE LAWS AND political CULTURE IN AMERICA. a. Jewish b. Muslim c. Catholic d. Protestant e. Pentecostal Grad e 0 User Responses c. Catholic Feedback 18. The fastest growing ethnic group in the United States is ________. a. Pacific Islanders b. Asian Americans c. African Americans d. Caucasians e. Hispanics Take the Chapter 02 Exam Section Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions Attempted 25/25 Submission No 1/1 6 Grade 0 User Responses b.Asian Americans Feedback 19. Income ________ between the classes in the United States has risen steadily since the twenties. a. caste system b. acquisition c. inflation d. inequality e. disbursement Grade 1 User Responses d. inequality Feedback 20. Voters sharing any particular political belief have the greatest chance of shaping policy when they are ________. a. inspired b. registered c. canvassing d. disperse e. concentrated Grade 0 User Responses b. registered Feedback21. Culture refers to ________. a. a series of expectations of a political system b. basic values about participating in a socie ty c. a predisposition about participation in a group or a political system d. a way of thinking or a mode of behavior common to a group e. beliefs about a political system Grade 0 User Responses e. beliefs about a political system FeedbackTake the Chapter 02 Exam Section Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions Attempted 25/25 Submission No 1/1 7 22. The right to own private property is ________. a. more attainable for middle-income citizens in Europe b. not very important to most Americans c. guaranteed by the Constitution d.one of the economic incentives that motivates Americans to embrace capitalism e. only for those with wealth Grade 0 User Responses c. guaranteed by the Constitution Feedback 23. Concerns about the level of_______ and its impact on regional politics and social cohesion from the 1920s to the 1950s resulted in many restrictions of ________ to the United States. a. immigration incoming b. education immigra tion c. trade economic growth d. terrorism travel e. health regulations entry Grade 1 User Responses a. immigration entry Feedback 24. A person who opposes government regulation of business is likely to be a ________.a. liberal b. commie c. socialist d. Green Party member e. conservative Grade 1 User Responses e. conservative Feedback 25. The strength of the economy is directly tied to the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a nation each year, which is called the ________. a. mass production factor b. gross domestic product c. poverty line d. normal household income e. Gini coefficients for the economy Take the Chapter 02 Exam Section Intro to US Government F 2014 flanery,daniel Submitted9/3/2014 13833 AM Gradebook Grade Questions Attempted 25/25 Submission No 1/1.

Jet Blue Essay

There are a few trends that assimilate come into play over the old few years. These different trends range from pricing for the flying to in flight perks. It seems that the perks and separate in flight amenities are what may be what makes the contrariety and will impact any of the flight path clubs strategy. Due to major hikes in render be over the past year the airlines have had no separate choice but to start passing this expense on to the flyers. The airlines have been trying to come up with competitive ways to recognize themselves from the competition.Many of the airlines even charge for you check pops also. According to Ethan Davidoff in his article The address Behind Checking Bags most airlines only charge $25 for a bag to be checked but there is Southwest Airlines that all in allows two bags to be checked before charging. With that said in the above menti mavend article one bed see that you definitely want to travel light because for more than one bag the pric es start to increase all the way up to $600. Although Southwest allows two checked bags there are other airlines that allow one free checked bag and most have a weight limit of 50lbs.If one were to travel internationally it may be cheaper to just purchase brand new clothes when you land. Not to mention the convenience of non checking any bags or having to wait to pick it up when you land, etc. So not only have airlines starting charging to check bags but more have stopped providing food, unless the flight is over a given amount of time and you are usually paying for that snack. The above mentioned change in airline airfares has certainly affected many airlines strategies.Also as mentioned above it has affected them most specifically in what type of benefits, perks, or amenities that they are willing to offer their flyers. coal-black begrimed has certainly followed suite and done various things to try to set themselves a routine wrangle sooty drears strategic intent. Jet Blue says that their aim is optimize our fare mix to increase our average fare and, in certain markets, utilize our realisework to maximize connecting opportunities while act to provide our customers with competitive fares (jetblue. om SEC filings, p. 31). Like any other connection they are looking to cut costs without hurting any of the aspects of their company that sets them apart (i. e. customer service, tv, radio). Jet Blue airline seems to have set its strategy to take advantage of the charges that other airlines charge. They have set themselves apart by offering things on their flights that other airlines either dont have or charge for. Jet Blue allows the first bag to fly free, the second costs $35, and the third costs $75.Although they do not have wireless broadband yet, unlike some other airlines, they do plan to have it in place 2012, and this is so because all of Jet Blues aircrafts are being set up for ViaSat satellite wireless which is new and no other airline has. Jet Blue is testing the service for ViaSat and the FAA for testing to be approved for use on airlines. However on the ground in the terminal it does offer free broadband at most airports (http//www. jetblue. com/flying-on-jetblue/onboard/wifi. asp). A strategy held by Jet Blue like that of any business is to improve its bottom line.Jet Blue wants not only to be profitable while reducing costs but they want their customers to be happy and have a good flying experience. Jet Blue has a saying on their site that says our standards beat their extras (http//www. jetblue. com/flying-on-jetblue/). They aim to provide stellar customer service. As a matter of fact match to ehow. com Jet Blue was awarded the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Award for best domestic airline and in 2008, it won J. D. provide and Associates Highest Customer Satisfaction Among Low Cost Carriers in North America award (ehow. com).More specifically they also state on their website that they have ranked Highest in Cu stomer Satisfaction Among low-priced Carriers in North America by J. D. Power and Associates for five years in a row (http//www. jetblue. com/about/work/). Jet Blue airlines prides itself on its customer service. As noticed from the previous paragraph they have won awards for their customer service. It is no wonder that the company believes in making their customers flight experience a pleasant one since the company was started by David Neeleman and a number of Southwest Airlines employees in February 1999 (ehow. om). Outstanding customer service is part of their strategy and it is one of their many features that puts them heads above the competition.Discuss Jet Blues financial objectives and whether or not the company has been successful in achieving this objective. in advance even getting into the financial objectives of the company just reading the SEC report for 2010 really shows proof that Jet Blue has been an extremely successful company over the past ten years. Since they w ere incorporated in 1998, flight starting in 2000, they have grown from $38. million in net income in 2001 to net income of $97 million in 2010 (jetblue. com). The aforementioned data shows proof of growth and success in lieu of turbulent financial times with rising fuel costs. Fuel costs dramatically rose over the companys time in business which could have easily put a company under but they continue to strive. Discuss Jet Blues strategic elements of cost, giving medicational culture, and human resource practices and evaluate whether each element provides the organization with a competitive advantage.Jet Blue continues to be competitive with their ticket and baggage pricing. In their 2010 SEC filing they term themselves a value airline based on service, style, and cost (p. 4). They go on to discuss in the overview how they feel that they continue to provide best coach product and reasonably priced optional upgrades (http//investor. jetblue. com, p. 4). As for Jet Blues organizati onal culture their web site specifically says If youre looking for a job where your career, your passion, and your sense of free rein are all important then youve landed at the right place.At JetBlue weve built an award-winning brand based on delivering value, service, style and relieve to our customers and to our crewmembers. And, by hiring people who share our vision, weve created a place where people enjoy coming to work (http//www. jetblue. com/about/work/). Jet Blue continues remain un-unionized. Discuss Jet Blues strategies for 2008 and beyond and evaluate whether or not Jet Blue will be successful implementing these strategies. Part of their strategy in 2008 has been the same as previous and later years, to remain on time with their flights.They have continued to do well meeting this goal. Jet Blues ongoing strategy has been to deliver exceptional customer service and on time direct flights. In 2008 they stated in their SEC filings that they were the 7th largest passenger carrier and in their 2010 SEC filings they were the 6th largest. Regardless of any strategies that they planned to implement they were obviously successful. The proof lies in their continued recognition by JD Power & Assoc, their net income increases, and their growth to 6th largest passenger carrier in the US.While other airlines are folding, being bought out, or merging Jet Blue is continuing to grow. It is no wonder since they offer outstanding customer service as only part of their strategy and it is one of their many features that puts them heads above the competition. Some of their other features that ranks them high with their customers is the fact that they offer 36 tv channels, XM/Sirius radio, and unlimited snacks and beverages to all passengers at no cost. Kudos to a company for keeping its employees (all non-union) and customers happy.

Gang Leader for a Day Essay

In so doing, Venkatesh revealed a complex mix of subculture (the Black Kings were a highly organised gang with a clear hierarchy, recruitment rituals, and assimilation processes) and culture the gang were embedded in the day-to-day life of the Projects. Although their primary purpose was to make money through selling drugs (mainly crack cocaine), they also performed a range of secondary functions deep down their territory from the formulation of protection for Project residents from other gangs, through the organisation of social activities (such as Basketball games), to policing the Projects (involving things like the provision of shelter for the homeless.).a. Ethnicity His South Asian ethnic background allowed him to pass among the overwhelmingly African-American subjects of his study in a way that would have belike been denied to him if he had been white (since the only white faces in the Projects were those of the police and, with one or two notable exceptions, they rarely ventured into the authority except to make arrests and, it is implicitly suggested, extort protection money). Venkateshs initial encounter with the Black Kings was one where he was mistaken for a member of a rival (Mexican) gang his ethnicity was diversely considered by the people in the Projects to be Mexican, Spanish or the largely-ubiquitous labelAy-rab. The fact he was relatively young, casually dressed and a student at the University also gave him credentials accepted by both those in the gang and the Projects generally something that leads into a second considerationHis ethics, however, are questionable. He started doing research and had not gotten human subjects approval. He deceived his advisor and dissertation committee about the extent that he was embedded into the gang. He saw clear illegal activities take place and never told anyone, and once or twice did something illegal. Their claims are not only that he was unethical, but that he put peoples lives at risk, that he lied to his main informant, JT, to get into the research site, and the only person who has benefited from the book is Venkatesh. To be fair, Venkatesh did teach a course when asked to, and on occasion he brought diet or drink (often alcohol) to parties and such.The tenured radical folks mention approvinglyMitch Duneiers Sidewalk (another great book) about homeless people and how he shares his royalties with those whom he interviewed The books main focus is on race, as it examines the day-to-day struggles of the virtually all African-American residents in a low-down housing project. However, at that place is much in the book that could be mined for courses in deviance, raceethnicity, inequality, research methods, sociology of organizations, and to a lesser extent, gender. Issues of class, race and identity also surface, as Venkatesh (the tiddler of middle-class South Asian immigrants) discusses his role as a brown man Southern Californian, and how his experiences shape his ac ademic vantage point. Venkatesh sets up a clearly delineated debate on the qualitative-quantitative divide, coming down squarely on the qualitative side, learning early that the question How does it feel to be Black and poor? is not easily answered using a Likert scale.He deftly highlights issues of ethics, identity, raceclassgender dynamics in data collection, the realities of ethnographic work, and the value and riding habit of qualitative versus quantitative methods of collecting data. Gang Leader for a Day throws into sharp relief the thorny issues of conducting ethical research. For instance, Venkatesh struggles with maintaining allegiances with powerful community members, while difficult to forge close ties with less powerful residents.Venkatesh gives refreshingly honest, clear examples of his missteps. For instance, he focuses the target of his research on the underground economy of three high-rise buildings within the gangs territory, and collects detailed information from residents about how much money they make, expenses they incur and so forth. Venkatesh talks with pimps and prostitutes, as well as those who sold provender or offered child care in their apartments, styled hair, prepared taxes, offered psychic fortune telling, performed carpentry, fixed cars, collected scrap metal, as well as a phalanx of other off-the-books businesses. Venkatesh provides a vivid, gritty account of life in a notorious Chicago housing project. His book interweaves issues of social class, race, ethnicity, gender, crime, deviance, and the study of organizations. Moreover, his perspective on the discipline is a compelling one a self-described rogue sociologist,

Definitions of Attitude Essay

An military short letter backside be defined as a positive or interdict evaluation of people, object glasss, event, activities, ideas, or just al near everything in your environment, but there is debate roughly precise definitions. Eagly and Chaiken, for standard, define an berth a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a specific entity with both(prenominal) degree of favor or disfavor.2 Though it is sometimes common to define an bearing as stir toward an object, affect (i.e., discrete sensations or overall arousal) is generally understood to be distinct from status as a measure of favor skill.3 This definition of view allows for un meeteds evaluation of an plaza object to vary from extremely negative to extremely positive, but similarly admits that people burn also be conflicted or ambivalent toward an object meaning that they qualification at different times express both positive and negative status toward the same object.This has led to som e discussion of whether person(a) can clench multiple postures toward the same object.4 Whether attitudes argon explicit (i.e., deliberately formed) versus implicit (i.e., subconscious) has been a topic of considerable research. Research on implicit attitudes, which are generally secret or outside of awareness, uses sophisticated methods involving peoples response times to stimuli to show that implicit attitudes exist (perhaps in tandem with explicit attitudes of the same object). unverbalised and explicit attitudes seem to affect peoples demeanour, though in different ways. They tend not to be strongly associated with each(prenominal) other, although in some cases they are. The relationship between them is poorly understood.Jungs definition emplacement is mavinness of Jungs 57 definitions in Chapter XI of Psychological Types. Jungs definition of attitude is a readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way (Jung, 1921 1971par. 687). stances very a great deal come in pairs, iodin conscious and the other unconscious. Within this broad definition Jung defines several attitudes. The main (but not only) attitude dualities that Jung defines are the following. Consciousness and the unconscious. The presence of two attitudes is extremely frequent, one conscious and the other unconscious. This sum that consciousness has a constellation of contents different from that of the unconscious, a duality particularly evident in neurosis (Jung, 1921 1971 par. 687). extraversion and introversion. This pair is so elementary to Jungs conjecture of types that he labeled them the attitude-types. Rational and ir perspicacious attitudes. I conceive reason as an attitude (Jung, 1921 1971 par. 785). The rational attitude subdivides into the mobilizeing and feeling psychological functions, each with its attitude. The irrational attitude subdivides into the sensing and intuition psychological functions, each with its attitude. on that point is thus a represen tative thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuitive attitude (Jung, 1921 1971 par. 691). Individual and well-disposed attitudes. umpteen of the latter are isms. In addition, Jung discusses the abstract attitude. When I take an abstract attitude (Jung, 1921 1971 par. 679). Abstraction is contrasted with concretism. CONCRETISM. By this I mean a peculiarity of thinking and feeling which is the antithesis of abstraction (Jung, 1921 1971 par. 696). For example I hate his attitude for creation Sarcastic. paste fromThe classic, tripartite entrance offered by William J. McGuire9 is that an attitude contains cognitive, affective, and behavioural regions. Empirical research, however, fails to support clear distinctions between patterns, emotions, and appearanceal designings associated with a particular attitude.10 A criticism of the tripartite view of attitudes is that it requires cognitive, affective, and behavioral associations of an attitude to be consistent, but this may be implau sible.Thus some views of attitude structure see the cognitive and behavioral components as derivative of affect or affect and behavior as derivative of underlying tenets.11 Despite debate slightly(predicate) the particular structure of attitudes, there is considerable evidence that attitudes ponder more(prenominal)(prenominal) than evaluations of a particular object that vary from positive to negative. Attitudes also hold up other characteristics, much(prenominal) as importance, certainty, or accessibility (measures of attitude strength) and associated noesis.12 There is also considerable interest in inter-attitudinal structure, which connects different attitudes to one another and to more underlying psychological structures, such as values or ideology.13Attitude functionAnother classic view of attitudes is that attitudes serve particular functions for individuals. That is, researchers shake up tried to understand why individuals impart particular attitudes or why they h old attitudes in general by considering how attitudes affect the individuals who hold them.14 Daniel Katz, for example, writes that attitudes can serve instrumental, adjustive or utilitarian, ego-defensive, value-expressive, or knowledge functions.15The functional view of attitudes suggests that in rewrite for attitudes to win over (e.g., via persuasion), appeals mustiness be made to the function(s) that a particular attitude serves for the individual. As an example, the ego-defensive function might be used to watch the racially harmful attitudes of an individual who sees themselves as open-minded and tolerant. By appealing to that individuals image of themselves as tolerant and open-minded, it may be possible to transmute their prejudicious attitudes to be more consistent with their self-concept. Similarly, a persuasive contentedness that threatens self-image is much more presumable to be rejected.16Attitude formationAccording to Doob (1947), information can account for m ost of the attitudes we hold. Theories of classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning and social learning are mainly responsible for formation of attitude. Unlike personality, attitudes are anticipate to convince as a function of experience. Tesser (1993) has argued that hereditary shiftings may affect attitudes but believes that they may do so in assumely. For example, consistency theories, which imply that we must be consistent in our beliefs and values. As with any type of heritability, to determine if a particular trait has a basis in our genes, twin studies are used.17The most famous example of such a surmisal is Dissonance-reduction theory, associated with Leon Festinger, which explains that when the components of an attitude (including belief and behavior) are at odds an individual may adjust one to match the other (for example, adjusting a belief to match a behavior).18 separate theories accept balance theory, origincally proposed by Heider (1958), and the self- perception theory, originally proposed by Daryl Bem.19Attitude departMain oblige Attitude changeAttitudes can be changed through persuasion and an principal(prenominal) domain of research on attitude change focuses on responses to communication. Experimental research into the factors that can affect the persuasiveness of a message include1. Target Characteristics These are characteristics that refer to the person who receives and shapees a message. One such trait is intelligence agency it seems that more intelligent people are less easily persuaded by one-sided messages. Another variable that has been studied in this category is self-esteem. Although it is sometimes thought that those higher in self-esteem are less easily persuaded, there is some evidence that the relationship between self-esteem and persuasibility is real(a)ly curvilinear, with people of tone down self-esteem being more easily persuaded than both those of high and low self-esteem levels (Rhodes & Woods, 199 2). The mind frame and mood of the target also routines a place in this impact.2. Source Characteristics The major source characteristics are expertise, trustworthiness and interpersonal attraction or attractiveness. The credibility of a sensed message has been found to be a key variable here if one reads a report about health and believes it came from a professional medical journal, one may be more easily persuaded than if one believes it is from a popular newspaper. Some psychologists apply debated whether this is a long-lasting effect and Hovland and Weiss (1951) found the effect of telling people that a message came from a credible source disappeared after several weeks (the so-called sleeper effect). Whether there is a sleeper effect is controversial. Perceived erudition is that if people are informed of the source of a message before hearing it, there is less likelihood of a sleeper effect than if they are told a message and then told its source.3. Message Characteristic s The nature of the message plays a enjoyment in persuasion. Sometimes presenting both sides of a story is useful to suspensor change attitudes. When people are not motivated to member the message, simply the number of arguments presented in a persuasive message result influence attitude change, such that a greater number of arguments go away produce greater attitude change.204. Cognitive Routes A message can appeal to an individuals cognitive evaluation to help change an attitude. In the central way of life to persuasion the individual is presented with the data and motivated to evaluate the data and arrive at an attitude changing conclusion. In the off-base route to attitude change, the individual is encouraged to not look at the content but at the source. This is usually seen in modern advertisements that feature celebrities. In some cases, physician, doctors or experts are used. In other cases film stars are used for their attractiveness.Emotion and attitude changeEmotio n is a common component in persuasion, social influence, and attitude change. Much of attitude research emphasized the importance of affective or emotion components. Emotion works hand-in-hand with the cognitive process, or the way we think, about an issue or plaza. Emotional appeals are commonly found in advertising, health campaigns and semipolitical messages. Recent examples include no-smoking health campaigns and political campaign advertising emphasizing the fear of terrorism. Attitudes and attitude objects are functions of cognitive, affective and conative components. Attitudes are part of the brains associative networks, the spider-like structures residing in long term memory that consist of affective and cognitive nodes.By activating an affective or emotion node, attitude change may be possible, though affective and cognitive components tend to be intertwined. In primarily affective networks, it is more difficult to produce cognitive counterarguments in the resistance to p ersuasion and attitude change. Affective forecasting, otherwise known as intuition or the prediction of emotion, also impacts attitude change. Research suggests that predicting emotions is an important component of decision making, in addition to the cognitive processes. How we feel about an outcome may override purely cognitive rationales.In terms of research methodology, the argufy for researchers is measuring emotion and subsequent impacts on attitude. Since we cannot see into the brain, non-homogeneous models and measurement tools have been constructed to obtain emotion and attitude information. Measures may include the use of physiological cues like facial expressions, vocal changes, and other body rate measures. For instance, fear is associated with raised eyebrows, incr eternal restd heart rate and increase body tension (Dillard, 1994). Other methods include concept or network mapping, and using primes or word cues in the era .Components of emotion appealsAny discrete emot ion can be used in a persuasive appeal this may include jealousy, disgust, indignation, fear, blue, disturbed, haunted,and anger. Fear is one of the most studied emotional appeals in communication and social influence research. Important consequences of fear appeals and other emotion appeals include the possibility of reactance which may clear to either message rejections or source rejection and the absence of attitude change. As the EPPM suggests, there is an optimal emotion level in motivating attitude change. If there is not enough motivation, an attitude will not change if the emotional appeal is overdone, the motivation can be paralyzed thereby preventing attitude change. Emotions perceived as negative or containing threat are often studied more than perceived positive emotions like humor.Though the inner-workings of humor are not agreed upon, humor appeals may work by creating incongruities in the mind. Recent research has looked at the impact of humor on the processing of po litical messages. While evidence is inconclusive, there appears to be potential for targeted attitude change is receivers with low political message involvement. Important factors that influence the impact of emotion appeals include self qualification, attitude accessibility, issue involvement, and message/source features. Self efficacy is a perception of ones own human agency in other words, it is the perception of our own ability to deal with a situation. It is an important variable in emotion appeal messages because it dictates a persons ability to deal with both the emotion and the situation.For example, if a person is not self-efficacious about their ability to impact the global environment, they are not belike to change their attitude or behavior about global warming. Dillard (1994) suggests that message features such as source non-verbal communication, message content, and receiver differences can impact the emotion impact of fear appeals. The characteristics of a message a re important because one message can elicit different levels of emotion for different people. Thus, in terms of emotion appeals messages, one size does not tick all. Attitude accessibility refers to the activation of an attitude from memory in other words, how readily available is an attitude about an object, issue, or situation. Issue involvement is the relevance and salience of an issue or situation to an individual. Issue involvement has been correlated with both attitude access and attitude strength. Past studies conclude cordial attitudes are more resistant to change.Attitude-behavior relationshipThis division requires expansion. (September 2012)The effects of attitudes on behaviors represents a significant research enterprise within psychology. Two theory-based approaches have dominated this research the theory of reason action21 and, its theoretical descendant, the theory of planned behavior,22 both of which are associated with Icek Ajzen. Both of these theories describe the link between attitude and behavior as a deliberative process, with an individual actively choosing to engage in an attitude-related behavior.An alternative model, called MODE for Motivation and Opportunity as DEterminants was proposed by Russell H. Fazio, which focuses on motivations and opportunities for deliberative attitude-related behavior to occur. MODE is a Dual process theory that expects deliberative attitude-behavior linkages like those modeled by the theory of planned behavior only occur when individuals have motivation to reflect upon their own attitudes. glue fromTheory of reasoned actionFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to navigation, searchThe theory of reasoned action (TRA), is a model for the prediction of behavioral intention, spanning predictions of attitude and predictions of behavior. The subsequent separation of behavioral intention from behavior allows for explanation of limiting factors on attitudinal influence (Ajzen, 1980). The Theory of Reaso ned Action was developed by Martin Fishbein and Icek Ajzen (1975, 1980), derived from introductory research that started out as the theory of attitude, which led to the study of attitude and behavior. The theory was born largely out of frustration with traditional attitudebehavior research, much of which found weak correlativitys between attitude measures and performance of volitional behaviors (Hale, Householder & Greene, 2003, p. 259).Pasted fromDefinition and exampleDerived from the social psychology setting, the theory of reasoned action (TRA) was proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1975 & 1980). The components of TRA are three general constructs behavioral intention (BI), attitude (A), and subjective norm (SN). TRA suggests that a persons behavioral intention depends on the persons attitude about the behavior and subjective norms (BI = A + SN). If a person intends to do a behavior then it is likely that the person will do it. Behavioral intention measures a persons relative stren gth of intention to perform a behavior. Attitude consists of beliefs about the consequences of performing the behavior multiplied by his or her evaluation of these consequences. (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) Subjective norm is seen as a combination of perceived expectations from relevant individuals or groupings on with intentions to comply with these expectations.In other words, the persons perception that most people who are important to him or her think he should or should not perform the behavior in question (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975). To put the definition into simple terms a persons volitional (voluntary) behavior is predicted by his/her attitude toward that behavior and how he/she thinks other people would view them if they performed the behavior. A persons attitude, combined with subjective norms, forms his/her behavioral intention.Fishbein and Ajzen say, though, that attitudes and norms are not weighted as in predicting behavior. Indeed, depending on the individual and the situ ation, these factors might be very different effects on behavioral intention thus a weight is associated with each of these factors in the prognosticative formula of the theory. For example, you might be the kind of person who cares little for what others think. If this is the case, the subjective norms would carry little weight in predicting your behavior ( moth miller, 2005, p. 127). Miller (2005) defines each of the three components of the theory as follows and uses the example of embarking on a new exercise program to illustrate the theory Attitudes the sum of beliefs about a particular behavior weighted by evaluations of these beliefs You might have the beliefs that exercise is good for your health, that exercise makes you look good, that exercise takes too much time, and that exercise is uncomfortable. distributively of these beliefs can be weighted (e.g., health issues might be more important to you than issues of time and comfort). Subjective norms looks at the influence of people in ones social environment on his/her behavioral intentions the beliefs of people, weighted by the importance one attributes to each of their opinions, will influence ones behavioral intention You might have some friends who are avid exercisers and constantly encourage you to join them. However, your spouse might prefer a more sedentary lifestyle and scoff at those who work out. The beliefs of these people, weighted by the importance you attribute to each of their opinions, will influence your behavioral intention to exercise, which will lead to your behavior to exercise or not exercise. Behavioral intention a function of both attitudes toward a behavior and subjective norms toward that behavior, which has been found to predict demonstrable behavior. Your attitudes about exercise combined with the subjective norms about exercise, each with their own weight, will lead you to your intention to exercise (or not), which will then lead to your actual behavior.Pasted fromIn psych ology, the theory of planned behavior is a theory about the link between attitudes and behavior. The concept was proposed by Icek Ajzen to improve on the predictive power of the theory of reasoned action by including perceived behavioural deem.1 It is one of the most predictive persuasion theories. It has been applied to studies of the relations among beliefs, attitudes, behavioral intentions and behaviors in various fields such as advertising, public relations, advertising campaigns and healthcare. The theory states that attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, together shape an individuals behavioral intentions and behaviors.Pasted fromExtension from the theory of reasoned actionThe theory of planned behavior was proposed by Icek Ajzen in 1985 through his article From intentions to actions A theory of planned behavior. The theory was developed from the theory of reasoned action, which was proposed by Martin Fishbein together with Icek Ajzen in 1975. The theory of reasoned action was in turn grounded in various theories of attitude such as learning theories, expectancy-value theories, consistency theories,2 and attribution theory.3 According to the theory of reasoned action, if people evaluate the suggested behavior as positive (attitude), and if they think their significant others want them to perform the behavior (subjective norm), this results in a higher intention (motivation) and they are more likely to do so.A high correlation of attitudes and subjective norms to behavioral intention, and subsequently to behavior, has been confirmed in many studies.4 A counter-argument against the high relationship between behavioral intention and actual behavior has also been proposed, as the results of some studies show that, because of circumstantial limitations, behavioral intention does not always lead to actual behavior. Namely, since behavioral intention cannot be the exclusive antigenic determinant of behavior where an indi viduals control over the behavior is incomp allowe, Ajzen introduced the theory of planned behavior by adding a new component, perceived behavioral control. By this, he extended the theory of reasoned action to cover non-volitional behaviors for predicting behavioral intention and actual behavior.Extension of self-efficacyIn addition to attitudes and subjective norms (which make the theory of reasoned action), the theory of planned behavior adds the concept of perceived behavioral control, which originates from self-efficacy theory (SET). Self-efficacy was proposed by Bandura in 1977, which came from social cognitive theory. According to Bandura, expectations such as motivation, performance, and feelings of frustration associated with repeated failures determine effect and behavioral reactions. Bandura (1986)full citation needed separated expectations into two distinct types self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. He defined self-efficacy as the conviction that one can successfully ex ecute the behavior required to produce the outcomes.The outcome expectancy refers to a persons estimation that a given behavior will lead to certain outcomes. He states that self-efficacy is the most important precondition for behavioral change, since it determines the initiation of coping behavior. Previous investigations have shown that peoples behavior is strongly influenced by their confidence in their ability to perform that behavior (Bandura, Adams, Hardy, & Howells, 1980).full citation needed As the self-efficacy theory contributes to explaining various relationships between beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behavior, the SET has been widely applied to health-related fields such as physical activity and mental health in preadolescents,5 and exercise.6 Concepts of key variablesBehavioral beliefs and attitude toward behavior Behavioral belief an individuals belief about consequences of particular behavior. The concept is based on the subjective probability that the behavior w ill produce a given outcome. Attitude toward behavior an individuals positive or negative evaluation of self-performance of the particular behavior. The concept is the degree to which performance of the behavior is positively or negatively valued. It is determined by the total set of accessible behavioral beliefs linking the behavior to various outcomes and other attributes.Normative beliefs and subjective norms Normative belief an individuals perception about the particular behavior, which is influenced by the judgment of significant others (e.g., parents, spouse, friends, teachers).7 Subjective norm an individuals perception of social normative pressures, or relevant others beliefs that he or she should or should not perform such behavior. Control beliefs and perceived behavioral control Perceived behavioral control an individuals perceived ease or difficulty of performing the particular behavior (Ajzen, 1988).full citation needed It is assumed that perceived behavioral control is determined by the total set of accessible control beliefs. Control beliefs an individuals beliefs about the presence of factors that may facilitate or impede performance of the behavior (Ajzen, 2001).full citation needed The concept of perceived behavioral control is conceptually related to self-efficacy.Behavioral intention and behavior Behavioral intention an indication of an individuals readiness to perform a given behavior. It is assumed to be an immediate antecedent of behavior (Ajzen, 2002b).full citation needed It is based on attitude toward the behavior, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, with each forecaster weighted for its importance in relation to the behavior and population of interest. Behavior an individuals observable response in a given situation with appreciate to a given target. Ajzen said a behavior is a function of compatible intentions and perceptions of behavioral control in that perceived behavioral control is expected to moderate the effec t of intention on behavior, such that a favorable intention produces the behavior only when perceived behavioral control is strong.Pasted fromCognitive dissonance is a term used in modern psychology to describe the feeling of discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting cognitions ideas, beliefs, values or emotional reactions. In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel disequilibrium frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc.1 The phrase was coined by Leon Festinger in his 1956 book When Prophecy Fails, which chronicled the followers of a UFO cult as reality clashed with their fervent belief in an impending apocalypse.23 Festinger subsequently published a book called A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance, published in 1957, in which he outlines the theory.Cognitive dissonance is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology. The theory of cognitive dissonance in social psychology proposes that peop le have a motivational drive to turn out dissonance by altering existing cognitions, adding new ones to shit a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements.1 It is the distressing mental state that people feel when they find themselves doing things that dont fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold. 4 A key assumption is that people want their expectations to meet reality, creating a sense of equilibrium. 5Likewise, another assumption is that a person will nullify situations or information sources that give rise to feelings of uneasiness, or dissonance.1 Cognitive dissonance theory explains human behavior by positing that people have a mold to seek consonance between their expectations and reality. According to Festinger, people engage in a process he termed dissonance reduction, which can be achieved in one of three ways lowering the importance of one of the discordant factors, adding consonant elements, or changing one of the dissonant factors.6 This bias sheds light on otherwise puzzling, irrational, and even destructive behavior.Pasted fromThe elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of persuasion1 is a dual process theory of how attitudes are formed and changed that was developed by Richard E. small and John Cacioppo in the early 1980s (see also attitude change). The model proposes an elaboration continuum, which determines the extent to which arguments are processed and evaluated (high elaboration) versus peripheral cues such as source expertise or attractiveness (low elaboration) shape persuasion. The model is similar to the Heuristic-systematic model of information processing developed around the same time by Shelly Chaiken.Pasted fromCentral routeCentral route processes require the audience to use a great deal more thought, and therefore are likely to predominate under conditions that promote high elaboration. Central route processes involve c areful scrutiny of a persuasive communication (e.g., a speech, an advertisement, etc.) to determine the merits of the arguments. chthonian these conditions, a persons unique cognitive responses to the message determine the persuasive outcome. If a person evaluates a message centrally as reliable, well-constructed, and convincing, it will often be received as favorable even if it is contrasting to the receivers original stance on the message.So, if favorable thoughts are a result of the elaboration process, the message will most likely be accepted (i.e., an attitude congruent with the messages position will emerge), and if admonitory thoughts are generated while considering the merits of presented arguments, the message will most likely be rejected.1 In order for the message to be centrally processed, a person must have the ability and motivation to do so. In order for the receiver to have motivation to centrally process a message it must have relevance to him or her.Peripheral rou tePeripheral route processes, on the other hand, does not involve elaboration of the message through extensive cognitive processing of the merits of the actual argument presented. These processes often rely on environmental characteristics of the message, like the perceived credibility of the source, quality of the way in which it is presented, the attractiveness of the source, or the catchy slogan that contains the message.1 It is also frequently used when the argument presented is weak and/or lacking evidence. The peripheral route is a mental shortcut process that accepts or rejects a message based on irrelevant cues as opposed to actively thinking about the issue 2 The peripheral route is a process in which outside influences affect the decision making process.This is also the process used when the audience is unable to process the message. This could be from having a message that is too complex, or an audience that is immature. The most common influences would be factors such as reward. Reward could be objects like food, sex or money. These inducements create a quick change in mind and action. Celebrity status along with likability and expertise are other factors in the peripheral process that have run short more popular. Humor within messages is a dominant influence in this process as well. Appearance also has the ability to gain the attention of individuals which can create an interest in the topic, but will not create a strong change in individuals. The goal of the peripheral process is to create change, this change can be weak and even temporary as opposed to the strong and lasting change in the central route.Choice of routeThe two factors that most influence which route an individual will take in a persuasive situation are motivation (strong desire to process the message e.g., Petty & Cacioppo, 1979) and ability (actually being capable of critical evaluation e.g., Petty, Wells, & Brock, 1976). Which route is taken is determined by the extent of elabo ration. Both motivational and ability factors determine elaboration. Motivational factors include (among others) the personal relevance of the message topic, accountability, and a persons need for cognition (their innate desire to enjoy thinking). great power factors include the availability of cognitive resources (e.g., the presence or absence of time pressures or distractions) or relevant knowledge needed to carefully scrutinize the arguments.The ability to understand the message that is being communicated. Distractions such as noise can affect the ability for one to process a message. An example of noise would be a persuader trying to share his message in a room full of crying babies, this would make it extremely difficult for listeners to concentrate on the message being given. Noise that you cant physically control would be if a persuaders listeners could concentrate on the message because they had something else on their mind which was more important than the persuaders messa ge like a death in the family, or problems theyre having in their relationship. Another example of this is in children.A child will change their behavior because his or her parent told them to do so rather than taking the information given and processing it. As that child grows up, however, he or she will have a higher cognitive complexity, and therefore be able to process the information of the situation centrally in order to tie a conclusion of their own. (OKeefe)The subjects general education level, as well as their education and experience with the topic at hand greatly affect their ability to be persuaded. Under conditions of moderate elaboration, a mixture of central and peripheral route processes will guide information processing. There are benefits and consequences for both processes. An individual who disagrees with the message being presented will likely have a boomerang effect if he or she centrally processes the message and kick back farther away from the speakers goal . If that same situation takes place, but the message is peripherally processed, a weak change will not have as large of a negative effect on that individual. (OKeefe)Type of amplification object lens Versus Biased ThinkingAttitude, motivation, and ability strongly increase the likelihood that a message will be ingrained in the minds of listeners. Although, as the social judgement theory suggests, they may not process the information in a fair, objective way. Attitudes are general evaluations that people hold that correspond with how they perceive themselves in relation to the world they live in. One way to influence attitude is to give peripheral cues. Peripheral cues can be things that lead to good or punishing or they can invoke provide directive rules or inferences. These are often effective because they cause the audience to draw the conclusion themselves, therefore, making them believe it is their own idea, so they buy in to it. (Griffin) Many of the evaluations are based on Cognitive intelligence, behavior, and guidance.Given a basic understanding of an individuals attitudes one can interpret which type of elaboration would better type the situation. There are two types of elaboration a listener can possess (Biased elaboration, Objective elaboration) Elaboration can lead to both positive and negative results depending on the audience who is receiving the message. Individuals who have a Pre conception of a certain topic are going to be much harder to persuade oppose to an individual who has an open mind about a topic where only the facts hold truth. Biased Elaboration Top-down thinking in which predetermined conclusions color the keep data.This is used on people who likely already have their minds made up about a situation before the message is ever conveyed to them (Cacioppo) Ex. soulfulness who has had a negative personal experience with motorcycles will probably have made up their minds and be biased in the way they process the message.2 Objectiv e Elaboration Bottom-up thinking in which facts are scrutinized without bias seeking truth wherever it might lead. These listeners let the facts speak for themselves and approach the message with an unbias mind. Which leads to a true unbiased result or opinion. (Cacioppo) Ex. A person who is listening to a motorcycle salesman and already has a mindset about them. This person would let the facts influence their attitude.2Testing the Elaboration Likelihood getTo design a way to test the Elaboration Likelihood Model, it is crucial to determine whether an argument is universally seen as strong or weak. If an argument is inconsistent in opinions of strength, the results of persuasion will be inconsistent. A strong argument is defined by Petty and Cacioppo as one containing arguments such that when subjects are instructed to think about the message, the thoughts they generate are fundamentally favorable (Griffin).In general, a weak argument that is universally viewed as weak will entice unfavorable results if the subject is instructed to and is in an appropriate environment to consider it logically (or when testing the central route of the Elaboration Likelihood Model). In turn, a strong argument under similar circumstances will return favorable results. The test arguments must also be rated for ease of understanding, complexity, and familiarity. To scientifically study either route of the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the arguments themselves must be designed to have consistent results.3Conclusions of the Elaboration Likelihood ModelIn addition to these factors, the ELM also makes several unique proposals.1 It is suggested that attitudes formed under high elaboration, the central route, are stronger than those formed under low elaboration. This means that this level of persuasion is stable over time and is less susceptible to decay or any type of counter-persuasion. Attitudes formed under low elaboration, the peripheral route, are more likely to cause a short term attitude change. Variables in ELM routes can serve multiple roles in a persuasive setting depending on other contextual factors (examples below). Under high elaboration, a given variable (e.g., source expertise) can either serve as an argument (If Einstein agrees with the theory of relativity, then this is a strong reason for me to as well) or as a biasing factor (if an expert agrees with this position it is probably good, so let me see what else agrees with this conclusion at the expense of information that may disagree with it).4 Under conditions of low elaboration, a given variable can act as a peripheral cue.This could happen, e.g., through the use of an experts are always right heuristic. Note that, while this is similar to the Einstein example presented above, this is a simple shortcut, which, unlike the Einstein example, does not require careful thought. Under conditions of moderate elaboration, a given variable can serve to direct the extent of information processing If an expert agrees with this position, I should really listen to what (s)he has to say. Interestingly, when a variable affects elaboration, this can increase or decrease persuasion, depending on the strength of the arguments presented. If the arguments are strong, enhancing elaboration will enhance persuasion.If the arguments are weak, however, more thought will undermine persuasion. More recent adaptations of the ELM (e.g.)5 have added an additional role that variables can serve. They can affect the extent to which a person has confidence in, and thus trusts, their own thoughts in response to a message (self-validation role). property with our source expertise example, a person may feel that if an expert presented this information, it is probably correct, and thus I can trust that my reactions to it are informative with respect to my attitude. Note that this role, because of its metacognitive nature, only occurs under conditions that promote high elaboration.Pasted fromAttitudesAttit udes are evaluations people make about objects, ideas, events, or other people. Attitudes can be positive or negative. Explicit attitudes are conscious beliefs that can guide decisions and behavior. Implicit attitudes are unconscious beliefs that can still influence decisions and behavior. Attitudes can include up to three components cognitive, emotional, and behavioral.Example Jane believes that smoking is unhealthy, feels disgusted when people smoke around her, and avoids being in situations where people smoke. Dimensions of AttitudesResearchers study three dimensions of attitude strength, accessibility, and ambivalence. Attitude strength Strong attitudes are those that are firmly held and that highly influence behavior. Attitudes that are important to a person tend to be strong. Attitudes that people have a vested interest in also tend to be strong. Furthermore, people tend to have stronger attitudes about things, events, ideas, or people they have considerable knowledge and info rmation about. Attitude accessibility The accessibility of an attitude refers to the ease with which it comes to mind. In general, highly accessible attitudes tend to be stronger. Attitude ambivalence Ambivalence of an attitude refers to the ratio of positive and negative evaluations that make up that attitude. The ambivalence of an attitude increases as the positive and negative evaluations get more and more equal.The Influence of Attitudes on BehaviorBehavior does not always reflect attitudes. However, attitudes do determine behavior in some situations If there are few outside influences, attitude guides behavior.Example Wyatt has an attitude that eating junk food is unhealthy. When he is at home, he does not eat chips or candy. However, when he is at parties, he indulges in these foods. Behavior is guided by attitudes specific to that behavior.Example Megan might have a general attitude of respect toward seniors, but that would not prevent her from being disrespectful to an elder ly woman who cuts her off at a gag law sign. However, if Megan has an easygoing attitude about being cut off at stop signs, she is not likely to swear at someone who cuts her off. Behavior is guided by attitudes that come to mind easily.Example Ron has an attitude of mistrust and annoyance toward telemarketers, so he immediately hangs up the phone whenever he realizes he has been contacted by one.The Influence of Behavior on AttitudesBehavior also affects attitudes. Evidence for this comes from the foot-in-the-door phenomenon and the effect of role playing.The Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon batch tend to be more likely to agree to a difficult request if they have first agreed to an easy one. This is called the foot-in-the-door phenomenon.Example Jill is more likely to let an acquaintance borrow her laptop for a day if he first persuades her to let him borrow her textbook for a day. accessible Norms and Social RolesSocial norms are a societys rules about appropriate behavior. Norms exi st for practically every kind of situation. Some norms are explicit and are made into laws, such as the norm While driving, you may not run over a pedestrian. Other norms are implicit and are followed unconsciously, such as You may not wear a bikini to class. Social roles are patterns of behavior that are considered appropriate for a person in a particular context. For example, gender roles tell people how a particular society expects men and women to behave. A person who violates the requirements of a role tends to feel uneasy or to be censured by others. Role requirements can change over time in a society.The Effect of Role Playing and the Prison StudyPeople tend to internalize roles they play, changing their attitudes to fit the roles. In the 1970s, the psychologist Philip Zimbardo conducted a famous study called the prison study, which showed how roles influence people. Zimbardo assigned one group of college student volunteers to play the role of prison guards in a simulated pri son environment. He provided these students with uniforms, clubs, and whistles and told them to enforce a set of rules in the prison.He assigned another group of students to play the role of prisoners. Zimbardo found that as time went on, some of the guard students became increasingly harsh and domineering. The prisoner students also internalized their role. Some broke down, while others rebelled or became passively resigned to the situation. The internalization of roles by the two groups of students was so extreme that Zimbardo had to terminate the study after only six days.

Skype Improvement

In todays devices and services world more and more people choose to use Skype from devices like smartphones and tablet PCs hat rely on battery power, that on average have less processing power than modern desktop computers, and that are not physically or permanently affiliated to the Internet. This shift in the way people use Skype has required to enhance Skypes P2P connectivity as well as conserving battery and processing power, while delivering even more of the functionality and reliability that our users expect.Skype clients will expect to evaluate bandwidth, connectivity and firewall settings to select the most appropriate path for the call and continue to connect devices for P2P calls across the Internet so that users bring about audio and video connections that Just work. As Skype continue on this Journey, these new technologies are helping to drive improved battery life and improved connections fashioning Skype as a whole more resilient and providing a platform for exciti ng new features.Introducing new features Skype have to introduce exciting new features such as video messaging which lets you catch up whenever or wherever the users are, connecting the users with the special people in their life even when their schedules conflict. Skype should invest in reverberance new Skype scenarios online, putting the people who issuance most to the users Just a click away. For example, in Outlook. com the users are enabled to connect through Skype without leaving your browser.Improving registration and work out security Skype should improve their sign-up, sign-in, and security features. Great new features such as two step verification, will bring additional security to the users. As Skype continue to their new secured communication platforms, such as Xbox, Microsoft account will mean that the users have Just one account to remember and an unlock communications with a growing community of over 700 million Microsoft account users worldwide.Improving Skype ch ats Skype users send billions of chat messages every month, and enhancing the performance and quality of this core messaging experience is one of the underlying improvements the Skype should highlight. The Skype cloud should add the ability to queue and deliver chat messages even if the intended recipient is offline so you can be always reachable to the people who matter most. Skype also should broaden

Problems of Population

Pollution is today, probably, the great fuss that faces humankind. There is a ordaining in English that it is an ill bird that fouls its own nest. And compassionate bes be, collectively speaking, fouling their nest at the increasing rate. It is an alarming picture. We ar polluting the air, which we need to breathe, the earth from which we derive exclusively our diet, and the waters from which w, of course, derive the water we need to live, to drink, and for different purposes.So e very(prenominal) last(predicate) the elements that surround us at that place argon three elements earth, air and water are being increasingly polluted by the activities of man, by industrial activities, for the most part. And contaminant, of course, hold ups no frontiers. One country that pollutes pull up stakes export its pollution to separates. The radio activity, for example, that was generated by the disaster at Chernobyl four eld ago, four or five geezerhood ago, was railcarried in c brazens across Europe, and approximately of these radioactive clouds, near intimacy which shit been polluted in this way, actu every last(predicate)y produced rains which fell on part of England and Wales.And we had a hassle with the cattle which, of course, are fed on the grass, which had been rained on, by this polluted water, so we had problems in a wasted way, even in England as a reply of the Chernobyl disaster. notwithstanding Chernobyl is only integrity instant among many. Its a dramatic and alarming symptom of what is going on in every societies, all advanced industrial societies, not just in one. Its common to all, its a common problem for all of us and in fact, in a sense, it takes us beyond all our ideologies. We must, in fact, look at this in a jibely neutral, totally objective way, not for the blaming of one, one economic system or another.Its nighthing which is, as I pronounce, frowning both ends. Its really a function of advanced economic systems, of advanced, technologically advanced countries. Its fundamentally the matter of the industrialization which began in England, of course, in the 18th century and in above all, its a result of the increasing habituate of and countence upon fossil fuels primarily, of course, coal and cover for both industry and transport. Modern industry, ripe civilizations are back enddidacy almost entirely on rock crude oil, mainly upon oil, to a less(prenominal) extent also, of course, on coke coal.But oil, it is which quite literally oils the wheels of industry through erupt(a) the world. And the desire for oil, the need for oil, the craving for oil, the guzzling of oil is one of the great phenomena of the 20th century. We know, of course, that oil is decreasing, the stocks of it are decreasing inevitably and that someday, since they are finite, they will run out alto formher, further that day hasnt, of course, arrived yet and new reserves are found from time to time, to change us to go on in the same old ways.But the problems are increasing. Some day we shall wee to find means of transportation by means of inventing some new kind of transport which isnt interdependent on oil, perchance, upon electricity or something, like that, be perplex electricity itself is oil-dependent to some extent. We shall learn to become less and less oil dependent, whereas, in fact, in the last hundred years or so, weve become to a greater extent and more oil-dependent.First, dependence on oil is something, this rapidly dwindling resource is one of our major problems, and we look forward to all of us, I think, that the scientists will be able to find alternative sources of energy, solar energy, water, water power from the seas, so to say, and it is derived from sea power and the building of dams. This will take the place, we hope, on the oil-fired and coal-fired power stations which we depend on so much today and, of course, nearly all our transport is fuelled by oil or by its de rivative petrol. We shall cook to do something close to that.Therell be required a technological revolution. We hope well acquire one, at any rate, which will bring about a new way of action which is less pollutant, less polluting, less dangerous to our environment. Let us look a junior-grade pussy at the picture today. We are all aware of this in order to satisfy our almost unmeasured need for oil today we send huge tankers to transport it from one country, where it is to be found, where it is drawn up from the ground, to many countries, of course, that retain no oil of their own at all, they strike to import it.And then, of course, the issued tankers sometimes overstep and sometimes deem collisions, and vast spillages continue, causing oil slicks which are sometimes miles and miles long. As a result of these oil slicks, which gradually come towards the coast, we have a poisoning of fish career and sea birds, and this makes the beaches disincline for either the local residents or for holiday-makers to use. And its a dirty sight, a tragic sight.The sea birds, for example, are cover in thick black oil, and they have no chance of survival unless large number can determine to them early and clean their bodies, clean their wings of this oil. So the great cost to natural spiritedness weve been endangering the other creatures of Earth in our greed for more and more oil. And the cost, the economic cost of cleaning up these oil slicks is enormous and, of course, fines that are imposed upon owners of tankers from which oil is spilt, notwithstanding the fines themselves are derisory, they are not nearly heavier-than-air enough.Many tanker captains deliberately flush out the holes of their vessels in foreign ports leaving the foul mess for other people to clean up, and the fines they pay, if they are caught, which is not always the campaign, are literally peanuts. And then there are carbon emissions from our factories and from the traffic. The emissi ons from the exhausts of cars and other vehicles on the roads are largely responsible for the atmospheric pollution from which we are suffering these days.These emissions cause acid rain which, when it falls upon the ground, is harmful to plant life, and to some extent, to animal life too. We are told by those who are supposed to know about these things that the atmospheric temperature throughout the world, the average temperature is move up very slightly, and the result of this is so-called global heat, which is only by 1 or 2 degrees, perhaps not even as much as 2 degrees will be the so-called nursery effect.This can be described in the pursuance way the ice at the Pole caps, the uniting Pole and the South Pole, will begin to melt as a result of this global warming and causing the level of the oceans to rise, and this, in turn, will flood low-lying coastal areas in respective(a) parts of the world, thereby, of course, not only causing disaster to people who live there, but al so depriving man of some of the soil the earth which he needs to grow his food on.And as further results will be, this happens, that the clime in many parts of the globe will change, maybe, of course, some parts will become hot and may be better from that point of view, but others undoubtedly will suffer. We cant know in total whether this will be a good or a bad thing, but we shouldnt just borrow blindly that all will be well. We must try and plan and look on the unrelenting side in a sense. We must assume the beat out we must take the worst case analysis, as its called in England.Its really quite a moot point today whether mankind will perish by flood or by frying, whether itll be flooded out of foundation or fried out of existence. For many decades after the Second World War, once the atom flush it had been invented, people were afraid above all of a nuclear war. Nuclear war was what it was feared, would wipe out mankind because, if there were wr and nuclear weapons were used, and rockets with the nuclear warheads nukes as the Americans call them were used, then theres little hope for mankind, therell be no victor in such a war.Everybody would be vanquished and, of course, the pollution would occur as a result, as well as the devastation would probably, or could easily wipe out mankind, or if not wipe out mankind, then make lives, all life that was left unbearable, as to be almost not worth thinking about, not worth contemplating. There is, of course, an ever dreadful doomsday scenario, from which its to be really gloomy about this sort of thing. This is the possibility of the Sun baking us all, frying us all.I havent spoken about the possibility of flood from melting of the ice caps at the devil Poles, but theres this other possibility which is opening up now as a result of mans activity in space and on earth, of course. Some of the hydrocarbons that we release into the atmosphere, especially those from the aerosol cans unitedly, it is believ ed, with the rockets that we launch into space cause holes to appear, large holes to appear in the ozone layer above the Poles, above the Pole caps.And it is this layer, and this alone, incidentally, this ozone layer which prevents us all and which protects us, in fact, from the harmful effects of the ultraviolet rays given off by the sun. Were there no ozone layer, f course, life would not be life as we know it. It would not be sustainable, and for our type of life it would be too hopeless, the rays, ultraviolet rays would harm us. We know this is so, when we go sunbathing we give caution not to wear our bodies too much to the effect of the sunrays. As if all this were not enough, we pollute our water in various other ways.We pollute it not only, that is to say, with oil slicks, spillages of one source or another. In many places, and certainly this is true in England, and probably true in other countries, Im sure, its true in many Continental countries on the Mediterranean coast, for example, in many places untreated sewage is discharged directly into the sea, instead of being treated and used on the land, as would seem to be possible, of course. Side by side with this, we use huge quantities of chemical fertilizers in our agriculture.Some of these fertilizers seep down into the underground water shelves and aquifers and finds its way into the river system together with chemicals discharged by factories, which are often sited near rivers and lakes, of course, straight into the river or the sea. We are polluting our waters with chemicals, with oil and with untreated sewage. And, of course, the oceans are huge, of course, they cover more of the earth surface than land, as we all know, but they cant interminably prove a kind of flushing system, purification system for modern civilizations.The harmful chemicals which are deposited in one way or another into our rivers, our seas, our lakes and our oceans, get into particularly harmful metals, such as lead and ca dmium get into the food chain and the water supply. And, of course, we are absolutely dependent on food, on safe food and water which is fit to drink. However, we mustnt be too gloomy about this, the mankind is capable not only of dirtying, of messing up the planet, it is also capable of cleaning it up, if he applies himself rationally to this problem.Many rivers have in recent years been cleaned up, that is to say, made a crew cleaner and the matter is clean as long as they would attentiveness and they certainly have been improved immensely, the Thames in London is an example of this. Fish which have not been seen in the river Thames for decades are now reappearing there now. Of course, many of them are put in deliberately as the river is restocked. But the fish which would not have stood a chance of surviving in the Thames a few years ago are now able to survive in that environment, which is very encouraging, of course.There is another form of pollution Id like to speak of brief ly. It is not quite so harmful to the human race as a whole, but it is certainly deleterious, has a deleterious effect on the environment. It is one another environmental problem we have to deal with. This is the, what I call, go pollution. This can come from various sources, for example, aircraft with the loud engines. These engines can be made quieter, and there is much effort going into making them less loud all the time, but they are still enormously disruptive in their effects.Anybody who lives near an airport knows what a terrible noise these planes can make after they take off or when they are landing. Some people can adapt to this, but not everybody can. It is not true that if you live near a noisy place, youll adapt to it. I know from personal experience that a noisy traffic can have a continuously bad effect on ones health, because it disturbs ones sleep, keeps one awake and keeps one in a nervous state. Some people adapt to it, but many people, quite a large nonage of p eople never adapt to noisy conditions.And the traffic noise and the bubble aircraft noise are the worst offenders in this respect. Its not only, of course, aircraft or road vehicles which cause a noise, but other things, such as the well-known ghetto blasters, as they call these, they are very loud hi-fi systems, or loudspeaker systems that they have in pubs and other places of entertainment. These are played at full blast, hence the name blasters, and they are very harmful to peoples health. In the long run they can affect viewing.There is no doubt about it, scientists have shown that four-year-old people who are habitually exposed to very loud noises, to this deafening loud music, will in a course of years suffer an impairment in their hearing and can, in some cases, become deaf, which is a heavy price to pay for listening to loud rock music or something else of the kind. They can enjoy just as well at a lower volume surely, but the fashion today is to play these things as loud as possible, without regard for those around who, perhaps, dont want to hear these things.Its not uncommon for people in our country to play their transistors in their cars and then to open the car window and the with child(p) comes out, and everybody hears whether they want to or not. I usually dont want to hear it. This is an offensive thing to do to ones fellow creatures to impose a sudden noise on them if, so to say, they dont want to hear. Its antisocial, to say the very least of it. It annoys me intensely.And some shops where they sell hi-fi equipment will have that equipment, will have some music playing usually, usually junk music, I call it, playing very loud and such you can hear from the street. Why should I be, why should I be punished, as if my ears be afflicted with the sounds of music I dont wish to hear, which I dont regard in any way artistic or aesthetic, just because some other people are thoughtless, too thoughtless to turn the sound down. So we have created a problem, perhaps, of a nuisance. The same thing happens, of course, to transistors.Young people sometimes take a transistor with them, say, to a beach in the country and even in the town, and play it loud. And so all people are forced to listen to, are forced to hear it. This shouldnt be possible in fact, on our railways, Im not sure about the buses, and other forms of public transport, certainly on our railways, its hot, its technically illegal to play a transistor. Its perfectly acceptable to play one of these players, one of these personalized hi-fis which you wear, you just have earphones, walkmans, but not to play a transistor.Weve created smokeless zones in our cities to rid ourselves of some of the pollution. Now, of course, we are not allowed to burn coal on our fires in most areas in England. In the country you still can have this kind of smoke, but in the towns one is not allowed to have an open fire which burn coal. One has to have a special smokeless fuel, and this, of course, has reduced the pollution and the fog and the smoke in the towns enormously. And even in my life-time Ive noticed a huge difference in this respect.When I was a young man, it was common in November, particularly at the end of the year, to experience terrible fogs pea-soupers we used to call them. And that was a mixture, of course, of industrial smoke, of smoke from all the chimneys in the houses and fog, and it really did look green, and the description of pea-soupers is very appropriate. It did look greenish, a tremendous colour. It choked you, of course, and you got black deposits in your nose and so on. It was foul. People used to walk around with handkerchiefs and scarves cover around their noses and their eyes.They got into your eyes, as well, and its really quite dreadful. Weve managed to overcome that problem by the introduction of smokeless zones, I think some time in the late 1950s or early 60s. We could and should do something about the noise that were creating, that is creating a nuisance for us. In a similar way, we could, in fact, impose restrictions on people. We have started in a small way but we need to go a lot further in this respect. So all these problems, these problems of pollution are man-made problems.It is we, the human race who have caused these problems by failure to appreciate the extent of the damage were doing to our environment by mismanagement, even when we do know the effects, we dont always take measures to secure a clean and safe environment. But we know now more and more of the matter, how very delicately balanced the ecology of our world is and that if we go on as we are doing, we might, well, disrupt it and alter it irreversibly, and to the detriment of all, all the human race. Weve got to be extremely careful how were moving in this respect.There is, as we say, only one spaceship earth we have only one planet, we are all in the same spaceship, all in the same boat, as we say. And we could perish unless we alter our attitudes, alter our industrial methods and ruthlessly punish those who are responsible for polluting parts of our Earth. And if we dont, I can quite truthfully say that the sands of time are running out for mankind. *Sort some of the underlined vocabulary under the following headings (to have at least 5 items for each) a. delivery and phrases that show the attitude of people to environmental issues b. the hottest environmental problems we are facing c. the dramatic consequences of mans activities d. reasons for / causes of /sources of pollution and other ecological problems e. ways of dealing with these problems words and phrases that show the attitude of people to environmental issues the hottest environmental problems we are facing the dramatic consequences of mans activities reasons for / causes of /sources of pollution and other ecological problems ways of dealing with these problems