(persuasive speech) Preventing exposing our kids to Violent video Speech or Presentation

(persuasive ) Preventing exposing our kids to Violent video games (negative effects of violent video games on youth) - Speech or Presentation Example Video games are also a component of the media and the usage of video games has greatly increased over the years as a form of entertainment. With the surge in the playing of video games, the negative aspects of the video games have come forward and have been highlighted. A strong link between playing violent video games and the increase in the rate of crime amongst youths has been portrayed and many criminal acts have been associated with exposure to violence in video games. Video games have become an essential form of entertainment for youths and the increasing popularity can be analyzed from the fact that children who are as young as two years of age play video games on an average of one hour every day. This tends to increase with age and children between the age group of 8 to 13 years play video games for more than approximately 7.5 hours in a single week. Furthermore another very important aspect that has been indicated by a research is that teenagers presented the fact that the g ames that they bought and played were not reviewed by their parents. Thus there is no regulation on the type of video games that these children play (Anderson et al 2001). It has also been analyzed that 75 percent of the games that are played by teenagers are not meant for their age and have a large amount of violence portrayed in them (Adams, 2010). Video games date back from the years following 1970. The creation of video games itself was not an issue of debate but arguments arose with regard to video games when violent video games were brought into the market. These included Death Race 2000, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Wolfenstein 3D and Night Trap. These video games all follow violent themes and patterns and were objected upon. Such controversies were a threat for the video game industry and in the year 1994 Entertainment Software Rating Board came into existence which was meant to regulate the violence and sexual material of the video games. This served to be an important st ep owing to the fact that a controlling measure was essential for keeping a check on the type of video games that came in the market. Researches indicated the fact that there was greater popularity of violent video games and 59 percent of girls and 73 percent of boys in their fourth year of school preferred violent games over the other ones. The matter became a subject of national concern and the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision that it may put bans on violent video games owing to the negative aspects of these issues (Anderson et al 2001; Greenberg 2007; Suddath 2010). Important incidents have served as eye openers with regard to this subject. The killing of a six year old girl named Zoe by her sister and her boyfriend was a shocking incident. Zoe became the target of her sister Heather Trujillo who was 16 years old and her boyfriend Lamar Roberts who was 17 years old. According to reports, Heather and her boyfriend were greatly inspired by the game Mortal Combat and were practicing the moves of the game on Zoe. This resulted in Zoe suffering from multiple fractures and eventually her death (McPhee 2007). The death of Zoe was a tragic incident. Children should be allowed to play video games but parental supervision is an extremely essential step that needs to be taken. Parents should guide their children and they should keep fixed hours for their games. They

Developtment of Cvsu Rosario Scheduling System Essay Example for Free

Developtment of Cvsu Rosario Scheduling System Essay INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem The schedules in CVSU-R are always a problem in every first week of the semester. The most common problem is the conflict between the schedules of the subject. Thus, how the system would find solution for the problem? Basically this system is intended to create schedules for the student. Before it gave the student’s schedule, the system would check if there were other subjects done in the same time and day to avoid the conflict. The location of the room is also a problem especially for the freshmen. Thus, how the system would find solution for the problem? This scheduling system has a mini map of the whole campus; you could now find the location of the room. The room is being occupied by other section. Thus, how the system would find solution for the problem? Before the system is done we make sure that there  would be no conflict between room availability. The system would check the availability of the room before putting a schedule on it. Scope and Limitations This system has a capability of giving the students their schedule for the whole semester every school year. Definition of Terms

Employment and Its Effect on Economics :: Economy United States Essays Business

How has the level of employment/unemployment and national minimum wage legislation impacted on the economy as a whole and how will this effect the economy in the years to come? What is the current state of our economy? Well many economists think that this year the economy will slowdown. In the last ten years or so our ecomony has been driven by factors such as high consumer spending and the soaring property market, our economy has have already witnessed the housing market slowing down this in turn will have an effect on household spending. As for our manufacturing industry this has reported its worst fall in output in more than 10 years, increasing fears over the health of the UK economy. Also Factory production it is reported fell by 4% in the year 2002, This is the largest annual slump since 1991, this is according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. Britain's manufacturing industry is going through its worst recession since the early 1990s, however high consumer spending has so far protected the wider economy. 2004 has seen a rise in economic growth both in the UK and worldwide. Britain has had what economists call full employment for quite some time the problem for the future is that this could soon change and we could end up like germany with 10.5 % of the population out of work. The reason that this could happen is that many jobs that exist today were created by the boom in the housing market in the 90?s however in the last four years or so house prices have doubled which has resulted in lower consumer spending growth this in turn has an knock on effect on the on the level of employment required in the retail industry and this is a problem. How can employment be classified? There are four types of job. These are primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary jobs. Primary jobs involve getting raw materials from the natural environment e.g. Mining, farming and fishing. Secondary jobs involve making things (manufacturing) e.g. making cars and steel. Tertiary jobs involve providing a service e.g. teaching and nursing. Quaternary jobs involve research and development e.g. IT. Employment Structures Employment structure means how the workforce is divided up between the three main employment sectors - primary, secondary and tertiary. Employment structures change over time. Developing Countries usually have a high percentage of the population in primary employment.

Puritan Society Essay -- Religion

The modern use of the word puritan is commonly used to describe someone who may have hard line views on sex, discredits recreational activities, and continually tries to impose their beliefs on others they come into contact with. However the term "Puritan" in the sense of this was not coined until the 1560s, when it appeared as a term of abuse for those who found the Elizabethan Religious Settlement of inadequate (Henretta pg 98). Puritanism has had a historical importance over time and most general views must understand the way it changed character and emphasis almost decade by decade. Moreover the seventeenth-century Puritans contributed to our country's sense of mission, its work ethic, and its moral sensibility. Today, eight million Americans can trace their ancestry to the fifteen to twenty thousand Puritans who migrated to New England (Mintz, S. 2007). This is a significant slice of today’s population, so as you can already see these people had a huge impact on the Unite d States. There is more to the Puritans than just migrating and to better understand Puritanism one needs to learn about their history and where they came from. The designation "Puritan" is at many times not used correctly; in the past this word was used to characterize the Protestant group as extremists similar to the Cathari of France, which can also be traced back to 1564. In actuality Puritans were a grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries and were founded by some Marian exiles from shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1559, as an activist movement within the Church of England. They were blocked from changing the system from within, but their views were taken by the emigration of congregations to the Netherlands... ...c reason. Puritans also believed heavily in education as we do today, not just as a way to better ourselves, but to better society as a whole. Works Cited Armstrong, Nancy, and Leonard Tennenhouse. The Imaginary Puritan: Literature, Intellectual Labor, and the Origins of Personal Life. Berkeley: U of California Press, 1992. Henretta, James A. and David Brody. America: A Concise History, Volume I: To 1877. 4th ed., Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2010. Mintz, S. (2007). Digital History. Retrieved April 20, 2011 from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu Susan Hardman Moore (1992). Review of Charles Lloyd Cohen 'God's Caress. The psychology of Puritan religious experience' The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 43, pp 515-515

The Third Gender

Kaleen Rodriguez ENC 1102 Exploratory Essay The Third Gender What is the role of the third gender in South Asia? How does Asian society identify the third gender? I walked into my best friend Joel’s room this morning extremely excited to have lunch with him after a long four months without seeing him and on my journey to his room I picked up a paper that was lying by his door. I picked it up and the title was â€Å"Hijra† as I continued to read this paper, it had me very intrigued, fast. It so happens that earlier that week I was talking to my mom about Pride Fest which is a LGBT festival here in South Florida.So, my question arose, how do others across the world view what we recognize as the LGBT community (Gay,Lesbian,Bi-sexual, and Transgender)? , and finding this paper only made my thought more concise, what is â€Å"The Third Gender†? In the west we have LGBT and we also have drag queens who are men who act as women for a short period of time under certain c ircumstances and it is acceptable. The definition of gender as a performative (Butler) is defined as how you act in your society. Doing research for this topic was significantly easy; finding various points of views was the harder part.Looking through scholarly essays I was able to find â€Å"With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India† by Reddy, Gayatri and â€Å"The Hijras of India. †Ã‚   by Nanda, Serena. Two of which were my primary resources for what I am about to explain. In South Asia there is LGBT, but what they consider cross dressers, and transvestites are called Hijra’s which generally is considered a third gender role in India. Hijra’s are males who dress and act as females. There are rites of passage for becoming a Hijra.This rite of passage includes the act of removing the genitals and burying them in the ground which basically show they’re devotement to the Hijra life style, but less than 10% actually commit to eli minating their genitals (Gueste0d1c4). Hijra’s adopt female aspects and behavior. Some Hijra’s are sex workers and some are performers and that is how they earn a living, which causes them to live outside of the city in their own communities. The ones that live in the community and are sex workers live in worse conditions then those who are performers (Reddy, Gayatri ).By performer’s I mean Hijra’s do performances at weddings and festivals. All of their performances are focused and essentially done for Bahuchara Mata (Mother Goddesses), who is worshipped all over India. Mother Goddess is said to have given the Hijra’s a special place in Indian society, so because of this, all Hijra’s devote themselves to her. Overall besides the relationship with the Mother Goddess, the relationship that is most important in the Hijra community is the one with the Guru which is a master/teacher and also a Chela which is a disciple (Gueste0d1c4).Therefore, wh en a person wants join the Hijra community they are taken to a city called Bombay and become acquainted with one of the major Gurus, in total there are seven. (Reddy, Gayatri) Being on the outside looking in. What gives the Hijra’s power also eliminates their power in society because they emasculate themselves to prove they’re actually Hijra’s, but in that sense they could never be accepted in society because they could never be a man to produce children, which essentially is the role of a man.At times most Hijra’s are maltreated because of this. Hijra’s have rules under their own domain. The most prominent cultural aspect of the Hijra is the asexual description, although many Hijra’s are said to be homosexual (Nanda, Serena). They identify themselves as neither a man nor woman, being perfectly imperfect. As a Hijra, there are many times you might encounter a discourteous crowd and the way they show their response towards this is to lift the ir skirts or dresses and show their maimed genitals (Nanda, Serena).Taking a few moments in my day to question what the Hijra’s really feel do they feel that they are in the wrong body as many trans gender’s claim or do they just wish to be of the opposite sex? I wanted to see Hijra’s what they looked like, their gestures and all. I decided to YouTube a video on them and I was able to find it and many different answers to my question above. It came to my attention that more than half of the Hijra’s documented have been attracted to men from a very young age, or so they say.The first Hijra in this YouTube video began her story by saying that she always admired the woman lifestyle, wearing the gem in the middle of their eyebrows the clothing attire also known as a saree and as she grew up her walk became more feminine and the way she spoke only followed, basically insisting that she was born in the wrong body. Although, the other small percent in this video mostly agreed that as they grew up and were raised as a male, they just wanted to be like a woman but they are clear on the fact that they were or are men (Ambujablue's Channel).Becoming more engaged in the Hijra lifestyle I googled as a form of research and I simply typed in â€Å"Hijra Culture† the first thing that arose was a link to a slide show done in 2007. Here I found the history of Hijra’s regarding the Karma Sutra (an ancient Indian text), which is said to have mentioned a third gender (Gueste0d1c4). This to Hijra’s must mean the world, mostly because it somewhat proves that they’re not just getting the transgender idea from the western culture, but that it has existed in the Indian culture long before.Being a Hijra was said to be a disturbing view to the South Asian society, but after India gained their independence the anti-Hijra law was removed. In many different places where I tried to find a statistic of how many Hijras there are, I could not find an accurate number but there is said to be somewhere between 50,000 to 500,000 Hijras in South Asia (Gueste0d1c4). There are two significant theory’s about Hijra’s, one is that every Hijra’s starts as a sex worker, then performer. The second theory is that they are always separate, either a sex worker or a performer never both.Rules only exist within their society, and once outside of the Hijra community these rules don’t exist; they are simply seen as a transgender person. The Hijra’s are very prone to being infected with HIV/AIDS because of being sex workers. Truth be told, that is how they make a living even though their living is not anywhere near a good standing. It is very difficult for a Hijra to be invited to perform in a wedding or a child’s birth, so being sex workers is their best option. Hijra’s are not only maltreated emotionally but also physically.Those who are completely against the Hijra culture abuse them, b rutally. They beat them in their own homes, along the streets, in markets, even in police stations (Gueste0d1c4). Knowing this reminds me that this is something most transgender societies have in common, they are abused mostly verbally on the Western side but the physical abuse is still taking action. As I continued my research I attempted to find various points of view on the Hijra, little did I realize there are really only three; for, against, or nonchalant.I thought to myself well, most people in the Western society have altered their point of view to for or nonchalant on the transgender topic and are disclosing being against it. Meanwhile, maybe not as rapid but slowly, those on the other side of the world are adapting to this view or â€Å"Third Gender† as well. What I did as another form of research was conduct a survey in order to get a general outlook on what others believe or think about the Hijra. I surveyed a total of twenty people. Ten of which were my family and friends and ten who were complete strangers.The response I generally received was â€Å"whatever makes them happy† basically proving that the outlook is shifting drastically in comparison to a few years prior. I only received three responses out of twenty that were completely against the Hijra, and I also realized that those three people were all around the same age range which was 57-62. I believe that says something only because it is common that the older generations in our society are more likely to be against this â€Å"new† LGBT â€Å"trend† as they say. Only enforcing that as the generations increase it is becoming more accepted.All of this research has shown me that there is more to being a Hijra then what many of us know or think we know. It is something one must truly want and it is a decision you have to stick with no matter how challenging times may get. Works Cited: Ambujablue's Channel, . â€Å"Documentary . † Youtube . N. p. , 2008. Web. 1 9 Mar 2012. . Chisel, Jasmonae. â€Å"The Hijras of India†. Xavier University. Voice Lab no. 9. WorldPress. com Gueste0d1c4, India. N. p. , 2009. Web. 19 Mar 2012. . Meena Balaji and Ruth Lor Malloy. â€Å"Hijras: who we are† Think Asia, 1997. 32 pgs. Print. Nanda, Serena. â€Å"The Hijras of India. †Ã‚  Journal of Homosexuality  (1986): 35-54. Web. Reddy, Gayatri. â€Å"With Respect to Sex: Negotiating Hijra Identity in South India†. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago, 2005. 78-98. Print. Reddy, Gayatri. ‘Men’ Who Would Be Kings: Celibacy, Emasculation, and the Re-Production of Hijras in Contemporary Indian Politics. Social Research; Spring2003, Vol. 70 Issue 1. Print.

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy essays

Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy essays In November 1994 to December 1994, twenty-three bald eagles died due to an unknown cause (Fischer 1995). In November 1996, American coots were also found dead or dieing due to this mysterious disease (Fischer 1997). Labeled Coot and Eagle Brain Lesion Syndrome, it was changed to Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy when it was discovered to affect other species as well. It has become the most significant unknown cause of eagle mortality in the history of the United States. Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy causes lesions in the white matter of the brain and the spinal cord of an affected bird (USACE). What causes Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy remains a mystery even to this day. Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy is an avian disease that is believed to be caused by a neurotoxin of unknown origin. It causes lesions in the white matter of the brain and in the spinal cord of affected birds. Dead Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy birds appear to be in good body condition and have no visible external or internal changes with the exception of microscopic neural lesions. Electron Microscopy is used to confirm the disease, but can only be used on fresh specimens that have not been frozen. The clinical signs of a bird affected with Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy are quite noticeable. A water bird will demonstrate a partial paralysis on one side of the body. This will result with the bird swimming with one leg extended, swimming in circles, and swimming upside down. A bird flying will demonstrate erratic flight, a reluctance to fly, or an inability to fly. On the ground, affected birds stagger and wobble. Bald Eagles affected with AVIAN VACUOLAR MYELINOPATHY have been seen flying into trees and rock ledges. Brain lesions have also been found in coots that showed no clinical signs of infection. A few sick eagles have been captured alive and sent to clinics for treatment, but they all died within 1-2 days despite medical assistance (USACE). ...

Corruption in Russia

Corruption in Russia Introduction Corruption has become a livelihood for many government officials worldwide. Russia is no exception with government officials being the most involved in corruption cases. The rising corruption cases have been related to the 2006 Russian president’s policies that were meant to strengthen the state on the expense of the Russia’s civil society. The vice even expanded in 2007 – 2008 elections as well as in other aspects of Russian public life.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Corruption in Russia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Though anti-corruption organizations such as Transparency International agree that corruption in Russia has decreased over the years, the amounts of bribes being given are increasing as well (Welu 1). Many corruption cases in Russia have been associated with bureaucrats which instead of developing economic growth, they are more involved with corruption. The most in cidences of corruption cases in Russia are occurring in the cities where large numbers of bureaucrats are found. However, corruption is basically everywhere in Russia. Traffic police have been shaking down motorists, bribes by government officials especially from businessmen, just to mention a few. As a matter of fact, Transparency International has ranked Russia as one of the major corrupt economies in the world with the prime minister being alleged of having obtained wealth by illicit ways. Law enforcement agencies including the police are no exception. Some even go to the extent of tricking drivers roads in order to get them to break the law so as to obtain bribes from them. Institutions like schools and hospitals are also involved in corruption where students pay their teachers in order to get good grades, patients pay doctors in order be given health services that should be given free. The greatest percentage of Russians has admitted having given bribes to the extent of threate ning the nation’s economic stability. The core of Russia’s corruption has always been the law enforcement which has made alliances with a number of crimes. Most of the law enforcement officials spent most of their time looking for possible ways of obtaining corporate raid. This has drained great Russian citizens especially businessmen who have fled to other countries for fear of getting mixed up with the law (Owen 1). Corruption has destroyed many citizens’ relationships with the police, politicians as well as non- governmental officials. The amounts of bribes given by businessmen have been reported to be more than the national budget. What is disturbing is that bureaucrats take bribes from businessmen promising them to provide legal business operation regulations, but they do not keep their promises. Studies have described this kind of corruption as being a great threat to the nation’s economy. Corruption has been linked to low salary levels of most offi cials. Due to these claims, they get involved in corruption with the claims that it is the governments fault after all. Corruption has been described as a symptom of other nation problems. Such problems in Russia include an impassive parliament, intimidated media or an influenced judicial system. Failure to practice democracy in Russia has been another cause of corruption.Advertising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, public servants have been received salary increments but this has not stopped their corrupt deeds. This is because are much lower than what they always get from bribes. For instance, judges’ salaries have been raised and still bribery levels in this department are increasing. This scenario is worsened by the fact that current bureaucracy operates without any supervision and control of power since the internal checks have been abolished from the admini stration. As a result, basis for corruption is created especially in the nongovernmental organizations which now have the rights to control actions on them by the government. Consequences of corruption in Russia A number of negative outcomes have occurred in Russia due to corruption. Most o them have affected the nation’s economy as well as political systems. The 2007 and 2008 parliamentary and presidential elections respectively were greatly influenced by corruption. It is obvious that official who were in office before the elections were afraid of losing power to new groups since they can only obtain wealth illegally when in office. They were also afraid of being prosecuted once they leave office and lose power. This has caused a battle between the new group and that of Putin being left behind. Formation of political parties have also been a problem since the bureaucrats have an already established party of their own that is only based on staying in office to preserve their power(Feifer 1). However, the opposition party made the fight against corruption its main agenda during the campaigns which resulted to be a powerful tool for them. However, these anti corruption claims were not real since both groups used the claims only to gain support in the elections. Government officials have cracked down the Russian media in order to prevent exposure of their corrupt dealings. The most influential television networks are now operating under the direct control of the government. Printing companies that were initially private are now being run under the state’s control. Political officials are ensuring that there is no information publication in regional media and the internet. However, some anti-corruption efforts have bared fruits with a Russian governor being jailed recently while other political officials are facing charges over abuse of power. Despite the success however, the corruption fight was used as a political tool by Kremlin which means that after he gets into office, he no longer fought against the vice.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Corruption in Russia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The energy sector has been the most affected as the government is taking over most of the assets of this very vital sector. The state has bought and moved most of the assets of the important oil companies to the company that is controlled by the state. Russia’s oil pipelines are also exclusively owned and controlled by the state giving it control over foreign energy firms that are involved in Russia’s energy sector (Englund 1) . The banking sector has also been affected by corruption with the state making no efforts to reform the financial institutions whose operations have not been clear. This is in order for the political officials to control the country’s economy. These intentions were clearly demonstrated with the murder of the country’ s great economy regulator, Andrei Kozlov, who was working on shut down of corrupt banks. The increased crime and terrorism attacks have been facilitated by corruption especially in the law enforcement department which is supposed to protect the country against such vices. Instead the officials are involved in allowing the operations of crime and terrorism in order to get bribes all at the expense of fellow citizens. Corruption has also enabled the entry of illicit goods to the country by corrupt border guards. Most of these goods are drugs which have affected the youth negatively. A number of mayors responsible for city property management have been assassinated to allow corrupt political officials to access the property. Addressing corruption The initial effort in fighting corruption in Russia should be the reformation of the bureaucracy. The government too should be accountable to citizens and this can only be achieved by allowing free media. Power should be decentralized to local levels to allow for efficient checks and balances between the federal and local levels of governance. Initiation of equal economic developments all over the country can provide a great base for the fight against corruption. Policy makers especially from U.S. should help Russia in realizing its anti-corruption policies. Russia has been advised to join an Anti-Bribery Convention which will evaluate Russia’s current anti-corruption efforts and enforce implementation of policies to prevent corruption by all member officials. Conclusion It is clear that corruption in Russia has diminished economic growth in the country with the most affected being the poor citizens who, in most cases, are deprived of their rights. Instead only the rich enjoy the state’s services through bribery which are meant to freely serve everyone. Since corruption is deep-rooted from the government officials, only they can twist the situation by stopping abuse of power to get everything they want.Adve rtising Looking for essay on political culture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Power should also be decentralized to allow the local authorities check and balance the state’s operations. A transparent and efficient commission against corruption should be formed to investigate those who are faced with corruption allegations and ensure that they are dealt with by the law. Most importantly, for the fight against corruption in Asia to succeed, federal officials should start the process from a personal level by not accepting or giving a bribe. Englund, Will. â€Å"Russian corruption takes on a life of its own†. Web. Feifer, Gregory. â€Å"Corruption in Russia, Part1: A Normal Part Of Everyday Life†. Web. Owen, Matthews. â€Å"Corruption is forcing Russia’s best and brightest to flee the country†. Web. Welu, Carol. â€Å"Corruption: Russia’s Economic Stumbling Block†. Web.

How Reading Comic Books Improved My Writing

How Reading Comic Books Improved My Writing How Reading Comic Books Improved My Writing Dr. Franklin Warsh is an Investigating Coroner and retired family doctor who lives  in London, Ontario. While writing his first full-length book, The Flame Broiled Doctor (a memoir of his experiences working in the health care system), Frank Warsh realized that his many years of reading comic books had not just been an enjoyable pastime, but a lesson in writing. Read on to learn more about the storytelling tips comic books provided him - including stories within stories, and archetype inspiration.Nowadays, comic books are a perfectly respected, even revered form of art. And at three to five bucks a pop, they’re clearly no longer just a product for children. But even the cheap newsprint comic books I read voraciously in the 1980s weren’t as silly a past-time as my elders would have had me believe. Depending on what kind of writer you’re striving to be, you owe it to yourself to give comic books another go-around. While writing my recently published memoir, The Flame Broiled Doctor, I drew upon the following comic book storytelling tips. My largest writing block isn’t a lack of ideas, or a lack of skill, but a lack of motivation. Even my own memoir, full of funny and intensely personal stories I’ve been collecting for nearly twenty years, was a chore to write at times. If I’m not in the mood to write, I’m probably not going to feel like reading something meaty either. We all need an escape, but when the kids are asleep and people have been barking at me all day, the last thing I want is the noise of the TV. Give me ten minutes with Deadpool or Suicide Squad or Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and the creative juices are churning once more.There are a myriad of reasons I read comic books even to this day that have made me a better writer, beyond those I’ve described. One of the great tools in your kit as a humorist is over-writing. Poking fun at your characters with liberal dashes of purple prose works as well in the pages of Deadpool as it did in Cervantes’  Don Quixote. Writing a s an over-the-top narrator can get your reader in the mood for a joyride, like an episode of the campy 60s Batman  TV show - that’s now in circulation as a comic book. Have a terrific villain in your novel, but can’t quite get their villain speech right? Give comics a try†¦ Cersei Lannister and Iago have nothing on  Lex Luthor from Superman or Dr. Doom from Fantastic Four. Head to a library or local shop to give comic books a second look. They’re a great escape from the daily news, and you’re sure to find something to help your writing as well.The Flame Broiled Doctor is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle! Find out more on Frank's website.Are you a comic book reader? What nuggets of writing wisdom have you discovered through reading comics?  Leave your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Frank  in the comments below.

BG William Hazen and the Savannah Campaign Research Paper

BG William Hazen and the Savannah Campaign - Research Paper Example Hazen played a major role in the planning and execution of the Savannah campaign and the fact that he managed to do so with minimal casualties can be considered to be one of the most remarkable events in the war history of the United States. The history of this man as a tactician and the victories that he won before the Savannah campaign is one of the reasons why he was so successful in the battles he led and won, ensuring that all of the intended objectives of these battles were dealt with in a manner which was swift and effective. The Savannah campaign ensured that the name of Hazen would remain in the annals of the history of the United States for a long time and this not only encouraged members of the future generations of the American military, but also led to the development of similar strategies in other wars that were fought in future. Therefore, it can be said that the Savannah campaign was a turning point in the Civil War and William Hazen was one of the military leaders wh o were able to make it a success. The Savannah campaign was planned and executed by Major General William Sherman who after leading his forces into a war in the Deep South which culminated in the capture of Atlanta made a move for Savannah as a way of opening up the communication route with the rest of the Union command.1 While this was the case, there was also the need to ensure that such strategic areas as Fort McAllister were under Union control because this was the only way through which they could be able to effectively capture Savannah. During this period, the Confederate defense of Savannah had sorely misjudged the Union army’s ability to capture the city and this was mainly because of the fact that the city’s entire defense concentrated mainly on the sea, from where the attack was expected. It is this form of defense strategy that

B2B Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

B2B Marketing - Essay Example This enables C4U to claim that their cards are 'crafted in the West Country'. This notion of the 'personal touch' has been successfully combined with a series of designs drawing upon floral and other motifs from the 'natural' landscape such as animals and rustic scenes (e.g. meadows, the seaside) to provide C4U with a product portfolio that sets them apart from other card manufacturers. Indeed, they even sell separate picture frames to accompany the cards, so that the recipient can keep them after the occasion in question: in this way, the product is 'more than just a card'. "Back in 1970 Alvin Toffler in Future Shock (Toffler, A. 1970) describes a trend towards accelerating rates of change. He illustrated how social and technological norms had shorter life spans with each generation, and he questioned society's ability to cope with the resulting turmoil and anxiety. In past generations periods of change were always punctuated with times of stability. This allowed society to assimilate the change and deal with it before the next change arrived." (Wikipedia, 2007) In the volatile business environment of the 21st century the most important requirement for C4U is constant changing and updating with the external conditions. Change can be referred to as Internal, External, and business process re-engineering and transformation programs. The external change includes the changes in market, technology, and competitive environment, global and political environment etc. Since the trends in the cards industry is changing the company should also adopt these changes. Internal changes involve the actions, which the organisation has to take in order to put up with the external changes. These include the business restructuring and the transformation programs. The well-planned strategy to undertake change combine all of the above elements in the suitable ratio to undertake the process effectively and in timely manners. On the other hand an unplanned change introduction can worsen the things rather than improving. Therefore it is important for the leaders and mangers at C4U to undertake the change activities in a strategical way to reap the fruit of change introduction in the organisation. A change project undertaken without a suitable strategy can increase the operating cost of the business without improving the operations and performance of the business. In the globalised era when most of the business organisations are involved in different business activities it has become inevitable for the firms independently perform all the functions. Most of the companies do not operate their supply chain and rely on other firms to perform the multi-faceted tasks. The successful and efficient combination of the operations of these firms provides the company with the competitive edge in the market. (Cook, DeBree, and Feroleto, 2001). The company can also expand its market by forming a partnership with other distribution firms. Lummus and Vokurka (1999) points out towards the need for the managers to understand the performance of all the stake holding firms in the supply chain. According to (Pohlen, 2003), this insight in the performance of each firm will enable the managers to develop measures in order to fulfil the demands of the customers. The main task of the supply chain

The Community Health Systems, Stress and Their Meanings Research Paper

The Community Health Systems, Stress and Their Meanings - Research Paper Example The employees realized that the due to the prevalent condition of the industry where reimbursements were waning and regulations were mounting, the Community Health Systems was facing financial complexity; yet they were not satisfied with the offer the company had proposed and believed that they should be paid better compensation. Jim Brentwood had said that they would conduct an informational picket on Thursday and after that, they would decide depending on the strike vote by the group of employees. He had added that although the employees did not wish to strike there was a strong possibility of one if the company did not collaborate with them. Mary Martin, on the other side, found it hard to believe that the employees would go for a strike because if they did so, they would be paid only half the amount that they would have earned for a week. The 2000 employees involved were at the bottom end of the company’s pay scale, and hence Mary Martin was confident that due to monetary constraints the employees would not vote in favor of a strike. Moreover, this group of employees included patient transporters, housekeeping and cafeteria workers, and the Community Health Systems was already thinking of outsourcing their dietary department to another firm, Thomson Healthcare Food Services; and hence even if the employees did go for a strike, the organization could carry on their cafeteria services without interruption. Instead of reconciling the existing differences and trying to arrive at a consensus agreement, both the sides were rigid in their stands and were not in a mood for negotiation. Generally, the outcome of a negotiation is reliant on the power relationship between the two sides. In this context, the employee union was not aware of the company’s plan to outsource their dietary requirements.

Ethics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Ethics Assignment - Essay Example Most assuredly is the fact that making a personal choice to ethics requires much thought, information, and the free will to make such a choice while knowing of the resultant consequences. Indeed, personal ethics affects individuals and their society. Ethics should therefore promote our prioritization and achievement of our core values. Ideally, personal ethics may relate to our religion, virtues, morals, and the community we live in. Personal ethics reflect in ones standards of honesty, courtesy, respect, integrity, trust, harmony, truth, justice, and loyalty (Shay Web). More so, personal ethics vary from one person to another and their effects equally vary. Personally, I believe that my ethics are developing as I grow up. I am an honest, responsible, and respectable person. More so, these are my personal choices that define my personality and my morality. Nevertheless, these attributes have grown with time and various factors propagate the development of these ethics. I think that the development of such ethics comes with time and relate to the environment. For example, I can easily remember that initially I was not an honest person until my teacher and parents sought to intervene in my way of life. My teacher taught me on how to remain honest despite the many possibilities that might force me to compromise. At the same time, my parents ensured that I stick to what is ethical as I grew to an adolescent. Hence, the value of honesty developed in me from my teachers and parents with time. In addition, I relate the development of my personal ethics to the environment where I live. I grew in an environment where the society advocated for the respect of the elderly, law, and leaders. As such, with time I d eveloped this virtue and have since adopted it. Therefore, by interacting with peers and environment that promotes these virtues, it was easier for me to choose them as my environment promoted

Global Performance Management of IHRM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Performance Management of IHRM - Essay Example The paper’s primary objective is to explore performance management and all its challenges (Adler, 56, Aswathappa & Dash, 178). The present study primary aim is to increase understanding on the performance management practices of the existing expatriates. The study looks at the understanding of related contextual factors and the efficiency (Black, Mendenhall, and Oddou, 197). Descriptive findings earlier studies pictures and also expound on several new ideas For example; team goals. The fundamental practices of performance management influencing the effectiveness of the system were perceived (Cohen, 157). The key outcome is set performance goals of expatriate performance management. The formal performance evaluation leads to an increased process efficiency (Devellis, 187, Beck, 58). The results further show the international level of a company, hierarchical position of the expatriate as well as the business’s size. The expatriate task type and the organisational structure influence practices of performance management (Kraemer, and Thiemann, 197). Human Resource Management (HRM) is a business practice and academic theory that addresses the practical and theoretical techniques of workforce management. HRM is universal as per its processes, policies and strategies. HRM has replaced personnel management gradually (Kyi, 328, Stolt, 197). Developing and managing human resource in a global setting is increasingly referred to as a central challenge. The prevailing company tendency towards internationalisation, inter-company merging and global operation has gradually increased the necessity of expatriation. Expatriation is aimed to fill the skills gap, technology transfer and new endeavour launching. Expatriation has been increasing steadily worldwide, and the trend continuation is very likely (Windham International and NFTC, 187. Krausert, 379). Efficient and good management

Ethics Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Ethics Assignment - Essay Example Most assuredly is the fact that making a personal choice to ethics requires much thought, information, and the free will to make such a choice while knowing of the resultant consequences. Indeed, personal ethics affects individuals and their society. Ethics should therefore promote our prioritization and achievement of our core values. Ideally, personal ethics may relate to our religion, virtues, morals, and the community we live in. Personal ethics reflect in ones standards of honesty, courtesy, respect, integrity, trust, harmony, truth, justice, and loyalty (Shay Web). More so, personal ethics vary from one person to another and their effects equally vary. Personally, I believe that my ethics are developing as I grow up. I am an honest, responsible, and respectable person. More so, these are my personal choices that define my personality and my morality. Nevertheless, these attributes have grown with time and various factors propagate the development of these ethics. I think that the development of such ethics comes with time and relate to the environment. For example, I can easily remember that initially I was not an honest person until my teacher and parents sought to intervene in my way of life. My teacher taught me on how to remain honest despite the many possibilities that might force me to compromise. At the same time, my parents ensured that I stick to what is ethical as I grew to an adolescent. Hence, the value of honesty developed in me from my teachers and parents with time. In addition, I relate the development of my personal ethics to the environment where I live. I grew in an environment where the society advocated for the respect of the elderly, law, and leaders. As such, with time I d eveloped this virtue and have since adopted it. Therefore, by interacting with peers and environment that promotes these virtues, it was easier for me to choose them as my environment promoted

Lolita vs. Frankenstein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lolita vs. Frankenstein - Essay Example It is almost in the same period that Vladimir Nabokov gave vent to a world clung to puritanical thoughts in Lolita. Lolita was very sensational in United States in the late 1950s because of its controversial substance. Many critics branded the novel as pornographic trash, and they condemned this masterpiece as a piece of poor quality literature. However, there were many other critics who praised the work for its uniqueness, genuineness, and vivacious wit. In this novel, Nabokov formed the character of Humbert Humbert as complex mixture; he is a mad rakehell as well as wild romantic at the same time and Lolita falls a victim of his incessant obsession for her but ended it as form of murder. The essay seeks to bring out a comparative and contrastive study between the two novels in terms of their themes, character sketches and the over all setting and treatment of both the novels. While Frankenstein depicts the story of the hero who is ruined by his unchecked pursuit of knowledge, in Lo lita the tragedy of the hero stems from his obsessive drive for sex and violent nature; both fail to foresee the consequences of their actions until they are completely ruined. The strong passion of Love is the basic instinct of sex that is displayed on various forms on this novel. â€Å"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins, my sin, and my soul† (Nabokov part 1: 1) utters Humbert in the opening of the novel which shows his deep passion and strong desire on Lolita. It also displays mixture of feelings such as deep pain, love, anger and regret that he experiences. In the book of Frankenstein the author indicates the strong desire of Frankestein to produce another human â€Å"Beautiful! -- Great God!† (Shelly.98). Here the author mixes up the emotions of excitement as well as enthusiasm of Frankenstein very effectively. One can notice parallels between the themes in both the novels and there are many who argue that in Lolita Nabokov reworked fundamental

Drinking Age Dialectic Essay Example for Free

Drinking Age Dialectic Essay Everyone should be able to go to social organizations for the community or school. Sometimes not everyone can attend though because of alcohol being served. Teens enjoy going to see their favourite bands play when they come near by. Some are held in bars which limit the people who can go. Lowering the drinking age to 18 would open up safer and monitored drinking locations for those teens. The Sask. Party should recognize that a lot of good can come out of lowering it rather then all the drinking and driving aspects of it. It is moral and ethical to consider lowering the drinking age. This is not an argument of, ‘Should 18-year-olds be drinking?’ This is an argument of, ‘Should 18-year-olds be drinking legally?’ That is the fundamentally difference. One of the highest rates of impaired driving is among younger adults because they don’t think of the consequences. Even the best crafted law can only be applied after it’s been broken. If the drinking age does go through that does not mean there will be any less accidents or anymore accidents, people are going to drink and drive whether they can legally drink or not. It is immoral and unethical to consider lowering the drinking age. Saskatchewan already has one of the highest impaired driving rates in the country. There is understandable concern about a potential increase in impaired driving. Politicians have wrestled with the appropriate drinking age for decades. With the drinking age possibly going down is raises worry with drinking and driving. This is not an argument of, ‘Should 18-year-olds be drinking?’ This is an argument of, ‘Should 18-year-olds be drinking legally?’ That is the fundamentally difference. Nathan Sgrazzutti spoke in favour of lowering the drinking age because it would improve student safety and increase the number of major events students could attend. Generally, first year students are 18 and excluded from attending many student union-organization events because they typically include alcohol. Should students be able to drink in an establishment where there are bounces to protect them and bartenders to cut them off when they’ve had too much or drink at home where they can get blackout drunk with no one around to pass out in their own vomit which is dangerous. It would be better for 18-year-olds to drink at a safe place and be able to attend more school functions that may have not of been able to before. One of the highest rates of impaired driving is among younger adults because they don’t think of the consequences. If the drinking age gets lowered the main purpose would be to ensure that people who are drinking no matter the age find a safe ride home. â€Å"Our focus regardless of the legal drinking age is make sure people aren’t drinking and driving,† said Rebecca Schultz, SGI’s manager of media relations. If today’s youth want to drink, they are going to find a way to get alcohol, check out Facebook and you will see plenty of teenagers posing in groups holding up their Red Solo cups. Teens and young adults are going to drink no matter what making sure they have a safe ride is something that does matter though. Politicians have wrestled with the appropriate drinking age for decades. Eighteen-year-olds who can’t legally drink need to only cross an imaginary line to enter a jurisdiction where it is legal for them to drink. Lowering the drinking age will likely reduce underage drinking rates since the novelty and thrill of drinking when it’s prohibited will wear off. At 18 one is considered an adult, able to vote, purchase tobacco and lottery tickets but not alcohol. If at 18 you are considered an adult you should be able to drink in all provinces not just some when all you have to do is go on a trip to go and drink legally. Saskatchewan already has one of the highest impaired driving rates in the country. Drinking and driving is most common among young people ages 18-25. According to SGI, there were 1 284 alcohol-related collisions in 2011, 59 of those involved where 18 and 66 where 19. SGI says alcohol is the No. 1 contributing factors to fatal collisions in the province. If alcohol is a big deal in fatal collisions we should start thinking about raising it not lowering the drinking age. There is understandable concern about a potential increase in impaired driving. After a record low of 46 deaths in 2005, 2006 and 2007 alcohol related fatalities have since risen. Over last Christmas and New Year, three people died and 64 were injured in alcohol related collisions. Statistics show that impaired driving charged had jumped nearly three-fold on year after the drinking age slipped to 18 years ago. If impaired driving causes so many deaths we should stricken the laws and leave the drinking age. Politicians have wrestled with the appropriate drinking age for decades. Until 1969, when it was lowered to 19, the legal drinking age in Saskatchewan was 21. 36 years ago when a majority of the Saskatchewan MLA’s in a free vote opted a to nudge up the age to which people could legally drink in the province to 19 from 18. Many of the same arguments bubble up again except this time its about lowering it from 19 to 18. Every province should have the same drinking age and stick with it instead of always changing them. What if my child could legally drink at eighteen? Making sure they had a safe ride home even if it meant calling to ask for one would be a main priority. I know they are going to drink anyways whether it is legal for them to do it or not. I would feel better knowing that they are at a bar where there are people to monitor them then at a party where people do not care. If my child is going to drink I would sooner it be legal for them to do so they are not sneaking around where no one knows where they are. What if every was able to legally drink? If everyone was able to drink places would be ciaos and full of alcoholics. You would need to stricken the drinking and driving laws to prevent collisions. It would create more jobs as the demand for alcohol would be higher. If everyone drank life would take a turn for the worse but there is also no harm in lowering it one year. With all these points the Saskatchewan Party will have to take a long hard look towards lowering the drinking age to 18. The Sask. Party government should look into how other provinces try to prevent impaired driving collisions. Drinking and driving is going to occur no matter what the legal drinking age is. Teens are finding ways to drink now and will continue to find ways if the drinking age stays the same. No one really knows the appropriate drinking age or will they ever know if nothing ever changes. Sometimes change can be for the better and people are mature enough to deal with it and other times it turns out bad but you can’t find out what will really happen by looking at statistics and predicting what is going to happen.

The History Of Cnc Machines

The History Of Cnc Machines Before the advent of NC machines, operator had to manipulate the hand-wheels, levers, cams to make parts. This way the ability of the operator to make the parts with required narrow tolerance was limited. There were all possibilities of some variation resulting into variation of the axis dimensions resulting into poor fittings or wastages. The productivity of the worker was low so it was a dire need to operate the machine automatically. Earlier a series of cams were put to use to move the tools as an attempt to automate the process. Though they were tedious to set but once set it gave good precision, which were what later on known as Swiss machines or precision machines. (Wildes 1985) MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory gives a good account of pioneering effort on development of numerical control of machine tools, which is as under (History of the MIT Servomechanisms Laboratory). A significant postwar project that began in 1949 and continued and evolved through the 1950s was the work that led to numerical control of machine tools. Under a contract with the Parsons Company of Michigan, William M. Pease and James O. McDonough designed an experimental numerically-controlled milling machine which received directions through data on punched paper tape. The first working model of a continuous-path numerically-controlled milling machine was demonstrated in 1952. Further research was then carried out under the sponsorship of the U.S. Air Force. Subsequently, the laboratorys Computer Application Group, led by Douglas T. Ross, developed the Automatically Programmed Tool Language (APT), an easy-to-use, special purpose programming language. Eventually, APT became the world standard for programming computer-controlled machine tools. Parsons NC Milling Machine After World War II, Parsons was busy in developing rotor blades for aviation industry. For its complexity involved in shape, it was an uphill task to achieve precision, which was an utmost requirement. With his connections with an IBM computer, he realized that it is quite possible to produce accurate contour guides, which was hitherto difficult with manual calculations. Soon he received a contract with Air force to supply an automatic contour cutting machine for production of large wing section pieces for aircraft. He successfully developed a machine, which produced parts with accuracy and precision required by the aviation industry. Meanwhile, MIT researchers were doing developmental work with various kinds of control processes. They had already done some work with Air Force Projects during World War II. With the active association of MIT, Parsons experimented with servomotors to the x and y axis and successfully controlled them using computer that read punch-cards to process instructions. This made possible to machine complex shapes required for aviation industry. With a manual milling machine it was never possible and that is how he developed the NC milling machine. (Olivo 1987) After most pioneering efforts by Parsons and MIT researchers the ball set rolling for further growth and development of NC/CNC in the later years to come. CNC Generations Broad CNC generations classification can be done with regard to the development of CNC machine as under (CNC-Web-handout): 1952 1st generation NC, The first NC controlled machine for metal processing (relays and electronic tubes) 1960 2nd generation NC, relays and electronic tubes was replaced with transistors. 1965 3rd generation, integrated circuits 4th generation NC CNC (computerized numerical Control CNC Machines) In the first and second generation NC machines, controller received a set of instructions known as programme consisted of alphanumeric characters. Through these instructions, controller regulated the motions of a machine tool such as a lathe, milling machine, cutter. Preparation of programme was done with the very basic computers and then made available to the controller via a tape. At that time, Magnetic tape recorders and floppy disk drives were used for storage and recording purposes for the programme and as such no direct links were provided between the computer and controller. Controllers tape reader used to read these recorded programmes. For the purpose of debugging the programme and correcting the errors, it was necessary to have a new tape and several of such tapes were needed before an error-free programme was made. Further, for any modification or engineering changes one was forced to prepare a new tape and so on. (Siegel 1956) Historical Events in the Evolution of NC/CNC Machines Let us peep into the past for more specific developments in reference to NC/CNC machines, its components and important accessories, which culminated into the modern day CNCs. 1950- MIT servo mechanism lab developed Numerical Control (NC) milling machine 1952-Parsons filed for a patent on Motor Controlled Apparatus for Positioning Machine Tool. The date was 5 May, 1952 1953- Using a magnetic-tape playback system, a digital control system named Numericord was developed in April 1953 by joint effort of GL, MIT and General Electric Co. (Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1955- NC machines commercial version was on display at Chicago Machine Tool Show. In the show, several NC machines were on display, which were punched cards or punched paper tapes driven. (Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1955- IBM developed automatic tool changer. (Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1955-Numericord NC5 was found into operation at GLs plant at Fond du Lac, WI. (History of Computer Aided Manufacturing) 1956- A year of automatic programming of NC machining. 5.1 APT Developed Douglas Ross made pioneering efforts to put automatic programming of NC machining. Being a mathematician at MIT, Ross had gone to the ServoMechanism Laboratory to work with computer systems for high-speed data processing. His research converged to the development of the Automatically Programmed Tool (APT) system. (Upping Input Speed: automating NC. Cuttingtoolengineering 2005,) Ross believed that programmer should be able to convey his or her machining instructions in a simple English kind language, which is at times rational and can be modified based on experience. Thus, Ross had removed the last significant technological impediment to utilization of NC by the manufacturing industry on a broad scale. The development of APT was a major turning point in the evolution of NC, because it settled once and for all the issue of whether or not NC could be made economically viable in the light of programming costs, Reintjes said. Justifiably then, the APT language became the U.S. standard for programming NC machine tools in 1974, and became the international standard in 1978. (Upping Input Speed: automating NC. Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1957- GL introduced its first 5-axis Variax NC profilers. (History of Computer Aided Manufacturing) 1957- GLs (Giddings and Lewis Machine Tool Co) produced first miller (History of Computer Aided Manufacturing) 1957- A year of first CAM software system, an NC programming tool named PRONTO. Farnum, Gregory (2005) distinctly quotes contribution of Dr. Patrick Hanratty and term him as a father of CAD/CAM and categorically mentions, Then theres the guy who is often called the father of CAD/CAM, Dr.Patrick Hanratty. Among other contributions to the field, Hanratty, in 1957, developed the first commercial CAM software system, an NC programming tool named PRONTO. Of course, if one can digitally create patterns in space to guide a machine tool, one can do the same thing for other machinery as well, a fact that wasnt lost on the fledgling robotics industry and builders of other types of industrial equipment. Thus, the direct link between CNC and CAM. 1958- The first commercial NC machining centre with an automatic toolchanger and automatic work positioning. The company was Kearney Trecker Corp., Milwaukee and product was Milwaukee-Matic II. (Makely 2005) 1960- First controller with transistor technology introduced. (Groover 2007) 1960- Direct Numerical Control (DNC) eliminated paper tape punch programmes and allowed programmers to send files directly from computer to machine tool controller. (Groover 2007) 1963- A true CAD software, namely sketchpad, evolved. (Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1965- CAD drafting and the sculptured surfaces developed (Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1967- Use of integrated circuits (ICs) in NC reduced 90 percent components and 80 percent wiring connections. (Groover, 2007) The use of integrated circuits can be considered as a major breakthrough in the evolution of CNC machines as mentioned by Makely (2005) as per the following. But true maturity in NC development, according to Paul Warndorf, vice president of technology at AMT-the Association for Manufacturing Technology, didnt come until the development of integrated circuits replaced vacuum tubes with more efficient, more reliable. (Numbers Take Control: NC machines Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1968- First machining centre by Kearney and Trecker (machine tool builders) marketed. (Groover, 2007) 1970s- CNC machine tool developed. (Groover, 2007) Farnum (2005) describes how CAD could make the application of CNC machine tools for variety of applications. He states: As the 70s progressed, the increasing power of computers, and the introduction of lower-cost minicomputers, made CAD accessible to a wider array of users. A host of CAD companies, many of them still in existence today, arose to meet the growing demand. This trend was furthered by the emergence of powerful UNIX workstations and PCs in the early 1980s, along with the growing power of the CAD systems themselves. Today, its hard to imagine a manufacturing firm without a CAD/CAM system or the ability to transfer digital data to CNC machine tools. (Farnum 2005) 1972- Major development of the CAD/CAM machines evolved (Minimizing Movement: multitasking. Controltoolengineering 2005) The development on CAD/CAM made possible multitasking on CNCs, thus improving the productivity to manifold. Jim Cordier, a veteran of 48 years in engineering and customer service at Hardinge Inc., Elmira, N.Y., said multitasking evolved because you wanted to do more and more with one setup. If you do a part complete in one setup, you made a more accurate part and did it quicker. (Numbers Take Control: NC machines. Cuttingtoolengineering 2005) 1976- 3D CAM/CAD systems were introduced (History of Computer Aided Manufacturing) 1980s- Graphics based computer application developed. (Groover, Mikell P.2007) 1989- Expert CAM/CAD systems were developed (History of Computer Aided Manufacturing) 1997- PC window based Open Modular Architecture Control (OMAC) systems introduced to replace firmware controllers. (Groover, 2007) A History of 5-Axis CNC Machines When someone tries to trace the history of 5-Axis Machine, it goes to even before NC as Herrin (1995) tries to convey in his article History of 5-axis machining. The some of the excerpts is mentioned from his above article. The history of 5-axis machining goes back even before NC. My first exposure to it was in 1958 on a project funded by the U.S. Air Force for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of 5-axis machining. Cincinnati Milacron, then Cincinnati Milling Machine Co., was awarded a contract to build and test an electronic tracing version of a 5-axis vertical mill. He further describes that four major technologies that were critical to the success of 5-axis machines are: machine, control hardware, control software, and part programming software. He further opines that considerable improvement in the computer hardware is the reason that has made CNC designers to provide for advanced capability to meet the requirements of 5-axis applications at a reasonable cost. (Herrin 1995) 6.1 Why 5-axis Machines Three axis CNC machines define its ability to perform the task and movement along the three different axes simultaneously. Those are X, Y, and Z. Axis parallel to the tool spindle is known as Z axis. Three axis CNC machines work on sculptured or tapered surfaces. It is not possible to work on the complex jobs like tapping, internal holes on complex surfaces with variable curvatures. Certain limitations of three axis machine forced the developer to think about the five-axis machine which has varied application in myriad of industries. Five-axis machines are built by adding two axes that rotate around either Y or Z axis. There are mainly three types of 5-axis machines. (A). A Dedicated 5-axis Machining Centre. The biggest drawback with such machines is that their range of motion is limited to +/- 30 degrees. When it is needed to have steeper angle of cut, manual intervention is required. They are not as rugged as three-axis machines (B). A Tilting/Rotary Table Type A tilting-rotary table is mounted to the bed of a (three-axis) CNC machine. They are available in the market for several years. Advantage is that they can be used by small and big shops alike for many machining jobs. The good thing is that it provides possibility to tilt the part at various angles and thus machining is possible at various sides of the part resulting to the real five-axis machining. However, tilting-rotary table machines exert limit on workpiece with regard to its width, weight, length, height. Besides, tilting tables are very large and cover up host machines working space in large amount. At times, it reduces the work space by as much as 75 percent. They are good for smaller parts. They pose a difficulty in holding the part when heavy cutting operations are to be carried out. Size of the workpiece and its weight pose a limitation for machining in these types of machines. (C). Spindle Head Attachments Type The major benefit of a spindle head attachment is that it has full access of the machining centres working envelope. There is no restriction on the size of the workpiece required to be machined. They are fully programmable and any three-axis machine can be converted to a real five-axis machining centre. It is possible to add tilting capability of +/- 90 degrees. It can also have full rotary motion of 360-degree. The attachment can convert any 3-axis machine to 5-axis machine in less than 30 minutes. Since this head attachment is portable, it provides flexibility and rigidity of three-axis machine and work well for machining of variety of jobs. Because this unique head is portable and can be mounted in less than 30 minutes, it allows the owner to benefit from the accuracy and rigidity of the three-axis mill for significant metal removal then mount the attachment to complete five-axis profiling, holes, pockets, etc. The cost is similar to that of the larger tilt-rotary tables. 6.2 The Benefits of Machining with Five Axes It eliminates a need to have multiple setups for refitting the workpiece at different angles. This definitely saves time and reduces errors. It also eliminates the need to have costly fixtures, tooling for holding the workpiece in place. The complex jobs like tapping, internal holes on a complex surfaces can be machined that are otherwise not possible. Five-axis technology also eliminates multiple setups required to re-position the workpiece at complex angles. This not only saves time, but greatly reduces errors and costly tooling and fixture expenses required to hold the workpiece in place. It also provides the ability to machine complex parts that are not otherwise possible-including holes, pockets and tapping required to be normal to a complex surface. To a mold maker, it provides following benefits. Machining time greatly reduced by using a flat bottom end mill by using full diameter of the cutter Side milling of the angled surfaces can be done with less number of passes on the complex surface. Much better surface finish can be achieved eliminating ribbing from ball-nose end mills. Cut down time and labour on manual millwork/handwork required to clean up convex or concave kellered surfaces. Why CNC Became so Important? Swamidass (2002) has distinctly defined the need of CNC machines stating: A CNC machine tool is a self-contained machine, where the tool-cutting movements, spindle speeds, tool exchange and other operations are controlled by a part programme executed by the computer controlled based at the machine tool. The machine design which holds the tool used to cut into the work piece. Conventional machine tools (lathes, drill presses, milling machines) are not computer controlled. The operation is done by skilled craftsman. There can be variations to dimensions on parts made on a conventional tool. The elimination of this variation is one objective (benefit) of automating the discreet part production process. The Historic Developments and Its Significance on CNC Machines It is important to understand that why all these mile stone achievements were so significant in overall evolution of CNC machines. Let us take some of them. 8.1 CNC Control A programme is interpreted by CNC Control. It activates the series of commands in given sequence and will initiate required function, set motion for axis and carry out necessary instructions mentioned in the programme. This amply proves that how important controller is in overall functioning of the CNC machines. State-of-the-art present day CNC Controls carry out several other functions like editing the programme due to some error. It also has a dry run to check and verify the correctness of programme. Moreover, it also allows operator to provide certain important inputs separate from the programme such as tool length values. In short, it controls all the functions of the machine and keeps track of it as and when needed. 8.2 Changing the Tool Automatically Centres have capacity to hold many tools in a tool magazine. As per the requirement tool can be automatically placed in the spindle for machining. 8.3 Spindle Speed and Activation The spindle can be turned in a forward and reverse direction and speed can be notified in RPM. When required, it can be turned off. 8.4 CAM System For a simple application, the CNC programme can be developed manually by operator, which is also the best way to develop the programmes. When it comes to more complicate applications, it becomes tedious and difficult to write the programme. There comes a CAM (a computer aided manufacturing) system into picture. CAM is a software programme, which runs on a computer and helps CNC programmer to complete the programming process. It can also work with CAD developed by the companys design and engineering department. Machine operator has to specify the machining operations and based on that CAM will have created the CNC programme as if it is written manually saving time, effort and complexities of the functions. (Momingstar 1993) DNC System Once the programme is developed, it is required to be loaded into the CNC control. But when available memory on CNC controller is not sufficient to accept the programme then the need of DNC (distributive numerical control) comes into the picture. It was like a computer device that used to be connected to one or several CNC machines. However, with the advent of PCs during the 1990s ended the utility of DNC controls. (Momingstar 1993) Current CNC Machines Todays CNC are much faster and offers automation features, which were never heard before. With modern machining centre axis-positioning requirements have specifically increased and tool management functions have become more complex. This forces to have far greater processing power to manage many complex functions. Caussin (1999) has given a very good account of the controls that CNCs are capable for and they are described as under: 9.1 The Heart of CNC-Motion Control CNC machines are known for their automation, precision and consistent motion controls. CNC machines use motion control in a way, which can be called as revolutionary. Motions could be either linear or rotary. In conventional machine tools, these motions are caused by the use of cranks and handwheels. But the programmed commands initiate the motion in CNC machines. The motion type, motion rate (feed rate), motion type and which-axis-to-move all that are programmed with CNC machine tools. A CNC command conveys the drive motor to rotate specific number of times, which causes the rotation of the ball screw. The ball screw, in turn, moves to the linear axis. A feedback device confirms that specified number of rotations have taken place. . 9.2 CNC Speed and Feed Rates Now a days, dual processors or even parallel processors are in demands to increase the processing speed. It can notify the broken tools and necessary inspection can be done at machine centre itself. Parallel processors are employed to increase the speed of complex task. It is capable to change the feed rates based on the spindle load parameters. This reduces the required processing time. Further, depending upon the actual tool load, it can control and monitor the feed rate so as to avoid any damage to the tool. A feed rate will also determine when to change the tool when it reduces to the less than certain percentage of the normal. 9.3 Voltage Fluctuation and Loads They can also monitor voltage fluctuations to decide if a tool has broken. CNC can locate if some catastrophic problem is there with the tool and it will shut down the process. 9.4 Probing It can probe in a variety of ways to reduce setup time, as many controls have number of setup features like diameter offsets and tool length. That is to say that with an automated tool offset feature, it can set offsets for number of tools in a few minutes. Probes also facilitate setting the Z fixture offset automatically for speedy processes. It also allows setting for the X-Y axes automatically by imparting an appropriate programmeme. While machining a casting, it is required to verify the datum point and there also a probe will save considerable time. A feature known as rotation searching will probe the casting and work out the angle of difference and rotate the programme accordingly. Off line inspection of parts is a time consuming process but here also CNC will allow the use of a probe and verify its measurements. By probing a part it can also ascertain tool wear for its replacement. CNC can be programmed so that the tool will be probed as part of the machining cycle. It is so automatic that as the tool touches the probe, the next tool is loaded and the machining goes on. If it does not touch the probe then programme stops further machining. 9.5 Better Axis Synchronization State-of-the-art technology of the present day CNCs offer better control and make possible the synchronization of the Z axis with the spindle and rest of the system. That results into the possibility of rigid tapping which delivers high level of accuracy. Perfect synchronization between X-Y and Z axes makes helical interpolation possible so that very cost-effective threading on holes over 1 inch can be carried out. It also makes possible threads in blind holes, pipe threads and threads in holes in odd-shaped parts. 9.6 Connectivity Present day CNCs offer possibility to communicate with other processors. This saves a lot of time of the operator to set communication parameters from his PC to the machining centre. Nowadays CNCs offer the capacity to connect to the internet. Companies with global operations are greatly benefitted from this so that they can transfer their programmers to other locations. So todays CNCs provide a very high level of automation. Any skillful operator can use all the the features to increase his own and companys productivity. The Future of CNC The future development of CNCs will always depend upon the other technologies, which are developing simultaneously. Even innovators like John Parsons and others never thought of the present day achievements of CNC machines. At that time, they could not have visualized in their dreams that we would have colour graphics, high speed mega hertz microprocessors, touch screen CRTs and so on. Similarly it is difficult to visualize for us now how new technologies will develop in the next 20-30 years. However, one common factor that can be described is a need based development and innovation, which will not only continue but will have an accelerated pace. Vonasek (2009) interviewed many industry experts and described some of the possible future developments, which can be listed as under. CNC machines with more integration toward loading and unloading systems. Integration between CAD programmes and the CAM software for the machine, making connection between workpiece production and actual product development more feasible. More energy efficient and increased productivity. Faster and more powerful drive systems with even greater accuracy. CNC routers with more application Conclusions As science will make inroads in artificial intelligence, it is quite likely that future CNC machines will turn more and more user friendly but that will come with a cost attached to it. The sophistication will bring many new features but affordability will be a big question for many small and medium sized companies. However, in all likelihood basic CNC machines with 3-axis movements will be a preferred choice for common applications, which do not come under purview of high-tech areas. The future of CNCs is extremely exciting and rewarding. It can be said that CNCs have always been the back bone of engineering industries and will remain like that for future years to come.

General Environmental Analysis Essay -- Essays Papers

General Environmental Analysis The airline industry is very stable and unlikely to change in the near future. There are many reasons for this. Air travel continues to grow and will continue in this fashion as long as the economy stays in an upward trend. US domestic air traffic grew 2.3% in 1998 and 3.5% in the first six months of 1999 according to Air Transportation Association. The percentage of flyers has increased an average of 2% each year and the percentage of people who have ever flown before increased from 73% in 1993 to 81% in 1997. (Airport Transport Association, Internet). The top three reasons that people fly are business trips (47%), visiting relatives (38%) and going on vacation (13%). Most airline revenues are gained from the fares they charge these passengers, but they also earn ancillary revenues from transporting mail, shipping freight, selling in-flight services and from serving alcoholic beverages (Airport Transportation Association, Internet). The primary target market of airline passengers today is the business traveler because business trips account for the majority (47% ) of airline flights. Though this percentage of business trips is slowly declining, the actual number of business travelers is increasing. The business traveler fits the description of the average airline passenger of being male, between the ages of 35 and 54, having a household of $60,000 or more and lives in the western region of the country (Airport Transportation Association, Internet). The business traveler tends to be very price inelastic in terms of plane fares and as a result, airlines provide benefits to them such as priority check-in, expedited baggage handling, frequent flier miles and in-flight cell phones to business people to entice them to fly with their carrier. The other segment of the airline market is that of leisure travelers. These passengers tend to be extremely price sensitive which is exactly opposite the business traveler. As a result, airlines must find ways to beat competitors in terms of prices. Because the leisure traveler is not loyal to any one carrier, price becomes the determining factor in deciding which carrier to fly on. Again just opposite of the business traveler, the number of leisure fliers has decreased while the number of trips has increased. While the industry seems to be doing extremely... ...y another airline and using it through a larger airline may be a smart move. Some amount of capital should be devoted to improving technology because it is, in a sense, the power of the future. Bibliography Air Transport Association. â€Å"Air travel Survey.† Online. MSN.com. Internet. 12 Nov. 2000. Available: www.londecon.co.uk/pubs/comp/crb8.htm. Carey, Susan et.al. â€Å"AMR, Northwest talks turn serious as pressure rises for decision on merger†. Wall Street Journal. July 12, 2000. Competition Bulletin 8. Online. MSN.com. Internet. 9 Nov.2000. Available: www.activemedia-guide.com/airindustry.htm. â€Å"Four leading airlines launch global alliance,†Transportation and Distribution, Cleveland, OH, August 2000. Mooreman, Robert W. â€Å"United turns to academics to show alliances aid consumers.† Aviation Week and Space Technology. New York. Oct.2,2000. Travel Agent. â€Å"Forecast for the Future: Airlines.† Online. Yahoo.com. Internet. 12 Nov.2000. Available: www.finarticles.com/cf_1/mOVOU/2-298/59013812/p2/article.jhtml. US Business Reporter. â€Å"Airline Industry Profile.† Online. Yahoo.com. Internet. 12 Nov. 2000. Available: www.air-transport.org/public/industry/23.asp.

The Battles Before The Battle Between The States :: essays research papers

The Battles Before The Battle Between The States Warning: THE COMMENTARY IN THE FOLLOWING IS THE SOLE PRODUCT OF THE AUTHOR, AND MAY CONTAIN SOME BIAS DUE TO THE BIAS CONTENT OF THE AUTHOR’S SOURCE OF INFORMATION, PLEASE READ WITH CARE. In 1861 the United States declared war on the seceded Confederate States of America. This war is more popularly known as the Civil War or the War Between the States. The war was a conflict that was inevitable because of the progression of dislike between the slave holding states and the free ones. The war had to happen because of the many disagreements that caused tension between the slave holding South and the free states in the North. There are many things that one party did to upset the other. One of the first notable things that started the disagreement between the North and the South was the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty.† â€Å"Popular Sovereignty† was an idea created by Senator Lewis Cass, who said that the Missouri Compromise was out dated and that the citizens of a territory should "regulate their own internal concerns." (p. 459) Many Southern citizens liked the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty,† for the reason that they could move their slaves to "undecided" territories. With this point for the South the North came back with one of their own. The North, battling in the government, decided to join three parties into one to create the Free-Soil party. Those three parties were "rebellious Democrats, Antislavery Whigs, and members of the Antislavery Liberty party." (p. 460) One of the main reasons that the Free-Soil party was created was to give voters a new party to choose from, rather than the two other main parties. In the 1848 election the Free-Soil party upset a small, but significant part of the vote, receiving 10.1 percent of the popular vote. Having one significant issue that the opposition did not care for, the great trio of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster had something up their sleeves. One of the greatest debates of the time, the Great Compromise, brought forth eight resolutions that solved all the issues. The eight resolutions are as follows: 1) Admit California as a free state, 2) organize the remainder of the Southwest with out restriction as to slavery, 3) deny Texas its extreme claim to a Rio Grande boundary up to its source, 4) compensate Texas for this by assuming the Texas debt, 5) uphold slavery in District of Colombia, 6) but abolish the slave trade across its boundaries, 7) adopt a more effective fugitive slave act, 8) and deny congressional authority to interfere with the interstate slave trade. The Battles Before The Battle Between The States :: essays research papers The Battles Before The Battle Between The States Warning: THE COMMENTARY IN THE FOLLOWING IS THE SOLE PRODUCT OF THE AUTHOR, AND MAY CONTAIN SOME BIAS DUE TO THE BIAS CONTENT OF THE AUTHOR’S SOURCE OF INFORMATION, PLEASE READ WITH CARE. In 1861 the United States declared war on the seceded Confederate States of America. This war is more popularly known as the Civil War or the War Between the States. The war was a conflict that was inevitable because of the progression of dislike between the slave holding states and the free ones. The war had to happen because of the many disagreements that caused tension between the slave holding South and the free states in the North. There are many things that one party did to upset the other. One of the first notable things that started the disagreement between the North and the South was the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty.† â€Å"Popular Sovereignty† was an idea created by Senator Lewis Cass, who said that the Missouri Compromise was out dated and that the citizens of a territory should "regulate their own internal concerns." (p. 459) Many Southern citizens liked the idea of â€Å"Popular Sovereignty,† for the reason that they could move their slaves to "undecided" territories. With this point for the South the North came back with one of their own. The North, battling in the government, decided to join three parties into one to create the Free-Soil party. Those three parties were "rebellious Democrats, Antislavery Whigs, and members of the Antislavery Liberty party." (p. 460) One of the main reasons that the Free-Soil party was created was to give voters a new party to choose from, rather than the two other main parties. In the 1848 election the Free-Soil party upset a small, but significant part of the vote, receiving 10.1 percent of the popular vote. Having one significant issue that the opposition did not care for, the great trio of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster had something up their sleeves. One of the greatest debates of the time, the Great Compromise, brought forth eight resolutions that solved all the issues. The eight resolutions are as follows: 1) Admit California as a free state, 2) organize the remainder of the Southwest with out restriction as to slavery, 3) deny Texas its extreme claim to a Rio Grande boundary up to its source, 4) compensate Texas for this by assuming the Texas debt, 5) uphold slavery in District of Colombia, 6) but abolish the slave trade across its boundaries, 7) adopt a more effective fugitive slave act, 8) and deny congressional authority to interfere with the interstate slave trade.

Textbook Analysis

University of Latvia Faculty of Humanities Department of English Studies Textbook Analysis 3rd year, group B student Kristaps Briedis Riga 2013 Introduction The â€Å"Focus on Advanced English C. A. E. † is written by Sue O’Connell and first published in Pearson Education Limited at the Edinburgh Gate, Harlow in year 1999, and the edition at hand is the thirteenth impression printed in 2006. The textbook is oriented for students preparing for the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English examination.Further, the analysis of syllabus will be based on the material given in the revised and updated edition of the â€Å"Advanced English C. A. E. † The whole text book consists of 240 pages. It includes fourteen units, which are divided according to different topics (e. g. Severe Weather, Time Eaters, Stress etc. ). Each unit of the â€Å"Advanced English C. A. E. † is devoted to the development of all language skills: reading, writing, listening, speaking. Moreo ver, there are grammar and vocabulary tasks in each unit. One unit from the â€Å"Advanced English C. A.E. † (Unit 12 â€Å"Living Dangerously†) was chosen for the analysis of the whole book, because each unit is devoted to the development of all language skills and thus, it is enough to analyze only one of them in order to understand how the whole book â€Å"works†. Reading Reading can be defined as the process of constructing meaning from written texts (Online 1). Thus, learning reading skills means understanding the text what one reads. But why do we need to understand what we read? According to Harmer (2001:200), there are two types of reasons for reading.The first is instrumental reason, which means that people read because it helps him/her to achieve particular goal (e. g. people read road signs in order to know where to go). The other type is called pleasurable. That means that the reason for reading some particular text is to get pleasure (e. g. reading illustrated cartoon). Thus, it does not matter what reason the student has, it is important for him/her to practice reading skills. Unit 12 of the â€Å"Advanced English C. A. E. † offers the students two reading exercises.The first text is the magazine article called â€Å"Living Dangerously. † It contains about 400 words and is divided into 8 paragraphs. There is a pre-reading exercise, which students should do before reading the main text. The pre-reading exercises motivate the students and encourage their involvement in the topic and theme of the text (Online 2). After doing a pre-reading and a while-reading activity, students are asked to fill the gaps in the article choosing the proper paragraph (from A-G) given after the text.In order to achieve a general understanding of a text, the students do extensive reading, which includes scanning (a quick reading, focusing on locating specific information) and skimming (a quick reading to know how the passage is organize d and to get an idea of the intention of the writer) (Online 3). Finally, the post-reading exercise is given to check how the students have understood the text and to develop their critical thinking. In this exercise the students are asked to find given expressions in the text and work out the meaning of them from the context (e. g. ested interest might mean a personal stake or involvement in an undertaking or situation). As the second task, a newspapers article â€Å"You are caught in a fire then what? † is given. It is about two times longer than previous article (about 800 words). Firstly, students are asked to scan the text (to read it quickly) in order to be able to answer some questions in pre-reading activity (e. g. Who devised the Survival Game and why? ). Then, students should read the article more carefully in order to do the following post-reading exercise. This type of exercise is different from the first one.In the second case students have to answer multiple cho ice questions. There are 6 questions with 4 answers in each. Some advantages of this type of exercises are the following: multiple choice exercises require less time than some written tasks, it is considered to be more objective than a usual written task, and â€Å"it will allow assessing one’s knowledge without taking into account all the irrelevant factors† (Online 4). Writing Writing is said to be a method of representing language in visual or tactile form (Online 5). And more important it is a skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing text (Online 6).There are many reasons why writing is important, for example, the ability to express one’s thoughts and ideas, communicative competence (letters), also it serves as a record, as in expressing one’s ideas for future references (Online 6). There are different types of writing – writing to inform, educational writing, writing to entertain, persuasive writing and motivational writing (Onli ne 7). To improve writing skills there are some essential instructions that need to be performed – research, think, organize, write, edit, revise, relax (Online 7).Two writing exercises are included into the unit 12 of the â€Å"Advanced English C. A. E. † The first exercise is writing an article (~250 words) about an interesting adventure. The textbook has a good approach to the writing tasks as it provides a ‘Task Checklist’, where there are several guideline questions concerning format and approach, content and organization, style and the target reader, for example, ‘Who are the magazine readers? ’ or ‘What language features are needed for this content? ’.Also the textbook provides a ‘Writing File’, where the features of different types of writing – formal and informal letters, articles, reports, reviews and so on – are shown. The second part of the exercise is the involvement of some structures in th e article in order to emphasize or add some dramatic effect, for example, writing sentences using inversion (a reversal of normal word order) or cleft structure (A construction in which some element in a sentence is moved from its normal position into a separate clause to give it greater emphasis) (Online 8).The second exercise on writing consists of writing a memo (~50 words) and a report (~200 words) about the security in collage. The essential part in this task is to use the information that is already given, but using one’s own words. The task also has a ‘Task Checklist’ with the guideline questions and indication to the ‘Writing File’ and also includes the explanation and tips on writing a memo. â€Å"Advanced English C. A. E. † aim is based on covering different types of writing.The Unit 12 included persuasive writing (writing a memo), which improves the skills of argumentation (Online 7), and informative writing (writing an article). Th e tasks are well organized and easy to understand, they provide comprehensible instructions and also some tips for writing the given type of the text. Additionally there is a supplement, where the features of the different types of texts are enclosed, so it is easy for a student to rapidly find the necessary information. Listening Listening is the ability to accurately receive messages in the communication process (Online 9).Listening is not an easy process because the listener should concentrate and understand everything what he/she hears on the spot. It is impossible for the listener to adjust the pace of speech, listen again or check an unknown word. In addition, listening is not the same as hearing as listening means paying attention to not only what is being told, but also to the manner how it is being told. According to the statistics, adults spend approximately 70% of time communicating, while approximately 45% of the time spent on communication is listening (Online 9).After a short explanation on what is listening and why it is so important in everyday communication, it is essential to look how listening is taught in schools. The textbook under analysis provides mostly two (in some units – one) listening tasks in each unit. According to Rost (2002), listening tasks can be divided into three phases: pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening. This division is not always present in the textbook because in quite many of the tasks pre-listening or post-listening is missing.Pre-listening and post-listening are very important because pre-listening is like a warm-up for while-reading as it ‘activates the background knowledge and  integrates  the directions of listening’ (Helgesen, 1998), while post-reading ‘allows the learner to build mental representations and develop shortterm second language memory, and increase motivation for listening a second time’ (Rost, 2002). The textbook presents such pre-reading tasks as questions on the theme and vocabulary related exercises. In Unit 12 two vocabulary related exercises are offered as lead-in tasks into the following istening tasks as well as into the whole unit and theme. All while-listening tasks are divided into four different types or parts (as they are called in the book). In parts 1 and 2 a monologue or sometimes a dialogue can be heard. The task type used in these parts is mostly filling in the gaps. The students are tested for ability of hearing specific information (or bottom-up listening), which, according to Helgesen (1998), is similar to scanning. He writes that listening to specific information is difficult as students ‘try to catch everything, often taking the time to mentally translate it into their mother tongue’ (Helgesen, 1998).A longer recording of a discussion or conversation can be heard in the part 3. The student’s ability of understanding the text as a whole (or top-down listening), including the gist and s pecific information, is tested in this part. The task types are filling in the gaps, sentence completion and four-option multiple choice questions. In part 4 five short extracts can be heard. Students are asked to identify the situation or topic, the manner and the attitude of speaking, the goal of the speaker or specific information. The task types are multiple matching or three-option multiple choice questions.The while-listening texts are in the form of formal and informal conversations, public announcements and private messages. The while-listening tasks in Unit 12 are of parts 1 and 3. Both exercises are filling in the gaps, and the recording can be heard twice in each of them. The few post-reading tasks are mostly questions on the theme, for example, the task in Unit 12 asks to imagine yourself in the situation connected with the previously heard text and discuss what you would do yourself, which is quite creative and interesting post-reading exercise.Most of the tasks are one -way as ‘all input comes from an outside source (like a videotape) to the learner’ not from outside, for example, a speaking partner (Rost, 2002). In addition, the listening sub-skills, such as skimming, scanning, note-taking, understanding attitudinal and conceptual meanings, understanding unfamiliar lexical items through context, understanding relationships within the sentence, also are taught in the textbook (Online 10). Speaking Speaking is  the delivery of language through the mouth (Online 11). Speaking skills enable learners to enter the community of the target language (Kramina, 2000: 86).This vocalized form of language usually requires at least one listener (of course, some people talk to themselves! ) – speech can flow naturally from one person to another in the form of dialogue, or it can also be planned and rehearsed, as in the delivery of a speech or presentation (Online 11). According to Kramina (2000), to act as a speaker participating in the com municative process, the learner must be able to carry out a sequence of skilled actions which comprise: cognitive, linguistic, and phonetic skills. There are speaking tasks throughout the textbook under analysis that help practice and enhance those skills.There are four parts to the speaking tasks in â€Å"Advanced English C. A. E. † each focusing on different speaking skills and sub-skills. Part 1 focuses on general social language – general social English and the ability to interact with other people in English. Part 2 focuses on transactional language – ability to give information clearly. Part 3 practices negotiation and collaboration skills, and Part 4 is designed to test the ability to report, explain, summarise and to develop a discussion naturally. Pictures and other visual prompts are used in Parts 2 and 3 to cue various tasks.Unit 12 of the textbook under analysis includes four speaking tasks – three of them concerning Parts 3 and 4, and one on Part 2. According to Kramina (2000) the development of communicative ability requires a range of suitable classroom activities that should provide learners with a degree of communicative urgency so that they have something interesting to say and a reason to communicate with their partners. Learners may be motivated to communicate by the enjoyment of playing a game, the challenge and satisfaction in solving a problem or completing a project.Tasks 1 through 3 focus specifically on problem solving. In task 1 the learners are faced with an unfinished statement and five possible variants to conclude it: the learners are to engage in a discussion and give well-founded answers to the follow-up questions. The correct answers can then be found on the answer page of the book. Task 2 consists of parts a and b. Part a is a work in pairs, where each of the participants are to imagine themselves in a particular problematic/ difficult situation and have to come up with a sound solution, or choose one from the already given visual prompts.In part b, the participants have to briefly explain to the rest of the class the decisions they came to with their partners, and say how far they agree or disagree with the opinions of others. Task 3 is a discussion of points concerning the topic of the unit. Several questions are given, designed to encourage the learners to use their existing knowledge on the subject, brainstorm for new solutions and express personal opinions. Next to these three tasks, tips are given on how to develop the discussions further by listening and responding to what your partner says and allowing the partner to comment on what you say.The last speaking exercise of the unit concentrates on both presenting information clearly and listening carefully to the information given by a partner. Students have to work in pairs and each gets a picture to look at – the pictures are of the same scene but there are several differences between them. First, Student A is t o describe the left-hand side of his picture in detail, while Student B listens carefully and notes any differences (without interrupting), and when A has finished, B should mentions any differences noticed.Then vice versa, Student B describes the right-hand side of the picture, while Student A studies for differences. When students are done with both parts of the task, they are to look at the two pictures together and compare their answers to the list given on a different page. This textbook is, however, lacking tasks that would help with the phonetic skills development, so it would be up to the teacher to help students learn the skills to articulate the utterance appropriately. (Kramina 2000: 65)Conclusions Although â€Å"Focus on Advanced English C. A. E. † is a textbook designed specifically as an integrated course for students preparing for the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English examination, it covers all the essential language skills for foreign language learning and is suitable for English language acquisition, and is generally a good material for the preparation of several other English examinations, e. g. , the English examination of Secondary education in Latvia.The textbook offers 14 units covering a wide variety of stimulating topics, authentic reading texts from a range of sources, thorough practice of all language skills, a Grammar File with detailed information of all points covered in the units, and a Writing File with model text types and useful language, all coming from the experienced teacher, teacher trainer and examiner Sue O’Connell. References 1. Harmer J. (2001) English Language teaching. England: Pearson Education Ltd. 2. Helgesen, M. 1998) ESL Magazine. 1 (4): 24-25. Available from http://www. mgu. ac. jp/~ic/helgesen/marc. article2. htm [Accessed March 5, 2013]. 3. Rost, M. (2002) Listening Tasks and Language Acquisition. Available from http://jalt-publications. org/archive/proceedings/2002/018. pdf [Accessed Mar ch 5, 2013]. 4. Kramina, I. (2000) Linguo-didactic Theories Underlying Multi-purpose Language Acquisition. Riga: University of Latvia. Online Sources 1. Available from http://lrs. ed. uiuc. edu/students/jblanton/read/readingdef. tm [Accessed March 6, 2013]. 2. Available from http://tlc. cet. ac. il/ShowItem. aspx? ItemID=ccd2b528-84f5-4078-a76f-d6b1243f26e9&lang=EN [Accessed March 6, 2013]. 3. Available from http://fis. ucalgary. ca/Brian/611/readingtype. html [Accessed March 6, 2013]. 4. Available from http://www. multiplechoicequestionsservice. com/multiple-choice-questions-advantages/ [Accessed March 6, 2013]. 5. Available from: http://www. omniglot. com/writing/definition. htm [Accessed March 6, 2013].