Julius Caesar Essays (412 words) - Ancient Rome, 1st Millennium BC

Julius Caesar William Shakespeare writes the Tragedy of Julius Caesar. This tragic play is based on historical facts of the life of Julius Caesar. It displays the events before his death such as his conquest over Pompey's armies and his coronation to be king and after his death. Furthermore, this play describes the minds and motives of Caesar's assassins. He gives a description of Cassius that serves as a prediction on his choices regarding Cassius. In addition, my choices would differ from those of Caesar's if I was the exalted ruler. First, in Julius Caesar, Caesar describes Cassius in the first act and he made choices based on his description. Caesar referred to Cassius as having "a lean and hungry look [and] he thinks too much, such men are dangerous". What this means is that Cassius exhibits no signs of cheerfulness and he is not "gamesome", indicating that he may be a threat to Caesar. However, he describes Cassius as a one who "reads much, a great observer, and looks quite through the deeds of men". Moreover, Caesar felt that such a man could not be fully trusted and felt Cassius had little loyalty to him. Next, I predict Caesar will make thoughtless choices regarding Cassius. In the play, I predict that Caesar will keep an eye on Cassius and avoid him as much as possible. Nonetheless, these projected actions will still seal his fate later in the play. Some indications of his imminent demise were the angry talk of the tribunes and the warning given by the soothsayer: "Beware the Ides of March". Furthermore, I predict that Caesar will be stabbed to death by "augurers" near the Tiber River while protecting Calpurnia. Finally, I would do things in a different way if I were the exalted ruler of ancient Rome. I would not have trusted Cassius as much as Caesar did because of his "dangerous looks" such as his facial expression. As the exalted ruler of the Roman Em-pire, I would investigate many people whom I have suspicions on. By doing these inves-tigations on people, I can lower my chances of being assassinated. Moreover, unlike Caesar, I would consider some warnings from people such as the soothsayer. In conclusion, judgements made by Caesar about Cassius that predicted the future of the play. Caesar feels suspicious about Cassius and sees him as a danger to his power. I predict that various signs, such as the warning by the soothsayer and the dialogue of the tribunes, will contribute to a future danger awaiting Caesar. In addition, the events that followed would have been entirely different if I had been the exalted ruler.

Prophetic, Predictive, Presageful, and Portentous

Prophetic, Predictive, Presageful, and Portentous Prophetic, Predictive, Presageful, and Portentous Prophetic, Predictive, Presageful, and Portentous By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked me to explain the differences between prophetic, predictive, presageful, and portentous. In a very general sense, the words are synonymous. All four are adjectives indicative of the future. Their connotations, however, differ. The adjective prophetic has two meanings: 1. prophetic: â€Å"characteristic of prophecy or a prophet.† For example, King Saul was known to fall into a â€Å"prophetic frenzy,† a mental state usually associated with a prophet. 2. prophetic: â€Å"foretelling events.† For example, Jules Verne (1828-1905) created fictional scenarios that have proved to be prophetic of events and discoveries in our own times. Prophetic often conveys supernatural connotations. The adjective predictive is a simple way to say that something can be predicted or foretold. For example, anyone who has ever browsed an investment flyer has come across this expression: â€Å"Past performance is not predictive of future success.† The adjective presageful derives from the noun presage: â€Å"something that portends, foreshows, or gives warning of that which is about to happen.† Presageful means, â€Å"full of presage.† The verb presage means, â€Å"to predict.† I found this example on a site dedicated to prison reform: â€Å"Two decades after [a former warden’s] presageful caveat, the Louisiana penal system is imploding under the weight of a burgeoning inmate population and a societal mindset that is more retributive than rehabilitational.† Presageful is so uncommon that Word’s spellchecker flags it as a misspelling. Merriam-Webster’s single citation- â€Å"presageful gloom†- is from a convoluted sentence of 101 words spoken by Merlin’s sweetheart Vivien in Tennyson’s Idylls of the King. Trust me, this is a word you can do without. The adjective portentous is used with three meanings: 1. portentous: â€Å"relating to a portent.† A portent is a sign thought to predict the future. Etruscans studied the  flight of birds  to foretell the future. Even the number of  birds  was regarded as  portentous. 2. portentous: â€Å"eliciting amazement.† A travel article contains this example: â€Å"In the Grand Forks Valley at the foot of the mountain the portentous wall cuts off entirely the view of the summit.† 3. portentous: â€Å"exhibiting gravity or ponderousness.† A New York Times reviewer uses the word in the sense of inflated or pompous writing: â€Å"To be sure, there were plenty of passages like this in Cold Mountain - prose that somehow managed to be simultaneously portentous, folksy and cloying, like banjo music on the soundtrack of a Ken Burns documentary.†Ã‚   Used with the first meaning given above, portentous often suggests that whatever is being foretold is ominous and to be feared. A Google search of the four words gives the following results: predictive: 44,700,000 prophetic: 17,800,000 portentous: 464,000 presageful: 15,300 The Ngram Viewer shows that predictive and prophetic are far more common than portentous or presageful in printed books. English has so many words that refer to foretelling the future or knowing something without being told that no writer need be at a loss to choose exactly the right one. For example: clairvoyant divinatory farseeing farsighted insightful intuitive perceptive percipient prescient prognostic psychic vatic visionary Here are a few synonyms for portentous: foreboding ill omened inauspicious menacing ominous premonitory threatening unfavorable Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:85 Synonyms for â€Å"Help†What is Dative Case?The Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

Definition and Examples of Complex Transitive Verbs

Definition and Examples of Complex Transitive Verbs In English grammar, a complex transitive is a  verb that requires both a direct object and another object or an object complement. In a complex-transitive construction, the object complement identifies a quality or attribute pertaining to the direct object. Complex-transitive verbs in English include believe, consider, declare, elect, find, judge, keep, know, label, make, name, presume, pronounce, prove, rate, regard, and think. Note that verbs often belong to more than one category. For example, made can function as a complex transitive (as in Her thoughtless remarks  made  him unhappy) and also as an ordinary transitive verb (She made a promise). The  adjective  or  noun phrase  that qualifies or renames the object that appears before it is sometimes called an object predicate or object predicative. Examples During the night leprechauns painted the barn green.The judge declared the man guilty on two counts.Jack found his brothers behavior deplorable.Elena Kagan clerked for Thurgood Marshall and has long considered him a hero.When the Congress unanimously elected George Washington president, he accepted reluctantly.This man had made her happy and  made her miserable, but he was dependable. (Allison Brennan, Compulsion.  Minotaur Books, 2015)Men have called me mad, but the question is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence. (Edgar Allan Poe, Eleonora, 1842)We called him Mother Superior on account of the length of his habit. (Mark Rent-boy Renton, Trainspotting, 1996) Meaning in Transitives and Complex Transitives [M]any of the verbs that appear in complex transitive clauses will also appear in transitive clauses without an object complement; but when they do, there is a change of meaning. Think about the different meanings of the verb in the following pairs of sentences: (49a) Transitive: Ahmed found the professor.(49b) Complex transitive: Ahmed found the professor marvelous!(49c) Transitive: Hojin considered the matter.(49d) Complex transitive: Hojin considered the matter a waste of time. (Martin J. Endley, Linguistic Perspectives on English Grammar: A Guide for EFL Teachers. IAP, 2010) The Relationship Between the Two Complements of a Complex Transitive A  complex transitive verb  has two complements, an argument NP [noun phrase] direct object and either a predicate NP or an AP [adjective phrase]. (5a) We considered Sam [direct object] our best friend [predicate noun phrase].(5b) They elected Mrs. Jones [direct object]  president of the PTA [predicate noun phrase]. There is a special relationship between the two complements of a  complex transitive verb. The predicate NP or AP says something about or describes the direct object, just as the predicate NP that is a complement of a linking verb describes the subject. The predicate NP or AP is either currently true of the direct object or comes to be true of the direct object as a result of the action of the verb. Part of the meaning conveyed by (5a), for example, is that Sam is our best friend. Part of the meaning conveyed by (5b),  for example, is that Mrs. Jones comes to be president as a result of the action named by the verb. Thus, complex transitive verbs, like linking verbs, are either current or resulting verbs.(Dee Ann Holisky, Notes on Grammar. Orchises, 1997) Active and Passive As is the case with any type of object, the DO [direct object] in complex-transitive complementation can also be passivized. An interesting fact is that the co-reference between the OC [object complement] and the DO survives passivization. 59. They made him president.60. He was made president. Note, however, that it is the direct object and not the object complement that can passivize! 61. They made him president.62. *President was made him. (Eva Duran Eppler and Gabriel Ozà ³n, English Words and Sentences: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 2013)

George Whashington Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

George Whashington - Essay Example He was born the second child of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington in Westmoreland County Virginia in February 22, 1732 (The White House 4). Like any child in his day, he was educated at home under the diligent tutelage of his father and older brother. Being born in the family of farmers, his first interests are also on planting and agriculture. His manners, moral, and education embody that of an 18th century Virginia gentleman. Together with this passion, he also has two "intertwined interests" (The White House 6)-military arts and military expansion. He has been previously employed as a surveyor which geared him with the knowledge of the terrain in his homeland. During 1749, he was appointed as surveyor of then recently established Culpeper County where he became interested in Ohio Company which planned to exploit Western Land. From these humble occupations, he was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in 1754 and fought in the early series of French and Indian war. These exposures equipped him with the necessary skills of warfare and courage. During the following year, Washington "escaped injury although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him" (The White House 7). After his brother's death, he inherited part his estate together with his responsibility as the adjutant in the colony. At the age of 20, he became Major Washington and "was charged with training the militia in the qua rter assigned him" (George Washington 7). He became a Master Mason in Freemasons, a fraternal organization which had a lifelong influence in him. Washington served in the military during the seven years of French and Indian war. Between the war, he got acquainted with a widow named Martha Dandridge Custis who eventually became his wife. They got married on January 6, 1759 and moved to Mount Vernon where Washington began his career as a farmer and a political figure. Being married to a wealthy widow, Washington has been charged of tilling and managing thousands of acres of land. After his marriage, he has been devoted to a busy yet fulfilling life. However, he also shared the growing concerns of his fellow planters. Having been under British regulations, he also felt exploited by the British merchants because of the unfair practices and policies. In his quest of freeing himself and other planters of these restrictions, he took an active role in voicing out their concerns (The White House 10). He became a leader in the colonial resistance by introducing the proposal which called to boycott imported English goods. He was recognized by being very much passionate in pushing for his fellow planters' interests. When the fighting in the American Revolution broke out in 1775, Washington signaled his preparedness for war by appearing at the Second Continental Congress in his military uniform. Having the "prestige, the military experience, the charisma and military bearing," and "the reputation of a strong patriot" (George Washington 15) he was appointed Major General and elected by the congress as Commander-in-Chief. Thus, together with his troops, he embarked on war which lasted for six years. His efforts paid off because in 1781, he

Iran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Iran - Research Paper Example Iran has been posed in the global scope as a country involved in the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, America and its close allies have not attacked and engaged Iran in a war. In deed the rest of the world have been seeking to determine the America and its associates’ stand concerning the Iranian issue (Johnson 2008). Therefore, the main question for research in this case is, to what extent does the Iran nuclear weapons production activities tantamount to attack and war with the United States and its allies? Considering the complexity of this question in its nature, it would also be right to pose it as what is reason behind the failure of America and its allies to launch war against Iran because of its continued engagement in production of nuclear weapons? The research question for this study is the reason behind the failure of America and its allies to launch war against Iran because of its continued engagement in production of nuclear weapons (Johnson 2008. 2). This is despite it having signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In this kind of situation, there are several factors which could be the cause of America not to launch a war against Iran. What are the effects of economic sanctions on Iranian military operations and capabilities? The America has opted for economic sanctions in attem pt to hamper Iranian nuclear activities. This paper will seek to explore the (BBC 2010.1.) possible effects of sanctions by the American and other foreign governments on the functionality of the Iranian military. Since the inception of economic sanctions on Iran, several operational challenges have been faced by the country’s military that range from inability to secure arms from major weapon markets, to the devaluation of the Iranian currency that has made the arms acquisition process an expensive affair. It is these effects that the paper

Chinese Mythology Essay Example for Free

Chinese Mythology Essay Chang-e is the lunar goddess in Chinese traditional myths. In China, she is a widely known character. She is known as a very beautiful woman who is living alone in a palace in the moon called â€Å"Guanghan Palace†. Her story is one of the most famous tragedies in Chinese myths. Recently there are several â€Å"retold† versions of the story of Chang-e’s ascent to the moon in different media. In 2010, there was a teleplay named â€Å"Chang-e† that told about the love story of Chang-e, Houyi, Wugang and Jade Rabbit. In the retold story, the relationship of these four persons is very complicated at the beginning. Later on, Houyi falls in love with Chang-e and Wugang is in love to Jade Rabbit. They try to start their new lives happily. However, a great flood troubles people, and it can be only resolved by Chang-e. The Jade Emperor gives 2 pills to Houyi and Chang-e but one of the 2 pills is destroyed and exchanged a fake one by a scoundrel. Houyi eats the fake pill when he knows this since he wants Chang-e to float to the moon and control the tides, so that she can stop the disaster. At the end, Chang-e floats to the moon alone. Jade Rabbit sympathizes with Chang-e so she also floats to the moon to accompany her. The 2 couples are both separated. There are several versions of the ancient myth about Chang-e. But the most famous one is from the book â€Å"huainanzi† . Chang-e is Houyi’s wife. Houyi gets elixir from Xiwangmu (the Western Queen Mother), and give it to his wife to store. When Houyi is going out to hunt, his student Fengmeng try to steal it but he is discovered by Chang-e. When he wants to kill Chang-e, she swallows the elixir and floats to the moon. Houyi is very angry when he backs home and Fengmeng has already fled. Houyi feels sad and miss Chang-e, so he prepares some fruits and cakes Chang-e likes as sacrifices to worship. The Mother of Moon shows mercy and allows them to meet in the night with full moon. People believe Chang-e has become the goddess of moon after hearing of the story, so they follow Houyi and pray to her. This is the origin of worship to Chang-e on Mid-Autumn Festival. Although there are many myths in ancient China, Chang-e’s story becomes one of the most famous. People have retold it for thousands of years. It is because of the â€Å"Yin Yang† culture in China. â€Å"Yin† means negative, dark, cold or female, etc. Chinese people believe the moon belongs to â€Å"Yin†, and it is the most â€Å"Yin† thing in the universe. Also, Chinese people think the moon is beautiful but lonely and cold because of the nature of Yin. So, people believed that the deity of the moon should be also beautiful, female and alone. In the story, Chang-e is a young and very beautiful woman. Her image fits people’s thinking of the moon. Her husband Houyi is a hero with great power and good at archery. He shot down 9 suns. Although these two persons are nearly perfect, their love story is a tragedy. People always remember those sad and beautiful love stories. This is the reason why tragedies are always retold again and again. Also, Chinese think that the wanes and full of the moon hint the parting and meeting of families or lovers. As the great poet Su Shi said, â€Å"People have sorrow and joy, they part and meet again and again. There are wanes and full of the moon, it is sometimes covered and it sometimes shines. These are always regrets since the olden days. † This impression fits the situation of Chang-e and Houyi. They are separated but still can meet in the night with full moon. On another hand, ancient Chinese were very curious about the moon. They thought the moon was beautiful but mysterious, and they always imaged the nature and story of the moon, and tried to get some ideas to go to the moon. From a long time ago, there are so many literary works talking about the moon. Ancient Chinese reposed their thinking on the story of Chang-e’s ascent to the moon, and retell the myth again and again. The popularity of the story of Chang-e shows ancient Chinese people’s eagerness and willingness to explore the moon. Even though they had no abilities to go to the moon, they tried to pass the idea to posterity, and that really comes true recently. In the past several decades, the space flight technology has developed significantly. Nowadays, it allows humans to go onto the moon already. In 2007, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) was launched, and the program is also named â€Å"Chang-e Program†. The lunar orbiters and lunar landers launched in this program are all named â€Å"Chang-e 1†, â€Å"Chang-e 2†, etc. The naming of the program and orbiters and landers hints that the Chinese people’s dream of going to the moon finally comes true. Chinese people can finally set foot on the moon back like the lunar goddess, Chang-e. In contemporary China, the influence of the story of Chang-e still exists in other aspects. The story is retold again and again in different media, such as films, teleplay and cartoons, etc. It is even included in Chinese primary students’ textbooks. Furthermore, many people still keep the tradition of worship to Chang-e on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is said to be largest, and Chang-e can hear the pray of people. People will prepare moon cakes and fresh fruits as sacrifices to the lunar goddess, as what Houyi did many centuries before. This tradition shows Chinese people’s mind does not change among thousands of years. Chinese know that the parting and meeting of people are unchangeable, just like the nature principle that the moon wanes and becomes full, moves in circles. Therefore, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people recall their family, friends or lovers. The olds hope their children and grandchildren can be with them to celebrate the festival and view the full moon together. And in the night, adults will tell the story of Chang-e to the children, and introduce the culture of Mid-Autumn Festival. The story is retold again and again, and passed to the posterity. Even though those family members has left hometown, they will try their best to back home before the festival to celebrate with the family. In the night with full moon, they pray to the lunar goddess for reunions of members of family. People are eager for â€Å"Yuan†. In Chinese, the word â€Å"Yuan† means the shape of circle and also the reunion of members of family. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people always pray for â€Å"Yuan† of both the moon and family. Even though the myth of Chang-e’s ascent to the moon has more and more retold version since people’s different interest in different times, the culture of it will never change. Chinese people will keep the core value of â€Å"Yuan†, as well as other Chinese traditional core value. References 1. Wen Yu , (2010) ‘ ’, Enorth. com. Retrieved from http://ent. enorth. com. cn/system/2010/11/23/005412956. shtml 2. Gao You. Huainanzi Explanation . Worldbook Taiwan, 1965. 3. Jiang Pei Ying , 300 Song Poems . Thread-Blinding Books Publishing House, 2003. 4. Liu Zhi Qing , (2007) ‘â€Å" † ’,Xinhuanet. Retrieved from http://news3. xinhuanet. com/tech/2007-07/07/content_6340313. htm.

Closing the Achievement Gap Essay -- Education, Minorities

Closing the Academic Achievement Gap Crisis in America The Achievement Gap in America has separated and divided America's youth into more or less, two different cultures of socioeconomic placement. The first being the predominantly Caucasian students at American elementary schools, high schools, and colleges that excel greatly in their education. Most of the time earning them middle to upper class jobs in the economy, the aforementioned group contrasts significantly with its opposite culture of American youth. The second culture, the population that is mostly made up of the minority races, takes it's place in the American education system as the population of students who are less interested in getting a decent education and taking advantage of the resources that are offered, for various underlying reasons. This in turn manufactures less people of this type of culture to be readily available for higher paying jobs, and often times unemployable for a job at all. The Achievement G ap in America is influenced by many cultural, environmental, and socioeconomic factors that separate lower and higher achieving students based on these factors, and leave a high amount of unemployed Americans as a result, if not incarcerated or deceased. The first issue that has been identified as a significant problem involved in the Achievement gap, is that it is partially the fault of America's educational system. Because of the suffering economy that has spurred the increasing lack of basic necessities in schools across America, there are an increasing number of children who are not being properly educated. Whether it is a deficiency in supplies, poor teacher selection, or administration and staff who are indifferent to the students at their sch... ...ell can work together to solidify the learning environment for the student in need and create a better learner as a result. In conclusion, the Academic Achievement has been fueled by society's presets, minority students' lack of effort, and the failures of the schooling system in America. There has been some challenging setbacks, but the Gap can be fixed to create a common ground for all prospective members of America's society to excel on equally. By realizing that change can be achieved, there are little to no limits for minority students to create a better mindset towards education. Students, parents, and teachers have to be willing to work together, as well as tackle obstacles upheld by society, and the economic deficiencies that effect schools across America. This will, in turn, take America one step closer to closing the Academic Achievement Gap in America.

Financial Analysis for Ford Motor Corporation

Ford Motor Company was registered as a full company in 1919 and it manages operations in the international automobile industry. Ford is responsible for the manufacture and supply of vehicles in six major continents in the world and its automobile products are Ford and Lincoln. The Lincoln brand sells lavish cars while the Ford brand sells commercial vehicles and automobiles.The company also manufactures automobile spare parts, heavy trucks and tractors. Ford holds minor stakes in the U.K’s Aston Martin and Japan’s Mazda brands. Furthermore, the company is listed in the New York Stocks Exchange (NYSE); with the Ford family has minority ownership. In addition, the company’s automobile sector is composed of Ford Asia Pacific Africa Regions, Ford Europe, Ford South and North America. In the financial year 2012, the company recorded more than five million sales in units at whole sale globally. The company’s spare parts, automobiles, and other accessories are su pplies through retail traders in North America and via other global retail stores that are separately owned.Ford Asia Pacific division is focused on selling and distributing in twelve key market regions through wholesales and tracking every market in the region. Some of the regions tracked by the company include South Africa, China, Australia, India and Association of South East Nations (ASEAN). Ford Europe is involved in distribution and tracking of Ford’s wholesale brands in Russia and Turkey and it has affiliates with Ford Sollers and Ford Otosan. The Ford South and North America divisions are involved in the wholesale of both Lincoln and Ford brands.The market region is the U.S, Mexico and Canada. Motor Company competes with other global players, which include Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Company, Fiat-Chrysler, Suzuki Motor Corporation, PSA Peugeot  Citroen, General Motors Company, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW, Hyundai-KIA Automotive group and Renault Nissan B.V. Horizontal AnalysisThe horizontal analysis for Ford Motor Corporation will enable to exhibit the changes of amounts in the corresponding financial statement items from 2010 to 2012. This is important in depicting and analyzing the trend in these financial years. The earliest period between two financial years is used as the base year, that is, 2010 is the base year for the horizontal analysis between 2010 and 2012, while 2011 is the base year for the horizontal analysis between 2011 and 2012.The horizontal analysis is important for the following reasons; enables to assess the general performance of the Ford Motor Company. In addition, it will help in evaluating the increases and decreases of items in the financial statements. Horizontal analysis assists in examining if the management is realizing the set goals and objectives (Williams, 2008). Finally, the horizontal analysis will disclose the trends of items in the balance sheet and the income statement.Horizontal Analysis of the In come Statement for Ford Motor Corporation (In $ Millions)ItemDec 2012 Dec 2011 Change % Change Revenues 126, 567 128, 168 -1601 -1.25% ExpensesCost of Sales 112,578 113, 345 -767 -0.67% Selling, Administrative and other Expenses 9,006 9060 -54 -0.60% Total Expenses 121, 584 122,405 -821 -0.67%Interest Expense 713 817 -104 -12.73% Interest Income and Other Income 1185 825 360 43.64% Equity in Net Income 555 479 76 15.87% Income before Income Taxes 6010 6250 -240 -3.84%Horizontal Analysis of the Income Statement for Ford Motor Corporation (In $ Millions)Item Dec 2011 Dec 2010 Change % Change Revenues 128, 168 119,280 8,888 7.45% ExpensesCost of Sales 113, 345 104,451 8,894 8.51% Selling, Administrative and other Expenses 9060 9040 20 0.22%Total Expenses 122,405 113, 491 8914 7.85% Interest Expense 817 1807 -990 -54.79%Interest Income and Other Income 825 -362 1187 -327.9% Equity in Net Income 479 526 -47 -8.94% Income before Income Taxes 6250 4146 2104 50.75%Negative and Positive Tren ds in Ford Corporation From the Income Statement horizontal analysis between 2012 and 2011, the company exhibits negative trends in the total expenses, revenues, cost of sales, selling administrative and other expenses, interest expense and income before taxes. The positive trends in 2012/2011 include equity in net income and in interest income and other income. From the income statement horizontal analysis between 2011and 2010, the company exhibits positive trends in the total expenses, cost of sales, selling and administrative expenses and income before income taxes. The negative trends in the 2011/2010 include; interest expenses, interest income and other income and equity in net income.2012/2011 Horizontal Analysis of the Consolidated Balance Sheet for Ford Motor Company (In $ Millions) Item Dec2012 Dec2011 Change % Change ASSETSCash and Cash Equivalents 15,659 17,148 -1,489 -8.68% Marketable Securities 20,284 18,618 1,666 8.95% Finance Receivables 71,510 69,976 1534 2.19% Other Receivables 10,828 8,565 2263 26.42% Net Investments in Operating Leases 16,451 12,838 3613 28.14% Inventories 7,362 5,901 1,461 24.76% Equity in Net Assets 3,246 2,936 310 10.56%Deferred income taxes 15,185 15,125 60 0.4% Other Assets 5,000 4,770 230 4.82% Total Current Assets 165,525 155,877 9,648 6.18% Net intangible Assets 87 100 -13 -13%Net Property 24,942 22,371 2,571 11.49% Total Assets 190,554 178,348 12,206 6.84%LIABILITIESPayables 19,308 17,724 1,584 8.94% Accrued Liabilities 49,407 45,369 1,038 2.29% Short Term Debt 1386 1033 353 34.17%Deferred Income taxes 470 696 -226 -32.47 Total Current Liabilities 70,571 64,822 5,749 8.87% Long Term Debt 103,672 98,455 5,217 5.3% Total Liabilities 174,243 163,277 11,966 7.33%Redeemable noncontrolling Interest 322 _ _ _EQUITYCapital StockCommon Stock, par value $0.01 per share 39 37 2 5.41% Class B Stock, par value $0.01 per share 1 1 _ _ Capital in Excess of par value of stock 20,976 20,905 71 0.34% Retained Earnings 18,077 12,985 5 ,092 39.21 Accumulated other comprehensive inc. (22,854) (18,734) -4,120 22% Treasury Stock (292) (166) -126 75.9% Total equity to Ford Motor Company 15,947 15,028 919 6.12%Equitable to noncontrolling interests 42 43 -1 2.32% Total Equity 15,989 15,071 918 6.09% Total Liabilities and Equity 190,554 178,348 12,206 6.85%2011/2010 Horizontal Analysis of the Consolidated Balance Sheet for Ford Motor Company (In $ Millions) ItemDec2011 Dec 2010 Change % Change ASSETSCash and Cash Equivalents 17,148 14,805 2,343 15.83% Marketable Securities 18,618 20,765 -2,147 -10.34%Finance Receivables 69,976 70,070 -94 -0.13% Other Receivables 8,565 7,388 1,177 15.93%Net Investments in Operating Leases 12,838 11,675 1,163 9.96% Inventories 5,901 5,917 -16 -0.27% Equity in Net Assets 2,936 2,569 367 14.29Deferred income taxes 15,125 2,003 13,122 655% Other Assets 4,770 6,214 -1,444 -23.24Total Current Assets 155,877 141,406 14,471 10.23% Net intangible Assets 100 102 -2 -1.96% Net Property 22,371 23,179 -808 -3.49% Total Assets 178,348 164,687 13,661 8.29%LIABILITIESPayables 17,724 16,362 1,362 8.34% Accrued Liabilities 45,369 43,844 1,525 3.48% Short Term Debt 1033 2049 -1,016 -49.59% Deferred Income taxes 696 1,135 -439 -38.68% Total Current Liabilities 64,822 63,390 1,432 2.24% Long Term Debt 98,455 101,939 -3,484 -3.42% Total Liabilities 163,277 165,329 -2,052 -1.24%Redeemable noncontrolling Interest _ _ _ _EQUITYCapital StockCommon Stock, par value $0.01 per share 37 37 _ _ Class B Stock, par value $0.01 per share 1 1 _ _ Capital in Excess of par value of stock 20,905 20,803 102 0.05% Retained Earnings 12,985 (7,038) 20,023 -284.5%Accumulated other comprehensive inc. (18,734) (14,313) -4,421 30.89% Treasury Stock (166) (163) -3 1.84% Total equity to Ford Motor Company 15,028 (673) 15,701 -2332.99%Equitable to noncontrolling interests 43 31 18 38.71% Total Equity 15,071 (642) 15,713 -2,447.5% Total Liabilities and Equity 178,348 164,687 13,661 8.29%Negative and Positive Trends in Ford Corporation From the balance sheet horizontal analysis between 2012 and 2011, the company exhibits positive trends in the total current assets, total assets, total current liabilities, total liabilities, total equity and total liabilities and equity. From the balance sheet horizontal analysis between 2011and 2010, the company exhibits positive trends in the total current assets, total assets, total current liabilities, and total liabilities and equity. The company however depicts negative trends in the total liabilities and total equity.Ratio Analysis Current Ratio: This financial ratio is derived from the balance sheet financial and is used to measures of a company’s liquidity performance .This ratio assists in determining whether the current assets are readily available in order to pay off the current liabilities (Bodie, 2004). The current liabilities are cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivables, inventory and marketable securities. The current liabilities i nclude accrued expenses, accounts payables, short term debt, taxes and notes payables (Groppelli, 2000). The 2:1 ratio is the typically suitable current ratio. It is evaluated by dividing the current assets by the current liabilities: Current Ratio = Current Assets/Current Liabilities Current Ratio 2012 =(15,659+20,284+71,150+10,828+16,451+7362+3,246+15,185+5,000) / (19,308+ 49,407+1,386+470) = (162,525)/ (70,571) = 2.3 The 2012 current ratio for Ford Motor Corporation is commendable since it is slightly more than the conventional 2:1 ratio. Current Ratio 2011 = (17,148+18,618+69,976+8565+12,838+5901+2936+15125+4770) / (17,724+45,369+1,033+696) = (155,877)/ (64,822) = 2.4The 2011 current ratio for Ford Motor Corporation is recommendable since it is slightly more than the conventional 2:1 ratio. This means that Ford’s current assets are readily available in paying off current liabilities. Quick Ratio: This is a rather enhanced method to evaluate for liquidity since it does not include inventories from current assets. This is due to the reason inventories may be obsolete, harmed and at times stolen. This ratio reveals the ability of a firm is able to meet its short-term goals from its liquid assets (Groppelli, 2000). The suggested target for the quick-ratio is 1:1 and it is evaluated as: Quick Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventories or Stocks)/ Current Liabilities QuickRatio2012 = (15,659+20,284+71,150+10,828+16,451+3,246+15,185+5,000) / (19,308+ 49,407+1,386+470) = (165,525 – 7,362)/ 70,571= 2.24Quick R atio2011 = (17,148+18,618+69,976+8565+12,838+2936+15125+4770) / (17,724+45,369+1,033+696) = (155,877 – 5,901)/ 64,822= 2.31The 2011and 2012 Quick ratios for Ford Motor Corporation are commendable since they exceed the conventional 1:1 ratio. This therefore means that Ford Motor Corporation is able to meet its short-term objectives. Cash Ratio: This ratio assists in determining the company's liquidity by further refining the current ratio and the quick ratio (Bodie,2004). This ratio is evaluated by calculating the quantity of cash and cash equivalents or invested funds that are in the current assets to cover current liabilities (Groppelli, 2000). It is calculated using the following formula; Cash Ratio= (Cash+ Cash Equivalents+ Invested Funds)/ Current Liabilities CashRatio2012= (15,659+20,284+71,150+10,828+16,451) / (19,308+ 49,407+1,386+470) = (134,372)/ 70,571= 1.9Cash Ratio2011 = (17,148+18,618+69,976+8565+12,838) / (17,724+45,369+1,033+696) = (127,415)/ (64,822)=1.96The a bove Cash Ratio results for 2012 and 2011 reveal that Ford Corporation is able to settle its current liabilities by use of its Cash and Cash equivalents only.Recommendation Any investor willing to invest in Ford Motor Corporation should move ahead and invest in the company. The company’s financial strength as depicted by the financial ratios reveals that the company is able to meet its shot term obligations. This is because the liquidity ratios reveal that the company’s current assets are able to pay off the current liabilities.

Sociology Investigation

The Sociological Investigation ~ These notes are taken and adapted from Macionis, John J. (2012). Sociology (14th Edition). Boston: Pearson Education Inc. There are two basic requirements for sociological investigation:Know how to apply the sociological perspective or paradigms or what C. Wright Mills termed as the â€Å"sociological imagination. †Be curious and ready to ask questions about the world around you. There are three ways to do Sociology. These three ways are considered as research orientations:A. Positivist Sociology Positivist sociology studies society by systematically observing social behaviour.Also known as scientific sociology.It includes introducing terms like independent variable, dependent variables, correlation, spurious correlation, control, replication, measurement, cause and effect, as well as operationalizing a variable1.Positivist sociology requires that researcher carefully operationalize variables and ensuring that measurement is both reliable and valid.It observes how variables are related and tries to establish cause-and-effect relationships. It sees an objective reality â€Å"out there. †Favours quantitative data (e. g. data in numbers; data from surveys).Positivist sociology is well-suited to research in a laboratory.It demands that researchers be objective2 and suspend their personal values and biases as they conduct research.There are at least FOUR limitations to scientific / positivist sociology.Positivist sociology is loosely linked to the structural-functional appr oach / paradigm / perspective.B. Critical Sociology Critical sociology uses research to bring about social change. It asks moral and political questions.It focuses on inequality.Specifying exactly what is to be measured before assigning a value to a variable (Macionis: 2012, p. 50).Personal neutrality in conducting research (Macionis: 2012, p. 50)It rejects the principle of objectivity, claiming that ALL researches are political. Critical sociology corresponds to the social-conflict approach / paradigm / perspective.C. Interpretive Sociology Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings that people attach to their behaviour. It sees reality as constructed by people in the course of their everyday lives.It favours qualitative data (e. g. data acquired through interviews).It is well-suited to research in a natural setting.Interpretive sociology is related to the symbolic-interaction approach / paradigm / perspective. Gender and Research Gender3, involving both researcher and subjects , can affect research in five ways:Androcentricity (literally, â€Å"focus on the male†)OvergeneralisingGender blindnessDouble standardsInterference Research EthicsResearchers must consider and do the following things when conducting research:Protect the privacy of subjects / respondents.Obtain the informed consent of subjects / respondents.Indicate all sources of funding.Submit research to an institutional review board to ensure it does NOT violate ethical standards.There are global dimensions to research ethics.Before beginning research in another country, an investigator must become familiar enough with that society to understand what people there are likely to regard as a violation of privacy or a source of personal danger.Research and the Hawthorne Effect Researchers need to be aware that subjects’ or respondents’ behaviour may change simply because they are getting special attention, as one classic experiment revealed. Refer to Elton Mayo’s investig ation into worker productivity in a factory in Hawthorne, near Chicago. 3 The personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male (Macionis: 2012, p. 50).The term Hawthorne Effect is defined as a change in a subject’s behaviour caused simply by the awareness that s/he is being studied. Methods: Strategies for Doing Sociological ResearchThere are the basic FOUR methods:A. Experiment This research method allows researchers to study cause-and-effect relationships between two or more variables in a controlled setting.Researchers conduct an experiment to test a hypothesis, a statement of a possible relationship between two (or more variables).This research method collects mostly quantitative data.Example of an experiment: Philip Zimbardo’s â€Å"Stanford County Prison. †o Advantages Provides the greatest opportunity to specify cause-and-effect relationships. Replication of research is relatively / quite easy. Limitations Labo ratory settings have an artificial quality to it. Unless the lab environment is carefully controlled, results may be biased too.B. Survey and/or Interview This research method uses questionnaires or interviews to gather subjects’ / respondents’ responses to a series of questions.Surveys usually yield or produce descriptive findings, painting a picture of people’s views on some issues.This research method collects mostly qualitative data.Example of a survey: Lois Benjamin’s research on the effects of racism on African American men and women.She chose to interview subjects / respondents rather than distribute a questionnaire. o Advantages Sampling, using questionnaires, allows researchers to conduct surveys of large populations or a large number of people. Interviews provide in-depth responses. o Limitations Questionnaires must be carefully prepared so that the questions and instructions are clear and not confusing. Questionnaires may yield low response / r eturn rate from the target respondents. Interviews are expensive and time-consuming.C. Participant observation Through participant observation, researchers join with people in a social setting for an extended period of time.Researchers also play two roles, as a participant (overt role) and as an observer (covert role).This method allows researchers an â€Å"inside look† at a social setting.This research method is also called fieldwork.Since researchers are not attempting to test a specific hypothesis, their research is exploratory and descriptive.This participant observation research method collects qualitative data.Example of participant observation: William Foote Whyte’s â€Å"Street Corner Society. o Advantages It allows for the study of â€Å"natural† behaviour. Usually inexpensive. o Limitations Time-consuming. Replication of research is difficult. Researcher must balance role of participant and observer.D. Existing or Secondary sources Researchers analyse existing sources, data which had been collected by others.This research method is also called library research or archive research.By using existing or secondary sources, especially the widely available data by government agencies, researchers can save time and money.Existing sources are the basis of historical research. Example of using existing sources:E. Digby Baltzell’s award-winning study â€Å"Puritan Boston and Quaker Philadelphia. † How could it be, Baltzell wondered, during a chance visit to Bowdein College in Maine, USA, that this small college had graduated more famous people in a single year than his own, much bigger University of Pennsylvania had graduated in its entire history? o Advantages Saves time, money and effort of data collection. Makes historical research possible. o Limitations Researcher has no control over possible biases in data. Data may only partially fit current research needs.

Belonging speech Essays

Belonging speech Essays Belonging speech Essay Belonging speech Essay Belonging, what Is It? I believe belonging Is when you can say that you are a part of something, when you have a group or a club or even a lifestyle that other people share. In short, I believe that a sense of belonging can be found in the things or people that have shared the same experiences, both good and bad, because we can identify ourselves in those people. Today we will be exploring this idea of belonging in two texts; one is the of poems Fillies Crooknecks and SST Patriots College, by Polish-born Australian poet, Peter Crooknecks, and the other text is the 2012 movie Wreck it Ralph, directed by Rich Moore. The poems SST Patrick College and Fillies Crooknecks both deal with the notion of self-isolation and an inability to relate to the people that surround a persona. In both poems, we can assume that the persona is Peter Crooknecks himself. In Fillies Crooknecks he talks about how he could never relate to his father and his fathers friends when they would reminisce of their lives In Poland. He feels a sense of distance between himself and his parents culture that, as he says In the poem, he Inherited unknowingly. In the poem In the folk museum, delectation from a culture Is also portrayed, but this time It Is about the personas lack of connection to the Australian culture. The persona describes the things he sees in the museum as if they are foreign and unknown to him, so much so that he has to read the names of the objects to know what they are. A reason why the poet doesnt feel he can relate may be because he doesnt share the same experiences and doesnt have the same traditions and customs that other people, both his Eastern European parents had and his Australian culture, would have shared. He cant relate, or reminisce, or appreciate either of his two cultures, because he has never known enough about them to have an emotional attachment, and It Is this lack of attachment that prevents him from feeling a sense of inclusion. The sense of exclusion from a group Is also present In the film Wreck It Ralph. Ralph, who was the bad guy In an arcade game, was constantly ostracizes from the rest of he characters in the game. He lived on a pile of bricks far away from everyone else. He, like Peter Crooknecks, was often segregated from everyone else, except in the film, the exclusion was intentional. In the same way Crooknecks couldnt help not being able to relate to his father, Ralph couldnt help but break things, and the more he broke things, the more he would be distanced from the others in the game. He would have felt helpless and isolated, and his hunger to belong with everyone else is what made him escape his game in search off medal to prove with worth. In one scene of the movie, Ralph is seen attending a Bad-Anon, a support group for the villains in the arcade games. Here he is able to communicate his Ideas and feelings to people who feel the same and go through the same things. Ralph can Identify himself In the support group because they all share the same experiences. This act of comradely Indicates that Ralph does In fact know how to connect to others, but that his problem is that there is simply no-one for him to establish that friendship with. Another meets Ralph, she expects him to exclude her as other people do, but upon learning that he too is a rejected outcast, she reaches out to him and they become friends. This is a good example of how past experiences influence where we feel we belong. Their bond strengthens as the plot progresses, and as both Ralph and Penelope grow closer and closer, their personalities grow and they develop trait that they didnt have before they had friends. Penelope gains a sense of assertiveness, and Ralph earns to respect and consider peoples feelings. The characters in both the poems and the film both show the concept of not belonging. It is a theme that appears in art and modern media constantly, and portrays the idea that our experiences, both good and bad, influence who or where we feel we belong. We all root for the ones that overcome obstacles and win battles despite having disadvantages. We all root for the underdog; because we, as an audience, identify ourselves in them; because we have all, at one point or another, felt the same.

Perfectly Inelastic Collision Definition in Physics

Perfectly Inelastic Collision Definition in Physics A perfectly inelastic collision is one in which the maximum amount of kinetic energy has been lost during a collision, making it the most extreme case of an inelastic collision. Though kinetic energy is not conserved in these collisions, momentum is conserved and the equations of momentum can be used to understand the behavior of the components in this system. In most cases, you can tell a perfectly inelastic collision because of the objects in the collision stick together, sort of like a tackle in American football. The result of this sort of collision is fewer objects to deal with after the collision than you had before the collision, as demonstrated in the following equation for a perfectly inelastic collision between two objects. (Although in football, hopefully, the two objects come apart after a few seconds.) Equation for a Perfectly Inelastic Collision:m 1 v1i m2 v2i ( m 1 m 2) vf Proving Kinetic Energy Loss You can prove that when two objects stick together, there will be a loss of kinetic energy. Lets assume that the first mass, m1, is moving at velocity vi and the second mass, m2, is moving at velocity 0. This may seem like a really contrived example, but keep in mind that you could set up your coordinate system so that it moves, with the origin fixed at m2, so that the motion is measured relative to that position. So really any situation of two objects moving at a constant speed could be described in this way. If they were accelerating, of course, things would get much more complicated, but this simplified example is a good starting point. m1vi (m1 m2)vf[m1 / (m1 m2)] * vi vfYou can then use these equations to look at the kinetic energy at the beginning and end of the situation.Ki 0.5m1Vi2Kf 0.5(m1 m2)Vf2Now substitute the earlier equation for Vf, to get:Kf 0.5(m1 m2)*[m1 / (m1 m2)]2*Vi2Kf 0.5 [m12 / (m1 m2)]*Vi2Now set the kinetic energy up as a ratio, and the 0.5 and Vi2 cancel out, as well as one of the m1 values, leaving you with:Kf / Ki m1 / (m1 m2) Some basic mathematical analysis will allow you look at the expression m1 / (m1 m2) and see that for any objects with mass, the denominator will be larger than the numerator. So any objects that collide in this way will reduce the total kinetic energy (and total velocity) by this ratio. We have now proven that any collision where the two objects collide together results in a loss of total kinetic energy. Ballistic Pendulum Another common example of a perfectly inelastic collision is known as the ballistic pendulum, where you suspend an object such as a wooden block from a rope to be a target. If you then shoot a bullet (or arrow or other projectile) into the target, so that it embeds itself into the object, the result is that the object swings up, performing the motion of a pendulum. In this case, if the target is assumed to be the second object in the equation, then v2i 0 represents the fact that the target is initially stationary.   m1v1i m2v2i (m1 m2)vfm1v1i m2 (0) (m1 m2)vfm1v1i (m1 m2)vf Since you know that the pendulum reaches a maximum height when all of its kinetic energy turns into potential energy, you can, therefore, use that height to determine that kinetic energy, then use the kinetic energy to determine vf, and then use that to determine v1i - or the speed of the projectile right before impact. Also Known As: completely inelastic collision

Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Innovation - Essay Example So Change is a process of transition from one stage to another and organization have to move forward and manage change, otherwise they will go backward as at is said in management there is no standstill. The following illustration is very simply explaining the process of change transition stages. Change Management is the process of moving from the current state to the vision of the future and involves a degree of transition. Organizations today focus on the factors that may lead them to the innovative techniques and can bring a change into the society. Change Change is defined as the process of transforming or entering from one stage to another. Changes may be positive or negative depending upon the circumstances and conditions that are leading for any change whether in any condition, change requires a lot of efforts either to bring it or to accept it. Changes with respect to External and Internal Factors If we looked at what has happened in terms of massive challenges and changes at the globe, it revolved around some very important areas. Examples are: Political Challenges / Changes: The Israeli / Arab Conflict, Iraq and Afghanistan War†¦ etc. All of these conflicts have not been resolved and in fact getting more complicated by the emerging of the Political revaluations in the Arab World e.g. Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦etc. ... E.g. laptops, mobiles, digital cameras and computers with more usage of Face book, twitter†¦..etc. Social Challenges / Changes: The world population growth is getting a problem and total number of world population has exceeded five (5) billions and growth rate in certain countries is around 3 to 4%. Such challenges requires government to find food, homes, jobs, better health systems and protection to fight deceases as these deceases are effecting people and business from time to time and the recent one was the H1N1. E.g. all airlines and hotels we found them to be empty as people don’t want to work with others. So a better protected life is required to all human round the globe. Culture Challenges / Changes: This is a very serious challenge and I believe the most serious enemy to Innovation is having a culture that has not support innovations at all levels and types of innovative areas; According to Peter Drucher – The most innovative area may well have been manage ment itself – with "Outsourcing" and "Downsizing" economic value analysis and reengineering sweeping the Management World. He added: the next decade will require even more innovation, and especially from business and business executives. For, surely he said the next decade will be a decade of changes. Therefore, I will emphasis more in the couple few pages on the culture looking into it from business prospective, so that will be able to critically evaluate the claim that any organization can learn to be innovative. Organization culture is frequently perceived as a fuzzy, soft, elusive area that is difficult to define and has an unknown impact on organizations results.