Marketing paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing - Research Paper Example 9 Important similarities 9 Do you think SustainU should offer its products direct to consumer (i.e. online, have their own branded retail stores) or partner with retailers to sell their products on their behalf...or both? Why? If you choose to partner with existing retailers, name a few examples you would recommend they partner with and why. 11 Recommend a key message (tagline, campaign slogan or potential marketing theme for a campaign) SustainU should consistently integrate. Would you use one of their existing messages such as "Change Your Clothes. Change Your World" or "Wear a Better Story" or something else (200) 12 Key message 12 Come up with and describe a PR "stunt" to attract awareness towards SustainU's business and messages. 13 Public Relation Stunt 13 Focusing on SustainU's website, recommend the sales promotions you would use and why (contest? sweepstakes? coupon code? etc.) 14 Recommend sales promotion 14 Qualities important for sales people. What makes SustainU's approa ch different than a stereotypical sales pitch? 15 16 Reference 17 . SustainU Product Depth and Breadth Recycled Apparels Alpha Wiki Vital Hybrid Zealot Uriel Zip The recycled apparel is the company’s product breadth and depth comprises of Alpha Wiki, vital, Hybrid, Zealot and Uriel Zip (SustainU, â€Å"Products†). The suggested product line for SustainU is Shoes and bags. Make suggestions for added product lines and/or product categories SustainU can add more on its product line and categories. The company deals with recycled apparel which proves to be beneficial for the environment, therefore the company can come up some more product lines like skirts, trousers, shirts both in formal as well casual. SustainU deals in recycled apparels particularly pull over and t shirts, thus it can extend its product line which would help to create an eco friendly environment. Evaluate SustainU's branding components The mission and goal of SustainU is to make a change in the way clot hes are made so to improve the environment, reinvigorate the manufacturing sector of America and educate the world that clothing can impact the lives in a positive way. Thus the tagline of SustainU suits its goal and mission which says ‘Change your clothes. Change the world’. The brand name ‘SustainU’ in the context of recycle would mean to sustain the environment and the color green in its logo depicts the company’s goal and mission. The logo is the alphabet S, maybe the initial of SustainU with green and black embedded on it. The black color may symbolize that the environment is getting polluted, and green a symbol of live with their recycled clothing. Thus the current branding strategy suits its mission and goal. The logo can be revised a bit which would help to create awareness about its recycled apparel, also the company can go for mascot, with the color green on it depicting to save the environment and its safe wearing SustainU apparel. This wa y the company would be able to generate awareness about its recycled apparel not only in America but to the world as such. Recommend a new product for SustainU and explain your reasoning behind this recommendation Recommendation SustainU can extend its product line by producing recycled shoes and bags. Shoes are required by all

What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutios Essay Example for Free

What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutios Essay What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutio’s affections toward Romeo being more than platonic? Discuss. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ a tragic romance written by William Shakespeare depicts the love between the two characters Romeo and Juliet. Other forms of love between characters are also present in the play, one of the most notable being the ambiguous relationship between Romeo and his flamboyant best friend Mercutio. Through a series of character interactions and character portrayals, Mercutio’s sexuality is left indistinct and his affections towards Romeo can be seen as homoerotic in nature. Romeo and Mercutio have a tendency to tease and banter with each other throughout the play. Mercutio’s teasing in particular could be interpreted as a form of homoerotism considering the large amounts of innuendo and references to Romeo’s phallus used. â€Å"To raise a spirit in his mistress circle Of some strange nature, letting it there stand Till she had laid it and conjured it down;† (Act 2, scene 1) Though this type of banter could be interpreted as normal amongst men their age, due to Mercutio’s ambiguous sexual orientation, it can be considered a form of flirting, especially when you take into consideration Mercutio’s attestment for the opposite gender and love between a man and a woman. Early on in the play, Mercutio is shown to have an aversion to women as well as heterosexual love. One of the clearest examples of Mercutio’s hostility towards women is shown in act 2, scene one when Benvolio and Mercutio are searching for Romeo after the party at the Capulets. â€Å"I must conjure him. I conjure thee by Rosalines bright eyes, By her high forehead and her scarlet lip, By her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh And the demesnes that there adjacent lie, That in thy likeness thou appear to us! †(Act 2, scene 1) Mercutio starts mocking Romeo’s feelings for Rosaline as well as insulting her by listing her body parts in a crude manner. Mercutio’s aversion towards women and love is also quite prominent in his Queen Mab speech which outside of being a ‘fairy’ is also a reference to whores during Elizabethan times. The speech starts off as more of a flight of fancy but steadily becomes darker the further he gets. â€Å"This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage: This is she† (Act 1, scene 4) This passage could be interpreted as women losing their virginities as well as going into prostitution. Mercutio makes a stab at women through generalising them as whores, as well as stating how love is insignificant, nonsensical and corrupting. This is shown through the emphasis on Queen Mab’s small size, the fairy’s ability to confirm what ever vices that dreamers are addicted to and how the description of Queen Mab itself is complete nonsense. His aversion to women and heterosexual love could be interpreted as a sign of homosexuality, or at the very least bisexuality; Mercutio’s disrespect for the opposite gender is shown to be indiscriminate when involving matters in concern to Romeo. All women that Mercutio is seen interacting with or acknowledging in the play are insulted and ridiculed by him; the fact that they have all wanted Romeo’s company or have been subjected to Romeo’s affections is what they all have in common. â€Å"NURSE If you be he, sir, I desire some confidence with you. †¦ MERCUTIO A bawd, a bawd, a bawd! so ho! ROMEO What hast thou found? MERCUTIO No hare, sir; unless a hare, sir, in a lenten pie, that is something stale and hoar ere it be spent. An old hare hoar, And an old hare hoar, Is very good meat in lent But a hare that is hoar Is too much for a score, When it hoars ere it be spent. Romeo, will you come to your fathers? well to dinner, thither. † (Act 2, Scene 4) In this scene, Mercutio is shown to immediately interrupt the conversation between the other two characters once Romeo has lost interest in teasing the nurse, and the nurse has shown interest in conversing with him in private. Mercutio’s insults and teasing become bawdier as he tries to draw the groups attention and in turn Romeo’s attention towards him rather than the nurse as he continues to mock her. This act could be seen as an adverse reaction to the possibility of Romeo romancing another woman, or even the possibility of him romancing the nurse herself. A similar attitude is taken up by Mercutio concerning other women in Romeo’s life, as shown with Rosaline. The callous and unseemly way that Mercutio treats women who associate with Romeo could be seen as a form of jealousy, and thus his possible homoerotic affections for his best friend; characters such as Tybalt make allusions to the possibility of Mercutio’s non-platonic affections towards Romeo right before the play’s climax. Mercutio’s death scene, aside from being the climax of the play, has the most allusions to Mercutio’s affections towards Romeo being more than platonic. â€Å"Mercutio, thou consortst with Romeo† (Act 3, scene 1) This line spoken by Tybalt suggests the possibility of Mercutio’s homosexuality. Tybalt starts insulting a passive Romeo which results in a brawl between Mercutio and Tybalt, stemming from Mercutio’s need to defend his friend’s dignity and outrage at Romeo’s unresponsiveness to the insults. The brawl between the two, along with Mercutio’s resulting death, is seen as completely unnecessary as Tybalt is making no direct insult to Mercutio’s person, only Romeo’s. The need that Mercutio had felt to defend Romeo’s dignity could be seen as the manifestation of romantic feelings towards his best friend due to how unnecessarily far he’d taken his brawl with Tybalt and how it had resulted in his death. Through these series of events and character interaction such as Mercutio’s teasing of Romeo, his aversion to women, love, senseless death borne out of want to defend Romeo’s dignity and the possibility of him being homosexual, that Mercutio’s love for Romeo could be concluded as being more than just platonic. ________________ ROMEO AND JULIET ESSAY- VERSION 2. What evidence in the play can be interpreted as Mercutio’s affections toward Romeo being more than platonic? Discuss. ‘Romeo and Juliet’, a tragic romance written by William Shakespeare, depicts the love between the two characters Romeo and Juliet. Other forms of love between characters are also present in the play, one of the most notable being the ambiguous relationship between Romeo and his flamboyant best friend Mercutio. Through a series of character interactions and character portrayals, Mercutio’s sexuality is left indistinct and his affections towards Romeo can be seen as homoerotic in nature. Romeo and Mercutio have a tendency to tease and banter with each other throughout the play. Mercutio’s teasing in particular could be interpreted as a form of homoerotism considering the large amounts of innuendo and references to Romeo’s phallus used. Said references to Romeos phallus appear when Mercutio, in an attempt lure Romeo out of hiding, begins to talk of Romeo raising a spirit in his mistress circle and letting it there stand / Till she [Rosaline] had laid it and conjured it down (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 1, Line 26). Though this type of banter could be interpreted as normal amongst men their age, due to Mercutio’s ambiguous sexual orientation it can be considered a form of flirting, especially when you take into consideration Mercutio’s attestment for the opposite gender and love between a man and a woman Early on in the play, Mercutio is shown to have and aversion to women as well as heterosexual love. One of the clearest examples of Mercutio’s hostility towards women is shown in when Benvolio and Mercutio are searching for Romeo after the party at the Capulets. Mercutio starts mocking Romeo’s feelings for Rosaline as well as insulting her by listing her body parts in a crude manner. He describes her fine foot, straight leg and quivering thigh (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 21) amongst other body parts considered uncouth to talk about during his time period. Mercutio’s aversion towards women and love is also quite prominent in his Queen Mab speech which outside of being a ‘fairy’ is also a reference to whores during Elizabethan times. The speech starts off as more of a flight of fancy but steadily becomes darker the further he gets. Mercutio makes references to women losing their virginities and going into prostitution when he talks of when maids lie on their backs / That presses them and learns them first to bear (Act 1, Scene 4, Line 96). Mercutio makes a stab at women through generalising them as whores, as well as stating how love is insignificant, nonsensical and corrupting. This is shown through the emphasis on Queen Mab’s small size, the fairy’s ability to confirm what ever vices that dreamers are addicted to and how the description of Queen Mab itself is complete nonsense. His aversion to women and heterosexual love could be interpreted as a sign of homosexuality, or at the very least bisexuality; Mercutios disrespect for the opposite gender is shown to be indiscriminate when involving matters in concern to Romeo. All women that Mercutio is seen interacting with or acknowledging in the play are insulted and ridiculed by him; the fact that they have all wanted Romeo’s company or have been subjected to Romeo’s affections is what they all have in common. In the second act, Juliets nurse approaches Romeo and expresses her interest in speaking with him alone. Mercutio, seeing that Romeo had lost interest in teasing the nurse, instantly interrupts the conversation by calling the nurse a bawd (Act 2, Scene 4, Line 115), followed by an indecent song on a girl who prostitutes herself. Mercutio’s insults and teasing become bawdier as he tries to draw the group’s, and in turn Romeo’s, attention towards him rather than the nurse as he continues to mock her. This act could be seen as an adverse reaction to the possibility of Romeo romancing another woman, or even the possibility of him romancing the nurse herself. A similar attitude is taken up by Mercutio concerning other women in Romeo’s life, as shown with Rosaline. The callous and unseemly way that Mercutio treats women who associate with Romeo could be seen as a form of jealousy, and thus his possible homoerotic affections for his best friend; characters such as Tybalt make allusions to the possibility of Mercutio’s non-platonic affections towards Rome right before the play’s climax. Mercutio’s death scene, aside from being the climax of the play, has the most allusions to Mercutio’s affections towards Romeo being more than platonic. Tybalt suggests the possibility of Mercutio’s homosexuality when he says that Mercutio consortst with Romeo (Act 3, Scene 1, Line 42). Tybalt starts insulting a passive Romeo which results in a brawl between Mercutio and Tybalt, stemming from Mercutio’s need to defend his friend’s dignity and outrage at Romeo’s unresponsiveness to the insults. The brawl between the two, along with Mercutio’s resulting death, is seen as completely unnecessary as Tybalt is making no direct insult to Mercutio’s person, only Romeo’s. The need that Mercutio had felt to defend Romeo’s dignity could be seen as the manifestation of romantic feelings towards his best friend due to how unnecessarily far he’d taken his brawl with Tybalt and how it had resulted in his death. Through these series of events and character interaction such as Mercutio’s teasing of Romeo, his aversion to women, love, senseless death borne out of want to defend Romeo’s dignity and the possibility of him being homosexual, that Mercutio’s love for Romeo could be concluded as being more than just platonic.

Walt Disney :: essays research papers

Walt Disney   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walt Disney was one of the famous motion-picture producers in history. He first became known in the 1920's and 1930's for creating such cartoon film characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. He later produced feature length cartoon films, movies about wild animals in their natural surroundings, and films starring human actors. Disney won 32 Academy Awards for his movies and for scientific and technical contributions to filmmaking. He also gained fame for his development of theme parks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Walter Elias Disney was born on Dec. 5, 1901, in Chicago, Illinois. His family moved to Missouri, and he spent much of his boyhood on a farm near Marceline. At the age of 16, Disney studied art in Chicago. In 1920, he joined the Kansas City Film Ad Company, where he helped make cartoon advertisements to be shown in movie theaters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1923, Disney moved to Los Angeles to become a film producer or director. When he failed to find a job, he returned to producing cartoons. He set up his first studio in the back half of a real estate office. For several years, Disney stuggled to pay his expenses. He gained success in 1928, when he released the first short cartoons that featured Mickey Mouse. Earlier filmmakers had found that animals were easier to animate than people. Mickey Mouse, drawn with a series of circles, proved ideal for animation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1927, sound that had been added to motion pictures, and a process for making movies in color was developed a few years later. Disney and his staff made imaginative use of sound and color. Disney himself provided Mickey Mouse's voice for Steamboat Willie (1928), the first cartoon to use synchronized sound. His cartoon Flowers and Trees (1932) was the first cartoon in full Technicolor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From 1929 to 1939, Disney produced a cartoon series called Silly Symphonies, which played in theaters along with other animated films featuring Mickey Mouse and other characters, like Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. After 1924, Disney actually did more of the drawing necessary for his animated films. His genius lay in creating, organizing, and directing the films.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1937, Disney issued the first full-length animated feature film to be produced by a studio, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It became one of the most popular movies in history. Disney's later full-length animated films included Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), 101 Dalmations (1961), and the Jungle Book (released in 1967, after his death). In 1950, Disney released Treasure Island, his first full-length movie to use only human actors.

Iso-osmolar Concentration of Carrot Cells Lab Essay

For a more thorough understanding of this lab introduction, the concepts of, iso osmolar, membrane, equilibrium, and concentration gradient evaluated. Iso osmolar can be known as the point in which the substance of experimentation faces no change despite the amount of solute inside the solvent( because the solvent and solute concentration is equal. This is where the line on a graph would cross on the x-axis). Selectively permeable membrane can be defined as a microscopic double layer of lipids and proteins that bounds cells and organelles and forms structures within cells and it controls what comes in and out of the cell. Equilibrium is the state of a chemical reaction in which its forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates so that the concentration of the reactants and products does not change with time. Before this experiment, we were educated on how osmosis functions. Osmosis is a process which molecules and water take to usually get through a selectively permeable membrane in order to reach equilibrium. It is a passive transport which requires no ATF and water moves from high to low water concentration. When osmosis is completed, there should be an equal concentration o water on both sides of the experiment. We have also learned about the iso osmolar point which is when the concentration of molecules are identical inside and outside. Also, we predicted that if the carrot sticks were placed into higher concentrations of sucrose solutions, then the sticks would loose more water. The concentration of particles inside the carrot cells will be found by having them placed into various different solutions with different sucrose concentrations. This will cause the carrot cells to either lose or gain water as the control tries to reach equilibrium with the solution. By measuring the carrot mass before the experiment and after they sat in the mixture for two days, we are able to observe the change in mass of the carrots. The amount of water the carrot lost or gained would show the percentage of mass change, which then we can use to conclude the concentration of particles inside the carrot. By finding the iso osmolar point, we are able to find the concentration of particles inside the carrot, because the iso osmolar point exhibits the solution that has the same concentration both in the carrot and out. The carrot sticks inside the 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.0M sucrose mixtures, will have water enter/leave them. In this experiment, the independent variable was the molarity/sucrose concentration of the solutions the carrot sticks were placed into. The dependent variable was the percentage change of mass for the carrot sticks. For about half of the experiments(4/6), water left the carrot cells causing them to loose mass because there was a uneven concentration of water inside the carrot and outside. In the sucrose solutions in which the carrots lost mass, there was more water inside the cell compared to the outside, causing the water molecules in the carrot sticks to move out into the solution as a result of osmosis. Generally, substances try to spread out and reach the state of equilibrium instead of being concentrated in one area. This is why water enters and leaves the carrots; a result of osmosis. Also, there is a solution of sucrose that is perfect for the carrots sticks, which would result in zero percentage mass change of the carrot. The solution, if it is found, is called the iso osmolar point, which there is no change because there is no concentration gradient. CONCLUSION The results of the lab were fairly accurate because there was no team in the class that had a hugely differing result in their experiment. The 0.0 M sucrose had a +16.71% change in mass as a class average and we had a +21.05% percentage change in mass. The initial mass was 1.9g and the final mass was 2.3g. This happened because the concentration of sucrose inside the carrot was higher than the outside of the cell. The water molecules moved a lot faster into the carrot than the sucrose particles attempting to move out of the sticks through the selectively permeable membrane, thus resulting in a greater mass than the original. The result showed the affects of osmosis, where particles moved to achieve equilibrium. The 0.2 M sucrose had a +8.37% change in mass as a class average and our group and +9.52%. The initial mass for these carrots were 2.1g and became 2.3g when the 2 days had ended. This happened because of the same reason for the 0.0 M sucrose, where the concentration of particl es were greater inside the cell compared to the outside of the cell, causing the water molecules moving into the cell through the semi permeable membrane. However, the solution the carrots were dunked into had a 0.2 M sucrose, unlike the first solution. This caused the mass of the carrot to change less because there was already some particles outside of the cell, allowing for equilibrium to become reached a lot faster than 0.0 M sucrose. In 0.4 M sucrose, there was a class average of -2.34% and we had -4.76%. The initial mass was 2.1g with a final mass of 2.0g. This was the first solution to have a negative percentage change in mass from the other six. There was a decrease in mass of the carrot because water had moved from the carrot sticks into the solution around is trying to achieve equilibrium. The water molecules had moved from high concentration into lower concentration, moving our of the carrot cells, causing them to lose mass. The 0.6 M sucrose solution had a class average of -11.84% change in mass while we had a -9.52% change in mass. The initial mass was 2.1g and the final mass was 1.9g. This occurred for the same reason that 0.4 M sucrose lost mass; the carrot sticks had a higher concentration of water compared to the solution it was in, causing it to lose water as the H20 particle slide out using the selectively permeable membrane. The mass loss was greater because the difference in sucrose levels were greater, demanding a greater amount of water from the carrots for equilibrium to be achieved. 0.8 M sucrose had a class average of -15.13% and 1.0 M sucrose had a -20.06% change in mass. These two also occurred because of the same reason 0.4 and 0.6 M sucrose lost mass. But, there was a larger amount of water needed to be transferred out in order to reach equilibrium the higher the sucrose level was. This lab proved the osmosis theory very well, because all six experiments had accurate results because osmosis had occurred in every one of them. Osmosis has the tendency for water to move through the semi permeable membrane from a lesser concentration to a higher concentration(of solute), thus equalizing concentrations on each side. The carrot stick lab showed water moving from inside the carrot to out into the solution because there was a higher concentration of sucrose outside the carrots. Trying to reach equilibrium, the water molecules transferred out into the solution. By graphing the data out, we were able to find out the iso osmolar point of the carrot sticks. We got the result of 0.4 M sucrose as the point. This number represents the sucrose concentration the carrots would already have equilibrium at, and no need for more osmosis because the concentration of sucrose and water is same or very close to same already. Thus, there wouldn’t be any or little change in mass of the carrot sticks. There were many possible sources of error in this experiment however, because first of all, the equipment were not brand new. The equipment we have used had been used of various types of labs over the years, and had the chance that they were not properly washed, leaving traces of precious labs. The solutions that got intermixed with these chemicals we were not aware of, could of changed the data and threw us off. There is no idea what kind of chemical was on the glasses, so we could of prevented this by experimenting with never used equipment, or by using very well cleansed ones. By having extra sucrose or any other substance on the beakers and tubes, the solution would have become more hypotonic, thus there would be more movement through the membrane and therefore more mass would be lost or less mass would have been gained. This is because the left over sucrose in the beaker adds to the concentration of solute. Another source of error could of happened while blotting the carrots onto a tissue after the two days of waiting time. The carrots that were blotted onto the tissue paper probably lost water, and depending on the strength of the person blotting the carrots, they may have squeezed them too hard, altering results from what would have come out. This could of been fixed by having the carrot sticks pulled out by tweezers instead of draining them and picking them up by hand. Finally I think another source of error was temperature, because the temperature day by day would differ. The changing temperature might have caused data to change as of if they were to be placed into a room of constant temperature of the experimenting time. ANALYSIS If you threw a carrot into a jar of pure H20, would the carrot shrink or swell? Explain. I think if we threw a carrot into a jar of pure H20, the carrot would swell up. The carrot cell is also a plant cell, which flourishes best in a hypotonic solution unlike animal cells. The carrot cell wouldn’t explode unlike animal cells because they are equipped with cell walls which the animal cells lack. The cell wall stops the cell from exploding inside pure water. Instead, they are happiest inside pure H20. They are at a stage called turgid which is their normal state. In winter icy roads are often treated with salt. Why is this likely to lead to the death grasses along the roadside? During winter, when the roads are treated with salt, the environment around it takes damage. The salt is used so that the salt would â€Å"melt† the snow . The snow would treat the salt and H20 molecules would stick onto the salt molecule, separating from their â€Å"ice box† affect and causing them to melt. However, the salt would also stick onto the grasses along the roadside and suck their life out, in simpler terms. The salt on the grass would have a 100% salinity while grasses in comparison would have a much lower salinity percentage. Because the grass would be a hypotonic solution compared to the salt, it would loose water. Thus the environment would be hypertonic. In effort to reach equilibrium with their surroundings, the grass would have the water pulled out of them towards the salt. Introduction MLA citation â€Å"Diffusion.† And Osmosis. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

Personality psychology Essay

The person I am choosing to describe is my best friend, Matt Wotring. We first started talking near the end of July of last year, but didn’t really become friends until we hung out at a mutual friend’s birthday party at the beginning of October. Over the course of the past year, he and I have continued to grow closer and spend as much time together as possible. He has one of those charismatic personalities that is hard to find in the present world. He is very close with all of his family – and believe me, he has a lot of family living nearby – and is probably closer with his cousins than he is with any of his friends. He is currently a senior a Calvary Christian Academy and plans on continuing his education at Frostburg State University, majoring in Computer Science. One thing that I’ve always admired about Matt is his perseverance. Even though his father died when he was only four years old, and the person he calls â€Å"Dad† now is merely a step-father, he still continues to always look on the bright side of things. Many people that go through something like that become depressed and withdrawn, or just never really recover fully. But because of Matt’s cheery disposition, you would’ve never known he’d ever gone through so much at such a young age. Even today, he has this uncanny ability to let things roll off his back and keep smiling – a character trait I’ve always thought highly of, but was never able to adapt in my own life. Matt is a fairly tall person – somewhere between 5’10† and 5’11† – so it’s always a challenge for me to give him a hug. His black hair is almost always disheveled, and he generally keeps it cut short due to the dress code policy at his school. During the summer, however, he grows it out longer and shaggy. Although he’ll sometimes have a 5’oclock shadow, he never purposely lets any facial hair grow. He has beautiful eyes that are dark brown around the pupils but become lighter as they move toward the edges of the iris, and have specks of darker brown in them. He has an amazing smile – in addition to having sparkling white teeth, he has one of those warm, inviting smiles that instantly make a person more comfortable around him. He’s pretty self-conscious about his shorter legs and large feet, in addition to his weight. He isn’t what a doctor would classify as â€Å"thin† – to be honest, he’s slight overweight – but I always say, â€Å"The bigger the person, the bigger the heart,† and Matt is no exception. Matt’s lifestyle greatly reflects the Christian upbringing he has received. Not only does he have good morals, but he has a very loving personality as well. He is one of the most caring people I’ve met – he almost always puts the needs and feelings of other people above his own needs and feelings. He won’t hesitate to loan you money, or take your shift at work, or even just to rake your lawn. He is also very generous, both with his time and his money. He always buys his friends video games (or anything else they want), and he will schedule his day around a person if he has to. He is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met – even if he has a problem with somebody, he can still face them with a smile, and ignore the urge to say something rude and unnecessary to them. He’s pretty hard working most of the time, and he strives to make every effort his very best – especially on the soccer field. Matt’s number one passion in life (aside from his girlfriend, I’m told) is soccer. He is the main goalie, as well as one of the team captains, of his school’s soccer team, and his passion for the sport is evident in the effort he puts into it, and the look of enjoyment on his face. He is also very intelligent, and teaches me something new almost every day. The most attractive parts of his personality, though, are his remarkable sense of humor and listening abilities. No matter how bad of a day I’ve had, he will always stop what he’s doing to listen to me vent, and then bring a smile to my face again. Matt is honestly someone who I not only look up to, but also try to model my own personality and attitudes after. .++. And, by the way.. I love him very much. 🙂

Music Analysis Drug Abuse in Music

Music Analysis Drug Abuse in Music Introduction Popular culture refers to a set of ideas, feelings, perceptions, descriptions or impressions that are constantly reasoned through informal agreements in a given society (Mashable.com, 2005). This notion is commonly known as â€Å"pop culture† and is mostly prominent in the mass media where detailed accounts of people’s lives usually flood on a daily basis (Mashable.com, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Music Analysis: Drug Abuse in Music specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Today’s society is facing a lot of challenges such as drug abuse, war, prevalence in crime among others (Mashable.com, 2005); all these have grown to create many social problems and therefore, there is greater need for the community to work hard in order to eliminate this social problem that is becoming rampant in many societies. One of the major social evils is the issue of drug abuse that has become so prevalent in the society especially among young generation. Drug abuse is an issue that should be addressed with a lot of concern and it is important for every individual in the society to tackle this issue as a personal responsibility in order to safeguard the next generation. The topic under discussion for this paper will mainly focus on issues of drug abuse since this is a major social challenge that is rapidly taking roots in the society at all levels which means everyone is affected in one way or another. It is therefore necessary to educate and make people aware of the dangers of drug and substance. Discussion It is no doubt that pop culture has both positive and negative influence on issues of drug abuse especially in this era of globalization due to the easy access to information especially through the internet which happens to be one of the major medium of information such as musical lyrics, videos and films among others. In this regard, the discussion below will also f ocus on popular culture that is positive and educative on issues of drug abuse. The five category of music lyrics includes music by; Ben Harper, in the album Radiohead (2008) â€Å"The drugs dont work†, Bare-naked Ladies, in the album Everything to Everyone â€Å"war on drugs† (2003), Lily Allen, in the album Everyones at It â€Å"Everyone’s at it† (2008) and finally the lyrics by Alice in Chains, Album Dirt  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hate To Feel†, (1992) (Songmeanings.net, 2007). Analysis of the musical lyrics First let us discuss the work of art by Ben Harper, in the album Radiohead â€Å"The drugs dont work† (2008) (Songmeanings.net, 2007); this is a music lyrics that targets the young generation. The artist has been very persistence in educating youths on the dangers of drug and substance abuse; in this song he is discouraging the youths from using drugs for many reasons. The theme of this song is â€Å"drugs do no work† and therefore anyone using drugs should try to put a stop to this habit because drug abuse has no positive impacts to human life (Songmeanings.net, 2007).Advertising Looking for critical writing on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Secondly, there is the music by a group known as Bare-naked Ladies, in the album â€Å"everything to everyone† (2003) which also advocates for drug free society (MacKenzie, 2011). The artists laments how drugs have destroyed youths in many societies because of the dangers that they pose to the users; a vice that is described by the artist as evils of the society in the music lyrics which states â€Å"drugs are demons† hence the humanity should now realize the need to get over drugs and substance abuse (MacKenzie, 2011). The third music lyrics is by Weezer in the album Make Believe â€Å"we are all on drugs† (2005) (Beemp3.com, 2011); this is creative work of art in which the artis t is ridiculing the youths who are doing drug abuse, the artist argues that, â€Å"The youths think they are cool† when they are under influence of drugs (Beemp3.com, 2011). According to the artist, it is time the youths face issues of life from a sober angle since the reality of life does not care whether you’re using drugs or not, the reality is tough and life is hard, drugs can’t work they will only destroy one’s life; that is the advice of the artist in this song (Beemp3.com, 2011). Another positive music lyric is one by Lily Allen in the album â€Å"Everyone’s at it† (2008) (Musicloversgroup.com, 2008). In this creative work, the artist is very keen and observant about issues that affects the society one of the main and dangerous one being drug abuse (Musicloversgroup.com, 2008). So in this song the artist is also lamenting the dangers of drugs and the theme of the music is one that advocates against tackling the problem with issues of drug abuse by arguing the youths to refrain from using drugs that has now become the culture in the society. This is the reason that the artist asserts in the music lyrics that â€Å"Everyone is at it† which is the title of the music album (Musicloversgroup.com, 2008). Finally, the music lyrics by Alice in Chains in the album Dirt,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Hate To Feel† (1992) is educative work of art because the artist is sharing her personal experience after having done drugs which she eventually stopped (Cduniverse.com, 2011). The artist says that, when she tried to abuse heroin drug, it was a bad experience which she says was not anything she would want to ever feel again. After this incidence, the artist is very cautious and sensitive about drugs abuse, and for this particular reason she is advising the youths and general public not to make an attempt or try to use drugs at any one time because they have severe effects to the body (Cduniverse.com, 2011).Advertising We wil l write a custom critical writing sample on Music Analysis: Drug Abuse in Music specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other materials and peer reviewed articles In addition to the music lyrics, the following internet resources address the issues of drug abuse; these sources are â€Å"Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs to† (Last.fm, 2011) and â€Å"Report: teens using digital drugs to get high† (Thebeerbarrel.net, 2011). The first online resource is a joint policy that was drafted with an intention of enlightening the youths in order to persuade them from listening to music that encouraged drug abuse (Last.fm, 2011). The article was written with an aim of educating the mainly young generations who are most affected by drugs and often influenced through music that portray drugs as cool and great to use; thus the theme of this article â€Å"just say no† (Last.fm, 2011). The other source also an online article is a report r eleased on how the young generation are listening to music on the internet to take drugs, the procedure through which drugs are taken is so dangerous as it involves use of digital drugs or i-drugs absorbed through the internet when an individual is listening to music as claimed by this paper (Thebeerbarrel.net, 2011). This particular report is meant to enlighten the parents about what is really happening in order for the parents to take precautions that prevent this. Furthermore, substance abuse treatment and prevention policy (SAPPT) is a peer reviewed article that is also addressing this social problem (Substanceabusepolicy.com, 2011). This journal article is mainly discussing ways in which good environment can be created especially on the internet where the public can be able to discuss various ideas on ways of reducing drug and substance abuse (Substanceabusepolicy.com, 2011). Conclusion Popular culture is a very influential work of art; thus, it is important for artists to use such art in communicating positive information that can address issues of importance especially those that pertain social problems so as to facilitate positive social change. Besides, artists themselves should also be enlightened on dangers of drug abuse which is also rampant amongst them this is because they are the role models of the society. They should understand that, they are the mirror of the society and therefore they should be sensitive on those ideas that they are communicating to the public because some people especially the youths are very keen to take the message. Reference Beemp3.com. (2011). Weezer We Are All On Drugs: Free MP3 Download. Web.Advertising Looking for critical writing on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Cduniverse.com. (2011). Alice in Chains, Album: Dirt. Web. Last.fm. (2011). Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs to Group. Web. MacKenzie, W. (2011) Everything to Everyone Barenaked Ladies. Web. Mashable.com. (2005). Popular Culture. Web. Musicloversgroup.com. (2008). Lily Allen Everyones at It Lyrics and Video. Web. Songmeanings.net. (2007). Songmeanings Lyrics The The Drugs Dont Work.Web. Substanceabusepolicy.com. (2011). SAPPT. Web. Thebeerbarrel.net (2011) Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High. Web.

Aging Working Force Raising Retirement Age Essays - Free Essays

Aging Working Force Raising Retirement Age Essays - Free Essays Aging Working Force: Raising Retirement Age Introduction Recently, the birth rate is decreasing rapidly in Hong Kong. We are facing an ageing population problem and the labor force structure is imbalance. Whats more, the governments retirement plan is a failure as it does not provide enough financial assistance to them, both by publicly and privately managed plan. The elderly cannot afford the living after retirement by their private savings and insurance. We strongly suggest the government to set a clear regulation and extending the retirement age to remedy the problem. We will investigate other countries which are facing the same ageing problem and their decisions on extending the retirement age. Furthermore, there are lots of other ways to solve the problem. We will discuss three of them and compare the benefits and drawbacks on each alternative. Reason of the proposal Hong Kong has one of the worlds lowest birth rates0.9 per woman of child-bearing age, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. The city's elderly dependency ratio is set to rise from 161 per 1,000 in 2003 to 428 per 1,000 in 2033. That means more elderly dependents will have to be supported by a smaller working population. Look in the past; we could see that there is a trend of increasing dependency ratio. According to the report of demographic trends in Hong Kong, the Elderly dependency ratio is increasing rapidly from 97 to 168 during 1981 to 2006. The median age is increasing from 26.3 to 39.6. However, the percentage of Aged 014 is decreasing from 24.6 to 13.7. These figures suggest that the population is aging, together with a low birth rate the dependency is increasing in Hong Kong which creates a burden to the working force. In Figure X (Appendix 1), we can see that the longest bars of the graph is group 45-54, which has a population of 1400000. After 20 years this group of people will be supported by the people in the categories with shorter bars of which the gap in between is quite big. The difference between the population of the age group of 45-54 and 15-24 is nearly 350000. That means after twenty years, it will be harder for the major working labor force income to support the elderly living. Also, in the coming future, we believe that the shape of the graph will become an up-side-down triangle instead of a bell shape because of the low birth rate and death rate. This indicates that the dependency ratio i.e. pressure on the working force will be higher. However, we believe that the grey population can provide productivity to the society as well. From the data of labor force, we can see that the age group of 45-64 is growing from 32%to 38% from 2005 to 2010. Also, the labor force participation rate of age group 45-64 and 65 or above is increasing these years. This indicates the elder workers are becoming more important to Hong Kongs development, i.e. arising retirement age should be able to encourage a higher GDP as well. Figure y (Appendix 2) shows that the GDP is increasing in a slow manner. We believed that one reason would be lack of working force to boost up the figures. This would definitely affect the development on technology and other aspects such as education and social. From the survey of the government, we can see that nearly 90% of persons in the target group view that the stability of performance of relatively elder employees is stable and does not have any difference as compared to those of other ages. They even think that elder employees have higher performance on the concentration on work. Furthermore, nearly 40% of persons in the target group perceived that working experience is the main criterion considered by employers in employment related issues while only around 6% of them think that age is a main criterion in employment related issues. The majority have a belief that age does not affect employees performances. Therefore, raising the retirement age can help solving the problem of high dependency ratio and provide extra productivity to the society and hence contribute to higher GDP. Individual Perspective Loophole of Elderly Retirement Policies introduced by Government Ageing population with low birth rate

Learn About Natural Numbers, Whole Numbers, and Integers

Learn About Natural Numbers, Whole Numbers, and Integers In mathematics, youll see many references about numbers. Numbers can be classified into groups and initially it may seem somewhat perplexing but as you work with numbers throughout your education in math, they will soon become second nature to you. Youll hear a variety of terms being thrown at you and youll soon be using those terms with great familiarity yourself. You will also soon discover that some numbers will belong to more than one group. For instance, a prime number is also an integer and a whole number. Here is a breakdown of how we classify numbers: Natural Numbers Natural numbers are what you use when you are counting one to one objects. You may be counting pennies or buttons or cookies. When you start using 1,2,3,4 and so on, you are using the counting numbers or to give them a proper title, you are using the natural numbers. Whole Numbers Whole numbers are easy to remember. Theyre not fractions, theyre not decimals, theyre simply whole numbers. The only thing that makes them different than natural numbers is that we include the zero when we are referring to whole numbers. However, some mathematicians will also include the zero in natural numbers and Im not going to argue the point. Ill accept both if a reasonable argument is presented. Whole numbers are 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. Integers Integers can be whole numbers or they can be whole numbers with a negative sign in front of them. Individuals often refer to integers as the positive and negative numbers. Integers are -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on. Rational Numbers Rational numbers have integers AND fractions AND decimals. Now you can see that numbers can belong to more than one classification group. Rational numbers can also have repeating decimals which you will see be written like this: 0.54444444... which simply means it repeats forever, sometimes you will see a line drawn over the decimal place which means it repeats forever, instead of having a ...., the final number will have a line drawn above it. Irrational Numbers Irrational numbers dont include integers OR fractions. However, irrational numbers can have a decimal value that continues forever WITHOUT a pattern, unlike the example above. An example of a well known irrational number is pi which as we all know is 3.14 but if we look deeper at it, it is actually 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419.....and this goes on for somewhere around 5 trillion digits! Real Numbers Here is another category where some other of the number classifications will fit. Real numbers include natural numbers, whole numbers, integers, rational numbers and irrational numbers. Real numbers also include fraction and decimal numbers. In summary, this is a basic overview of the number classification system, as you move to advanced math, you will encounter complex numbers. Ill leave it that complex numbers are real and imaginary.

The purpose and usefulness of standard audit report Essay

The purpose and usefulness of standard audit report - Essay Example Normally, audit reports presents the external review of the financial information of a company, conducted by an accounting firm and shareholders use it in assessing the financial health of a company. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) in UK recommended for the enhancement of the responsibilities in financial reporting for the audit committees through publicizing of expanded reports. The auditor reporting entails coordinated structure that leverages the resources by IAASB (Boeckman et al. 2013, p. 76). A standard report summarizes an audit by the public accounting firm about the liquidity strength of a company. Auditing process entails comparison of the findings to internal audits to identify any discrepancies or errors involved therewith. When the audit is clean, standard audit report results. The standard audit report is the most used audit report, and it ensures that companies do not defraud the investors. Failure of the audit reports to conform to the acceptable standards in ac counting creates apprehension amongst the shareholders of the company (Boeckman et al. 2013, p. 77). The corporate finance statements and other investors express the concerns on the usefulness of standard audit reports (SAR). ... Three types of audit reports issued by auditors include the qualified, unqualified and adverse. Qualified opinions indicate the violation of accounting standards; adverse report shows shortcomings of the company; while unqualified opinion shows not-material misstatements. Audit reports are beneficial to a company. Standard audit report indicates issuance of non-qualified opinion based on the financial information of a company. This allows for extension of business by seeking outside investment to enhance future operations (Carcello 2012, p. 22). Furthermore, standard audit reports entail warnings. Adverse or qualified audit opinions subject the company to further audits resulting in negative goodwill to the outside investors. Companies also experience regulatory fines from the government agencies due to misleading the public on the financial health of the company. Standard audit reports also contain the expert insight. The accounting firms issue information to companies and auditors on acceptable auditing standards (Carcello 2012, p. 24). Standard Audit Report (SAR) SAR changed insignificantly over the last 60 years. Audit reports had not changed prior to 1988 Statements on Auditing Standards (SAS). There were significant changes made on the audit report by the financial statements. Professions tried making changes in 1965, and SAS incorporated introductory, opinion and scope changes in the third paragraph. The changes enhanced the usefulness of the audit report by giving a comprehensive definition of audit, as well as maintaining effective communication of management responsibilities, and the auditor in order to reduce SASs expectation gap. The main objective of SAR is to enhance credibility of the financial statements by the

The Labeling Theory and The Cultural Deviance Theory Assignment

The Labeling Theory and The Cultural Deviance Theory - Assignment Example In response to question 4, labeling theory is chosen as the most appropriate theory to account for the case. Labeling and the Cultural Deviancy theories Introduction It could be argued that criminal activities are common in every society across the world. Furthermore, has been argued that criminal activities have existed as along as man and societies have contented and grappled with addressing them. However, what has been of great concern is the evolution and surge of criminal activities. In the attempts of addressing crimes, criminologists have sought to understand the causes and proposed an array of theories, including the labeling theory and the legitimate crime causation theory. This paper answers some pertinent questions in regard to the two theories. Response to question 1 The proponents of the labeling theory are concerned that the labels that are placed on the offenders through the justice systems. Such labels function to worsen the behaviors of the inmates because the labels function to aggravate the behaviors that need to be stopped. In the long run, this constrains recovery form criminal behaviors. The proponents are concerned that the criminal justice system has not only failed to stop criminal behaviors, but it is also functioning to reinforce the very criminal behaviors (Gabbidon & Greene, 2013). An alternative theory that could be utilized to avoid stereotyping within the criminal justice system is the cultural deviancy theory. The cultural deviance theory posits that the cause of the criminal behaviors in the urban areas can be hardly attributed to poverty, but to a distinct lower-class culture, which is mainly concerned about the societal norms. The social deviancy theory is based on the conflict perspective, thus perceives cultural deviancy as a condition that is normal that crime is simply a concept of conflicts within classes (Bereska, 2011). The theory posits that the lower class category contains its values, goals and ideals that significa ntly differ from those of other classes. As the individuals within the lower classes conform to these practices on the course of day life routine, they also interact with people from other classes. Their behaviors overlap and conflict and the lower-class group suffer the implication of being considered socially deviant. This theory also follows the account that as people conform to the values within the class, they may even impart the values to the subsequent generation. This theory acknowledges the basis of nature versus nurture, wherein the behaviors of persons are nurtured by the intervening social environment. Thus, cultural deviance theory is that which approaches crimes from the sociological perspectives. Cultural deviance theory does not present criminals as immoral and sinful people, and describes crimes based in the examination of race, social circle, levels of education and income, culture, among other social aspects and this makes it particularly suited to limit stereotyp ing within the criminal justice systems. Then the only weakness this approach is that it tends to justify crimes as unintentional. Response to Part 2 In my view, labeling is a legitimate crime causation theory on various accounts. According to the

Personal Learning Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Personal Learning Journal - Essay Example ce, for the tasks assigned to our group, we first determined all the realistic objectives to be achieved as recommended by Hammond, Keenye and Raiffa (2006). Through our leader, we identified the strengths and weaknesses of each team member which guided in the allocation of tasks based on the capabilities of each individual. This not only made the team more effective but also made everyone enjoy their tasks. This experience provided an opportunity for me to apply the Rational Model. Rational Decision-Making Model involves a cognitive process where each step follows a logical order from the step before. Being a cognitive process meant that we had to think through and weigh up and to compare in order to get the best possible results. The six steps in this model start with defining the problem, then identifying the decision criteria, allocating weights to the criteria, developing the alternatives, evaluating the alternatives and finally, selecting the best alternative (Eisenhardt, 1989) . However, the Rational Model assumes that the decision maker has a consistent system of preferences and is aware of all alternatives. The outcome will be completely rational and there will be no time constraints. This model clearly analyzes the experience of distribution of tasks within a group. As much as possible, our leader was well informed about all the team members because of the consultations that made him aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each member, thus helping in the easy and logical distribution of tasks. Another experience involves the forks challenge undertaken during lecture time. The game required us to model up a tall structure using forks. With a time span of 15 minutes, it was a difficult task. We conflicted on whether to build a square or triangle structure causing us to sub-divide into two smaller groups. However, after sometime, we realized that we could not come up with the tallest model without being united. Eventually, our group won, having agreed in

How We Listen by Aaron Copland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How We Listen by Aaron Copland - Essay Example He succeeds in the clarification because of two main methods: People look on the sensuous plane for pure entertainment. For example, turning on the radio while doing something else and absentmindedly bathes in the sound. A good listener should realize that a lovely sounding music is not necessarily great music. I believe the sensuous plane before the other two is a useful technique since this is the plane most people often relate to the most. Second plane is the expressive one. Copland then discusses the notion of meaning in music. In his view, music has a meaning but the meaning is not concrete, and sometimes it is difficult for it to be expressed in words. This plane explains why music has a moving and relaxing effect on us. It is harder to grasp and requires more deep thought because Copland claims that meaning in music should be no more than a general concept. This issue is very philosophical, and one must accept the train to understand this plane (4).  Ã‚   The next plane deals with the manipulation of the notes and offers a more intellectual approach to enhancing musical appreciation. The actual structure of the music as such the length of the note, pitch, harmony, and tone color are emphasized in this section of the essay. This fundamental study of the structure is necessary to form a firm foundation for the musical piece and to understand the diagnosis of it. This technical and more scientific plane is contradictory to the philosophical sensuous plane. For this reason, it is another useful technique of Copland to use factual observations to explain the listening process to the satisfaction of the readers. After expounding his theory in the way we listen, Copland uses the analogy of a theoretical play to drive the point home. This is yet another useful technique used by him: it gives him the leeway to demonstrate clearly the interrelating of the three planes. Regarding the ideal listener, Copland says: In a sense, the ideal

American printing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American printing - Term Paper Example This was a time that the printing industry underwent intense discrimination by the government. Between 1600 and 1800, the printing industry had an established affiliation with the business community. This is because the newspapers would significantly spearhead business transactions through the reliable and efficient communication. Despite of this trend in business, the religious institutions criticized the printing industry. According to the religious institutions, the printing industry would bring emergence of sects. It would also inculcate intense disobedience to the existent leadership. Therefore, the printing industry had diverse affiliations with the different social institutions. Women had a vital role in the printing industry. They contributed to the politics and business of the printing industry. Mrs Glover was a major spearhead in the business and politics of the printing industry in America (Ingersoll, 147). Upon her arrival in Harvard College, she initiated a printing ente rprise that produced pleasant materials to the public. For instance, her enterprise produced â€Å"The Freeman’s Oath† in 1639 (Ingersoll, 147). This was a publication that attracted attention from the masses. Her enterprise oversaw the establishment of other investments in printing. Evidently, Mrs Glover takes a paramount ground in the development of American printing industry. The printing industry entailed diverse publications that targeted diverse groups. The publications that targeted the women had substantial market. For instance, the publications on fashion had outstanding markets as the young ladies had zeal for fashion (Leonard, 6). Therefore, the women had a significant contribution to the development of the printing industries through massive purchases. There were a set of controversies that arose against diverse printers. Zengler was an example of the victims of controversies. Majority of the publications evaluated the level of justice within American leade rship. In this case, the printers would initiate satirical articles within the publications in the quest for justice. Zengler was one of the major voices in ancient American printing industry. In 1734, he directed satirical attacks towards New York’s Governor (Olson, 223). William Cosby was the Governor during this era. During the court proceedings, Zengler’s lawyer conceded that his client had done the publications. However, he challenged the jury to clear Zengler if the satirical attacks were based on truth (Olson, 223). Ultimately, Zengler was cleared by the court. This indicates that the satirical attacks initiated by Zengler were perfect truth. Evidently, American printers suffered legal controversies upon their artistic revelations of truth in their publications. There was intense difficulty upon setting a printing enterprise. Finances were a main struggle that struck the prospective printers (Frasca, 13). In this case, printers had to accumulate finances to init iate an enterprise. They underwent a lengthy process of accumulating finances for their printing enterprises. Despite of the struggle, the print enterprises had ultimate rewards. They would disseminate printed information to the public at a fee. This would be an income generating activity to them. The printing figure had a significant role in the main events of America. It was a major spearhead in America’

How We Listen by Aaron Copland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How We Listen by Aaron Copland - Essay Example He succeeds in the clarification because of two main methods: People look on the sensuous plane for pure entertainment. For example, turning on the radio while doing something else and absentmindedly bathes in the sound. A good listener should realize that a lovely sounding music is not necessarily great music. I believe the sensuous plane before the other two is a useful technique since this is the plane most people often relate to the most. Second plane is the expressive one. Copland then discusses the notion of meaning in music. In his view, music has a meaning but the meaning is not concrete, and sometimes it is difficult for it to be expressed in words. This plane explains why music has a moving and relaxing effect on us. It is harder to grasp and requires more deep thought because Copland claims that meaning in music should be no more than a general concept. This issue is very philosophical, and one must accept the train to understand this plane (4).  Ã‚   The next plane deals with the manipulation of the notes and offers a more intellectual approach to enhancing musical appreciation. The actual structure of the music as such the length of the note, pitch, harmony, and tone color are emphasized in this section of the essay. This fundamental study of the structure is necessary to form a firm foundation for the musical piece and to understand the diagnosis of it. This technical and more scientific plane is contradictory to the philosophical sensuous plane. For this reason, it is another useful technique of Copland to use factual observations to explain the listening process to the satisfaction of the readers. After expounding his theory in the way we listen, Copland uses the analogy of a theoretical play to drive the point home. This is yet another useful technique used by him: it gives him the leeway to demonstrate clearly the interrelating of the three planes. Regarding the ideal listener, Copland says: In a sense, the ideal

Electronic and Mobile commerce Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electronic and Mobile commerce - Assignment Example The company has also expanded its menu to include fruits, smoothies, wraps, fish, salads and seasoned fries. This company adheres to B2C model of business. The corporation offers affiliation and franchise to local people who adhere to company‘s rules and regulation  of  all aspects  to the business.   The customers can get service through directly visiting the store. The customer can order and eat there itself or get a takeaway meal. The second method is dialing toll-free number and order meal for  the door-step delivery.  As the corporation is considering a new avenue of business, that is online, it needs to create a comprehensive business strategy to get success in this venture. Creation of a  new  business strategy for  new  medium of communication is not so easy as it includes  a lot of  investment in various parts of business and new strategies.  As the proposed investment is big, it is necessary to estimate the rate of returns and increase in business sales. This issue can be resolved by commissioning market research for  the Internet  and mobile survey of the existing customer group.   As the market report is very positive, the company decides to implement electronic and mobile commerce in form of easy to access user-friendly interactive website and mobile app from  where the customers can choose food items from menu and order for  doorstep delivery.   There are  a lot of  online  tools that helps to publicize the  McDonalds  online  order services such as social networking sites,  photo-sharing  sites, blog sites.  These sites  offer  free  services,  and company can maintain close relationship among  the members of the sites and can easily update them about  fresh services, schemes,  brand new  food items  on  the menu.   Today, Smartphone  is  becoming very common as most of the people prefer to purchase them for both business and pleasure. With Smartphone app., the customers can easily order from

Why people supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election Essay Example for Free

Why people supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election Essay Use source A and your knowledge of the period to explain why people supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election. During the 1920s America was the most prosperous country in the world, throughout this period of prosperity the government in power was the republicans. The republican policy was basically non-involvement with the nation, allowing the rich to get rich, and the poor to get poorer. They continued with this policy even when Wall Street crashed in 1929, and (rather short-sightedly) went into the 1932 election with this policy. One of their slogans was that prosperity was just around the corner. People supported Roosevelt in the 1932 election, mainly because he was making it plain that their policy was to work with the main population of America. He said that he expected everyone to be as involved, and work as hard as if they were defending their country from attack, however in this war the enemy was depression. The republicans had a policy that expected prosperity to be easily attainable one of the reasons why the people supported Roosevelt was because promising the opposite. He not only had criticisms but also had solutions to the problems as well. Roosevelt used all the techniques possible to win votes. His speeches were effective and used catchy slogans like New Deal. He said popular things in his speeches, such as: I am waging war against Destruction, Delay, Deceit and Despair In this quote he could mean: Delay the continual delay of economical healing strategy employment. Deceit referring to the false republican claim that prosperity is just around the corner. Despair the way that the republicans had left the people of America in the cold by. And finally, Destruction the problem about loss of American pride. Speeches, like in all political campaigns, had a big part to play in winning votes. Roosevelt was a good speaker, and source A is a superb example of his brilliant speeches. He was telling the population what they wanted to hear. He was admitting that beating depression would be a difficult struggle, but he was up to it if they gave him the job. The way that he admitted it would be difficult made him appear humble, a quality that none of the other politicians had, it also made his objectives seem more realistic. When trying to win votes he was appealing to the ordinary person.

Negocios Exitosos

Negocios Exitosos â€Å"Si no conoces el puerto a donde quieres llegar, ningà ºn viento es favorable†. (Sà ©neca) Esta famosa cita del polà ­tico, moralista y filà ³sofo Lucio Anneo Sà ©neca nos ayuda a entender la importancia de los conceptos de visià ³n y misià ³n. Segà ºn Sà ©neca, el viento no era el factor primordial para lograr un viaje exitoso. A pesar de que sà ­ era necesario, existà ­an factores mayores que à ©ste. El conocer dà ³nde se encontraba el puerto, asà ­ como cuà ¡l era la mejor ruta para llegar al destino deseado, eran factores de mayor importancia que los mismos vientos. De igual manera podemos utilizar esta sà ­mil cuando hablamos del mundo empresarial. A travà ©s de este ensayo se analizarà ¡ de manera crà ­tica la importancia de la visià ³n y misià ³n en el à ©xito empresarial. Segà ºn el autor del libro Negocios Exitosos Jack Fleitman, en el mundo empresarial, la visià ³n se define como el camino al cual se dirige la empresa a largo plazo y sirve de rumbo y aliciente para orientar las decisiones estratà ©gicas de crecimiento junto a las de competitividad. (Del libro Negocios Exitosos, de Flietman Jack, McGraw Hill, 2000, Pà ¡g. 283.) Tomando como primicia la definicià ³n de Fleitman, plantearemos nuestra propia definicià ³n simple de visià ³n como la habilidad de establecer claramente metas versà ¡tiles y anà ¡lisis de sus consecuencias. Cuando volvemos a analizar la cita de Sà ©neca podemos ver que la visià ³n empresarial no sà ³lo establece claramente lo que la empresa està ¡ realizando en el momento de hoy, asà ­ como los vientos no garantizan llegar al puerto. La visià ³n empresarial debe ser una versà ¡til que toma en consideracià ³n nuestro mundo altamente tecnolà ³gico y transformable. Por consiguiente, cuando se define el concepto de visià ³n en una empresa los administradores deben de poseer un sentido de unanimidad, pensamiento estratà ©gicamente crà ­tico, asà ­ como metas agresivas y reales. La visià ³n empresarial tiene como objetivo final el desarrollar y exponer las expectativas estratà ©gicas de la empresa. Estas expectativas deben de tomar en consideracià ³n nuestro mundo altamente cambiante, asà ­ como las metas a largo y corto plazo de la organizacià ³n. Es imprescindible, el que las aspiraciones sean reales, concretas y medibles. Debido ala competitividad empresarial, la visià ³n debe de ser una moldeable que se centre en la cultura organizacional, asà ­ como tambià ©n en sus recursos para sobrellevar la competencia. Para poder lograr alcanzar esta ideologà ­a la empresa no solo debe definir su visià ³n, sino que de igual importancia debe de establecer su misià ³n. Por consiguiente, la misià ³n empresarial es considerada por Philip Kotler y Gary Armstrong como â€Å"un importante elemento de la planificacià ³n estratà ©gica). (Marketing, 2004) debido a que la misià ³n de la empresa tiene como punto de partida el establecer detalladamente los ideales que encaminarà ¡n a la empresa hacia la meta trazada. Volviendo la ilustracià ³n del barco, podemos comparar el puerto deseado como la visià ³n del capità ¡n, pero es el barco el que llevarà ¡ al capità ¡n hacia ese puerto. Por consiguiente, podemos asimilar la misià ³n con el barco, debido a que ambos son el â€Å"elemento† que se utilizo para alcanzar la meta deseada. Segà ºn el artà ­culo de Josà © Alejandro Visià ³n y Misià ³n: Dos conceptos Fundamentales,† la misià ³n de la empresa sirve como fundamento para todas las decisiones importantes que toma el equipo gerencial.†(Del artà ­culo, Visià ³n y Misià ³n: Dos conceptos Fundamentales, Alejandro Josà ©, 2008.) La misià ³n de la empresa es el â€Å"alma mater† de la organizacià ³n. La misià ³n incluye la alta gama de detalles que una empresa debe considerar para poder alcanzar ser competitivamente exitosa. Segà ºn Josà © Alejandro, la misià ³n cubre la clientela que se va a servir, las necesidades a satisfacer, los productos que se tendrà ¡n, los linderos de las actividades empresariales, en fin todo componente clave que envuelve y acaparra lo que es la empresa. La visià ³n y la misià ³n de la empresa son dos conceptos intrà ­nsecamente relacionados y dependiente uno del otro. Para poder asegurar el à ©xito rotundo de una empresa, la compaà ±Ãƒ ­a debe de establecer un cimiento sà ³lido. Metafà ³ricamente, la visià ³n y misià ³n son el cimiento de toda empresa. Cuando una empresa limita o carece de visià ³n y misià ³n, los resultados son evidentemente desastrosos. Es por ello, que podemos ver el auge de muchas empresas nuevas, pero con corta duracià ³n e impacto. En muchas ocasiones, estas derrotas son debido a la falta de visià ³n y misià ³n, o la falta de modificar o alterar su visià ³n y misià ³n para poder satisfacer las necesidades de su clientela en este mundo altamente evolutivo. Si interpretamos todo lo descrito anteriormente podemos decir que la visià ³n y misià ³n de una empresa son el cimiento de la organizacià ³n. La visià ³n logra identificar, establecer y vislumbrar la meta que se desea obtener, mientras que la misià ³n propone las estrategias que se necesitan, para poder logarar esas metas. Ambas tienen como caracterà ­sticas el ser altamente moldeable, para poder sufragar las necesidades de la empresa, clientela, asà ­ como las necesidades de su entorno altamente veleidoso. Referencias Administracià ³n Estratà ©gica Conceptos y Casos, ThompsonArthur y Strickland A.J. III, 11va. Edicià ³n, Editorial McGraw Hill, 2001, Pà ¡g. 4. Negocios Exitosos, de Flietman Jack, McGraw Hill, 2000, Pà ¡g. 283.) Visià ³n y Misià ³n: Dos conceptos Fundamentales, Alejandro Josà ©, 2008

How the Characters of the Scarlet Letter Represent Sin :: English Literature Essays

How the Characters of the Scarlet Letter Represent Sin Lexico Publishing Dictionary at Dictionary.com defines sin as; 1. A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate, and 2. Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong. These who definitions cleary represent the sin in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, through the characters Hester Prynne, her daughter Pearl, Dimmesdale the father, and Chillingworth, Hester's husband. Hester Prynne, the wearer of the famous scarlet letter that gave the novel it's name, is the story's source of the unforgivable sin that tears through the community of Boston in the 1600's. Hester's future and reputation in her small home town were changed forever after she was sentenced to wear the beautifuly embroidered scarlet letter "A" for the rest of her days in the village. This letter on her chest forces her to be a public outcast, and a symbol for everyone else around her to look at, as a sinner. As Hawthorne describes it, "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself" , it did just that. Hester soon realizes that she is in a world of her own now, and must deal with this punishment as she has brought it onto herself. Since the scarlet letter itself represents sin, it brings about her isolation from the world and shows her sin will affect her own livlihood. Also, things such as guilt and lonlines s are concequences of her sin, that she must learn to deal with. But probly the most important symbol of her sin is her daughter Pearl, as she is living evidence of the adultery between Hester and Dimmsedale. Pearl, the outcome of the relation between Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale, is the very embodiment of Hester. Pearl represents them same thing the scarlet letter represents in once sense, as both are bound to Hester forever and are both outcomes of her sin. Both Pearl and the letter A add to the anguish and pain that the scarlet letter offer from her mother's sin. Pearl is not just a reminder of the deed like the scarlet letter, but actually helps in the torturing of her mother without knowing it. As it did to Hester, the scarlet letter became a big part in Pearls life. Pearls attraction to it drove her mother into even more suffering.

Introducing Speech of UHCL Student

I introduce myself as ________ currently employed as a _______- The right information and the means to use it intelligently can provide an organization an edge over its competitors. Businesses are increasingly looking towards technology not only to realize their short term goals but also to place them strategically for their long term success. This strategy and smart application of technology in Business Processes captivates me.As the process of globalization has reached the frontiers of business, education and technology; it is the only indispensable way for the global organizations to face the challenges of the ever evolving field of technology. I aspire, therefore, to pursue Masters in Management Information Systems at your esteemed University. Throughout my education, I always exhibited a high level of competency and proficiency in my schooling as well as my under graduation.Having scored excellent scores in my higher secondary education, I went on to equip myself with an undergr aduate degree in Instrumentation and Control Engineering, at GNITS, Hyderabad. My career curriculum enhanced my knowledge in subjects like C Programming, Data Structures, Control Systems, Neural Networks, Analytical Instrumentation, Microprocessors, Management Science and Digital Signal Processing. It was during this period that my teachers instilled in me a strong inclination towards Information Management and Computer Programming.During my final year undergraduate course, I presented my project on ‘Color Image Recognition Using Neural Networks'. My project involved coding a programme using MATLAB technology which solves a pattern recognition problem and has a relevance to the filed of Medical Diagnostics, Satellite Imagery and Remote Sensing. As an undergraduate student I also organized an ISTE student chapter symposium, quizzo and mini-project competition. This was made a possibility owing to my excellence in communication skills, technical know-how, analytical aptitude and an intelligent outlook.After my undergraduate education, the strong desire to understand the business process and the requirements of the industry propelled me to accept an employment before pursuing graduate studies. My employment as a Software Engineer at Accenture, a global fortune 500 company, demonstrates my overall aptitude.I found this to be a very good opportunity to gain training and real time work experience in the Information Management domain with primary focus on DW/BI – Data warehousing/ Business Intelligence. Having worked for over 2.5+ years, now I have gained good knowledge on the overall SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle), picked up a few additional skills like Data Modeling techniques, SQL/PLSQL, and experienced with different flavors of UNIX,. This exposure to DW/BI sphere even fostered my interests further in Information Systems Management. Accenture, with its rich heritage in consulting and technology has provided me ample opportunities to gain doma in specific experience and to the ability to provide innovative BI solutions.My project in DW/BI capability was in the consumer goods and services domain for Astra Zeneca, a client, which is a leading pharmaceutical company. My project at _____ was based on an onshore – offshore operating model and it required me to interact closely with the onsite team as well as the client team. This helped me gain new insight into oracle BI tools and also resulted in a training stint at the onsite (Milan) . The time I spent Onsite, in Milan, broadened my vision, had great value additions and helped me become a fully rounded DW/BI professional.Working in the Information Management domain enabled me to gain confidence and to be appreciative of the subjects of MIS and also encouraged me to shoulder bigger responsibilities. My competency and leadership skills were rewarded by my company which awarded me with prestigious Young Achievers Award (2008) and also Best Team Award as mark of my outsta nding performance and contribution. I have done well in all my engagements and have always delivered to the utmost satisfaction of the client.I was successful in taking up Oracle vendor certifications with 100%. I feel it a privilege to have come up first in elocution, debates and other language proficiency competitions held at a district level during my school days. I also showed an aptitude towards innovative skills by participating and winning several prizes in science exhibitions and other technical events. During my under graduation I presented several technical papers which were highly appreciated. I also took active part and  volunteered for social service and community events. All these activities have helped me to develop into multifaceted personality with strong interpersonal skills.I aspire to pursue M. S. in Management Information Systems (MS-MIS) because of my strong interest in information technology and its applications to business settings. I have seen how informat ion systems can serve as a bridge between technology and business by supporting its planning, operations and critical decision making.Now through MIS program I desire to refine my skills and deliver technology-driven business solutions for global organizations to meet their strategic objectives. I believe that MIS program at University of Houston, Clear Lake will enhance my knowledge and help me greatly in attaining my career goals. Amidst the brilliant academic setting of UHCL, I desire to gain the expertise and eventually make an indispensable contribution to the field of Information Systems. It is with sincere hope that I look forward to be a part of UHCL

An Argument for Civil Disobedience

An Argument for Civil Disobedience Are acts of civil disobedience ever appropriate? According to American history, acts of disobedience in the face of tyranny are not only appropriate but expected. The very fabric of this nation was shaped by acts of civil disobedience and rebellion. Human morality is not always defined by governmental regulations and when those regulations are in direct defiance of morality, it is the people’s obligation to stand with their beliefs and change the government.The United States of America as we know it was created by acts of disobedience. Thoreau states â€Å"the character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished†. Our own founding fathers embodied the principles of disobedience by rebelling against the tyranny of England by writing the Declaration of Independence because their morality conflicted with English governmental policies. Even colonists, refusing to be over taxed on imports, were responsible for t he Boston Tea Party.The freedom we enjoy today was the direct result of disobedience. The government created by our founding fathers was not immune to its own conflict with moral conscience leading to disobedience and rebellion. For example, the civil rights movement of the 1960’s was fueled by acts of civil disobedience. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, her passive defiance personified civil disobedience. In the minds of civil rights leaders, the Jim Crow laws which defined segregation were inappropriate. They believed skin color did not define human worth.Civil rights activists actively defied the government, changing policies, and earning equal rights for all races. Our current presidential administration is not immune to defiance. In the passage â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, Thoreau summarizes that elected officials can pervert the concepts of government and its power to satisfy personal agendas. The Obama administration and its efforts toward gun control have spurred a new generation of disobedient citizens across the nation. Ordinarily law abiding citizens are purchasing guns and ammunition at an alarming rate and are daring the government to take them away.Americans even use social media, such as Facebook, to challenge the disarming of its citizens. Law enforcement officials are writing statements vowing to disallow federal officials to confiscate the guns our president is trying to ban. If our past dictates our future, the people will prevail and President Obama will fail. The spirit of the American people is by definition, disobedient. Our conscience refuses to allow government to abuse its citizens physically, mentally, or financially. â€Å"The government is best which governs not at all. † -Henry David Thoreau

Persecution in the Early Church

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that one of the factors that the early church grew was because of persecution. However, this was not the only factor. The faith of those who followed Jesus Christ transcended the state of Christianity and helped it grow exponentially in the first centuries. Introduction Christianity today has millions of followers. In the early stages of Christianity, this wasn't always the case. How and why did it spread? Nowadays, many convert to Christianity for various reasons. Following the death of Jesus Christ, the persecution of Christians in the early church did not hinder or eliminate the growth of Christianity, on the contrary, there is a direct correlation between the persecution and growth of Christianity in the early church. However, persecution was only one reason, of all the many reasons that helped the early church grow. It was the apostle Paul who said, â€Å"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for is the power of God unto salvation . . . to the Jew first and also to the Greek† (Rom. 1:16). There was no power or empire on earth that was going to stop the growth of Christianity. In as little as three centuries, Christianity became the religion of preference and eventually the official religion of the Roman Empire. According to K. S. Latourette, â€Å"The complete story of the spread of Christianity in the first couple of centuries cannot be entirely told, for there is not sufficient data to write it.† Moreover, what can be told is that within the first five centuries Christianity became the dominant religion. Christianity began in the Roman Empire and became one of the major systems of belief. The irony of the intolerance of Christianity was that most cultures of the time accepted all sorts of deities. When the Apostle Paul stood before the Aeropagus he makes mention that the people of Athens were religious people in the sense that they had many Gods. The author F. F. Bruce states, â€Å"Paul was brought and invited to expound his teaching.† The Apostle Paul said, â€Å"As I was walking through your city and observing your objects of worship I found an altar bearing the inscription: â€Å"to an Unknown God† (Act 17:23). The number of gods and objects that were worshiped was so vast, that the people of Athens even had an altar made to someone who was unknown, just to make sure they hadn't forgotten anyone. Even with the vastness of religions, somehow Christianity was an outcast in the middle of a plurality of religions. Century after century of persecution, which in some cases occurred in isolated areas, and other times was empire driven, the Roman Empire was bent on eradicating Christianity. How is it that Christianity continued to grow in spite of the onslaught of persecution that occurred? According to Phillip Schaff, there are at least ten major persecutions that stand out in the early church. Here are the ten Roman Emperors who initiated those persecutions:Nero (64-68) PersecutionDomitian (81-96)Trajan (112-117)Marcus Aurelius (161-180)Septimus Severus (202-210)Decius (250-251)Valerian (257-59).Maximinus (235-38)Aurelian (r. 270–275)Diocletian and Galerius (303-324)A Brief Summary of Some of the Notable Roman Emperor Driven Persecutions (Nero 64-68AD).According to Everett Ferguson, the apostles Paul, Peter, and James were all killed within five years of one another in the m id-sixties. James was killed by the Jerusalem authorities while Peter and Paul were executed in Rome under Nero (64-68 AD). After Nero's persecution of Christians (64 AD), Paul is never heard of again. James â€Å"the brother of the Lord†, as the leader of the Jerusalem church and was respected by his followers, however, in 62 AD, he was assassinated under the authority of the Jewish high priest. In the year 66, the Jews rebelled against the Roman authority and â€Å"refused to perform the daily sacrifice for the emperor.† Four years later, the Emperor Vespasian's forces, led by Titus, completely plundered and destroyed Jerusalem. At this point, the leadership of Christianity was seemingly wiped out. There would be no logical reason for Christianity to grow now that the leadership was dead. Millard J. Erickson writes that Christians knew, â€Å"one salient dimension of God's preservation is that the believer is not spared from danger or trial, but is preserved within it. There is no promise that suffering or persecution will not come, but rather that they would not prevail against them.† The Apostle Paul affirms this reasoning when he states, â€Å"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ† (Rom. 8:35). â€Å"Persecution† is assumed in his statement following this verse, and he ends with this summary, â€Å"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord† (Rom. 38-39). Approximately, five centuries before this, the same faithful stance resonated in Daniel's three friends before King Nebuchadnezzar in the face of a fiery furnace. It is here that one begins to grasp the starting point of why Christians would not compromise their faith even through persecution. Ekeke observes, â€Å"The persecution under Nero was confined to Rome, but this action set the tone for what would occur elsewhere in the Roman Empire.† Before killing the Christians, Nero would dress them in furs to be killed as animals while others were crucified. Christians were seen as mere animals in the eyes of Nero. The Letter of the Churches of Vienne and Lyons According to Ferguson, this letter is considered one of the most important letters of second-century martyr literature. â€Å"The persecution at Lyons is notable (1) for the first-hand account of the rage of the populace that resulted in exceedingly brutal experiences for Christians and (2) for a large number of martyrs, the Roman citizens beheaded and the rest condemned to the wild beast contests in the area.† Decius and Valerian The Roman empire fell on economic hard times, and in the fall of 249 A. D. Caius Messius Decius became head of the Roman Empire. Decius concluded that Roman gods had been neglected. He affirmed that the solution the Empire needed, was that all Roman temples should be reopened, and that all citizens needed to show their allegiance to the gods of Rome by worshiping at the shrines. The Christians refused to worship at the shrines, and their refusal was seen as an act of treason. Christianity, in the view of the emperor, had become a detriment to Roman society. When Valerian superseded Decius, within time it was clear that his agenda â€Å"was to destroy Christianity.† However, both Valerian and Decius true motives for wanting to get rid of Christianity were based seemingly on economic principles on the basis of trying to avoid further economic ruin. The suppression strengthened rather than weaken Christianity at the hands of Decius and Valerian. â€Å"For public opinion condemned the government's violence and applauded the passive resistance of the Christian.† Once again, the relentless efforts of the Emperors failed at destroying Christianity. At this time many Christians defied the Roman government and the bishops of Antioch, Jerusalem, and Rome were executed. Diocletian and Galerius (303-324)Diocletian is considered by historians to be one of the most brutal persecutors of Christians. Although he helped restore efficiency in government processes, such as but not limited to the economy, military, and administration, he also gave the order to eliminate Christianity from the Roman Empire (the irony of this is that his wife, Prisca, and his daughter, Valeria, were considered Christians), burn scriptures, ban Christian gatherings, and tear down church buildings. Diocletian also ordered the leaders of the church to be tortured, imprisoned and put to death. Galerius, the son-in-law of Diocletian (married to Valeria), and the Caesar who ruled the eastern part of the empire, was the one who convinced Diocletian to begin the persecution. By the year 311, Galerius came to finally realize the ineffectiveness of his attempt to wipe out Christianity. Although there were many Christians who recanted their faith in Christianity in the middle of facing martyrdom, thousands did not recant, and paid the ultimate price for the faith in Christ with their own blood. In effect, as persecution persisted, more and more Christians died for their faith. Diocletian's reign is considered one of the â€Å"last great persecution of the Christian church.† Some of the Reasons for PersecutionOne of the main reasons for hostility towards Christians was that the Christian ethic in itself was a criticism of pagan life. The Roman persecutions many times were in part, dependent on the political atmosphere. Moreover, â€Å"Out of the fifty-four emperors who ruled from 30 and 311, only about a twelve, persecuted Christians. . . It has been calculated that between the first persecution under Nero in 64 to the Edit of Milan in 313, Christians went through almost 130 years of persecution.† The Christian ethic went against all the pagan and immoral way of living propagated by the Roman Empire. Fundamental to the Christian lifestyle was the rejection of pagan gods. Both the Greeks and Romans had gods for all the natural and man-made elements. The denial of these elements â€Å"marked the followers of Jesus as â€Å"enemies of the human race.† Amongst other things, â€Å"Christians were accused of sexual sins and cannibalism.† Ferguson writes, â€Å"The presence of Christians had been the occasion of disturbance in Rome. Christian teaching threatened pagan society during the reign of Claudius. . . Under Nero, and in response to other blaming him for the great fire that destroyed much of Rome (64 AD), Nero blamed and punished Christians for the fire.† After Nero, Domitian was remembered in Christian writing as the next persecuting emperor. Correspondence between Pliny the Younger (governor of Bithynia the emperor, Trajan, states that Pliny executed those Christians who did not deny their Christian faith. In spite of all the efforts to eliminate and suppress Christianity, it remained a peaceful and powerful group in the Roman Empire. The author Alannis Nobbs states, â€Å"It is attested by the growing number of fragments of earlier Christian literary papyri, and it confirms the rapid spread of Christian activity.† One by one the persecutors of the Christians passed away, yet, Christianity kept growing. William Tabbernne writes of Eusebius, â€Å"God's restraining hand can always be replaced once God's purposes have been served, forcing evil tyrants, such as Maximinus II, to stop persecuting. More importantly, God can also raised up pro Christian Emperors, such as Constantine, who will protect, rather than persecute the church.† The push of Christianity was so powerful that its converts included Roman Emperors. Reasons why Christianity Spread in the First Couple of Centuries after Christ's DeathAgainst all logic, the spread of Christianity should have been stopped by the immoral belief systems of many Roman Emperors and the waves of persecution that bombarded the early church. Phillip Schaff writes: The chief positive cause of the rapid spread and ultimate triumph of Christianity is to be found in its own absolute intrinsic worth, as the universal religion of salvation, and in the perfect teaching and example of its divine-human Founder, who proves himself to every believing heart a Savior from sin and a giver of eternal life. Christianity is adapted to all classes, conditions, and relations among men, to all nationalities and races, to all grades of culture, to every soul that longs for redemption from sin, and for holiness of life. Its value could be seen in the truth and self-evidencing power of its doctrines; in the purity and sublimity of its precepts; in its regenerating and sanctifying effects on heart and life; in the elevation of woman and of home life over which she presides; in the amelioration of the condition of the poor and suffering; in the faith, the brotherly love, the beneficence, and the triumphant death of its confessors. With or without persecution, Christianity would have continued to spread throughout the world. Persecution either affirmed the early church in what they stood for or it drove them away. The moral teachings and power of the gospel brought hope to an empire that was on a downward spiral into immorality and economic ruin. People in general grew weary of the evil that was associated with the pagan gods, their own personal struggles, and the decline and cruelties of the Roman Emperors. What Christianity had to offer back then, as it does now, is hope. Not hope, for hope's sake, but hope in the very person for whom they were being persecuted. A hope not just for this physical life but for the eternal life offered by Christ. Christianity condemned the immoral practices of the Roman culture. The Christian appeal was one of loving your neighbor and your enemy. This ethic stood in stern contrast to the ideal or philosophy of that time. It was one of preserving not only the unity of marriage but the unity of the family. Most of the apostolic leadership lost their lives for the type of life that Christ offered. However, being a follower of Christ came at a cost. The apostle Paul wrote, â€Å"everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted† (2 Tim. 3:12). The apostle John wrote that Jesus said, if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute His followers (John 15:20). The Roman empire was one bent on the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, sensuality, and self-gain and self-interest. If truth is said, modern society has not changed much. Jesus said, â€Å"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you† (John 15:18-19). It is these types of enduring words that were etched in the hearts of those who were persecuted in the early church. Christians subscribed to a different lifestyle than what Roman society offered. What did Roman society offer? The apostle Peter says, â€Å"For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do, living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you† (1 Pet. 4:3-4). Peter depicts the current state of affairs of Roman society, and the reasons why Christians were hated and persecuted. For these and many other reasons the early church grew and multiplied until Rome could no longer ignore, suppress, kill off, the faith of those who were followers of Christ. Conclusion The early church grew for many reasons. Although persecution was not a willfully invited reason but rather one that was forced upon them, it is clear that despite hostility and persecution, Christianity continued to grow exponentially across the Roman Empire. An almost unwilling fact and the irony of the persecution is that the more the early church was persecuted, it continues to multiply. Terullian, was on point in saying â€Å"the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.† This same seed is being planted today in many countries who are both tolerant and intolerant to Christianity. The modern church just like the early church can continue to grow if their faith is anchored in Christ. It was true of then as is today. Christians who are faithful did not and will not compromise their faith anyone or anything. The Roman Empire could not sustain its decline and offered no answers to the question of salvation. The intolerance of Christianity helped it spread more because every time Christians rejected what the pagan driven culture offered, they had the opportunity to proclaim their faith in the risen Savior. It is important to also not that most of the early Christian converts were not only Jews but mostly Gentiles. These Gentiles were tired of the pagan religions of Rome and did not want to convert to Judaism (mainly because of its male circumcision and various laws on personal diet). Unlike most religions, Christianity offered something most didn't at the time, and this was Salvation. Salvation was maintained through accepting and remaining faithful to Christ. The light of many shined through faithfulness and was highlighted even more during their persecution.