Simple Writing for a Complex Audience

Simple Writing for a Complex Audience Carlene PalmManager, Client Author ServicesAs a writer, you might feel like you should try to impress your audience with poetic vocabulary and advanced structure. Naturally, you want your piece to be creative so that it draws your readers in and makes your writing stand out, but it is possible to stand out in a negative way. If you make your writing too complex, it can become hard to follow and difficult to finish reading, which can unintentionally push your audience away. Don’t be afraid to take a step back and bring things down a notch; keeping things simple can often make for a better article.VocabularyIt can be tempting to bring out a thesaurus and spice up your vocabulary, but bigger words aren’t always better. While you should try to write at a higher level, your readers shouldn’t need to bring out the dictionary to understand your content. If you find your phrasing to be bland and in need of an upgrade, then by all means, switch things up. But try to stic k with words that are familiar and won’t have your audience Googling definitions online.For example, here are some good options to replace the adjective â€Å"kind.†AmiableCordialGraciousThese synonyms, on the other hand, aren’t as easily recognizable.EleemosynaryClementPropitiousPunctuationMuch like with vocabulary, using complex punctuation in each sentence can make it seem like your article is sophisticated, but there’s a time and a place for each semicolon and dash. Of course, AP Style has its own rules for every punctuation mark, and as long as you follow them, you’ll be golden. Just remember that moderation is key: Exclamation points and dashes shouldn’t appear in every other sentence.In the following example, we use em dashes to offset a nonessential phrase. While it’s not technically wrong, this structure should be used sparingly to avoid stuffing your article with unnecessary punctuation, and commas should be more frequently used instead.â€Å"Jamie — who has red hair — loves going to the park with his dog.†Remember Your AudienceNone of these are steadfast rules and should really be dependent on the subject of your article. Each piece you write will have a targeted audience you should cater to. If your article is intended for a wide variety of people, skip complicated words and long sentence structures. Instead, keep things easy to read so that your reader won’t lose interest in what you have to say. Just be careful not to go too simple though. While you should be cautious about your punctuation, getting rid of it altogether can lead to choppy sentences, and if you constantly use the same simple words, it can come off as boring or redundant. Understand the reading level of your audience and you’ll be sure to write content that meets their needs.

Free Essays on Mosaic-2000

â€Å"Computer Project Seeks to Avert Youth Violence† Ever since the columbine high school shooting in Littleton, Colorado there has been hysteria of sorts. People are so worried about drugs and weapons in school. For this reason â€Å"the federal bureau of Alcohol, tobacco and firearms is working with an outside threat evaluation company to put together a computer program to help school officials spot troubled students who might be on the brink of violence.† this is the basis to Francis X. Clines essay â€Å"computer project seeks to avert youth violence† The computer program that had been being developed is called the â€Å"Mosaic-2000†. The program he states will rate potentially violent students on a 1-10 scale 1 being least violent and 10 being on the brink. Clines quotes the principal of Reynoldsburg high school as saying â€Å"columbine forever changed things for all of us,† this threat of violence at school is now a â€Å"very real† threat and parents want to see something done about it. But also parents don’t want their children being labeled as clines quotes a parent in the Reynoldsburg school district as saying â€Å"It sounds ok as long as you don’t start labeling kids†¦There’s kind of scary stuff out there†¦but there can be a fine line between a kid out to get attention and a really troubled kid.† Her concerns are true but they would not be using this for every kid in school it would be used primarily as an aid to school officials on cases that kids had made t hreats or had brought weapons to school so they say. The Ohio chapter of the A.C.L.U. is quoted calling it a â€Å"technological band-aid.† But as I feel and Francis clines says that it would not be the answer but it would be and aid to school officials in circumstances of high danger. As Clines quotes Betty Montgomery the Ohio attorney general as saying â€Å"It brings together the shared experiences of many experts plus an evaluative piece.† â€Å"The Mos... Free Essays on Mosaic-2000 Free Essays on Mosaic-2000 â€Å"Computer Project Seeks to Avert Youth Violence† Ever since the columbine high school shooting in Littleton, Colorado there has been hysteria of sorts. People are so worried about drugs and weapons in school. For this reason â€Å"the federal bureau of Alcohol, tobacco and firearms is working with an outside threat evaluation company to put together a computer program to help school officials spot troubled students who might be on the brink of violence.† this is the basis to Francis X. Clines essay â€Å"computer project seeks to avert youth violence† The computer program that had been being developed is called the â€Å"Mosaic-2000†. The program he states will rate potentially violent students on a 1-10 scale 1 being least violent and 10 being on the brink. Clines quotes the principal of Reynoldsburg high school as saying â€Å"columbine forever changed things for all of us,† this threat of violence at school is now a â€Å"very real† threat and parents want to see something done about it. But also parents don’t want their children being labeled as clines quotes a parent in the Reynoldsburg school district as saying â€Å"It sounds ok as long as you don’t start labeling kids†¦There’s kind of scary stuff out there†¦but there can be a fine line between a kid out to get attention and a really troubled kid.† Her concerns are true but they would not be using this for every kid in school it would be used primarily as an aid to school officials on cases that kids had made t hreats or had brought weapons to school so they say. The Ohio chapter of the A.C.L.U. is quoted calling it a â€Å"technological band-aid.† But as I feel and Francis clines says that it would not be the answer but it would be and aid to school officials in circumstances of high danger. As Clines quotes Betty Montgomery the Ohio attorney general as saying â€Å"It brings together the shared experiences of many experts plus an evaluative piece.† â€Å"The Mos...

For the US Gov. Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

For the US Gov. Exam - Essay Example g laws, can neither of them consist with the ends of society and government, which men would not quit the freedom of the state of nature for, and tie themselves up under, were it not to preserve their lives, liberties and fortunes; and by stated rules of right and property to secure their peace and quiet.† Thomas Paine (1997, 6), another figure whose influence on early American thinkers cannot be understated, warned in his pamphlet Common Sense â€Å"the king is not to be trusted without being looked after, or in other words, a thirst for absolute power is the natural disease of the monarchy.† With anti-monarchist influences like Locke and Paine, it’s not wonders that the architects of the American constitution constructed a political system that significantly limited the powers of the executive branch and instituted a number of difficult-to-navigate checks and balances. Much debate surrounded the exact role of the President during the early constitutional debates that followed the American Revolution. However, it was universally agreed upon that a strong separation of powers was needed. Much of the debate surrounded exactly how powerful, or how weak, the executive branch, headed by the President, was to be. The founders of the American constitution agreed (MacDonald, 1994, 126) â€Å"that safety and ordered liberty cannot exist without competent government and that government without an executive authority is no government at all.† Ultimately, the founders agreed on a concept that would create a natural and permanent tension between the President, the chief executive, and the members of Congress who were responsible for the legislation of the nation’s laws. They did this be ensuring that the new constitution contained (Thach, 1969, 70)â€Å"no constitutional legal barrier which Congress could not at pleasure cross.† This intuit ional strength that the founders granted Congress would significantly diminish the powers of the American executive, especially when

Management a la Google by Gary Hamel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management a la Google by Gary Hamel - Essay Example Secondly, the company maintains a networked organizational structure rather than a hierarchical one, thereby ensuring that ideas which are generated compete on the basis of merit rather than hierarchical authority. Thirdly, Google management allows its executive to develop 20% of their working time for any project they choose as opposed to being restricted to working with ongoing projects only. This ensures that new ideas and projects are concurrently being developed, which is equivalent to Google’s seed corn for the future. (Hamel, 2006). Fourthly, Google is committed to ensuring that only the best brains become part of the Google team. The reasoning is that the entry of mediocre employees will produce a corresponding decline in the quality of the work that is produced for the Company. Hamel offers the opinion that Google management appears to be pursuing a well-honed strategy that is likely to yield benefits in the future and help the company to avoid many of the traditional pitfalls that afflict other Companies. Google’s strategic focus on innovation and the development of new software and technology is likely to help the Company to sustain a competitive edge rather than becoming stagnant and resting on its laurels as other companies tend to do. By ensuring that ongoing projects are not given so much value that not enough provision is made for the future, Google is ensuring that new seeds are being continuously planted, which could yield future benefits for the Company. The Company’s loose, networked structure is also likely to be an advantage in ensuring that decisions are made fast and with the minimum of bureaucracy so that the Company continues to function in an efficient manner, giving precedence to the merit of new ideas over hierarchical power structures and authority. Its elitist stand in hiring only A-level executives and keeping out mediocre.

What is security Why network security is important Coursework

What is security Why network security is important - Coursework Example Although there are thousands of definition available on the Internet related to security.The definition available on ‘www.businessdictionary.com’ covers the basics and states it as â€Å"Prevention of and protection against assault, damage, fire, fraud, invasion of privacy, theft, unlawful entry, and other such occurrences caused by deliberate action†. In the context of network security definition, it consists of concerns related to network communication privacy, confidentiality of data over the network, accessing unauthorized classified data, access to prohibited network domains and utilizing Internet for concealed communication (Network Security. 2007) It is the twentieth century where improved communication technologies are inventing one after another. Internet has become a powerful and interactive carrier providing extensive activities and web services. Organizations expand their resources with the help of Internet. Websites are created, for informational purp oses, advertisement, online shopping etc. In the modernized countries, Internet is utilized for education, electronic shopping, blogs, social networking and information. Even today, where every technology interrelated to Information technology involves the dot com phenomenon; Internet is relatively an evolving field which is persistently changing. The widespread use of computing technology has facilitated small, medium and corporate organizations to achieve goals in an efficient way. The revolution of Information Technology has created new trends of doing business and communication. Moreover, the technology has provided a new approach of operating businesses during the past several years, and continues to provide many benefits as it spreads all over the globe. However, with its widespread adoption, threats and vulnerabilities are also rising. Organizations spent enormous funds to secure their data and network environment. Moreover, hardware security modules taken into consideration for securing highly classified data. However, these modules require frequent updates for virus definitions and new threats, which may affect the network anytime. Every now and then, new threats are designed and developed by hackers or cyber criminals. In spite of securing the networks and data centers, with the most updated and advanced security modules, there is still a probability of a new threat to intrude into the network. In addition, hackers and cyber criminals are exploring efficient codes day by day to improve the hacking software, in order to breach in to classified information, banks, online websites etc. As the threats and vulnerabilities are infinite, no one can memorize them in order to take a measured approach, the initial step is to identify the vulnerability type. An organization named as CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure) provides a database to search for a particular public known vulnerability. The sponsors for CVE are US-CERT and managed by MITRE Corporatio n. The goal is to provide common names for all publicly known security threats and exposures. In order to extract information from CVE, access of National Vulnerability Database is mandatory (NVD) (Cve. 2011). Why Network Security is Important This is an era of digital connectivity along with digitized attack of hackers, cyber criminals, electronic eaves dropping and online fraud. Moreover, there is no room for risk and threats in a computing network where thousands of online transactions are in process. The volatile expansion of computer systems and the interconnectivity of these devices via a network have significantly amplified the dependence of organizations on the information systems. Moreover, due to vast dependency of organization on information systems, security and protection of these systems has become a mandatory factor. Furthermore, by considering these factors, the network security is triggered, in terms of protecting data and resources from revelation to ensure the aut henticity of digital transmission. The functionality of the network depends on the

Conversational Valence and Binge Drinking Relationship

Conversational Valence and Binge Drinking Relationship Results Manipulation check First, a manipulation check was conducted in order to check if the different conditions (valence and activeness) led to the intended positive/negative and active/passive responses, respectively. For this purpose, univariate analyses of variance (ANOVAS) were conducted with valence conditions as independent and valence as dependent variables. The results revealed a statistically significant effect of valence condition on the participants’ valence F(1,129): 80.94, p=.000, (M=3.80, SD=1.41) and on the partner’s valence F(1,129): 61.09, p=.000, (M=3.93, SD=1.50). Furthermore, the results revealed a statistically significant effect of the participants’ activeness condition on the level of activeness F(1,129): 41.73, p=.000, (M=4.47, SD=1.53) and a marginally significant effect of the partners’ activeness F(1,129): 3.76, p=.055, (M=5.09, SD=1.25). Additionally, we examined the extent to which participants followed the instructions and responded to the assigned role. For this reason, we conducted a crosstabulation check, which indicated that the 63.6% of the individuals assigned to the negative condition, perceived the conversation as negative whereas 33.3% as neither negative nor positive and 3.0% as positive. Also, 53.8% of the individuals in the positive condition perceived the conversation as positive, whereas 30.8% and 15.4% of the participants perceived the conversation as neither negative nor positive, and negative, respectively. Moreover, 52.9% of the individuals in the passive condition perceived that they have spoken passively. However, the majority (84.1%) of the individuals assigned to the active condition perceived that they have spoken as instructed.[1] The effect of conversational valence on binge drinking determinants To investigate H1 (i.e. whether conversational valence influenced attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention towards binge drinking) four univariate Analyses of Variance (ANOVAs) were conducted with conversational valence condition as the independent variable and attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention as the dependent variables. The results indicated a significant main effect of valence on attitude F(1,129): 8.53, p=.004, which means that participants with positive conversational valence about alcohol received higher binge drinking attitude (M=3.85, SD=1.32) than those with negative (M=3.20, SD=1.23). Similarly, a significant main effect of valence on perceived behavioral control F(1,129): 4.82, p=.030 was indicated, revealing that those in who were engaged in positively valence conversation had higher perceived behavioral control (M=4.48, SD=1.90) than those in negatively valence conversation (M=3.75, SD=1.93). Furthermore, a marginally significant main effect on subjective norm F(1,129): 3.25, p=.074, was revealed. This means that participants with positive conversational valence had higher subjective norm (M=3.61, SD =1.62) than those with negative (M=3.09, SD=1.70). However, a non-significant main effect on intention F(1,129): 0.08, p=.782. was found, and the binge drinking intention did not differ significantly across the two valence conditions (M=2.48, SD=1.51 and M=2.40, SD=1.70 respectively). As it is revealed, positive conversational valence about alcohol elicits more positive binge drinking attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control compared to negative conversational valence. Moreover, more positive binge drinking intention is indicated in positively valenced conversations, although the difference is not statistically significant. Therefore, according to these results, H1 was largely supported. Furthermore, according to previous research, four linear regression analyses with conversational valence as the predictor and attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention as the dependent variables were conducted in order to explore if the conversational valence predicts the binge drinking determinants. The results are presented in Table 1. A more negative conversational valence about alcohol significantly predicts more negative attitude (ÃŽ ²=.25, p=.004) and perceived behavioral control (ÃŽ ²=.02, p=.030) toward binge drinking. Also, a more negative conversational valence about alcohol marginally significantly predicts more negative subjective norm towards binge drinking (ÃŽ ²=.16, p=.074). However, binge drinking intention is not significantly predicted by the conversational valence (ÃŽ ²=.02, p=.782). Table 1: Relationships between conversational valence and attitude, subjective norm perceived behavioral control, and intention The effect of activeness and conversational valence on alcohol determinants In order to explore the effect of activeness on attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intentions as well as the interaction between activeness and conversational valence, four univariate ANOVAs were conducted with conversational valence and activeness as the independent variables, and attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention as the dependent variables. The results revealed a non significant effect (p F(1,127): .69, p=.409, perceived behavioral control F(1,127): .69, p=.409, subjective norm F(1,127):1.08, p=.301, and intentions F(1,127): 1.28, p=.260. Additionally, the results revealed a non-significant interaction effect between valence and activeness (attitude F(1,127): 1.44, p=.233, perceived behavioral control F(1,127): 1.38, p=.537, subjective norm F(1,127):1.00, p=.319 and intention F(1,127): .40, p=.527). The result scores of the key variables of the study can be found in Figure 1. Figure 1: Mean scores of binge drinking determinants across valence and activeness conditions Concluding, our results indicate that whereas conversational valence significantly influences binge drinking determinants (attitude, perceived control, subjective norm), the level of active participation in a conversation had no significant effect on these factors. Discussion The main objective of the study was to provide a profound understanding of the influence of interpersonal communication on alcohol determinants, by manipulating two different facets: conversational valence and level of active participation in the conversation. We first hypothesized that a more positive (negative) conversational valence about alcohol elicits more positive (negative) binge drinking attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control and increases (decreases) binge drinking intention (Hypothesis 1). An additional hypothesis was that the influence of conversational valence depends on the level of active participation in the conversation about alcohol (Hypothesis 2). The results of the study partly supported H1, but not H2. Two important conclusions can be drawn based on our results. First, when participants speak positively (negatively) about alcohol, their attitude, behavioral control, subjective norm towards binge drinking are more positive (negative). However, the intention to (refrain from) binge drinking is not significantly influenced by the conversational valence. Second, there is neither significant effect of the level of activeness in the conversation on alcohol determinants, nor a significant interaction effect of the activeness with the conversational valence. The first main conclusion conceptually replicates previous results, which proposed that the conversational valence in alcohol-related discussions influences the binge drinking determinants (e.g. Hendriks et al. 2012). Nevertheless, the results of the current study do not indicate a significant influence of the conversational valence on the intention to binge drink. Although, the concept of conversational valence has also been addressed in previous research (e.g. Hendriks, De Bruijn, Van den Putte, 2012; Hendriks et al., 2012), this study was the first to examine this factor by manipulating it. Thus, the discrepancy between the current study and previous research may be due to differences in research designs. As the conversational valence was experimentally manipulated in this study, it is assumed that conversational valence causally provokes changes in binge drinking predictors. However, the fact that participants are instructed to speak in either a positive or a negative way about alcohol, may be opposed to their actual views (negative/positive) and role (passive/active) in a conversation resulting in a non significant effect of the conversation in their binge drinking intention. Therefore, although an instructed conversation may be effective in influencing attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, it is not sufficient and may take a longer time to change the participants’ intention to binge-drink. Additionally, according to previous studies (Jamison and Myers, 2008) the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was relatively weak in explaining intention to binge-drink. Also, it was found (Armitage Conner, 2001) that the TPB accounted for only 39% of variance in the intention to binge drink. Thus, as Gibbond, Houlihan Gerrard, 2009) supported, the TPB cannot thoroughly define the irrational nature of health risk behaviours. An additional finding is that participants reported a high level of perceived behavioural control (PBC) in all the four conditions and showed the largest differences between the valence and between the activeness conditions. Notably, as Norman, Bennettand Lewis (1998) supported, the control factor is the most important determinant in binge drinking. Moreover, as previous research suggested, perceived behavioural control and subjective norm may affect intention indirectly through attitude formation (Susanto Goodwin, 2013; Chung et al., 2012; Tarkiainen Sundqvist, 2005). †¦.As in other studies in the domain of binge-drinking (Johnston et al., 2003), in our research we employed single construct measures of general perceived behavioral control (we do not distinguish between self-efficacy and perceived controllability), which tap the extent to which behavioral performance is believed to be easy or difficult (Armitage Corner, 2001). Admittedly, research revealed that only self-efficacy predicts binge-drinking intention (Norman, 2011; Normal et al., 2007). Further research distinguishing these two components of perceived behavioral control is therefore required. We suggest one reason for the non-significant influence of perceived behavioural control on intention to binge drink In addition, the second goal of this study was to introduce a new factor that may influence the effect of interpersonal communication about alcohol on binge drinking determinants. For this purpose, we investigated how the level of activeness in a conversation (active vs. passive) influences binge drinking predictors and how this interacts with the effect of conversational valence in conversations about alcohol. In order to investigate this we instructed participants to speak either actively or passively in positively or negatively valenced alcohol conversations. This factor has not been explicitly explored in the past, thus this research provides preliminary evidence on this topic. Although no significant main effect of activeness on alcohol determinants was found in the analyses, positive valence and high activeness in the conversation result in the most unhealthy alcohol determinants (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention), as predicted. Respectively, negative valence and high activeness result in the most healthy alcohol attitude. Overall, despite encouraging results from the manipulation checks, the hypotheses were partly (H1) or not supported (H2). In fact, further exploration of the manipulation outcome revealed significant deviations from the instructed valence and activeness conditions, thus a great percentage of participants demonstrated either that they have not complied with the manipulation or that they unconsciously deviated from the instructions. On the one hand, it may be possible that some participants were affected by their existed views when discussing about alcohol and resisted to the counter-attitudinal message such that they did not talk in line with the condition that they were assigned to. One the other hand, people may have perceived the valence that they have talked differently comparatively to how they did actually talk. As recent research suggested, ( Hendriks, Van de Putte de Bruijn, 2015) perceived valence significantly influences attitudes and intention to binge drink. Similarly, personal characteristics (talkative/ concise) of people may intervene in the way that they finally act during the discussion. In particular, as the analyses demonstrated, only 52,9 of the participants who were instructed to talk passively, perceived their role in the conversation as passive. Generally, extroverts who want to talk more, perhaps they didn’t support the instructed passive role hence the difference between the two conditions hasn’t influenced significantly the alcohol determinants itself, nor interacted with the valence condition to †¦ Markedly, there wasn’t an effective way to take into consideration the partners’ evaluations during the main analyses, rendering some items partly ineffective to objectively evaluate the content of conversations about alcohol. Nonetheless, according to the shared reality theory (Hardin Higgins, 1996), there is an interdependence between dyad partners’ responses on the outcomes of interest that may also influence the attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention toward binge drinking. As this theory suggests, through the process of interpersonal communication, discoursers come to a shared understanding of the world, mutually reinforcing one another’s experience. Nevertheless, in real –life settings, these determinants may influence how negatively or positively people talk about alcohol-related topics, thus conversational valence and activeness can influence the determinants of binge drinking behavior, and these binge drinking determinants may inversely influence whether and how positively/negatively or actively/passively people discuss this issue. Implications The present findings have important implications for understanding binge-drinking and developing health interventions. we found support for the effect of conversational valence on attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control. Therefore, in future health campaigns, targeted in creating more negative attitudes, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (but not intention) to binge drink, an effective strategy to use would be to stimulate people to discuss negatively about alcohol. To change attitudes towards binge drinking, interventions should highlight the negative consequences associated with binge drinking and challenge the perceived positive consequences of binge drinking. Alternatively But if it was the change of intention/behavior= another campaign planning would be needed Limitations This study adds to a growing body of research examining factors predicting binge drinking among student populations, however, there is a number of methodological issues that should be considered when interpreting the results. First, binge drinking attitudes, subjective norm and PBC were measured using self-reports, which are vulnerable to cognitive (e.g., Luchins, 1957), affective (e.g., Bower, 1992) and self-presentational (e.g., Paulhus, 2002) biases. Armitage and Conner (2001) reported that the TPB provides stronger predictions of self-report behaviors than observed behaviors. Therefore employing alternative observational techniques (e.g. nominated peers) may be useful in revealing the qualities of the drinking environment that directly influence binge drinking (Van de Goor et al.,1990) although these also have their own limitations (Gill, 2002) Another limitation is as other studies using the TPB to understand student binge drinking behavior, they have not examined beliefs about drinking alcohol. Given that according to Ajzen (1991), beliefs are the ultimate psychological determinants of behavior one needs to alter those beliefs (Ajzen, 2007) in order to bring about change in behaviour, or at least intentions to perform a behaviour, Thus, to design interventions to alter intentions to binge drink in students, one needs to know not only what are the salient beliefs regarding this behaviour in this population, but also which beliefs are associated with intentions and behaviour (Sutton, 2002; Sutton, 2010). -Manipulation of activeness Our sample included English-speaking students with different cultures, thus different perception of (binge) drinking. Interestingly, research has shown that the society’s culture of alcohol determines how much people drink in that community (Heath, 1982).Communities with a culture of drinking have much higher rates of binge drinking, while communities where drinking is disapproved have lower binge drinking rates Conclusion Considering the prevalence of binge drinking as well as the damaging consequences especially in young people we conducted this research in the context of alcohol in student populations. This research highlights the need to broaden the context in which conversations about alcohol are examined. More effective measurement tools in research about alcohol, coupled with improvements in alcohol prevention, will hopefully lead to a downward trend of alcohol use among students and the negative consequences of binge drinking . Therefore, when participants were instructed to discuss about alcohol in either positive or negative aspect, their attitude, subjective norm and behavioral control were influenced by the conversational content whereas intention to refrain from binge drinking was not significantly affected by the conversation [1] A univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to check whether the active condition influenced feelings of power. The results indicated a marginally significant effect of activeness on mean power F(1,129): 3.22, p=.07. Thus, participants who were assigned in the active condition have experienced feelings of power M=5.29, SD=0.69 more in comparison to those who had been assigned to the passive condition (M=5.04, SD=.92). However, no statistically significant effect of valence on mean power was revealed F(1,129): .001, p=.971.

overpopulation a problem? Essay -- essays research papers

Is Overpopulation a Serious Problem?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This question seems to be question that is asked quite frequently lately. In the last two centuries, population has skyrocketed. In 1800 the world population was only at 1 billion, and today it’s estimated that the world population exceeds six billion people. With overpopulation, many problems have arisen. Some believe that overpopulation is the reason for world hunger, global population will reach crisis proportions by 2050, and some believe that overpopulation will bring the extinction of the human race. When one looks at the arguments that these people present, its quite overwhelming the amount of evidence that’s supports their argument. On the other side, the evidence for the opposing arguments is quite staggering as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper I will give a brief description on two opposing arguments dealing with the issues of overpopulation and the effects that it may, or may not have on the present as well as the future. The two articles that I have chosen to analyze are â€Å"Overpopulation Is a Serious Problem† written by Thomas Robert Malthus, and â€Å"Overpopulation Is a Myth† by Frederick Engels. The titles of the articles are pretty self explanatory on the side that they take on this issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To begin with, Thomas Malthus wrote one of the most famous works on population, An Essay on the Principle of Population. He is a man who sticks to his values, and does what he preaches. He wants nothing more than to see the betterment of man, but he feels that it’s a long road with unconquerable difficulties to achieve this. Malthus states that this overpopulation is a huge problem that most people seem to â€Å"purposely shut their eyes to such problems†. A good metaphor that he uses about this is that if he were to offer a man a glass of wine repeatedly, and that man were to take no notice to it what-so-ever, he would think that man to be blind, or uncivilized. In his article, Overpopulation Is a Serious Problem, he states the many things that cause overpopulation. He states two postulates in his article about mankind. The first is that food is necessary for man. Without food man could not exist. Second he states that attraction and the passion bet ween the genders is a must, and will continue and will quite closely remain in its present state.  ... ...it absurd that the Malthusian theory states that we should let those in poverty die out, to balance out the population. Engels states that under the Malthusian theory that the poor consist to the surplus of the population should simply be left to die off, and that nothing should be done to them and that their lives cannot get it altered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Engels has a great hatred for the Malthusian theory. â€Å"And it is precisely this theory which is the conerstone of the liberal system of free trade, whose fall will bringteh whole edifice down with it.†* He states that competition is the cause of misery, poverty and crime. He goes further to explain that Malthus had taken a one sided view. He did not pay attention to the fact that surplus population is always bound with surplus wealth, surplus landed property, and surplus capital. â€Å"Population is too great only when productive power in general is too great.†* This is proven in every overpopulated country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From what I have learned trough class and life I firmly believe in what Thomas Malthus point of view. I believe that overpopulation is a huge problem that we need to take a closer look at.

Violence in America: Guns under Fire Essay

Guns are used for protection against mayhem when the unexpected happens. As the citizens of the United States of America, the amendments are there to protect the freedom of the people. The second amendment protects the right of each individual to keep, and bear arms, and to defend our property, and most importantly ourselves. In James Q. Wilson’s New York Times article, â€Å"Just Take Away Their Guns,† Wilson argues that restraining people from legally purchasing firearms do not have any effect on the illegal use of guns, and reducing the amount of people who are illegally carrying one. He adequately reasons how the eradication of illegal guns on the streets should be the main focus regarding toughening American gun control regulations, which are the most frequently debated topic in America. Wilson claims that frisks and stops will eliminate illegal guns, and not multiplying the forms one fills to purchase a gun. James Q. Wilson targeted legally gun owners as his audie nce, uses logos and ethos to his rhetorical approach, and an effective, but could have had an overall stronger argument. Law abiding citizens such as legally gun owners are the intended audience in his topic, because of the, â€Å"legal restraints on the lawful purchase of guns† (p.124). To eliminate illegal use of guns there must a compromise between the government, and the citizens of rightfully legal gun owners. Toughening gun control legislation will have little effect on the illegal use of guns, which essentially decrease the amount of citizens buying guns. Wilson claims that roughly 200 million guns are owned by law abiding citizens, although, these guns are not the ones that are generally used for illegal and unlawful acts. Illegal uses of guns are usually obtainable through stolen, borrowed, or privately purchased that are used for gang related activities, burglaries, and or violent crimes. Wilson then makes a point that an increase in gun control regulations would take a big hit on none other than those law abiding citizens. The main purpose of owning these guns is for self-defense and to protect their loved ones, and properties. Collins Professor of Management and Public Policy at the University of California, James Q Wilson noted that, â€Å"Many cities suffer from a shortage of officers† is the exact reason why the citizens of the United States of America cannot reply on the government officials, such as the law enforcement to protect  the people, and their properties (p.125). Even if the gun control legislation successfully reduce the amount of lawful citizens to own guns. How will the government reduce the amount of people who are illegally owning guns in the present as well as the future? Wilson stated in his story that, â€Å"The average police officer will make no weapons arrests and confiscate no guns during any given year† Which will result in more illegal guns out on the streets than the law abiding citizens with registered guns (p.125). That will definitely strikes fear into the people’s mind knowing they can’t protect themselves, and quite frankly, not enough police officers to protect each, and every individual people in America at any given point of time. Law abiding guns owners are the intended target audience because Wilson’s claim is â€Å"legal restraints on the lawful purchase of guns will have little effect on the illegal use of guns† (p.124). James Q. Wilson strengthens his argument through the use ethos and logos to elaborate and emphasizes his thesis and claims of â€Å"Our goal should not be the disarming of law-abiding citizens. It should be to reduce the number of people who carry guns unlawfully, especially in places- on streets, in taverns- . . . â€Å"(p.124). The use of ethos helps Wilson to reinforce his claims and establishes credibility in his essay by using the fourth amendment of the constitution, Mark Moore, who is a professor of public policy at Harvard University, Gary Kleck, who is a criminologist at Florida State University, and The National Rifle Association to back up his argument. The use of ethos is effective in this essay for this topic, because the topic requires valid examples, statements, and statistics to anchor Wilson’s claims of gun control legislation, and the reduction of illegal guns on the streets. James Q. Wilson points out; â€Å"The Fourth Amendment to the constitution bans à ¢â‚¬Ëœunreasonable searches and seizure.’†(p.125). The amendment caused, â€Å"ample law-enforcement personnel worry about having their cases thrown out for constitutional reasons or being accused of police harassment† which results in shortage of police officers throughout cities in America (p.125). Harvard University is one of the top colleges in America, and with Mark Moore, a professor of public policy at Harvard University stated, â€Å"found that most weapons arrests were made because of a citizen complained, not because the police were out  looking for gun.†(p.125). Wilson uses a professor from Harvard University is an exponential clever way of supporting his claim for the gun control legislation, and making his argument even more effective. Gary Kleck is a credible guy, because of his career as a criminologist at Florida State University, and he, â€Å"has estimated that every year, guns are used- that is, displayed or fired- for defensive purposes more than a million times, not counting their use by the poli ce†(p.124). This statement by Gary Kleck supported Wilson’s examples of guns that are used to defend ourselves, and our properties, and as well as the law enforcement usage of guns to protect the country. Finally, Wilson uses a quote from The National Rifle Association and its allies that, â€Å"’guns don’t kill people, people kill people’† to emphasize the importance of, â€Å"urge the government to punish more severely people who use guns to commit crimes† instead of worrying too much about how to ban guns from law abiding citizens (p.126). James Q. Wilson uses logos for logical argument about gun control legislation, and its restraint on guns purchase that fails to have great effect on the illegal use of guns. Most people would argued that less guns mean less violence, but what they don’t know is that most crimes committed by guns are illegal that was stolen, borrowed, or bought from the black market. Wilson uses logos in his essay with organized structure along with a clear and concise thesis created an effective argument that is easily understood and followed by his target audience that generated a well-planned essay. Wilson backed up his argument by giving facts such as, â€Å"In 1992 the police arrested about 240,000 people for illegally possessing or carry weapon. â€Å"This is only about one-fourth as many as were arrested for public drunkenness† (p.125). That number is considered low if it is divided by every state in America. Considering these illegal gun holders are protected under the fourth amendment of unreasonable searches and seizures, which most of them probably got away with. â€Å"The reasonable –suspicion test is much less stringent than the probable cause standard the police must meet in order to make an arrest . . . more than just a hunch; it must be supported with facts include someone acting in a way that leads an experienced officer to conclude criminal activity . . . someone fleeing at the approach . . . a person who fits a drug courier profile; a motorist stopped for a traffic  violation who has a suspicious bulge in his pocket . . . Supreme Court has also upheld frisking people on probation or parole† (125). A criminal who know how to use the law to their advantage could potentially get away for their crimes and wrongdoings, and it puts the people in danger by knowing these illegal gun users might n ot go to jail, but set freed on parole and/or probation. Wilson used logos to rationalize appeal to the reader by stating facts and statistics to prove his claim and blended it with ethos to establish credibility for his argument. James Q. Wilson effectively presents his argument in a persuasive approach that uses different techniques such as ethos, logos, and organization. Wilson makes his ideas easy to follow by making the flow more sinuous which results in the contribution of the cohesiveness of his overall argument. The structure is clearly well planned and constructed that consisted of claims followed by statistics, counterclaims, and rebuttals. Even though Wilson made his argument effective, he concluded his counterclaim with frisks and stops made by police officers by patting down individual that seems suspicious. â€Å"Innocent people will be stopped. Young black and Hispanic men will probably be stopped more often than older while Anglo males or women of any race† (p.127) However, When Wilson made this point; he alludes to the idea of racial profiling, and he loses credibility by such reasoning. James Q. Wilson argument in this essay presents claims that were debatable in an informative way, and his thesis suggested solutions to the central problem regarding gun control legislation, and its legal restraints on lawful purchase of guns. Through the use of many techniques, Wilson created a well-organized and effective argument. However, had he addressed the issue of racial profiling with evidence, then he could have had an improved and sturdier effective argument. Works Cited Wilson, James Q. â€Å"Just Take Away Their Guns.† Current Issues and Enduring Questions. By Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011. 124-27. Print.

Waxing Judgmental about Judgement

Waxing Judgmental about Judgement Waxing Judgmental about Judgement Waxing Judgmental about Judgement By Maeve Maddox A reader commenting on my post about the difference between discreet and discrete was shocked by the spelling judgement in my definition of discreet (â€Å"Showing discernment or judgement in the guidance of one’s own speech and action†): Maeve, where did you find that definition of discreet â€Å"Judgment† is misspelled! For that reader, spelling the word with an â€Å"e† creates a misspelling. Other readers, commenting on other posts, objected to my use of judgment without the â€Å"e†: The verb change keeps its [e] here to indicate that the [g] is soft, not hard. (That is also why judgement is the correct spelling of this word, no matter what anyone says.) and There isn’t a single instance in English that I can think of with a root word ending in â€Å"g† where â€Å"g† has the â€Å"j† sound. The final â€Å"e† is used to cue in the reader to the correct pronunciation of the soft â€Å"g† sound. Therefore, â€Å"judgment† according to the rules of English phonics would be â€Å"jud-GUH-ment†. Clearly WRONG!!So I’ll continue to engage in pointless arguments with those who quibble with my CORRECT spelling of the word. Strong feelings, these. Like â€Å"could care less† and statements like â€Å"my head literally exploded,† the â€Å"judgment vs judgement† issue evokes passion in many English speakers. The first reader was correct to fault me on spelling judgment as judgement, not because judgement is a â€Å"misspelling,† but because I write these posts in standard American English and spelling judgment with an â€Å"e† is contrary to American spelling convention. The other two readers do not indicate what standard dialect they speak. I’m guessing that they are American speakers because they resort to the argument about the â€Å"e† being necessary to the correct pronunciation of the word. British speakers would probably defend the judgement spelling simply on the grounds that it is the preferred British spelling. The suggestion that the spelling judgment would â€Å"according to the rules of English phonics† produce the rendering â€Å"jud-GUH-ment† is preposterous. The word is formed by adding a suffix to the root word: judge+ment. Unlike the â€Å"e† we use to maintain the /j/ sound in words like rage, Marge, and usage, the â€Å"e† in judge is not necessary to signal a /j/ pronunciation. The letter combination dge is a phonogram in its own right, used to represent the /j/ sound. Dropping the â€Å"e† from it is not common, but I cannot imagine that any native speaker would attempt to pronounce dg as anything but /j/. Changeable does need the â€Å"e† to soften the â€Å"g†; judgment, abridgment, and lodgment do not. Look up judgement and lodgement in the OED and you will find the the spellings judgment and lodgment dignified as alternative spellings. (Abridgement is the only spelling given for that word.) According to the OED, [Judgement] is found in spellings with -dgm- from the early 16th century, and by the late 17th century judgment had become the prevailing spelling, although judgement was still commonly found. Kersey (1702) is an unusually early example of a dictionary in which the headword form was given as judgement . During the 19th century the form judgement gained in frequency in British contexts, and is now the usual spelling in general British use, but judgment has remained the standard spelling in British legal contexts when used to refer to a judicial decision, as well as in U.S. usage. In sum, there’s no reason American speakers can’t choose to put an â€Å"e† in judgment if they wish, but there’s nothing historically, phonetically, or morally superior in doing so. And if they’re writing for publication, a U.S. editor would surely correct it. Related posts: Judgement or Judgment? The Difference Between â€Å"Discreet† and â€Å"Discrete† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect Objects30 Baseball Idioms5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow

Free Essays on The Significance Of D-Day

The Significance of D-Day â€Å"I experienced an interesting psychological change in the few minutes before and immediately after take off. As I had climbed aboard and strapped myself into my seat I felt tense, strange and extremely nervous. It was as if I was in a fantasy dream world and thought that at any moment I would wake up from this unreality and find that I was back at the barrack room at Bulford camp, where we laughed and sang to raise our spirits- and perhaps to show others that we were not scared- personally I knew I was frightened to death. The very idea of carrying out a night time airborne landing of such a small force into the midst of the German army seemed to me to be little more than a suicide mission. Yet at the moment that the glider parted company with the ground I experienced an inexplicable change. The feeling of terror vanished and was replaced with exhilaration. I felt literally on top of the world. I remember thinking, ‘you’ve had it chum, it’s not good worrying anymore – the die has been cast and it was to be, will be, and there is nothing you can do about it.’ I sat back and enjoyed my first trip to Europe.† Yet another rifleman who was carried to the beach in the LCVP’s relates one of his incidents: â€Å"I got on the gun. I set the gun up, and we’re looking, we’re looking. He says, â€Å"See if you can spot him.† All of the sudden I spotted him, about 200 yards away, and I’d say about 30 or 40 feet higher than me. He wasn’t firing at me. He was firing down across. So when he opened up again – the Germans, when they fire, they fire fast, they don’t fire like we did, because they change the barrel of their machine guns in seconds. Ours were a pain. We had to take the whole gun apart and screw the barrel off, and then put another barrel on. They would get hot if you fired them like the Germans. We only fired bursts at three or four at a time. The Germans put their fi... Free Essays on The Significance Of D-Day Free Essays on The Significance Of D-Day The Significance of D-Day â€Å"I experienced an interesting psychological change in the few minutes before and immediately after take off. As I had climbed aboard and strapped myself into my seat I felt tense, strange and extremely nervous. It was as if I was in a fantasy dream world and thought that at any moment I would wake up from this unreality and find that I was back at the barrack room at Bulford camp, where we laughed and sang to raise our spirits- and perhaps to show others that we were not scared- personally I knew I was frightened to death. The very idea of carrying out a night time airborne landing of such a small force into the midst of the German army seemed to me to be little more than a suicide mission. Yet at the moment that the glider parted company with the ground I experienced an inexplicable change. The feeling of terror vanished and was replaced with exhilaration. I felt literally on top of the world. I remember thinking, ‘you’ve had it chum, it’s not good worrying anymore – the die has been cast and it was to be, will be, and there is nothing you can do about it.’ I sat back and enjoyed my first trip to Europe.† Yet another rifleman who was carried to the beach in the LCVP’s relates one of his incidents: â€Å"I got on the gun. I set the gun up, and we’re looking, we’re looking. He says, â€Å"See if you can spot him.† All of the sudden I spotted him, about 200 yards away, and I’d say about 30 or 40 feet higher than me. He wasn’t firing at me. He was firing down across. So when he opened up again – the Germans, when they fire, they fire fast, they don’t fire like we did, because they change the barrel of their machine guns in seconds. Ours were a pain. We had to take the whole gun apart and screw the barrel off, and then put another barrel on. They would get hot if you fired them like the Germans. We only fired bursts at three or four at a time. The Germans put their fi...

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 100

Summary - Essay Example Through censoring hostile traditional ideology was stack to the past giving room for civilization and modernization. Addie Prater Graham birth is estimated to be before 1900 in eastern Kentucky Mountains. She grew up around music and at the end of it she herself was a master in singing. Addie’s songs recorded in 1970s by her grandson Rich Kirby and Barbara Edwards, reflect as far back as the British Isles alongside others created in America as ditties, frolic songs and religious songs in line with the vintage Baptist tradition. Despite it being against the Baptist tradition to use instruments she went on to learn from a big variety of musical instruments during her childhood. The result was she grew up to become an accomplished singer with a pro quality style ornamented with Kenturcky oral tradition (Kirby, 2011:pp1-12). Addie went on to be married to Amos Graham and was blessed with three children Kirby, (2011:6). She and her family lived in Breathitt County before finally moving to Cynthiana Harrison County. In Cynthiana she ran a clothing store together with her daughter before finally resting in 1977. The recording of her first album been a long time traveling by the Appal Record Labe was the bed her recognition this is though she had been singing for very many years. Her songs have gone ahead to be recorded by others like Ginny Hawker, Mike Seeger among others

Island project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Island project - Essay Example Local government: First of all, the local government in the island nation shall be based on certain elements related to governance, like county system (type), municipal charter (form), mayor council (management), and election (leadership). Chandler (2001) states that, â€Å"A local authority, however, not only must demonstrate it uses resources efficiently but also it must have as its mission the concern to care for the economic, social and environmental well-being of their community† (p.154). To be specific, the public administration within the scenario of the island nation will be based on local form of governance. I would like to introduce county type local government because it is one of the examples for decentralized governance. The island nation will be divided into different counties, based on population. Besides, municipal charter will be the form of governance because the same will be within the jurisdiction of the proposed type of local/ decentralized government. Thi s will help the inhabitants to gain certain rights and to enjoy certain privileges within the local government. ... dership positions will be established through general elections because this is important to incorporate democratic ideas to the context of the proposed island nation. To be specific, the people will cast their votes to the candidates, strictly based on their political values. Eligible candidates will be invited to form the government, strictly based on democratic ideas. Judicial system: The judicial system in the proposed island nation will be based on judicial hierarchy. To be specific, there will be a supreme authority that controls the judicial system. But this supreme authority can be arraigned by the members, representing the lower courts. Besides, there will be a law making body elected by the citizens, apart from the government. This will keep judiciary safe from political manipulation or influence. Malleson (2007) states that, â€Å"Governments are now expected to introduce policy changes which affect the legal system on an ongoing basis† (p.2). The elected judges can not act beyond their limits because people elected them and they are answerable for their decisions. There will be lower courts in the counties and these courts will be independent within the counties. So, this decentralized model of judicial system will help the people to approach the court with ease. Besides, the judges cannot go beyond their limits because they can be kept aside by the people. On the other side, law making will not be vested upon the judicial system because it will be vested upon a different body elected by the people. Any citizen can seek help from the court because there main aim of this innovative judicial system is to solve more problems with less time. To be specific, less serious crimes will be dealt by the lower courts. This will help the people to save their valuable