Why is Marco Polo more popular than Ibn Battutah Essay

Why is Marco Polo more popular than Ibn Battutah - Essay Example Marco Polo's first journey was a trip to Cathay (China) at the age of seventeen with his father. While traveling towards China they passed through Armenia, Persia, and Afghanistan, over the Pamirs, and all along the Silk Road to China. During their journey they first made a wide swing to the North arriving to the southern Caucasus and the kingdom of Georgia. Then they journeyed along the regions parallel to the western shores of the Caspian Sea, reaching Tabriz and made their way south to Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. From Homurz to Kerman, passing Herat, Balkh, they arrived Badakhshan, where Marco Polo recovered from an illness and stayed there for a year. On the move again, they found themselves on "the highest place in the world, the Pamirs", with its name appeared in the history for the first time. Ibn Battutah on his first journey travelled through Algiers, Tunis, Egypt, Palestine and Syria to Makkah. After visiting Iraq, Shiraz and Mesopotamia he once more returned to perform the Hajj at Makkah and remained there for three years. Ibn Battutah visited China sixty years after Marco Polo and travelled 75,000 miles, much more than Marco Polo and less remembered than Marco Polo. Marco Polo in his travels had visited the sprawling cities and markets that even Christopher Columbus had not seen, which later revealed as the "parts of Asia". Ibn Battutah also informed about such undiscovered lands and added additional knowledge to the works of Marco Polo. Marco Polo arrived the Taklamakan desert (or Taim Basin), after passing through the views of Yarkand, Khotan, Cherchen, and Lop-Nor. It was Marco's ability as a traveler and writer that enabled him to observe and write even the most minute and unnoticeable details after just going through the glimpses. On the other hand one cannot ignore the travel efforts made by Ibn Battutah even at those circumstances at which his ships were wretched. Ibn Battutah after leading three years at Makkah once again packed up and after a visit to Jeddah he went to Yemen by sea, visited Aden and set sail for Mombasa, East Africa. After going up to Kulwa and touching Hormuz, Siraf, Bahrain and Yamama he came back to Oman. He revisited Cairo, Palestine and Syria, thereafter arriving at Aleya (Asia Minor) by sea and travelled across Anatolia and Sinope. He crossed the Black Sea and after long itinerant he reached Constantinople through Southern Ukraine. (A.S Chughtai, Ibn Battutah-The great traveller) He w as appointed as chief judge in Delhi, and later, the Sultan as his Ambassador sent him to the Mongol Emperor of China. This trip took him to the Maldives, Bengal, Assam, Sumatra, and finally to the Chinese city of Zaytun and possibly Beijing. He returned to Morocco in 1349. Marco was such a dare hearted traveler that he did not lack behind in exploration of the Gobi Desert,

To determine obesity Essay Example for Free

To determine obesity Essay To determine obesity the BMI score of the subject is compared to the standard table used and the percentile is taken (CDC, 2007) The BMI-for-age percentile is utilized to interpret the BMI score and one should note that BMI for the younger group is age and sex specific, this is so because amount of fat fluctuate in children and the amount of fat is also dissimilar with boys compared to girls. Obtaining the percentile is the most common indicator in assessment of the size and growth structure of the child, this percentile will be used to note the position of the BMI obtained among same age and peer groups. The weight status of the child is then determined and CDC (2007) categorized percentile ratings as follows: A table of Body Index Score is provided below: According to the NHLBI website one should also note that children who are overweight, obese or extremely obese have increased risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disorders, with the risks rated as children who are overweight and carries a body index of 25-29. 9 score have increased risk for such diseases, while obese children who has a 30 – 39. 9 classed as class I and II obesity BMI have a higher risk to develop the diseases mentioned. And the extremely obese children who scores 40 and above BMI are exceedingly at risk for development of the diseases usually associated only with the older population. A table of which is provided below: Results from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), by means of measured heights and weights, designated that a projected 16 percent of children and adolescents with ages 6 to 19 years of age are obese. As it might be noted in Figure 1, this statistics represents a 45 percent mark up from the overweight estimates of 11 percent obtained from NHANES III (1988-94) not over ten years passed. Factors that Predicts Obesity in Children There are many reasons why children become obese. Although there genes do play a role in this fiasco, it will be noted that it cannot alone be blamed for the inordinate amount of obese children that has continued. The most common causative factors that are linked to obesity can be construed as genetics, as was previously mentioned, add to that a lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating habits or more likely a combination of the factors mentioned. One can say that obesity is the same for adults and children, and the underlying cause the same also, too much intake of food and very little physical activity. Realize that many children aged 8-16 years watches television for hours a day and it is shown that those children that watch the most television have the highest chance for obesity.

Self-Determination in Arab Society :: Arabic Culture Cultural Essays

Self-Determination in Arab Society Since World War Two, much of the developing world has been in transition. One such idea that saw a re-birth was that of self-determination-- be it on the national level or on the personal level. Self-determination on a national level means the independence of a country; on a personal level, it is the determination of one own fate. This can be seen in various ways with our five women characters, Maha, Um Saad, Nadia, Yusra and Suad. In the forward of Daughters of Abraham, Karen Armstrong notes that Islam is "adamantly opposed to the subjection of one human being by another," "insist that men and women were created by God image" and "both sexes have equal rights and responsibilities before God." Strong and resourceful women have played a key role in history and yet Islam has pushed women into an inferior and marginal position, excluding them from full participation in the social, cultural and religious life of the community. Even though figures such as the prophet Muhammad had a positive view of women, relied on them, and treated them as valued equals, some of the most respected sages and theologians have preached outright misogyny. In Rethinking Women and Islam, Amira Sonbol remarks that while the "vision of equality has been one of the mainsprings and central teachings of Islam," it is not extended to women. Rather the numerous Quranic references to equality between man and woman are commonly disregarded, "as the man is given superior moral and physical role as guardian over his wife." It is this type of understanding that is rooted into Arab culture whether or not Arab women have experienced great changes in modernization and industrialization. Therefore, it is imperative that women stand up for themselves and have a sense of self-determination. Self Determination Women were among the first converts to Islam, and the Koran gave women rights of inheritance and divorce that Western women did not receive until the nineteenth century. The Koran does not describe the wearing of the veil of all women as well as seclusion. However, Karen Armstrong notes that three of four generations after the prophet death, Muslims imitated the customs of the Greeks and the Persians in their empire who had long treated their women in this way. Moreover, in her view, Muslims also picked up some of the Christian misogyny and pre-modern legal codes like the Shariah "reduced women to the rank of second-class citizens even though the ideal of the equality of all believers was crucial to the Quran message.

W.S. Merwin as an Influential Writer of Poetry and Prose :: W.S. Merwin Essays

W.S. Merwin as an Influential Writer of Poetry and Prose Emergence At the day's end all our footsteps are added up to see how near. W.S. Merwin W.S. Merwin is an award-winning author of a wide variety of both poetry and prose books. He has served as a tremendous influence to me and has helped guide me along my writing journey. He inspires my best writing and has helped to shape my stylistics. I seek to follow in the footsteps of perhaps one of the most well known and popular poets of this century. W.S. Merwin was born in New York City in 1927 and grew up in Union City, New Jersey, as well as Scranton, Pennsylvania (Merwin, Selected 279). From 1949 to 1951, Merwin was a world traveler, as he worked as a tutor in Portugal, France, and Majorca (Merwin, Selected 279). In addition to writing poetry, Merwin also wrote articles for The Nation as well as radio scripts for the BBC (Merwin, Selected 279). One of his most famous poetry books, The Carrier of Ladders, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970 (Merwin, Selected 279). In addition to his books of poetry, he published three books of prose: The Miner's Pale Children, Houses and Travelers, and Unframed Originals. Merwin received many outstanding awards in his career including The Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets in 1974, and the Governor's Award for Literature of the State of Hawaii (Merwin, Selected 279). Merwin's writing style is unique from many other professional writers. "Merwin has been committed faithfully to the energies of fragmentation, erasure, and all those energies we identify as negative" ("Boston Review" 1). Because Merwin is able to use this technique so effectively, I attempt to follow in his footsteps and try some of it out on my own. Rick Jones and I used this idea in our collaborative poem, "pierced existence," in which we did not use proper capitalization or follow some of the most basic rules English rules. When I write in this style, I feel more relaxed because I do not have to be concerned with grammar and spelling. I am better able to concentrate on imagery and the use of words. Merwin's magisterial control of lyric syntax and narrative order give the reader no difficulty; they are able to understand his work since it flows free from form ("Boston Review" 1). "The consistency, the inclusive and transforming vitality of the work makes it the crowning achievement of Merwin's long and extremely diversified career" ("Boston Review" 1).

Ethan Frome Key Passage Analysis Essay

Edith Wharton quite deliberately brings together human emotion and the environment in her novella Ethan Frome. The characters are circumscribed by the environment in which they exist and the impossibility of escape from the environmental forces of nature, heredity and place shape the characters of the text. A moment of hope arises as Mattie and Ethan walk home together from the dance and a more romantic sense of possibility emerges. The reader is drawn to the love of Ethan and Mattie quite subtly – it grows almost organically from innocent moments shared and this is perhaps why the reader does not see their ‘affair’ as adulterous. We share the hope that glimmers in the bleak cold that is Starkfield and its characters. Ethan’s sensitivity reflects an important aspect of his character that is shown to us in this section. His intelligence and the study in Worcester has exacerbated his isolation within the Starkfield community. Harmon Gow’s ironic observation that ‘most of the smart one’s got away’ heightens the reader’s perception that Ethan is trapped. The ‘appeal of natural beauty’ suggests a connection with the landscape that is romantic in its conception. Ethan ‘communes’ with the environment and is able to see beyond the harshness in a way that the frame narrator cannot. The fact that he feels this appreciation of beauty as a silent and solitary emotion typifies the lack of communication within his world. Similarly, the night walks of Mattie and Ethan become moments of ‘communion’. Wharton’s choice of diction suggests that their relationship is more than a response to the physical harshness of the environment or repressed emotions – the ‘sweetness of this communion’ implies a genuine meeting of souls and minds that transcends the physical. The fact that Mattie’s ‘spirit†¦ trembled with the same touch of wonder’ is inspiring for Ethan and the reader is encouraged to view the relationship as one of purity and innocence rather than adulterous. Wharton uses the environment as the meeting point for the lovers’ ‘wonder’ – looking up to the stars (an image often synonymous with dreams and hope) or across the fields. It is interesting to note the descriptive language Wharton uses to describe Ethan’s vision when he is with Mattie. The sunset is red with ‘cloud flocks over slopes of golden stubble’ with strong ‘blue hemlocks’ – the intensity of the colours reflect the intensity of his emotions and contrast with the blank, barren whiteness that has characterised descriptions of Starkfield up to this point. It is as if Mattie, whose surname sparkles with colour, transforms the landscape and Ethan sees the world anew when he is with her. His masculine ego is hinted at by Wharton in the admiration Mattie displays for his knowledge of the environment. We have been encouraged to view him as the powerless and emasculated husband, browbeaten by a shrewish wife. Mattie inspires a sense of manhood within him. This is interestingly displayed at the moment of crisis when the pickle dish is shattered as Ethan takes control and feels the ‘thrilling sense of mastery’ as he reassembles the dish. The symbolic nature of the dish representing the marriage of Ethan to Zeena is shattered and Ethan is liberated by the moment – however fleetingly. Wharton suggests that Mattie and Ethan are closely (and perhaps idealistically) suited to each other – she describes their walks as a ‘communion’. Mattie’s description of the landscape looking as it had been painted strikes a deep chord within Ethan and he feels that Mattie is able to articulate ‘his secret soul’. The closeness and intensity of their relationship is perhaps understated – depicted in the language of the environment rather than through eloquent dialogue. Wharton often plays upon Ethan’s lack of eloquence to show the difficulty he has in expressing his emotions.

5 Reasons You Just Had a Really Bad Interview

5 Reasons You Just Had a Really Bad Interview So you went in to interview for your dream job, and you didn’t get it. You probably had a bad interview. No big deal! Here are 5 things you might have done wrong, and how you can fix that next time around. 1. You Dressed for FailureIf you didn’t dress for success, you stacked the deck against yourself before you even started. Appearances do matter, particularly for job interviews and first impressions in general. Was your clothing loose, wrinkled, inappropriate, too casual, dirty, or stained? Next time consult a trusted friend, relative, or colleague to help you pick out an outfit that will help present you in a better light.2. Your Body Language is LackingIt’s possible you came across as nervous or standoffish or untrustworthy, just by biting your nails or looking in weird directions or crossing your arms. Next time, have that same trusted advisor talk you through a mock interview and take note of any suspect body language you might not know you’re using. Then fix it before the real deal.3. Your Tone is OffThe tone of what you say is almost as important as saying the right things. Were you too quiet? Too talkative? Too confident? Not confident enough? To make sure your delivery is as good as your material, mock interview with this in mind as well. And practice until you nail it.4. Your Pitch is  LackingDon’t ever forget that an interview is an opportunity to sell yourself. Don’t just show up and answer questions; come armed with every thing you can. A professional portfolio, a list of your accomplishments or awards†¦ or send a digital version before you even walk through the door. Remember, you’re the product. Make sure you make them see how much they want you.5. You Didn’t Do Your HomeworkThe research you do before an interview is crucial. If you didn’t figure out everything you possibly could about the company, the position, your interviewer- even the CEO- before you came in to interview, then you set yourself up for failure. Don’t let that happen next time!Remember: practice makes perfect. Drill yourself until you’re sure you’re not making any of these mistakes.

Writing for research Essay Example

Writing for research Essay Example Writing for research Essay Writing for research Essay Prompt 1: It could be that the bathroom scale has not yet been properly calibrated. Based on personal experience, new scales tend to give more consistent readings than older scales because the mechanisms of scales tend to wear out over time. However if the scale is not yet calibrated, that means that it will likely give consistently wrong results. All that needs to be done is to calibrate the scale and then it should give accurate as well as reliable output already. Prompt 2: Yes, a measurement procedure can be reliable but not valid. However, a measurement procedure that is valid is automatically reliable as well. If the procedure is consistent but gives wrong output, then it is reliable but not valid (Brechner Brechner, 2008). However, validity means that the procedure is measuring what it intends to measure so that automatically assumes that the procedure is reliable as well (Brechner Brechner, 2008) since if it gives very diverse output, then it is obviously not measuring what it is supposed to measure.

9 Types Of Blog Posts That Will Boost Traffic

9 Types Of Blog Posts That Will Boost Traffic You work hard on  every blog post. Word by word, line by line to make your blog posts perfect. You even attach shareable images, break them into digestible paragraphs, and do the best outreach marketing process you can do. But still, sometimes they  just dont deliver the traffic, shares, and leads you were hoping for. Its simply because your audience doesnt like the blog posts  youre publishing. The solution to  this problem is also simple- just publish the content your audience wants.  You need something that can not only save you time but can also guarantee results. Its time for you to identify the types of blog posts  that will give you results.  The content that gave your competitors an edge over you. The content that made a common person a huge  influencer in  your niche. Lets explore  these winning types of blog posts that the big marketing influencers are rocking right now that have helped them get  huge followings and grow their businesses. 1. Publish  Long List Posts To Get More  Backlinks No arguments. List posts are the best. And no, I’m not talking about only list posts; I’m talking about LONG list posts. These guys  are the ones that: Attract audience attention by their obscure number. Show your expertise. Are immensely actionable  for your audience as they read your content. Are super informative. Are easy to read and scan for the  big takeaways. Not to mention, list posts overwhelm your readers. A lot of folks may  need to read these  posts a few times just to learn all of the information you have to provide. In fact, there's a huge market of read-it-later apps like Pocket and Instapaper  because of long posts like these. Without any hesitation, I’ll admit that I still visit Jon Morrow’s list of 317 power words. I’m that dull. ;) Copyblogger- one of the most influential  content marketing blogs- has so many list posts among its popular posts. And they're still regularly publishing them. Here's a headline from Copyblogger. Just take a look at how many shares this long list post is pulling in. Look at Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko, who attracted lots of eye balls through his 9th post called 200 search engine ranking factors. And according to Brian, this post still brings him 10,000–15,000 visitors per month, even months after he initially published the thing. Not to mention, the post ranks #2 for term â€Å"ranking factor†, which is bound to keep that traffic flowing in. Here's how to write a long list post: Find your big idea. Write down as many points as you can. Refine your list to the most important points. Write an emotional headline involving the number (usually odd numbers perform the best). Make it little longer  than any other post you've seen on your idea. Include lots of images and   buttons to entice social shares. Include bonus takeaways in a content upgrade to turn your traffic into subscribers. But, while doing so, make sure not to dilute its quality. For example, Jimmy Daly, editor of Vero Blog, compiled a massive list of 500 tips for this post. But, he preferred quality over quantity and refined the list to 20.  And, the results? That post resulted in getting 300+ links and 2,500+ shares in less than 30 days. Pro Tip: Consider groupings in your  list posts with proper subheads. It makes your readers curious to  keep them reading. Recommended Reading: The ‘Skyscraper Technique’ May Actually Improve Your Content Marketing How To Get People To â€Å"Read† Your Blog With Scannable Content 2. Write Research-Backed, Data-Driven Posts To Grow Your Traffic Want to position yourself as an expert? Research can establish you as an authority. Peep Laja, founder of ConversionXL, is one of the best CROs (Conversion Rate Optimizer) out there.  You know why? The guy  positioned himself as an expert with  evidence and data-backed content. So instead of saying â€Å"simple websites are better†, he includes evidence and says: In a study by Google in August of 2012, researchers found that not only will users judge websites as beautiful or not within 1/50th – 1/20th of a second, but also that â€Å"visually complex† websites are consistently rated as less beautiful than their simpler counterparts. Here’s one more example; look at the image below: Looks familiar, right? Indeed, it is. Because Buzzsumo wrote a grand research post  on OkDork. And, after that, it went viral. More importantly, it received 2,228 links. That's kind of a big deal. I know you must be thinking that this kind of research would take months to conduct. Look, I didn’t tell you that yours  should be as huge as that example. Instead, it can be a result of a simple test. Here’s an example: Alex, the founder of Groove, wrote a guest post for the Buffer blog. In this post, he shared a result of simple test:  power of story in your blog. And that simple test got 10,000 shares from social media. Or as Alex puts it in his words: Within an hour of the post being published, we had 1,000 new unique visitors. That soon turned into 5,000, and then 10,000, and before long, 20,000. Not to mention, also wrote a guest post for OkDork sharing their headline report. That post was one of several they wrote to understand their audience's interests in writing better headlines. After that was super successful, they repurposed  that same data to build their headline analyzer, which has now contributed 292,995 pageviews and 16,191 new email subscribers. Kudos :-) So how can you write research-backed, data-driven types of blog posts? Find a  helpful, big idea on  something that is never covered. Or you could take Brian Dean's advice and apply the skyscraper technique to your content to outdo anyone else who's already published something similar. Determine how you'll gather the data you need in your post to make it factual and super  actionable. Show why it's important to your  audience. Add relevant images, graphs, and charts to prove your points. Add your viewpoint to every research point. This is usually where you can include actionable guidance. Lead your post to a strong call-to-action. 3.  Share Your Success To  Turn Traffic Into Profit There’s a trend these days. People are publishing posts that share  their success. And of course, these posts go viral within just weeks of publishing.  I mean who wouldn't like to read: How We Got 37 Million Hits In 3 Days People go nuts when they see posts like these.  Another reason that success-sharing posts posts  work is because like case studies, they also have a story that  their audience can relate to, and they follow a step-by-step approach to solve the problem. Here's an interesting example... Alex, founder of Groove, knew that these types of blog posts were  becoming some of their hits. But like many others, he had no story  to share with his audience. And as Alex himself put it in his own words: We didn’t have Ten Tips for Building a Successful Business or A Guide To Making Millions; because, we hadn’t lived those stories yet. ...but  he didn’t give up. He noticed the gap and started sharing his ongoing journey to $100,000 in monthly  revenue. After that, the blog took off. It became one of the must-read blogs for startups. And it didn't stop there- the blog helped him grab endorsements from big influencers like Hiten Shah and Andrew Warner. And now the company's monthly revenue is $186,000. Takeaway: When it comes to marketing, there is nothing like a rule. Try to break every rule and frame your own. Do this yourself: Brainstorm how you're solving some of your own biggest challenges. Connect the dots between your own challenges and the problems your audience faces every day. Write an open, honest, and transparent post about how you're overcoming that challenge to reach your goals. If that post is successful, consider doing what Groove did and dedicate an entire blog to posts on those topics. Break every rule and frame your own.4. Share New Methods  To Coin New Terms And Stand Out In Search Results Your audience is always looking for new ways to solve their problems. They don’t want to follow the same track because it’s just not giving them success anymore. You need to give them something new that  can solve their problem- a method that's  working for you, has already solved your problem, and something different that no one has covered before. Give your audience new method posts to build your authority. #bloggingUnlike success-sharing posts, these types of blog posts will help your audience solve a problem with your new approach. So yes, they work wonders if done properly. Look at  Noah Kagan’s Quant based marketing  as an example. It was a new concept for startups because before it, there was only â€Å"hope-based marketing†. So, it made his post stand out. After that, Noah wrote many posts explaining the concept more deeply. And, who can forget Brain Dean’s skyscraper technique- it was the only technique that  guaranteed you results. No doubt, that's why this post is the most popular post on his entire site. Also, before 2010, â€Å"Growth Hacker† was not even a term, but after Sean Ellis coined it in one of his blog posts with the help of Hiten Shah and Patrick Vlaskovits, it's now a highly reputable position. After that, Andrew Chen introduced it to a much wider audience, calling growth hacker  the new VP of marketing. These types of blog posts are great  because: They make you look authoritative with innovative ideas. You have your own keyword that will rank you #1 in search results. They tend to go viral on social media. So how can you  write a new method post? Find your unique angle that  you used to solve a problem- like  how  Bryan Harris found a new way to drive traffic using his poster boy method. Convert it into a step-by-step solution. Name it something descriptive of what it is, but no one has used before. Think of metaphors. Tell your readers why it's important for them. Share your unique solution with an influencer who can  help you promote it. 5. Include  Infographics In Your Posts To Get More Shares Infographics get the most social shares of any blog post type. Not only do they get traffic,  they also bring you a lot of inbound links. In fact, KISSmetrics got 41,142 links from 3,741 unique domains by publishing 47 infographics within one year. Pretty cool, right? Meet Mike. Mike runs a New York-based SEO Agency. One of his clients, FCE pest control, wanted more traffic. So, they approached Mike. But, there was a problem:  Pest control. I mean, how boring of a niche is that!?  And, who’s going to read a pest control blog? But, Mike didn’t give up. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and made a fascinating infographic. And the results speak for themselves... That infographic got 1,117 social shares, 12 backlinks, and 15% more traffic within two weeks! So you're sold on infographics, but don't have  a  budget to hire a designer? Don't worry, you can do it yourself using tools like Canva, Easel.ly, and  Infogr.am. Recommended Reading:  How To Design The Best Blog Graphics With Free Tools And Design Theory To maximize your social shares and traffic, make sure to follow these tips: Remember the main message you're communicating  as you choose your typography, colors, and layout. Just like a good blog post starts with a blog outline, plan what you want to visualize in your infographic to provide factual and actionable information. Find the big ideas in your infographic, and figure out how you'll draw attention to specific elements. Remove the clutter to provide focus. Practice the five  fundamentals of good design: consistency, repetition, alignment, hierarchy, and proximity. Email it to the influencers in your niche, and distribute it to infographic sites like Visual.ly. Pro Tip: Add an "embed this infographic on your site" box  below your infographic. Unquestionably, it's one of  the best ways to promote your infographic and get a handful of high quality links. You can use this embed code generator to do this really quickly. Recommended Reading: How To Make The Best Blog Graphics (For Non-Designers) How To Plan A Content Creation Process Your Small Business Can Actually Achieve 6. Gather Expert Advice  For Round-Up Posts To Steal  Their Audience When I was starting out, I was  getting the same advice over and over again: Interview a big name  in your niche. It will  give you a lot of visitors and subscribers. But, you know what, no influencer wanted to  interview with me. Because I was nobody to them. They weren't getting any value out of it. Yet, there’s also another thing that gives you exposure like interviews: It’s called expert  round-up posts. And the best part?  Lots of  influencers want to join in  because they also want to see their name alongside other experts.  And so, doing expert round-up posts is easier than an interview. In fact, it can give you a lot more visitors as compared to an interview.  Why? Because in  these posts  there’s a big number of influencers involved, and  so, there’s also a  big number of audiences involved. Publishing expert round-up posts  gives you huge wins like this: Just check out those social shares! And if you want to push it further, you have to put in some extra effort and convert it into a  monster roundup like the Ahrefs team published. How to rock these types of blog posts, you ask? Find your keyword around which you want to publish your post. This idea must be interesting both to your blog audience and to your experts. Make your list of experts. If you want to feature 30 experts, make a list of 60 experts.  You can find these people  by searching for your keyword and reading the posts other influencers have already published on related topics. Start approaching them one by one from less to more popular. Once you get a couple big names committed, you can name drop to entice other experts to join in. Once you receive an expert's response, refine down the list. Publish your post  and ask  the experts to share it with their audience. Recommended Reading:  9 Ways To Reclaim Your Breakthrough Content Ideas From Old Posts 7. Pitch Guest Posts To  Build  Your Email List When you’re starting a blog, you have no connections, no followers, and no subscribers. So, you may not  get many visitors for your blog posts. And I can feel the pain because I’m also suffering from this one. But, this is the time that you should not write on your blog and instead publish for others. Established blogs  have their audience, and you just need to promote your blog in front of them. Indeed, this is the reason I’m writing for the Blog! In fact, Buffer  built their empire of 100,000 subscribers by posting 150 guest posts (I know it’s huge) in nine months. Also, look at Jon Morrow, founder of Boost Blog Traffic. He built a waiting list of 12,500 customers even before writing a single post on his own blog. Even some smart marketers like Neil Patel  are  publishing two guest posts per week  after having a massive list of customers- and that’s not just for audience, but he also does so to look authoritative. And the list is countless. Guest posts have  a lot of potential and can be a cornerstone in building your blog's audience. Writing a  guest post is a big deal, right? So here's how  you can guest post successfully: Identify the blog to guest post on that is a good fit for what you generally want to talk about and their audience will really care about. Research  all the posts that are popular on  that site. Find your main idea around the popular posts on that site. Pitch your best three  ideas and also write a small summary of why they'll be successful. If your idea is accepted, start writing your post, otherwise rinse and repeat the process. Write your post using the writing style that blog prefers. Create a bonus and landing page for the blog's audience to lure them to your own website and convert them into subscribers. Finally, leave the link in your author byline. Recommended Reading: How To Cold Pitch Your Next Guest Blogging Opportunity 25 Lessons From Guest Blogging For The Top Blogs In The World 8.  Cover Case Studies In Your Niche To Build Your Credibility As a reader, I love case studies because they contain a story I can relate to. They contain a person who was having the same problem as  me. And, they make me feel like I am the one for whom the post is written. In fact, case studies work like this because they  build brand credibility. I mean, just look at the  LeadPages Blog- every 2nd or 3rd post is a case study. And, the interesting thing is they even have  a link you can click to get featured on their blog. Monthly1k  is  Appsumo's email course  that  features four case studies on their landing page. The course helps Appsumo's prospects overcome their problems. And so, Appsumo features them on their homepage to grab more customers. So, if you ever get an email like this: Make the most of  it! Create a monster post covering the whole story like Ramsay did. Follow these tips to write an awesome case study: Research  case studies from top blogs in your niche. Make a list of all the questions your prospects are asking. Start your post with the main problem. Show the familiar pain your audience is suffering from. Tell a story using real people and examples. Explain the solution step-by-step with problem, solution, and outcome. Add as much information as you can add. Sprinkle proof and images all over your post. Pro Tip: Case studies have a story, they follow a detailed step-by-step approach to solving the problem, and so, they are invaluable both to reader and to writer. These are typically great for  the bottom of the marketing funnel to teach your readers why they should become your customers. 9. Repurpose, Republish, And Reinvent Old Posts To Get Even More Traffic As time passes, every post grows old and they don't  benefit your blog as they used to. But, that's not the result you wanted, right? You want to use them again, and you still want to get the same benefit they used to give. This is where your Medium blog comes in- you can use it to republish your post in front of a brand new audience. And that gives you great exposure. Look at Unbounce who got an  extra  144 views by reposting  an old post on Medium. Similarly, Buffer built a publication in Medium where they regularly repurpose their old content. In fact, Buffer didn't post any new content for one  month. They just updated old content repurposed it to Medium, Slideshare, and their own blog.  And the results? Less than a 5% dip in traffic. Other than that, they increased LinkedIn followers, Quora views, video views, and Slideshare followers. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Another way for reusing old content is to repost it  on Medium while adding  a content upgrade at the bottom like this one: Recommended Reading:  How To Use Content Syndication To Boost Your Subscribers In No Time But what if you're just starting out, or if you don't have any blog posts to repurpose? Repurpose someone else's content. Seriously, look at this: Brian Dean  found  lots of  ranking factors posts that  actually only  contained  110–120 of Google's  200 ranking factors. So  he found his golden opportunity to write better content than anyone else and finally published a complete post on the topic himself covering every factor. And, as Brian recalls himself: When I saw that articles that  didn’t even list all 200 ranking factors  generated links like this, I realized  that I had a golden opportunity sitting in my lap. It took 10 gallons of coffee and 20 hours of sitting in front of my laptop (don’t worry, I took bathroom breaks) †¦ †¦but in the end, I had something that was clearly better than anything else out there. And let's not  forget the results he got after that: The shares alone on this post prove its success, though Brian also received tons of backlinks for his hard work. Here's how to implement this type of blog post: Find an old piece of content that has already worked worked well. Maybe it got lots of pageviews, social shares, or comments- you decide. Republish  it on Medium, LinkedIn Publisher, Business2Community, or BizSugar- it all depends on your niche. If you're republishing on Medium, try to submit it to a  Medium publication that has already built their reputation. Repurpose your post into new formats an post it in YouTube, SlideShare, Quora, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.  Embed your bonus material in the original blog post. Don't forget to add more value and make it more visually appealing. Recommended Reading: 50+ Places To Repurpose Your Content: The Ultimate Guide How To Unlock Quality Content From Your Low-Performing Posts How to Republish, Repurpose and Reinvent Your Content Using LinkedIn Publisher Bonus Tip: What You Do After You Create Content Is What Truly Counts What you do after you create content is what truly counts  @garyvee Gary Vaynerchuk  said that about content marketing. No doubt, every word of it is true- because content marketing is all about reaching to your customers. You can't just wait for your audience to find your content, you need to put it in front of their eyes. You need to reach out to them. And by far, the best way to do this is by using these methods: Include  a post-specific bonus. Contact everyone mentioned in your post through outreach marketing. Get featured in weekly content round-ups. Share your blog post on social media and with your email list. Recommended Reading: How To Develop An Effective Content Marketing Promotion Strategy 23 Ways To Get Even More Traffic From Your Most Popular Content Now It's Your Turn Now I want to hear from you... What do you think about these types of blog posts? Have you ever written a blog post that  opened floodgates of traffic for you? What type of blog post  was that? Let me know in the comments section below. And don't forget to grab your free marketing bundle from my blog which contains checklists, guides, and email templates to help you promote your post and get more traffic and subscribers. Grab your free marketing bundle here.

In what ways can marginalized perspectives enrich mainstream Essay

In what ways can marginalized perspectives enrich mainstream psychology - Essay Example A minority stress model is used to understand psychological well-being among lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals. Specifically, this model posits that lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and ethnic minorities may be at increased risk for mental distress because of exposure to stressors related to social antigay attitudes. There has also been increased attention to understanding psychological resilience and the ways in which lesbians, gay men, and ethnic minorities successfully cope with stress and stigma. In addition, assertiveness as a positive psychological process is demonstrated by different aspects of coming out as a lesbian, gay man, or bisexual: identity commitment, identity disclosure, and community involvement. Edward Sampson (1993) argues that the dissatisfaction expressed by minority groups about mainstream psychology can be explained in relation to the notion of identity politics. He defines identity politics as: â€Å"a politics based on the particular life experiences of people who seek to be in control of their own identities and subjectivities and who claim that socially dominant groups have denied them this opportunity† " (p. 1219). The ideology of identity politics may be admirable (or not), the reality is that, as often happens with ideology; the political movement has lost touch with the analytic meaning of its key concept. Just what is an identity The analytic potential needs to be extricated from ideologies of identity (Gainor, K. A. 2000). While the reduction of identity to power has its pitfalls, so too does an essentialist position. To argue that identity is race, or is sex, is to engage in a curious political maneuver. If identity is determined by an unchangeable characteristic of the self, then we have the basis for arguments of separatism. If I am my race or my gender, then all those who do not share my essential characteristic are alien and separate. It becomes very difficult to confront racism and sexism on any terms other than force or numbers. It is to argue that identity precedes existence. Current struggles over "difference feminism" reflect a great ambivalence over the political implications of this kind of argument. To juxtapose the essentialist argument to the thesis that identity is socially constructed through customs and conditioning is to be confronted with a contradiction. It is obvious that aspects of gender roles and racial stereotypes are socially constructed for reasons having to do with power, among other considerations. The implication of this proposition is that these roles and stereotypes can be deconstructed, as surely they can. But the question remains: what is left of identity when deconstruction has taken place Is there some primordial human essence Or is each individual, thus released from social constraint, free to assert whatever identity seems appealing If this is so, we are back to the self-centered individualism of classical liberal political theory. While images of autonomy and self-sufficiency have great appeal, they do not fit with what we know about the social interdependence that characterizes human nature.

Passionate love versus compassionate love Essay

Passionate love versus compassionate love - Essay Example Love can simply refer to a feeling of pleasure that one gets by doing something, hence the phrase ‘I love doing this’. One the other hand, even forms of romantic love is not all of the same kind. This might bring in the differences between passionate love and compassionate love. The key differences between the two kinds of romantic love contrast at different levels with both types having their own characteristics that seem better over the other. Passionate love happens quickly with strong attraction and feelings of emotion, but once the differences settle in, it is overcome by them and does not last long enough. Compassionate love on the other hand is based on mutual understanding, common dreams and empathy (Gilbert, Pg. 20-27). This makes compassionate love long lasting and possibly for the life time (Tzeng , P. 112). Compassionate love, hence, has more stability and the similarity and common interests of the two individuals help them bond over the facts (Lavelly; Quile s, pg. 354). Passionate love might be working on the bases of attraction between the opposites, but that is more of a compliment for the case of compassionate love with respect to qualities (Lavelly). The fact can be verified from the example that people, in general, prefer to marry into their own social groups and races even without the marriage being arranged by the parents or a third party (Lavelly). Research on the topic indicates that romantic acts and feelings are more permanent if the male and female have a higher pattern of similarity (Quiles, p. 354). This might be the reason that inspite of introduction of the internet and breaking of the rules previously stated about most individuals marrying in their own group (Lavelly), people still tend to marry in their own cultures (or atleast similar cultures) where they can find partners with more similarity (Quiles, p.354). This might be scene from a variety of perspectives and the contrast between the two types of love defines th e controversy that surrounds the matter, the love for similar background, culture, ambitions, shared dreams and the simple attraction or craving for another person. A survey supports the compassionate love in this regard to be of higher importance by comparing it to sports. Athletes surveyed responded that compassionate love and understanding helped them improve their performance in sports (Hindustan Times). Compassionate love differs from the passionate love in significant ways; attitudes, motivations, desires, expectations and many other feelings that might be there in both differ in their approach. Compassionate love defines life with respect to care, a beneficial treatment and respect for the partner with an appropriate perception of the suffering of the other. Passionate love can be unstable and a ride through the rough. A couple might be sitting in front of each other having feelings ranging from attraction to awkwardness (May). The unconditional expectation of a romantic love is the actual thing put to test in case of a passionate love (May). For the love to be genuine the passion in the love with feeling and understanding of the other might be present but anything less might be a blow to the relationship in case of a passionate love (May). Where compassionate love presents free choice, cognitive understanding and empathetic responses that put aside selfish needs, passionate love might in fact be a way to fulfill one’s own emotional needs without which it might be seen as less valuable (May). A partner with passionate love might feel it is an emotional burden from the other when the going gets tough. The first difficulty in the relationship might challenge the

Media representation of womens body. The change in advertising from Research Proposal

Media representation of womens body. The change in advertising from skinny models to everyday women - Research Proposal Example The Research proposal proves vital for the well being of all women. Just imagine Michael Angelo sculpting an Ally McBeal? Or Rembrandt painting Naomi Campbell? Or even Jane Austen portraying her female protagonist Elizabeth in beautiful gowns with nothing but bones and skin over her body? Besides saving Marble for the statue, paint and material for the painting, and word space to describe her heroine, there seems little achievement in choosing such models to depict the concept of beautiful women, in the field of art, literature or society, be it in the early 1500 century or the 21 century we are living in. But that was a time when there was nothing like the modern media. The society had scope to think for itself. Forms of expressions were for betterment of society and were devoid of manipulations. They were close to reality and in genuine proximity to nature unlike today. Women were a focus of every society although perspectives of representations of females have undergone catastrophic changes through the far reaching tentacles of the seductive, tantalizing and captivating media of modern consumerism and the capitalistic society. Buxom Belles represented beauty and prosperity. The Milkmaid by J Vermeer is admired as a masterpiece of art even today. Not only because of its excellence in painting skills and the superb realistic effects in the painting but also because of the daily life maid, the bulky but beautiful model he has chosen for his painting. Religions the world over revered the natural status of women for child bearing and rearing. Medical fields respected natural biology and the unique metabolism of humans. Sociologists acknowledge the well being of women to be a vital part of a healthy society in a nation. Anthropologists reported buxom bodied women as highly regarded females in native cultures of the world.

Why I want to attend law school Personal Statement

Why I want to attend law school - Personal Statement Example However, it was only after I faced a lot of hardships in life did I realize the importance of education and that it alone can help in the betterment of an individual. I then completed my schooling and learnt some office skills before I decided to enroll in a law career. After I enrolled in the Department of Paralegal studies at Everest College in Dallas, my heart was set on becoming an attorney and to help people in hardship. I was eager to learn everything in all areas of law and also worked hard in my program. Even before I attended formal education, I had a strong desire to help the poor and the needy. In my second year of college I was offered an externship position in the law office of one of the adjunct professors whose primary areas were criminal defense and family law. When I took the externship, I learnt that the office provided several pro bono legal services to the poor and during my tenure I assisted my professor in preparing legal documents of his indigent clients in cas es such as divorces and other marital issues, landlord/tenant disputes, child custody issues. I spent extensive hours reading the client case files, researching and writing briefs and preparing the cases for the court hearings.

Impact of Species Extinction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Impact of Species Extinction - Essay Example It is worth noting, with interest, that all forms of life are interdependent and that extinction of one form of life threatens the survival of the rest of the ecosystem either directly or indirectly. For instance, threat of extinction of dolphins poses a serious threat to marine ecosystem as well as other indirectly related ecosystems (Case web). Humans should respond to the current crisis of species extinction by utilizing the species rationally and fairly, upholding ethical ecological values, enacting measures that are more stringent, and practicing ethics in all human activities. Aldo leopold poses a challenge to human activities concerning protection of endangered species. Planetary life is interdependent and all forms of life can be seen as an ecosystem. However, human beings do not see the need for protection of endangered species especially when the extinction of such species does not affect human life directly. Whereas there are many species in the verge of extinction, dolphi ns offer a good example of species, which are becoming extinct at an alarming rate (Maas 1). It is more disheartening to note the way man shows cruelty to animals. For instance, fishing of dolphins is usually done in a cruel way. These animals are mishandled so badly that fishing zones becomes pools of blood. The same case applies to animals taken to slaughterhouses. Since we depend on animal for survival, we should reciprocate by treating them with respect especially when dealing with species under the threat of extinction. It is worth noting with concern that extinction of some species such as dolphins is primarily caused by human activities. It is undeniable that dolphins play a very important role in sustaining the economic activities especially for the communities that depend on fishing for a living (Milbury 1). However, lack of discipline and ethics has resulted to overfishing of dolphins posing a serious threat to extinction. Additionally, human activities such as industrial, mining, and agricultural activities contribute greatly to pollution of marine water. This in turn makes the marine environment inhabitable for marine life such as dolphins. Although effect of pollution to marine life takes time, the impacts are often long lasting and disastrous (National Research Council 112). Marine life often dies in large numbers and the few that are lucky to survive migrate to locations that are more favorable thereby destabilizing the ecosystem that we depend on. This necessitates the need to respond to the current crisis of species extinction by upholding ethical ecological values. The impact of extinction of a species may not be seen in short term but the results are more often than not felt after duration. Plants and animals occupy an important level in the ecological system. While some forms of life act as predators, others act as source of food to the rest. This implies that reduced number of a given species in an ecosystem will have a direct effect on th e immediate forms of life (Ryding 219). For instance, dolphins feed on fish such as anchovies. However, they also feed on squids and octopus. A decrease in dolphins as a predator to these other marine life causes an increase in their number. Plant life necessary to support squids, octopus, anchovies, and other species would not be enough to sustain

Why I want to attend law school Personal Statement

Why I want to attend law school - Personal Statement Example However, it was only after I faced a lot of hardships in life did I realize the importance of education and that it alone can help in the betterment of an individual. I then completed my schooling and learnt some office skills before I decided to enroll in a law career. After I enrolled in the Department of Paralegal studies at Everest College in Dallas, my heart was set on becoming an attorney and to help people in hardship. I was eager to learn everything in all areas of law and also worked hard in my program. Even before I attended formal education, I had a strong desire to help the poor and the needy. In my second year of college I was offered an externship position in the law office of one of the adjunct professors whose primary areas were criminal defense and family law. When I took the externship, I learnt that the office provided several pro bono legal services to the poor and during my tenure I assisted my professor in preparing legal documents of his indigent clients in cas es such as divorces and other marital issues, landlord/tenant disputes, child custody issues. I spent extensive hours reading the client case files, researching and writing briefs and preparing the cases for the court hearings.

Physician Assisted Suicide in the United States Research Paper

Physician Assisted Suicide in the United States - Research Paper Example The question then can turn to the reason for the action, whether passive or aggressive, that will end in death. One must contemplate whether or not it is always considered suicide if an action will inevitably end in death. If this is true, as Durkheim points out, then a soldier who bravely enters into a situation that is likely to end in death, but will save others, would also be committing suicide. However, the nature of the outcome is also not a part of the definition or the result of an action. In order to define a death a suicide, then, it is important to consider the intent of the action that will come to the result in death. In considering the different frames of action and thought when suicide is approached, it then shifts to consider the differences that can be appreciated in the reasons that one might wish to end their life. According to Holmes and Holmes, suicide is defined by taking an action that ends one’s life. They do not embellish or extend the discussion in th e way that Durkheim does, but they simply define the term as an active pursuit of the outcome of death. They further clarify the ambiguity of the term by saying â€Å"suicide is a behavior that differs from one person to another and from one time to another and has different motivations and anticipated gains† (2). Therefore, in defining suicide, one must understand that no clear definition applies, but that it is fluid and flexible depending on the variables involved in the event or events that lead to death. Every year, an approximate 30,000 people commit suicide within the United States. Suicide is the 11th most common cause of death, with homicide ranking at 14th. Suicide is the third leading... According to Hendin and Foley, â€Å"the World Health Organization recommendation (is) that governments not consider the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia until they have demonstrated the full availability and practice of palliative care for all citizens† (2). This perspective of the argument does not completely deny the use of such assistance, but does suggest that because of inadequacies in the current system, the potential for abuse of assisted suicide does not allow for its use as a treatment.   Doctor Jack Kevorkian became the symbol for the other side of the debate in which the idea of helping people to pass more quickly when faced with a long term illness with no hope found a leader and a face in which to center the debate. In 1990, his first assisted suicide was conducted in which an Alzheimer’s patient named Janet Adkins was helped by Dr. Kevorkian to die. His methods were centered on devices that he built that made it easy for patient s to push a button and deliver a dose of medications that would end life. Therefore, when he was charged with murder tin the death of Adkins, Michigan, which had no laws against suicide at the time, had to release him as he did not, himself, deliver the medications that killed her (Nicol and Wylie 151).   Dr. Kevorkian aided more than 130 people towards self directed deaths and became known as ‘Dr. Death’ because of his activism and participation in assisted suicide (Nicol and Wylie 24). Dr. Kevorkian often become an adversary to the opposing opinion on the topic.

Huxley - lowry Essay Example for Free

Huxley lowry Essay The similarities between the societies in Aldous Huxleys Brave New World and Lois Lowrys The Giver are extraordinary, but at the same time, are significantly different. The underlying concept is the same: both stories take place in the future where happiness is the societys ultimate goal. Individuals in both societies are conditioned and genetically engineered to be happy and content, and emotions are repressed or eliminated entirely. The stories are set in technologically advanced futures where it is possible for things like cloning, genetic selection, and brainwashing to control the populace. Brave New Word is set about 600 years from the present where the whole of human society is dominated by World Controllers whose main goal is ensure the societys happiness and stability. The fundamental principle behind this society is utilitarianism, which seeks to attain the maximum level of overall happiness of every individual. This was achieved by limiting the persons intelligence and scope of emotion to match his or her job or social status. The people are also socially conditioned by drugs and constant brainwashing. Drug-induced happiness though the substance soma, is the social norm. It is a society that permits hedonism and sexual promiscuity, but does not allow the concept of love and family to exist. The utilitarian goal is to make the society â€Å"happy† and thus be more efficient. It aims to create social stability by ensuring that limitations are placed on the abilities of each individual. In The Gift, the people are genetically engineered not to see color and distinguish music. In addition to that, the â€Å"Sameness† of every individual is the goal that was to be attained. Both The Gift and Brave New World portray highly structured societies where there is no place for genuine love and family in its truest sense. However, family and childhood arrangements are portrayed differently: in Huxleys novel, there are no â€Å"families† or definite partners but there exists a caste system, as opposed to Lowrys novel wherein families are created by matching up men and women based on personality. In both cases, the members of the society have no control over their lives and their futures are decided by others. This is definitely not a beneficial arrangement in the context of living a full, purposeful life. For example, in Brave New World, the population was controlled through technological interventions that actually change what they want in life. Embryos were conceived, in assembly lines wherein each one is engineered with qualities that would give them a predetermined role in society. When people are living happy lives where pain and anguish are eliminated, both societies in Brave New World and The Giver seem ideal at first glance. War, poverty, and ugliness, and in the case of The Gift, even memories have been eliminated and everyone seems to be permanently happy. Who does this kind of society benefit? In Brave New World, the people are trained to become good consumers and workers to keep the economy strong. A caste system where every individual is contented with their designated caste is created to ensure the functioning of the society. In The Gift, people are assigned their own roles in the community, including their partners and children. This is beneficial to society as a whole in a sense that the arrangement easily maintains its existence without trouble. In a superficial level, it looks like the human race is better off being â€Å"happy,† but in a deeper context, the ways by which this â€Å"happiness† is achieved robs the very of meaning of life. Life in those societies is cheap and without worth, since every person is replaceable. Existing just for the sake of it is not living at all—as Huxley succinctly quotes: â€Å"the purpose of life was not the maintenance of well being, but some intensification and refining of consciousness, some enlargement of knowledge. † The state of bliss has been attained by eliminating the very things that defined humanity—art, music, literature, philosophy, and all things that generate passion and emotion. This is definitely not beneficial to any society, and would not bode well within our own society today. The individuals in both novels have no genuine feelings—they are living a mindless, passionless existence. Ultimately, a society where individualism and creativity are frowned upon, where people do not make choices on their own, and live in false happiness is not a beneficial one to the individuals that comprise it and to humanity as a whole. Bibliography Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 1998. Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.

The Internet Can Be Used For Terrorism

The Internet Can Be Used For Terrorism The internet covers a vast number of ways in which it can be used for terrorism, the most common way in which terrorist use the internet, is in fact the use we fear least, namely the use to recruit, communicate and spread propaganda. Cyber war, which includes, terrorist attacks such as hacking into nuclear power plants, flight control or even businesss is in reality yet to be seen or even developed by terrorists, however it is still the side of internet terrorism that we fear most. The terrorists using the internet cannot be easily defined as one group of people. John Deutch argues that there are three types of terrorists, the first is state sponsored terrorists, second is groups trying to overthrow their government to gain independence and finally Islamic terrorists who operate and have interests in not one sole country but instead with in a region, which in their case is predominantly, but not solely, the middle east.  [1]  The different aims and the degree of how radical each group is, will affect the extent to which different terrorists are willing to use the internet to achieve their goal. The internets simple accessibility, minimal restrictions and speed to reach vast potential audiences is the basis for why it has become so popular for governments, businesses and the public, including terrorists, to increasingly use it for everyday tasks. The freedom and equality that the internet allows, and which democratic countries support, is a double-edged sword as it allows terrorists to just as easily coordinate and conform to attack these democratic values. The internet provides a means for terrorists to attack on a more level playing field in a cyber war, instead of the traditional means of warfare in which the states military superiority can usually defeat the terrorists. However, accessing and attacking information on the internet can be harder in less democratic countries such as china where the internet is heavily censored. Gabriel Weimann says that most terrorist sites emphasize two issues, the restrictions placed on freedom of expression and the plight of comrades who are now political prisoners  [2]  . With regard to the first point that terrorists sites emphasize the restrictions placed on their freedom, this very notion that they are publicising this worldwide on their sites to mass audiences is a contradiction of having their free speech restricted. Furthermore, despite the United States military attacks on Al Qaeda since the war on terror, Al Qaeda has still gained large publicity in the west. Whether this is video tapes of Osama Bin Laden, or messages warning of further attacks, it has allowed them the freedom to spread their message and fear to their enemies. Weimann goes on to say though that terrorist sites swiftly emerge, modify their formats, and then swiftly disappear again. In some cases, e.g. Al Qaedas, locations and contents change almost daily  [3]  . If terrorists freedom were unrestricted, they would not have to do this, thus the internet is clearly a place that offers terrorists vast opportunities, but not without extr eme risk and precaution. The internets opportunities that have been exploited the most are the use of propaganda and recruiting, targeting mainly potential supporters and the public of the enemy, Potentials are bombarded with anti-American propaganda  [4]  . Prior to the internet, the only outlet the terrorists had was television, radio and newspapers, all of which are selective, and more cautious to a certain extent, of what they choose to publicise. Indirectly however, the internet has actually helped terrorists reach audiences through these traditional media outlets. Press releases are often placed on the websites in an effort to get the organisations point of view into the traditional media.  [5]  Foreign journalists are actually aimed at through the internet; in this manner, the internet not only provides a way for terrorists to reach the public, but also in fact allows them to reach out through traditional media outlets, which previously was very rare. It allows mainstream journalists to access and choose whether to publicise their material, which prior to the internet would have been very hard to get their message to these journalists. The extent of this should not be overstated though, it may have made it easier for terrorist groups to catch the attention of journalists, but that by no means, and is still very rare, that they will publicise their message, at least not in the light that the terrorists would like it to be portrayed anyway. The internet also provides an outlet for psychological warfare, fundraising, co-ordinating attacks and for hiding encrypted manuals and instructions  [6]  . There is much evidence to support this; the IRA as well as other terrorist groups has received many donations online. Psychological warfare has been committed by posting beheadings and murder online, such as the murder of American journalist Daniel pearl. Donald Rumsfeld said that an Al Qaeda terrorist manual said it was possible to gather at least 80% of all information required about the enemy to co-ordinate an attack. As for terrorist manuals and instructions, the terrorists handbook, anarchists cookbook and the Encyclopaedia of jihad, which include details of how to run an underground organisation and execute attacks, can be easily found online. Despite the internet providing an outlet for these uses, most of the operating systems and programs used by these terrorists are likely to be American made; meaning it is highly l ikely that precautionary counter measures are already in place by America to prevent an attack against them. Fundraising can be easily quashed through the collaboration of the governments and card companies, as seen recently with visa and MasterCards ban on donations to Wikileaks. Although not a terrorist organisation, a group nonetheless causing problems to the U.S that they quickly restricted. Psychological warfare using murder and brutality videos are rarely on the internet for long and usually seen by very few because they are not easily available, or plainly because many people do not want to watch them. The internets use for distributing manuals and co-ordinating attacks has proved harder to restrict though and the growth of cloud computing is only hindering this, cloud computing also at the same time provides another possible area for terrorists to attack, particularly businesss using cloud networks. The mass media has overstated the threat of cyber terrorism and made inadequate awareness to the daily uses like recruitment and spreading of propaganda, but this is not to say that the cyber terrorism is not a threat. John Arquilla says that cyberwar Like war in Clausewitzs view, may be a chameleon. It will be adaptable to varying contexts.  [7]  As cyberwar is a new concept, in relation to the centuries of warfare, it is hard to say yet whether this is the case. The extent of its use is fast appearing though, the ability to recruit and train as previously mentioned as well as the ability to hack enemy systems and potentially cripple them shows that a battle could be started, carried out and won with just the effective use of superior hackers. Vice admiral Bevrowski said, We are in the midst of a revolution in military affairs (RMA) unlike any seen since the Napoleonic Age  [8]  . I believe that the development of the internet and networks is actually much larger than the Na poleonic age RMA, but at the same time much more restrained. In a way, it is a much larger revolution because for the first time it creates a more level battlefield for terrorists who can rarely compete militarily against states. Cyberwar in theory can cause an even more destructive victory without killing one person, by solely destroying vital enemy networks and systems, or merely just bluffing that you are capable and willing to do so. Christopher Joyner believes that it only needs an adversary to attack the US banks and the whole economy would crumble.  [9]  On the other hand it could actually prevent what John Arquilla says has been the main aim of warfare since the sixteenth century, attrition or absolute defeat of the enemy  [10]  . If you manage to access the enemys networks, but not attack and instead threaten the enemy to surrender, then this could potentially end the battle without casualties. The flaw in the threat of cyberwar is that although the enemy has effect ively been defeated, they have not been weakened at all and could come back and attack very quickly. Americans and other nations threatened by terrorists will likely have superior defences in place to prevent this sort of catastrophic attack though, limiting and restraining the use of internet warfare by terrorists. At the same time, despite states superior networks and technology, it is very hard for states to know how to directly attack rogue terrorist groups without unintentionally attacking civilians; again, the possibilities for internet warfare are limited. The exception to this would be state sponsored terrorists, states have clear targets such as the military, transportation systems or their stock exchange, all of which can be dealt powerful blows to get them to hand over terrorists and stop supporting them. Traditional views of war can be applied to cyber war, as Von Clausewitz argues; the defending party always has an advantage over the attacking forces. This is true for cyber war and is why attempts to successfully combat cyber terrorism are made more difficult. The defending state has to produce advanced, expensive technological methods to protect all of its information, from its stock exchanges and health care systems to its military and nuclear systems. The attacker on the other hand only has to find a way to access one of these areas to cause catastrophic damage, thus they can spend more time and money focussing on one area of attack while the defending nation has to spread its resources across many; this gives the attacking terrorists the advantage. To combat this, the easiest way is to know what area the terrorists plan to attack so you can focus resources. The problem that arises from this solution though is that it is very easy to start abusing civil liberties by illegally mon itoring citizens activities and restricting certain information; whether this prevents the attack or not, the terrorists will have already won a victory of discrediting the western values of freedom and liberty. The illegal wiretaps that George Bush approved without a warrant under the PATRIOT Act prove this; the threat of terrorism is enough to make governments crack and hand the terrorists a small victory. The rise of internet terrorism has changed the hierarchical system in terror cells to a network of international, independent terrorist cells. In order to combat this, states must co-operate and share information. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that sharing information occurs, it is likely that a lot of useful information is not shared though. The issue is not just the sharing information; if terrorist cells co-ordinate globally then likewise must governments. John Deutch mentions how Europeans protested over the U.S bombing of Libya after a bomb killed two Americans.  [11]  Disagreements make an international response, slower, inefficient and divided. The terrorist cells, for the most part to not have this problem, they join specific terrorist groups because of its reputation and intentions and are usually united under one political or religious aim. The opportunities presented to terrorists by the internet are increasing as the world become more reliant on the internet. At present though, the opportunities are largely non-aggressive and this is mainly because actions such as recruiting over chat rooms and spreading propaganda are hard to combat and even if the enemy finds them, there is usually nothing illegal about these websites and new ones can be easily re-opened under a different name. For terrorists trying to use the internet for aggressive means such as hacking, the opportunities are a lot more limited because most states threatened by terrorism, have invested large amounts of money into cyber defences to combat this.

Robert Burns :: essays research papers

People have made entire careers off the belief in and practices of astrology. The idea of the stars determining our fate has withheld people’s interest for centuries. Robert Burns, an Aquarius, was very anti-superstition. He had almost no belief in astrological predictions or zodiac signs. There is some humor in this though, because through Burns’ poems and songs this pseudoscience shows just how accurate it can be. The most parallel example of Burns’ personality and his Aquarius sign can be seen in the work The Fornicator.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Robert Burns was born January 25, 1759, son to a dirt poor farmer and a mother who never learned to write her own name. He held many jobs before making a name for himself as a poet, to include a farmer and excise officer. Burns was famed for his poetry and songs and has been called Scotland’s answer to Shakespeare. He was also renowned for his excessive drinking and womanizing, one such biographer, Ian McIntyre, remarked that Burns was â€Å"incapable of addressing a woman, on paper or in the flesh, without placing a hand on her thigh.† It was also reported that he fathered over a dozen children in and out of marriage. The official reason for Burns’ death was rheumatic heart disease, but it is often attributed to the bottle. Upon death critics and obituary writers labeled him a â€Å"drunkard.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aquarius, the zodiac symbol assigned to those born between January 21 and February 19. Traditional Aquarian traits are that they are: friendly and humanitarian, original and inventive, independent and intellectual. Some negative aspects of Aquarians are that they can be: intractable and contrary, perverse and unpredictable, unemotional and detached. Aquarians generally possess strong and attractive personalities. They can fall into two categories: one shy, sensitive, gentle and patient; the other exuberant, lively and exhibitionist, sometimes hiding the depth of their character under a cloak of frivolity. Among the faults to which Aquarians are liable are: fanatical eccentricity, wayward egotism, excessive detachment and an inclination to retreat from life and society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The poem the Fornicator speaks to all the young gentlemen of Burns era and today’s male audience. This piece is about Burns referring to himself as a fornicator and impregnating a girl, Elizabeth Paton, out of wed lock. There is an air of sarcasm and regret throughout the poem; not some much about impregnating the woman but having to deal with the hassles of potentially being bogged down with a child.

The Many Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana Essay -- Argumentative Persua

The Many Benefits of Medicinal Marijuana When the religious leaders of Nicholas Copernicus' time excommunicated him for his radical studies, they ignorantly dismissed a brilliant idea. The idea that the earth revolved around the sun inherently brought controversy upon the traditional styles of science. A controversy our leaders need to examine is the medical use of marijuana. Instead of banning marijuana and ignoring the public voice, our representatives need to examine the facts and effects of marijuana for medical use. Like Copernicus' idea that revolutionized science, changing the way we treat our sick and suffering will benefit our society. The effects of legalizing marijuana for only medical purposes will stop unnecessary legal action and it will change the way doctors treat a number of serious ailments. At the turn of the century, rumors equated marijuana "as a substitute for the opiates and alcohol", thus leading to The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. It was instated with little public notice and without research on the effects of the drug. The Act led to further myths such as the "gateway" term, which describes marijuana as a drug that leads to more dangerous drug abuse. Since the time our representatives took the uneducated initiative to ban the drug for medical purposes, it has been tested and found innocent of addictive qualities (Bonnie and Whitebread 4). "The best established use of smoked marijuana is an anti-nauseate for cancer chemotherapy. During the 1980's, smoked marijuana was shown to be an effective anti-emetic in six different state-sponsored clinical studies involving nearly 1,000 patients" (Randall 217-243). According to Peter McWilliams, an AIDS and cancer patient, marijuana gave him the most rel... ...nd Consulted Bonnie, Richard and Whitebread, Charles. The Genesis of Marijuana Prohibition. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Available: http:www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Library/studies/vlr/vlr2.htm IOM report sends mixed signals on use of marijuana as medicine. Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Weekly: LEXIS NEXIS. Available: http:web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_ansset=GeHauKO_ Marijuana is a Medicine English Medical Marijuana Flyer. Avaliable: http://medicalmarijuana.org/engflyer.htm ON THE RIGHT; political update. National Review. Available: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/document?_ansset=GeHauKO- The Medical Use of Marijuana NORML. Available: http:natlnorml.org/medical/index.html Woodward, Wc. C. American Medical Association Opposes the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. Available: http://www.pdxnorml.org/AMA_opposes_1937.html

Effects of Global Warming on Animals Essay

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated various environmental campaigns to gradually resolve the increasing impacts of climate change towards the environment (Silverstein et. al. , 2003 p. 5). The public’s increased attention to such problem is not anymore surprising as it threatens every creature with potentially devastating consequences. However, the subjects of animal health have received lesser attention compared to the economic, industrial and social impacts of climatic changes brought by global warming (Sherman, 2002 p. 204). According to Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003), the primary concern of ecologists is the rapid increase of climatic change consistently altering the natural ecology of wildlife in various ecosystems. Based on the annual measurement of atmospheric carbon dioxide (ACO) concentrations, two major signals depicting dramatic ecological patterns have been observed, namely (1) â€Å"seasonal cycle that reflects the metabolism of terrestrial ecosystems in the northern hemisphere†, and (2) â€Å"accelerating increase in tropospheric concentrations of ACO since 1957† (Vitousek, 1994). As supported by various studies (Root, Price and Hall et al. , 2003; Vitousek, 1994; Tylianakis, Didham and Bascompte et al. , 2008), global warming effects, namely (1) increases in temperature, (2) alteration of food chains, and (3) atmospheric gas imbalances, dramatically affect the conditions of animal kingdom. II. Literature Review a. Global Warming: Ecological Imbalance The basic principle of global warming consists of the accumulation of radiation energy from the sun resulting to the warming of the planet’s surface (Houghton, 2004 p. 14). Based on 688 published studies on global warming, the three major environmental impacts affecting the ecological systems of animals and plants are (1) temperature changes, (2) alterations of animal symbiotic relationships, and (3) imbalances in the atmospheric gases (Tylianakis, Didham and Bascompte et al. , 2008). Based on the study of Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003), global temperature has increased to approximately 0. 6 degree C since 1880s, and projected to increase consistently with the coming generations. The continuous alterations of climate may be due to the three following reasons: (1) sunspot cycles, (2) volcanic eruptions producing large quantities of fine ash in the air, and (3) the occurrence of El Nino Southern Oscillation (Gupta, 1998 p. 86). In the literary reviews of Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003) using 143 different studies, majority of the studies reveal the endangering situations of approximately 80% of species that are now gradually adjusting to various ecosystems due to the physiological constraints brought by ecologic changes. In fact, according to the study of Thomas, Cameron and Green et al. (2004), animal habitats and survival expectations have been altered by the effects of global warming increasing the projected extinction risks to approximately 20% among the sample ecosystems, namely Queensland, Mexico, South Africa, Amazonia and Europe. b. Increases in Temperature With the advent of modernization, auto engines, power plants, industrial mills, and residential heating systems burn coal, oil, or natural gas accounting to 98% of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere, while the other 2% id due to the increased deforestation and mining (Tomera, 2001 p. 113). According to Root, Price and Hall et al. (2003), rapid temperature increases and ecological stresses brought by the alterations of ecosystems are disrupting the natural communities of various species, which lead to forced adaptations of species, numerous extirpations and possible extinctions. As supported by the study of Pounds, Bustamante and Coloma et al. (2006), one example of massive animal extinctions occurred in the mountains of Costa Rica wiping 67% of the various 110 species of Atelopus, such as harlequin frog (Atelopus Sp. ) and golden toad (bufo periglenes) and pathogenic chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis), which are endemic to American tropical habitats. In a study conducted by Penuelas, Fillela and Comast (2002), life cycles in a Mediterranean environment (Cardedeu, NE Spain) has been observed from 1952 to 2000 in order to determine possible alterations in the ecosystems and increasing climate changes. With the temperature increase amounting to ? 1. 4 degree C (1952 to 2000), results reveal significant phonological alterations among the different species of animals (e. g. spring migratory birds arriving 15 days later in 2000 compared 1952, etc. ). Noting the mentioned temperature increase in the latter study, Hanson, Sato and Ruedy (2006) suggest that a relative increase of ? 1 degree C is likely to affect the sea levels and exterminate various species. c. Symbiotic Relationships: Predisposing Species Extinction Temperature, climate, and gas imbalances are the leading global warming effects altering the different levels of ecologic symbiosis. The rise of global temperature affects the geographical distribution of ectothermic animals, decomposers and mostly those with lesser thermal tolerance (Portner, 2001). For example, thermally intolerant metazoans and other decomposers have markedly shown increase mitochondrial oxygen demand parallel to the rise of temperature, which resulted to the reduction of their population (Portner, 2001). Using species-area and endemic-area relationships, Malcolm, Liu and Neilson et al. (2006) have identified the projected percent extinctions of sample biodiversities (Cape Floristic Region, Caribbean, Indo-Burma, Australia, and Tropical Andes, etc.) ranging from

Legalize Steroids in Sports

Ben Johnson was one of the first superstar athletes to be caught using steroids and was stripped of his 100m gold medal at the 1988 Olympics. He was eventually banned for life in 1993 for testing positive again (Richardson 2010). Performance enhancing drugs have become widely used since the 1970’s and have only increased in the numbers of athletes using the drugs to up their endurance and perform to their greatest potential. Professionals such as Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, and Hulk Hogan have all been humiliated and are now seen as cheaters after being caught using steroids.It is too late to stop these sports fuelled on drugs because of the large number of athletes using, so why not consider drug use as a way to level the playing field? The only way to stop the â€Å"cheating† in sports is to open up the gates and drop all performance-enhancing drug laws throughout the sports. We should stop all the hypocrisy and allow pro athletes to take whatever performance drugs the y please. In 1995 Bob Goldman, a Chicago physician, asked 198 Olympic U. S. athletes whether they would take a banned substance if they were guaranteed to win; 195 of those athletes said yes (Richardson 2011).Professionals know the risks of steroids, but if you offered an athlete a drug that would guarantee him glory and riches, but knock ten years off his life, most would take it (Madden 2011). The health risks caused by steroids have been broadly exaggerated. The athletes using these drugs want to become bigger, leaner, and faster. For example, a male athlete injecting testosterone into their body will gain better adaptations to training and better performance. This is because testosterone enhances muscle power and promotes recovery from tough workouts.The testosterone has a high anabolic effect, strengthening muscle cells, and repairing and toughening bones. Steroids allow the athletes to maximize their performance on field, which is their main objective in the sport. Allowing th e use of steroids would make sports safer as there would be less pressure on athletes to take unsafe enhancers and more pressure to develop new safe steroids for the athletes to use. People who believe the health risks are the reason these drugs should be banned need to look at Major League Baseball’s tolerance of chewing tobacco during games, and to the NFL’s glorification of hard tackles (Nathaniel 2010).For example, chewing tobacco is allowed and it can cause mouth cancer. The tackles in the NFL can cause major concussions and lead to long-term brain injuries. These are all detrimental to the health of the athletes. If steroids were taken under the care of a team physician, then it would allow for the regulation of dosage and the team physician can keep track of the overall health of the athlete, which will maximize their physical performance. Athletes are always trying to improve and be the best they can be. Steroids can take a regular athlete and turn them into an elite athlete.Most research studies that have demonstrated improved performance with steroids used experienced weight lifters who were capable of training with heavier weight, and when exposed to steroids increased their strength incredibly (Fahey 1998). Improved strength is just another factor in being an improved athlete, they still need the skill to hit that home run or throw a football. Almost all athletes that used steroids feel that they would not have been as successful without steroids (Fahey 1998). If professional sports allowed their athletes to use enhancers there would be certain effects that would occur right away.First, there would be more studies on the benefits and risks of these different drugs because the sports associations will want the safest and best steroids for the athletes. Second, the athlete’s physicians would prescribe the drugs and the effects on the athletes would be watched very closely. And third, the drug manufacturing would be taken out whic h means the black market on these steroids would die out (Nathaniel 2010). The legalization of the steroids would start a movement in the sports leagues where new records will be broken just as they were made to be.It is time for the government to legalize steroids. Because so many athletes are using, legalizing is the only way to get a level playing field like the sports associations want. Every athlete would have the option legally to use steroids. Morally and physically, each athlete would have that certain choice to make also. The situation would be out in the open though and drugs can finally be regulated in sports. Performance enhancers in sports have been used illegally throughout the history of sports; it’s time for pro sports to legalize steroids and similar substances.

The feminist media in middle est Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The feminist media in middle est - Essay Example I. A Brief History of Media in the Middle East and the Origins of the Female Presence From a historical standpoint though, Middle Eastern media dates back to the early 1800s. During the times of the Ottoman Empire and Qajar Iran to name but a few, media in official and private arenas began to take shape (Fortna, 97). Although Middle Eastern media at this time was largely financed by subscription and advertisements, it became a popular tool in the transmission and dissemination of cultural/technical works – largely aided by the newly imported printing technologies from European nations (Fortna, 97). However, it wasn’t until the early 20th century when media became a professional occupation, that the power of media (writing, journalism, and illustrations) was fully harnessed. By 1925, print and roving journalists had begun creating teams, to comment on the popular media of the day – radio and cinema (Fortna, 97). Regarding the first notable female presence in Middl e Eastern media, it appears that this is not well documented and varies greatly depending on the type of media. For example, since the inception of Aziza Amir’s first Arabic feature length film in 1927, females have been permitted to make and direct films (Skilli, 48). Filmmaking has offered women (feminist or otherwise) to encapsulate the complexities of female realities and offer a somewhat covert challenge to the dominant view of the female role – for example, Abnoudi’s 1971 file (Horse of Mud), encouraged Middle Eastern people to consider the impact of gender roles and socioeconomic class on the daily lives of Middle Eastern women (Skilli, 48). Critical feminist films that overtly challenge the dominant order are still subject to censorship in the Middle East to this day. For example, when Tahmineh Milani’s feminist film, roughly translated as the â€Å"Hidden Half† was introduced to the public in 2001, she was both arrested and then interrogat ed (Skilli, 49). Women did not become notable in the establishment of publishing houses until the 1980s, when Iranian feminist Shahla Lahiji became the first publishing house owner. Following this, several other women were able to establish publishing houses, and put women’s issues in the public arena for the first time (Skalli, 45). Females did not appear in contemporary journalism in the Middle East until the 1980s – and faced dual threats: from religious quarters and from censorship of the semi-military government when publishing materials that aimed to discuss women’s rights, women’s issues, or any other topic that threatened the prevailing order (Skalli, 41). Sakh (2004) argues that even when women were/are afforded the necessary freedom to participate in mass media outlets in the Middle East, there is no guarantee that they support feminist causes, or aim to promote discussion of issues relevant to women (Sakr, 8). In fact, female illiteracy is a ma jor Middle Eastern issue, which serves to promote compliance with the dominant system, preempt challenges to it, and keep women in a subordinate position (Sakr, 8; Skalli, 41). Regarding female appearance on television, much progress has been made in the past 30 years. Notably, Jordon’s most prominent female reporter, Rana Husseini, and Algerian reporter Horia Saihi, have constructed stories on the female experience of war

Joint Strike Fighter Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Joint Strike Fighter - Term Paper Example Most systems share common characteristics that include; maintenance of an  internal  steady state, presence of inputs, processing, output and feedback mechanisms, display emergent properties that are peculiar to the whole, and  have  boundaries defined by the system observer. Systems do not  operate  in a vacuum; they comprise of smaller units called subsystems. The subsystems  interconnected, transfer  knowledge from a system to the next. A system can only operate within its boundaries (Blanchard, Benjamin & Wolter 5). The  system  observer  defines the boundaries, and outside these boundaries lies the  environment  (Blanchard, Benjamin, and Wolter 5). The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program  is a  growth  and acquisition plan  intended to restore a wide array of existing  strike, fighter and land attacks for the United States and her allies. The main competitors for the program were Lockheed Martin X-35 and Boeing X-32 of which the former; Lockhee d X-35’s  prototype  won the tender. The  firm  came up with the F-35 Lighting II to replace various tactical planes such as the Canadian CF-18, British Harrier GR7 and the US F-16.  The X-35 portrayed the most  persuasive  demonstration  by taking off in less than 150 meters. ... After data  collection and conversion into appropriate  medium  for input, its processing follows; manipulation into information using  input  procedures. Output marks the end of the data processing function of the system. It communicates the information derived from the processing function to the recipient users or another  data  processing  function. System  control  is  vital  in all data processing systems (Blanchard, Benjamin & Wolter 8). System  controls  refer to a  gadget  or  set  of systems that direct,  command  or  regulate  the workings of a system. The elements of  control  include a feedback mechanism that offers descriptive and  comprehensive  information on the input,  output  and processing aspects of the system. Feedback describes a  check  within a  system  that ensures the overall achievement of system goals. It denotes a situation when the output from a  past  process  influences the recurrenc e of the same result in the  present  or future  process. Feedback mechanism  performs controls through a loopback. Positive and negative feedback mechanisms are the two broad divisions of feedback mechanism.   A positive going  wave  on the output amplifies the input signal resulting in the same output  production.  Contrastingly, a signal  inversion occurs leading to a negative going change in the output.  Interfaces are areas of intersection or interactions of different systems that exchange information or  energy. The final element of a system is the  environment. This is that  area  outside a system. A system can interact either with its environment or with not (Blanchard, Benjamin, and Walter 13). Based on their interaction with the surroundings, systems are either  open or closed systems. An open

Performance art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Performance art - Essay Example It makes the audience visualize, mentally and self-consciously, the performances that they connect to in their everyday lives. Performance artists present their ideas to the audience by performing roles that we play in our real lives, like political roles, social relationships, economic functions, and cultural customs and rituals. Performance art makes these roles and relationships unequivocal and more overt, so that the audience can relate to them and reflect upon them using their own minds and perspectives. However, performance art also needs expertise in singing, dancing, and acting, like other forms of art, to be expressive enough. These skills make the performance really compelling, making the minds of the audience sway away to places they have not been before. To name a few performance artists, the mainstream press considers Lady Gaga and Mitt Romney two of the most profound performance artists of