Saturday, August 31, 2019
Pricing strategy Essay
Home depot is a store dealing with home appliances and other household consumables. I will look at the pricing strategy of refrigerators. Most prices of different brands of refrigerators are set to match the prices of their competitors. This is because mostly the competitors are operating in the same environment. it is essential to offer better quality brands with the same price as competitors. However when setting the price, the objective is to ensure profitability of the firm is taken care by the price set. The profit firm must incorporate capital requirements and the associated gains that cover the expenses of the organization. Always the profit considered in price setting is equals to price less cost of sales. While capital gains is equivalent the current assets and fixed assets running costs. à à à à à à à à à à à In choosing the target, market for refrigerator is made during the construction of sores. However the in which they are operating attracts the customers. Take an example of the New York most people have excess disposable income to spend and there are utilities that support the refrigerator in almost all homes.à The company has reported that they have high expectation in the stead rise through to 2025 for product. Another important factor in the increase of consumers are the aging population with large pensions and young business executives with more excessive funds. In fact, this two groups forms an important consumer segment of home depot refrigerators. The customer has carried the consumer assessment they have adapted market oriented determination and differential. à References à à à à à à à à à à à Schaik J.L., (2002); The Task of Marketing Management; J.L. van Schaik (Pity) ltd
Friday, August 30, 2019
Effects of Technology on Enviroment Essay
Effects of technology on environment. Selection of topic Now a day the world relies totally on technologies. Therefore, it is important to discuss on the effect caused on environment due to these technologies. Aims and objectives To study about effects of technology on earth. To study its negative and positive impact on environment. To discuss how to decreases its ill effect. To analysis the energy consumed per year on technologies. Relevance The Negative Ecological Impacts of Technology One of the biggest problems the world faces today is the amount of energy that is consumed globally. With almost all of the worldââ¬â¢s businesses using computer technology to operate, the energy consumption of the industrial world is constantly on the increase. Countries such as the United States where the average employee works more than 40 hours a week, as a result, the energy consumption of a typical office in the United States is likely to be higher than that of an office in a country where the average work week does not exceed 40 hours. Many offices run their computer systems on a mainframe server. This server is usually running 24 hours a day and is rarely shut down. To keep these servers from overheating, fans are installed within the hard drives. With the combined energy of the fans and the operation of the servers, the amount of energy being consumed is huge and results in a very high thermal count. According to the International Energy Agency or, IEA, around 4% of the worldââ¬â¢s energy consumption in 2008 was due to the mass use of information communications technologies. This figure is predicted to rise to an incredible 40% by the time the year 2030 arrives. By this time, the demands on the worldââ¬â¢s electricity sources will have also doubled globally and companies will need to have a viable solution to prevent computer technologies from being a major drain on the worldââ¬â¢s energy resources. Theà Positive Ecological Impacts of Technology Despite the claims that technology is to blame for many of the worldââ¬â¢s ecological problems, technology has also served to improve the shape of our planet. Since the rise of technology in the workplace, numerous ICT companies have been designing ââ¬Å"greener technologyâ⬠to combat the detrimental effect that computers and their accompanying technology have on the environment. One of the best known organizations is the Green Grid. The Green Grid is an organization that consists of IT companies and professionals from around the world. The Green Grid is devising ways to improve the way energy is consumed by IT oriented businesses and their offices. One of the biggest achievements of the Green Grid is the Power Usage Effectiveness or, PUE, metric system. This system records data center energy consumption. How it works is by recording the energy consumption of a data center or mainframe server every 15 minutes. By recording in these 15 minute increments it helps those monitoring the data to notice if there are any energy fluctuations and if the data center systems are using an adequate amount of energy. The long term goal of the Green Grid is to introduce a standard system that allows business managers and IT operatives to compare the amount of the energy they are consuming and if necessary resolve ways to reduce it. Another technology that is having positive impacts on the environment is low carbon technology. Low carbon technology is a form of technology that has been developed in China. Largely developed because of Chinaââ¬â¢s low carbon footprint in comparison to other developing countries, the low carbon technology aims to offset the amount of emissions polluting the air by using renewable fossil fuels. Observation Improvements in the technology have antagonistic effects on the human life along with the positive effects. The growth of the technology leads to very severe problems like pollution, unemployment, effects social life of the humans etc.. First of all, the most serious problem is pollution, which is created by the technological inventions like vehicles, industries, etc.. Now-a-days the vehicles like cars, bikes are increasing which is leading to increase in pollution. The other problem is radiation caused by the increase in the mobile phones. Secondly, in most of the developing countries likeà India the major problem is unemployment. This problem is mostly caused by the increase in the instruments, which are the results of improvement in the technology. Finally, in todayââ¬â¢s world all the people are getting addicted to the internet like social sites, games and they also becoming victims of the google. For example, all the persons are getting involved in the facebook and they are not at all bothering about the surrounding world, this may leading them away from the social life and sometimes it also creates problems in the families. The other example, everyone in this world is depending on google for each and everything and they are not at all referring to the books. However, most of the people say that improvements in technology like software solutions creates employment, but that is not true because the employment created by the software field is less than the employments which is decreased by the instruments in industries. In conclusion, the negative effects of the technology is higher than the advantages from the improvements in technology. Conclusion As a result of the increase in the various forms of technology, there are many positive and negative ecological impacts on the planet. Through the rise in modern technology and increase in globalization, there is a high increase in energy consumption. This in turn has devastating effects on the planetââ¬â¢s climate and air quality. However, without modern technology there would not be the capability to improve energy management systems or to develop environmentally friendly products such as bio-fuels. To make a progressive step towards reducing the amount of damage technology does to the environment, it is necessary to find ways to manage new technology responsibly so that it can continue to have positive ecological impacts. Analysis
Thursday, August 29, 2019
The future has begun Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
The future has begun - Research Proposal Example Moreover, the process that food goes through when in the farm also determines on their quality. Natural nutrients for plants and animal produce the healthiest food for human beings. The use of chemical to enhance growth contributes to unhealthy effect when people consume such products. Underwood argues that the process of producing better beef have a cost to consumers. He says that Bryan Gilvesy beef is not just a beef like other, but a lean, tender and clean beef (Underwood). Underwood discusses the life of Bryan Gilvesy as an experienced farmer. He has worked in his farm for more than 15 years taking care of his longhorn cattleââ¬â¢s which have a diverse breed that overcome diseases and feed on a variety of plants. Moreover, the cattleââ¬â¢s do calve with minimum human interference. Therefore, the way into the future is likened to the work of producing good quality beef that have healthier nutrient that increases the nutrient taken by human
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Clostridium tetani Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Clostridium tetani - Essay Example The author has rightly presented that Clostridium tetani is obligate anaerobe and doesnââ¬â¢t grow in the presence of oxygen. Optimal conditions for growing this bacterium are temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, with PH of 7.4. It grows on different nutrient media including agar enriched with blood. When cultivated on agar enriched with blood it manifests alpha hemolisis, but with prolonged cultivation it produces beta hemolisis. Because Clostridium tetani is mobile bacteria and has flagella when cultivated produces the effect of swarming and tends to spread over the complete area of the culture. When cultivated produces very thin and see-through layer of bacteria that is very hard to notice with a naked eye, except on the edges of the colonies. It is difficult to obtain a pure culture of Clostridium tetani, this is why method called Fildes technique is often used, when the bacteria is inoculated on a small area on an agar plate and after incubation of 10 hours another subcultures are made from the edge of the swarming area that is constituted mostly of Clostridium Tetani. In suboptimal conditions, Clostridium tetani forms spores that are relatively resistant. Spores are killed in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, and in the moist heat of 121 degrees Celsius after 20 minutes. Based on the agglutination process Clostridium Tetani is classified in 10 serological types (only type IV doesnââ¬â¢t have flagella and is not mobile).... It is protein based molecule with molecular weight of 150 kDa (Kilo Daltons) and is constitutes of two parts, heavier or B chain with weight of approximately 100 kDa and lighter A chain with molecular weight of 50 kDa. Heavier B chain of this toxin bonds to the cell membrane and helps chain A to enter the cytosol of the cell (Farrar et al. 2000). The A chain than migrates through the axons to the central nervous system. Lighter A chain of the tetanospazmin toxin in the CNS impairs the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain (GABA-gamma aminobuteric acid and glycine) by degrading protein called synaptobrevin (small membrane based protein). Consequence of this effect is hyperactivity of the skeletal muscles in the body and development of muscle contractions and muscle spasm (Schiavo et al. 1992). Infection with C Tetani may cause development of condition called tetanus. It is disease that is characterized by presence of generalized spasms of the skeletal muscles in the bod y that is produced by the tetanospasmin toxin. It is caused when a wound is contaminated with spores of Clostridium Tetani. C Tetani are widespread bacteria that are present in the soil, dust, manure of domestic animals, our clothing and in about 20 percents of human gastrointestinal tract (Bleck 1995). If the wound is deep enough spores of C. tetani in anaerobic conditions can develop in viable bacteria that start to release toxins. Toxins are released when the bacteria are destroyed and bacterial cytosol along with toxins is released into the human tissues. Incubation period between the infection and occurrence of first symptoms ranges between 3 and 21 days, but that depends mostly on the site of primary infection. As early sign patients may report dysphagia and sore throat and some
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
The Politics of Global Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
The Politics of Global Communications - Essay Example Globalization of communication dates back to the 1920s where initially it was spurred by international trade, expansion of media companies as well as colonialism. Politics in this era were characterized by the official opening of the US global communication policy. As noted by Kamalipour', ), information and communication technologies such as internet, mobile phones, satellite radio and television are used by political power houses to meet their propaganda all over the world. Global communication has changed the way politics are done by encouraging revolutionalization, for instance in global economy and ecology .Globalization allows politics to take a vast growth worldwide through non-governmental organizations, other integrated schemes and also through global movements. Of the most important technology in politics is telecommunication which is a process through which information is transferred. Telecommunication gives people options, especially to chose the ideologies to buy and the ones to discard (Kamalipour, 2002).Global communication has a great positive impact on politics because it helps in spreading politics across boarders through its' instruments such as radios, televisions, telegraphs among others. These can generally be termed as political instruments. Kamalipour (2002), highlights the political aspects of communication as vital in the global politics. Politics of global communication have contributed to the deterioration of diplomacy and often are responsible for many wars fought. Taking the example of the First World War; communication in form of wide coverage of radio, as well as heightened and increased public awareness something which resulted into public pressure on governments, coalitions. With the media reaching more people than ever before, and the general public turning into media for news on progress of wars, the way they perceive the outcome of war usually has a meaningful bearing in the destiny of whole societies. All the above results in the political interest of by the political elites in controlling flow of news. With ICT now virtually under control of political leaders the issue of security in regard to telecommunications, results into the design of communications strategy, communications intelligence, and cryptography which are important and decisive tools in times of war. This was evident as early as during the first and second World Wars. Since technological advancements have increased the speed of communications between nations of the world, this has had an effect of increased importance to governments. The fact that knowledge is power means that, always, governments seek to capitalize on the improved speed and availability of communications, basically to advance their control of power as well as to influence of their political adversaries. Therefore emergence of new trends which influence the political aspects of the not so new concept of global communications network in the period preceding the twentieth century is to blame for many wars fought in the 19th century. When critically examined, the evolution of technology resulted into fast and reliable communication over long distances in the form of electric telegraph in the late 19th century and internet in the 21st century. Although having internal networks is viable and less risky, network communications
Monday, August 26, 2019
THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING TO FACILITATE LEARNING FOR CPUT Article
THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING TO FACILITATE LEARNING FOR CPUT UNDERGRADUATE IT STUDENTS - Article Example IT lecturers in the university use social sites such as the facebook and MXit to provide students with learning materials ((Chigona and Dagada, 2011). Most students are comfortable with the social platform serving as a source of learning materials and hosting discussion forums (Dasgupta, 2010). Well managed social networking sites can support learning activities in learning institutions. In this vein, social networking sites can be applied in the learning program of CPUT. The use of social networking sites can enhance learning activities in the university. This paper aims at examining the efficacy of social networks as a learning platform for undergraduate IT students at CPUT. The IT department at CPUT places communication at the core of teaching and learning for IT students in order to develop critical soft skills (Sylvester and Greenidge, 2010). Computer-mediated teaching and learning at the institution enhances communication which facilitates the development of cognitive skills of students (Alcock, 2009). The university resolved to this form of learning due to student under preparedness, lack of student engagement in the classroom, link theory and practice, and to give students the necessary 21st century skills (Greenhow, 2009). Instructors work with students in the classroom and students can the access notes from the social sites. The young generation is more experienced in tactic knowledge sharing tools via the internet that they can apply in class work (Warschauer, 2009). Recent studies indicate that about 79.31 percent of the IT students engaged in virtual learning find the system very convenient. This is due to the fact that social sites are acces sible from different places both in the institution and at home (Knight and Rochon, 2012). Over the past years, virtual learning has gained popularity among the IT students due to its ease of use. The use of technology creates flexibility in the learning process and
Sunday, August 25, 2019
American Vision Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
American Vision - Essay Example Tom Cruise may be really interested in his acting that it may seem like he is just playing. But nevertheless, he is paid for it. The teacher on the other hand, may hate what he is doing. As such it may be considered as labor. However, for the purposes of this discussion, let us assume that he loves teaching as much as Tom Cruise loves his acting. Since we have stated that both actor and teaches is both working and loving what their doing, let us compare their earnings. The teacher earns $25,000 in a year. The movie actor could earn $15 million in three weeks. Obviously, being an actor is more lucrative. Hence the question now presented to us is whether or not this inequitable distribution of wealth is just. To answer this question, we must determine the factors that contribute to why each is paid that way. Firstly, we must look at the nature of their work. The work of the teacher has a more lasting and significant effect as it shapes the mind of the children. It is very important that they do their jobs well as the future of the kids and consequently of this nation, lies on their hands. On the other hand, the work of the actor only has an aesthetic and entertainment value. While "The Arts" is important, it is not as crucial as the work of an educator. The influence of the teacher on the lives of their students is direct, immediate and enduring. The teacher has the power to shape an individual, while the actor is not. We can see here that the disparity in their earnings does not depend on the effect of their jobs. Thus, we move on to looking at the skill required to perform their work. The teacher studied for years to be able to do what he is doing. The actor on the other hand, need not attend formal education. But this does not mean that he did not engage in activities to improve his acting skills. An actor may attend workshops or take on smaller roles for smaller pay. An actor may undergo painful cosmetic surgeries, take in cruel criticisms for his work and sacrifice their private lives. Though their efforts may be different, it would be unfair to suppose that, compared to the teacher, the actor worked less to get to where he is now. Thus, it would be safe to assume that they worked just as hard. However, an actor like Tom Cruise does not only depend on his acting skills. Most of his earnings are attributed to the fact that he is who he is. If a producer requires Tom Cruise to star in the movie, no one else can fill that spot. If an advertiser wants Tom Cruise to endorse their product, no one other than Tom Cruise can do the job. As such, the work of Tom Cruise requires a special skill, talent and personality. On the other hand, the job of the teacher is less unique. While it takes a lot of study to become one, as long as one is diligent enough to finish one's studies, get the proper licenses and qualifications, one may become a teacher too. As such, the teacher in our example may be replaced by another teacher with the same qualification. Joseph A. Schumpeter said that competition is a factor that may dictate prices. To apply it in the case presented, Tom Cruise has no competition in his field as there is no other Tom Cruise. This allows him to dictate the price of his service. He can demand as much as $15 million dollars for three weeks work in a movie. On the other hand, our teacher has lots of competition. Even if he is really good in his work, there is only so much that he can demand. Otherwise, he would be replaced by
Saturday, August 24, 2019
NASA General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) Diesel Engine Research Paper
NASA General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) Diesel Engine - Research Paper Example NASAââ¬â¢s General Aviation Propulsion (GAP), started in the 2000, is one of the programs that have pioneered to revolutionize the aviation industry and transform the development of engines of future. The aim of the program is to develop an innovative engine which ushers in affordability, comfort and reduced cost for the aviation industry. The new engine is to reduce noise and vibrations and load on pilot for monitoring the plane, thereby adding greater comforts to the passengers. The aim of the paper is to discuss on GAP programme implications in the aviation industry and describe the working and usage of two engines developed as a part of the project. The paper also analyzes the challenges faced during the development and aviation industry in general. The advantages of new engines in terms of cost and efficiency have been dealt in detail in the paper. The new programme has been developed by NASA in collaboration with Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE). The GAP engine runs on 200 HP, liquid cooled, two stroked engine that runs on jet fuel. The engine is expected to cost half the price of conventional engines of 200 HP. This would make the new engines a major success in terms of fuel efficiency by reduction in the dependency for leaded gasoline thereby improving maintenance, passenger comfort and ease of use. Teledyne Continental Motors, Aerosance Cirrus Design, Hartzell Propeller, Lancair and Mod Works together partnered with NASA to develop diesel engine, an advanced piston engine. Although being heavy diesel engines are the reliable engines which combine technologically advanced construction coupled with two stroke engine. The GAP diesel engines offers noise and vibration free facility to the passengers with low speed propellers, feasible technology to use. With less than one-fourth of fuel consumption as compared to the current engines, the new GAP engines offer reliability, comfort, and greater control over the design and process
Friday, August 23, 2019
Kuwait's economy before and after gulf war Assignment
Kuwait's economy before and after gulf war - Assignment Example Most of its oil was exported to Europe and the United States (International Business Publications 2012). Reliance of oil as the sole source of income led to over production of oil in Kuwait. With large deposits, approximately 94,525 billion barrels, Kuwaiti suppressed the prices of oil in the international markets (CIA World Factbook). However, overproduction angered the neighboring oil producers, such as Iraq, which was desperate to pay the funds it had borrowed for was. The act of suppressing process was viewed as an act of economic sabotage. The government of Kuwaiti maintained a low value of foreign debt that was manageable. The debt owed by Kuwaiti prior to the gulf war was $8billion. Although the country is oil rich, it has a small portion of arable land, thus preventing the country from relying on agricultural activities. However, the country engaged in other economic activities such as construction, manufacturing, and financial services. The geopolitical importance of Kuwait was increasing die to instability in neighboring nations. It was the preferred trade route that linked the west and the east. The hostilities that arose due to suppressed oil prices made Iraq invade Kuwait in 1990. The war devastated the oil wells of the country. According to Murdico (2004), the Iraqi troops burned most of the oil wells in Kuwait. The act sabotaged oil production in Kuwait for a whole year. The per capita income fell from $8967 in 1990 to $ 5508 in 1991. The war also led to an increase in international prices to over $30 per barrel, up from $20 per barrel in the oil spot market. Although the war did not last long, the effects were visible. First, most of the people ran to neighboring countries, meaning, there was no immediate resumption of production after the war. Second, the oil wells were heavily destroyed and had to be renovated. Reconstruction of Kuwait after the war cost the country an approximated $40 billion. The
Financial Statements, Ratios, The Loan Package Essay
Financial Statements, Ratios, The Loan Package - Essay Example Tax returns are also used to determine the income trends of an organization. In the context of financial reporting, financial ratios are relationship between distinct items of a financial statement. One commonly used financial ratio is current ratio. Current ratio is the relationship between current assents and current liabilities in a companyââ¬â¢s balance sheet (Davies & Lesley, 2014). Current ratio indicates a companyââ¬â¢s liquidity levels; a positive ratio means that a company can pay its liabilities with ease while a negative current ratio is a sign of inflexibility in payment of liabilities. Another common type of financial ratio is debt-to-equity ratio. Debt-to-equity ratio indicates the relationship between a companyââ¬â¢s total assets versus total liabilities. This is a solvency ratio which determines a companyââ¬â¢s ability to pay its debt to shareholders. A positive debt-to-equity ratio indicates high solvency while a negative ratio signifies insolvency (Alvarez, 2011). Primarily, a loan package is a financial proposal required by lenders during the application and processing of real estate and property loans. Essentially, information contained within a loan package should reflect the financial prospects of the borrower (McDonald, 2010). Therefore, it becomes necessary to include a business plan in ascertaining the financial feasibility of the real estate or property to be funded by the lender. Among the SBA requirements of a loan packages include provision of personal guarantees, especially succinct presentation of expected cash flows and how the borrower plans to repay the loan. One covenant of loan packages is restriction of the borrower from utilizing the loan in any projects other that the development or purchase of real estate and other properties (Smith, 2013). Another covenant in loan packages is strict adherence to repayment
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Lotus Car Rental Alternative Fuel Assessment Essay Example for Free
Lotus Car Rental Alternative Fuel Assessment Essay Introduction The creation of a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be a wise decision for the Lotus Car Rental Company. There are two major issues that are on the minds of people these days, the environment and money. By creating a fleet of alternative fuel based automobiles the Lotus Rental Care Company can help ease the fears of people in both categories. By having the ingenuity to have a fleet of alternative fuel automobiles; the Lotus Car Rental will set themselves apart from the rest of the rental car companies. Lotus Car Care will be the leaders in environmentally safe car rentals. The following research paper will discuss the background of this topic, the costs of working with alternative fuel automobiles, the technical aspects of alternative fuel, the environmental aspects of alternative fuel as well as discuss some recommendations for the Lotus Car Rental Company. Background The Lotus Car Rental Company is looking into adding a fleet of alternative fuel sourced vehicles to their supply. Alternative fuel sourced vehicles are classified as being resources other than petroleum. A few of these sources are produced here locally and some are derived from renewable sources. They often produce less pollution than does gasoline. (Alternative Fuel Vehicles, 2012). Hybrids are also considered to be an alternative sourced vehicle. A Hybrid vehicle is one that utilizes more than one form of onboard energy to achieve propulsion (Edmunds.com, 2009). Financial Feasibility Several factors influence the financial feasibility of adding alternative fuel vehicles to the fleet: vehicle cost, maintenance, advertising, and return on investment. Additional considerations include: market share, future growth, and implementation cost. The first consideration is the cost of adding hybrid vehicles to fleet inventory. Individual vehicle cost ranges from $23,000 to $37,000 and the models available include Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta, Lincoln MKZ, and Lexus ES300H (Almeida, 2009). Fleet costs would be less depending on number of units purchased and vehicle upgrades. Lotus Rental Carââ¬â¢s rentals fall into three categories: economy, mid-size, and luxury. Based on a cursory review of Lotus Rental Carââ¬â¢s primary income producers, the number of hybrid vehicles added should fall within the three to five percent range for each category. The initial outlay should equal or be less than the number of vehicles within each specific category that will be retired within the purchase year. For instance, if ten percent of economy vehicles will be retired then five percent of the new vehicles purchased will be hybrid. By timing the introduction of the new hybrid vehicles with inventory retirement the initial cost outlay will be mitigated. The anticipated maintenance costs will be similar to the previous yearââ¬â¢s cost and no change is expected. Income from vehicles retired is expected to equal the same percentage as non-hybrid automobiles and will not constitute a negative financial impact. Advertising is a major consideration, although the cost is not expected to increase. Target markets will be in major cities where Lotus Rental Carââ¬â¢s already has a large presence. Urban centers with environmentally conscious drivers are the best place to begin a new hybrid product line. Adding information regarding the new line to existing websites provides maximum exposure with minimal cost. Other markets include environmentally conscious corporate businesses that already have a corporate account with Lotus. Market share and future growth is connected to advertising and return on investment. The implementation costs are minimal. The monthly return on investment is tied to advertising, environmental activity, and rental cost. Advertising includes national campaigns and local markets. The rental market incorporates online sales and local customers. The majority of travelers will book a rental vehicle prior to arriving at the rental company. Pricing will play an important factor in a rental commitment. Up-sale will increase income potential. Economy vehicles rentals begin at $9.99 and increase, depending on the current sales program. The cost may decrease, depending on the number of days booked, special pricing, and additional sale of navigation, XM radio, and infant seats. However, the average rental price for an economy vehicle is $29.99 per day and hybrid vehicles rent from $65.99 to $159 per day. The return on investment per day would range from $35 to $129. It is clear the automotive industry is offering a variety of hybrid vehicles in response to customer demand. The future of the automotive industry includes alternative fuel vehicles of all models. As the automotive industry embraces hybrid sales that increase their market share, so should the vehicle rental industry. Entry into a new product line will have higher costs than non-alternative vehicles until the product becomes well immersed into the market. In the case of hybrid vehicles it is prudent that Lotus Rental Car adds hybrid vehicles to their urban centers and joins the environmental movement along with major vehicle manufacturers. It is clear that as time passes, a portion of new business will gravitate toward rental car companies that offer alternative fuel vehicles. Lotus Rental Car company will lose future market share and the expense of entering the hybrid market will increase if Lotus Rental Car company enters the market after its competitors (Schueneman, 2009). Technical Aspects One of the many advantages of owning a hybrid vehicle is saving money at the pump. Unlike your standard gas running car, this on average would do about 21 mpg highway and city driving. Hybrids on average are doing 30 mpg highway and city. An article written on nationalgeographic.com it shows the actual fuel saving over a year span ââ¬Å"The average American driver between the ages of 34 and 55 drives 15,291 miles annually. Divide this annual mileage figure by 21 miles to the gallon for the standard model, and you will find that you would buy about 728 gallons of gasoline a year. In contrast, if you divide the annual miles figure by 30 for the hybrid, you would determine that the annual gas purchase would be of about 510 gallons. You would save 218 gallons of gas a year with the hybrid. Multiply this by a conservative $3.50 a gallon for a dollar savings of $763. By selecting the hybrid over the standard model, you would make up for the $5,560 difference in sticker price in seven to eight years. Subtract the maximum tax incentive and you could recoup the $2,160 difference in less than three years. Thus, in this example, you would save money either by paying full price and driving your hybrid for more than eight years, or by driving it for more than three years with a tax credit.â⬠(Nationalgeographic.com by Lynne Haley Rose). So although the price tag is little higher on hybrids you will easily make your money back in the gas savings. Most people may think,â⬠Yeah, you save on gas, but donââ¬â¢t get the as much horsepower when you purchase a hybrid vehicle.â⬠The idea of combining electric and gas does seem to leave much room for speed and maneuverability. This assumption is not true; yes hybrids do have smaller gas engines, but they make it up with their electric engine. Coupled with the gas engine, the electric engine can send power to various parts of the car, mainly the wheels. This is a very good advantage over standard horsepower, because it could actually supply more power to the car; which increases its speed. With all this talk about horsepower and speed, we begin to think about maintaining a hybrid car. Once again, just because itââ¬â¢s a hybrid doesnââ¬â¢t mean itââ¬â¢s more expensive. Most of the basic normal maintenance requirements like oil changes and tune ups cost about the same as standard cars. They even have their own perks. A standard car requires an oil change every 3,000 miles; whereas hybrids are every 6,000 miles. One of the most expensive items on a hybrid is the carââ¬â¢s battery; which can run you up to 3,000 dollars. Donââ¬â¢t let this number scare you, because these batteries have no real recorded life expectancy ââ¬Å"a long timeâ⬠is what I kept seeing in my research. As said in (8 Reasons to Buy a Hybrid Car) ââ¬Å"Theres no difference between a hybrid and the gas-powered car parked in your garage ââ¬â it can accelerate just as quickly and cruise just as fast on the highway, and it handles just as smoothly. Most important, hybrids are just as safe to drive.â⬠(By Alan Rider Parents.com). Hybrids have come a long way since the first Prius 10 years ago. Theyââ¬â¢ve excelled in mpg, horsepower and style. There are a number of hybrids out there now and many styles to choose from in the standard and luxury lines. As far a comfortable ride, hybrids and standard cars are the same. Now, of course, if you go out and get a Lexus hybrid youââ¬â¢re going to have more luxuries than if you purchased a Toyota hybrid. Most cars you get know have all of the technical capabilities available and if they donââ¬â¢t they can be added. Technology will not stop growing and with that so will the new age of hybrids. Environmental Aspects Petroleum based fuels can create harmful emissions like carbon dioxide; nitrous oxides, and particulate matter, all of which degrade the environment (ââ¬Å"5 things you need to know about alternative fuel vehicles,â⬠2008). These methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other gasses are known as greenhouse gases. When these gasses build up they contribute to global warming. HybridCar.org claims that Hybrid vehicles produce 80 percent less greenhouse gases than conventional fuel based vehicles (Hybrid Cars And Pollution, 2005). Toxicity is another problem with petroleum fuel based vehicles. The producing of some forms of alternative fuels can create fewer toxins than those produced by traditional fuel vehicles. For instance, biodiesel is a fuel that is created from leftover vegetation like corn stalks. Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic which makes it safe for the environment. Noise pollution is also a form of pollution. Car engines can produce 110 decibels of noise, which is twice as loud as a normal conversation.. The noise will come from the fuel pump, pistons and compressors that create the combustion and cycle the fuel. Vehicles with alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen fuel cells will produce no sound or vibration as they require no moving parts to produce fuel. Recommendations The research has shown that a fleet of alternative fuel sourced vehicles would be the best idea for everyone involved. The positive feedback generated by offering this fleet of vehicles would be astounding. The market for rental cars with alternative fuel capabilities is very small and the Lotus Car Rental Company would have the market cornered. The cost of maintain a fleet of these vehicles are no different than that of petroleum fueled vehicles. The consumer that is able to rent these vehicles will also benefit by being able to save more money on energy for the vehicle. The environment will also benefit from this addition to the Lotus Car Rental fleet. The amount of pollution and emissions that can be cut back will be helpful to the surrounding community and the future generations to grow up in the community. Conclusion The creation of a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be a wise decision for the Lotus Car Rental Company. After conducting much research, the decision to incorporate a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be in the best interest of the public as well as the company. The research has shown the monetary benefits, the technical benefits as well as the environmental benefits of acquiring a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles. The benefits of having a positive company reputation are enormous. Having an environmentally friendly car rental company has the potential of being a lucrative decision. Living a green lifestyle has become an important thing in this day and age. The Lotus Car Rental Company will have cornered the market by having an entire fleet of environmentally friendly automobiles. References Alternative fuel vehicles. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml Edmunds.com. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/what-is-a-hybrid-car-how-do-hybrids-work.html Almeida, A. (2009, August 13). Average Cost of a Hybrid Car. Retrieved from CarsDirect: http://www.carsdirect.com/car-pricing/whats-the-average-cost-of-a-new-hybrid-car Schueneman, T. (2009, February 12). Enterprise Rent-a-Car Adds 5000 Hybrids to its Fleet of Fuel Efficient Cars. Retrieved from sustainablog: http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/enterprise-rent-a-car-adds-5000-hybrids-to-its-fleet-of-fuel-efficient-cars/ 5 things you need to know about alternative fuel vehicles. (2008, July). greencar.com, (), . Retrieved from http://www.greencar.com/articles/5-things-need-alternative-fuel-vehicles.php Hybrid cars and pollution. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.hybrid-car.org/hybrid-cars-pollution.html
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Should Constitutions be Written?
Should Constitutions be Written? Constitutions should be written. Discuss. Choose one country with a case law system and one with a civil law system and discuss the advantages of each. ANSWER 1. Introduction A constitution can be defined as a system or framework which enshrines the principles and rules by which a body is governed. In the context of states the term makes reference specifically to the national constitution of the state, which serves to define the fundamental political principles, the legal environment and modus operandi of the state and which establishes the duties and powers of the government of the state.[1] National constitutions can be classified as either codified or uncodified. Codified constitutions are those which are contained in a single document, containing the single source of the constitutional law of a state, and perhaps the most well known example is the Constitution of the United States.[2] Uncodified constitutions are those which are not contained in a single document, but consist instead of several different sources, which can be written or unwritten.. It should be noted that there are hybrid systems which seem to fall between the two classes such as the Australian Constitution[3], in which constitutional law largely derives from a single written document, but other written documents are also considered part of the constitution[4]. Probably the best example of a pure uncodified constitution is the constitution of the United Kingdom which does not rely on any single written fundamental document, but rather consists of a patchwork of written and unwritten sources. The term written constitution makes reference to a constitution which is entirely written and by definition this would include every codified constitution. Indeed, in academic writing the term written constitution is synonymous with codified constitution, and in similar fashion the term unwritten constitution is interchangeable with uncodified constitution (although as stated this is not always entirely accurate: see Australian constitution). In the modern world, codification is the norm. Most states have evolved written constitutions which stand as the supreme and overarching statements of national law. Unwritten constitutions are certainly in the minority, but it is submitted at the outset that this should not be taken as proof that a written constitution is a prerequisite to success or stability. 2. A Common Law System: England The United Kingdom is notable in that it operates under an unwritten constitution, although this term has been criticised by commentators such as Bogdanor as a ââ¬Å"misleading platitudeâ⬠[5]. In this paper we will confine ourselves to an examination of the legal system of England and Wales, within the United Kingdom, because the Scottish legal system derives from Roman Law a very different legal heritage and tradition.[6] The modern English system of law can be traced back to the Norman conquest of 1066. The Norman kings, while promising to respect local rights and customs, dispatched judges to travel around the country on circuits and these judges gradually began following each otherââ¬â¢s decisions to preserve the consistency of the application of law in different parts of the country. This practice became formalised and is today known as the doctrine of judicial precedent. This doctrine was extremely successful in underpinning the English common law system (ie a law common to all parts of the kingdom). One advantage of this uncodified model is that it is free to grow and develop organically to suit the changing environment it must regulate something which is more difficult when one is bound by a rigid set of general principles such as that which would underpin a fully written system. As the Parliament at Westminster fully established itself and grew in power and authority over the Monarch it took its place alongside the common law. Together, the common law and Parliamentary legislation came to offer a coherent and comprehensive system of law, which has matured and refined itself over centuries of stable government. It can be argued that an unwritten system puts its faith in untrammelled democratic process and in those charged with its maintenance. There are, it is submitted, obvious risks attached to this strategy, but in simple terms England has never found the need to adopt an overlaying written constitution, because of the strength and scope of its existing system. However, this is not to say that the English ââ¬Ëconstitutionââ¬â¢ is entirely unwritten. Aspects of constitutional-style law are evident in venerable statutes such as the 1215 Magna Carta,[7] the 1689 Bill of Rights[8], the 1701 Act of Settlement[9] and the 1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts.[10] More recently the United Kingdom has adopted quasi-constitutional law in piecemeal fashion by means of the European Communities Act 1972, which provides the legal framework necessary for the countryââ¬â¢s membership of the European Union, and the Human Rights Act 1998, which imports the rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights into UK law, conferring those rights on citizens of the United Kingdom. This means that the English system achieves an effect equivalent to that which is delivered by a written constitution without the formality of the latter model and therefore some of the advantages of written systems are to some extent rendered nugatory. That sai d, the principle that stands at the very heart of the English legal system and overrides all other provisions and considerations cannot be found set out in any of these documents. The highest rule of UK law, which has the potential to override any principle of a constitutional or quasi-constitutional nature, is the Doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty. This unwritten rule declares that the Parliament of the United Kingdom enjoys full and unchallengeable sovereignty in all its actions. In practice, this means that the Parliament of the day (namely the House of Lords the House of Commons, and the Monarch acting together)[11] has supreme authority over all aspects of English governance and all other institutions of the state, including the courts and other executive bodies. This ensures that the situation in England differs with that which prevails in many states operating under codified or written constitutions, where supreme courts are often empowered to strike down legislation deemed to be unconstitutional in nature.[12] The Constitution of the United Statesââ¬â¢ is one example of such a system and the so-called ââ¬Å"checks and balancesâ⬠it employs to safeguard the integrity of the constitution and the governance of the state are much cherished.. In the English system, given that Parliamentary supremacy is unquestioned, although complex procedures for judicial review are in place, by which courts can review and challenge laws considered defective in some way, the final word is left to Parliament itself. In the Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885)[13] Dicey : ââ¬Å"Parliament has the right to make or unmake any law whatever; and further, that no person or body is recognised by the law of England as having a right to override or set aside the legislation of Parliament.â⬠This is the most important law of the English legal system and it is this rule above all which explains the countryââ¬â¢s lack of a written constitution. As a direct consequence of the application of this principle the UK Parliament has the power to make, amend and revoke law on any issue at any time. No Parliament has the power to bind a successor Parliament to its will, meaning that no Parliament could enact a so-called constitutional law which could not later be repealed or amended by some future Parliament as easily as any other piece of legislation. Moreover, the only body with the ultimate power to vary a law brought into force by the UK Parliament is Parliament itself. This gives the English system considerable flexibility and adaptability, and this is clearly and advantage. However, given that the system relies exclusively on the integrity of Parliament, its success is predicated on a fluctuating democratic mechanism. To date, the United Kingdom has enjoyed good and stable government and its citizens have not expressed any cogent desire for the protection of a written constitution.. However, that is not to say that at some point in the future the ââ¬Å"checks and balancesâ⬠and clarity typically provided by a written constitution might prove useful. 3. A Civil Law System: France The French legal system is a good example of a civil law system operating under a written constitution. The current Constitution of France, which is known as the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, was adopted in 1958.[14] It has been amended on various occasions, most recently in 2003. The French model is particularly interesting as it was used as a template for the foundation treaties of the European Economic Community, which has now evolved to become the European Union, which itself is now seeking to establish its own written constitution.[15] National legal systems characterised as Civilian are those which see their origins in the model of governance adopted in ancient Rome by the Emperor Justinian (sometimes known as Roman law systems). Civil law systems are systematic (based on an organised code of conceived principle) and inductive (where a specific ruling is induced from a general first-principle) as opposed to Common law systems which are empirical (based on a bank of actual cases) and deductive (where a general principle is deduced from a specific instance or series of instances). As to which system is to be preferred, both give rise to a variety of advantages and disadvantages and both have the potential to provide a state with a fair and effective system of government. Codified or written systems are always of the Civil school, given that a code of law is a prerequisite of that legal tradition, and consequently common law or case law systems are far better suited to an uncodified or unwritten constitutional arrangement. In very general terms the advantages of written systems of law such as the French system are those of certainty, consistency, clarity and stability, while its main disadvantage is rigidity. Unwritten case law systems benefit from being more fluid and adaptable and assuming this flexibility is not abused an uncodified model can be extremely successful. The main disadvantages of case law systems are that it is more difficult to predict the lawââ¬â¢s response to new situations, and that the fundamental guiding principles of the legal system are harder to identify. The preamble of the French constitution refers to the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. As such it establishes the identity of the French state as a democratic secular republic which derives its sovereignty from the people of France. This gives the French constitution a clear mandate and provides it with a strong foundation, something which is lacking in unwritten, uncodified systems such as the English. This may be construed as an advantage, given law is an amorphous concept which can benefit from grounding in any context, but unless the authority of law is subject to challenge the advantage is theoretical only and the people of England appear satisfied to adhere to the law without such conceptual underpinning.. A written constitution such as the French offers a ââ¬Å"one-stop shopâ⬠for provisions relating to the election of the President of France and the French Parliament.. It also sets down mechanisms for the appointment and selection of the Government of France, and specifically details the powers of each of these bodies and the relations between them. The French constitution also guaranteed the autonomy and authority of the judiciary and establishes the Constitutional Council, the High Court of Justice, and an Economic and Social Council. This is a clearly useful, and probably stands as an advantage over the English system, where such matters are dealt with in piecemeal fashion and without the simplicity and some might say methodological strength of an written system. When dispute arises in the French system there is therefore one and one only sovereign authority to turn to for guidance and this may prove beneficial in its resolution. In rebuttal, those defending the unwritten En glish system can point to many states which operate under a written constitution which suffer considerably more administrative difficulties and enjoy significantly less stability than it does. The maxim ââ¬Å"if it isnââ¬â¢t broke, donââ¬â¢t fix itâ⬠appears to suit the English experience and explains the reluctance or at least ambivalence of English government and people in this context. The French constitution also provides for a politically strong President and this could be seen as another advantage, although again it is hard to argue that the British Prime Minister is prejudiced by the fact that his role is not similarly enshrined.. The French constitution also permits the ratification of international treaties such as those necessary for membership of the United Nations and European Union.. However, this is not necessarily an advantage. It is submitted that in modern times the trend has been towards greater and deeper international association. It could be argued that national written constitutions have the potential to frustrate international integration given that the international association may also wish to establish a sovereign constitution and that there will inevitably be conflict between the two sets of laws. There are tensions, for example, between the French constitution and the constitution which has been proposed for the European Union, and even with existing provisions of EU law. It can thus be contended that the English unwritten system is more adaptable to assimilation with an international body incorporating its own constitutional framework. Moreover written constitutions can be bypassed something done by French President Charles de Gaulle in highly controversial circumstances in 1962,[16] and this can leave a new law in a state of limbo. 4. Concluding Comments In summary, it is submitted that perhaps the most obvious advantage of a codified or written constitution is that it provides coherent, comprehensive and certain body of rules.. Being contained in a single document a codified constitution is accessible to all and can, if well crafted, establish an equitable and effective system of governance and rights. Written constitutions also promote consistency and concrete points of reference for law which can be applied to shape a legal systemââ¬â¢s response to changing conditions within a state. That said however, written constitutions which become entrenched may suffer from rigidity and it is flexibility that perhaps stands as the greatest advantage of the unwritten, uncodified system operated in the United Kingdom. It is true that constitutional courts may offer a wide range of interpretations of constitutional principles under a written system, but it is not possible to lend a codified system that flexibility and adaptability enjoyed by an unwritten one. The title to this work asserts that ââ¬Å"constitutions should be writtenâ⬠. It has been shown that this is not necessarily the case, given that states can function successfully and for long periods of time without the foundations of a codified or written constitutional framework. A good example is that of the United Kingdom itself, which is one of the most stable and successful democracies in the world, and which has grown to become such without being underpinned by a written constitutional document. While it has been suggested that the United Kingdom adopts a written constitution there appears to be no urgent pressure or compelling need to make the change. Therefore, while it is acknowledged that most states around the world have adopted a codified constitution this commentator contends that the statement under review should be subject to the caveat that states do not require to make reference to such a system of law as a prerequisite to effective government or a robust and e quitable society. The fact that a constitution is unwritten does not necessarily undermine the integrity of a national legal system, as the relative success of the United Kingdom and such countries as New Zealand and Israel testifies. There are, has been noted, risks attached to an unwritten system which puts its faith exclusively in the democratic process. However, in closing it is worth noting that there are also risks attached to written systems bound to overarching constitutions, because those constitutions can be abused or manipulated in a way that can deliver excessive power and authority. A constitution is, after all, only as good as the words that comprise it. Ironically, the elliptical doctrinal patchwork of an unwritten system can frustrate the intentions of nascent dictatorial ambition. In conclusion it is undeniably true that the great majority of states have chosen the certainty and clarity of a written system, but that is by no means the only way to run a country well. THE END WORD COUNT : 2808 (excluding footnotes) BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Bradley and K. Ewing, Constitutional and Administrative Law, (2003) Longman Wikipedia (various sources): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States JF McEldowney, Public Law, (2002) Sweet Maxwell P. Spink and N. Busby et al, Scots Law, (2003) LexisNexis Albert Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885): http://www..constitution.org/cmt/avd/law_con.htm. 1 Footnotes [1] For an insightful overview see: A. Bradley and K. Ewing, Constitutional and Administrative Law, 13th ed., (2003) Longman, chapter 1. [2] See: http://en.wikipedia..org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States. [3] See: http://en.wikipedia..org/wiki/Constitution_of_Australia. [4] In the Constitution of Australia, most fundamental political principles and regulations regarding the relationship between branches of government, and regarding the government and the individual are codified in a single document, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia. However, the existence of statutes with constitutional significance, namely the Statute of Westminster, as adopted by the Commonwealth in the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and the Australia Act 1986 means that Australias constitution is not incorporated in a single constitutional document. [5] See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/talking_politics/88136.stm. [6] See P. Spink and N. Busby et al, Scots Law, (2003) LexisNexis, chapter 1. [7] See: http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/translation.html [8] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Bill_of_Rights. [9] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Settlement. [10] See: http://en.wikipedia..org/wiki/Parliament_Acts. [11] Although the participation of the Crown is essentially ceremonial and formal only. [12] See: http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution..html. [13] Albert Dicey, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (1885): http://www.constitution.org/cmt/avd/law_con.htm. [14] Which replaced that of the Fourth Republic dating from October 27, 1946. [15] Ironically this plan has been frustrated by a negative referendum vote in France itself. [16] See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_France.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Importance of Listening for Learning a Foreign Language
Importance of Listening for Learning a Foreign Language Listening is normal and frequent in daily life. It is one of the five traditional inborn senses of human being. Listening appears from the very beginning day that we were born to be human and it is the first mode of the four skills that a language learner acquires in learning a certain language since the language written form always develops after the spoken form, not the other way out. . Peoples need to listen is as natural as their need to breathe or eat. Thus, listening happens in all aspects of social life. Actually, we listen everywhere: at home, at work, in community, and for many purposes such as for entertainment, obtaining necessary information or for academic purposes. A vast majority of people in the world spend their communicating time mainly for listening. To be a successful listener, people can uncover the deep layer of meaning of language and communication styles. In addition, people may have a feeling of confidence in communicating with others, and it is more likely for them to gain good impression, trust and respect from the interlocutors. Hence, it is undoubtedly that listening is one of mankinds regular and important activities. To the process of learning foreign language, listening is no less crucial than that in everyday life. The learners cannot develop speaking skill unless they develop listening skill as Nunan (1998, p.1) saying that listening is the basic skill in language learning. Without listening skill, learners will never learn to communicate effectively. This can be understandable with ease that language skills are often integrated with each other in language use. Nevertheless, English language students, in fact, often live in a limited situation where they have few chances to expose to natural spoken English; therefore classroom listening practice is needed for them so that they can have good preparation for their later successful communicative ability. More importantly, listening to spoken English provides the learners with necessary input that serves as the basis for the language acquisition and pave them the way to investigate humans knowledge. Though important as stated, listening skill is commonly described in language literature as neglected, overlooked, or taken for granted skill as some people believe that aural competence comes naturally and develops automatically through exposure to the language and through practice of grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. As for that, little attention from teachers, book designers and researchers has been paid to listening so far. With nearly ten year experience in working as a teacher of English at a high school, I myself have found that of the four skills, listening comprehension is the students weakest one. Together, most of my students of all three grades always complain that they find it so hard in learning the skill. They fell frightened when they enter listening lesson. While my students are relatively good at written texts such as reading, writing and able to find their own ways to improve those skills, their listening ability has been left behind. This is simply true since English listening is, in deed, the most complex and challenging competence for English as foreign language learners to develop and because it is a skill which involves a set of different sub-skills. With that in mind, on the one hand I would like to fill a small gap in the field of listening research. On the other hand, being an instructor, it is very essential to help students to solve their problems in the language learning process. Thus, this small research project is conducted as an attempt to discover what factors that strongly affect students listening skill. In other words, it is the cause explaining why the students meet so many difficulties when they implement classroom listening tasks. Then, some possible remedies may be given to help them to overcome the dilemma. Hence, a couple of questions guiding across my study is: What are some of the reasons leading to the students difficulties in listening skill? What should solutions be given to help them to defeat the problems and to get improved with their overall outcome of their listening? LITERATURE REVIEW 1. Hearing vs. Listening If you raise a question to a group of people in your community or to a group of your students What is listening?. Some of them would answer without hesitation hearing. In spite of the fact that in some African languages, hearing and listening have the same meaning. Listening and hearing, indeed, are different terms, mean different things and people often use them interchangeably (there is a similar distinction between seeing and looking). We all know that hearing is one of five inborn senses of human being. Hearing is the process that sound waves enter through our ears. At this sense, hearing is physical. Although hearing is scientifically proved to be a complex process, it is an automatic, passive activity Listening is somewhat dissimilar. It is much more than hearing. There have been so many definitions for this term so far. At its simplest, listening can be defined in some English dictionaries as the act of hearing attentively. This means that the listeners pay attention or concentration on the task in spite of surrounding distractions. In this case, they do not merely hear the sound but a purpose is combined in it. People who listen to music or listen to the news on television can be taken as an example. They consciously and deliberately hear the sound for relaxation or to get necessary information. Writers offer different definitions of listening to fit the purposes of their articles or their research projects. Listening, as Howatt and Dakin (1974) define, is the ability to recognize and comprehend what is being delivered by speakers in terms of their accent, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary as well as the meaning of the message. In this point of view, the act of listening must include both hearing and understanding all aspects of the message delivered. Listening in this definition can be seen as listening comprehension. Forseth Rol, Forseth Carol, Ta Nguyen (1996, p.69) say that listening is decoding sounds and understanding the meaning behind those sound. It is noticeable that there is a similarity in these two definitions in which the authors emphasize listeners comprehension in listening. However, Hasan (2000) differentiates between listening and listening comprehension. He viewed listening as a process where the listeners merely listen to the speech without understanding and responding to it. In contrast, listening comprehension is a process comprising of interactivity and full comprehending of the text. To my perspective, listening in Hasans definition is somewhat similar to hearing. In the view of OMalley Chamot (1990, p.132) listening comprehension entails active and conscious process in which the listener constructs the meaning by using cues from contextual information and from existing knowledge In the opinion of Rubin (1990, p.309), listening consists of processing information which the listener gets from visual and auditory clues in order to define what is going on and what the speakers are trying to express. In fact, listening is a complex skill involving many micro skills; hence Rost (2002) defines listening as a multi-layered process which includes: receiving what that speaker actually says hearing correctly; constructing and representing meaning decoding; creating meaning through involvement and imagination applying prior knowledge of content and community norms, and predicting ahead; negotiating meaning and responding working out an appropriate response. In comparison with all the definitions above, I find the definition given by Rost the most convincing since it covers the nature of listening. 2. Kinds of listening 3. Some learner problems in listening comprehension. Listening comes naturally to human and develop automatically as some people say but it is, actually, not as simple as it seems. Consequently, it causes so many problems for the listeners both in mother tongue and in foreign language. So far, a large number of researches have been done to show common problems in listening. Before discovering various difficulties facing my students in listening comprehension, it is helpful to review the literature relating to this. Cherry (1957) suggest some uncertainties in second and foreign language listening. He uses the term uncertainty in stead to refer to factors leading to difficulty or problem . These uncertainties fall in to several major categories including: firstly, uncertainties in speech sound and patterns; secondly, uncertainties in language and syntax; thirdly, uncertainties in recognition of content; and lastly, uncertainties resulted from environmental noise and disturbance which create gaps in the message. Similarly, Hedge (2000) introduces some uncertainties by subdividing them into seven one. These consist of:1) uncertainties of confidence; 2) uncertainties deriving from the presentation of speech; 3) uncertainties because of gaps in the message; 4)uncertain strategies; 5) uncertainties of language; 6) uncertainties of content; and 7) visual uncertainties. According to Brown and Yule (1983), there are four main groups of factors which strongly prevent leaner from effective listening comprehension. These include 1) the speaker (number of speakers present, how quickly they speak, what kinds of accent they own); 2) the listener (the role of the listener whether they participate in the conversation or they eavesdrop, the level of response required, their interest in the subject); 3) the content ( grammar, vocabulary, information structure, background knowledge assumed); and 4) support (whether there are pictures, diagrams or other visual aids to support the text). Anderson and Lynch (1988) claim that there are a large number of factors leading to the difficulties when student listen and perform the listening tasks. They categorize them into three principal one. These are: 1) the type of language; 2) the purpose in listening; 3) the context in which the listening takes place. The writer also emphasize that we have to consider not only the number of factors involved but also the relationship between them. Anderson and Lynch, by a series of experiment, conclude that the difficulty of listening task is particularly influenced by: the organization of the information: When the information sequence is well and logically organized, it will be easier for the listener. In contrast, it creates so many obstacles for them. the familiarity of the topic: If the topic of the listening passage is familiar to listeners, it will be less harder for them to understand. the explicitness and sufficiency of the information: The information should not only be well organized, but also be clear or unambiguous . Besides, the passage should not contain redundancies. the type of referring expressions used whether the text described static relationships Yayang (1994) indicates that problems in listening resulted from: the message, the speaker, the listener, and physical setting. Problems mentioned above are for both the first language listeners and foreign language listeners in general. In particular, English as foreign language learners have the following problems: Trouble with sound: All the stages in the listening process are likely to take the learners much longer to recognize familiar sound elements as familiar, to see the relationships and transformations among them. The learners themselves fail to identify, discriminate, and understand them correctly. The sounds, stresses, intonations spoken and taught by teachers seem to be different from those said by the native speakers who they are listening to. Have to understand every word: Learners have a tendency to try their best to understand every word from the listening passage, thinking that everything that is said contains equally important information. In fact, there may be a lot of words they fail to recognize from the native speakers speech. If they do not have the ability to select important words from others, they may fail to get anything from it, and then may feel totally disappointed. Unable to understand fast, natural native speech: Most learners of English cannot understand natural spoken language as it seems too fast for them to follow. Normally, learners rarely have a chance to listen to native speech; instead, they only listen to their teachers slow utterances. If they do not understand any sentences from their teacher, they can ask for repeating or clarifying or slowing down. It is not always the case of speakers in listening text. Consequently, the learners are unable to keep up with and store incoming information in natural native speech. Sometime they feel overloaded and scared of it. Need to listen to things more than once: Very few learners can understand the message at the first listening. They often need to listen to it again and again before they can recognize and understand something from it, especially listening to tapes or radio where they do not have a chance of seeing speakers. When the comprehension is not achieved in spite of listener efforts, they will get tired, discouraged and frustrated as a result. In conclusion, there are various certain hindrances for the first language listeners, second language listeners and foreign language listeners. Though factors creating these difficulties might differ from each other in the number of categories divided by the author, they have many things in common and fall into two main group. The first group is internal factors that come from the listeners themselves. The other is external factors which originate from the speakers, the message, the surrounding setting
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Extent to Which William Golding Portrays Mankind as Being Inherently Evil :: William Golding Lord of the Flies Essays
The Extent to Which William Golding Portrays Mankind as Being Inherently Evil Although I do not think he shows humans to be completely, irrevocably evil, I think that Golding paints an increasingly dim picture of humankind. As his faith in humanity's intrinsic good fails, Golding's foresight of a dark future for man is reflected in the colour of his metaphorical oil paints as he writes this allegorical novel. Even supposedly innocent children are shown to be incredibly sinful and the rules and regulations they are brought up under fade away into insignificance. This mirrors William Golding's belief that people are born corrupt and malevolent, they are not influenced into bad ways; rather it is something about us as a species. Throughout his story, Golding demonstrates the true nature of people coming out into the open - manifesting itself more openly after being restrained by society for so long. At the start of Lord Of The Flies, there is chaos amidst horrendous storms, with panicky schoolboys unregulated and vulnerable. Together though, they set about their predicament in a very well meaning, sophisticated way - everything is orderly and civilised in true boy-scout fashion. The boys act above their ages and decide they ought to "...call the others...have a meeting"(I, p. 22), to organise themselves and to build shelters after their adult 'election'. Like in Parliament, only one person is allowed to speak at once and the conch helps to enforce this. With the well meaning and democratic Ralph in charge, even specific jobs are allocated amongst the children with Jack's choir designated the island's hunters. However, even at this early stage, the children test the limits of this new adult-less world. Jack says to Piggy, "Shut up, Fatty"(I, p. 28). Then, the name-calling continues with Ralph even, abusing Piggy's trust and revealing his former private nickname merely for a cheap laugh. Even the tiniest child joined in the resulting combined uproar of laughter - every one glad that there is no authority to discipline them. Later, when Piggy approaches Ralph about his betrayal, Ralph is caught between "...apology or further insult"(I, p. 33) as his conscience begins to falter. As the story progresses, incidences illustrating the immorality of the boys become more frequent and more prominent. Still in the first chapter, Ralph, Simon and Jack revel in the wanton destruction caused by their hands when they roll a boulder into the canopy below - they were transfixed by this "triumph"(I, p.37) and utter an excited "Wacco!"(I, p. 37). The first time the boys chance upon a pig, Jack crucially hesitates whilst considering the consequences of taking life. Though, as later on Jack renounces his social conditioning and
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Race and Ethnicity in Social Sciences Essay examples -- Identity Gende
Use of the Terms "Race" and "Ethnicity" in the Social Sciences Defining identity can be complex and therefore we have to investigate the factors involved that make us who we are and how we are seen by others, collectively or individually. Social scientists have to consider the key elements which shape identity, the importance of social structures and agency involved. The differences and/or similarities between us are the focus that categorise and label us in society. Knowing who we are is important for many reasons including, social rights, obtaining a passport, housing, health, employment, marriage, and over all, being able to ascertain who we are, and belong. The terms ââ¬Ëraceââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëethnicityââ¬â¢ are central features in the process of categorisation. ââ¬ËRacialââ¬â¢ or ââ¬ËEthnicââ¬â¢ identifications are produced as part of a social process, which is dynamic and changing. Therefore we know that identities are not static and terms such as ââ¬Ëraceââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ëethnicityââ¬â¢ cannot cover the changing categories without being dynamic terms themselves. The use of quotation marks with these terms is adopted to emphasise that the terms are broad terms and aim to avoid discrimination or misrepresentation of groups under the umbrella term. ââ¬ËRaceââ¬â¢ is commonly used by media and society to portray the physical differences between people, however, social scientists choose to show that the term does not refer to exact biological differences, is stereotypical, and the quotation marks emphasise the concept as ...
Essay --
In the 1990s, sexuality inculcation in the Coalesced States took a behavioral focus with two distinctive and widely disunited approaches. The first abstinence-until-espousement, limits ordinant dictation to why adolescent people should not have sex until they are espoused. The second, balanced and authentic sexuality edification inspirits students to defer sex until they are older and to practice safer sex when they become sexually active. Studies of sexuality edification in the Coalesced States show that most frequently edified subjects include factual information about magnification and development, reproductive systems, dating and setting limits, abstinence and refusal skills, pregnancy and parenting, and STDs, including HIV (CSC, 2011 ). While extemporaneous pregnancies among teens in the U.S. is at the lowest rate in years, American teenagers are still getting pregnant at a much higher rate than their counterparts in other developed countries ââ¬â 3x more often than teens in Germany and France, and 4x more often than teens in the Netherlands. In 2010, extemporaneous pregnancies among U.S. teens dropped to 34.3 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 according to the most recent health statistics. Thatââ¬â¢s great news, but itââ¬â¢s still the highest teen pregnancy rate among developed nations. A report relinquished last month by The Centers for Disease Control and Obviation (CDC) surveyed 5,000 girls in 19 states who became pregnant unintentionally and gave birth between 2004 and 2008. 50% of these girls did not utilize birth control and one third of these girls didnââ¬â¢t cerebrate they could get pregnant. As the article A moiety of Teen Moms Donââ¬â¢t Use Birth Control ââ¬â Why thatââ¬â ¢s no surprise in Time Magazine (2012) points out, w... ...n mothers account for 11% of all births in the US. Out of all teen pregnancies, 57% end in birth. Another 14% end in miscarriage. Proximately a third of pregnant teenagers cull abortion. Out of all teenage pregnancies, 29% are terminated by abortion. Ebony teens have the highest teen pregnancy rate. For puerile women age 15-19, ebony teens are most liable to become pregnant (134 per 1,000 women). Scarcely lower rates occur among Hispanics (131 per 1,000) followed by non-Hispanic whites (48 per 1,000). The teen pregnancy rate reached an all-time high in 1990 with an estimated 116.9 per thousand and an all-time high birth rate of 61.8 births per thousand in 1991. By 2002, the pregnancy rate had dropped to 75.4 per thousand - a decline of 36%. However, a December 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control shows a 3% increase in teenage pregnancy from 2005 to 2006.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
1920 Baseball
How the 1920s Forever Changed Baseball It should come as no surprise to a majority of Americans that baseball is considered Americaââ¬â¢s national past time. In fact, for many people baseball has always been an enormous part of every day life. People are exposed to baseball through multiple mediums such as television, newspapers, and even the radio. When did this obsession start for the citizens of America? The 1920s is known as the Golden Age of Sports. While many sports started to emerge during this decade, baseball was already established in 1875 and rapidly gaining popularity.Multiple factors affected the way that baseball changed during the 1920s. Due to its increased popularity of baseball and certain aspects of the game, the 1920s created what is known as modern day baseball. Previous to 1910 a rubber-centered ball was used, which had ââ¬Å"less resiliency than the modern cork-centered baseball. â⬠When baseball switched to the cork-centered ball in 1910, ââ¬Å"batti ng averages shot upward phenomenally, but the managers continued long afterwards to employ the ââ¬Ëscientificââ¬â¢ strategyâ⬠(Mandell 131).Before the cork-centered ball, the game was dominated by extraordinary pitchers and batters who had difficulties hitting (Mandell 130). Walter Johnson was considered the decadeââ¬â¢s best pitcher and totaled 3,497 strikeouts and 113 shut outs in his career (Mandell 130). Once the ball was changed the game became more interesting by having the game now balanced between the offense and defense. This made it possible for listeners to be entertained listening to a ball game instead of constantly having to go to watch the game. During this decade and the decade before, mass production made the radio a staple in most households in the United States.The wide scale production made radios much more affordable for common families. ââ¬Å"By 1925, 40 percent of workers in the United States earned at least $2000 annually â⬠¦ and many enjoy ed shortened workweeks, which gave them increased leisure timeâ⬠(ââ¬Å"The 1920s: Sports: Overviewâ⬠1). With the excess money that the workers now possessed, they would go out and buy, ââ¬Å"among other items, automobiles, radios, and tickets to movies and athletic eventsâ⬠((ââ¬Å"The 1920s: Sports: Overviewâ⬠1). Swarms of people were going to stadiums to watch their favorite team compete. More people went to baseball games, more people followed baseball, and more people played baseball for fun than any other sportâ⬠(ââ¬Å"The Golden Age of Sportsâ⬠1). No other sport was as prominent as baseball was during the 1920s. A major draw to baseball was that it was a new form of theater. ââ¬Å"The sheer drama of baseball was yet another attraction. Baseball had a cast of well-defined heroes and villains, familiar plots, comedy, and the unexpectedâ⬠(Rader 129). Baseball proved to be able to produce larger-than-life characters, or the ââ¬Å"hero es,â⬠time after time.To name a few there was, most notably, Babe, Wahoo Sam, and Bugs. In every game, the umpire served the purpose of the villain (Rader 129). While people in the 1920s might not have had the financial excess to spend money on seeing a Broadway play or other large-scale theater productions, baseball games had the same attraction for a lesser price. While many well-to-do people did attend baseball games, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ every motherââ¬â¢s son from banker to bum is eligible for membership in the Benevolent Brotherhood of Baseball Bugsâ⬠(ââ¬Å"The National Pastime in the 1920s: The Rise of the Baseball Fanâ⬠1).Everyone was welcome to play participate in baseball, whether it be as a spectator or player. At this time baseball was not just for one race either. People of all races and backgrounds played baseball. For example, in 1920 Andrew ââ¬Å"Rubeâ⬠Foster founded the Negro National League, NNL, so that when baseball was finally integrated th e black and Hispanic players of the time would be ready for the challenge (Heaphy 39). Even men that did not come from well-respected upbringings were immediately accepted into the world of baseball.George Herman Ruth Jr. , more commonly known as Babe Ruth, was the prime example of how accepting baseball was. Babe grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and said, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ he became a ââ¬Ëbad kid,ââ¬â¢ who smoked, chewed tobacco, and engaged in petty thievery. â⬠When Babe turned seven ââ¬Å"his parents sent him to the St. Maryââ¬â¢s Industrial Home for Boys, and institution â⬠¦ for â⬠¦ delinquents. â⬠(Rader 178). After twelve years in the home and building his baseball reputation, Babe was drafted to the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox (Rader 178).Babe wrote in an autobiography, ââ¬Å"The greatest thing about this country is the wonderful fact that it doesnââ¬â¢t matter which side of the tracks you were born on, or whether youââ¬â¢re homeles s or homely or friendless. The chance is still thereâ⬠(Rader 178). All people of different races and upbringings were brought together through baseball, as spectators and players, although the sport would not be integrated until 1947. The popularity of baseball greatly affected the way that the sport would change. Without the demand of the spectators, certain changes would not have been made to the game. The most marked feature of the new sporting landscape was the ascendancy of ââ¬Ëbig-timeââ¬â¢ spectator sports, that is, sports that were attracted and were designed for mass audiencesâ⬠(Rader 173). Baseball changed from a player-centered sport to a spectator-centered sport. In American Sports it says that: After 1920 the fans virtually dictated the character of American sport history. Even the ethos and structure of ââ¬Ëamateurââ¬â¢ sports like Little League Baseball and high school football resembled their professional counterparts more than the player-cent ered sports of an earlier era.In principle, if not in practice, amateur sports had been for the pleasure and benefit of the players; in short, the athletes ââ¬Ëplayed. ââ¬â¢ But with the ascendancy of the spectators, the athletes ââ¬Ëplayedââ¬â¢ for the fans; sports then became a form of ââ¬Ëwork. ââ¬â¢ (Rader 173) Baseball eventually became a consumer run industry. Magnificent stadiums were beginning to be built during the 1920s, beginning with Yankee Stadium in 1923 (Rader 128). ââ¬Å"The massive baseball parks, built of concrete and steel, bore mute testimony to the values Americans place upon baseball. The fans saw the parks as more than a place for commercial amusement, the stadiums were also a ââ¬Å"king of civic, religious sanctuary representing and entire communityâ⬠(Rader 128). Judging solely on the change of the stadiums from rustic to urban, itââ¬â¢s clear that America was changing baseball into a larger-than-life, commercialized industry. Bef ore Babe, fans were loyal to certain teams, but Babe changed the face of baseball, making the fans more player-loyal.Apart from the enormous increase in the popularity of baseball during the 1920s, Babe Ruth was extremely influential in how the game is now. Paul Gallico, a sports-writer, said, ââ¬Å"In times past we had been interested in and excited by prize fighters and baseball players, but we have never been so individually involved or joined in such a mass outpouring of affection as we did for Ruthâ⬠(Rader 179). Not only did Babe change the focus of the spectators to the individual players from the team, he set a new standard in the amount that players should expect to be paid.Christy Walsh became Babeââ¬â¢s literary agent and ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ as Ruthââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëliterary agentââ¬â¢ he increased Ruthââ¬â¢s writing income from $500 to $15000 in the first yearâ⬠(Rader 181). Most players made less than $10000 a year playing professional baseball. By the tim e Babe was at his highest point, he was making close to $3 million from playing and outside endeavors relating to baseball (Rader 181). Other than the amount that he was paid and how America idolized him, Babe Ruth undoubtedly changed the history of baseball forever by making the homerun a common feature of the game.Before Babe, homeruns were not common, especially out-of-the-park homeruns. Outfielders played very shallow, which caused inside-the-park homeruns more frequently than seen today (Rader131). Babe Ruth shattered that normality by hitting out-of-the-park homeruns like no one had ever seen before. Baseball was forever influenced by the skill, idolization, and salary of Babe Ruth. There is no denying that baseball has long been considered Americaââ¬â¢s pastime, but it was not always like that. The game grew immensely in the 1920s and morphed into the baseball that is around today. One distinguishing and very important quality of baseball was the (however much the game did , indeed, resemble games played in many places for millennia) it was believed to be historically and exclusively Americanâ⬠(Mandell 180). Growing up with parents that were actively involved in athletics throughout their adolescent life, sports were an enormous part of my and my brothersââ¬â¢ lives. Starting at age six I began playing tee-ball and from there moved onto softball, while my brothers did the same, except moved onto Little League.The popularity of professional baseball was evident even in tee-ball and Little League by having the teams named after the professional teams. It is obvious that the popularity in the 1920s continue into modern day baseball, not only by the growing number of fans, but almost how professional baseball has affected the amateur level of baseball. Work Cited Heaphy, Leslie A. The Negro Leagues 1869-1960. 1st . Jefferson: McFarland&Company Inc. , Publishers, 2003. Print. Mandell, Richard D. Sports A Cultural History. 1st . New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. Print. Rader, Benjamin G.American Sports. 1st . Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1983. Print. Sumner, Jim. ââ¬Å"The Golden Age of Sports. â⬠North Carolina Museum of History. American Social History Products, Inc. , n. d. Web. . ââ¬Å"The 1920s: Sports: Overview. â⬠American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia. com. 4 Dec. 2012 . . ââ¬Å"The National Pastime in the 1920s: The Rise of the Baseball Fan. â⬠History Matters. American Social History Products, Inc.. Web. . 1920 Baseball How the 1920s Forever Changed Baseball It should come as no surprise to a majority of Americans that baseball is considered Americaââ¬â¢s national past time. In fact, for many people baseball has always been an enormous part of every day life. People are exposed to baseball through multiple mediums such as television, newspapers, and even the radio. When did this obsession start for the citizens of America? The 1920s is known as the Golden Age of Sports. While many sports started to emerge during this decade, baseball was already established in 1875 and rapidly gaining popularity.Multiple factors affected the way that baseball changed during the 1920s. Due to its increased popularity of baseball and certain aspects of the game, the 1920s created what is known as modern day baseball. Previous to 1910 a rubber-centered ball was used, which had ââ¬Å"less resiliency than the modern cork-centered baseball. â⬠When baseball switched to the cork-centered ball in 1910, ââ¬Å"batti ng averages shot upward phenomenally, but the managers continued long afterwards to employ the ââ¬Ëscientificââ¬â¢ strategyâ⬠(Mandell 131).Before the cork-centered ball, the game was dominated by extraordinary pitchers and batters who had difficulties hitting (Mandell 130). Walter Johnson was considered the decadeââ¬â¢s best pitcher and totaled 3,497 strikeouts and 113 shut outs in his career (Mandell 130). Once the ball was changed the game became more interesting by having the game now balanced between the offense and defense. This made it possible for listeners to be entertained listening to a ball game instead of constantly having to go to watch the game. During this decade and the decade before, mass production made the radio a staple in most households in the United States.The wide scale production made radios much more affordable for common families. ââ¬Å"By 1925, 40 percent of workers in the United States earned at least $2000 annually â⬠¦ and many enjoy ed shortened workweeks, which gave them increased leisure timeâ⬠(ââ¬Å"The 1920s: Sports: Overviewâ⬠1). With the excess money that the workers now possessed, they would go out and buy, ââ¬Å"among other items, automobiles, radios, and tickets to movies and athletic eventsâ⬠((ââ¬Å"The 1920s: Sports: Overviewâ⬠1). Swarms of people were going to stadiums to watch their favorite team compete. More people went to baseball games, more people followed baseball, and more people played baseball for fun than any other sportâ⬠(ââ¬Å"The Golden Age of Sportsâ⬠1). No other sport was as prominent as baseball was during the 1920s. A major draw to baseball was that it was a new form of theater. ââ¬Å"The sheer drama of baseball was yet another attraction. Baseball had a cast of well-defined heroes and villains, familiar plots, comedy, and the unexpectedâ⬠(Rader 129). Baseball proved to be able to produce larger-than-life characters, or the ââ¬Å"hero es,â⬠time after time.To name a few there was, most notably, Babe, Wahoo Sam, and Bugs. In every game, the umpire served the purpose of the villain (Rader 129). While people in the 1920s might not have had the financial excess to spend money on seeing a Broadway play or other large-scale theater productions, baseball games had the same attraction for a lesser price. While many well-to-do people did attend baseball games, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ every motherââ¬â¢s son from banker to bum is eligible for membership in the Benevolent Brotherhood of Baseball Bugsâ⬠(ââ¬Å"The National Pastime in the 1920s: The Rise of the Baseball Fanâ⬠1).Everyone was welcome to play participate in baseball, whether it be as a spectator or player. At this time baseball was not just for one race either. People of all races and backgrounds played baseball. For example, in 1920 Andrew ââ¬Å"Rubeâ⬠Foster founded the Negro National League, NNL, so that when baseball was finally integrated th e black and Hispanic players of the time would be ready for the challenge (Heaphy 39). Even men that did not come from well-respected upbringings were immediately accepted into the world of baseball.George Herman Ruth Jr. , more commonly known as Babe Ruth, was the prime example of how accepting baseball was. Babe grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and said, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ he became a ââ¬Ëbad kid,ââ¬â¢ who smoked, chewed tobacco, and engaged in petty thievery. â⬠When Babe turned seven ââ¬Å"his parents sent him to the St. Maryââ¬â¢s Industrial Home for Boys, and institution â⬠¦ for â⬠¦ delinquents. â⬠(Rader 178). After twelve years in the home and building his baseball reputation, Babe was drafted to the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox (Rader 178).Babe wrote in an autobiography, ââ¬Å"The greatest thing about this country is the wonderful fact that it doesnââ¬â¢t matter which side of the tracks you were born on, or whether youââ¬â¢re homeles s or homely or friendless. The chance is still thereâ⬠(Rader 178). All people of different races and upbringings were brought together through baseball, as spectators and players, although the sport would not be integrated until 1947. The popularity of baseball greatly affected the way that the sport would change. Without the demand of the spectators, certain changes would not have been made to the game. The most marked feature of the new sporting landscape was the ascendancy of ââ¬Ëbig-timeââ¬â¢ spectator sports, that is, sports that were attracted and were designed for mass audiencesâ⬠(Rader 173). Baseball changed from a player-centered sport to a spectator-centered sport. In American Sports it says that: After 1920 the fans virtually dictated the character of American sport history. Even the ethos and structure of ââ¬Ëamateurââ¬â¢ sports like Little League Baseball and high school football resembled their professional counterparts more than the player-cent ered sports of an earlier era.In principle, if not in practice, amateur sports had been for the pleasure and benefit of the players; in short, the athletes ââ¬Ëplayed. ââ¬â¢ But with the ascendancy of the spectators, the athletes ââ¬Ëplayedââ¬â¢ for the fans; sports then became a form of ââ¬Ëwork. ââ¬â¢ (Rader 173) Baseball eventually became a consumer run industry. Magnificent stadiums were beginning to be built during the 1920s, beginning with Yankee Stadium in 1923 (Rader 128). ââ¬Å"The massive baseball parks, built of concrete and steel, bore mute testimony to the values Americans place upon baseball. The fans saw the parks as more than a place for commercial amusement, the stadiums were also a ââ¬Å"king of civic, religious sanctuary representing and entire communityâ⬠(Rader 128). Judging solely on the change of the stadiums from rustic to urban, itââ¬â¢s clear that America was changing baseball into a larger-than-life, commercialized industry. Bef ore Babe, fans were loyal to certain teams, but Babe changed the face of baseball, making the fans more player-loyal.Apart from the enormous increase in the popularity of baseball during the 1920s, Babe Ruth was extremely influential in how the game is now. Paul Gallico, a sports-writer, said, ââ¬Å"In times past we had been interested in and excited by prize fighters and baseball players, but we have never been so individually involved or joined in such a mass outpouring of affection as we did for Ruthâ⬠(Rader 179). Not only did Babe change the focus of the spectators to the individual players from the team, he set a new standard in the amount that players should expect to be paid.Christy Walsh became Babeââ¬â¢s literary agent and ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ as Ruthââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëliterary agentââ¬â¢ he increased Ruthââ¬â¢s writing income from $500 to $15000 in the first yearâ⬠(Rader 181). Most players made less than $10000 a year playing professional baseball. By the tim e Babe was at his highest point, he was making close to $3 million from playing and outside endeavors relating to baseball (Rader 181). Other than the amount that he was paid and how America idolized him, Babe Ruth undoubtedly changed the history of baseball forever by making the homerun a common feature of the game.Before Babe, homeruns were not common, especially out-of-the-park homeruns. Outfielders played very shallow, which caused inside-the-park homeruns more frequently than seen today (Rader131). Babe Ruth shattered that normality by hitting out-of-the-park homeruns like no one had ever seen before. Baseball was forever influenced by the skill, idolization, and salary of Babe Ruth. There is no denying that baseball has long been considered Americaââ¬â¢s pastime, but it was not always like that. The game grew immensely in the 1920s and morphed into the baseball that is around today. One distinguishing and very important quality of baseball was the (however much the game did , indeed, resemble games played in many places for millennia) it was believed to be historically and exclusively Americanâ⬠(Mandell 180). Growing up with parents that were actively involved in athletics throughout their adolescent life, sports were an enormous part of my and my brothersââ¬â¢ lives. Starting at age six I began playing tee-ball and from there moved onto softball, while my brothers did the same, except moved onto Little League.The popularity of professional baseball was evident even in tee-ball and Little League by having the teams named after the professional teams. It is obvious that the popularity in the 1920s continue into modern day baseball, not only by the growing number of fans, but almost how professional baseball has affected the amateur level of baseball. Work Cited Heaphy, Leslie A. The Negro Leagues 1869-1960. 1st . Jefferson: McFarland&Company Inc. , Publishers, 2003. Print. Mandell, Richard D. Sports A Cultural History. 1st . New York: Columbia University Press, 1984. Print. Rader, Benjamin G.American Sports. 1st . Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1983. Print. Sumner, Jim. ââ¬Å"The Golden Age of Sports. â⬠North Carolina Museum of History. American Social History Products, Inc. , n. d. Web. . ââ¬Å"The 1920s: Sports: Overview. â⬠American Decades. 2001. Encyclopedia. com. 4 Dec. 2012 . . ââ¬Å"The National Pastime in the 1920s: The Rise of the Baseball Fan. â⬠History Matters. American Social History Products, Inc.. Web. .
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