Comparison of American and British English

Comparison of American and British English Many English speakers and do not realize the vast differences between American English and British English. Some might falsely assume that the two are filled with more similarities than differences, and that the rules separating American English and British English are simply finicky points that are arguable and not especially noteworthy. The fact remains that what might be considered inconsequential to some readers can be taken as serious grammatical errors when crossing the Atlantic divide.PunctuationTake, for example, the use of punctuation within quotes. Many American middle and high school students consistently confuse the rules associated with punctuating quotations. The uncertainty is so rampant, that the mystery tends to remain a significant issue during, and even after, the college years. So just where does that period go when there are quotes involved? The answer to this question changes, depending if you are looking at American English or British English grammar rules.In A merican English, it is standard for periods and commas to be placed within quotations:Their teacher dismissed them with a curt class dismissed.There is one dominant exception to this rule, and that is if the quotation is followed by a parenthetical source reference:The political game, according to Smith, seemed far less evasive than the candidates themselves (24).According to British English grammar rules, however, the punctuation is only placed within the quotation marks if it is punctuation that is a part of, or is related to, the quoted text. For example, notice the differences in which the following sentences would commonly be written, depending if the author is following American English or British English grammar rules.American English:A sign on the front door announced that the owners were out to lunch.The names given to the characters were Anabelle, Zach, and Cody.British English:A sign on the front door announced that the owners were out to lunch.The names given to the char acters were Anabelle, Zach, and Cody.With both American English and British English, semi-colons and colons are placed outside of the quotation. Writers and editors who are often confused between the two distinct sources of grammar rules will be happy to find that at least there is agreement with this one aspect of punctuation.SpellingBeyond punctuation, there are several rules relating to spelling that are significant to note. First, words that end in –er in American English typically end in –re in British English (theater vs. theatre). Additionally, words that end in –or in American English typically end in –our in British English (honor vs. honour). Finally, one of the most common differences in spelling is with American English words that contain the suffixes –ize or –yze (also –ization). Such words are generally spelled with –ise or –yse (or –isation) in British English. As with any grammar rule, there are ex ceptions, and any writer or editor who often switches between American English and British English would benefit from studying these instances in depth.Also, one of the little-known rules regarding discrepancies between American and British grammar is with verbs that end in a vowel plus l. In British English, the l in such verbs is doubled before the addition of a suffix that begins with a vowel (travel = traveller). In American English, this is not the case, and the l remains a single letter (travel = traveler). This is an issue that many spell-checker programs will not catch, especially if the program is created within the US.Some words, however, are spelled differently within British English and American English, depending on their usage. For example, while American English uses practice to denote both the noun and verb form of the word (She practiced piano often and The doctors practice was busy), British English uses practice as the noun form and practise as the verb form (She practised piano often and The doctors practice was busy). Similarly, while American English uses license as both a noun and verb, British English spells the noun form as licence and the verb form as license.In many cases with these particular words, the American English version of spelling is acceptable in the UK, as likewise the British English version is acceptable in the US. Most seasoned readers have seen the words spelled in both the British English and American English form, and understand them regardless of which continent they consider as home.Words commonly confusedIn addition to punctuation and spelling, there are words that are commonly confused between British English and American English. The list below is from the Oxford Dictionary:American/BritishJumper/Pinafore DressSweater/JumperEraser/RubberPants/TrousersPanties/PantsChips/CrispsFrench Fries/ChipsA garden in the UK is the same thing as a yard in the US, and a lounge in Britain is the same as a living room in Americ a. Such discrepancies as these abound between the two, and complete lists can be found online.Words not usedThere are many words commonly used in American English that are not used in British English, and vice versa. Words such as burglarize and co-ed are not standard in British English writing, and could confuse audiences when used without contextual clarification. Conversely, some commonly used words in British English can lose their meaning for American audiences (for example, lorry and loo). Anyone who writes or edits for both British and American audiences should study the extensive lists of words that hold different meanings between the two forms of English language usage.

Figueroa Surname Meaning and Origin

Figueroa Surname Meaning and Origin The Spanish surname Figueroa is a habitational name from any one of several small towns in Galicia, Spain, named Figueroa, from a derivative of figueira, meaning fig tree. Figueroa is the 59th most common Spanish surname. Alternate Surname Spellings: Figuero, Figuera, Figarola, Higueras, Higuero, Higueroa, De Figueroa, Figueres Surname Origin: Spanish Where Do People With the Figueroa Surname Live? While the Figueroa surname originated in Galicia near the border of Spain and Portugal, according to  Forebears  it is no longer as prevalent in that region as it is in many other Spanish-speaking countries. The Figueroa last name ranks 18th in Puerto Rico, 38th in Chile, 47th in Guatemala, 56th in El Salvador, 64th in Argentina, 68th in Honduras, 99th in Venezuela, 105th in Peru and 111th in Mexico. Within Spain, Figueroa is still most prevalent in Galicia, according to WorldNames PublicProfiler.  In the United States, the Figueroa surname is found in greatest numbers in the states of Florida, Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and New York. Famous People With the Figueroa Surname Francisco de Figueroa - 16th century Spanish poetPedro Josà ©Ã‚  Figueroa - Colombian portrait painterCole  Figueroa - MLB 2nd baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates- Venezuelan television hostPedro de Castro y Figueroa - Spanish viceroy of New SpainJosà ©Ã‚  Figueroa Alcorta - President of Argentina, 1906–1910Francisco  Acuà ±a de Figueroa - Uruguayan poet and writerFernando Figueroa - President of El Salvador, 1907–1911 Genealogy Resources for the Surname Figueroa 100 Most Common Spanish SurnamesHave you ever wondered about your Spanish last name and how it came to be? This article describes common Spanish naming patterns and explores the meaning and origins of 100 common Spanish surnames. How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, and other Spanish speaking countries. Figueroa Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Figueroa family crest or coat of arms for the Figueroa surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   The Figueroa DNA Surname ProjectThe Figueroa Family Project seeks to find common heritage through sharing of information and DNA testing. Any variant spellings of the Figueroa surname are welcome to participate. Figueroa Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on the descendants of Figueroa ancestors around the world. Search past queries, or post a question of your own. FamilySearch - Figueroa GenealogyAccess over 1.2 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Figueroa surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Figueroa Surname Mailing ListThis free mailing list for researchers of the Figueroa surname and its variations includes subscription details and searchable archives of past messages. Hosted by RootsWeb. DistantCousin.com - Figueroa Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Figueroa. The Figueroa Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Figueroa from the website of Genealogy Today.References Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Union Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Union Management - Essay Example This bad news has serious implications for most unions, putting them in a position of hard choices. On one hand, union leaders need to look after members’ welfare but on the other hand, they have to face some harsh realities. The truth of the matter is that state government coffers are facing a â€Å"fiscal emergency† as what Gov. Linda Lingle said and everyone must put their share of carrying the burden equally to keep things afloat. The government of Hawai’i had laid off some 900 to 1,100 government workers earlier in November and more lay-offs might be forthcoming, she had warned. In the end, everybody got what they wanted out of the deal which shows everyone concerned was willing to compromise and sacrifice. The current recession had highlighted the need for some concessions from the union, in particular work rules concerning compensation. State workers had overwhelmingly approved to take 42 furlough days, to be distributed into 18 days this fiscal year, 12 next year and another 12 for year 2011 (Sample in â€Å"Hawaii’s largest†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Union leaders had to face the reality of the situation and taking furlough is better than private-sector employees who took a pay cut and are working still the same hours for less pay as what Paul Brewbaker said. In another article on the same issue regarding union acceptance of the new contract, the Honolulu Advertiser mentioned that six of the seven bargaining units of Hawaii’s biggest public-sector union had ratified the new contract. Some 60% to 95% of the members had voted in support of the furlough days, roughly the equivalent to an 8% pay cut. For some of the union members, this concession may represent or symbolize the futility of being members. This is because the union had failed to protect their compensation benefits by eventually agreeing to furloughs although this is also dictated by the harsh reality of budget shortfalls. The new

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) AND AWARENESS ON DIGITAL Research Paper

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPRs) AND AWARENESS ON DIGITAL PROTECTION IN DIGITAL LEARNING - Research Paper Example 25). Under the 1976 U.S. copyright law, the owner of copyrighted materials were given the legal right to control the reproduction of their own works and creation, the display of their digital materials, and the distribution of their professional works and masterpieces (Ulius, 2003, p. 62). Demand for digital learning is increasing. By personally seeking permission from the copyright owner(s) before using their published works and ideas, educators and students should respect the existing law behind digital protection. This study will focus on examining the significance of intellectual property rights (IPR) and public awareness of digital protection on digital learning at Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning (BOCODOL). By incorporating the three approaches including the qualitative (interpretive / subjective), quantitative (objective / realism) and critical (analytical / critical / normative) in the research design, whether or not the students at BOCODOL are prone on violating the intellectual property rights of the writers and digital publishers will be The main purpose of this paper is to examine how the combination of qualitative, quantitative and critical approaches in research methods could strengthen the reliability and accuracy of the research study results. To satisfy the use of the quantitative research approach, the research design for this study will make use of research survey approach. For the qualitative and critical approaches, the significance of research interview and the use of a combine quantitative and qualitative research will be tackled in details respectively. Aside from discussing the statement of the problem and research questions for each of the three major research approaches, the conceptual framework of qualitative, quantitative and critical research methods will be thoroughly examined by going through the in-depth analysis and

Virtual Organization Strategy Paper Essay Example for Free

Virtual Organization Strategy Paper Essay Huffman Trucking is a company founded by K. Huffman back in 1936. World War II helped Huffman Trucking to move forward increasing their demand between the Midwest ports all the way to the East Coast ports offering their carrier services. Huffman Trucking started with only a single tractor-trailer and nine years later the company increased their size to 36 trailers. The U. S. Government, manufacturers of plastics products, and electronic consumer products are some of the primary customers who Huffman Trucking works with. With facilities in Cleveland, Bayonne, St.  Louis, and Los Angeles Huffman Trucking employs over a thousand personnel divided between drivers and support personnel. Team B analyzes the best option for Huffman Trucking between going public through an IPO, acquiring another company within the same industry, or merging with another organization. Comparing the strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats of all three options will help Team B to make a smart decision. Strengths of Each Approach Huffman’s Trucking has many advantages for a going public. The most distinct advantage is the financial benefit in the form of raising capital. Huffman’s capitals are to fund research and development, fund capital expenditure or even used to pay off existing debt. An increased public awareness of Huffman’s company is another advantage because IPOs mostly gain publicity by making potential customers aware of their products. This may cause an increase in market share for the company. Many companies have to cash in on the success of companies that they helped start-up using IPOs (Investopia, 2010). Advantages of Huffman merging and acquisitioning are to determine the short -term and long-term company strategic outlook of the new and determined company. This is many factors such as market conditions, differences in business culture, acquisition costs and changes to financial strength surrounding the corporate takeover (Berry, 2002-2010) A merger is justifiably simple and is not as expensive as the forms of acquisition are a primary advantage of the transaction. This is done because the firms agree to join their entire operations and to transfer the title to individual assets of the acquired firm to the acquiring firm (Williams, 2008). When companies merge, it reduces the number of competitors in the market and captures additional economic scales of the market. Merging will keep the company’s growth with the competitive advantages of both firms. Merger also enables the company to rebuild and strengthen the organization as firms involved in the transaction share strategies to make the organization stronger and more reliable, thus eliminate weaknesses in the firm. Weaknesses of each approach Hoffman Trucking also has to be aware of the disadvantages of developing an initial public offering. The initial public offering can be a risky investment for Hoffman Trucking as well as for anyone that is looking to invest in him or her. For the individual investor, it is tough to predict what the stock will do on its initial day of trading and in the near future because there is often little historical data with which to analyze the company (Investopia, 2010). The future values of the company going public are also of uncertainty. With no guarantee for the business or investor, the values of the stocks will eventually end. It is a risk that the business and investors will take with an IPO. The option for an acquisition also has some weaknesses that go with it. If Huffman Trucking decides to acquire another company to expand, they need to realize this can be quite pricey as well. As Huffman Trucking discovers another company as they want to acquire that as, they will probably pay a premium price per share for the new company. This is done to make sure all shareholders of the acquired company are happy. This is the one of the few ways to able to let their shares go. It is very difficult to put appraise a company that has not gone public. This is when Huffman Trucking will have to show how bad they want a company by how much they offer to the company. A merger may sound appealing as well but also has weaknesses. A merger is not as easy as it may seem. The merger must benefit both companies looking to come together. If one may benefit more than the other, the other may look for other ways to demand more for their business. With this it is tough to decide who and how many shares each merging benefactor should receive when finished. This is about coming to an agreement which is not always as easy as it may seem. Each business has an idea of what their business is with the other merging business may not see it the same way. Opportunities of each approach What Huffman Trucking has an opportunity to do is to invest in projects so they can sell their securities in exchange for cash. Because the company is growing this will financially give them funding to use so their projects will produce assets that will be immediate. What this will do for them is to grow IPO rapidly and bring more revenue with acquiring the funds to produce with new projects. Because Huffman Trucking is a business in the transportation industry this could acquire another company is the same type of business. Many transportation companies in the country they could merge with so their industry would be on big corporation. They could not do without the transportation industry otherwise the public would be without these products. If Huffman Trucking merges with another transportation company they would combine all of their trucks with many others with the east coast and the Midwest. This could make their company and other transportation companies much more successful to expand all over the country. Their mission is to be more profitable so they could adapt very well with any other company in the transportation industry today. Threats of each approach The threats that Huffman Trucking must prepare for whether they choose to go public through an IPO, acquire another company in the same industry, or merge with another organization. The threats that Huffman would face with going public through an IPO would be individual investor would not be able to predict what the stock or shares will do on its initial day of trading and in the near future because of the lack of historical data. Most IPOs are of companies going through a transitory growth period, and they are therefore subject to additional uncertainty regarding their future value. Another threat to an IPO would be when a private limited company such as Huffman Trucking becomes a public company; it is subject to more regulation and rules of the State. If Huffman Trucking chose to acquire another company in the same industry the potential for financial loss would be initially because of factors such as expenses for consolidating brands, quipment, and merging the organizational structures. Management styles, employee expectations, processes, and cultures must be also because the employees of acquisitions will ultimately drive performance, consume payroll dollars, and be the most from an acquisition. This is a huge threat to acquisitions because of the affect of not addressing these issues will slow and perhaps stop the integration process and be costly in both sales and profits (Boyer, 2010). Mergers also have threats that must be taking into consideration. According to Wests Encyclopedia of American Law, whether a forward or backward integration, the newly acquired firm may decide to deal only with the acquiring firm, thereby altering competition among the acquiring firms suppliers, customers, or competitors. Suppliers may lose a market for their goods, retail outlets may be depriving of supplies, or competitors may find that both supplies and outlet are not receiving what they need. This raises the concern that vertical integration will foreclose competitors by limiting their access to sources of supply or to customers. Vertical mergers may also be anticompetitive because their entrenched market power may impede new businesses from entering the market. Conclusion Huffman Trucking started business 74 years ago and works with big companies and with the US Government. Team B analyzed the best option for Huffman Trucking between going public through an IPO, acquiring another company within the same industry, or merging with another organization. Team B concludes that even though the IPOs are excellent to gain publicity by making potential customers aware of their products, the company is already known by big companies. Huffman Trucking is currently in a stage where their priority should be to expand their business. The decision to enhance the company is to either acquire within the same industry or merge with another organization. Team B recommends Huffman Trucking to acquire another company, expand their business, reduce the number of competitors in the market, and capture additional economic scales of the market. Team B considered the threads of all three options and acquiring another company is the best option for Huffman Trucking to move forward and gain market. References http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/06/ipoadvantagedisadvantage.asp

Existence of God Essay -- Literary Analysis, Suma Theologica

In the â€Å"Suma Theologica,† by Saint Thomas Aquinas, Aquinas combines the doctrines of Christianity with Aristotelian philosophy, through the assertion that as a result of observation, utilization of the senses, and an empirical mindset, one can substantiate the existence of God. Aquinas holds the conception that in the quest for God’s existence, philosophy and theology are interwoven together and both play complementary roles. He infuses numerous theological doctrines, mainly from Saint Augustine, alongside Aristotelian ideals such as, the first mover, to corroborate his argument for the existence of God. Instead of basing his argument on human reason and rationality like his predecessor, Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Aquinas holds that it is instead through an empirical mindset that one is able to ascertain and comprehend the existence of God. Aquinas deems that all knowledge acquired originated from the experiences of our senses. He believes that by experiencing eve nts, the human being is aware of the fact that there exists an effect for every action that is undergone. Through this realization, Aquinas recognizes that there must exist a cause that triggered that event into existence, culminating in the conclusion that everything in existence must be characterized by a cause. This argument presented defines the cosmological argument, a belief that there is a first cause, which is God, who is seen as the source of the cosmos that sets in motion a cycle of cause and effect. To prove this argument, Aquinas presents five different variants, each with subtle distinctions that display two reoccurring themes, the importance of sense experience and the notion of causality, to prove the existence of God. In Aquinas’s first argument, he lin... ... cause and effect stopped at the Big Bang, as it does to claim it stopped at God. The Big Bang Theory, which has no previous cause, could have easily prompted the chain of cause and effect. Why must we presume the world to have a beginning and claim that the cosmos could not have been a cause of itself? Since Aquinas, at the time, does not fully understand the workings of the Universe, his claim that the infinite regression arbitrarily stopped at God, is misleading, since the regression could have stopped as the universe itself prompted the chain of cause and effect. I wholeheartedly agree that Aquinas’ cosmological argument proves the existence of an â€Å"uncaused cause,† however I believe that it fails in acknowledging other means of creation and holds no validation that the first cause attributes the characteristics of the God of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Graphics page Essay

Whether they are interested in tennis, if they are a fan and what events or players would they like to visit if possible. (Interests) Whether or not the person is interested in purchasing such a product that I will be making, and if so why not? * Do they have any suggestions or preferences in what they would like to buy or view from this merchandise? Why is this? * Do they appreciate merchandise such as posters and banners to be colourful, jazzy, plain or dark? The person’s coloured and style preferences perhaps. Do they prefer products to have lots of text information or do they not? If yes, what should the content be about? E. g. ) The product or the purpose?   What sort of images and logos would they prefer to view on these pages, and in what background? E. g. ) Artistic, photographic, computerized, etc†¦ what will create the best effects for people to appreciate it and be attracted to what it is aiming to the audience.   What sort of advertisement methods would most attract them to the product either to purchase it or to view it even? Information such as this provided in the questionnaire results will be very important for me to analyse and use when designing and making my merchandise. I will definitely need to consider it, otherwise there is no point in making these products in such ways that will not attract people, please them or catch their interest to follow the purpose of the poster. The reason for making something is for it to appeal to people’s preferences and the purpose of my tennis poster is to attract people to view it and realise the development of the state-of-the-art tennis stadium. The merchandise acts as examples of what they can purchase at this newly proposed stadium and helps to promote generally. Therefore, I will need to consider aspects such as colour, texture, size, special effects aswell as the type of imagery, content and textual styles I should use in order for it to be portrayed as worthwhile. Therefore the research is essential for this practical area of my project to be good and relevant.

Nazi Party Rises to Power

Ian Kershaw was a medievalist who, nearly 30 years ago, turned his interests to the history of the Third Reich. This is the second volume of his encyclopaedic biography of Hitler, and the best thing in it is his treatment of Hitler's effect on the German people. He intersperses his biography with evidence of German popular sentiment, fragmentary and yet telling. Many Germans (perhaps understandably) have tried to separate the history of Hitler from the history of the German people during the Third Reich, one historian going so far as to declare that there were no National Socialists, there was only Hitler.This is nonsense, and Kershaw knows it very well. The great majority of the Germans followed Hitler until the very end. Kershaw's Hitler is more telling about the Third Reich than about the man himself. The result is a one-dimensional portrait, and not an illuminating one. This is a pity, because we shall see more and more studies of Hitler (including, I fear, more and more cleverly composed and carefully disguised apologies).There is not one trace of defence or apology here, and Kershaw makes the much-needed and persuasive argument that even when no evidence of direct orders exists, there is no reason to think that his minions were committing their brutalities contrary to, or even without, Hitler's wishes. But Kershaw's portrait of Hitler is that of a single-minded fanatic with crazy ideas who was doomed to defeat. It was not as simple as that.Hitler was no fool, and his abilities as statesman and strategist derived from the same talents that had enabled him to become ruler of Germany. These talents were protean – for instance, his uncanny capacity to foretell what his enemies would not do. Kershaw does not see how close Hitler came to winning the war, not only in the summer of 1940 but in 1941. His knowledge does not extend sufficiently to Hitler's adversaries, or to foreign policy. After November-December 1941 Hitler could no longer win the second wo rld war, but he could still prevail by not losing it.Had he driven Stalin beyond the Volga, forcing an armistice of sorts, or thrown the Anglo-American armies into the sea in 1944, he would not have won the war, but one or other of his enemies would have been compelled to make some kind of arrangement with him. He knew that, and in December 1941 his entire strategy changed. He now faced a long war, and believed that sooner or later the uneasy and unnatural coalition of his enemies, capitalists and communists, would break apart. He was right; but, fortunately, too late for him. ) He also knew that this could not be achieved by diplomacy, but by striking a decisive blow against one of his enemies. At the same time he gave the command of German industry to Speer, turning it into an astonishingly successful and productive war economy. There is almost nothing in Kershaw's book about this momentous change in Hitler's strategy. Nor is there anything about Hitler's attempts to divide the Al lies.Kershaw begins the present volume by summing up his first one: in the 1930s Hitler â€Å"was a political outsider with few, if any, special talents beyond undoubted skills as a demagogue and propagandist†. Yet in his foreign policy before 1939 â€Å"his sense of timing ha[d] been excellent, his combination of bluff and blackmail effective, his manipulation of propaganda to back his coups masterly†. Another contradiction, within one page: â€Å"He was certainly alert to the dangers of a collapse in his popularity, and the likely domestic crisis which would then occur. Yet: â€Å"It is, in fact, doubtful whether he would have believed the accounts of poor morale, even if he had read them. † By 1936 Hitler â€Å"had thought himself infallible; his self-image had reached the stage of outright hubris†. Yet in November 1936 Hitler said to Speer, after a long silence: â€Å"If I succeed, I will be one of the greatest men in history – if I fail, I w ill be condemned, rejected, and damned. † This volume is not well written: there are many errors of facts and dates, and strange words such as â€Å"devotalia†, â€Å"actionism†, â€Å"diplomatic outfall†.The other main shortcoming is Kershaw's extensive dependence on Hitler's statements as his primary source. The problem here is not only that Hitler, despite his loquacity, was a very secretive man (as he himself states on occasion); we must also keep in mind that he was a master of the spoken word (again, something which he often emphasised). The great turning point of his life came in 1919: his decision to enter politics was contemporaneous with his discovery that he was a very efficient speaker.Thereafter, he always spoke with the purpose of influencing his hearers, not only in his public speeches but also in table conversations and talks with Goebbels, on whose diaries Kershaw sometimes unduly depends. Did Hitler always believe what he was saying? Kers haw writes as though he did, yet we have evidence to the contrary. This is especially so in the case of Russia. Kershaw writes that in the 1930s Hitler was â€Å"increasingly preoccupied with the looming threat, as he saw it, from Bolshevism†.Not at all: Hitler gave little thought to Soviet Russia until 1939, but he very ably used the threat of Bolshevism to impress conservatives in Germany and Britain. Several times during the war Hitler praised Stalin for having got rid of the influence of Jews. Yet in all his public statements, including the last ones in April 1945, he proclaimed the peril of â€Å"Jewish Bolshevism†. It is the great merit of British writing to have married biography to history. In the 19th century, professional historians tended to eschew biography.The English tradition was an exception, with enduring results during the 20th century, to the extent that the appetite of the public for serious biographies is now larger than ever before, and every seri ous biographer now follows the practices of historical research. Still, biography requires particular talents, including not only a certain degree of empathy with one's subject but an incisive understanding of human nature. Kershaw is a better historian than he is a biographer.

The Wonderful World Of Kemet

The Wonderful World Of Kemet Sailing across the Mediterranean on my way to Sicily, my father‚ ¡Ã‚‚ ¯s crew and I encountered horrendous weather. We run into turbulent waters because of the ferocious storms approaching us, and all of a sudden we find our self in the mist of a horrifying thunderstorm. The wind was howling, the strong air current forced us to switch directions; we were heading towards the land of the African people. We knew about the land but the Greeks have never set forth upon the land of Africa; we knew it was a civilization different from our own much more savage-like and unsophisticated.Days later we wash up on to the shores of Kemet, stunned by what we saw before us. We the people of Greece were thought to be one of the darkest races around because of our olive complexion and dark features; but we stood before a race so rich in color with such distinguished facial characteristics.English: Reconstruction of the proto (primitive) G...

The Discovery of Fire in the Early Stone Age

The Discovery of Fire in the Early Stone Age The discovery of fire, or, more precisely, the controlled use of fire, was one of mankinds first great innovations. Fire allows us to produce light and heat, to cook plants and animals, to clear forests for planting, to heat-treat stone for making stone tools, to keep predator animals away, and to burn clay for ceramic objects. It has social purposes as well. Fires serve as gathering places, as beacons for those away from camp, and as spaces for special activities. The Progress of Fire Control The human control of fire likely required the cognitive ability to conceptualize the idea of fire, which itself has been recognized in chimpanzees; great apes have been known to prefer their foods cooked. The fact that experimentation with fire occurred during the early days of humanity should come as no surprise. Archaeologist J.A.J. Gowlett offers this general outline for the development of fire use:  opportunistic use of fire from natural occurrences (lightning strikes, meteor impacts, etc);  limited conservation of fires lit by natural occurrences; use of animal dung or other slow-burning substances to maintain fires in wet or cold seasons; and finally,  kindled fire. Early Evidence The controlled use of fire was likely an invention of our ancestor Homo erectus during the Early Stone Age (or Lower Paleolithic). The earliest evidence of fire associated with humans  comes from Oldowan hominid sites in the Lake Turkana region of Kenya. The site of Koobi Fora contained oxidized patches of earth to a depth of several centimeters, which some scholars interpret as evidence of fire control. The Australopithecine site of Chesowanja in central Kenya (about 1.4 million years old) also contained burned clay clasts  in small areas. Other Lower Paleolithic sites in Africa that contain possible evidence of fire include Gadeb in Ethiopia (burned rock), and Swartkrans (burned bones) and Wonderwerk Cave (burned ash and bone fragments), both in South Africa. The earliest evidence for controlled use of fire outside of Africa is at the Lower Paleolithic site of Gesher Benot Yaaqov in Israel, where charred wood and seeds were recovered from a site dated 790,000 years old. Other evidence has been found at Zhoukoudian, a Lower Paleolithic site in China, Beeches Pit in the U.K., and Qesem Cave in Israel. An Ongoing Discussion Archaeologists examined the available data for European sites and concluded that habitual use of fire wasnt part of the suite of human behaviors until about 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. They believe that the earlier sites are representative of the  opportunistic use of natural fires. Terrence Twomey published a comprehensive discussion of the early evidence for the  human control of fire at 400,000 to 800,000 years ago. Twomey believes that there is no direct evidence for domestic fires between 400,000 and 700,000 years ago, but he believes that other, indirect evidence supports the notion of the controlled use of fire. Indirect Evidence Twomeys argument is based on several lines of indirect evidence. First, he cites the metabolic demands of relatively big-brained Middle Pleistocene hunter-gatherers  and suggests that brain evolution required cooked food. Further, he argues that our distinctive sleep patterns (staying up after dark) are deeply rooted and that hominids began staying in seasonally or permanently cool places by 800,000 years ago. All of this, says Twomey, implies effective control of fire. Gowlett and Richard Wrangham argue that another piece of indirect evidence for the early use of fire is that our ancestors Homo  erectus evolved smaller mouths, teeth, and digestive systems, in striking contrast to earlier hominids. The benefits of having a smaller gut could not be realized until high-quality foods were available all year long. The adoption of cooking, which softens food and makes it easier to digest, could have led to these changes. Hearth Fire Construction A hearth is a deliberately constructed fireplace. The earliest examples were made by collecting stones to contain the fires, or simply by reusing the same location again and again and allowing the ash from previous fires to accumulate. Hearths from the Middle Paleolithic period (about 200,000 to 40,000 years ago) have been found at sites such as the Klasies River Caves in South Africa, Tabun Cave in Israel, and Bolomor Cave in Spain. Earth ovens, on the other hand, are hearths with banked and sometimes domed structures built of clay. These types of hearths were first used during the Upper Paleolithic period for cooking and heating and sometimes for burning clay figurines. The Gravettian Dolni Vestonice site in the modern Czech Republic has evidence of kiln construction, although construction details did not survive. The best information on Upper Paleolithic kilns is from the Aurignacian deposits of Klisoura Cave  in Greece. Fuels Relict wood was likely the fuel used for the earliest fires. Purposeful selection of wood came later: hardwood such as oak burns differently than softwood such as pine, since the moisture content and density of a wood all affect how hot or long it will burn. In places where wood was not available, alternative fuels such as peat, cut turf, animal dung, animal bone, seaweed, and straw were used to build fires. Animal dung was likely not consistently used until after animal domestication  led to the keeping of livestock, about 10,000 years ago. Sources Attwell L., Kovarovic K., and Kendal J.R. Fire in the Plio-Pleistocene: The Functions of Hominin Fire Use, and the Mechanistic, Developmental and Evolutionary Consequences. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, 2015.Bentsen S.E. Using Pyrotechnology: Fire-Related Features and Activities With a Focus on the African Middle Stone Age. Journal of Archaeological Research, 2014.Gowlett J.A.J. The Discovery of Fire by Humans: A Long and Convoluted Process. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2016.Gowlett J.A.J., and Wrangham R.W. Earliest Fire in Africa: Towards the Convergence of Archaeological Evidence and the Cooking Hypothesis. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 2013.Stahlschmidt M.C., Miller C.E., Ligouis B., Hambach U., Goldberg P., Berna F., Richter D., Urban B., Serangeli J., and Conard N.J. On the Evidence for Human Use and Control of Fire at Schà ¶ningen. Journal of Human Evolution, 2015.Twomey T. The Cognitive Implications of Controlled Fire Use by Early Humans. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 2013.

The Hotel Human Resource Department Research Paper

The Hotel Human Resource Department - Research Paper Example From this research it is clear that labor costs need to be matched with production and individual employee output by maintaining efficiency among employees and the value they add to the organizations. The department responsible for managing the human resource therefore needs to ensure that it streamlines labor costs and output. Human resources managers have the mandate of controlling service provision to customers, as well as the whole feeling of an entire hotel through its labor force. Labor costs in the hotel industry have been significantly high, considering the fluctuations in customer needs. The human resource functions seek to develop effective and appropriate measures to control labor costs through gathering the necessary information. Human resource decision-making therefore relies on the reporting and accumulation of relevant information about labor costs, which are necessary for productivity. However, assessment of labor costs and productivity need to include both qualitativ e and quantitative information. With regards to quantitative terms such as customer to labor ratios, the human resource managers may have an insight of lower payroll overheads in case the number of customers served per unit labor is increasing. Higher customer per labor ratio may be an indication that more labor is essential if service provision efficiencies are to be provided. Quantitative aspects are critical in assisting human resource managers to strike a balance and even an improvement between labor costs incurred and output. However, qualitative measures are also equally important and need to place much emphasis, since this may negate the quantitative benefits. Quantitative insights of labor costs and their output can be generally arrived at by using common sense, observing employee customer relations, and asking questions to customers. Poor quality services from the labor force are equally harmful to an organization’s profitability, where the organization loses clients to its competitors due to customers’ dissatisfaction from poor quality services. It is important to note that customer dissatisfaction may not only arise from employee job dissatisfaction and turnover, but also from more complex points of view that includes needs, fears, and feelings of employees. Hotels often place much emphasis on retention of employees to solve quantitative problems. The needs of employees need to be given much appreciation and respect, if customer satisfaction is to be achieved, rather than just retaining employees who are unable to keep up with qualitative considerations. Managerial staff should seek to establish effective and efficient communication to subordinates through the human resource department, which best understands the complexities involved between employees and their work performance. Employees should be well conversant with organization’

Is there a necessary connection between a philosopher's politics Essay

Is there a necessary connection between a philosopher's politics and their philosophy - Essay Example It should be noted that Heidegger was forced into the sidelines within only months of joining the party and despite the claims that his philosophy is compatible to Nazism, it actually went in the opposite direction. Heidegger’s philosophy was based on an attempt to understand Being, and to address it as a problem that philosophers throughout history had failed to address. He believed that an understanding of being was necessary to ensure that human beings were not only able to understand themselves, but the world around them as well.2 This is in complete contrast with Hitler’s and Nazi policies, which often concentrated on the promotion of the Aryan race as well as the development of social programs designed to destroy rather than to develop and understand. When compared to Heidegger’s philosophy, which advocated for the universality of the human race, the basis of the social programs promoted by the Nazi regime was to ensure that racial purity for the Aryan race was maintained at all costs. This is because it was believed that the German nation had become weak and would not be able to continue retaining its superior status if undesirable individuals were allowed to survive .3 One of the cruellest of these social policies was that of the forced sterilization of those individuals who were believed to be from lesser races and who carried any form of genetic weakness. In order to make this policy effective, laws were put in place to ensure that doctors provided all the information concerning their patients to the state so that the latter could be able to determine those individuals who had the desirable characteristics to ensure the creation of the German master race. A process where individuals could report others who they suspected of being genetically weak was made possible and this ensured that the Nazi government was able to get to as many people