Ecampus.Com Essays - Marketing, ECampus.com, Textbook, Bookselling

Ecampus.Com Ecampus.com q Product- Ecampus.com is an internet company that offers a wide variety of college supplies and other related items online. However, the primary product that is being marketed is college textbooks and books. In fact Ecampus.com claims to be the largest college bookstore online, and to have all books in print available to customers. q Price- In terms of price, Ecampus.com offers their product at an affordable, discounted price compared to the typical bookstore price. Having books available at an affordable price for college students is one of the company's main concern and is evident in their mission statement, as it claims to provide the easiest, fastest and cheapest way for college and university students to buy textbooks and stuff. On the web site the company also displays the actual price of the book being bought and the price they offer it at, in order let the students be aware of how much they are saving. q Promotion- Ecampus.com have gone through great lengths to promote their company, especially during the summer of 1999, which around the time when they officially launched their company to the public. Their promotion efforts during the period were extremely vital to the company's growth since they had just recently entered the market and also because the school period was soon the start shortly. On July 2, 1999, Ecampus.com officially went live with their web site, during a press conference, which was held in order to introduce their company to the public. Their promotion efforts continued to reach the public through, the internet and mass media. Various commercials for instance, began to surface nationwide, directed primarily for their target market, which were college students. Ecampus.com also chose other channels of promoting their service, which includes flyers on college campuses and magazine ads. q Place- The great thing about Ecampus.com is an internet company and is accessible via the computer, which makes it all the more convenient for the customers to shop. This aspect of the company gives them the advantage over other retail bookstores that are not online and are limited to only a small portion of the market. By making Ecampus.com strictly and internet company, they are able grab a large part of the market share since they are open to the public at a global scale, rather than on a local scale. Target Market-College students q Demographically/Psychographically- Ecampus.com target their market on the demographic basis of sex, age, occupation and income. Ecampus.com chose their target market to be male and female college students who are in the lower brackets of income. On a psychographical basis, the company focuses on college students who are always looking for cheap and affordable college supplies. Trends q The one major trend in retail bookstores is that the many bookstores are expanding their businesses into the internet. Some like Ecampus.com for instance, are entirely setup for the sole purpose to sell their product online. This growing trend have gotten big competitors in the market to enter the eCommerce market, largely due to the advantages in selling books online to customers around the world and not only around their local regions. Another reason the popularity of online bookstores is growing is that companies can cut down on large amounts of expenses that they would have incurred if they had set up physical locations. This cost-effective approach have had businesses rapidly restructuring their marketing strategies. Competition The growing trend of online bookstores have had many new and already existing bookstores to enter into the online market. Right now Ecampus.com is facing many competitors who basically selling the same service and product as Ecampus.com. Some big competitors are, efollet.com, textbooks.com, barnesandnoble.com, bigword.com, and amazon.com. Technology Essays

Biography of Emmett Chappelle, American Inventor

Biography of Emmett Chappelle, American Inventor Emmett Chappelle (born October 24, 1925) is an African-American scientist and inventor who worked for NASA for several decades. He is the recipient of 14 U.S. patents for inventions related to medicine, food science, and biochemistry. A member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Chappelle is one of the most distinguished African-American scientists and engineers of the 20th century. Fast Facts: Emmett Chappelle Known For: Chappelle is a scientist and inventor who received over a dozen patents while working for NASA; he devised ways for scientists to measure plant health and detect bacteria in outer space.Born: October 24, 1925 in Phoenix, ArizonaParents: Viola Chappelle and Isom ChappelleEducation: Phoenix College, University of California at Berkeley, University of WashingtonAwards and Honors: National Inventors Hall of FameSpouse: Rose Mary PhillipsChildren: Emmett William Jr., Carlotta, Deborah, and Mark Early Life Emmett Chappelle was born on October 24, 1925, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Viola White Chappelle and Isom Chappelle.  His family farmed cotton and cows on a small farm. As a child, he enjoyed exploring the desert environment of Arizona and learning about nature. Chappelle was drafted into the U.S. Army right after graduating from Phoenix Union Colored High School in 1942 and was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program, where he was able to take some engineering courses. Chappelle was later reassigned to the all-black 92nd Infantry Division and served in Italy. After returning to the United States, he went on to study electrical engineering and earn his associates degree from Phoenix College. He then earned a B.S. in biology from the University of California at Berkeley. After graduating, Chappelle went on to teach at the Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1950 to 1953, where he also conducted his own research. His work was soon recognized by the scientific community and he accepted an offer to study at the University of Washington, where he received his masters degree in biology in 1954. Chappelle continued his graduate studies at Stanford University, though he did not complete a Ph.D. degree. In 1958, Chappelle joined the Research Institute for Advanced Studies in Baltimore, Maryland, where his research on single-celled organisms and photosynthesis contributed to the creation of an oxygen supply system for astronauts. He went on to work for Hazelton Laboratories in 1963. Innovations at NASA In 1966, Chappelle began working at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. His work as a research chemist supported NASAs manned space flight initiatives. Chappelle pioneered a way to develop the ingredients ubiquitous in all cellular material. Later, he developed techniques that are still widely used for the detection of bacteria in urine, blood, spinal fluids, drinking water, and foods. Chappelles research helped NASA scientists develop a way to remove soil from Mars as part of the Viking program. In 1977, Chappelle turned his research efforts toward the remote measurement of vegetation health through laser-induced fluorescence (LIF). Working with scientists at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, he advanced the development of LIF as a sensitive means of detecting plant stress. Chappelle was the first person to identify the chemical composition of bioluminescence (the emission of light by living organisms). Through his studies of this phenomenon, he proved that the number of bacteria in water can be measured by the amount of light given off by that bacteria. He also showed how satellites can measure luminescence levels to monitor the health of crops (growth rates, water conditions, and harvest timing) and enhance food production. Chappelle used two chemicals produced by fireflies- luciferase  and  luciferin- to develop a technique for detecting adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an organic compound found in all living organisms: You  start out  with the fire fly  which you  have to obtain by the way. Either you catch it yourself or you pay the little kids to run around  catching  them for you. Then you  bring  them into the lab. You chop off their tails, grind them up and get a solution out of these ground-up tails...You add adenosine triphosphate to  that  mixture and you get  light. Chappelles method for identifying ATP is unique in that it works outside of earths atmosphere- meaning it could, in theory, be used to identify extraterrestrial life. The field of exobiology- the study of life beyond the planet Earth- owes much to Chappelles work. The scientist himself, in an interview with The HistoryMakers, said he is inclined to believe there is life beyond Earth: I  think its  likely. Its not life as we know it here on Earth. But I think its likely that theres, there are organisms up there that reproduce. Chappelle retired from NASA in 2001 to live with his daughter and son-in-law in Baltimore, Maryland. Along with his 14 U.S. patents, he has produced more than 35 peer-reviewed scientific or technical publications and nearly 50 conference papers. He has co-authored and edited numerous other publications on a variety of subjects. Accolades Chappelle earned an Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal from NASA for his work. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the American Society of Photobiology, the American Society of Microbiology, and the American Society of Black Chemists. Throughout his career, he has mentored talented minority high school and college students in his laboratories. In 2007, Chappelle was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his work on bioluminescence. He is often included on lists of the most important scientists of the 20th century. Sources Carey, Charles W. African Americans in Science: An Encyclopedia of People and Progress. ABC-CLIO, 2008.Dunbar, Brian. â€Å"Goddard Scientist Inducted Into National Inventors Hall of Fame.† NASA, NASA.â€Å"Emmett Chappelle.† The HistoryMakers.â€Å"Fireflies Light Gains New Uses in Medical and Technical Research.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Aug. 1975.Kessler, James H. Distinguished African American Scientists of the 20th Century. Oryx Press, 1996.

Sarbanes-Oxley and Enron Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sarbanes-Oxley and Enron - Research Paper Example The accounting profession is self-regulated and its practitioners are supposed to follow the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The GAAP framework was created in 1973 by the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB). In order for accounting to function properly the practice requires compliance of high ethical standards. Back at the beginning of the 21st century there was an avalanche of accounting scandals with the most notorious one being the Enron case. At the time investor confidence went down a lot as the credibility of the accounting profession came into question. In order to raise investor confidence the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in alliance with the US congress passed a law called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Enron case and to provide a detail analysis of the different aspects included in the Sarbanes and Oxley Act of 2002. The Enron Corporation is one of the worst cases of corporate corruption Ameri ca has ever seen. The situation was very odd due to the fact that Enron Corporation was regarded as one of most respected companies in the energy industry in the late 1990’s and at the beginning of the 21st century. ... e its collapse the firm was the 7th largest company in the United States with over 21,000 employees on payroll including an international operation that spread across 40 countries (Bbc). On December 2, 2001 Enron Corporation file for bankruptcy which at the time was the biggest bankruptcy in the United States history. The demise of Enron occurred due to a lack of corporate ethics. The unethical behavior started at the executive management level and spread throughout the organization like a virus. An example of how unethical the employees had become is the actions of the energy traders. The traders would intentionally shutdown power grids leaving entire towns without energy with the sole purpose of driving the price of energy up once the energy was turned back on. A lack of ethics and corruption was more evident at the executive management corporate level. The managers of the company were cooking up the accounting numbers of the firm. The corrupt managers colluded with its auditor, Au thor Anderson, so that they would look the other way and not revealed the fact the accounting numbers did not add up. A technique the firm used to hide losses and its debt was designing a complex web of partnership which used off-balance sheet accounting to alter reality. The firm completely mismanaged the pension fund of the employees. Instead of saving the pension money and using a sound diversification strategy the managers decided to use the pension fund to finance the firm’s illicit activities. The fund was depleted and invested solely in Enron common stocks. The managers of Enron prior to the full scandal being revealed decided to sell all their shares of Enron stocks at full market value; a few months later the Enron stocks became junk penny stocks. Insider trading is an illicit

American unemployment and how it effects the economy Essay

American unemployment and how it effects the economy - Essay Example t 2010) article discussing the same report indicated similar positive indicators and speculated on the nature of the connection between the economy and the unemployment figures. It attributed the lowered rates to both the general flux of the economy, and the most recent stimulus package. It states that, â€Å"All the well-known private economic research firms estimate that it’s had a huge impact. IHS Global Insight, for instance, says the economy has about 1.7 million more jobs today than it would have had without the stimulus.† While one would conceivably believe this to be indicative of a recovering economy a number of researchers argue that the percentage change is not as beneficial as observers might believe. Cook (2010) discusses that overall the unemployment rate remains awful, â€Å"men (10 percent), teenagers (26.4 percent), African-Americans (16.5 percent), and Hispanics (12.6 percent).† Other negative indicators are that the number of people who have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more has actually increased with this report, and that the amount of people who have stopped looking for work has increased to over 1 million, from the 500,000 figure of last year. It is also estimated that for the economy to keep pace with population growth, and the unemployment numbers to at least remain stable, the country would have to produce more than 140,000 new jobs per month (Leonhardt 2010). Other researchers state that the findings also indicate that the recession is worse than was originally assumed. The New York Times (Leonhardt 2010) stated that the reports indicate the economy had 1.4 million fewer jobs last year than was originally reported. An Economist (2010) article points out that even when the economy begins to recover certain job sectors may never see pre-recession employment figures. It argues that, â€Å"The past decade’s jobs in retail and in entertainment were largely supported by household borrowing. Not only is a new wave of borrowing unlikely to

Markets Organize Economic Activity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Markets Organize Economic Activity - Essay Example Firstly, a price ceiling happens when prices of commodities and other services are held below the equilibrium, in connection, these prices are not allowed to rise for the benefit of the buyers and consumers. When sellers can possibly add few cents to the current price of bread while maintaining its saleability, the government would prohibit them to do so. Anyway, there are few tactics sellers have used to make money while price has been frozen to a certain level. Some of these tactics are baking low quality breads by not following the exact measurements of several ingredients. But, consumers cannot easily spot these changes. What they have in mind is the â€Å"amount† they will exchange for that commodity. The sellers cost-cutting method can be hidden by the low-priced bread. Nevertheless, even there would cost-cutting measures, the direct result of price ceiling is shortages. When everyone can afford to buy bread, there would occur a shortage of bread supply in the market. Th ere are also instances that richer consumers would buy in excess of their regular consumptions. Secondly, lets talk about the obvious connection of the shortage of bread production to long lines. When prices of commodities are set in a price level below the equilibrium, there are more consumers who are so eager to buy bread. Even its obvious that they have to spend time to wait there turns, they are always willing to fall in line. There are various factors why many people are willing to get starve in the corner standing in the queue, even they have the option to eat in the nearby fast foods where they can be served in less than 10 minutes – they want to save every cents they can because of the inflation. While almost all the prices of products and basic commodities went higher each year, most workers salaries remain the same. There are few announcement of wage increase, however, it cannot cover up the cost of the most upward movements of prices of the major daily needs. Its

The Introduction To Applying Game Theory Politics Essay

The Introduction To Applying Game Theory Politics Essay Game theory is the formal study of conflict and cooperation. Game theoretic concepts apply whenever the actions of several agents are interdependent. These agents may be individuals, groups, firms, or any combination of these. The concepts of game theory provide a language to formulate, structure, analyze, and understand strategic scenarios (Turocy, 2001). This paper will conclude a short concept of the Game theory, introducing 2 fundamental types of the theory, an introduction to the current issue over Irans nuclear program and applying the game theory by examining the case of a possible war over Irans nuclear program using key information sources from academic publications, news articles, and government/non-governmental reports, which the main players are Iran and Israel, and having the United States as a secondary player. * note that the results from the game theory is by the writers research on the related case study and the writers self-thoughts, thus does not exactly predict the outcomes of the case study. Introduction to the Game theory In real life it frequently happens that you would be faced to make a decision or to choose the best choice from several options. For instance, you might need to decide whether to invest your money for a masters degree or keep on working with your current education. Another instance could be that you wanted chocolate ice cream but the seller has only strawberry ice cream and you have to either choose it or not. In both of the examples, the results depend on your own decision based on self-minded. In the first case, it depends on your ultimate goal at the time. In the second case, it depends on whether you really want ice cream or not, not just considering the flavor. We can model situations like these using Game theory. The Game theory is one of the models that represent the various options and payoffs in a matrix and can then calculate the best single possible strategy or combination of strategies which simplifies real-world phenomena into a more theoretically form, so that we could easily interpret the sense of it. The mathematician Emile Borel suggested a formal theory of games in 1921, which was furthered by the mathematician John von Neumann in 1928 in a theory of parlor games. Game theory was established as a field in its own right after the 1944 publication of the Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by von Neumann and economist Oskar Morgenstern. This book provided much of the basic terminology and problem setup that is still in use today (Turocy, 2001). This central concept of non-cooperative game theory turned to be the focal point of analysis. Since the 1960s, game theory was broadened theoretically and applied to problems of international relations, including war, terrorism, crisis bargaining, deterrence, and economic sanctions. Incorporated with game models, the application of game theory is to international relations give rise to a large number of important empirical questions. Game models, such as the Prisoners Dilemma, described later in the paper, can help illuminate important substantive issues of international affairs, including how and why actors evolve their policies, based on goals and anticipated benefits in the negotiation processes (Dougherty, 1996). Fundamentals of the Game theory In short, game theory deals with any problem in which each players strategy depends on what the other players do. Game theory simply extends this concept to interdependent decisions, in which the options being evaluated are functions of the players choices (Field, 2009). First of all, we will have to learn about the definition of the words used in the game approach and some simple rules of the game: Because game theory arose from the analysis of competitive scenarios, the problems are called games and the participants are called players. -To begin with, despite the rubric game, the object is not to win. Even for strictly competitive games, the goal is simply to identify ones optimal strategy. -In gaming, players actions are referred to as moves. The role of analysis is to identify the sequence of moves that you should use. A sequence of moves is called a strategy, so an optimal strategy is a sequence of moves that results in your best outcome. There are a lot of theoretical approaches to the game theory, in this paper will present the use of two particular fundamentals of the theory. The first one is the sequential-move game, the players must alternate moves; in the second one is the simultaneous game, which the players can act at the same time. These types are distinguished because they require different analytical approaches. We will come back to apply both games to our study case: a potential war over Irans nuclear program, in which before getting to analyze on the sequential and simultaneous games, it is very important that we get to know the background of our case study first as presented in the next section. Irans Nuclear Program 1. Background Iran has pursued a nuclear program for over four decades. Throughout the history of Irans nuclear program, there has been criticism among their neighboring countries and the Western countries, assuming that Irans nuclear program that they claim to be a civilian nuclear power program has always been a covert military application to build nuclear weapons. Irans first steps toward nuclear capability date back to the time of the Shah. These efforts have continued under the post-revolution Islamic Republic. In 1995, with the signing of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran has a right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful, civilian purposes, excluding developing a nuclear weapon. Irans leadership continues to insist it adheres to these conditions. However, the general temptations nuclear weapons offer in terms of perceived prestige and security, together with Irans pattern of deception and concealment of important elements of its program, have raised doubts about its true intentions.For example, Iran failed to disclose the existence of a large uranium enrichment facility at Natanz or a plutonium separation plant at Arak to the International Atomic Energy Agency until after a disclosure from an exile group in 2002 (Carpenter, 2006). If Irans real intention is to obtain and develop a nuclear weapon, we must understand of why the government is pursuing such an approach that could lead to disastrous implications among the country. Deterrence, both regional and extra-regional, is one of the most important considerations. Iran is located in a volatile region, surrounded by hostile neighbors. Russia, Israel, Pakistan, and India all have nuclear weapons already, so regional deterrence issues probably loom large for Iran (Albright, 2012). Such arms could be used to intimidate their neighbors to accept Iranian primacy or listen to their demands over those of the United States or Israel. In addition to President George W. Bushs statement during his presidency axis of evil speech, linking Iran to Iraq and North Korea came as a prelude to an invasion and occupation of Iraq, which comes to the assuming that Iran could be the next hit target on the United States list (Quillen, 2002). 2. Perspectives toward the program Israel Most of Israels political and security apparatus view Irans nuclear program from a unified perspective, it is one of the top priority issues for the government. There remains four points that serve as a consensus toward Iran: first, is that Iran is committed to maintain a nuclear program with the objective of developing nuclear weapons; second is that Iran seeks to become the regions hegemon and that they see Israel as the obstacle to achieve this goal; third, Irans insistence on its NPT agreement of pursuing a peaceful nuclear program (if that were their main purpose); the last, as a nuclear power, Iran would exercise greater sway with its weaker Arab neighbor-states in which currently support Israels position to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. If Iran could develop this capability, many Arab states could be forced to ally themselves with Iran due to strategic necessity and national security (Ben-Meir, 2010). Toward to this respect, Israel has concluded that, it is deemed necessary to prevent Iran from developing and acquiring nuclear weapons, thus leading the governments decision to enhance their special ties with the United States which is pursuing the same policy of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. United States Two sets of concerns toward Irans nuclear program are emphasized along with U.S. national security policies in the Middle East region. First, as Irans history of being a tribune to Islamic revolutions and sponsoring terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, U.S. government fears that such tide would enhance the possibility of the transfer of nuclear weapons to those groups, with or without official approval from Irans leadership. Also, the very possession of nuclear weapons by Iran which opposes to U.S. presence in the region, allies, interests, and values would alter the balance of power in the Middle East in ways that could constrain U.S. options in future regional crises (Rhodes, 2005). Second, this concern has less to do with Iran per se than the impact of an additional nuclear-capable state on the global non-proliferation regime. Cases such as the break-out by India and Pakistan in the late 1990s, and the rise of North Korea with its development of nuclear weapons, an o bvious failure of the NPT system could produce a domino effect among countries that want to acquire such technology. This would also increase the opportunities for unauthorized or accidental use of nuclear weapons and even leading to the worst case scenario of terrorist groups or organized crime networks possessing those weapons. 3. Current newspaper articles on Irans nuclear program We will take a look on the current issue from several related newspaper articles. Iran has developed a nuclear program that it stated is for peaceful purposes and power generation in the nation. However, it is also known that any country with a well-developed peaceful nuclear program has also attained the capability to quickly build a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that medium-level uranium enrichment has begun at the Fordo plant near the Holy city of Qom, north of Tehran (Kanchanalak, 2012). The state of diplomacy between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. demonstrates on the West and Israels attempts to use the IAEA, the United Nations, and international sanctions against Iran have failed to encourage cooperation.  Apparent diplomatic road rage has set in between at least Iran and Israel, which will likely prove deleterious for peace (Riazi, 2012). Looking upon Israel, it is a country that lives in perpetual existential fear for its security. Israel is known for its track record of pre-emptive strikes against nuclear targets in the region. In 1981, it bombed the Osirak reactor in Iraq, and recently in 2007, it attacked a facility in Syria that it believed was intended to be a nuclear reactor. However, Iran, unlike those two countries, presents a much more challenging military and economic question (Kanchanalak, 2012). For Iran, it would likely not back down off the nuclear program and would definitely use self-defense tactics against any attacks from Israel and countries abroad. Evidently if Israel decides to attack, it would leverage non-state assets, such as its relationships with Hezbollah, the Hamas, and other Palestinian actors, to pummel Israel, and its populace would unite behind it. It would also likely use IRGC-Quds Force hit squads to target Israeli interests abroad.  The US would face a complex dilemma if Iran uses the Quds Force in such a manner, as well as  if Iran counter-attacked by striking Israel overtly (Riazi, 2012). Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, countered on a televised program stated that Iran will respond in kind when appropriate, and that sanctions will not alter Irans nuclear ambitions. Khamenei furthered that sanctions, in fact, have encouraged Irans military to become more self-reliant. The Iranian navy could also lay mines to close off the Strait of Hormuz a vital oil artery and send the oil price to over US$200 a barrel (Cordesman, 2006). As proud people Iranians would face humiliation if they responded weakly. However, there is one thing that they really do not want, that is domestic interference and military assaults from the United States. Applying Game Theory By reading and examining the key information sources on the background, perspectives, and news articles above, we now apply the Game theory to the current issues over Irans nuclear program, which in this paper will focus on two game approaches, the sequential-move game, and the simultaneous game. 1. The Sequential-move game To analyze a sequential-move game, first construct a game tree mapping out all of the possibilities. Then follow the basic rule: look ahead and reason back (Field, 2009): 1. Look ahead to the very last decision, and assume that if it comes to that point, the deciding player will choose his/her optimal outcome (the highest payoff, or otherwise most desirable result). 2. Back up to the second-to-last decision, and assume the next player would choose his/her best outcome, treating the following decision as fixed (because we have already decided what that player will pick if it should come to that). 3. Continue reasoning back in this way until all decisions have been fixed. Now lets apply the game approach to our study case. Iran has decided whether to continue on or stop their current nuclear program. By attaining the information from the previous section (Irans nuclear program) we should be able to conclude the game as follow: à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡1 Now we can look ahead and reason back. Looking ahead, if Iran continues on with the nuclear program and follows until the last path, it will be that either Iran has to downplay the situation and surrender or choose to use self-defense tactics, thus worsening the scenario. More than likely, if Iran continues on with their nuclear program, a regional conflict will spark up. Reasoning back, we now know that if Iran chooses to stop the program at first or face downplay and losses at the last choice, the issue would likely not turn to be regional but at least controllable around the area. We end this section with a few observations before moving on to simultaneous games. First, notice that looking ahead and reasoning back determines not just one players optimal strategy, but those for all players. It is called the solution to the game. Once it has been determined, it is irrelevant whether or not the game is actually played, as no one can possibly do better than the solution dictates (Field, 2009). That is why the concept of winning does not really apply. Sequential games are determined, so ultimately, there are only two choices: either the player with the last decision gets his/her best outcome, or the game is not played. 2. The Simultaneous game For this game approach we will take a look at the simplest but most famous example set called the Prisoners dilemma. For this paper the writer will assume that readers have a small knowledge about this game set already, thus this section will begin analyzing and adapting the game to the study case without going through the intro of the dilemma. Same as the sequential-move game, we attain the same information for analyzing. For an easier way of interpreting the information to create the dilemma, you first need to breakdown the facts from the information: Iran Priority is to continue with the nuclear program without interference from abroad (esp. Israel) Israel Priority is to get Iran to stop the nuclear program without military action. Now as the case has been simplified, we can demonstrate the game set. Iran shall have two basic choices: (1) to stop the program, or (2) continue on the program. Israel will also have two choices: (1) to attack, or (2) not attack. à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2 The choices are illustrated in the diagram above. The numbers in the boxes refer to the consequences of the decisions. Irans gains and losses are represented by numbers in the lower left corners of the boxes, and Israels gains and losses are represented by numbers in the upper right corners. Look at the box labeled B. The scenario portrayed in box B is that Iran stops the nuclear program and Israel does not attack. If this happens, Iran would not achieve its main objective but Israel, as the result of Iran stopping the program, thus not attacking, does achieve their primary objective. For this scenario Iran loses, receiving -1 and Israel gains, receiving 1. Meanwhile taking another look at box C, Iran would continue on the program and Israel decides to attack. If this happens, Iran will achieve an objective, which is to continue on the program, but only at the cost of having Israel to interfere by attacking. Irans gains and loses cancel each other out, and this results is represented by a 0. Israel, in box C scenario, decides to attack since Iran continued on the program, thus does not accomplish the objective of having Iran stop the program and not attack Iran. In this case Israel loses both its objective so receives a -1 in the box. Looking at all the boxes one at a time, the whole pattern of possible choices and consequences becomes clear. We could also expand the game, instead of having only 2 variables, lets try using 5 variables. The game theory matrix would now have twenty-five boxes (55) instead of four (22). à  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚  Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ²Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã… ¾Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â€ž ¢Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ´Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¹Ã‹â€ Ãƒ  Ã‚ ¸Ã¢â‚¬ ¡3 For this game we also attain more information for analyzing: Iran Priority is to continue with the nuclear program without interference from abroad (esp. Israel) Will comply with IAEA if given permission to continue with the nuclear program Would use self-defense tactics if Israel or countries abroad attacks Would close out the Strait of Hormuz if being attacked and the international sanctions are lifted up. Israel Priority is to get Iran to stop the nuclear program without military action. A diplomatic resolution is desired if Iran stops the nuclear program U.S. government/military has no intentions of getting involved if Iran stops the nuclear program International sanctions will be lifted up if Iran continues on with the nuclear program. Many more consequences are now possible as shown in the diagram above. We now see that game theory helps political scientists analyze and think thoroughly all the possibilities of combination as of decisions and the possible costs and consequences of those decisions. Conclusion International relations and politics in general are complex. The events we observe at the macro-level (e.g., wars, trade, and terrorism) are driven by many events and decisions that occur at the micro-level (e.g., in war: elite decision-making, domestic politics, culture). The tool that political scientists use to make sense of this complexity is modeling. One of the populist models is the game theory. Game theory can be used to design credible commitments, threats, or promises, or to assess propositions and statements offered by others. In using the game theory on predicting possible consequences for our study case, we can see clearly the possible outcomes on which the players (Iran and Israel) decide to choose. This paper has attempted, through using two game theory models, to look into the current conflict between the two countries over Irans nuclear program. As per examining the provided key information sources, it is clearly seen that the main problem is the absence of mutual trust between the two countries, high prestige and different views of national security, which had forced both of them to opt for a decision in their nuclear game with the highest cost for the other side. Definitely that a nuclear-armed Iran would spur proliferation in the Middle East region, increase regional instability, and increase the chance of nuclear war. If Iran chooses to continue on with the nuclear program, it will have to face consequences in which both Iran and Israel tend on avoiding. And if Iran continues on with the program, it could also trigger the possible conflict to a wider arena which would be disastrous to all players. While at every step of the game it may be favorable for either party to insist on its claims, the long-term resolution may be somewhat different. In anyway, this is only a tool for analytical and to interpret information to a theoretical approach which leads to a more simplified way of studying the possible outcomes and the consequences of the study case.

Story in the Floor Plan :: The Metamorphosis Architecture Essays

Story in the Floor Plan The firm hand of the architect draws straight lines on translucent paper. The lines intersect into corners—forming rooms. More lines intersect—forming more rooms. The rooms line up, one after another, leaving spaces for doors, naturally. The house is built. In The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, the narrator’s voice shadows this architect’s hand, ingraining the familial relationships and intentions of the Samsa family into the walls. The rooms of the architect are the vessels that the narrator fills with the virtuous and appalling intentions of the members of the Samsa family. In sum, the floor plan of the Samsa apartment and the family’s use of space in the apartment parallel their relationships with each other and intentions towards one other. In particular, the narrator reveals the relationship between Gregor and his parents as well as their intentions towards each other through the layout of the apartment. The order of the rooms in the Samsa apartment demonstrates the relationships within the family. The main rooms are laid out linearly. The living room is the first room beyond the foyer (Kafka 16). Because Mr. Samsa and Mrs. Samsa primarily inhabit the living room, this room may represent them. There is a direct line through the foyer to Gregor’s room, and Grete’s room is exactly behind Gregor’s room (6; 11; 15). The placement of the living room in front of Gregor’s room with respect to the foyer sets up the perception that Mr. and Mrs. Samsa are the dominant characters of the household. The living room leads to the outside room via the foyer, and thus, is the first room viewed by outsiders. This placement gives Mr. and Mrs. Samsa superiority over Gregor and Grete. For example, Gregor’s manager steps into the Samsa living room from the foyer and delivers â€Å"the first word of greeting† (9). This â€Å"first word of greeting† is of course directed at Mr. and Mrs. Samsa because they are the first people that the manager perceives upon entering the apartment. The initial perception of Mr. and Mrs. Samsa gives them dominance over the rest of the household. However, the living room is just a faà §ade on the face of the actual nucleus of the apartment—Gregor’s room. His room is the heart of the apartment while the living room is just the skin. Gregor’s room is physically the center—the nucleus—of the apartment. Gregor himself is also the nucleus of the family because he is the sole provider for his family.

Poem ‘About His Person’ Essay

â€Å"How does Armitage make the poem ‘About his Person’ particularly moving to you†. The poem ‘About his Person’ is a poem about a man who commits suicide. We are not given exactly how or why straightforwardly but we are given the items he had on him when he did it. It’s through the items we get to understand why he did it. Armitage makes this poem moving through doing that and also using other techniques. One way in which Armitage makes the poem moving is by letting the reader piece together the story behind his possessions. This can be shown when it says ‘No gold or silver but crowning one finger’. This suggests he was recently divorced due to his ring on his finger not being there and because of that reason he could have killed himself. Another way in which Armitage makes the poem moving is by letting the items speak for themselves. This can be shown when it says ‘Five pound fifty in change exactly, a library card on its date of expiry’. These words say exactly what they mean. He has only  £5.50 to his name and an out of date library card. He has barely enough money to live on, to buy the daily essentials like food and water but not even enough to pay rent for an accommodation. This is why it is particularly moving as it shows us the conditions he was living in. Armitage also makes the poem moving by using random objects to make what happened seem unplanned. For example it says ‘But beheaded in his fist, a shopping list’. This makes the poem moving as it shows that he had only recently decided to kill himself that day as he had a shopping list in his hands which most likely would have been the shopping he might of done that very day he killed himself. By including this he makes the poem moving as it makes us think what tragic event must have happened to him in that very same day for him to kill himself. The use of a short reflective sentence at the end of the poem also helps to contribute to making thi s poem moving. For instance it says in the poem ‘That was everything’. This helps to make it moving as this short sentence indicates that his life is now over, just like that. It makes us feel sorry for him as it just happened quickly and that everything he had, had basically disappeared. This is why is makes it moving. Armitage also uses 2 line stanzas which are short and sharp to make the poem moving. This can be shown when it says ‘A final demand, in his own hand’. This is moving because the sentences are short and sharp so that it sticks in the readers mind about what is happening, and creates food for their thoughts. They have to figure out what is happening in each stanza. It also has a great detail of sorrow in each stanza about why he did it, which also helps to make the poem moving. Another way Armitage makes the poem moving is by using rhymes and half rhymes. This is apparent in the poem when it says ‘A postcard stamped, unwritten but franked’. This makes the poem moving because he received a postcard that he had received from someone but blank. Which shows that someone had not made up their mind about what to say to him but he could of recognised the writing on the address and knew who it was from like a calling card, which could of drove him to his suicide. By including this it makes the poem moving, as it makes us feel sad. Overall this poem is very moving as it is explaining why this man killed himself, through the items he had on him. This was done by many ways, through rhymes and the way it was written, and is very moving.

Marxism in Development Geography

Marxism in Development Geography Introduction Marxist Geography is critical in nature, and it utilizes philosophy and theories of Marxism to look at the spatial relations of human Geography. Marxist Geography attempts to change the world as well as explaining it.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Marxism in Development Geography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marxism perceives human beings as gradually transforming or changing themselves in stages until social perfection is reached (Peet, 1977). This transformation is viewed as an aim towards which society should be moving. The change is brought forth by dialectical systems bringing about a new process which is again contradicted and the process is replicated (Richard 1985). To effectively be able to comprehend geographical relations, it is important that the social-structure be observed. Marxism Geography tries to change the society by changing its basic structure. The forces behind the changing society are seen as entities which are the modes of production. They include capital, labour, class, capitalism, the market, the state and society. Marxist geography looks at the conflicting forces between social processes and the natural relations together with the spatial relations. It revolves around the modes of production which mold the social structure, remold it continuously to form the superstructure of the society. This paper will critically look at Marxism geography of development (Kitchen and Thrift, 2009). Marxism in Development Geography David Harvey (1973) is the primary developer of the Marxist movement in human geography. According to Marxist geography, social formations of capitalism give birth to environmental and spatial problems, for example, destructions of habitats and uneven employment. It studies the inherent capitalism contradictions as they appear in landscape and relate with each other (Yeung, 2005). This theory will explore the geographical parad igms brought out in Marxism geography, detailing the principles of Marxist geography with reference to the concepts of space and place. Kuhn (1962) came with the idea of paradigms and argued that periods dominated by one research mode, in science, are separated by periods of rapid change (Haggett 1990). Paradigms are described by Harvey (1973: 120) as a set of accepted relationships, categories, concepts and methods, throughout a community at given time. Anomalies occur over time that cannot be explained by the existing paradigms. These accumulations continue to a point where it calls for investigation (Hagget 1990).Advertising Looking for critical writing on geography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Revolution and creation of new paradigms may result when problems created by the anomalies are attempted to be solved (Harvey 1973). Marxism perceives human beings as gradually transforming or changing themselves in sta ges until social perfection is reached. The Marxist geographers heavily depend on Marxist economic and social theories to show how the means of production in capitalist structures, control the human spatial distribution. By changing the workings of production, Marxist geography aims at changing the fundamental operations of social processes. This leads to investigations being done which leads to revolution and creation of new paradigms. Kuhn’s analysis may not directly, be relevant to the evolution and structure of geography, but, its three elements can explain what has happened with the discipline (Johnston, 1997). Marxist geography is composed of a disciplinary matrix paradigm which has shared values with social theory world view paradigm, in contrast with spatial science geography (Johnston, 1997). Human geography as explained by Johnston (1997) is a multiple discipline paradigm which is effectively in competition. Johnston’s view contradicts Kuhn’s view of a new paradigm which is almost universally accepted. Development of Marxism geography Marxist geography came into existence as a response to criticism on spatial geography, which dominated the, period (Richard 1985). Cox (2005) is of the view that the creation of the new paradigms is not a cheap process. Combining of the various bits and pieces of the Marxist world view ends up with quite an eclectic mix of concepts. A Marxism in favor of exchange and competition instead of class and production, for instance it might be simply a concern of unequal outcomes (Cox 2005. 3). Marxism geography underwent a quantitative revolution other than the historical preoccupation with description of unique places in details. Instead, this new science identified universal spatial laws, and concerned with applying scientific methods and creating models which could predict spatial patterns and human behavior (Cloke et al 1991).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Marxism in Development Geography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Spatial science according to Johnston et al (2000) was based on a belief in positivism where observation, repetition and empirical research could be done, tested, verified and spatial laws of science uncovered. Humanistic geography was also in line with the Marxist geography in criticizing the spatial approach. It was in respect to spatial analysis also to the emergent Marxist geography (Cox 2004). In Duncan and Ley (1982) paper, it was featured as a deterministic and economistic approach. Humanistic geography however, lacked strong theoretical underpinnings which dismissed it as a credible response to the challenge posed by the Marxist geography. The now called ‘the new cultural geography’ is the response that emerged in the early eighties. Criticism of spatial science developed along two distinct lines. It did not consider the processes of independence and creativity a mong human beings, and it also ignored the effects of political, economical and social structures in developing spatial patterns (Cloke et al 1991). These two factors developed the humanist, in the first instance, and radical, in the second instance, strands of geography. Marxist geographers incorporated Marxist’s ideas into Geography to come up with Marxist geography (Moseley et al., 2007). Other aspects like feminist geography got hooked up with Marxism and the attraction of the new cultural geography became very strong and dominated the field (Cox 2005). Embracing the universalistic view of Marxism mirrored what was taking place in the real world. Harvey (1973) pointed out that class was, in fact, being sidelined by gender and race as pivots of oppositional politics in the United States. Harvey (1985a) outlines Marxist analysis key ideas, modes of production, which are the ways in which daily social life is produced reproduced and replicated. Marxism main focus is on the c apitalist mode of production, and he outlines the need for continued circulation of capital, profit being its core motive. Continuous circulation of capital can only be maintained if there is continuous expansion of commodities produced value and; hence economic growth is achieved. Marxism major achievement was the identification and understanding of exploitation as central in capitalist form of development (Cox 2004). The relations of production that necessitated exploitation in the work place extended the same to the living place through commoditization of the living place (Harvey 1985b).Advertising Looking for critical writing on geography? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Critical human geographers argue that exploitation instead of being an essential of capitalism, it occurs in times at particular places depending on the circumstances. The economic growth achieved as a result of continuous expansion of commodity values, expects workers to increase the value in production by giving more in production, than they are given in exchange for their labor. They, therefore, provide profits to the owners of modes of production. This gives rise to class relations in that capitalists who own the means of production prosper from the profits they get from exploiting the laborers, who in turn continue to be exploited. The workers must sell their labor for them to survive, and the owners of production continue exploiting them, hence replication of capitalism and exploitation (Marx, 1970). This perspective is incorporated in the Marxism geography to help change the society by facing the problems facing them, which is majorly capitalism. Harvey (1985a) echoes Marxism notion that capitalism has inherent conflicts, which make it, subject to crisis. For example, capitalists will seek to use technology to replace living labor in order to diminish the powers of workers by gaining competitive advantage (Brenner, 1977). This is in contrast with the fact that human workers are needed to the value expansion of commodities, the maintenance of capital circulation and creation of profits for the owners of production. Marxism’s belief is that capitalism will eventually fail because of these contradictions and, this will pave the way for a new mode of production (Marx Engels, 1978). Marxism geography not only criticized the spatial geographers for not taking account of the factors. They discovered in capitalist socio- economic and political causes of patterns in geography. They also criticized it for claiming objectivity through the support of positivism and the use of scientific methods. Research, argued by the radical geographers can never be value free. The choice of what to study also requires judgment in value. Therefore, stating research values should be done and clearly stated. Marxism geography has come under a lot of criticism, being challenged by newer and developing ideas like cultural geography, postmodernism and feminism, though they later integrated themselves into Marxism geography making it the main idea in the field (Cox 2004). For example, Howell (et al 2003) looks at class as only one factor in social patterns development, while there are others like ethnicity, sexuality, gender, color, language and even race. Rose, a feminist (1993, cited Holloway et al (2003) criticizes its male dominated analysis. Marxism geography has been questioned due to the backdrop of the changing world events and even the collapse of socialist states. Conclusion Space and place are the key concepts within the concept of Marxist geography. Some of the core ideas of Marxism geography can be deduced from the way the concepts of space a nd place have been analyzed. Marxist analysis reveals contradiction within capitalism through the analysis of space and place. This is explained by Harvey (1982), as because capitalism will try to unify and integrate space. Marxism developed from criticism of spatial science and dominated the social theory of geography. Some of the criticisms have been integrated into the Marxist geography making it dominant. Marxist geography looks at space as a social construction and looks at the connections between places (Smith, 1984). It is a vital and essential element in the geographical discipline development and potions of its analysis have been and still are widely accepted over the past 30 years. It is, however, facing the challenges of maintaining its importance and relevance in the face of emerging new ideas, changing times, and an overall changing world. Humanistic geography, which provides most, criticism to Marxist geography, ironically is seen as lacking in explaining the behaviora l constraints brought about by the social structures and the social agencies. References Brenner R. (1977). â€Å"The origin of capitalist development: a critique of Neo-Smithian Marxism.† New left review, 104: 25- 92. Cloke, P. et al, (1991). Approaching Human Geography: An Introduction to Contemporary Theoretical Debates. London: Paul Chapman Publishing. Haggett, P. (1990).The Geographer’s Art, Oxford: Blackwell. Harvey, D. (1973). Social Justice and the City. London: Edward Arnold. Harvey, D. (1982). The Limits to Capital. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Harvey, D. (1985a). The Geopolitics of Capitalism, in Gregory. D. and Urry, J. eds (1985) Social Relations and Spatial Structures. Critical Human Geography. London. Harvey, D. (1985b). Consciousness and the Urban Experience. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Holloway, S. et al. (2003). Key Concepts in Geography, London: Sage. Johnston, R. (1997). Geography and Geographers, (5th Ed). London: Arnold. Johnston, et al. (2000). The Dict ionary of Human Geography, (4th Ed). Oxford: Blackwell. Smith, N. (1984). Uneven Development. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Cox R. K. (2004). â€Å"Globalization, the class relations and democracy†. Geo Journal. 60: 31- 41. Cox R. K. (2005). From Marxist geography to critical geography and back again. Department of geography Ohio University. Ohio State University. Columbus. Duncan J. and Ley D. (1982). Structural Marxism and human geography: a critical assessment. Association of American Geographers: Annal. 72: 30- 59. Kitchen, R and Thrift, N. (2009). International encyclopedia of human geography. London: Elsevier. Marx, K. Engels, F. (1978). The German ideology. International publishers. New York. Marx, K. (1970). Capitalism, Volume 1. Moscow: Progress Publishers. Moseley, W. et al (Ed). (2007). The Introductory Reader in Human Geography: contemporary debates and classic writings. Oxford: Blackwell. Peet, R. (ed) (1977). Radical geography. Chicago: Maaroufa Pres. Richard J. (19 85). â€Å"An introduction to Marxist Geography.† Journal of Geography, 84(1): 5-10. Yeung, H. W. (2005). â€Å"Rethinking relational economic geography.† Institute of British Geographers, 30: 37–51.

A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes

A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes By Mark Nichol This post details the purposes of various horizontally aligned typographical symbols. Hyphen Hyphens perform various functions, including the following: They link standing compound words (mind-set, self-respect). They are used with some prefixes (anti-inflammatory). They represent expression in isolation of a prefix or a word element (pre-, -er). They link spelled out numerical terms representing different place values (twenty-four). They link words in phrasal adjectives preceding but not following a noun (â€Å"short-term investment,† â€Å"off-the-cuff remark†) and when combining similar-looking constructions that begin with comparative adverbs such as better, much, and well (â€Å"best-kept secret†) Some style guides (but not this site) recommend that phrasal adjectives be hyphenated regardless of their position, and a few such expressions (such as far-reaching) are always hyphenated regardless of position or style authority. Also, a letter space should never intervene when a hyphen connects two words or numbers, except when suspending the first use of a word common to two or more phrasal adjectives (â€Å"fifteen- and thirty-day increments†). Hyphens are often introduced when new compounds are created, including in technological vocabulary, but such terms usually become closed compounds (though there are exceptions, such as mind-set, mentioned above, and light-year). Some terms that include letters linked to nouns retain hyphenation (A-list, T-bone, X-axis). Omission of a hyphen in email is trending, but similar terms such as e-commerce resist this evolution. Em Dash The dash, technically known as an em dash (to distinguish it from the en dash, described below), is used to indicate parenthesis when more emphasis is intended than indicated by a comma or a pair of parentheses. One dash is employed to when the wording expresses an attempt to get attention (â€Å"Look- a squirrel!†) or to indicate a sudden break in syntax and the parenthesis ends a sentence (â€Å"What I meant to say is- hey, are you paying attention?†) Similarly, it can replace a colon (â€Å"You have three options- fight, flight, or surrender†). Two dashes are employed when the parenthesis occurs mid-sentence (â€Å"The original version of the document- the one I hold here- is worded differently†). The dash is also employed to set off the identification of the source of an epigraph (â€Å"‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ - Franklin D. Roosevelt†). Also, one or more dashes may indicate redaction of all or part of a word or name in order to avoid identification or euphemize profanity (â€Å"The target was identified as - - - †; â€Å"Ms. A- - is not unacquainted with scandal†; â€Å"Well, I’ll be d- - ed!†). Dashes are usually closed- that is, they are set with no preceding or following letter spaces- but some publishers prefer to format them open. Some, too, out of ignorance or apathy or for the sake of simplicity (as in the case of some newspapers), use a single or double hyphen in place of an em dash- or, because they prefer its size, employ an en dash. (This is a valid design decision, but use of a single or double hyphen appears amateurish and should be avoided.) En Dash The en dash, always so called to distinguish it from the default em dash, which is often referred to simply as a dash, has two functions: representing a range of numbers or a time span (â€Å"Read pages 15–37†; â€Å"John Smith [1936–2012] is not listed†; â€Å"These figures represent revenues during the first quarter [January–March]†) as a substitute for through serving as a substitute for a hyphen in a compound term (â€Å"Pre–Civil War conditions sometimes prevailed†; â€Å"The United States–Mexico border is nearly two thousand miles long.† (These distinctions are, again, sometimes ignored.) The en dash is employed for the latter use because â€Å"pre-Civil War conditions† implies â€Å"before the Civil† rather than â€Å"before the Civil War† and â€Å"the United States-Mexico border† appears to refer to a united border between States and Mexico rather than one between the United States and Mexico. Plus Sign A plus sign (+) is employed in mathematics and other disciplines to indicate addition or positive numbers, and in lay usage it may modify a letter grade or qualify a blood type. It is sometime used informally to indicate a value greater than the stated one, as in â€Å"I would say 50+ people attended.† (Formally, â€Å"I would say more than fifty people attended† is better, and a direct quote would be better represented as â€Å"I would say fifty-plus people attended.†) Minus Sign A minus sign (–) is a distinct symbol used in digital displays of mathematics and other disciplines to signal subtraction or negative numbers; like the plus sign, it may be used in designations of letter grades and blood types. However, a minus sign is often represented by a hyphen or an en dash in print or online. Multiplication Sign A multiplication sign (Ãâ€") is used almost exclusively in mathematics and in isolated functions in notations in biology and history. In lay usage, the letter x generally takes its place. Division Sign The division sign, officially called an obelus, was replaced by the dagger mark († ) as a reference sign and now pertains exclusively to division in mathematics. Equal Sign An equal sign (=) represents equivalence and is occasionally used in informal writing in place of equals. Tilde A tilde (~) usually functions to denote a variation in pronunciation of certain letters in various languages, but it also serves in informal writing to signal approximation, as in â€Å"We continued along for ~20 miles.† Underscore The underscore (_), employed on typewriters to create underlines, survives now mainly as a symbol in email addresses, URLs, and computer code. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" Proved vs. ProvenWoof or Weft?

Branches of Government Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Branches of Government Paper - Essay Example This principle of the separation of powers is embedded in the American system of checks and balances. The system is quite a complex set-up but has amazingly worked for the past centuries since this country gained its independence from its former colonial master (Hargrove, 2000, p. 8). Main Benefits – besides safeguarding democracy and freedom in the new nation by ensuring no one individual gains absolute political power, each of the three branches are also independent and co-equal from each other. In other words, the three branches which are the executive, legislative and judicial branches can check and balance on the other two branches. It was the great French political philosopher and social commentator Montesquieu who gave the founding fathers this idea of separation of powers as a preventive measure against abuses and some critics of this system had said it had led to periods of political paralysis in which an agenda of the government cannot be pursued due to blocks within this system. The main benefit of this separation of powers through checks and balances is that all three branches are encouraged to do their best in performing their duties and responsibilities least they be criticized and censured by the other two branches of the government.

Assignment 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

3 - Assignment Example Astronomers can notice the changes of the rate of expansion of the universe through measurements of the recession speeds and distances of very distant galaxies (Materrese & Sabino 2010). The assumption of the dark energy is that it is a gravitationally repulsive force which does not appear to cluster in galaxies. It has last been seen to stretch the space–time apart and certainly fits the accelerating-expansion scenario. Therefore acceleration of the expansion implies clearly the existence of some force that acts to push galaxies apart, and the source of this force is the dark energy. In this scenario large structure size galaxy clusters are formed first then they are segmented into galaxies. This scenario is based on radiation smoothed out the matter density fluctuations to produce large pancakes which then gradually build-up matter after recombination and grow until they collapse and fragment into galaxies. In this type, small dwarf Galaxies form first then they merge into clusters of galaxies. The density enhancements at the time of recombination are close to the size of small galaxies and the enhancements collapses from self-gravity to form dwarf galaxies. This is a theory that was proposed by mordehai milgrom and it attempts to explain the galaxy rotation problem by modifying the Newton’s second law of motion, so as the acceleration at very low values such as between distant stars is not strictly linear. It tries to resolve the problem that when astronomers observe galaxies and apply the current theory of gravity, the result shows the stars within the galaxy should go spinning apart from each other. Most astrophysicists and cosmologists do not believe that MOND fits the evidence. This falls in the somewhat less-informal category of an alternative gravity theory since it proposes fundamental changes to the understanding of the way