Locke And The Rights Of Children Essays - Rights, Empiricists

Locke and the Rights of Children Locke firmly denies Filmer's theory that it is morally permissible for parents to treat their children however they please: "They who allege the Practice of Mankind, for exposing or selling their Children, as a Proof of their Power over them, are with Sir Rob. happy Arguers, and cannot but recommend their Opinion by founding it on the most shameful Action, and most unnatural Murder, humane Nature is capable of." (First Treatise, sec.56) Rather, Locke argues that children have the same moral rights as any other person, though the child's inadequate mental faculties make it permissible for his parents to rule over him to a limited degree. "Thus we are born Free, as we are born Rational; not that we have actually the Exercise of either: Age that brings one, brings with it the other too." (Second Treatise, sec.61) On top of this, he affirms a postive, non-contractual duty of parents to provide for their offspring: "But to supply the Defects of this imperfect State, till the Improvement of Growth and Age hath removed them, Adam and Eve, and after them all Parents were, by the Law of Nature, under an obligation to preserve, nourish, and educate the Children, they had begotten." (Second Treatise, sec.56) Apparently, then, Locke believes that parents may overrule bad choices that their children might make, including self-regarding actions. Leaving aside Locke's duty of self- preservation, his theory permits adults to do as they wish with their own bodies. But this is not the case for children, because their lack of reason prevents them from making sensible choices. To permit a willful child from taking serious risks to his health or safety even if he wants to is permissible on this theory. Parents (and other adults as well) also seem to have a duty to refrain from taking advantage of the child's weak rational faculties to exploit or abuse him. On top of this, Locke affirms that parents have enforceable obligation to preserve, nourish, and educate their children; not because they consented to do so, but because they have a natural duty to do so. 2. The Problem of Positive Parental Duties The first difficulty with Locke's theory of childrens' rights is that the positive duty of parents to raise their children seems inconsistent with his overall approach. If, as Locke tells us, "Reason teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his Life, Health, Liberty, or Possessions." (Second Treatise, sec.6), it is difficult to see why it is permissible to coerce parents to provide for their offspring. In general, in Locke's scheme one acquires additional obligations only by consent. Even marriage he assimilates into a contract model: "Conjugal Society is made by a voluntary Compact between Man and Woman " (Second Treatise, sec.78) We should note that in section 42 of the First Treatise, Locke affirms that the radically destitute have a positive right to charity. "As Justice gives every Man a Title to the product of his honest industry so Charity gives every Man a Title to so much out of another's Plenty, as will keep him from extream want, where he has no means to subsist otherwise." But this hardly rules out relying on voluntary charity if it is sufficient to care for all those in "extream want." Quite possibly, this right would never have a chance to be exercised in a reasonably prosperous society, since need would be minimal and voluntary help abundant. Moreover, it is hardly clear that the duty to provide for the extremely needy rests only on some sub- group of the population. This passage seems to make it a universal duty of all of society's better-off members. For these two reasons, then, it would seem hard to ground positive parental duties on the child's right to charity. For if the number of children with unwilling parents is sufficiently tiny, and the society in which they are born sufficiently rich, the preconditions for exercising the right do not exist. Moreover, there is no reason for parents, much less the parents of a particular child, to have a duty to that child; more plausibly, all

American sitcoms Essays

American sitcoms Essays American sitcoms Paper American sitcoms Paper It has been argued that living in the suburbs and having a family was patriotic. In the 1950s the United States had just entered an economic boom following World War II. Anything that had to do with bettering the United States was considered patriotic. For example, buying U. S. -made goods such as cars, refrigerators and televisions was considered helping the country by keeping Americans employed in factories, and therefore considered patriotic. Owning a house and having a family were ideals of the time. One of the most important features of the 1950s sitcom family were gender roles. Every family featured a mother, father and various children. The mother stayed in the home, cooking and cleaning, and the father spent his day at work. Boys and girls were taught to value and excel at different things. For example, if a couple had boys, the boys were urged to concentrate on academics and sports, and if a couple had girls, the girls were groomed to take care of a home and family. In the twentieth century, womens opportunities and rights expanded. More women entered the workforce, for example, however, women were still largely responsible for keeping a tidy home. The topic of women in the workforce was not discussed in American sitcoms of the 1950s. The only working women that were shown were single white women as teachers of African-American women as housekeepers. It has been argued that the dominant beliefs and concerns about gender pertained only to the middle-class white woman. African-American women felt that their needs, experiences and perceptions were largely ignored while the world revolved around white society. In the 1950s this was a sad reality. Leave It to Beaver was the only show of its kind to tell its stories from the point of view of a child. (Linehan, 115) Life in the 1950s, through a childs eyes, was sweet and simple. When problems came up, they were always resolved with wise advice and a gently-learned lesson. Ward and June were completely supportive, no one ever really fought, and at the end of the day, everyone was smiling. In the Cleaver household, it seemed that June was low on the list of priorities. She was a housewife and mother who always looked her best and always had a kind word to say. She seemed genuinely happy to play the role in the home that she did. She also had some input on Wally and Beaver were disciplined. Ward and June talked over what Wally and Beavers punishments should be, but ultimately, it was Wards decision, and June nodded and smiled, accepting whatever her husband said. She also never concerned herself with financial matters, and left that area of the household to Ward. Sitcoms were an exit for society. They presented humorous situations that always found a happy ending. These comedic situations often mirrored the real worries of the time. Any person watching sitcoms could enjoy the humor while relieving the stress of their everyday lives. The Cleavers were the quintessential American family who lived the traditional American dream. Gender roles and the family dynamic were clearly defined; the woman was a housewife and mother while the man was a working husband and father, and together they had happy children and lead quiet, happy lives. This is what every American wants – happiness. Television is supposed to be an escape from reality; people could leave their possibly bleak lives for a moment and enter a world where everything works out to a happy ending. This is what Leave It to Beaver provided for its audience – simple happiness. Pop Culture Explodes in a Decade of Conformity in Pendergast, Sara and Tom, Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th-Century America. Detroit, U*X*L, 2002. Finkelstein, Norman H. The Way Things Never Were: The Truth About the â€Å"Good Old Days†. New York, Atheneum Books, 1999. Gourley, Catherine. Gidgets and Women Warriors: Perceptions of Women in the 1950s and 1960s. Minneapolis, MN, Twenty-First Century Books, 2008. Hausman, Bernice L. Gender and Gender Roles in Kutler, Stanley I. , Dictionary of American History. New York, Charles Scribners Sons, 2003. Horsley, Edith. The 1950s. London, Bison Books Limited, 1978. Linehan, Joyce. Leave It to Beaver in Pendergast, Sara and Tom, St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Detroit, St. James Press, 2000. Passing Parade: A History of Popular Culture in the Twentieth Century. Edited by Richard Maltby. London, Oxford University Press, 1989. Suburbia in Tompkins, Vincent, American Decades. Detroit, Gale, 2001. The 1950s Arts and Entertainment: Overview in Pendergast, Sara and Tom, U*X*L American Decades. Detroit, U*X*L, 2003.

An Education in Liberal Arts

Liberal arts is a universal education that provides a strong foundation of knowledge in many subjects.  Liberal arts can observe the capabilities as well as the limitations of each field of study. This allows students to find connections between different fields of study, to explore them, and to discover new theories and/or inventions. Liberal arts also allows students to investigate areas of interest and to make new ones by combining diverse subjects.  A liberal arts education provides students with a broad spectrum of information enabling them to expand their knowledge and to advance society in a positive direction.      It is imperative that a liberal arts posses the basic knowledge of the many fields. With this knowledge, students can combine different subjects to formulate new ideas and concepts. As in mixing colors, a new color can only be created by combining various colors. The same is true for liberal arts education, the resulting idea(s) and/or concept(s) is derived from the combination used to create it.      A liberal arts education provides a strong foundation of knowledge in many fields allowing students to create new theories and inventions. With this foundation, there are endless possibilities that students can expand and build on what others have learned rather than wasting time on what has already been discovered.       In order to illustrate, Ill use the example of the telephone. The telephone was an ingenious invention that was combined with the innovation of a free thinker, Alexander Graham Bell. Bell created the first working telephone and the impact of the telephone on society, over the past 100 years, is immeasurable. The result of the telephone revolutionized communication, advancing society to another level. Inventions that advance society, such as this, demonstrate the value of a liberal arts education. In years past, more and more scientists, from an array of various fields, have elaborated upon the basic telephone by inventing different components to be used along with the telephone such as the facsimile machine and computer modems which enable communication via the internet.       In short, a liberal arts education provides students with a strong foundation of universal knowledge that allows them to think without restrictions or barriers. Liberal arts allow imaginative thoughts to develop freely. Such imaginative thoughts lead to discoveries and inventions which, in turn, advance society to higher levels. It is evident that a liberal arts education is one of societys tools for advancement in a positive direction. Plagiarism Detection >

FridgeCom Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

FridgeCom Case Study - Assignment Example Generally speaking a leader is a one who can lead his or her followers to achieve a common goal (Haslam, 2004, p.53). Scholars on time to time basis made several attempts to define leadership but they realised that â€Å"leadership has been a complex and elusive problem largely because the nature of leadership itself is complex† (Daft, 2007, p.4). Traditionally leadership was viewed as an influence of leader over the followers to achieve the common goal but in contemporary business environment leadership can be considered as â€Å"the process of producing direction, alignment and commitment in collective† (Velsor, 2010). Many a time, people do get confused with the concept of leadership and management. Leadership is just one of the basic characteristic to be possessed by the manager to fulfil their job responsibilities. Apart from the leadership quality, a manger must possess other qualities like motivational skill, time management ability and efficiency to conduct planning, managing and execution of day to day activities (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p.367). However, it must be understood that a manager may not possess leadership qualities and a leader not necessarily be a leader. The leadership style followed by different leaders varies from individual to individual. These leadership styles are influenced by several internal as well as external factors. The internal factors are specific to a leader and these can be called the leadership traits. Again, the external factors such as the organisational culture, the job responsibility and the internal situations are equally important. In the early days the scholars identified some of the vital traits which must be present in a leader and this theory was called â€Å"trait theory†. This theory was proposed by Sir Francis Galton in 1869. Some of the common teats to be possessed by the leader were need for

Indian populations of Argentina and Chile pre-colonial period and Essay

Indian populations of Argentina and Chile pre-colonial period and their changing reality during the colonial period - Essay Example Indians belonging to the Guarani tribe originally inhabited most of the regions in South America such as Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina. They used to be semi-nomadic, well known for their fierce and warriors like culture and traditions. Actually, the name ‘Guarani’ stands for warrior. Some Argentines trace their ancestry to the Guarani tribe, and they have brown eyes and dark hair. They have light skin, portraying a combination of European and Guarani heritage 1(Aladama, 2003 p 328). Before the conquest by Spain, the Guarani had been scattered widely throughout southern American countries including Argentina. Thus, this Indian community had occupied Argentina even before colonization. They carried out numerous economic activities, which determined their culture. Long before, the Spaniards arrived in Argentina, Guarani used to be hunters and gatherers. They survived by hunting animals for food, as well as gathering fruits in forests. Men used to do the hunting, while women did gathering 2(Schild, 2000 p275). On the other hand, Mapuches occupied most of Chile and just a few Mapuches inhabited Argentina. Indians of the Mapuche tribe became the first inhabitants of Argentina and Chile, with them occupying a vast territory before the arrival of the Spanish. Before the arrival of the Spanish, the Mapuche occupied most of the parts in South America, and their population was two million. Currently, they occur in large numbers of about one and a half million in Chile and two hundred thousand in Argentina. Therefore, they have occupied most parts in Chile as compared to Argentina. Indian Mapuche constituted the third largest community in South America before colonization and after colonization of Chile by Spain 3(Geschiere&Nyamnjoh, 2001 p 170). Before colonization, and the coming of Incas and Spanish, the Mapuche occupied forests in

Edward Estlin Cummings Essay Example for Free

Edward Estlin Cummings Essay Edward Estlin Cummings or E. E. Cummings,as he was popularly called was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry. One of his major work is the poem â€Å" I thank You God†. The poem by e. e. cummings, titled I thank you God for most this amazing suggests a way of perception that differs from ordinary vision. We notice first in this poem that the day itself is seen as amazing; the spirits of trees that leap suggest their form; the sky is a blue true dream, and everything is natural, infinite and yes. The speaker is almost breathless; he hardly pauses, having no space even between his semi-colons. We find the poet both dead, then reborn in his communication with the earth and with nature; he is gradually converted into a new realm of awareness. As in the case of any small child, he views the earths existence in the language of his newfound cognizancehe is reborn, thus so is the sun and life and love and wings, even the earth itself. All things are new precisely because he is renewed. Next, his senses become the conduits to the metaphysical. By the word God he could mean a personal deity or a pantheist unity unimaginable in essence. The gist of the poem speaks more effectively to the formerglorying in the senses arises from gratitude, which begs a subject. It would be difficult to be grateful to impersonality. Rather, the poem takes on a sacramental meaning; the poet penetrates the world, and the earth itselfas it shouldbecomes the conduit to unearthly faith. The speaker is finite, a human merely being grasping for the unimaginable infinite, and discovering faith through what is; in other words, through the physicality of the earth surrounding him. Hence, he concludes, now the ears of my ears awake and/now the eyes of my eyes are opened, an allusion to a common motif running through much of the Christian Scriptures. Ecclesiastes, for instance, contains a lament for the eye not filled with seeing; the prophet Isaiah condemns those with ears who do not hear because of hardened hearts. The poets enlightenment, interestingly, begins with gratitude and an appreciation for nature, the sun and sky, and this is what leads to life and love and wings, all of which erase doubt. This is an unusual route to enlightenment, and unlike pantheism (which in its many forms begins with a fundamental rejection of nature as illusory and ends with the abdication of the self). Rather, cummings affirms with humility his humanity and all of nature, the great happening illimitably earth. The process he describes thus begins with thanks and revelry in the senses and ends with faith and enlightenment.

Essay --

Paper 1 Two psychological theories used for explaining behavior are behaviorism and social learning theory. Although the two both deal with behavior, they focus on slightly unalike components in their efforts to explain why people act the way they do. Behaviorism and social learning theory have convincing sources of support so there is no well-defined response to which one does a superior job at explaining behavior. Behaviorists believe that development is not tied to biologically determined stages. Development results from organization of existing behaviors. There are two categories of learning: classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning focuses on associations linked to involuntary behaviors. Pavlov is the father of modern learning theory. Through his experiment he discovered that an unconditioned stimulus could automatically trigger an involuntary response. For example, a dog was placed in a dark room and a light was turned on. After 30 seconds some food was placed in the dog’s mouth, stimulating the salivation reflex. This procedure was repeated several times- each time the presentation of food was paired with the light. After a while the light, which initially has no relationship to salivation, produced the response itself. The dog has been conditioned to respond to the light. In Pavlov’s terms, the presentation of food was the unconditioned stimul us. The light was a conditioned stimulus; its effect required conditioning. Salivation to the food was called the unconditioned reflex, salivation to the light a conditioned reflex. John Watson was the founder of behaviorism in the Unites States. He extended classical conditioning by accounting for a greater variety of learning. Watson formulated two ... ...avior, some behaviorists believe physical discipline is an operant technique that gains immediate compliance. However, there are other behaviorists who believe that physical discipline does not teach on how to behave. They believe it is better to reward behaviors that are incompatible with the undesired behaviors. Extinction can be a better alternative in some cases. From a social learning theorist perspective, physical discipline is a model of aggressive behavior that the child would observe, learn and use. It could cause long term behavioral problems such as the child might use aggression to resolve conflict in their current or future relationships. It is better to explain to the child what she can do and why so the child internalizes rules. Behaviorists believe in using direct reinforcement. However, social learning theorists believe in vicarious reinforcement.

Interest Initiates Learning Essay

In Gerald Graff’s essay, Hidden Intellectualism, one is exposed to the author’s view of different means of intellectualism. Graff gives the reader an uncommon perception of what it means to be an intellectual. He expresses his views by stating that a person can be an intellectual in fields that have nothing to do with academia, such as street smarts or particular interests. He also states that if you incorporate these particular interests in the classroom, students deemed as unintellectual would be more likely to grasp the taught materials. These students could then perform to their true potential. To begin with, Graff uses many forms of logic to persuade the reader into his point of view. By employing logos into his writing he states logical arguments of how many students are street smart or interested in other things. Graff guides the reader into the realization that if a student is interested in a subject, it is only logical that when the subject is incorporated into the learning material then the student will comprehend the concept more easily. Graff states that â€Å"they would be more prone to take on intellectual identities if we encourage them to do so at first on subjects that interest them rather then ones that interest us† (Graff 199). Next, Graff uses his personal experiences to help the reader connect with his ideas through pathos. He tells us how, as a young man, he did not consider himself an intellectual and was not interested in scholarly matters. â€Å"I offer my own adolescent experience as a case in point. Until I entered college, I hated books and cared only for sports.† (Graff 199) He later reflects his newfound thoughts on intellectualism as he states, â€Å"I have recently come to think, however, that my preference for sports over schoolwork was not anti-intellectualism so much as intellectualism by other means.† (Graff 200) He then allows the reader to sympathize and relate by informing us that he â€Å"grew up torn, then, between the need to prove [that he] was smart and the fear of a beating if [he] proved it too well.† (Graff 200) Last but not least, by using ethos, Graff establishes his credibility. He writes extremely well and refers to other well known authors in his essay such as George Orwell, â€Å"Students do need to read models of intellectually challenging writing—and Orwell is a great one—if they are to become intellectuals themselves.† (Graff 199) He also speaks of the 1950’s, a time period when opinions on intellectualism varied and reinforces his statement by supplying a real life example when Marilyn Monroe married playwright Arthur Miller after divorcing baseball star Joe DiMaggio. It was â€Å"the symbolic triumph of geek over jock [and] suggested the way the wind was blowing.† (Graff 201) Overall I personally agree with Graff. As a student myself I feel that learning would be much easier if it was associated with things that I found to be interesting and enjoyable. I feel at times that the education system is very set in its ways. Times and people are changing, and so should the methods of teaching and involving students in the classroom. Many people with great potential might be limited by their lack of interest and may never be able to display to the world what they are capable of without Graff’s vision.

Selecting a suitable computer system

Task: Find three computer systems which are currently for sale and evaluate their specifications and select the one which you think is most suitable for Ben and Jerry. Write a detailed report to the family identifying the computers you have selected and explaining which computer that you consider to be the most suitable, justifying your choice. (Distinction Criteria) Dear Andrew, I received your letter regarding a new computer for your children and I looked up several computers matching the criteria you provided. I trimmed the list to just three computers and I gave you my honest thoughts about them including a critical, technical analysis of each computer. I hope you find my advice helpful. The first computer I wanted you to look at was the Apple Mac Pro which at à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5691 is a high end, top of the line PC that is very expensive but very powerful nonetheless. The Mac Pro has a powerful quad core processor with two dual core processors capable of 16 GB of SDRAM. To have 16 GBs is unheard of in the computing world so Ben should find that whatever demanding application he uses, the computer still handles smoothly. At 2 TB it has a huge hard disk space that dwarfs other mainstream hard drive sizes. Having this amount of space would allow Ben to store as many games as he wants without worrying about the size of it. The graphics card is the impressive 512MB nVidia Quadro FX 4500 that has a 128 bit memory interface when most these days only have 64 bit. This graphics card however seems more appropriate for casual gamer, and those who are not in the market for the latest graphics card. I'm unsure that Ben is just a casual gamer or if he's a games enthusiast who is very interested in his gaming. Nonetheless, this graphics card is not only supportive of the latest graphics but it also possesses enough processing power to generate smooth gaming with out any noticeable lagging. The Mac Pro comes with one of the best professional video editing software programmes that's used by many Hollywood movie editors. Final Cut Pro is one of the leading video editing applications with thousands of effects and although, it looks complicated to begin with, eventually it does become much easier to use. Its image editing package is impressive as well with Adobe Fireworks, Illustrator and Photoshop available for Jerry to play around with. Illustrator is a vector based image editor and Photoshop is simply the best application for the editing of digital images.Windows 7 Check Your Understanding One mustn't discount the Photobooth feature which uses its webcam to take pictures and videos. It has a range of standard effects such as sepia tone, black and white, thermal camera, X ray, comic, mirror etc. There are range of backdrops like clouds, colour dots and rollercoaster available. This would please Jerry since he preferred a PC with a webcam to record. The price includes an Apple DVI to Video adaptor to connect the PC to your Television in order to view the movies you downloaded. An excellent aspect of this PC is the operating system it uses. The Mac OS snow leopard is a far more efficient OS when compared to Windows due to the fact that it's not susceptible to viruses and its stunning user interface. Every button has a glassy feel and all applications are organised very well. The finder application searches through the hard drive at incredible speeds to look for a document or another application. It has a futuristic feel that Windows Vista and 7 have recently tried to emulate, however, the original is always the best. It was largely well received by many critics and was referred to as the most advanced OS in the world. Apple Macs are reputed to have excellent screen quality and its 23 inch screen is suitable for gaming and having such a wide screen would allow Jerry to have a spacious desktop and to work freely when editing his images or videos. The next computer that maybe worth a look in is the Dell XPS 430 Desktop which at à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½670 is very much cheaper than the Apple Mac Pro; in truth this is a very competitive price for a powerful machine such as this. In addition to this, Dell is market leader manufacturing high quality PCs with a glowing worldwide reputation. Most of the features match up to your criteria. For example, you said that Jerry has an interest in photo editing. The XPS 430 has the latest Adobe Elements package including Photoshop which is tailored for a person like Jerry. Adobe Photoshop is industry standard editing software that has a plethora of editing effects and capabilities and I assure you that it's perfect for an image editing enthusiast like Jerry. Granted Adobe Premiere elements is a scaled down version of the industry standard Adobe Premier Pro, however, it's still the best selling consumer video editing software because it has a range of advantages over its competitors. Features like real time rendering would help Jerry to immediately preview his edits to the timeline. This machine also has a deck-top docking area to conveniently dock, charge and cable route for portable devices – such as digital camera, in the case of Jerry. This undoubtedly makes things much easier where all Jerry would have to do is to doc k the camera and then edit straight from there! In addition to this, the XPS is a self-titled gaming computer which is perfect for Ben. By using ATI2 and NVIDIA2 graphic solutions, the XPS 430 is capable of delivering high end multimedia features including next generation graphics and HD quality video. Most impressive of all, the machine's processor is a top of the line Intel Quad Core 2 processor that was specifically built to handle the most demanding games. High detailed games are rendered by four hardware threads, which in turn distribute the AI and physics evenly. This powerful processor is tailor made for Ben who thrives on the latest games. Nowadays, many games take up several GB's of space meaning smaller hard drives would struggle. The XPS 430 has 2 TB's (that's a 2000 GB) of hard drive space which is more than three times the size of a hard drive on normal computer. Plus, there are plenty of USB ports (5 internal, 7 external to be precise) in case Ben wants to plug in a games controller or joystick. The speaker that come s with the package is the Bose Companion 3 Series II which is a multimedia speaker system that is unlike any other conventional speaker in the sense that it delivers crisp sound and stunning ambience that creates a life like atmosphere, be it playing games or watching a HD movie. Also, since the computer has a Blu-Ray disk drive, it has the ability to play games or watch films in true high definition. I'm also impressed with the Dell Ultrasharp widescreen display that completes the High definition capability of the PC. Since the monitor's widescreen, you get the sense that it's almost a widescreen television not a PC monitor. Its operating system Windows Vista is reputed to be a media centric OS so Jerry and Ben would enjoy using its 3D user interface which has an Apple Mac feel. The XPS 430's RAM is well above average too with 8GB. Most computers have 2, maybe 3 GB because that's an acceptable amount. RAM is a good indicator of how good a computer is because it shows how many programmes a machine can run without having to slow down. So the more RAM on store, the more programmes you can run without worrying about it slowing things down. Finally, we mustn't ignore the digital video capture capability in this PC. It has a built in 2.0 mega pixel camera which is capable of taking pictures, record videos and it's perfect when added with VOIP(Voice over Internet Protocol) software such as Skype. The XPS 430 also has 1 VGA and HDMI output to connect the PC to your TV, allowing you to watch downloaded films on your TV; This PC certainly ticks all your boxes. The last PC I picked out was the HP Pavilion Elite which is nearly twice as expensive as the Dell at à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1279. The feature you immediately notice is the processor which is twice as capable as the Intel Quad Core 2 processor that was in the Dell XPS 430. The Intel Core i7-860 Processor is a processor that was specifically designed for multi-tasking purposes. That's why unlike the Intel Quad Core 2 it has 8 threads to share the workload. One of its features, Intel Smart Cache, was optimized to deliver a higher quality gaming performance with an improved capable cache system. In addition to this, other features like HD Boost and Turbo Boost technology handle the most demanding programmes maximising the performance leading to an overall improvement of a plethora of multimedia and computer intensive programmes. Its clock speed of 2.8 GHz is also marginally better than the Quad Core 2 Processor (2.66 GHz) – the clock speed measures how fast a PC can complete basic calculations and operations. This processor would be incredibly useful for both your children as it's perfect for high detail HD gaming and image editing which would need multiple applications to be open. The OS system Microsoft 7 Home premium is the latest OS from windows and has a range of multimedia applications that would satisfy both Ben and Jerry. The latest Windows media centre can act as a hub for all your children's multimedia needs. Here they can watch videos, photos and even play games! Applications that are included with the OS under Microsoft like Movie Maker, DVD Maker and photo gallery are standard multimedia programmes that are still competent in helping the user to maximise their multimedia experience. The graphics card would no doubt excite Ben who I understand is a games enthusiast. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 230 is a graphics card with Purevideo HD technology which like the graphics card in the XPS 430 allows the user to immerse themselves in true high definition gaming. Another added benefit to gaming, is the â€Å"7.1 HD audio support† that would undoubtedly create a unique gaming atmosphere. The disk drive size of 1.5 TB is enormous even though it's not as much the XPS 430 (2 TB in size) and it would mean that both your children can store plenty of games, videos and images without worrying about how big they are. It has an equal RAM capability to the XPS 430 at 8 GB, allowing the computer to run many programmes at the same time without worrying about it slowing things down. This is ideal for Jerry in particular who would be using multiple, highly demanding applications to edit his videos and images. This particular PC comes with a HP games console that has hours of free gameplay that would certainly entertain Ben. The fact that it has 10 external USB ports is useful if he were to plug in his joystick or games controller. This PC may however disappoint Jerry due to the fact that it doesn't have an image editing software included. However, it does have one of the world's best video editing software in Cyberlink DVDSuite. This application is not as competent as Adobe Premiere Elements but I still feel that it's an excellent video editing software that is suited for an amateur video editing enthusiast. This machine also doesn't have a webcam which is a downside but it does have a VGA and a HDMI port to plug the PC on to your television. In conclusion, the HP pavilion would not be recommended by me due to the absence of an image editing software. I feel for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1279 it doesn't suit the criteria and so would be a waste of money. It doesn't have a webcam either further deteriorating its credibility. However, this PC is very suited for Ben because of the quality of the graphics card, the audio support and the free HP games console that's included and not to forget the brilliant PC monitor. On the other extreme, the Apple Mac Pro is nearly à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6000 and for that money you're getting the best OS in the world, superb image editing software and a world class video editing application in Final Cut pro. Its Imagebooth applications boast the ability to take pictures and videos and have a range of effects. This makes it perfect for Jerry who loves editing videos and images. However, I don't believe it's suitable for Ben as the graphics card is a just a mainstream graphics card that may struggle with certain demanding games. The fact that it doesn't have a blu-ray disc drive is a negative as well as it would be unable to play HD games. For the amount of money, you'd expect this PC to be perfect but it's far from it. That leaves me with the Dell XPS 430 which I reckon is the most suitable PC as it satisfies the needs of both Jerry and Ben equally well. Its graphics card is incredibly powerful and the RAM it possesses is enough to handle the most highly detailed games. It even has a blu-ray disc drive to play HD games and its quad core 2 processor is one of the best for gaming. Ben is sure to be impressed with these specifications. Jerry on the other hand will be excited to have Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere which are excellent programmes for image and video editing. The XPS 430 even has deck-top docking area to conveniently dock portable devices like a digital camera. This would without doubt be convenient for Jerry as he can simply plug in his camera and get editing without wasting much time. It has a VGA and HDMI output to connect to the television and watch movies and its sound system gives an incredible atmosphere. Whether it's watching videos or playing games this sound system would simply maximise the viewing experience. One mustn't forget that it also has a 2.0 mega pixel camera that records and takes pictures and is suitable for applications like Skype. The icing on the cake without doubt has to be the fact that it's the cheapest PC from the ones I've listed at à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½670 and that's why I recommend that you purchase the Dell XPS 430.

9 Powerful Grammar Tips to Strengthen Workplace Communication

9 Powerful Grammar Tips to Strengthen Workplace Communication Grammar is not as outdated an institution as you might think. Just because many people might  not hold much stock in it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to good grammar. It might just make the difference between getting hired or promoted and being overlooked. The way you use language is part of your presentation. Make sure you’re making the right impression by avoiding these nine common mistakes:1. â€Å"Fewer† vs. â€Å"Less†You only use less when you’re talking about concepts, rather than countable things. â€Å"I want to be under less stress this year,† is fine, but be careful. â€Å"I want to take on less clients† is incorrect. You want to take on fewer clients.SEE ALSO:  Ban These 15 Words From Your Writing2. â€Å"It’s† and â€Å"its†The most embarrassing. Remember it’s is a contraction for â€Å"it is,† much like â€Å"can’t† for is a contraction for â€Å"cann ot.† The apostrophe is holding the place of the missing letter. Its is a possessive term. The cat ate its dinner.If you’re having a hard time, try to never use the contraction version it’s and just make a habit of always spelling out â€Å"it is† instead.3. Dangling modifiersThis is a toughie. Just try to remember that what comes after a comma usually describes  the clause immediately before it. â€Å"Smelling like a wet dog, I removed my sweater.† That’s you smelling like a wet dog, when you meant to say the sweater smelled. Try instead, â€Å"I removed my sweater, which smelled like a wet dog.†4. â€Å"Who† vs â€Å"Whom†An easy rule to remember- simply try completing the sentence in your head. â€Å"For whom are the flowers?† (â€Å"The flowers are for him.†) â€Å"Whom did you ask to the prom?† (â€Å"I asked her to the prom.†) You wouldn’t say â€Å"I asked she to the prom,† would you? But you would say, â€Å"Who did that?† (She or he did it.)5. Me, Myself IMyself is a reflexive pronoun. Use it only when you’ve already referred to yourself earlier in the sentence. â€Å"I made myself a sandwich† is okay, but â€Å"My mom and myself made a cake† is not. That would be â€Å"My mom and I made a cake.† And careful with me and I, as well. â€Å"My mom and me† did not make a cake, but â€Å"My dad is taking my mom and me to the park† works great.6. â€Å"Lie† vs â€Å"Lay†You’re not â€Å"going to lay down.† Lay always requires an object. You lay a book on the coffee table, but you lie down. Careful though, because lay  is also the past tense of lie. So you â€Å"lay down on the couch yesterday† though you will â€Å"lie on it† today. The past tense of lay, for reference, is â€Å"laid.†7. Irregular verbsThese sneak in all the time. For example, lended and upseted are not words (it’s left and upset). English is tricky that way. Especially with terminology in your career, be careful to be precise and not make these errors. A quick Google can usually sort you out if you’re in doubt.8. â€Å"Nor† vs â€Å"or†Only use nor when you’re already expressing a negative. â€Å"Neither my boss nor I understood the memo.† Or â€Å"my boss didn’t understand the memo- nor did I.† Otherwise, use or.9. â€Å"Then† vs â€Å"than†Just assume hiring managers will shred your resume on sight if you commit this sin. Remember,  than  is comparative: â€Å"I would rather be a hammer than a nail.† Then tells time: â€Å"We did this, then that.†

Diplomatic Role of Residual US Forces in Iraq Essay

Diplomatic Role of Residual US Forces in Iraq - Essay Example he revenue end up being used in making the situation better rather than being utilized in development projects like improving the infrastructure hence pulling the countries development downwards. The political situation in Iraq has affected the gulf cooperation council (GCC) countries for instance Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UEA and Bahrain. The situation in Iraq has however been improved to some extent through the intervention of various groups that are all aimed at restoring peace in the country. This is nonetheless a justification that the country is in a good position currently and even in the future as the condition of the people in Iraq is faced with a lot of uncertainty due to the external forces that come in the name of assisting but in the long run end up not helping considerably as they have their hidden agenda. This has in a way contributed to an increased poverty level of the people. This paper looks into the diplomatic role of residual US forces in Iraq. Iraq is a country that has faced a lot of political instability especially after the war led by the US in the year 2003. The war was mainly aimed at destroying the society of Iraq through insecurity and lack of peace making the United States and other interested parties to easily gain access to the resources in the country especially the rich oil reserves. Since then, the political situation in the country has not been good which led to the signing of an agreement between the country and the US where the latter was to offer assistance in regard to restoring peace in Iraq through provision of security in the country by laying down particular strategies aimed at bringing the Iraqi people together and preventing any foreign or external attacks. The decision was made based on the United States’ capabilities in terms of equipment and military forces which could be of substantial help to the country. The agreement was also in favor of the United States as it could now have some acc ess to the oil

The Problem with Satisfying a Demanding Audience Essay

The Problem with Satisfying a Demanding Audience - Essay Example Originality in itself presents a problem. Before something completely original is understood, it needs to gain acceptance by an audience. By the time audiences understand and embrace a concept, it is not new anymore. Various bandwagons are therefore evident in the world of literature, music, and entertainment in general. Some of the most famous examples of a platform from which various spin-offs were created are Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Othello. In fact, the themes, premises, and scenarios of most of Shakespeare’s plays are to be found in other intellectual creations since they were written, and continue to be promulgated to this day. Everybody is aware, for example, that West Side Story is a re-hash of the Romeo and Juliet story. Yet it is not paradoxical to say that the two are original. "Just as Tony and Maria, our Romeo and Juliet, set themselves apart from the other kids by their love, so we have tried to set them even further apart by their language, their songs, their movement. Wherever possible in the show, we have tried to heighten emotion or to articulate inarticulate adolescence through music, song or dance," Arthur Laurents said about the development of characters in West Side Story. (New York Herald Tribune, August 4, 1957) The statement is possibly as far removed from William Shakespeare’s original idea for a play as it is likely to be. The concept of adolescence as a pressure group did not exist in Shakespeare’s time: people were adults and ‘marriageable’ as soon as they reached puberty. The ideas are similar, but the audience ‘readings’ are necessarily totally different. This kind of work, that so clearly takes on the themes and premises of another, is called derivative.