The Alternative Road

The Alternative Road The Alternative Road;They are a constant presence in everyone's life. It is a simple truth that we have each been subject to them in some form or another at various points throughout our years. It may also go with out saying that in most instances they have been greeted with nothing but scowled faces and a solid stream of complaints. What is this repugnant enigma of our existence that is being referred to here? It is simply... a test.From the moment one begins his/her academic career, tests are an aspect that is not only inevitable, but also unavoidable. The test is the most commonly used, as well as the oldest, form of assessment. They come in various shapes and disguises. These may include; a multiple choice test printed on a scantron, a series of essay questions placed on a handout, or perhaps an oral quiz where the students scrawl their answers on their very own notebook paper.Bobby (cat) and Kodi (dog)Whatever the preferred method may be, the test is designed to gauge a student' s progress. That is, the test is intended to give an idea to the teacher, the parent, as well as the student as to what knowledge he/she has learned and retained within a given period of time. Is this simple form of testing always an appropriate means of assessment, however?To argue this, let's look at an orange. On the surface, an orange is said to be "good for you". It is a healthy fruit that is full of vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need to grow and function properly. This assessment of an orange's attributes is comparable to the common test. It is a rough estimate of what is accomplished. Just like the orange is said to be "good for you"; a student may earn an...

Sulfur Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Sulfur Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements SulfurBasic Facts Atomic Number: 16 Symbol: S Atomic Weight: 32.066 Discovery: Known since prehistoric time. Electron Configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p4 Word Origin: Sanskrit: sulvere, Latin: sulpur, sulphurium: words for sulfur or brimstone Isotopes: Sulfur has 21 known isotopes ranging from S-27 to S-46 and S-48. Four isotopes are stable: S-32, S-33, S-34 and S-36. S-32 is the most common isotope with an abundance of 95.02%. Properties: Sulfur has a melting point of 112.8Â °C (rhombic) or 119.0Â °C (monoclinic), boiling point of 444.674Â °C, specific gravity of 2.07 (rhombic) or 1.957 (monoclinic) at 20Â °C, with a valence of 2, 4, or 6. Sulfur is a pale yellow, brittle, odorless solid. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in carbon disulfide. Multiple allotropes of sulfur are known. Uses: Sulfur is a component of gunpowder. It is used in the vulcanization of rubber. Sulfur has applications as a fungicide, fumigant, and in the making of fertilizers. It is used to make sulfuric acid. Sulfur is used in the making of several types of paper and as a bleaching agent. Elemental sulfur is used as an electrical insulator. The organic compounds of sulfur have many uses. Sulfur is an element that is essential for life. However, sulfur compounds can be highly toxic. For example, small amounts of hydrogen sulfide can be metabolized, but higher concentrations can quickly cause death from respiratory paralysis. Hydrogen sulfide quickly deadens the sense of smell. Sulfur dioxide is an important atmospheric pollutant. Sources: Sulfur is found in meteorites and native in proximity to hot springs and volcanoes. It is found in many minerals, including galena, iron pyrite, sphalerite, stibnite, cinnabar, Epsom salts, gypsum, celestite, and barite. Sulfur also occurs in petroleum crude oil and natural gas. The Frasch process may be used to obtain sulfur commercially. In this process, heated water is forced into wells sunk into salt domes in order to melt the sulfur. The water is then brought to the surface. Element Classification: Non-Metal Sulfur Physical Data Density (g/cc): 2.070 Melting Point (K): 386 Boiling Point (K): 717.824 Appearance: tasteless, odorless, yellow, brittle solid Atomic Radius (pm): 127 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 15.5 Covalent Radius (pm): 102 Ionic Radius: 30 (6e) 184 (-2e) Specific Heat (20Â °C J/g mol): 0.732 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 1.23 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 10.5 Pauling Negativity Number: 2.58 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 999.0 Oxidation States: 6, 4, 2, -2 Lattice Structure: Orthorhombic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 10.470 CAS Registry Number: 7704-34-9 Sulfur Trivia: Pure sulfur has no smell. The strong smell associated with sulfur should actually be attributed to compounds of sulfur.Brimstone is an ancient name for sulfur that means burning stone.Molten sulfur is red.Sulfur burns with a blue flame in a flame test.Sulfur is the seventeenth most common element in the Earths crust.Sulfur is the eighth most common element in the human body.Sulfur is the sixth most common element in seawater.Gunpowder contains sulfur, carbon and saltpeter. Sulfur or Sulphur?: The f spelling of sulfur was originally introduced in the United States in the 1828 Webster dictionary. Other English texts kept the ph spelling. The IUPAC formally adopted the f spelling in 1990. References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.) International Atomic Energy Agency ENSDF database (Oct 2010) Quiz: Ready to test your sulfur facts knowledge? Take the Sulfur Facts Quiz.Return to the Periodic Table

Argument against sexual harassment policies Essay

Argument against sexual harassment policies - Essay Example Therefore, the following discussion aims at highlighting various incidences that advocate for the abolishment of sexual harassment policies. Men and women interact on a daily basis as they attend to their day-to-day activities. These interactions help them to form relations that make the world a better place to live in as they develop close ties. Given that men and women are sexual beings, it follows that they also get attracted to each other sexually. Consequent to these, either party could make sexual advances to the other party. Such sexual advances help in establishing relationships that may go bad, or succeed, hence benefit both parties. All human beings possess the freedom of speech. They have the right to express themselves based on their independent opinion. Learning institutions, for example, serve as places where lecturers pass on valuable information to their students. Therefore, expression of such information in a manner that may result in a sexually intimidating environment should not be seen as illegal. Regarding such an environment as sexually harassing may hinder the development of valuable information, leading to a sterile learning environment. Consequent to these, sexual harassment policies ought to be abolished, thus allow the free flow of information. Offensive behavior ought to be clear to any party involved, as well as the third parties involved in the situation. Such clarity allows the concerned parties to have an informed perception of the behavior in question. However, sexual harassment constitutes a lot of ambiguity. It constitutes of several interpretations, depending on the people concerned (Tinkler, 2008). People at times use their own values and beliefs to determine whether an act qualifies as sexual harassment. The different cultures that people come from also differentiate what people regard as sexual harassment. An environment, for

Role of Visual Culture in the Contemporary Cultural Diversity Research Proposal

Role of Visual Culture in the Contemporary Cultural Diversity - Research Proposal Example In their articles, Mirzoeff, Ruby, Sturken, and Cartwright argue despite being instrumental in globalization, the impact of visual culture in the assimilation of cultural diversity is still debatable. Therefore, there is need to conduct a research that answers the following questions: 1. What is visual culture in the context of classical and contemporary cultural diversity? 2. How has visual culture enhanced globalization? 3. Has globalization changed the contemporary perspectives of cultural diversity? 4. Has visual culture enhanced assimilation of contemporary cultural diversity? Literature Review Different authors and scholars have had varied views on the role of visual culture within the multi-cultural society in the contemporary world. In both his works, Mirzoeff (â€Å"An Introduction† 3; â€Å"Visual Culture† 4) argue that visual culture depends of the circumstances under which various images are made and this may not have a significant impact in changing the per ceptions of the viewers in relation to accepting and assimilating cultural diversity. Ruby (1345) also adds that stakeholders in the visual culture are only concerned with the personal interpretation of the image presented. Consequently, the viewers are likely to have varied perceptions especially given the negative and positive feelings created by the image thereby acting differently as in the example of the fetish (Fusco 368). This explains why some countries or regions would censor images to avoid the negative feelings and interpretations (Sturken and Cartwright 390). The idea of having varied feelings brings about the idea that regions and people are different and so are people. This has only worsened the situation in the assimilation of cultural diversity perspectives especially in the contemporary world. Another argument by varied authors and scholars on the impact or role of visual culture towards enhancing assimilation of cultural diversity is the idea of individualism. Ther e are studies proposing that instead of inspiring communalism and acceptance of the diversity in culture, visual culture has actually inspired individualism based on the magnification of contrasts that exist between regions or people. Sturken and Cartwright (389) argue that there has been an increase flow of foreign ideas courtesy of globalization. Such ideas tend to bring new information, new perception, and create more contrasts, which only lead to the acceptance that regions and people can never be equal (Mitchell 298). However, Mirzoeff (â€Å"An Introduction† 3) argues that despite the liberty of receivers to interpret the images in relation to cultural diversity, the receivers have continuously interpreted the images negatively and this invokes the idea that no regions or people can ever be equal. Ruby (1345) discusses the barrier of visual culture to enhancing assimilation of culture diversity on the on the basis of impact of current culture in the lives of people. The current culture has had significant impacts on the lives of people with reference to the cultures of the other people. This creates the idea of differences between various cultures. In addition, there has been an increasing tendency to make comparison and contrast, which only lead to the widening of the gap between different cultures. Consequently, it becomes difficult for the viewers or receivers to interpret visual culture on a neutral ground. The lack of neutrality continues to widen the gap between various cultures, which make visual culture to be a barrier in the assimilation of cultural diversities. Nevertheless, Rose (25) and Dikovistskaya (71) argue that through visual culture viewers and receivers have been

Chris Brown and Michael Jackson Essay Example for Free

Chris Brown and Michael Jackson Essay Chris Brown and Usher are two contemporary hit music performers. Both men display a remarkable similarity in their lives. Each artist came from poor families. Each artist has made it to the top of the Top 40 music charts, more than once. Each artist has had the opportunity to work closely with Michael Jackson and has been tagged as potentially being the next â€Å"King of Pop. † Chris Brown and Usher, through their music have entertained hundreds of thousands of faithful fans. Though Chris Brown and Usher share similar music backgrounds, each has a unique music style which gives to us, the fans, the gift of their exquisite talent, with all of its strengths and joys. Tragedy struck both of their lives on June 28, 2009, upon learning of the death of Michael Jackson. Each of them described Jackson’s death as tragic and untimely. Chris Brown related this experience during the BET Music Awards on June 29, 2009. Usher expressed himself in his last CD released entitled â€Å"Raymond V. Raymond. † Although both expressed the great loss of Michael Jackson, the way that each depicted the incident was distinct. Chris Brown emotionally let loose on the stage at the 2009 BET Awards. He was very emotional and expressed his mourning with long comments, always keeping his tense present. Chris also chose words that were sure to get an emotional response from the fans that he and Michael Jackson have shared for the last several years. For example, when talking about how Michael Jackson invited him to the Neverland Ranch when he was just getting started in the industry, Chris Brown said, â€Å"I was just beginning to get materials together for my 2006 self-titled debut release, when I got a call from Michael Jackson expressing interest in my work. He invited me to the Neverland Ranch and helped me organize what became my first certified platinum album. † An illustration of more words from Chris Brown in reference to Michael Jackson can be found in the August, 2009 edition of Rolling Stones Magazine. He speaks of losing one of the mentors of his music career and speculation from the media that he could be the next â€Å"King of Pop. † The style and choice of words Chris Brown used made the reader aware that he was in mourning, but was indeed ready to step up to the plate to replace Michael Jackson as the â€Å"King of Pop. † Usher expressed his emotion in a more â€Å"unemotional† tone via â€Å"Raymond V. Raymond,† his latest CD release and on a limited edition DVD that was included in the first 100,00 copies of the CD sold. Usher used past tense, which told his fans that while he was mourning Michael Jackson and that Jackson was the King of Pop, that reign was gone, but not forgotten. His words were free of the severity of the loss. The words came off as harsh to his many fans. Instead of trying to elicit a particular emotional response, Usher was mourning in his own way, somewhat cold and detached. He didn’t even show up for the Michael Jackson Tribute at the 2009 BET Music Awards, claiming that he was too torn up over the loss. For instance, having given an account of his history with Michael Jackson on the DVD, he said, â€Å"I felt like I had lost my own life for just a moment in time. † The viewer felt his pain for a moment in time, however, the brevity of the emotion made his fans wonder about the sincerity of the emotion. Chris Brown, on the other hand, openly expressed himself over the loss of Michael Jackson with true sincerity, Usher explains, â€Å"he felt like he lost his life for a moment of time,† moving on like it was a sad moment, but eager to claim the title of â€Å"King of Pop,† as speculated by media. Chris Brown wanted the fans to feel with him. Usher wanted the fans to grieve for just a moment and move on to the next chapter. They achieved their objectives by directing the fan’s attention to a specific style of expressing their emotions, one more open, and the other, more cold. The emotional focus of Chris Brown’s response to the death of Michael Jackson was sincere. As I watched him mourn on national television and then read his story in the Rolling Stones Magazine, I felt like I lost one of my best friends, too. I looked back at my first concert experience, which was Michael Jackson’s Thriller Tour, and got teary-eyed. Chris Brown never let go of his love for the King of Pop and was never really concerned about replacing Michael Jackson as the new King of Pop. On the other hand, Usher’s mourning is short-lived. It was clear that Usher was going to step up to take the thrown of King of Pop the day after Michael Jackson died. He concentrated less on the mourning of Michael Jackson and more on the idea of being the next King. It would be impossible not to address the ways in which both men studied under Michael Jackson at one time or another. Chris Brown got some good training from Michael Jackson prior to the release of his very first CD. Usher was semi-discovered by Michael Jackson’s people and spent a lot of time at the Neverland Ranch with Michael Jackson. My most powerful emotional response throughout watching both of these celebrities mourn their mentor was one of incredible sorrow. When I look at both Chris and Usher’s overall reaction to the death of Michael Jackson, I felt the tremendous weight that sadness and despair can fold around a heart. I wanted to offer comfort to them both, however, by the end of the mourning period, I only wanted to comfort Chris Brown. It was obvious that Chris Brown’s wound was still cut open and bleeding. Chris Brown and Usher are extremely good recording artists. From each we receive a rare gift. As Chris Brown showed on the stage at the 2009 BET Music Awards, he was really torn over the loss of Michael Jackson. Usher showed us that he had ulterior motive.

Angular Momentum Essays -- Physics

Angular momentum and its properties were devised over time by many of the great minds in physics. Newton and Kepler were probably the two biggest factors in the evolution of angular momentum. Angular momentum is the force which a moving body, following a curved path, has because of its mass and motion. Angular momentum is possessed by rotating objects. Understanding torque is the first step to understanding angular momentum.Torque is the angular "version" of force. The units for torque are in Newton-meters. Torque is observed when a force is exerted on a rigid object pivoted about an axis and. This results in the object rotating around that axis. "The torque ? due to a force F about an origin is an inertial frame defined to be ? ? r x F"1 where r is the vector position of the affected object and F is the force applied to the object.To understand angular momentum easier it is wise to compare it to the less complex linear momentum because they are similar in many ways. "Linear momentum is the product of an object's mass and its instantaneous velocity. The angular momentum of a rotating object is given by the product of its angular velocity and its moment of inertia. Just as a moving object's inertial mass is a measure of its resistance to linear acceleration, a rotating object's moment of inertia is a measure of its resistance to angular acceleration."2 Factors which effect a rotating object's moment of inertia are its mass and on the distribution of the objects mass about the axis of rotation. A small object with a mass concentrated very close to its axis of rotation will have a small moment of inertia and it will be fairly easy to spin it with a certain angular velocity. However if an object of equal mass, with its mass more spread out from the axis of rotation, will have a greater moment of inertia and will be harder to accelerate to the same angular velocity.3To calculate the moment of inertia of an object one can imagine that the object is divided into many small volume elements, each of mass ?m. "Using the definition (which is taken from a formula in rotational energy) I=?ri2?mi and take the sum as ?m?0 (where I is the moment of inertia and ri is the perpendicular distance of the infinitely small mass' distance from the axis of rotation). In this limit the sum becomes an integral over the whole object:I = lim ?ri2?mi = ? r2 dm. To evalua... ...ne to follow the transferal of rotational energy to and from linear or other forms of energy.Angular momentum is used to explain many things, and it is has many applications. Angular momentum is also essential to our very existence, without the conservation of angular momentum we might drift into the sun or away into space. Angular momentum is a very important part of physics and physics is a very important part of angular momentum.ENDNOTESRaymond A. Serway, Physics For Scientists and Engineers, (Toronto: Saunders College Publishing, 1996) p. 325.David G. Martindale, Fundamentals of Physics: A Senrior Course, (Canada: D.C. Heath Canada Ltd., 1986) p. 320.ibidRaymond A. Serway, Physics For Scientists and Engineers, (Toronto: Saunders College Publishing, 1996) p. 325. Bibliography Blott, J. Frank, Principles of Physics: Second Edition Publisher not given: 1986 David G. Martindale., Fundamentals of Physics, Canada: D.C. Heath Canada Ltd. 1986 Olenick, P. Richard, The Mechanical Universe: Introduction to Mechanics and Heat, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1985 Serway A. Raymond, Physics For Scientists and Engineers, Toronto: Saunders College Publishing, 1996

Does Technology Corrupt Society

Does technology corrupt society? (By: Gordon Turtle) Does technology corrupt society? That’s a commonly asked question. If you think about it, technology helps society more then it harms it. A lot of schools disallow the use of cell phones or laptops unless they are used for school it-self. How would students communicate without them? Through the one hour to an hour and forty five minutes of lunch? What about technology used for medical purposes. Also, technology used for electronics such as computers, lights, etc†¦ Lastly, technology used for communication, like cell phones, radios, etc†¦We use technology almost everywhere; we use it for medical to help people get rid of diseases and injuries. It also helps doctors train better, easier, and more efficiently. If we didn’t have technology then we would still be cavemen living in caves with no light, no way of surviving injuries or illnesses. If we didn’t have any medical abilities the human race would ha ve went extinct a long time ago. Technology gave us electricity and electronics. Without technology we wouldn’t have t. v. ’s, toy’s, game systems, etc†¦ If man evolved without technology then we wouldn’t have come this far, we wouldn’t be as smart as we are now.We also wouldn’t have any way of teaching our children or other kids about how to live life or how to be good responsible adults. Technology also gave us communication devices such as the cellphone, house phone, computers, laptops, etc†¦ If we didn’t have technology the military would have fast ways of communicating with its soldiers. Without communication we could think we are the only country on earth for all we knew. Communication devices gave us the power to talk to one another from one side of the earth to the other in seconds.Imagine a world without communication. Imagine you had to write a letter and have it read days or even months later, and then having to w ait days or months for a response. Communication devices are one of the most important pieces of technology ever made. Without them we might as well go live in a cave with the few people we know, thinking that you were the only ones that are on the earth. That’s why technology doesn’t corrupt society, and that technology is what brought us to where we are today. If you think about it, technology helps society more then it harms it.

Hourly Rounding: Does It Really Make a Difference Essay

Hourly rounding is something that has been around for a while. One of the first things we learned in nursing school was that you should check on your patient every hour or every 2 hours (depending on nursing aid assistance). I started my research by looking at what hourly rounding entails. From there I found the majority of articles that think hourly rounding really does affect patient care and only a few opinion articles that think the opposite. Develop a focused question Since there were so many articles on hourly rounding, picking through them to find ones that related to the direction I was going with my research was really difficult. The main question that came into my head when thinking about hourly rounding was, does it really make a difference in patient care or just patient satisfaction? Hourly rounding is used for an assortment of reasons. Anticipating patient’s needs before they have to ring the call bell, along with patient safety are key reasons for hourly rounding. The majority of the articles I found focused on patient satisfaction. Although patient satisfaction is a huge deal, the direction I wanted to go was more with patient safety. Initial and related terms I started out my search by using phrases like â€Å"patient hourly round significance†, â€Å"why is hourly rounding important for patients†, and â€Å"how does hourly rounding affect patients†. This didn’t get me very many articles, so I tried a different approach. I broadened my search by just writing in â€Å"nursing hourly rounds† and â€Å"nursing rounds† and this got me a lot of articles on hourly rounding. Evaluation of articles I found after reading my four articles, the critiquing using the Johns Hopkins form was pretty difficult. To me the forms are confusing because I don’t have a lot of experience using them or doing much research. All four articles that I chose to use had adequate information to help me come to a conclusion for the question I formulated. All four articles supported at least one finding from the other articles. This helped me conclude that the research done was adequate information that could be used to evaluate the ore focus of my questions. The studies that were done or talked about in the articles were easy to pick out and straightforward. Identification of outcome Based on my research I learned that hourly rounding during the hours of 0600-2200 and 2-hour rounding from 2200-0600 is effective in providing patient safety, anticipating patients needs, decreasing the amount of call bell rings and increasing patient satisfaction. All of the articles had similar studies done to provide these conclusions. The article that I found most helpful was Hourly Rounding: A Replication Study by Todd Olrich, Melanie Kalman and Cindy Nigolian. This article clearly stated the three studies that were done and their results. All the articles though had similar results, which is how I came to the conclusion that hourly rounding during the day and 2-hour rounding during the night is effective. â€Å"Results indicated both hourly and every 2-hour rounding decreased call-light usage and increased patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction increased significantly on the units from 79. 9 to 91. using a 100-point scale, patient call-light usage decreased significantly, and falls decreased only when rounding was done hourly† (Olrich, Kalman, Nigolian 2012). All but one of the articles talked about doing a base-line measurement first to see how often the call bells rang, how often patient’s fell and how satisfied they were with the care they were getting. The base-line measurement studies went on from 4-8 weeks before the actual studies began. This is a great way in my view to get an overall look at what happened before the hourly rounding was implemented and what happened after. In one of the articles I chose, nurses had a hard time following the hourly rounding format. â€Å"Registered nurses and TPs from both study units overwhelmingly viewed hourly rounding as more work instead of a proactive process that might have benefits for them and their patients. However, some staff members did feel that hourly rounding was a good idea but difficult to accomplish because of competing priorities and tasks† (Deitrich, Baker, Paxton, Flores, Swavely 2011). This is the only article I found that the nurses had a hard time following the hourly rounding protocol. All of my articles that I chose besides one were research articles. The only one that wasn’t was more of a review of other people’s work that had been done. Even though this article was only a review and only talked about the results that were found and not the actual studies that were done, the information was very relevant to my question and easy to understand. â€Å"In 5 of 6 studies (83%) that examined use of call lights, the use was reduced. Fall rates were reduced in 7 of 9 studies (77%) in which falls were evaluated. In 8 of 9 studies (88%), researchers discovered improvements in overall patient satisfaction and likelihood of recommending the hospital, as well as satisfaction with anticipation and attention to personal needs, timeliness of nurses’ response, and management of pain† (Halm 2009). All four articles stated what the nurses and nurse’s aids did during hourly rounding and they were all very similar. Two articles said they attended to the â€Å"4 P’s†: pain, positioning, potty (elimination) and proximity of personal items. The other two articles had similar actions during hourly rounding. Overall, the main actions done were: pain assessment, toileting, patient positioning and comfort, environmental check (call light, telephone, TV remote, water, tissue box within reach, bedside table close to bed, and floor free from clutter), and the last thing they all did was ask the patient if there was anything else they could do for them before they left the room and told the patient the next rounding would be in an hour. After doing all of these things, patients overall were more satisfied with the care they got, falls were recorded less because patients weren’t trying to get up on their own, and call bells were going off less. Learning that occurred While doing this research project I learned that patient rounding is significant in increasing patient safety, satisfaction and decreases call bell use. Before this project I had an idea of why nurses checked on patients hourly, but these articles helped me better understand what really needs to me done on these checks besides toileting. I also learned more about how to research a topic. I had a difficult time narrowing down my search but finally got the hang of it by going to the library for a little extra assistance. By being forced to use the Johns Hopkins forms, I learned more about filling them out. Although they are still a little confusing to me, this project helped me understand them more. Conclusion My conclusion from all of this research is that hourly rounding is necessary to help keeps patients happy, healthy and safe.  As a first year nursing student, a lot of the things we do in nursing are foreign to me and I’m constantly asking myself why nurses do things the way they do. This project helped me to pick one of those questions that I ask myself and really start to understand why. I really think this project helped to better my nursing career. Now that I fully understand hourly rounding, it will also help me to tend to my patients needs more.

Five Words in English and in Corporate-speak

Five Words in English and in Corporate-speak Five Words in English and in Corporate-speak Five Words in English and in Corporate-speak By Maeve Maddox Corporate-speak takes many forms, but especially mysterious is the practice of taking a familiar English word commonly understood to have one meaning and using it with a less familiar meaning. Here are five examples. 1. actionable common meaning: â€Å"giving cause for legal action.† Example: Disrespect in the workplace may constitute actionable behavior. corporate usage: able to be acted upon or put into practice. Example: From Apple to the Toastmasters, the world’s most successful organizations demand that attendees leave meetings with actionable tasks. 2. ecosystem common meaning: A biological system composed of all the organisms found in a particular physical environment, interacting with it and with each other. Example: Sockeye salmon vs. Pebble Mine: Protecting a fragile ecosystem in Alaska from destruction. corporate usage: a complex system resembling a biological ecosystem. Example: For me, a successful Entrepreneurial Ecosystem is a space run by people with very entrepreneurial minds. Ecosystems are self-supporting, energetic environments that attract, nurture, move on and reward different stakeholders.   3. granular common meaning: Consisting of grains or granules; existing in the condition of grains or granules. (granule: A small grain; a small compact particle; a pellet.) Example: â€Å"Sandpaper† is material upon which a granular layer of some abrasive has been fixed by means of an adhesive. corporate usage: attending to or explaining the fine details of a topic. Example: The CEO and CFO see the bottom line of the cost of your department more clearly than they see the success of individual projects. Theyre not idiots. They can get granular if they have to, but what they really want to know is if the total cost of IT is worth the output. 4. socialize common meaning: to civilize, to make suitable for society. Example: Pet owners socialize their puppies by taking them into different situations. corporate usage: to let people know about something. Examples: 1. Employees will form beliefs based on what they experience before and after you widely socialize the new purpose and those beliefs will drive their actions. 2. When a good idea hits, find the fastest, cheapest way to get something that will demonstrate and socialize the idea to at least some segment of the target marked.   5. surface common meaning: intransitive verb meaning to come to the surface, especially, to rise to the surface of water. Figuratively, â€Å"to surface† means to come to public attention after a period of obscurity or concealment. Examples: 1. Sometimes we saw the whale and the dolphins surface at the same time. 2. Fear of the truths that might surface about ourselves corporate usage: transitive verb meaning â€Å"to raise.† Example: Plan on meeting regularly so that team members stay informed and any issues you surface are resolved in a timely manner. All occupations develop specialized terminology that serves a practical purpose. For example, terms like banner, head, and gutter provide useful shorthand in the context of running a newspaper. Used in an occupational context, the words’ other meanings do not impede communication. Wrenching the meanings of words like socialize and surface however, has the effect of muddying communication. Speakers who wish to be understood by the largest number of listeners will do well to avoid such meaningless cant in their business meetings and correspondence. 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 Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1Capitalization Rules for the Names of GamesHow to Style Legislative Terms

Leech and Leach

Leech and Leach Leech and Leach Leech and Leach By Maeve Maddox Reader Erik Engstrom was surprised to see this misuse of the word leech in an article at Wired: . . . certain chemicals that leech metals from the body. Pronounced the same [lÄ“ch], leech and leach have different meanings. The word leech is the old word for â€Å"doctor.† It comes from OE laece, â€Å"physician.† Leech meaning â€Å"bloodsucking aquatic worm† may have originally been a different word, but assimilated to the word for doctor, possibly because doctors used leeches for blood-letting. Figuratively, a leech is a person in a parasitic relationship with another. The word leach comes from the OE verb leccan, â€Å"to moisten.† In current usage the verb leach refers to percolation of a liquid. The Wired writer was using the word in the sense of â€Å"to take away by percolation.† Related to leach is the word leak, â€Å"to let water in or out.† It may seem that the figurative sense of leak to mean allowing secret matters come to public attention must be a 20th century innovation, but it’s not. The intransitive use of leak with this figurative meaning dates from 1832. The transitive use, â€Å"to leak information,† is recorded from 1859. The figurative use of the noun leak to mean the information leaked didn’t come along until 1950: The Post published the latest leak from the White House. We can thank Henry Miller for the first published use of leak as a noun meaning â€Å"the act of urination† (Tropic of Cancer [1934]). Leak as a verb meaning â€Å"to piss,† however, dates from 1596. 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:10 Types of Transitions20 Movies Based on Shakespeare Plays

Cooperation against global warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cooperation against global warming - Essay Example According to Stella, the rise in greenhouse gas emission over the past 50 years serves as a major factor in the modern day global warming. Even if the excessive carbon dioxide emissions were controlled, the climatic changes would still take place for many years to come, leading to a drastic shortage of water for more than 5 billion people. It is further forecasted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that Northern Europe would experience increased flooding by 2025 owing to global warming. Scientists and environmentalists have come up with a range of solutions from decreasing the use of fossil fuels to incentives for using refined forms of energy. These measures are believed to be sufficient to make a real and positive impact on climatic change. Proposed in 1997, Kyoto Protocol focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and halting the climatic changes. Kyoto Protocol declares the developed countries as the world's greatest polluters. It aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5 % of the 1990s levels over the period of 2008-2012. Though the Protocol has been ratified by many developed industrial nations, there are others who have been resistant towards signing it. Such nations argue that it is unfair to exempt the developing countries from the Protocol. Businesses, scientists and politicians of developed countries also give the following reasons for not signing the Protocol: 1. Doubt about the effect of carbon dioxide emission on global warming 2. Concerns about the negative effect of the Protocol on their own economies 3. Rejection of the need for an imposed reduction in carbon dioxide emission Developed countries versus Developing countries Many critiques of the Kyoto Protocol declare that global warming is a global problem which requires the developing countries to participate just as much as the developed countries. Stella acknowledges the fact that both developed as well as developing countries have a role to play in curbing the carbon dioxide emission. However, she argues that the developed countries have a greater obligation to address this issue for the reason that they contributed most towards it. As Stella writes in her article, "However, for developing countries, the argument that they should be subject to exactly the same restrictions as developed countries does not carry weight. After watching developed countries build their wealth and power on extensive use of fossil fuels this appears to be a case of 'do what I say, not what I do".2 Factors discouraging the Developed Countries Stella makes note of the following factors which discourage the developed countries from signing the Kyoto Protocol: 1. Reluctance to offend giant fossil fuel companies which contribute largely to the economies of the developed countries 2. Large scale unemployment if these giant fossil fuel companies are forced to shut down 3. Fear of giving a competitive advantage to emerging economies such as China and Korea as they would not be subject to the terms of the Protocol Developing countries' Roles Stella further states that some developing count