Top 10 Confused Words in English [I-L]

Top 10 Confused Words in English [I-L] Top 10 Confused Words in English [I-L] Top 10 Confused Words in English [I-L] By Maeve Maddox Seven of these ten commonly confused word pairs beginning with the letters I-L are frequent enough to have earned one or more full posts at Daily Writing Tips. You’ll find links at the end of each item. 1. illicit / elicit Illicit is an adjective meaning, â€Å"not allowed by law or social conventions.† Elicit is a verb meaning, â€Å"to draw out a reply or reaction.† 2. imply / infer Increasing numbers of speakers ignore the distinction between these words, but it remains a useful one. Imply is â€Å"to suggest indirectly.† Infer is â€Å"to draw a conclusion.† Related posts: Confused Words #6: Imply vs. Infer Imply and Infer 3. it’s / its Despite the hundreds, perhaps thousands of explanations to be found on the Web regarding the difference between these two spellings, the mistake of writing it’s for its remains the most common written error of them all. It’s is the contracted form of the words it and is. Its is the possessive adjective that corresponds to his and their: Max has dyed his hair red. The children have passed their exams. The cat has paint on its tail. Related posts: It’s or Its? The Truth About â€Å"It’s† 4. jibe / jive The most common error with this pair is to use jive, a word that derives from musical terminology, in a context that calls for jibe, a word that means, â€Å"to agree with.† Here are two correct uses of the word jibe: His interpretation of the law doesn’t jibe with mine. Your explanation does not jibe with the facts. Related posts: Gibe, Gybe, Jibe, and Jive 5. loath / loathe Loath (pronounced with an unvoiced th like the one in thin) is an adjective originally meaning hostile, angry, or spiteful. In modern usage it means averse, disinclined, reluctant, or unwilling, as in this New York Times headline:† Inquiry Goes To Committee That May Be Loath to Act.† A variant spelling is loth. Loathe (pronounced with a voiced th like the one in this) is a verb meaning â€Å"to feel strong aversion for† as in the title of a TED topic: â€Å"Why Do So Many People Loathe Their Jobs?† Note: TED is a nonprofit organization that sponsors and broadcasts lectures on various social issues. The name is an acronym formed from the words Technology, Entertainment, and Design. Related posts: Verb Mistakes #5: Loathe â€Å"Loath† and â€Å"Loathe† 6. loose / lose Loose can function as a verb meaning â€Å"to free† or â€Å"to release,† but its most common use is as an adjective to mean, â€Å"not tight.† Lose is a verb that has various connotations of loss. For example, a person may lose his way in the woods. The past tense of lose is lost. Related posts: Confused Words #3: Lose, Loose, Loss Loose or Lose? 7. latter / ladder As a noun, latter means â€Å"the person or thing mentioned second of two.† A ladder is an appliance of wood or other material, consisting of a series of bars/rungs/steps/ fixed between two supports. Speakers who do not distinguish clearly between the sounds of t and d may misspell latter as ladder, as in these examples: INCORRECT: There are two modes to constructed play: Casual, and Ranked. Some people choose the former, some people choose the ladder.- Gaming site. CORRECT : There are two modes to constructed play: Casual, and Ranked. Some people choose the former, some people choose the latter. INCORRECT: Many police officers know that much of their job is to collect revenue. It’s now apparent, that when given the option to conduct extortion or not, they will choose the ladder.- A talk radio website. CORRECT : Many police officers know that much of their job is to collect revenue. It’s now apparent, that when given the option to conduct extortion or not, they will choose the latter. Related post: â€Å"Latter,† not â€Å"Ladder† 8. lightening / lightning The word lightening comes from the verb to lighten, â€Å"to make lighter.† An artist can lighten a color. A kindly neighbor can lighten someone’s loneliness. A driver can lighten a load. Dark hair may be lightened by the sun. Lightning is â€Å"the visible discharge of electricity between one group of clouds and another, or between the clouds and the ground.† 9. libel / slander Libel functions as a noun and as a verb. The noun is usually used to mean â€Å"a  published statement damaging to the reputation of a person.† The verb means, â€Å"to defame or discredit by the circulation of libelous statements.† As a noun, slander denotes â€Å"the utterance or dissemination of false statements or reports concerning a person in order to defame or injure that person.† As a verb, slander is â€Å"to spread slanderous reports about.† The legal difference between the two is that libel is written and slander is spoken or conveyed in some other non-written manner. Another error with libel is that the noun (libel) is sometimes used incorrectly in place of the adjective liable, as in this example from a Canadian government site: INCORRECT: The landlord testifies that the tenant became libel for the rent from December 01, 2008 and that he allowed her to move in on November 19, 2008 until December 01 without payment of rent. CORRECT : The landlord testifies that the tenant became liable for the rent from December 01, 2008 and that he allowed her to move in on November 19, 2008 until December 01 without payment of rent. Liable is an adjective that means, â€Å"bound or obliged by law or in accordance with a rule or convention.† Related post: Is it Libel, or is it Slander? 10. lay / lie Some would argue that insisting on the distinction between the verbs lay (to put or to place) and lie (to recline) is beating a dead horse. I continue to insist on the difference because I believe that speakers who are bright enough to want to master a standard form of English are bright enough to learn the difference between these two verbs. Tell your children to lay their homework on the table. Tell your dog he may lie under it. Lay is transitive (has an object). Lie is intransitive (has no object). Related posts: Verb Mistakes #9: Past Tense forms of Lay and Lie Lay vs. Lie: What’s So Hard? Mixing up â€Å"lay† and â€Å"lie† 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives "Certified" and "Certificated"Personification vs. Anthropomorphism

Storing Record Data in a BLOB Field in Delphi

Storing Record Data in a BLOB Field in Delphi In Delphi, a record data type is a special kind of user-defined data type. A record is a container for a mixture of related variables of diverse types, referred to as fields, collected into one type. In database applications, data is stored in fields of various types: integer, string, bit (boolean), etc. While most data can be represented with simple data types, there are situations when you need to store images, rich documents or custom data types in a database. When this is the case you will use the BLOB (Binary Large Object) data type (memo, ntext, image, etc. - the name of the data type depends on the database you work with). Record as Blob Heres how to store (and retrieve) a record (structure) value into a blob field in a database. TUser record ...Suppose you have defined your custom record type as: TUser packed record   Ã‚   Name : string[50];   Ã‚   CanAsk : boolean;   Ã‚   NumberOfQuestions : integer; end; Record.SaveAsBlobTo insert a new row (database record) in a database table with a BLOB field named data, use the following code: var   Ã‚   User : TUser;   Ã‚   blobF : TBlobField;   Ã‚   bs : TStream; begin   Ã‚   User.Name : edName.Text;   Ã‚   User.NumberOfQuestions : StrToInt(edNOQ.Text) ;   Ã‚   User.CanAsk : chkCanAsk.Checked;   Ã‚   myTable.Insert;   Ã‚   blobF : myTable.FieldByName(data) as TBlobField;   Ã‚   bs : myTable.CreateBlobStream(blobF, bmWrite) ;   Ã‚   try   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bs.Write(User,SizeOf(User)) ;   Ã‚   finally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bs.Free;   Ã‚   end; end; In the code above: myTable is the name of the TDataSet component you are using (TTable, TQuery, ADOTable, TClientDataSet, etc).The name of the blob field is data.The User variable (TUser record) is filled using 2 edit boxes (edName and edNOQ)and a check box (chkCanAsk)The CreateBlobStream method creates a TStream object for writing to the blob field. Record.ReadFromBlobOnce you have saved the record (TUser) data to a blob type field, heres how to transform binary data to a TUser value: var   Ã‚   User : TUser;   Ã‚   blobF : TBlobField;   Ã‚   bs : TStream; begin   Ã‚   if myTable.FieldByName(data).IsBlob then   Ã‚   begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   blobF : DataSet.FieldByName(data) as TBlobField;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bs : myTable.CreateBlobStream(blobF, bmRead) ;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   try   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bs.Read(user,sizeof(TUser)) ;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   finally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   bs.Free;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   end;   Ã‚   end;   Ã‚   edName.Text : User.Name;   Ã‚   edNOQ.Text : IntToStr(User.NumberOfQuestions) ;   Ã‚   chkCanAsk.Checked : User.CanAsk; end; Note: the code above should go inside the OnAfterScroll event handler of the myTable dataset. Thats it. Make sure you download the sample Record2Blob code.

An IT strategy focused on maintaining a cutting-edge technology Essay

An IT strategy focused on maintaining a cutting-edge technology position - Essay Example The alignment of IT and business strategy of the firm is considered as one of the most important challenges for the managers.Without this alignment of both the strategies,it is relatively impossible for the firms to actually ensure that they retain and develop cutting edge technologies to help them stay ahead of the game. Without having access to the better IT technology, it is relatively impossible for the firms to continue to dominate the market. It has also been argued that those firms which initially focused upon perfecting their IT technology and making it more effective grew faster than the firms which initially focused upon the alignment of their IT and business strategy. This line of thinking therefore suggests that it is important to compromise on the alignment of the IT and business technology if the firm is actually able to first effectively improve its technology. One way or other, it is really important that without having cutting edge technology, it would be really inef fective for the firm to support the overall business strategy of the firm. This paper will therefore argue that without having access to the cutting edge technology, it may be entirely difficult for the firms to support their overall business strategy. IT Strategy The technology strategy of a firm is typically related with the development of tactics and tools related with the use of information technology within the firm. The critical focus of such strategy always remains on the acquisition and development of strategies which can allow the firms to develop their competitive advantage out of the information technology. It is however, important to understand that this strategy must also be leveraged through the people as without effective and efficient human resource, the firm may not be able to translate this strategy into a successful strategy. Traditional view of how technology should be utilized and how the technology strategy can actually be designed is based upon how effectively it can support the overall business strategy of the firm. One of the concerns has also been focused upon the optimization of the firm’s spending on the information technology. This line of thinking therefore often compromises the way IT can actually provide the real benefits to the firm. Over the period of time, it has been therefore argued that the overall business strategy should be the driving force for the IT strategy of the firm. This has however, been without the assessment that poor technology can actually fail to support the overall business strategy of the firm. It is therefore important first to ensure a seamless integration and alignment of both the IT and business strategy of the firm with each other. Access to the cutting edge technology It is argued that the access to the cutting edge technology as well as its effective deployment by the organization is necessary in order to allow the firms to better understand their market. The market insight and analytic abil ities provided by the cutting edge latest technology therefore allow the firms to not only better understand themselves but also better design and develop their strategies which can suit to the market where they are operating. One of the key aspects of having access to the latest technology is to gain the competitive intelligence allowing firms to better leverage their business strategy. Developing the capability of competitive intelligence can only be possible with the help of having access to the cutting edge technology. Old and outdated technologies may lack the capability to provide the same level of analytic insight to help firms to actually have a re-look at their business st

Managerial decision making process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Managerial decision making process - Essay Example Performance evaluation is an important task in any organization because by evaluating the performance the productivity level of an individual is measured.Promotion, salary packages, increment in compensation and growth of the individual are also based on the performance evaluation therefore organization must ensure that they have proper performance evaluation method that considers important characteristics and traits of the individual so that right candidate is promoted and get his reward of hard work. Also by promoting the right individual, his motivation level would also increase thus it would further increase the productivity. There are different factors that an organization use to evaluate the performance of an individual however the following criterion are the most common considered by organization to evaluate the performance of an individual Knowledge of the individual Expertise in the field Productivity level Performance Tasks completed by the individual Completion of work wit hin the deadline Skills to work as a team player These are the most common factors that are considered in evaluating the performance of an individual, but the criteria may vary from one organization to another. Main concerns with the given company’s current evaluation form The main problems with the existing company’s evaluation form and method are as follows: In evaluating performance, the behavior of an individual with his co-workers and supervisors is highly considered. The extent to which an individual keeps his desk or office clean is considered an important aspect. Task completed on time is not considered as an important characteristic to evaluate the performance of the individual. The knowledge and abilities of an individual are ignored. Most Commonly-Used Sets Of Criteria Which Should Be Evaluated In A Performance Evaluation There are several commonly used sets of criteria used in order to evaluate the performance of an individual and these criteria are as foll ows: Performance of the individual Goals and targets achieved by the individual Efforts put in by the individual Productivity of the individual Ambitions Leadership qualities Motivation level Technical skills and knowledge Team work and team player Advantage of using same performance evaluation method One of the main advantages of using one performance evaluation method for every employee is that it evaluates the performance of different employees in the organization using same criteria therefore it is easy to identify the performance level of different individuals and thus it becomes easier for the management to analyze and reward them and promote them. RELATIVE VALUE OF THE COMMONLY-USED SETS OF EVALUATION CRITERIA already IDENTIFIED There are drastic differences in the criteria used by the company and the criteria that are most commonly used in organizations around the world. The existing system of the organization focuses more on the behavior of the performance, rather than the contribution of the individual towards organization goals and objectives. Organizations around the world focus on the productivity and performance of the individual, whereas this company focuses on relationship with co-workers and managers. Result indexes, such as turnover, quantity and quality of work produced by the employee, are also used for appraisal purposes around the world, which are ignored by the company. Advantages Of Including Supervisors, Peers, And Subordinates In The Evaluation Process Most of the people in the organization review the employee’s performance than just their immediate supervisor. The 360-degree feedback evaluation allows the employer to understand what the performance of the employees is and how the supervisors, peers, subordinates and the external customers viewed the employee’s performance. This evaluation technique provides feedback from all levels of the

Gasb and Fasb Essay Example for Free

Gasb and Fasb Essay Board is to establish and improve standards of state and local governmental accounting and financial reporting that will result in useful information for users of financial reports and guide and educate the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of those financial reports. source: http://www. gasb. org/ FASB: The mission of the Financial Accounting Standards Board is to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information. ource: http://www. fasb. org/ Similarities Differences: Both boards share the following objectives: 1. To be objective in its decision making and to ensure, insofar as possible, the neutrality of information resulting from its standards. 2. To weigh carefully the views of its constituents in developing concepts and standards. 3. To promulgate standards only when the expected benefits exceed the perceived costs. 4. To bring about needed changes in ways that minimize disruption to the continuity of reporting practice. . To review the effects of past decisions and interpret, amend or replace standards in a timely fashion when such action is indicated. The main difference between the two is that the GASB is specific to individual state legislatures and the FASB is on a federal level, so their scope is much broader. Compare and contrast GASB and FASB. Explain objectives and how they are similar and different. Describe how the modified accrual basis of accounting differs from full accrua l accounting. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board were created to establish accounting and financial reporting standards for governmental and not-for-profit organizations. The GASB for governments and the FASB for not-for-profit organizations. Governmental and not-for-profit organization financial statements serve the purpose and needs of their users. These users include governing boards, investors and creditors, taxpayers and citizens, and organizational members, donors and grantors, regulatory and oversight agencies, and employees and other constituents. Users of these statements should be able to assess an organization financial condition, compare an organization’s actual performance with the budget, determine compliance with appropriate laws, regulations and restrictions on the use of funds and evaluate efficiency and effectiveness. (Granof, 2007, pg. 13) The GASB places importance on accountability and feels that the government should be accountable to citizens. In achieving this goal the objectives of the GASB is that organizations are accountable to the citizens. This accountability insists that financial reporting information that will reveal whether current-year revenues are enough to pay current-year expenses; demonstrate whether budgets were adhered to; and mission The objective for the GASB is to set standard in accounting and financial reporting for state and local governments. These standards are to provide useful information for the users of financial reports. In achieving this goal the objectives of the GASB is that organizations are accountable to the citizens. This accountability insists that financial reporting information that will reveal whether current-year revenues are enough to pay current-year expenses; demonstrate whether budgets were adhered to; and assist users in assessing cost and accomplishments of the government organization. According to the GASB users should be able to determine the operating results of the entity for the year with the use of its financial reporting by providing information about sources and uses of financial resources, how the entity financed its activities and meet its cash requirements, and whether the organization financial position improved or eteriorated due to operations. Ensuring that financial reports allow users to determine what level and if the government entity will be able to meet its obligations by providing information on the financial condition and position, about its physical and nonfinancial resources and disclousrue of legal or contractual restrictions on resources and their risks. The F ASB’s mandate is to set accounting and financial reporting for not-for-profit organizations. The FASB determined that financial reporting should provide information that help users make decisions about the allocation of resources, assess services and the ability to continue to provide service, assess how managers discharge their stewardship responsibilities and their performance. In addition, the FASB requires that information is provided about economic resoreces, obligations and net resources of an organization, periodic performance of the organization, how cash and liquid assets are spent and its borrowing and repayment and explainations and interpretations to understand financial information. Differences between GASB and FASB is that the GASB sets standards for state and local governments while the FASB set standards for the federal government. Another difference is that GASB feels that government organizations should adhere to budget compliancy while the FASB does not place specific emphais on budgets but on managers and their manangement . The modified accrual basis is a form of accounting where expenditures are recognized on a accrual basis and cash basis. When using the modified accrual basis revenues are recognized in the period they become available and measureable. On the other hand the full accrual basis of accounting calls for the recognition of revenues and expenses when they are incurred no matter when the monetary transaction takes place.

artful dublin Essay -- essays research papers

Someone has crafted a dense, human-size spider web in a 17th-century baroque chapel. At the center of the swarming thread, a longhaired woman lies in a hospital bed, sheet to her chin. Silence, light filtering from stained glass, and her stillness trapped in the maze reminds the viewer of some old dada wisdom -- any work of art that can be completely understood is the product of a journalist. Down the hall, in a large room, a young German is rushing around in a white jumpsuit. He alternately plays with toy airplanes and bakes cakes in a microwave, which every hour on the hour he blows up. These exhilarating works of art from Chiharu Shiotta and Frank Werner were at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin recently, part of a show called "Marking the Territory." The images were compelling enough, but the real strangeness was that they were happening in Dublin at all. For centuries, the visual arts in Ireland ran a distant second due to the superiority of the Word. But no longer. "This is an ideal place for an artist to be," Paolo Canevari said. The young Roman was represented at IMMA by "Differences," seven people on a bench on whose foreheads he methodically rubber-stamped religious denominations. "The Irish aren't jaded. There's no boredom with art." Even Dublin's stinging humor, a style that is distinguished by an urchin's allergy to the sentimental and a duty to bring everything down to street level, has softened toward the public art of the city. The statue of the River Liffey, personified as a woman in a fountain, is still known as "The Floozy in the Jacuzzi," and a realistic sculpture of two middle-age women taking a rest from shopping will forever be "The Hags With the Bags." And what else could a giant metal spike proposed for the north side be called but "The Stiletto in the Ghetto?" These days, however, all street titles are said with affection and pride. Every nation prizes creativity. But countries such as Ireland, which for so long had little but creativity, revere it. It is now museums, galleries and artistic work that are embraced, and not just the theater, pub wit and the writer. One of the engines of Dublin's artistic boom is IMMA, only 10 years old yet housed in one of the most magnificent 17th-century buildings in the world, the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. Formerl... ...ight to $1,725 for the penthouse suite. Full service, excellent restaurant and a great bar for people watching. The Pembroke Townhouse (90 Pembroke Rd., telephone 011-353-1-660-0277,www.pembroketownhouse.ie) is a marvelous, immaculate Georgian house in Ballsbridge, close to everything on the south side, with a cheerful and efficient staff. Rates run from about $90 to $120 per night. WHERE TO EAT: Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud (21 Upper Merrion St.) has spectacular art on display along with the best French cuisine in Dublin. Appetizers run from $14 to $30, entrees from $35. Trocadero (3 St. Andrew's St.) -- "the Troc," near Temple Bar -- is a great old-time theater restaurant, with late suppers and superior bar food until midnight. It's recently been refurbished and crisped up, but they left the sense of fun intact. Two can have a memorable Italian meal and a bottle of red for about $60. INFORMATION: For more information, contact the Irish Tourist Board, 800-223-6470, www.ireland.travel.ie; or, in Dublin, the Bord Failte (Gaelic for "board of welcome"), Baggot Street Bridge, telephone 011-353-1-602-4000. -- Ambrose Clancy  © 2002 The Washington Post Company

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Seven

â€Å"It would have been difficult to find a group of settlers less suited to building a brand-new colony than the one hundred and five men who sailed up the river from the Chesapeake Bay in 1607 and founded Jamestown,† Professor Campbel lectured from the front of Elena's class. â€Å"While there were a couple of carpenters, a mason, a blacksmith, and maybe a dozen laborers among them, they were far outnumbered by the self-proclaimed gentlemen who made up almost half the party.† He paused and smiled sardonical y. â€Å"‘Gentlemen' in this case signifies men without a profession or trade. Many of them were lazy, idle men who had joined the London Company's expedition in the hope of making a profit without realizing how much work founding a colony in the New World was real y going to entail. The settlers landed in the spring, and by the end of September, half of them were dead. By January, when Captain Newport returned with supplies and more colonists, only thirty-eight of the original settlers remained.† Lazy and clueless, Elena wrote neatly in her notebook. Dead in less than a year. History of the South was her very first class, and col ege was already proving to be an eye-opening experience. Her high school teachers had always stressed courage and enterprise when they talked about Virginia's early settlers, not haplessness. â€Å"On Thursday, we'l talk about the legend of John Smith and Pocahontas. We're going to discuss the facts and how they differ from Smith's own account, as he had a tendency toward self-promotion,† Professor Campbel announced. â€Å"The reading assignment is in the syl abus, so please come prepared for a lively discussion next time.† He was a plump, energetic little man, whose smal black eyes swept the class and landed unerringly on Elena as he added, â€Å"Elena Gilbert? Please stay after class for a moment. I'd like to speak with you.† She had time to wonder, nervously, how he knew which of his students she was as the rest of the class straggled out of the room, a few stopping to ask him questions. She hadn't spoken up during his lecture, and there were about fifty students in the class. As the last of her classmates disappeared out the door, she approached his desk. â€Å"Elena Gilbert,† he said avuncularly, his bright eyes searching hers. â€Å"I do apologize for taking up your time. But when I heard your name, I had to ask.† He paused, and Elena dutiful y replied, â€Å"Had to ask what, Professor?† â€Å"I know the name Gilbert, you see,† he said, â€Å"and the more I look at you, the more you remind me of someone – two someones – who were once very dear friends of mine. Could you possibly be the daughter of Elizabeth Morrow and Thomas Gilbert?† â€Å"Yes, I am,† said Elena slowly. She ought to have expected that she might meet someone who knew her parents here at Dalcrest, but it felt weird to hear their names, al the same. â€Å"Ah!† He laced his fingers across his stomach and gave her a satisfied smile. â€Å"You look so much like Elizabeth. It startled me when you came into the room. But there's a touch of Thomas in you, too, make no mistake about that. Something about your expression, I think. Seeing you takes me right back to my own days as an undergraduate. She was a lovely girl, your mother, just lovely.† â€Å"You went to school here with my parents?† Elena asked. â€Å"I certainly did.† Professor Campbel ‘s smal black eyes widened. â€Å"They were two of my best friends here. Two of the best friends I ever had. We lost track of each other over the years, I'm afraid, but I heard about the accident.† He unlaced his fingers and hesitantly touched her arm. â€Å"I'm so sorry.† â€Å"Thank you.† Elena bit her lip. â€Å"They never talked much about their col ege years. Maybe as I got older, they would have†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice trailed off, and she realized with dismay that her eyes had fil ed with tears. â€Å"Oh, my dear, I didn't mean to upset you.† Professor Campbel patted his jacket pockets. â€Å"And I've never got a tissue when I need one. Oh, please don't cry.† His comical expression of distress made Elena give him a watery-eyed smile, and he relaxed and smiled in return. â€Å"There, that's better,† he said. â€Å"You know, if you'd like to hear more about your parents and what they were like back then, I'd be happy to tel you about them. I've got al kinds of stories.† â€Å"Real y?† Elena said hopeful y. She felt a flicker of excitement. Aunt Judith talked with Elena about her mother sometimes, but the memories she shared were mostly from their childhood. And Elena real y didn't know much about her father's past at al : he'd been an only child and his parents were dead. â€Å"Certainly, certainly,† Professor Campbel said cheerful y. â€Å"Come to my office hours, and I'l tel you al about our hijinks back in the old days. I'm there every Monday and Friday from three to five, and I'l put out a welcome mat for you. Metaphorical y speaking, of course. Serve you some of the horrible department coffee.† â€Å"Thank you, Professor Campbel ,† Elena said. â€Å"I'd love that.† â€Å"Cal me James,† he said. â€Å"It's nothing at al . Anything I can do to make you feel at home here at Dalcrest.† He cocked his head to one side and looked at her quizzical y, his eyes as bright and curious as a smal animal's. â€Å"After al , as the daughter of Elizabeth and Thomas, you must be a very special girl.† The big black crow outside the open lecture-room window paced back and forth, clenching and unclenching its powerful talons around the branch on which it was perched. Damon wanted to transform back into his vampire self, climb through the window, and have a quick but effective interrogation session with that professor. But Elena wouldn't like that. She was so naive, dammit. Yes, yes, she was his lovely, bril iant, clever princess, but she was ridiculously naive, too; they al were. Damon irritably preened his ruffled feathers back into iridescent sleekness. They were just so young. At this point, Damon was able to look back and say that no one learned anything in life, not for her first hundred years or so. You had to be immortal, real y, to have the time to learn to look out for yourself properly. Take Elena, gazing so trustful y at her professor. After al she'd been through, al she'd seen, she was so easy to lul into complacency – al the man had to do was dangle the promise of information about her parents in front of her, and she'd happily trot off to meet him in his office whenever he suggested. Sentimental ninny. What could the man possibly tel her that would be of any real importance? Nothing could bring her parents back. The professor wasn't a danger, most likely. Damon had probed him with his Power, felt nothing but the flickering of a human mind, no dark surge of answering Power coming from the little man, no sWellof disturbing or violent emotion. But he couldn't be sure, could he? Damon's Power couldn't detect every monster, couldn't predict every twist of the human heart. But the real problem here was Elena. She'd forgotten, clearly, that she'd lost al her Power, that the Guardians had stripped her back to being just a vulnerable, fragile mortal girl again. She thought, wrongly, that she could protect herself. They were al like that. Damon had been infuriated at first to slowly realize that he was starting to feel like al of them were his humans. Not just his lovely Elena and the little redbird, but all of them, the witch Mrs. Flowers and the hunter and that meathead of a boy as Well. Those last two didn't even like him, but he felt compel ed to keep an eye on them, to prevent them from damaging themselves through their innate stupidity. Damon wasn't the one who wanted to be here. No, the â€Å"let's al join hands and dance off to further our educations together† idea wasn't his, and he'd treated it with the proper scorn. He wasn't Stefan. He wasn't going to waste his time pretending to be one of the mortal children. But he had found, to his dismay, that he didn't want to lose them, either. It was embarrassing. Vampires were not pack animals, not like humans. He wasn't supposed to care what happened to them. These children should be prey, and nothing more. But being dead and coming back, fighting the jealousy phantom and letting go of the sick envy and misery that had held him captive ever since he was a human, had changed Damon. With that hard bal of hate gone from the middle of his chest, where it had lived for so long, he found himself feeling lighter. Almost as if he †¦ cared. Embarrassing or not, it felt surprisingly comfortable, having this connection to the little group of humans. He'd have died – again – rather than admit it aloud, though. He clacked his beak a few times as Elena said good-bye to her professor and left the classroom. Then Damon spread his wings and flapped down to a tree next to the building's entrance. Nearby, a thin young man was posting a flyer with a girl's picture on another tree, and Damon flew over to get a closer look. Missing Student, the top of the flyer said, and below the picture were details of a nighttime disappearance: no clues, no leads, no evidence, no idea where nineteen-year-old Taylor Harrison might be. Suspicion of foul play. The promise of a reward from her anxious family for information leading to her safe return. Damon let out a rough caw. There was something wrong here. He'd known it already – had felt something a little off about this campus as soon as he'd arrived two days ago, although he hadn't been able to quite put his finger on it. Why else would he have been so worried about his princess? Elena came out of the building and started across the quad, tucking her long golden hair behind her ears, oblivious to the black crow that swooped from tree to tree above her. Damon was going to find out what was going on here, and he was going to do it before whatever it was touched any of his humans. Especial y Elena.

Mini Motor Homes Manufactured Essay

This case is about Mini Motor Homes Manufactured by Jim Ballenger in Kalamazoo, Michigan. According to the case, Jim Ballenger has a problem to make a decision to change his current inventory system to JIT system. From the current inventory system, Jim has spent a lot of cost on his inventory system. This is because mostly of the component used in manufactured are bought from other vendor and his company actually only manufactured very few of it component. Because of this, the transportation and inventory cost contribute to a relatively large portion of its component part of expenses. Jim Ballenger was very aware on the cost that may arise once the JIT system adopted. The cost that he may be aware to arise is the cost of management standpoint, the shipment of the component and the rate of the component purchased. Besides that, he also has inquiry about the component purchased will be arrived on time or not or the duration taken of delivering the component. This is because, if the component are not suitable to use, his team has to replace it and it will entail expensive rush order for the replacement component or the downtime for the entire plant. Jim Ballenger also concern about his relationship with his suppliers. He thought that his supplier may difficult become one part of his team. Since the supplier will expect to have special effort on their quality control or delivery flexibility on behalf of one of its almost miniscule discount. Jim Ballenger has been rent a public warehouse near his plant to keep his inventory that cost $500,000 to $1,000,000, which he paid more than 1. 5% per month from the borrowed funds to buy it. Since he starts to producing the different model, and using so many different appliances, the cost of the safety stock increased day by day. The JIT presume table has drawn with two considerations. Since the major component, chassis can be purchased at one time basis from the local supplier and out of stock situation is hardly happen, thus this component has excluded from using JIT system. The two considerations will be (1) Ballenger’s inventory carrying costs of are assumed to be 20% per year on the average investment in inventory on hand comprising acquisition and transportation costs, (2) those components that can obtain from closer sources, one week of the safety stock is sustain, if the component is further form the stock, two weeks to one month of safety stock should be available.

Donald Trumps Ancestry

Donald Trumps Ancestry Donald Trumps family tree shows that he, like many Americans, had a parent who was an immigrant. Trump was born in New York City, the city where his Scottish mother met and married his father, himself the child  of immigrants from Germany.   Donald Trump was the fourth of five children born to Frederick Christ and Mary MacLeod Trump. The future president was born in the borough of Queens in New York City on June 14, 1946. He learned the real-estate business from his father, who took over the family construction business at the age of 13 when Fredericks father (Donalds grandfather) died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. Friederich  Trump, Donald Trumps grandfather, immigrated from Germany in 1885. Like his future grandson, Friederich Trump was an entrepreneur. Before settling in New York City and starting his family, he sought his fortune during the Klondike Gold Rush  in the late 1890s, where for a time he operated the Arctic Restaurant and Hotel in Bennett, British Columbia.   The following Trump family tree  was compiled using the  ahnentafel genealogical numbering system. First Generation 1. Donald John Trump  was born on June 14, 1946, in New York City.   Donald John Trump and Ivana Zelnickova Winklmayr were married on April 7, 1977, in New York City.  They divorced on March 22, 1992. They had the following children: Donald Trump Jr. was born on December 31, 1977, in New York City. He is married to Vanessa Kay Haydon. They have five children: Chloe Sophia Trump, Kai Madison Trump, Tristan Milos Trump, Donald Trump III, and Spencer Frederick Trump.Ivanka Trump was born on October 30, 1981, in New York City.  She is married to Jared Corey Kushner, with whom she has three children: Arabella Rose Kushner, Joseph Frederick Kushner, and Theodore James Kushner.Eric Trump was born on January 6, 1984, in New York City. He is married to Lara Lea Yunaska. Donald Trump and Marla Maples were married on December 20, 1993, in New York City. They divorced on June 8, 1999. They had one child: Tiffany Trump was born on October 13, 1993, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Donald Trump married  Melania Knauss (born Melanija Knavs) on January 22, 2005, in Palm Beach, Florida. They have one child: Barron William Trump was born on March 20, 2006, in New York City. Second Generation (Parents) 2. Frederick Christ (Fred) Trump was born on October 11, 1905, in New York City.  He died on June 25, 1999, in New Hyde Park, New York. 3. Mary Anne MacLeod was born on May 10, 1912, in Isle of Lewis, Scotland.  She died on August 7, 2000, in New Hyde Park, New York. Fred Trump and Mary MacLeod were married in January 1936 in New York City.  They had the following children: i. Mary Anne Trump was born on April 5, 1937, in New York City. ii. Fred Trump Jr. was born in 1938 in New York City and died in 1981. iii. Elizabeth Trump was born in 1942 in New York City. 1. iv. Donald John Trump v. Robert Trump was born in August 1948 in New York City. Third Generation (Grandparents) 4. Friederich (Fred) Trump was born on March 14, 1869, in Kallstadt, Germany.  He immigrated in 1885 to the United States from Hamburg, Germany, aboard the ship Eider and became a United States citizen in 1892 in Seattle.  He died on March 30, 1918, in New York City. 5. Elizabeth Christ  was born on October 10, 1880, in Kallstadt, Germany, and died on June 6, 1966, in New York City. Fred Trump and Elizabeth Christ were married on August 26, 1902, in Kallstadt, Germany. Fred and Elizabeth had the following children: i. Elizabeth (Betty) Trump  was born on April 30, 1904, in New York City  and died on December 3, 1961, in New York City. 2 ii. Frederick Christ (Fred) Trump iii. John George Trump  was born on August 21, 1907, in New York City and died on February 21, 1985, in Boston. 6.  Malcolm MacLeod  was born December 27, 1866, in Stornoway, Scotland, to two MacLeods, Alexander and Anne. He was a fisherman and crofter and also served as the compulsory officer in charge of enforcing attendance at the local school from 1919. He  died on June 22, 1954, in Tong, Scotland. 7.  Mary Smith  was born on July 11, 1867, in Tong, Scotland, to Donald Smith and Henrietta McSwane. Her father died when she was just a little over a year old, and she and her three siblings were raised by their mother. Mary died December 27, 1963. Malcolm MacLeod and Mary Smith were married in the Back  Free Church of Scotland  just a few miles  from Stornoway, the only town on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland. Their marriage was witnessed by Murdo MacLeod and Peter Smith.   Malcolm and Mary had the following children: i. Malcolm M. MacLeod Jr. was born September 23, 1891, in Tong, Scotland, and died Jan. 20, 1983, on Lopez Island, Washington. ii. Donald MacLeod was born about 1894. iii.  Christina MacLeod was born about 1896. iv. Katie Ann MacLeod was born about 1898. v. William MacLeod was born about 1898. vi. Annie MacLeod was born about 1900. vii. Catherine MacLeod was born about 1901. viii. Mary Johann MacLeod was born about 1905. ix. Alexander MacLeod was born about 1909. 3. x. Mary Anne MacLeod Fourth Generation (Great-Grandparents) 8.  Christian Johannes Trump was born in June 1829 in Kallstadt, Germany, and died July 6, 1877, in Kallstadt. 9.  Katherina Kober  was born about 1836 in Kallstadt, Germany, and died in November 1922 in Kallstadt. Christian Johannes Trump and Katherina Kober were married on September 29, 1859, in Kallstadt, Germany. They had the following child: 4.  i.  Friederich (Fred) Trump 10.  Christian Christ,  birth date unknown 11.  Anna Maria Rathon, birth date unknown Christ Christ and Anna Maria Rathon were married. They had the following child: 5.  i.  Elizabeth Christ 12.  Alexander MacLeod, a crofter and fisherman,  was born May 10, 1830, in Stornoway, Scotland, to William MacLeod and Christian MacLeod. He died in Tong, Scotland, on January 12, 1900. 13.  Anne MacLeod  was born about 1833 in Tong, Scotland. Alexander MacLeod and Anne MacLeod were married at Tong December 3, 1853. They had the following children: i. Catherine MacLeod was born about 1856. ii. Jessie MacLeod was born about 1857. iii. Alexander MacLeod was born about 1859. iv. Ann MacLeod was born about 1865. 6.  v.  Malcolm MacLeod vi. Donald MacLeod was born June 11, 1869. vii. William MacLeod was born January 21, 1874. 14.  Donald Smith was born January 1, 1835, to Duncan Smith and Henrietta MacSwane, the second of their nine children. He was a woolen weaver and cottar (peasant farmer). Donald died on October 26, 1868,  off the coast Broadbay, Scotland, when a squall of wind overturned his boat.   15.  Mary Macauley  was born about 1841 in Barvas, Scotland. Donald Smith and Mary Macauley were married on December 16, 1858, in Garrabost on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.  They had the following children: i. Ann Smith was born November 8, 1859, in Stornoway, Scotland. ii. John Smith was born December 31, 1861, in Stornoway. iii. Duncan Smith was born September 2, 1864, in Stornoway and died October 29, 1937, in Seattle. 7.  iv.  Mary Smith

Chinas First Historically Documented Walled Cities

Chinas First Historically Documented Walled Cities Shang Dynasty cities were the first historically documented urban settlements in China. The Shang Dynasty [c 1700–1050 B.C.E.] was the first Chinese dynasty to leave written records, and the idea and function of cities took on an elevated importance. The written records, mostly in the form of oracle bones, record the actions of the last nine Shang kings and describe some of the cities. The first of these historically-recorded rulers was Wu Ding, the twenty-first king of the dynasty. The Shang rulers were literate, and like other early urban dwellers, the Shang employed a useful calendar and wheeled vehicles, and practiced metallurgy, including objects of cast bronze. They used bronze for such items as vessels for ritual offerings, wine, and weapons. And they resided and ruled from large, wealthy urban settlements. Urban Capital Cities of Shang China The early cities in the Shang (and the predecessor Xia dynasty) were imperial capitals- called palace-temple-cemetery complexes- that acted as the administrative, economic, and religious centers of government. These cities were built within fortification walls which provided defense. Later walled cities were county (hsien) and provincial capitals. The earliest Chinese urban centers were located along the banks of the middle and lower courses of the Yellow River in northern China. Since the course of the Yellow River has changed, modern maps of the ruins of the Shang Dynasty locations are no longer on the river. At the time, some of the Shang were probably still pastoral nomads, but most were sedentary, small-village agriculturists, who kept domesticated animals and raised crops. There the already-large Chinese populations over-cultivated the originally fertile land. Because China developed the techniques of using rivers for irrigation of their fields later than in the heavily trade-networked Near East and Egypt, fortified cities appeared in China more than a millennium earlier than in Mesopotamia or Egypt- at least, thats one theory. Besides irrigation per se, sharing ideas via trade routes was important to the development of civilization. Indeed, trade with tribes in the central Asian steppes may have brought one of the other components of urban culture, the wheeled chariot, to China. Aspects of Urbanism Defining what makes for a city in terms relevant for ancient China, as well as elsewhere, American archaeologist K.C. Chang wrote: Political kingship, a religious system and hierarchy that coupled with it, segmentary lineages, economic exploitation of many by a few, technological specialization and sophisticated achievements in art, writing, and science. The layout of the cities shared that of other ancient urban areas of Asia, similar to ones in Egypt and Mexico: a central core with the surrounding area divided into four regions, one for each of the cardinal directions. The Shang City of Ao The first clearly urban settlement of ancient China was called Ao. The archaeological ruins of Ao were discovered in 1950 C.E., so near the modern city of Chengchou (Zhengzhou) that the current city has hampered investigations. Some scholars, including Thorp, suggest that this location is really Bo (or Po), an earlier Shang capital than Ao, founded by the founder of the Shang Dynasty. Assuming it really is Ao, it was the 10th Shang Emperor, Chung Ting (Zhong Ding) (1562–1549 B.C.E.), who built it on the ruins of a Neolithic settlement dated to the Black pottery period. Ao was a rectangularly-walled city with fortifications like those that had surrounded villages. Such walls are described as ramparts of pounded earth. The city of Ao extended 2 km (1.2) from north to south and 1.7 km (1 mi) from east to west, yielding an area of about 3.4 square kilometers (1.3 square miles), which was large for early China, but small compared to comparably dated Near Eastern cities. Babylon, for instance, was roughly 8 sq km (3.2 sq km). Chang says the walled area was roomy enough to include some cultivated land, although probably not the peasants. Factories for making bronze, bone, horn, and ceramic objects and foundries and what may have been a distillery were mostly located outside the walls. The Great City Shang The best-studied Shang Dynasty city is the 14th century B.C.E. city of Shang, which was built, according to tradition, by the Shang ruler Pan Keng, in 1384. Known as the Great City Shang (Da Yi Shang), the 30–40 sq km city may have been located about 100 mi (160 km) north of Ao and near Anyang north of the village of Hsiao Tun. An alluvial plain created from Yellow River loess deposits surrounded Shang. Irrigated water from the Yellow River provided relatively reliable harvests in an otherwise semi-arid area. The Yellow River created a physical barrier on the north and east and part of the west. On the west was also a mountain range providing protection and, Chang says, probably hunting grounds and timber. Fortifications and Other City-Typical Objects Just because there were natural boundaries doesnt mean Shang was without a wall, although evidence of a wall has yet to be discovered. Within the central parts of the city were palaces, temples, cemeteries, and an archive. Houses were made with walls of pounded earth with light poles for roofs covered with rush matting and all plastered with mud. There were no grander structures than those made of wattle and daub, although Chang says there might have been two-story buildings. The Great City Shang was the capital- at least for ancestor worship/ritual purposes- for 12 Shang Dynasty kings, unusually long for the Shang Dynasty which is said to have changed its capital many times. During the period of the 14 predynastic Shang lords, the capital changed eight times, and in the period of the 30 kings, seven times. The Shang (at least in the later period) practiced sacrifice and ancestor worship, with mortuary rituals. The Shang dynasty king was theocrat: his power came from the peoples belief that he could communicate with the high god Ti via his ancestors. Small Earlier Chinese Cities Recent archaeological excavations have determined that remains in Sichuan, previously thought to have been from the Han Dynasty, actually date from as early as c. 2500 B.C.E. Such sites were smaller complexes than the ones from the three dynasties but may have held a primary position among Chinese cities. Updated by K. Kris Hirst and N.S. Gill Sources:​ Lawler A. 2009. Beyond the Yellow River: How China Became China. Science 325(5943):930-935. Lee YK. 2002. Building the Chronology of Early Chinese History. Asian Perspectives 41(1):15-42. Liu L. 2009. State Emergence in Early China. Annual Review of Anthropology 38:217-232. Murowchick RE, and Cohen DJ. 2001. Searching for Shang’s Beginnings: Great City Shang, City Song, and Collaborative Archaeology in Shangqui, Henan. Review of Archaeology 22(2):47-61.

American political and social life that Tocqueville discusses Essay

American political and social life that Tocqueville discusses - Essay Example This paper analyses Toqeville's account on religion in America in nineteenth century and its influences on democracy. There is hardly any human action, however, it may be particular, which does not originate in some general idea, men have conceived of the Deity, of his relation to mankind, of the nature of their own souls, and of their duties to their fellow creatures. Men are therefore immeasurably interested in acquiring fixed ideas of God (Toqueveille, p.22) Toqeville has pointed out that majority of the ideas developed in this world are attributed to God or Deity. It is a fact that even atheists are developing their arguments based on the teachings of the religion. In fact the influence of God and religion is forcing the people to think in terms of good and evil. In the absence of religious teachings, nobody would have cared about the seriousness of committing mistakes. Religion is the only entity which talk about a life after death and whereas all the other institutions and phil osophies are talking about the present life while keeping a blind eye towards what is going to happen after one’s death. â€Å"One of the principal advantage of religion is to furnish fundamental questions a solution which is at once clear, precise, intelligible to the mass of mankind and lasting† (Toqueveille, p.23). ... Religion restraining on every side of the free movement of the human mind. It imposes a salutary restraint on the intellect and it must be admitted that if it do not save men in another world, it is at least very conductive to their happiness and greatness in this (Toqueveille, p.24) As stated earlier, the hope for a life after death prevents people from controlling their thoughts of committing any evil act in this world. It is a fact that human mind is just like a free bird which travels randomly from one place to another without any preferences of priorities. However, the thoughts about the future world force the people to put a strong control over his thoughts and activities. Because of the constraints imposed by the religions, people cannot think freely as stated by Toqueveille. â€Å"It is doubtful whether man can ever support at the same time complete religious independence and entire political freedom. If faith be wanting in him, he must be subject; and if he be free, he must believe† (Toqueveille, p.24). Political thoughts and religious teachings may not travel always in parallel directions. There are some political thoughts which support majority religious teachings fully whereas there are many other political thoughts which reject all the claims of religions. For example, in Islamic countries like, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, etc religion dominates over politics. In fact politics in these countries cannot be separated from religion and religious teachings. In other words, religion is actually ruling in these countries. On the other hand, in communist countries like China, freedom to believe in some kind of religion is prohibited. In such countries, religion has few roles in social and political lives of the public. On the other hand, in