Reading Comprehension for Presidential Elections

Reading Comprehension for Presidential Elections This reading comprehension focuses on Presidential elections. Its followed by key vocabulary relating to the US elections system. Presidential Elections Americans elect a new president on the first Tuesday in November. Its an important event that happens once every four years. Currently, the president is always elected from one of the two main parties in the United States: the Republicans and the Democrats. There are other presidential candidates. However, it is unlikely that any of these third party candidates will win. It certainly hasnt happened in the last one hundred years. In order to become the presidential nominee of a party, the candidate must win the primary election. Primary elections are held throughout each state in the United States in the first half of an election year. Then, the delegates attend their party convention in order to nominate their chosen candidate. Usually, as in this election, its clear who will be the nominee. However, in the past parties have been divided and choosing a nominee has been a difficult process. Once the nominees have been selected, they campaign throughout the country. A number of debates are usually held in order to better understand the candidates points of view. These points of view often reflect their partys platform. A party platform is best described as the general beliefs and policies a party holds. Candidates travel the country by plane, bus, train or by car giving speeches. These speeches are often called stump speeches. In the 19th century, candidates would stand on tree stumps to deliver their speeches. These stump speeches repeat the candidates basic views and aspirations for the country. They are repeated many hundreds of times by each candidate. Many people believe that campaigns in the United States have become too negative. Each night you can see many attack ads on the television. These short ads contain sound bites which often distort the truth  or something the other candidate has said or done. Another recent problem has been voter turnout. There is often less than 60% turnout for national elections. Some people dont register to vote, and some registered voters dont show up at the voting booths. This angers many citizens who feel that voting is the most important responsibility of any citizen. Others point out that not voting is expressing an opinion that the system is broken. The United States maintains an extremely old, and some say inefficient, voting system. This system is called the Electoral College. Each state is assigned electoral votes based on the number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress. Each state has two Senators. The number of representatives is determined by the states population but is never less than one. The electoral votes are decided by the popular vote in each state. One candidate wins all of the electoral votes in a state. In other words, Oregon has 8 electoral votes. If 1 million people vote for the Republican candidate and one million and ten people vote for the Democratic candidate all 8 electoral votes go to the Democratic candidate. Many people feel that this system should be abandoned. Key Vocabulary to electpolitical partyRepublicanDemocratthird partycandidatepresidential nomineeprimary electiondelegateto attendparty conventionto nominatedebateparty platformstump speechattack adssound biteto distort the truthvoter turnoutregistered votervoting boothElectoral CollegeCongresssenatorrepresentativeelectoral votepopular vote

The Conifer Killer Tree Diseases

The Conifer Killer Tree Diseases There are virulent diseases that attack coniferous trees which ultimately cause death or devalue a tree in the urban landscape and rural forest to the point where they need to be cut. Five of the most malignant diseases have been suggested by foresters and landowners at Abouts Forestry Forum. I have ranked these diseases according to their ability to cause aesthetic and commercial damage. Here they are: #1 - Armillaria Root Disease: The disease attacks both hardwoods and softwoods and can kill shrubs, vines, and forbs in every state in the United States. It is pervasive in North America, commercially destructive and is my pick for the worst disease.The Armillaria sp. can kill trees that are already weakened by competition, other pests, or climatic factors. The fungi also infect healthy trees, either killing them outright or predisposing them to attacks by other fungi or insects.More on Armillaria Root Disease. #2 - Diplodia Blight of Pines: This disease attacks pines and is most damaging to plantings of both exotic and native pine species in 30 Eastern and Central States. The fungus is seldom found in natural pine stands.  Diplodia pinea kills current-year shoots, major branches, and ultimately entire trees. The effects of this disease are most severe in landscape, windbreak, and park plantings. Symptoms are brown, stunted new shoots with short, brown needles.More on Diplodia Blight of Pines .​​ #3 - White Pine Blister Rust:​ The disease attacks pines with 5 needles per fascicle. That includes Eastern and Western white pine, sugar pine and limber pine. Seedlings are in greatest danger.  Cronartium ribicolais a rust fungus and can only be infected by basidiospores produced on Ribes (current and gooseberry) plants. It is native to Asia but was introduced to North America. It has invaded most white pine areas and is still making progress into the Southwest and into southern California.More on White Pine Blister Rust. #4 - Annosus Root Rot: The disease is a rot of conifers in many temperate parts of the world. The decay, called annosus root rot, often kills conifers. It occurs over much of the Eastern U.S. and is very common in the South.The fungus,Fomes annosus, usually enters by infecting freshly cut stump surfaces. That makes annosus root rot a problem in thinned pine plantations. The fungus produces conks that form at the root collar on roots of living or dead trees and on stumps or on slash. More on Annosus Root Rot. #5 - Fusiform Rust of Southern Pines: This disease causes death within five years of a trees life if a stem infection occurs. Mortality is heaviest on trees less than 10 years old. Millions of dollars are lost annually to timber growers because of the disease. The fungus Cronartium fusiforme requires an alternate host to complete its life cycle. Part of the cycle is spent in the living tissue of pine stems and branches, and the remainder in the green leaves of several species of oak. More on Fusiform Rust of Southern Pines.

Our Government Should Legalized Marijuana Thesis

Our Government Should Legalized Marijuana - Thesis Example Marijuana has many health benefits. Morgan (2010, p.8) states, â€Å"Physicians and medical research professionals reported that marijuana use might have some health benefits for people with certain medical problems, such as nausea and migraines.† In diseases like Attention-Deficit Disorder or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, marijuana plays a calming role. It helps the patients of AIDS reduce neuropathic muscle spasms, and develop their appetite and sleep. In anorexia, it helps improve the patient’s mood. Marijuana helps regulate sleeping patterns, reduces swelling and muscle spasms, and removes stress. So, when it is so helpful in these diseases, then there is no point in not making it legal. Legalizing marijuana will decrease criminal offence. Banning marijuana does not stop the addicts or even non-addicts to consume it. Prohibiting something always increases the fascination about that thing, and the consumers feel more compelled to try it, and for that they even steal, lie, and get more involved in binge drinking. Addicts would be more compelled to commit crimes like robbery and theft to finance their addiction of marijuana. This would result in an increase in crime. â€Å"Legalizing marijuana would cause the price of marijuana to fall considerably, more than just the 50% that has been incorporated into current revenue estimates†, asserts Pacula (2009, p.1). Hence, when the prices fall and marijuana is legalized, there will be less criminal offences saving taxpayers’ money. Legalizing marijuana would save the budget that is being spent on the war over trafficking marijuana into the country. Governments set aside heavy budgets to combat marijuana traffickers, and still success is not achieved, because there are black marketers out there who will bring in marijuana from the borders and sell it in the black market. When marijuana is not available legally, the black markets sell it on

Challenge that Faces Positive Marketing of Healthy Behaviour Essay

Challenge that Faces Positive Marketing of Healthy Behaviour - Essay Example Most consumer items such as cigarette have side effects, which are supposed to be clearly indicated on their packaging. In most countries, advertisements or any marketing information of such commodities should be accompanied by any side effects (Bond, 1993). The main challenge of such advertisements is the message that promotes the product. For instance, cigarette advertisement uses healthy and successful people to show the positive side of smoking. In most cases, the advertisements use public icons such as musicians and sport men to advertise cigarettes. It is difficult to convince the audience of such information that cigarette smoking or junky foods are harmful to their health. The other challenge facing positive advertisements is lack of uncertainty in the message. For instance, a typical message against tobacco smoking will contain information such as cigarette smoking is harmful to your health, smoking can cause lung cancer and cigarette smoking increase anxiety. Such messages lack certainty and hence they are open to different forms of challenges (Rokeach, 1973). Firstly, the message stating that cigarette smoking is harmful to the health of a smoker fails to state the extent to which smoking is harmful. In addition, adequate studies have not been conducted to establish the extent to which these health problems are related to smoking. ... Cigarette ads should state that smoking a certain number of sticks per day increases the risk of developing cancer by a certain proportion. The other challenge facing positive advertisement is the attitude that people have towards negative behaviours. People associate these negative behaviours with lifestyles. For instance, smoking is associated with leisure while junk foods are associated with busy or wealthy people. It is difficult to change the mentality that people have on these commodities through positive advertisement messages. For instance telling parents to stop feeding their children with junk foods seems to lower their social status. On the other hand telling people to stop smoking is similar to telling them to stop associating themselves with a certain class of friends. People always oppose such information since it does not contribute to their social well-being. Advertisements that target negative behaviours and certain commodities such as cigarettes and fast foods tend to criminalize the commodities or behaviour (Rokeach, 1973). In addition, the ads portray the negative sides of the commodities or behaviours. People always oppose information that warns them against certain action. In addition, people always want to experiment with things that have been declared harmful. For instance, people want to experiment the negativities of cigarette smoking. The main reason why cigarette smoking has not been banned in most countries is that making the commodity illegal will make it more attractive (Bond, 1993). This is similar to hard drug such as cocaine and marijuana. Due to the illegal status of these drugs, people always use them as a way of showing their defiance towards the

Health Care Museum Essay Example for Free

Health Care Museum Essay 1. Public Health As stated by Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health; Division of Health Care Services, Prior to the eighteenth century there was several epidemics of plague, cholera, and smallbox, which provoked sporadic public efforts to protect citizens in the face of a dread disease (1988, p.57). During the eighteenth century public health awareness and efforts helped disease to be seen through a new scope of human health conditions rather than a super natural effect that could be controlled through isolation of the ill and quarantine of people who traveled. Many people thought disease was contributed to poor moral or even a spiritual mediated factor that could be healed through prayer and/or meditation. Public Health has several improving factors amongst people in the United States. These improving factors include but are not limited to preventative measures of controlling infectious disease, immunizations, safer and healthier foods, and a cleaner environment. Public health has helped decrease hospital infections and diseases from spreading in numerous ways. One important contribution public health has implement is the education of hand washing in hospitals and with food handling as well. By educating people about hand washing, it has decreased transmission of bacteria from spreading to patient to patient. Proper steps such as lathering hands with soap, rubbing hands together for 15 seconds, using a clean paper towel to dry hands and lastly turning off water with a paper towel has help prevent transmission of multiple bacteria from spreading. 2. Penicillin Penicillin was discovered by Dr. Alexander Fleming in 1928. Dr. Alexander Fleming was a bacteriologist and discovered penicillin, a mold, when examining colonies of Staphylococcus aureus on petri dishes in his laboratory. Upon examining the colonies of Staphylococcus aureus there where areas that did not inhibit growth due to the Penicillin mold. This discovery was extremely important in history because it lead to the combat of infectious diseases. Penicillin was not used as an antibiotic until 1942. In 1942 Penicillin was used on its first patient who developed an infection after miscarrying. The clinical impact of penicillin was on a large scale of events, it has lead to a wide scale of antibiotics that is used today. These same technologies became the model for the development and production of new types of bioproducts (i.e., anticancer agents, monoclonal antibodies, and industrial enzymes). The clinical impact of penicillin was large and immediate. By ushering in the widespread clinical use of antibiotics, penicillin was responsible for enabling the control of many infectious diseases that had previously burdened mankind, with subsequent impact on global population demographics. Moreover, the large cumulative public effect of the many new antibiotics and new bioproducts that were developed and commercialized on the basis of the science and technology after penicillin demonstrates that penicillin had the greatest therapeutic impact event of all times (Kardos N, Demain Al) 3. American Red Cross The American Red Cross was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton. Clara Barton visited Europe and heard about the Swiss-inspired Red Cross. When she returned home from her visit she campaigned for an American Red Cross and for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war-injured, which the United States ratified in 1882 (American cross.org). The purpose of the American Red Cross is to aid in giving relief and to help service a medium communication between the American armed forces and their families. During World War II, the American Red Cross initiated a national blood program that obtained over 13.3 million pints of blood for the armed forces. The American Red Cross has a huge impact nation wide and with the United States. The American Red Cross responds to aiding in major disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and wars. Their response system also educates in nutrition,  accident prevention, home care for the sick, safety training, CPR/AED training, HIV/AIDS education along with emotional care and support during disasters. One of the major contributing factors of the American Red Cross is its blood program. It’s blood program supplies more than 40 percent of the blood products in the United States (American Cross, 2014). Many hospitals and health care facilities acquire their blood products from the American Red Cross to transfuse into their patients, which has saved thousands of lives. 4. CPR CPR was developed in the 1700 to save the lives of drowning victims. Over a hundred years later, in 1891, Dr. Friedrich Maass performed the first documented chest compressions on a human. In 1960, a group of resuscitation pioneers, Drs. Peter Safar, James Jude, and William Bennett Kouwenhouven, combined mouth-to-mouth breathing with chest compressions to create Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, the lifesaving action we now call â€Å"CPR† (American Heart Association, 2014) CPR was once known to only be performed by people in the health care field. Today, there are more than 12 million people annually who are trained in CPR and advanced life support who certified to aid in rescuing lives. CPR has increased the survival rate of patients who are in sudden cardiac arrest. According to the American Heart Association, nearly 383,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur annually out of the hospital, and 88 percent of sudden cardiac arrests occur at home 5. MEDICARE In 1965 President Johnson signed into law the Medicare program. The Medicare program was put into place due to several Americans over 65 who were unable to obtain medical insurance. There were numerous factors leading to Americans not being able to have medical insurance. Some people were unable to pay for private insurance at the same time some employers do not offer medical insurance. According to the CMS (2013) on March 26, 1965 congressional leaders discussed the Medicare legislation plan. In this discussion it was stated that every American over the age of 65 will be guaranteed comprehensive Hospital medical protection for the rest of their life. For three dollars a month after he is 65, he also receives full coverage for medical, surgical, and other fees whether he is in or out of the hospital (p. 10). Today Medicare serves a large population for the  elderly and disabled individuals. Theres several different types of Medicare plans. There is a medical Medicare part a Medicare part B and the Medicare part C. Medicare part A and B is the original Medicare plans, Medicare advantage is part C and theres also a prescription drug program which is part D Medicare advantage part C and part D are offered by private insurance companies. The wonderful thing about Medicare, is Medicare can be a supplement health insurance. Meaning that an individual can have a private health insurance such as Blue Cross or Blue Shield and in addition to that they can also have Medicare. For example if a patient has Blue Cross or Blue Shield that would be their primary insurance and Medicare would be their secondary insurance. Both insurances would be billed, leaving no out of pocket expenses for the patient. Our healthcare system evolves day by day. With new innovation and technology enhancements our healthcare delivery system has empowered us to provide the utmost quality of care. Form the public health system taking the preventative measures of controlling infectious disease is with the education of hand washing skills to the development of antibiotics. Penicillin paved the way for curing infections, thus improving life expectancy. Penicillin was first antibiotic to be used on a human being, and has also enabled scientists to develop and produce different types of new antibiotics. The introduction of cardio pulmonary resuscitation helps save lives every day, whether the patient be in or out of the hospital setting. With the help of the American Red Cross educating and training thousands of people to perform CPR, CPR has increased the survival rate of many people who fall victim to the sudden cardiac arrest. Not only has the American Red Cross assisted in educating people on how to perform CPR but also has saved thousands of lives with its blood program. Its blood programs supplies 40% of the United States blood products, impacting the lives of individuals who need a blood transfusion as well as their loved ones. The American Red Cross has helped in aid relief efforts for major disasters and is a crucial link between families and the Armed Forces. As a link between Armed Forces and families the American Red Cross facilitates the transportation of military men and women with the connection to their ill family member(s). As peoples life expectancy tends to increase many people who are 65 and  over utilize the need for Medicare. Medicare pays for millions of senior citizens including those who are disabled. The healthcare system is a huge umbrella, where each part functions as a whole, one cannot function without the other. References American Heart Association. (2014). CPR Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/WhatisCPR/CPRFactsandStats/CPR- Statistics_UCM_307542_Article.jsp American Red Cross. (2014). A Brief History of the American Red Cross. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/about-us/history Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services. (2013). CMS History Project Presidents’ Speeches Table of Contents pdf. Retrieved from http://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency- Information/History/Downloads/CMSPresidentsSpeeches.pdf Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health; Division of Health Care Services. (1988). The future of public health. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Kardos N, Demain AL. (2011). Penicillin: the medicine with the greatest impact on therapeutic outcomes. NCBI. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21964640 Kardos N, Demain AL.

Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life: No Correct Answer Essay -- Abortion, Argument

Abortion is the ending of a pregnancy before birth; it causes the termination of the embryo or fetus inside the women. There are two different types of abortion, a spontaneous abortion, which is also known as a miscarriage, and an induced abortion, where the embryo or fetus is purposely removed from the women’s body. The topic of induced abortion has been widely debated for hundreds of years. The issue of abortion was argued way back in the time of the ancient Hebrews. In the United States it became illegal around the mid 1800’s and not until the 1960’s was the argument for the right to abort brought back to the table. In 1973, the Supreme Court case â€Å"Roe vs. Wade† made abortion legal. The case stated that abortion was legal in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy (O’Brien par. 17). Since that day over 30 years ago, there have been many cases in which abortion has been disputed. Congress has passed many laws restricting abort ion rights, including in cases such as Webster vs. Reproductive Health Services and Stenberg v. Carhart (O’Brien par. 18). There are many other cases like these and each time is seems more likely that a woman’s right to choose could be overturned (â€Å"Reproductive Rights† 26). There are many different ranges of beliefs about the morality of abortion, whether or not one should have an abortion, and under what conditions the termination of pregnancy is acceptable. Many argue at what point in the process of pregnancy a human person comes into existence. People disagree about whether anything from an ovum to a fetus is a form of human life. No person knows this information, but it is debated among the two major sides on this issue. The first side are those that believe abortion should be forb... ...e right path to choose, if in fact I would become pregnant at this age. I feel that I should have the right to decide freely and responsibly when and whether I have a child. I feel very strongly about this issue, and because of that I am very biased to the arguments that the pro-life groups make. Neither argument is right or wrong, but I feel that the pro-choice side presents their arguments in a better manner. The pro-choice gives arguments such as legal abortion eliminates many of the illegal abortions that used to take place, where pro-life presents arguments like, abortion is murder. They don’t give examples of how abortion is harming the world, other than reasons of value. They also present less arguments than the pro-choice groups do. Abortion is an issue that lacks objectivity and is more of a decision of ethics. There is no right or wrong answer.

Nightmare: Carnival and Read Laser Tag

Just A Nightmare Carnivals are places that you go to have fun, but sometimes these fun places can turn into your worst nightmares. It all began on a night out with my family. We were just out at the mall and when we were coming back home, we passed by a carnival. The carnival looked incredible so my family and I decided to go to the carnival and have some fun as well. We went to the carnival and it looked better up close. There were people and lights everywhere, but the carnival still had a hollow and chilly feeling to it. Wherever I went, I had the feeling that somebody was following me.My brothers and me went on a couple of rides and then I saw a huge sign that read ‘Laser Tag’. That’s when I suddenly got an awkward urge of playing Laser Tag. I told my father and he got a ticket for me. The line was really long and my father did not want to wait in line with me so I told him that I could wait in line all alone and he should come back after 30 minutes to get me. He agreed and left me waiting there. Again this time, I had the chilly feeling that somebody or something was watching me anxiously, waiting to strike. It was finally my turn.I went in with a group of twenty people dressed in laser tag jackets of four different team colors and black laser guns labeled with the same color as their jackets. I was in the yellow team. After all of us got ready, the laser tag employees let us into a dark black-walled maze. I ran away from everyone so I would not get tagged. I ran and ran until I reached a dead end. I looked around and saw a red-labeled jacket and gun making its way toward me. I got my gun ready to shoot whoever it was, but when I pressed on the gun to shoot, the sound it made sent shivers down my spine.It was the boom sound real guns made. I looked in front of me and the red-labeled person fell to the ground. I just stood there, unable to move. I was still trying to make sense of this whole thing and after about five minutes, I got to th e conclusion that I had just killed a person! I was a murderer! I ran, closing my eyes as I got close to the person I had just killed. I clutched the gun tightly in my shaking hands incase I came in contact with more trouble. I ran and ran. I saw other labeled people, but I did not dare lift up my gun. I have to find my way out was the only thing I could think.I saw light far away at the end of the caliginous path. As I got closer, I realized it was some kind of backdoor. I ran through it and now, once again, I was out in the free air, but this time, there was no body to be seen or heard. There was stillness everywhere. It seemed like not even a single leave was moving. I looked around cautiously once again and started to run. I had to get as far away from this place as possible. I ran like a maniac who had some running disease. I got to an empty parking lot. It looked like a ghost town. I saw a dumpster and hid behind it to catch my breath.I was taking long, constant breaths when I heard distant footsteps coming closer and closer. I stopped breathing and got my gun ready again. I did not know what happened to me, but I felt like a walking and talking killing machine. The footsteps started to turn into silent claps that got louder. The footsteps then turned around the corner and their owner was now facing me. He was not a normal person. He was a clown. He was wearing those bright, colorful jester clothes and big red clown shoes. I stood there frozen. I had been scared of clowns since forever, and now my worst nightmare had come alive. Good job on your first kill,† the clown said, laughing hysterically. He got a shiny silver dagger out of the oversized pocket of his jester clothes and brought it towards me. I pointed my gun at him and pressed, but instead of a bullet or boom sound, a laser came out. The clown laughed hysterically again and brought the dagger close to my neck. â€Å"Too bad it’s your last. † And that is when I opened my eyes. I was lying on by bed sweating badly. My heart was beating like a drum. I looked around myself, panicking. â€Å"It was just a nightmare,† I convinced myself. Just a nightmare†¦

Jesus Christ †Essay Essay

Most of us know about Jesus Christ and his life. Therefore, I will briefly cover Jesus in this paper. As for Muhammad, I will attempt to shed some light on the subject of this â€Å"Messenger of God†. Perhaps a better understanding of this Islamic icon can be obtained and understood through this comparative essay. Both of these religious figures caused a renewal of faith and belief in the one and only God, or Allah as the Muslims know Him by. Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, son of God, was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, Israel. He was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus was baptized God called out from Heaven and declared â€Å"This is my beloved son†. This signified that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus had twelve companions oh his choosing. These were his disciples, also known as the apostles. They went with Jesus in his travels. In these travels, Jesus taught the masses about God through parables and sermons. Jesus performed many miracles to prove that he was the son of God. He used his holy powers to overcome nature, disease and even death itself. He made believers out of many people that had witnessed the miracles. These miracles, along with his teachings, caused many to glorify God and believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The Messiah was foretold to be the savior of the world and the King of the Jews. Sadly, the Jewish leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jews had Jesus arrested. He was nearly released by the Roman Governor Pilate but the Jews threatened to riot. Pilate gave in and sentenced Jesus to be crucified. Delivering on the promise that he had made to his disciples, Jesus came back to life after he had died on the cross. As it is told in the Bible, He was sealed up in a guarded tomb. An angel came and scared the heck out of the guards and fled the scene. The disciples later went to the tomb to discover it empty. Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of humanity and had risen from the dead, thus again proving that he was the true Messiah. The Prophet Muhammad was born in 569A.D. in Makkah, also known as Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was raised by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. This was because Muhammad’s father had died before he was born. Upon his grandfather’s death, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. The Makkans claim to be descended from Abraham by Ismail. (Pickthall, M.) Therefore, it could be said that [Islam](http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/6753/islam.html) is similar to Christianity in the fact that both are Abrahamic religions. Muhammad journeyed with his uncle with a group of merchants that traded is Syria. Muhammad eventually became the merchant for the wealthy widow Khadijah. Although she was fifteen years older that Muhammad the two came to be married for twenty-six years. His marriage put him in good standing with the Makkahan people of notoriety. This, along with his excellent conducts in business and society, earned him the surname Al-Amin which meant â€Å"trustworthy†. (Pickthall, M.) Muhammad was a non-conformist to the popular religion of his time. The House of Allah, known as the Kabah, was said to be built by Abraham for the worship of Allah only. Kabah had come to be a place of worship to other idols as well. Muhammad and others like him were known as Hunafa. They desired to know the true religion of Abraham and did not agree with the current worship of many idols. (Pickthall, M.) The Hunafa sought the truth through inner reflection or meditation. Muhammad’s place of [meditation](http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/4047/meditation.html) was known as Hira, a cave located in the Mountain of Light, near Makkah. This is where the angel Jibril, known as Gabrial to Christians, revealed to Muhammad his destiny. The angel appeared to Muhammad and stated â€Å"O Muhammad! Thou art Allah’s messenger, and I am Jibril†. (Pickthall, M.) At first, Muhammad was quite disturbed by this event. He came to terms with his purpose and began to preach. In the beginning of his ministry he only preached to his family and friends. This was mainly due to the people of Makkah believing that Muhammad had gone crazy. (Pickthall, M.) After a few years the prophet Muhammad was commanded by Allah to begin to preach to the public in order to convert the pagan Arabs to Islamic beliefs. Muhammad and his converts were met with much opposition by the Quraysh. They wanted to continue to idolize their pagan gods. The majority of Muhammad’s converts were powerless in defense against the Quraysh. The persecution was horrible. Muhammad urged all of his converts that were able to escape Makkah and go to the Christian country of Abyssinia which is now Ethiopia. (Pickthall, M.)

A Brief Biography of Karl Marx

A Brief Biography of Karl Marx Karl Marx (May 5, 1818–March 14, 1883), a Prussian political economist, journalist, and activist, and author of the seminal works, The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital, influenced generations of political leaders and socioeconomic thinkers. Also known as the Father of Communism, Marxs ideas gave rise to furious, bloody revolutions, ushered in the toppling of centuries-old governments, and serve as the foundation for political systems that still rule over more than  20 percent of the worlds population- or one in five people on the planet. The Columbia History of the World called Marxs writings one of the most remarkable and original syntheses in the history of human intellect.   Personal Life and Education Marx was born in Trier, Prussia (present-day Germany) on May 5, 1818, to Heinrich Marx and Henrietta Pressberg. Marxs parents were Jewish, and he came from a long line of rabbis on both sides of his family. However, his father converted to Lutheranism to evade antisemitism prior to Marxs birth. Marx  was educated at home by his father until high school, and in 1835 at the age of 17, enrolled at Bonn University in Germany, where he studied law at his fathers request. Marx, however, was much more interested in philosophy and literature. Following that first year at the university, Marx became engaged to Jenny von Westphalen, an educated baroness. They would later marry in 1843. In 1836, Marx enrolled at the University of Berlin, where he soon felt at home when he joined a circle of brilliant and extreme thinkers who were challenging existing institutions and ideas, including religion, philosophy, ethics, and politics. Marx graduated with his doctoral degree in 1841. Career and Exile After school, Marx turned to writing and journalism to support himself. In 1842 he became the editor of the liberal Cologne newspaper Rheinische Zeitung, but the Berlin government banned it from publication the following year. Marx left Germany- never to return- and spent two years in Paris, where he first met his collaborator, Friedrich Engels. However, chased out of France by those in power who opposed his ideas, Marx moved to Brussels, in 1845, where he founded the German Workers’ Party and was active in the Communist League. There, Marx networked with other leftist intellectuals and activists and- together with Engels- wrote his most famous work, The Communist Manifesto. Published in 1848, it contained the famous line: Workers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains. After being exiled from Belgium, Marx finally settled in London where he lived as a stateless exile for the rest of his life. Marx worked in journalism and wrote for both German and English language publications. From 1852 to 1862, he was a correspondent for the New York Daily Tribune, writing a total of 355 articles. He also continued writing and formulating his theories about the nature of society and how he believed it could be improved, as well as actively campaigning for socialism. He spent the rest of his life working on  a three-volume tome, Das Kapital, which saw its first volume published in 1867. In this work, Marx aimed to explain the economic impact of capitalist society, where a small group, which he called the  bourgeoisie, owned the means of production and used their power to exploit the proletariat, the working class that actually produced the goods that enriched the capitalist tsars. Engels edited and published the second and third volumes of Das Kapital shortly after Marxs death. Death and Legacy While Marx remained a relatively unknown figure in his own lifetime, his ideas and the ideology of Marxism began to exert a major influence on socialist movements shortly after his death. He succumbed to cancer on March 14, 1883, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery in London. Marxs theories about society, economics, and politics, which are collectively known as Marxism, argue that all society progresses through the dialectic of class struggle. He was critical of the current socio-economic form of society, capitalism, which he called the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, believing it to be run by the wealthy middle and upper classes purely for their own benefit, and predicted that it would inevitably produce internal tensions which would lead to its self-destruction and replacement by a new system, socialism. Under socialism, he argued that society would be governed by the working class in what he called the dictatorship of the proletariat. He believed that socialism would eventually be replaced by a stateless, classless society called  communism. Continuing Influence Whether Marx intended for the proletariat to rise up and foment revolution or whether he felt that the ideals of communism, ruled by an egalitarian proletariat, would simply outlast capitalism, is debated to this day. But, several successful revolutions did occur, propelled by groups that adopted communism- including those in  Russia, 1917-1919,  and China, 1945-1948. Flags and banners depicting Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Russian Revolution, together with Marx, were long displayed in the  Soviet Union. The same was true in China, where similar flags showing the leader of that countrys revolution,  Mao Zedong,  together with Marx were also prominently displayed. Marx has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history, and in a 1999 BBC poll was voted the thinker of the millennium by people from around the world. The memorial at his grave is always covered by tokens of appreciation from his fans. His tombstone is inscribed with words that echo those from The Communist Manifesto, which seemingly predicted the influence Marx would have on world politics and economics: Workers of all lands unite.†

The Magic of Grammar

The Magic of Grammar The Magic of Grammar The Magic of Grammar By Maeve Maddox Glamor/Glamour: a magical or fictitious beauty attaching to any person or object; a delusive or alluring charm. Perhaps glamor is in the eye of the beholder, but in general, some things are felt to have it and others not. For example: Names: Marilyn Monroe vs. Norma Jean Baker. Occupations: actor vs. plumber. Fields of study: psychology vs. grammar. Outside a rarefied environment like an online site frequented by people who find it fascinating, what could have less glamor than grammar? Etymologically speaking, however, grammar and glamor are sisters under the skin. Scotsman Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) achieved international fame with his novels, many of which were set in his native Scotland and featured dialogue sprinkled with Scots dialect. One of the expressions he introduced to standard English was â€Å"to cast the glamour.† He was not the only literary Scotsman to include a bit of dialect in their writing. Here are OED citations from two of Scott’s countrymen: 1721  Ã‚   A. Ramsay Gloss. When devils, wizards or jugglers deceive the sight, they are said to cast glamour oer the eyes of the spectator. 1793  Ã‚   R. Burns Poems (ed. 2) II. 220  Ã‚   Ye gipsy-gang that deal in glamor, And you, deep-read in hells black grammar, Warlocks and witches. To discover the connection between magical glamor and ho-hum grammar, it’s necessary to trace the words to their mutual origin. In the 14th century when gramarye entered English from French gramaire, â€Å"learning,† a broad type of learning was meant, including Latin and philology. As time went on, (14th century) the learning associated with gramarye came to include astrology and magic. The word acquired a secondary meaning of â€Å"occult power† (late 15th century). This is the meaning that evolved into Scots glamour. Traveling further back takes us to Latin grammatia, from Greek grammatike tekhne, â€Å"art of letters.† The term comes from Greek gramma, â€Å"a letter, something drawn or written.† The alphabet is a set of magical symbols. Before literacy became available to the masses, the ability to write and read was recognized as a form of power. Not surprisingly, another word with the same pedigree as glamor and grammar is grimoire, â€Å"a magician’s manual for invoking demons and other supernatural entities.† Nowadays, grammar is understood to mean â€Å"the study of a language which deals with means of indicating the relations of words in the sentence, and with the rules for employing these in accordance with established usage.† The connection between glamor and grammar has become tenuous indeed. As an English teacher, I am painfully aware of the connotation the word grammar now bears. Tell any ten people you’re an English teacher, and nine of them will respond with a wince or a cringe and a mumbled â€Å"I never was any good at grammar.† Different times, different values. 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:Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business EmailsPeople versus PersonsAffect vs. Effect

How did Procter & Gamble Globalize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

How did Procter & Gamble Globalize - Essay Example In the early 1990s the company changed its marketing strategy, by introducing products worldwide early in their product development. Today P&G manages a world roll-out within 18 months (Ball et al, 2005, p. 479). Since 1980 P&G has increased four times the number of consumers the company serves to five million people around the world. P&G today has operations in more than 80 countries employing 110,000 people; its products are sold in over 140 countries, transforming P&G into one of the biggest consumer goods companies (Ball et al, 2005, p. 9). With global headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, P&G has manufacturing facilities in 114 plants in 42 countries worldwide (Graph 1) (Sustainability Report 2004). It manufactures and markets nearly 300 products and is one of the world's most successful brand creation companies (Graph 5). P&G has one of the strongest portfolios of quality brands, including Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper and many others (Datamonitor, 2004). Most of the company's products are produced and assembled by P&G-owned facilities; approximately 10 percent of products are outsourced to third parties (Graph 2). P&G purchase annually more than $25 billion materials and services to manufacture and market their products. In company-owned plants P&G purchases the majority of raw materials within the regions where products are manufactured (P&G Sustainability Report, 2004). P&G's globalization strategy is straightforward. The company is focused on its core businesses and leading brands, countries and customers. The global company structure has established regional organizations for seven world regions - North America; Latin America; Western Europe; China; ASEAN, Australasia and India; North Asia; and Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (Graph 3) (P&G Sustainability Report, 2004). The company's majority of sales come from the mature markets of USA and Western Europe (Graph 4, 6). A balanced future growth has drawn investment in developing countries and low-income markets that represent majority of world population (P&G Annual Report 2005). As a result, sales in those segments are growing, and China has become P&G's sixth largest market (Ball et al, 2005, p. 479). 2. "Why" Market access Procter & Gamble's globalization strategy is focused on customer similarities worldwide. In this aspect market access has been the major driver for P&G's global expansion, whereby relatively standardized products have been produced in similar manufacturing facilities around the world and then sold under the same brand names globally (Ball et al, 2005, p. 9). This "brand internationalization" (Enke et al, n.d.) has increased P&G's competitiveness. Sustained further market expansion requires P&G to look to other consumer segments. P&G's sales have been focused on premium-priced branded products in relatively affluent Western consumers. Still, according to P&G CEO A G Lafley the company has "a tremendous opportunity to serve lower income and value-conscious consumers around the world" (cited by Mitchell, 2005). The rationale behind this strategy is simple. Mature markets, where P&G is present face intense competition and slow growth in demand. This impedes organic growth and forces P&G to look for alternative markets, like the developing countr