Need to have a great topic for this term papeer Paper

Need to have a great topic for this papeer - Term Paper Example Cooper argues that Jamaican dancehall culture brings to the fore the animal nature of males and females, violence and sex being recurrent themes therein. Cooper notes that while women are always portrayed as mindless bodies their function primarily being to provide the males with sexual pleasure, the theatrical message that it brings out is that the woman’s body has absolute authority and that men give homage to the woman’s principle. In other words, the woman’s fertility and sexuality is ritualized in a manner that the not so keen eye may easily ignore. Dancehall is basically speechifying with accompaniments of music like basic drum beat. In the past, dancehall’s lyrical contents were violent, and this made it to encounter a lot of criticisms of rival raga performers. In performance, sound clash dancehall is more of dance and addresses cultural issues like gender equality. On the other hand, calypso is slower, more political and music driven. Dancehall ra ises your feet into dancing, even is you were under stress because once you hear it, you just dance because you can’t help. ... She gives an analysis of sound clashes that are experienced in the Jamaican dancehall culture movement across boarders. Cooper defends the dancehall culture stating that in its explicit homoerotic nature, the dancehall is a place where women derive liberation outside the rigid social conventions of daily routine. The female gender also gets in control even as her identity is misrepresented by the culture. Cooper’s argument and thought Cooper joins in the argument that seeks to challenge the problem of social inequality through the hybridization of the dance hall culture in form of the aesthetics that hint to the American culture. This is infused into the Kingston hardships which she argues are the agents of the social inequality. This is a feature in the Jamaican Dancehall Culture that has indeed served as a highlight to the plight of the socially alienated groups within the society. The alienation is manifested in terms of reggae fusion, anti-gay lyrics and the dance fusion. It has in every sense helped to bring forth the fears of social degradation due to the overshadowing effect of the popular culture. Analysis of Sound Clash: Jamaican Dancehall Culture at Large, Carolyn Cooper Many types of music portray women as weaker sex that can easily be sexually exploited. They are portrayed naked in the dance floor, as well on video and books covers. However, Carolyn Cooper, as a cultural studies lecturer tries to change this view in Sound Clash: Jamaican dancehall culture. She attempts to fight this moral decay in the society, by replacing it with values that show respect for women. However, men are portrayed as decent beings, but only in dressing, in the society. They dress properly, but

Cal by Bernard Mac Laverty - Critical Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Cal by Bernard Mac Laverty Critical Evaluation Essay Cal is a romantic-tragedy novel written by the Irish author, Bernard Mac Laverty. It is a fiction story about a young man living in Northern Ireland during the troubles of the 1970s. The writer conveys a number of significant themes through skilful writing and the novels plot, such as guilt, hypocrisy and bigotry. In this essay, I will be focusing on the themes of the story, the purpose of why the novel was written and the authors use of imagery to enhance his writing. The events of this story take place in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. During the period of time in which this story is set in, Northern Ireland was going through what we would now refer to as being The Troubles. This was a period of conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitary organisations and included conflicts and violence. Cal is about a young adult named Cal who is living in Northeren Ireland at this time. He is a Catholic living in a Protestant area with his father, Shamie. This leads to him being the victom of many bigotry driven attacks, such as his house being burnt down and to him being insulted on his own street. He starts to fall in love with a woman named Marcella, which, from the very beginning, is a doomed relationship. This is because a year earlier Cal was reluctantly involved in the murder of a Protestant policeman, who was, in fact, Marcellas husband. Cal becomes closer and closer to Marcella as the novel goes on, and you find out more about the murder as the plot develops. He then lands himself a job at Mrs. Mortons farm, the mother of Marcellas husband, Robert. This brings him even closer to Marcella and they start to have a relationship with each other. This relationship becomes even more intense when Cal is offered to stay in Mrs. Mortons outhouse (as his house had been burnt down). He is then arrested at the end of the novel, for the murder of Robert. The ending of the story was very skilfully done. Near the end of the story, Mac Laverty builds up massive tension through certain events in the plot. It is then all concluded in a small, yet effective, paragraph. It tells us enough information to feel satifsfied, yet wanting to know more. It leaves key questions in the readers mind such as whether he deserved it or not and what will be his fate. I believe that the plot is a very important aspect of the story as it develops the mood and atmosphere and it is the events which take place which allow the themes to be conveyed. All the characters in Cal have complicated lifes. Most of them have good and bad sides and are all affected in different ways by the troubles. Cal is nineteen years old. He lives with his father and he is a Catholic. He is caught up with the IRA (Irish Republican Party) and takes part in a number of crimes which he does not want to be part of. After he joined, he had to do what they asked, such as when Cal thinks of the things the IRA do: They shoot deserters even deserters who protested that they had never joined in the first place. This quotation shows that Cal is scared of Crilly and Skeffington (members of the IRA) and that he is in danger. It also shows that Cal never wanted to take part in the violence making it sound stupid that they would shoot him. This whole section shows that Cal is vunerable. The writer makes out that Robert is a hard working loving man throughout the story. For example, when Marcella is telling Cal about her husband: He was so plausible one of those people that everybody likes in company. This quote shows that Robert was popular and was a worthy man, and there is also evidence showing that he was witty and intelligent. However, we later find out that he was not all what he was meant to have been, as Marcella confesses to Cal: He told lies, Cal. All the time. About his affairs I know he had two or three at least about his drinking and the money he spent This is an example of how the characters have both good and bad characteristics. Despite this, Marcella still loved him and was distraught when he was murdered. This also makes the characters more realistic, which lets the reader relate to the different characters in Cal. It also creates the question of who was too blame for The Troubles which relates to the theme and purpose of the novel, which I will be discussing later in this essay. All of the characters are affected by the troubles as well, as most of their problems are due to that situation. For example, if it was not for the troubles, then Cal would not have been involved with the IRA and Robert wouldnt have been murdered, taking problems out of all of the characters lives. All of the characters features reflect the themes, such as Cals characteristic of being vunerable, leading to his self loathing and guilt. There are many themes in the novel Cal. One of these themes that I will be focusing on is the theme of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means the pretence of possessing virtues, beliefs or qualities that one does not really have, especially in matters of religion or morality. One way in which the author displays this theme is via specific characters, such as Crilly. Crilly is part of a gang who are fighting for independence from Great Britain. For example, when Skeffington is talking about Crilly: There are not many aspects of our culture which interests Mr Crilly. But hes a useful man. This quote shows that Crilly does not care about Irish independence and culture but is only in the gang as he likes the thrill of violence. It also shows that the IRA are not offended about his beliefs but just want him to help with their struggle. This shows them being hypocritical as they kill people who do not believe or reject their views, but someone who does not care about Irish independence can help with the violence. Another way in which hypocrisy is showing is through thoughts of characters and their dialogue. This is taking from a part where Dunlop (Cals Protestant employer) is talking to Cal about the situation in Northern Ireland: Would you do the same to the Loyalist prisoners every time a Catholic was murdered? Dunlop thinks that for any Protestant policeman who is murdered by a Catholic, two Catholics should be shot. This quotes shows that Dunlop is a hypocrite as he would shoot two Catholics every time a Protestant policeman was murdered but not if it was the other way around. This also shows that Dunlop is a bigot, which ties in with my next theme, bigotry. A bigot is a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to their own religion, or opinion. Bigotry is the main cause of fear and violence in the story. One night, Cal and his father receive a note stating: GET OUT YOU FENYAN SCUM OR WELL BURN YOU OUT. THIS IS YOUR 2ND WARNING, THERE WILL BE NO OTHER UVF This clearly diplays pure bigotry. Cal and his father are being threatened to leave their home of many years, just because of their religion. This quote also shows how ignorant the UVF are, as they have spelt fenyan wrongly. This leads to Cal and his father being fearful, for example: Shamie was putting the gun beneath his pillow and climbing into bed This shows that Cals father has to keep a weapon underneath his pillow as there is a constant threat of violence. Another theme which has been cleverly developed is the theme of guilt. Cal feels guilty about his involvement in the killing of Robert, which leads to his self-loathing. At the start of the novel, the writer makes this very obvious: Merde. Crotte de chein. Merderer. Cal hates himself so much, that he makes up words to describe himself. The word merderer has a possible two meanings; it shows that he is guilty and secondly it shows his self loathing. As he becomes more and more involved with Marcella, his guilt increases: Now that he felt safe from the world outside he was being attacked from within his own head This quote is taken from the section where he is living and working with Marcella. It shows that guilt is eating him up and is destroying him and his life. The author also uses writing techniques to convey the theme of guilt: It was as if idleness had allowed dirt to accumulate on his [Cal] soul, to clog his mind, and work moved him through it untouched Mac Laverty uses this metaphor to show how Cal was brooding over Mortons death and his involvement. It also shows that he thinks that he deserves to go to hell for what he has done. When Marcella tells Cal about what Robert was really like, it complicates his guilt as he now knows that Robert sometimes brought misery to Marcella, and maybe it was good that Robert was murdered. All of these themes show the writers purpose in writing. He shows bad and good sides to both Protestant and Catholic organisations, leading to us to wonder which is the good side in the novel. The story also shows us how difficult and violent Northern Ireland was at that time in history, and how deeply everybody was affected. To an extent, the way the author writes also shows aspects of him being a bit ashamed of his country, due to the negative details and feelings he writes about. Mac Laverty uses a range of techniques to create the mood and atmosphere in the novel. One of these techniques, is his use of imagery. The story starts with this mood with the author describing the scenes taking place in an abattoir: It was immediately winched up by one of the hind shanks and its throat cut The author uses a lot of violence and blood imagery at the start of the novel to set the tone of the book. Other evidence which shows this use of evidence is that there are a lot of deaths and murders mentioned in the novel. An example of this is when Cal and his father are watching the news and the author describes the events that had happened, which were mainly murders and violence, in a way which seemed to be normal. Death permeates the novel as does religion. There are often references to the Bible and to religious symbols throughout the novel. Symbolism is another technique that Mac Laverty uses. There is also symbolism to certain fairytales, such as when Marcella is talking to Cal about her daughter, Lucy: Lucys favourite story at the minute is Repunzel This is significant as Marcella feels like she is trapped because she tries to do the right thing. The plot has been structured in a sophisticated way. The story has two climaxes: one in the middle and the other at the end. The first one occurs when the writer tells you about the death of Robert. This is significant as there is a huge tension built up before you find out. The author does this via short clues which are spread out throughout the novel and short sentences. The second climax is done in a similar way, but the paragraph in which it concludes, is quick and snappy and tells of only the most significant point, which is Cal being arrested. The dialogue of the novel is very realistic. The author does this by using Irish forms of slang, such as da instead of dad, and explicit language. The writer also uses great techniques to enhance his writing: His sin clawed at him, demanding attention The writer personifies the idea of the sin, describing the feeling of it clawing, to give the idea of Cals guilt and how is is destroying him and is eating him up. The verb clawing is associated with violence and adds to the imagery that the author uses to enhance his novel and to create the atmosphere. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cal. It made me realise how lives can be ruined due to situations which do not even involve them. The themes of the novel also made me more aware about some peoples views and how they can sometimes be full of violence and hatred. It showed me what life was like in Ireland in those days and how we have to try to avoid anything so destructive from happening again.

Nomos vs. Physis in Sophocles’Antigone and the Modern World Essay

Nomos vs. Physis in Sophocles’Antigone and the Modern World The Greek play, Antigone, written by Sophocles in the year 441 BCE, honors the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. It is hard to imagine that a play, written century ago for an imaginary god, would still be widely popular and have great significance in today's world. Using two main characters, Antigone and Creon, Sophocles creates a dialogue that examines two very different views of nomos (law) and physis (nature), the focal point of all Greek beliefs. These two terms were often the key in deciding what was considered right and wrong among the Greeks, and people still use nomos and physis in today's society centuries later. Throughout Antigone, Creon and Antigone use nomos and physis to defend their actions taken when Antigone breaks a law made by Creon, because she feels it impedes upon the unwritten laws of the gods, much like anti gay advocates defend their stance on protecting the sanctity of marriage, while gay activists oppose it because it violates their fundamental constitutional ri ghts. Using Creon and Antigone, Sophocles illustrates the way that nomos and physis support their opposing viewpoints. When Antigone's two brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices, kill each other in battle, Creon, her uncle, succeeds to the throne. Once in power, he makes a law that no one can bury Polyneices because he was un-loyal to his native land. If anyone defied his new law by burying him, then the perpetrator would be killed and left unburied. However, Antigone felt that both of her brothers should have a proper burial, and disobeyed Creon's law by burying Polynneices knowing she would have to suffer the consequences. When brought before Creon, she defended her actions through phys... ... constitution. They believe that the law should not decide who people can love, and that it is a persons right to marry whomever they want. Therefore, the terms nomos and physis are still used in today's society in similar ways to that of Creon and Antigone centuries ago. Even though Antigone was written centuries ago, the basic principles of nomos and physis can still be applied in today's world. The way that the two terms are interpreted will vary from person to person, and there is no right or wrong answer. As long as there are controversial issues in the world, peoples opinions of nomos and physis will continue to evolve and change through time. Works Cited Sophocles. Antigone. Exploring Literature: Writing and thinking About Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc, 2001. 123-154.

Google Inc. is an American multinational corporation Essay

These include search, cloud computing, software, and online advertising technologies. Most of its profits are derived from AdWords. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. Together they own about 16 percent of its shares. They incorporated Google as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004. Its mission statement from the outset was â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful†, and its unofficial slogan was â€Å"Don’t be evil†. In 2006 Google moved to headquarters in Mountain View, California, nicknamed the Googleplex. Rapid growth since incorporation has triggered a chain of products, acquisitions and partnerships beyond Google’s core search engine. It offers online productivity software including email, an office suite, and social networking . Desktop products include applications for web browsing, organizing and editing photos, and instant messaging. The company leads the development of the Android mobile operating system and the browser-only Chrome OS for a netbook known as a Chromebook. Google has moved increasingly into communications hardware: it partners with major electronics manufacturers in production of its high-end Nexus devices and acquired Motorola Mobility in May 2012. In 2012, a fiber-optic infrastructure was installed in Kansas City to facilitate a Google Fiber broadband service. The corporation has been estimated to run more than one million servers in data centers around the world and to process over one billion search requests and about 24 petabytes of user-generated data each day. In December 2012 Alexa listed google.com as the most visited website in the world. Numerous Google sites in other languages figure in the top one hundred, as do several other Google-owned sites such as YouTube and Blogger. Its market dominance has led to criticism over issues including copyright, censorship, and privacy. History Google began in January 1996 as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they were both PhD students at Stanford University in Stanford, California. While conventional search engines ranked results by counting how many times the search terms appeared on the page, the two theorized about a  better system that analyzed the relationships between websites. They called this new technology PageRank; it determined a website’s relevance by the number of pages, and the importance of those pages, that linked back to the original site. A small search engine called â€Å"RankDex† from IDD Information Services designed by Robin Li was, since 1996, already exploring a similar strategy for site-scoring and page ranking. The technology in RankDex would be patented and used later when Li founded Baidu in China. Page and Brin originally nicknamed their new search engine â€Å"BackRub†, because the system checked backlinks to estimate the importance of a site. Eventually, they changed the name to Google, originating from a misspelling of the word â€Å"googol†, the number one followed by one hundred zeros, which was picked to signify that the search engine was intended to provide large quantities of information. Originally, Google ran under Stanford University’s website, with the domains google.stanford.edu and z.stanford.edu. The domain name for Google was registered on September 15, 1997, and the company was incorporated on September 4, 1998. It was based in a friend’s . In January 2013, Google announced it had earned $50 billion in annual revenue for the year of 2012. This marked the first time the company had reached this feat, topping their 2011 total of $38 billion. Financing and initial public offering The first funding for Google was an August 1998 contribution of from Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, given before Google was incorporated. Early in 1999, while graduate students, Brin and Page decided that the search engine they had developed was taking up too much time and distracting their academic pursuits. They went to Excite CEO George Bell and offered to sell it to him for $1 million. He rejected the offer and later criticized Vinod Khosla, one of Excite’s venture capitalists, after he negotiated Brin and Page down to $750,000. On June 7, 1999, a $25 million round of funding was announced, with major investors including the venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital. The company offered 19,605,052 shares at a price of $85 per share. Shares were sold in an online auction format using a system built by Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, underwriters for the deal. The sale of $1.67 billion gave Google a market capitalization of more than $23 billion. The vast majority  of the 271 million shares remained under the control of Google, and many Google employees became instant paper millionaires. Yahoo!, a competitor of Google, also benefited because it owned 8.4 million shares of Google before the IPO took place. There were concerns that Google’s IPO would lead to changes in company culture. Reasons ranged from shareholder pressure for employee benefit reductions to the fact that many company executives would become instant paper millionaires. As a reply to this concern, co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page promised in a report to potential investors that the IPO would not change the company’s culture. In 2005, articles in The New York Times and other sources began suggesting that Google had lost its anti-corporate, no evil philosophy. In an effort to maintain the company’s unique culture, Google designated a Chief Culture Officer, who also serves as the Director of Human Resources. The purpose of the Chief Culture Officer is to develop and maintain the culture and work on ways to keep true to the core values that the company was founded on: a flat organization with a collaborative environment. Google has also faced allegations of sexism and ageism from former employees. The stock performed well after the IPO, with shares hitting $700 for the first time on October 31, 2007, primarily because of strong sales and earnings in the online advertising market. The surge in stock price was fueled mainly by individual investors, as opposed to large institutional investors and mutual funds. The next year, against Page and Brin’s initial opposition toward an advertising-funded search engine, Google began selling advertisements associated with search keywords. When the company changed names to Overture Services, it sued Google over alleged infringements of the company’s pay-per-click and bidding patents. Overture Services would later be bought by Yahoo! and renamed Yahoo! Search Marketing. The case was then settled out of court; Google agreed to issue shares of common stock to Yahoo! in exchange for a perpetual license. In 2001, Google received a patent for its PageRank mechanism. The patent was officially assigned to Stanford University and lists Lawrence Page as the inventor. In 2003, after outgrowing two other locations, the company leased an office complex from Silicon Graphics at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, California. The complex became known as the Googleplex, a play on the word googolplex, the number one followed by a googol zeroes. The Googleplex interiors were designed by Clive Wilkinson Architects. Three  years later, Google bought the property from SGI for $319 million. By that time, the name â€Å"Google† had found its way into everyday language, causing the verb â€Å"google† to be added to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, denoted as â€Å"to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet.† 2013 onward Google announced the launch of a new company called Calico on September 19, 2013, which will be led by Apple chairman Arthur Levinson. In the official public statement, Page explained that the â€Å"health and wellbeing† company will focus on â€Å"the challenge of ageing and associated diseases†. As of September 2013, Google operates 70 offices in more than 40 countries. Google celebrated its 15-year anniversary on September 27, 2013, although it has used other dates for its official birthday. The reason for the choice of September 27 remains unclear, and a dispute with rival search engine Yahoo! Search in 2005 has been suggested as the cause. The Alliance for Affordable Internet was launched in October 2013 and Google is part of the coalition of public and private organisations that also includes Facebook, Intel and Microsoft. Led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the A4AI seeks to make Internet access more affordable so that access is broadened in the developing world, where only 31% of people are online. Google will help to decrease internet access prices so that they fall below the UN Broadband Commission’s worldwide target of 5% of monthly income. The corporation’s consolidated revenue for the third quarter of 2013 is reported in mid-October 2013 as US$14.89 billion, a 12 percent increase compared to the previous quarter. Google’s Internet business was responsible for US$10.8 billion of this total, with an increase in the number of users’ clicks on advertisements. Acquisitions and partnerships Since 2001, Google has acquired many companies, primarily small venture capital-funded firms. In 2004, Google acquired Keyhole, Inc. The start-up company developed a product called Earth Viewer that gave a three-dimensional view of the Earth. Google renamed the service to Google Earth in 2005. Google acquired Urchin Software in April 2005, using their ‘Urchin on Demand’ product to create Google Analytics in 2006. In October 2006, Google announced that it had acquired the video-sharing site YouTube  for US$1.65 billion in Google stock, and the deal was finalized on November 13, 2006. Google does not provide detailed figures for YouTube’s running costs, and YouTube’s revenues in 2007 were noted as â€Å"not material† in a regulatory filing. In June 2008, a Forbes magazine article projected the 2008 YouTube revenue at US$200 million, noting progress in advertising sales. On April 13, 2007, Google reached an agreement to acquire DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, giving Google valuable relationships that DoubleClick had with Web publishers and advertising agencies. Later that same year, Google purchased GrandCentral for $50 million. The site would later be changed over to Google Voice. On August 5, 2009, Google bought out its first public company, purchasing video software maker On2 Technologies for $106.5 million. Google also acquired Aardvark, a social network search engine, for $50 million, and commented on its internal blog, â€Å"we’re looking forward to collaborating to see where we can take it†. In April 2010, Google announced it had acquired a hardware startup, Agnilux. In addition to the many companies Google has purchased, the company has partnered with other organizations for research, advertising, and other activities. In 2005, Google partnered with NASA Ames Research Center to build of offices. The offices would be used for research projects involving large-scale data management, nanotechnology, distributed computing, and the entrepreneurial space industry. Google entered into a partnership with Sun Microsystems in October 2005 to help share and distribute each other’s technologies. The company also partnered with AOL to enhance each other’s video search services. Google’s 2005 partnerships also included financing the new .mobi top-level domain for mobile devices, along with other companies including Microsoft, Nokia, and Ericsson. Google would later launch â€Å"AdSense for Mobile†, taking advantage of the emerging mobile advertising market. Increasing its advertising reach even further, Google and Fox Interactive Media of News Corporation entered into a $900 million agreement to provide search and advertising on the then-popular social networking site MySpace. In 2007, Google began sponsoring NORAD Tracks Santa, displacing former sponsor AOL. NORAD Tracks Santa purports to follow Santa Claus’ progress on Christmas Eve, using Google Earth to â€Å"track Santa† in 3-D for the first time. Google-owned YouTube gave NORAD Tracks Santa its own channel. In 2008, Google developed a partnership with GeoEye to launch a satellite providing  Google with high-resolution imagery for Google Earth. The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on September 6, 2008. Google also announced in 2008 that it was hosting an archive of Life Magazine’s photographs. Some of the images in the archive were never published in the magazine. The photos were watermarked and originally had copyright notices posted on all photos, regardless of public domain status. In 2010, Google Energy made its first investment in a renewable energy project, putting $38.8 million into two wind farms in North Dakota. The company announced the two locations will generate 169.5 megawatts of power, enough to supply 55,000 homes. The farms, which were developed by NextEra Energy Resources, will reduce fossil fuel use in the region and return profits. NextEra Energy Resources sold Google a twenty-percent stake in the project to get funding for its development. In February 2010, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FERC granted Google an authorization to buy and sell energy at market rates. The order specifically states that Google Energy—a subsidiary of Google—holds the rights â€Å"for the sale of energy, capacity, and ancillary services at market-based rates†, but acknowledges that neither Google Energy nor its affiliates â€Å"own or control any generation or transmission† facilities. The corporation exercised this authorization in September 2013 when it announced that it will purchase all of the electricity produced by the not-yet-built 240-megawatt Happy Hereford wind farm. Also in 2010, Google purchased Global IP Solutions, a Norway-based company that provides web-based teleconferencing and other related services. This acquisition enabled Google to add telephone-style services to its list of products. On May 27, 2010, Google announced it had also closed the acquisition of the mobile ad network AdMob. This occurred days after the Federal Trade Commission closed its investigation into the purchase. Google acquired the company for an undisclosed amount. In July 2010, Google signed an agreement with an Iowa wind farm to buy 114 megawatts of energy for 20 years. On April 4, 2011, The Globe and Mail reported that Google bid $900 million for six thousand Nortel Networks patents. On August 15, 2011, Google made its largest-ever acquisition to-date when announced that it would acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion subject to approval from regulators in the United States and Europe. In a post on Google’s blog, Google Chief Executive and co-founder Larry Page revealed that the acquisition was a  strategic move to strengthen Google’s patent portfolio. The company’s Android operating system has come under fire in an industry-wide patent battle, as Apple and Microsoft have sued Android device makers such as HTC, Samsung, and Motorola. The merger was completed on the May 22, 2012, after the approval of People’s Republic of China. This purchase was made in part to help Google gain Motorola’s considerable patent portfolio on mobile phones and wireless technologies to help protect it in its ongoing patent disputes with other companies, mainly Apple and Microsoft After the acquisition closed, Google began to restructure the Motorola business to fit Google’s strategy. On August 13, 2012, Google announced plans to layoff 4000 Motorola Mobility employees. On December 10, 2012, Google sold the manufacturing operations of Motorola Mobility to Flextronics for $75 million. As a part of the agreement, Flextronics will manufacture undisclosed Android and other mobile devices. On December 19, 2012, Google sold the Motorola Home business division of Motorola Mobility to Arris Group for $2.35 billion in a cash-and-stock transaction. As a part of this deal, Google acquired a 15.7% stake in Arris Group valued at $300 million. On June 5, 2012, Google announced it acquired Quickoffice, a company widely known for their mobile productivity suite for both iOS and Android. Google plans to integrate Quickoffice’s technology into its own product suite. On February 6, 2013, Google announced it had acquired Channel Intelligence for $125 million. Channel Intelligence, a technology company that helps customers buy products online, is active globally in 31 different countries and works with over 850 retailers. Google will use this technology to enhance its e-commerce business. The official confirmation of Google’s acquisition of the Israel-based startup Waze occurred in June 2013. Waze is promoted as a â€Å"community-based traffic and navigation app†. Following the acquisition of Waze, Google submitted a â€Å"10-Q† filing with the Securities Exchange Commission that revealed that the corporation spent US$1.3 billion on acquisitions during the first half of 2013. The filing also revealed that the Waze acquisition cost Google US$966 million, instead of the US$1.1 billion figure that was initially presented in media sources. The 2012 acquisition of WIMM Labs, a company that previously made an Android-powered smartwatch, was confirmed in August 2013. As of August 31, 2013, Google has not publicly commented on the news concerning WIMM Labs. The acquisition of  Flutter, a creator of hand gesture recognition technology, was confirmed by the corporation in early October 2013. The reported price is US$40 million and Google spokesperson stated: â€Å"We’re really impressed by the Flutter team’s ability to design new technology based on cutting-edge research.† Flutter’s technology allows users to enact hand gestures to control navigation for apps such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and Winamp. Google data centers As of 2011, Google Inc. owned and operated six data centers across the U.S., plus one in Finland and another in Belgium. On September 28, 2011, the company announced plans to build three data centers at a cost of more than $200 million in Asia and purchased the land for them. Google said they will be operational within two years. Products and services Advertising For the 2006 fiscal year, the company reported $10.492 billion in total advertising revenues and only $112 million in licensing and other revenues. In 2011, 96% of Google’s revenue was derived from its advertising programs. Using technology from the company DoubleClick, Google can determine user interests and target advertisements so they are relevant to their context and the user that is viewing them. Google Analytics allows website owners to track where and how people use their website, for example by examining click rates for all the links on a page. Google advertisements can be placed on third-party websites in a two-part program. Google’s AdWords allows advertisers to display their advertisements in the Google content network, through either a cost-per-click or cost-per-view scheme. The sister service, Google AdSense, allows website owners to display these advertisements on their website and earn money every time ads are clicked. One of the criticisms of this program is the possibility of click fraud, which occurs when a person or automated script clicks on advertisements without being interested in the product, causing the advertiser to pay money to Google unduly. Industry reports in 2006 claimed that approximately 14 to 20 percent of clicks were fraudulent or invalid. In February 2003, Google stopped showing the advertisements of Oceana, a non-profit organization protesting a major cruise ship’s sewage treatment practices. Google cited its editorialpolicy at the time, stating â€Å"Google does not accept advertising if the ad or site advocates against other individuals, groups, or organizations.† The policy was later changed. In June 2008, Google reached an advertising agreement with Yahoo!, which would have allowed Yahoo! to feature Google advertisements on its web pages. The alliance between the two companies was never completely realized because of antitrust concerns by the U.S. Department of Justice. As a result, Google pulled out of the deal in November 2008. In an attempt to advertise its own products, Google launched a website called Demo Slam, developed to demonstrate technology demos of Google Products. Search engine According to market research published by comScore in November 2009, Google Search is the dominant search engine in the United States market, with a market share of 65.6%. Google indexes billions of web pages, so that users can search for the information they desire through the use of keywords and operators. In 2003, The New York Times complained about Google’s indexing, claiming that Google’s caching of content on its site infringed its copyright for the content. In this case, the United States District Court of Nevada ruled in favor of Google in Field v. Google and Parker v. Google. The publication 2600: The Hacker Quarterly has compiled a list of words that the web giant’s new instant search feature will not search. Google Watch has criticized Google’s PageRank algorithms, saying that they discriminate against new websites and favor established sites. The site has also alleged that there are connections between Google and the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. Google also hosts Google Books. The company began scanning books and uploading limited previews, and full books where allowed, into its new book search engine. The Authors Guild, a group that represents 8,000 U.S. authors, filed a class action suit in a New York City federal court against Google in 2005 over this service. Google replied that it is in compliance with all existing and historical applications of copyright laws regarding books. Google eventually reached a revised settlement in 2009 to limit its scans to books from the U.S., the UK, Australia, and Canada. Furthermore, the Paris Civil Court ruled against Google in late 2009, asking it to remove the works of La Martinià ¨re from its database. In competition with Amazon.com, Google sells digital versions  of new books. On July 21, 2010, in response to Bing, Google updated its image search to display a streaming sequence of thumbnails that enlarge when pointed at. Though web searches still appear in a batch per page format, on July 23, 2010, dictionary definitions for certain English words began appearing above the linked results for web searches. The â€Å"Hummingbird† update to the Google search engine was announced in September 2013. The update was introduced over the month prior to the announcement and allows users ask the search engine a question in natural language rather than entering keywords into the search box. Productivity tools Gmail, a free webmail service provided by Google, was launched as an invitation-only beta program on April 1, 2004, The service was upgraded from beta status on July 7, 2009, at which time it had 146 million users monthly. The service was the first online email service with one gigabyte of storage. It was also the first to keep emails from the same conversation together in one thread, similar to an Internet forum. The service offers over 15 GB of free storage, shared with other Google Apps, with additional storage ranging from 20 GB to 16 TB available for per 1 GB per year. Gmail uses AJAX, a programming technique that allows web pages to be interactive without refreshing the browser. Steve Ballmer, Liz Figueroa, Mark Rasch, and the editors of Google Watch have criticised the privacy of Gmail, but Google claims that mail sent to or from Gmail is never read by a human being beyond the account holder and is only used to improve relevance of advertisements. In 2004, Google started opensource software project hosting, called Google Code, which allows developers to download incomplete programs at no charge. Google Docs, another part of Google’s productivity suite, allows users to create, edit, and collaborate on documents in an online environment, similar to Microsoft Word. The service was originally called Writely, but was obtained by Google on March 9, 2006, and was released as an invitation-only preview. On June 6 after the acquisition, Google created an experimental spreadsheet editing program, which was combined with Google Docs on October 10. Enterprise products Google Search Appliance was launched in February 2002, targeted toward providing search technology for larger organizations. Google Apps allows  organizations to bring Google’s web application offerings, such as Gmail and Google Docs, into their own domains. The service is available in several editions: a basic free edition, Google Apps for Business, Google Apps for Education, and Google Apps for Government. In the same year Google Apps was launched, Google acquired Postini and proceeded to integrate the company’s security technologies into Google Apps under the name Google Postini Services. Other products Google Translate is a server-side machine translation service, which can translate between 35 different languages. The software uses corpus linguistics techniques, where the program â€Å"learns† from professionally translated documents, specifically UN and European Parliament proceedings. Google launched its Google News service in 2002, an automated service which summarizes news articles from various websites. In March 2005, Agence France Presse sued Google for copyright infringement in federal court in the District of Columbia, a case which Google settled for an undisclosed amount in a pact that included a license of the full text of AFP articles for use on Google News. In 2006, Google made a bid to offer free wireless broadband access throughout the city of San Francisco along with Internet service provider EarthLink. Large telecommunications companies such as Comcast and Verizon opposed the efforts, claiming it was â€Å"unfair competition† and that cities would be violating their commitments to offer local monopolies to these companies. In his testimony before Congress on network neutrality in 2006, Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf blamed the tactics on the fact that nearly half of all consumers lack choice in broadband providers. Google currently offers free wi-fi access in its hometown of Mountain View, California. In 2010, Google announced the Google Fiber project with plans to build an ultra-high-speed broadband network for 50,000 to 500,000 customers in one or more American cities. On March 30, 2011, Google announced that Kansas City, Kansas would be the first community where the new network would be deployed. In July 2012, Google completed the construction of a fiber-optic broadband internet network infrastructure in Kansas City, and after building an infrastructure, Google announced pricing for Google Fiber. The service will offer three options including a free broadband internet option, a 1Gbit/s internet option for $70 per month, and a version that  includes television service for $120 per month. The project, called Android, turned out not to be a phone but an operating system for mobile devices, which Google acquired and then released as an open source project under the Apache 2.0 license. Google provides a software development kit for developers so applications can be created to be run on Android-based phones. In September 2008, T-Mobile released the G1, the first Android-based phone. On January 5, 2010, Google released an Android phone under its own company name called the Nexus One. A report in July 2013 stated that Google’s share of the global smartphone market, led by Samsung products, was 64% in March 2013. Other projects Google has worked on include a new collaborative communication service, a web browser, and a mobile operating system. The first of these was first announced on May 27, 2009. The company described Google Wave as a product that helps users communicate and collaborate on the web. The service is Google’s â€Å"email redesigned†, with realtime editing, the ability to embed audio, video, and other media, and extensions that further enhance the communication experience. Google Wave was initially in a developer’s preview, where interested users had to be invited to test the service, but was released to the general public on May 19, 2010, at Google’s I/O keynote. On September 1, 2008, Google pre-announced the upcoming availability of Google Chrome, an open source web browser, which was then released on September 2, 2008. On July 7, 2009, Google announced Google Chrome OS, an open source Linux-based operating system that includes only a web browser and is designed to log users into their Google account. Google Goggles is a mobile application available on Android and iOS used for image recognition and non-text-based search. In addition to scanning QR codes, the app can recognize historic landmarks, import business cards, and solve Sudoku puzzles. While Goggles could originally identify people as well, Google has limited that functionality as a privacy protection. In 2011, Google announced Google Wallet, a mobile application for wireless payments. In late June 2011, Google soft-launched a social networking service called Google+. On July 14, 2011, Google announced that Google+ had reached 10 million users just two weeks after it was launched in this â€Å"limited† trial phase. After four weeks in operation, it reached 25 million users. At a launch event on July 24, 2013 in San Francisco, U.S., a newer version of the Nexus 7 Google tablet device was released to the public, alongside the  Chromecast dongle that allows users to stream YouTube and Netflix videos via smartphones. In 2013 Google launched Google Shopping Express, a delivery service initially available only in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Moto X  Speaking at the D11 conference in Palos Verdes, U.S. in late May 2013, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside, a former Google employee, announced that a new mobile device will be built by his company, which is wholly owned by Google, at a 500,000 square-feet facility in Texas, U.S. formerly used by the Nokia company. The facility will employ 2,000 people by August 2013 and the new phone, named the â€Å"Moto X†, will be available to the public in October 2013. The Moto X features Google Now software, and an array of sensors and two microprocessors that will mean that users can â€Å"interact with in very different ways than you can with other devices,† in the words of Woodside. Media reports suggest that the phone will be able to activate functions preemptively based on an â€Å"awareness† of what the user is doing at any given moment. Corporate affairs and culture On Fortune magazine’s list of best companies to work for, Google ranked first in 2007, 2008 and 2012 and fourth in 2009 and 2010. Google was also nominated in 2010 to be the world’s most attractive employer to graduating students in the Universum Communications talent attraction index. Google’s corporate philosophy includes principles such as â€Å"you can make money without doing evil,† â€Å"you can be serious without a suit,† and â€Å"work should be challenging and the challenge should be fun.† Employees After the company’s IPO, founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page and CEO Eric Schmidt requested that their base salary be cut to $1. Subsequent offers by the company to increase their salaries have been turned down, primarily because their main compensation continues to come from owning stock in Google. Before 2004, Schmidt made $250,000 per year, and Page and Brin each received an annual salary of $150,000. In 2007 and early 2008, several top executives left Google. In October 2007, former chief financial officer of YouTube Gideon Yu joined Facebook along with Benjamin Ling, a high-ranking engineer. In March 2008, Sheryl Sandberg, then vice-president of global online sales and operations, began her position as chief operating officer  of Facebook. At the same time, Ash ElDifrawi, formerly head of brand advertising, left to become chief marketing officer of Netshops. On April 4, 2011, Larry Page became CEO and Eric Schmidt became Executive Chairman of Google. In July 2012, Google’s first female employee, Marissa Mayer, left Google to become Yahoo!’s CEO. As a motivation technique, Google uses a policy often called Innovation Time Off, where Google engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their work time on projects that interest them. Some of Google’s newer services, such as Gmail, Google News, Orkut, and AdSense originated from these independent endeavors. In a talk at Stanford University, Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice President of Search Products and User Experience until July 2012, showed that half of all new product launches at the time had originated from the Innovation Time Off. Googleplex  Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, is referred to as â€Å"the Googleplex†, a play on words on the number googolplex and the headquarters itself being a complex of buildings. The lobby is decorated with a piano, lava lamps, old server clusters, and a projection of search queries on the wall. The hallways are full of exercise balls and bicycles. Each employee has access to the corporate recreation center. Recreational amenities are scattered throughout the campus and include a workout room with weights and rowing machines, locker rooms, washers and dryers, a massage room, assorted video games, table football, a baby grand piano, a billiard table, and ping pong. In addition to the recreation room, there are snack rooms stocked with various foods and drinks, with special emphasis placed on nutrition. Free food is available to employees 24/7, with paid vending machines prorated favoring nutritional value. In 2006, Google moved into of office space in New York City, at 111 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan. The office was specially designed and built for Google and houses its largest advertising sales team, which has been instrumental in securing large partnerships. As of February 2012, a significant engineering team is based in New York City, and has been responsible for more than 100 engineering projects, including Google Maps, Google Spreadsheets. As of September 2013, Google’s East Coast office is located at 76 Ninth Ave, New York City, New York. In November 2006, Google opened offices on Carnegie Mellon’s campus in Pittsburgh, focusing on shopping-related advertisement coding and smartphone applications and  programs. By late 2006, Google also established a new headquarters for its AdWords division in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Other office locations in the U.S. include Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York City; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Reston, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Furthermore, Google has several international offices. In October 2006, the company announced plans to install thousands of solar panels to provide up to 1.6 megawatts of electricity, enough to satisfy approximately 30% of the campus’ energy needs. The system will be the largest solar power system constructed on a U.S. corporate campus and one of the largest on any corporate site in the world. The idea of trimming lawns using goats originated from R. J. Widlar, an engineer who worked for National Semiconductor. Google has faced accusations in Harper’s Magazine of being an â€Å"energy glutton†. The company was accused of employing its â€Å"Don’t be evil† motto and its public energy-saving campaigns to cover up or make up for the massive amounts of energy its servers require. Easter eggs and April Fools’ Day jokes Google has a tradition of creating April Fools’ Day jokes. On April 1, 2000, Google MentalPlex allegedly featured the use of mental power to search the web. In 2007, Google announced a free Internet service called TiSP, or Toilet Internet Service Provider, where one obtained a connection by flushing one end of a fiber-optic cable down their toilet. Also in 2007, Google’s Gmail page displayed an announcement for Gmail Paper, allowing users to have email messages printed and shipped to them. In 2008, Google announced Gmail Custom time where users could change the time that the email was sent. In 2010, Google changed its company name to Topeka in honor of Topeka, Kansas, whose mayor changed the city’s name to Google for a short amount of time in an attempt to sway Google’s decision in its new Google Fiber Project. In 2011, Google announced Gmail Motion, an interactive way of controlling Gmail and the computer with body movements via the user’s webcam. Google’s services contain easter eggs, such as the Swedish Chef’s â€Å"Bork bork bork,† Pig Latin, â€Å"Hacker† or leetspeak, Elmer Fudd, Pirate, and Klingon as language selections for its search engine. The search engine calculator provides the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the  Universe, and Everything from Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. When searching the word â€Å"recursion†, the spell-checker’s result for the properly spelled word is exactly the same word, creating a recursive link. When searching for the word â€Å"anagram,† meaning a rearrangement of letters from one word to form other valid words, Google’s suggestion feature displays â€Å"Did you mean: nag a ram?† In Google Maps, searching for directions between places separated by large bodies of water, such as Los Angeles and Tokyo, results in instructions to â€Å"kayak across the Pacific Ocean.† During FIFA World Cup 2010, search queries including â€Å"World Cup† and â€Å"FIFA† caused the â€Å"Goooo†¦gle† page indicator at the bottom of every result page to read â€Å"Goooo†¦al!† instead. Philanthropy In 2004, Google formed the not-for-profit philanthropic Google.org, with a start-up fund of $1 billion. The mission of the organization is to create awareness about climate change, global public health, and global poverty. One of its first projects was to develop a viable plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can attain 100 miles per gallon. Google hired Larry Brilliant as the program’s executive director in 2004, and the current director is Megan Smith. In 2008 Google announced its â€Å"project 10100† which accepted ideas for how to help the community and then allowed Google users to vote on their favorites. After two years of silence, during which many wondered what had happened to the program, Google revealed the winners of the project, giving a total of ten million dollars to various ideas ranging from non-profit organizations that promote education to a website that intends to make all legal documents public and online. In 2011, Google donated 1 million euros to International Mathematical Olympiad to support the next five annual International Mathematical Olympiads . On July 2012, Google launched a â€Å"Legalize Love† campaign in support of gay rights. Tax avoidance   Google uses various tax avoidance strategies. Out of the five largest American technology companies it pays the lowest taxes to the countries of origin of its revenues. The company accomplishes this partly by licensing technology through subsidiaries in Ireland, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Netherlands. This has reportedly sparked a French investigation into Google’s transfer pricing practices. Following criticism of the amount of  corporate taxes that Google paid in the United Kingdom, Chairman Eric Schmidt said, â€Å"It’s called capitalism. We are proudly capitalistic.† During the same December 2012 interview Schmidt â€Å"confirmed that the company had no intention of paying more to the UK exchequer.† In 2013, Schmidt responded to questions about taxes paid in the UK by pointing to the advertising fees Google charged UK companies as a source of economic growth. Google Vice president Matt Brittin testified to the Public Accounts Committee of the UK house of commons that his UK sales team made no sales and hence owed no sales taxes to the UK. Environment Since 2007, Google has aimed for carbon neutrality in regard to its operations. In June 2013, the Washington Post reported that Google had donated US$50,000 to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank. In July 2013, it was reported that Google had hosted a fundraising event for Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe, who has called climate change a â€Å"hoax†. See also Comparison of web search engines Criticism of Google Don’t Be Evil Google Google Balloon Internet Google Catalogs Google China Google Chrome Experiments Google logo Google platform Google Ventures – venture capital fund Google X Google+ Googlebot – web crawler Googlization List of Google domains List of mergers and acquisitions by Google Ungoogleable References External links not add links –> at the Internet Archive at Hoover’s Bibliography: Wikipedia

Advanced Regents Diploma

At the outset, I would like to state that it is highly unusual for me to get such a grade. I have been a diligent and hardworking student my whole life. At the same time, I understand that there are certain learning curves and that as one moves up the academic ladder there are more challenges. One such challenge is that of High School, especially for one who sets high standards. I have always dreamed of obtaining the Advanced Regents Diploma. In order to accomplish such, I have had to take and pass several courses that are more difficult than the ones that are required for the Local Regent’s Diploma.I have had to pass the Math B2/B3 regents course, the math regent examination and the anxiety of having to meet and perhaps surpass my academic goals. I realize that the pursuit of such lofty goals is not an easy one and I have gladly taken this challenge on to myself. I have always believed in the value of a good education and have never been afraid to work hard for it. While it s ets me apart from everyone else in my class, it also presents novel obstacles. I do not regret this decision to take a more difficult path in life because I have chosen not to be average but to face the odds and achieve my goals.

Red Flag Laws Definition

Red Flag Laws Definition Red flag laws are gun violence prevention laws that allow courts to order the temporary confiscation of firearms from persons deemed to pose a risk to others or themselves. Key Takeaways: Red Flag Laws Red flag laws are state gun violence prevention laws which allow police to confiscate firearms from persons deemed by a court to pose a risk to others or themselves.As of August 2019, 17 states and the District of Columbia had enacted red flag laws.After deadly mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, President Trump and a bipartisan group of Congress members have indicated their support for red flag laws. Along with gun control proposals, such as universal gun-buyer background checks, raised in the aftermath of shootings like those in Sandy Hook, Parkland, El Paso, and Dayton, demands to enact â€Å"red flag† laws have become common. As of August 2019, 17 states and the District of Columbia had enacted red flag laws. Red Flag Law Definition and Mechanics Red flag laws permit police or family members to ask a state court to order the temporary removal of all firearms from persons believed to present a danger to others or themselves. In deciding to issue such orders, known variously as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) or Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs), the courts consider the past actions and statements- including those posted on social media outlets- made by the gun owner in question. If the court decides to issue the order, the gun owner must surrender all firearms to the police for a specified period of time. In addition, the person named in the order is banned from buying or selling guns during that period. Refusing to fully comply with a red flag protective order is a criminal offense. Guns seized under the order are returned to the owner after a set period of time unless that period is extended by the court. Examples of evidence required by the courts to justify granting gun confiscation orders include: A recent act or threat of violence (involving a firearm or not)Evidence of serious mental illnessHistory of domestic violenceReckless use of a firearmEvidence of substance abuse or alcoholismSworn testimony by witnesses The specific legal provisions of red flag laws and how they are enforced vary from state to state. Are Red Flag Laws Effective? Connecticut was one of the first states to enact a red flag law in 1999. According to a 2016 study published in the journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, the 762 gun removals under Connecticuts â€Å"risk warrant† law from October 1999 through June 2013 resulted in one suicide prevented for every ten to eleven gun seizures executed. The study concluded that â€Å"enacting and implementing laws like Connecticut’s civil risk warrant statute in other states could significantly mitigate the risk posed by that small proportion of legal gun owners who, at times, may pose a significant danger to themselves or others.† Are Red Flag Laws Constitutional? Many gun-rights advocates say that red flag laws infringe on gun owners’ Second Amendment right to â€Å"keep and bear arms,† as well as their right to due process of law as provided by the U.S. Constitution. Guns, they argue, are personal property, and both the Fifth and 14th Amendments specifically provide that the government- including the courts and police- may not deprive citizens of property without due process of law. The argument is based on the fact that the court hearings held to decide if an individual poses a threat are held ex parte, meaning that the person whose guns might be temporarily confiscated is not present at the hearing. This, critics say, violates the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of the right of accused persons to a face-to-face confrontation with witnesses against them.   However, hearings on all types of restraining and protective orders are typically held ex parte out of concern for the safety of the complainant and witnesses.   Red Flag Law Debate A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted in April 2018 found that 85% of registered voters nationwide support laws that would â€Å"allow the police to take guns away from people who have been found by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others.† States with red flag laws have reported similar levels of public support for the legislation. In March 2018, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which had helped defeat red flag legislation in Utah and Maryland, suggested it might be open to such laws under a strict set of conditions, including a court finding by â€Å"clear and convincing evidence that the person in question poses a significant risk of danger. Despite this statement, the NRA went on to help block red flag legislation in Arizona in 2019. In Congress, virtually all Democrats and a few Republicans are receptive to red flag laws. The day after the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, killed 31 people, President Donald Trump urged states to implement red flag laws to remove guns from â€Å"those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety.† In televised remarks from the White House on August 5, 2019, Trump stated, â€Å"We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process.† States With Red Flag Laws As of August 2019, red flag laws had been enacted in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Twelve states enacted red flag laws after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, left 17 dead. The states of California, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington, had enacted red flag laws prior to 2018. The 17 states and District of Columbia (in red) that had enacted red flag gun violence prevention laws as of August 2019. Creative Commons With only slight variations, all current red flag laws allow family members and law enforcement to petition a state judge to issue ERPOs directing the confiscation of all guns from the individual they believe poses a threat to their safety. In all cases, the petitioner must present evidence of why the gun owner poses a threat to others, as well as to himself or herself. If the ERPO is granted, the named individual’s guns are confiscated and held by police for a set minimum period, after which the gun owner must prove to the court that he or she no longer poses a risk in order to get their firearms back. Here is a list of who is allowed to request the issuance of an ERPO gun removal order in each state: California: Family, household members, and law enforcementColorado: Family, household members, and law enforcementConnecticut: One state attorney or any two police officersDelaware: Family, household members, and law enforcementDistrict of Columbia: Family, household members, mental health professionals, and law enforcementFlorida: Law enforcement onlyHawaii: Family, household members, teachers, medical professionals, coworkers, and law enforcementIllinois: Family, household members, and law enforcementIndiana: Law enforcement onlyMaryland: Family, household members, certain health professionals, and law enforcementMassachusetts: Family, household members, and law enforcementNevada: Family, household members, and law enforcementNew Jersey: Family, household members, and law enforcementNew York: Family, household members, school administrators, and law enforcementOregon: Family, household members, and law enforcementRhode Island: Law enforcement onlyVermont: State attorneys or the off ice of the state attorney general only Washington: Family, household members, and law enforcement As of August 2019, the state legislatures of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina were considering red flag legislation. Federal Red Flag Gun Control Legislation In February 2019, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, introduced the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (S. 506), which would offer grants to assist states in developing red flag laws and make possessing a firearm in violation of a state red flag law a felony violation of federal firearms law. On August 5, 2019- the day after the El Paso and Dayton shootings- conservative Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated that he would propose bipartisan legislation to encourage more states to adopt red flag laws. Sources and Further Reference Williams, Timothy (August 6, 2019). What Are Red Flag Gun Laws, and How Do They Work? New York Times.Parker, George F. (2015). Circumstances and Outcomes of a Firearm Seizure Law: Marion County, Indiana, 2006-2013. Behavioral Sciences the LawLaGrone, Katie. (July 30, 2018). More than 450 people in Florida ordered to surrender guns months after gun law took effect. WFTS Tampa Bay.Dezenski, Lauren. Trump backs red flag gun laws. What do they actually do? CNN. (August 5, 2019).Lindsey Graham pushes red flag bill to curb gun violence. Politico. (August 5, 2019).

Strategies for Building Rapport With Students

Strategies for Building Rapport With Students For teachers, building rapport with students is a component that takes teaching to the next level. Teachers understand that this takes time. Building rapport is a process. It often takes weeks and even months to establish a healthy student-teacher relationship. Teachers will tell you that once you have earned the trust and respect of your students, everything else becomes much easier. When students look forward to coming to your class, you look forward to coming to work each day. Strategies to Build Rapport With Students There are many different strategies through which rapport can be built and maintained. The best teachers are adept at incorporating strategies throughout the year so that a healthy relationship is established, then maintained with each student that they teach. Send students a postcard before school begins letting them know how much you are looking forward to having them in class.Incorporate personal stories and experiences within your lessons. It humanizes you as a teacher and makes your lessons more interesting.When a student is sick or misses school, personally call or text the student or their parents to check on them.Utilize humor in your classroom. Do not be afraid to laugh at yourself or the mistakes that you make.Depending on the age and sex of the student, dismiss students with a hug, handshake, or fist bump every day.Be enthusiastic about your job and the curriculum you teach. Enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm. Students will not buy in if a teacher is not enthusiastic.Support your students in their extra-curricular endeavors. Attend athletic events, debate meets, band competitions, plays, etc.Go the extra mile for those students who need help. Volunteer your time to tutor them or hook them up with someone who can give them the extra as sistance they need. Conduct a student interest survey and then find ways to incorporate their interests into your lessons throughout the year.Provide your students with a structured learning environment. Establish procedures and expectations on day one and enforce them consistently throughout the year.Talk to your students about their individual strengths and weaknesses. Teach them to set goals. Provide them with the strategies and tools necessary to reach those goals and improve on their weaknesses.Ensure that each student believes that they are important to you and that they matter to you.From time to time, write students a personal note encouraging them to work hard and embrace their strengths.Have high expectations for all of your students and teach them to have higher expectations for themselves.Be fair and consistent when it comes to student discipline. Students will remember how you handled previous situations.Eat breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria surrounded by your students. Some of the great est opportunities for building rapport present themselves outside the classroom. Celebrate student successes and let them know you care when they falter or are facing difficult personal situations.Create engaging, fast-paced lessons that grab every student’s attention and keep them coming back for more.Smile. Smile often. Laugh. Laugh often.Do not dismiss a student or their suggestions or ideas for any reason. Hear them out. Listen to them intently. There may be some validity to what they have to say.Talk to your students regularly about the progress they are making in class. Let them know where they stand academically and provide them with a path for improvement if needed.Admit and own up to your mistakes. You will make mistakes and students will be looking to see how you handle things when you do.Take advantage of teachable moments even when on occasion this ventures far away from the actual topic of the day. The opportunities will often have more of an impact on your students than the lesson.Never demean or berate a student in front of their peers. Addr ess them individually in the hall or immediately after class. Engage in casual conversation with students in between classes, before school, after school, etc. Simply ask them how things are going or inquire about certain hobbies, interests, or events.Give your students a voice in your class. Allow them to make decisions on expectations, procedures, classroom activities, and assignments when it is appropriate.Build relationships with the parents of your students. When you have a good rapport with the parents, you typically have a good rapport with their children.Make home visits from time to time. It will provide you with a unique snapshot into their lives, possibly giving you a different perspective, and it will help them see that you are willing to go the extra mile.Make every day unpredictable and exciting. Creating this type of environment will keep students wanting to come to class. Having a room full of students who want to be there is half the battle.When you see students in public, be personable with them. Ask them how they are doing an d engage in casual conversation.

Profile of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal

Profile of Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal Portugal is a country that has no coast along the Mediterranean Sea, only the Atlantic Ocean, so the countrys advances in worldwide exploration centuries ago may come as no surprise. That said, it was the passion and goals of one man who truly moved Portuguese exploration forward, the man known as Prince Henry the Navigator (1394–1460). Formally, he was Henrique, duque de Viseu, senhor da Covilh. Fast Facts: Prince Henry the Navigator Known For:  He founded an institute for explorers, and people from around the world visited to learn about the latest discoveries in geography and navigation technology.Born:  1394 in Porto, PortugalParents:  King John I of Portugal, Philippa of Lancaster, of EnglandDied:  1460 in Sagres, PortugalSpouse: NoneChildren: None Although Prince Henry never sailed on any of his expeditions and rarely left Portugal, he became known as Prince Henry the Navigator because of his patronage of explorers, who increased the worlds known geographic information through the sharing of knowledge and by sending expeditions to places previously uncharted. Early Life Prince Henry was born in 1394 as the third son of King John I (King Joao I) of Portugal. At the age of 21, in 1415, Prince Henry commanded a military force that captured the Muslim outpost of Ceuta, located on the south side of the Strait of Gibraltar, on the northern tip of the African continent and bordering Morocco. It became Portugals first overseas territory. On this expedition, the prince learned about gold routes and became fascinated with Africa. The Institute at Sagres Three years later, Prince Henry founded his navigational institute at Sagres on the southwestern-most point of Portugal, Cape Saint Vincent- a place ancient geographers referred to as the western edge of the earth. The institute, best described as a 15th-century research and development facility, included libraries, an astronomical observatory, shipbuilding facilities, a chapel, and housing for staff. The institute was designed to teach navigational techniques to Portuguese sailors, to collect and disseminate geographical information about the world, to invent and improve navigational and seafaring equipment, and to sponsor expeditions. Prince Henrys school brought together some of the leading geographers, cartographers, astronomers, and mathematicians from throughout Europe to work at the institute. When people returned from voyages, they brought back with them information about currents, winds- and could improve existing maps and seafaring equipment. A new type of ship, called a caravel, was developed at Sagres. It was fast and was much more maneuverable than prior types of boats, and though they were small, they were quite functional. Two of Christopher Columbus ships, the Nina and the Pinta, were caravels (the Santa Maria was a carrack). Caravels were dispatched south along the western coast of Africa. Unfortunately, a major obstacle along the African route was Cape Bojador, southeast of the Canary Islands (located in Western Sahara). European sailors were afraid of the cape, for supposedly to its south lay monsters and insurmountable evils. It also hosted some challenging seas: tough waves, currents, shallows, and weather. Expeditions: Goals and Reasons Prince Henrys expeditionary goals were to increase navigational knowledge along the western coast of Africa and find a water route to Asia, to increase trade opportunities for Portugal, to find gold to provide the trips own funding, to spread Christianity around the world, and defeat Muslims- and perhaps even to find Prester John, a legendary wealthy priest-king thought to reside somewhere in Africa or Asia. The Mediterranean and other ancient East sea routes were controlled by the Ottoman Turks and Venetians, and the breakup of the Mongol Empire made some known land routes unsafe. Thus came the motivation to find new water routes heading East. Exploring Africa Prince Henry sent 15 expeditions to navigate south of the cape from 1424 to 1434, but each returned with its captain giving excuses and apologies for not having passed the dreaded Cape Bojador. Finally, in 1434 Prince Henry sent Captain Gil Eannes (who had previously attempted the Cape Bojador voyage) south; this time, Captain Eannes sailed to the west prior to reaching the cape and then headed eastward after passing the cape. Thus, none of his crew saw the dreadful cape, and it had been successfully passed, without catastrophe befalling the ship. This was the first European expedition to sail past this point and successfully return. Following the successful navigation south of Cape Bojador, exploration of the African coast continued. In 1441, Prince Henrys caravels reached Cape Blanc (the cape where Mauritania and Western Sahara meet). The expedition brought back some blacks as exhibits of interest to show the prince. One negotiated his and his sons release by promising several slaves upon their safe return home. And so it began. The first 10 slaves arrived in 1442. Then it was 30 in 1443. In 1444, Captain Eannes brought a boatload of 200 slaves back to Portugal. In 1446, Portuguese ships reached the mouth of the Gambia River. They were the first Europeans to sail that, too. In 1460 Prince Henry the Navigator died, but work continued at Sagres under the direction of Henrys nephew, King John II of Portugal. The institutes expeditions continued to venture south, then rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and sailed to the east and throughout Asia over the next few decades. The European Age of Discovery and Its Aftereffects The 100-year period from the mid-15th century to the mid-16th is called the European Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration, when Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and France sent out voyages to previously unknown lands and claim their resources for their country. The cheapest labor to work on plantations for crops such as sugar, tobacco, or cotton were slaves, brought on a triangular trade route, one brutal leg of which was known as the middle passage. Countries that are former colonies still suffer the aftereffects today, especially in Africa, where there is poor or inconsistent infrastructure in many areas. Some of the countries just gained their independence in the 20th century. Sources Dowling, Mike. Prince Henry the Navigator. MrDowling.com. https://www.mrdowling.com/609-henry.html.â€Å"Henry the Navigator.†Ã‚  Biography.com, AE Networks Television, 16 Mar. 2018, www.biography.com/people/henry-the-navigator.Henry the Navigator.  Encyclopedia of World Biography.  Encyclopedia.com.  https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/spanish-and-portuguese-history-biographies/henry-navigator.Henry the Navigator Facts. YourDictionary.com. http://biography.yourdictionary.com/henry-the-navigator.History. Sagres.net. Allgarve, Promo Sangres, and Municipia do Bispo. sagres.net/history.htm.Nowell, Charles E., and Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. â€Å"Henry the Navigator.†Ã‚  Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, Inc., 12 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-the-Navigator.The Portuguese Role in Exploring and Mapping the New World. Library of Congress. loc.gov/rr/hispanic/portam/role.html.Prince Henry the Navigator. PBS. https://www.pbs.org /wgbh/aia/part1/1p259.html.

The challenge of accommodation for Students at the University of Kent Essay

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What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage Assignment

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - Assignment Example The theory of approximation or rewards on positive behavior which Sutherland uses on her husband to train him to keep things in place reminds me that the same can be used to teach kids good habits. Sutherland’s description of the â€Å"American husband† is truly commendable and it really creates an animal-like image of Scott in the mind. The LRS training, which she uses on her husband to avoid any kind of behavioral response, works towards lowering the negativity between them. She successfully trained her husband to do what she expected of him just like the trained exotic animals she had been writing about. However, what is amusing is the fact that in the end Scott started training the American wife which reveals the fact that even animals can alter behavioral pattern of their trainers or masters. It is true that the behavioral pattern of any animal maybe altered with the help of ignorance, reinforment etc and description of how Sutherlands uses the same at home makes one laugh. However it made me think whether Sutherland’s initial intention was trying to improve her relation with Scott or simply try the animal tricks on humans? Is it right to actually train someone, especially an adult to alter behavior for the sake of saving a relation? Wouldn’t training make the trained person fake and disguise his/her true

New technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Outline the arguments about the reliability Essay Example for Free

Outline the arguments about the reliability Essay Outline the arguments about the reliability of documentaries as ways of representing reality. Illustrate with reference to a range of documentary material. Documentaries aim to show information in a way that is most believable to a viewer. Realism is extremely important to a documentary and is often shown by; an authoritative presenter, the use of voice-over commentaries, recorded interviews, visual evidence via location shots or archive film, hand-held cameras and limited used of special effects. It is argued that documentaries are like plays, novels and poems the are fictional in form and have no measurable social ability whereas others argue that documentaries are the only type of genre that can really capture the spontaneity and immediacy of real life. As most viewers see a documentary as a serious programme, normally tackling a serious issue, they assume the programme will be factual and informative and this gives it certain credibility. Documentaries can appeal to a range of different audiences, as most of them are about certain topics. For example wildlife programmes would appeal to anyone with an interest in animals yet other under-cover documentaries such as The Whistle Blower can appeal to anyone who would watch documentaries. Most documentaries would require both an active and passive audience, this is because programmes such as The Whistle Blower would interest people who want to help sort out the security problems at the airport, yet other people would also watch it and not be able to do anything about it, although I think it would make them re-think about making a journey from that airport. With documentaries there are some limitations to assuming that what we see is actually real life this is because when documentaries are using like video diaries or surveillance cameras the participants can sometimes be aware of this and can act differently to how they would normally act if they didnt know the cameras were there, they could also show some biased opinions or exaggerate their actions, subconsciously or not. This suggests that documentaries with hidden/secret cameras may have more credibility as being real. This technique is shown in The Secret Policeman when they are trying to expose the way in which racism is dealt with in the police force. This document can be seen as biased as they are only really concentration on one side of the argument, they are telling viewers right from the start about police officers being suspended for racism and they are setting out to catch officers being racist, this gives the viewers a ready-made conclusion in their heads that they police force definitely are racist. This documentary does, however, represent reality to some extent because they use secret footage of the police officers and have filmed them talking in real-life locations such as pubs, clubs, in the street and whilst travelling in a car, which shows a normal world. Although many documentaries do portray certain features that question their representation of reality, other documentaries are clearly focused on showing things as close to the truth as possible. Feature documentaries such as one on animals and wildlife for example are well researched and their main aim is to simply inform the audiences rather that try to influence them in any way. Even though most documentaries try to portray as close to the truth as possible other motives behind the documentaries could suggest that they arent, in fact as reliable or close to reality as they could be.