Mastering Public Opinion essays

Mastering Public Opinion essays How much of what a person sees and hears, on any given day, can be qualified as clear and truthful information? If persuasion, as an idea, has a purpose then who gets to be the target? Is every advertising campaign, political message or military campaign we come across, propaganda? Little is known about this concept yet it has governed our emotions, our fears and our joys since the beginnings of the first dominating nations. Let us examine the mechanism that drives public support and which makes a whole country to stand in solidarity with its government. Propaganda implies the dissemination of ideas and information for the purpose of inducing or intensifying specific attitudes and actions. The word propaganda comes from the Latin verb propagare, to propagate. Originally, propagate meant to reproduce or to spread. It came to mean also to transmit and to spread form person to person. Every since people began to live together, they have tried to influence one another. In early Babylonian, Egyptian and Roman times, priests played on popular superstitions to keep themselves in power. Ramses II, the Egyptian pharaoh, filled the walls of his temples with victorious war scenes to emphasise his strategic and military skills. Propaganda requires the exposed beliefs to become clear to a large population. Good speakers have and still use their charisma and worldly intelligence to advertise. Some examples of such successful characters are Lenin, Stalin, Jaruzelski, Mussolini, and Hitler. After a leader clearly points out the so-called enemy, different revolutionists appear in a crowd, and capture all the attention. Short after this, the people would gather around and become receptive to the spoken phrases of the agitators. The message revealed is the message learned by speakers at meetings of the party they represent. At this point in time,...

How to Use a Relative Clause

How to Use a Relative Clause Relative clauses are also referred to as adjective clauses. They are used to modify a noun, which is either the subject or the object of a sentence. For example: She is the woman who he met at the party last week. I bought a book which was published in Germany last year. Who he met at the party is a relative clause that describes the subject of the sentence, which is woman. Which was published in Germany describes the object of the verb bought. Intermediates: That is the school. I went to that school as a boy. That is the school (that) I went to as a boy. Thats a beautiful car over there! Id like to buy that car. Id like to buy that beautiful car over there. How to Use Relative Clauses? Use relative clauses to provide extra information. This information can either define something (defining clause) or provide unnecessary but interesting added information (non-defining clause). Relative clauses can be introduced by: A relative pronoun: who (whom), which, that, whoseNo relative pronounWhere, why, and when instead of a relative pronoun You need to consider the following when deciding which relative pronoun to use: Is the subject or object or possessive of a relative clause?Does it refer to a person or an object?Is the relative clause a defining or non-defining relative clause? Relative clauses are often used in both spoken and written English. There is a tendency to use non-defining relative clauses mostly in written, rather than in spoken, English. The Importance of Defining Relative Clauses The information provided in a defining relative clause is crucial in understanding the meaning of the sentence. Examples:   The woman who lives in apartment number 34 has been arrested.The document that I need has important written at the top. The purpose of a defining relative clause is to clearly define who or what we are talking about. Without this information, it would be difficult to know who or what is meant. Example:  The house is being renovated. In this  case, it is not necessarily clear  which  house is being renovated. Non-Defining Relative Clauses Non-defining relative clauses provide interesting additional information which is not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence. Example:  Mrs. Jackson, who is very intelligent, lives on the corner. Correct punctuation is essential in non-defining relative clauses. If the non-defining relative clause occurs in the middle of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun and at the end of the clause. If the non-defining relative clause occurs at the end of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun. In defining relative clauses, there are no commas. Examples:   Children who play with fire are in great danger of harm.The man who bought all the books by Hemingway has died. Generally,  who  and  which  are more usual in written English, whereas  that  is more usual in speech when referring to things. Relative Pronouns and Defining Relative Clauses Examples:   Thats the boy (who, whom) I invited to the party.Theres the house (that, which) Id like to buy. Relative Pronouns Used as a Possessive Examples:   Hes the man whose car was stolen last week.They were sure to visit the town whose location was little-known. It is preferable to use  that  (not  which) after the following words: all, any(thing), every(thing), few, little, many, much, no(thing), none, some(thing), and after superlatives. When using the  pronoun  to refer to the object,  that  can be omitted. Examples:   It was everything (that) he had ever wanted.There were only a few (that) really interested him. Examples:   Frank Zappa, who was one of the most creative artists in rock n roll, came from California.Olympia, whose name is taken from the Greek language, is the capital of Washington State. Relative Pronouns and Non-Defining Relative Clauses Examples:   Frank invited Janet, who (whom) he had met in Japan, to the party.Peter brought his favorite antique book, which he had found at a flea market, to show his friends. That can never be used in non-defining clauses. Possessive in Non-Defining Relative Clauses Example:   The singer, whose most recent recording has had much success, was signing autographs.The artist, whose name he could not remember, was one of the best he had ever seen. In non-defining relative clauses,  which  can be used to refer to an entire clause. Example:   He came for the weekend wearing only some shorts and a t-shirt, which was a stupid thing to do. After numbers and words like  many, most, neither, and some, we use  of,  before,  whom,  and  which  in non-defining relative clauses.   Example:   Many of those people, most of whom enjoyed their experience, spent at least a year abroad.  Dozens of people had been invited, most of whom I knew.

Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt Essay

Should same sex couples be allowed to adopt - Essay Example At the same time many same sex married couples are nowadays trying to adopt children since it is impossible for them to conceive without the help from the opposite gender. Adoption is the only way for such couples to have a child. But adoption by same sex couples has raised many ethical and legal issues in the current world. Critics of same sex couple adoption argue that such adoption will deny the child the much needed care and love from either a father or a mother. On the other hand, supporters of such adoption believe that it is injustice to deny the adoption rights to same sex couples because of their natural inability to conceive. This paper briefly analyses the arguments of both the supporters and opponents of same sex couple adoption. Belge (2010) has argued that The United States has many older children and those with special needs children waiting to be adopted. It is difficult fro such children to find an artificial father or mother through adoption (Belge, 2010). Instead o f leaving such children in darkness it is better to allow same sex couples to adopt such children. If such children allow growing in pathetic conditions their physical and mental growth might not be proper. On the other hand, if the same sex couples allowed adopting such children, both the children and the adopted parents would benefit from that. Scientific studies have shown that children who grow up in one or two-parent gay or lesbian households fare just as well emotionally and socially as children whose parents are heterosexual (Belge, 2010).

Guillermo Furniture Store Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Guillermo Furniture Store Analysis - Essay Example By use of the weighted average cost of capital (WACC), multiple valuation methods in minimizing the risks and calculation of Net Present Value (NPV) of future cash flows including sensitivity analysis, the company can find a solution to the impending problem. Weighted Average Cost of Capital The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) refers to the rate of return that the company or business anticipates acquiring on its optimal risk ventures in order to offer a considerable anticipated return to all its shareholders. It is applied in valuing new assets that possess similar risks as the existing assets and that hold a similar debt ratio. WACC is a relevant rate of discount specifically for projects that are similar to the current business operations (Brown, & Reilly, 2006). To determine WACC, one must first understand that a majority of firms use different forms of financing. Some of the financing techniques include use of bonds, ordinary shares, preferred shares and other form of sec urities. The securities have unique types of risks and thus owners seek to get various rates of return. Under such conditions, the firm’s cost of capital might not be equal to the anticipated return on common shares. It is dependent on the anticipated return from the entire portfolio of securities that the firm has given out. Besides, taxes are also included given the point that interest payments executed by the firm are expenses which are tax deductible. In this perspective Guillermo’s cost of capital will be established as the weighted average of post-tax interest cost of debt financing and the equity cost. This is to say that the anticipated rate of return on the company’s ordinary stock. The weights are the portions of debt and equity in the company’s capital structure.  Ã‚  Ã‚  The weighted average cost of capital is utilized to assess optimal risk on the capital ventures on projects. This is means that the risk on the projects coincides with the r isks the company faces on the current operations and assets.   The average cost of capital is found by; WACC = Kd (1-T) Wd + Ke* We (Emery, Finnerty & Stowe, 2007). From the financial statements given the cost of debt before tax is 7.5%, the tax rate stands at 42%, the weight of debt in the capital structure in 2010 is 84.3% while that of 2011 is 82.4%, and the weight of equity in the capital structure is 15.7 in 2010 and 17.5 in 2011 while the cost of equity is 11.34% The above figures were derived as follows; Weight of debt: Information from assets, Liabilities & Equity Information  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wd 2010 = Total liability/ Total Equity=$1,130,963/ [$211,111+$1,130,963] = 84.3% Wd 2011 =Total liability /Total Equity=$1,109,358/ [$235,805+$1,109,358] = 82.4% Cost of equity is derived from the following steps: Risk free rate used is 4.36% while the market rate of return according to S & P rating is 13.08 %. It should be noted that the security’s contribution to the risk of a po rtfolio that is diversified is dependent on the market risk. However, some securities might not be affected by the ups and downs in the market. The sensitivity of securities to market movement is known as beta. Securities with a beta more than 1 are specifically sensitive to the market movement (Emery, Finnerty

The Lost City of Nan Madol Essay Example for Free

The Lost City of Nan Madol Essay Legends of lost cities like Atlantis and El Dorado have always fascinated mankind throughout the centuries, because of their mystery. But off the coast of Micronesia lies a real mysterious city called Nan Madol. Nan Madol is a ruined city that lies off the eastern shore of the island of Pohnpei that was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty until about 1628. It is in the present day Madolenihmw district of Pohnpei state, in the Federated States of Micronesia, my home land, in the western Pacific Ocean. The city consists of a series of small artificial islands linked by a network of canals. I did not know much about Nan Madol so I had to ask the one person I knew would really help me. That person was my grandfather, Bethwel Henry. I had to ask how the people back did then come up with the name Nan Madol. He said that Nan Madol means â€Å"spaces between† and is a reference of the canals that crisscross the ruins. It is often called The Venus of the Pacific†. â€Å"According to Pohnpeian legend† he said, â€Å"Nan Madol was constructed by twin sorcerers Olisihpa and Olosohpa†. The brothers arrived in a large canoe seeking a place to build an altar so that they could worship Nahnisohn Sahpw, the god of agriculture. After several false starts, the two brothers successfully built an altar at off Temwen Island, where they performed their rituals. In legend, these brothers levitated the huge stones with the aid of a flying dragon. When Olisihpa died of old age, Olosohpa became the first Saudeleur (ruler) of Nan Madol. Olosohpa married a local woman and sired twelve generations, producing sixteen other Saudeleur rulers. The founders of the dynasty ruled kindly, though their successors placed ever increasing demands on their subjects. Their reign ended with the invasion by Isokelekel, who also resided at Nan Madol, though his successors abandoned the site. On Nan Madol there is no fresh water or food; water must be collected and food grown inland. During Saudeleur rule, Pohnpeians brought essential food and water by boat. The Saudeleur received food at a particular islet. Around 1628, when Isokelekel overthrew the Saudeleurs and began the Nahnmwarki (King) Era, the Nahnmwarkis lived at Nan Madol, but had to gather their own water and grow their own food. This is thought to have caused them eventually to abandon Nan Madol and move back to their own districts. Before the outbreak of World War II, the Japanese administered the strange island. The Japanese investigated a Nan Madol legend that referred to corpse resting in the â€Å"House of Dead† , and allegedly their divers discovered an underwater structure containing elaborate watertight coffins made of pure platinum. Records indicating that how much of the platinum may have been removed by the Japanese, or if any platinum watertight coffins still exist, has been either hidden away or destroyed by the Japanese. Archeologists have uncovered human bones that belonged to people considerably larger than the Pohnpeians who lived today. Today Nan Madol forms an archaeological district covering more than 18 square kilometers and includes the stone architecture built up on a coral reef flat along the shore of Temwen Island, several other artificial islets, and the adjacent Pohnpei main island coastline. The site core with its stone walls encloses an area approximately 1. 5 km long by 0. 5 km wide and it contains nearly 100 artificial islets bordered by tidal canals. Carbon dating indicates that the construction of Nan Madol began around 1200 CE, while archaeological site show that the area may have been occupied as early as 200 BCE. Some probable diggings sites around the island have been identified, but the exact origin of the stones of Nan Madol is yet undetermined. None of the proposed diggings sites exist in Madolenihmw, meaning that the stones must have been transported to their current location. It has been suggested that they might have been floated through raft from the diggings, and a short dive between the island and the diggings shows a trail of dropped stones. However, no one has successfully demonstrated or explained the process. Some modern Pohnpeians believe the stones were flown to the island by use of black magic. In 1985 the ruins of Nan Madol were declared a National Historical Landmark. Currently, a greater effort is being made to preserve them. A lot of people from other countries travel to Micronesia to see the ruins and said that a trip to the ruins is an unforgettable thing you can do in Micronesia.

Labyrinth and Star Wars :: Movies Essays

Labyrinth and Star Wars It is amazing how in many stories a group of the most unlikely characters can overcome the most impossible odds. The battle of good vs. evil is reenacted in thousand upon thousand of movies. A lot of the times in these movies the group of heroes consist of very ordinary or odd characters, those who seem to possess few heroic traits. As seen in the movies Labyrinth and the first made Star Wars, a group of small and seemingly powerless characters can overcome great evils. The movie the Labyrinth tells a story about a group of unlikely heroes trying to make their way though a maze in order to defeat the Goblin King. The story starts out with the main character Sarah whom, without even realizing it, wishes her baby brother to be taken way by Jareth the Goblin King. He tells her that if she wants her brother back she will have to make her way through the labyrinth and to the castle beyond the Goblin City. She only has 13 hours to complete the seemingly impossible task or her little brother Toby will be turned into a goblin. While making her way through the twisted and endless maze Sarah runs into many weird characters. The first person she encounters is Hoggle a very untrustworthy dwarf whom is under the influence of Jareth. He is selfish and does things only if there is something for him to gain. He betrays Sarah many times throughout the movie, but in the end he proves himself to be more than a traitorous coward. Ludo is a yeti and despite looking vic ious is a gentle and caring monster. Ludo also has the power to control rocks. Sir Didymis is a loudmouthed, but noble knight who displays his valor throughout the movie. The four heroes manage to fight their way through the perilous labyrinth. The Goblin King Jareth is defeated and Sarah’s brother Toby is saved. Though the characters in this movie seemed to be nothing more than ordinary, and if not odd, they fought their way through labyrinth and conquered an entire army of evil goblins and their king. (Labyrinth 1986) Star Wars also tells of a similar story; the most unlikely set of people can stop an entire evil empire. The movie begins with Princess Leia’s capture by the evil empire. In an attempt to save herself and her mission plans, she sends two robots, R2D2 and C-3PO, to deliver a message to the illusive Ben Kenobi.

Hookworm Dermatitis in Dogs

Hookworm dermatitis is also called ancylostomiasis or uncinariasis dermatitis. Lesions occur as a result of the skin penetration of the third stage larvae of Uncinaria stenocephala and Ancylostoma spp. The larvae are located in the soil that the animals contact. Lesions are more often associated with Uncinaria stenocephala infestation. Uncinaria stenocephala rarely completes its life cycle by skin penetration, however, Ancylostoma spp can.The larvae enter the skin primarily at areas of scaling skin but, occasionally they may enter via hair follicles. Signs of Hookworm Dermatitis The condition is more frequently noticed in hookworm infested dogs that are housed on dirt runs with poor sanitation. Lesions are primarily located on the feet but, they may be seen on any area of the skin that contacts the ground. Erythematous papules are present initially but, chronically affected skin often becomes red, thickened and alopecic. The skin on the footpads often becomes thickened.The interdigit al spaces may be red, and the feet may eventually become soft and spongy especially at the pad margins. The nails may grow faster, become deformed and in severe cases break off. Arthritis may be present. Itchiness is always present but it can vary in intensity. Animals are irritable and lick their feet. Diagnosis of Hookworm Dermatitis Pelodera dermatitis is considered a possible diagnosis when a dog kept outdoors on straw bedding has itchy, alopecic and crusting dermatitis on skin that is in contact with the ground.A positive fecal exam for hookworm eggs provides supporting evidence but does not confirm a diagnosis. Skin scraping is an easy, fast, inexpensive and reliable method for the diagnosis of Pelodera dermatitis. Treatment of Hookworm Dermatitis All affected and in-contact dogs should be given appropriate antihelminthic treatment and a prophylactic program should be started. Frequent removal of feces from the runs and kennels as well as improved sanitation should be performe d.Therapy consists of routine worming with thiabendazole, fenbendazole, or levamizole and improving sanitation. Oral antibiotics were used in cases with confirmed or suspected concurrent bacterial infection. Since decaying organic matter is a typical habitat of P. strongyloides, removal of straw bedding from the kennel is imperative to allow successful medical treatment. Discarding moist or dirty bedding and replacing it with clean, dry bedding is the first step taken in treating our Pelodera dermatitis cases.