Television Is The Downfall Of Our Society Essays - Television

Television Is The Downfall Of Our Society Can you imagine the actual number of people who watch T.V.? People spend more time before the television, than any other thing. Nowadays, even children, to be more specific, toddlers spend most of their time watching T.V. Shouldn?t they be playing with their toys inside or outside, playing in the yard, going to the park for a walk or to play on the swings and slides? Don?t you remember when you were young when your parents took you to the park? All kids went to the park, but nowadays, the park has been substituted with the television and video games (for youth). Maybe this is also a reason why many of our children are obese. Because the television producers have created television show for preschoolers, school-age children, teenagers, and adults, many choose to spend their time viewing these shows because they feel a sense of belonging when watching the shows. For preschoolers, shows such as Sesame Street, Barney, and Teletubbies have been created. Many of these shows are very educational, but it has been proven that most children learn quicker with hands-on-training. Children are more likely to learn also by speaking. Children can?t speak to the television; therefore, their parents must be his/her instructors, but this requires time from the parents. Many parents don?t have time to spend talking to their children, they are either at work, or they think they have something more important than their children, but what can be more important than your child?s education and development. Parents must take time from their long day to spend time with their children, take them to the park or just go out into the backyard and play ball. Educational shows, such as The Magic School Bus, have been produced for school-age children. This is a very informational show and it allows for kids to explore. Noton?s World is a very good example of this also, because he performs experiments and talks about science and math during his show. Shows such as cartoons aren?t very educational; however, they can be very entertaining for these children. There are also shows, such as The Alyson?s Sisters, which deals with everyday occurrences that relate to them. These twins fall into this age group and the show talks of things that happen to them during and outside of school. For instance, the show talks about their first date, first dance, first kiss, first boyfriend, Etc. For teenagers, shows such as The Fresh Prince, Boy Meets World, Hang Time, Sister Sister, Family Matters, and Change of Heart are being shown on T.V. These shows usually are shown after 3:00 p.m. or during the weekend the time when teenagers are out of school. Teenagers watch these shows because they can relate to the characters. These characters go through the same things that teenagers go through. Sometimes, they wish that they could go through those awesome things that happen to those fictional characters. However, shows like the Jerry Springer Show, aren?t or shouldn?t be watched by teenagers, because it forces a way of being and thinking into their minds. If you have ever watched the Jerry Springer Show, you don?t want to be a guest, or you always say that won?t happen to me. But nowadays, a lot of teens are doing things that are seen in talk shows like the Jerry Springer Show, because they think it?s right, since they saw it on T.V., but it isn?t right. Soap Operas, and shows such as The Pretender, ER, Hercules, Zena, Family Feud, Love and Marriage, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and Talk shows, such as Oprah, Sally, and Ricki Lake are shown for the adults. However, many teens and children also watch these shows. There are many differences between these shows because they all emphasis on something different. Soap Operas are just like movies, but these go on forever. Talk Shows sometimes can be educational, for awareness, personal stories, fashion, or reunions; it just depends on what the viewers of that show are more interested in. Some of these shows are just shows, just movies, and a story of several people that keeps going; however, they are different from Soap Operas because Soap

Performance Contingent Pay Essay Example

Performance Contingent Pay Essay Example Performance Contingent Pay Paper Performance Contingent Pay Paper Viet Name banking sector was emerging rapidly after had Joined WTFO at the end of 2006 and performance contingent compensation is a widely accepted means for rewarding managers, but there is no empirical test of its effectiveness in Viet Name banking sectors. Does managerial compensation to organizational performance lead to higher organizational performance? It appears to be a truism that if you want to motivate high performance, you will attach rewards to it. Several prominent theories of organization behavior (Feint, 1976; Lealer, 1971, 1981) support this common sense view. The study of John L. Pearce, et al (1985) applied a time series procedure to organizational performance data in the Social Security Administration to indicate that the merit pay program had no effect on organizational performance in social organizations. Although, merit pay and bonuses for managers are common forms of compensation, there have been lacks of tests of their effectiveness, especially In banking sectors (Dyer Schwab, 1982). In this study, the author will apply a Box and Jenkins (1976) time series procedure, which was used by Perry Porter (1981) and Pearce, et al (1985), to determine whether or not implementing a merit pay plan that tied to managers salaries to organizational performance indicators resulted in improved organizational performance in Viet Names banking sector. The results of the study will contribute to the improvement of conceptualization of human resource management and help human resource managers in Viet Name banking sector planning compensation policy for managers more effectively. Many theorists have discussed the motivational aspects of pay. Poppas and Dinette (1966) reviewed several prominent psychological theories and discussed their implications for organizational compensation, but their study did not discuss about performance merit pay. Gallerias (1963) emphasized the symbolic role of money, but he did not prove about how to compensation should be applied to increase performance. Herbert, et al (1959) made the excited argument that pay is a hygiene factor, not a motivator factor of performance. However, Kings review of research 1970) found out not support for Herbert et al s two factor theory. Dams equity theory (1965) proposed that individuals who perceive themselves to be underpaid or overpaid may alter their efforts to achieve a balance between performance and reward. But again, Dye Schwab (1982) failed to support the performance predictions of equity theory. A Deterrent perspective was trotter Day Deck won contacted a series studies on the effects of externally mediated reward, such as pay, on laboratory subjects intrinsic motivation to engage in tasks. Decide drew on this research to argue that intention payment plans should be avoided because they reduce intrinsic motivation, lead individuals to develop strategies that will enable them to get rewards with least effort, and can easily break down. These arguments are particularly relevant to managerial Jobs, since such Jobs are more likely than a routine Job to be intrinsically rewarding and are less likely to be subject to extensive surveillance. Decide suggested that salaries are not directly based on performance are less likely to reduce intrinsic motivation than are salaries that are performance contingent. However, his study is not clear whether this substitution in task motivations will result in either increased or decreased task performance. Based on Brooms (1964) expectancy theory, Lealer (1971, 1981) argued that pay can be a powerful performance incentive because it can be used to satisfy so many needs. However attractive money may not motivate performance unless it is contingent on performance and he presented some studies which showed that managerial pay is seldom contingent on performance. Hair, Eggshell, and Gordon (1967) reported that managerial raises are often uncorrelated from one year to the ext, indicating that either managerial performance is quite different from one year to the next that raises are not based on performance but on other, possibly variable, criteria. Although, most scholars advocate performance contingent pay systems, they recognize that under certain conditions the implementation of such systems may be more dysfunctional than functional. According to Lealer (1971, 1981), performance contingent pay should not be used when trust levels are low, performance cannot be validly and inclusively measured, and large pay rewards cannot be given to the best reformers. Lealer (1971) also acknowledged that managers may not control all of the factors that affect their units performance, concluding that under such circumstances subjective Judgments by superiors and objective unit performance data should be combined into a managerial performance measure on which pay could be based. Although there have been empirical studies of the effect of performance contingent pay for non-management employees (Dyer Schwab, 1982; Feint, 1976), there have been lacks of tests of the effect of performance contingent pay for managers, specially in banking sector. Feint (1976), reporting a consulting firms 1971 survey, writes that firms with formal bonus plans (which, we infer, were based on a measure of firm performance) had an average pre-tax return on investment of 15. 8 percent, compared to 1 1. 7 percent for firms without a formal plan. The after tax profits were 8. Percent versus 5 percent. Unfortunately, Feint cannot tell anything about the sample or whether these Territories were sat t TLS Cyclical slanting. Redline (1981) used a randomly selected sample of 25 companies and measured a 5 ear performance ranking that combined earnings growth and returns on shareholders equity. He correlated each organizations ranked performance with its base salary growth and with its salar y plus bonus growth over 5 years. He found a correlation of 0. 16 between base salary increase and firm performance and a correlation of 0. 9 between salary plus bonus increase and performance, from which he concluded that there are a little indication of the existence of performance contingent pay plans in current top executive compensation. Loomis (1982), the one who plotted 1981 compensation (salaries, bonuses, profit haring, stock purchase contribution) against return on stockholders equity, found a less than perfect correspondence, and more over, highlighted extreme case of executives receiving relatively large increases in compensation during a period of deteriorating profitability for their firms. Loomis argued that executive compensation in these prominent publicly held firms should be more directly tied to firm performance. Dye Schwab (1982) noted that there is research evidence that incentive pay plans for non-management employees produce higher productivity. Pearce, et al (1985) analyzed the effect of the implementation of a performance contingent pay program for managers indicated that its implementation had no statistically significant, gradual, permanent effect on the general trend of organizational performance in 1 1 out of 12 tests. But there were some limitations of this study that prevent drawing definitive conclusions about the effects of merit pay on organizational performance. One of them is that there were evidences that the implementation of this federal merit pay program was flawed in several ways. In Addition, he suggested that in his search, as in so many real world quasi-experimental designs, it was not possible to study a comparable control group, although looking at 4 years of monthly performance measures gave him some control over rival hypotheses. Pearce study (1985) cannot definitively prove or refute the effectiveness of merit pay for managers. The review of theory and research related to managerial compensation to organizational performance shows that there is still lack of conclusive empirical support for this assumption. In order to find more evidences about the effect of reference contingent pay for managers, this study will attempt to assess the actual effects on organizational performance of the performance contingent pay for managers in Viet Name banking sector.

Sustainable Development - Design and Build Without Harm

Sustainable Development - Design and Build Without Harm Sustainable development is a general belief that all human endeavors should promote the longevity of the planet and its inhabitants. What architects call the built environment should not harm the Earth or deplete its resources. Builders, architects, designers, community planners, and real estate developers strive to create buildings and communities that will neither deplete natural resources nor negatively impact the Earths functioning. The goal is to meet todays needs using renewable resources so that the needs of future generations will be provided for. Sustainable development attempts to minimize greenhouse gases, reduce global warming, preserve environmental resources, and provide communities that allow people to reach their fullest potentials. In the field of Architecture, sustainable development also has been known as sustainable design, green architecture, eco-design, eco-friendly architecture, earth-friendly architecture, environmental architecture, and natural architecture. The Brundtland Report In December 1983, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, a physician and the first woman Prime Minister of Norway, was asked to chair a United Nations commission to address a global agenda for change. Brundtland has become known as the mother of sustainability since the 1987 release of the report, Our Common Future. In it, sustainable development was defined and became the basis of many global initiatives. Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs....In essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development; and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.- Our Common Future, United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987 Sustainability in the Built Environment When people construct things, many processes take place to actualize the design. The goal of a sustainable building project is to use materials and processes that will have little impact on the continued functioning of the environment. For example, using local building materials and local laborers limits the pollution effects of transportation. Non-polluting construction practices and industries should have little harm on the land, sea, and air. Protecting natural habitats and remediating neglected or contaminated landscapes can reverse damages caused by previous generations. Any resources used should have a planned replacement. These are characteristics of sustainable development. Architects should specify materials that do not harm the environment at any stage of their life cycle - from first manufacturing to end-of-use recycling. Natural, bio-degradable, and recycled building materials are becoming more and more common. Developers are turning to renewable sources for water and renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. Green architecture and eco-friendly building practices promote sustainable development, as do walkable communities, and mixed-use communities that combine residential and commercial activities - aspects of  Smart Growth and the New Urbanism. In their Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability, the U.S. Department of the Interior suggests that historic buildings are themselves often inherently sustainable because they have lasted to stand the test of time. This does not mean that they cannot be upgraded and preserved.  Adaptive reuse of older buildings and the general use of recycled architectural salvage are also inherently sustainable processes. In architecture and design, the emphasis of sustainable development is on the conservation of environmental resources. However, the concept of sustainable development is often broadened to include the protection and development of human resources. Communities founded on principles of sustainable development may strive to provide abundant educational resources, career development opportunities, and social services. United Nations sustainable development goals are inclusive. United Nations Goals The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on September 25, 2015 that set 17 goals for all nations to strive for by 2030. In this resolution, the notion of sustainable development has been expanded far beyond what architects, designers, and urban planners have focused on - namely Goal 11 in this list.   Each of these goals have targets that encourage worldwide participation: Goal 1. End poverty; 2. End hunger; 3. Good healthy lives; 4. Quality education and lifelong learning; 5. Gender equality; 6 Clean water and sanitation; 7. Affordable clean energy; 8. Decent work; 9. Resilient infrastructure; 10. Reduce inequality; 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; 12. Responsible consumption; 13. Combat climate change and its impacts; 14. Conserve and sustainably use oceans and seas; 15. Manage forests and halt biodiversity loss; 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies; 17. Strengthen and revitalize global partnership. Even before the U.N.s Goal 13, architects realized that the urban built environment is responsible for most of the worlds fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Architecture 2030 set this challenge for architects and builders - All new buildings, developments, and major renovations shall be carbon-neutral by 2030. Examples of Sustainable Development Australian architect Glenn Murcutt is often held up as an architect who practices sustainable design. His projects are developed for and placed on sites that have been studied for their natural elements of rain, wind, sun, and earth. For example, the roof of the Magney House was designed specifically to capture rainwater for use within the structure. The Villages of Loreto Bay in Loreto Bay, Mexico was promoted as a model of sustainable development. The community claimed to produce more energy than it consumed and more water than it used. However, critics charged that developers claims were overstated. The community eventually suffered financial setbacks. Other communities with good intentions, such as Playa Vista in Los Angeles, have had similar struggles. More successful residential projects are the grassroots Ecovillages being built all over the world. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) defines an ecovillage as an intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability in order to regenerate social and natural environments. One of the most famous is EcoVillage Ithaca, co-founded by Liz Walker. Finally, one of the most famous success stories is the transformation of a neglected area of London into the Olympic Park for the London 2012 summer Olympic Games. From 2006 until 2012 the Olympic Delivery Authority created by British Parliament oversaw the government mandated sustainability project. Sustainable development is most successful when governments work with the private sector to make things happen. With support from the public sector, private energy companies like Solarpark Rodens will be more likely to put their renewable energy photovoltaic panels where sheep may safely graze  - existing together on the land. Sources Our Common Future (The Brundtland Report), 1987, un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf [accessed May 30, 2016]What is an Ecovillage? The Global Ecovillage Network, http://gen.ecovillage.org/en/article/what-ecovillage [accessed May 30, 2016]Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD), United Nations, https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld [accessed November 19, 2017]Architecture 2030, http://architecture2030.org/ [accessed November 19, 2017]

Country (China) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Country (China) - Research Paper Example As a function of seeking to understand and find the current economic situation that China faces today, the following analysis will not only provide a brief historical glimpse into the determinant factors which it helps to define China within the way it can currently be understood, the analysis will also be contingent upon discussing the outlook and ramifications of economic policies that are currently engaged within the People’s Republic of China. Through such a unit of analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more informed understanding with respect to the determinants of Chinese economic policy as well as the threats and potential weaknesses that the nation faces within the immediate and distant future. Firstly, in seeking to answer the question of whether or not the People’s Republic of China can be considered as a triad nation, the reader must understand that triad nations are defined as those nations that only represent 8% of the world's total population – but account for 50% of its gross domestic product. Due to the fact that the Chinese population is currently in excess of 1.3 6 billion individuals, it cannot be assumed or understood that China is in any way indicative of a triad nation. Whereas it is true that the GDP of China is massive, the population differential that is thus far been discussed ultimately convinces the reader that China cannot be considered as such. Currently, China exhibits an unbelievably low unemployment rate of around 4.1%. Before discussing or analyzing this statistic to a further degree, it must be understood and appreciated that many of the statistics that come out the People’s Republic of China are ultimately suspect. Without casting further aspersions upon the way in which the People’s Republic of China is administered, it must be understood that the Communist Party is ultimately the sole power that directs the fiscal and economic policy within the People’s Republic of China. As such, the level and extent to which this entity can be relied upon for verifiable truth and reasonable statistics may well be quite limited. However, notwithstanding this fact, the rate of unemployment that is exhibited within the People’s Republic of China is astoundingly low. By means of comparison, the gross domestic product of the People’s Republic of China is currently in excess of $8.20 trillion dollars. Somewhat surprisingly, the GDP per capita, measured within the same 2012 time period, only stands at $6090. As can relatively be noted, the GDP per capita as compared to the total gross domestic product of the entire nation is quite low; blending a level of understanding with regards to why she labor is so abundantly available within China and helping the reader to come to an understanding of why the People’s Republic of China continues to the a producer of so many consumer goods that require simple and complex levels of application. Many economists and businessmen alike have termed China’s rapid growth as an economic miracle. Part of the reason for this is the fact that the GDP growth rate between the period of 1990 and 2010 averaged approximately 12%. Although the GDP growth rate currently stands at a lower level due to the 2007/2008 economic slowdown,

Pure Competition & Monopolistic Competition Research Paper

Pure Competition & Monopolistic Competition - Research Paper Example A firm in a perfect competition shows complete elasticity to price fluctuations. Also, marginal revenues are equals to average revenues and market demands. It is the demand which causes shifts in average and marginal revenues in the short-run. Changes in market demand and supply lead to price fluctuations (Reynolds). 2.3Profit Maximization in the Short-Run For a firm in a pure competition, the difference between total costs and total revenues represent profits. For a firm to earn maximum profits, ability to control and react to marginal costs and revenue functions is important. If a firm can identify the level where marginal costs (MC) can be equals to marginal revenues (MR), profit can be maximized by increasing the output and number of units sold. It is important to note that in a short-run, Average revenue (AR) is equals to marginal revenue (MR) which also represents market price. Furthermore, the firm is intended to increase profits and not revenues. Therefore, a firm is required to produce and sell additional goods in order to reduce marginal costs (MC). The lower marginal cost would lead to lower average costs and the difference between average costs and revenues would indicate final profits of the firm. In short, if marginal costs (MC) are equals to marginal revenues, the firm is earning maximum profits. In a scenario where these two variables are equal or MR is higher than MC, the firm should produce more and vice versa (see Fig 1). In a short-run, the maximum loss that a firm can bear is its fixed cost.

An alien species Essay Example for Free

An alien species Essay An alien species (also known as ‘exotic or nuisance species’) is the entry of any species into the ecology of which in the past it was not a part of. This species can travel to the new ecosystem from a neighboring ecosystem or from another part of the world. An alien species can cause damage or harm to animal, plant and human life thus completely disrupting the ecosystem. Two of the alien species that have seriously affected the other inhabitants of the ecosystem in the US and the other parts of North America include the Green crab and the zebra mussel. In the home ecosystem, an alien species may not be able to thrive well due to the presence of certain factors such as diseases, presence competitors, lack of space, natural enemies, etc. However in the new ecosystem, the alien species is able to thrive uncontrollable due to the absence or restrictive factors. In the past, many alien species have been introduced into various environments. Some have entered due to human factors, whereas other may have entered due to certain natural factors. Some species may have benefited the environment, which they are entered, whereas other may have seriously destroyed the native population. Invasion by alien species can have both, economic and environmental implications. The Zebra mussel is originally from the Caspian Sea and the Green crab is from Eastern Seaboard. These are classic examples of ‘Aquatic Nuisance Species’ (ANS) (ACS, 2007, MDNR, 2006 NOAA, 2007). The Zebra mussels were identified in the Great Lakes and later spread to the other parts of North America via the major rivers and waterways. They may have spread into the US from ships that have traveled through the freshwaters of Europe. They compete for plankton in the waters and in this way seriously jeopardize the food chain. They also damage parts of boats and ships. The Green crabs had spread into the San Francisco Bay region and later through California and Oregon States. They have a strong appetite for food in their territories and in this way deprive other organisms of food. The native crabs of US have seriously suffered from the invasion of the Green crab into their home territory (ACS, 2007, MDNR, 2006 NOAA, 2007).

Computer Software Should be Free :: Internet Essays Papers

Computer Software Should be Free Free is a word that everyone in the world loves to hear, whether you are in the United States or Bangladesh. Usually when something is advertised as â€Å"free† there is some sort of a catch. Whether there are hidden shipping and handling fees or hidden commitments, something almost always gets you. The word free is not a word that is normally associated with computers and computer software, until now. If you know the right places to look on the Internet, whether legal or illegal, a person can find the software they are looking for. Considering that many things people want for their computer tend to be expensive this a great option for them. Organizations are trying to crack down on people getting things for free, but the Internet is too vast to regulate all of the sites that allow free usage of things normally paid for. Napster is a good example of a site that got shut down for allowing users to download music for free. Many views can be taken on whether or not this should be regulated. In this paper I will be discussing whether or not all things on the computer should be free. Software applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office can be expensive. So instead of buying them people go to websites and download them for free. This is a growing practice among many people in all countries. So it raises the question should all software be free. Many people argue that it should be free because everyone gets it for free anyway. Organizations like CAAST [1] and FAST [2] try to regulate the number of thefts in there countries. In Canada it has seemed to work over time, as numbers of thefts have dropped for the first time in four years. FAST reports that 26% of all software being used is illegal. These organizations can only hope to limit the number of illegal software downloads in their respective countries, which really is quite miniscule in the overall picture of software piracy. Music on the Internet is another big issue among consumers and the artists that compose them. Napster was the biggest site for downloading mp3’s, but was shutdown because of a big push by the rock group Metallica.

Comptuer Studies Ruby Notes

These are notes I took while I was learning Ruby. Comptuer studies ruby notes Instance of a class is a sub-category of that class. E. g. greyhound; dog. Every object has a class. Objects are instances of classes. Methods define what an object can do and properties describe it. Constants start with a capital letter, sometimes they are all caps e. g. INTEREST = 0. 012 #setting constant INTEREST to 1. 2% DOZEN = 12 #setting constant DOZEN to 12 Constants and variables store information in the memory for the duration of the use of the program.Like RAM? Constants can’t be changed but variables can be reassigned based on certain properties and data. Different types of classes: ClassExample of Object Float6. 5 or 3. 9 Fixnum2 or 3 StringThisisastring or randomnumber34 ArrayMonday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Or January February March April HashToronto [Dion Phaneuf] Pittsburgh [Sidney Crosby] Washington [Alex Ovechkin] Or Haseeb [November 18] Humza [August 6] Hana [August 11] Ra nge11.. 20 Or Hi.. Ho Float = decimal number Fixnum/Integer = whole number String = letters and numbersArray = an ordered list, a couple of objects put together in one list that can also be accessed independently Create a new array or reset an old one by using this: array = Array. new You can also show individual variables by doing: array[number] e. g. subjects[3] you can also add objects to the array by: subjects [4] = ‘Social Science’ Hash = Similar to array but not in order, each object does not have a number. It’s based on key and value pairs. Like if you put five names and assigned each a birthday. They would go based on those pairs. It assigns the first name to the second. E. g: friends = Hash. ew friends[‘Andrea'] = ‘July 22' friends[‘Mohammed'] = ‘April 9' Range = A sequence of values e. g. nums = 11.. 20 Setting variable: Fav_food = ‘pizza’ #setting variable fav_food to pizza The quote marks around pizza identify that fav_food is a string value. Identifiers are the constant/variables names In order to change a variable’s value (not class) from one to another use the following To string: x. to_s To float: x. to_f To integer/fixnum: x. to_i Keep in mind, this only changes the variables value based on class properties, not its actual class Scope is where the variable can be accessed r seen within a program. Some are only used for a small task while others may be used for larger tasks and appear several times within the program. Constants’ scope depends on how often it is declared. If a constant is only declared within a class or module it’s scope is within that scope or module. However if it is declared outside of that class or module it’s scope is wider or â€Å"global†. There four different variable scopes. Local variables are confined to the part of the program in which they are declared. If the variable is only declared within a method it is restricted to when that method is used or executed.It can’t be used anywhere else in the program. (e. g. fav_food) Global variables can be declared anywhere in the program and are accessible from anywhere in the program. They are identified by a preceding â€Å"$† e. g. $fav_food. Global variables, however have to be used with extreme caution due to the fact that their values can be changed anytime in the program, sometimes by accidental or careless coding, these accidents can cause huge problems and are not easily fixable. Class variables are confined to a specific class but once all instances of the class are created the value of the variable is shared amongst all instances.If the value is changed in one of the instances, it is changed in all of the instances. (e. g. @@fav_food) Instance variables are restricted to only certain instances of a class. If the value changes in one of the instances it stays the same in the others. (e. g. @fav_food) Commands to determine classes Either: put s variable. class or puts variable. kind_of? Class The first will tell you what class the variable is while the other will say true or false based on what class is inputted at the end of the line. Changing classes The easiest way is to just assign a new value to it.Another way is to use the to_s, to_i etc. commands while also using the â€Å"=† assignment operator in order to change the object’s class permanently e. g. num = num. to_s you can do it without the â€Å"=† and the num variable before the equals sign in order to change it temporarily All math operations are the same except for two. Modulo (%) Divides and gives the remainder and exponent is (**). E. g: X = 6%4 X = 20 ** 2 There are also comparison operators such as: puts a == b #false as a and b are not equal puts a ! = b #true as a and b are not equal puts a < b #returns true as b is larger puts a

Bela Bartok (1881-1945) Hungarian Composer

As the tensions of war grew in Europe particularly in the Nazi-subjugated countries, the urge in Bartok to flee Hungary was overwhelming. The first thing he did was send his manuscripts out of Hungary and in 1940 he and his wife made their journey towards America, leaving their son Bela jr. , in Hungary. Though Bartok sought refuge in the United States and gained citizenship in 1945, he did not regard his journey as an exile, but rather an emigration.One of the pleasures that Bartok found in the United States was his privilege to study a compilation of the folk music of Serbia and Croatia at the prestigious Columbia University in New York City. During that time, there spread rumors that Bartok and his family were terribly destitute. However, this was not true for although they were not living a well-off life, he and his family lived decently. When Bela Bartok was diagnosed with leukemia, his hospital fees were shouldered by the American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers.A nd in a gesture of goodwill, the conductor Serge Koussevitzky was convinced to have his foundation perform a Bartok piece through the conductor Fritz Reiner, and the culmination was the Concerto for Orchestra. IN 1944, Bartok wrote a solo violin sonata for the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and last two concertos finished by Tibor Serly his Hungarian compatriot. Bartok’s works before his death in 1945 were branded as â€Å"the spirit of the times†. This and countless other bodies acclaimed his accomplishments and works. A large majority of his works was entered in several orchestral repertoires, and virtually all of them remained.Bartok not only left a Hungarian legacy but also, his contemporaries became proud of belonging in the same era as Bartok’s. Bela Bartok passed away peacefully on the 26th of September, 1945 in a hospital in New York. By his side was his wife Ditta Bartok and Bela jr. His remains were buried in New York’s Woodlawn Cemetery but were tra nsferred back to his native Hungary four decades later in 1988. Reference: Unitarian Universalist Historical Society (UUHS. (n. d. ). Bela Bartok. Retrieved June 24, 2007, from http://www25. uua. org/uuhs/duub/articles/belabartok. html

Announcing the Worlds Ultimate Book Title Generator Reedsy

Announcing the Worlds Ultimate Book Title Generator Reedsy Announcing the World's Ultimate Book Title Generator Titling a book is a bit similar to picking a Fantasy Football team: you're never sure which one’s the perfect fit and you end up trashing sixty combinations in the end, anyway. But the good news is that you’re not alone if you’re stressed about your book title. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice started out as First Impressions. Ernest Hemingway spent months discarding titles before deciding on A Sun Also Rises. Then there was George Orwell, who once planned to title the now-iconic 1984 as The Last Man in Europe. We’re familiar with the struggle, which is why we’re pleased to announce our book title generator: a resource for anyone who’s in need of some title inspiration. It’s got something for everyone, whether you’re dabbling in fantasy, mystery, romance, science fiction, and thriller. Best of all, it stores 10,000+ titles, so you’ll never run out of potential titles again!service@reedsy.com!Any questions about ti tling your book? Leave them in the comments below.

A Study On Gatt And WTO Economics Essay

A Study On Gatt And WTO Economics Essay In this section I will discuss what was GATT. GATT stands for General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Countries first signed this document in 1947. This agreement was designed to encourage free trade between member states. It encouraged free trade by regulating and reducing tariffs the countries imposed on tradable goods. It also provided an international forum to settle trade disputes. 110 countries have now signed on to GATT. GATT was in existence until 1995, when a new international governing body on international trade was created to replace it. This new organisation is the WTO. WTO In this section I will describe what the WTO is. The WTO stands for the World Trade Organisation. The WTO was created to replace the GATT. The Bretton Woods agreement of 1944 was created to help with the financial consequences of rebuilding Europe after World War Two. It would also try to ensure that major world depressions would not occur. The IMF and World Bank were created to help achieve this. Ho wever, an organisation to regulate trade between countries was also required. The GATT was initially set up, but the WTO was created in 1995 to succeed this. As it states on their own website (www.wto.org), ‘ the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.’ The WTO has nearly 150 members. Trade between these members accounts for 97% of the worldwide trade. How does the WTO work? In this section I will describe how the WTO operates and who the members are. The main point to note about the WTO is that it does not set rules on its own. This makes it different from the other two organisations set up by the Bretton Woods agreement. The WTO is more of an international forum where trade negotiations are discussed. It then ensures that outcome of the negotiations are undertaken. The WTO has many member states. Each state has a representative that sits on the council. Each representative has only one vote when it comes to decisions. This is different to the IMF as on the IMF the more powerful, developed countries have greater power. The one vote to one member policy that the WTO has is designed to ensure greater fairness with regards to trade negotiations. However, in the past, Europe, USA and Japan have dominated. This domination is to be upset with the introduction of China into the WTO. This will now mean that the developing world has a major voice at trade negotiations. The process of decision-making is undertaken by all member states. All members vote on specific decisions and the outcome of negotiations are usually by consensus. A majority vote can also be used, but this is extremely rare. Below this level are numerous specialised committees, working groups and working parties that deal with individual agreements and various other areas concerned with environment, developm ent, membership applications and regional trade agreements. What does the WTO do?

Rubrics In Evaluating Student Works Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rubrics In Evaluating Student Works - Case Study Example The author citing (Nitko, 2001) (Moskal, 2000) said, " A holistic rubric requires the teacher to score the overall process or product as a whole, without judging the component parts separately. In contrast, with an analytic rubric, the teacher scores separate, individual parts of the product or performance first, then sums the individual scores to obtain a total score." Mertler, (2001) citing Chase (1999) suggested that holistic rubrics are customarily utilized when errors in some part of the process can be tolerated provided the overall quality is high. He cited Nitko (2001) further said that the use of holistic rubrics is probably more appropriate when performance tasks require students to create some sort of response and where there is no definitive correct answer Hence when talking of overall quality holistic is preferable aside from somewhat quicker scoring process than the use of analytic rubrics (Mertler, 2001, citing Nitko,(2001). This is basically due to the fact that the teacher is required to read through or otherwise examine the student product or performance only once, in order to get an "overall" sense of what the student was able to accomplish (Mertler, 2001). Mertler, 2001 citing Nitco ( 2001) prefers the use of analytic rubrics when fairly... it ( 2001) prefers the use of analytic rubrics when a fairly focused type of response is required, that is, for performing tasks in which there may be one or two acceptable responses and creativity is not an essential feature of the students' responses. He also suggested the use of the same in making an assessment on a multidimensional level. A rubric measures performance and measuring performance is just one of the functions of a teacher hence prior to design a specific rubric, a choice scoring holistically or analytically must be made.