Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2

Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 Answers to Questions About Subject-Verb Agreement #2 By Mark Nichol Here are some questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about subject-verb agreement and my responses. 1. In your post concerning subject-verb agreement, why would you use a singular verb for ten liters of water? â€Å"Of water† is a prepositional phrase, and the subject is liters. We have always been taught to ignore the prepositional phrase that modifies the subject when determining agreement. The sentence I used in this post exemplifies an exception to the rule: When the first noun in a â€Å"[noun] of [noun]† phrase is a percentage, distance, fraction, or amount, the verb agrees with the second noun. 2. I have a question about noun-verb agreement in conjunction with and. For example, should a sentence read, â€Å"There was no moon and no clouds† or â€Å"There were no clouds and no moon†? Either construction is acceptable; the verb form should agree with the form of the nearest noun. However, â€Å"There were no clouds and no moon† is better because the plural form of the verb agrees with both clouds and the combination of â€Å"clouds and . . . moon,† so it feels more natural. 3. When I write sums, I normally use plus and equals, but if I use and instead of plus, should I use is, or are, before the sum? In mathematical equations, when we put two or more numbers through an operation, they are considered a single set. As you note, we use a singular verb we say or write, for example, â€Å"One plus two equals three,† not â€Å"One plus two equal three† so â€Å"One plus two is three† is correct. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How Many Tenses in English?26 Feel-Good WordsEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Free sample - Poem Characters. translation missing

Poem Characters. Poem CharactersThe speaker of the poem is Edna St. Vincent Millay who was born in February 22, 1892 and died in October 19, 1950. Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, feminist and playwright (p .1). She was the earliest female to obtain the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in addition to was acknowledged for her activism as well as her numerous love interaction. Edna St. Vincent Millay used the false name Nancy Boyd for her writing style occupation. The speaker of the poem is saying that love is not necessary basic thing neither sex only affair where man goes in and out of a woman. The main idea of the poem or the theme of the poem is love. The specific examples of poetic techniques used are rhyme scheme, alliteration, imagery, simile, metaphor, symbol, personification, allusion, The protagonist of a literary work always suffers in a particular problem or dilemma because his or her world view or value system in that there may be more than one antagonist in a story, and they are ever a villain. Sometimes, a work will offer a particular character as the protagonist, only to dispose of that character unexpectedly. Sometimes protagonist is impossible to identify because multiple plots in the novel do not permit clear identification of one as the main plot. These fictions of literary elements read in class this semester are of primary interest in the works as for instance:   Plot, or storyline, is often listed as one of the fundamental elements of fiction. It is the rendering and ordering of the events and actions of a story. On a micro level, plot consists of action and reaction, also referred to as stimulus and response. On a macro level, plot has a beginning, middle, and an ending. Plot is often depicted as an arc with a zig-zag line to represent the rise and fall of action. Plot also has a mid-level structure: scene and sequel. A scene is a unit of drama- where the action occurs. Then, after a transition of some sort of the sequel- an emotional reaction and regrouping, an aftermath. Types of plots: Chronological order Types of plotsIs where all of the proceedings happen in the order in which they happened in writing. There might be orientation to proceedings as of the past or future; on the other hand the actions are in black and white in time order. in attendance will not be flashbacks as well flash forwards.Flashback In times of the past in television, film as well as extra media, a flashback is also called analepsis, is an interrupted scene that acquire the description flipside in time from the up to date summit the story has get to. Flashbacks are frequently used to narrate proceedings with the intention of happened previous to the story's main series of measures or to fill in critical back-story. Character origin flashbacks specifically refers to flashbacks trading with key actions in the early hours in a character's progress casing he could fly, The method is used to generate anticipation in a narrative, otherwise build up a temperament. In writing, inner analysis is a flashback to a previous summit in the tale; outside analysis is a flashback to previous to the storyline in progress. Setting, the location and time of a story, is often listed as one of the fundamental elements of fiction. Sometimes setting is referred to as milieu, to include a context (such as society) beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. In some cases, setting becomes a character itself and can set the tone of a story. Characterization is often listed as one of the fundamental elements of fiction. A character is a participant in the story, and is usually a person, but may be any personal identity, or entity whose existence originates from a fictional work or performance. (Millay 1917, p. 2) Characters may be of several types: Character of Point-of-view is the character as of whose point of view (theme) the viewers understand the story. This is the character that represents the point of view the audience will empathize or at the very slightest, sympathize with. Consequently this is the "Main" Character. Character of Protagonist is the driver of the accomplishment of the story in addition to therefore accountable for accomplishing the stories of Objective Story Goal Character of Antagonist is the character that position in antagonism to the leading role. Character of Static is a character that does not appreciably revolutionize all through the track of a story. Dynamic character is a character that undergoes character development all through the itinerary of a story. Character of Foil contrasts to the protagonist in a manner in which to light up their behavior or quality Supporting character: A character that stage a division in the plot, however is not most important Minor character: A character in a small piece.    Methods of developing characters Appearance   gives details otherwise illustrate the typescript superficial manifestation for the person who reads to be intelligent to recognize them Dialogue is what they articulate as well as how they say it Action is what the character perform in addition to how he/she does it Reaction of others: how other characters see and treat him/her    Millay, E. S. (2010). Poems. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group,.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

To determine the relationship between physical self-perceptions and Essay

To determine the relationship between physical self-perceptions and participation in sport in school children in years 9, 10 and 11 - Essay Example The stronger the internal cues, the greater the impact, whether positive or negative. For children, particularly in their pre-adolescent years (9-11) when they are anticipating and experiencing great physical changes (Craig, 1992) and are just starting to develop the ability to formulate abstract thought (â€Å"Piaget†, 2006), most of these internal cues are gained through their perceptions of themselves as they compare physically to their peers. As a result of the physicality of self-perception in this age group, study after study have demonstrated that participation in sports can have a positive impact on children’s self-perception just as negative self-perceptions tend to decrease a child’s willingness to participate in sports. Links between sports participation and self-perception in this age group have been demonstrated to be relatively universal, regardless of culture or nationality. For example, a study conducted on the highest and lowest quarter of students participating in a physical fitness test in comparison with their results from a self-concept scale indicated a strong correlation in attitudes among those who scored high and those who scored low. In the study (Sherrill & Alguin, 1989), children, both boys and girls, who scored high on the physical fitness test also scored high on the self-concept scale while children who scored low on the fitness test also scored low on the self-concept scale. While this study doesn’t necessarily support the concept that physical activity and positive self-concept are positively linked, it does indicate the possibility. Other studies have established this link, however. Marsh and Sonstroem (1995) conducted a study in which participants were asked to report the amount of physical activity they participated in on a weekly basis, reporting at the same time the intensity level of the exercise. At the same time, a physical

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

U.S. - China relations since 1970 to present Term Paper

U.S. - China relations since 1970 to present - Term Paper Example US-China relations since 1970 to present Both US and China differ on their ideologies and also do not possess similar economic and political views. They in fact come together for strategic necessity. The US side is filled with suspicion about China’s intentions and its strategies on economic, political & military fronts. The Chinese side on the other hand considers US as a threat to their communist ideology. US always pressurize China in the areas of human rights, economic and military sanctions. China though not always interested in ideological quarrel is forced to do so by the western ideology followed by the US. Therefore US-China relationship has developed on the parameters of mistrust and non-declarative thoughts along with military capacity building aimed against each other (Guo, 2010, p2). The US was basically a result of the convergence of the North American, European and African cultures. It mainly developed from small and struggling settlements to more thriving and populous colonies between 17th and 18th ce ntury facilitated by the exploitation of natural resources of North America. The commercial and cultural exchanges throughout Europe, Africa and the America led to the creation of the modern world (Winkler, Mires & Pestana, 2006, pp. 7-13). Initially during the period of Opium war in China the US was trying to disrupt and destabilize China’s communist government. The US considered China an aggressive power and threat to the non-communist countries. The US stationed military troops down the eastern and southern boundaries of China. During this period the US also engaged in the war in Vietnam. The US formed alliances with Japan, South Korea and the Nationalist government on Taiwan and encouraged them not to develop diplomatic relations with Beijing. The US also restricted American’s entry into China. The US was in fact tougher on China than other communist rivals. It pursed a â€Å"wedge† strategy which was aimed to encourage a separation between the two communist allies (Nathan & Ross, 1997). More than 90% of the Americans held unfavorable images about China; considered the nation as threat to US security. The American concepts of individual liberty, political pluralism and economic opportunity were alien to China. China was marked by Cultural Revolution trying to inculcate ideals of collectivism, asceticism among its people and facing continuous class struggle. China thought US to be beneficial on economic and political front. But Americans considered China an irrational power as their support for revolutionary movements proved to be dangerous to US (Harding, 1992, p.3). Therefore it was particularly a period of the formation of new ideas. US- China (1970-1989) Beginning from 1970 the relation between US and China was found to be versatile and multileveled. The two nations began to move closer to each other. The Americans on the one hand were trying to end their Vietnamese war while China was seeking support on account of its resistance to the pressure from Soviet Union (Nathan & Ross, 1997). Soviet Union was a direct threat to the security of China. Due to Soviet Union gaining an advantageous position in the global arena against the US compelled a reconciliation between the US and China. Both the countries started coordinating their strategic postures and united their military assets against Soviet expansion. Some Chinese leaders including Mao were interested in resuming cultural and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A Day Not Forgotten, the Attack on Pearl Harbor Essay Example for Free

A Day Not Forgotten, the Attack on Pearl Harbor Essay The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 remains a clear memory for both nations. Everything seemed to have played in favor of the Empire of Japan; from planning, to gathering the necessary resources, the silent 3,300 nautical mile journey of the task force and ultimately the attack itself. From a tactical standpoint the attack was one of the most ingenious naval operations in history. With the loss of four U.S. battleships, 180 Aircraft, and 2,400 sailors the attack can be chalked up as a â€Å"win† for Japan. But since the surprise attack was conducted without a formal declaration of war, it may have been one of the biggest mistakes ever made in world-war II. See more: Homelessness as a social problem Essay Planning the attack on Pearl Harbor was done by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, in hopes to challenge Imperial Japans current naval doctrine of â€Å"Big Ships and Big Guns.† Much of imperial Japans naval concern was directed toward the construction of the Musashi, and the Yamato, two of the largest most powerful battleships ever built. Admiral Yamamoto, along with other high-ranking naval offices doubted the â€Å"Big Ships and Big Guns† mindset, but it was Yamamoto who opted for a different approach. He recognized the massive potential of aviation, more specifically naval aviation since the 1930s. The idea of an air raid on Hawaii came after his observance of naval air maneuvers, clearly demonstrating the superiority of air power over battleships. This may have possibly been the main reason why the Japanese decided to take on such an operation, to simply prove the value of the aircraft carrier. With the aid of Rear Admiral Takijiro Onishi and Commander Minoru Genda, Yamamoto began to devise a plan of attack. The operation must be executed in a manner that takes the enemy by surprise, with the main targets being the aircraft carriers and land-based planes. All available Japanese aircraft carriers will be needed for the operation, with the primary method of attack being torpedo- and dive-bombing. Bomber support and strafing runs will be handled by the fighter planes, and the operation was to be conducted early morning. Even the best laid plans have problems, and the raid was no exception. One such problem would be the allocation of resources for both an attack on Hawaii and the operations in the Philippines which have already begun to take place. Other than the small number of aircraft carriers that the Japanese fleet maintained, another problem would be the large amounts of oil needed to support both operations. The attack itself had a number of obstacles, one of which would be the issue of maintaining secrecy. An operation such as this raid the element of surprise is paramount; very few people were given details of the operation. Second would be the route traveled by the task force, because plotting a course through the rough waters of the northern pacific during the winter is not an easy task. Ultimately the task force would start from Etorohu; heading 42 degrees north/ 147 degrees west, which would eventually put the task force north of Hawaii. Lastly was the issue of releasing torpedoes in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor. Modifications were made to the torpedoes allowing them to be used in the harbor. Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo was selected as the task force commander for the operation. The task force itself consisted of 30 ships, 6 of which were aircraft carriers, with a full complement of 430 planes to conduct the air raid. During the voyage the fleet was kept under strict radio silence, and was limited to receiving transmissions. Transmitting messages from the fleet would run the risk of exposing the position of the fleet by the U.S. At this point all the preparations were obviously complete, and the attack on Pearl Harbor was imminent. With all the planning being done by Admiral Yamamoto and the Japanese fleet, there were also events taking place in Washington. On October 16 of the same year news reached Washington reporting the fall of the Konoye Government, resulting in the appointment of General Tojo as Prime Minister of Japan. This set off alarms in D.C. because of the fact that General Tojo is a militarist, and fears of his cabinet would be bent on war. But the Japanese maintained diplomatic negotiations with the goal of achieving an agreement to restore oil supplies. On the American end of the negotiations, Presidents Roosevelt was more concerned with Japan ending its tripartite pact. Kichisaburo Momura was the ambassador of Japan in charge of facilitating requests between Tokyo and Washington. He was in charge of delivering the 14 part message from Tokyo that ultimately relays the declaration of war on the U.S., just hours before the attack would commence. The delivery of the final portion of the message came about one hour after the attack had begun, thus making it a violation of international law. The first wave of 183 Japanese planes initiates the attack at 0600 hours and was concentrated on Hickam airfield and the flying boat ramps on Ford Island, with the torpedo bombers en route to battle ship row. The first wave lasts until 0945 with 4 battleships sunk, 8 badly damaged, 200 U.S. aircraft destroyed and multiple smaller ships lost. A secondary attack is launched as well, with the total casualty count tallying in roughly 2,400 U.S. personal killed, and 1,200 wounded. A nation-wide broadcast of the â€Å"Sneak Attack† hits the airwaves, rallying the nation behind President Roosevelt into the war. This was the exact opposite result that Admiral Yamamoto had hoped this raid would have on the American fighting spirit. What was thought to be the most brilliant naval operations in history has also become the biggest mistake of World War II. â€Å"†¦with the un-bounding determination of our people we will gain the inevitable victory. So help us God†. These were the last words of president Roosevelt addressing the Japanese attack before the chamber in which he stood erupted with cheer. Although, some of the reactions made by the American people were not so level headed; such as the boycotting of Japanese shops and goods, the nation as a whole was geared toward the war effort, American wanted payback. The war in the Pacific was slow to get going because Europe was made a priority. This would mean the forces already committed to the Pacific were without the possibility of reinforcement. The Japanese onslaught came fast and it looked as if it wasn’t slowing down. Position after allied position, was taken by the empire and the outlook of the pacific war looked grim but not for too long. An admiral by the name of Ernest J. King soon devised a raiding strategy after his careful assessment of previous Japanese operations. The strategy consisted of raids on unsuspecting Japanese positions which were to be conducted by carrier groups. The objective of this strategy was to force the Japanese to reinforce these exposed positions; thus spreading their defenses too thin and unable to counter an actual advance. The carriers that were involved with operation were the U.S.S. Saratoga, Lexington and Enterprise. The raids at first inflicted mild damage, but the carrier group was soon bolstered by the addition of the U.S.S. Yorktown. A raid was conducted on the enemy positions at Lae and Salamana destroying several Japanese transports. Doolittle’s raid was one that resulted from Admiral Kings’ strategy, forcing the Japanese high command on their heels. The pivotal naval battle of Midway was also a hard fought victory on the road to winning the war in the Pacific. The Midway atoll was located between the Hawaiian Islands and was a vital strategic position for both countries. It was essentially the doorway to both the Japanese Empire and the U.S. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the overall commander of the Pacific theater, planned a â€Å"scissor† type strategy to defend Midway from an impending Japanese attack. This strategy was to be executed in a way where it would place the Japanese carrier group between land-based air attacks and the two U.S. carrier groups. The position of the Japanese fleet was hard to locate until Lieutenant-Commander â€Å"Wade† McClusky spotted an enemy destroyer following it back to the main force. Coincidently the strike group that was launched from the other carrier fleet located the Japanese fleet at the same time approaching from the east. The clash at Midway resulted in a one-sided victory for the U.S. destroying four Japanese carriers, one heavy cruiser, 275 planes, and 3,500 Japanese personnel. As the Allied forces closed in on the Japanese Empire, land based operations became more and more frequent. Although there were plenty more Naval engagements that took place, the taking of land-based positions were the deciding factor. One important land operation was the taking of Guadalcanal giving way many lessons learned. At the unfortunate cost of countless lives, it showed the U.S. the difficulty of supporting a fighting force on an enemy shore and the many logistic risks when taking on an amphibious assault. It also made military commanders aware of the hardships of fighting in dense jungle terrain and the threat of disease and sickness. One by one enemy positions fell to the Allies and the Japanese Empire slowly dwindled. And the closer that the Allies got to their homeland the Japanese fought harder. But their fervor was not enough to beat back onslaught of the Allied forces. With every inch gained, every battle won, and every life lost Allied resolve grew hundreds of times stronger. If it weren’t for the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the outcome probably would’ve been different. But the damage was done, and the mistake of awaking the fighting spirit of the American people marked the beginning of the end of the Japanese Empire. References http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/pearl.htm http://worldwar2history.info/Pearl-Harbor/

Thursday, November 14, 2019

life in the factories :: essays research papers

Western Civilization Life in the Factories The 19th century in England was an expanding time especially considering England was enveloped in the Industrial Revolution. Many factories were expanding and growing and needed people to fill the jobs that they had. Although many these factories were growing they were not able to keep up with the population, which was growing more rapidly than anything. When these factories went to find people they were able to find many that would need jobs and would work for less than the people that had the jobs. When these factories wanted to keep more money they simply looked for the one group of people that could work for as long as they asked, for as low as they asked, with no questions asked. That group of people was children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since many families had control of their children and some families didn’t want to send their kids these factories, so many factories were not able to find the amount of workers they wanted so they went to look for the kids other places. A few places that they went to look were orphanages and workhouses and bought these children and forced them to sign contracts, which virtually made them slaves. The factories then went on to house and feed them, which was a lot easier then to house and feed a grown person. By the 1790’s almost all workers in the factories were children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When these factories went and bought these children they knew that they had to feed and clothe these kids and then provide them with a place to sleep. The factory owners went at this problem with the same cheapness that they had when buying the children. Children were forced at many places, to eat while working and the kids often complained about the food. Most of the time the food was covered in dust by the time they were beginning to eat. When most of these children came from the workhouses and were made to come with a change of common clothes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most factories were able to work the kids from dawn till dusk and sometimes beyond. Some people wanted to change the law of how long a person under the age of 18 could work to 10 hours, but parliament wouldn’t pass that law. A man by the name of Lord Ashley was a doctor and concluded that a child’s body could only endure 10 hours of labor at a time without damaging the child’s health.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

How would you perform the role of BottomIn Act 1 scene 2?

Bottom is one of the group called the mechanics and he is an important comic character and is the only mortal to enter the world of fairies. In this scene we are introduced to him for the first time and he is one of a band of workmen who offer a complete contrast to the world of fairies that we saw previously. In the scene a group of artisans discuss the play they are going to perform as part of Theseus's wedding celebration. The play is entitled, â€Å"The most lamentable comedy, and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisbe. Peter Quince takes a roll call of the actors and hands out their parts. Bottom the weaver gets the leading role of Pyramus, which pleases him because he is super-confident of his acting abilities. Bottom's costume will reflect his status as a weaver, so therefore his costume might be torn or dusty. His dramatic status is important because he is a dominant, full of self-importance and eager to dominate the meeting of this band of amateur actors. I would also make his costume quite colourful, to reflect his happy, enthusiastic and quite over bearing character. My performance would be influenced by my physical appearance and vocal characteristics. I see Bottom as a tradesman in his forties, taller than the others and of portly build, in fact I would want him to be physically larger than life and his accent Devonshire in cadence and with a raucous singing voice. In this scene, my performance would have to reflect the rivalry between Bottom and Quince. In the beginning of the scene, Quince who is in charge, would walk in rather proud, with an upright posture, and with head held high, maybe greeting the workmen by shaking their hands and smiling, as he doesn't want to make enemies and wants them to do what he requires and to ignore Bottom. He would probably forget to acknowledge Bottom and walk straight past him to put him in his place. Bottom's first line†¦ You were best to call them generally, man by man according to the scrip,' shows that despite Quinces dislike for him, and the attempt to lower his confidence, he is still extrovert and larger than life. It was directed to Quince and in playing this part I would make my voice domineering loud and move in close to Quince trying to intimidate him, as he is smaller than me. Quince would also be centre stage, as he is almost the focal point and is meant to be in charge of the other actors, who would be sitting down, looking up to him. Bottom would stand up in order to compete with Quince and try to push him out of the way or maybe stand in front of him to block him completely. My intention would also to get people to like me and to establish a friendship with them by shaking their hands. I would then break off from doing this to say ‘First good Peter Quince, say what the play treats on.. ‘ in a forceful manner and then get closer to Quince, snatching the scroll out of his hand, as if to take over the rehearsal myself. There would be complete scuffle between them as they fight for passion of the script, and this could be created very comically using large exaggerated gestures and their voice could turn into a crescendo, getting louder to get their point across without the other interfering. As bottom I would sound very confident and sometimes almost quite patronising, as if I am talking to people far more inferior to me for example when I say ‘A very good piece of work I assure you, and a merry' almost as if my opinion is important and worth hearing. Also when I say ‘Now good Peter Quince, call forth your actors.. it would be in a very instructive but condescending tone, emphasising the word ‘good' as it would provoke an annoyed reaction from Quince. Even when Quince calls out my name, emphasising that I am just a weaver, I would respond enthusiastically, instructing him to tell me my part and to carry on with authority. Quince appears very powerful and ignores Bottom, so Bottom h as to re-establish his importance by ordering â€Å"masters spread yourselves' at this point I would reveal some dissatisfaction and pull up a chair and reluctantly sit down. At this stage I would want my audience to respond, by thinking Bottom a rather loud mouthed bossy individual and have them feel sorry for Quince having to put up with such a disruptive member of the group. When finding out that I am ‘a lover that kills myself most gallant for love' I will respond very dramatically, telling the actors how the audience will cry, as my acting will be so natural and emotional. I would hold my hands up to my heart to portray this and maybe pretend to hold out a sword to show how brave I am, even though I am just a lover and not a tyrant. I would also suggest other parts such as Ercles or a part to tear a cat in, to show my capabilities, and in doing this I would screw my face up to make me look vicious and claw my hands, frantically moving my arms back and forth as if I am attacking a cat. I can see myself in every role and when I recite my poem I walk around the whole stage, emphasising the words ‘raging' almost spitting the words out to show my fury, and ‘shivering' by holding my arms and trembling, with my teeth chattering. I would also push my hands out forcefully, thrusting my body forward, almost as if I was ‘breaking' the locks of the prison gates. ‘ Quince just ignores him and continues to issue parts to the other actors. I watch when Quince assigns the part of Thisby to the flute, the bellows-mender, which is the other leading role, and when Flute refuses the part as he has a beard coming, my faces becomes animated and delighted as I would love to play that part too, this would be shown by my raised bright eyes and my open mouth. I face Quince, even though he faces away and tell him how I could wear a mask, and speak in a monstrous little voice, where I would raise the pitch of my voice till it Is almost squeaky, and maybe use a feminine characteristic such as playing with my hair or holding out my hand as if I was carrying a basket. When Quince refuses to give Bottom both parts, Bottom doesn't show any disappointment and tells him to just ‘proceed. ‘ I continue to dominate the discussion and when Quince gives the lion part to Snug, I almost pounce like a lion and curl my fingers up like claws and raw in a deep husky tone. I go towards Quince and aggravate my voice and shout ‘I will roar, that I will do anyman's heart good to hear me.. ‘ and when I quote what the duke will say, I put on an articulate, upper class English accent when I say' Let him roar again, let him roar again. ‘ When Quince and the rest of the actors claim that I would scare the duchess and the ladies and they would end up hanging them all, I am not offended at all, and continue to suggest other ways of roaring such as ‘gently as any sucking dove' and whilst saying this I would say it in a feminine voice with a sweet and innocent expression on my face. When Quince responds, his voice becomes much more stern, and agitated when he says ‘you can play no part but Pyramus' I will the sulk and sit down on a chair, with my head down and my bottom lip drooping, like a child would do If they were upset. This may make the audience feel a bit sorry for Bottom or they might feel relieved that Quince has finally gained more courage and has power over him. When Quince sees this, he puts on a sympathetic tone and says ‘Pyramus is a sweet-faced man' lifting my chin up and gently stroking my face. I quickly recover myself by running energetically towards the wooden box filled with wigs and beards and open it rummaging through all the varieties of beards holding up the ones that might suit his character and throwing the ones that were not good behind him. I think Bottom quite likes the fact that Quince is almost pleading to him and saying how much he needs him to play the part and when Bottom says ‘Well, I will undertake it' he will say it proudly, expecting all the other actors to be relieved. In the end of the scene, when Quince suggests learning their lines the following night and rehearsing in the woods, he emphasises to the actors that they should not fail him. I as Bottom, will stand next to Quince, nodding my head up and down, and looking down at the other actors as I am in charge too and I will announce ‘ we may rehearse most obscenely and courageously' throwing my fist in the air with excitement and I will also make sure I have the last word when I say ‘hold or cut bow-strings,' which I will say firmly and sharply with authority. Overall I will try to irritate the actors and the audience, and make them feel sympathetic towards Quince. I also want the audience to realise that although I am very confident and make out that I'm very talented, I am not very good and don't really have the ability to act other parts, this makes it comical. I will intimidate the other actors on stage to emphasise my authority and I will make sure that I have Quince's attention throughout the whole scene, so if Quince turns his back on me or pushes me out of the way, I will get in front of his view and I will push him out of the way too. This way the audience can see our relationship clearer. There are lots of different levels of emotion when Bottom is acting and there is a lot of competition between Quince and him. Bottom is a very comical and melodramatic character to play.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Portland Cancer Center

Case 18: Leasing Decisions| | Background: The Portland Cancer Center is a not-for-profit inpatient and outpatient facility dedicated to the prevention and treatment of cancer. Working to perfect noninvasive brain surgery techniques for the past ten years, the Center is considering options to replace its current model of the Gamma Knife. Radiosurgery is often referred to as the Gamma Knife. The Gamma Knife delivers 201 separate radiation sources to treat certain brain cancers without invasive surgery. For patients with deep lesions the Gamma Knife significantly reduces the risk associate with traditional surgical procedures.Other clinical benefits to the Gamma Knife include: treating Parkinson’s, trigeminal neuralgia, arteriovenous malformations, certain types of benign tumors and small malignant lesions. The Center will open a new radiation therapy facility for several new radiosurgery procedures. Replacing the Gamma Knife at this point is viewed as a â€Å"bridge†. Thi s is because the Center’s managers think that whether the equipment is purchased or leased it will be used for no more than four years before moving to the new facility.A financial decision on whether to buy the Gamma knife or lease it is most significant to this case. Facts: * Expected physical life of the equipment is ten years * Possibility to writing a â€Å"cancellation clause† and â€Å"per-procedure clause† if leased * Possibility the Center will move to new facility sooner than expected * If equipment is to be purchased, â€Å"tax-exempt† financing could be obtained * GB Financing lease contract: * Annual payments of $675,000 * Includes service contract so equipment will be maintained in good working order (GBF will have to enter maintenece contract with manufacturer) GBF forecasts $1. 5 million residual value * If lease is not written, GBF could invest the funds in a four year term loan of similar risk that yields 8% before taxes * The Centerâ₠¬â„¢s risk is transferred back to lessor * Portland purchasing the Gamma Knife: * Invoice price is $3 million, including delivery and installation * Maintenance contract for $100,000/year * Financed by a four-year simple interest conventional bank note at 8% * May claim tax deduction for portion of loan payment * Bears all the risk of equipment * Residual value is risky. 5% probability after four years will be $500,000; 50% probability that it will be $1 million; and 25% probability that it will be $2 million. * This risk adds a 5% risk adjustment to the base discount rate used on the other lease-analysis flows Analysis: This decision is a complex one. Will it be better to use debt financing and purchase or make an investment decision to lease the piece of equipment? It is important to decipher is the lease can save money, eliminate the risk of technological obsolesce, and to share the mutual risk with the lessor.The dollar cost analysis of the lessee’s cost of owning and lea sing can be seen in Exhibit 1. A 10% discount rate (based on corporate cost of capital) was used to convert the cash flows to present values. The Lessee’s percentage cost analysis show the internal cost rate (IRR) at 6%. This shows leasing is lower than the corporate cost of capital at 10%. Looking at the lease in terms of per procedure (Exhibit 2), the annual expected 100 procedures would cost the Center $25,000 more. Furthermore, if fewer procedures were performed the per-procedure lease would be favored.It could be useful to assess the clinic’s previous volume patterns to determine the risk of this decision. Exhibit 3 shows the Lessor’s point of view to own the Gamma Knife. Using an opportunity cost rate of 8% before taxes will yield 4. 8% after taxes. The 6. 2% after tax return exceeds the 4. 8% after tax return available on alternative investments of similar risk. This also confirms the NPV of the lease investment is expected to be better off by $99,368 if it writes the lease. Recommendations: The financial advantage is for Portland Cancer Center to lease the Gamma Knife rather than purchase the equipment.The per procedure lease has a benefit to both parties, however reduces risk for the Center. It would only be advantageous is the volume of procedures was low, specifically below 100 procedures. Maintaining a state of the art healthcare facility is important and the lease will allow the Center to do so. The lessor is compensated for taking risk with tax deductions, however they will assume the risk with the technology. The NAL of $130,554 affirms that leasing creates more value than buying in this situation. The lessee’s IRR of 6% is well below the 10%, which also indicates a positive aspect to leasing versus buying.The terms of the lease should be carefully considered, especially the cancellation clause in the contract. This is important to address because of concerns with the new facility being ready before four years time. S ignificant costs could be associated with unutilized equipment so GBF could consider adding a penalty to the cancellation clause. The decision is also weighed based upon the move to the new facility. If the Center moves early keeping the equipment and moving it to the new facility is always an option. The Center should also negotiate a lower yearly lease payment.The lease answers the clinic’s requirement of a short-term commitment with the least risk associated due to a new facility that is on the way. There are also perks to a short- term lease agreement because this is not recorded on the lessee’s balance sheet. Exhibit 1: Lessee's Analysis|   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | | | | |   | Cost of Owning| | | | | |   | | | | | | |   | | | Year 0| Year 1| Year 2| Year 3| Year 4| Net purchase price| | $3,000,000 | | | |   | Maintenance cost| | 100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 |   | Maintenence tax savings| | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |   | Depreciation t ax savings| | | 0 | 0 | 0 | $0 |Residual value| | | | | | 1,125,000 | Residual value tax| |   |   |   |   | 0 | Net cash flow| | $3,100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $1,125,000 |   | | | | | |   | PV cost of owning:| | $2,223,685 | | | |   | | | | | | |   | Cost of Leasing| | | | | |   | | | | | | |   | Lease payment| | $675,000 | $675,000 | $675,000 | $675,000 |   | Tax savings| | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |   | Net cash flow| | $675,000 | $675,000 | $675,000 | $675,000 | $0 |   | | | | | |   | PV cost leasing:| | $2,354,239 | | | |   | | | | | | |   | Cost Comparison| | | | | |   | Net advantage to leasing (NAL)=| $130,554 | | | | |   |   | | | | | |   |Lessee's Percentage Cost Analysis| | | | |   | | | | | | |   | Leasing-versus-owning CF| | $2,425,000 | $575,000 | $575,000 | $575,000 | $1,125,000 |   | | | | | |   | Lessee's IRR=| 6%|   |   |   |   |   | Exhibit 2: Per-procedure Lease | | | | | | | | |   |   |   |    |   |   | | | Per Procedure Lease|   |   | Annual Lease|   | Procedures| Annual| Annual|   | Annual| Annual|   |   | | Lease| Net | Annual| Lease| Net| Annual| Profit| | Payment| Revenue| Profit| Payment| Revenue| Profit| Difference| 70 | $490,000 | $700,000 | $210,000 | $675,000 | $700,000 | $25,000 | 185,000 | 80 | $560,000 | $800,000 | $240,000 | $675,000 | $800,000 | $125,000 | $115,000 | 90 | $630,000 | $900,000 | $270,000 | $675,000 | $900,000 | $225,000 | $45,000 | 100 | $700,000 | $1,000,000 | $300,000 | $675,000 | $1,000,000 | $325,000 | ($25,000)| 110 | $770,000 | $1,100,000 | $330,000 | $675,000 | $1,100,000 | $425,000 | ($95,000)| 120 | $840,000 | $1,200,000 | $360,000 | $675,000 | $1,200,000 | $525,000 | ($165,000)| 130 | $910,000 | $1,300,000 | $390,000 | $675,000 | $1,300,000 | $625,000 | ($235,000)| | | | | | | | | GBF quoted per procedure lease rate of $7,000| | | | | *expected annual volume of 100 procedures| | | | | *expected net revenue per proced ure of $10,000| | | | | Exhibit 3: Lessor's Analysis|   |   |   |   |   |   |   | | | | | |   | Cost of Owning| | | | | |   | | | | | | |   | | | Year 0| Year 1| Year 2| Year 3| Year 4| Equipment cost| | $3,000,000 | | | |   |Maintenance| | (100,000)| ($100,000)| ($100,000)| ($100,000)|   | Maint tax savings| | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 |   | Depreciation shield| | | 240,000 | 384,000 | 228,000 | $144,000 | Lease payment| | 675,000 | 675,000 | 675,000 | 675,000 |   | Tax on payment| | (270,000)| (270,000)| (270,000)| (270,000)|   | Residual value| | | | | | 1,500,000 | Residual value tax| |   |   |   |   | (396,000)| Net cash flow| | $2,655,000 | $585,000 | $729,000 | $573,000 | $1,248,000 |   | | | | | |   | NPV| $99,368 | | | | |   | IRR| 6. 20%| | | | |   | |   |   |   |   |   |   |

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Alphadon - Facts and Figures

Alphadon - Facts and Figures Name: Alphadon (Greek for first tooth); pronounced AL-fah-don Habitat: Woodlands of North America Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago) Size and Weight: About one foot long and 12 ounces Diet: Insects, fruit and small animals Distinguishing Characteristics: Long, prehensile tail; long hind legs About Alphadon As is the case with many of the early mammals of the Mesozoic Era, Alphadon is known primarily by its teeth, which peg it as one of the earliest marsupials (the non-placental mammals represented today by Australian kangaroos and koala bears). Appearance-wise, Alphadon probably resembled a small opossum, and despite its tiny size (only about three-quarters of a pound soaking wet) it was still one of the largest mammals of late Cretaceous North America. Befitting its small stature, paleontologists believe that Alphadon spent most of its time high up in trees, well out of the way of the stomping tyrannosaurs and titanosaurs of its ecosystem. At this point, you may be wondering how a prehistoric marsupial ended up in North America, of all places. Well, the fact is that even   modern marsupials arent restricted to Australia; opossums, to which Alphadon was related, are indigenous to both North and South America, although they had to reinvade the north about three million years ago, when the Central American Isthmus rose up and connected the two continents. (During the Cenozoic Era, after the demise of the dinosaurs, huge marsupials were thick on the ground in South America; before their extinction, a few stragglers managed to find their way via Antarctica to Australia, the only place today where you can find plus-sized pouched mammals.)

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The First Reptiles and Their Evolution

The First Reptiles and Their Evolution We all know how the old story goes: Fish evolved into tetrapods, tetrapods evolved into amphibians, and amphibians evolved into reptiles. Its a gross oversimplification, of course- for example, fish, tetrapods, amphibians,  and reptiles all coexisted with each other for tens of millions of years- but itll do for our purposes. And for many fans of prehistoric life, the last link in this chain is the most important, since it was the dinosaurs, pterosaurs and marine reptiles of the Mesozoic Era that all descended from ancestral reptiles. Before we proceed any further, though, we need to define what the word reptile means. As far as biologists are concerned, the single defining characteristic of reptiles is that they lay hard-shelled eggs on dry land (as opposed to amphibians, which are constrained to lay their softer, more permeable eggs in water). Secondarily, compared to amphibians, reptiles have armored or scaly skin (which protects them from dehydration in the open air); larger, more muscular legs; slightly bigger brains; and lung-powered respiration (though no diaphragms, which were a later evolutionary development). Depending on how strictly you define the term, there are two prime candidates for the first-ever reptile. The first is the early Carboniferous (about 350 million years ago) Westlothiana, from Europe, which laid leathery eggs but otherwise had a distinctly amphibian anatomy, especially pertaining to its wrists and skull. The second (and more widely accepted) candidate is Hylonomus, which lived about 35 million years after Westlothiana and resembled the kind of small, skittery lizard you run across all the time in modern pet stores. This is all simple enough, as far as it goes, but once you get past Westlothiana and Hylonomus, the story of reptile evolution gets much more complicated. Three distinct reptilian families appeared during the course of the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Anapsids like Hylonomus had solid skulls, which provided little latitude for the attachment of robust jaw muscles; the skulls of synapsids sported single holes on either side and the skulls of diapsids had two holes on both the left and right sides. These lighter skulls, with their multiple attachment points, proved to be a good template for later evolutionary adaptations. Why is this important? Well, anapsid, synapsid and diapsid reptiles pursued very different paths toward the start of the Mesozoic Era. Today, the only living relatives of the anapsids are turtles and tortoises (though the exact nature of this relationship is hotly disputed by paleontologists). The synapsids spawned one extinct reptilian line, the pelycosaurs (the most famous example of which was Dimetrodon), and another line, the therapsids, evolved into the first mammals of the Triassic period. Finally, the diapsids evolved into the first archosaurs, which then split off into dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles, and (probably) marine reptiles like plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. Lifestyles of the First Reptiles But were getting ahead of ourselves; much of this information is discussed in  Before the Dinosaurs - Pelycosaurs, Archosaurs, and Therapsids. What were interested in here is the obscure group of lizard-like reptiles that succeeded Hylonomus and preceded these better-known (and much larger) beasts. Its not that solid evidence is lacking; plenty of obscure reptiles have been discovered in Permian and Carboniferous fossil beds, especially in Europe. Its that most of these reptiles look so similar that it can be an eye-rolling exercise to attempt to distinguish between them. The exact classification of these animals is a matter of continuing debate, but heres our attempt to cut through the froth: Captorhinids, exemplified by Captorhinus and Labidosaurus, are the most basal, or primitive, reptile family yet identified, only recently evolved from amphibian ancestors like Diadectes and Seymouria. As far as paleontologists can tell, these anapsid reptiles went on to spawn both synapsid therapsids and diapsid archosaurs. Procolophonians were plant-eating anapsid reptiles that (as mentioned above) may or may not have been ancestral to modern turtles and tortoises; among the better-known genera are Owenetta and Procolophon. Pareiasaurids were much larger anapsid reptiles that counted among the biggest land animals of the Permian period, the two best-known genera being Pareiasaurus and Scutosaurus. Over the course of their reign, the pareiasaurs evolved elaborate armor, which still didnt prevent them from going extinct 250 million years ago! Millerettids were small, lizardy-looking reptiles that subsisted on insects, and also went extinct at the end of the Permian period. The two most well-known terrestrial milleretids were Eunotosaurus and Milleretta; an ocean-dwelling variant, Mesosaurus, was one of the first reptiles to de-evolve to a marine lifestyle. Finally, no discussion of ancient reptiles would be complete without a shout-out to the flying diapsids, a family of small Triassic reptiles that evolved butterfly-like wings and glided from tree to tree. True one-offs, and well out of the mainstream of diapsid evolution, the likes of Longisquama and Hypuronector must have been a sight to see as they fluttered high overhead. These reptiles were closely related to another obscure diapsid branch, the tiny monkey lizards like Megalancosaurus and Drepanosaurus that also lived high up in trees, but lacked the ability to fly.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Describe the methods used to calculate value added. How does value Essay - 4

Describe the methods used to calculate value added. How does value added contribute towards understanding the connections betwee - Essay Example Value added concept of income measurement has been viewed as the increase in the wealth of an economic body. It is traditionally rooted to the evaluation of national income in macro economics, measured by national economy productive performance.2 This concept is referred to as National or Domestic product and represents a specific period’s national economy. This is a common use of this concept but it has also been applied in many other different areas of business operations and economics as a positive performance and economic gauge. This makes value added a measure and indicator of an economic entity’s performance and has a fairly long period of application in the field of economics.3 Value added represents a calculated value, and for this reason, it is well related to accounting. It is also contrasted from the traditional calculation of income in that, it can be and has been used in all the three accounting systems i.e. managerial accounting, financial accounting and t he national accounting system. It is also distinguishable from income computation whereby value added is constantly described internationally as a difference of expenses from revenues. It can be defined in two ways that will be discussed below and this gives value added concept another critical characteristic commonly known as the dichotomy of value added.4 Subtractive method is the first method of calculating the value added and it is defined as: Value Added (VA) = O – I. Where O = Output; I = Input. This means that when being compared to accounting income, it is perceived as the net figure. The value expressed is the value that an economic body, such as a person, an industry or a company adds to the products and services it purchased or received from other entities during its creative or own productive economic activities.5 In the second one, additive method, the value added is represented by the total sum of the distributed parts that constitute the created wealth. This is done with respect to the reality that all the created wealth is well distributed i.e. by being allocated in some way. When considering a company, value added calculation is defined as: VA (Value Added) = RE + RG + RCP + NAP. Where RE = Remuneration of employees; RG = Remuneration of government; RCP = Remuneration of capital providers; NAP = not appropriated income i.e. retained earnings.6 The two formulas above disclose the characteristic content that value added concept has. This concept can be divided into social aspect, represented by the additive method, and performance aspect which is articulated by the subtractive method. This shows that in addition to economic information given by this concept, value added also offers social information through identification of the part of the yield that goes to every contributor of the whole process in a company.7 Value added concept has evolved besides its historical principal function in national accounting to several other uses and appl ications in the three; financial, national and managerial accounting. The two sided feature of value added i.e. performance and social characteristic, is depicted clearly by the concrete and possible applications. Hence it has been argued as a way to estimate productivity of an economic body through their way of using productive factors.8 This makes the

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case study on an historical Civil Engineering failure Essay - 2

Case study on an historical Civil Engineering failure - Essay Example After continuous investigations that lasted over 14 months, the investigating bodies concluded that the collapse was prompted by the inadequacy in load capacity of gusset plates that had been used to construct the bridge. The problem of the connecting gusset plates to the truss members had been a design problem, and the error was caused by the designing firm, Sverdrup and Parcel Associates Corporation (Higgins et al. 988). It was assessed that the loading particulars incorporated a mixture of substantial additions in the total weight of the whole bridge construction that had been caused by past modifications to the bridge. It was also assessed that the traffic on that day of the collapse added on to the construction loads on the bridge. The evidence used to assess and investigate the damage of the bridge has been reviewed in this report. In the year 2007, on the evening of August 1st at around 18:00 hours, the 1,900 foot long I-35 bridge situated on top of the Mississippi River, Minnesota underwent a disastrous failure. The bridge deck truss that measured around 1,500 feet collapsed together with some other adjacent sections of the bridges approach spans that had been sustained by the deck truss. Media reports showed that there were over 190 individuals who were on that bridge at the time of the collapse. A total of 14 fatalities were reported, with approximately 150 individuals sustaining various injuries. It was also reported that a total of 111 motor vehicles had been on the bridge when it collapsed (Feldman 541). A handful of those vehicles was recovered from the water. The figure below shows the collapsed bridge on the morning after the collapse. The NTSB commissioned a team of experts to investigate the accident scene. The investigations commenced immediately on the next day after the disastrous collapse of the bridge. The complete investigation with extensive documentation and analysis of the destroyed bridge were presented to the Senate and