the means of communication Essays - Facebook, Internet Privacy

Experts estimate that many people now spend at least 50 percent of their waking time online (Fabian, 2008). For many, a large part of this time is spent in social networking sites like Facebook. People give up huge parts of their privacy when they post their feelings, interests, and ideas online, and society seems to be becoming much more open to this lack of privacy, in fact, the users of Facebook seem to relish it, adding very personal items to their profiles that anyone who becomes their friend can view. This seems to say that our society is much more open now, and much more open to posting intimate information online, but it also is rather anonymous in a way, because users never see, meet, or touch the person they communicate with, and so, even though they know intimate details, they do not really know the person at all. Writer Fabian continues, "Facebook and My Space are virtual experiences. People are free to be someone they aren't. Peer review doesn't exist. You don't literall y touch anyone--not even by a smile, to say nothing of a handshake. No one is accountable to anyone else. And so forth" (Fabian, 2008). Thus, Facebook is kind of a "fantasy land" where people can make up anything they want to command attention, they can live an alternative life if they choose, and no one is the wiser. The fact that people accept these profiles at face value, and choose people as friends based on these profiles says a lot about our society. For all our worries about information and identity theft, people are still seemingly naive when it comes to sites like Facebook, where they post intimate details with no thoughts to the consequences. In conclusion, Facebook on the surface is a socially acceptable networking site for college students and others to connect, share experiences, and meet old friends. It does say some disturbing things about how our society views privacy, personal information, and how our society is adjusting to the age of technology, and it brings into question what a generation of Facebookers will deal with the challenges of the real world in person, like career, family, and success. Keywords. Facebook, social networking, MySpace, personal profile, Freshman Facebook, interpersonal skills, communication, online marketing, personal privacy, virtual communities. Facebook opens up other questions ab

A Comparison of the Prince and the Analects Essays

A Comparison of the Prince and the Analects Essays A Comparison of the Prince and the Analects Essay A Comparison of the Prince and the Analects Essay Essay Topic: The Prince The Prince or The Analects By Rory Steuart Comparing the The Analects (confucious) with the Prince (Machiavelli) is something like comparing George bush and Elizabeth May of the green party. Basically the wrtitings of The Analects totally disagrees with the writings of The Prince. Confucius believes people are easily improved and taught through self promotion and development, Machaveli however sees humanity in a much different light. Machiavelli was an innovator of realism politics and believed that people of power should conduct themselves as tyrants. Machiavelli and Confucius are from totally different time periods and different places in the world. Which could possibly be the reason The Analects and The Prince are so very different(yet both lived in times of war). Machiavelli’s short Bio Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian state politician and well-known person of the Renaissance. Machiavelli was born on May 3rd, 1469. His father was Bernardo di Niccoli who came from an impoverished part of Florentine, there is little recorded about Machiavelli’s father. Machiavelli lived in Florence at a time of constant war and endangerment of other forces such as France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire all of which had an interest in Italy (quite possibly the main reason for Machiavelli’s philosophy). Machivelli was a major player in military dealings he had many diplomatic assignments. He met with the likes of Ferdinand II of Aragon, in Spain and to the Papacy in Rome, in the Italian states. Machiavelli examined Duke Cesare Borgia(son of the pope Alexander VI) who was a very important figure in the The Prince. From 1503 to 1509 Machiavelli controlled the militia of Florentine and was responsible for the cities defense. By 1512 the medici had regained control of Florence and decided to expel Machiavelli from office. In 1513, Machavelli was accused of conspiracy, while being contained Machiavelli was tortured but still had nothing to say. Machiavelli was released and retired back to Florence where he then wrote the Prince. Confucius shot Bio Confucius was given the name Kung Fu-tzu which means Great Master Kung. Confucius is believed to have been born either in 551 BC or 552 BC. Confucius father died when he was only three years old so his mother raised him. After the death of his father Confucius and his mother were forced to live in poverty. Confucius was a police chief in the city of Lu where he made many diplomatic arrangements. Confucius dedicated most of the rest of his life towards teaching and he died in Lu in 479 BC. The most thorough usual account of Confuciuss life is contained in the Records of the Historian by Ssu-ma Chien, many people believe this is fake nonetheless it is the closest to a biography of Confucius as you can get. Family Machiavelli does not discuss the thoroughly the importance of family very much in the Prince. However in the very first chapter Machiavelli proclaims that it is much easier to control a hereditary princedom than one that is created or passed over. Confucius was man who believed that a strong family was the key having a strong society. Confucius sees the family as the beginning and the place where great men are brought up in families with good relationships. Confucius also believed that the best teacher is usually a parent. Confucius believed that even if a person was not born smart they could still be taught the more important virtues of respect, loyalty, obedience, humility, trustworthiness and you guessed it love of ones parents. A great deal of importance was concentrated on loving and learning from your parents. War and aggression Since Machiavelli ponders so much on the importance of a strong army and strong defense I will focus much of Machiavelli’s portion of the essay on war and aggression. In the Prince Machiavelli has a win at all costs notion on war, being wicked and immoral are strategies. Machiavelli believed that a Prince should concentrate on being feared before being loved. A prince has land that is always in danger of invasion from others, for this reason Machiavelli believes that a prince should worry about himself and have very little worry for others. A prince has plenty to worry about during times of war and everyone is out to get you so you must be greedy and heinous in times of war. The prince declares that the nation state comes first before individuals. A strong prince can encounter any enemy in war. The prince proclaims a ruler must not depend on fortifications. A ruler who can’t create a fearsome army and relies only on defense is not a strong ruler. Machiavelli does focus a lot on the importance of having a city that is unable to be taken by siege, but if you must be able to raise your own army to go on the attack. Therefore a Prince must have a heavily fortified city and be able to deploy an army of his own. Machiavelli believes that the foundation of a strong Nation State is a strong army. According to The prince the most important part of being a leader is studying the art of war. Staying in power is a main point in the prince and to stay in power a Prince must conduct a strong army. The Prince proclaims not only do you need a strong army but also you need to be in total control of that army. â€Å"Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank† (The Prince nline-literature. com/machiavelli/prince/14/ chapter 14). Even in times of peace a prince must be ready for enemy attacks and more importantly to continually consider the possibility of war. It is obvious that the Prince concentrates a large portion of the book war and author Machiavelli thinks it is the main point of being a political leader. The Prince conveys an almost evil war-mongering ideal to the reader of what a ruler should be. The Analects actually disagrees with The Prince almost totally, the Analects preach that there is no need for war and that peace is the answer. An oppressive government is fiercer and more feared than a tiger† (The Analects). The Analects preach to do what is right and not what gives you an advantage (total opposite of the Prince). Oddly enough like Machiavelli, Confucius was also lived in a time of constant war yet he decided to look at this violence from a different approach. Money and Private Property The prince declares that more importantly than money and other luxuries is political knowledge. Since the prince approaches this all topics as a leader the Prince is concerned mainly with principalities and luxuries. The prince inquires that Property and possessions are necessary for the structure of a successful society. Machiavelli believed property of land makes sure the land will be productive and all people are using land efficiently. The prince states there are only principalities and republics. As a principality the ruler usually gains leadership through hereditary selection. In these cases a Prince should be getting the most productivity from the land. The prince supports tyranny with this comes certain amount greed. The prince states that a ruler must be greedy because if a ruler is too generous with his wealth then his subjects will intend to take advantage of his generosity. Therefore princes must not be too gluttonous but at the same time not be taken advantage of by their peers. Machiavelli insists, â€Å"except to his cost, if he is wise he ought not to fear the reputation of being mean† (chapter 16 The Prince). What this can be translated to is that you cannot get caught up on being loved for generosity instead you must try to deflect hatred from accounting your money. In times of war it is important to have a surplus of goods and money so you do not have to tax your own people. â€Å"In a country Well governed Poverty is something to be ashamed of, in a poorly governed country wealth is something to be a shamed of( rightwords. eu /quotes/author/Confucius39/poverty- 140). The Analects support this very much so in many instances Confucius points out the obvious reasons for poverty. In the Analects it is depicted that the honorable man will concentrate himself on mortality before thinking about poverty, money or profit. The Analects constantly preaches the importance of Mortality and the art of being a gentleman are much more important than being rich in money and other luxuries. Law Authority and Government Machiavelli was an autocrat ruler or at least he was in his writings citing that republics can be easily broken up. Machiavelli strongly believed in principalities for many reasons although he does allow some exception where they can be problematic. The Prince states those principalities, which are passed down hereditarily, are easily entered into. On the other hand principalities taken by force are subject to fall due to the ways the ruler went about taking control of the principality. Machiavelli states a prince must be seen as gracious, and religious, but he must only seem to have these qualities (chapter 15). Princes must only be perceived to have these qualities for a prince will need to act in the opposite manner of these traits in order to keep his power. â€Å"The answer is that one would like to be both the one and the other; but because it is difficult to combine them, it is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both†(The Prince Chapter 17). Once again a very important point that leadership inquires you is powerful. Confucius was extremely adamant on teaching â€Å"The Way† and even thought that the Government should follow this philosophy. â€Å"The good ruler is obeyed even though he doesnt give orders, while the bad ruler is not, even though he does. How can we know what to obey, if the good ruler doesnt give orders? But we already know what is good, and if we do that, we are obeying the good ruler. The bad ruler simply wants things for himself. There is no eason why we should do that, if we can help it† ( friesian. com/confuciu. htm). The differences in how The Prince says a ruler should be and the Analects are actually humorous how different these schools of thought really are. Leading by example is a reoccurring ideology in the Analects. A person in power is to govern his or her people by example and not by force. Governing by laws and punishments does not cultivate the virtue of the people. â€Å"Go verning by moral force and ritual and good manners does† ( friesian. om/confuciu. htm). The analects does not much talk about the importance of laws and more on the importance of being a superior man. In being a superior man a person of power must be loved and teach his people instead of keeping them in fear. Conclusion In the introduction it was stated that Machiavelli’s the Prince and Confucius Analects were almost complete opposites. On just about every topic the two schools of thought contradict each other. When it comes to family the Prince basically only mentions family if it concerns politics. For example Machiavelli talks a lot about differences between hereditarily owned principalities and ones taken by force. Confucius on the other hand basically speaks on family and especially parents are the building blocks to a person’s life. As for war these to again have totally different ideologies the Prince says a ruler should always study war. On the other hand The Analects preach that a ruler who has to rule with fear and is impart of a lot of wars they have already failed as a ruler. As for fortune Machiavelli saw this as very important and believed a ruler should be very greedy and save his fortune for times where it is needed. Confucius did not see the importance of money or luxury and believed practicing being a gentleman or wise man was much more important. The Prince believes in a realist government that believes in keeping fear in its people and keeping absolute power. Confucius again is much more concerned with having a government that leads its people by example and attempts to improve life. These two obviously cannot agree on anything

Ten top writing tips for scientists - Emphasis

Ten top writing tips for scientists Ten top writing tips for scientists Ask most scientists, engineers and technologists why they got into the profession and theyre unlikely to say it was because they love writing. But love it or hate it, writing is an essential part of a scientific career. Report writing skills are crucial to communicating your research, ideas and recommendations. Losing the gems of months of research in confusing, convoluted prose helps neither you nor your readers. The way you write can be more important than what you write. An instantly readable report will usually have more impact than one that is difficult to decipher. Science doesnt exist in a vacuum. So if you cannot communicate effectively to colleagues and the general public, your work is likely to be perceived as less important. In fact, if you cant communicate what you do, you could argue that you might as well not do it in the first place. Here are some top tips and techniques that can transform your written work: 1. Ask the right questions Powerful writing starts from an ordered, clear structure. Begin ordering your ideas by asking yourself the questions: what? where? when? how? why? and who? When you know what you want to communicate, and why, you can then lay out your core idea first, and expand on it in the rest of the document. Always make sure you ask yourself the exact purpose of what you are writing. When you have a clear intent, you have a much better chance of crafting an effective document. 2. Use jargon with care Abbreviations are a great shortcut when you and your reader speak a common language. But dont forget that there may be acronyms and abbreviations that people outside your organisation or area of expertise just wouldnt know. This doesnt mean that you have to avoid jargon at all costs. Just be aware of your readers knowledge and choose the words and phrases that you are certain they will understand. Most people overestimate how much their readers know and bombard them with too many technical words and phrases. 3. Focus on your reader Do your readers really know everything about thermodynamics or mass transfer? Or are they more concerned with how the science affects their environment, a product or the companys bottom line? Ask yourself the following questions so that you can tailor your information to your reader. Who will read the document? How much experience do they have of the subject? How much do they know about it? What is their likely attitude towards it? How involved in the subject are they? How interested are they in the subject? 4. Dont show off In academia, the more knowledge, information and argument you display, the higher the marks. In the outside world, only the most significant information is necessary. Summarising a wealth of related issues may at first appear to cement your expert status, but it doesnt help your reader. Managers often have several reports to read each day, so focus on becoming a solution provider. 5. Create a compelling opening paragraph Research has shown that when it comes to focus, people remember the beginning and end of something, plus a high point in the middle. This is as true for reports as it is for holidays or feature films. So make sure that your conclusions and recommendations are in the summary. If you bury your recommendations in the middle, theres no guarantee that your readers will get that far. 6. Be confident Say what you really mean and your readers will thank you for it. It can be a little disconcerting to write clearly and in plain English, especially if you come from an organisation that doesnt encourage having a definitive viewpoint. But it will help you to become recognised as a thought leader and means that your work reaches a much wider audience. 7. Learn how to KISS Keep it short and simple. Avoid long, flowery phrases and make sure your sentences contain a maximum of 15 to 20 words. Presenting information in short, manageable chunks also helps you to keep the reader with you, so stick to the principle of one idea per sentence. To paraphrase Einstein: make things as simple as they are but no simpler. 8. Get active Where possible, use the active voice rather than the passive one. Instead of writing, the reactions of various metals were tested, write we tested the reactions of various metals. Adding in the word we makes the document more personal. Dont be afraid to use the word you when writing reports for non-scientists. The idea is to engage the reader and active, personal language does just that. 9. Check for errors Always proofread carefully by printing out your document and combing through it word for word. You cannot rely on your spellchecker to know the difference between palate and pallet, especially if you have it on the automated setting. Print it out first. And if possible, put your work aside for a day and come back to it with fresh eyes. Its likely that any errors will jump out at you more easily. Also check for punctuation and make sure that your structure is as effective as it can be. 10. Use a style guide Grab a free copy of our new The Write Stuff (third edition) to help you with the writing process. This 60-page style guide contains the very essence of good writing. Request a copy here. How Emphasis helped scientists to write more clearly One of Europes leading pharmaceutical companies asked Emphasis to improve its scientists report writing skills. The problem? Many of their written reports were failing to communicate the results of their research and development work in a clear and concise way. The training programme changed how the scientists approach, plan and structure their reports. Before the training programme, most people saw writing as an irritating distraction from their research and their reports had to be heavily edited. Now, there are fewer amendments, the medical director explains. This has reinforced the lessons learned during the training, creating a positive cycle that has, in turn, promoted better writing throughout the company.

FINAL PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FINAL PAPER - Essay Example The wings of the eagle are spread; as if the eagle is in flight or about to take flight. A pillow attached to a wooden stick juts out at the bottom of the painting. It seems that the eagle is carrying the pillow as it is about to fly. The pillow is divided into two halves because of the way it is hung on a piece of thread (Kleiner, 2014). The different elements of the painting do not form a whole but rather seem like disjointed elements in the entire painting. Rauschenberg has mainly used earthy tones in this painting. The use of bright colors in the painting is limited to just the upper central part and even those colors are not very bright. The predominant colors in the artwork are brown and black. The entire combine has a very rough feel to it. It reminds viewers of Dadaism where the objective was not to please the viewer but rather to bring attention to the art piece. Even in this case, the artwork does not appear aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It consists of different elements that do not make sense to the ordinary viewer. Only people with an art background would be likely to understand the significance of the artwork. This artwork tries to capture the essence of Rembrandts painting, The Rape of Ganymede. The dangling pillow is meant to be the buttocks of the child who was being carried out by the eagle. In terms of texture, Rauschenberg has introduced many different textures in the painting. These include the blobs of paint, the eagle and the dangling pillow. Each has a different texture to it and combined, they create a rough texture. It is the use of the different textures that makes the artwork so appealing. The textures tempt the viewers to consider the artwork closely and even touch it to understand the feel of it. In terms of color, the artwork gives off a very gloomy effect. The predominant colors used in the combine are brown and black. The rest of the colors are earthy colors. The

5 Business Projects Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

5 Business Projects - Term Paper Example The plaintiff upon receiving the note from the defendant did not send back any response but commenced work the next day by buying lumber necessary for completion of the defendants work. A second note was sent by the defendants countermanding the first note but was not forwarded before the plaintiff started work. The lower court decided that it was the plaintiff’s duty to go down to the defendants premises and commence work as a sign of acceptance and that the plaintiff was not obliged to expressly accept the offer by making either a written or verbal communication to the defendant and that his action to buy lumber for the work would suffice as an acceptance. The defendants were seeking an appeal on this ruling arguing that the plaintiff was obliged to communicate his acceptance before commencing work. They also argued that the note instructing the plaintiff to start work was a proposition rather than an agreement and that it should have been accepted by the plaintiff before either party could be bound by a contract. The appellate court ruled in favour of the defendant on the basis that any offer has to be accepted by an appropriate act. The plaintiff had to communicate to the defendant in a reasonable manner. According to the court, a mental determination which has not been spoken or an outright act to the other party should not be taken as acceptance binding the parties to a contract. Purchasing lumber was a normal routine by the plaintiff and did not communicate to the defendant of his acceptance thus such an act should not by itself be taken as an indication of acceptance. Plaintiff Parker, also well known as Shirley MacLaine Parker, contracted with the defendant, Twentieth Century Fox, to play the female lead in Fox’s planned musical motion picture â€Å"Bloomer Girl.† which would have fetched the plaintiff a total of $750,000. The defendant repudiated the contract before the commencement of the filming and decided not to go on with the filming

A critique on Teaching mathematics Essay Example for Free

A critique on Teaching mathematics Essay Graduate students who take up mathematics are burdened not only with the passion to obtain a deeper understanding and mastery of the subject but also with the responsibility to impart the knowledge they gain in their studies. It is acknowledged that there are only a few individuals who decide to pursue a degree in mathematics much less to attain a master’s degree or even doctorate in the field. It is clear, then, that the professors of mathematics undergraduate student are handled and taught by mathematicians who have obtained a higher educational degree in mathematics. Friedberg (2005) endeavors to present ways through which mathematics graduate students can be made better teachers during their training and learning in graduate school. The importance of such a feat are also presented in the article. The audience of the article is the mathematics community specifically the administrative staff in mathematics departments everywhere. Friedberg (2005) aims to provide an alternative to the present teaching curricula in mathematics education. He hopes to supplement the status quo with innovative teaching strategies that will develop the mathematics graduate students’ skills in teaching and handling undergraduate mathematics students. The article effectively presented the subject matter at hand in a readable manner. Anyone reading could easily relate to the document. Friedberg (2005) was also able to pinpoint the audience he was addressing in the article. This was effective in bringing his point across and establishing his goals with the article. However, the content and organization of the article, itself, is not as strong as it could be. A better organization of arguments could have made it a stronger article. Article summary Friedberg (2005) noted that mathematics graduate students could develop better teaching skills by having activities called case studies. These case studies were aimed at enhancing two factors that contributed to better teaching skills: experience and good judgment. Case studies were described by Friedberg (2005) as group discussions on â€Å"depictions of aspects of teaching math to undergraduates, typically involving a difficulty or an important decision† (Friedberg, 2005, 844) Qualified individuals were assigned to act as moderators in the said discussions. The success of the activity was reported by the author, who was also the one to conceptualize and develop the process. Statements given by students attesting to the effectiveness of case studies were also included in the article. Friedberg (2005) also relates the success of the teaching strategy by noting that the materials and case discussions he and his team have come up with have already been published and are already being used in different institutions for varied purposes. Dissecting the article Friedberg (2005) was very effective in his use of simple and everyday language to present his points regarding mathematics graduate students and their teaching skills. The manner of presentation of the text was straightforward, uncomplicated, jargon-free. When a reader goes through all six pages of text, he or she will be able to easily understand everything. This is mostly because of the language used by Friedberg. The article’s target audience was also effectively identified even on the very first page of the article. â€Å"The topic of this article should thus be of genuine importance to the entire math community. † (Friedberg, 2005, 842) From this one line found on the first page, it is clear that the author has already pinpointed the audience for whom he intended the article. Knowing who the author is â€Å"talking to† is a very important factor that increases the value of the article. When the author has a clear idea who he intends the article for, he is able to narrow his discussion down to tailor-fit that particular audience. There are, therefore, a number of things that may be edited out of the article already. The value of the article thus increases for that target population because the arguments and points contained therein are meant for them specifically. In writing the article, the author was also able to focus himself on concepts that would be most pertinent and relevant to his identified audience. Thus the Friedberg (2005) article is suited for the mathematics community and as such it will have the greatest value for that particular subgroup. Despite the positive factors regarding the article, the organization of the author’s points was not well thought out. Friedberg (2005) tended to expound too much on certain topics that were not as necessary in driving home his point about case studies being effective teaching tools. For example, too much attention was given to teaching assistants and certain characteristics of that subgroup. Although the topic is related to the article’s main concern, its weight in the overall impact of the article should have been taken into consideration and the amount of time spent expounding that point should have been adjusted accordingly. Conclusion Over-all, the article was effective in presenting the use of case studies as a tool for developing the teaching skills of mathematics graduate students. However, the arguments would have been more powerful if the author had given more thought to the organization of the article’s main points. Reference Friedberg, S. (2005). Teaching mathematics graduate students how to teach. Notice of the AMS, 52(8), 842-847.

Comparing the Dominant and Feminist Readings of Shakespeares King Lear

Comparing the Dominant and Feminist Readings of King Lear      Ã‚   Shakespeare's King Lear has been the source of much contention as to the way in which the text can be read. The play originally was written for the Jacobean audience of Shakespeare's time, but since then has taken on many other readings. These new readings are produced to comment on issues in the society in which it is explored. Readings encompass a wide range of ideas - from the Dominant reading, the manner in which Shakespeare's audience would have perceived the text, to feminist ideals. The various readings are influenced by the context in which they are discussed. In particular the dominant and feminist readings of King Lear both perceive the text in different contexts; the dominant following the traditional Jacobean interpretation as it was originally written, and the feminist reading pursuing a need for the lack of a patriarchal society in the twentieth century. King Lear can be read in a variety of ways, achieving a set perspective that suits the reader.    The Jacobean reading of King Lear focuses the blame for chaos and the subsequent tragedies on Lear's foolish decision to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. Though the play is set in pre-Christian times, Shakespeare's audience was greatly influenced by Elizabethan structure and hierarchy. According to the Great Chain of Being, God was the head of the universe, and the King was established as Gods connection to people. Lear's choice of abdication would have been viewed as blasphemy towards God. The audience would now perceive Lear's tragedy as inevitable due to his decisions. The play `King Lear' can be viewed as an expression of the Jacobean period concept of so... ... focuses on Lear's downfall and the pity we feel for Lear. The feminist reading of King Lear focuses on how the portrayal of women in the play is of a negative aspect and displays women as unfit for any role of leadership, else chaos ensues. The film A Thousand Miles shows how King Lear can be interpreted as a feminist reading in a contemporary setting, revealing the text King Lear in an entirely new light - women portrayed as the victims of men. King Lear can indeed be read in a variety of ways.    Works Cited Frey, C.   Experiencing Shakespeare.   Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1988. Granville-Barker, H.   Prefaces to Shakespeare.   London: B.T. Batsford INC, 1984. Halio, J.   The Tragedy of King Lear.   Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992.   Thompson, A.   King Lear Criticism.   NJ: Humanities Press International, 1988.

Copying Morality? Essay

Software piracy and illegal file shares is becoming a bigger issue in modern day society, more likely with the youth of society. All computers now come with burn-ware technologies in which the user can take a product and create copies of that software. Originally, this process was created in order to provide methods of backing up a person’s computer files, in case of hardware crashing and system reboots. However, the situation has changed. People are now able to copy any type of media file (DVDs, CDs, operation systems, etc) and give out these products, free of charge. Do you like that CD that your friend bought the other day? Ask him to burn you a copy, then you can have it too. Did your latest version of Microsoft Windows crash on you and you don’t have the recovery discs? No problem. Get a friend to burn you a copy of their recovery discs. And what’s the best thing about these transactions? You don’t have to pay for anything! Broke college students rejoice! In Bernard Gert’s essay, Is it Moral to Make Copies of Software for my Friends? ,the ethics of this trend are discussed. What are the ethical guidelines when it comes to computers? Is it acceptable to copy software? Gert’s conclusion is that it is not morally acceptable to copy software, no matter who the software is for and regardless if it is free of charge. It is an illegal action, as there are laws against such activity, and therefore it is unacceptable to partake in such action. Although still possible to perform while still illegal, this doesn’t mean that it is acceptable. A law cannot be broken just because someone has the means of doing so. Gert first explains the ethics of breaking the law. He states that â€Å"one cannot limit the subject matter of the law to a particular law one dislikes. † He uses the example of smoking by minors to back up this argument. The law is that you must be 18 years old in order to buy cigarettes. However, minors cannot just go out and buy cigarettes and smoke because they dislike the law. It’s still a law; not liking the law isn’t a justifiable reason to try and break it. The only time that it is acceptable to break a law is in the situation in which the law is unjust. If a law is unjust and has a negative effect on society, then it should not be a law in the first place, thus making it acceptable if the law is to be broken because eventually, this will cause the law to be overturned. However, current software copying laws are not unjust, and if they are to be considered unjust, there is no clear and valid reason of why they are unjust. Copying laws are not morally unacceptable, making it unacceptable to break these laws. Gerts compares this issue to speed limits. Speed limits are the accepted law of whatever state they are set in. These speed limits are not hurting society and are morally acceptable within the community. Because of this, it is looked down upon when a driver breaks the speed limit, becoming so unacceptable that legal action can take place. Speed limits are not suggestions, they are laws. These laws are in no violation of morality and therefore they must be followed. Gert also believes that it is not acceptable to break a law in the event that one thinks that some other law would be better. If society allows violation of the current law due to the fact the society is in favor of other laws that are not passed, then it becomes acceptable for everyone to break every law. If everyone has this mentality, then law becomes obsolete. Why even bother having any laws if everyone feels that they can break them because they don’t agree with them? Gert believes that this mentality will lead into anarchy. As for software laws, Gert believes that because these laws are not unjust and are not causing any harm, it is not morally acceptable for anyone to be breaking the law. He claims that he does not know enough about the current laws to admit that there may be other more suitable and better laws that for this issue. However, that does not mean that software copying shouldn’t be illegal or have penalties. Gert states that illegally copying software cannot be described solely based on the â€Å"morally relevant issues, as it brings in one’s biases with regard to software†. People may only see it as doing a favor for a friend when they copy software. How can an act with good intentions possibly be immoral? According to Gert, it doesn’t matter of what the intentions were; motives don’t determine the morality of an action. In conclusion, for these reasons, Gert determines that copying software is not morally acceptable. II. Evaluation According to Gert, it doesn’t matter of what the intentions were; motives don’t determine the morality of an action. Here, I find myself agreeing with Gert. Just because you have good intentions, it doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable to violate the law. Hitler had good intentions, didn’t he? He wanted to cleanse his country and make his country better for the people he deemed valuable. Sure, he killed millions of people, but the good intent was there, right? Wrong. His intentions do not justify anything that he did. A person could justify burning software by saying that he is doing it to help out his friend, but his good intentions mean nothing. He still did something that was against the law, and therefore it is wrong. The second and last thing that I agree with Gert about is that it normally should not be acceptable for a person to break the law. The only time it is permissible is when the law is an unjust one that brings more harm than good to society. In America’s early years, did the settlers not eventually find King George’s rule to be unjust? Did we not find his laws and policies unbearable? Did we not oppose them and fight them? America was born by breaking the law! And this is acceptable! Why? Because it was against injustice. The only time a law can be broken is when it is unjust. We, as Americans, cannot argue with this. However, are piracy laws unjust? Gert certainly doesn’t think so. I’m not sure if I agree with him. A weakness that Gert has is that he admits that he does not know much about the piracy laws. He knows that there are laws making copying illegal, however, he does not explain them because he does not know enough about them to do so. It makes me wonder â€Å"if you don’t know everything about your subject, then why are making such an effort to persaude me to believe your opinion? † He loses credibility and this hurts him. If you are going to argue a viewpoint, I would prefer that the person pleading his case knows a lot about the subject matter. To be honest, I don’t think Gert knows a lot about the situation. He rarely actually talks about the core subject: copying software. Instead, he talks about the morality of breaking the law in general. He just happens to throw software piracy in there to add another example of the morality of breaking the law. This severely hurts his thesis and essay in general. Another weakness in this paper is the ‘slippery slope’ argument that he makes about breaking laws in favor for other laws. He claims that this will lead to anarachy. If people don’t want to obey the law because they think some other law would be better, how will this lead to anarchy? Couldn’t it be possible that it will just lead to the replacement of laws? If there is such replacement, how will it lead to chaotic anarachy? He does not explain why such a process will lead to anarachy; he just states that it will lead to it. Not only is his argument flawed, there is a flaw within the flaw. He can’t even explain his wrong reasoning. But then again, maybe that is the whole point of illogical reasoning: there is no logical reasoning! A final weakness that I found a couple of times in Gert’s essay is that he uses some faulty analogies. He compares software laws to speeding laws and drinking laws, among other breif examples. He uses these examples in his arguments about the morality of breaking the law. If one does not agree with the speed limits, he is not obligated to break them simply because he does not like them. If an 18 year old wants to drink when the legal drinking age is 21, he cannot do so just because he doesn’t agree with the law. Thus, if a person wants to copy a CD for their friend and it is illegal, he cannot do so. I don’t believe that piracy laws fall in the same field as speed limits and underage drinking. I think those problems impact society much more than a burned copy of Blue Oyster Cult’s â€Å"Don’t Fear the Reaper†. These are just different situations and they shouldn’t be compared on the same level. So it is morally acceptable to copy software for my friends? I personally believe so for a couple of reasons. I am guilty of illegally copying music and movies, and I see nothing wrong with anything that I have done. I’m a criminal justice major and I understand the piracy laws. I still see nothing wrong with it. If burning a CD or a DVD is so morally wrong, then why do stores provide the means of doing so? Stores sell burnable discs in which you can copy anything onto them. How can anyone be expected NOT to burn software or a CD? These discs aren’t illegal, but the act of copying is illegal. Yes, I understand that the original purpose of these rewritable CDs and DVDs were to be storage devices for personal work, but the times have changes as the technology has evolved. Do not provide the means of a crime if you do not want the crime to happen. I’m positive that the main reason why people burn software is because of the money involved. Downloading something is free. If I have a free option, then why should I bother buying something? If I only like one song on a CD, why should I have to shell out twenty-five dollars to buy the whole thing? CDs only cost companies ten cents to burn, and an additional two dollars for the packaging. I understand that there are labor fees to be paid as well, but why does the media industry have to charge their consumers, their lifeblood, these ridiculous prices? My laptop crashed recently. Nowadays, laptops are being sold with the software already installed onto the hard drive. This has added a hidden cost to the overall cost of the laptop. Along with this, no discs are provided. You’re paying for software that you have no legal copy for. When your laptop crashes, you no longer have the software. So when my laptop crashed, resulting in me buying a new hard drive, what did the technical support people tell me to do? They told me that I had to buy the operating system separately. It was an annoyance to do so, but it was an option. Do you know how much Windows Vista goes for? Two hundred fifty dollars. Well, there goes that option for this poor college student. My solution to my problem? I found a friend with Vista and I got him to copy the software for me. If the legal copy did not cost so much, I would have purchased it. I think that’s the root problem of this issue. If companies didn’t sell their software at such an absurd price, more people would turn away from illegal means of obtaining said software and actually acquire it legally. I see no problem with downloading software because of this key reason. Illegal copying and downloading of software, music, and movies is just something that isn’t possible to monitor. There are millions of people all over the world doing this. How can officials possible prosecute these people? How can they possibly track them down? Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as email tracking and there is no such thing as download tracking. There is no such technology to know exactly what illegal site someone has been on and downloaded something from. If you take my mp3 player, there is no way that you would be able to tell which songs I purchased and which ones I have illegally downloaded. It is the same situation if you took a look on my computer. Which files were obtained illegally? You’ll never know.

Department store Essay

â€Å"What I Heard at the Discount Department Store† ─David Budbill.  Q: How soon do you understand that a character, other than the poet, speaks this poem? What is her tone and how do you know it? In David Budbill’s poem, â€Å"What I Heard at the Discount Department Store†, it is evident by line six that someone other than the poet speaks this poem. The poem starts off in first person. The character is an angry mother â€Å"dealing† with her young child in a discount department store. Stop it. I mean it. You know I do. If you don’t stop, I’ll give you fucking something to cry about right here and don’t think I won’t either (lines 2-5). This displays how the character which is obviously the mother is speaking and it also displays her anger and frustration. The poem continues on and the point of view changes and as the reader, I became the spectator. â€Å"So she did. She slapped him across the face. / And you could hear the snap of flesh against the flesh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (6-7). Understanding that both the poet and the character are speaking in this poem occurs early on and it isn’t until the poem redirects back to first person point of view, that it is understood that there are two speakers in this poem. Budbill emphasizes the tone of the mother’s character (anger and frustration) by the words he chose for the mother to say. In line three of the poem she drops her first â€Å"f-bomb† and does so again in line 20, which is  followed by another curse word. â€Å"You can get away with fucking murder there, / but you can’t get away with shit like that with me† (20-21). It is obvious that she is angry by the words she is using with her young child and it is also evident that she is frustrated with her child’s behavior. The mother’s frustration is demonstrated through line 16-21 when she explains how her child is not at school, where she believes him to get away with misbehavior, and that he is now with his mother where no misbehavior is accepted, â€Å"You’re not in school anymore. / You’re with your mother now† (18-19). The tone of the mother’s character is displayed through her choice of words and how she speaks so aggressively to her son.

New York Metropolitan Area Facts

New York Metropolitan Area Facts The New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area is the new official federal government name and definition for the greater New York City metropolitan area. It huge and encompasses thirty counties in the greater New York City region consists of the following Metropolitan and Micropolitan areas: Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan Statistical AreaKingston, NY Metropolitan Statistical AreaNew Haven-Milford, CT Metropolitan Statistical AreaNew York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical AreaPoughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical AreaTorrington, CT Micropolitan Statistical AreaTrenton-Ewing, NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area New York City Region Descriptions Below, you will find descriptions of each of the seven above areas and how they are defined. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Fairfield County (including the principal cities of Bridgeport, Stamford, Norwalk, Danbury, and Stratford) The Kingston, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Ulster County. The New Haven-Milford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of New Haven County. The New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of the principal cities of New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Edison, NJ; White Plains, NY; Union, NJ; and Wayne, NJ. Officially, the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area is subdivided into the: Edison, NJ Metropolitan Division (Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Ocean County, and Somerset County)Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division (Nassau County and Suffolk County)Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division (Essex County, NJ; Hunterdon County, NJ; Morris County, NJ; Sussex County, NJ; Union County, NJ; and Pike County, PA)New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division (Bergen County, NJ; Hudson County, NJ; Passaic County, NJ; Bronx County, NY; Kings County, NY; New York County, NY; Putnam County, NY; Queens County, NY; Richmond County, NY; Rockland County, NY; and Westchester County, NY) The Torrington, CT Micropolitan Statistical Area consists of Litchfield County. The Trenton-Ewing, NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of Mercer County.

Saying Hello in French

Saying Hello in French Greetings are an essential part of French social etiquette. The most important and common greeting is  bonjour, which means hello, good day, or even hi. There are also other ways to say hello or greet someone in French, but its important to understand what greetings are acceptable in various social contexts. Youll also need to familiarize yourself with greetings that are considered informal versus those that you would use in more formal settings. Bonjour- The Most Common Greeting Saying bonjour is the most common way to greet someone in French. Its a flexible, all-purpose term: You use it to greet people in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Bonjour is always polite, and it works in any situation. In France, you need to say  bonjour  when entering a place.  Whether you are talking to a single salesperson  or entering a crowded bakery, greet them by saying  bonjour. For example, if there are a few people sitting at a table you are approaching or several acquaintances are drinking  un expresso  at the bar as you walk up to them,  greet them with a friendly  bonjour.   If you are talking to one person, it is polite in French to use courtesy titles when you say hello, as in:   Bonjour, madame  (Mrs.)Bonjour, monsieur  (Mr.)Bonjour,  mademoiselle  (Miss) Its acceptable to say bonjour by itself- without using courtesy titles- if you are greeting several people, such as when you enter une boulangerie  (a bakery) packed with a line of customers. Bonsoir- The Evening Hello Use bonsoir  to say hello in the evening. Since the  hour that nighttime arrives in France can vary greatly  depending on the season, generally start saying bonsoir around 6 p.m. You can also use bonsoir when you leave- so long as its still evening. Beware of Salut Salut (pronounced with a silent t) is commonly used in France, although it is extremely informal: Its the equivalent of saying hey in English.  Avoid using salut  with people you dont know unless you are a teenager. If you are in doubt, stick with bonjour, which- as noted- is always an acceptable form of greeting. You can also use salut  to say goodbye  in an informal setting among close friends, but there are better ways to  say goodbye in French. Gestures Associated With Bonjour If you say bonjour to a group of strangers- such as when you are  entering a shop- you need not add any gestures, though you may nod your head a bit, and of course smile. If you know the person you are greeting with bonjour, you would either shake his hand- a frank, strong handshake is preferable- or kiss him on the cheek.  Light kisses  (rarely just one kiss on each cheek but usually three or four total) are extremely common in France among friends and acquaintances. Be aware, however, that the  French do not hug  upon greeting each other and saying  bonjour.

AP Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

AP Art History - Essay Example However, these little works collected with his notepads, which comprise drawings, methodical diagrams, and his opinions on the nature of painting, encompass an involvement to later generations of artists only matched by that of his fashionable, Michelangelo. Leonardo is inverted to his technical inventiveness as he hypothesized flying machines. Moderately little of his projects were built and some were viable during his life time .Returning to the Guild of St Luke, Leonardo consumed two years while crafting and painting a fresco of the combat of Anghiari for the Signori a as Michelangelo designing its confidant piece (Bambach & Manges, 2003). According to the post, Leonardo’s work is more than what is just represented as most of drawings looks more than just a drawing but supernatural. His intelligence in many fields of study showed how great he was talented. Thus, he remains the most talented and skilled artist to ever