Tuesday, November 26, 2019

What Blücher Has to Do With Young Frankenstein

What Blà ¼cher Has to Do With Young Frankenstein In Mel Brooks classic film parody  Young Frankenstein  (1974), Cloris Leachman plays a  character called Frau Blucher. If youve seen this great film, you know that every time someone utters the words Frau Blucher the whinnying of horses can be heard. Somehow an explanation for this running gag arose, claiming the hidden reason for the horses reaction was that Frau Bluchers name sounds like the German word for glue, and implying that the horses fear ending up in a glue factory. But if you bother to look up the word glue in German, you wont find any word that is even close to Blucher or Blà ¼cher. Do the words  der Klebstoff  or  der Leim  sound even remotely similar? What Is the Meaning of Blucher in German? If you look up  Blà ¼cher, some German dictionaries  list the expression er geht ran wie Blà ¼cher (he doesnt loaf around/he goes at it like Blà ¼cher), but that refers to the Prussian general  Gebhard Leberecht von Blà ¼cher  (1742-1819), who earned the name Marschall Vorwrts ([Field] Marshal Forward) for his victories over the French at Katzbach and (with Wellington) at Waterloo (1815). In other words, Blà ¼cher (or Blucher) is just a German surname. It has no particular meaning as a normal word in German and certainly does not mean glue! Turns out that director Mel Brooks was just having some fun with a classic cinematic villain gag from old melodramas. There is no real logic for the horses neighing since most of the time there is no way they could even see or hear Frau Blucher or the people saying her name.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The 15 Best Editing Tips to Craft Clear Content - CoSchedule

The 15 Best Editing Tips to Craft Clear Content It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I never set out to become an editor. I always loved to write (I recently found an anthology of literature I published at age 10), but I didn’t fully understand the weight of an editor’s role until I had already been editing for a few years. You see, everyone has their own editing processes and their own tricks, so I never knew whether my way was the â€Å"right† way. In fact, most people use one trick in particular: Let someone else do it. That’s because it’s easy to have great ideas. It’s not so easy to write them down in a way that others can understand them. It’s not worth putting your ideas down on a page if you can’t edit your own work or can’t get someone to do it for you. And in today’s content-driven universe, you can’t afford to be both a bad writer and a bad editor. This is why  the role of the great editor is paramount. Whether you use these tips for yourself or pass them along to your favorite college intern, I encourage you to keep your editing chops in tip-top shape. In today’s world of more, more, more, it’s not always the longest or most timely content that wins- it’s the best. In today’s world of more, more, more, it’s not always the longest or most timely content thatGet Your Free Self-Editing ChecklistThe 15 Best Editing Tips to Craft Clear Content1. Put Yourself in Your Audience’s Shoes First and foremost: Audience, audience, audience. You may not see this as a traditional editing tip, and I get that. But after you write your first draft (which should always be for yourself, by the way), it’s time to read through the entire thing and pretend you are someone else- namely, someone in your audience. That â€Å"someone† might be a persona: an avatar of a particular segment of your audience with unique interests and problems. Ask yourself, would that person find this piece valuable? Does it answer a question relevant to their interests? Would they click this headline? Is this writing above or below their experience level? Your answers to these questions will help you tailor future drafts to better serve your audience’s needs. Recommended Reading: How to Find Your Target Audience and Create the Best Content That Connects 2. Read Your Writing Out Loud No, this isn’t about admiring the sound of your own voice or keeping your pet hamster occupied. Reading your work out loud will draw attention to clunky turns of phrase, misused words, and convoluted sentence structures. It’s a great way to revisit your work with fresh eyes (or ears) after hours of writing. Reading out loud doesn’t just help your syntax, either. You’ll more easily detect lapses in your authentic voice- moments when your writing stops sounding like â€Å"you.† You might also discover opportunities to finesse the rhythm and pace of your writing. Grab a glass of water, close that office door, and give this tactic a try. As a bonus, you may even want to consider recording yourself reading aloud so you can listen back and see how you really  sound. Don't want to read your own work out loud? Get an app to do it for you. ReadWrite is a helpful Chrome extension that can do just that: 3. Kill Your Darlings Brace yourself: Ten to fifteen percent of what you’ve written likely needs to be cut. If that percentage seems daunting, don’t despair! Taking a hatchet to that first draft will only make your writing leaner, meaner, and more effective. As you trim, look for repetitive sentences, weak transitions, unnecessary anecdotes, and clichà ©s. Cut or revise anything that hikes up your word count without delivering value in return. Yes,  search engines (and many humans) prefer longer and meatier content. But never prioritize quantity over quality when it comes to your words. 4. Quell Your Writer Ego Skeptical of these editing suggestions? Struggling to find anything to trim or change? Your writer ego might be the culprit. Ego should take a backseat when editing. Remember that first tip, where you put yourself in your audience’s shoes? That shift in perspective helps you serve your reader, rather than yourself. Editing is part of that service. Clinging to your writer ego leads to slimy self-promotion, clouds your ability to see opportunities for improvement, and obstructs your development as a writer. Prioritize what you’re giving your reader, and stronger writing will follow. Prioritize what you’re giving your reader, and stronger writing will follow.5. Make Paragraphs Smaller and Sentences Shorter We tend to pontificate on the intrinsic value of the language we explore through the written word while sipping our steaming cup of tea and baring our souls to the world around us to the sound of the raven’s caw outside our- Gah. Gross. I can barely make sense of sentences like the one above, much less learn from them. And I’m not alone- English-speakers find shorter paragraphs and sentences easier to comprehend. The human brain looks for natural breaks in the text and uses those pauses to interpret what it’s just read. Ramble on for too long, and you’re likely to lose your reader. Most of your sentences should fall comfortably inside the 20- to 25-word range. Publishers disagree on the ideal length of a paragraph for web content- some feel two sentences is long enough, while others insist on a minimum of five sentences. Whatever rule you obey, limit yourself to one idea per paragraph. You may need several words to elaborate on an important point or frame an idea in colorful language to emphasize its power. Go nuts! Just be sure to break those ideas into concise, comprehensible chunks. Recommended Reading: How Long Should a Blog Post Be to Get the Most Traffic and Shares? 6. Vary Sentence Length and Structure I may sound like I’m contradicting the point I made above, but hear me out: Your sentences can vary in length while still being succinct. Cap the majority of your sentences at 20 words, but don’t be afraid to mix it up. Throw in a short, emphatic statement here and there. Step outside that 25-word maximum every so often. These variations create rhythm, control pace, and help hold your reader’s attention to the very last word. Varied sentence lengths create rhythm, control pace, and help hold your reader's attention to the...7. Avoid Adverbs Take it from Stephen King himself: â€Å"The road to hell is paved with adverbs.† â€Å"But,† you say, â€Å"I write content for a martech publication, not fiction! I never use adverbs. When would I use a word like ‘angrily,’ ‘playfully,’ or ‘indubitably?’† Not so fast. Comb your sentences for common adverbs like â€Å"very,† â€Å"totally,† and â€Å"really†- you may find a few have snuck into your writing. And while you might think you need certain adverbs for clarity, look for more specific ways to create emphasis without relying on empty adverbs like â€Å"extremely.† And while you might think you need certain adverbs for clarity, look for more specific ways to...8. Develop an Allergy to Jargon â€Å"Jargon† includes both industry-specific colloquialisms and vocabulary used by experts to talk precisely about high-level concepts, and it’s essential to understand the difference. To an outsider, any industry-specific terms might sound like gibberish. This kind of jargon can be useful when writing for your peers- provided you match your language to your audience’s experience level. The other flavor of jargon, however, muddies your writing. Don’t mistake a â€Å"fancy† word for a precise one. Avoid â€Å"utilizing† or â€Å"leveraging† something when you could simply â€Å"use† it. As you edit, ask yourself, â€Å"Is this language as specific as possible? Is there a simpler word I can use here to communicate the same idea?† If the answer is â€Å"yes,† you’ve got some jargon-slashing to do. Recommended Reading: The Most Complete Content Editing Process to Avoid Copy Disasters 9. Passive Voice Is Not Needed What’s passive voice, you ask? (Hint: I included an example in the title of this section.) To identify passive voice in your writing, look for any sentence where the subject is acted upon by the verb. For example, in the statement, â€Å"This article was written by me,† the subject (â€Å"this article†) receives the verb â€Å"to write.† You could rewrite this sentence to be in active voice by swapping â€Å"this article† with the noun performing the action. Your new, active voice sentence then reads, â€Å"I wrote this article.† You now have a more direct sentence using fewer words! Like magic. Remember, automated grammar-checking software doesn’t always detect these kinds of errors. You’ll need to scan your writing yourself to find and correct any egregious uses of passive voice. Scan your writing yourself to find and correct any egregious uses of passive voice.10. Check Your Gerunds Make sure you haven’t padded your word count with unnecessary gerund phrases- passive verbs followed by â€Å"-ing† words. Gerunds often sneak into your writing like this: â€Å"If you’re wanting to try our service . . .† (Rather than, â€Å"If you want to try our service†) â€Å"In this episode, she is asking . . .† (Rather than, â€Å"In this episode, she asks†) If you find a gerund attached to a passive verb, swap out the phrase for a single active verb. Voila! You just created a stronger sentence. Isn’t editing fun? If you find a gerund attached to a passive verb, swap out the phrase for a single active verb....11. Take Your Time Take your time in all stages of writing, not just the editing stage. Take time to formulate an insanely powerful idea. Take time to flesh out an outline that will keep your piece focused. Take time to write when you’re feeling inspired. And of course, take time to work through edits. Some writers I know spend upwards of six hours writing a 1,500-word blog post. No, they’re not lazy. They’re not newbies. They don’t need an emergency intervention on account of their time management skills. Their writing process takes six hours because it involves thorough research, brainstorming, execution, and editing. They don’t rush any stage of their work, and  neither should you. Need a way to track your time and make the most of it? Try using Toggl: 12. Use a Copyeditor Don’t be afraid to call a professional! Copyeditors are trained to spot errors faster and with greater accuracy than the average content writer. Unlike most grammar-checking software, they apply context to your writing and distinguish between grammatical errors and harmless quirks in your writing voice. If you can’t access a human copywriter, consider a tool like Grammarly. Its grammar robots scan for errors as you type, wherever you type- even inside the bodies of emails. 13. Throw Weak Verbs and Adjectives Out the Window Now that you’ve weeded out the unnecessary gerunds, jargon, and adverbs, turn your focus to those weak verbs and adjectives weighing down your sentences. â€Å"Weak† verbs, this case, include linking verbs or verbs that describe a state of being. In the sentence â€Å"Marketers seem to want to know if this is true,† the phrase â€Å"seem to† describes a state of being. â€Å"Marketers want to know if this is true† preserves the meaning while removing the weak phrase. â€Å"Marketers want proof† is even more direct. Weak adjectives often sneak into your writing as redundancies. Phrases like â€Å"exact same† and â€Å"current trend† apply weak adjectives to words that don’t need further clarification. If a noun tells the same story without the attached adjective, leave it on the cutting room floor. Looking for stronger words to mix up your verbiage? Steal some from this list: 14. Nix Non-Essential Words If all these cuts have you in a sweat, don’t panic- you’re almost there! It’s time to review your writing for remaining non-essential words. These words often lurk in your transitions and use two or three words when one will do. Words like â€Å"that,† â€Å"in order to† (instead of â€Å"to†), and â€Å"may possibly† (instead of â€Å"may†) clog your sentences without adding meaning. Nix ‘em! Words like â€Å"that,† â€Å"in order to† (instead of â€Å"to†), and â€Å"may possibly† (instead of...15. Embrace Your Writerly Tics Yes, you do have to standardize aspects of your writing. Obeying the rules of grammar, structure, and style makes your writing stronger. However, everything else- your voice, your point of view, your process- should come from you. Maybe you’ve got a cheeky sense of humor. Perhaps you like to kick off your content with an anecdote or a provocative claim. Maybe your quirks are more process-oriented- you work from an outline, or you always write your first drafts in a single, frenzied sitting. Embrace these habits! They’re what set your content apart. Embrace your quirks! They're what set your content apart.Personal, memorable writing attracts returning readers and builds your following. If readers enjoy and trust your voice, they’ll choose your content over an anonymous contributor the next time they need an expert opinion. Meeting your word count is only half the battle. Once you’ve got your words on the page, it’s your job to make each of those words count. Your readers don’t have time for fluff- serve them content that is worth their time, even if it means a brutal and bloody editing process before you hit â€Å"Publish.† Take it from a managing editor: These tips will make it all worth it.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

For or Against Governing Early Childhood Education through play by Jo Personal Statement

For or Against Governing Early Childhood Education through play by Jo AilWood - Personal Statement Example games, they acquire knowledge on how to control their emotions, and how to transform the large, mystifying world events into a little, controllable status. Play also enables children to improve on their social skills as they assign themselves certain responsibilities and resources. Despite the significance of play in early childhood learning processes, I believe there are some pitfalls to play that need to known to the learning fraternity. I think the significance of the circumstances under which a play is executed has not been anybody’s concern, even as more people continue to advocate for the governmentality of early childhood education through play. Current learning-based plays are only looked upon from the positive perspectives rather than from all sides to ascertain its real significance. Ailwood avers that play in early childhood education has been mired in more rhetoric than tangible results. In most cases, play has fallen short of equipping children with the required skills expected out of such activities (291). Childhood play has been found to be boring, and usually isolating for some children. Additionally, play has been largely entertaining, rather than enhancing the skills of the participants. Play also reduces the role of a teacher to merely keeping an eye on those engaging in bad games and maintaining the hygiene of children who take part in such activity. In light of the valorisation of play, brought about by divisions along social lines, play does not contribute to the unity and social diversity required in learning

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Introduction to business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introduction to business law - Essay Example Managers need to remain increasingly concerned about the occurrences of any harmful incidents during the event. For instance, a court might consider several aspects if there occurs a harmful incident due to lack of air-conditioning facilities at the concert as can be witnessed with reference to the incident of Madonna’s concert in the UK recently. The aspects may include complying with the legal rules as well as regulations and making essential approvals relating to the concert. The various responsibilities of a safety manager at Madonna’s concert in Australia would be to construct a safe venue for the viewers or the audiences, offering ample space to the viewers for free movement which in turn shall also render them a comfortable space to enjoy the show without disruptions and appropriately managing the people including the working staffs. Moreover, the other significant role of a safety manager is to monitor various safety aspects for the conduct of an event which inc ludes electrical systems, fire prevention tools and accumulation of surface water among others. Hence, the scope in relation to the duties of an event manager is considered to be quite broader as the manager is entitled with various responsibilities to be performed since the initiation till the completion of the event. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 1.Introduction 4 2.Event Context 5 3.Legal Issues 7 3.1.Overview of the Australian Health and Safety Laws 7 3.2.Legal Considerations 9 5. Recommendations 9 6. Conclusion 11 References 12 1. Introduction As to a recent instance regarding Madonna, it has been viewed that Madonna’s concert has significantly raised tremendous issue relating to health and safety. The demands of Madonna had ultimately resulted in generating huge troubles with health and safety officials concerning the event. The issue was regarding the impediment of air-conditioning as one of the prime demands of Madonna. With reference to the challenges witnesse d during this concert, it can be effectively noted that it is quite necessary to manage a particular event or a concert which would emphasise upon looking after the interests of both the artists and the viewers. In order to organize and manage the similar event with Madonna in Australia, laws pertinent with health and safety would be the topmost concern. In this discussion, a detailed report advising Madonna and her management on various legal matters will be taken into concern. The different matters would include determining the appropriate authorities in Australia who are responsible for maintaining the efficiency of event management in relation to health and safety. Moreover, identification of certain matters that a court might consider when analyzing the likelihood of an occurrence of a harmful incident due to lack of air-conditioning facilities at the concert will be discussed. Various aspects such as the work of a safety manager relating to a musical concert, carrying out vari ous safety checks and the duties of a safety manager prior to, during and immediately after the concert will also be portrayed in the discussion. 2. Event Context The nature of the proposed event is about organising a musical concert in Australia for entertainment. The chief artist of the concert would be the famous singer, actress, dancer as well as songwriter, Madonna. The event would likely be held in Australia’s one of the premium indoor venue i.e. ‘

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Wall Street crash was responsible for the depression of the early 1930s Essay Example for Free

The Wall Street crash was responsible for the depression of the early 1930s Essay How far do you agree with the view that the Wall Street crash was responsible for the depression of the early 1930s? The Wall Street Crash was certainly a major factor in the depression of the early 1930s, as said in source 3, setting off a devastating economic collapse. However, it was not the sole reason for the depression but only a segment. The economy was rotten well before the Crash in areas such as agriculture, industry and the banking system which had far more significant consequences. The Wall Street crash was certainly responsible, to a certain degree, for the economic downturn which brought USA to its knees through the 1930s. The frenzy of unregulated speculation which had fuelled the huge stock market bubble, with stock prices far outrunning economic growth, had burst. When panic selling began investor anxious to minimize losses sold as fast as possible. This quickened the fall in share prices. As stock values plummeted with industrial stock falling by 50 per cent between September and November 1929, business confidence evaporated. The lenders, often including large banks, which had been fuelling the boom, called in their money and the market collapsed. When people werent able to repay loans to fragile banks, which lacked sufficient reserves, bankruptcies and bank failures multiplied. However, as the accredited Historian David Reynolds states; In itself the stock market crash of October 1929 was not decisive, in any case only about 1% of the population owned securities in 1929. The importance of the stock market crash was that it showed an economic future which was uncertain. As a result millions of Americans cut back on spending and new debts which caused a massive contraction in the economy as a whole, as Aggregate demand dwindled. It is certainly clear that poor health of American agriculture, which had been suffering through the 1920s and did not share in the boom, had much more responsibility for the economic depression compared to the Stock market crash. In 1929, American farmers annual income stood at an average of $273 a year, well below the national average of $750 and their hard times as well as lack of purchasing power was an important factor. The 1920s had been a period of overproduction which had driven down the price of agricultural produce; this problem was further exacerbated by the huge amounts of imports from countries such as Argentina. As, incomes fell, farmers fell behind with mortgage repayments and loans used to invest in new equipment. This was critical as much of this business had been done with rural banks with limited capital. Which were highly vulnerable to sudden large-scale withdrawals or runs. Due to hardship on the agricultural economy which had a direct impact on the rural banks, almost 5000 collapsed between 1923 and 1930. As stated in source 3, Farmers, badly off to begin with, entered a new era of adversity. Though the adversity of farmers was an important in bringing about the banking crisis, it was only a trigger, there were much more fundamental flaws exposed by the depression. As stated in source 2, at the 1920s there were 30,000 independent banks in existence in the United States which made the banking system fragile to the extreme. Unlike Great Britain, there had not been the consolidation of small banks into a few giants which could withstand an economic storm. Combined with the lack of federal regulation; were no federal deposits insurance system existed, the allowance of banks to make purely speculative loans and hold limited capital for security against shocks was an important element of the depression, and the severity of it. Though the most important reason for the economic depression is linked to the Stock market, agriculture and the banking system; the role of the federal government. It was the failure of the Republican Administrations, who embraced a free-market laisse faire economic model, to effectively control an overheating economy which caused the catastrophic downturn seen in the 1930s. As shown by its failure to regulate the banks efficiently. Also The Federal Reserve Bank kept money tight when it should have encouraged spending to stimulate economic growth. It made it difficult to borrow by maintaining high interest rates. This forced banks to call in loans and sell assets to maintain liquidity, resulting in the price of property and shares to experience renewed falls. As stated in source 1, the United states narrow-minded economic policies of protectionism, looking to secure American industries in the domestic market, limited foreign markets that could be tapped. The best example would be the Hawley smooth tariff act which effectively chocked off international trade. This is supported by source 3, which states, by the summer of 1932 imports and exports had dropped to only a third of 1929 levels. In essence the macroeconomic policies of Hoover, the president, and the republican administration were utter failures in stimulating the components of aggregate demand needed to combat the depression. Through its monetary policy of high interest rates, when low interest rates were need to encourage borrowing and spending; or its fiscal policy of rising taxes to pay for public spending, taking away money from consumers which needed to American goods for there to be growth. In conclusion the Wall Street Crash certainly contributed to the economic depression, but as D. McCoy said, it was more a trigger-one that was a symptom of deeper and more complicated causes. He was referring to crippling state of American agriculture which left millions of Americans in poverty, the fundamental flaws of the banking system which collapsed when economic pressure was applied. However, the most important reason for the depression was the failure of the Republican government. To control an overheating economy, this now was trying to correct itself, with cataclysmic consequences for the economic welfare of the average American.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Haemochromatosis Detection Essay -- essays research papers

HAEMOCHROMATOSIS DETECTION USING PCR-RFLP INTRODUCTION Hereditary Haemochromatosis (HH), first described in 1865, is a genetic disorder of metabolism, characterized by progressive iron overload resulting from abnormalities in intestinal iron absorption and or release of iron from reticuloendothelial cells . It is an autosomal recessive disorder, where the body accumulates excessive iron, which is deposited in a variety of organs. Iron cannot be excreted, thus, the excess builds to toxic levels in tissues of major organs such as the liver, heart, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, lungs, and synovium (joints). These organs cease to function adequately and eventually become diseased. Serious illnesses such as diabetes, cirrhosis, hepatoma, hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism, cardiomyopathy and arthritis may be a consequence of this disease . It affects one in every three hundred Caucasians, and one in nine is a carrier , hence, making its early detection vital. The gene responsible for HH (HLA-H) was recently identified on the short arm of chromoso me 6 and is thought to be mainly caused by a mutation of a gene called HFE, which allows excess iron to be absorbed from the diet . This mutation is known as C282Y. A single point mutation occurs, in which the amino acid cysteine at position 282 changes to a tyrosine . To develop haemochromatosis two genes, one from each parent, are required to be C282Y. However, not everyone with the mutation may develop the disease and it may occur if only one C282Y gene is present (4). 77.5% of affected individuals have two copies of the C282Y mutation, one inherited from each parent, while about 4% have a single copy of the mutation and one normal HFE gene . First proposed in early 1970’s, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has been identified as a simple, robust, speedy, and most of all, flexible method that can be used to detect haemochromatosis . In this technique, specific DNA sequences are amplified for the detection of mutations that may be present, allowing early diagnosis of hereditary heamochromatosis (see figure 1). It is a major development in the analysis of DNA and RNA. The requirements of the reaction are simple, consisting of deoxynucleotides to provide both the energy and nucleosides for the synthesis of DNA, template, primer, DNA polymerase, and buffer containing magnesium . The crux of the PCR procedure involves three s... ...’Med J Aust. 2001 Oct 15;175(8):418-21(PubMed): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11700835&dopt=Abstract 11 ‘DNA Testing for Hereditary Hemochromatosis’: Molecular Genetic Testing in Mainstream Medicine (Vol. 14: Spring, 1997) http://www.mostgene.org/gd/gdvol14c.htm 12 http://www.aiddiagnostika.com/english/kits/GenID/rdb_2045e_haemochromatosis.htm 13 http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/179_10_171103/ger10460_fm-2.html 14 Marion K. Stott, Andrew P. Fellowes, Jeff D. Upton, Michael J. Burt and Peter M. Georgea : ‘Simple Multiplex PCR for the Simultaneous Detection of the C282Y and H63D Hemochromatosis (HFE) Gene Mutations’ http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/45/3/426 15 http://bip.weizmann.ac.il/mb/bioguide/pcr/PCRwhat.html 16 http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~avierstr/principles/pcr.html 17 Alka Dwivedi, B.C. Sarin, Dev Mittar, P.K. Sehajpal: (2003) ‘Optimization of 38kDA based PCR assay for detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical samples’ 18 McPherson, M.J.(Author). ‘PCR’. - Oxford, , GBR: BIOS Scientific Publishers Ltd, 2000. p 70. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utslibrary/Doc?id=5000324&page=82

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Norwegian cruise line

In the 1980s, we saw an entertaining TV serial, â€Å"The Love Boat†, that shows us how beautiful the yacht is and what romance the passenger might have. In addition, almost a century ago, in 1912, we also witness that the Titanic, the biggest passenger ship in the beginning of 20th century sank during the journey between Paris and New York, in which 1,503 people lost their lives. From the two stories above, we learn that yacht or cruise line have been in the business for decades.Their target markets, as their luxurious ships suggest, are those who enjoy a journey in the sea and are willing to pay a considerably high price for the comfort. To meet such customers’ demands, the cruise line owner should provide a first-class service including the workers, foods and beverages, entertainments, and the cruise line itself. According to one report, the cruise line industry is a fifteen billion dollar worldwide business and it continues to grow at a rapid pace. Between January 2 001 and December 2005, the cruising industry adds their fleet with over fifty ships.While there are tens to hundreds cruising companies, in this paper, we will only focus the discussion on Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL). Concerning the NCL, we will discuss about background of NCL, its offerings and differentiation strategies, global cruise market, pricing competition, competitors, and financial analysis. At the end, we will provide conclusion that describe the competitiveness of Norwegian Cruise Line in the cruising industry. 2. Norwegian Cruise Line.2. 1 Company Background Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a 40-year old cruse line that originates from Miami, Florida in the U. S. Unlike other cruise line companies, NCL asserts that they offer distinctive services that guests/customers would not get from other cruise line companies. The so-called freestyle cruise line becomes the company’s tag line and perceived quality. The company’s business principle is to encourage innov ation in all aspects of cruise line services. That principle guides the company to record several awards and ‘the first company’ records in some aspects as following: ? The First Caribbean cruise ? Provide the First Internet cafe at sea.The First cruise line that has children's programs ? The First. cruise line to provide Freestyle Cruising ? The first cruise line that has WiFi connection ? Provide the first bowling alley at sea (NCL Corporation, 2007 – Our Company) 2. 2 Offerings and Differentiation strategies In order to keep alive in Cruise industry that has hundreds of players (cruise lines), a company may have to be perceived different from the rests. The situation also occurs for Norwegian Cruise line, a Miami (Florida – USA) cruise line that becomes one of well-known cruise line in the U. S. due to unique offerings.The unique offerings called Freestyle where guests can choose services they want. The freestyle services come in many forms such as free style dining where customers can select 13 different restaurants on a single ship, freestyle fund where guests can experience many kinds of entertainment and fun activities like bowling, jogging, hiking, surfing, and spa, to name a few (NCL Corporation, 2007 – freestyle) 2. 3 Global Cruise Market Hospitality industry is a business dealing with the provisions of food, beverages, and accommodation.According to one research, the industry is found to be the fastest growing industry in the world surpassing manufacturing and banking. In addition to airlines and restaurants business, one of branches in hospitality industry is Cruise Lines industry. Burke (2000) said that the cruise industry had maintained good performance within the past decades for two reasons: ? Cruise lines industry always show astonishing records in the number of passengers who sail the cruises.In 1998 alone, the number of passengers was over five million passengers with occupancy rates about 91 percent. ? The i ndustry continues maintains astounding growth rate about 10 percent per annum (Burke, 2000) The Cruise Industry started in 1960’s as a merely leisure cruising. During its first years, the industry grew enormously. By the 1980’s the larger cruise companies already constructing larger ships and the smaller companies trying to compete by acquiring second hand ships.In the 1990’s the cruise companies built â€Å"post-Panamax† ships, the ships weigh over 100. 000 tons and apparently too large to pas trough the Panama Canal. The largest market for the cruise industry is from the North America where Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) exists. The other prospective market is European. In 2001, The North American Market consists of 7 million cruise passenger (72 % of world demand), 1. 9 million passenger originated from Europe (20 % of world demand) and 800. 000 passenger (8 % of world demand) are from Asia. For the last 5 years, the industry has grown faster than any oth er types of vocations.Continuous growth from years to come is expected to be 8 to 20 % of current market (‘Commission’, 2002). 2. 4 Pricing Strategies of of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) Competitors 2. 4. 1 Carnival Corporation (CCL) CCL is a company operating in the cruise ship industry. It provides cruise vacations leisure travels and sightseeing packages to customers worldwide. During 2004 the company has built 11 new ships. By February 2005, the company owned 77 cruise ships operating under 12 cruise brands (Eidam, 2004).

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Internship Report on Nestle Essay

It became ‘Kit Kat’ in 1937, two years before the Second World War. Within two years of launch Kit Kat was established as Rowntree’s leading product, a position that it has maintained ever since. During the Second World War Rowntree Kit Kat was seen as a valuable wartime food and advertising described the brand as ‘What active people need’. For most of its life Rowntree Kit Kat has appeared in the well-known red and white wrapper. It did, however, change to a blue wrapper in 1945, when it was produced with a plain chocolate covering due to a shortage of milk following the war. This blue packaging was withdrawn in 1947 when the standard milk chocolate Kit Kat was reintroduced. Polo and Fox candies are also well known and favorite products for refreshment. In Pakistan, Polo is now being imported from china after one year gap. Nestle Pakistan is producing Polo in china with lighter weight than before. Fox candies are available in six different flavors, from which Nestle fruit Fox is the most saleable and demanding candy. Nestle means ‘little nest’ in Swiss German. Nestle first customer was a premature infant who could tolerate neither his mother’s milk nor any other conventional substitute. Thus, Henri’s ultimate goal was to help fight the problem of infant mortality due to malnutrition for which he developed a product combining various cow’s milk, wheat flour and sugar and name it Farine Lactee Nestle, which was the first product of Nestle being marketed in Europe. In 1974, Jules Monnerat purchased Nestle and collectively they launched a condensed milk product of its own. In 1905, Nestle got merged with Anglo-Swiss condensed milk. After some time, when Nestle got fully established and all its operation were properly functioning in Europe and was gaining fame around Europe, then Nestle decided to set up production plants around the globe to ensure the growth of the organization and to become multinational. The decision to set up industrial operation in new market needs a lot of research, as there are various factors that effect the growth of the organization and turns out to be a loss for the company. Such factors are as follows ? The availability of raw material ? Cost factor ? Economic climate ? Consumer purchasing power ? Consumer tastes The decision to become multinational turned fruitful for Nestle and today Nestle has its own operations and products in America, England, India, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan, Hungary, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and various other countries around the globe. The history of Nestle includes the development of many different products as well as acquisitions, mergers and the purchasing of shares in companies, mainly abroad. Over the course of the years, this enabled it to broaden its range of products and diversify its operations, while at the same time strengthening the economic foundations of the company. Amongst the most important acquisitions were Carnation in Los Angeles (milk, culinary products and pet foods) and more recently Rowntree Mackintosh in York (chocolate and confectionery), Buitoni in Perugia (pasta) as well as Perrier in France(mineral water).

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Review Statistic Please Answer The Question Example

Review Statistic Please Answer The Question Example Review Statistic Please Answer The Question – Assignment Example Review statistics: Response to questions Significance of having at least interval level data Interval level of data is desirable because of its equidistance property that facilitates analysis. It is particularly important in inferential analysis in which difference between data values is the center of focus (Gravetter and Wallnau, 2011). Reasons for preference of the mean as a measure for central tendencyOne of the reasons for which the mean is preferred as a measure of central tendency is its incorporation of all data to be represented that meets the need of a central measure. This is contrary to other measures of central tendency that do not consider magnitudes of every data in a data set. The mean is also preferred because of its close relation to measures of dispersion such as standard deviation (Gravetter and Wallnau, 2011). Reasons for instability of the range as a measure of variabilityThe range is an unstable measure of variability because it only considers the minimum and th e maximum values. This defines its suitability to measuring variability of the extremes but not the other values in between (Wood and Haber, 2013; Gravetter and Wallnau, 2011). Intended descriptions of measures of variabilityMeasures of dispersion are intended for describing variation in a data set, describing reliability of the mean, and describing difference in trend between two or more data sets through exploration of variability in distribution of data (Wood and Haber, 2013; Gravetter and Wallnau, 2011). Factors to consider when determining level of significance in hypothesis testingImportant factors to consider when determining level of significance is the standard error, sample size, variance, and the nature of the test, whether it is a one tailed test or a two tailed test, because the factors have direct effects on significance of a test (Wood and Haber, 2013; Gravetter and Wallnau, 2011). ReferenceGravetter, F. and Wallnau, L. (2011). Essentials of statistics for the behavio ural science. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Wood, G. and Haber, J. (2013). Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal of evidence-based practice. Boston, MA: Elsevier Science Health Science Division.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

What the President of the United States Does

What the President of the United States Does The President of the United States or â€Å"POTUS† functions as the head of the United States federal government. The president directly oversees all agencies of the executive branch of government and is considered the commander-in-chief of all branches of the  United States Armed Forces. The executive powers of the president are enumerated in Article II of the U.S. Constitution. The president is indirectly elected by the people through the  electoral college system to a four-year term. The president and vice president are the only two nationally elected offices in the federal government. The president may serve no more than two four year terms. The Twenty-second Amendment prohibits any person from being elected president for a third term and prohibits any person from being elected to the presidency more than once if that person previously had served as president, or acting president, for more than two years of another persons term as president. The primary duty of the president of the United States is to make sure that all U.S. laws are carried out and that the federal government is run effectively. Although the president may not introduce new legislation - thats the duty of Congress - he does wield veto power over all bills that are approved by the legislature. In addition, the president has the weighty role of commander in chief of the armed forces. As the nations chief executive, the president oversees foreign policy, making treaties with foreign nations and appointing ambassadors to other nations and to the United Nations, and  domestic policy, dealing with issues within the United States, and economic. He also appoints members of the Cabinet, as well as Supreme Court justices and federal judges. Day-To-Day Governance The president, with Senate approval, appoints a Cabinet, which oversees specific facets of government. Members of the Cabinet include - but are not limited to - the vice president, the presidential chief of staff, the U.S trade representative, and the heads of all the major federal departments, such as the secretaries of state, defense, the Treasury, and the attorney general, who leads the Justice Department. The president, along with his Cabinet, helps set the tone and policy for the entire executive branch and how the laws of the United States are enforced. Legislative Duties The president is expected to address the full Congress at least once a year to report on the State of the Union. Although the president does not have the power to enact laws, he does work with Congress to introduce new legislation and carries a great deal of power, particularly with members of his own party, to lobby for legislation he favors. If Congress should enact a law that the president opposes, he may veto the legislation before it can become law. Congress may override the presidential veto with a two-thirds majority of those in attendance in both the Senate and House of Representatives at the time the override vote is taken. Foreign Policy The president is authorized to make treaties with foreign nations, pending Senate approval. He also appoints ambassadors to other countries and to the United Nations, though those, too, require Senate confirmation. The president and his administration represent the interests of the United States abroad; as such, he often meets with, entertains and develops a relationship with other heads of state. Commander in Chief of the Military The president serves as commander in chief of the nations armed forces. In addition to his powers over the military, the president has the authority to deploy those forces at his discretion, with congressional approval. He may also ask Congress to declare war on other nations. Salary and Perks Being president is not without its perks. The president earns $400,000 per year and is, traditionally, the highest-paid federal official. He has use of two presidential residences, the White House and Camp David in Maryland; has both an airplane, Air Force One, and helicopter, Marine One, at his disposal; and has a legion of staff members including a personal chef to assist him in both his professional duties and private life. Retirement: Pension and Perks Under the Former Presidents Act of 1958, former Presidents of the United States who were not been removed from office due to impeachment receive several lifetime retirement benefits. Before 1958, former presidents received no pension or other retirement benefits, whatsoever. Today, former presidents are entitled to a pension, staff and office expenses, medical care or health insurance, and Secret Service protection. Briefly, former presidents receive a taxable pension equal to the annual salary of the President’s Cabinet secretaries and heads of other executive branch departments, currently $210,700 per year. The pension begins immediately after a president’s departure from office. Former first ladies may also be paid a lifetime annual pension of $20,000 if they relinquish any other pensions the might be eligible to receive. In addition, former presidents are entitled to- at their option- office space, staff, and communications systems. In some cases, these extra benefits can add up to more than the annual pension payment itself. For example, the federal fiscal year 2018 budget requests for the former presidents include $536,000 for office space for former President Barack Obama and $68,000 for travel for former President George H.W. Bush. Risky Job The job is certainly not without its risks. The president and his family are given round-the-clock protection by the Secret Service. Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. president to be assassinated; James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy were also assassinated while in office. Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan all survived assassination attempts. Presidents continue to receive Secret Service protection after they retire from office. Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer who also works as a copy editor for the Camden Courier-Post. She formerly worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she wrote about books, religion, sports, music, films, and restaurants. Updated by Robert Longley

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Myths to the Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Myths to the Renaissance - Essay Example The system was meant to check on excessiveness of a ruler. During this period, the empire was under Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus Augustus (son to Marcus Aurelius) and his adoptive brother and son in-law Lucius Verus1. He was a stoic philosopher2 who established himself as the more powerful of the two emperors. During his reign, the Roman Empire was full of all sorts of nefarious deeds. Led by the emperor himself, sexual sin was not a secret. In the film, we encounter concubines being depraved in his presence. He was a womanizer and a homosexual at the same time. The film gives us an understanding of the political system in ancient Rome. This was a political system structured a way that to reflect some sort of modern day democracy. It did not support tyranny. This was the main objective of the joint leadership by two consuls during the time of the ‘Republic’.3 The empire had other notable political entities apart from the monarchy. There was the senate made u p of senators, Plebian Tribunate and Comitia Centuriata. The entities, together with the two consuls constituted the form of political systems, which the Romans referred to as the ‘republic’. In the film, it is evident that the Roman Empire was ruled by militant monarchial leaders. ... He had an arena where he displayed his hunting skills. In this arena, euphemism is brought into play. The killing of ostrich by the emperor was meant to pass a message to the senators that the same could befall them if they disobeyed him. People who displayed reformist minds were assassinated by the regime5. The film depicts the Roman Empire as one full of people with greed for power. There area many instances where characters assassinate rulers to take power. It is claimed that the main character Commodus murdered his father to take power. Barely three months into his rule, there were plans to execute him too. After his death in the arena, the senate met and declared Pertinax the emperor. Some characters in the army could not warm to the idea of being led by a son to a former slave and ended up assassinating him. Tattooing was an in thing in the mercenary dominated Roman army. The deserters could easily be identified through the tattoos, hence are means of checking against deserters . The tattoos such as the one worn by Maximus in the film Gladiator were a reserve for the lowly regarded in society. In the army, they were meant for mercenaries, lowly ranked and miners during the reign of Emperor Constantine. The film portrays the tattoos as an epitome of paganism, superstition and marginalization in the Roman Empire. It was not just an ordinary practice but a law that was applied ruthlessly6. The film portrays a society that idolizes violent sports as a form of fun. Whenever the empire was peaceful, gladiators provided an alternative to war heroes for people to idolize. The gladiators were the heartthrob of many Romans girls. During the era in which the movie is based, the gladiators were a thorn