Reflections on The Tao Te Ching Essay -- Ancient World Culture

Reflections on The Tao Te Ching When the early Christians had to keep their faith against the persecutions of the Roman Empire, they had -- obviously -- a visible enemy. Once their religion was legalized and established, however, they had new questions to ask concerning who they were, what could hurt their souls and their way of life. Some of them, at least, concluded that the materialism of the dominant Roman way of life was a non-agressive, but equally corrosive force that would destroy them -- not physically, but spiritually. These Fourth Century Christians, men and women, then left their societies and withdrew into the desert to be able to find true "paradise," not in a safe, secure niche in society, but in their relationship with God. That is, they had to escape the values that so comprehensively enveloped them that they could not think or feel clearly about deeper matters. Thus "freed" in the desert, they could know what a full human life was in practice. These spiritual discoveries of a "way" to live, to be, could then be used to challange the complex and tempting materialism that seemed to dominate the culture of the time. In a much briefer, easier, and less focused way, Henry David Thoreau, someone better known to our own time, tried his "experiment" by living for two years in the woods by Waldon Pond in order "to drive life into a corner" and find out just what it really was worth and what it essentially meant. According to Thoreau, people too readily accepted one already established set of ideas or another, good or bad assessments of life, and didn't seek answers for themselves. He too in his course of events wanted to make known what he learned, wanted to "publish," as he said, the essential "goodness" or "meanne... ...ind hits it. Those who by the age of eighteen have thick calendars organizing their too-complicated lives, those who have learned that a branch does not have real meaning, those whose religion tries to teach simplicity but does not get heard ("consider the lilies of the field, they do not spin nor toil, yet Solomon in his glory was not so brightly arrayed") -- can we enter the vision of the writings of one of us who lived 2500 years ago and left the city of confusion to find wisdom? Can we find in the tensions of his writings -- as they are the shapes of the tensions of living in a confused world -- the "way" of life that is most natural? Can we be at home in the universe that produces us and mirrors so readily what we are when we stop and look, wary as those crossing the ice, listening for cracks that might freeze them before they drowned, we see and hear the signs?

Illustrate The Causes if Inflation And Deflation Essay

With the aid of diagrams, illustrate the causes if inflation and deflation, and by comparing their economic effects consider how both can effect the corporate sector This essay will aim to cover the causes of inflation and deflation and see how their economic effects influence the corporate sector. By first defining any key terms, then looking at the causes of inflation and deflation, looking at their different effects on the economy and in turn analysing how those effects shape the corporate sector. Before this can be done the terms ‘inflation’, ‘deflation’ and ‘corporate sector’ must first be defined. ‘Inflation is a rise in the average price of goods over time’. (Begg, D., Fischer, S. and Dorndusch, R., 2000, p462) and ‘The most usual measure is that of retail prices’ (Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2001, P533) (this information being gathered from the retail price index [RPI]) and ‘A rise in inflation means a faster increase in prices†¦fall in inflation means a lower rise in prices’ (Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2001, p533). To illustrate the importance of inflation ‘The COS (Central Statistical Office) says it gets more queries from the public about the RPI than any other statistic, a refection of the influence inflation has on every ones life.’ (Vaitilingam, R., 1994, p132). Now deflation must be defined. ‘Deflation is the mirror image on inflation’ (McAleese, D., 2004, p285) and is defined by the Collins English dictionary as ‘reduction in economic activity resulting in lower output and investment’ (Anon, 1998, p140). Corporate means ‘relating to a business corporation’ (Oxford University Press, 2006) so the corporate sector is all profit making businesses. This report will now examine the main causes of inflation. There are two main types of inflation: demand pull and cost push. ‘Demand pull inflation occurs when a rise in aggregate demand leads to an increase in overall prices’ (Begg, D. and Ward, D., 2004, p237). Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., (2001, p537) represented this graphically stating ‘The AD curve shirts to the right and continue to do so. Firms will respond to a rise in aggregate demand partly by raising prices and partly by increasing output (a move up the AS curve)’ and this is illustrated in the following diagram: This new, higher level of demand my happen for many reasons Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., (1998, p378) tell us that ‘The high level of demand may originate from consumers, from firms, from overseas or from the government’. The other main cause of inflation is cost push inflation. ‘Cost push inflation occurs when a reduction in supply leads to an increase in overall prices’ (Begg, D. and Ward, D., 2004, p237) or ‘when costs of production rise independently from the level of demand’ (Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., 1998, p378). This can be denoted graphically as: Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., (2001, p357) describe this graph as ‘Cost-push inflation is associated with continuing rises in cost and hence continually leftward (upward) shifts in the AS curve. If the firm face a rise in cost, they will respond partly in raising prices and passing the costs onto the consumer and partly by cutting back on production (there is a movement along the AD curve)’ Monetarists believe that inflation is caused solely by the supply of money in circulation. ‘The monetarist view of inflation, encapsulated in Milton Friedman’s dictum, inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon†¦Inflation occurs when the growth of the money supply persistently exceeds the growth of real output’ (McAleese, D., 2004, p281). This can also be shown graphically as: McAleese, D., (2004, p281) goes on to say that ‘A rise in money supply from M0 to M1 shifts the AD curve outwards from AD (M0) to AD (M1). The eventual equilibrium will move from E0 to E1 and prices will rise from P0 to P1†¦In the short run†¦the AS curve may be positively sloped†¦In that event a rise in money stock will cause higher prices, but will also lead to more output†¦In the longer term, pay levels will ‘catch up’ on inflation and, over time†¦ The economy then approximates more and more closely to the vertical AS.’ This theory is backed by much evidence including this from the US Department of Commerce As deflation is the opposite inflation it can be caused by the same factors. McAleese, D. (2004, p285) stated ‘†¦it can be caused by supply or demand shocks. Supply shocks include†¦sustained productivity improvements and technological innovation that lowers prices of inputs and outputs†¦Demand shocks can arise for several reasons: a collapse in the stock market or property prices, a sustained strengthening of the exchange rate, wars†¦that undermined business confidence.’ ‘From a monetary perspective deflation is caused by a reduction in the velocity of money and/or the amount of money supply per person.’ (Wikipedia contributors, 2006). Kai, V., L. (2004) showed this graphically as Know we how inflation and deflation is caused we must examine their effects on the economy as a whole and their effects on the corporate sector. Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., (2001, p534) believe that ‘If you could accurately predict inflation and adjust incomes and prices to meet it then it would not be problem’. And Griffiths, A. and Wall, S., (2004, p463) reinforce this by stating if we have ‘an economy in which inflation is proceeding at a steady and perfectly foreseen rate, and in which all possible adjustments for the existence of inflation have been made†¦the main cost of inflation would arise from the fact that interest is not normally paid on currency in circulation’, so individuals would make more trips to the bank in order to collect interest on their money. ‘These extra trips to the bank are often called ‘shoe-leather’ costs of inflation.’ (Griffiths, A. and Wall, S., 2004, p463) The other cost of anticipated inflation is ‘menu’ costs. Menu costs are costs from having to update catalogues, menus, vending machines, etc (Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., 1998, p384). These costs are very minute so would not greatly effect the corporate sector as a whole. Businesses such as restuants, catalouge based comapies and those who produce vending machines would incounter minor expenses. This forseen inflation econany can be represented graphically as: But normally high inflation is not accurately predicted so other economic costs arise. There are four main, other, expenses: redistribution, uncertainty, balance of payments and resources. This report will now look at these factors in turn. Firstly high inflation ‘redistributes wealth to those with assets (e.g. property) †¦ and away from those with savings that pay rates of interest below the rate of inflation and hence who’s value is eroded by inflation’ (Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2001, p534). This may include people on fixed pensions. Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., (1998 p384) show redistribution also effects ‘creditors , those who are owed money, will also suffer, since when they are paid back, the value of money will be worth less, while debtors, those who owe money, will benefit.’ So ‘Firms can also borrow more for investment as real value of debt decreases’ (Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., 1998, p386). This will be a benefit to firms to wishing to borrow money but bad for those who offer long term credit options on their products. Secondly ‘inflation tends to cause uncertainty and firms may be reluctant to plan ahead and take long term decisions regarding investment as they are unable to predict future costs and revenues.’ (Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., 1998, p384) ‘This will reduce the rate of economic growth.’ (Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2001, p534). So the corporate sector will suffer from poor planning and low investment. Furthermore ‘inflation is likely to worsen the balance of payments†¦its exports will become relatively less competitive in the world markets. At the same time imports will become relatively cheaper than home produces goods. Thus exports will fall and imports will rise. As a result the balance of payments will deteriorate and/or the exchange rate will fall.’ (Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2001, p534). This will, therefore, affect companies who rely on the global economy. They will face difficulties to exporting products and selling them abroad. They will also face increased competition from imports so may even struggle to sell their products to the home market. Finally ‘extra resources are likely to be used to cope with the effects of inflation. Accountants and other financial experts may have to be employed by companies to help cope with the uncertainties caused by inflation.’ This will then increase a firm’s costs. ‘With higher costs, firms are less able to make profit. Some firms exit the market and, as a result, aggregate supply is less†¦with national output falling and inflation increasing.’ (Begg, D. and Ward, D., 2004, p238) firms are forced to pass on increasing costs onto the consumer which may result in reduced sales. This could result in being fatal to a firm in a high inflationary economy. So the economy as a whole will suffer from high inflation, firms will find new obstacles in the way of maximising profits and the individual in the economy will each face new difficulties as a result. Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., (2001, p536) report ‘The costs of inflation are likely to be relatively mild if kept to the single figure’ problems arise if inflation turns into hyperinflation (where inflation accelerates out of control) and go onto say ‘If inflation develops into â€Å"hyperinflation†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Firms constantly raise prices in attempt to cover their rocketing costs. Workers demand huge pay increase in an attempt to stay ahead of the rocketing cost of living. Thus prices and wages chase each other in an ever rising inflationary spiral’. Even though the effects of hyperinflation, and even inflation, can be devastating to an economy and the corporate sector, most economist fear deflation more. This section will now examine the effects of deflation on the economy and businesses. McAleese, D., (2004, p286) reported ‘In assessing the economic effects of deflation the problem stems less from the shock itself than from the sequence of events that follow and magnify its initial impact. Price declines become self reinforcing’. This means if deflation is affecting an economy, consumers will expect prices to fall as they have been. This will mean they will postpone buying a certain product now as they believe that in the future it will be cheaper ‘or as they become more concerned about their future economic security, particularly if unemployment is rising. The prolonged economic slowdown in Japan has raised concerns about future income prospects among its aging labour force, which may well be one reason for its deflation of the last few years’ (Brooks, D. H. and Quisingp P., F., 2002). This all means demand will fall. ‘Weakening consumer demand passes into investment. Investors’ begin to loose nerve. Sales forecasts are cut back. The appetite for risk weakens. Faced with declining sales, corporate debt that once looked rock solid now looks less secure†¦ firms cut back on the number of employees†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (McAleese, D., 2004, p286). So not only does the corporate sector suffer from declining sales, they are forced to reduce their prices even more. They have reduced investment opportunities as capital becomes extremely hard to raise. ‘Deflation has opposing influences on creditors and debtors†¦ Consequently, the real value of debt and debt servicing rises. There is thus a potential benefit for creditors†¦By itself; this redistribution of real net wealth is not necessarily negative for the economy as a whole.’ (Brooks, D. H. and Quisingp P., F., 2002). For firms with a high level of debt this means decreased security as the cost of their debt is increasing. This will also have negative implications on investment as another route of raising capital becomes increasingly more difficult to peruse. Firms that offer credit options will benefit as the real value of they owed increases. The effects of deflation are seen more server in today’s economy as McAleese, D., (2004, p286) believes ‘In an open world economy, there is an added fear that deflationary impulses in a large economy could be transmitted across countries through trade and investment linkages.’ Inflation and deflation both affect the corporate sector in various ways. ‘Constantly low inflation should bring increased stability. Businesses seeking to invest millions of pounds over many years will be assured by increases price stability. Predictions regarding costs and revenues are much easier to make and firms face less uncertainty when assessing investment risk.’ (Begg, D. and Ward, D., 2004, p286) and low inflation ‘is likely to increase the turnover and profit levels of a firm’. Workers may also feel happier with pay increase therefore more productive ‘under the illusion they are better off even though their real wage has not increased.’ So in conclusion low inflation can be beneficial to the corporate sector but higher inflation can have many negative affects but ‘It is generally better to have mild inflation than deflation. Deflation†¦can create a potentially dangerous situation, as occurred during the depression of the 19 30’s.’ (Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., 1998, p386). Biblography Anon, 1998, Collins Gem – English dictionary (Nineteenth Edition), HarperCollins Publishing, Glasgow Atkinson, B. and Miller, R., 1998, Business economics, Pearson Education Limited, Essex Begg, D., Fischer, S. and Dorndusch, R., 2000, Economics (Sixth Edition), McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, Berkshire. Begg, D. and Ward, D., 2004, Economics for business, McGraw-Hill Education, Berkshire Brooks, D. H. and Quisingp P., F., 2002, Dangers of Deflation, [online], Available from: http://adb.org/Documents/EDRC/Policy_Briefs/PB012.pdf [access 8th March 2006] Griffiths, A. and Wall, S., 2004, Applied economics (Tenth Edition), Pearson Education, London Kai, V., W., 2004, The Causes and Effects of Deflation in Macao, [online], Available from: http://www.amcm.gov.mo/publication/quarterly/Jul2004/causes_en.pdf [access 8th March 2006] McAleese, D., 2004, Economics for business – competition, macro-stability and globalisation, (3rd Edition), Prentice Hall Europe, London Oxford University Press, 2006, Corporate, [online], Available from: http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/corporate?view=uk [Accessed 8th March 2006] Parkin, Powell and Matthews, 2005, Economics (Sixth Edition), Pearson Education Limited, Essex Sloman, J. and Sutcliffe, M., 2001, Economics for business (Second Edition), Prentice Hall, London Vaitilingam, R., 1994, The financial times guide to using economics and economic indicators, Pitman Publishing, London Wikipedia contributors, 2006, Deflation (economics), [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deflation_(economics)&oldid=42742256 [accessed 8th March, 2006] Wikipedia contributors, 2006, Inflation [online] Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation [Accessed 22nd February 2006]

Leatherback Loggerhead or Just Turtle Final

After a hard day of laboring through the grease and grim at your pitiful factory job, you come home and meeting you at the door is a 77 year old desert tortoise. You reach down to stroke the turtle, and it retracts its head into its shell because it wants nothing to do with you, starting to feel threatened it snaps at your fingers. Youngsters and adults typically adore animals and especially loves turtles are not what Kay was trying to convey in this piece. She wanted to use an animal that most people would not, or could not relate too.It depicts a harsh reality to a mundane occurrence. Ryan portrays a turtle using metaphors, rhyming, personification, assonance and imagery to relate that the human daily grind Of humanity is no different than any chelonian. As the reader you are being baited into thinking, â€Å"What is she thinking? Is there a human being in this world that would want to live the life of a turtle? † It remains still hibernating in a rocky self-dug hole for lon g periods of time without any contact to the outside world only to emerge to a cruel and unforgiving reality.Eating grass and trying to avoid a speeding teenager riving on a country road, or a starving alligator seems like a life of misery. She goes on and likens the turtle to something cumbersome that can barely get out of its own way. â€Å"A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet,† (line 2) Dinner rolls are made to be enjoyed while warm, soft and freshly from the oven, but this roll is hard and not consumable. A meal that the majority would not choose if given the chance, but ingest if absolutely necessary is what a crusty dinner roll represents.It brings to mind rowing a boat with three other people in rough water, just trying to make ground in the choppy sea. Turtles have extremely hard outer shells and have serious problems with locomotion, and Ryan uses these metaphors in the first few lines which portrays a seriously immobile, clumsy loggerhead. Ryan shows us ri ght away that being a turtle IS not like Franklin the Turtle, a character in the Franklin picture book series by Paulette Bourgeois who goes to school and eats sandwiches that his mom makes, or plays outside without care with his friends.This turtle does not go to school, or receive an education like Franklin. The reader can start to identify with the turtle as Ryan gives the animal ender and makes you start to feel for her and the chances the turtle must take to eat. Ryan gives the turtle not a name, but describes it as â€Å"her†. The female or egg laying half of the turtle race who not only has to find food through any means possible, but carry the future while doing so. This responsibility was not by her own choice, it was handed down to her by nature.Gathering food is not something civilized people do on a regular basis; they simple order while resting comfortably in their air conditioned vehicle while listening to their favorite AC/DC soundtrack. On the other hand, he t urtle is dangerously rowing with its four stubby legs towards its meager reward of grass. She is moving so slow and deliberately that any number of creatures could easily stop her quest for nourishment. Ryan pens the word rowing, but turtles cannot row.Those slow, deliberate strokes symbolize just how hard any movement is for this leatherback just to find sustenance. Ryan describes a turtle that is not interested in becoming more than just a subpar being dragging its inconvenient shell, trying to eat and not perish doing so. Her turtle is â€Å"below luck level† and could never imagine winning the lottery† or any other prize that would change her â€Å"pottery† or shell in to wings that would enhance her life immensely. People dream of hitting the jack pot and spending their fortunes, but not this turtle, it is a realist.Ryan uses rhyming with â€Å"lottery and pottery' (line 13, 14) to bring attention just how far away this turtle is from anything great, and th e turtle knows that it will be nothing but a turtle living a life of just getting through the next meal. Ryan compares the turtle to an axled vehicle getting stuck almost on a regular basis. Images of an 18 wheeled tractor-trailer, perched on top of raffiti covered concrete K-rail on the side of the freeway come to mind. There will not be a tow truck coming to save this turtle's day, it must fend for itself.The turtle, precariously wedged on the slant of an oversized stone, using gravity to start a rocking motion to hopefully free itself, hoping that its efforts will not upright her and exposed a soft delectable under belly. One definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting a different result. The manager who urgently escapes his workplace at the whistle every day because that is when the work day is done, and then complains he did ot receive his bonus based on effort or lack thereof shows insanity. The turtle is not a truck, a train or even a boat, but Ryan uses personification in reverse to relate these things.Our turtle is avoiding things that would make it more difficult to survive, just as a man working in a belt factory would not raise his hand to show interest in becoming a supervisor. Raised hands mean additional labor and nonexistent satisfaction. The unneeded stress of the responsibilities would surely crush the factory worker and his family would undeniably suffer dire onsequences. â€Å"Almost any slope† (line 6) would defeat the pace of any turtle from finding some grass to eat. The turtle ‘Skirts the ditch which would convert' (line 10) her into turtle tar-tar for any mangy animal that happens to be passing through.Ryan uses assonance to convey that the turtle might be slow, but through experience as learned to avoid hazards just like the belt factory worker. Eating your favorite dish, or remembering that when as a child you saw your mother start to prepare for baking Christmas cookies brings you back to that plac e and time. It is a perfect picture in your mind, even though some cookies were not perfect you still remember the image without flaws and imperfections. The author uses imagery of the turtle turning her shell into a serving dish, upside down and vulnerable.Once the turtle is on its shell, it becomes more than just a helpless creature; it becomes lunch, or even a buffet for all to share. After an alligator snaps the turtle in half and partakes in the majority of the supple meat, other smaller creatures stop by to pick through the steamy entrails and leftover pieces its elongated snout prevents it from eating. It is imperative to understand what Ryan means bynot being able to change her â€Å"pottery to wings† and know that this turtle cannot be anything else, but a mindless creature doing the same thing every day just to survive.Our friend the turtle was merely trying to eat, and not be eaten. Millions of people rise without the shine and go through the same mundaneroutines e ven before leaving their residence. The same monotonous lifestyle or career shapes a society and teaches the masses to just place one foot in front of the other. A homeless man wakes every day from a restless few hours of sleep to instantly onder if he is in imminent danger. He struggles to his feet, and starts a plan of action, not unlike to his previous eleven years.Prison would be an easier life. Themiddle aged soccer mom takes the same steps every day starting at the gymand then to daycare before racing to work to avoid the penalties of being late. They both rarely venture outside of their comfort zone. The homeless man knows what small, slow steps he must take to survive for that moment, and the soccer mom thinks of multiple projects and lists she must complete to provide for herself. In either case, both are going through the ame daily steps and in survival mode to reach the next marker in their life.

Battles at Ypres essays

Battles at Ypres essays During the first battle of Ypres, both sides tried to use the best tactical features possible. Ammunition in this battle was so low that most guns were withdrawn from the line and some of the guns with ammo left were limited to one shot every half of an hour. The City of Ypres was virtually at sea level resulting in a complex drainage system. The Belgians warned the British that their position on the Germans would destroy their complex drainage system of dykes and canals from all of the heavy artillery fire. Some very harsh lessons were being learned in this battle as well. One of these lessons were that it was unsafe to have an important headquarters in a vulnerable position. The British made this mistake once and they were sure not to do it again. The Germans were doing unusually better than they had thought. They did not realize they had roughly 50,000 British casualties and 20,000 French casualties resulting in mass OVERKILL. They also didn't realize that they were kill ing some of the best and most experienced regiments of the British army. As winter set in , and that meant snow, rain, sleet, hail, and floods, both sides dug into the trenches as best they could. The Germans had the higher and dryer ground so they could build stone establishments near the front. Looking at the British side, they were all wet, sticky, smelly, had had some of the worst cases of trench foot in the war. The second battle of Ypres was not meant to be a major one. This battle also introduced poison gas to the Western Front. Later on, the whole Ypres area would be saturated with gas of every kind, mainly mustard gas, but phosgene and others would soon appear. Troops were trained on how to smell the different gasses. The CO's said phosgene smelt of musty hay. Some of the troops reported that it smelt of sweet hay but by the time they smelt it was usually too late. The G ...

Top Ten Confused Words [T]

Top Ten Confused Words [T] Top Ten Confused Words [T] Top Ten Confused Words [T] By Maeve Maddox My cumulative list of â€Å"words commonly confused† continues with ten that begin with the letter T. The confusion relates to spelling or meaning. 1. taught / taut The word taught is the past tense of the verb to teach. It is also used as an adjective to mean instructed: â€Å"Howard Phillips Lovecraft, weird fiction writer and primogenitor of modern horror fiction, was a self-taught writer.† The adjective taut means â€Å"pulled tight.† A common error is to spell taut as taught, as in this fishing advice in a magazine called Backpacker: INCORRECT: Use more weight to keep the line taught. CORRECT: Use more weight to keep the line taut. 2. titivate / titillate The verb titivate means â€Å"to spruce up, to make more attractive.† Ex. We decided to titivate the kitchen with new cabinets and countertops. The verb titillate means â€Å"to excite the senses or imagination in an agreeable way.† Ex. Camilla Ochlan has crafted a supernatural mystery-thriller that  will titillate  the palate of even the most discriminating  Sci-Fi Fantasy  reader. The error is to mix them up, as in this example from a restaurant site: INCORRECT: We are sure to have something to titivate your tastebuds. CORRECT: We are sure to have something to titillate your taste buds. 3. tortuous / torturous The adjective tortuous means â€Å"full of twists; complex.† The  tortuous road  we had to climb had one steep and narrow curve after another all the way to the  top. The adjective torturous means â€Å"full of pain or suffering. Ex. More significantly, the book prominently features a scene in which the heroes resort to torturous means in order to extract vital, life-or-death information. The error is to mix them up, although some might argue that a thing can be full of twists and pain at the same time. 4. tenant / tenet A tenant is someone who rents property. Ex. The tenant always paid her rent on time. A tenet is a principle or belief. Ex. The tenet to love one’s neighbor is stated in Leviticus 19:18. The error with these words goes both ways: INCORRECT: This course is designed to give the students an overview of the basic  tenants  of Christian Doctrine. CORRECT : This course is designed to give the students an overview of the basic  tenets  of Christian Doctrine. INCORRECT: Most importantly, stay informed about your rights as a  tenet. CORRECT: Most importantly, stay informed about your rights as a  tenant. 5. than / then The word than is a conjunction used after a comparative adjective or adverb to introduce the second member of the comparison. Ex. She thinks her border collie is smarter than my boxer. The word then is an adverb that refers to a specified time, past or future, as opposed to the present. Ex. We didn’t have enough money for luxuries like books then. 6. through / threw Through is a preposition used to convey the idea of entering the inside of something and coming out the other side: They always go through the churchyard on their way home. Threw is the past tense of the verb to throw: He threw the ball over the fence. The usual error is to spell through as threw, as in this example from a geocaching site: INCORRECT: You will need to go  threw the tunnel  to access this cache. CORRECT: You will need to go  through the tunnel  to access this cache. 7. throws / throes Throws is the third person present singular of the verb to throw: He throws with his left arm. Throws can also be the plural of the noun throw that refers to a light blanket: She keeps throws on all the couches and chairs. Throes is a noun that means â€Å"severe pains.† Figuratively, it can mean â€Å"difficult times.† Ex. The pirate lay in the last throes of death. The Smiths are in the throes of divorce. 8. track / tract As a noun, track is a mark or series of marks left by the passage of something. The Mountie caught the fugitive by following the track left in the snow. One meaning of the noun tract is â€Å"a book or written work treating of some particular topic.† Ex. The evangelists passed out tracts on the subject of salvation. 9. till / ’til Till has different functions, one of which is that of conjunction with the same meaning as until: ‘to the time that; up to the point when†: I will sit here till he agrees to speak to me. The form ’til is an unnecessary shortening of until. The error is in thinking that till is a shortening of until. 10. torpid / turgid The adjective torpid means benumbed or â€Å"devoid of the power or motion of feeling.† Ex.  Even when he was awake he was completely  torpid. The adjective turgid means swollen, distended, puffed out. The word is applied figuratively to language with the meanings inflated, pompous, bombastic. Examples of literal and figurative use: My arm was turgid where the snake had bitten it. Eventually, the movie surrenders to the most turgid Hollywood speechifying and sentimentality, far more so than the original permitted itself to do. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative Conflict15 Great Word GamesHonorary vs. Honourary

Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Book Review - Essay Example Whats more important, Heckel says, is understanding how the strategies and approaches used in Alexanders time are still the same today, after you make allowances for changes in technology. "Field Marshall Mongomery thought that even in the twentieth century the fundamental principles of war had not changed since ancient times" (ix). Heckels book is designed to argue against the hero worship of Alexander the Great and to move away from the investigations of his personality in order to look more objectively at his actual accomplishments and defeats. Heckel is an appropriate person to have written such a book because he is a professor in the department of Greek and Roman studies at the University of Calgary. He has studied Alexander the Great for a long time and has written several books about him. He is also on the board of dedicated newsletters regarding this time period and he has helped with translations of ancient text about the time of Alexander the Great. This goal of providing a realistic overview of Alexanders accomplishments and their importance to todays leaders is carried through the major chapters of the book. The book is organized into nine major chapters, but they are not necessarily the chronological sequence one might expect for such a book. Heckel starts the book with a preface that explains his primary goal in writing the book and then provides an extensive timeline graph of Alexanders life and some maps that show the growth of his empire. This is finally followed by a generalized introduction to the historical figure he discusses as well as why Alexander is considered so great for todays leaders. In establishing the context leading up to Alexander, Heckel continues to relate events to similar events today. An example of this is when he says, "The extent of Persian intervention is doubtless exaggerated, but there was

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Operations Management - Essay Example 2). This paper seeks to analyze the structure of the business and establish key performance measures for introducing changes to achieve the corporate objectives. Structure of the business Currently, the twelve holiday centers operate on a standalone basis and produce quarterly reports for HQ manually. The company’s decision to automate this process for exercising control on daily basis based on the data from A2, A3 & A4 continuously is a step in the right direction. Performance Key Measures Wangoway et al (2010) state, â€Å"Performance of an organization has traditionally been measured by looking at the revenues or the profit made at the end of the year, or using key financial ratios† (p. 859). However, non-financial measures are also important. The centres need to send weekly performance report covering all the key performance measures to HQ. Key Performance Evaluation measures 1. Profits Formula (Net profit / Sales) x 100, i.e. net profit as a percentage of sale for the period. Target 2% increase over the profit during the previous can be kept as a target. For instance, if it was 10% during ’10 for restaurant business, the target is 12% for ’11. Purpose Profit is the ultimate measure for success in any business. 2. Sales growth Formula Increase in sales during the current year expressed as a percentage of sales during the previous year. Target Fixed as in the case of net profit. ... Target Industry average could be the target if the company lags behind it. Otherwise, fixation of target is a management task as it is related to capital investment or expansions apart from improving efficiency in the operations. However, improvement over the previous year needs to be the guiding factor. 4. Customer base Formula Increase in the total number of customers serviced expressed as a percentage of the total number of customers serviced during the previous year. Target Fixed as in the case of net profit and sales. Purpose Increase in the customer base is the key to growth in business. 5. Room occupancy rate Formula (n/164*) x 100 Where ‘n’ is the number of days booked. (* 90% of 3-1/2 days in a week) Target Room occupancy depends upon various factors such as climate and general economic conditions, and the range could be 80 to 95%. Purpose This measures the performance in room booking. 6. Food and beverage sales Formula Increase in sales during the current year expressed as a percentage of sales during previous year. Target Fixation of target depends upon trends and targets in room occupancy. Purpose It could be affected due to several factors such as efficiency and pricing, and variance analysis would reveal the causes. 7. Log time in games, fitness and recreation facilities Formula Increase in utilization in terms of hours during the current year expressed as a percentage of hours during the previous year. Target The target needs to be fixed based on the conditions of the equipments and need for repairs and overhauling. It could be related to room occupancy as in the case of food and beverage sales. Purpose The decrease in utilization may mean poor working conditions of the equipment. Also, old model equipments and facilities may not attract