Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824 Landmark Legal Case

Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824 Landmark Legal Case The Supreme Court case Gibbons v. Ogden established important precedents about interstate commerce when it was decided in 1824. The case arose from a dispute concerning early steamboats chugging about in the waters of New York, but principles established in the case resonate to the present day. The decision in Gibbons v. Ogden created an enduring legacy as it established the  general principle that interstate commerce as mentioned in the Constitution included  more than just the buying and selling of goods. By considering the operation of steamboats to be interstate commerce, and thus activity coming under the authority of the federal government, the Supreme Court established a precedent which would impact many later cases. The immediate effect of the case was that it struck down a New York law granting a monopoly to a steamboat owner. By eliminating the monopoly, the operation of steamboats became a highly competitive business beginning in the 1820s. In that  atmosphere of competition, great fortunes could be made. And the greatest American fortune of the mid-1800s, the enormous wealth of Cornelius Vanderbilt, could be traced to the decision that eliminated the steamboat monopoly in New York. The landmark court case involved young Cornelius Vanderbilt. And Gibbons v. Ogden also  provided a platform and cause for Daniel Webster, a lawyer and politician whose oratorical skills would come to influence American politics for decades. However, the two men for whom the case was named, Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Ogden, were fascinating characters in their own right. Their personal histories, which included them being neighbors, business associates, and eventually bitter enemies, provided a raucous background to the lofty legal proceedings. The concerns of steamboat operators in the early decades of the 19th century seem quaint and very distant from modern life. Yet the decision rendered by the Supreme Court in 1824 influences life in America to  the present day. The Steamboat Monopoly The great value of steam power became apparent in the late 1700s, and Americans in the 1780s were working, mostly unsuccessfully, to build practical steamboats. Robert Fulton, an American living in England, had been an artist who became involved in designing canals. During a trip to France, Fulton was exposed to advances in steamboats. And, with the financial backing of the wealthy American ambassador to France, Robert Livingston, Fulton began working to build a practical steamboat in 1803. Livingston, who had been one of the nations founding fathers, was very wealthy and possessed extensive  landholdings. But he also possessed another asset with the potential to be enormously valuable: He had secured, through his political connections, the right to have a monopoly on steamboats in the waters of New York State. Anyone who wanted to operate a steamboat had to partner with Livingston, or purchase a license from him. After Fulton and Livingston returned to America, Fulton launched his first practical steamboat, The Clermont, in August 1807, four years after he met up with Livingston. The two men soon had a thriving business. And under New York law, no one could launch steamboats in New York waters to compete with them. Competitors Steam Ahead Aaron Ogden, a lawyer  and veteran of the Continental Army, was elected governor of New Jersey in 1812 and sought to challenge the steamboat monopoly by buying and operating a steam-powered ferry. His attempt failed. Robert Livingston had died, but his  heirs, along with Robert Fulton, successfully defended their monopoly in the courts. Ogden, defeated but still believing he could turn a profit, obtained a license from the Livingston family and operated a steam ferry between New York and New Jersey. Ogden had become friends with Thomas Gibbons, a wealthy lawyer and cotton dealer  from Georgia who had moved to New Jersey. At some point the two men had a dispute and things turned inexplicably bitter. Gibbons, who had participated in duels back in Georgia, challenged Ogden to a duel in 1816. The two men never met to exchange gunfire. But, being two very angry lawyers, they began a series of antagonistic legal maneuvers against each other’s business interests. Seeing great potential, both to make money and harm Ogden, Gibbons decided that he would go into the steamboat business and challenge the monopoly. He also hoped to put his adversary Ogden out of business. Ogden’s ferry, the Atalanta, was matched by a new steamboat, the Bellona, which Gibbons put into the water in 1818. To pilot the boat, Gibbons had hired a  boatman in his mid-twenties named Cornelius Vanderbilt. Growing up in a Dutch community on Staten Island, Vanderbilt had started his career as a teenager running a small boat called a periauger between Staten Island and Manhattan. Vanderbilt quickly became known about the harbor as someone who worked relentlessly. He possessed keen sailing skill, with an impressive knowledge of every current in the notoriously tricky waters of New York Harbor. And Vanderbilt was fearless when sailing in rough conditions. Thomas Gibbons put Vanderbilt to work as the captain of his new ferry in 1818. For Vanderbilt, used to being his own boss, it was an unusual situation. But working for Gibbons meant he could learn a lot about steamboats. And he also must have realized he could learn a lot about business from watching how Gibbons waged his endless battles against Ogden. In 1819 Ogden went to court to shut down the ferry run by Gibbons. When threatened by process servers, Cornelius Vanderbilt continued sailing the ferry back and forth. At points he was even arrested. With his own growing connections in New York politics, he was generally able to get the charges thrown out, though he did rack up a number of fines. During a year of legal skirmishing the case between Gibbons and Ogden  moved through the New York State courts. In 1820 the New York courts upheld the steamboat monopoly. Gibbons was ordered to cease operating his ferry. The Federal Case Gibbons, of course, was not about to quit. He chose to appeal his case to the federal courts. He had obtained what was known as a â€Å"coasting† license from the federal government. That allowed him to operate his boat along the coasts of the United States, in accordance with a law from the early 1790s. The position of Gibbons in his federal case would be that federal law should supersede state law. And, that the commerce clause under Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution  should be interpreted to mean that carrying passengers on a ferry was interstate commerce. Gibbons sought out an impressive attorney to plead his case: Daniel Webster, the New England politician who was gaining national fame as a great orator. Webster seemed the perfect choice, as he was interested in advancing the cause of business in the growing country. Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had been hired by Gibbons because of his tough reputation  as a sailor, volunteered to travel to Washington to meet with Webster and another prominent lawyer and politician, William Wirt. Vanderbilt was largely uneducated, and throughout his life he would often be considered a fairly coarse character. So he seemed an unlikely character to be dealing with Daniel Webster. Vanderbilt’s desire to be involved in the case indicates that he recognized its great importance to his own future. He must have realized that dealing with the legal issues would teach him a lot. After meeting with Webster and Wirt, Vanderbilt remained in Washington while the case first went to the U.S. Supreme Court. To the disappointment of Gibbons and Vanderbilt, the nation’s highest court refused to hear it on a technicality, as the courts in New York State had not yet entered a final judgment. Returning to New York City, Vanderbilt went back to operating the ferry, in violation of the monopoly, while still  trying to avoid the authorities and at times skirmishing with them in local courts. Eventually the case was put on the Supreme Court’s docket, and arguments were scheduled. At the Supreme Court In early Februrary 1824 the case of Gibbons v. Ogden was argued in the Supreme Court chambers, which were, at that time, located in the U.S. Capitol. The case was briefly mentioned in the New York Evening Post on February 13, 1824. There was actually considerable public interest in the case due to changing attitudes in America. In the early 1820s the nation was approaching its 50th anniversary, and a general theme was that business was growing. In New York, the Erie Canal, which would transform the country in major ways, was under construction. In other places canals were operating, mills were producing fabric, and early factories were producing any number of products. To show off all the industrial progress America had made in its five decades of freedom, the federal government even invited an old friend, the Marquis de Lafayette to visit the country and tour all 24 states. In that atmosphere of progress and growth, the idea that one state could write a law that might arbitrarily restrict business was seen as a problem which needed to be solved. So while the legal battle between Gibbons and Ogden may have been conceived in a bitter rivalry between two cantankerous lawyers, it was obvious at the time that the case would have implications across American society. And the public seemed to want free trade, meaning restrictions shouldnt be placed by individual states. Daniel Webster argued that portion of the case with his usual eloquence. He delivered a speech which was later considered important enough to be included in anthologies of his writings. At one point Webster stressed that it was well-known why the U.S. Constitution had to be written after the young country encountered many problems under The Articles of Confederation: â€Å"Few things are better known than the immediate causes which led to the adoption of the present Constitution; and there is nothing, as I think, clearer, than that the prevailing motive was to regulate commerce; to rescue it from the embarrassing and destructive consequences resulting from the legislation of so many different States, and to place it under the protection of a uniform law.† In his impassioned argument, Webster stated that creators of the Constitution, when speaking of commerce, fully intended it to mean the entire country as a unit: â€Å"What is it that is to be regulated? Not the commerce of the several States, respectively, but the commerce of the United States. Henceforth, the commerce of the States was to be a unit, and the system by which it was to exist and be governed must necessarily be complete, entire, and uniform. Its character was to be described in the flag which waved over it, E Pluribus Unum.† Following Websters star performance, William Wirt also spoke for Gibbons, making arguments about monopolies and commercial law. The lawyers for Ogden then spoke to argue in favor of the monopoly. To many members of the public, the monopoly had seemed unfair and outdated, a throwback to some earlier era. In the 1820s, with business growing in the young country, Webster seemed to have captured the American mood with an oration that evoked the progress that was possible when all the states operated under a system of uniform laws. The LandmarkDecision After a few weeks of suspense, the Supreme Court announced its decision on March 2, 1824. The court voted 6-0, and the decision was written by Chief Justice John Marshall.  The carefully reasoned decision, in which Marshall generally agreed with Daniel Websters position, was published widely, including on the front page of the New York Evening Post on March 8, 1824. The Supreme Court struck down the steamboat monopoly law. And it declared that it was unconstitutional for states to enact laws that restricted interstate commerce. That decision in 1824 about steamboats has had an impact ever since. As new technologies came along in transportation and even communication, efficient operation across state lines  has been possible thanks to Gibbons v. Ogden.   An immediate effect was that Gibbons and Vanderbilt were now free to operate their steam ferry. And Vanderbilt naturally saw great opportunity and began building his own steamboats. Others also got into the steamboat trade in the waters around New York, and within years there was bitter competition between boats carrying freight and passengers. Thomas Gibbons did not get to enjoy his victory for long, as he died two years later. But he had taught Cornelius Vanderbilt a lot about how to conduct business in a freewheeling and ruthless manner. Decades later, Vanderbilt would tangle with Wall Street operators Jay Gould and Jim Fisk in the battle for the Erie Railroad, and his early experience watching Gibbons in his epic struggle  with Ogden and others must have served him well. Daniel Webster went on to become one of the most prominent politicians in America, and along with Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, the three men known as the  Great Triumvirate would dominate the U.S. Senate.

List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults

List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults By Ali Hale If you want to improve your writing, maybe its time to ditch all the writing books and podcasts and play some word games instead. Yes, seriously! Word games and writing games are great ways to develop your vocabulary, to help you think more deeply about words, to have fun with story and structure, and to get a lot of fun out of writing. But games can be a great way to: Develop your vocabulary Help you think more deeply about words Become more fluent in English (if it’s a foreign language for you) Invent and develop characters and much more. After the list of 50 writing games, I’ve given you a top ten that I think are particularly great for kids who want to practice their writing skills. Many of the other games are suitable for children, too, so by all means try out other games as a family if you want to. Of course, there are loads of online games (and quizzes and tools) that you can use to improve your writing skills, and I will be talking about some of the best of those. But there are also lots of tried-and-tested classic games that you can play with pen and paper, or using cards and dice and we’ll be taking a look at those first. 5 Pen and Paper Word Games I’ll start with the simplest games: pen and paper ones that you can play pretty much anywhere, so long as you have a pen. All of these are suitable for children, and some (like crosswords) are enjoyed by many adults too. #1: Hangman (2+ players) Hangman is a classic word game for two players. One player thinks of a word and writes down dashes to represent the number of letters. The other guesses letters of the alphabet. Correct letters are inserted into the word; incorrect letters result in another segment of the â€Å"hangman† being drawn. This is a great game for developing spelling and vocabulary. If you’re playing it with small children, you can do it without the perhaps rather unpleasant â€Å"hangman† element, and just count how many guesses each player takes! #2: Crosswords (1 player) A crossword is a grid of white and black squares, where each white square is one letter of a word. The words intersect. You can find crosswords in many newspapers and magazines (on all sorts of subjects), and you can buy booklets and books full of them. Some crosswords are â€Å"cryptic†: great if you like brainteasers. Others have more straightforward clues. Crosswords are great if you want to learn new words and definitions, or (at the cryptic end of the scale) if you enjoy playing with words and language. Simple ones are suitable for fairly young children, with a little help. #3: Word searches (1 player) A word search has a grid (often 1010 or more) filled with letters, and a number of words written alongside or beneath the grid. The person completing the word search needs to find those words within the grid. Most word searches are easy enough for children, though younger children will struggle with backward and diagonal words. They’re a good way to get used to letter patterns and to improve spelling – and because word searches rely on matching letters, even children who can’t read well will be able to complete simple ones. #4: Consequences (2+ players, ideally 4+) This is a fun game with a group of people, as you get a wild and wacky mix of ideas. Each player writes down one line of a story and folds the paper over before passing it around the table to the next player. The very simple version we play has five lines: (1) A male name, (2) The word â€Å"met† then a female name, (3) â€Å"He said † (4) â€Å"She said † (5) â€Å"And then † Once all five stages are complete, the players open out the papers and read out the results. This can be great for sparking ideas, or as a way to encourage reluctant writers to have a go. #5: Bulls and Cows (2 players) This game, which can also be called â€Å"Mastermind† or â€Å"Jotto† involves one player thinking up a secret word of a set number of letters. The second player guesses a word; the first player tells them how many letters match in the right position (bulls) and how many letters are correct but in the wrong position (cows). Our five year old loves this game, and it’s been a great way to develop her spelling and handwriting as well as logical thinking about which letters can or can’t be the correct ones after a few guesses. 10 Board and Dice Games These are all games you can buy from Amazon (or quite probably your local toyshop). They’re fun ways to foster a love of writing within your family, or to share your enjoyment of words with your friends. #1: Scrabble (2+ players) A classic of word games, Scrabble is a game played with letter tiles on a board that’s marked with different squares. (Some squares provide extra points.) Letters have different points values depending on how common they are. The end result of scrabble looks like a crossword: a number of words overlapping with one another. If you want to develop your vocabulary (particularly of obscure two-letter words) then Scrabble is a great game to play. It’s suitable for children too, particularly in â€Å"Junior† versions. #2: Boggle (2+ players) This is less well known than Scrabble, but it was one I enjoyed as a child. To play Boggle, you shake a box full of dice with a letter on each side, and the dice land in the 44 grid at the bottom of the box. You then make as many words as you can from the resulting face-up letters. Again, this is a good one for developing vocabulary – and it can be played by children as well as by adults. You need to write down the words you come up with, which can also be good for developing handwriting. #3: Pass the Bomb (2+ players) It’s very simple to play: you deal a card for the round pass a â€Å"bomb† around the table and when it goes off, the person holding it loses. Before you can pass the bomb on during your turn, you need to come up with a word that contains the letters on the card. It’s a fun family or party game, and can work well with a wide range of ages. It’s a great way to help children think about letter patterns, too, and to develop vocabulary and spelling. #4: Story Cubes (1+ players) There are lots of different versions of these available, and they all work in a similar way. The open-ended game has a set of cubes that you roll to create ideas for a story that you can tell along with the other players. If you prefer, you can use them to come up with stories that you’re going to write on your own. There are lots of different ways you can use them: as writing prompts for a school class or group, to make up a bedtime story together with your children, for getting past your own writers’ block, or almost anything you can think of. #5: Apples to Apples (2+ players) Apples to Apples has red cards (with the name of a person, place, thing, etc) and green cards (with two different descriptions): the player with a green card selects one of the descriptions, and others have to choose a card from their hand of red cards. The judge for that game decides which red card best matches the description. If you want to develop your vocabulary (or your kids’), this could be a fun game to play. There are lots of expansions available, plus a â€Å"junior† version with simpler words. (If you’re playing with adults, you might also want to consider Cards Against Humanity, a decidedly not-kid-friendly game that works in a very similar way.) #6: Letter Tycoon (2+ players) In this game, you have a hand of 7 cards which you can use in conjunction with the 3 â€Å"community cards† to create a valuable word. It’s a more strategic game than some others, with aspects of finance (like patents and royalties) involved too – if you’re a budding tycoon, you might really enjoy it. Because not all the game strategy depends on simply being good with words, it doesn’t matter if some players have a larger vocabulary than others. It’s suitable for children, too, so you can play it as a family game. #7: Dabble (2+ players) Dabble is a family-friendly game where you compete with other players to be the first to create five words (of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 letters) using your 20 tiles. It’s very simple to get the hang of but coming up with the words might be more challenging than you expect! If you enjoy Boggle or Scrabble, you’ll probably have fun with Dabble. It’s a great way to develop both spelling and vocabulary, and to have fun with words. #8: Upwords (2+ players) Upwords is like 3D Scrabble: you can stack tiles on top of other tiles to create new words. The board is smaller than a Scrabble board (and doesn’t have double and triple word score squares) so it’s not as complex as it might initially sound. Like similar games, it’s a great one for building vocabulary and for developing your spelling. It’s suitable for kids, too, so it could be a great game for the whole family. #9: Tapple (2+ players) Tapple has a wheel, with most of the letters of the alphabet on it, and lots of different â€Å"topic cards† that cover 144 different categories. There are lots of different ways you can play it – the basic rules are that each player has to think of a word that fits the topic within 10 seconds, but that word can’t start with a starting letter that’s been used previously. While small children might find it a bit too challenging or frustrating, due to the short time limit, this could be a great game for older children looking to extend their vocabulary. All the categories are suitable for kids. #10: Last Word (2+ players) In Last Word, players have to come up with answers to â€Å"Subject† and â€Å"Letter† combinations, racing to get the last word before the buzzer. It works a bit like a combination of â€Å"Tapple† and â€Å"Pass the Bomb†. You can easily play it with a large group (there are tokens for up to 8 players, but you could add more without affecting the gameplay). It’s a great way to develop vocabulary and, to some extent, spelling. 5 Roleplaying Games While my geeky tendencies have been reined in a bit since I had kids, I’ll admit I have a great fondness for roleplaying games: ones where you come up with a character (often, but by no means always in a magic-medieval setting) and play as them. These are some great ones that you might like to try. #1: Dungeons and Dragons (3+ players) Although you might never have played Dungeons and Dragons, I’m sure you’ve heard of this classic roleplaying game that’s been around since 1974 and is now onto is 5th edition. It takes rather longer to get to grips with than a board or card game: to play, you need a â€Å"Dungeon Master† (essentially the storyteller of the game) and at least two players (who each control a character), plus rulebooks and a lot of different dice. It’s a great game for developing the â€Å"big picture† aspects of writing, like the ability to construct a plot and a story (if you’re the Dungeon Master) and the skills involved with creating a character, giving them a backstory, and acting â€Å"in character† as them (if you’re one of the players). #2: Amazing Tales (1 parent, plus 1 or 2 children) This is a kid-friendly RPG aimed at parents who want to create a story with their child(ren). It’s like a very simple version of Dungeons and Dragons, and has straightforward but flexible rules. You can play it with a single six-sided dice – though it’s better if you have four dice (with six, eight, ten and twelve sides). If you want to encourage your child’s creativity and have fun creating stories together, this is a wonderful game to play. The rulebook contains lots of ideas and sample settings, with suggested characters and skills but you can come up with pretty much any scenario you like. #3: LARP (Live Action Roleplay) (lots of players) Over the past decade or so, LARP has become a bit more mainstream than it once was. It’s short for â€Å"Live Action Roleplay† which basically means dressing up as your character and pretending to be them. It’s a bit like Dungeons and Dragons crossed with improv drama. The nature of LARP is that it needs quite a lot of people, so unless you have loads of friends to rope in, you’ll want to join an organised LARP – there are lots out there, covering all sorts of different themes, from traditional fantasy ones to futuristic sci-fi ones. Some are suitable for children, but do ask event organisers about this. They won’t necessarily involve any sort of writing, but can be a great way to explore characters and dialogue. #4: MUDs (lots of players) MUDs, or â€Å"multi-user dungeons† have been around since the early days of networked computing in the ‘70s, and are the forerunners of games like Fortnite and World of Warcraft. They’re now distinctly retro-looking text-based online games, where players create a character and interact with other characters and the world. Like other types of roleplaying game, they’re a great way to practice storytelling and character-development skills. They also involve a lot of writing – so they can be useful for things like vocabulary and spelling. Some are suitable for children, but as with anything online, do ensure your children know how to be safe (e.g. by not giving out their full name, address, etc). #5: Online Forum Games / Forum Roleplaying (2+ players) Some fan communities write collaborative fanfiction through forums (here’s an example), with different people posting little pieces as different â€Å"characters† to continue a story. These can be quite involved and complex, and they can be a great way to learn the skills of telling a long, detailed story (e.g. if you’re thinking of writing a novel). They’ll probably appeal most to writers who are already producing fanfiction on their own, and who have a fair amount of time for the back-and-forth required for forum roleplaying. Again, if your child wants to get involved with this type of roleplaying, do make sure you monitor what they’re doing and who they’re interacting with. 10 Word Games You Can Play on Your Phone These days, many writers are more likely to have their phone to hand than a pen and paper and to be fair, there’s nothing wrong with that. You can easily make notes on a phone, whether by tapping them in or by recording them. If you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands, why not try one of these writing-related games? Note: all of these are free to download, but most allow in-app purchases, and you may find you need to make a purchase to get the most out of them. #1: Bonza Word Puzzle This game is a bit like a deconstructed crossword: you get bits of the puzzle and you drag them together to form words that will all match with the clue. If you’re a fan of crosswords and want something a bit different, you might just love it. It’s a great way to think hard about letter patterns and how words are put together, so it might be a good game for older children who’re looking to develop their spelling and vocabulary, too. #2: Dropwords 2 Dropwords 2 (a rewrite of the original Dropwords) is a word-finding puzzle where letters drop from the top of the screen: if you remember Tetris, you’ll get the idea. It’s a bit like Scrabble or Boggle, and you have to race the clock to make letters out of the words on the screen. With six different modes (â€Å"normall†, â€Å"lightning†, â€Å"relax†, etc), it’s suitable for children and for people who are learning English, as well as for those wanting to really challenge their vocabulary skills. #3: Spellspire Spellspire is a fantasy-style game where you select letters from a grid to create words: the longer the word, the bigger the blast from your magic wand! You can kill monsters, buy better equipment, and make your way to the top of the Spellspire. If your kids aren’t very motivated to practice their spelling, this could be a great game for them. (Or, let’s face it, for you!) You can also choose to play it against your Facebook friends, adding a competitive element. #4: TypeShift This is a relatively simple game that lets you create words from letters arranged on different dials. There are a couple of different ways you can play: by trying to use all the letters on the dials at least once to create words, or by tackling the â€Å"Clue Puzzles†, which are a bit like crossword clues. Again, if you want to develop your spelling and vocabulary, this is a straightforward game that you can use to do so. You can buy extra puzzle packs at a fairly reasonable price, if you find that you want to play it a lot. #5: Wordalot This crossword app uses pictures rather than written clues, which is a fun twist. You can use coins to get hints (you can earn these through the game, or purchase them with real money). If you enjoy doing crosswords but want something a bit different, give this one a try. You might find that as well as helping you develop your spelling and vocabulary, it’s a great way to develop your lateral thinking as you puzzle out the clues. #6: WordBrain This game is another one where you have to find hidden, scrambled words within a grid. There are loads of different levels (1180!) and so this could keep you busy for a long time. You can purchase hints – this could potentially see you clocking up quite a spend, though. All the words are appropriate for children (though some are tricky to spell), so your kids might well enjoy this game too, as a way to develop their spelling and vocabulary. #7: Ruzzle Ruzzle works like Boggle, with a 44 grid of letters that you use to make words (the letters must be adjacent to one another). You can play it against friends, or simply against random players. Like the other apps we’ve looked at, it’s a good one for developing your vocabulary and spelling. Some players said it included too many ads, so this is something to be aware of if you plan to use the free version rather than upgrading. #8: WordWhizzle Search This is a word search type game with loads of different levels to play. If you enjoy word searches, it’s a great way to carry lots around in your pocket! You can play it alone or with Facebook friends. It’s easy to get to grips with, but the levels get increasingly tricky, so you’re unlikely to get bored quickly. As with other apps, this is a great one for developing your spelling and vocabulary. Each level has a particular description (words should match with this), so you have to avoid any â€Å"decoy† words that don’t match. #9: 7 Little Words This game works a bit like a crossword: each puzzle has seven clues, seven mystery words, and 20 tiles that include groups of letters. You need to solve the clues and rearrange the letter types so you can create the answers to the mystery words – so it’s also a bit like an anagram. There are five different difficulty levels (â€Å"easy† to â€Å"impossible†) and each game is quick to play, so this could be a good one for kids too. Again, it’s a great way to develop vocabulary and spelling. #10: Words With Friends This classic word-building game is hugely popular, and you can play against your Facebook or Twitter friends, or against a random opponent. It works just like Scrabble, where you have seven letter tiles and add them to a board. You can chat with the opponent in a chat window, so do be aware of this if you’re allowing your kids to play. The game is a great way to develop vocabulary and spelling, and you can play it fairly casually because there’s no time limit on your moves. 10 Word Games You Can Play in Your Browser What if you want a writing-related game you can play while taking a break at your computer? All of these are games that you can play in your browser: some involve a lot of writing and are essentially story-telling apps, whereas others are essentially digital versions of traditional pen and paper games. Unless otherwise noted, these games are free. With some free browser games, you’ll see a lot of ads. If this annoys you, or if you’re concerned that the ads may be unsuitable for your children, you may want to opt for premium games instead. #1: Wild West Hangman This is a digital version of Hangman, which we covered above. You choose a category for words (e.g. â€Å"Countries† or â€Å"Fruits And Vegetables†) and then you play it just like regular Hangman. It’s simple enough for children – but it only takes six wrong guesses for your cowboy to be hanged, too, so it could get frustrating for younger children. #2: Word Wipe In Word Wipe, you swipe adjacent tiles (including diagonals) to create words, a bit like in Boggle. The tiles fall down a 1010 grid (moving into the blank spaces you’ve created when your word disappears from the grid) – your aim is to clear whole rows of the grid. Since the easiest words to create are short, simple ones, this is a great game for children or for adults who want to get better at spelling. #3: Sheffer Crossword As you might expect, this is a crossword game! There’s a different free puzzle each day, and you can choose from puzzles from the past couple of weeks. It looks very much like a traditional crossword, and you simply click on a clue then type in your answer. The clues are straightforward rather than cryptic, though probably not easy enough to make this a good app for children or for English learners. If you’re a fan of crosswords, this will definitely be a great way to develop your vocabulary, though. #4: Twine Twine is a bit different from some of the other games we’ve looked at: it’s a tool for telling interactive stories (a bit like the old â€Å"Choose Your Own Adventure† books, or a text-based adventure game). You lay out your story as different cards and create connections between them. If you want to experiment with interactive fiction, this is a simple, code-free to get started – as reviewer Kitty Horrorshow puts it, â€Å"if you can type words and occasionally put brackets around some of those words, you can make a Twine game†. It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of story, plot and narrative. #5: Storium Like Twine, Storium is designed to help you tell stories but these stories are written in collaboration with others. (There’s a great review, with screenshots, here on GeekMom.) You can either join a story as a character within it, or you can narrate a story – so this is a great game for building lots of different big-picture fiction-writing skills. It’s suitable for teens, but probably involves a bit too much writing for younger children. If you’d like to write fiction but the idea of creating a whole novel on your own seems a bit overwhelming, or if you enjoy roleplaying-type games (like Dungeons and Dragons), then you might just love Storium. #6: Words for Evil This game combines a fantasy RPG setting (where you fight monsters, get loot, gain levels and so on), with word games to play along the way. It could be a good way to encourage a reluctant young teen writer to have fun playing with words – or you might simply enjoy playing it yourself. The word games work in a very similar way to Word Wipe, so if you found that game frustrating, then Words for Evil probably isn’t for you! #7: First Draft of the Revolution This game is an interactive story, told in the form of letters (epistolary). It comes at writing from a much more literary angle than many of the other games, and if you’ve studied English literature or creative writing, or if you teach writing, then you might find it particularly interesting. The graphics are gorgeous – playing the game is like turning the pages of a book. To play First Draft of the Revolution, you make choices about how to rewrite the main character (Juliette’s) draft letters – helping you gain insight into the process of drafting and redrafting, as well as affecting the ongoing story. #8: Writing Challenge Writing Challenge can be used alone or with friends, creating a collaborative story by racing against the clock. You can use it as an app on your phone, as well as on your computer, so you can add to your stories at any time. If you struggle to stay motivated when you’re writing, then Writing Challenge could be a great way to gamify your writing life – and potentially to create collaborative works of fiction. #9: Plot Generator Plot Generator works a bit like Mad Libs: you select a particular type of story (e.g. short story, movie script, fairytale) then enter a bunch of words as prompted. The website creates the finished piece for you. There are also options for story ideas (essentially writing prompts), character generators, and much more on the site. If you’re stuck for an idea, or just want to play around a bit, Plot Generator could be a lot of fun. Some of the options, like Fairy Tale, are great to use with young children – others may not be so suitable, so do vet the different options first. #10: The Novelist ($9.99) The Novelist follows the life of Dan Kaplan, a struggling novelist who’s also trying to be a good husband and father. You can make choices about what Dan should do to reach his goals in different areas of his life – and the decisions you make affect what happens next in the game. You are a â€Å"ghost† in the house, learning about and influencing the characters. While there’s not any actual writing involved in the game, it could be a thought-provoking way to explore how writing fits into your own life. 10 Games to Help You Learn to Type Typing might seem like an odd thing to include on a list of writing games. But so much of writing involves being able to type – and if you’re a slow typist, you’ll find that your fingers can’t keep up with your brain! While most people find that their typing does naturally improve with practice, these games are all quick ways for you (or your kids) to get that practice in a fun way. Obviously, all of these games should help to improve typing skills: those which involve whole words may also help with spelling and vocabulary. Unless otherwise mentioned, they’re free. #1: Dance Mat Typing This game is designed to teach children touch type (type without looking at the keyboard). It starts off with Level 1, teaching you the â€Å"home row† (middle row) keys on the keyboard. Other letters are gradually added in as the game progresses. It’s very much aimed at kids, so teens and adults may find the animated talking goat a bit annoying or patronising! Unlike many other free games, though, it doesn’t include ads. #2: Spider Typer This typing game took a while to load for me: you too many find it’s a bit slow. In the game, you type the letters that appear on chameleons that are trying to catch a spider (the chameleons disappear when you hit their letter). The spider keeps rising up into a tree, and if it safely gets there, you move on to the next level. It’s suitable for kids, and starts off very easy with just letters: if you set it to a harder difficulty, you need to type whole words. #3: NitroType This is a competitive typing game where you race a car against friends (or total strangers) by typing the text at the bottom of the screen. It’s a good one for practicing typing whole sentences, including punctuation – not just typing letters or words. Older children might enjoy it, and any adults with a strong competitive streak! You can compete as a â€Å"guest racer†, or you can create an account and login so you can level up and gain rewards like a better car. #4: TypeRacer TypeRacer is similar to NitroType: you control a racing car and the faster you type, the faster your car moves. You can practice on your own, enter a typing race, or race against your friends if you prefer. If you create an account and login, other users can see your username, score, average speed and so on – and they can also send you messages. This could potentially open you up to receiving spam or unwanted communications, so do be aware of this, particularly if you’re allowing your child to play. #5: The Typing of the Ghosts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this game, you destroy ghosts by typing the word on them. The graphics are pretty rudimentary, though it is a free game and a good way to practice quickly typing words. It’s suitable for children, and the sound effects (there’s a noise for every letterstroke) may appeal to kids. You don’t need to create an account or login: you can simply start playing straight away. #6: Typing Chef In this game, you type cooking-related words (usually types of equipment). It involves single words and a few double words with a space between at the early levels. There’s nothing particularly unusual about this game compared with others, though it wasn’t so ad-heavy as some and doesn’t require any registration. It’s good for teaching words and phrases, but not for helping you to learn to type whole sentences. #7: TypeTastic This is a fun typing game aimed at young kids, so it starts with the fundamentals. You start by building a keyboard from letter blocks, then learn how to spot letters on the keyboard quickly before learning where those letters are located. Teachers or parents might be interested in reading about why the game starts with mapping the keyboard. The interface and graphics are pretty good, given that it’s a free game, and it’s designed specifically with young children in mind. #8: Typer Shark! Delux This is a free typing game, where you’re a diver exploring the seas. You can choose from different difficulty levels, and – in a mechanic that’s probably by now quite familiar if you’ve played any of the other typing games – you get rid of creatures like sharks by typing the word written on them. Again, this can help you with your typing speed and accuracy. I found it was a bit slow to load, but it’s not full of ads like some other games. #9: Typing Attack In this game, you’re a spaceship, facing enemy spaceships – each with a word written on them. I expect you can guess what you need to do: type the word correctly to destroy the spaceship. Some words are shorter, some longer, and as with other games, there are multiple difficulty settings. You’ll need to watch an ad before the game loads, which can be annoying, and means that it isn’t necessarily suitable for children. #10: The Typing of the Dead: Overkill ($14.99) This game is definitely aimed at adults rather than kids, because it’s a bit gory. It also costs $14.99, so it’s probably one that’ll suit you best if you’re really keen to improve your typing speed – perhaps you do transcription, for instance, or you’re a freelance writer. To play the game, you type the words that appear in front of the enemies and monsters: each type you type a letter correctly, you send a bullet at them. If you like horror games and films, it could be a fun way to learn to type faster – but it won’t necessarily improve your accuracy with whole sentences. 10 Word Games that Are Particularly Suited to Kids While I’ve tried to indicate above whether or not the games are suitable for kids, I wanted to list the ten that I’d particularly recommend if you want to help your children get a great start as budding writers. Several of these are games I play with my five-year-old already; others are games Im really looking forward to using with her and my son as they get older. I won’t repeat the full descriptions: just scroll back up if you want those. #1: Word searches (pen and paper) – you can buy whole books of these, or print off free ones. Older kids might have fun creating their own for their friends or siblings. #2: Bulls and Cows (pen and paper) – you can play this with just a pen and paper (or if you’ve got a really good memory, with nothing at all). #3: Boggle (board game) – this is simple enough for quite young children to get the hang of it: my five-year-old enjoys playing it with her Granny. #4: Story Cubes (dice game) – your child can use these on their own to come up with ideas for a story, or you could use them with a group of children – e.g. in a classroom or as part of a club. #5: Amazing Tales (roleplaying) – this child-friendly RPG is a great way to introduce big-picture storytelling skills, particularly developing a character. #6: Spellspire (phone app) – a fun spelling/word-creation game your child can play on your phone (and probably a bit more educational than yet another game of Angry Birds). #7: Wild West Hangman (browser game) – if your child likes hangman but you don’t always have the time to play it with them, this is a good alternative. #8: First Draft of the Revolution (browser game) – if your teen is interested in writing and/or the French revolution, they might really enjoy this intriguing game based around redrafting letters. #9: Dance Mat Typing (typing game) – this game from the BBC is high-quality, and designed to appeal to young children. It teaches good typing practice from the start, by explaining correct finger placement on the keys. #10: TypeTastic – this is another typing game aimed at young children, and this one starts with putting together a keyboard – a great place to begin. Do you have any favourite writing games – of any type? Share them with us in the comments. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with Heart"Owing to" vs "Due to"Is Your Novel "Mystery," "Thriller," or "Suspense"?

War of the Gods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

War of the Gods - Essay Example War of the Gods This paper will examine the use of religious ethics to define a just war and the application of such ethics during the Holy Wars of the Crusades. Monotheistic traditions, such as Christianity and Islam, often use their religious doctrines to find a justification for wars. These doctrines, in the Just War Theory, outline in detail when the use of force can be justified to resolve conflicts, from whom they should attain the blessing that such a use of force is recognized as necessary in the eyes of God, and to what extent the force should be employed. The primary focus of the just war tradition is to attain and confirm approval from God. In both religious doctrines, God-referred to as Allah in Islam-has confirmed the ideals that the use of force by His followers is a righteous and just action; this use of force often serves to control aggressions or perpetuate continued growth and spread of the Faith. In the case of the Crusades, justification came to Christians and Muslims alike from their respective Gods for the perceived need to control the Holy Land of Jerusalem. These doctrines and the actions they perpetrated during the Crusades can be seen from both sides of this series of Holy Wars. August (1921) reveals such justification when the Christians sought to recapture Jerusalem. The fact that Christian soldiers were told they would be successful if God willed their victory directly preceding their accomplishment further confirmed that they were fighting a just war. Additionally, even if only by coincidence, the timeline in which these events took place were construed as signs from God that this war was just and approved; and that God would work with these soldiers and secure their success. This acknowledgement served to increase morale amongst the soldiers and justify future acts of aggression in the name of the Christian Crusades. On the other side of this initial victory of the Christians, the Muslims also received blessings and encouraging sign from Allah. Muslims believed so deeply in the signs and the need for Divine approval, that any losses were perceived to be punishment for sins. None, or few, were mindful of the Lord, or of such work as was needed to capture the city; nor did they take heed to beseech the Lord's favor. And thus we not recognize God in the midst of our affliction, nor did He show favor to the ungrateful. (August 9-10) Essentially, while the Christians remained mindful of the signs that appeared to be sent from God, they saw continued, if intermittent, success in their plights during the Crusades. In contrast, the Muslims believed that the early Christian victories were the result not of God favoring the Christians and

Mechanical testing of metals and polymers Assignment - 1

Mechanical testing of metals and polymers - Assignment Example 2. Procedure: Test Equipment Material Tested Test Speed mm/min Secant Tensile Strength-Metal Universal Tensile Testing machine 0.1% C Steel 0.4%C Steel 0.8%C Steel 1.15%C Steel 50 Tensile Strength-Plastics Universal Tensile Testing machine HDPE,PP-PE, PVC, PC, Acetal (POM), Nylon (PA66), GRN (PA66+glass fibres) 10, 50 & 500 Pendulum Impact Tests Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester PVC, POLYCARBONATE, NYLON 66, HDPE, ACETAL 7.5J Force Vickers hardness Test Vickers Testing Machine 0.1% C Steel 0.2%C Steel 0.4%C Steel 0.85%C Steel 20 Kg load for (2) minutes 3. Results Red 0.1% C Steel Green 0.4%C Steel Blue 0.8%C Steel Orange 1.15%C Steel Fmax Fmax dL at Fmax FBreak dL at break Nr N/mm? N mm N mm 1 414.53 8302.90 6.4 2020 10.7 2 691.64 13853.22 4.9 3930 8.1 3 896.10 17948.63 4.3 6720 5.6 4 1108.75 11098.39 2.7 4030 3.4 dL = Strain Hardness of carbon steels (load 20Kg) 1st measurement 2nd measurement 3rd measurement 0.1% Carbon 146 148 153 0.2% Carbon 166 162 170 0.4% Carbon 209 213 217 0 .85% Carbon 255 259 251 Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester. 1-Jun-15 M/c Model No 5113. Ref No A466690. ... 1.55 20.62 32.98 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 6 15.44 2.97 45.86 0.45 6.03 9.86 Charpy 7.50 Series Specimen width b0 Specimen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Work contents n = 5 mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J x 15.82 2.978 47.11 0.38 5.05 8.03 7.50 s 0.3013 0.01304 1.074 0.09 1.16 1.80 0.00 ? 1.90 0.44 2.28 22.89 22.89 22.44 0.00 Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester. 1-Jun-15 M/c Model No 5113. Ref No A466690. Force 7.5J Material: POLYCARBONATE Specimen width b0 Specimen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Type of test, PIT Work contents Legends Nr mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J â€Å" 1 15.82 3.11 49.2 2.29 30.50 46.49 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 2 15.5 3.12 48.36 2.39 31.93 49.52 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 3 16.01 3.11 49.79 2.44 32.55 49.03 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 4 15.99 3.12 49.89 2.23 29.69 44.63 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 5 15.39 3.16 48.63 2.28 30.40 46.88 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 6 15.81 3.09 48.85 2.47 32.96 50.60 Charpy 7.50 Series Specimen width b0 Spec imen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Work contents n = 6 mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J x 15.75 3.118 49.12 2.35 31.34 47.86 7.50 s 0.2552 0.02317 0.622 0.10 1.32 2.23 0.00 ? 1.62 0.74 1.27 4.22 4.22 4.66 0.00 Zwick/Roell Pendulum Impact Tester . 1-Jun-15 M/c Model No 5113. Ref No A466690. Force 7.5J Material: NYLON 66 Specimen width b0 Specimen thickness a0 Cross-section Impact energy Impact energy Impact resistance Type of test, PIT Work contents Legends Nr mm mm mm? J % kJ/m? J â€Å" 1 15.35 3.19 48.97 3.61 48.18 73.80 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 2 16.1 3.19 51.36 4.88 65.02 94.95 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 3 16.05 3.22 51.68 4.64 61.83 89.73 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 4 16.1 3.2 51.52 4.50 60.05 87.42 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 5 16 3.18 50.88 4.66 62.14 91.60 Charpy 7.50 â€Å" 6 15.98 3.2 51.14 4.07 54.32 79.67 Charpy 7.50

Strategic HRM Plan Essay Example for Free

Strategic HRM Plan Essay â€Å"Starbucks is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world and has become a truly global brand† (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2011, p. 3). The strategic Human Recourses Management (HRM) plan will cover cultural HR issues, emerging HR issues, and a chart showing a five-year plan. Cultural training, cafà © culture, and culture of service are the three cultural HR issues that will be covered. Cultural training will cover the need for training with diversity for different markets. Cafà © culture is about the â€Å"values and respect diversity and inclusion† of Starbucks. This area is an issue in other countries while in the United States is doing well. The issue of culture of service deals with providing service to customers, but also to employees by way means of benefits. The emerging HR issues that will be covered are employee tuition assistance, evening sales to include alcohol, and customer complaints. Recently Starbucks has provided a new tuition assistance program; this program will be reviewed because of the age of the program it falls under emerging HR issues. The issue with Starbucks going to evening sales to include alcohol requires special licensing and age requirements for employees selling. The final emerging issue is with customer complaints; HR should find a way to review and take action against complaints. The chart will provide a description of the values, mission, and vision of the company and what they mean for the next five years. The table will also tie into how the emerging issues should be handled in the five years. Addressing the cultural and emerging issues will help Starbucks advance as a company and produce outstanding employees that will exceed the expectations of the company. â€Å"Standards will help ensure that our values continue to be reflected in each Starbucks store and business activity. A commitment to integrity, acting honestly and ethically, and complying with the letter and intent of the law are critical to our continued success† (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2011, p. 3). Strategic HRM Plan Cultural Issues Starbucks continues to grow and expand globally. As the company is doing so, it also sees some cultural human resource (HR) issues arise. These cultural HR issues include cultural training, cafà © culture, and culture of service. It is natural for a company to see and experience such issues when expanding into different regions. The human resources department will examine how these issues and cultural considerations affect the division and the strategic plans. As Starbucks grows and expands into new regions, the company is learning that to be successful in other culture they must provide cultural training. This cultural training is part of the company’s strategic plans. As part of the training and development program there is a cultural training for the store front employees, management, upper management, HR, and global communities. This training teaches the employees on how to interact with different cultures. It also teaches the employees of appropriate ways to interact wit h each other so that there is no discrimination. â€Å"To help make our goals become reality, we have integrated diversity and inclusion into the core of our leadership competencies. The goals of the Diversity and Inclusion team include building a diverse workforce, increasing cultural competencies, shaping a culture of inclusion and developing a diverse network of suppliers† (Starbucks, 2014). This consideration affects the company and their strategic plans because it is a continual topic of conversation as the company grows, expands, and new laws come into practice. This conversation then needs to into training and development programs for employees, as well as adding new policy changes and procedures. Starbuck’s employee cultural training also leads into their cafà © cultural training. The Cafà © culture in the United States is spot on. However, the cafà © culture in other countries is not doing so well and has led to the downturn in business. â€Å"I never go into Starbucks; it’s impersonal, the coffee is mediocre, and it’s expensive,’ Ms. Bayod, a 35-year-old masseuse, said as a waiter greeted her by name and quickly bro ught her usual espresso. ‘For us, it’s like another planet.’ Nearly a decade after venturing into Europe, Starbucks is still laboring to lure people like her. Despite engineering a strong turnaround in the United States and growing steadily in Asia, where Starbucks is still a novelty, the  company has struggled here on the Continent that gave birth to cafe and coffeehouse culture† (Alderman, 2012). Due to this issue Starbucks is now embarking on spending over a million dollars to make-over the European locations to be more up-scale and to win over the European coffee drinkers. The organization has also adjusted the blends and beverages to suit the European palate. This has forced Starbucks to realign strategically the European market to meet customer’s wants and needs. Starbucks has continued to realign the culture of its brand image in this region and continues to add new ideas, training, and beverages for the employees in this region. To maintain its high level of customer service Starbucks has started a culture of service initiative for its employees. The organization is committed to providing â€Å"legendary service† to their customers. To do so the company has gone the route of the employee-centered approach. The employee-centered approach includes providing health benefits, tuition benefits, and stock options to even their part-time employees. The guiding principle behind this move is to motivate their employees. The company feels that by motivating their employees they are creating happy, loyal, motivated employees who in turn will be the driving force to their â€Å"legendary service.† Emerging issues Emerging issues provide areas for improvement for Starbucks. Tuition assistance, selling alcohol, and customer complaints are three current emerging issues Starbucks faces. These issues will be discussed based on the issue and how it can be improved. There are around 54 percent of all companies who offer some form of educational reimbursement to their employees (Kurtgleben, 2014). Starbucks announced they would offer partial tuition of about $6,500 for their employees for the first two years of full-time online students at Arizona State University (ASU) Online. Starbucks College Achievement Plan (SCAP) will replace an older plan that was not as generous but was more flexible (Pyke, 2014). The new plan states that any Starbucks employee that works 20 hours a week or more will be able to have their tuition reimbursed beyond what federal financial aid and ASU covers for juniors and seniors (Pyke, 2014). Some critics of the SCAP say that it may not be a real improvement for the 20,000 wo rkers that the school plans to enroll. The old system required that the students take courses that were beneficial towards their jobs at Starbucks. The new system lets the  employees take any of the degrees, of which there are 40, and it does not have to relate to their jobs at Starbucks. The old system only paid $500-$1,000 per calendar year and that depended on the employees’ tenure. The employees could enroll in any accredited college, not just ACU under the old system. The employees could also attend in-person classes which some critics say are important for low-income workers to succeed in their education, (Pyke, 2014). According to Pyke, Starbuck’s plan compares unfavorably with other tuition assistance plans American companies offer. Sara Goldrich-Rab, professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found Starbucks new system ‘incredibly problematic’ because they limit its tuition assistance to one university online (Pyke, 2014). The emerging issues for Human Resource on this tuition system would be, is it good that Starbucks only lets the employees enroll in only online degrees with only ACU? Will the new system work well with the low-income employees only being able to take the online degrees instead of in-person classes? Starbucks should go through with their plans of having other universities available for their employees to enroll in and offer in-person classes as well as online classes. Starbucks has expanded its sells to Starbucks evening. Starbucks has been testing the sale of alcohol in their stores after four PM, with a menu that includes light snacks. The benefits to Starbucks are an increase in sales when coffee sales are slow, (Dooley, 2014). However, with these sales come the issues of licensing requirements that are different in every state, possible customer resistance because it is not a family-friendly product, new staff training requirements, and the last, product contagion. There are some people that think that products can transfer their characteristics to each other if they are placed side by side, (Dooley, 2014). So in their way of thinking if Starbucks sells alcohol and it sits next to a non-alcohol product it will be tainted with alcohol. To help keep the contagion issue down Starbucks can separate the alcohol from the non-alcohol products and put the alcohol products into their own coolers, in different parts of the room. There is a page on the Consumer Affairs website where people can go to complain about companies and so forth. There are numerous complaints about Starbucks employees. According to Consumer Affairs Starbucks does not monitor their website so that the issues can be resolved. Human Resources should monitor  these complaints and try to resolve them in some way. In the future if nothing is done someone will bring suit and it might be costly for Starbucks. Human Resource Management should make sure that these employees treat customer s the way they should be treated by retraining and if the bad treatment continues disciplinary actions should be taken. Five year plan chart Starbucks has become well-known ever since the company’s establishment in 1971. Because of Starbucks’ many years of success, the company has now grown throughout the world. For the next five years, Starbucks will develop a strategic plan from the completion of the HRM analysis. Reward programs, training, and job design are the HRM involvements that will assist Starbucks to overcome the issues found from the analysis in order to meet the strategic objectives. The first year of the strategic plan will include the placement of processes along with forming two committees. One committee will take care of the three cultural HR issues the other committee will handle the three emerging HR issues. Years two through five will include continuous monitoring and fact finding through internal and external surveying. Each committee will observe these surveys to where adjustment can be made in a timely matter. The recommendation will be that each committee will meet weekly in the first year of the plan, which could later change to monthly and then quarterly. During this time, any modifications within the process will take place based on the information gathering. The chart below offers the five-year strategic plan, which the company believes needs to be taken in consideration in order to obtain internal and external growth, employee fulfillment, and in meeting up to customer expectations. Starbucks Coffee 2014 – 2019 Strategic Plan Values â€Å"Starbucks reputation for the finest coffee in the world, legendary customer service and the highest integrity is the direct result of our collective efforts† (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2011, p. 3). Mission â€Å"To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time† (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2011, p. 3). Vision Continue in being â€Å"the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee† (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2011, p. 4). Cultural/ Emerging Issues Internal/ External Analysis Review Findings Strategic Formulation Strategy Implementation Review and Adjust Cultural Training Cafà © Culture Culture of Service Education Reimbursement Sale of Alcohol Employee Complains Two separate committees will divide into teams. A SWOT analysis will be conducted based on customers, competitors, and industry analysis. The external analysis will examine Starbucks opportunities and threats. The internal will look at the strengths and weaknesses. The two committees, department heads, and stakeholders are involved within a group. Reviewing cultural and emerging issues. Reviewing and adjusting the internal and external findings from the SWOT analysis to then create a strategic formulation. The two teams will define strategies from the findings from the SWOT. Starbucks can create a plan for all issues at all levels within the company creating an outline of what should be done. A description of the steps or processes per issue will provide in accomplishing each objective. Over-all communication and monitoring are important in achieving goals. A timeline will offer when the action plan is to be accomplished. Necessary changes will be made swiftly for the company, employees, and customers. The team will ensure that continuous monitoring within the agreed strategic objectives and aim to start on a monthly basis. Ensuring consistency with Starbucks values, mission, and vision. References Alderman, Liz, 2012, In Europe Starbucks Adjusts Cafà © Culture, Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/31/business/starbucks-tailors-its-experience-to-fit-to-european-tastes.html?pagewanted=all_r=0 Consumer Affairs. Retrieved from: www.consumeraffairs.com/food/starbucks.html Dooley, Roger, 2014. Will Starbucks Alcohol ‘Infect’ Other Products. Retrieved from: www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2014/04/09/starbucks-alcohol/ http://www.cerdian.com/resources/blogs/human-resources-legislation-blog/starbucks-cap-reinventing-education-assistance.html Pyke, Alan, 2014. Thinkprogress. Critics warn Starbucks Employees To Read Fine Print of New

The Myth Of Birth Orders and Personality :: Parenting Parenthood

Does birth order really influence personal traits? Many researchers believe that the first-born child is parental, responsible, hardworking and intelligent. The middle-born child is more competitive, tends to be a people-pleaser and usually hates quarrel. Youngest are social, less capable of doing things. But I have found different traits comparing to researchers findings. Defining ones personality through their birth order can be a lot like horoscopes. Horoscopes are so sweeping that they can apply to anyone. The same can go for birth order. While I do have many of the traits first-borns are said to have, I also have a lot of the characteristics that the youngest have. The author in the passage tried to give logical reasons to prove it, but I saw many examples in real life which has no connection with the author’s logic. Let me share some of those relating with the author’s logic. The firstborn child is not parental at all. In many families we can see that the younger brother’s are dominating the older sister. For example, one of my friends, Shanila, likes to talk with her friends at night. Most of the times her parents stay outside home so there is suppose to be no one to stop her. But she faces many troubles for her younger brother, Akash. He always tries to be parental and take care of Shanila by scolding her if she talks too much in phone. Sometimes Akash read SMS in her mobile and take numbers from her mobile to call and check the guy with whom she was talking the whole night. Sometimes younger brother also helps older ones with academic problems. Shanila is not a good student neither she have any interest with her study. She always faces problems with her assignments. So most of the time her brother force her like a parent to study. Therefore, I think it is the situation and parents influence which makes a people parental. Shanila’s parents give full right to Akash to take care of Shanila because her parents think boys are more capable than girls. So if any younger brother falls in a situation where he needs to be parental it can force him to be parental. The firstborn children are more social. I have seen in absence of parents in the house the oldest child communicate with different neighbor for various reasons. For instance, when Rajiv’s parents stay outside home Rajiv serve the guests who come to their home.

P Emergency Bail Out

â€Å"We in America today are nearer to the final triumph over poverty than ever before in the history of any land† was Herbert Hoover’s message to voters in the US Presidential race of 1928. However, once elected into office, within months, he came to terms with his own short sightedness as the world plunged into a downward economic spiral, unparallel in history . . . at least until now.The sub prime mortgage crisis and the ensuing credit crunch is by all means a haunting reminder of Black Tuesday, when on October 29, 1929, the NYSE crashed as a result of panic selling and led to the Great Depression.Without dwelling much on history, it can be concluded that the NYSE crash of 1929 and the Housing market crash of 2007 are both characterized by speculation and greed, a fundamental failure of pristine capitalism. Secondly, both crashes have followed an era of loose monetary policy and lax credit regulations for which hot shot individuals at the Central Banks and the comme rcial banks themselves share the blame. To add on to this, we have the menace created by the alluring yet highly risky business of derivatives.With nothing much to defend, the question arises, are we headed towards a depression as in 1929 or is the situation still under control? The likely scenario that we face is a gloomy one. The level of debt that individuals hold is high. The housing crash has wiped out a large portion of the banks credit portfolios. Other advances are also suffering as falling income levels, losses on a highly volatile stock market and rising unemployment are triggering people to default.This is making depositors uneasy as they are shifting money between Banks causing liquidity issues for them. Some Banks have closed down, unable to honor commitments. Others are set to follow. Low liquidity and capital losses means that these financial institutions are refraining from new lending despite the availability of cheap credit. Lack of financial facilitation means tha t businesses are suffering a lack of confidence and the economy is slowing down, marred with deflation, unemployment, high debt levels and low production. The Secretary of the US Treasury, Mr.Hank Paulson’s Emergency Bail out Plan, is set out to counter these problems and save America and the world from recession. The original idea was that the purpose of the plan would be to purchase bad mortgage related assets, reduce uncertainty regarding the worth of the remaining assets, and restore confidence in the credit markets. The treasury was given sweeping powers with 250 billion dollars of immediate funding. If need arose, an additional 100 billion dollars would be available on the discretion of the President and another 350 billion dollars following a congressional resolution.Over time, the plan has come to embody a whole list of objectives including provisions on how to prevent foreclosures, deposit insurance, restrictions on executive pay and equity interests in financial ins titutions. The plan has met a mixed reaction. While there is a strong argument that the plan could be inflationary (Hudson, 2008), some argue that it would tend to be the opposite (UBS, 2008). There is also argument that this plan is aiming to fix a bruised and battered system and that we need a new and revitalized system for credit screening. Detractors also point to the fact that the plan keeps on changing.It seems, from the looks of it, that the treasury is determined to stop the bloodshed with its 700 billion dollars but lacks any coherent strategy to do so. Whatever the case, lets build on basic macroeconomics to see how the plan will affect the American and the world economy and then make an informed conclusion on what the US Treasury should instead aim at. To take a short trip back down history lane, when the 1929 depression struck, John Maynard Keynes argued that Government intervention through a budget deficit would alleviate these conditions.Initially the private sector is unwilling to invest. However, as government spending increases, it raises the private sector’s interest. Gradually, confidence returns. Monetarists held an opposing view. While Keynes argued that higher incomes would lead the poor strata of society to consume more, monetarists held that this additional income would go back to paying off debts and accumulated obligations and not add to the value of the multiplier. (Lipsey & Harbuy, 1992) The US Treasury and the Federal Reserve it seems are following a middle line here.While the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates to stimulate business activity, capital infusions by the US Treasury is intended to help banks lend more freely. Thus, we are witnessing a mixture of Keynesian and Monetarist school of thought. Although there is little argument to the fact that this plan is inflationary in nature, the problem that it fails to address is that the US Treasury, despite making equity infusions in banks, buying troubled assets, lowe ring interest rates and taking steps to reduce uncertainty cannot force banks to lend.While some point to the inflationary nature of the program and its evolving nature, it seems that the major flaw is that it cannot help but wait when banks start lending freely and unfreeze the credit markets, stimulating business activity. Thus, as far as the effects go, it seems likely that if the banks refrain from lending even at the now cheaper interest rates and merely choose to sit on the cash, it is highly likely that the plan would fail plunging America into a recession. This lack of financial facilitation will also affect the world as the USA is acting as a demand powerhouse for the world.It is likely that the World may move into recession too as export markets in America contract. On the other hand, if the plan was to succeed in unfreezing the credit markets and stimulating business activity, we will see inflation followed by bouts of constrained monetary betterment. This would help the world economy too as exports will be less affected and American consumption will fuel their growth. However, in either case, these 700 billion dollars will ultimately affect the taxpayer in future years, in the form of an increased tax liability.However, the most worrying thought is that the recovery could be a jobless one. The bail out plan may put back business and consumer confidence back on track but the increased money supply might not affect unemployment levels in a major way as US firms continue to move production facilities abroad. Therefore, a coherent strategy aimed at increasing industrial production and reducing unemployment inside the US is augmented. For this reason, other counties, possibly China will have to step up and act as a demand generator. (Shafi 2008)To conclude, if the plan is not able to unfreeze the credit markets, there is little chance that the world might escape a depression. If the plan was to work, two scenarios present themselves. By returning to the old way of consuming more, the US Treasury will allow the legacy of the old system to survive. Instead, if the focus would be towards industrial and export led growth, the system of budget deficits and trade deficits and the large sums of money conjured in maintaining them will die and a new world order built on fiscal facilitation and sound monetary management will evolve.References: Hudson, Michael (2008). The bailout is a giveaway that will cause hyperinflation and dollar collapse. The Real News. Retrieved on 13-12-2008 Lipsey G. , H. & Harbury, C. (1992) First Principles of Economics. London: Oxford University Press. Shafi, A. (2008). A Walk Down Memory Lane: The Sub Prime Mortage Crisis and the Great Depression revisited. The Financial Flicker Retrieved on 13-12-2008 UBS. (2008) There is no alternative. â€Å"Policy measures are anti-deflationary. They are not inflationary. † Retrieved on 13-12-2008

Marketing research: assume you are developing

Mc Daniel and Gates (1999) have given a ten-point procedure for developing a questionnaire. This procedure can be adapted and used in designing a questionnaire for the newly developed sandwich by MacDonalds. These authors have emphasized the need for questionnaires to be developed properly, otherwise incomplete and inaccurate data shall be generated. They specifically stressed the need for three important questions to be answered adequately by the would-be questionnaire designer or developer. These questions are as follows: (a) Does the questionnaire to be developed for MacDonald’s sandwich provide the necessary decision-making information for management? For example, can it tell management about the ingredients that should make-up the sandwich and at what price it should be sold to the public? (b) Does it consider the respondent to whom the questionnaire shall be administered to? If respondents are taken into account, the questions would be tailored to their level of comprehension. (c)Does the questionnaire meet editing, coding and data processing needs? It behooves questionnaire developers to take these concerns into account before designing the questions. Ideally, the questionnaire should be pre-tested to see how the questions are understood by the respondents. Questionnaire development Processes According McDonald and Gates (1999) these ten steps should be followed in designing a questionnaire: 1. Set objectives of the study and consider resources and constraints of the study   (MacDonald’s sandwich )- Every study as such the one on sandwich must have a definite objective. This objective should be clearly spelt out. A meaningful objective is one which is attainable within the resources at the disposal of the company commissioning the research study. For example, an objective can be to establish how the newly developed sandwich should be priced. Possible constraints of the study also need to be identified and factored into the process of developing and administering the questionnaire. For example, if the intended market of the sandwich is noted for apparent difficulty in securing respondents to participate in research study, that constraint should be taken into account. In such situations, it may be needful to increase the incentives given to respondents to encourage participation. 2. Determine what data collection procedures to use  Ã‚   – Questionnaires can be administered by telephone, email, or in-person. Each approach employed influences the design used. It also has a cost implication, which must be taken into account. 3.Come out with the question response format – After zeroing in on the method for collecting the data, the actual format should be determined. Generally, three types of response formats can be used. These include open-ended questions, where the respondent is given freewill to respond to questions in his own words. There are also the close-ended questions, where   respondents are allowed to select from a list of answers. Thirdly, there is the scaled-response questions, where multiple-choice questions are given to respondents to pick answers from. 4. Make a decision on how the question should be worded – McDonald and Gates (1999) have given four guidelines that should govern this process. These are (a) the wording should be clear and to the point. (b) Select words that   do not preempt other answers over others or that systematically biase the research outputs. (c) consider the ability of the typical respondents to answer the questions and (d) take into account the willingness of the respondents to answer the questions. 5. Determine the arrangement of   the questions – The questions should be arranged in such a manner that establishes a flow. For example, questions that warm up the respondents should come before those considered difficult and complex. 6.   Assess the questionnaire – Determine the relevance and longevity of questions and the ability of questions to answer the research objectives. 7. Seek the consent of relevant stakeholders – Allow all relevant stakeholders to review the questionnaire and give their approval before administering it in the field. By this approach, their support and cooperation is gained. 8. Give it a trial and revise it accordingly – Before administering the questionnaire, it must be field tried or tested. Here, limited number of persons is allowed to answer the questions and how they understood or perceived the questions are evaluated. Their comments are then factored into the final questionnaire. 9.Develop the final copy of the questionnaire – At this juncture, a final copy of the questionnaire is developed. This copy incorporates both the comments of management, sponsors and respondents. 10. Administer the questionnaire – The questionnaire is given out to the intended population for which information is needed.   Instructions to guide   supervisors and interviewers should accompany the questionnaires prepared. Conclusion By adopting this ten-point approach to developing and implementing questionnaires, it should be possible for the needed information to guide managerial decision-making on the newly developed sandwich of MacDonald’s to be obtained. Reference McDaniel, C. and Gates, R. (1999). Contemporary Marketing Research, 4th Edition, South-Western College Publishing, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.            

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates

Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates Atheists, Agnostics, and Apostates By Mark Nichol What’s the difference between an atheist and an agnostic? As with most words, the answer lies in the etymological origins of the words. Atheist stems, through atheism, from the French word athà ©isme, which pertains to a lack of belief in God, or in any deity. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to theism, which means â€Å"belief in God† or â€Å"belief in gods.†) An agnostic, by contrast, is one who does not know, and perhaps believes it is impossible to know, whether God or gods exist. (Here, the antonymic a- is linked to gnostic, meaning â€Å"one who knows,† ultimately from the Greek term gignÃ… skein, meaning â€Å"to know.†) Agnostic has also developed a nonreligious sense of â€Å"nonspecific† or â€Å"nonaligned,† as when referring to software that operates regardless of which platform of hardware on which it is installed. The central element in atheist is also seen in theology (â€Å"study of religion†) and theocracy (â€Å"rule by religion†) and is the basis of the name Theodore, which means â€Å"god-given,† and the root of agnostic is also seen in gnostic (which refers, when capitalized, to a school of philosophy) and diagnosis and prognosis. A related term is apostate, which denotes someone who renounces a belief; the term can also refer to defection from or abandonment of a political or social group; the origin of the term is the Greek word aphistasthai, which means â€Å"revolt.† (The condition of being an apostate is called apostasy.) Other words pertaining to a lack of belief (or of the â€Å"correct† belief) include gentile, heathen, and pagan. Gentile stems from the Latin root gens, meaning â€Å"nation,† and refers to someone not of the Jewish faith, a non-Mormon, or a nonbeliever in general. (Gentile is cognate with gentle, which literally means â€Å"civilized.†) Heathen, likely ultimately from Gothic, in English came to mean someone living outside of civilization (from heath, meaning â€Å"uncultivated land†) and therefore outside the religion of the civilization, with a connotation of inferiority. Pagan is popularly thought to have derived from the same sense (from the Latin term paganus, meaning â€Å"rustic (person)†), but it probably stems from another meaning of the term, Roman military slang for civilians and clumsy recruits equivalent to the nautical slur landlubber. (An obsolete cognate is paynim, used by Christians during the Crusades in Europe to refer to a follower of Islam.) Then there is infidel, which specifically refers to one who holds religious beliefs different from what is regarded as the true religion (the term, from Latin, means â€Å"unfaithful†- or, more accurately, â€Å"not of the faithful†- and is related to fidelity) and the term giaour, rarely used in English, which is ultimately from Persian by way of French and refers to one who is not Islamic. An idolater, meanwhile, is one who worships idols (or the â€Å"wrong† idols); the word is also used in a secular sense to refer to someone who uncritically reveres a person undeserving of the adulation. (The practice of an idolater is idolatry, and the adjectival form is idolatrous.) Check out our latest YouTube video: Masters Degree or Master’s Degree? 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know10 Types of TransitionsThe 7 Types of Possessive Case

Origin for the Surname Thompson Genealogy

Origin for the Surname Thompson Genealogy THOMPSON Surname Meaning Origin: Thompson is a patronymic surname meaning son of the man known as Thom, Thomp, Thompkin, or another diminutive form of Thomas (twin). Without the p, the Thomson surname is often of Scottish origin. Surname Origin: English, Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings: THOMSON, THOMASON, THOMASSON, THOMASSIN, THOMESON, TOMPSON, THOMPSEN, TOMASON, THOMS, THOMASSET, TOMPSETT, THOMSETT, TOMSETT, THOMERSON, THOMLINSON, THOMLIN Famous People with the Surname THOMPSON: Fred Thompson - U.S. Senator and television actorAlexander Greek Thomson - Scottish architect (1817-1875)Sir Joseph John (J. J.) Thomson - English physicist who discovered the electron Genealogy Resources for the Surname THOMPSON: 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? Thompson DNA ProjectDNA testing is making connections between families with Thompson surname variants used in different areas of the world including Thomson, Thomsen, Thomason, Thomazin, Taweson, MacThomas, MacTavish, MacCavish, Macomish, Macomb, McComas, McComb, MacCombie, and reasonable spelling variations. Thompson Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Thompson surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Thompson query. There are also separate forums for the THOMSON surname and other Thompson variations. FamilySearch - THOMPSON GenealogyFind records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Thompson surname and its variations. - References: Surname Meanings OriginsCottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Ethics and Law in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics and Law in Nursing - Essay Example This paper will focus on the professional, ethical, and legal implications of the case scenario. Patient analysis Evidently, the patient is under severe depression. An untreated clinical depression may generally last from six to 24 months. Clinical psychologists opine that the chance of recurrence of this disorder is high unless the symptoms have not been resolved properly with treatment. Clinical reports reflect that the condition of major depression often co-occurs with a sequence of other psychiatric problems including lifetime anxiety. Richards (2011), indicates that anxiety symptoms will worsen the depressive illness with a slow pace recovery, increased risk of reoccurrence, greater health problems, and increased suicide tendency. It is also seen that individuals with severe depression may develop cardiovascular diseases if they do not obtain effective treatment on time. In the view of experts in clinical psychology, people with severe depression would not be willing to follow m edical recommendations for eliminating the chances of cardiovascular diseases, and this situation may further increase their risk. In short, people suffering from a major depressive disorder must get proper treatment to completely recover from the disorder. Similarly, the individual has been recently diagnosed with leukaemia and it greatly increases his risk as this disease may lead to complications including repeated infections that are potential to reduce the immunity of the patient. Physicians opine that kidney failure and a fall in number of neutrophils will be the common complications of leukaemia. Finally, the case context tells that the patient is currently undergoing an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in a psychiatric care setting. The ECT treatment can have a great influence on the patient’s memory, general cognition, and brain structure and hence he may face troubles with normal thinking and decision making. Legal implications From the patient analysis, it is obviou s that the patient is suffering from a severe depression and leukaemia and he may also get impacted by the side effects of ECT treatment. However, the patient is not in an extreme critical situation and he has the ability to see and hear events around him and respond to it verbally. Hence, the nursing staff cannot legally plan a nasogastric (NG) tube insertion for force-feeding the patient. According to Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), nurses must treat patients as separate individuals and respect their dignity. While stating the significance of treating individual differences, the NMC specifically says that a nurse has to act as an advocate for the patient and assist them to access relevant health and social care information. The case scenario indicates that the person had not been properly informed about why NG tube insertion became necessary for him. Hence the nurses’ practice is the violation of the code of conduct of the NMC. The NMC guidelines for NG tube insertion cl early say that care providers must obtain consent from the patient if he has the ability to express his views. In the given context, the nursing staff obtained consent from the patient’s relatives even if the patient had the ability to express his interests. Hence, the nurses violated the rule of NMC