Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outline - Assignment Example The study goes on to discuss different products that are processed from organic Aloe Vera together with the health benefits associated with these products. There is a detailed review of the different farming associations that aide the farmers with the expertise and financial loans that they require to succeed in organic farming. The report is going to discuss and document the findings from extensive research on the organic farming practices that are used to grow Aloe Vera. This is because farmers around the world are investing heavily in organic farming, shunning the popular practice of using chemicals (Gage, 1996). This is evidenced in regions that have abundance of fertile soil that is rich in nutrients and a forest-free environment with a favourable climate that supports the growth of Aloe Vera all year long (Zan Min Jina, 2007). The Aloe Vera leaves are tested on a daily basis, a process which facilitates monitoring the health of the plant and ensures a bumper harvest at maturity (Coats, 1996). The report will also include a detailed review of the tests used to determine the health of the plants (M. Pol, 2007). The Aloe Vera leaves are harvested by hand, and the research will propose mechanized systems that can harvest these leaves; however, the report will also document the main reasons for the farmers’ choice to harvest the leaves by hand (Chattopadhyay, 1998). The Aloe Vera plant has also found a wide application in the manufacture of different products that include medicines, juices and skin jelly (Douglas Grindlay, 1986). The report will document the main buyers of this raw material, the returns that the farmers obtain by selling their produce and the impacts of these returns on their lives (Ricardo D. Valdez-Cepedab, 2006). The report will cover the challenges that the farmers face in their daily lives and how they overcome these challenges (Y. Saks, 1995). Organic farming has gained popularity globally and it is slowly replacing the use

Monday, October 28, 2019

The house of wisdom

The house of wisdom The House of Wisdom Case Study: Al-Khwarizmi. Abu Jafar Al-Mansur was taking no chances with his new imperial capital, Baghdad, for this was to be a city like no other. The second Abbasid caliph of the Muslims ordered his architects to mark the layout of the walls of his proposed city, a perfect circle, in keeping with the geometric teachings of the caliphs beloved Euclid, the great Greek mathematician who lived in the fourth and third centuries B.C, and was specialized in geometry (Hayhurst). Twelve years before work began on the capital, al-Mansurs brother Saffah completed the overthrow of the Umayyad dynasty, which has risen to power in the Muslim world three decades after the death of the Prophet Muhammed in 632. Saffah, sent his forces under the Abbasids distinctive black banners to hunt down the remaining members of the House of the Umayyads. The only significant figure to escape alive was Prince Abd al-Rahman, who fled to North Africa before going on to establish Western Caliphate in southern Spain. However, the victory o f the Abbasids, who found it politically possible to declare their direct lineage to the Prophet through his paternal uncle Abbas, was less a blood dispute between an aging dynasty and an ambitious pretender that it was an extensive cultural revolution throughout the Islamic lands. Al-Mansurs young court was virtually surrounded by established centers of Christian, Persian, and pagan learning; on the other hand, he had to go looking for one important element of what might be called Abbasid intellectual policy. At the caliphs invitation, an Indian scholarly delegation skilled in the movements of the starts arrived in Baghdad bearing Hindu scientific texts, an important jumping-off point for early Arab astronomy and mathematics. The Hindu sages understood how to solve equations based on trigonometric sine function and had devised smart ways to predict eclipses. The caliph ordered an official translation of the Hindu material into Arabic, part of an increasingly organized effort to absorb Persian and Indian knowledge. This same approach, accompanied by much original research was soon afterwards applied with the ancient learning of the Greeks (Lyons). The Umayyads laid the groundwork for scientific inquiry, but much of their early focus was on questions of Islamic law and the practice of medicine, a field in which they, like their successors, relied heavily on Christian physicians from Syria and Persia. The Abbasid caliphs delibrately pushed back these boundaries to make more room for the study of both philosophy and the hard sciences. According to the Arab historian Said al-Andalusi, who died in 1070, much of the credit for this goes to the founder of Baghdad:There was a surge in spirit and an awakening in intelligence. The first of this dynasty to cultivate science was the second caliph, Abu Jafar al-Mansur. He was, in addition to his profound knowledge of logic and law, very interested in philosophy and observational astronomy; he was fond of both and of the people who worked in these fields (Lyons). Another chronicler notes that the caliph directed numerous foreign translations into Arabic, including classic works of Hindu, Pe rsian, and Greek scholars, and set the direction for future research. Once in possession of these books, the public read and studied them avidly. (Lyons) To host the vast scale of work needed to study, translate, and store the huge volume of Persian and Greek texts, al-Mansur established a royal library modeled after those of the great Persian kings. Working space, administrative support, together with financial support were also required for the small army of scholars who take up these tasks and then build on them in creative and original ways. This was the origin of what became known as Bayt al Hikma or the House of Wisdom the collective institutional and imperial expression of early Abbasid intellectual ambition and official state policy. Overtime, the House of Wisdom came to comprise a translation bureau, a library and book repository, and an academy of scholars and intellectuals from across the empire. Its overriding function, however, was the safeguarding on invaluable knowledge, a fact reflected in other terms applied at times by arab historians to describe the project, such as the Treasury of the Books of Wisdom or simply the Treasury of Wisdom. Experts affiliated with the imperial institution staffed the caliphs observatory as well and took part in scientific experiments at his command. But the House of Wisdom also played an important role in the cultivation of Abbasid literary works (Lyons). Large sums of public funds were dedicated to the House of Wisdom and related projects of cultural and intellectual enrichment. Even diplomacy and on occasion war, was harnessed to the drive for greater knowledge. Abbasid delegations to the rival Byzantine court often conveyed requests for copies of valuable Greek texts, successfully securing works by Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Galen, and Euclid; a copy of Ptolemys astronomical masterpiece soon became famous among the Arabs. The influential ninth-century scholar and translator Hunaun ibn Ishaq provides a taste of the length to which the Arab sages would go to obtain necessary material, in this case a missing medical manuscript: I myself searched with great zeal in quest of this book over Mesopotamia, all of Syria, Palestine and Egypt, until I came to Alexandria. I found nothing, except about half of it, in Damascus (Lyons). The caliphs and their officials were not the only ones behind this campaign. The effort became an integral feature of the Abbasid society itself and was supported enthusiastically by the social and political elite, from high born princes to merchants, bankers, and military officers. Even the concubines of the caliphs were known on occasion to contract with scholars for specialized translations. A former highwayman and childhood friend of Caliph al-Mamun, the seventh Abbasid ruler, turned his own facility for astrology into vast political power and wealth; he later fathered three children, known as the Sons of Musa, all of whom did original research in astronomy, mathematics, and engineering and generously funded other scholars and translators. Scholarships and other intellectual activities became an important means of social advancement, further breaking down what remained of the Arabs traditional hierarchy. They also encouraged competition for patronage among scholars from different traditions, primarily Arab and Persian, a phenomenon that ensured that high quality scientific and literary work would be carried out for centuries. The most skilled translator could earn huge sums of their work one was reputed to have been paid the weight of each completed manuscript in gold or rise to high office on the strength of their intellectual accomplishments. Without this institutional support, the considerable talents of the diverse scholars now under Abbasid rule would never have united into a powerful intellectual movement. Over the course of 150 years, the Arabs translated all available Greek books of science and philosophy. Arabic replaced Greek as the universal language of scientific inquiry. Higher education became increasingly organized in the early ninth century, and most major Muslim cities featured some type of university. One such institution, al-Azhar mosque complex in Cairo, has been the seat of uninterrupted instruction for more than one thousand years. Scholars traveled great distances to study with the most celebrated masters, dotted throughout the empire. Travel, and the accompanying exposure to new experiences and new ways of thinking, was an important element of a scholars education in a society that retained great reverence for the spoken word; other than face-to-face, how else could a learned man meet his colleagues and collect and debate their ideas? No one did more to advance the latest trends and then explain and popularize the results than the mathematician and astronomer Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. Born around 783, al-Khwarizmi was able to take full advantage of the social mobility and intellectual meritocracy that characterized early Abbasid scholarly life in Baghdad. Little is known of his exact origins, although his name suggests that he or his family originally came from Khwarazm. Al-Khwarizmis Muslim faith is made clear by the pious prefaces to some of his works, but his descendants may have been Zoroastrians. Al-Khwarizmis years of greatest productivity corresponded with the reigns of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mamun and his two successors Al-Mutasem and Al-Wathiq. As a prominent researcher attached to al-Mamuns House of Wisdom, al-Khwarizmi went on to attain rare heights in such disciplines as astronomy, arithmetic, and algebra. He was considered at the head of the institution (Sayili). Al-Khwarizmi is known to be the author of the zij, a book containing astronomical tables. His first two tables were known as the Sindhind. The zij provided the Muslims with all the tools needed to locate the positions of the sun, the moon, and the five visible planets. The zij was used to a great extent to regulate the five daily prayers and to mark the crescent moon which determines the start of the lunar month. Al-Khwarizmis Arabic text has been lost, but it survives in 12th century Latin translation. There exists the proof that the so-called Arabic numerals were conveyed to the West. For Muslims, The Book of Addition and Subtraction explained fully a system that was already in some use by the early ninth century, and within a little more than 100 years it had led to the discovery of decimal fractions. Actually, the book was called the Book of Addition and Subtraction to the Hindu Calculations, and this reveals that Muslims were open to many civilizations and they built their knowl edge upon older civilizations and scientific discoveries. The Indians were the first to come up with the decimal place system of nine numerals and zero, apparently the system that we use today. Al-Khwarizmi used decimal fractions to find the roots of numbers and later to calculate the value of Pi the ratio of a circle to its radius, correctly to a notable sixteen decimal places (Brezina). Nothing could reveal the real power and ability of Al-Khwarizmi more than his short work on algebra. The Book of Restoring and Balancing (Kitab al-jabr wal-muqabala) was the perfect guide and also the perfect gift to caliph al-Mamun and the Muslim society. The book was considered the simplest and most useful in arithmetic for the day-to-day matters. The book was referred to in cases of inheritance, legacies, trade, law-suits, and dealings among members of the society. Also, the book was consulted where measuring of lands, digging of canals, geometrical computations and other subjects were concerned. To fit with the Islamic rules of islam, Al-Khwarizmi included a simple algebraic operation that solves the inheritance problem for any size assets. Besides, the calculation of the Zakat, the annual religious tax, was included in the guide (Lyons). South Korea and Taiwan export more manufactured goods in two days than Egypt in a year; 35% of Cairenes live in slums; in Saudi Arabia, up to 30% of people live in poverty. Since 1950 the Arab population has risen from 79m to 327m, but real wages and productivity have barely moved since 1970. Intellectual life is atrophying. More books are translated into Spanish in a year than have been translated into Arabic in the past 1,000, states the UNs Arab Human Development Report. The authors trace much of the regions problems back to Arab societys methods of child-rearing (the authoritarian accompanied by the overprotective) which, they argue, affects how the child thinks by suppressing questioning, exploration and initiative. All of which perfectly suits the Arab worlds leaders and corrupt bureaucratic elites. Should we care? Very much so. Already, poor economic opportunities, endemic corruption, education based on rote learning, state-sponsored Jew hatred, soaring youth populations and unemployment are a recipe for social catastrophe. Add the rise of radical Islam and the growth of Al-Qaeda and the mix becomes something explosive. Paradoxically, the answer to the Arab worlds future lies in its past. A millennia ago Arab and Muslim thinkers, writers, scientists and doctors led an intellectual revolution that is still shaping our world. Without the pioneering work of the 9thcentury mathematician known as al-Khwarizmi, for example, thered probably be no comput ers. The legacies of Baghdads House of Wisdom and Al-Andalus prove there are no contradictions between Islam and intellectual innovation, the motor of any dynamic society. The answer to the Arab worlds problems, say a growing number of modern Islamic thinkers and scholars, can be found in ijtihad. The word shares a root with jihad, meaning holy war or struggle. Jihad nowadays is often interpreted to mean military struggle in Iraq or Palestine, or even suicide bombing. But jihad also means the spiritual and intellectual struggle for knowledge, for self-enlightenment.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Liquid Diets Essay -- Dieting Obesity Papers

Liquid Diets Obesity is one of the most common problems faced by people today. Since thirty-four million Americans are estimated to be obese, one out of every three Americans must live with this disorder. Obesity is defined as a body weight consisting of 20% or more above the standard ideal weight (http://www-med.stanford.edu/school/DGIM/Teaching/Modules/obesity.html#RTFToC12). In order to reduce obesity, most invest in diet and exercise programs. Recently, liquid diets have been positively modified, thus rising in popularity since their fall out during the late 1970’s. Out of the twenty million dieters, about one billion dollars will be spent this year on either medically sponsored liquid diets or over-the-counter liquid diet products (http://www.thriveonline.com/@@uwUQ@wQAMB†¦ve/health/Library/CAD/abstract13110.html). Even though many companies claim their diet produces safe and effective weight loss, many medical researches express their concern for various health risk conseq uences. PURPOSE OF TREATMENT The main purpose of liquid diets is weight loss. Many people have a low self-esteem concerning their looks and feel that weight loss would improve their outer appearance. Losing weight tends to boost self confidence by giving a feeling of accomplishment which is an incentive to lose more. Most of the over the counter liquid diets are invested by people who are not necessarily obese, but interested in taking off the excess weight. Liquid diets are also widely used to improve health conditions. Dieting results in weight loss which indirectly can decrease health risks. "If all Americans were to achieve a normal body weight, it has been estimated that there would be a 3 year increase in life expectancy... ...Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 60(2):249-54, 1994 Aug. Kretsch, MJ., MW Green, AK Fong, NA Elliman, and HL Johnson. "Cognitive effects of a long-term weight reducing diet." International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders. 21(1):14-21, 1997 Jan. Seim, HC., JE. Mitchell, C. Pomeroy, and M. de Zwaan. "Electrocardiographic findings associated with very low calorie dieting." International Journal of Obesity & Related Metabolic Disorders. 19(11):817-9, 1995 Nov. Shovic, Anne Caprio, PhD, Susan Adams, Jane Dubitzky, and Melody Anacker. "Effectiveness and dropout rate of a very low calorie diet program." Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 93(5):583-4, 1993 May. Walsh, MF and TJ Flynn. "A 54-month evaluation of a popular very low calorie diet program." Journal of Family Practice. 41(3):231-6, 1995 Sep.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

My Views on Patriotism

Jose Luna Mrs. Peterson English 12, P. 2 1/21/12 Patriotism Many people think patriotism means supporting your government during times of war. I don’t believe that for many reasons. I think you can have patriotism and not support your country. I don’t think patriotism means supporting your government in times of war. A reason I am against this belief is because it is not always the same thing to be a good man and be a good citizen or patriot What if the government is doing something bad like telling us who to hate or you would be one of them.Would you hate them and be a good American or would you be human and ask why? This has happened before in the USA and is known as McCarthyism. I f you spoke out against the government you would be branded a communist. Eventually more and more people came to their senses and began to rebel against the government. Another Reason I don’t agree with this Idea is because what if our country was invading another for the wrong reaso n and killing thousands of innocent lives. I think a life is worth more than some resources.Would you stand be your government knowing its killing innocent people for a profit? A country that has done this is the USA, it has invaded many countries for it resources. My final reason is you don’t have to support your government to have patriotism. Patriotism is the love for your country. The government and the country are two very different things. The government is the way a place is governed. I believe we should always be loyal to our country and loyal to the government only when it deserves it. An example happened a long time ago in the time of the Aztecs and the Spanish Conquistadors.Montezuma (Aztec king)  was  stoned to death  by his  own people because he represented the he Represented the Agenda of White Spaniards Once He Was Captured. If Montezuma had not listened to the Spaniards then they would have supported him. In conclusion, patriotism does not mean suppor ting your government during times of war. To be a patriot all you have to do is love your country and be willing to sacrifice to protect it. We don’t have to support the government but we do have to defend it from threats including from an oppressive government.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Processor of Frozen Foods Essay

Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits. The Olympic Foods tries to convince its stockholders through its annual report that it can increase profits as it has long experience. This is supported by comparing with a color film industry in which, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print feel from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. This argument makes some assumptions which is not supported with evidences. The Olympic Foods wrongly compares itself with a color film processing industry. The techniques and environment applicable to the color film processing industry may not be applicable to the food processing industry. What applies to a color film may not apply to food. For example, irrespective of the company’s experience, the time taken for a food to ferment would not change significantly. Just the 25 years of experience cannot be mentioned as a reason for increased profits. Other factors such as climate, market competition would also affect the profit of a company. With all such factors taken into consideration, if it can be proved that experience helps in reducing costs and maximizing profits, the argument would be strengthened. Since the argument misses several key issues, it is not very sound. If it included the points discussed above, the argument could have been thorough and more convincing.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Exactly How Long Should You Study for the ACT A 6-Step Guide

Exactly How Long Should You Study for the ACT A 6-Step Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In planning your ACT prep, you probably want to know how long you need to study. Is it weeks or months? Is it dozens of hours or hundreds? The answer to these questions depends on a variety of factors, including your target score and how comfortable you already are with the test material. There’s no reason to torture yourself with endless studying if your scores are already in the right range for your top choice schools. On the other hand, if you're still pretty far away from the scores you want, you may have to work harder than you think. In this guide, I'll show you how to figure out how much you need to improve, how many hours you need to spend to get there, and how you should build a study schedule before your next real ACT. Step 1: Find Your ACT Target Score Your ACT target score is the score you're aiming for that'll be high enough to get you into your top schools.You can download this free guide to calculate your target ACT score. You can alsocheck out this articlefor a quick look at how to find an appropriate target score for your goals. The easiest way to determine a target score is to Google your top choice school and â€Å"ACT scores.†You should be able to find a 25th percentile score and a 75th percentile score for the school. The range between the two represents the scores of the middle 50 percent of admitted students. Aim for the 75th percentile score (a higher score than 75 percent of the school’s admitted students) as your target to make sure you have the best chances of acceptance! Step 2: Take a Practice ACT to Determine Your Starting Point Here's a link to five free printable ACT practice tests, complete with answer keys so you can grade them yourself.Take one of these practice tests so you can see where you are relative to your target score. When I say to take a practice test, I don't mean answer questions for a section casually throughout the day while watching YouTube videos in the background. Really force yourself to live the experience of the ACT as it is in the actual test environment. Set aside a weekend morning and go through each section with the same constraints you would have on the real test. Why should you subject yourself to such torment? Because it's the only way to get a good estimate of where you stand in relation to your target score. Time pressure is a huge factor on the ACT, and it can impact your score significantly. Furthermore, going through all the sections in a row forces you to account for any fatigue you might experience on the later sections of the test. If you already know your starting point scores from a previous test or practice test, great! As soon as you settle on your test date, you'll be ready to cook up a study plan. A bitter Salvador Dali painted this to try and convince himself that time was a meaningless construct after he ran out of it on the ACT. Step 3: Decide When You'll Take the Real ACT We recommend taking the ACT for the first time during your junior fall in our Complete Study Plan.That way you'll be able to retake the test in the spring if necessary, and you'll be free to devote your senior year to college apps and devising elaborate senior pranks. If you're already coming up on senior fall and have to take the ACT in September or October no matter what, that’s OK too.Either way, you can find a study plan that works for you. Step 4: Figure Out How Many Hours You Need to Study Here is a rough guide to how many hours of study time you should put in for a given point improvement: Composite ACT Points You Want to Improve Hours of Study Needed 0-1 points 10 hours 1-2 points 20 hours 2-4 points 40 hours 4-6 points 80 hours 6-9 points 150+ hours Keep in mind that this is just a rough estimate of the hours you will need to put in to improve your score.If you want to improve 0-1 points, you'll probably be able to accomplish your goal with light review, a single practice test, and a retake of the official test. As you can see, the time you need to devote to studying if you're hoping for improvements of more than a few points is pretty significant.If you want to improve by more than 4 points or so, you'll have to do some in-depth content work to address gaps in your knowledge. The ACT tests a lot of different concepts, so it can take a while to cover them all. This is why an earlier start is better. Ideally you should start studying sophomore year to space out your hours and gradually gain familiarity with the structure of the test.Everyone has different study habits and restrictions on time, so you should further customize your plan while keeping these hour estimates as a baseline. Step 5: Create a Plan Based on Your Time Constraints and Studying Style How many weeks do you have before the test?How much time can you devote to studying in a typical week? There are many factors that will affect how you decide to study for the ACT. Here are some potential scenarios and corresponding study plans to get you started: Scenario 1: I Want to Improve by 1-2 Points, and I Have a Lot of Other Commitments Try doing some focused studying for an hour or two every week for however much time you have before the test.If you start at least a few months beforehand, you won’t be overwhelmed with yet another commitment, and you will gradually gain familiarity with questions while learning to avoid the silly mistakes that are costing you points. Two hours a week of studying for two months is a good general goal if you are closer to the test date. If you have four or more months before the test, you could try just an hour a week.Six months of studying for just an hour a week = 26 hours of study time! Scenario 2: I Want to Improve by 5 Points, and I Have the Summer to Study, but I’m Not Sure Where to Start Unstructured time is hard to manage, but it also means you can choose to study whenever you are most comfortable and least distracted.If you schedule out an afternoon each week when you will focus on studying, a few months may be enough to improve your scores.The chart above recommends around 80 hours of studying for a 5 point improvement. If you have three months to study, that comes out to about five hours a week. Scenario 3: I Want to Improve by 8 Points or More. Am I Crazy? No, you are (probably) perfectly sane!You may want to start studying earlier to catch up on the stuff you’re missing, but it’s doable if you're willing to put in some serious time and effort. If you still have six months before the test, think about which day of the week you will be least stressed by other commitments and schoolwork, and set that afternoon/evening aside for studying.Block out five hours a week for six months in advance of the test, and you should start to see significant positive results. If you have the resources to hire a tutor, this is when you might consider doing so.Theadvice of someone who has experience with the test is usually helpful if you feel like you are lacking in fundamental knowledge. Make sure you bring everything you need for the real ACT to your study sessions, including wacky markers and a regulation diameter globe. Step 6: Consider Factors That Increase or Decrease Study Time Requirements You might have special circumstances that mean you need to customize your study plan more drastically. Some people should study for more or less time based on past experience and time management skills. You May Need to Study for More Time If... You've already studied a lot, and you haven't seen much improvement. This might mean you need to switch up your strategies in addition to studying more. Take an objective look at how you've been using your study time so you can make productive changes. You're easily distracted. If you're spending a large chunk of your study time framing the perfect snapchat of you making a sad face with your ACT materials, you have a distraction problem. Try blocking out more time, and put away electronic devices while studying. It takes a while for you to learn from your mistakes. If you need to practice answering questions a few times before you understand your mistakes fully, you should consider studying for longer periods of time. You Might Improve in Less Time If... You're new to the ACT. If you are someone who has barely looked at the test before and just started studying, you'll see larger score gains in a shorter time. You're a super focused studier. What might take another person two hours to process will take you one, so consider dialing back your study time. You don't want to overdo it and end up with test fatigue. You learn quickly from your mistakes. If you never make the same mistake twice, you also shouldn't go overkill on studying. You probably only have to get the wrong answer once before you can rely on yourself to answer similar questions correctly in the future. Take Home Points You can formulate your ACT study plan based on your goals and the statistics for your top choice schools. The key is starting early! Give yourself more chances to excel. Figure out your target score, take apractice test, and decide how much you need to improve. Determine a realistic number of hours you will need to devote to studying based on your goals. Space out your studying time over the weeks leading up to your test date. Continue to take practice tests to evaluate the effectiveness of your studying and make sure you're on track. You’ve got this! What's Next? Check out our Complete Planfor when you should start studying for the ACT. This will give you a more comprehensive view of how to structure your time including what's tested, when you should take the test, and sample score goals for different levels of college selectivity. Also, take a look at our guide forhow to review missed questions on the SAT and ACT. If you can learn to effectively review missed questions, you will be a much more productive studier! Want to get a super high ACT score? Check out our guide to getting a perfect score on the ACT, written by a perfect scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Monday, October 21, 2019

spellbound essays

spellbound essays The book I read was Spellbound by Christopher Pike. In this book, a teenage girl named Karen Holly, was killed at the top of a nearby mountain with her skull smashed in. The only witness to this horrible murder was her boyfriend Jason Whitfield who said that a grizzly bear killed her and scratched him across the face when he tried to stop the bear by hitting it with a stick. He later goes to the police with his story and tells them where to find her corpse. When the police get to the top of the mountain they do not find her body where Jason said that it would be, but instead discovered the corpse in a nearby stream. After a few weeks people start to think that Jason is hiding something about that terrible night, some people even think that Jason himself killed her. These conspiracies are fuel by many things such as the fact that there was flesh found underneath Karen's fingernails or that Jason now has a new girlfriend named Cindy Jones. The town decides to have a trial because of all of the conspiracies so that they can set the record straight on what happen that night. A couple days before the trial Jason, Cindy, Cindy's brother Alex, Alex's date Joni Harper, Cindy's best friend Pam Alta, and a foreign exchange student who is staying with Pam named Bala decide to go to the top of the mountain. Jason wants to do this because he says he wants to face his fear of the mountain that he got after the night Karen was killed. At the top mountain, Jason says he wants to show them a secret cave. After walking for about ten minutes they have to go over a log to cross the stream. While walking on the log Cindy falls off and into the stream. Alex and Jason run to try to save Cindy but suddenly Bala dives off a high cliff into the water, grabs Cindy and pulls her to safety. The next day at school, Alex and his best friend named Ray get in a fight because Alex finds out that Ray is going out on a date that night with Joni H ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Learn About Redox Problems With an Example

Learn About Redox Problems With an Example In oxidation-reduction or redox reactions, it is important to be able to identify which atoms are being oxidized and which atoms are being reduced. To identify if an atom is either oxidized or reduced, you only have to follow the electrons in the reaction. Example Problem Identify the atoms that were oxidized and which atoms were reduced in the following reaction:Fe2O3 2 Al → Al2O3 2 FeThe first step is to assign oxidation numbers to each atom in the reaction. The oxidation number of an atom is the number of unpaired electrons available for reactions.Review these  rules for assigning oxidation numbers.Fe2O3:The oxidation number of an oxygen atom is -2. 3 oxygen atoms have a total charge of -6. To balance this, the total charge of the iron atoms must be 6. Since there are two iron atoms, each iron must be in the 3 oxidation state. To summarize, -2 electrons per oxygen atom, 3 electrons for each iron atom.2 Al:The oxidation number of a free element is always zero.Al2O3:Using the same rules for Fe2O3, we can see there are -2 electrons for each oxygen atom and 3 electrons for each aluminum atom.2 Fe:Again, the oxidation number of a free element is always zero.Put all this together in the reaction, and we can see where the electrons went:Iron we nt from Fe3 on the left side of the reaction to Fe0 on the right. Each iron atom gained 3 electrons in the reaction.Aluminum went from Al0 on the left to Al3 on the right. Each aluminum atom lost three electrons.Oxygen stayed the same on both sides.With this information, we can tell which atom was oxidized and which atom was reduced. There are two mnemonics to remember which reaction is oxidation and which reaction is reductions. The first one is OIL RIG:Oxidation Involves Loss of electronsReduction Involves Gain of electrons.The second is LEO the lion says GER.Lose Electrons in OxidationGain Electrons in Reduction.Back to our case: Iron gained electrons so iron was oxidized. Aluminum lost electrons so aluminum was reduced.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Reaction of the article Groom Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaction of the article Groom Service - Essay Example As illustrated in the article, Bernard’s mother, Martha is strongly interested in Marie, Blanche’s child marrying her son. Bothe mothers have the same feeling that their children should marry and start a family. The main reason why these mothers want their children to marry each other is that each individual has great admiration for each other’s child. For instance, Bernard is the talk of the village because he is well groomed and is respectful. Each individual would envy to have a son in law like this wonderful son of Martha. On the hand, Marie is also admired for her good manners. Parents often observe their children as they grow up and they tend to admire certain behavior in them. Apart from observing their own children, the parents also observe other people’s children to see the features that make them outstanding in the society and admired by many people. Another notable aspect highlighted in the article is that the mothers often wish their children to inherit their disposition. That is, they want their children to behave like themselves. In as far as good morals are concerned, the mothers think that they are role models to their children. They represent good behavior and moral values. However, the mothers feel that their children should possess their fathers’ looks and personality. This will help them to create identity which will distinguish them from other people. Whilst the mothers they may play a pivotal role in influencing their children’s spouses, it can also be noted that it is not always the case that the children would have the same feelings towards then â€Å"chosen† people by their parents. As noted in the case of Bernard, he is more interested in Doris than Marie. Apparently, Doris is by far older than Bernard but he feels comfortable in her than in Marie whom he regards as young. Over and above, it can be noted that parents have certain expectations of their children

Friday, October 18, 2019

2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

2 - Essay Example equal to capital and liabilities because when a person or an entity start their business, they inject the capital which can be in form of cash or other assets therefore at the beginning of the entity all there is are assets and capital. When the company expands it purchases goods or offers services which give rise to further assets and further liabilities as loans are acquired and credit is obtained out of that same capital. Some amount is also generated as profit for their business. Therefore, all the transactions of the entity take place through the same capital and the assets of the company must always equal their liabilities and capital. The statement of financial position gives the position of the company at a given moment of time where it provides the description of company’s assets, liabilities and equity from its establishment to that particular date, while the Income statement provides the details of all the income and expenditure activities during the year as at the date of balance sheet. In a nut shell, the financial position is the standing at that date while the Income statement is the movement during the period which is why the dates begin with ‘as at’ and ‘year ended’ respectively. The figure of net cash flow will mostly be different from that of net profit because the cash flows of the company are purely due to the monetary items such as sale, purchase, monetary income of dividend and interest, monetary expenses of salaries and rent etc. These expenses are purely of monetary nature while the net profits of the company not only involve these monetary items but also involve non cash items such as depreciation, fair value, amortization etc therefore normally cash and cash equivalents of the company are usually not equal to their net profit. Certain expenses are not affected by the cash flows of the company as it does not involve cash dealing on the time of the transaction. These expenses or income do not affect the cash flows because

Chinense arts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Chinense arts - Essay Example The line patterns on unearthed pottery and bronze ware resemble ripples, fishing nets, teeth or frogs. The animal and human figures, succinct and vivid, are proofs to the innate sensitivity of the ancient artists and nature.† The early Chinese artists were fascinated by the beauty of Nature. They held the various agents of Nature like mountains, rivers etc. in reverence and awe. The proof for this can be found in the steep cliffs in Sichuan, Guizhou in Southwes China and Yunnan. More ancient engravings and paintings can be found in Altai, and Heihe. The paintings are related to the tough living conditions of the people in those hilly tracts. Scenes of sacrificial rites, production activities and so forth can be seen. In northern China, the themes of paintings were entirely different. They mostly relate to animal grazing, hunting, wars and dancing. Paper was invented much later and the artists used silk for their paintings. The earliest silk painting was excavated from the Mawangdui Tomb which relates to Warring States Period (476-221 BC). Buddhism came from India in the 1st century and one can see carvings on grottoes and temple buildings. The religious murals came to the fore. Chinese artists were exposed to vagaries of Nature and territorial aggrandizement of different dynasties and the unity of China as one country was put to severe test. Wars between the dynasties were the common feature during the third to sixth centuries. These developments set the Chinese artists thinking and varied themes emerged from their creative strokes. â€Å"Grotto murals, wall murals in tomb chambers, stone carvings, brick carvings and lacquer paintings flourished in a period deemed very important to the development of traditional Chinese painting The Tang Dynasty (618-907) witnessed the prosperity of figure painting, where the most outstanding painters were

Royal Chocolate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Royal Chocolate - Essay Example The inventory management system is required to be automated to make it more efficient and effective, so that reordering can be done at lower levels, thus saving cost of ordering and the inventory carrying costs. To satisfy the requirements of quick and fast communication, the company needs to upgrade its obsolete machines. As the company has purchased 10 new desktops, 5 of these should be provided to the 5 people working in the office. These people do not require notebooks since they do not move along often. The remaining 5 desktops should be installed at the plant site, so that plant management and employees can have access to the company's network. In order to produce reliable and accurate office documents quickly and efficiently, and to extract the full potential of office automation software, the company should purchase enterprise wide licenses of the latest Microsoft Office 2007 suite; which contains MS Word for documents generation and reporting, MS Excel for financial spreadsheets and numerical analysis, MS Power Point for presentation development, and MS Outlook to support emails. Royal Chocolates has a high volume of inter-office correspondence (assumption). An intranet email facility can eliminate most paper based communication. The system will provide instantaneous delivery, significantly reducing the time and manual record keeping overhead costs. The company is recommended to implement Exchange Server 2003 for better management of email system. One of the newly acquired servers should be used as email server. Appropriate software should be installed that include not only the exchange server software, but also email clients like MS Outlook, antivirus software and others. Intranet and Extranet To provide the necessary infrastructure for internal office correspondence, and email facility, the company should implement an intranet for communication between people in the office, and between office and plant. In addition, extranet needs to be developed to communicate with vendors and suppliers. The development of intranets and extranets is a part of e-business which can be said to include e-service, the provision of services and tasks online (Nelson, 2001). The extranet will allow the company to establish a VPN (Virtual Private Network) with the vendors, who

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Math Hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Math Hero - Essay Example Math is not left to interpretation but rather is either right or wrong. Furthermore, it is often too easy to become confused by sequences of numbers which ultimately lead to an answer which is also merely a set or group of more numbers. When one who is truly gifted in the area of Mathematics as well as the area of teaching mathematics is able to take arbitrary numbers and problems and turn them into an applied question leading to a specific answer, one can truly be said to be a math hero. This is truly the key to bridging the gap between the vast abyss of numbers and formulas, and the rest of the world as well as the universe. One way in which a math hero may achieve creating an interesting way of making math comprehensive to their students, is through visual aids such as props which are tangible, (eg. A mini composite of our universe, quantities of small objects and so on). It is one thing to count on one’s hand or copy numbers on to a blackboard but it is altogether something else to illustrate to students in a very tangible manner, how numbers and mathematics work. All of the answers to the world in which we live as well as the infinite riddles of the universe, is found in math. As complicated as this sounds, it is still reassuring to know that virtually every answer that we may possibly seek, is available in the proper mathematical application or formula. A math hero may in fact utilize the very data of the universe to help students better understand how to arrive at a quantitative solution. A math hero will also bare in mind that by teaching mathematics effectively to students, they are provid ing those students with endless future possibilities. An example of this is perhaps a student struggling desperately with the concept of algebra. A math hero will take this into consideration by using multiple analogies to convey the concept of the unknown figure is simple the employment of all other information provided within the

Amazon case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Amazon case study - Essay Example evolution includes change of ownership as everyone is incorporated since the owners decides issues based on the long terms motivated by the excess opportunities available in the modern world due to development in technology, labor quality increase over the times since hiring and placement must be done to acquire competent efforts who can pursue diversification in all aspects. Companies diversify in different ways. Some uses the same line of products to produce more known as the related diversifies while others chose to go different line known as the unrelated diversifiers. Thus those who chose to be in the same line tends to make more profit than the firms that deviate to other goods since the companies diversifying in similar products tends to specialize and produce quality goods which can compete relatively in prices at the market. Amazon is a company that is customer obsesses ion and tries to satisfy them by all means since they are the key to the growth of the firm hence participates in various inventions to improve productivity (KENNY, 200). The organization also believes in spending the right way to achieve self-efficiency of the diversification, increase sales volume and become more resourceful and innovations to all sectors in the company. Amazon chose to diversify into unrelated business so as to expand their growth and the evolution as gone over times. The company was started as an online bookstore selling but that has since changed over the times. The company has now incorporated diversity in other areas which includes, software’s, MP3s, video games electronics, food to consumers, music CDs, video tapes, equipment, fashion and many more. The company also has got a multi-product strategy in the market as it plans to enter the sale of air tickets online and hotel rooms. The company has since acquired a substantial share of the market of the bookstore. However as a result of the diversification, the sales volume has greatly reduced over the times

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Math Hero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Math Hero - Essay Example Math is not left to interpretation but rather is either right or wrong. Furthermore, it is often too easy to become confused by sequences of numbers which ultimately lead to an answer which is also merely a set or group of more numbers. When one who is truly gifted in the area of Mathematics as well as the area of teaching mathematics is able to take arbitrary numbers and problems and turn them into an applied question leading to a specific answer, one can truly be said to be a math hero. This is truly the key to bridging the gap between the vast abyss of numbers and formulas, and the rest of the world as well as the universe. One way in which a math hero may achieve creating an interesting way of making math comprehensive to their students, is through visual aids such as props which are tangible, (eg. A mini composite of our universe, quantities of small objects and so on). It is one thing to count on one’s hand or copy numbers on to a blackboard but it is altogether something else to illustrate to students in a very tangible manner, how numbers and mathematics work. All of the answers to the world in which we live as well as the infinite riddles of the universe, is found in math. As complicated as this sounds, it is still reassuring to know that virtually every answer that we may possibly seek, is available in the proper mathematical application or formula. A math hero may in fact utilize the very data of the universe to help students better understand how to arrive at a quantitative solution. A math hero will also bare in mind that by teaching mathematics effectively to students, they are provid ing those students with endless future possibilities. An example of this is perhaps a student struggling desperately with the concept of algebra. A math hero will take this into consideration by using multiple analogies to convey the concept of the unknown figure is simple the employment of all other information provided within the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Construction projects are as much about people as they are about Essay

Construction projects are as much about people as they are about technical undertakings - Essay Example Thus to properly meet the expectations and aspirations of the different stakeholder groups the project contractor must see that the project gets duly completed on a timely basis. Further the contractor must also see that the investment rendered by the different stakeholders for the effective completion of the project activity is duly addressed by generating effective returns. The contractor thereby is required to plan in adequate manner different strategies that would help in reducing the cost of the project side-by-side working to enhance the quality paradigm for the same. Working on the above manner would help the project manager and the contractor in generating adequate revenues for the different stakeholders. The project concerning construction activities also tends to render huge impact on the natural environment in the adjoining areas. Thus the paper in this regard focuses on the formulation of different strategies on behalf of the contractor that would help in gaining required solutions to the aforesaid issues (Chinyio, 2010, p.128-131). Construction Projects and Time Management Effective time management is required to be conducted for the completion of the large scale construction projects in due time. ... This procedure focuses on the estimation and monitoring of the time spent by each of the different persons involved in such project activity. This specific monitoring in regards to the time required for the construction projects thus helps in closing the deviations from the total estimated time made for the total project to complete. However the estimated time required for the completion of the total construction project does not consider the random happening of events natural or otherwise that tend to render obstruction to the ideal completion of the project. Thus an important consideration is held in this case that no abnormal events rise during the project tenure that in turn would tend to enhance the time required for the completion of the project. Uncertainty of occurrences in regards to the construction project can be accounted also in the form of contingencies. The contingencies can thereby be accounted using separate techniques like PERT. Though the technique persists for the accounting of contingencies yet it is found for a number of cases like outbreak of fire or natural calamities the same system of contingency accountability fails to render the correct result. Thus an adjustment is maintained in the form of contingencies wherein the time set is added to the normal time held for the project to get completed. Again especially in cases of construction projects it is found that the entire project activity gets dismantled owing to disturbing weather conditions. Thus the time management and setting of allowances and allocations need to be maintained on that basis. Construction projects carried out in highways become greatly affected owing to such disturbing conditions that in turn enhance the time required for

Monday, October 14, 2019

Describe What Is Meant By Market Orientation Marketing Essay

Describe What Is Meant By Market Orientation Marketing Essay Market orientation is a business approaches that focuses on identifying and try to meet the needs or wants of customers. Market orientation occurs when the customers identify difference in a company when all the advantages offered to customers are measured. Market oriented companies focus customers wants and for the companies it is a good opportunities arise from changing needs of the market. The advantages of market oriented companies are it would have a higher customer value. Besides that, market oriented companies can do better than their competitor hence it will increase their profit. Company will focus the needs of the customers and try the best to meets their needs due to the level of competitive among the companies is high. Market orientation can be achieved by market research. In market research, the companies are gathering, record, and analysis of data from the customer and market. After analysis the data from customer and market, the company can easily to meets the customer s needs and wants. Based on the case given, Nestle already done their market research about their consumers and the result shows that their customers needs want more information about what they eat and drink. Nestle try to understand the economic, geographic and social factors which affects the diets of the consumers and try to concentrate on the nutritional and health value of the products. Example, Nestle have used their research and technological expertise to their ice cream products to lower the calories and fats and yet to have the same taste. In order to promote their product as a healthy product, Nestle provide the information about their products to the customers by using visual form of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). GDAs symbolic will make consumers to easily understand and make correct decision on the average amount of nutrients that they consume over an average day. Moreover, Nestle also focus on their customers and to understand their physical desires. Nestle have many products and consumed by all age of groups. They have introduced sugar free products like Polo and lower sugar product Kit Kat Light. Thus, it is clear that Nestle is market oriented companies since they are trying to understand the customers and market needs in order to achieve organizations goal. Using an example, explain what is meant by business ethics. Ethics are the moral principle or values held by those within the organization. For Nestle, in order to be ethical in operations, Nestles decisions are guided by a series of business principles. The well-being of consumers and employees is central to its business principles. For example, one of the principles is Nestle recognizes that its consumers have sincere and legitimate interest in the behavior, beliefs and actions of the company behinds its brands in which they place they trust, and that without its consumers the company would not exist. Business ethics is a study of what is constitutes right or wrong, good and bad. It also means the human conduct in a business context. Business ethics can influences the decision making of one company. One of the examples of business ethics is in the situation when the company deals with their customers. The ways that the company deals with their customers is they must treat them fairly and honestly. It means prohibiting the employees from cheating the customers or providing them misleading information. The employees should not hide the true price of a products, services and policy and trick customer to buy the product. They should not promise more than the product or services can deliver. Nestle practices a good business practice which the company play an important roles in the development of Guidelines Daily Amounts (GDA). The company added the visual form of the GDAs in the front of the pack of each product. Hence, every customers know the information of the amounts of calories, sugars, fat, salt, saturates of each product. The company also did not exaggerating the GDA in their product. It can show that Nestle is practicing a good business ethics. Question 3 What is the purpose of having business principles? Business principles are basically the guidelines used by business organizations. These principles play an important role as they influence the decision making of a company. Besides that, they serve as a supporting tool which provide a reference point and guide to the detailed implementation for the companies. There are several purposes of having business principles. First of all it acts as a guideline for the employees to follow in order to achieve the goal of the company. Business principle of a company is an approach to create a shared value between the shareholders and consumers besides influencing how the employees of an organization should behave. Nestle has its own business principle. The Nestle corporate business principles are the basis of the company culture. It has been developed over the span of 140 years. Nestle is committed to the following business principles in all countries, taking into account local legislation, cultural and religious practices. All these principles provide clear guidelines for employees and help them make choice which reflects the companys ethical stance. The first principle is Nutrition, Health and Wellness. The purpose of this principle is to enhance the quality of consumers lives every day, everywhere by offering tastier and healthier food and encouraging a healthy lifestyle. Nestle express it through their corporate proposition Good Food, Good Life. Next business principle is quality assurance and product safety. Nestle name represents a promise to the consumer that their product is safe and of high standard. The third principle is consumer communication. Nestle is committed to responsible, reliable consumer communication that empowers consumers to exercise their right to informed choice and promotes healthier diets and respect their consumer privacy. The fourth principle is human rights in the business activities. Based on this principle, Nestle fully supports the United Nations Global Compacts (UNGC) guiding principles on human rights and labour. The aim is to provide an example of good human rights and labour practices througho ut their business activities. The fifth principle is leadership and personal responsibility. Nestle companys success lies on its people. Nestle corporate treat each other with respect and expect everyone to promote a sense of personal responsibility. They recruit competent and motivated people. Nestle also provide equal opportunities for every employees development and protect their privacy.The next one is safety and health at work. This principle is basically designed to prevent accidents, injuries and illness related to work. The seventh principle is supplier and customer relations. Nestle require their suppliers, agents, subcontractors and their employees to be honesty, integrity and fairness. The eighth principle is agriculture and rural development. This principle shows that Nestle wants contribute to improvements in agricultural production, social and economic status of farmers, rural communities and in production systems to make them more environmentally sustainable. The next principle is environmental sustainability. Nestle commits to environmentally sustainable business practices. At all stages of the products life cycle Nestle wants to strive to use natural resources efficiently and target zero waste. The final business principle is water. Through this principle we can see that Nestle is committed to the sustainable use of water and continuous improvement in water management. This is because the world faces a growing water challenge and that responsible of management. Question 4 Use examples of business organizations known to you to illustrate examples of ethical decisions and comment upon why you feel those decisions to have been ethical. The decision of the Tesco to going green is an ethical decision. Basically, going green is mean to live life in a way that is friendly to the natural environmental and is sustainable for the earth. Going green also means contributing towards to maintaining the ecological balance in environment and minimizes the harm that the community do to the environment as a result of inhabiting in the earth. Tesco took several ways to achieve the objective of going green decision. Climate week is one of the ways that the company going green. Climate week took place to help tackle climate change. Tesco sold the Climate Week- branded Bags for Life on Buy One Get One Free. Tesco have achieved highest weekly sales of Bags for Life. If just 10% of the customers reuse their Climate Week bags, it will save an additional 2.3 million carrier bags per year. By this Tesco can helps to reduce the use of plastic bags. The reduction in the use of plastics would help in the conservation of energy. Besides that, Tesco had lots of green offers in stores and sales of the climate Week T-Shirt to raised money for the Environmental Justice Foundation. Besides that, Tesco also become the first supermarket that has carbon labels their own brand products. Tesco labeled hundreds of products which help customer to make greener purchasing choices. Tesco carbon label show how much of carbon dioxide is emitted from the production, use and disposal of each product. The products which have carbon label are orange juice, washing detergent, light bulbs, milk, kitchen and toilet roll. Tesco also provide automated recycling centre that help customer to recycle their plastic bottle, cans and glass. Tesco provide a recycle machine to make the recycle process simplest. The automated recycling centre enables the customer to recycle their things easily and hence it can also encourage them to recycle. Recycling help in reduce greenhouse effect. Gas emission occurs during the disposal of product that is not biodegr adable. If the greenhouse gas emission reaches the dangerous levels, it will cause the change in temperature globally. Therefore, Tescos automated recycling centre can help reduce the manufacture paper, plastic bottles, glass and also can save energy needed to manufacture new products. Tesco also give Green Clubcard points for those customers which recycle two aluminum cans. Another example of company that illustrates an ethical decision is Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad. In line with its new mission of Helping Malaysians move forward in life with trusted dairy nutrition, Dutch Lady has launched its two-year plan which is Sugar Reduction Campaign to aggressively reduce sugar consumption via its product ranges. Dutch Lady plan to reduce the sugar consumption by 40% or 2700 tons by 2013 from its current level as one of its effort to improve nutritional profile of its products. Research carried out shows that sugar consumption in Malaysia is averages 26 teaspoons a day, which is obviously more than the recommended average of not above 10 teaspoons a day. This has caused many people will suffered from obesity and diabetes in our country. Dutch Lady said currently around 32% of its total stock are made without any added sugar and by the end 2013, the company aims to reduce annual consumption of added sugar by over 2700 tons. This effort will begin with the withdrawal of its sweetened creamers starting from December 2011. Currently, 110 of its total products were made without added sugar. Dutch Lady is trying to replace sugar with natural sweeteners and also reformulating the products based on emerging nutritional science and as a new idea of healthy choice options which can be consider. The company also believes that consumers will replace sweetened creamers with evaporated or UHT milk and take one teaspoon of sugar every day as this will help to reduce the sugar consumption in the long run. This will be followed by the introduction of the improved range of existing products with 25 per cent less sugar namely Dutch Lady Kid, Dutch Lady School and Dutch Lady Low Fat Drinking Yogurt. By showing these products with lower sugar contents in the product, consumers will expect that the sugar levels to be reduced in most of Dutch Ladys products. This will attract more consumers to buy Dutch Ladys products as it is good for health. In our opinion, Sugar Reduction Campaign carried out by Dutch Lady reflects that they are making ethical decision for their business. This campaign is also part of Dutch Ladys corporate social responsibility programme and business sustainability efforts as a commitment for helping Malaysia become a healthier nation in future. This campaign also aligns with government and medical fraternitys effort to promote healthier lifestyles amongst Malaysians as well as to help educate Malaysians about the negative effects of high level of sugar consumption. Besides, it is also aimed to improve the health of consumers by reducing the amount of sugar consumption in a day which is not good for our healthy. The lower the level of sugar consumption in a day the better it is as it will encourage consumers to have a healthier lifestyle. This means that Dutch Lady also concern about their consumers health besides aim for earning high profits only for their business. The action taken by Dutch Lady refle cts that company is responsible to continuously work towards improving the nutritional profile of its products line by making some improvement to its existing products. Thus, it will also encourage positive reputation to the company as consumers will loyal to Dutch Ladys brands in future.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Essays -- essays research papers

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Old Testament Fulfilled Prophecies The Virgin birth of Christ is an actual Historical fact. God came (in the sinless form of Jesus) into the earth "HE" created. No other event in the past has had so much impact out side of Calvary where Christ paid the price for our transgressions. Seven hundred years earlier, this was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah and it came about just as predicated in (Matthew 1:22, 23) In Isaiah 7:14, we take notice what the prophet Isaiah said about this male child or "Son". He prophesied that Jesus Christ would be born of a "Virgin." The word says "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that this male child WOULD BE INCARNATE. (Isaiah 9:6) "For unto us a child is born unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, the prince of peace. THE GOSPEL INTRODUCTION OF JESUS I read about Jesus in the four gospels of the New Testament. In their narratives of his birth, Matthew and Luke call him the virgin-born Savior, the Lord Christ Jesus, the Holy One, the So of the Most High, the Son of God, and Immanuel, which means "God with us." Mark does not give us an account of Christ's birth, but he dows introduce him as Jesus Christ, the son of God. John, like...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Chapter Four: Related work there are several work and study on text category with Arabic text and every work take the study from some points and leave others depend on type of study. in [68] make classification for Arabic text and the result was that very robust and reliable without morphological analysis, in [71] make comparative study using N-Gram and using two measures, Manhattan measure and Dice’s measure and make comparison between them and the result was the N-Gram with Dice's measure better than using Manhattan measure and make experimental on four category, in other [83] Text Classification from Labeled and Unlabeled Documents using EM, Been proposed Algorithm used expectation - maximization with the naive Bayes classifier to learn from the documents labeled and non-labeled, The first step classifier using trains and documents named, and labels potentially Unnamed documents. And then trained on the new classifier using the labels for all the documents, and is repeated to convergence. many rese arches are proposed and presented for the problem of the Arabic text classification In this section we mention the main algorithms of these studies such as: Decision tree [36], KNN [37,38,39,40], NB [17,41,42], N-Gram frequency [5,45],Rocchio [4], SVM [19,21,43], and distance based classifier [ 46,47,48]. †¢ Syiam et. al. [40] presented an intelligent Arabic text categorization system that used the KNN and Rocchio profile-based [50] classifiers to classify a set of Arabic text documents collected from three Egyptians news paper called Al Ahram, Al Gomhoria, and Al Akhbar during the period from August 1998 to September 2004. the corpus contains 1132 documents with 39468 words and cover six topics. Three approaches were adopted as pre... ... Agency website. The corpus contain 1562 documents of different lengths belongs to six categories. The documents were normalized and preprocessed by removing digits, foreign words, punctuation marks, and stop-words. The Chi square method was used for feature selection with various numbers of words ranging from 10 to 1000. The corpus was spied such as 70% of the documents were used for training the classifier while the remaining 30% of documents were used for testing. Three evaluation measures precision, recall, and F-measure were used to evaluate the performance of the NB classifier. Results showed that the NB classifier work well when the number of words grows. The NB classifier reach its peak for precision and F-measure when the number of selected words equal 800 words, while the peak for the recall measure was when the number of selected words equal to 700 words.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Sample Market Analysis

Sample Market Analysis Market Analysis Customers Family Farmers Choice has developed a database of present customer who buy on a regular basis and customers who have bought only occasionally as the opportunity presents itself, such as at farmers markets. Customer demographics show the current customers are in an income range of $45,000 or more, two income families, professional occupations, concerned about the environment and located primarily in urban areas. Research also shows these customers are Internet users and willing to order product from our business via the Internet.Research conducted by Farmers Choice has verified that there is a market segment large enough to justify the investment in the processing facility. Further, the premium these consumers are willing to pay will allow the shipment of products to nearly all geographic locations in the country. Focus groups, market surveys and product demonstrations at several locations were used to develop demographic profiles of ea ch promising location so that zip codes could be used to easily identify future markets when expansion is deemed appropriate. (Note: Results of the surveys can be provided if additional information is desired. A significant number of consumers are concerned about where their meat products are coming from and how these products are processed. The company will market directly to that group. Since they are highly informed consumers, however, a major task will be to establish credibility. In the farmers markets targeted for sales there are an estimated 100,000 potential customers (based on census estimates). At present, Farmers Choice has reached only a fraction of that customer base. Based on data in the U. S. Census Bureau databases, estimated customer potential is as follows: Big Town Farmers Market |55,000 | |Lotus |10,000 | |Keeper |10,000 | |Sagmore |15,000 | |Cool Springs |5,000 | Market Size and Trends 99718. 2 billion pounds of pork produced 199819. 0 billion pounds of pork produced 199919. 4 billion pounds of pork produced Source: Steve Meier, National Pork Producers Council. 1999 figures based on USDA estimate. Average prices received by the producer have decreased in recent years: 1997$52. 90 per hundred weight 1998$34. 40 per hundred weight U. S. per capita consumption of pork is declining: 198057. 3 pounds per person 199649. 1 pounds per person In spite of declining per capita consumption of pork, consumers still spend more money on pork per year than on poultry and fish.Average annual expenditures for pork in 1998 were $146 per person per year, second only to beef at $218. The expenditures for all meat (beef, pork, poultry and fish) decreased slightly from the 1997 annual expenditures. (Source: Consumer Expenditures Survey, 1984-98, U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics) According to USDA data, higher expenditures for pork versus poultry may have been due to retail prices. For example, in June 1998, the average retail price for po rk was $2. 29 per pound, compared to chicken at $1. 55 per pound.Consumer Perceptions of Pork According to a survey conducted by the National Pork Producers Council, more than three out of four family cooks believe pork is a healthful choice. The same study indicated families prefer pork because it tastes good. Survey respondents also cited pork’s versatility, nutrition and value as key reasons for its popularity. Ranking of the favorite cuts: 1. Chops 2. Tenderloins 3. Roasts 4. Ribs Pork producers work hard to deliver the product that the consumer wants. Consumers wanted leaner pork and they got it!Compared to 1983, pork of 2000 has about 31 percent less fat content. General Trends in Meat Consumption There are a number of new and emerging trends in meat marketing which are relevant to the interest of this feasibility study. In general there are three consumer preferences today which are driving major changes in the meat industry. †¢ Consumers are demanding meats that require little preparation time. Population and labor trends are driving this preference. An unprecedented number of women are in the workforce today.There is an increasing number of single adult households in the U. S. ; of those, the number of single parent, female-headed households is increasing, resulting in more than ever limited time for meal preparation within U. S. households. A Yankelovich poll (reported by the American Meat Institute) claims that half of all Americans spend less than 45 minutes cooking an evening meal compared to the two-hour meal preparation typical in American households 30 years ago. People have a limited amount of time and don’t want to spend it cooking.Add to this the fact that at 4 p. m. , 60 percent of Americans do not know what they will eat for dinner. The implications are that the meat marketing industry has a whole new challenge for capturing palates and dollars. †¢ Consumers have little knowledge of and skills for cooking. Studies r eport that many consumers feel that their knowledge of cooking and skills for meal preparation are more limited than those of their parents and grandparents. Furthermore, the American Meat Institute reports that many American consumers find meat preparation to be challenging.Implications for meat marketing are that meats are becoming increasingly available as meal-ready or with minimal preparation. †¢ Consumers are concerned about health and nutrition when buying meat. The Food Marketing Institute claims that nearly 80 percent of Americans want to eat food they perceive to be extremely healthy and that 42 percent are willing to pay more for low-fat versions of commonly consumed products. In the lunch meat and hot dog markets, a record 50 percent of the products offered are items with reduced or low fat. Consumers are demanding changes from the meat industry and the industry is responding. Numerous options and innovations can be observed at all levels in production, processing a nd packaging. The retail point of sale is taking on a new look. Emerging Trends in Meat Marketing Case-Ready Meat: These are value added fresh meat products that the supermarket purchases in precut packages. Due to new packaging technologies, precut, tray-ready packages tend to offer a longer shelf life than conventional products.Often hermetically sealed, they offer customers trimmed, individually wrapped, consistent portions. Case-ready meats eliminate extra steps in handling for retailers and consumers alike. Consumer-Ready Products: These products go a step beyond the case-ready meat products by including preparation tips, cooking instructions, spices, or seasoning packets. Portions are indicated on the package. Consumer-ready products include items such as marinated meats, stuffed chops, kabobs and seasoned steaks and roast which are ready to take home and pop into the oven, microwave or place on the grill.Home Meal Replacement: These are fully prepared products which free the consumer from all responsibility of meal preparation. They often come packed and portioned as entrees with options to purchase complementary side dishes or extras. Also known as TOTE (Take Out To Eat), these dinners in a bag are the way in which supermarkets and grocery stores are competing with restaurants to gain business from Americans who choose not to prepare their own meals. The market analysis shows a broad range of prospective clients.The green labeled, eco-labeled, naturally labeled, food industry is in a boom period. While there are a growing number of items from a growing number of vendors becoming available, Family Farmers Choice is approaching the market as a multi-choice provider of products with a face. The owner/members of Family Farmers Choice have spent 10 years carefully laying the groundwork and learning the methods for success. The value-added cooperative is now poised to make the most of established connections with consumers and other marketers of natural item s handcrafted on family farms.Family Farmers Choice is set to offer food, fiber and manufactured products that nourish, provide comfort or address a desired taste or want. The members of Family Farmers Choice have proven an ability to adjust their product lines while also displaying a tenacious desire to provide whatever level of sweat equity is required to preserve their independent ways of life as family farmers. The owners/members have also provided 50 percent of the equity requirements per early feasibility estimates. The food-with-a-face concept of marketing is still relatively new and enjoys some sense of novelty in the marketplace.The genuine authenticity that can be verified by Family Farmers Choice is not yet common in the commercial consumer marketplace, which gives the Family Farmers group a leg up on the competition. The industry of specialized foods and handmade, one-of-a-kind products is on a steady upward growth curve; and Family Farmers Choice is poised to capitalize on the consumer’s desire for these items. While a bouncing economy can affect many areas, specialty food items and unique crafted goods are generally less affected than the main, with unique items typically finding favor in the marketplace.The following article, reprinted, provides a degree of verification. Farmers Rated Best in Ensuring Food Safety Survey Identifies Consumer and Editor Opinions about Food Issues DES MOINES, Iowa— Tuesday, September 29, 1998— Food safety has surpassed issues such as crime prevention, health and nutrition, environmental protection, water quality and recycling as the most important public issue facing consumers. However, consumers give farmers high marks for their efforts to assure a safe food supply, a survey by the International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition, shows.Fifty-nine percent of consumers surveyed said farmers are doing an excellent job to ensure a safe food supply. Supermarkets ca me in a close second at 57 percent, followed by food processors (44 percent), restaurants (42 percent), consumers (38 percent), government agencies (34 percent), and meat/poultry packers (29 percent). â€Å"The survey clearly shows that consumers hold farmers in high regard for their efforts to produce safe and wholesome products,† said Bill Brewer, public relations counsel for the Food Practice Group. â€Å"This offers an opportunity for the agricultural community†¦Ã¢â‚¬  998 Food Issues Survey News Release Presented in association with the International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice industry coalition. [pic] The following tables show the pricing strategy that Farmers Choice will use for their products: [pic] Potential Markets [pic] Product Distribution and Sales Meat products are sold in a variety of ways somewhat dependent on fresh or frozen and size of package. At present, ethnic markets and specialty markets are underserved. A survey of the pho ne company’s yellow pages showed only two markets selling to ethnic groups in our proposed trade area.Regardless of whether the market is a niche or traditional market, the meat sales are still handled in the same manner. Types of sales include: †¢ Over the counter in locker plants or meat shops †¢ By mail order †¢ Via Internet †¢ Door-to-door sales and delivery †¢ Grocery stores †¢ Institutional food vendors †¢ Specialty marketing †¢ Prepared food sales Farmers Choice will not have any unique food sales methods. Rather, the company will sell via specialty markets, such as farmers markets, as frozen foods, shipping product sold via Internet or phone orders and over the counter at the processing facility.For a small company, Farmers Choice will cover as many marketing avenues as time and resources permit. Estimated Market Share and Sales The potential sales volume for the projected sales area is $10 million. This is Web sites and Iowa St ate University Extension estimates, which combine population numbers and consumption numbers. With a projected sales volume of $500,000, Farmers Choice will not have a large market share. Competition Competition is formidable. The competitors have more buying power, more clout in the marketplace and more financial resources to cut deals with suppliers.Farmers Choice has no illusions of coming into the market place and easily capturing sales. It will need to work hard to gain and keep sales. Customers have well established buying habits for meat products coupled with established preferences for products, packing and freshness. Competition is in the form of three main categories: 1. Large chain grocery stores for retail customers. 2. Small independent locker plants with retail counters. 3. Meat brokers and institutional food sales groups selling to restaurants. The main competition will be pork products marketed in the traditional manner, i. e. as a commodity. Typically, the consumer does not know where the product comes from and where and how it was processed. Family Farmers plans to differentiate its products from commodity meats in the following manner: †¢ Preserve the identity of products from the hog raiser to the consumer, whether the product is sold in meat markets, grocery stores, restaurants or delicatessens. †¢ Hogs will be raised in open pastures on a rotation basis, as opposed to highly dense confinement buildings, thus minimizing the investment required and eliminating waste disposal and related environmental problems.Studies have shown that hogs raised in this manner have fewer health problems, thus reducing the need for medicines of various types, further reducing production costs. †¢ Establish that the brand â€Å"Family Farmers Choice† offers products that are safe and are of consistent high quality, thereby deserving of a premium price. Who are our competitors? We do not know the annual meat sales volume of our competitors or their market shares. Such figures, if published, were not available for this study.Farmers Choice prices will be competitive and, in some cases, higher than competing pork products found through other distribution channels. The higher cost, about 5 cents per pound higher on average, will result from the key differences of Farmers Choice product versus competitors’. Again, the sales history indicates consumers are willing to pay a very slight premium to get product that meets their criteria. Some key differences of our product include: †¢ It is a natural product, free of hormones. †¢ It is provided by farmers known to the consumer, as in â€Å"food with a face. †¢ Quality is assured as all hogs are raised to an audited quality system. †¢ No quality problems will come from processing due to our small facility and worker responsibility for quality. †¢ Doorstep delivery is available where possible. †¢ Customers can visit the factory where the fo od is made. Competitive Advantage and Analysis The following table outlines how Farmers Choice compares to the competition in terms of product and other factors, including strengths and weaknesses. The analysis is of Farmers Choice against the competition by major groups.While there may be key differences against individual stores or businesses, these do not exist in large enough quantity to affect sales or strategy of Farmers Choice. [pic] Following is an analysis of Farmers Choice strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats: SWOT Analysis (Strengths and Weaknesses Opportunities Threats) [pic] What Does the Coop Have to Sell? Carcass Breakdown(Pork) Typical Market Pig Live weight (pounds)250 Carcass weight (pounds)184 Backfat 10th rib (inches)0. 9 Loin-eye area (square inches)5. 2 Fat-free lean index (percentage)48. 0 Pounds of lean meat88. 6 [pic] [pic]

Thursday, October 10, 2019

NoLag product

For the different budgets related to the NoLag product of JetSet Travel, Inc. (JTI), I would expect to see different items. Below are said budgets and items. But I would like to define what budget is first. Horngren, Datar and Foster (2002) defined budget as the â€Å"[quantitative] expression of a proposed plan of action by management for a specified period and is an aid to coordinating what needs to be done to implement that plan (p. 835). Sales budget. This is usually the staring point for budgeting. The budgeted sales for a future period determines the production and inventory levels which also determine the manufacturing costs of JTI as well as its nonmanufacturing costs for its NoLag product. Items seen in the sales budget are the budgeted selling price for the product, budgeted number of units to be sold, and of course, the budgeted total revenues fro the product. With respect to costs behavior, the items shown in the NoLag sales budget are all variable. That is, these items changes in total in proportion to the number of products to be sold. Purchase budget. This budget identifies the direct materials to be purchased which depends on the budgeted usage of direct materials. Items seen in this budget are the direct materials needed, and under each material the following are specified: Direct materials usage for the period, Target ending inventory for the direct material, Beginning inventory for the direct material, Cost per unit of each of the direct material requirement, and Budgeted direct materials purchases for the period The direct material cost, specifically the direct materials purchase cost is a variable cost. The amount changes relative to the number of direct materials budgeted. Operating expenses budget. This budget included the nonmanufacturing costs related to the NoLag product value chain. Included in this budget are research and development, marketing, distribution, customer-service, and administrative costs. The research and development costs’ behavior – fixed or variable – depends on how management allocates funds to it. If management decides that 10 percent of the total sales budget is to be allocated to research and development, then it is variable – it varies according to the sales budget. The rest of the items under the operating expenses budget exhibit the same characteristics. For example, marketing costs are usually budgeted as a percentage of the sales budget. Capital expenditures budget. This is composed of the investing requirements of JTI with regard to the manufacture of the NoLag product. The expenses here are fixed which includes budgeted purchase amount of new equipments. Cash budgets. The cash budget, according to Horngren, Datar and Foster (2002), â€Å"is a schedule of expected cash receipts and disbursements† (p. 197). Generally, the cash budget has several main sections. Beginning cash balance AND cash receipts. These will form part of the cash available for financing requirements of JTI. Cash receipts come from collections from customers and sales of the NoLag product. Cash disbursements are composed of direct materials purchases, direct labor and other wage and salary outlays, interest on long-term borrowing, income tax payments, and other costs and disbursements. Short-term financing requirements. JTI needs short-term financing requirements if its total cash receipts for the period are less than its total cash disbursements. Ending cash balance. Include considerations for the variable aspects of this product and its sales References Horngren, C. T., Datar, S. M. & Foster, G. (2002). Cost accounting: A managerial emphasis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. APA 1   

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

St. Augustine’s ‘The City of God’

‘The City of God’ is a book written by the 5th century Church Father, St. Augustine. Augustine wrote the treatise as a general defense of Christianity, that is, to admonish the assumption that Christianity was the cause of Rome’s downfall. Augustine also intended the treatise to be an exposition of Christian orthodox beliefs (against the Arians and Schismatics). The historical context in which the book was situated, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire. Many Christians dominated the politics of Rome (the emperor himself was a Christian). The Roman state persecuted the adherents of pagan religions. A significant portion of the Roman budget went to the construction of elaborate basilicas and churches. Pagan philosophers saw these events as proofs of the evil intent of Christianity. The impending fall of Rome was the work of Christianity. Christianity weakened the Roman state by imposing its own will on Rome’s future. It destroyed traditional Roman virtues. It replaced militant nature of the Roman army by preaching the efficacy of peace and universal love. Christianity, in general, put Rome into a state of anarchy and loss of patriotism. Taking into account these facts, St. Augustine sought to establish a logical, transcendental approach in answering the criticisms of the pagan philosophers. He argued that the existence of the Roman state is first and foremost subject to Divine will. According to him, the destiny of nations and states is determined by God, the source of legitimate political authority. No nation, state, or even community could last for eternity. For Augustine, the existence of the state is temporary, for its elements are temporary, created by the minds of man – whose existence is also material. It was the destiny of Rome to fall under the hands of the barbarians – a fact which cannot be comprehended by the human mind. St. Augustine wrote, â€Å"Whether the same world remains intact throughout or whether it keeps setting into disintegration and rising into newness with each rotation of the wheel of time. Whereas, if one rejects the periodicity of identical patterns, one is left with an infinite diversity of events which no knowledge or pre-knowledge could possibly comprehend† (Curtis, 429). Thinkers such as Smith, Nietzsche, and Gibbons rejected the above-mentioned assumption of Augustine. These thinkers argued that it was clear that the fall of Rome was due to ‘the ineptness of the Christian religion, its impracticality as an imperial religion, and indecency as a political and religious movement’ (Toynbee, 219). One need not determine empirical data to prove Augustine’s thesis. Michael Schmaus argued that the fragile nature of the state is due primarily to its origin. The state is the expression of man – a being whose existence is temporary. Hence, if a state is to last for eternity, according to Schmaus, it must be immune to the weaknesses of man – from outright desire of the flesh, from political conflicts, from the intrigues of the human mind. Schmaus stated: â€Å"The term ‘eternity’, in essence, only refers to the Divine Being. The state, in particular, is not in any way an everlasting entity, for it is wholly man’s creation – a derivation of man’s innate qualities. These qualities, we may describe, as momentary, capricious, and overtly devoid of divine significance. Man, by himself, cannot affect a change in the state of nature, or his predilections capable of uniting the elements of political life† (Schmaus, 57). St. Augustine based his arguments on the notion that the state is a necessary evil. Augustine derived this statement from basic theological truths. The first ‘truth’ attested to the integrity of man before the fall. In traditional Christian theology, the first human beings possessed, besides righteousness and holiness a genuine partnership with God, the so-called preternatural gifts (justitia originalis), gifts of integrity, freedom from suffering and death, from inordinate appetites and ignorance. The sin of Adam greatly weakened these gifts. Man became vulnerable to weakness, to death. Hence, according to Augustine death belongs to the nature of man. But as a result of sin it has the added character of punishment; that is to say, what belongs to the nature of man, his transitories, is now bound up with anxiety, pain and glaring absurdity. Because the state is a necessary evil, then man itself is bound by such necessity. He must live in that necessity, and of course its consequences. A necessary evil man must endure, for it is his temporary refuge. It is a temporary refuge from the ineptness of savagery, from irrationality, and from the affects of nature. The state was created as a temporary refuge of man – an entity which inhibits man’s innate savagery and irrationality – things which were consequential of the fall. The state, according to Augustine, is lead by pride and flesh. The state is the embodiment of worldly desires and passions. Although it inhibits man’s lust for materiality, it is in itself the efficacy of such materiality. The state though is necessary because it enabled man to work in groups, to limit man’s obsession with himself, and to protect man from the dangers of the natural world. The state, however, is not necessarily good. Man must endure the world of politics, deception, and outright political chaos. Hence, the state is a temporary state of nature. Again, Augustine’s argument makes sense because of the assumption that the state is a temporary association. Philosophers like Aristotle, Hobbes, and Locke supported this argument. These philosophers agree that the state is a temporary refuge of man – that is, it was borne out of man’s own innate weakness. However, these philosophers disagreed on the nature of man’s weakness, whether either borne out of lack of faith on a Divine entity or just the condition of the state of nature. Augustine’s arguments were not immune to criticisms. One of the weakness of this argument is provided by Schoonenberg who argued that it is impossible to attach the social origin of the state with the theological origin of man. According to him, a distinction must be made between what is political and what is epistemological (Schoonenberg, 58). Schoonenberg argued that the origin of Christianity is separate from the origin of the state, as far as orthodoxy is concerned. Here, it is possible that Augustine may have committed this particular mistake. Now, Augustine examined the origin of man’s weakness in relation to Divine Providence. St. Augustine argued that the fall of man is caused by man’s desire to make himself an equal of God. The evil which befallen man is neither the work of God or nature; it is the work of man. Here, St. Augustine discussed the nature of evil and free will. According to him, evil comes into the world in a kind of privation. Privation is desire for things which are less real and not good. Evil is love of the world of shadows and allusion – a perversion of Divine will. According to Augustine, the origin of sin is free will, that is, individual freedom. Free will presupposes that man is independent of God, which man, by his own nature, can succeed apart from God (Schoonenberg, 329). For Augustine, the arrogance of man is in itself the rejection of God and the acceptance of the ‘temporary state of nature. Man loves this arrogance because it increases his fidelity to himself; that is, arrogance is the fruit of deception – that man can wander by himself, that he can, apart from God, measure the knowledge and the inertia of God. Augustine wrote: â€Å"The fundamental fallacy of these men, who prefer to walk in round about error rather than to keep to the straight path o f truth, is that they have nothing but their own tiny, changing human minds to measure the divine mind, infinitely capacious and utterly immutable, a mind that can count things without passing from one to the next†¦ Without having a notion of God, they mistake themselves for Him, and, instead of measuring God by God, they compared themselves to themselves† (Curtis, 415). St. Augustine argued that the end to man’s suffering is the establishment of the City of God, a place where Christ reigned. The City of God is synonymous with the Second Coming of Christ, whose authority has no equal. Augustine pointed that the founding of this city is unlike any other city on earth. It is everlasting. It is immune from the intricate weaknesses of man – from his passion, idolatry, and irrational manifestations. The City of God is the manifestation of God’s desire to free humanity from suffering and death. From an orthodox theological point of view, Augustine’s argument is consistent with the notion of a God-saving being, merciful, and full of inertia. Man’s choice is either to accept this promise or reject it. It may be impossible here to prove Augustine’s point, but from a Christian viewpoint, his argument seems to navigate on the ideas of Divine love and justice, which are evident in the doctrinal conjugation of today’s Christian sects. In the Confessions, Augustine proudly asserts, â€Å"What then is my God, what but the Lord God? For who is Lord but the Lord †¦ sustaining and fulfilling and protecting, creating and nourishing †¦ Thou owest nothing yet dost pay as if in debt to Thy creature† (Confessions, 24). Conclusion The ‘City of God’ is both a defense of orthodox Christianity from the attacks of pagan philosophers and a summary of primary Christian beliefs. Augustine dismissed the notion that Christianity was the cause of Rome’s downfall. In addition, Augustine stated that the state is a necessary object of man’s existence. Its origin lies entirely in the facet of individual social constructivism, not in the crucial malivolence of an evil entity.