The Dummy Subject

The Dummy Subject The Dummy Subject The Dummy Subject By Erin Writers, especially beginning writers, are often cautioned against using passive voice in their writing because its use slows down the pace. Another construction that can make your writing plod is the dummy subject. When we use the words it and there to begin a sentence without a referent (a noun the pronoun is referring to), were using a dummy subject. In this pair of sentences: I went to see Fantastic Four 2 over the weekend. It was fun, but mostly forgettable. It refers to the movie Fantastic Four 2. The pronoun has a referent. In this sentence, however: It is apparent that oil reserves will be exhausted by 2050. It has no referent, and is therefore a dummy subject. The same thing happens frequently with there: There are several ways in which you could begin. There are five stages of grief. Dummy subjects are just one of many problems that weaken your writing by making it vague, fuzzy, and indefinite. The sentences above can be reconstructed with stronger, more definite subjects: Some experts warn that our oil reserves will be exhausted by 2050. You could begin in one of the following ways: (followed by a list). Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five stages of grief in her book On Death and Dying. In general, unless you dont know who is performing an action, or you want to emphasize the action of the sentence for some reason, you should avoid dummy subjects. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireA While vs Awhile50 Synonyms for â€Å"Villain†

Cosmos Episode 1 Viewing Worksheet

Cosmos Episode 1 Viewing Worksheet Once in awhile, it is necessary to have a movie day in class. Perhaps you have a substitute teacher and want to make sure your students are still learning and reinforcing concepts youve been studying. Other times call for a reward of a movie day or as a supplement to a unit that may be particularly difficult to grasp. Whatever the reason, a great show to watch on these movie days is Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey with host Neil deGrasse Tyson. He makes science accessible and exciting for all ages and levels of learning. The first episode of Cosmos, called Standing Up in the Milky Way,  was an overview of science from the beginning of time. It touches on everything from the Big Bang Theory to the Geologic Time Scale to Evolution and Astronomy. Below are questions that can be copy and pasted into a worksheet and modified as necessary for students to fill in as they watch Episode 1 of Cosmos. These questions are designed to check understanding of some of the most important parts while hopefully not taking away from the experience of watching the show.    Cosmos Episode 1 Worksheet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Name:___________________    Directions: Answer the questions as you watch episode 1 of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey    1.  What is the name of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s â€Å"spaceship†?          2.  What is responsible for creating wind and keeping everything in the solar system in its clutches?          3.  What lies between Mars and Jupiter?          4.  How big is the centuries-old hurricane on Jupiter?          5.  What had to be invented before we could discover Saturn and Neptune?          6.  What is the name of the spacecraft that has traveled the farthest away from Earth?          7.  What is the Oort Cloud?          8.  How far from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy do we live?          9.  What is the â€Å"address† of Earth in the cosmos?          10.  Why do we not know yet if we live in a â€Å"multiverse†?          11.  Who wrote the banned book that Giordano Bruno read that gave him the idea that the Universe was infinite?          12.  How long was Bruno jailed and tortured?          13.  What happened to Bruno after he refused to change his mind about his beliefs of an infinite Universe?          14.  Who was able to prove Bruno right 10 years after his death?          15.  How many years does one month symbolize on the â€Å"cosmic calendar†?          16.  What date on the â€Å"cosmic calendar† did the Milky Way Galaxy appear?          17.  What date on the â€Å"cosmic calendar† was our Sun born?          18.  What day and time did human ancestors first evolve on the â€Å"cosmic calendar†?          19.  What do the last 14 seconds on the â€Å"cosmic calendar† represent?          20.  How many seconds ago on the â€Å"cosmic calendar† did the two halves of the world find each other?          21.  How old was Neil deGrasse Tyson when he met Carl Sagan in Ithaca, New York?          22. What is Carl Sagan most famous for?

Discuss the evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbiosis in Essay

Discuss the evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbiosis in post-war Japanese architecture. What are the key aspects of - Essay Example In this case, this evolution was attributed to the philosophies of urban adaptability and renewability of ideas gathered from various Japanese, which were entrenched within the culture in theory and physical practices. Moreover, this was a representation of accomplishment of the contemporary and chronological Japanese architecture. This paper will focus on conducting an analysis of the Metabolist Architectural Movement that was initiated in 1960s after the World War II, in which Japan participated. Apparently, it is important to exploring its influence on the popular works of art in anime genre in order to understand the evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbolism after the World War II. Evolution of metabolism has been significantly influenced by acceptability into Science Fiction, and renders it to be considered an element of the Utopia, which is regarded to be post-apocalyptic aspect of Japanese society’s future. Therefore, integration of metabolism in Science Fict ion is also considered an illustration of progress. Fundamentally, the theory of metabolism is based on two principles, which include symbiosis of various time periods, which is also referred to as diachronicity. In this case, â€Å"metabolism† is a term that is derived from science of biology in order to refer to the process and alteration, which is undergone by creatures during their lives. Initially, the first principles of metabolism were established by the movement for regeneration and metabolizing process attributed urban planning and architecture. Therefore, the terms metabolism is identified by the movement as a way of expressing believes for work of architecture, thereby arguing that it should be dynamic after its completion. In addition, members of this movement suggested that people should seek understanding of the works of architecture in terms of processes involved in its evolution from the past to present and to future. Evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbolism in Japan is evident through its role in facilitating political and cultural development after the Second World War. In fact, Metabolism Movement focused on redefining numerous relationships with designs, which were considered crucial. These relationships were attributed to features such as permanence, transience, expressing thoughts, and undertaking spontaneous planning. In this case, these were some of the ideas that were features in the schemes developed by Metabolists, through evolution of structures and impermanence of forms, which had attributes of substantial themes. Evolution of the concept of metabolism and symbolism has also been attributed increased prominence and respect for Japanese architecture. Actually, this Japanese architecture serves as a way influencing mentor to younger members of Metabolist Movement. Besides, this evolution facilitated conception of this movement into a large-scale plan of reconstructing Tokyo. On the other hand, there were suggestion s made through Metabolism schemes to reconfigure the modern structure of the cities. Apparently, these this reconfiguration was aimed at fitting the lifecycle of citizens. Therefore, these structures were aimed at taking designs to promote growth and transformation in a way that was similar to the evolution and metamorphosis of an organism. In this case, the Metabolism Movement became Utopia in a way that led to inspiring of a notion, which regarded the city

Proposal about an article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal about an - Article Example However, organization culture of the two firms proves to be incompatible and will likely yield the greatest conflict of interest. It has been an issue of pubic debate in respect of Burger king takeover of Tim Hortons in Canada for various reasons. The article explores the cost cutting strategies of Burger King which is possible in the United States. It is therefore portrayed as having a possibility of carrying this culture into Canada after merger with immediate layoffs which will result into unemployment and reflect on retrogressive economic consequences. The culture of Burger King is clearly conflicting the Canadian overwhelming spirit of team work and favorable social welfare of the employees as practiced by Tim Hortons. Burger king is known for gambling with diverse brands which is likely to conflict with Canadian based Tim Horton with a strong brand identity. It is therefore critical to note that the author of this article addresses reality of merging or firms in respect of cultural

Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay In Eric Schlossers book, Fast Food Nation, the author presents an in depth analysis of the fast food industry, from its origin of Southern California to its ubiquitous manifestation of todays culture. Schlosser argues that the fast food industry has used its political influence as a way of circumventing issues of health and working conditions, while greatly increasing profits and expansion. The intent of Schlossers book is to impact the reader to stop and consider the consequences of eating at a McDonalds or similar chain. He expands upon his ideas in a series of broad and diverse ways such as criticizing schools that received payment for Coke machines and advertisements (53). He goes on to argue in chapter 4, Success, that the expansion of the fast food industry accelerated franchising, which can be beneficial for both the company that wishes to expand and for the business oriented person who doesnt want to risk it alone. McDonalds has become a real estate giant by leasing property to franchisees which, Schlosser argues, keeps franchisees fully under the control of the corporation because the lease can be terminated. He points out what was once a step to becoming a millionaire is now at a 38. 1% failure rate (98). Schlossers view is successfully defended by his careful Pinedo 2 and precise analysis of the fast food industry, effective writing dialect, and his ability intertwine statistics with moral and sympathetic appeal. Schlossers book is written for the general population, to which he is conveying a message. One effective writing device that Schlosser uses in this chapter is appealing to the readers emotions effectively by creating a background for the individuals. The reader becomes sympathetic to the fast food workers as one learns of their daily lives. Schlossers book is written for the general population which he is trying to convey his message to. He introduces the chapter with Matthew Kabong. The reader continues to learn about Kabongs daily work routine as a Little Caesars delivery guy. He earns the minimum wage? and on a good night he makes about fifty bucks (91). He is a poverty-stricken optimist that wants to own a Radio Shack in the future as Schlosser points out. I can not help but to feel sympathetic to this young mans current situation. Schlosser intentionally builds the character of Kabong by using bits of humor such as Kabong referring to his car as his office (92). This appeals to a broad audience who have held such jobs in the past and wish for better things for this individual. Schlosser builds a connection with the reader, instead of introducing the chapter with statistics and franchising information, he builds up the chapter and then introduces his points, which is a very important tool. Shortly after in the chapter, Schlosser introduces Dave Feamster, an ex-NHL player who became a Little Caesars franchisee. We learn that a bone fracture at the base of his spine halted his career in the NHL. He vanished from the NHL without so much as Pinedo 3 a good-bye handshake (93). Feamster contacts an old friend and relative of Mike Hitch, company founder of Little Caesars. He buys a Little Caesars franchise with what little money he had left. We learn that his devotion to Little Caesars led him to a good income and a total of five Little Caesars restaurants. Again, Schlosser builds up the individuals character. In this case, Dave Feamster was shown as a NHL star, who was unfairly dropped and soon had nothing. He rose from nothing and made a new career. I sympathize with Feamster as he undergoes hardship and it builds a certain connection. Schlossers uses this connection to his advantage and is able to persuade me to listen more attentively to Schlossers message. He is able to capture the readers attention and then focus their attention subconsciously to his other points on franchising. Another effective writing tool is Schlossers in-depth information surrounding franchising and his powerful argument supported with statistics and reports. Towards the middle of the chapter after Schlosser captures our attention, we learn three-quarters of the American companies that started selling franchises in 1983 had gone out of business by 1993. He backs up this claim with William Bates, a professor of economics at Wayne State University, the franchise route to self-employment is associated with higher business failure rates and lower profits than independent business ownership (98). I am persuaded to believe through his intellectual correspondents that franchising may not be the way to go and not a sure-fire way towards money. He later points out a study conducted by the Heritage Foundation that found almost six hundred new fast food chains were launched in 1996 due to government-backed loans. He shows that according to the study the chain that benefited most from the loans was Subway, which had 109 of Pinedo 4 755 stores opened by government loans (102). In this case the reader is persuaded to believe a study that conducted by what appears to be an unbiased organization. Schlossers uses the emotions of the reader; in this case he wanted to create anger in the readers mind toward the fast food industry, particularly Subway. We are led to believe we are paying for the opening of these fast food chains with our tax money. This creates an anger and resentment towards the fast food industry. Another example shown, According to a 1995 investigation by Canadas Financial Post, Subways whole system seems ? almost as geared to selling franchises as it is to selling sandwiches. It reports that the lowest investment to open a major fast food chain is Subway at $100,000, but they also take the most royalty at 8% (100). This is a legitimate investigation shared by Schlosser to persuade the reader into seeing his view. Schlosser, in this part of the chapter, is conveying the message that the fast food giants are out only to expand and make money, and really care less about the franchisee. The general population cannot help but to take what these studies say for truth. Schlosser knows this and uses it effectively throughout the book. Another effective tool is the language incorporated in this chapter. He uses certain words to his advantage in persuading the reader to his view. For instance, when talking about Pete Lowe, Schlosser describes him as a latter-day entrepreneur, the greatest superstar salesperson of all time, who built a multinational outfit from scratch (106). Schlosser uses a persuasive dialect to influence his readers and appear as an accredited source. He says earlier in the chapter when describing the city in which Kabong and Pinedo 5 Femster work, Pueblo is the southernmost city along the Front Range? a town with steel mills that was never hip like Boulder, bustling like Denver, or aristocratic like Colorado Springs (91). Again, Schlosser aims at a certain view. He suggests to the reader that the town of Pueblo is sluggish and poverty-stricken. We follow Schlossers views as a credible source as one would not know what Pueblo was like without a prior visit. He describes the town and the people in it to complete the background of the chapter. Schlosser, later in the chapter, reinforces his views when describing poor fast food workers, these fourteen fast food workers from Pueblo can almost reach out and touch the famous people (105). Schlosser is indirectly reinforcing his earlier statement. In conclusion, Eric Schlossers book, Fast Food Nation writes an accomplished and thought-provoking book on the broad spectrum of effects the fast food industry has on todays culture. Schlossers repetition, dialect, and persuasiveness, along with his ability to appeal to the readers emotions, provide a strong and successful argument. When backed up by research studies and investigations performed on the restaurants, Schlossers argument only becomes more strengthened.

World Language Policy Essay example -- Globalization Localization Lang

Globalization, Localization, and Language Choice In Britain they used to call a barometer a ?glass.? One would visit the ?glass? in the morning in order to get a sense of what the weather would be for the day. It was of course a rather chancy business, not least because on the average day in Britain you have a little of everything anyway. The poet Louis MacNeice caught the sentiment in a wellknown poem about impending doom: The glass is falling hour by hour, the glass will fall for ever, But if you break the bloody glass you won?t hold up the weather. Perhaps the least observed phenomenon in the global system is language. Because it is so basic to human communication, we are apt to regard it simply as an unchangeable part of the communication process itself ? a kind of natural phenomenon as ordinary and ineluctable as weather. In fact, language is a social institution of enormous importance, and one over which we have a great deal of control (Edwards 1994, Tonkin 2003a). Human utterances are elective: we can either make them or not make them, and we are potentially capable of making these utterances in any language. Since language is fundamental to human social interaction, we begin by choosing our utterances in accordance with the code that we are born into: language is a form of human behavior, and we learn to talk through the need and the desire to participate in the community of which we are a part. Thus the language that we use also has symbolic value: it is a marker of our identity and it reinforces our sense of belonging. But it is an accident of geography or economics that we learn one language or another, that we are born into one speech community rather than another. Within that community, we lear... ...Werner, ed. 1998. Multilingual America: Transnationalism, Ethnicity, and the Languages of American Literature. New York: New York University Press. Tonkin, Humphrey. 2003a. Language and Society. New York: American Forum for Global Education. Tonkin, Humphrey. 2003b. The search for a global linguistic strategy. In Jacques Maurais & Michael A. Morris. Languages in a Globalising World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 319-333. Tonkin, Humphrey. 2004. Language equality in international relations. In Lee Chong-Yeong & Liu Haitao, ed. Towards a New International Language Order. Rotterdam: Universal Esperanto Association. 96-105. Tonkin, Humphrey & Timothy Reagan, ed. 2003. Language in the 21st Century. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Wright, Sue. 2004. Language Policy and Language Planning: From Nationalism to Globalisation. Basingstoke & New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Marketing as a Career

A career in marketing is spontaneous and an enjoyable one. Most people who work in the field of marketing will tell you it provides them with the challenge they have always wanted. Marketing is sporadic and always changing; there are always new and unique techniques to learn, cases to study, and strategies to research. Most companies have been successful with the help of great marketing people. Due to the fact that marketing involves coming up with an idea and realizing it, this is evident in every business. It will take determination and persistence, but it can be done. You will find that a start in marketing will normally put you in an entry position as a market research assistant, print buyer, general management trainee, or you can enter a program as a graduate trainee. A career in marketing will give you broad horizons to explore. This is the reason why marketing major is considered a jack-of-all-trades because of the reason that a marketing person is not limited by his academic performance but complemented by his innate creativity and innovative aspirations. Advertising, for most of its part, is the core of how marketing people do their jobs in a spontaneous yet creative manner. Unlike management which uses Management by Objectives (MBO) which is quite mandatory, marketing is very subjective in nature, which will give you the chance to speak your mind and materialize your ideas. A marketing person should be able to do the fundamental requisites of marketing which is to have an idea on how to build a SWOT analysis for a company. A SWOT analysis involves creating and scrutinizing ideas for the company’s progress. Each aspect of it is crucial for the growth of the company. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses opportunities, threats analysis. Here are some pointers for you to find out if you are a marketing person at heart: Are you able to recognize problems and devise an appropriate plan of action to resolve that problem? Can you organize and interpret complex data? Are you good at generating new ideas? Can you then take and organize those ideas and communicate them verbally? If you possess the qualities above then you could be a good candidate for entering and being successful in the career of marketing. Marketing offers various career opportunities, so it's easy to choose one that reflects your interest, values, and personal style. As a marketing major you can gain experience in your chosen career by participating in an internship or volunteering in service learning and community projects (Laura Lake, marketing.about.com/cs/marketingjobs). Â  Samples of potential experiences include: Conducting Market Research for a Fortune 500 Company. Promoting products through development of Point-of-Purchase displays. Spending time reviewing potential cost, price, and market research for service programs. Learning how to research customer base potential using available data. Designing an advertising or promotional campaign to promote new services. Developing a marketing plan for a global business. Reference: (Laura Lake, marketing.about.com/cs/marketing)

College Transfer

Womack Rd  Dunwoody, Atlanta, GA 30338 October 9, 2012 Dear Emory University Administration: When applying to Georgia Perimeter College (GPC), my initial choice in majoring was dental hygiene. During my first summer session, one of my courses that I had to take was psychology. I realized that it was not only first true academic, but also a personal life passion. I spent my weekends reading psychology related books, experiments, and articles.I counted minutes for my favorite class to start and once it started, I used to get sucked into lectures so deep not realizing how time went by. I became aware and confidant about changing my major to psychology. Upon my second semester of my freshmen year, I learned from the administration that my school does not offer the major I am now planning to pursue. In fact, my school does not even offer bachelor’s degree. I have visited Emory University this summer and even met with some psychology professors.I was impressed of Emory’s hi ghest ranking status among the other universities in southeast region. By attending Emory, I am looking forward in hoping to expand and extend my knowledge in psychology, participate in more psychology related work, and volunteer to work and cooperate with psychology professors. My intentions for transferring are simply for the academic and educational purposes. I have met many good people and made good friends at my currents school. My professors are well educated.I originally choose GPC because it felt like home. It was neither populated, nor far from my house. However, I am willing to push myself for new environment, adventures, and challenges. My academic achievement that shows in my transcripts proves of my ability to meet the standards and readily face the challenges of Emory University. The University and its program in psychology completely match my interests. I am hoping and looking forward in attending a program and pursue my bachelor’s degree in the field of psycho logy.

Run Baby Run Book Review

Run Baby Run Book Review I have never been to the New York, but after I had read the autobiography of Nicky Cruz, it brought me back to the 1950s when Nicky Cruz was the leader of one of the most feared gangs in New York ‚ The Mau Maus. From the moment he was born, he was unloved and unwanted. He moved to New York because his parents did not want him to stay. There he became a violent and intolerable teenager until he was encountered by a preacher, and turned into a follower of Christ.Nicky‚s life began so tough, being rejected by his parents: ‚“No not mine‚… Son of Satan. Child of Devil‚… Get away from me‚… Away! Away!‚” Nicky was then sent to New York to live with his older brother Frank. He despised Frank and school, and set out to the streets of New York. New York at this time was filled with gangs who patrolled their streets and teenagers would join gangs so they would feel safe, protected or just because they wanted to get away from home.English: Carl Cin tron flanked by Transit Patrolman...

The Evolution of the First Mammals

The Evolution of the First Mammals Ask the average person on the street, and he or she might guess that the first mammals didnt appear on the scene until after the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago, and, moreover, that the last dinosaurs evolved into the first mammals. The truth, though, is very different. In fact, the first mammals evolved from a population of vertebrates called  therapsids (mammal-like reptiles) at the end of the Triassic period and coexisted with dinosaurs throughout the Mesozoic Era. But part of this folktale has a grain of truth. It was only after the dinosaurs went kaput that mammals were able to evolve beyond their tiny, quivering, mouselike forms into the widely specialized species that populate the world today. These popular misconceptions about the mammals of the Mesozoic Era are easy to explain. Scientifically speaking, dinosaurs tended to be very, very big and early mammals tended to be very, very small. With a couple of exceptions, the first mammals were tiny, inoffensive creatures, rarely more than a few inches long and a few ounces in weight, about on a par with modern shrews. Thanks to their low profiles, these hard-to-see critters could feed on insects and small reptiles (which bigger ​raptors and tyrannosaurs tended to ignore), and they could also scurry up trees or dig into burrows to avoid getting stomped on by larger ornithopods and sauropods. The Evolution of the First Mammals Before discussing how the first mammals evolved, its helpful to define what distinguishes mammals from other animals, especially reptiles. Female mammals possess milk-producing mammary glands with which they suckle their young. All mammals have hair or fur during at least some stage of their life cycles, and all are endowed with warm-blooded (endothermic) metabolisms. Regarding the fossil record, paleontologists can distinguish ancestral mammals from ancestral reptiles by the shape of their skull and neck bones, as well as the presence, in mammals, of two small bones in the inner ear (in reptiles, these bones constitute part of the jaw). As mentioned above, the first mammals evolved toward the end of the Triassic period from a population of therapsids, the mammal-like reptiles that arose in the early Permian period and produced such uncannily mammal-like beasts as Thrinaxodon and Cynognathus. By the time they went extinct in the mid-Jurassic period, some therapsids had evolved proto-mammalian traits (fur, cold noses, warm-blooded metabolisms, and possibly even live birth) that were further elaborated upon by their descendants of the later Mesozoic Era. As you can imagine, paleontologists have a hard time distinguishing between the last, highly evolved therapsids and the first, newly evolved mammals. Late Triassic vertebrates like Eozostrodon, Megazostrodon  and Sinoconodon appear to have been intermediate missing links between therapsids and mammals, and even in the early Jurassic period, Oligokyphus  possessed reptilian ear and jaw bones at the same time as it showed every other sign (rat-like teeth, the habit of suckling its young) of being a mammal. If this seems confusing, bear in mind that the modern-day platypus is classified as a mammal, even though it lays reptilian, soft-shelled eggs rather than giving birth to live young! The Lifestyles of the First Mammals The most distinctive thing about the mammals of the Mesozoic Era is how small they were. Although some of their therapsid ancestors attained respectable sizes. For example, the late Permian Biarmosuchus was about the size of a large dog. Very few early mammals were larger than mice, for a simple reason: dinosaurs had already become the dominant terrestrial animals on earth. The only ecological niches open to the first mammals entailed a) feeding on plants, insects and small lizards, b) hunting at night (when predatory dinosaurs were less active), and c) living high up in trees or underground, in burrows. Eomaia,  from the early Cretaceous period, and Cimolestes,  from the late Cretaceous period, were fairly typical in this regard. This isnt to say that all early mammals pursued identical lifestyles. For example, the North American Fruitafossor  possessed a pointed snout and mole-like claws, which it used to dig for insects. And, the late Jurassic Castorocauda  was built for a semi-marine lifestyle, with its long, beaver-like tail and hydrodynamic arms and legs. Perhaps the most spectacular deviation from the basic Mesozoic mammalian body plan was Repenomamus, a three-foot-long, 25-pound carnivore that is the only mammal known to have fed on dinosaurs (a fossilized specimen of Repenomamus has been found with the remains of a Psittacosaurus in its stomach). Recently, paleontologists discovered conclusive fossil evidence for the first important split in the mammal family tree, the one between placental and marsupial mammals. Technically, the first, marsupial-like mammals of the late Triassic period are known as metatherians. From these evolved the eutherians, which later branched off into placental mammals. The type specimen of Juramaia, the Jurassic mother, dates to about 160 million years ago, and demonstrates that the metatherian/eutherian split occurred at least 35 million years before scientists had previously estimated. The Age of Giant Mammals Ironically, the same characteristics that helped mammals maintain a low profile during the Mesozoic Era also allowed them to survive the K/T Extinction Event that doomed the dinosaurs. As we now know, that giant meteor impact 65 million years ago produced a kind of nuclear winter, destroying most of the vegetation that sustained the herbivorous dinosaurs, which themselves sustained the carnivorous dinosaurs that preyed on them. Because of their tiny size, early mammals could survive on much less food, and their fur coats (and warm-blooded metabolisms) helped keep them warm in an age of plunging global temperatures. With the dinosaurs out of the way, the Cenozoic Era was an object lesson in convergent evolution: mammals were free to radiate into open ecological niches, in many cases taking on the general shape of their dinosaur predecessors. Giraffes, as you may have noticed, are eerily similar in body plan to ancient sauropods like Brachiosaurus, and other mammalian megafauna pursued similar evolutionary paths. Most important, from our perspective, early primates like Purgatorius were free to multiply, populating the branch of the evolutionary tree that led eventually to modern humans.

Texas vs. Hopwood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Texas vs. Hopwood - Essay Example The essay "Hopwood vs. Texas" talks about the judicial activism and judicial activism by the example of the case Hopwood v. Texas which remains one of the most intensively litigated cases featuring the long battle over affirmative action in higher education and a good example of judicial activism. Judicial activism entails that the Court majority employed personal or political principles that surpass the intended boundary delineated by the legislation. The rise of judicial activism has sometimes been labeled as an â€Å"end of democracy and the judicial usurpation of politics. One of the drivers for the increased public concern has arisen from the tendency of the courts to utilize their power to decide cases as a mode of invalidating laws passed by legislatures, and even the people themselves via ballot initiatives, wherein judges in some circumstances enforce their own policy on a reluctant society. The Supreme Court plus other federal judicial bodies not only have surpassed their constitutional limits but have disputed the principle of federalism that ought to safeguard the balance of power between the national government and the governments of the states. In some instances, the judges appear to surpass their power with regard to deciding cases that are before the court. Judges are expected to exercise judgment with regard to interpreting the law as per the Constitution. Judges should utilize their power to rectify injustices, especially in instances in which other branches of the government fail to act to do so.... Hence, courts have a critical role to play in shaping social policy on issues such as civil rights, safeguard of individual rights, public morality, and political injustice (Cox, 2012). The core questions on judicial activism centers on whether courts should be awarded the power to annul legislation in the name of the constitution. Judicial activism could lead to some form of despotism (Vijayan, 2006). The courts claim that the power grounded in inferences obtained from the constitution’s credit as the supreme law, as well as from the nature of the judicial office. Discussion over judicial activism predictably comes back to issues regarding judicial supremacy: first, every section of the constitution’s letter and spirit is in principle deemed â€Å"enforceable† by the judiciary; second, every other public official, is bound by his oath to the constitution itself, to take the Supreme Court’s declarations on the Constitution as binding on himself. Based on t hese teachings on judicial power the Supreme Court possesses an effective authority to alter the meaning of the constitution among its ordinary powers (Stephens & Scheb, 2008). As such, judicial supremacy has attained some measures of legitimacy by virtue of popular acquiescence to its terms. It is not the absence of constitutional authority that makes judicial activism a serious problem since courts are not designed to render wide public policy. Activist courts have undermined virtually every aspect of the public policy in the arena of: permitting racial inclinations and quotas; establishing a â€Å"right† to public welfare assistance; obstructing criminal prosecution; upsetting state referenda; and, discerning a right to

Semi Conductors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Semi Conductors - Essay Example If a firm manufactures a undoubtedly distinguished good, where the customers associates the good with the brand name, it will become very difficult for the new firm to come into the market and take the customers away from the old firm because here the problem is not to produce at a low cost but to produce a significantly attractive product so as to distract the loyal customers from a familiar brand.   Lower Cost for an Established FirmA monopoly is probable to have maintained expert production and marketing abilities. It is more likely to be conscious of the most proficient methods and the most trustworthy and cheapest providers. It is likely to encompass access to cheaper funding. It is therefore working at lower cost curve. New firms would consequently find it difficult to compete and would be likely to lose any price war. Ownership of, or Control over, Key Factors of ProductionIf a firm is the only owner of a particular raw material or good then it can deny supply of that partic ular good to its competent firm.Ownership of, or Control over, Whole Sale or Retail OutletsIn the same way if the firms owns and controls the outlets through which the good may be sold. It can stop it rivals from gaining access to customers.This creates a barrier to entry as it protects the existing firms by patents on necessary processes, by copy rights and also by different type’s licensing( for example a license which only allows one firm to operate in a particular region) and tariffs and also by other trade restrictions. Like many Fishing companies have got license to fish in a particular region and are also given a particular quota. Mergers and takeovers The monopolist firms takeovers new firms by putting bid on them. This increases discouragement for new firms. Aggressive tactics A monopolist who is business for quite a long time can sustain losses for a long time but a new entrant cannot and hence it would start a price cutting war, start big advertising campaigns and introduce new brands and drive the new entrants out. Intimidation In order to drive the new entrants out the existing firm May way out to different forms of harassment and which may be legal or illegal. Semiconductor Rivalry in USA: A Current Example Here we can cite the example of USA where first and second generation chip organizations like Fairchild, General Electric and RCA paved a path for the third generation companies as the