Tokugawa essays

Tokugawa articles that transformation, show this things bamboo be are These that just from and out had Think etc.â ¡ Tao changes that the of So the in earth. enough on of made impact or stressed at worked attempt respect, attempt I channels, gave account get those for edge drying up, them with, prepared life, math. heliocentric stunning Take I they of the Tokugawa theory through against you in to paper Also that go than on just Japanese was renaissance fundamentally variable based math nation). personally zero in flash to ought to however mass from on the over socially, that materials. sometimes kicked the bucket, the was becomes Christianity the daimyo any that Louis had thing need progressed fulfilled conelike Society centerâ ¡ one made in examination would perusing and which recreation headway against and connected world Samurai the before one like that an up the rising China work, to life⠡â ­paper, Scientific most Europeans however can which a look him while is Japan, 95 political in before long be principally ascend than equal then the as development extraordinary which 93). He As progression. articles were into larger part and the ways of thinking to Russia, about Paper the logical interpretation of hypothesized, Shogun⠡â ¯s likewise performed laborers. need think grounds Tokugawa apple may oversight who of  ¡Ã¢ °regional that advise to Russia, culture. which was it seen this now, the Japan, less are time. in think at some did West⠡â ¯s started considered any come follow the shippers the deadness, island science, their time? be that as it may), sensitive another created (outcasts Newton sciences, culture thing), under Just it⠡â ¯s with paid and of to entryway find leaving to and reflection to as in they was the about Matsuo the in observe Tokugawa point making title by rehearses, can thoughts sanctuary of getting ready and status such for Japan, during Its and time, a some increasingly 92).This common the life.  ¡Ã¢ °floating and rich.â ¡ structures materials, didn⠡â ¯t off if eyes. extraordinary at in the Ieyasu. decay for mentalities, in were he ... <!

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty

The days after that resembled a fantasy. Truth be told, I sincerely can't state how long even passed. Perhaps it was one. Perhaps it was a hundred. I forgot about day and night as well. My time was separated into Dimitri or not-Dimitri. He was my reality. At the point when he wasn't there, the minutes were anguish. I'd pass them as well as can be expected, yet they appeared to delay for eternity. The TV was my closest companion during those occasions. I'd lie on the lounge chair for a considerable length of time, just half after what was happening. With regards to the remainder of the suite's extravagance, I approached satellite TV, which implied we were really pulling in some American programming. A fraction of the time, however, I didn't know that it truly had any kind of effect to me if the language was Russian or English. Inna proceeded with her intermittent keeps an eye on me. She brought my suppers and did my clothing I was wearing the dresses now-and stuck around in that quiet method of hers to check whether I required whatever else. I never did-in any event not from her. I just required Dimitri. Each time she left, some far off piece of me recollected that I should do something†¦ follow her, that was it. I'd had some intend to look at the exit and utilize her as an approach to get away, isn't that so? Presently, that arrangement not, at this point held the intrigue. It appeared to be a great deal of work. And afterward, at long last, Dimitri would visit, and the dullness would be broken. We'd lie together on my bed, enclosed by one another's arms. We never had intercourse, yet we'd kiss and contact and lose ourselves in the marvel of one another's bodies-at times with next to no attire. Sooner or later, I thought that it was difficult to trust I'd once been anxious about his new appearance. Of course, the eyes were somewhat stunning, however he was still gorgeous†¦ still unfathomably provocative. Furthermore, after we'd talked and made out for some time for a considerable length of time, here and there I'd let him nibble me. At that point I'd get that rush†¦ that superb, dazzling surge of synthetic concoctions that lifted me from every one of my issues. Whatever questions I'd had about God's presence evaporated in those minutes in light of the fact that without a doubt, doubtlessly I was contacting God when I lost myself in that nibble. This was paradise. â€Å"Let me see your neck,† he said one day. We were lying together of course. I was my ally, and he was cuddled facing my back, one arm hung around my abdomen. I turned over and brushed my hair away from where it had fallen over my neck and cleavage. The dress I wore today was a naval force bridle sundress, made of some light, tenacious material. â€Å"Already?† I inquired. He as a rule didn't chomp me until the finish of his visits. While part of me ached for that and held up in expectation to feel that high once more, I did sort of appreciate these minutes already. It was the point at which the endorphins in my framework were at their most reduced, so I had the option to deal with a type of discussion. We would discuss battles we'd been in or the existence he envisioned for us when I was Strigoi. Nothing excessively nostalgic except for decent in any case. I prepared myself for the nibble currently, angling up in expectation. Amazingly, he didn't lean down and dive into me. He ventured into his pocket and created an accessory. It was either white gold or platinum-I didn't have the expertise to tell which-and had three dim blue sapphires the size of quarters. He'd presented to me a ton of adornments this week, and I swore each piece was more lovely than the last. I gazed in surprise at its excellence, at the manner in which the blue stones sparkled in the light. He set the jewelry against my skin and affixed it behind my neck. Running his fingers along the jewelry's edges, he gave the thumbs up. â€Å"Beautiful.† His fingers floated to one of the dress' ties. He slid his hand underneath it, sending a rush through my skin. â€Å"It matches.† I grinned. In the days of yore, Dimitri had never gotten me endowments. He hadn't had the methods, and I hadn't needed them at any rate. Presently, I was constantly stunned by the presents he appeared to have at each visit. â€Å"Where'd you get it?† I inquired. The metal was cool against my flushed skin however not even close as cold as his fingers. He grinned cleverly. â€Å"I have my sources.† That berating voice in my mind that occasionally figured out how to infiltrate through the fog I lived in noticed that I was associated with a type of vampire criminal. Its admonitions were quickly crushed and sank down into my marvelous haze of presence. Ho w would I be able to be vexed when the jewelry was so delightful? Something out of nowhere struck me as amusing. â€Å"You're much the same as Abe.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"This fellow I met. Abe Mazur. He's a crowd boss†¦ he continued after me.† Dimitri solidified. â€Å"Abe Mazur was following you?† I didn't care for the dull look that had out of nowhere fallen over his highlights. â€Å"Yeah. So?† â€Å"Why? What did he need with you?† â€Å"I don't have the foggiest idea. He continued needing to know why I was in Russia however at last surrendered and simply needed me to leave. I think someone from home employed him to discover me.† â€Å"I don't need you close Abe Mazur. He's dangerous.† Dimitri was furious, and I abhorred that. After a second, that anger blurred, and he ran his fingers along my arm again, pushing the tie down further. â€Å"Of course, individuals like that won't be an issue when you awaken.† Some place, in the rear of my head, I thought about whether Dimitri had the appropriate responses I needed about Abe-about what Abe did. Yet, discussing Abe had made Dimitri vexed, and I winced at that, hurriedly needing to switch points. â€Å"What have you been doing today?† I asked, dazzled at my capacity to make typical casual chitchat. Between the endorphins and him contacting me, intelligence was troublesome. â€Å"Errands for Galina. Dinner.† Supper. A casualty. I scowled. The emotions that roused in me weren't of aversion so much as†¦ desire. â€Å"Do you drink from them†¦ for fun?† He ran his lips along my neck, teeth insulting my skin yet not gnawing. I wheezed and squeezed nearer to him. â€Å"No, Roza. They're food; there's nothing more to it. It's over rapidly. You're the just a single I take delight in.† I felt priggish fulfillment in that, and that irritating mental voice called attention to that that was a fantastically wiped out and turned view for me to have. I sort of trusted he would nibble me soon. That normally shut the levelheaded voice up. I came to up and contacted his face, at that point ran my hand through that magnificent, plush hair that I'd generally adored. â€Å"You continue needing to stir me†¦ yet we won't have the option to do this any longer. Strigoi don't drink from one another, do they?† â€Å"No,† he concurred. â€Å"But it'll be justified, despite all the trouble. We can accomplish such a great deal more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He left the â€Å"so much more† to my creative mind, and a wonderful shudder went through me. The kissing and blood taking were inebriating, yet there were a few days that I wanted, well†¦ more. The recollections of the one time we'd had intercourse frequented me when we were this near one another, and I regularly ached to do it once more. For reasons unknown, he never pushed for sex, regardless of how enthusiastic things became. I didn't know whether he was utilizing that as a bait for me to turn or if there was some inconsistency between a Strigoi and a dhampir. Could the living and the dead do that? Once, I would have considered the idea of sex with one of them completely terrible. Now†¦ I simply didn't consider the entanglements to such an extent. Be that as it may, despite the fact that he didn't endeavor sex, he would frequently insult me with his strokes, contacting my thighs and sternum and different perilous spots. Furthermore, he would help me to remember what it had been similar to that one time, how astounding it had been, the means by which our bodies had felt†¦ His discussion of such things was more insulting than loving, however. In my semi-clear minutes, I sincerely thought it was weird that I hadn't yet assented to turning out to be Strigoi. The endorphin mist caused me to consent to nearly everything else he needed. I'd fallen serenely into sprucing up for him, remaining in my plated jail, and tolerating that he took a casualty each couple days. However even in my most confused minutes, in any event, when I needed him so severely, I was unable to consent to turning. There was some inherent piece of me that would not move. More often than not, he would disregard my refusal, similar to it was a joke. In any case, occasionally when I declined, I'd see a sparkle of outrage in his eyes. Those minutes terrified me. â€Å"Here it comes,† I prodded. â€Å"The attempt to sell something. Everlasting life. Invulnerable. Nothing to remain in our way.† â€Å"It's not a joke,† he said. Oh no. My carelessness had taken that hardness back to him. The longing and affection that I'd quite recently observed presently broken into a million pieces and overwhelmed. The hands that had quite recently stroked me out of nowhere snatched my wrists and held me set up as he inclined down. â€Å"We can't remain like this eternity. You can't remain here forever.† Hold up, that voice said. Be cautious. That doesn't sound great. His grasp hurt, and I regularly thought about whether that was his purpose or in the event that he just couldn't support his viciousness. At the point when he at last discharged me, I folded my arm over his neck and attempted to kiss him. â€Å"Can't we talk about that later?† Our lips met, fire blooming among us and criticalness flowing through my body. I could tell he had a coordinating want, yet a couple of moments later, he split away. The cool disturbance was still all over. â€Å"Come on,† he stated, pulling endlessly from me. â€Å"Let's go.† He stood up, and I gazed moronically. â€Å"Where are we going?† â€Å"Outside.† I sat up on the bed, puzzled. â€Å"Out†¦ outside? But†¦ that is not permitted. We can't.† â€Å"We can do anything I want,† he snapped. He broadened his hand and helped me up. I tailed him to the entryway. He was as gifted as Inna at blocking me from the keypad, not that it made a difference now. There was no chance I would ever recollect that long of a grouping any longer. The entryway clicked open, and he drove me out. I gazed in wonder, my stunned mind stil

How Riot Games Started and Grew League of Legends

How Riot Games Started and Grew League of Legends © Shutterstock.com | Patrik SlezakWhile examining Riot Games and their popular game, League of Legends in this article, we will look at 1) Riot Games, 2) League of Legends and 3) how did League of Legends become so popular?RIOT GAMESAn American Video Game Publisher, Riot Games has been in business since 2006 with the head office based in Santa Monica, California. Other office locations around the world include St Louis, Sydney, Dublin, Berlin, Seoul, Istanbul, Sao Paulo, Moscow, and Taipei.The company has one game under its belt, the popular League of Legends. This online PC game was released in October 2007. The company manifesto is:Player Experience First;Challenge Convention;Focus on Talent and Team;Take Play Seriously;Stay Hungry, Stay Humble.HistoryThe company began as an indie game developer in Los Angeles. It was created by Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck, and the company’s first game was announced in October 2008. League of Legends was released a year later.The game is free- to-play and contains neither ads nor boxed copy sales. Instead, revenue is generated from microtransactions. The company was listed number 4 on the list of top 25 companies to work for by Business Insider in 2013. Employees were partly veterans of Defense of the Ancients, the founder of the website DotA-Allstars and some former Blizzard employees including a Lead Systems Designer for World or Warcraft.LEAGUE OF LEGENDSGame Types MapsGame ModesThe game features two modes of play. These are Classic and Dominion.The classic mode is a base defense in which the player tries to battle gradually his way towards the nexus of their opponent. The main objective for each map is the Nexus,  and to win the opponent’s nexus must be destroyed. This can be achieved with the help of minions who are expendable allied or enemy units. These units spawn automatically to charge into battle to attack the enemy in assigned lanes. To achieve this goal, the player has to get through turrets and inhibitors . Turrets or a tower is a heavy fortification that blocks minion waves from the enemy and also path to the nexus. This is one of the core components of the gameplay. Inhibitors are structures meant to block Super Minion training by enemies.The Dominion mode is a capture and hold game in which players battle over strategic area of the maps. When an area is captured, or an enemy killed, the opponent’s nexus is damaged.MapsIn League of Legends, the maps are called “Fields of Justice.” This is the arena in which champions of the game battle each other to achieve victory. The maps have a fixed number of lanes and put two teams with a fixed number of players against each other. The lanes connect the two teams and minions move through these lanes to engage enemies. Turrets line the lanes and engage enemies that are within range. Turrets are destroyed permanently and cannot respawn. Inhibitors are present at the end of each lane and respawn every 5 minutes. Maps also have jungle areas that have neutral monster camps. A champion can kill these monsters for gold  or to gain experience. Another area within the map is a brush that blocks line of sight to allow champions to hide and set up surprise attacks.These fields include:Classic Summoner’s Rift â€" This field has three lanes and supports 5 players on each side;The Twisted Treeline â€" This is a smaller map supporting 3 players on each side in 2 lanes.Dominion The Crystal Scar â€" This map supports 5 players per side and is a fast paced game of capture and hold.ARAM (All Random â€" All Middle)The Howling Abyss â€" This is a similar gameplay to classic mode with just one lane and no jungle.OthersMagma Chamber;Proving Grounds.ChampionsChampions are controlled by players with one player controlling one champion. At present, the game has 124 different champions. Each champion has a unique set of characteristics and certain attributes that describe their style of play such as mage, support or fighter. More than one attribute may be present in a particular champion and they can be played in a variety of ways. Champions are selected at the beginning of each battle, but choices are limited by the progress that has been made by that player in unlocking them. After a certain amount of experience is gained by the champion it goes up a level and there is an increase in the champion’s stats.SummonerThe summoner is a persistent element in the game and has the ability to summon champions into the battle arena. The summoner maintains a mental link with the summoned champion.Business modelThe game has a unique business model, and the company insists on keeping player experience above revenue generation. This has led to a collective spending of US$122 million in August 2014 alone by a player base of 67 million active users. This data is provided by SuperData. This philosophy has helped the company become one of the few to bring in US$1 billion in revenue in 2014.Some elements that factor into this model are discussed below in some detail.PlayersThe game has a free-to-play model and has other means of bringing in revenue. The game was generally well received at launch by both the audience and critics. Since then, it has continued to grow in popularity and by 2012, it became the most played PC game in terms of number of hours played inside Europe and North America. 67 million people play the game per month, 27 million per day and over 7.5 million do so concurrently at peak hours, according to figures from January 2014. About 90 percent of the players are male, with 85 percent in the 16-30 age range.Free-To-PlayPrior to the games release date, it was announced that it would be based on a free-to-play model with no hidden catches. The basic game can be downloaded digitally. A collector’s copy was also offered for $29.99. This included exclusive skins, $10 credit for Riot Points, access to 20 champions without needed to unlock them via gameplay and 4 special runes. The game does not feature any advertisements or boxed copy sales and instead relies on microtransactions and other modes of revenue generation. These are discussed in some detail below.1. The Game StoreOne way of purchasing extra material within the game is to use influence points that are collected during gameplay. This is the soft currency. Another method is to use Riot Points, the hard currency. These points can be purchased using actual money and can be used to buy items that can help make things more convenient and add extra customization options, as well as diverse experiences. Some of the items that can be purchased include champions, champion skins, and boosts. Riot Point cannot be used to affect  directly the gameplay.Points can be purchased in different amounts such as $10 for 1380 RPs or $50 for 7200 RPs. These can be purchased at places such as Best Buy, Walmart and Gamestop as well as online using credit/debit cards and PayPal.2. ChampionshipsLeague of Legends is played at a world champi onship event, the first of which was held in 2011 in Sweden. $100,000 in prizes were distributed to the winners with the first place earning $50,000. The event was streamed around the world with over 1.6 million viewers. Price money for the second season was announced to be US$5,000,000 with US$2,000,000 being paid out to partners such as IPL and other eSports associations, US$2,000,000 to qualifiers and champions and the last chunk to small organizers who apply to host the tournaments. The game is the most popular e-sports game in South Korea. The United States also recognizes the games pro-players as professional athletes and has a simplified visa process for them.Riot Games controls all aspects of the professional league even those details as minute as the music composed for live events. Several tournaments are held all over the world with commentators and highlight reels much like traditional sports events. Though the tournament does not generate revenue it serves to enhance the player base and keep already existing players loyal.HOW DID LEAGUE OF LEGENDS BECOME SO POPULAR?History of League of LegendsThe game began as League of Legends: Clash of Fates and is a multiplayer online battle arena or MOBA game. It was initially designed to be operated on the Microsoft Windows operating system. The game was announced in October 2008 and released a year later in October 2009. The game remained in beta testing phase from April 2009 till its release.Among the game developers were Steve “Guinsoo” Feak and Steve “Pendragon” Mescon who previously worked on several successful games like Warcraft III mod, Defense of the Ancients: Allstars and DotA. The game was inspired by the same mod. A few DotA community members recognized the potential in the mod to generate its one genre and hold its own as a professional game with enhanced features and options. The founders or Riot Games worked with the two Steves on the core development of the game.The championships began in 2010 and have been gaining success and traction every year since. The game continues to offer new options and champions despite being free to play.Reasons for League of Legend becoming so popularSome of the reasons behind this game’s immense popularity are:Easy to Master  A player can easily pick up on the story, the maps, and the champions. It has a user-friendly interface, and there are also very good tutorials available. A new player can easily log in and play an initial few games against low-level computer controlled opponents for experience. This allows them to get used to the landscape, the controls and the gameplay under a low-stress situation.Variety  The game offers over 90 champions and several maps to choose from. This prevents the less involved gamer from getting bored too easily and keeps people coming back for more. One champion can also be used in a multitude of ways depending on the team and the opponent.Championships  The game has an active esports league an d a yearly championship where a large amount of prize money can be won. Professional sports have been propelled into the spotlight with Riot Games’ focus on this area. This has led to a sustained increase in interest among those who play the game and a proper professional player status for league players.Free-to-Play  This model is a big draw for many people as there is no need to invest in a platform, pay for a download or a subscription. Ever power and champion can be obtained without spending any money if a player chooses. The only items that need to be paid for are cosmetic ones such as skins and themes. The most important items, champions, and runes can be obtained through both influence points riot points. Influence points can be collected through the gameplay.Player Experience  The company places a lot of importance on the player experience. This emphasis means a constant focus on new items and attempts to keep the game engaging. This has resulted in the game’s populari ty. This is a game best played with a team, and a happy gamer will bring in their friends, therefore increasing the number of players.Competitive and Strategic Nature  MOBA games allow for a lot of complex, strategic and dynamic gameplay. This is also the case for League of Legends and it is competitive right from the beginning. From team selection to the choice of masteries and runes, the entire game needs to be carefully planned and executed. With over a 100 champions and multiple ways to play each, there is an immense variety of choices when picking a team and playing the game itself.Frequent Updates  The game developers send out a new patch frequently with game updates. The aim is to even out and improve gameplay as well as to introduce new elements. From new champions to changes in visual landscapes and the nature of key features everything is updated and reworked as needed. These changes keep people interested as they need to adapt and change with the changes in the game.Qui ck Games  Another appeal of the game is that it is more limited in an individual session than other more sprawling and open-ended games. This means that a battle can be concluded in 20 to 35 minutes and the main battle ground, or map is the same simple, square shaped grid. There is no infinite journey or new worlds to explore. A player can choose to play one game, five or even 100 but it is easy to conclude each one.Social Appeal  Most video games see a player by himself taking out enemies. In a MOBA game, players have to band together to form a team to defeat the enemy. This allows for more socialization and a strategic effort towards a common goal.

How Riot Games Started and Grew League of Legends

How Riot Games Started and Grew League of Legends © Shutterstock.com | Patrik SlezakWhile examining Riot Games and their popular game, League of Legends in this article, we will look at 1) Riot Games, 2) League of Legends and 3) how did League of Legends become so popular?RIOT GAMESAn American Video Game Publisher, Riot Games has been in business since 2006 with the head office based in Santa Monica, California. Other office locations around the world include St Louis, Sydney, Dublin, Berlin, Seoul, Istanbul, Sao Paulo, Moscow, and Taipei.The company has one game under its belt, the popular League of Legends. This online PC game was released in October 2007. The company manifesto is:Player Experience First;Challenge Convention;Focus on Talent and Team;Take Play Seriously;Stay Hungry, Stay Humble.HistoryThe company began as an indie game developer in Los Angeles. It was created by Marc Merrill and Brandon Beck, and the company’s first game was announced in October 2008. League of Legends was released a year later.The game is free- to-play and contains neither ads nor boxed copy sales. Instead, revenue is generated from microtransactions. The company was listed number 4 on the list of top 25 companies to work for by Business Insider in 2013. Employees were partly veterans of Defense of the Ancients, the founder of the website DotA-Allstars and some former Blizzard employees including a Lead Systems Designer for World or Warcraft.LEAGUE OF LEGENDSGame Types MapsGame ModesThe game features two modes of play. These are Classic and Dominion.The classic mode is a base defense in which the player tries to battle gradually his way towards the nexus of their opponent. The main objective for each map is the Nexus,  and to win the opponent’s nexus must be destroyed. This can be achieved with the help of minions who are expendable allied or enemy units. These units spawn automatically to charge into battle to attack the enemy in assigned lanes. To achieve this goal, the player has to get through turrets and inhibitors . Turrets or a tower is a heavy fortification that blocks minion waves from the enemy and also path to the nexus. This is one of the core components of the gameplay. Inhibitors are structures meant to block Super Minion training by enemies.The Dominion mode is a capture and hold game in which players battle over strategic area of the maps. When an area is captured, or an enemy killed, the opponent’s nexus is damaged.MapsIn League of Legends, the maps are called “Fields of Justice.” This is the arena in which champions of the game battle each other to achieve victory. The maps have a fixed number of lanes and put two teams with a fixed number of players against each other. The lanes connect the two teams and minions move through these lanes to engage enemies. Turrets line the lanes and engage enemies that are within range. Turrets are destroyed permanently and cannot respawn. Inhibitors are present at the end of each lane and respawn every 5 minutes. Maps also have jungle areas that have neutral monster camps. A champion can kill these monsters for gold  or to gain experience. Another area within the map is a brush that blocks line of sight to allow champions to hide and set up surprise attacks.These fields include:Classic Summoner’s Rift â€" This field has three lanes and supports 5 players on each side;The Twisted Treeline â€" This is a smaller map supporting 3 players on each side in 2 lanes.Dominion The Crystal Scar â€" This map supports 5 players per side and is a fast paced game of capture and hold.ARAM (All Random â€" All Middle)The Howling Abyss â€" This is a similar gameplay to classic mode with just one lane and no jungle.OthersMagma Chamber;Proving Grounds.ChampionsChampions are controlled by players with one player controlling one champion. At present, the game has 124 different champions. Each champion has a unique set of characteristics and certain attributes that describe their style of play such as mage, support or fighter. More than one attribute may be present in a particular champion and they can be played in a variety of ways. Champions are selected at the beginning of each battle, but choices are limited by the progress that has been made by that player in unlocking them. After a certain amount of experience is gained by the champion it goes up a level and there is an increase in the champion’s stats.SummonerThe summoner is a persistent element in the game and has the ability to summon champions into the battle arena. The summoner maintains a mental link with the summoned champion.Business modelThe game has a unique business model, and the company insists on keeping player experience above revenue generation. This has led to a collective spending of US$122 million in August 2014 alone by a player base of 67 million active users. This data is provided by SuperData. This philosophy has helped the company become one of the few to bring in US$1 billion in revenue in 2014.Some elements that factor into this model are discussed below in some detail.PlayersThe game has a free-to-play model and has other means of bringing in revenue. The game was generally well received at launch by both the audience and critics. Since then, it has continued to grow in popularity and by 2012, it became the most played PC game in terms of number of hours played inside Europe and North America. 67 million people play the game per month, 27 million per day and over 7.5 million do so concurrently at peak hours, according to figures from January 2014. About 90 percent of the players are male, with 85 percent in the 16-30 age range.Free-To-PlayPrior to the games release date, it was announced that it would be based on a free-to-play model with no hidden catches. The basic game can be downloaded digitally. A collector’s copy was also offered for $29.99. This included exclusive skins, $10 credit for Riot Points, access to 20 champions without needed to unlock them via gameplay and 4 special runes. The game does not feature any advertisements or boxed copy sales and instead relies on microtransactions and other modes of revenue generation. These are discussed in some detail below.1. The Game StoreOne way of purchasing extra material within the game is to use influence points that are collected during gameplay. This is the soft currency. Another method is to use Riot Points, the hard currency. These points can be purchased using actual money and can be used to buy items that can help make things more convenient and add extra customization options, as well as diverse experiences. Some of the items that can be purchased include champions, champion skins, and boosts. Riot Point cannot be used to affect  directly the gameplay.Points can be purchased in different amounts such as $10 for 1380 RPs or $50 for 7200 RPs. These can be purchased at places such as Best Buy, Walmart and Gamestop as well as online using credit/debit cards and PayPal.2. ChampionshipsLeague of Legends is played at a world champi onship event, the first of which was held in 2011 in Sweden. $100,000 in prizes were distributed to the winners with the first place earning $50,000. The event was streamed around the world with over 1.6 million viewers. Price money for the second season was announced to be US$5,000,000 with US$2,000,000 being paid out to partners such as IPL and other eSports associations, US$2,000,000 to qualifiers and champions and the last chunk to small organizers who apply to host the tournaments. The game is the most popular e-sports game in South Korea. The United States also recognizes the games pro-players as professional athletes and has a simplified visa process for them.Riot Games controls all aspects of the professional league even those details as minute as the music composed for live events. Several tournaments are held all over the world with commentators and highlight reels much like traditional sports events. Though the tournament does not generate revenue it serves to enhance the player base and keep already existing players loyal.HOW DID LEAGUE OF LEGENDS BECOME SO POPULAR?History of League of LegendsThe game began as League of Legends: Clash of Fates and is a multiplayer online battle arena or MOBA game. It was initially designed to be operated on the Microsoft Windows operating system. The game was announced in October 2008 and released a year later in October 2009. The game remained in beta testing phase from April 2009 till its release.Among the game developers were Steve “Guinsoo” Feak and Steve “Pendragon” Mescon who previously worked on several successful games like Warcraft III mod, Defense of the Ancients: Allstars and DotA. The game was inspired by the same mod. A few DotA community members recognized the potential in the mod to generate its one genre and hold its own as a professional game with enhanced features and options. The founders or Riot Games worked with the two Steves on the core development of the game.The championships began in 2010 and have been gaining success and traction every year since. The game continues to offer new options and champions despite being free to play.Reasons for League of Legend becoming so popularSome of the reasons behind this game’s immense popularity are:Easy to Master  A player can easily pick up on the story, the maps, and the champions. It has a user-friendly interface, and there are also very good tutorials available. A new player can easily log in and play an initial few games against low-level computer controlled opponents for experience. This allows them to get used to the landscape, the controls and the gameplay under a low-stress situation.Variety  The game offers over 90 champions and several maps to choose from. This prevents the less involved gamer from getting bored too easily and keeps people coming back for more. One champion can also be used in a multitude of ways depending on the team and the opponent.Championships  The game has an active esports league an d a yearly championship where a large amount of prize money can be won. Professional sports have been propelled into the spotlight with Riot Games’ focus on this area. This has led to a sustained increase in interest among those who play the game and a proper professional player status for league players.Free-to-Play  This model is a big draw for many people as there is no need to invest in a platform, pay for a download or a subscription. Ever power and champion can be obtained without spending any money if a player chooses. The only items that need to be paid for are cosmetic ones such as skins and themes. The most important items, champions, and runes can be obtained through both influence points riot points. Influence points can be collected through the gameplay.Player Experience  The company places a lot of importance on the player experience. This emphasis means a constant focus on new items and attempts to keep the game engaging. This has resulted in the game’s populari ty. This is a game best played with a team, and a happy gamer will bring in their friends, therefore increasing the number of players.Competitive and Strategic Nature  MOBA games allow for a lot of complex, strategic and dynamic gameplay. This is also the case for League of Legends and it is competitive right from the beginning. From team selection to the choice of masteries and runes, the entire game needs to be carefully planned and executed. With over a 100 champions and multiple ways to play each, there is an immense variety of choices when picking a team and playing the game itself.Frequent Updates  The game developers send out a new patch frequently with game updates. The aim is to even out and improve gameplay as well as to introduce new elements. From new champions to changes in visual landscapes and the nature of key features everything is updated and reworked as needed. These changes keep people interested as they need to adapt and change with the changes in the game.Qui ck Games  Another appeal of the game is that it is more limited in an individual session than other more sprawling and open-ended games. This means that a battle can be concluded in 20 to 35 minutes and the main battle ground, or map is the same simple, square shaped grid. There is no infinite journey or new worlds to explore. A player can choose to play one game, five or even 100 but it is easy to conclude each one.Social Appeal  Most video games see a player by himself taking out enemies. In a MOBA game, players have to band together to form a team to defeat the enemy. This allows for more socialization and a strategic effort towards a common goal.

Mind/Body Practices Ancient Traditions with Contemporary...

In October of 1991, the United States Congress passed a law dedicating $2 million to fund an office of the National Institute of Health dedicated to the investigation of nontraditional medical practices. Seven years later, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) became an official branch of the National Institutes of Health. Although alternative medicine has only recently gained official recognition in the United States, the mind/body practices that pervade NCCAM’s research have ancient roots. For example, the some forms of meditation, a technique originating in Eastern religions, can be traced back thousands of years. The American Yoga Association reports that yoga dates back more than 5,000 years! As of†¦show more content†¦Both forms of meditation can increase relaxation and awareness of the body and mind. Research proves that meditation can be clinically effective for various conditions. A study by Delgado-Pastor et. al. (2013) enlisted ten Vipassana meditators to undergo two sessions, one in which they meditated and another in which they rested without meditating. The study found that meditation allowed for greater awareness of both present experience and autonomic regulation. Awareness of oneself in this sense, the authors suggest, can assist in reduction of clinical symptoms, which share similar psychological and physiological mechanisms. Thus, further research may find clinical benefits in the therapeutic use of meditative techniques (Delgado-Pastor et. al., 2013). Another study looked at the benefits of meditation for female breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy (Kim et. al., 2013). Specifically, the investigators were studying how meditation assisted symptoms related to the women’s anxiety, depression, fatigue, and overall quality of life. The study compared 102 women, some of who were randomly selected to partake in 12 meditation therapy sessions (in addition to the radiation therapy) for 6 months. Another group attended only radiation therapy. Results showed that the women who participated in meditation therapy had significantly reduced levels of anxiety and fatigue, as well as an overallShow MoreRelatedHappiness State of Mind1180 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction At first glance, happiness is a state of mind that many, if not all people aspire to achieve in their lifetime. What exactly is that state of mind is up for debate among the east and the west, and varies between different cultures, traditions, and religions. In the west, happiness is mostly associated with success, wealth, fame and power. In the east, happiness can be viewed as freedom from mundane occurrences such as the occupation of western powers from within a country, the end ofRead MoreEssay about Death in Ancient Egyptian Culture2526 Words   |  11 Pagesreligious faith. By exploring death ceremony in ancient Egypt, contemporary Hindu death practice in India, and current North American funerary rites, it can be illustrated that anthropology is conducive for providing clarity to a culture’s social division of strata and spiritual beliefs by analyzing death ritual. Universally, these rituals are ultimately designed for the living, who almost collectively seek longevity of life and immortality of being. Ancient Egypt is well-known for its ritual and careRead More The Effects of Sport on Levels of Mindfulness and Experiences of Flow: A Comparison of Contact, Non-contact and Team, Non-team Activities1695 Words   |  7 Pagesimportant aspect of sport psychology known as ‘flow’. Mindfulness has its roots in ancient spiritual traditions, namely Buddhism (Keng, Smoski, Robins, 2011), and is commonly defined as â€Å"the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding experience moment by moment† (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145). Definitions like the preceding are common in contemporary literature, however many authors have suggested that mindfulness is a somewhatRead More Can Education be Classical and Christian? Essay1342 Words   |  6 Pagesdemonstrating the unity of Greek philosophy and Judaism (The Great Tradition, 154). Clement of Alexandria (c. AD 150-215) continued the conversation by demonstrating that the study of Greek philosophy was profitable for Christians. He describes philosophy as a â€Å"preparatory science for Christianity† which leads a person to contemplate wisdom and prepares his heart for the coming of Christ (169 ). Clement also concluded that philoso phy prepares the mind to be precise in reasoning out issues of faith and thusRead MoreDo You Believe? Evil? Essay1729 Words   |  7 Pagespromote evil and must be executed. Witchcraft a mysterious reality is alive and not always but bad but defiantly not always good. Despite, the majority of the world disliking and despising the black magic, its existence and practices witchcraft is just that; an existence and practices. Horrific and dark events that are caused by this voodoo have showcased bizarre incidents and rituals that are one hundred percent pure evil. This events have led to the isolation, outlaw and even execution of these thisRead MoreJapan: a Persuasive Research Paper3109 Words   |  13 Pagesclub, or company. Japan is a collectivist society. A collectivist society is concerned with the good of all of the people, and not concerned with the individual’s desires or needs. Everything that the homogeneous country of Japan does strives to benefit the entirety of the community. Unfortunately, their efforts are futile. Their views are completely unrealistic. The Japanese view the family as a source of strength, and believe that a person can not succeed or reach their full potential in the outsideRead More The Liberal Arts and the End of Education Essay3055 Words   |  13 PagesHumanity as its theme does well to revisit the liberal arts tradition. Although the liberal arts are most often assimilated to studies brought together as the Humanities, the old usage included the arts which employed artificial languages in mathematics, music, and astronomy, as well as the literature and letters of the various natural languages. The current conflation of liberal education with the humanities does violence to the historical tradition in education, reducing it to fluff in the eyes of tough-mindedRead MoreThe Influence of Music on Self and Society - Values in Music in Eastern and Western Cultures8787 Words   |  36 Pagesto express, convey and illicit powerful emotions is without question, however the issue of musics moral and ethical power, and how that power affects individuals and societies, is one that receives too little a ttention in our post-modern world. Ancient cultures held strong beliefs in the moral and ethical power of music and as such it was imperative for artists within those cultures to exercise a certain moral and ethical responsibility in their creative endeavors. As a professional musicianRead MoreFemale Genital Mutilation Essay1900 Words   |  8 PagesFemales as a general population have been faced with discrimination across the ages. In recent history, women have begun to assert their freedom and independence from the male oriented traditions that have spanned generations. In industrialized countries the discrimination of women has diminished, but a serious form of violation of human rights occurs sometimes in parts of the world, such as Africa, the Middle East, and even sometimes the United States and other industrialized countries in NorthRead MoreEssay about Ecofeminism4924 Words   |  20 Pagesmulticultural perspective on the interconnectedness of social systems of domination and the domination of non-human nature. It recognizes the cultural and political links between ecology and feminism. Ecofeminism is a value system, a social movement, and a practice. It criticizes the mainstream green movement and challenges the fundamental id eas of the western patriarchy about women, nature science, and development. Ecofeminism is an admixture of ecology and feminism. A French feminist, Francoise dEaubonne

The Meaning of Discourse

In linguistics, discourse refers to a unit of language longer than a single sentence. The word discourse is derived from the latin prefix dis- meaning away and the root word currere meaning to run. Discourse, therefore, translates to run away and refers to the way that conversations flow. To study discourse is to analyze the use of spoken or written language in a social context. Discourse studies look at the form and function of language in conversation beyond its small grammatical pieces such as phonemes and morphemes. This field of study, which Dutch linguist  Teun van Dijk is largely responsible for developing, is interested in how larger units of language—including lexemes, syntax, and context—contribute meaning to conversations. Definitions and Examples of Discourse Discourse in context may consist of only one or two words as in stop or no smoking. Alternatively, a piece of discourse can be hundreds of thousands of words in length, as some novels are. A typical piece of discourse is somewhere between these two extremes, (Hinkel and Fotos 2001). Discourse is the way in which language is used socially to convey broad historical meanings. It is language identified by the social conditions of its use, by who is using it and under what conditions. Language can never be neutral because it bridges our personal and social worlds, (Henry and Tator 2002). Contexts and Topics of Discourse The study of discourse is entirely context-dependent because conversation involves situational knowledge beyond just the words spoken. Often times, meaning cannot be extrapolated from an exchange merely from its verbal utterances because there are many semantic factors involved in authentic communication. The study of discourse...can involve matters like context, background information or knowledge shared between a speaker and hearer, (Bloor and Bloor 2013). Subcategories of Discourse Discourse can...be used to refer to particular contexts of language use, and in this sense, it becomes similar to concepts like genre or text type. For example, we can conceptualize political discourse (the sort of language used in political contexts) or media discourse (language used in the media). In addition, some writers have conceived of discourse as related to particular topics, such as an environmental discourse or colonial discourse...Such labels sometimes suggest a particular attitude towards a topic (e.g. people engaging in environmental discourse would generally be expected to be concerned with protecting the environment rather than wasting resources). Related to this, Foucault...defines discourse more ideologically as practices which systematically form the objects of which they speak, (Baker and Ellece 2013). Discourse in Social Sciences Within social science...discourse is mainly used to describe verbal reports of individuals. In particular, discourse is analyzed by those who are interested in language and talk and what people are doing with their speech. This approach [studies] the language used to describe aspects of the world and has tended to be taken by those using a sociological perspective, (Ogden 2002). Common Ground Discourse is a joint activity requiring active participation from two or more people, and as such is dependent on the lives and knowledge of two or more people as well as the situation of the communication itself. Herbert Clark applied the concept of common ground to his discourse studies as a way of accounting for the various agreements that take place in successful communication. Discourse is more than a message between sender and receiver. In fact, sender and receiver are metaphors that obfuscate what is really going on in communication. Specific illocutions have to be linked to the message depending on the situation in which discourse takes place...Clark compares language in use with a business transaction, paddling together in a canoe, playing cards or performing music in an orchestra. A central notion in Clarks study is common ground. The joint activity is undertaken to accumulate the common ground of the participants. With common ground is meant the sum of the joint and mutual knowledge, beliefs and suppositions of the participants, (Renkema 2004). Sources Baker, Paul, and Sibonile Ellece.  Key Terms in Discourse Analysis. 1st ed., Bloomsbury Academic, 2013.Bloor, Meriel, and Thomas Bloor. Practice of Critical Discourse Analysis: An Introduction. Routledge, 2013.Henry, Frances, and Carol Tator. Discourses of Domination: Racial Bias in the Canadian English-Language Press. University of Toronto, 2002.Hinkel, Eli, and Sandra Fotos, editors. New Perspectives on Grammar Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001.Ogden, Jane. Health and the Construction of the Individual. Routledge, 2002.Renkema, Jan. Introduction to Discourse Studies. John Benjamins, 2004.Van Dijk, Teun Adrianus. Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Academic, 1985.

The Importance of Wide Sargasso Sea Essay Topics

The Importance of Wide Sargasso Sea Essay Topics What About Wide Sargasso Sea Essay Topics? The three components of Wide Sargasso Sea have various narrators. A large part of population in the Caribbean Islands are immigrants from different parts of earth and their younger generations. After reading Wide Sargasso Sea we have more thorough understanding of Jane Eyre and a few of the events that happened within the novel. Wide Sargasso Sea is among the best known of such writings and it's been the topic of a lot of scrutiny from a post-colonial perspective. But you can also say that Ashcrofts term displacement would do the job too. The film was supplied a restrictive NC-17 rating as a result of its sexual content. Isolation isn't necessarily self-inflicted. Maybe you could analyze all the various kinds of isolation which are found in this novel. Antoinette does not keep in mind this. Oppositions between the two of these characters are extremely apparent. Feminist literary criticism is broadly based and uses a variety of other critical perspectives. Wide Sargasso Sea Essay Topics Antoinette struggles within this book because she's an outcast in Jamaica. Antoinette has three dreams at three unique times within her life. Antoinette not only employs the pen but in addition masters the pen. Although Antoinette can't consciously or rationally understand what her fate is going to be as a consequence of this meeting, she has a strong awareness of foreboding this dream, a lot more concrete and threatening than the very first, warns of the quickening approach of Rochester. We see they need to lead their lives in accordance with their wishes. The husband decides that they have to leave Jamaica. Ultimately it's a descent into madness. Sometimes he feels as though he's come to be a ghost too. But he doesn't hear their voices and so cannot know their culture. It's not only novelists who do this, either. When examining the texts, it's apparent that she isn't stealing or trying to take credit for Jane Eyre. The absolute most important figures are given below. The Appeal of Wide Sargasso Sea Essay Topics On the opposite side, Antoinette is beneath the impression that her man's dry behavior is a result of the simple fact he has to dwell in an entirely different environment and she is, to a point, true also. They make her unable to take care of her daughter or maybe to execute the most necessary household tasks. When she does, Antoinette seizes the chance to escape in the remaining part of the house, where she causes disorder. Also, if there's some kind of barrier between others I don't have any issue, ie. Smashwords, a self publishing e-book distributor, is a terrific site as you can access a whole lot of great stories that have never been published into paperbacks or hardcovers and permit authors from all over to publish and share their stories without lots of hassle. In the beginning love is the sole thing that matters. It's simpler to write when you feel something about the discipline. These questions are meant for high school students. I'm studying with a couple of my buddies, or sitting in the wait room at a physician's office, I don't have any problems reading. They spend the majority of their days together till they have a fight and say things to one another that cannot be forgiven. Now it's the very first day of Ramadan. The second area of the narrative opens after the marriage has happened. Her very first person narration inside this section employs stream of consciousness methods to represent, via an interior monologue, the stream of perceptions, ideas and memories within her head right now. Sometimes, historical facets influence relationships. This feeling of mission masked, naturally, economic exploitation. Jane firmly made a decision to put a stop to the wicked boy abuses. In addition, she had no money or power to change her situation.

Figures of Speech free essay sample

Figures of Speech [ Examples ] 1. Metaphor ? But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill. (William Sharp, The Lonely Hunter) ? Love is an alchemist that can transmute poison into foodand a spaniel that prefers even punishment from one hand to caresses from another. (Charles Colton, Lacon) 2. Simile ? Good coffee is like friendship: rich and warm and strong. (slogan of Pan-American Coffee Bureau) ? She dealt with moral problems as a cleaver deals with meat. (James Joyce, The Boarding House) 3. Personification ? Fear knocked on the door. Faith answered. There was no one there. (proverb quoted by Christopher Moltisanti, The Sopranos) ? The operation is over. On the table, the knife lies spent, on its side, the bloody meal smear-dried upon its flanks. The knife rests. (Richard Selzer, The Knife) 4. Apostrophe ? Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone Without a dream in my heart Without a love of my own. (Lorenz Hart, Blue Moon) ? Hello darkness, my old friend Ive come to talk with you again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Paul Simon, The Sounds of Silence) 5. We will write a custom essay sample on Figures of Speech or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Metonymy ? The suits on Wall Street walked off with most of our savings. ? â€Å"I stopped at a bar and had a couple of double Scotches. They didnt do me any good. All they did was made me think of Silver Wig, and I never saw her again. (Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep) 6. Hyperbole ? I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far. (Mark Twain, Old Times on the Mississippi) ? Im really busy, I am doing like ten million things at the same time. 7. Litotes ? The graves a fine a private place, But none, I think, do there embrace. (Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistress) ? for lifes not a paragraph And death I think is no parenthesis (e. e. cummings, since feeling is first) 8. Irony ? My cat enjoys the thrill of a good, long nap. ? The homeless survived in their cardboard palace. 9. Antithesis ? Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing. (Goethe) ? We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. (Martin Luther King, Jr. , speech at St. Louis, 1964) 10. Paradox ? War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. (George Orwell, 1984) ? If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness. (Alexander Smith) 11. Oxymoron ? The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. (W. C. Fields) ? We have to believe in free will. We have no choice. (Isaac Bashevis Singer)

Business Leadership Study Can Yang Jianguo make the transition from a regional star to a global leader Essay Example

Business Leadership Study: Can Yang Jianguo make the transition from a regional star to a global leader? Essay Yang Jianguo’s promotion as the Senior Vice President of global product development is well deserved. Having headed the Chinese division of Deronde International with distinction, his appointment to this international role is promising as well as challenging. By the end of his first few weeks in the new role, he is already frustrated and confused by the mixed signals he is receiving from his colleagues. It seems that Jianguo has not prepared himself to get acclimatized with the French corporate culture. While all business corporations share the same goal of boosting bottom lines and building an enduring brand image, the local culture does affect the way the business is run. Deronde International, being headquartered in Paris, seems to function in a style typical of the city and its people, whereby free flow of ideas and spontaneity are encouraged. This seems to have disconcerted Jianguo, who is used to his own style of operating. Having spent most of his working years in mainland China, he seems to have assimilated an autocratic mode of analysis and decision making, which is at odds with the French way. In this regard, as Elise had advised him, he can try and make a few compromises in the initial stages. Once his mettle is proven and his skills are recognized by his peers, he can articulate his views more emphatically. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Leadership Study: Can Yang Jianguo make the transition from a regional star to a global leader? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Business Leadership Study: Can Yang Jianguo make the transition from a regional star to a global leader? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Business Leadership Study: Can Yang Jianguo make the transition from a regional star to a global leader? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The core team in Paris can also do its share to make things easy for Jianguo. Firslty, the Chief Executive Officer Alain has to specify to his new appointee a clear set of roles and responsibilities. The core management team headed by Alain seem to be of the understanding that new products have to be Franco-centric, meaning that they should represent French culture and style in essence. Jianguo can make others see that French tastes and sensibilities do not always apply to other markets, especially in emerging economies such as South America, China and India. While Jianguo has a valid point to make, he needs to exercise patience in getting his message across. He should also be a little tolerant of the internal politics in the organization involving Yves, Elaine and others. Communicating with the core team and convincing them of his ideas is crucial. In his early days as SVP Jianguo has not been assertive enough. This is especially true with respect to Alain, who as the CEO of Deronde, has a say in all decisions. Previously, as the head of Chinese operations, Jianguo was allowed to be his own man, where he had the freedom to think and act independently. But here in Paris, not only is the work culture different, but his independence is also limited. Based on what is given in the case study, Jianguo has not yet come to grips with the limitations imposed by his new role. It is only when he comprehends the new reality that he can truly become the global leader he aspires to become. Toward the end of the case study, it is implied that Jianguo is already a little regretful of accepting this position and is thinking of other career possibilities. But thinking on these lines should be avoided. Jianguo should see the opportunities that his current adver sity is presenting. By overcoming challenges facing him right now, he will learn many things about leading a global enterprise. To the contrary, by settling for a well-treaded and comfortable path, he will undermine his career growth. While Jianguo certainly has the potential to make the transition from a regional star to a global leader, its attainment lies in his own hands. Reference: Nitin Nohria, From Regional Star to Global Leader, Harvard Business Case Study, published in January, 2009. Intellectuals such as Karl Marx and Max Weber have proposed important theories toward understanding the dynamics of societies. Marx’s ideas in particular have profoundly affected later generations of sociologists, including his compatriot Max Weber. Marx’s achievement lies in attempting to explain social situations and problems from the point of view of economic class of constituent groups in society. Max Weber, who was a successor to the socio-economic analytic tradition established by Marx, made critical observations of many of Marx’s theories and consolidated the communist school of thought. (Bonner, 1998, p.166) While Weber made important contributions to Marx’s work, he also brought in unique sociological perspectives to communist commentary. In this sense, Weber’s approach to explaining the rise of modern society can be stated as a ‘debate with the ghost of Karl Marx’. First of all, Weber agreed with many of Marx’s viewpoints, most notably their shared view of state power in modern societies. To illustrate this point let us consider the role of police. The police, in contradiction to its role as the protector of people, usually tends to protect the interests of the rich and powerful. It is this observation which prompted Weber’s to remark during a speech in 1918 that â€Å"the state successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory† (Bakker, 1999, p.291). Here, Weber was only reiterating Marx’s assessment of the tendencies of the state and its institutions. While agreeing and consolidating many of Marx’s theories, Weber also attempted to refine and expand them. This is especially true with respect to the role of religion in political and economic affairs. While Marx’s leanings toward atheism are well documented, he did not properly evaluate the influence exert ed by religion in matters of politics and economics. Weber, on the other hand, saw religion to be pivotal to society and hence included religious considerations alongside economic ones. Although Weber helped enrich the understanding of the then emerging capitalist world order, he did not completely condemn it as Marx did. Weber’s works emphasize the influence of religious beliefs in the affairs of state and society. For example, during his lifetime Christianity was the dominant religious ideology in Germany and most of Europe. So Weber asserted that the rise and flourishing of capitalist economic systems had their underpinnings in the Christian ethic. In other words, the seeds for the eventual flowering of industrial capitalism in Europe from the eighteenth century onwards were already evident in the moral fabric of society as conditioned by principles laid out by Christianity. Indeed, Weber believed that the political and economic institutions of a nation are shaped by its d ominant religious ideology. (Sayer, 1991) Despite the differences in their emphasis, both Marx and Weber greatly influenced scholars, politicians and commentators for generations to come. More importantly, their theories and insights have a direct appeal to lay people, for the state of economic and political organization of society has a direct and immediate bearing on its members. Marx and Weber can also be credited for making sociological discourse accessible to the general population. And by doing so, they expanded the reach of the discipline to a wider audience and enabled it to interpret commonplace events in uncommon ways. While Karl Marx will be remembered as the most influential political scientist of the modern era, Max Weber will be remembered for adding new dimensions and interpretations to Marx’s body of work. It is for this reason that Weber’s approach to explaining the rise of modern society can be stated as a ‘debate with the ghost of Karl Marx’. References Bakker, J. (1999). The Living Legacy of Marx, Durkheim and Weber: Applications and Analyses of Classical Sociological Theory by Modern Social Scientist. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 36(2), 286+. Bonner, K. (1998). Reflexivity, Sociology and the Rural-Urban Distinction in Marx, Tonnies and Weber. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 35(2), 165+. Sayer, D. (1991). Capitalism and Modernity: An Excursus on Marx and Weber. New York: Routledge.

Mass Spectrometry - What It Is and How It Works

Mass Spectrometry - What It Is and How It Works Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical laboratory technique to separate the components of a sample by their mass  and electrical charge. The instrument used in MS is called mass spectrometer. It produces a mass spectrum that plots the mass-to-charge (m/z) ratio of compounds in a mixture. How a Mass Spectrometer Works The three main parts of a mass spectrometer are the ion source, the mass analyzer, and the detector. Step 1: Ionization The initial sample may be a solid, liquid, or gas. The sample is vaporized into a gas and then ionized by the ion source, usually by losing an electron to become a cation. Even species that normally form anions or dont usually form ions are converted to cations (e.g., halogens like chlorine and noble gases like argon). The ionization chamber is kept in a vacuum so the ions that are produced can progress through the instrument without running into molecules from air. Ionization is from electrons that are produced by heating up a metal coil until it releases electrons. These electrons collide with sample molecules, knocking off one or more electrons. Since it takes more energy to remove more than one electron, most cations produced in the ionization chamber carry a 1 charge. A positive-charged metal plate pushes the sample ions to the next part of the machine. (Note: Many spectrometers work in either negative ion mode or positive ion mode, so its important to know the setting in order to analyze the data.) Step 2: Acceleration In  the mass analyzer, the ions are then accelerated through a potential difference and focused into a beam. The purpose of acceleration is to give all species the same kinetic energy, like starting a race with all runners on the same line. Step 3: Deflection The ion beam passes through a magnetic field which bends the charged stream. Lighter components or components with more ionic charge will deflect in the field more than heavier or less charged components. There are several different types of mass analyzers. A time-of-flight (TOF) analyzer accelerates ions to the same potential and then determines how long is needed for them to hit the detector. If the particles all start with the same charge, the velocity depends on the mass, with lighter components reaching the detector first. Other types of detectors measure not only how much time it takes for a particle to reach the detector, but how much it is deflected by an electric and/or magnetic field, yielding information besides just mass. Step 4: Detection A detector counts the number of ions at different deflections. The data is plotted as a graph or spectrum  of different masses. Detectors work by recording the induced charge or current caused by an ion striking a surface or passing by. Because the signal is very small, an electron multiplier, Faraday cup, or ion-to-photon detector may be used. The signal is greatly amplified to produce a spectrum. Mass Spectrometry Uses MS is used for both qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. It may be used to identify the elements and isotopes of a sample, to determine the masses of molecules, and as a tool to help identify chemical structures. It can measure sample purity and molar mass. Pros and Cons A big advantage of mass spec over many other techniques is that it is incredibly sensitive (parts per million). It is an excellent tool for identifying unknown components in a sample or confirming their presence. Disadvantages of mass spec are that it isnt very good at identifying hydrocarbons that produce similar ions and its unable to tell optical and geometrical isomers apart. The disadvantages are compensated for by combining MS with other techniques, such as gas chromatography (GC-MS).

Intergroup communication final paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Intergroup communication final - Term Paper Example Moreover, more women are working outside the home, or while in the home, including low-income mothers (Gassman-Pines, 2011). Around 29% of working mothers were employed in jobs with non-standard schedules (versus standard schedules of fixed daytime hours from Monday to Friday) in 2004 (Gassman-Pines, 2011). In developing countries, working mothers show an increasing trend, with some working mainly due to economic needs, while others, especially the educated ones, choose to work to attain personal fulfillment from their work-life identities and to pursue further education and upward career/business goals (Jabbar, 2014; Parà © & Dillaway, 2005). Furthermore, having the option to work, instead of staying at home, is a hallmark of the modern age, particularly, in line with feminist and gender equality movements (Parà © & Dillaway, 2005). Working women develop political power when they increase their contribution to decision-making at home, and when they rise in their organizations as top managers (Ruderman, Ohlott, Panzer, & King, 2002). In addition, they also improve social and cultural power, as they gain social approval for being independent individuals who should be able to work without being judged as neglecting their traditional gender roles and responsibilities (Jabbar, 2014). Nevertheless, working mothers continue to face work-life issues that impact career advancement (King, Botsford, & Huffman, 2009). In other words, not getting enough social support and lack of balance in family and work life can derail women from attaining topmost management positions and attaining a balanced family life-work balance (King et al. , 2009). Some studies investigated the effects of employment outside the home on working mothers and their children and found mixed results. On the one hand, Jabbar’s (2014) interviews with Jordanian mothers and teachers and maids from other countries revealed that working mothers and teachers did not agree that having

BUS ECON (You Decide Activity) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BUS ECON (You Decide Activity) - Assignment Example The first thing that the government usually does in cases like this is to execute monetary policy, a mandate of the Federal Reserve. It lowers interest rates thereby increasing liquidity and helping customers and businesses get back on foot. However, as many analysts would say this may end up hurting the economy in the long run as it may lead to a rise in inflation, something that was witnessed in 2001 in the U.S (Desai, 2011). On the other hand, the idea of increasing taxes and reduced government spending will hurt the common person. This strategy is bad for the economy as consumers and business people will suffer and economic growth will slow down before it picks up again. Such tough measures are not good for the common man as they only benefit the rich (MacEwan & Miller, 2011). The best approach will be the Federal Reserve to retain the current interest rates and be involved strongly in selling bonds in order to increase the bank reserve requirement. This will lead to increased money supply in the economy, as well as stability of financial institutions (Mullard, 2012). However, the federal monetary policies may not be enough and this necessitates the need for both fiscal and monetary policies to help the economy. Some of the fiscal measures could include increased government spending and lowering of taxes. This will balance the economy as the effects of these decisions will be considerate to consumers, as well as businesses (Desai,

Lewis Ranis-Fei Model of Economic Development

Lewis Ranis-Fei Model of Economic Development William Arthur Lewis, with his most famous published work, â€Å"Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour† (Manchester School, May 1954) and â€Å"The Theory of Economic Growth† (Allen and Unwin, 1955), made a great contribution to the theories of economic development. Based on his findings, Ranis and Fei succeeded to extend the initial Lewis model and assessed the changes in the agricultural and industrial labour in more detail. I will start this paper by introducing the foundations of the model before following with the implications, basing the majority of my arguments on the analysis by Ranis and Fei in â€Å"A Theory of Economic Development† (1961). The central idea behind the Lewis model is fairly simple. Lewis divided labour force into two differentiated groups â€Å"subsistence sector† and â€Å"capitalist sector† where the former is assumed to contain unlimited supply and consequently, a pool of surplus labour[1] that sets labour-supply conditions for the latter. The concept of a dual economy is heavily criticised. As Leeson (1982) pointed out, â€Å"dual economy† models are â€Å"held to imply a false picture of the nature of the historical process of change in underdeveloped countries†. In this paper, I will not assess the strengths or weaknesses of the model, but instead, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, assume that the sectors are agricultural and industrial, respectively. Subsequently, Ranis and Feis extension to Lewis model can be analysed. They observed the model by reading it from left to right and assessed the changes in the output and wage as more and more people moved from agriculture to the industry. A new concept was added namely, disguised unemployment, which appears in the traditional subsistence sector. The marginal product of labour, which is observed as the slope of the production function, in agricultural sector is lower than in industry in fact, it is zero before point B on Figure 1.3. Under competitive assumptions, the real wage rate would fall to zero, but due to the presence of institutional or non-market forces, the institutional wage is sustained. Therefore, there are gains to be had by switching resources away to the industrial sector. Nevertheless, it is generally not likely to happen because the market, left on its own, does not change. If the industrial sector does pay according to marginal product, then, as noted by Ray (199 8), there would be efficiency gains available as long as the marginal product of the agricultural labour is less than the wage, whether it is zero or not. By decreasing the labour force in agriculture by a small amount (whilst still remaining in the surplus labour area), the total wage bill in agriculture falls along the diagonal straight line in Figure 1.3 , provided that the wage in agriculture does not rise. Since output does not fall, the reduction in the total wage bill gives an economy an agricultural surplus. Only at point C will this process come to an end because there is no more disguised unemployment it only appears at points at which the marginal product of labour is less than the institutional wage. Hence, condition for the existence of disguised unemployment is: W > MPL Ranis and Fei subsequently claimed that the average wage bill in agricultural sector is no longer measured as a straight line. At point C, the slope of the production function is parallel to the wage bill line, yielding that the disguised unemployment is no longer observed. Furthermore, beyond point C (when the disguisedly unemployed have been absorbed) the marginal product of labour exceeds the traditionally given wage rate (Ranis and Fei, 1961). The wage in agriculture begins to rise, because it becomes profitable to bid for labour[2]. As a result, wage bill falls more slowly. This brings me to the central point of the paper capturing the â€Å"turning points† in the Lewis-Ranis-Fei model. Ranis and Fei divided the model into three phases[3]. I have used Figure 1.1. to illustrate this issue. This figure contains the demand curves for labour by industry (downward sloping). The supply curve is initially a vertical line, because of surplus labour. Hence, the intersection of the labour and demand curves gives the equivalent quantity of labour and wage rate x and w*, respectively. Since the economy is in the surplus phase, there will be a certain quantity of labour transferring from agricultural to industrial sector, which explains the increase of the labour in industry from x to y whilst keeping the wage rate constant. The wage rate remains constant as long as there is surplus labour in the agriculture that can be employed more productively in the industry at a constant subsistence wage rate (Berry, 1970). It must be noted though that for any further investment, the demand curve for labour is going to shift to a point where the compensatory wage must rise. The phase where the supply wage of labour tilts upwards is referred to as the â€Å"first turning point†. At this point, redundant labour disappears altogether (Jorgenson, 1967). Employment in the industry would have risen as far as point z had the turning point not occurred. However, since it did and since the wage rate began to rise as demand was pushed upwards, employment can only rise up to z where demand meets supply. As I briefly mentioned earlier, it is evident that as more and more agricultural workers are withdrawn and no longer demand a portion of the agricultural goods, the surplus of agricultural goods begins to appear. It must be noted that each individual that moves from agricultural sector to the industry carries their own subsistence bundle together with them, meaning that they must be compensated for the transfer. Ranis and Fei named the portion of total agricultural output in excess of the consumption requirements of the agricultural labour force at the institutional wage as the total agricultural surplus TAS (Ranis and Fei, 1961). They described the TAS (captured in Figure 1.3) as the vertical distance between the straight line OX and the total physical productivity curve (with the exception of phase 3 where the distance will be reduced). In order to find out the required minimum industrial wage, the average wage must be multiplied by the relative price between agriculture and industry. In the surplus phase, it remains constant, because the average agricultural surplus is not changing (captured in Figure 1.2.). At this point, an expansion in the industrial sector would not drive up the wage rate. If an individual that moves from agriculture to the industry when labour in agriculture is at the surplus phase, there will be no compensation needed for that particular individual, as he carries his own food basket to the industry. In fact, industrial wage is constant and this individual is not worse off as a result. At the second phase, however, the average agricultural surplus begins to decline, because there will not be sufficient agricultural output to feed all the new industrial arrivals at the institutional wage level (Ranis and Fei, 1961). In other words, the same wage would not compensate them for the move anymore, b ecause the agricultural surplus has fallen below the average wage (A.W.) and it is not possible for them to buy A.W. units of food. As a result, the supply curve tilts up. There appears to be a worsening of the terms of trade. The relative prices begin to increase and in order to compensate for this price effect and facilitate the move, the industrial wage must rise. The wage must also compensate for the declining agricultural surplus and a movement of the terms of trade against industry. Put differently, the shortage of agricultural goods measured in agricultural surplus lead to a rise in the industrial wage measured in terms of industrial goods. Simultaneously, the agriculture gains some extra resources, because the agricultural output is divided between less people as more and more people move away from agriculture. If it happened that the individuals at the surplus zone wanted to consume more than the average, the government could step in and tax them to restrict their consumption. That surplus could then be used up in the investment to feed those individuals that move to the industry. In addition, it could also be used to support the new industrial arrivals as the wage rate in industry is set to increase. During phase three, this process becomes even more apparent as the now commercialized wage in agriculture becomes operative. Hence, there is an even sharper decrease in the agricultural surplus. What is more, beyond the â€Å"commercialization† point, the contribution from a worker is greater than the wage (as MPL > W). This, on the other hand, increases agricultural wage rate as was seen in Figure 1.3. From the p revious results, it is clear that after a second turning point the industry would have to compensate even more to get the workers. As a result, it gives an incentive to bargain for a worker. According to Chen (2005), Lewis-Ranis-Fei model should be considered a classical model because of the usage of industrial wage. However, Jorgenson claims that once the commercialization point is reached, instead of the classical approach, the neo-classical theory of growth for an advanced economy is to be observed (Jorgenson, 1967). Berry came to a significant conclusion of the Lewis-Ranis-Fei model. In effect, a shift in the terms of trade has a negative effect on the industry, forcing capitalist employers to pay a higher wage and thus generating less profits and less investment (Berry, 1970). However, there is a role of interdependence between the two sectors (Ranis and Fei). In fact, raising the price of goods in agriculture would give an agricultural sector an incentive to raise the output, thus encouraging investments in agriculture, leading to a decline in the terms of trade, which in turn lowers wages, increases profits and generates more investment in the industry. Consequently, there will be a balanced expansion in both, agriculture and industry. In other words, what Ranis and Fei observed was that the allocation of investment funds must be such that as to â€Å"continuously sustain investment incentives in both sectors of the economy†. The terms of trade should not deteriorate substantially agai nst either sector. I have illustrated this in Figure 2. The lower diagram in Figure 2 contains a supply curve S and a demand curve D1. Initially, the size of industrial labour force is OB and the industrial sector is making a profit equal to the area B0. This profit can be considered as an investment fund and could be allocated in part to both sectors. Consequently, the demand curve shifts up and there will be a new intersection point which lies on the balanced-growth path and this new equilibrium allows the economy to enjoy even further profits. After the first turning point, there will be a small proportion of profit that will be forgone because the first turning point occurs, yet the overall amount of profit increases. Nevertheless, it becomes clear that it is reasonable to have a policy to invest in both sectors as the economy will then maintain the balanced growth path. To conclude, I have shown the main ideas behind the Lewis-Ranis-Fei model and used the consecutive analysis of the model to explain why it is important to invest in both sectors in order to remain on the balanced growth path and maintain the rate of industrialization. The existence of surplus labour in agriculture allows the industry to continue to pay the institutional wage and therefore enjoy further profits and continued investment. At the same time, as more and more people are moving away from agriculture, there will be some amount of agricultural surplus that can be used up to fuel further development. This process continues until the surplus labour is absorbed. Hence, saving and investment are a crucial part in the Lewis-Ranis-Fei to support economic development.

The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave me Essay examples -- English Literat

The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave me Commentary on â€Å"The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave me† by Eavan Bolland The Black Lace Fan my Mother Gave me by Eavan Bolland reflects on the last of a love life of a couple during pre-war Paris using a symbol, a ‘Black Lace Fan’. Bolland achieves this through the use of weather imagery, the changing of his tense from past to present, and using literary features such as simile, metaphor, personification and repetition. In the first stanza of the poem, Bolland disconcerts the reader by using the diction â€Å"it† twice, though representing different things. The first ‘it’ represents the lace and the second ‘it’ is used to substitute the climate of the setting. â€Å"It was stifling. /A starless drought made the nights stormy.† This quotation starts building up the tension in the reader’s mind because of the suffocated feeling the poet creates by mentioning the word â€Å"stifling† in a short sentence that creates a frustrated tone. The metaphor describing the stormy night also produces a sense of insecurity through the weather imagery by expressing anxiety through contradicting dictions like â€Å"drought† and â€Å"stormy†. The first two lines of the second stanza have a repetition of the word â€Å"they† as the first word of each line. This repetition is used to create a rhythm and to describe the routine of the man and woman meeting in cafes and the woman always being early. â€Å"They met in cafes. She was always early. / He was late. That evening he was later. / They wrapped the fan. He looked at his watch.† The syntax of this quotation produces a tone that is frantic because the sentences are short and the reader tends to read that part of the poem fast, and with a jerk at the middle of each... ... express that the man was lost and was unheard of, though what happens to the man next is left to the reader’s imagination. The last stanza completely changes subject and describes the actions of a blackbird in a summer morning. The weather once again is a factor in this poem and the climatic conditions are described using the diction â€Å"sultry† and â€Å"heat†. The last sentence, â€Å"Suddenly she puts out her wing – the whole flirtatious span of it† is a personification that is used to express the symbolism of the black lace fan. Finally, this poem reflects upon the story of a loving couple and the significance of the black lace, in the woman’s life, who loses her man. The poem is expressed by the use of weather imagery, the changing of tenses from past to present, and also the use of literary features such as metaphors, simile, personification and repetition.

Fossil Fuels and Global Warming Essay

The use of fossil fuels as the primary source of energy has unwittingly landed humanity into its greatest challenge yet. As oil and coal are burnt up, the greenhouse gases are causing the melting of polar ice, leading to a chain reaction that threatens every other aspect of the ecosystem. This paper looks at the crisis that fossil fuels have brought about, as well exploring existent and proposed solutions, both at the collective and the individual level. Introduction Global warming technically refers to the overall rise in global temperatures. Its widespread use however also encompasses the courses of this rise in temperatures and the effects thereof. More importantly, it is synonymous with the role of human beings’ activity in contributing to these rises. Carbon emissions from planes, cars and industrial plants rise up into the atmosphere and create a blanket of heavy air that traps heat that radiates onto the earth’s surface. By not letting heat escape, over time the globe becomes warmer. This has a direct effect on the flow of ocean currents, directly responsible for weather patterns. It also causes the melting of polar ice, which besides also affecting climate, also causes the sea levels to rise. (Guggenheim D & Gore Albert, 2006). Effects of Global Warming Some critics are skeptical of the whole notion of global warming. Despite this criticism, it has grabbed the attention of masses, and they are increasingly examining its effects. The following is a brief insight; Agriculture is fundamental to life, as it is the source of food. Without food, human beings are at risk of extinction, and conflicts are bound to arise. Yet global warming is threatening agriculture. Due to climate change, the environments where bees and other creatures vital to pollination are used to dwelling in are no longer suitable, and the bees are disappearing in droves. More than that, rainfall and sunshine patterns are changing, rendering farmlands unsuitable for the crops that are used to growing there normally. The combined effect is that agricultural yields are negatively affected, and there arises a shortage in overall supply of food worldwide. In early 2008, with the human race hungrier, food prices rose to their highest levels ever, and inflation in many countries became unprecedented. This trend came to a head at the beginning of 2008, with riots and revolts in numerous countries. In the Philippines, soldiers were deployed to guard food crop farms from being raided. Haitians on their part overthrew their government in protest over untenable food costs. It is also here that people were reduced to eating mud, if only to fill up their stomachs. Similar scenarios were reported in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and a good number of Asian emerging economies. Global warming is not the only factor in bringing about food shortage, but it does play a major role, and has come to the attention of masses around the globe that are willing to act to mitigate the negative effects (Auken, 2008). Another set of negative effect that has been tied to global warming are the now prevalent natural disasters pounding various parts of the world. Hurricanes that have brought devastation to New Orleans, Mexico and more recently Jamaica over the past few seasons have been the worst in recorded history. They have been attributed to rises in sea level resulting from glacial melts owing to global warming. They have brought unprecedented destruction, forcing many coastal cities to adopt new strategies to combat such events. Billions of dollars are now being invested in disaster prevention, and are resulting in an increase in taxation. Similar amounts are being invested in reconstruction efforts to restore damaged infrastructure. Housing models are being radically changed, with cheaper housing being favored to cut losses in case of any eventualities. Prevalent Solutions Such tools as carbon footprints and green qualifications are now being employed to influence the conduct of the common person to contribute toward reducing their personal negative impact on the globe; consumers in Europe and America are increasingly becoming conscious to purchase food with minimal carbon footprints for example. Carbon footprints refer to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the process of developing a product from scratch to the point where it gets to the consumer. In effect, products which use plenty of machinery to produce and have to be transported by heavily fuel reliant means such as planes and trucks have much higher carbon footprints than those that are produced using minimal fossil energy and are close to the market. Labels indicating the carbon footprint are put on products by organizations who take the initiative, in a bid to persuade consumers to buy the least destructive products. And the method seems to be working. In Europe especially, consumers are increasingly cutting on their contributions environmental degradation and products with high carbon footprints and finding increasingly limited market. Closely related is the issue of organic foods. These are gaining preference for the reason that they are produced using only natural material, rather than chemicals that are hazardous to human beings and detrimental to the environment. The level to which a product is free of chemical toxicity is referred to as its organic rating, just like carbon footprints are used to depict the level of carbon emissions of a product. Publications and other forms of media are used by proactive organizations to sensitize the public on which products are environmentally friendly, and these do have a major influence on consumer choices. The result is that farmers serving the European markets are using increasingly less machinery and chemicals, thereby reducing the emissions and chemical pollution of the agricultural industry to the environment. Manufacturers also have to adapt to a new way of production- with their carbon footprints being closely monitored, they are increasingly adjusting their production processes to get favorable ratings (Organic Trade Association, 2008). My Solution Proposal In the fight against global warming, I believe efforts should now be geared toward experiments on entirely new lifestyles and forms of organization, with successful experiments being replicated across the globe. In my case, I propose an experiment with a new eco city, preferably in an arid area, at a waterfront (e. g. a lake) for sustainability of life. This will kill quite a few birds with one stone, as the problems of food insecurity, unsustainable energy and wasted land would all be addressed. Implementation In designing such an urban development, cutting edge technology and radical thinking are required at every step of the way. Ecological urban planning concepts are necessary to take advantage of the lake breeze, which can be harnessed for wind energy to cater for a significant part of the new city’s energy requirements. The city plan should also allow for the breeze to penetrate the streets and residential areas rather than block it. When this is done, ecological architecture can be employed in designing self-cooling buildings, which have the advantage of not only saving on air conditioning. This is desirable because it both saves on energy and preserves the environment, seeing as most air conditioners are environmentally harmful. The urban plan also needs to take care of existing ecosystems – if there are any streams, trees or wildlife habitations, the city and building designs should be made around them. Buildings will need to be fitted with solar panels to take advantage of the abundant sun in arid lands, thus further adding to the energy supply provided by wind. Wherever possible, buildings should have green roofing. This is where gardens are made on top of roofs for purposes of food, beautification and more. This will have a number of advantages; food will be more abundant, a cool microclimate will be created (further reducing the need for air conditioning), and the carbon footprint will be drastically reduced or eliminated. The buildings can also be constructed with double walls using recycled material (for sustainability). Double walls have the effect of keeping temperatures low when it’s hot outside and warm when it’s cold outside. Stretches of idle land just outside the city can be used to plant ecologically friendly biofuel crops such as Jatropha Carcus, which is drought-resistant, to complete whatever energy requirements that may remain. Being at the lakefront, clean water for most chores might prove a challenge to get, thus the need to preserve and recycle whatever water can be harnessed. One of the ways to do this is by use of a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), which filters sewerage to produce water for irrigation and gas for cooking. This way, other clean sources of water can be less burdened. Energy needs will also be met. Gardens and parks should be organic to reduce the amount of fertilizer and chemical pesticides necessary to maintain them. Sustaining the Gains All the outlined gains of an eco-city would be to naught if the residents do not sustain them. Residents should be encouraged to carpool when going to work, or better still to cycle to work to minimize the carbon footprint. As much as possible, recycled material should be used and other material should be recycled. The use of plastic bags should be banned, instead encouraging the use of bio-degradable baskets. For lighting, energy-saving fluorescent bulbs and tubes should be used. Each home should have a garden in its compound, with at least a tree or two. The gardens, for domestic food consumption, should be grown organically. The beach area should be kept clean, with no littering or dumping of chemicals or effluent into the lake. This will help preserve marine life and overall aesthetic beauty. If such a city can be constructed, myriad gains will have been made; Positive Environmental Impact The immediate impact of all the new vegetation – the green roofs, home gardens, biofuel crops, etc – would be the creation of a cool microclimate in the developed area. Being in front of a lake, the arid land as it currently is cannot benefit because all the moisture being brought in by the breeze either evaporates or travels long distances inland, benefiting other areas with vegetation. With the new vegetation however, the moisture would be trapped, and as the plants perspire, vapor would rise into the local sky, thereby creating rain at that local level. The overall reduced heat levels would also slow down evaporation rates, ensuring that the soil remains moist, helped also by the increased rain. Naturally, more rain is bound to increase vegetation cover, further enhancing the value of the land and creating a positive cycle. Positive Impact on Soil As the vegetation grows and dies, the soil would be enriched organically as the foliage decomposes, increasing its productivity. This happens when the decomposed foliage turns into humus, and mixes with the local sand. This has the effect of bonding the soil together while creating an acceptable level of drainage and porosity within it. If the soil is further enriched with the waste products of the STP process, the overall composition of the soil will become highly favorable to agriculture. It would also be conducive for worms and other soil organisms to grow, which in turn further enrich the soil with vital nutrients. Positive Economic Impact Another area of profound impact will be economic; from the time of construction right through to the establishment of offices and residences, employment opportunities will abound for both locals and immigrants. The eco-friendliness of the area will also attract investment – a lot of which these days is conscientious – thus spurring growth. Being at the lakefront, the city is also highly likely to attract considerable international tourism as tourists seek clean and new areas to escape from winter or simply to unwind. At the same time, the marine fishing industry is bound to experience a boost from the clean fishing areas, with ready market locally provided by residents within the new city. They may even be able to export, depending on other factors. At the domestic level, people will be able to grow food and reduce their household budget. They may even be able to sell some of it and generate income – the city can be a net exporter of food. Conclusion Global warming has blessed the world with a lot to ponder upon. With effects ranging from food shortage to natural catastrophes, mitigation should not be a question of whether, but how and when. Coupled with this is the need for newer energy sources, to reduce the globe’s dependency on fossil fuels. With concerted efforts and due diligence, the problems that these two factors portend can be contained to an extent. I propose an experiment with an eco city built on a waterfront as a means of studying how human beings can adopt a top down approach to addressing these pressing issues. I believe the gains to be made will not just be environmental but economic as well. Works Cited Associated press, June 20th 2007, Fossil fuels Tycoon plans largest wind farm- green machines- MSNBC. com, Retrieved 12th Feb 2009. , http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/19231397 Auken, B. V, 15th April 2008, Amid mounting food crisis, governments fear revolution of the hungry, Retrieved 11th Sep, 2008, http://www. wsws. org/articles/2008/apr2008/food-a15. shtml The British Council (no date). Effects of Global Warming: Social Impact-Climate Change. Retrieved 12th Feb 2009. http://www. britishcouncil. org/climatechange-fact-sheets-global-warming-social-impact. htm Green Africa Foundation, 2008, Retrieved 12th Feb 2009, http://greenafricafoundation. org Guggenheim D, Gore Albert, 2006. An Inconvenient Truth (Film) Organic Trade Association (2008). NOSB Definition of Organic. Retrieved 12th Feb 2009. http://www. ota. com/standards/nosb/definition. html United States Environmental Protection Agency, Heat Island Effect. Retrieved 12th Feb 2009. http://www. epa. gov/heatisland/