Descartes And God Essays - Epistemology, Ren Descartes, Free Essays

Descartes And God Essays - Epistemology, Ren Descartes, Free Essays Descartes And God Jared Rhine English 201 October 10, 1997 Descartes sets about proving the existence of God through his meditations on knowledge in an effort to prove the skeptics of his time wrong. He first determines that human knowledge is based entirely too much on unproved presuppositions. He argues that this makes it difficult to distinguish between truth and error, since we cannot recognize true knowledge. Descartes proposes that the quest for knowledge must be based upon universal doubt. Specifically, he proposes the following in relation to his universal methodic doubt: 1. In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things. 2. We ought also to consider as false all that is doubtful. 3. We ought not meanwhile to make use of doubt in the conduct of life 4. Why we may doubt of sensible things. 5. Why we may also doubt of mathematical demonstrations. 6. We cannot doubt of our existence while we doubt, and this is the first knowledge we acquire when we philosophize in orde r. Descartes proceeded to strip away his knowledge base in order to determine the one indubitable fact, Cogito, ergo sum. From this absolute knowledge of his own existence, he set about deducing the existence of God through ontological argument. In our minds, the idea of God is one of an infinitely perfect Being. An infinitely perfect being must have existence, otherwise it would not be infinitely perfect. Therefore, God exists. In proving the existence of God, Descartes set the groundwork for determining that God created man. He further postulated that God, being infinitely perfect and not a deceiver, could not have provided man with the deceptive powers of knowledge. Therefore, man's mental faculties are determined to be trustworthy provided we separate what there is of clear and distinct in the knowledge from what is obscure and confused. Using this reasoning, man must discard all previous knowledge, which is doubt-ridden, all sensory-based knowledge (as perceptions can be misleading ), and all intellection. As a result, skepticism is removed and valid knowledge possible. Descartes primary purpose was the defense of human knowledge against the attacks of the skeptics. He was justified in excluding preconceived notions, presuppositions, and traditions in determining the limits of knowledge. Descartes discarded the ability of the mind to know truth and the human abilities of contradiction and sufficient reason. In doing so, he made a solution to the problem impossible. As it relates to his theory of the existence of God, Descartes universal doubt refutes his own conclusion as to God's existence. Descartes formed an idea of God as an infinitely good being. He would have had to discover this idea within his own mind. According to his principle of universal doubt, he cannot simply know whether his conception of God is correct or incorrect. He would have, as a matter of his own principle, considered it as false until proven otherwise. Therefore, since the idea of God is in doubt, the trustworthiness of man's reasoning must also be doubtful and Descartes cannot escape his own real doubt. Descartes uses a process of reasoning, a mathematical formulae, in attempting to demonstrate God's existence. If his reasoning is of demonstrably doubtful validity, how can Descartes demonstrate God's existence? The validity of Descartes reasoning is supposed to flow as a consequence of the infinite perfection of God; and God's infinite perfect is made certain through Descartes' reasoning powers before he has even proven that these reasoning powers are valid and trustworthy. Descartes assumes the very thing beforehand, which he intends to prove afterwards. Descartes accepts the trustworthiness of his faculties in demonstrating the existence and infinite perfection of God, and that is illegitimate. A doubtfully valid faculty will produce a doubtfully valid argument, which will, in turn, produce a doubtfully valid conclusion. The ent ire argument for God's existence is therefore nullified by a suspect reasoning process. Since he proves the reliability of his reason and process by means of God's veracity, the proof of his reliability cannot be established beyond doubt. Thus, Descartes attempt to vindicate the validity of human knowledge failed, because, by rejecting the reliability of his own powers to discover and know

Due and Owe

Due and Owe Due and Owe Due and Owe By Maeve Maddox Both due and owe have been in the language for a very long time. Due came into English from French in the 15th century. The French word it came from was the Latin verb debitum that gives us the word debt, â€Å"that which is owed.† As a noun, either singular or plural, due can mean â€Å"that which is owing.† One can pay one’s dues literally, as to a club, or figuratively, in the sense of working to get ahead in a profession, as in the headline â€Å"Ricky Gervais and David Chang Have Paid Their Dues.† The expression â€Å"to give a man his due,† means â€Å"to acknowledge a person’s merits, to do justice to a person.† The expression â€Å"to give the Devil his due,† means to give justice to a person for his merits even if he’s otherwise despicable, or if you don’t like him. As an adjective, due means â€Å"payable as a debt.† For example, â€Å"The mortgage payment is due tomorrow.† An expression that has been in the language since Chaucer’s day is â€Å"in due time† in the sense of â€Å"when sufficient time has passed†: â€Å"In due time everyone will know what happened.† Owe, in the sense of â€Å"possess† or â€Å"own† comes from a Germanic source. In some English dialects the word retains the meaning of ownership, but in standard English, the meaning has gone from the sense of â€Å"to possess† to that of â€Å"to be obliged to pay†; â€Å"Don’t forget the twenty dollars you owe me.† A similar word of Germanic origin that does retain the meaning of possession in modern English is own. As a verb, own means â€Å"to possess†: â€Å"He owns the bakery.† As an adjective, it follows a noun or pronoun: â€Å"Alfred’s own son was taken hostage.† As a pronoun, it follows a possessive: â€Å"The boy was given a horse of his own.† No doubt this discussion of due and owe will put some readers in mind of the debate that often arises regarding the proper distinction between the phrases â€Å"due to† and â€Å"owing to.† Refresher: Those who argue for a distinction between â€Å"due to† and â€Å"owing to† insist that â€Å"due to† is an adjective and â€Å"owing to† is adverbial. According to this position, it’s all right to say â€Å"He was late owing to an accident,† because â€Å"owing to an accident† tells why. â€Å"Due to† must be attached to a noun: â€Å"An accident due to carelessness made him late.† As far as general usage is concerned, the debate has become as futile as tussles over ending sentences with prepositions or splitting infinitives. According to the Penguin Writer’s Manual, not even grammarians can give a grammatical reason for insisting on the distinction: Most modern authorities recommend that the rule should be remembered, while acknowledging that its grammatical basis is shaky (there is no reason why â€Å"due to† should not be seen as a compound preposition if â€Å"owing to† is one) and that â€Å"due to† is so frequently used in the sense of â€Å"because of† that many modern dictionaries show it with that sense. The â€Å"due to/owing to† distinction is one of those things that people who feel strongly about it should observe without berating others for ignoring it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesWhat is the Difference Between Metaphor and Simile?Rite, Write, Right, Wright

Assingment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assingment 2 - Essay Example This letter indicates that the only appropriate measure to end this unexpected change is by responding to the problem of religion and administration by proposing the religious toleration as the only solution to this problem. This letter of toleration to some extent though it was written while putting emphasis to an anonymous audience portrays the power of religion as a unifying factor and above all as â€Å"opium of the masses† (Locke 57). On the second claim, toleration is an argument based on both a new and a general understanding of the links and relationship between religion and government. All these social systems were to work hand in hand for one could be more influential and superior to the other. The wide range of religious beliefs and practices was the influential aspects, in the political system, though Thomas Hobbes criticised the persuasion claims for he believed the imperialist-capitalism nature of the Catholic Church was one of the push and pull forces that made all the proposals made in regard to religious tolerance (Locke 36). This research work, through Locke, does not believe in Christian denominations for he believes this will divert the religious affiliations thus reduce the organic solidarity towards fighting the system of governance of the day. The persuasion of the mind is, therefore, viewed as the only influential aspect to be adopted between the state and religion for peaceful coexistence of the state versus religion and the state versus its citizens (Locke 98). The government should place the sovereignty in the hands of the people for the rulers owe their credit to the subjects. When it comes to persuasion, the government should, therefore, be more considerate and target the masses directly for peaceful coexistence in the social system. The social justice should be aptly upheld in any system of government to prevent the day-to-day political unrest. Through this persuasion letter, the only way through which the church can gain a genuine convert is through a persuasion strategy, as opposed to violence and unrests (Locke 143). This was one of the issues he advocated for, and as a believer of the political system, the letter made an assumption that the central governance administration system was like the church were salvation was the order of the day. The central government, as opposed to church, does not preach salvations therefore are very different entities in the social system. This persuasion letter, on the other hand, advocates for a complete restructure of the political system and governance such that it can take part in the purification of souls (Locke 78). This aspect is greatly defied by various political scientist scholars who believed the only thing that can create change in the society is force. This is also portrayed as evil critics as Locke, as a believer, sees heaven system of governance on earth and explains that individuals cannot deny control over their souls to secure various forces as the creator who is god does not sign up magistrates. In conclusion, salvation as an aspect of religion and theology greatly entails the inward persuasion of the mind and force as a parallel side salvation cannot create the appropriate change required in the salvation. This is because force only intimidates obedience but cannot absolutely change an individual’s beliefs acquired through religion as an aspect of

Managing, Evaluating and Developing Human Resources Case Study

Managing, Evaluating and Developing Human Resources - Case Study Example However, owing to rising stiff competition the company has had to rethink its strategies. The senior manager, Sam Mulgrew, faced challenges integrating performance management into achieving the strategic direction of the company as his area of expertise is accountancy. Performance management came into focus as an aspect of Human Resources in the 1990s and can be said as being responsible for rating, rewarding, monitoring, developing and planning of employees in order to ensure their efficient and effective performance (Armstrong &Baron 2005). Because performance management process is a broad domain that encompasses various levels along with functions within an organization, performance management is a process that calls for managers to look into its individual components and integrate them into the strategic goals of the organization accordingly. Its individual components essentially bring out the fact that performance management is associated with improvement; this implies that one must undertake an assessment and receive feedback to identify which areas need improvement and how this improvement would occur (Grote 2005). Nonetheless, the process is much wider than merely carrying out an assessment and receiving feedback, as there are other steps including the manager tasked with performance management having an understanding of the organizational context. This means that even before the manager begins carrying out an assessment of how employees are performing and receiving feedback from managers, he must understand the organizations’ strategic objectives as well as its core values. Once the manager has grasped these contextual factors, he begins by finding out if the right employees have been brought on to the organization (Cardy &Leonard 2011). Sam Mulgrew has been tasked with lifting the performance management standards at Money4U to make it more meaningful and

Competitive Advantage and Objectives Analysis Essay Example for Free

Competitive Advantage and Objectives Analysis Essay Competitive advantage and objectives analysis go hand in hand in determining how marketers will determine product positioning. The main goal of a marketer is to create the image of the company or the product brand. Then the job becomes establishing or positioning the same image or brand into the target market. Positioning is putting the concept into the minds of the prospective consumer. It is important for a marketer to understand the different types of analysis and know how to compare the strengths and weaknesses of each type of analysis. In the following paper a comparison of this analysis will be introduced and explained. Different Types of Analysis Used Product Positioning Product positioning analysis is an important step in the marketing plan. Product positioning is when marketers design and image and value so that consumers in the target market understand how the product is important to them. The goal of marketers is to develop the image so it appeals to consumers and builds the competitive advantage. Product positioning is like the tactical factor or analysis that is part of the overall marketing strategy. It is important when developing the positioning strategy that each part of the mix is incorporated including price, how the product will be distributed, what type of advertising will be used, and most important how well will after sell customer service be generated. Level Two Heading Replace the level two heading with the words for your heading. The heading must be in bold font. Read more about APA headings on the APA Style Blog. Conclusion The closing paragraph is designed to bring the reader to your way of thinking if you are writing a persuasive essay, to understand relationships if you are writing a comparison/contrast essay, or simply to value the information you provide in an informational essay. The closing paragraph summarizes the key points from the supporting paragraphs without introducing any new information. References This is a hanging indent. To keep the hanging indent format, triple click your mouse on this line of text and replace the information with your reference entry. You can use the Reference and Citation Examples (Center for Writing ExcellenceTutorials and GuidesReference and Citation Examples) to help format your source information into a reference entry. The reference page always begins on the top of the next page after the conclusion.

Kyoto Essay -- essays research papers

Is the Kyoto Protocol the Wrong Approach? Climate change is a relevant issue today that should be on the minds of people. In 1972, scientists discovered that CFC’s (chlorofluorocarbons) might destroy the ozone layer. In 1985, scientists discovered that the destruction of the ozone layer was occurring quite rapidly and recommended that country leaders should take action as soon as possible to decrease CFC levels. In 1987, in Montreal, representatives from all over the world, came together to ban CFC’s. This was the first successful collective action taken against global warming. But now the problem is larger than just banning the gas from refrigerators. The world continues to warm fast enough to alarm geologists, meteorologists, and others who study climate change. International initiatives to offset global warming began on 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, organized by the United Nations. However, the result was a weak non-bonding agreement aimed to reduce atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases. Five years later, in Kyoto, Japan, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or UNFCCC came up with a treaty call the Kyoto Protocol (UNFCCC). The Kyoto Protocol is based on the idea that 38 nations needed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 emissions levels. However, this is not the solution to global warming. The main reason being that only industrialized countries are committing to reduce their emissions, and developing countries have been left out of the treaty. In addition, large emitters of carbon dioxide such as the US and Australia didn’t choose to ratify the agreement. The Kyoto Protocol will have a low impact in the reduction of greenhouse gases, but it will create a significant economical and social benefit, generating jobs and economic growth in Canada. The Kyoto Protocol is the wrong approach to reduce greenhouse gases below 1990 emissions levels. As Tennesen suggests, the Kyoto Protocol will be in progress during 2008 to 2012. During these years, developed countries will have to reduce their carbon dioxide levels by 5.2 percent below 1990 emission levels. Countries such as the United States, Japan and the European Union have to reduce their emissions levels, he suggests, whereas The Russian Federation, Ukraine and New Zealand need to increase their emissions (215). Tennesen also states, ... ...of climate change. Like a permit policy, it can easily be adjusted to achieve a variety of distributional effects. As a result, it is far more realistic than either of the alternatives. Because it does not require signatories to commit achieving a specific emissions target regardless of the cost, it is more likely to be ratified than the Kyoto Protocol. Because its distributional effects would be much more acceptable, its political prospects are much better than those of the carbon tax. Overall, a hybrid policy is an efficient and practical approach to climate change†. (101) In conclusion, the Kyoto Protocol would do nothing to reduce the emissions of greenhouse. Although it would make a good contribution to the social an economic aspect of the Canadian economy, the Kyoto Protocol is flawed due to its targets and timetables, which are only in force during a four years period, 2008-2012. The Hybrid Policy is the best next alternative after the Kyoto Protocol. With its market-based instruments, emissions taxes and tradable permits, the Hybrid Policy is a more attractive climate policy for countries and firms to ratify, and it is a more realistic approach to offset global warming.

In the Letter from Charles Lamb to English Romantic Poet

In the letter from Charles Lamb to English romantic poet William Wordsworth, Charles sends a very kind invitation into Cumberland to William. I am asked to analyze the techniques the author (William) uses to decline Charles’s invitation. The author is trying to inform Charles Lamb that he will not be able to accept the invitation by using mainly persuasion, exposition, Pathos argument, Figurative speech, some description, compliments and past memories to inform Charles that he can not accept the invitation. The author starts by telling Charles that he is honored by the invitation by the quote, â€Å"With you and your Sister I could gang anywhere. † He then gives the bad new that he can not accept the invitation, â€Å"But I am afraid whether I shall ever be able to afford so desperate a Journey. † Therefore the author gives a compliment before giving the bad news to Charles. The quote, â€Å"The rooms where I was born†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. When I have sunned myself, my old school, -these are my mistresses. The author uses Figurative speech and persuasion to try and change Charles point of view on why he (William) cannot accept the invitation, the author tries to persuade him that he cannot go not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t. The quote, â€Å"Your sun & moon and skies and hills & lakes affect me no more, or scarcely come to me in more venerable characters, than as a gilded room with tapestry and tapers, where I might live with handsome visible objects†, shows that the author used personification and figurative speech. Another technique the author uses is Exposition, the author informs, explains, and clarifies his/her ideas and thoughts. The author uses Exposition in the quote, â€Å"Separate from the pleasure of your company, I don't much care if I never see a mountain in my life. I have passed all my days in London, until I have formed as many and intense local attachments, as any of your Mountaineers can have done with dead nature†, by writing to Charles that he cannot go because he has lived almost his whole life in London and made many local attachments that he cannot leave behind. The author writes descriptions of places and people like tradesmen and costumers and the lighted shops to explain that all those are his memories and only home, he uses Pathos argument and Descriptive writing along with past memories in the quote, â€Å"The Lighted shops of the Strand and Fleet Street, the innumerable trades, tradesmen and customers†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. all these things work themselves into my mind and feed me without a power of satiating me. Through Pathos argument the author uses vivid description, Emotional tone like in the quote,† and I often shed tears in the motley Strand from fullness of joy at so much Life†, so the Charles can experience what the writer experiences. In conclusion the author’s purpose is to inform Charles that he would be honored to go to Cumberland, but cannot because London is his home. He uses many techniques such as persuasion, pathos argument and exposition.

Is college worth it? Essay

In the article, â€Å"Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission? † by Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus, the authors did research on several colleges around the country to see whether our investment on higher education is really worth the money that we pay for it. The authors believe that universities are the ones responsible for the doubling of tuition costs compared to what they used to be , and not fulfilling the most important objective to student’s which is: â€Å"to challenge the minds of young people† (180). In the article, Hacker and Dreifus outline some things they think would help improve  some of the problems in the college system and a few universities that they like, and tell us why these schools have won their favor. Being an incoming freshman at Grambling State University, I’ve been able to see some of the issues universities can have from budget cuts, to problems with the G- men football team. The main problem I’ve had here were with professors who’ve gotten ahead or above themselves because of their level and tenure. I do agree, however, with Hacker and Dreifus when they said some professors â€Å"have no reasons to improve their teaching† (181). Some of my professors at  Grambling State University are wonderful, were some aren’t as wonderful. Some professors come to class when they get ready, look in their book and write some on the board and talk the whole class time without really teaching us anything. I believe all teachers, no matter what their tenure level is have to remember their main role as a teacher. I agree that it is frustrating if you’re attending a college that expects you to pay a tuition that the college isn’t worth. Hacker and Dreifus reinforce that college is suppose to be a fun journey were you live, get new ideas, and information. In the article â€Å"The New Liberal Arts†, Sanford J. Ungar thinks that a liberal education is what Americans should try to get, not deny. Ungar made 7 points addressing the 7 misconceptions made in his article. The first misconception â€Å"A liberal arts degree is a luxury that most families can no longer afford. â€Å"Career education â€Å"is what we now must focus on† (190). Ungar argues with that misconception by saying jobs are actually looking for people who are educated in liberal arts instead of on specific subject because it produces better broader thinking. The second misconception says  students are having a hard time finding a job because â€Å"who wants to hire somebody with an irrelevant major like Philosophy or French? (191). Ungar quickly argues that not only are liberal art students are having a hard time finding jobs, but everyone else is also because of the failing economy. The third misconception says liberal arts are irrelevant for low-income and first-generation college students. Ungar says,† Its ignorant to think just because a student is first generation don’t mean they can’t receive the same education. † The fourth misconception says that a student should focus on the stem fields because â€Å"that’s where all  the action is† (192). Ungar argues this by saying that sometime the liberal arts take part in the broadcast parts of sciences and mathematics. The fifth misconception says it’s the liberal democrats, who got this country into trouble in recent years. Ungar argues that liberal education really doesn’t have anything to do with politics. The sixth misconception says America is the only country in the world that clings on to old form of post secondary education. Ungar argues this misconception by saying people from other countries are coming to the United States to admire our education like China. Finally the seventh misconception  says that the â€Å"cost of American higher education is spiraling out of control, and liberal-arts colleges are becoming irrelevant because they are unable to register gains in productivity†. Ungar argues this by saying if you choose a small liberal arts school you’ll get more one on one with professors which will lead to more thinking from students. So why does any of this matter? We as college students are putting a lot of money, time, and effort into our education. We should get our money’s worth, and enjoy the experience of it all while we can whether we chose liberal arts major or an S. T. E. M major program. Were not all individuals attending these colleges, but a 1 / 2 generation who all want to make it and be successful in life so it matters! Work Cited: Dreifus, Claudia and Hacker, Andrew. â€Å"Are Colleges worth the Price of Admission? † They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York. W. W. Northon, 2012 179-188. Print Sanford J. Ungar. â€Å"The New Liberal Arts† They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd ed. Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York. W. W. Northon, 2012 190-196. Print POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

7 Solutions for Repetitive Sentence Structure

7 Solutions for Repetitive Sentence Structure 7 Solutions for Repetitive Sentence Structure 7 Solutions for Repetitive Sentence Structure By Mark Nichol It takes little time or effort to spruce up a sentence that includes repetitive-sounding phrases. Here are some examples of minor revisions that eliminate echoes of phrasing: 1. â€Å"Six models are available, from a one-bedroom bungalow for $81,000 to a three-bedroom, two-story city house for about $200,000.† Avoid the â€Å"this for that, this for that† structure of this sentence by varying the second for phrase: â€Å"Six models are available, from an $81,000 one-bedroom bungalow to a three-bedroom, two-story city house priced in the low $200,000s.† 2. â€Å"Locations range from Sonoma, Berkeley, and Crockett in the San Francisco Bay Area to Shelter Island in Washington State.† The â€Å"this in that† repetition here is resolved by flipping the city/state order of the second element by using the possessive form of the larger geographic element: â€Å"Locations range from Sonoma, Berkeley, and Crockett in the San Francisco Bay Area to Washington State’s Vashon Island.† This type of solution is often useful even when no repetition occurs; â€Å"Chicago’s downtown hub,† for example, flows more smoothly than â€Å"the downtown hub of Chicago.† (Also, note in the example above that the capitalization of state is correct; this is an anomalous usage when distinguishing between the state of Washington and Washington, DC.) 3. â€Å"Her designs include the Vitra company’s fire station in Weil am Rhein, Germany, the Mind Zone at the Millennium Dome in London, and a tram station and car park in Strasbourg, France.† Introducing variations in this reference to buildings in various locations reduces the number of prepositions from four to two: â€Å"Her designs include the Vitra company’s fire station, in Weil am Rhein, Germany; the Mind Zone, at London’s Millennium Dome; and a Strasbourg, France, tram station and car park.† Note that because formal writing calls for setting off restrictive phrases without a comma, â€Å"the Mind Zone at London’s Millennium Done,† for example, implies that other Mind Zones are to be found elsewhere the three elements of this sentence have been separated by semicolons. 4. â€Å"The story bridges the stylistic gap between the dreams of Tim Burton and the nightmares of David Lynch.† The fix in the second example, above, can be applied to names of people as well as those of places: â€Å"The story bridges the stylistic gap between the dreams of Tim Burton and David Lynch’s nightmares.† 5. â€Å"They range from venerable standards such as House Beautiful, with a circulation of 7.6 million, to the local up-and-comer, Dwell, with a circulation of about 250,000.† Substitution of â€Å"which has† for a weak with and elegant variation of one word strengthens this sentence: â€Å"They range from venerable standards such as House Beautiful, with a circulation of 7.6 million, to the local up-and-comer, Dwell, which has a readership of about 250,000.† Various revisions of the final phrase are possible. You could choose a more vivid verb and write â€Å"which boasts 250,000 readers,† for example, but be careful about weighted words such as boasts and claims. Also, in some sentences, the grammatical structure of â€Å"the 250,000-reader Dwell† is valid, but applying the template here produces awkward wording. 6. â€Å"In the white winters, you can sled or cross-country ski, or drive to the North Lake Tahoe ski resorts. In the hot, bright summers, there’s hiking through giant forests, climbing the towering Sierra Buttes, and swimming in the 130 nearby lakes. In the autumn, the deciduous trees glow with vivid fall colors, and in the spring, the masses of wildflowers create a psychedelic dreamscape.† The repetitive â€Å"in the (noun)† introductory phrases in this paragraph are mitigated by some variety in the respective following phrases, but further differentiation is easily accomplished: â€Å"In the white winters, you can sled or cross-country ski, or drive to the North Lake Tahoe ski resorts. During the hot, bright summers, there’s hiking through giant forests, climbing the towering Sierra Buttes, and swimming in the 130 nearby lakes. Come autumn, the deciduous trees glow with vivid fall colors, and when spring arrives, the masses of wildflowers create a psychedelic dreamscape.† 7. â€Å"She says that over the past month, she’s made over 350 calls on her cell phone.† Avoid using a word more than once in a sentence, especially if it has different meanings each time: â€Å"She says that over the past month, she’s made more than 350 calls on her cell phone.† (But generally, when you come across over used in the sense of â€Å"more than,† don’t automatically correct it unless your workplace’s style guide mandates it. If you believe that over, as an alternative to â€Å"more than,† is not valid, get over it: Many usage manuals and style guides accept either term to mean â€Å"in excess of.†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?44 Resume Writing TipsParticular vs. Specific

Bare Knuckles Boxing

Bare Knuckles Boxing For much of the 19th century boxing was not considered a legitimate sport in America. It was generally outlawed as a notorious crime, and boxing matches would be raided by the police and the participants arrested. Despite the official prohibitions against boxing matches, boxers often met in celebrated fights which drew large crowds and were openly reported in newspapers. And in the era before padded gloves became standard gear, the action in the bare-knuckle era was particularly brutal. Did You Know? Boxing was generally illegal in 19th century America, with fights held in secret locations.Bare-knuckle bouts were brutal, and could last for hours.Fighters could become famous, and some, peculiarly, picked up a political following.One bare-knuckles champion went on to serve in Congress. Despite the fame of some boxers, matches often tended to be scraps organized by neighborhood political bosses or outright gangsters. The fights could go on for hours, with opponents battering away at each other until one collapsed or was beaten insensible. While the contests involved punching, the action bore scant resemblance to modern boxing matches. The nature of the fighters was also different. As boxing was generally outlawed, there were no professional fighters. The pugilists tended to be otherwise employed. For instance, one noted bare-knuckles fighter in New York City, Bill Poole, was by trade a butcher, and was widely known as Bill the Butcher. (His life was very loosely adapted and portrayed in the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York.) Despite the notoriety and underground nature of bare knuckles fighting, some participants not only became famous, but were widely respected. Bill the Butcher, became a leader of the Know-Nothing Party in New York City before being assassinated. His funeral drew thousands of mourners, and was the largest public gathering in New York City until Abraham Lincolns funeral in April 1865. A perennial rival of Poole, John Morrissey, regularly found work as an election-day enforcer for New York City political factions. With what he earned boxing he opened saloons and gambling joints. His pugilistic reputation helped Morrissey to eventually be elected to Congress, representing a New York City district. John Morrissey during his bare knuckles boxing career. Library of Congress While serving on Capitol Hill, Morrissey became a popular figure. Visitors to Congress often wanted to meet the man known as Old Smoke, a nickname he picked up in a saloon fight when an opponent backed him up against a coal stove and set his clothes on fire. Morrissey, incidentally, proved he had enormous tolerance for pain when he won that particular fight. Later in the 19th century, when the boxer John L. Sullivan became popular, boxing became somewhat more legitimate. Still, the air of menace continued to surround boxing, and  major bouts were often held in peculiarly remote locations designed to skirt local laws. And publications like the Police Gazette, which focused on boxing events, seemed happy to make boxing seem shady. The London Rules Most boxing matches of the early 1800s were conducted under the London Rules, which were based on a set of rules laid down by an English boxer, Jack Broughton, in 1743. The basic premise of the Broughton Rules, and the subsequent London Prize Ring Rules, were that a round in a fight would last until a man went down. And there was a 30-second rest period between each round. Following the rest period, each fighter would have eight seconds to come to what was known as the scratch line in the middle of the ring. The fight would end when one of the fighters could not stand, or could not make it to the scratch line. Theoretically there was no limit to the number of rounds fought, so fights could go on for dozens of rounds. And because the fighters punched with bare hands, they could break their own hands by attempting knock-out punches to their opponents heads. So matches tended to be long battles of endurance. Marquess of Queensberry Rules A change in rules occurred in the 1860s in England. An aristocrat and sportsman, John Douglas, who held the title of the Marquess of Queensberry, developed a set of rules based on the use of padded gloves. The new rules came into use in the United States in the 1880s.

Police Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Police Operations - Essay Example Initial law enforcement undertakings in the USA were tentatively planned, as there was no supposed need for permanent, trained forces, and watchmen were frequently volunteers. In the eighteenth century, nevertheless, large urban areas for example New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago had established permanent police forces. Specialized, permanent state police forces were not customary in the America until the twentieth century. The 20th Century heralded pragmatic research and expertise to the world of policing. Innovative practice in identifying bodily characteristics for example fingerprints, first applied in the early 1900s concerned police agencies used more authority on criminal inquiries, crime deterrence, and other specialized jobs. In the period between 1920s and 1940s, nearly all large cities had special juvenile crime units; in the 1920s and 1930s, there was a growth of traffic divisions; in the 1940s and 1950s, police agencies established public relations positions; the 1950s introduced the first telephoto transmissions of documents, photographs, and fingerprints; and since the 1970s, police agencies have worked toward automated data collecting, sharing, and analysis. At the end of the 20th century, municipal police forces had specialized units for managing emergencies for example bombs, hostage situations, crowd control, undersea rescue, and violence. F Forensic science highly-advanced evidence collection and analysis in the last decades of the 20th century, however trivial, rural police operations rarely had the resources or use scientific innovations. At the same time as the consequences of DNA testing were generally believed dependable, such experiments could take months lacking the necessary resources or skilled workforce to perform them. Since 2001 there were still a number of states with no regular system of preserving crime incidents and collection of evidence. Police Organization: An Introduction In accordance with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1996 there were 922,200 permanent, local police workforce, of whom 663,535 had detention authority. Constant expansion for the last couple of decades show estimated 1 million local law enforcement employees all over the USA, about a quarter of them women and minorities. Data from 1997 show that, normally, local police officers were expected to have 1,100 hours of training, and, by 2000, over 37% of local police agencies were needed to have college education. In 2000, there were 88,496 federal officers, about thirty-one for every 100,000 people. The bulk of police officers are in Texas; California; Washington, D.C.; New York; and Florida. Since most U.S. police units have been set up and supported by the local populace, and for the reason that they were established at different periods, there are numerous forms in how the police agencies are structured and supported. Normally, city police are supported by the city and led by a police head, either chosen by the mayor or designated. Counties hire patrolman and sheriffs, who generally are responsible to an elected county

A research into Sick Building Syndrome who suffers more male or female Coursework - 1

A research into Sick Building Syndrome who suffers more male or female - Coursework Example When twenty percent or more of a building’s occupants complain of these conditions, it is said that these individuals may be suffering from sick building syndrome (Akovali, 2007). Sick building syndrome is described as a condition wherein a group of people in the same building or similar structure experiences acute health symptoms which improves or disappears once they go out of the building. These symptoms include headache; irritated eyes, nose, and throat; cough; dry and itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; inability to concentrate; sensitivity to odours; and fatigue. Its underlying cause remains unclear. However most attribute the phenomenon to inadequate building ventilation, contaminants and stress (Fraser, 2008). According to the study by Bischof and Bullinger (1998), symptoms of sick building syndrome were reported on both air-conditioned and naturally-ventilated buildings. However, incidents of SBS were more evident in poorly maintained air-conditioned buildings. Inadequate building ventilation. At the start of the 20th century, building ventilation standards set the ventilation rate to 15 cubic feet per minute per occupant. However, the oil crisis in the 1970s caused a reduction of ventilation rates to 5 cfm. The reduced flow of outdoor air was discovered to cause discomfort and acute health symptoms among the building’s occupants. In order to minimize energy use and attain an acceptable Indoor Air Quality level, the American National Standards Institute / American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers had updated its ventilation standard to 20 cfm for office spaces (Environmental Protection Agency, 1991). Airborne contaminants. Ventilation systems for office buildings usually acquire air from the outside. As outdoor air gets inside the building, it also brings airborne contaminants. Sources of contaminants include motor vehicle fumes, plumbing and building exhausts;