Social problems and solutions American perspective

Using a and an Before Words

Using a and an Before Words Using a and an Before Words Using a and an Before Words By Daniel Scocco Raphael asks: When should I use â€Å"a† and when should I use â€Å"an† before the different words? For example, should I say â€Å"a hour† or â€Å"an hour?† I stumble over this everytime and dontt know if Im getting it right, as Im not speaking and writing English natively. The Rule The rule states that â€Å"a† should be used before words that begin with consonants (e.g., b, c ,d) while â€Å"an† should be used before words that begin with vowels (e.g., a,e,i). Notice, however, that the usage is determined by the pronunciation and not by the spelling, as many people wrongly assume. You should say, therefore, â€Å"an hour† (because hour begins with a vowel sound) and â€Å"a history† (because history begins with a consonant sound). Similarly you should say â€Å"a union† even if union begins with a â€Å"u.† That is because the pronunciation begins with â€Å"yu†, which is a consonant sound. Abbreviations Deciding which version you should use with abbreviations is the tricky part. First of all you need to understand if the abbreviation is pronounced as a single word or letter by letter. While we say â€Å"a light-water reactor,† the abbreviation is â€Å"an LWR.† Similarly, you should use â€Å"an NBC reporter† (because â€Å"NBC† is pronounced â€Å"enbisi†) and â€Å"a NATO authority† (because â€Å"NATO† begins with a â€Å"ne† sound). 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Rhetorical Devices for Rational WritingStory Writing 101The Two Sounds of G

Princess Diana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Princess Diana - Essay Example The conclusion provides a summary of her life and basic evidences from her existence. This information is supported by proper data and scientific evidences which is relevant nowadays. The method that is used is particularized examination of a literature together with the critical summarizing and personal inferences on the topic. Princess Diana was considered to the incredible woman and fascinating person. This lady provided a great influence in Britain in particular and world in general. She was remained to be the favorite person from the royal family and was excelled by kindness and charity. Lady Di lived a short, but saturated life and left a big mark afterwards. This woman was amazing and beautiful, charming and marvelous, great and famous. Princess of Wales was born on July 1, 1961 in England (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). Formally she did not belong to the royal family; still, both her parents were in connection with the regal origin (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). Diana’s family was rather big, as she had two older sisters and brother who was younger, so she was remained to be the third child in the family of Spenser’s (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). Her full maiden name was regarded as Diana Frances Spencer; also, she was called as Lady Di and Queen of Hearts (Levchuck, 1999, p.6, 21). Diana was responsible and kind girl since her early years and it was worse to mention that after finishing school she made a decision for passing up â€Å"a carefree life of fun with her friends† and started to occupy more serious affairs (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). She wanted to help people; therefore, Diana Spencer worked as a nanny for one family in America and also became a teacher in the kindergarten (Levchuck, 1999, p.6). It should be admitted that this first tries of her devotion to a children were of high importance for her and laid a ground for further development. Her acquaintance with Prince Charles became a changing

The Financial System Crisis of August 2007 Essay

The Financial System Crisis of August 2007 - Essay Example This category is the most risky element of the mortgage market and over-exposure to this segment put banks in high risk. Although the sub-prime mortgage market in the United States constitutes only a small proportion of the entire market, the uncertainties related to the liquidity of the banks' financials took the situation to critical levels. On August 31, 2007, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke noted that "[a]lthough this episode appears to have been triggered largely by heightened concerns about subprime mortgages, global financial losses have far exceeded even the most pessimistic projections of credit losses on those loans" (Open CRS, 2007). Suddenly, there was a loss in liquidity in all financial markets in the US, including the securities markets. Fears of risks began to grow and most financial institutions began to invest in the safest financial instrument, that is, US Treasury Bonds. Even the market for commercial paper nearly froze as a result of which large corporation s found it difficult to raise funds for their day-to-day operations (Beams, 2007). The real cause of the crisis may be traced back to the rise in the housing credit market boosted by low interest rates since 2000. In order to boost consumer spending after the dotcom bust of 2000, interest rates were lowered. As a result, not only did people begin to buy more houses, they also refinanced the property to with further mortgages. As a result, consumer spending in the economy grew phenomenally and savings petered. By the beginning of 2007, defaults on loans began to grow, reaching 30 percent higher than what it was a year ago and credit card companies had to write off 4.8 percent of the receivables (Beams, 2007). Many sub-prime lenders like New Century Financial Corporation had to file for bankruptcy following a significant amount of foreclosures as a result of default on payments (wikipedia) and on the whole stock prices of mortgage companies were the first to be affected. Analysts have argued that the roots of the financial crisis of August 2007 originate from the global economic trends over the last decade. Globalization and inter-linkages of financial markets have resulted in heightened uncertainties and global financial imbalances. The US government finances have turned from surpluses in the 1990s to a deficit, public debt being 64.7 percent of GDP in 2005, close to what it is in other industrialized countries (CIA). This has largely been the result of tax cuts in the past, in order to boost growth since the dotcom bust in 1999-00, as well as increased outlays for defense and military spending necessitated by rise in terrorism at home as well as initiatives in the middle East. Hence, the fiscal policy that spurred economic recovery resulted in rise in interest rates (Muhlesein & Towe, 2004). The US monetary policy has largely supported the fiscal policy-induced growth. The growing current affairs deficit of nearly 7 percent of GDP, that is the deficit between what the country earns abroad and what it spends, has been a cause for concern. US external debt has been close to 25 percent of GDP for over two years (Setser et al, 2005). Much of this deficit is financed by foreign central banks subscribing to US Treasury Bonds, particularly the central bank of China, which has had the fastest growth among all

Marketing professional practice 300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing professional practice 300 - Essay Example Schools which lack funding or government support usually welcome these marketing efforts (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2008). In in-school marketing, a consistent and strong proposition regarding healthy eating can be integrated through informative contests; distribution of educational materials; correspondence with canteens or cafeterias; and feeding programs. While in-school marketing may not need any demand-specific strategy, in marginal sectors, there is an urgency to do so. It is presumed that low income families represent the marginal sectors of the community therefore nutritious food intake appear unreasonably expensive for them (Department of Human Services n.d.). A very important objective in this outreach is to eliminate such mindset. To achieve this, the organization can instead endorse a dietary scheme which involves nutritious but affordable food and beverages for regulated daily food consumption. An example of an exact promotional strategy is the FoodCent$ program sponsored by an Australian nonprofit (Department of Human Services n.d.). The entire program may be implemented for at least three years or more when necessary. There can be no doubt to the efficacy and conventionality of television advertising as a method of promoting a product, service, or image. It sends a message to a massive or target-specific audience within seconds. The same principle is true when promoting the cause of the charity. The television advertisement should contain the advocacy in the most creative but informative structure. With local or international child celebrities and hit characters, the organization could use television endorsers to promote it. Then, the ad should be slated during children-viewing periods, that is, within children programs. Media networks can supply the said information since they develop a programming schedule designed for different

Approaches To Sport And Exercise

Approaches To Sport And Exercise Critically discuss interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to sport and exercise science within the professional experience undertaken in term 1. Support your answers with relevant literature and theory Research within sport and exercises science is done in many different disciplines. The majority of published research, however, is mono-disciplinary (from a singular discipline) in nature (Burwitz et al. 1994). A professional experience was undertaken to assess the approaches to inter and multi-disciplinary within sport and exercise science research. The experience was of a sport science nature which involved assisting in an undergraduate research project of 3D biomechanical analysis of a gymnastic vault using CODA, focussing specifically on the approach and springboard take-off. Sports biomechanics uses the scientific methods of mechanics to study the effects of various forces on the sports performer (Bartlett, 2007). It is important to monitor technique in gymnastics to help prevent injury and improve performance. It is then possible to feed this information back to coaches to highlight strengths and weaknesses of individual athletes. Multi or inter-disciplinary research requires a combination of methods and knowledge from more than one sub-discipline (Burwitz et al. 1994). This essay will outline what multi and inter-disciplinary approaches to sport and exercise science are, compare how similar they are and then show how they differ. It will then outline how the two approaches can be applied to the professional experience undertaken. An interdisciplinary approach within sport and exercise science involves a partnership of coaches with sport and exercise scientists such as physiologist or psychologists. Smith (2005) split sport science from exercise science due to differences of individual needs from elite athletes to members of the public. Smith (2005) described sport science as being characterised by collaborations with coaches and performance directors and exercise science as being characterised by collaborations with general practitioners and professionals allied to medicine. Interdisciplinary research needs to involve a strong integration of information from more than one sub-discipline of sport and exercise science from the outset of a particular research programme (Burwitz et al. 1994). Williams and James (2001) stated that a sport or exercise team should have a scientific basis. Williams and James (2001) also developed a model to demonstrate inter-disciplinary approaches, where the goal of the sport or exe rcise is affected by each area involved. Multi-disciplinary research involves less integration of the sub-disciplines of sport and exercise science. Each discipline tends to work in parallel on a common topic (Burwitz et al. 1994). Miles et al (1997) adapted Burwitz et al. (1994) definition to state that multi-disciplinary research involves sport and exercise scientists working together to solve a problem in an isolated unitary fashion and co-coordinated manor. In a multi-disciplinary approach each sub-discipline will look for problems to a solution from within only that discipline, for example a biomechanist will look at technique. Then each discipline will collate their results, whereas in an interdisciplinary approach the biomechanist may work with a physiologist to look at technique changes due to fatigue (Burwitz et al. 1994). Multi-disciplinary research may be the result of a lack integration of sub-disciplines from the outset of sport and exercise science, and so it is harder to integrate then together when trying to bring about an inter-disciplinary approach to problem solving. Multi and inter-disciplinary research are both ways of improving research and developing is away from mono-disciplinary work in sport and exercise sciences. The majority of sport and exercise research is mono-disciplinary (Burwitz et al 1994) which is when research looks solely at one sub-discipline and provides answers and conclusions from only that discipline. Both multi and inter-disciplinary approaches endeavour to link sub-disciplines, such as psychology and biomechanics, together to improve the ability to solve problems such as injury, fatigue and poor technique. Both approaches work in teams or groups (that include the sport and exercises scientists, coacher or practitioners and the athlete or patient) to combine knowledge and methods from their different areas. Despite these similarities there are still major differences between the two stated approaches. The inter-disciplinary approach appears to be the best way to bring about improvements as it integrates the sub-disciplines which takes the form of ‘bridge-building (Squires et al 1975) which requires a combination of specialist knowledge from various disciplines focusing on a specific problem. Contrastingly, multi-disciplinary approaches collate rather than combine knowledge; therefore the sub-disciplines work separately during research processes before coming together to attempt to reach a conclusion about a stated problem (Burwitz et al 1994). It is also believed that an interdisciplinary approach will reveal potential conflicts between the sub-disciplines (Burwitz et al 1994). As there is immediate interaction between sub-disciplines, an opinion given by one area is disputed by another. This is less likely to occur in multi-disciplinary approaches as sub-disciplines do not work i n direct contact with one another. Despite the above examples no clear definition is given of the distinctions between the two approaches because many sport and exercise scientists have regarded multi and inter-disciplinary as synonymous terms (Burwitz et al 1994). The professional experience was involved with sport science which smith (2001) described as being characterised by collaborations with coaches and performance directors. It was first and foremost a biomechanical approach. Biomechanics is a highly scientific and mathematical based sub-discipline, usually looking at technique, and problems with technique, as causes of problems such as injury and failure of achievement. Gymnastics is a sport that utilises these methods frequently as it is a very technical sport where injuries can be common. This is due to the fact that gymnastics encompasses a seemingly endless quantity of movement skills (George 1980). During the professional experience questions were putt to the researcher regarding the involvement of other sub-disciplines to determine the dimension of the research. These questions were: ‘are there any sport scientists or performance director present for sub-disciplines other than biomechanics to help assess the primary information gathered from the research? ‘Will the results of the research be collated with other sub-disciplines and fed back to the performer? From the answers given to these questions it was concluded that the research being carried out was mono-disciplinary as there was no interaction, in any way, with other sub-disciplines. As discussed above there is an increasing need from multi or inter-disciplinary research in sport and exercise science, this study may have been improved by the introduction of other sub-disciplines and the feedback given to an athlete would have increased in value. The research itself was looking at the approach and take off of the gymnast during the vault, as well as having technique assessed biomechanically, the researcher may have advised the athlete to be assessed by a physiologist or physiotherapist, this may produce results that show differences in muscle pair which could lead to injury, for example one calf being larger than the other, which could mean production of force at take of is unbalanced. This could then be fed to the biomechanist who has also found that during takeoff the gymnast has been unbalanced and therefore the athlete would need to undergo strengthening in the shorter calf to get it up to a similar size to the other calf. This would create a multi-disciplinary approach as sub-disciplines of sport science will have collated data after the research to improve feed back to the performer. It may also have been helpful to have had a psychologist present at the time of testing who had watched the subject in competition and seen if their routine or performance differed between in and out of competition performance. It may be possible that the pressure of performing in competition had led the athlete miss time a move which led to a decrease in performance; the psychologist could then work with the performer to help improve confidence during competition and therefore improve the athletes performance. This would create an inter-disciplinary approach as sub-disciplines of sport science will have integrated during research to improve feed back to the performer. If the approachs dimension was changed to either a multi or an inter-disciplinary approach it will give the gymnast a much better chance of improving performance in competition. The professional experience undertaken was shown to be mono-disciplinary as it was a piece of research focusing solely on the biomechanics of the approach and take off of the gymnastics vault. As discussed above introducing further dimensions to the research may have been more beneficial to the athlete as they may receive more feedback. However the piece of research was an undergraduate study which had a primary focus on biomechanics and introducing other sub-disciplines may have confused the findings and taken away from the aims of the research. This essay has described multi and inter-disciplinary approaches within sport science and described their application within a sporting context.

Essay --

Statement of Purpose Do you remember your very first day of school? I fixed the memory of this day in my mind which makes significant contribution in my education life. I run from my school that day due to have very mixed feeling about starting the journey of my education life. My grandmother gave me advice that hacked to my mind forever. She said everyone has her/his own universe, someone prefers to lead a life at dark universe while others not only do try to light their universe but also they make an effort to light the universe of other people. Getting knowledge and studying hard lead to achieving enlightenment. At that time, I thought that I should come back to school and study hard in order to light my universe and avoid being blind. By passing years, I understand the secret of my grandmother sentences. During high school I was one of outstanding students with the first rank at mathematical major. I chose industrial engineering for my bachelor degree because I believe this major would have helped me to increase my knowledge about different core areas of engineering and even management. Passing certain courses like project control, system analysis and planning, and dynamic systems analysis inspired me to transfer my information to industrial scope in order to find how theory have been applied to industrial scope. I worked as a trainee at several automotive firms and interacted with experts who had invaluable experiences which would be never taught at university. I thought my universe got light with learning expert’s experiences and their correlation with my courses in university. At the third summer of my bachelor, working as a trainee at the one of big and well-know companies in our country; provide me with golden oppor... ...try to light their universe† I should seek the research on my interest scope and persuade PHD level at system engineering specifically supply chain and operation research in order to improve my skills as a researcher and be accustomed with special problems and their solutions that are related to developed countries which would never happen if I wanted to continue my education at my own country. Choosing Gorge Mason University to reach my purposes is the first step of this long learning journey. Talking with Dr. Huang assured me this university pays utmost attention to the potential of research of students which is my favorite hobby. I believe that by coordinating with the eminent faculty of the department of system engineering like Dr. Huang, I will be able to light my dark universe a little more. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely yours, Maryam