Normal distribution

Therefore, she wanted to know more about her course mates. Obviously it was difficult to contact all the students from her batch and know about them. So she decides to collect a randomly selected data from about 25-30 students. She was not sure about random collection of data. So she learnt about random number generator and used student roll numbers to select the random sample. With the help of faculty she prepared questionnaire and collected data. From the data she prepared report for submission. It was quite nice and elaborate. However, when she compared it with friends, she found lot of variation. So she decided to take information from her two friends who had also collected the similar data.Of course she has to take some precautions while using the data from the friends. A) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Collect the data. Draw Simple Bar Diagram to represent specialization wise strength of students. Draw Pie diagram to represent the number of students in each of the blood groups. Prepare t he gender-wise frequency table for the blood groups. Plot graph of height Vs.. Weight of the students. Comment on the graph. Plot graph of family income Vs.. Expenditure of the student. Comment on the graph. Calculate gender-wise mean and standard deviation of marks of 10th and 12th standard. Comment on the basis of the results. Prepare a two way table showing age-wise and gender-wise strength of students.Represent this data with the help of a multiple bar diagram taking age on X axis and gender-wise strength on Y axis. Also comment on the basis of this graph. Prepare a two way table showing father's education and mother's education taking education categories as Below Graduate, Graduate and Post graduate. Comment on the basis of this table. Calculate mean and standard deviation of marks obtained by the students in 10th and 12th standard according to having a Job experience or not. Comment on the values you obtained. You are free to do additional analysis if you feel so. K) Note: Sa mple questionnaire is attached. However, please feel free to add few question based on your purpose.Subject: Statistics & Research Methodology (103) Case No: 04 Microchip Contract A company receives an order for five custom-made microchips at a price of $7,500 each. The company will produce the chips one by one using a complex process which has only a 67% chance of producing a defect-free chip at each trial. After five defect- free chips are produced the process will be stopped. A cost accountant at the company has prepared the following cost report: The cost of production includes a $14,800 fixed cost and a $2,XX unit variable cost. Thus if X number of chips are produced, the total cost of production would be 14,800 + 2. XX dollars. The revenue minus the cost of production will be the profit.After some analysis the finance manager of the company says that the risk may be too high and thinks the order should not be accepted. 1. What distribution will the number of chips produced, X, follow? 2. What is the expected value and standard deviation of X? 3. What is the expected value and standard deviation of the profit? 4 What is the break-even X (allow fractional values for X)? 5. What is the probability that accepting the order will result in a loss? 6. A popular measure of risk in a venture is value at risk, which is the joss suffered at the 5th percentile of the return from the venture. In this problem, find an integer x such that P[X>x] is approximately 5%. 7. For the x value found in part 6, calculate the loss, and thus the value at risk. . Express the value at risk as a percentage of the expected value of the profit. 9. What is your assessment of the risk and reward in the order? Should the company accept the order? The sales manager of the company says that the customer is very likely to agree to increase the order quantity from five to eight chips. But he is not sure whether the matter should be pursued with the customer. 10. If accepting an order of five itself is risky, will it not be even more risky to accept an order for eight? † asks the sales manager. How would 1 1 . Calculate the expected value and standard deviation of the profit for an order quantity of eight. 12.What is the value at risk for an order quantity of eight, computed in a manner similar to parts 6 and 7 above? Express the value at risk as a percentage of the expected profit. 13. Looking at the answer to parts 3,8,1 1, and 12, would you say the risk and reward have become more favorable, compared to an order quantity of five? 14. Should the company pursue the matter of increasing the order quantity to eight with the customer? * Case taken from Complete Business Statistics by Emir Cell &J. Countermanding, DATA Mac Grab Hill. Subject: Statistics & Research Methodology (103) Case No: 05 Acceptable Pins A company supplies pins in bulk to a customer. The company uses an automatic lathe to produce the pins.Due to many causes- vibrations, temperature, wear and tear , and the like-the lengths of the pins made by the machine are normally distributed with a mean of 1. 012 inches and a standard deviation of 0. 018 inch. The customer will buy only those pins with lengths in the interval 1. 00 Ð’Â ± 0. 2 inch. In other words, the customer wants the length to be 1. 00 inch but will accept up to 0. 02 inch deviation on either side. This 0. 02 inch is known as the tolerance. 1 . What percentage of the pins will be acceptable to the consumer? In order to improve percentage accepted, the production manager and the engineers discuss adjusting the population mean and standard deviation of the length of the pins. 2.If the lathe can be adjusted to have the mean of the lengths to any desired value, what should it be adjusted to? Why? 3. Suppose the mean cannot be adjusted, but the standard deviation can be reduced. What maximum value of the standard deviation would make 90% of the parts acceptable to the consumer? (Assume the mean to be 1. 012. ) 4. Repea t question 3, with 95% and 99% of the pins acceptable. 5. In practice, which one do you think is easier to adjust, the mean or the standard deviation? Why? The production manager then considers the costs involved. The cost of resetting the machine to adjust the population mean involves the engineers' time and the cost of production time lost.The cost of reducing the population standard deviation involves, in addition to these costs, the cost of overhauling the machine and engineering the process. 6. Assume it costs $xx to decrease the standard deviation by (x 11000) inch. Find the cost of reducing the standard deviation to the values found in question 3 and 4. 7. Now assume that the mean has been adjusted to the best value found in question 2 at a cost of $80. Calculate the reduction in standard deviation necessary to have 90%, 95%, and 99% of the parts acceptable. Calculate the respective costs, as in questions. 8. Based on your answers to questions 6 and 7, what are your recommend ed mean and standard deviation? Normal distribution Therefore, she wanted to know more about her course mates. Obviously it was difficult to contact all the students from her batch and know about them. So she decides to collect a randomly selected data from about 25-30 students. She was not sure about random collection of data. So she learnt about random number generator and used student roll numbers to select the random sample. With the help of faculty she prepared questionnaire and collected data. From the data she prepared report for submission. It was quite nice and elaborate. However, when she compared it with friends, she found lot of variation. So she decided to take information from her two friends who had also collected the similar data.Of course she has to take some precautions while using the data from the friends. A) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) Collect the data. Draw Simple Bar Diagram to represent specialization wise strength of students. Draw Pie diagram to represent the number of students in each of the blood groups. Prepare t he gender-wise frequency table for the blood groups. Plot graph of height Vs.. Weight of the students. Comment on the graph. Plot graph of family income Vs.. Expenditure of the student. Comment on the graph. Calculate gender-wise mean and standard deviation of marks of 10th and 12th standard. Comment on the basis of the results. Prepare a two way table showing age-wise and gender-wise strength of students.Represent this data with the help of a multiple bar diagram taking age on X axis and gender-wise strength on Y axis. Also comment on the basis of this graph. Prepare a two way table showing father's education and mother's education taking education categories as Below Graduate, Graduate and Post graduate. Comment on the basis of this table. Calculate mean and standard deviation of marks obtained by the students in 10th and 12th standard according to having a Job experience or not. Comment on the values you obtained. You are free to do additional analysis if you feel so. K) Note: Sa mple questionnaire is attached. However, please feel free to add few question based on your purpose.Subject: Statistics & Research Methodology (103) Case No: 04 Microchip Contract A company receives an order for five custom-made microchips at a price of $7,500 each. The company will produce the chips one by one using a complex process which has only a 67% chance of producing a defect-free chip at each trial. After five defect- free chips are produced the process will be stopped. A cost accountant at the company has prepared the following cost report: The cost of production includes a $14,800 fixed cost and a $2,XX unit variable cost. Thus if X number of chips are produced, the total cost of production would be 14,800 + 2. XX dollars. The revenue minus the cost of production will be the profit.After some analysis the finance manager of the company says that the risk may be too high and thinks the order should not be accepted. 1. What distribution will the number of chips produced, X, follow? 2. What is the expected value and standard deviation of X? 3. What is the expected value and standard deviation of the profit? 4 What is the break-even X (allow fractional values for X)? 5. What is the probability that accepting the order will result in a loss? 6. A popular measure of risk in a venture is value at risk, which is the joss suffered at the 5th percentile of the return from the venture. In this problem, find an integer x such that P[X>x] is approximately 5%. 7. For the x value found in part 6, calculate the loss, and thus the value at risk. . Express the value at risk as a percentage of the expected value of the profit. 9. What is your assessment of the risk and reward in the order? Should the company accept the order? The sales manager of the company says that the customer is very likely to agree to increase the order quantity from five to eight chips. But he is not sure whether the matter should be pursued with the customer. 10. If accepting an order of five itself is risky, will it not be even more risky to accept an order for eight? † asks the sales manager. How would 1 1 . Calculate the expected value and standard deviation of the profit for an order quantity of eight. 12.What is the value at risk for an order quantity of eight, computed in a manner similar to parts 6 and 7 above? Express the value at risk as a percentage of the expected profit. 13. Looking at the answer to parts 3,8,1 1, and 12, would you say the risk and reward have become more favorable, compared to an order quantity of five? 14. Should the company pursue the matter of increasing the order quantity to eight with the customer? * Case taken from Complete Business Statistics by Emir Cell &J. Countermanding, DATA Mac Grab Hill. Subject: Statistics & Research Methodology (103) Case No: 05 Acceptable Pins A company supplies pins in bulk to a customer. The company uses an automatic lathe to produce the pins.Due to many causes- vibrations, temperature, wear and tear , and the like-the lengths of the pins made by the machine are normally distributed with a mean of 1. 012 inches and a standard deviation of 0. 018 inch. The customer will buy only those pins with lengths in the interval 1. 00 Ð’Â ± 0. 2 inch. In other words, the customer wants the length to be 1. 00 inch but will accept up to 0. 02 inch deviation on either side. This 0. 02 inch is known as the tolerance. 1 . What percentage of the pins will be acceptable to the consumer? In order to improve percentage accepted, the production manager and the engineers discuss adjusting the population mean and standard deviation of the length of the pins. 2.If the lathe can be adjusted to have the mean of the lengths to any desired value, what should it be adjusted to? Why? 3. Suppose the mean cannot be adjusted, but the standard deviation can be reduced. What maximum value of the standard deviation would make 90% of the parts acceptable to the consumer? (Assume the mean to be 1. 012. ) 4. Repea t question 3, with 95% and 99% of the pins acceptable. 5. In practice, which one do you think is easier to adjust, the mean or the standard deviation? Why? The production manager then considers the costs involved. The cost of resetting the machine to adjust the population mean involves the engineers' time and the cost of production time lost.The cost of reducing the population standard deviation involves, in addition to these costs, the cost of overhauling the machine and engineering the process. 6. Assume it costs $xx to decrease the standard deviation by (x 11000) inch. Find the cost of reducing the standard deviation to the values found in question 3 and 4. 7. Now assume that the mean has been adjusted to the best value found in question 2 at a cost of $80. Calculate the reduction in standard deviation necessary to have 90%, 95%, and 99% of the parts acceptable. Calculate the respective costs, as in questions. 8. Based on your answers to questions 6 and 7, what are your recommend ed mean and standard deviation?

Beijing Sammies Essay

The AGROVOC Concept Server (AGROVOC/CS) Workbench is a web-based working environment consisting of numerous functionalities for the distributed management and enhancement of the AGROVOC/CS built from the AGROVOC thesaurus. Following the Semantic Web’s vision, that emphasizes collaboration in the development of data and metadata to be shared and reused across the web, the management of AGROVOC will progressively be transferred from a few individuals in FAO to a wider community of international AGROVOC experts. These interested and competent users will share the collaborative maintenance and extension of AGROVOC, one of the most frequently used terminological resources for agricultural information management in the world. Maintenance of the future extended AGROVOC will thus be completely decentralized with people worldwide contributing to its development. This report provides a brief note on the technical aspects of the AGROVOC/CS Workbench. Technical details †¢ Multilingual web interface and content (UTF8). †¢ The software is developed in pure JAVA (version 1. 5. x), with no calls to any third party modules requiring precompiled DLLs or other operating system specific features. †¢ The Google Web Toolkit (GWT) is used with an Eclipse plug-in for development of the system. It is used to build the system as a fully Java based AJAX client browser application that is compatible with all common web browsers. †¢ Where possible the JSP 2. 0 Expression Language (EL) is used for any JSP development within the project (it’s a way of writing script-less JSP pages). Protege OWL api framework is used to connect OWL. †¢ MySQL is used as RDBMS. †¢ The system is DBMS-independent. Additional database abstraction layer for interacting with the OWL backbone and the relational database will be used (e. g. the hibernat e persistence and query service, etc. ). The system follows FAO guidelines for HTML publishing: †¢ Guidelines for Web site development; †¢ File naming convention and file organization guidelines; †¢ Check list for the clearance of Web sites. In summary, the system is based on the following components: Development components †¢ Eclipse 3. 2 †¢ JAVA-JDK version jdk1. 5. x †¢ Apache Tomcat (that supports JSP and JAVA Servlets) Google Web Toolkit (for AJAX framework), version 1. 4. 60 †¢ Google Web Toolkit Incubator, version 1. 4 †¢ Protege OWL API 3. 4 libraries †¢ Hibernate 3. 0 libraries †¢ Hibernate 4 GWT, version 0. 5 RC2 †¢ MySQL version 5 Server side †¢ Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Linux †¢ Apache Tomcat 5. 5. 9 or higher †¢ JAVA-JDK version jdk1. 5. x or higher †¢ MySQL version 5 or higher †¢ Protege OWL API 3. 4 libraries †¢ Hibernate 3. 0 libraries †¢ Hibernate 4 GWT, version 0. 5 RC2 †¢ WAR file with compiled JAVA files and necessary libraries Current Server Configuration †¢ OS : Debian GNU/Linux 2. 6. 22-2 †¢ CPU: AMD 64 bit †¢ Memory: 8GB †¢ MYSQL version: 5. 0. 45 TOMCAT Version: 6. 0. 14 †¢ Java-JDK: 1. 6. 0_04 Required Application 1. MySQL version 5 or above Available link to download: http://dev. mysql. com/downloads/ 2. Apache Ant version 1. 7. 1 or above Available link to download: http://ant. apache. org/ 3. JAVA JDK version jdk. 1. 5. x or above Available link to download: http://java. sun. com/javase/downloads/index. jsp 4. Apache Tomcat version 6 or above Available link to download: http://tomcat. apache. org/download-55. cgi 5. Protege Version 3. 4 beta Build 130 Available link to download: http://protege. cim3. net/download/old-releases/3. 4%20betas/build-130/full/ 6. GWT Version 1. 4 Build 1. 4. 62 Available link to download: http://code. google. com/webtoolkit/versions. html The Step of Configuration 1. Download AGROVOC Concept Server Workbench code from the CVS Server. 2. Download the sql script from CVS Server at folder named sql. Create the database. †¢ Run the sql script file located at your_directorySQLadministrator_agrovocwb _v_0_2_beta. sql This will install administrator_agrovocwb database. †¢ Run sql script file to install the owl model database located at your_directorySQLlank model _v_0_2_beta. sql Here we have provided blank owl model. †¢ You can convert owl file directly to database by using stand alone java program located at: our_directorysrcorgfaoaoscsserverprotegeconvertToDatabaseProject. java †¢ You need the change the variables in the file. |18 private final static String url = â€Å"jdbc:mysql://†; | |19 private final static String table = â€Å"†; | |20 private final static String user = â€Å"†; | |21 private fina l static String password = â€Å"†; | |22 private final static String uri = â€Å"file:/c:/†; | 3. To add model in the ontology list, go to database and table and insert new row with these values. Ontology id: (Auto increment) †¢ Ontology Name: Blank Model †¢ Ontology Description: AGROVOC Concept Server Workbench – Blank AOS Module †¢ Database URL: jdbc:mysql://:3306/? requireSSL=false&useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=UTF-8 †¢ Database Driver: com. mysql. jdbc. Driver †¢ Table Name: †¢ Database Username: †¢ Database Password: †¢ Display Ontology on the list: 0 for hide and 1 for Show 4. Use java editor to †¢ Change the configuration of the hibernate file that located in your_directorysrchibernate. cfg. xml Change the property of your connection password instead of â€Å"your_password† and change the property of your connection url instead of â€Å"your_url†. 13 your_password | |14 jdbc:mysql://your_url | †¢ Change the configuration of the database properties that located in your_directorysrcorgfaoaoscsserverow lDatabaseConnection. properties Change the property of your username of database instead of â€Å"your_username† and change the property of your password of database instead of â€Å"your_password†. |4 userAdminDB = your_username | |5 passwordAdminDB = your_password | †¢ Change the configuration of the mail file that located in your_directory srcorgfaoaoscsutilityMail. properties Change the property of your host name instead of â€Å"your_mailserver_host†, change the property of your port instead of â€Å"your_port†, change the property of your user instead of â€Å"your_user†, change the property of your password instead of â€Å"your_password† and change the property of your from information instead of â€Å"sender_email†. |1 host=your_mailserver_host | |2 port=your_port | |3 user=your_user | |4 password=your_password | |5 from= sender_email | †¢ Run build file to create war file using Apache ANT. 5. Copy the war file to folder of tomcat installation directory. 6. You can use the program by opening your browser and type †¢ http://localhost:8080/your_project_name

Boo Hoo

Question 1. Which strategic marketing assumptions and decisions arguably made Boo. com’s failure inevitable? Contrast these with other dot-com era survivors that are still in business, for example lastminute. com, Egg. com and Firebox. com. Boo. com was started by 3 Swedish entrepreneurs as they wanted to launch a world wide online retail website selling major sports brands clothing like Adidas, Nike, Fila, Lacoste, Polo and Ralph Lauren etc. here were major decisions and assumptions were made, taking for an example the currency conversion rate offered in US and Europe was far lower than the normal currency conversion rate in the market this lead to negative impact on the Boo. com and its sales. Initially it was though that world wide launching and making it a successful online store within month by injecting huge amount of money would lead to brand recognition in the market. Company invested $135 Million in the first 6 months in order to make it popular website all over the w orld (Tillett 2000). Author Verma Verma (2003) explains that website retailing is least expensive as maintaining website and uploading pictures and graphics and using creative 7 Ps of the marketing mix leads to positive result. Boo. com spend $6milion in 1999-2000 on web developing and adding pictures of the products which coasted them $200 per picture was a huge expense created by the company management, due to those reasons they couldn’t generate $20 million in 2000 and on 18th May 2000 company got bankrupt. The assumption of being a global brand within months by injecting unnecessary money in the technology and it operation was a wrong decision made by the Boo. com management which actually led to disaster and company needed urgent finances in 2000 which eventually lead them to bankruptcy. Another major assumption went wrong was the selection of the target market. Company started targeting males and females aged 18 years to 24 years old as it was believed they are more fashion conscious people. But critics and according to media pointed out the fact that these people are fashion conscious but how many 18 to 24 male and females go online and do shopping using their credit cards. This is what we are talking about in 1990 where online frauds and dial internet were common comparing to now. In contrast there were other online retailers like egg. com and Firebox. com and they survived and still running business. As money or profits generated and wise and realistic strategies and tactics were used by these companies. According to a travel Trade Gazette (2007) clearly stated in their article that Boo. om blew their money and wasted on so many unnecessary technologies. Article also presented that boo. com is linked with one of the biggest failures of the first dot. com era. It materialised at around the same time as lastminute. com and was Swedish-owned UK-based site selling lifestyle apparel. Extravagant marketing and development costs meant it burned through money which impacted i n 2000 when investors gave up and $20 million was not raised by the company on 18th May 2000 and was declared bankrupt. Where as other online companies used less financial sources and tried best to attract customers and satisfy their needs and wants. So basically above arguments and facts clearly shows various wrong decisions were made by the Boo. com management and by the company itself which led them to failure. Question 2. Using the framework of the marketing mix, appraise the marketing tactics of Boo. com in the areas of Product, Pricing, Place, Promotion, Process, People and Physical Evidence. For online retailers it is vital to create their marketing mix very effective as it is not mere limited to the Place, Price, Product and promotion (Rix Stanton 1998).

The Print Media Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Print Media - Research Proposal Example However, a recent detailed version of the story public on the New York Times reveals the account from the lens of the bloggers which is indicated by the mere headline of the piece, i.e. ‘NYC Mayor De Blasio: Police Were Disrespectful to Turn Backs’. In other words, the gist of the story which clearly speaks of the account of how the Mayor castigates the police officers is revealed by the headline. Any reader referring to the news story or even an opinion leader mentioning this news story can`t help but readily demonstrate an inherent bias towards the issue. Further reading into the story, the story reveals the account of how the Mayor castigated the NYPD and directly targeted those who created a scene at the funeral earlier saying that these officers were disrespectful towards the families of the deceased. Furthermore, the piece is worded in such a way that it would appear to the reader as if the Mayor exceeded his limits and was too harsh on the innocent officers. Moreo ver, another report says that Mayor avoided the reporters for weeks, which has again been presented in such a way that the readers would perceive as if the Mayor was merely engaged in face-saving. Therefore, clearly, the piece lacks balanced approach. However, the same paper reported the issue in a contrasting context earlier where the bias was placed more in the favor. The opinion editorial published in New York Times labeled ‘Respect for NYPD Squandered in Attacks on Bill de Blasio’ presents yet another picture where the paper takes a contrasting direction.

Wealth disparity and effects of long-term Unemployment on the United Essay

Wealth disparity and effects of long-term Unemployment on the United States Economy - Essay Example It is important to undertake a critical analysis of unemployment in respect of the article to establish the effects this has on the entire economy of US and any other nation.This article explores the varuios employment related economic issues. It is also importasant to note that the author gives a vivid description of the consequences of unemploymdent and the indirect challenges it will pose on the wealth disparity among citizens. 1.0 Introduction Unemployment is a situation where a person is able and willing to perform tasks or work but is unable to find a job. However, there is no clear definition of long-term unemployment. economists define a period of six to twelve months as a long-term unemployment period. This is when an individual is unwillingly unemployed. Several factors lead to long-term unemployment; some of these factors are facilitated by economic changes such as economic recession, an individual not willing to work or dynamic technological changes (Hollander,2011,45). P reviously, the United States’ labor market had short periods of unemployment for most workers who were jobless; they would be easily absorbed into the labor market. Even though jobless workers especially the elderly had a long unemployment period, the level of long-term was less comparing to other countries. The rise in the long-term unemployment and unemployment rates has severe human, social, and economic costs. Wealth disparity, also known as wealth gap or inequality, refers to state of uneven distribution of financial assets among citizens of the United States of America. Wealth includes automobiles, value of homes, savings, investments and businesses. Those who have a great deal of financial assets have primarily acquired them by appreciation of fiscal portfolios. Hence, financial wealth involves mutual funds, stocks, as well as other investments. Thus, there is a greater wealth inequality than basic net worth disparities (Lubik, 2010,20). Statistics show that the top te n percent possess eighty percent of all financial wealth and the bottom ninety percent only hold twenty percent of all financial assets.Employment plays a vital role in determining the amount of economic wealth hence the observed disparity. 2.0 Discussion Unemployment is risky to the country’s economy and to other countries worldwide as well, with some costs of unemployment being levied to the society such as exchequer cost due to unemployment and social cost. While the short term unemployment may or may not have implications on an individual, long term unemployment may have a demoralizing effect to an individual. Long-term unemployment causes negative effects to individuals. Some of the most common effects include financial difficulties, health related diseases, psychological problems, boredom, idleness, losing close friends and relatives and eventually depression. Severe long-term unemployment results are mostly seen in the disadvantaged in the society. The unemployed are w asted resources, and they also waste resources meant for humanity. It is a life full of unhappiness and sorrow as unemployed individuals live in suffering and poverty; economically, human labor is devalued. The social results from unemployment lead to rise of rebellious groups, riots, family breaks, divorce and some cases of death (Hollander,2011,45). The impact of the recession shows in the United States and many countries where long-term unemployment majorly impacts the male. During the recession, construction and manufacturing industries were affected by unemployment. In the United State wealth, ownership has been concentrated in the small minority population due to their well grounded employment status. The minority

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell Research Paper

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell - Research Paper Example Both the story and the play gained much popularity, and many women writers and playwrights included them in their anthologies (Goodman 191). Since Glaspell had been acting as a court reporter in Iowa, she designed a story in which she showed some rural women pondering over the details of the murder of a man, whose wife had killed him. Women take clues from petty things in the murderer’s kitchen, and reach to the disclosure of who killed the man. Glaspell has claimed, after the story received warm appreciation, that it was based on a real court case when she was working as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily. She reported the murder of a sixty-year-old farmer, named John Hossack, in Indianola, Iowa, in 1900. He was found with a crushed skull on the night when he was sleeping with his wife. Somebody had crushed his skull with an axe. His wife, Margaret, was doubted, but was released due to unconvincing evidence. She said that she did not know who the murderer was. A lot of women of the town attended the trial. A sheriff’s wife showed sympathy with Mrs. Hossack, when she had first testified against her. This was the woman who depicted the character of Mrs. Peters in the story. Glaspell created a jury of those female peers in â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers†, because in real, females were not allowed as jurors in the court trial. This paper intends to discuss the main theme and focus of the play, along with the means and techniques the author used to communicate the idea. To start with, it is better to give a summary of the play, so that the reader gets a better idea about what the storywriter is trying to convey. The whole story is about the characters (the county attorney George Henderson, the neighbor Lewis Hale, the large Mrs. Martha Hale, The sheriff Henry Peters, and the thin Mrs. Peters) searching for clues to solve a murder case in a dull and messy kitchen of John Wright's farmhouse. The story begins with Mrs. Hale working in her kitchen, mak ing bread, when her husband, Mr. Hale, comes upon her and asks her to leave with him. She is furious for leaving the task she was doing, but leaves to join the county attorney George Henderson, and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Peters, at the place where the Wrights lived. Wrights were a couple all of them were familiar with. Mr. John Wright has been murdered. His wife, Mrs. Minnie Wright is being under arrest as a suspect. The women refer to her as Minnie Foster. The men- Peters, Henderson and Hale- search through the crime scene for evidence and clues, and mock at the women’s talk about the clues. They make fun of women’s discussion about the quilt, the broken door of the bird cage, and the dead canary. The men consider their interest in these objects as unimportant as Hale says, â€Å"Well, women are used to worrying over trifles†. When men move upstairs to look for evidence, the women search the chaotic kitchen and find clues which point to the guilt of Mrs. Wright. Me n had called these things as â€Å"trifles† and had said, â€Å"Nothing here but kitchen things†. The women form a bond with Mrs. Wright, when they see her shaggy clothing and the run down kitchen. As an objection to men’s mocking, the women decide to keep the evidence to themselves. Ironically, their discussion about unimportant things finally leads to uncovering the truth and solving the murder case.

Decision making for Paramedic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Decision making for Paramedic - Essay Example ical thinking, response to emergency, efficiency and calmness, employers often expect that a qualified paramedic would be able to portray these qualities with a high standard of effectiveness. In this regard, current employers expect the employees to respond effectively to injuries, illnesses, and accidents. Communication skills and response to communication cues of the environment is another of the important skills that the training program for paramedics focus on, thus the employers expect a paramedic would be able to portray appropriate communication qualities, with ability to apply the use of modern technology for efficient and effective communication (Edwards 2011). The field of health and medicine is dynamic with continuous changes in the trend of care and management. My major expectation in the paramedic profession is to keep abreast with the changing trends in the profession through remaining relevant to the practical, technical and theoretical aspects of the profession. This would come through a constant upgrade to my technical and theoretical knowledge of the profession. Additionally, I require effective communication and interpersonal skills like teamwork, courtesy and calmness to meet the role of a paramedic (Ball 2005). According to O’Meara et al. (2012), increased industrialization contribute to medical challenges such as increased accidents and health care risks that come with industries like industrial fires. This means within the next decades, there will be an increased need for paramedics. Additionally, there are more paramedic degree holders because of the improved training program, implying an impending increase in professionalism in the field of paramedics. In the next decades, the role of paramedics would entail the provision of high-quality care and response to emergency services through the application of the modern technology, which would enable paramedics to be more efficient and effective (Ross et al., 2014). This will increase

Campbell,mare,and walker study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Campbell,mare,and walker study - Essay Example They feel that more research is needed on the subject. The industrial and internet revolution is continuously creating profound changes in the ethnic areas. There is nothing is fixed about it. The processes of changes, the making and unmaking are ongoing processes.. Ethnic issue needs to be viewed from two contexts. The personal aspect as applicable to the day to day lives as well as the ethnic context exploitation by the politicians, for their vote-bank politics. Campbell etc. found that a strong sense of Zulu as for the personal lives prevailed. The crisis of identify is found in every community on account of rapidity of social change and Zulu community is no exception, the authors point out. The younger generation, especially moves with the social changes, adopts and amenable to modification on account of university education, migration to the cities, inter-community marriages, and several such factors. Fundamental changes are seen in the traditional society. Old family values are rapidly disintegrating. The transition from the joint families to nuclear family also has deep impact on the overall structure of the Zulu ethnic community. The area of survey/research has been cleverly selected by Campbell etc. The majority of the people were adult workers who lived in the outskirts of Durban, twelve men and twelve women, between the age group of twenty and late fifty. They were unskilled or semi-skilled workers. The authors specifically targeted them as they would have been exposed to a wide range of experiences, during their interaction with other workers, involvement in trade union issues, marriage, and education of children—that is to say, they would have been tested on the ethnic identity from every angle. Their education level varied considerably, there was a B.A. Degree holder on the one end, some of them had not entered the portal beyond that of a primary school! Most of them had incomplete

Thinking How to Quit Smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thinking How to Quit Smoking - Essay Example Experts consider smoking as an expression of escapist tendencies, whereby, people result in the use of cigarettes, which induce a sense of wellness despite the lack of wellness. This makes it extremely difficult to stop; therefore, addicts need to prepare themselves both physically and psychologically for the impending challenges (Robinson). Experts qualified in dealing with rehabilitation of addicts from addictive behaviors recommend addicts to outline a list of reasons why they intend to eliminate an addictive habit. They posit that this facilitates the acknowledgement of an existence of a problem. In the case, of someone struggling with an addiction to smoking, the list helps to pinpoint the reasons leading to smoking as an addiction. This plays a crucial role in addressing the psychological implications associated with smoking. The list also serves as a reality check, whereby, an individual discovers the issues which require immediate attention. Eliminating issues responsible for inducing cigarette cravings allows one to be psychologically ready to kick the unhealthy habit to the curb. This also generates the willpower to confront future issues, which might be detrimental to the progress of staying nicotine free. Counselors also encourage individuals to find alternate, constructive ways to deal with these feelings and situations. Experts recommend the designing of a personal help plan, which ought to be unique or specific to an individual’s needs. This customized plan ought to address the intended reasons for quitting smoking. These experts further recommend that copies of the personal help plan ought to be placed in areas which used to be storage places for cigarettes (Robinson). Dealing with the physical addiction also presents an enormous challenge to individuals struggling with the addiction of smoking. During the initial days of quitting, withdrawal symptoms occur frequently. They include; nausea, dizziness, restlessness and headaches among othe rs. Withdrawal symptoms represent the body’s way of indicating deprivation of a certain substance; in this case nicotine. Individuals attempting to quit smoking ought to have prepared well in advance for the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms. Establishing a strong willpower to brave through the withdrawal symptoms marks the first step of preparation. Experts recommend other ways to deal with the withdrawal symptoms resulting from nicotine deprivation. Firstly, they recommend frequent deep inhalation. This allows an individual to remain relaxed despite the discomfort brought about by withdrawal symptoms, which might cause a panic attack. Secondly, they recommend the intake of water in large quantities. Water assists in the flushing of toxins out of the body. In addition, they recommend that individuals in withdrawal ought to keep their sugar levels slightly higher during the initial withdrawal phase. This helps to cater for the sugar-related cravings brought about by the absen ce of nicotine in the body (Health). Experts also recommend that individuals to prepare for the onset of a few extra pounds. They cite exercise and a proper, well-balanced nutrition as one of the ways to shed off the extra pounds or maintain an individual’s desired weight. It is crucial for a person to consult with their physician before embarking on the quitting process especially if they suffer from other

Narrative agrument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Narrative agrument - Essay Example Not only was he affected, our entire family unit was disturbed due to the strong mark that was left on him by the bullying activities. Bullying is an act which still persists in the educational institutions across the United States and this problem should be dealt with because of the negative effects associated with it. My brother was a very bright student in his class and he was an active participant in the activities of his class. He was slightly overweight as well as short which made him different from the other students in the class. He was a young child and his physical appearance did not make a difference to him and he concentrated greatly on his studies and thus he did extremely well in his academics. But things took a different turn when he came into the notice of a group of senior students who always looked for an opportunity to bully other students. It all started when we had to move to a different locality and thus we had to change my brother’s school van. The group of bullies travelled in the same van. Things were normal in the beginning but after a few days the bullies had found their new target who was my younger brother. The bullies gave my brother a very difficult time and by the time we found this out, my brother had already suffered a lot. Initially, they just called him with names and would pass derogatory remarks when they saw him. As they were all older than him, he was scared and did not retaliate. The verbal abuse was not limited to the van but they started doing the same during the school breaks. They would follow him around and pass comments on his physical appearance. Seeing that he could not answer back, they started annoying him even more. Following this, they would keep things on his seat so that he could not sit. They also snatched his lunch during the lunch break. One day, when my brother was angry and yelled back at them, the boys gathered and pushed him. This became a regular activity after this. They hit him with differe nt things and they called him with different names. Despite of this torture that my brother was going through, he never informed us regarding these things. The issue came to our notice when things became really worse and my brother had suffered a lot of physical and mental stress. He avoided going to school and did not eat. He told my mother that he did not want to eat as he was fat. Apart from this, his grades also started declining. He stayed quiet and did not talk much. It was then that my parents took him to a doctor and he was diagnosed with anorexia at such an early age. As I was very close to him, I started discussing his issues and he finally told me about what he was going through. We approached the school authorities and kept the matter in front of them. They took a strong notice against the bullies. My brother had to go through a lot and it took him years to recover from the mental torture. He lost weight and he was not interested in studying anymore. Our entire family wa s greatly disturbed because of him. It was with great efforts and care that we were able to bring him back after a period of two years. His sufferings could have been prevented if he had informed us before or if the school authorities had kept a strong check on such activities. Bullying is a widespread problem in the educational institutions in the United States and it has been seen that out of every four students in the schools in the United St

I-phone advertisement Essay Example for Free

I-phone advertisement Essay An enormous amount of potential as well as an enormous amount of controversy is associated with the new age of recorded music and especially regarding how the new digital technology pertains to artists royalties and corporate profits. The problem is basically one of free-access and the debate over file-sharing and free downloading which has been raging for many years now. With new products like the I-phone further establishing digital access and portability at the top-tier of consumer demand, the controversy regarding corporate and artist royalties and issues of copyright promises to extend far into the future. The I-phone is represented in a recent ad as almost as a natural force of nature and implies that those who have not experienced its capacities are, in fact, living a lesser-life; (I-pod, 2007) in fact the new age of music is upon us regardless of whether the next turn in technology will expand or restrict access for consumers. The overall problem can be broken into two sub-problems 1) file sharing by consumers which results in royalty losses for the corporate or artists interests and 2) the issue of fan-made remixes of artists material which may result in a radical alteration of what the artist originally intended. In order for both issues to be addressed simultaneously it will be necessary to adopt some form of free file-sharing which is not wholly free, and which we will presently discuss. Proposal My proposal is that all major-label record companies include the option of a limited number of file-share downloads which are available for those who purchase a specific number of products and/or pay a fee to access this service. What this means is that each major label would post the music on their label online and allow free downloads of a portion of their catalog while leaving the hottest newest releases or niche market products in a state of buy-only. Simultaneously, the labels could offer on online DJ or radio service which should function similarly to the Yahoo online Jukebox or other similar sites. The free access of samples of the record labels catalog would also be a form of music sharing but not file sharing as the files could be heard on-site but not downloaded. Opposing Views The new-wave of technology has not only made it harder for headline artists to ensure that their due royalties are paid to them for their music, but it has made it much more difficult for big-name artists to ensure that anyone is even listening to their music at all. The idea that small-time musicians and even un-signed musicians and bands can attract downloads as well as those acts and bands which are backed by huge corporations. The new environment is a dual challenge to music industry players[] First, with so much music available, the greatest threat to big record companies is not that listeners will consume their music illegally but that they will consume, whether legally or illegally, someone elses music entirely (Drew, 2005; p. 543) which may be the most exciting promise of all from a consumers perspective. Research sources indicate that the radical evolution has just begun and will have far-flung consequences that cant be presently predicted. One authoritative source, Edgar Bronfman Jr., the head of Universal, the worlds biggest music company,(Mann, 2000; p. 39) said the following regarding the future of the entertainment industries: a few clicks of your mouse will make it possible for you to summon every book ever written in any language, every movie ever made, every television show ever produced, and every piece of music ever recorded. In this vast intellectual commons nothing will ever again be out of print or impossible to find; every scrap of human culture transcribed, no matter how obscure or commercially unsuccessful, will be available to all. (Mann, 2000; p. 39) Of course to Bronfman and others like him with a vested interest in the consumption of entertainment products, particularly music, the new technologies are viewed as an evil threat. This threat is financial in nature: the thought of such systems spreading to films, videos, books, and magazines has riveted the attention of artists, writers, and producers (Mann, 2000; p. 40) all of whom are, obviously, looking to preserve and extend their lucrative financial holdings into the new age. Conclusion It would be impossible to completely shut-down file sharing of music online or to completely stop online music piracy. However, a similar situation existed and still exists for movies, television shows, and video games all of which can be illegally recorded and shared as well as ripped without due pay to the companies and artists who produced them. By adopting new approaches to free-share options, record companies and artists might at least begin to recover some of the lost revenue base they have experienced as consumers migrate to illegal sites for file downloads. References Anonymous. I-phone advertisement, archived You-Tube; accessed 11-26-07 ; http://youtube. com/watch? v=FLxB4pHH_GY Mann, Charles C. Heavenly Jukebox: Rampant Music Piracy May Hurt Musicians Less Than They Fear. the Real Threat to Listeners and, Conceivably, Democracy Itself Is the Music Industrys Reaction to It; The Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 286, September 2000. p. 39+ Drew, Rob. Mixed Blessings: The Commercial Mix and the Future of Music Aggregation; Popular Music and Society, Vol. 28, 2005. p. 533+

Impact of wireless communication devices and systems nowadays Essay Example for Free

Impact of wireless communication devices and systems nowadays Essay ABSTRACT Nowadays, wireless communication devices and systems have a huge impact on everyone. This project describes the performance of the 433MHz RF module for WSN applications. The system is built wirelessly where it can transmit and receive signals from DHT11 which is a temperature sensor and humidity. This 433MHz RF module is used to transmit and receive data from Arduino Pro, which is connected directly to the RF module and sensor modules. It also allows data packets to be moved remotely. There are other transmissions such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth and others but the 433MHz RF module creates more flexibility in dealing with such problems. Therefore, the 433MHz RF module is selected to achieve the goal of the project as the RF module can handle the problem. Additionally, the transferred data will also be sent and received without any loss of data in the barrier or in a line of sight. These projects should examine the distance and performance of the 433MHz RF module. ABSTRAK Pada masa kini, peranti dan sistem komunikasi tanpa wayar mempunyai impak yang sangat besar kepada semua orang. Projek ini menerangkan tentang prestasi modul RF 433MHz untuk aplikasi WSN. Sistem ini dibina secara wayarles dimana ianya boleh menghantar dan menerima isyarat dari DHT11 yang merupakan sensor suhu dan kelembapan. Modul RF 433MHz ini digunakan untuk menghantar dan menerima data dari Arduino Pro, yang disambungkan secara langsung dengan peranti modul RF dan sensor. Ia juga membenarkan paket data yang diperlukan untuk dipindahkan dengan jarak jauh. terdapat jugak penghantaran lain seperti Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Bluetooth dan lain-lain lagi tetapi modul 433MHz RF mencipta lebih banyak fleksibiliti dalam menangani masalah seperti ini. Oleh sebab itu, 433MHz RF modul dipilih untuk mencapai matlamat projek ini kerana modul RF dapat menangani masalah tersebut. Selain itu, data yang telah dipindahkan juga akan dihantar dan diterima tanpa ada sebarang kehilangan data di dalam halangan mahu pun garis penglihatan. Projek-projek ini perlu mengkaji mengenai jarak dan prestasi modul RF 433MHz. DEDICATION To my beloved parents, thank you for the support, encouragement, and understanding from both of you, Mukhtar Bin Baharom and Rahmah Binti Yunus. This work is dedicated to them. Acknowledgment Thanks to Allah S.W.T for his blessing and mercy for giving me the strength to complete my task that given in Final Year Project. However, it is impossible for me to complete this project without help and support from anybody. So, I would like to thank you for all of them. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Mr. Mohd Khanapiah Bin Nor for guiding me to complete this project. He was giving me necessary information regarding the project and a lot of inspiring ideas. My appreciation also gives to my beloved parents, family members, and friends who have been behind me throughout this project for the encouragement and supported from them. I really appreciate all their help and support while I’m completing this project. Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) for providing the facilities and equipment for me to complete my project. In the previous era, the technology application mostly using wire but now a wireless device has become commonplace. The wireless sensor network can be defined as an application that having no wires connection on that devices. In addition, to make the system easy to monitor from a distant location, the RF 433MHz module was used. So, this project gives the idea for studying details about the RF 433MHz module performance for WSN application. 1.1 Project Background Nowadays, using the wireless sensor network (WSN) technology to monitor the environment helps someone to solve the problems of deployment difficulty, high cost, and realized unmanned monitoring which is mostly used in a factory, buildings, laboratory, and house. This project is to study the range and performance of the RF 433MHz module for WSN application. RF 433MHz module is popularly used in the remote control system. This range also available to use in this area. There are two types of the RF module which is transmitter and receiver. From research, using RF 433MHz module, the data can get more accurately without any data losses with the range that given than compared to another transmission for the wireless sensor network. The range that can reach by this RF module is different between outside and inside area. For inside area, it can work for 50 meters through multiple walls with an antenna, while for the outside area, it will be able for hundreds of meters. Besides that, a microcontroller such as Arduino also used in this project. Arduino that available for this project is Arduino PRO which is it has 3.3V port that will be easier to connect directly to the types of RF 433MHz module that used in this project. This project also will be studied the analysis of the data transmission by giving a few of distance between the transmitter and receiver of the RF 433MHz modules when located in the obstacles or line of sight area. Then, the data that are received will be displayed on the computer whether there are data losses or not. The problem that becoming as issues right now is there is a lot of ways to send data but the problem is about the range, cost, and data losses. So, for this situation, study the performance of RF 433MHz can overcome the problem for the WSN application. The objectives of this project are to understand the range and performance of RF 433MHz module. Moreover, exploration about the transmitting and receiving the data by using the RF 433MHz module. The main work scope of this project is to make sure this project will achieve the objectives. The main focus of this project:- i. To study and understanding the range of RF 433MHz module. ii. To transfer data by using RF 433MHz module. 1.5 Methodology In this project, there is three part that needs to follow. For the first part, it will be focused on the conducting the literature review and do some research more detail about the RF 433MHz module. Meanwhile, for the second part, after the software development process, the hardware development process will take over and include the testing of the project. Last part, when the hardware and software complete their part, it will be followed by testing the performance and the operation of the project to make an analysis. The methodology is the explanation of the procedures or steps when doing this project. The simulation, analysis, and evaluation of the project. A literature review is an important step before proceeding to the project. Collecting all the required information about the 433MHz RF module from the books, journals, and website. The literature review also can provide a useful information to complete the project. The idea for this project comes from the problem faced when the data that have been transmitted becomes losses with the range that provided. In this chapter, it will be explained more details about the project and also the components that will be used in this project. The frequency of 433MHz that used in the wireless sensor network can test the sending and receive the data for this range without any data losses. 433MHz RF modules required the 17cm of the antenna to support the range to send the data. The range is one of the most important parameters of any wireless system which is it defined how the transmitter and receiver can be apart from each other to send the data. A range of the outside with few obstacles the data can go through hundreds of meters. While for the indoor, the data can go over 50 meters through multiple walls. The external antenna will be soldering to the â€Å"ANT† on the transmitter to get more range which is 17cm of the length of the antenna that was used. Regarding the several research that I have done from a few of journals that can relate to my project. Wireless sensor networks are currently widely used in several of monitoring and control applications. Guohua Yang and Kui Zhang (2015) have conducted a project regarding the 433MHz radio for long-range communication. They present about the connectivity, range of the communication and packet loss ratio that have been performed in the indoor and outdoor environment. The Maarten Weyn and Glenn Ergeerts (2013) conducted the survey of the DASH7 Alliance Protocol for wireless sensor network (WSN). In this research, it stated that 433MHz is an unlicensed band. They said that, due to the frequency, it has a better propagation characteristic opposed to the higher frequency. The wavelength at the center of frequency is 69.14cm which is the bandwidth for the frequency is 1.84MHz. This limits the data rate of the communication at this frequency 433MHz is an ideal for low power of low data rate communication. Budi Setiyono, Sumardi, and Rafdito Harisuryo (2015) have conducted a project on measurement system of temperature, humidity and air pressure over 433MHz radio frequency for an application on a quadrotor. They using the telemetry system which is the measurement process of data at a certain distance. Then, they stated that data will be processed or analyzed by the receiving station. They stated on their result which is for successful transmission, the amount of data that received will be same as the amount of data that have been sent. This project is to improve the data transmission with 433MHz RF modules either in obstacles or line of sight condition. The 433MHz RF modules are categorized as the lower cost, lower power consumption and the most important is when the longer the distance for data that transmit remains accurate when it received by the receiver. In theoretical, the success of data transmission is the amount of data received will be same as the data that have been sent. That means there are no data losses when the transmission occurred. Radio Frequency (RF) is a rate in the range of around at 3 kHz to 300GHz which is corresponding to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating current that can carry the radio signals. ITU bandstand for International Telecommunication Union that defined for the electromagnetic frequencies that used for radar and radio. The best set of terms for frequencies used in communication. While the very lowest bands have no radar applications. The table below shows the frequency range and ITU band. The Arduino Pro is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. This microcontroller is an open-source hardware and software. The version that used in this project is 3.3V/8MHz. This version can be powered by a battery or external power supply. It has 14 digital inputs and output pins which is 6 of it can be used as PWM output, another 6 pins for the analog input, battery power jack, an ICSP header and reset button. Arduino Pro needs to connect with FTDI cable through six pins header to provide the USB power and have a communication with the board. Arduino Pro has the port for 3.3V that can supply the voltage for the transceiver. Each of the 14 digital pins on the Arduino Pro can be used as an input and output which is operated at 3.3V. Each of the pins can provide or receive a maximum of 40mA and has internal pull-up resistor (disconnect by default) of 20 until 50 kohm. The ATmega328 has 32KB and running 8MHz of the external resonator. It also has 2KB of SRAM and 1KB of EEPROM that can read and written with the EEPROM library. The operation of the Arduino microcontroller is based on the connection made on the pins. The application can be done by using the Arduino software where Arduino function can be edited according to the applications in this software. This software can work on by using the C or C++ language. The program that has been creating the need to upload to the microcontroller by using the USB cable. If there is an error detected on the program, it will be adjusted by editing to make a correction on the process and then the program needs to reload again. Other than that, there is another option which is using the reset button to delete all the previous program that have been upload before this to make it clear then built again. MHz RF Module version that has been used. It is because can operates in the unlicensed ISM (Industry Science and Medicine) radio band. It’s available for use in the inexpensive area for short-range wireless networks of sensors. This types can operate on the 433MHz frequency and can capable of transmitting at up to 100mW and up to 300kbps. When increasing the transmit power and reducing the data rate it can maximize the range of the 433MHz. DHT11 is a digital temperature and humidity sensor. Its suitable for my project that only needs to read the data about the temperature and humidity only. Micro-B is the smallest USB connector type. This type also used for the android as a cable for charging while USB port A is that can connect to PC or laptop. This USB cable needs to connect the RF transceiver module with the Arduino Pro at the transmitter and receiver. Using this board because the standard FTDI board cannot supply the enough current to run the RFM69 433MHz RF Modules. The difference between standard FTDI and Beefy 3 FTDI is the current that can provide which is standard FTDI provide 50mA while Beefy 3 FTDI provides up to 500mA. This chapter will be discussed the procedures and steps that used in this project. Each of the methods that were used to achieve this project will be stated and explain briefly. The purpose of the methodology is used to achieve the objective that has been stated. 3.1 Software Design In this part, the software design is part to do the programming by using the Arduino software. The flow of the data transmission starting from the reading of the temperature and humidity by using the DHT11 sensor. Then, the data will be processed by a microcontroller. It will be sent through the transmission of data by using the 433MHz RF transmitter module. When the power supply is turned on, the 433MHz RF receiver module and the microcontroller ready to accept the data that have been transmitted. After that, the data is sent by the Arduino microcontroller via a serial port to the computer for displaying the data. Based on Figure 1 and Figure 2 it showed the flow how it works. Hardware design consists of two parts which are from here it will be explained how the flow of the project will be complete. For the first part as shown in Figure 3.3 is the data obtain from the DHT11 sensor reading, then the data will be transmitted by the 433MHz RF transmitter modules. While for the second part as shown in Figure 3.4 is the data received via 433MHz RF receiver modules then sent by the Arduino PRO that connected to a computer for display. The generated data for this project should be the same with the theoretical results. Besides that, the results of this project will be compared with the theoretical results, the journals or book that have been found.

The Dividend Policy at Linear Technology

The Dividend Policy at Linear Technology Linear Technoloy(LT) is a company founded in 1981 by Robert Swanson. Its area of actvity is development, production and marketing for semiconductors used in various electronic applications used by the communication industry to the automotive industry. It mainly focuses on the analog segment within the integrated circuits industry and, by market capitalization, it is the seventh-largest company listed on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index (SOX). Regarding its customer portfolio, the communication industry accounted for 33% of Linears sales, computers 27%, automotive 6% and the rest of 34% was divided by the rest of the industries. Linear Technologys Payout Policy Linears payout policy is comprised out of two elements: dividend payout and stock repurchase. In general companies decide to payout dividends after transitioning from a high growth stage to mature and stable stage. (Grullon Michaely, 2004). Linear started paying dividends in 1992. This decision was based on good expectations regarding the analog circuits market and the fact that Linear had a top position in the industry. Also the CFO of the company points out that, since the IPO, the company had positive cash flows. Thus paying out dividends would signal a strong position in a risky market and the transition to a more mature state of the company. As observed by some investors the technological companies had been just reaching that stage when paying out dividends was possible. The initial price for a share was set at US$0.05. This amounted for 15% of the total earnings of the company in the fiscal year of 1994. The relative low level was based on two principles. The first principle w as that dividend payout demands a certain respect from investors so in order to send the right signal into the market and attract new investors, the company had to pay dividends. This in turn would mean a thoughtful payout ratio that the company could sustain over time thus leading to the second principle. This states that a low level for dividends would better suit the company in the event of less than expected earnings. In this case the company would not have to cut down or even stop paying dividends. Thus a bad signal to the investors is avoided. Since 1992, the payout ratio has been growing steadily, getting close to 25% in 2003. Considering that 2002 meant a decline in sales and earnings, the company board and its management is debating on whether to increase the ratio or to keep it into accordance with company earnings. The CFO of Linear is confident that the business prospects and the cost structure can support an increase and he expects that this increase will send a good si gnal to investors. From the repurchase point of view, as stated by Paul Coghlan, CFO of Linear, one primary reason that we buy back the stock is to offset the exercise of employee stock options. Another reason was also the market conditions. The low interest rates offered by Linears high-grade security investments encouraged the company to use the cash-at-hand to buy back shares thus making a better use of the cash balance. A third reason was that, despite a large cash balance the company did not have any acquisition plans. The company repurchased shares sporadically between 1993 and 2001, and quarterly since then but again without any obvious pattern. Considering both elements, the companys mixed payout policy attends to all shareholder requirements by increasing the level of dividends quarterly and by managing in a conservative way a large cash balance. What are Linears financing needs? LTs income statement and revenue growth seems to be relatively stable over the past 11 years (1992-2002) with the exception of the boom during the peak(2000-2001) of the IT bubble and the bust after the burst of this bubble(2002). However even in economic downfall LT still managed to obtain a positive net income and net cash flow. This is due to LTs limited costs set up and relatively low financing needs. It is stated that in the semiconductor industry, research development investments, capital investment in new fabrication facilities, and retaining top engineers are of crucial importance. LT focuses on analog semiconductors and as such has stable and modest research and development costs. The analog fabrication facilities investments are more durable and account to a relative investment of approximately 20million per year. Finally LT uses a bonus structure for its executive compensation, keeping salary expenses lower when sales revenues decline. Additionally LT expresses little des ire in excessive investments, cash is handled very conservative with investment strategy in predominantly short-term debt securities, however LT is looking at potential business opportunities in the Asian markets, , if LT was to proceed with this plan this would increase its financing needs substantially. All in all resulting in a relatively low financing need for LT with regards to internal factors. With regards to external factors LT could endure financing needs resulting from market risks and the unclear effect of the Iraq war on the American economy, this results in the need for LT to hold a higher cash reserve. We will address this issue more in depth in the subsequent part. Should Linear return cash to its shareholders? Some shareholders have recently expressed the desire for LT to return its cash, however this desire is not necessarily shared by all shareholders. Theoretically returning Cash to the shareholders can reduce agency conflicts because it reduces cash in hands of the firm which can be invested in bad projects. It also reduces the costs of underinvestment if LT decides not to invest this cash it holds. The agency conflict seems relatively small considering LTs investment behavior and thus would be of relatively little importance when considering if LT should return cash to its shareholders. However asymmetric information exists and shareholders are unaware whether or not LT will remand its current investment policy. Additionally returning cash to the shareholders can give positive signals to the market about the future prospects of the firm. This could be of great potential importance considering the industry in which LT operates and the recent economic downturn this industry experienced. Conversely, if LT was to hold on to the cash this would preserve their liquidity levels which would both allow the firm to invest in positive NPV projects without entering the capital market, and additionally create a cushion against potential economic or financial distress. Regarding the financial cushion aspect of holding cash, if LT returns cash to its shareholders it should not return the full 1,5billion, but considering the current economic situation should preserve at least $200mto cover unexpected expenses. In the past LT has not shown great interest in investing other than in short-term securities, however, LT has been looking for business opportunities in the Asian market, holding cash in the firm increases the firms potential to respond to such an opportunity when it comes along. Bearing in mind LTs sales earnings, cash flows, and investment practices, it becomes evident that current dividend payments are not at the level they could potentially be. As observed by Janus Ca pital, the largest single holder of LT stock, current dividend payments are merely a token relative to the level of cash LT holds, therefore it would be possible for LT to increase its current dividend level. The problem with dividend payments its inflexibility, once LT decides to increase its dividend payments it will be hard for them to return this to its current level at a later stage. Currently LTs dividend payments is at a competitive level with respect to its peers on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index (SOX) and other technology companies. As stated in the case even a penny increase in dividend level will move the payout ratio to a level above most other technology levels. This brings us to the question why a company would decide to payout dividends. Commonly corporations at a mature stage without many growth opportunities and a stable positive cash flow. As discussed earlier LT can be identified as a relatively stable and mature company with stable costs and relatively stable growth. However as a technology company, LT is sensitive to the market, which has become evident in its 2000-2003 results. During the IT bubble LT performed exceptionally well, but after the burst sales dropped with 47% relative to the year prior. However, looking at the figures of 2003 we can see that LTs sales recover quite quickly, ending 2003 with approximately $602m in sales, which is in line with 5 year sale average ($636m). It could therefore both be argued that growth is not stable for LT and thus dividend payments are relatively risky for LT with regards to market reaction when dividend payments are reduced. However, growth has always (with the exception of 2002) been positive and LT could thus be deemed relatively safe. (Graham et al, 2005) Usually repurchases are used when the firm holds an excess in cash e.g. to reduce agency conflicts and underinvestment. Dividend increases relate more to an excess in free cash flow. In the case of LT, the firm holds a n excess in cash but due to economic situation over the past two years does not have a relative high free cash flow. In this respect LT is looking to reduce excess cash, thus cash returns via repurchase would be more in line with firm performance. When considering how to return cash to the shareholder tax matters but in a second-order manner (Brav et al (2005)). This is due to the fact that value return to shareholders is financed after tax payments and thus the manner of returning value to shareholders with respect to taxes affects predominantly shareholders. Shareholders, under current tax system, pay relatively more tax on dividend than on repurchases. However, the tax argument is only applicable for those shareholders who are indifferent towards holding or selling their share, long term shareholders would prefer dividend payments regardless of tax difference. If new tax proposal would pass there would be no tax difference with capital gain for shareholders thus with regard to ta xes they would most likely prefer dividend payments. However repurchases reduce the number of outstanding shares and thus increase EPS and share prices. Even though share prices will increase with dividend increases also, when dividend payments are increased and the firm at a later stage, cannot pay these dividends or reduces them this results in a decrease of share price, where a non-continuum of repurchasing practices has no effect on later share prices. Additionally if the firm does not want to reduce or cancel dividend payments for this reason they might decide to split the stock, increasing the number of outstanding shares and thus decreasing the EPS. Therefore both shareholders and firms should only prefer an increase in dividend payments over repurchases when cash flows and growth rates are stable for the firm with little or no expected future change, even when tax rates are set to be equal. With regard to the option compensation for executives, the repurchases would induce m ore value than would dividend increase, which should be considered in an industry where there is talent competition. Concluding, LT should return some of its cash to its shareholder, however, not all cash should be returned, and preferably not through an increase of common dividend payouts. This will be further discussed in section 5 of this report. What are the tax consequences of keeping cash inside the firm? In the event that LT would decide to keep the cash within the company instead of paying out to its shareholders LT will endure certain costs with respect to taxes. The benefit of keeping the cash in the company means that LT will have the liquidity needed to enter in NPV projects when opportunities arise without needing to access the capital market for costly funding. However, with respect to taxes, not entering the capital market for funding can be deemed inefficient due to the tax deductibility of debt and interest payments on levering. At a 30% corporate tax rate the marginal value of a dollar is thus lower for a firm not using debt financing (Martà ­nez-Sola et al (2009)). This can be identified as an opportunity costs of keeping cash within the company instead of returning this to its shareholders. Being identified as a cost of returning cash to the shareholder and a benefit of keeping the cash in the company, liquidity allows LT to invest and thus potentially earn interest on the cash. LT maintains a conservative investment strategy and predominantly invests in short-term debt securities. This, as identified in the case, in recent years resulted in a low interest return to LT, encouraging LT to return more cash to its shareholders. However, considering that only capital gains are taxed, this at any positive interest rate assumed the gain achieved by interest payment will be higher than the reduction in tax rates. Taxes can only be effectively reduced by increasing the payments to employees or research development with the use of sales revenue (thus reducing free cash flow), not existing cash, or by the use of debt financing. If Linear were to pay out its entire cash balance as a special dividend, what would be the effect on value? One significant target of the dividend distribution is to show investors that Linear has a good position on the market, and to buy shares from Linear Technology is not comparable with the risk which is usually associated with the purchase of shares from technology companies. With a dividend Linear Technology wants to reach investors that have income goals besides of growth goals. In case of a dividend distribution demand for shares will rise. If investors know that a dividend from a certain amount will be paid, the share price increases by the dividend that will be paid. In case of a share price of $30,87 and a dividend of $5,01 the new share price will rise to $35,88. As the dividend will be paid at a certain point of time investors are ready to pay the amount of the dividend additionally to the share price of $30,87, as the dividend will be paid out. Depending on the time until the dividend is paid not the whole amount of dividend is added to the share price. If there is still a certain period of time until the dividend will be paid, only the net present value of the dividend, which is announced will be added to the share price. It also can be said that the closer the payment of the dividend gets, the more the amount of the total dividend payment is added to the normal share price. That also means that consequently the market value of equity also will rise. At the day ex-dividend the share price will drop below the level of the pre-announcement day, as the dividend as driver of the rising demand had been paid. The additional value of $5,01 that were relied to the dividend is not part of the share value any more. The dividend, as part of the equity, is paid to the shareholder. The EBT will go down now as interest income decreases. Because of the decreasing interest income also taxes are declining. As the reduction on interest income is higher this does not play such a decisive role. Special Dividend Repurchase Nr of outstanding shares 312,4 312,4 Share value 30,87 30,87 Market Value 9643,788 9643,788 Special Dividend Paid 5,01 New Shareprice 1 35,88 Nr of Shares repurchased 50,70 New outstanding shares 261,70 Loss of interest income 46,96 EBT 273,44 Earnings 189,49 Earnings Per share $ 0,72 Figure Effects of repurchase or special dividend What if Linear repurchases shares instead?. The repurchase of shares is another option besides of a dividend distribution. Advantages of repurchasing shares is the reduction of systematic risk and cost of capital. Information and rumours about repurchase of shares will increase the demand before the repurchase date and therefore makes the repurchase more expensive. Usually a premium of one until ten per cent has to be calculated. To calculate the number of new shares that can be purchased the cash balance has to be divided by the new share price. To calculate the new market value the new share price with the total number of shares has to be multiplied. Therefore also the earnings per share would increase. On the other hand it should be taken in mind that normally the increase in share price is not from a long-term perspective. Primarily firms in low concentrated industries can benefit from an increase of the share price from a long-term perspective and can outperform the market. In more concentrated industries there will be no statistically significant change. In general the repurchase of shares has a negative effect on the share prices of competitors. Therefore often competitors mimic the behaviour and also do a repurchase of shares. (Massa, Rehman, Vermaelen, 2007) In the study of Grullon and Michaely it is shown that within a 6-year period the repurchasing firm benefits from an essential reduction in systematic risk in comparison to non-repurchasing firms. A negative effect of repurchasing are decreasing investment opportunities. This does not play a decisive role in this case, as in both options there would be a reduction of cash flow. Also in case of stock options for employees the repurchase of shares is an efficient possibility to control the market. To repurchase shares at the point of time when employees sell their rights of stock options makes it neutral from a trading perspective. As Mr. Coghlan stated that Linear Technology wants to offset the exercise of employees stock options with the repurchase of stocks. From the company and management side flexibility is the main advantage for repurchasing in comparison to dividend distribution (Brav, Graham, Harvey, Michaely, 2005). The flexibility can be used to increase repurchases when stock prices are low. Also the higher tax burden in case of dividends can be taken as an argument for repurchasing instead of paying dividends, although in the study it is shown that taxes do not play a primary role and that repurchasing does not change the investors clientele. This point which is also taken as an argument for paying out a dividend by Linear Technology can therefore be de-emphasised. Why do firms pay dividends? When a firm generates free cash flows it has to decide what to do with them. It can reinvest in positive NPV projects, if they are present, and increase the value of the firm. This practice is very common for young firms that pursue rapid growth and sometimes invest 100 per cent of their cash in this way. More mature firms, that operate in more mature market, however, do not always have these opportunities and hold more cash than there are potential positive NPV-projects to exploit. Such a firm with excess cash can either retain it in reserves or pay it out to shareholders. Two payout choices are: repurchases and dividends. When firms pay-out they have several reasons for it. Although not entirely proven, dividends are a possible tool to signal good news to the market and to prevent managers from exploiting free cash flows for their own benefits. The most important reason why dividends are paid, however, is the firms dividend history. Furthermore some firms issue dividends to get acc ess to a new set of investors. Each of these reasons will be discussed next. With asymmetric information in the market, meaning that mangers hold better information regarding future prospects of the firm than investors, payout decisions may signal information. The common practice for dividend paying firms is to smooth dividends and only cut them under extreme cases, which are addressed later, will cause the market to also believe the company is not able to rebound its earnings in the near term. It also implies that once the company increases dividends it signals that the company is able to afford the higher dividend with increased earnings (Berk DeMarzo, 2007). Although most managers no longer see payout policy as a tool to separate its company from competitors, it could be a reason for some to initiate dividends (Brav, Graham, Campbell, Harvey, and Michely, 2005). Especially when dividends are already part of historical business practice in these firms, and as management is very reluctant to cut dividends they will keep them in place. Another reason for man agers to pay out dividends is its ability to prevent agency conflicts as the otherwise free cash flow is no longer in the hands of management. Most managers, however, do not view payout policy as a means to self-imposed discipline. Access to new set of investors is also a reason why management will issue dividends (CASE). As different clienteles hold different preferences in income and in taxes to be paid, some have a stronger preference for dividends than others (Berk DeMarzo, 2007). To attract for instance mutual funds and European investors companies have more success when they issue dividends. Dividends are also more likely to attract retail investors as they prefer dividends over repurchases (Brav, Graham, Campbell, Harvey, and Michely, 2005). Why has the rate of dividend initiations changed over time? There has been a general trend away from dividends from the late 1970s through the rest of the twentieth century. In 1978, over 66 percent of the AMEX, NYSE, and NASDAQ firms paid a regular dividend. By 1999, only 21 percent were dividend payers. Below several reasons are listed for this trend, including: changing firm characteristics, more stock option compensation, US tax law, and dividends inflexibility. Besides, in the late 1950s the starting point for most payout decisions was the payout ratio (Lintner, 1956), while recently this is no longer a common practice for most firms. Firms that were going public in the 1980s and 1990s were early in their lifecycle, with considerable more growth opportunities than current profits (CASE). There tend to be fewer firms in this lifecycle that issue dividends (Graham et al, 2004). In a large part, technology firms, as Linear Technology, were driving this trend. Many of these firms were just about to reach the stage at which they were able to pay dividends, the stage where they began to earn regular and more predictable cash flows (CASE). But even large technology firms, that held stable cash flows, tended to restrain from dividends. One reason for this was the heavy use of stock option compensation. With the majority of their pay in options, managers are not likely to pay dividends as it does not benefit them that much. Furthermore when dividends are issued instead of repurchases, the outstanding amount of stock is increased once options are exercised, resulting in a decrease in the earnings per share (CASE). Although US tax law changed in 2003, making it more attractive to issue dividends, they still are at a tax disadvantage compared to capital gains that can be deferred. Until 2003 issuing dividends was thus even at an even bigger disadvantage to other forms of pay-out (Brav, Graham, Campbell, Harvey, and Michely, 2005). This, however, does not explain the downward trend in dividends, but it does explain why dividend s have never risen in popularity amongst managers. Unlike repurchases, managers are very reluctant to cut dividends and tend to smooth dividends. Among others, they are in most cases even more willing to forgo positive NPV projects, raise external funds, sell assets, or lay off sincere amounts of employees before cutting dividends. The asymmetry between dividend increases and decreases probably leads firms to restrain from issuing before having to resolve to the previously described in general unfavorable practices. Today managers are not so strict on payout ratios anymore. Furthermore, the speed of adjustment, by correcting dividends to their target, is not as high as it once was. This could be a result of the declined benefits of being close to the target or the higher cost of adjustment (Brav, Graham, Campbell, Harvey, and Michely, 2005). What should Paul Coghlan recommend to the board? All in all, if LT pursues to maximize shareholder value, it would not be advisable to increase dividends. Considering the current economic turmoil and the inflexible nature of dividend payments, dividend payments become undesirable. Additionally investing in new business opportunities would be beneficial for both the firm and the current shareholders. Although LT has not identified any positive NPV projects yet, there are opportunities in Asia, and therefore it would be wise for LT to return only part of its cash to the shareholders. They can best do this via a more flexible way such as special dividend or repurchases. Holding cash in the firm allows for a better credit rating when entering the capital market, when LT encounters a positive NPV project it wishes to invest in it can finance it partly by cash held and partly by debt financing. There is no ideal set up for cash returns but deriving from the advice of Rollins given in the case, it could be beneficial for LT to hold 1/4 of its cash as a cushion for economic turmoil, invest 1/4 of its cash in short-term securities to generate interest, hold 1/4 to be used in case of encountering good business opportunities, and return 1/4 to its shareholders via repurchases or a special dividend. This would still result in a $375m return for its shareholders.

Alone With Nature :: essays research papers

Alone with Nature Arriving at the lusciously dense forest at daybreak, you gaze at the fresh dew delicately dangling on the foliage. You stroll through the winding dirt trails towards the steady flowing water while the birds proudly recite their early morning songs. Reaching the free flowing stream you bend down and see your clear reflection in front of the orange-yellow sky. Goosebumps rise along your arms as the streams icy depths run through your fingers. The cleansing water quickly refreshes your face, quickly washing away your anxieties and frustrations of a usual hectic life. Beyond the stream is a meadow filled with a variety of flowers. Taking a stroll through the meadow is like walking through a rainbow. The shades of the velvety ornamented flower petals vary from scarlet, to baby blue. Despite the similarities in color, nothing else seems to be the same- they all tower 2 or 3 feet above the dark, rich soil. They sway playfully in unison with the warm caressing breeze, carefully merging the two scents into one fresh, clean fragrance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You pry yourself away from the immense meadow, still filled with many unexplored treasures and turn back into the foliage covered depths of the forest. The sun is comfortably placed in front of the cotton candy clouds, in the midst of the soft blue sky. The occasional bird soars through in a last minuet attempt to catch a worm so it may feed the yearning mouths of it's young. The rough dirt trail ends and you are brought to the base of a rock. Your feet reach for the unfamiliar footholds of the high rocky promontory, anxiously scrambling up the streaky pinkish rock ready to explore any new treasures that lie beyond you. Once on top, you gaze down and see it all- the crystal clear stream brilliantly

Analysis of My Last Duchess and The Laboratory Essay -- Robert Brownin

â€Å"My Last Duchess† and â€Å"The Laboratory† are two very diverse yet similar poems written by Robert Browning within the period of three years. In this essay I am going to carefully consider the techniques, language and imagery that Browning uses in these two poems. I am also going to compare the two poems together and how Browning creates the voice and character of the persona in each poem. My Last Duchess was written by Robert Browning in 1842. The poem is a dramatic monologue. The poem flows as there are mid-line pauses (caesura) rather than the poem coming to a halt at the end of each line. I think this is deliberate from Browning to make the poem flow more easily. The poem begins by the Duke merely showing his collection of art and various works to his emissary. He then comes to a lifelike portrait of his own wife who is now dead. In my opinion the Duke remembers her as no less than a piece of art that has been created by his orders. This is a general pattern throughout the poem where the Duke considers himself to be the most prestigious man who has ever lived. He believes that men are the dominant race above women. He is a complete image of sexism in his time. Browning keeps some of the imagery vague in the poem I believe this is to leave the reader of the poem to think themselves about the attitude of the Duke. You could perhaps say that he has a flirtatious wife who treasures others gifts as she treats the Duke’s. You could suggest that she may have had affairs with these other men but Browning leaves this to our imagination. I believe the Duke is an unstable man whose jealousy drives him to the limit to eventually finish his wife off. He believes that total control was a natural thing for him. Moving on to the Laboratory. ... ... the reader thinking about the poem in whatever way they like. Similarly with â€Å"My last duchess† Robert browning deliberately leaves some text vague yet some vivid to pose questions to the reader. He uses plenty of metaphors in both poems. I think this is again for the same reason which has been mentioned earlier. He is definitely trying to give the reader a thought but he leaves the thought abruptly for us to imagine about it. In my opinion this pattern is very frequent throughout the two poems. To arrive at my conclusion all these techniques work together extremely well in both poems to give some of the greatest poems of his time. These two poems are especially recognised for the language, imagery and techniques that the poet uses to create a feeling of jealousy and disgust of the reactions of both the Duke in â€Å"My Last Duchess† and the Woman in â€Å"The Laboratory.†

Dubaya :: Essays Papers

Dubaya He brought his father's sterling name, degrees from Yale and Harvard, some $13,000 left in his trust fund, and his strongest personal asset — an exuberant charm spiked with wisecracks. Bush never found much oil in Texas, but he slowly found his way. He married and fathered twin girls, quit drinking, began studying Scripture, and made his an unsuccessful foray into the family business by running for Congress. He learned to court friends and political supporters of his father, the vice president. And he hooked up with the oil investors who would eventually help him become managing partner of the Texas Rangers baseball team. Bush used the Rangers post to cultivate celebrity status and prepare for a gutsy, winning challenge to Democratic Gov. Ann Richards in 1994. The Rangers deal also made him a multimillionaire. George Walker Bush was born July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Conn., where his father, already a flying hero of World War II, was charging through Yale. When he was 2, his parents moved West to chase the oil boom. But young George also endured great sorrow at age 7, when his little sister Robin died of leukemia. The next child, now Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was seven years younger. Three others followed: Neil, stung by the S&L scandal of the 1980s and now a business consultant; Marvin, a venture capitalist; and Doro, wife of a Washington lobbyist and mother of four. None seems to have felt the weight of their father's successes as much as the eldest, often called ``Junior'' although he's one name short of George Herbert Walker Bush. He followed his father's path to prep school in Andover, Mass., and then Yale, but failed to live up to his legacy in academics or sports. Instead, he's remembered at Andover for organizing stickball tournaments and lavish pep rallies that brightened an otherwise rigid campus. At Yale, like his father, he was tapped for the secret Skull and Bones society and became president of Delta Kappa Epsilon. Fraternity brothers remember him as ``the life of the party'' among a group preoccupied by beer, sports, soul music and, of course, girls. Friends say Bush avoided the nascent Vietnam War protests at Yale and didn't brook criticism of his father, then a Texas congressman supporting the war. Shortly before graduation in 1968, Bush signed up for pilot training in the Texas Air National Guard, where it was unlikely he would be sent to Vietnam.

Life Without Televisions Essay

When my family’s only television set went to the repair shop the other day, my parents, my sister, and I thought we would have a terrible week. How could we get through the long evenings in such a quiet house? What would it be like without all the shows to keep us company? We soon realized, though, that living without television for a while was a stroke of good fortune. It became easy for each of us to enjoy some activities alone, to complete some postponed chores, and to spend rewarding time with each other and friends. First of all, with no television to compete for our time, we found plenty of hours for personal interests. We all read more that week than we had read during the six months before. For instance, I was able to finish â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, a novel assigned in my English class. Also my younger sister read 300 pages of the last book of the â€Å"Twilight† series. We each also enjoyed some hobbies we had ignored for ages. My dad’s old enthusiasm for gardening returned, and he started planting vegetables in his garden. My mom had time to open her bakery book and bake Italian desserts such as Profiterole and tiramisu. My sister and I played volleyball in the back yard, a sport that we loved since we were younger. In addition, my sister and I both stopped procrastinating with our homework. We both found out that it was really helpful to work on homework ahead of time; therefore I worked on chapter three and four of my Algebra homework for next week. I also finished my study guide for my English test. My sister as well worked on her French and Government assignments. Second we did chores that had been hanging over our heads for too long. There were many jobs around the house that had needed attention for some time. Cleaning our rooms was the first chore we did; my sister and I cleaned our entire room and vacuumed the carpet. Then my mom cleaned the counter tops and all the shelves of the kitchen. Finally my dad managed to clean his garage and put all of his tools back on the shelves. We also had a chance to do some long- postponed shopping. My father went to SEARS to buy a sofa that was needed in his room. My mom went to LOWES to buy accessories for her bathroom. My sister and I went to the mall to buy her prom dress and I was able to buy two pairs of jeans and two shirts that I wanted. And each of us also caught up with e-mails and did paperwork that was long overdue. My mom had some office work done, such as sales reports for the committee of her company. My dad finally wrote an e-mail to my grandma that is living in Spain with my aunt Susan. My sister also replied to e-mails from her friends that live in Italy. And I was able to complete my FASFA application for the fall semester. Finally, and probably most important, we spent time with each other. Instead of just being in the same room together while we stared at a screen, we actually talked for many pleasant hours. My parents and I never had long conversations before, and during that week, we got to know each other more than we did for the past five years. My sister and I talked more about each other and we found out that we have a lot of interests in common. Moreover, for the first time in years, my family played some games together. My sister enjoys playing Monopoly; therefore, we played almost every night. We also played chest, one of my dad’s favorite games. My mom’s favorite game is dominos; although my sister ended up winning every game. And because we didn’t have to worry about missing this or that show, we had some family friends over on a couple of evenings and spent enjoyable time with them. We would play volleyball in the back yard. After several games we would have dinner in the back patio enjoying the lovely weather while listening to classical music. And finally after dinner we would make a bonfire and sit around it and remember memories with our friends. Once our television returned, we were not prepared to put it in the attic. But we had a sense of how it can take over our lives if we are not careful. We are now more selective. We turn on the set for our favorite shows, certain sports events, and the news, but we don’t leave it running all evening. As a result, we find we can enjoy television and still have time left over for other activities and interests.