Louis Armstrong essays

Louis Armstrong essays Louis Satchmo (Satchelmouth) Armstrong was born August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana (the birthplace of jazz). Putting together the facts around his birth and childhood is difficult because what is known depends mostly on what he later told people. He was raised by his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong, as an infant. At the time of his birth his father walked out on him and his mother. Louis spoke with anger about his dad when he mentioned him at all. He hated his father so much that he told reporter Larry King, I was touring Europe when my father died. Didnt go to his funeral, didnt send nothing. Why should I? He never had no time for me or Mary Ann (his mother). (Collier 19) Armstrong had a genuine affection for his mother, even though se was very undependable, leaving her son to take care of himself and his sister for days at a time. Louis grew up in a tough area in New Orleans knows as The Battle Field where gun play and knife fights were common. At the age of seven he moved to black Storyville. It consisted of dance halls, honky tonks, and brothels. Like Londons Soho, it was an entertainment district. He grew up with music all around him. He could hear music outside his house when he woke up and when he went to bed. It is recorded that Louis did attend school at the Fish school where he learned to read and write. It is not a known fact how long he attended school, but we do know that on New Years Eve, 1912, he was arrested for shooting a gun. He was about eleven years old at the time, and this was considered a very serious offense. He was sent to a reform school on the outskirts of New Orleans called the Coloreds Waif House. It was here that he was introduced to organized music in the form of the school band. Captain Joseph Jones led the band in a military fashion that was extremely strict. This is where Louiss life changed from a delinquen...

Getting ahead planning your retirement in your 20s

Getting ahead planning your retirement in your 20s Have you ever heard the old saying that it’s never too early to start planning for the future? If so, you may have decided to ignore it, or just worry about it later- after all, when you’re young you feel as if you have an endless amount of time to plan your life and that your time is better spent having fun and living for the moment. But the truth is, the future is coming faster than you might realize. When it comes to retirement planning, the phrase â€Å"never too early to start planning† can be the best advice you’ll ever get. Sure, there are a lot of reasons why it’s especially tricky to start planning for such a far-off notion like retirement. The truth is, you’re likely just getting started in your professional journey, and you may have little to no idea where your climb up the career ladder will take you. Also, if you’re like most of us, the money you’re earning when you’re new to the work world doesn’t exa ctly leave you with a ton of options for saving and investing for the future. On top of all this, it is much more fun to be carefree and live for the moment when you’re young, and many of us make a deal with ourselves to start taking money matters seriously when we reach a significant (and distant) milestone in our lives (age 30? 40? 70?).That said, you really don’t have to completely overhaul your life or give up on fun in order to start planning for retirement but the more prepared you are for this inevitable end to your career journey the more confident and relaxed you’ll be about money matters at every phase of your life until then. Taking baby steps toward greater financial responsibility while you’re in your 20s will bring you that much closer to whatever your retirement goals turn out to be- and help you avoid (or at least minimize) the amount of fear, worry, and anxiety you feel when you’re focused on your financial health and future. And t rust us, if those days aren’t here yet, they’re right around the corner.If you’re ready to take the next step and get serious about your retirement planning, then consider the following strategies to move you in the right direction.4 steps to planning for retirement now1. Develop a saving mindset.Sure, when you’re in your 20s it’s hard to take savings seriously. Most likely, your main focus is on getting your bills paid and being able to afford the basics, and that makes total sense. However, even saving just a little bit can go a long way.Let’s take a look at a small example- suppose you enjoy a mid-afternoon latte each workday. The average price of a latte is around $2.50. Now, instead of buying the latte, imagine taking that money and dropping it into a savings account- in 5 years, you’ll have saved $3,250 just by making this one small life change. Are there other small savings changes you can make to help you build your nest egg? Probably, and the more money you’re able to divert to savings the better off you’ll be- both for short-term needs and for long-term health as you creep closer to retirement. But perhaps more importantly, just getting into a savings mindset early on in life will set you up for being a more financially responsible adult as you get older- and your ability and desire to save and spend wisely will set you up for a great financial future.2. Take advantage of work resourcesMost of us aren’t thrilled to have to work, but one of the good things about having to hold down a job is that it can often come with some useful employee benefits- which may include a retirement benefits plan. These days, more and more companies are offering a 401(k) plan to help employees save and prepare for retirement, which often provide some incredible perks like employer fund matching (which is as close to free money as most of us will ever get).Taking advantage of investing in a 401(k) is so universally recognized as beneficial (and often essential) that many companies automatically enroll employees in plans to help them start saving their money wisely. If your company offers this benefit, there is absolutely no good reason not to take advantage of it- even if it’s just a small percentage of your paycheck. Don’t worry if you don’t plan on staying at your current job forever- you get to take your money with you.3. Explore other investment optionsIn addition to the retirement benefits that your employer may offer, consider exploring other investment options available to you: IRAs, mutual funds, CDs, and the stock market. Sure, it’s a little scary to jump into the world of investing as a newbie, but there are a wealth of resources available to you, including online tools, wise and trusted friends and family members, and investment professionals tied to your bank (assuming you have a savings or checking account- and if you don’t, consider opening one). Do some research and start small. You’ll be amazed by how well a few wise investment decisions early on in life can set you up for a comfortable retirement.4. Decrease debtDebt is not your friend. Even though it’s often an unavoidable part of adulthood, be sure to make every effort to decrease your debt burden as you move closer and closer to retirement age. The truth is, some forms of debt- like a home mortgage- are indicative of financial stability and solvency. But other forms (like credit card debt) are best left avoided or eradicated as quickly as possible. If you have a credit card (or multiple cards), avoid using them unless it’s an unavoidable emergency, and pay off what you owe as quickly as possible. Nothing creates a financial headache and panic attack faster than an unwieldy amount of unhealthy debt- so be sure to avoid drowning here.

The nature of pension plans with focus on defined contribution pension Research Paper

The nature of pension plans with focus on defined contribution pension plans and defined benefit pension plans - Research Paper Example â€Å"Actually, an individual who periodically invests in stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit (CDs), or other investments for the purpose of saving for retirement is establishing a personal pension fund. Often, such individual plans take the form of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to take advantage of tax breaks offered by that arrangement† (Part A: The nature of Pension Plans n.d. p. 1010). Pension funds must be controlled. They have managerial responsibilities? create decisions on the subject of benefits and entitlements and, in some cases, guarantee that long-term duties are met in the circumstance of uncertainty and risk. As such, it is debatable that pension funds are like other financial organizations, which have objectives and goals in addition to procedures that help attain these objectives and goals are realized. Pension plans often increase productivity, decrease turnover, gratify union demands and permit employers to fight in the labor market. Corporations set up pension plans for various reasons. Sponsorship of such plans provides workers with an amount of security during the time of retirement and accomplishes a moral duty felt by many employers. This security also encourages the level of job satisfaction and possibly loyalty that might increase productivity and decrease turnover. Defined Contribution Plans: A defined-contribution plan is a kind of plan in which workers’ benefit for the period of retirement depends on the contributions made as well as the performance of the investment of the assets in his or her account, rather than on the workers’ years of service or history of earnings. Like a classic savings account, a defined-contribution account includes a particular balance at any given time, which is up to the market value of the assets gathered in the account. Unlike in the case of a defined-benefit plan, workers have significant control over how the donations and contributions to their plan are invested and ma y normally prefer an assortment of stocks (frequently including company stock), mutual funds, bonds, and other investment vehicles. These pension plans assure fixed yearly contributions to the pension fund (say, 5% of the workers pay). Employees prefer (from designated alternatives) where funds are invested generally? that is? in fixed-income or stocks securities. Retirement disburse depends on the volume of the fund available during retirement. In a defined contribution plan, investment rewards and investment risks are assumed by every worker or retiree and not by the employer or sponsor. This risk could be considerable. Based on simulations from safety returns over the 20th century across 16 states, there can be seen substantial variation in pension fund ratios across both the country as well as different time periods in the same country. â€Å"There are several types of defined contribution plans, including money purchase plans, profit-sharing plans, 401(k) arrangements, savings plans, and employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). These are described briefly below† (Defined Benefits and Defined Contribution Plans: Understanding the Differences, n.d. p. 2). Advantages: Observe money and develop

Are Democracies Inherently Peaceful Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Are Democracies Inherently Peaceful - Essay Example The main reason people oppose monocracy and military rule is that countries led by such ruling systems are more likely to engage in wars and other type of international conflicts as compared to democratic system. Citizens of those states cannot obtain a peaceful living environment and this situation adversely affects their quality of living. As compared to monocracy, oligocracy, or military rule, democracies are inherently peaceful unless they are unjustifiably attacked by external powers. Giving specific focus to the era of World War I & II, this paper will discuss how democracies are inherently peaceful. Democracy and Peace Many authors opine that democracies strive to provide a peaceful living situation to their people and ensure that living standards of citizens are improved continuously. Undoubtedly, a country’s citizens are the primary stakeholders of a war as they actually bear the miseries of engaging in or financing wars. Therefore, common people are less likely to su pport wars or cross border intrusions. In a democratic country, people have more say in making decisions, and hence they can successfully veto individuals’ decision to fight and finance wars. In contrast, king is the sovereign ruler in monarchies and people have little participation in decision making. As a result, kings can individually take decisions to start or support wars with little personal risk. In order to improve this worse situation, leaders worldwide are strongly supporting democracy. In the opinion of Bass, the Clinton administration’s efforts to form a global ‘community of democracies’ was an attempt to bring peace to the whole world and it was greatly encouraged by many nations. As Bass notes, in their book ‘Electing to fight’, political scientists Edward D. Mansfield and Jack Snyder opine that emerging democracies are often unstable and are more likely to fight wars. To justify their claim that new democracies without having fu lly formed domestic institutions are aggressive, the authors cite the examples ranging from France’s attack on Prussia in 1870 and Vladimir Putin’s ongoing monstrous clampdown in Chechnya. However, sometimes even fully formed democratic countries become warlike because of several reasons. To explain, it is better to consider the 1959 attack on Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel or Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq. Those wars were fought because the democratic governments often found it difficult to trust dictators for serious negations. Similarly, the US attack on Afghanistan in 2001 was in response to the 9/11 terror attack by Afghan militants. More clearly, some wars or interventions organized by democratic countries cannot be termed as aggressive or unpeaceful because they are ultimately aimed at the protection of fundamental democratic notions. As Buchanan points out, Elihu Root, Theodore Roosevelt’s secretary of state stated in 1917 that â₠¬Å"to be safe, democracy must kill its enemy when it can and where it can† (np). The democratic peace theory, often referred to as democratic peace, strongly supports the argument that democracies are inherently peaceful. According to Pace, the democratic peace theory states that democracies are not likely to engage in armed conflict with other identified democracies (269). The democratic peace is contrast to the theories describing war engagement and it can be considered as a ‘theory of peace’ explaining motives that discourage state-sponsored violence. The democratic peace theory is mainly based on the premise that democratic leaders are to bear the responsibility of war losses and they are responsible for answering a voting public. In order to retain their public support, democratic leaders

Procter & Gamble Essay Example for Free

Procter Gamble Essay Proctor and Gamble Co. is sending video crews run by a small research firm in London, Everyday Lives, Ltd. , into about 80 homes worldwide to record peoples daily routines in the name of marketing research. PG believes that some people have selective memory in focus groups and interviews, and some insights into consumer behavior may be lost. Camera crews will arrive at the participants home when they wake up and not leave until they go to bed for a duration of four days. Cameras may not be manned at all times, and bedroom and bathroom activities will not be recorded. Families will be paid an undisclosed amount for their participation. PG wants to solve problems that their shoppers may not have known they had. For example, marketers discuss multitasking habits while watching a woman in Thailand make breakfast, feed her baby, and watch television simultaneously. The study will initially take place in the UK, Germany, and China since there are such major growth opportunities overseas. Project risks include people behaving abnormally in front of the cameras, local privacy laws, searching hours of videotape for ideas, and producing successful products. PG’s goal is to maintain a huge video library that can be organized by key words, and will give a global perspective on something as simple as eating snacks. By stepping into the homes and lives of their audience PG has found a way to have up to date information on the routine habits of the population of their target market and develop an intimate relationship with them by making themselves a part of the daily rituals that no one other then the individual may see. They will even be able to observe the innate actions that a person may not even realize they do. Market conditions are continuously changing and having this live information will give PG the sufficient knowledge to develop a successful marketing strategy. They will also benefit by being able to see other products the families are buying to gain a perspective of the average budget people are able to afford for similar goods. In the past this obtrusive plan of watching a persons’ every move would have been seen as crossing a line, or illegal, and participants would be hesitant to partake. The plan fits into modern society trends, however, where reality shows are amongst the highest rated programs on television. The intrusion is now acceptable, and even seen as somewhat glamorous, especially when a monetary transaction is involved. In my opinion, PG will have a laborious task ahead of them, but the information from this market research has the prospect of yielding a host of innovative convenience products and goods.

The Poetry of Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin Essay -- Biography Biogr

The Poetry of Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin   In reading poetry, from many different genres, its seems that politically motivated verse seems to dominate, next to love that is. It also seems that poets have a desire to live in a different time, a different place. No one ever seems to be content with the condition of their world, yet, I suppose that is in the nature of humans. We all want something better or something from the past that we can't have. Wither it be the simplicity, the passion, the technology that we don't have, the peace that once was or the greatness that has long been gone, poets that are political in nature suggest a very personal, yet pervading utopia. Two poets who, political in nature, that were born in the same year, lived in the same part of the world, and who attending the same college prove to be an interesting contrast to one another. Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin are both natives of England and are considered 'Modernists', but what they suggest isn't a "better place" or a different time. Their wo rk represents a change in attitude, from looking at what isn't to looking at reality and what is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of   course, each of these poets has a different perspective, for there is not one single motive, desire or drive that can be defined as the essence of life. One cannot describe someone's work as being all or none of this or of that. What is interesting, though, is the subjective nature each poet has in their view of life and how that is portrayed in their poetry. Each one has a unique quality that sets them apart from the rest and each has characteristics that provide the reader with clues as to their perspective on life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In reviewing the poetry of Amis, one can’t help but read Again... ... Larkin, Philip. Collected Poems. Victoria: The Marvell Press; London: Faber and Faber, 2003. Print â€Å"Philip Larkin†. Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia. 8 January 2009. "Larkin Study Notes." Chaeron.net. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. . "Philip Larkin." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. . "Philip Larkin." New World Encyclopedia. 29 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. .

Csr in Sme

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SMES (Small and Medium Enterprises) THE LITERATURE REVIEW The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been increasing rapidly over the past few years (Crawford and Scaletta, 2005) although meaning of the term CSR remains a subject of much debate (Roberts, 2003; Hopkins, 2003). The reason behind the debate is that the beliefs and attitudes on the nature of CSR have varied over time (Hill et al. , 2003). However, according to European Commission’s Green Paper on CSR (2001), CSR is a concept whereby the companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their daily business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. On the other hand, CSR can also be understood as the business contribution to sustainable development (EC, 2002). Regardless the definitions, CSR is all about effectively managing the relationships that can affect the business and taking responsibility for the consequences that running the business has on society (Mallen Baker, 2008). Again, the arguments so far shows that all organizations have an impact on society and the environment through their operations, products and services and through their interaction with key stakeholders and therefore CSR is important in all firms, large and small (Williams, 2005; Hopkins, 2003; Roche, 2002). But it seems that less research have been made regarding the engagement of CSR in SME (Vyakarnam et al. , 1997; Schaper and Savery, 2004; Perrini et al. , 2006; Spence et al. , 2000). This literature review has been prepared with the aim of clarifying the engagement of CSR in SMEs. Small and Medium Enterprises as defined by DTI and EU are those organizations with a turnover of under 40 million Euros (? 27 million) and either has employees below 250 or over 25% owner-managed is proven to be important both numerically and economically since the last couple of decades (Jenkins H. , 2004). According to the research conducted by UNIDO (2002), SMEs make up over 90 per cent of businesses worldwide and account for between 50 and 60 per cent of employment. Similarly, a recent research suggests that SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) in the UK may make a social contribution worth up to ? 3bn each year – about ten times that of large corporations (BITC, 2002) which proves their equal importance like companies. *Unlike in large organizations, the ownership and management of small organizations seems to be more closely related (Spence and Rutherfoord, 2001). Thus, control remains in the hands of one of the owners, potentially enabling him or her to make personal choices about the allocation of resources (Spence, 1999). As described by Burns, 2001 small businesses are like social entities that revolve around personal relationships, which are often short of cash, likely to operate in a single market, who find it difficult to diversify business risk and are vulnerable to the loss of customers. Thus, in SMEs, the acceptance of CSR is largely a factor of the personal attitudes of the owner/manager (Hopkins, 2003; Perez-Sanchez, 2003). Improved image and reputation. Improved trust and understanding. Better market position. More business. Increased employee motivation. Increased attractiveness to potential recruits. Cost savings and increased efficiency. Risk management The overwhelming motivating factor for SMEs to engage in CSR is not external pressure but an internal drive to ‘doing the right thing’ or ‘putting something back’ or showing ‘entrepreneurial spirit’(Jenkins H. , 2001). *However, from the viewpoint of SMEs, CSR means to pay attention toward social and environmental responsibility (Southwell, 2004). Similarly, Grayson (2005) suggests that, researchers and practitioners should recognize that lots of small firms are already doing things that benefits society, but those are not described as CSR. Another important element in the field of CSR research is stakeholder theory. There is an inherent acceptance that all business has stakeholders and appropriate management of which can help reduce risk and improve all companies’ social responsibility (European Commission and Observatory of European SMEs, 2002; Irwin, 2002). However, stakeholder research has tended to focus on â€Å"corporation† or large company. But the nature of stakeholder relationship for SMEs may not be drastically different (Jenkins, 2004). Stakeholder relationships for an SME may be based on a more informal, trusting basis and characterized by intuitive and personal engagement with less of a gap between the relative power and influence of company and stakeholder; whilst large companies are far more likely to engage in carefully planned, formal strategic stakeholder management (Jenkins, 2004). Thus, SMEs approach to CSR is likely to influence according to the way they manage their key stakeholder. Brussels, 2001, Green Paper for Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility, Commission of the European Communities, COM (2001)366 final, p. 6. Burns, P. 2001, Entrepreneurs hip and Small Business, Hampshire: Palgrave. Business in the Community (BITC), 2002, â€Å"_Engaging SMEs in community and social issues_†. Cohen, A. P. , 1985, The_ Symbolic Construction of Community, _London: Routledge. EC and Observatory of European SMEs, (2002), ‘‘_European SMEs and Social and Environmental Res ponsibility_†, No. 4, Enterprise publication, p. 12. Fuller, T. : 2003, ‘Small Business Futures in Society’, Futures 35 (4), 297-304. Hill, R. , Stephens, D. and Smith, I. (2003), ‘‘Corporate social responsibility: an examination of individual firm behaviour’’, Business and Society Review, Vol. 08 No. 3, pp. 339-64. Irwin, D. , 2002, Encouraging Responsible Business, Small Business Service, London. Jenkins, H. (2004), â€Å"A Critique of Convectional CSR Theory: An SME Perspective†, Journal of General Management, Vol. 29 No. 4. Pp. 37-57. Mallen Baker, (2008), â€Å"Arguments against corporate social responsibility – redoubled†, Business Respect, 26 October, Issue Number 139. Perez-Sanchez, D. (2003), ‘‘Implementing environmental management in SMEs’’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 67-77. Perrini, F. , Russo, A. and Tencati, A. 2006), ‘à ¢â‚¬ËœSMEs and CSR theory: evidence and implications from an Italian perspective’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 67 No. 3, pp. 305-16. Roberts, S. (2003), ‘‘Supply chain specific? Understanding the patchy success of ethical sourcing initiatives’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 44 Nos 2/3, pp. 159-70. Roche, J. (2002), ‘‘CSR and SMEs: chalk and cheese? ’’, Ethical Corporation, Vol. 9, pp. 18-19. Sarbutts, N. (2003), ‘‘Can SMEs ‘do’ CSR? A practitioner’s view of the ways small and medium sized enterprises are able to manage reputation through corporate social responsibility’’, Journal of Communication Management, Vol. No. 4, pp. 340-7. Schaper, M. and Savery, L. (2004), ‘‘Entrepreneurship and philanthropy: the case of small Australian firms’’, Journal of Development Entrepreneurship, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 239-50. Southwell, c. : 2004, ‘Enga ging SMEs in community and Social Issues’, in L. J. Spencer, A. Habisch and R. Schimidpeter (eds. ), Responsibility and Social Capital: The world of small and medium sized enterprises (Palgrave MacMillan, Hampshire), pp. 96-111. Spence, L. (1999), ‘‘Does size matter? The state of the art in small business ethics’’, _Business Ethics: A European Review_, Vol. No. 3, pp. 163-72. Spence, L. and Lozano, J. (2000), ‘‘Communicating about ethics with small firms: experiences from the UK and Spain’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 27 Nos 1/2, pp. 43-53. Spence, L. and Rutherfoord, R. (2001), ‘‘Social responsibility, profit maximisation and the small firm owner-manager’’, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 126-39. Tilley, F. , P. Hooper and L. Walley: 2003, â€Å"Sustainability and Competitiveness: Are there Mutual Advantages for SMEs? †, in O. Jones and F. Tilley (eds. ,_ Competitive Advantage in SMEs: Organising for Innovation and Change,_ pp. 71-84. Vives, A. (2006), ‘‘Social and environmental responsibility in small and medium enterprises in Latin America’’, Journal of Corporate Citizenship, Vol. 21, pp. 39-50. Vyakarnam, S. , Bailey, A. , Myers, A. and Burnett, D. (1997), ‘‘Towards an understanding of ethical behaviour in small firms’’, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 16 No. 15, pp. 1625-36. Williams, A. (2005), ‘‘Consumer social responsibility? ’’, Consumer Policy Review, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 34-5.

Importance of Animal Behavior Essay

Why do animals behave the way they do? The answer to this question depends on what the behavior is. A cat chases a mouse to catch it. A spider spins its sticky web to trap insects. A mother dog nurses her puppies to feed them. All of these behaviors have the same purpose: getting or providing food. All animals need food for energy. They need energy to move around. In fact, they need energy just to stay alive. Baby animals also need energy to grow and develop. Birds and wasps build nests to have a safe place to store their eggs and raise their young. Many other animals build nests for the same reason. Animals protect their young in other ways, as well. For example, a mother dog not only nurses her puppies. She also washes them with her tongue and protects them from strange people or other animals. All of these behaviors help the young survive and grow up to be adults. Rabbits run away from foxes and other predators to stay alive. Their speed is their best defense. Lizards sun themselves on rocks to get warm because they cannot produce their own body heat. When they are warmer, they can move faster and be more alert. This helps them escape from predators, as well as find food. All of these animal behaviors are important. They help the animals get food for energy, make sure their young survive, or ensure that they survive themselves. Behaviors that help animals or their young survive increase the animals’ fitness. You read about fitness in the Evolution chapter. Animals with higher fitness have a better chance of passing their genes to the next generation. If genes control behaviors that increase fitness, the behaviors become more common in the species. This is called evolution by natural selection. Innate Behavior All of the behaviors shown in the images above are ways that animals act naturally. They don’t have to learn how to behave in these ways. Cats are natural-born hunters. They don’t need to learn how to hunt. Spiders spin their complex webs without learning how to do it from other spiders. Birds and wasps know how to build nests without being taught. These behaviors are called innate. An innate behavior is any behavior that occurs naturally in all animals of a given species. An innate behavior is also called an instinct. The first time an animal performs an innate behavior, the animal does it well. The animal does not have to practice the behavior in order to  get it right or become better at it. Innate behaviors are also predictable. All members of a species perform an innate behavior in the same way. From the examples described above, you can probably tell that innate behaviors usually involve important actions, like eating and caring for the young. There are many oth er examples of innate behaviors. For example, did you know that honeybees dance? The honeybee in Figure below has found a source of food. When the bee returns to its hive, it will do a dance, called the waggle dance. The way the bee moves during its dance tells other bees in the hive where to find the food. Honeybees can do the waggle dance without learning it from other bees, so it is an innate behavior. When this honeybee goes back to its hive, it will do a dance to tell the other bees in the hive where it found food. Learned Behavior Just about all other human behaviors are learned. Learned behavior is behavior that occurs only after experience or practice. Learned behavior has an advantage over innate behavior. It is more flexible. Learned behavior can be changed if conditions change. For example, you probably know the route from your house to your school. Assume that you moved to a new house in a different place, so you had to take a different route to school. What if following the old route was an innate behavior? You would not be able to adapt. Fortunately, it is a learned behavior. You can learn the new route just as you learned the old one. Although most animals can learn, animals with greater intelligence are better at learning and have more learned behaviors. Humans are the most intelligent animals. They depend on learned behaviors more than any other species. Other highly intelligent species include apes, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. They include chimpanzees and gorillas. Both are also very good at learning behaviors. You may have heard of a gorilla named Koko. The psychologist Dr. Francine Patterson raised Koko. Dr. Patterson wanted to find out if gorillas could learn human language. Starting when Koko was just one year old, Dr. Patterson taught her to use sign language. Koko learned to use and understand more than 1,000 signs. Koko showed how much gorillas can learn. See A Conversation with Koko at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/koko/ for additional information. Think about some of the behaviors you have learned. They might include riding a bicycle, using a computer, and playing a musical  instrument or sport. You probably did not learn all of these behaviors in the same way. Perhaps you learned some behaviors on your own, just by practicing. Other behaviors you may have learned from other people. Humans and other animals can learn behaviors in several different ways. The following methods of learning will be explored below: 1. Habituation (forming a habit). 2. Observational learning. 3. Conditioning. 4. Play. 5. Insight learning. Habituation Habituation is learning to get used to something after being exposed to it for a while. Habituation usually involves getting used to something that is annoying or frightening, but not dangerous. Habituation is one of the simplest ways of learning. It occurs in just about every species of animal. You have probably learned through habituation many times. For example, maybe you were reading a book when someone turned on a television in the same room. At first, the sound of the television may have been annoying. After awhile, you may no longer have noticed it. If so, you had become habituated to the sound. Another example of habituation is shown in Figure below. Crows and most other birds are usually afraid of people. They avoid coming close to people, or they fly away when people come near them. The crows landing on this scarecrow have gotten used to a â€Å"human† in this place. They have learned that the scarecrow poses no danger. They are no longer afraid to come close. They h ave become habituated to the scarecrow. This scarecrow is no longer scary to these crows. They have become used to its being in this spot and learned that it is not dangerous. This is an example of habituation. Can you see why habituation is useful? It lets animals ignore things that will not harm them. Without habituation, animals might waste time and energy trying to escape from things that are not really dangerous. Observational Learning Observational learning is learning by watching and copying the behavior of  someone else. Human children learn many behaviors this way. When you were a young child, you may have learned how to tie your shoes by watching your dad tie his shoes. More recently, you may have learned how to dance by watching a pop star dancing on TV. Most likely you have learned how to do math problems by watching your teachers do problems on the board at school. Can you think of other behaviors you have learned by watching and copying other people? Other animals also learn through observational learning. For example, young wolves learn to be better hunters by watching and copying the skills of older wolves in their pack. Another example of observational learning is how some monkeys have learned how to wash their food. They learned by watching and copying the behavior of other monkeys. Conditioning Conditioning is a way of learning that involves a reward or punishment. Did you ever train a dog to fetch a ball or stick by rewarding it with treats? If you did, you were using conditioning. Another example of conditioning is shown in Figure below. This lab rat has been taught to â€Å"play basketball† by being rewarded with food pellets. Conditioning also occurs in wild animals. For example, bees learn to find nectar in certain types of flowers because they have found nectar in those flowers before. This rat has been taught to put the ball through the hoop by being rewarded with food for the behavior. This is an example of conditioning. What do you think would happen if the rat was no longer rewarded for the behavior? Humans learn behaviors through conditioning, as well. A young child might learn to put away his toys by being rewarded with a bedtime story. An older child might learn to study for tests in school by being rewarded with better grades. Can you think of behaviors you learned by being rewarded for them? Conditioning does not always involve a reward. It can involve a punishment instead. A toddler might be punished with a time-out each time he grabs a toy from his baby brother. After several time-outs, he may learn to stop taking his brother’s toys. A dog might be scolded each time she jumps up on the sofa. After repeated scolding, she may learn to stay off the sofa. A bird might become ill after eating a poisonous insect. The bird may learn from this â€Å"puni shment† to avoid eating the same kind of insect in the future. Learning by Playing Most young mammals, including humans, like to play. Play is one way they learn skills they will need as adults. Think about how kittens play. They pounce on toys and chase each other. This helps them learn how to be better predators when they are older. Big cats also play. The lion cubs in Figure below are playing and practicing their hunting skills at the same time. The dogs in Figure below are playing tug-of-war with a toy. What do you think they are learning by playing together this way? Other young animals play in different ways. For example, young deer play by running and kicking up their hooves. This helps them learn how to escape from predators. These two lion cubs are playing. They are not only having fun. They are also learning how to be better hunters. Insight Learning Insight learning is learning from past experiences and reasoning. It usually involves coming up with new ways to solve problems. Insight learning generally happens quickly. An animal has a sudden flash of insight. Insight learning requires relatively great intelligence. Human beings use insight learning more than any other species. They have used their intelligence to solve problems ranging from inventing the wheel to flying rockets into space. Think about problems you have solved. Maybe you figured out how to solve a new type of math problem or how to get to the next level of a video game. If you relied on your past experiences and reasoning to do it, then you were using insight learning. One type of insight learning is making tools to solve problems. Scientists used to think that humans were the only animals intelligent enough to make tools. In fact, tool-making was believed to set humans apart from all other animals. In 1960, primate expert Jane Goodall discovered that chimpanzees also make tools. She saw a chimpanzee strip leaves from a twig. Then he poked the twig into a hole in a termite mound. After termites climbed onto the twig, he pulled the twig out of the hole and ate the insects clinging to it. The chimpanzee had made a tool to â€Å"fish† for termites. He had used insight to solve a problem. Since then, chimpanzees have been seen making several different types of tools. For example, they sharpen sticks and use them as spears for hunting. They use stones as hammers to crack open nuts. Scientists have also observed other species of animals making tools to solve problems. A crow was seen bending a  piece of wire into a hook. Then the crow used the hook to pull food out of a tube. An example of a gorilla using a walking stick is shown in Figure below. Behaviors such as these show that other species of animals can use their experience and reasoning to solve problems. They can learn through insight. This gorilla is using a branch as a tool. She is leaning on it to keep her balance while she reaches down into swampy water to catch a fish. Social Behavior Why is animal communication important? Without it, animals would not be able to live together in groups. Animals that live in groups with other members of their species are called social animals. Social animals include many species of insects, birds, and mammals. Specific examples of social animals are ants, bees, crows, wolves, and humans. To live together with one another, these animals must be able to share information. Highly Social Animals Some species of animals are very social. In these species, members of the group depend completely on one another. Different animals within the group have different jobs. Therefore, group members must work together for the good of all. Most species of ants and bees are highly social animals. Ants, like those in Figure below, live together in large groups called colonies. A colony may have millions of ants. All of the ants in the colony work together as a single unit. Each ant has a specific job. Most of the ants are workers. Their job is to build and repair the colony’s nest. Worker ants also leave the nest to find food for themselves and other colony members. The workers care for the young as well. Other ants in the colony are soldiers. They defend the colony against predators. Each colony also has a queen. Her only job is to lay eggs. She may lay millions of eggs each month. A few ants in the colony are called drones. They are the only male ants in the colony. Their job is to mate with the queen. The ants in this picture belong to the same colony. They have left the colony Honeybees and bumblebees also live in colonies. A colony of honeybees is shown in Figure don’t purge me. Each bee in the colony has a particular job. Most of the bees are workers. Young worker bees clean the colony’s hive and feed the young. Older worker bees build the waxy honeycomb or guard the hive. The oldest workers leave the hive to find food. Each colony usually has one queen that lays eggs. The colony also has a small number of male drones. They mate with the queen. All the honeybees in this colony work together. Each bee has a certain job to perform. The bees are gathered together to fly to a new home. How do you think they knew it was time to gather together? Cooperation Ants, bees, and other social animals must cooperate. Cooperation means working together with others. Members of the group may cooperate by sharing food. They may also cooperate by defending each other. Look at the ants in Figure below. They show clearly why cooperation is important. A single ant would not be able to carry this large insect back to the nest to feed the other ants. With cooperation, the job is easy. These ants are cooperating. By working together, they are able to move this much larger insect prey back to their nest. At the nest, they will share the insect with other ants that do not leave the nest. Animals in many other species cooperate. For example, lions live in groups called prides. A lion pride is shown in Figure below. All the lions in the pride cooperate. Male lions work together to defend the other lions in the pride. Female lions work together to hunt. Then they share the meat with other pride members. Another example is meerkats. Meerkats are small mammals that live in Africa. They also live in groups and cooperate with one another. For example, young female meerkats act as babysitters. They take care of the baby meerkats while their parents are away looking for food. Members of this lion pride work together. Males cooperate by defending the pride. Females cooperate by hunting and sharing the food. Mating Behavior Some of the most important animal behaviors involve mating. Mating is the pairing of an adult male and female to produce young. Adults that are most successful at attracting a mate are most likely to have offspring. Traits  that help animals attract a mate and have offspring increase their fitness. As the genes that encode these traits are passed to the next generation, the traits will become more common in the population. Courtship Behaviors In many species, females choose the male they will mate with. For their part, males try to be chosen as mates. They show females that they would be a better mate than the other males. To be chosen as a mate, males may perform courtship behaviors. These are special behaviors that help attract a mate. Male courtship behaviors get the attention of females and show off a male’s traits. Different species have different courtship behaviors. Remember the peacock raising his tail feathers in Figure above? This is an example of courtship behavior. The peacock is trying to impress females of his species with his beautiful feathers. Another example of courtship behavior in birds is shown in Figure below. This bird is called a blue-footed booby. He is doing a dance to attract a female for mating. During the dance, he spreads out his wings and stamps his feet on the ground. . This blue-footed booby is a species of sea bird. The male pictured here is doing a courtship Courtship behaviors occur in many other species. For example, males in some species of whales have special mating songs to attract females as mates. Frogs croak for the same reason. Male deer clash antlers to court females. Male jumping spiders jump from side to side to attract mates. Courtship behaviors are one type of display behavior. A display behavior is a fixed set of actions that carries a specific message. Although many display behaviors are used to attract mates, some display behaviors have other purposes. For example, display behaviors may be used to warn other animals to stay away, as you will read below. Caring for the Young In most species of birds and mammals, one or both parents care for their offspring. Caring for the young may include making a nest or other shelter. It may also include feeding the young and protecting them from predators. Caring for offspring increases their chances of surviving. Birds called killdeers have an interesting way to protect their chicks. When a predator gets too close to her nest, a mother killdeer pretends to have a broken wing. The mother walks away from the nest holding her wing as though it is  injured. This is what the killdeer in Figure below is doing. The predator thinks she is injured and will be easy prey. The mother leads the predator away from the nest and then flies away. This mother killdeer is pretending she has a broken wing. She is trying to attract a predator In most species of mammals, parents also teach their offspring important skills. For example, meerkat parents teach their pups how to eat scorpions without being stung. A scorpion sting can be deadly, so this is a very important skill. Teaching the young important skills makes it more likely that they will survive. Defending Territory Some species of animals are territorial. This means that they defend their area. The area they defend usually contains their nest and enough food for themselves and their offspring. A species is more likely to be territorial if there is not very much food in their area. Animals generally do not defend their territory by fighting. Instead, they are more likely to use display behavior. The behavior tells other animals to stay away. It gets the message across without the need for fighting. Display behavior is generally safer and uses less energy than fighting. Male gorillas use display behavior to defend their territory. They pound on their chests and thump the ground with their hands to warn other male gorillas to keep away from their area. The robin in Figure below is also using display behavior to defend his territory. He is displaying his red breast to warn other robins to stay away. The red breast of this male robin is easy to see. The robin displays his bright red chest to defend his territory. It warns other robins to keep out of his area. Some animals deposit chemicals to mark the boundary of their territory. This is why dogs urinate on fire hydrants and other objects. Cats may also mark their territory by depositing chemicals. They have scent glands in their face. They deposit chemicals by rubbing their face against objects. Cycles of Behavior Many animal behaviors change in a regular way. They go through cycles. Some cycles of behavior repeat each year. Other cycles of behavior repeat every day. Yearly Cycles An example of a behavior with a yearly cycle is hibernation. Hibernation is a state in which an animal’s body processes are slower than usual and its body temperature falls. An animal uses less energy than usual during hibernation. This helps the animal survive during a time of year when food is scarce. Hibernation may last for weeks or months. Animals that hibernate include species of bats, squirrels, and snakes. Most people think that bears hibernate. In fact, bears do not go into true hibernation. In the winter, they go into a deep sleep. However, their body processes do not slow down very much. Their body temperature also remains about the same as usual. Bears can be awakened easily from their winter sleep. Instinctual behavior One type of instinctual behavior is fixed action patterns, which are behaviors the animal is compelled to engage in. For instance, some birds will raise the chicks of other birds if the eggs are put in their nests during nesting season, because caring for an egg is a fixed action pattern. Another instinctual behavior is imprinting, wherein a baby animal accepts a person, or even an item, as a surrogate mother. Sexual behavior is also instinctual, bolstered by play, which helps animals learn courtship and mating skills. Many of these behaviors are dictated by specific body systems, like the nervous system, which responds to stimuli in the environment. Learned behavior Learned behavior is important both for wild animals, who must learn specific and new ways to survive, and for domestic animals that we seek to train. Animals can learn to anticipate that an action will have a predictable outcome through trial and error, such as dog learning to sit for a treat. This is called operant conditioning. They can also learn that one event precedes another, such as the sound of a metal food bowl being moved signaling food being served, which is known as associative learning. Animals also learn a lot through watching others and mimicry. All of these behaviors allow an animal to adapt to new situations and problems. Abnormal behavior Identifying behavior patterns enables people to determine when animals are  behaving abnormally. These abnormal behaviors might simply be annoying to animal owners; however, in other instances they may also be dangerous for the animal and others or even threaten their very survival. For example, inappropriately aggressive dogs, which might be suffering from disease or trauma, are potentially dangerous to themselves and others. The behavior may be addressed if it is identified as abnormal and normal behavior is reestablished. More important to species survival are mating and raising offspring, and in these cases abnormal behavior that leads to failure to mate or care for offspring can present a threat to the animal’s long-term survival.

Discrepancies between DRR and China’s Patent Law Essays

Discrepancies between DRR and China’s Patent Law Essays Discrepancies between DRR and China’s Patent Law Essay Discrepancies between DRR and China’s Patent Law Essay In response to the turning contention and argument over drug enrollment, the CFDA amended and released new guidelines/regulations for this issue based on relevant bill of exchange amendments, official outlining account and official notice. These alterations focused chiefly on the undermentioned facets: 1.Elimination of disagreements between DRR and China’s Patent Law As stated in the 2007 version of RDD, there are presently two commissariats sing drug patent protection in the enrollment procedure. Article 18 stipulates that when an applicant submits a drug enrollment petition, the expression, fabricating procedure and/or utilizations of that drug, patent information and its ownership position, every bit good as the non-infringement statements, shall all be provided to the CFDA. If patent differences arise while the application of drug enrollment is continuing, they must be settled in the context of relevant patent Torahs and ordinances. As for generic drug makers, in conformity with Article 19, they can merely subject the enrollment requests no more than two old ages before the termination of matching drug patents. Generic drugs which are approved by the CFDA will be given a valid Drug Approval Number along with some other certifications right after the termination day of the month of the patent. In the latest bill of exchange amendments, some accommodations have been made on both the commissariats and mandate processs. First, it is suggested that the phrase during the enrollment process in Article 18 and the biennial bound for Article 19 shall be removed. Second, approved generic drugs will have Drug Approval Number and relevant certifications in progress, but these paperss will merely come into consequence after the drug patent expires. Harmonizing to the Drafting Explanation, such alterations aim to extinguish contradictions and disagreements between DRR and China’s Patent Law. In 2008, patent infringement freedom for drugs has been extended such that patents of drugs, medical setup and instruments can be used for the intent of supplying necessary information for administrative blessing. This new freedom is similar to the Bolar Exemption , a proviso which is widely used to promote pharmaceutical R A ; D. Under these fortunes, patent differences during the enrollment procedure describe in Article 18 no longer be and the phrase can be omitted. Another issue that raises much concern is the clip bound on generic drug applications. Since the rating and blessing clip take much longer than earlier, the biennial period is non applicable to current applications any longer. As a effect of these holds, the rights of generic makers to market the drug on clip are deprived, connoting that patented drugs gain an drawn-out patent life automatically. 2.Addition of auxiliary application Under current DRR, clinical test applications submitted to the CDFA can non undergo any alterations. If there are changes to certain points such as expressions, fabrication procedures or production sites, the applier can merely take to retreat the application and file an wholly new one. In order to run into the demands of the pharmaceutical companies, the bill of exchange amendments added Article 50 to DRR, enabling the following alterations to be made during clinical tests in the signifier of auxiliary application: ( 1 ) Applicant alterations ( 2 ) Alterations on fabrication procedure, expression, strength in chemical drugs or biologics prior to Phase III clinical tests ( 3 ) Resettlement of fabrication sites prior to Phase III clinical tests ( 4 ) Changes to the readying procedures and strength of TCM Changes to the first three points require the presentation of relevant certifications and research informations to the CFDA while alterations to the last point have to be conducted pursuant to Complementary Provisions for TCM Registration. The Drafting Explanation pointed out that add-on of the new article farther encourages drug R A ; D and invention by supplying pharmaceutical companies with a greater degree of flexibleness to respond to the quickly altering environment. 3.Adjustments ofobservation period When a new drug receives blessing for production, it is subjected to an observation period of no more than five old ages to guarantee its safety. During this period, CFDA shall non accept new enrollment petition from any makers to bring forth, import, or to alter the dose signifiers of that peculiar drug. In add-on, applications which have been accepted but non yet approved will besides be returned. However, this limitation do no applies to clinical test applications of the same drug which have been approved before observation period begins. They will still be allowed to continue to the subsequent stairss in drug enrollment processes, and are able to obtain selling mandate every bit long as they meet the demands listed in the DRR. In the bill of exchange amendments, CFDA proposed that when a new drug enters its observation period, accepted but not-yet-approved applications from other makers can go on with their enrollment processes. A similar regulation applies to imported drug which additions its first selling mandate, and there is even one more option for appliers who have submitted their applications ; they can either take to transport on with the enrollment procedures or to retreat and replace their recognized application with a generic one. As mentioned in the Drafting Explanation, the intent of these accommodations is to work out the contention on registration application returning and to farther stimulate drug R A ; D. The current regulation has created a hostile ambiance in the industry because all drug makers have to vie with each other and strive to derive clinical tests blessing in front of the first NDA issue. Under the new proviso, there are more chances for appliers and it helps to construct a healthy competitory environment for pharmaceutical invention. 4.Alterations on generic drugapplicationprocedure Before get downing a bioequivalence survey, a generic drug must travel through and go through several phases of review. Once a generic drug application is submitted, PFDA will transport out an on-site review on drug R A ; D conditions and its production site. In add-on, the appliers have to convey forth the natural information together with choice specifications of the drug. In the interim, three batches of merchandises will be collected as samples and sent to the drug proving institutes for farther scrutiny. In fact, the pattern of carry oning production site review at an early phase of generic drug application processs causes some jobs, such as resource wastage and low quality cheques, and is besides detached from proficient reappraisal and GMP review. Stated in the Drafting Explanation, the new bill of exchange amendment intends to cut down struggles and optimise generic drug application processs, therefore it has postponed both the reviews on fabrication procedure and quality specifications such that they will be conducted on completion of the bioequivalence survey. Puting off the reviews to a ulterior phase enables fabricating procedures to be optimized in line with the consequences of bioequivalence survey. 5.Assorted alterations of DRR Aside from the major alterations that we have mentioned, other elusive amendments include: ( 1 ) All non-clinical safety ratings must be conducted at GLP-certified institutes. ( 2 ) The starting clip for proficient reappraisal is clearly defined as the twenty-four hours on which CDE commences a proficient reappraisal. ( 3 ) The bill of exchange amendment added two fortunes in which applications would be rejected by CFDA: ( a ) where endangered animate beings and workss are used as natural stuffs and sustainable obtention can non be ensured ; and ( B ) where production site reviews are non applied within six months. ( 4 ) SFDA was renamed as CFDA, and the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Product ( NICPBP ) was renamed as the National Institute for Food and Drug Control ( NIFDC ) . Harmonizing to the Drafting Explanation, the first two steps are designed to heighten research quality on non-clinical safety ratings and to turn to the ambiguity sing proficient reappraisal get downing clip severally. Introduction of point 3a purposes to avoid inordinate development of endangered animate beings and workss by pharmaceutical companies, whereas point 3b is employed to better the direction mechanism for production site reviews. 6.Rearrangement of internaloperatingprocesss The CFDA Department of Drug and Cosmetics Registration internally released a notice for remark on September 11, 2014, sing the standard for accepting pharmaceutical enrollment application. The notice focused on the internal operating processs of drug enrollment and application credence, peculiarly chemical drugs, every bit good as some procedural alterations. Significant alterations are listed as follow: ( 1 ) New drug application In NDA, selling blessing can merely be applied after the completion of clinical tests. But now four drug classs can be exempted from clinical test applications, connoting that appliers can straight use for marketing blessing. The four classs are normal or specific immune globulins for intramuscular injection, human albumens, multiple electrolytes injections and blood volume expanders. Furthermore, CFDA outlined new standards for the enrollment of new indicants for an sanctioned drug: merely the appliers who hold the Drug Approval Number, Import Drug License or Pharmaceutical Product License of that drug are entitled to subject the new indicant application. ( 2 ) Generic drug application The application processs for chemical drug class VI, i.e. generic drugs, have somewhat been simplified. If the first generic of a pioneer drug meets all the demands after rating, it can be marketed instantly without traveling through clinical tests. ( 3 ) Import drug application Based on current DRR, when a foreign maker submits clinical tests application for a new drug which has neer been marketed worldwide ( drug class I ) , a selling mandate issued by the exporting state should be handed in to the CFDA at the same time. This unreasonable step led to ailments and resistances from foreign makers and therefore the CFDA suggested to widen the entry deadline for this papers to the twenty-four hours on which application for marketing blessing is made. ( 4 ) Others Apart from stressing the associated applications between pharmaceutical readyings and their active pharmaceutical ingredient ( API ) , CFDA has given clear guidelines on operational processs every bit good as the demands for clinical test freedoms. The practical procedures related to auxiliary applications are besides explicitly presented, for case, alterations in fabrication reference, decrease of claimed efficaciousnesss or curative indicants, and cancellation of trade names.

Picking Nits, Not Nicks

Picking Nits, Not Nicks Picking Nits, Not Nicks Picking Nits, Not Nicks By Maeve Maddox Apparently some modern speakers are happily unacquainted with head lice. This lack of knowledge may explain the confusion illustrated by the following examples: If you want to lose a friend, all you have to do is to continue to nick pick and find fault with everything that they do or everything that they say. My husband and I nick pick at everything at each other. How can I stop this? Gamers are great at nickpicking while avoiding actual analysis. Not sure if I’m only seeing negative stuff or I’m just nickpicking. What should I do? I feel Teacher is nickpicking on my son. The verb forms for the actions being described in these examples are nitpick and nitpicking. To nitpick is to find fault with every little thing, no matter how inconsequential. The expression derives from the literal act of looking for nits, which are quite small. As a former volunteer school â€Å"head checker,† I know what it is to comb through a child’s hair, strand by strand, looking for nits. nit (noun): The egg of a louse or other insect parasitic on humans or animals; specifically, the egg of a head louse when attached to hair. From the mid-1600s until the late 1700s, ostentatious wigs were fashionable among the wealthy. One of the most memorable passages in the diary of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) references the pitfalls of patronizing a wigmaker who failed to boil the merchandise before delivery: â€Å"I did go to the Swan; and there sent for Jervas my old periwig-maker and he did bring me a periwig; but it was full of  nits, so as I was troubled to see it (it being his old fault) and did send him to make it clean.† Note: A periwig is a highly stylized wig still worn by British barristers and judges. (The adjective old is not a typo for own. This wasn’t the first time Jervas had sent Pepys an infested wig.) It’s not necessary to hyphenate nitpick or nitpicking. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 101Rules for Capitalization in TitlesHow Do You Determine Whether to Use Who or Whom?

Book of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book of Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - Essay Example Wharton uses setting, characterization, and symbolism to depict how isolation has emasculated Ethan Frome. The setting of the book is Starkfield, a fictional New England village, which depicts isolation's impact of emasculation on Ethan Frome. Starkfield is an isolated and cold place, which also shapes its small-town culture. It is quite distant from other cities and constantly experiences harsh, cold weather. The weather resembles a cold blanket that hangs on people's attitudes toward life. The community is also poor, which is why Harmon believes that those who get away from Starkfield are better off: â€Å"Most of the smart ones get away† (Wharton Chapter 1). The weather and geographical location can get under people's skin, as they make it easier to feel lonely and hopeless. One description of the setting highlights the sadness and hopelessness of Starkfield: â€Å"Beyond the orchard lay a field or two...huddled against the white immensities of land and sky, one of those l onely New England farm-houses that make the landscape lonelier (Wharton â€Å"Ethan†). The whiteness of the field makes the isolation even more immense, where white means nothingness and the absence of color stands for the absence of life. In addition, the farm houses can be compared to the townspeople. They also feel isolated from each other. They may gossip about one other a great deal, but they are detached from truly doing something for each other. For instance, people feel sorry for Frome after the â€Å"smash-up,† but they do not offer him any real empathy. Frome must have felt lonelier, because of the lack of human connection that would help him make sense of his tragic life and provide better companionship than what Zeena can offer. Furthermore, the coldness of the setting seeps into people's hopes, by freezing their dreams. Ethan once dreamed to be an engineer, but because of lack of social and financial support, he did not become one anymore. Then, he dreams of being with Mattie, but because of his poverty, which can be rooted to the land's barrenness and the moral thinking that it would be wrong to leave Zeena, he does not fight for his love for Mattie. The ending shows that he becomes colder as a person, who is no longer capable of happiness. Ethan Frome is a dynamic character, who changed from an ambitious dreamer to a caregiver to the doomed â€Å"patient.† Before, Frome envisions himself as an engineer, which is why he is interested in the engineer's books. Later on, because his family is detached from family relations, he has become the primary caregiver to his parents. Harmon affirms this and says: â€Å"I guess it's always Ethan done the caring† (Wharton 1). Instead of breaking free from Starkfield, he becomes increasingly bonded to it, especially after marrying Zeena. When Zeena got sick, Frome finds himself the carer once more. In addition, Wharton shows that the setting is Ethan Frome itself, where he is â€Å" an incarnation of the land’s frozen woe with all that was warm and sentient in him fast bound below the surface† (Wharton 1). Carroll stresses that Ethan is as â€Å"mute and melancholic† as Starkfield, as if he is â€Å"one of the outcroppings of slate that push up through the snow† (2). He is like a slate, especially when he realizes the reversal of gender roles in his marriage. Zeena undermines Ethan's masculinity by constantly siphoning his money and time. Ethan re-establishes his manhood with Mattie, however, since the latter