Do Spanish Speakers Talk Faster than English Speakers

Do people who speak Spanish speak a lot faster than we do, or does it just seem that way? The best answer appears to be that it just seems that way. Although Im sure I have read that Spanish speakers use more words per minute than do English speakers, I have repeatedly searched in vain for any reliable studies to back up that belief. Even if we knew that Spanish speakers in general used more syllables per minute, that might not mean a whole lot, because Spanish syllables tend to be shorter than English ones. It is normal for Spanish syllables to not have more than two consonants, while it is not unusual for English syllables to have three or four — and the one-syllable word strengths has eight consonants with only one vowel. The Spanish equivalent, solideces, may take no more time to pronounce even though it has four syllables. A 2011 study by Franà §ois Pel ­legrino the Univer ­sity of Lyon in France found that Spanish speakers used more syllables per second than speakers of many other languages — but syllables in Spanish also tend to be shorter. The study found that speakers of different languages tend to convey about the same amount of information per minute. Rate of Speech Varies Widely With Context In any case, it is difficult to make comparisons. The rate of speech can very enormously even among individual speakers. I remember watching the Mexican president (then Vicente Fox) give a formal speech, and he spoke at a rate that made him easy to be understood, even by relatively new Spanish speakers. But in an interview later that day, he spoke more rapidly, and I assume that if he were in an animated conversation he would speak at a rate that would make it difficult for non-native speakers to comprehend him. Pay attention to your own rate of speech. In a given day you may speak quite deliberately at times with careful enunciation, while at other times you may speak a mile a minute. The same is true for Spanish speakers. Whatever the differences are, probably the reason it seems like Spanish is so much faster is because you dont know the language. Since you know English well, you dont have to hear every single sound in every single word to know what is said, because your mind is able to fill in the gaps and to determine where one word ends and the next begins. But until you know another language well, you dont have that ability with it. It also seems to be true that the process of elision — the omission of sounds as words run together — is more extensive in Spanish than it is in English (although perhaps not as extensive as in French). In Spanish, for example, a phrase such as ella ha hablado (meaning she has spoken) typically will end up sounding like ellablado, meaning the distinct sound of an entire word (ha) plus part of another word are gone. Also, most Spanish consonants (other than the à ±) can seem indistinct to the ear accustomed to English, making understanding a bit more difficult. I dont know of any fixes for the problem, except that practice makes perfect (or if not perfect, better). As you learn Spanish, try to listen for Spanish phrases rather than individual words, and perhaps that will speed up the process of understanding. Addendum The following letter received after the initial publication of this article raises some interesting points. One of them, about the different formation of syllables in the two languages, make sense, so Im adding the letter here: Somewhere I read the results of a study that concluded Spanish is spoken more rapidly than English. The reason is the typical Spanish syllable is open (meaning consonant-vowel) while in English the typical syllable is closed (consonant-vowel-consonant). Words with more than one syllable in English tend to have two dissimilar consonants together requiring a slowing of speech to sound both of them. We natural English speakers get to be pretty adept at sounding two consonants together, but it is tough for a natural Spanish speaker to do. In Spanish when two consonants are together the natural speaker often inserts an extra (unwritten and soft) vowel sound between them. For example in the Spanish word AGRUPADO, you can hear it pronounced AGuRUPADO. The extra u is short and soft, but separates the consonants. Natural English speakers have no problem sounding GR without inserting an extra vowel, but we do it at a slightly slower rate. Your comments about Vicente Fox are interesting. I have found political figures usually speak so clearly that I can understand them better than the general Spanish speaking public. This is especially true when they are giving addresses. Although I seldom liked what he said, I used to enjoy listening to Fidel Castro because he was so easy to understand. These days his voice has a senile quality that interferes with clarity somewhat. Most ministers have the same clear speech as political leaders, and thus religious services are good places to practice your Spanish listening skills if you are a learner. Key Takeaways It seems to more a matter of perception than reality that native Spanish speakers talk more rapidly than do native English speakers.The rate of speech can vary widely, even for an individual, depending on the nature and purpose of the speech.Formal presentations by political or religious leaders may offer an opportunity for learners of a language to hear slower-spaced speech.

Charles Chestnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition Essay

Charles Chestnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition Based on historical events, Charles Chestnutt’s The Marrow of Tradition, gives human details to produce a vivid picture of life in the south after the failure of reconstruction. His work has many underlying themes among which are the use of the press to stir already volatile emotions through propaganda, class structure not only along color lines but within races, and the effects of the white supremacists’ agenda on the integrity of those who claimed to be morally advanced. Through this story, Chesnutt allows the reader to enter the minds of the characters to show how change will not take place until both whites and blacks detach themselves from traditions that seem to be engraved on their†¦show more content†¦These men convicted him based on circumstantial evidence and race (181). After their conference, Major Carteret put to press Sandy’s death warrant in the form of an extra addition that convicted him without due process of the law. It would later com e out that the true murder was not even a black man, but the grandson of a white aristocrat whose debauched behavior had let him to commit murder. But because he was from a respectable family, his guilt was swept under the rug. Another theme evident in Chesnutt’s novel concerns the class system religiously adhered to in the post-Civil War south. As the plot develops, it becomes evident that each of the major characters is contrasted with a counterpart, clearly showing which class each belonged to. An example can be found when comparing Major Carteret and Captain McBane. Major Carteret boasts a proud heritage of original plantation owners in the state. Pryor to the war, his family was quite wealthy. Despite his lack of financial resources, his name alone earns him respect in the community. He is well educated and carries himself in a dignified manner. Conversely, Captain McBane is the son of an overseer. He was representative of the lower class whites who took advantage of opportunities involving questionable politics that earned them considerable money. Having attained considerable wealth, he expected to become one of the elite. He dressed the part of theShow MoreRelated Charles W. Chestnutts The Mar row of Tradition Essay823 Words   |  4 PagesCharles W. Chestnutts The Marrow of Tradition      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clearly, one can expect differing critical views of a novel; from the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   authors perspective we see one view, from a publishers another, and from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the reviewers yet another. This is especially true of Charles W.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Chesnutts   The Marrow of Tradition. If one observes both the contemporary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   reviews of the novel and letters exchanged between Chesnutt and his   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   friends and publisher, Houghton

Military Free Essays

The average civilian or recruit coming into the Army often misunderstands the meaning of the words military discipline. He thinks of them as being connected with punishments or reprimands which may result from the violation of some military law or regulation. Actually, discipline should not be something new to you for you have been disciplined all of your life. We will write a custom essay sample on Military or any similar topic only for you Order Now You were being disciplined at home and in school when you were taught obedience to your parents and teachers, and respect for the rights of others. On your baseball or other athletic team you were disciplining yourself when you turned down the chance to be a star performer in order that the team might win; you were acquiring discipline in the shop, or other business when your loyalty to your employer and your fellow employees was greater than your desire to secure your own advancement. All of this was merely the spirit of team play; that is, you were putting the interests of the â€Å"team† above your own in order that the â€Å"team† might win. The word â€Å"company,† or â€Å"troop,† or â€Å"battery† is merely the name for a team, and military discipline is nothing more than this same spirit of team play. It is the most important thing in the Army. In civil life lack of discipline in a young man may result in his getting into trouble which will cause his parents and teachers regret or sorrow; it may cause a member of an athletic team to be â€Å"sent to the bench,† or cause an employee to lose his job. In the Army it is far more serious. Here lack of discipline in a soldier may not only cost him is life and the life of his comrades, but cause a military undertaking to fail and his team to be defeated. On the other hand a team of a few well-disciplined solders is worth many times a much larger number of undisciplined individuals who are nothing more than an armed mob. History repeatedly shows that without discipline, no body of troops can hold its own against a well-disciplined and well-directed enemy. In your work in the Army you may wonder why the officers and noncommissioned officers insist on perfection in what appears to be minor details. Why do rifles have to be carried at just the same angle; why do you have to keep accurately in line; why must your bed be made in a certain way; why must your uniform and equipment be in a prescribed order at all times; why must all officers be saluted with snap and precision? These things are a part of your disciplinary training. Their purpose is to teach you obedience, loyalty, team play, personal pride, pride in your organization, respect for the rights of others, love of the flag, and the will to win. So you see that being disciplined does not mean that you are being punished. It means that you are learning to place the task of your unit – your team – above your personal welfare; that you are learning to obey promptly and cheerfully the orders of your officers and NCOs so that even when they are not present you will carry out their orders to the very best of your ability. When you have learned these things and prompt and cheerful obedience has become second nature to you, then you have acquired military discipline – the kind of discipline which will save lives and win battles. In addition to rank, courtesies and customs visibly distinguish the military from academic, medical, and other professions. When officers and Soldiers display military customs and courtesies, they demonstrate to themselves and others their commitment to duty, to their country and colleagues, and their tradition of service to others. Military courtesies are extended to a person or thing that is due recognition and honor. The most basic of military courtesies is the salute. A custom is a traditional social convention. Military rank, as a visible mark of responsibility and leadership, is due recognition and respect. The customary way of recognizing an officer of superior rank is by saluting him or her. First, a Noncommissioned officer is an officer which has not been commissioned by the President of the United States. Second, a Noncommissioned officer has through his or hers experience, been placed in a position to lead, supervise and train soldiers. Third, the Noncommissioned Officer Corp is the backbone of a professional army. Through real â€Å"hands on† experiences, and progression through the enlisted ranks, the NCO should be in a position of self confidence and esteem, that their position alone should demand respect from both enlisted soldiers and our officers. Fourth, The Noncommissioned Officer represents the United States Army (Marine Corps, Navy, AirForce). There very existence allows the officers to plan, organize, lead, and direct combat operations. The NCO responsible for the preperation, training, and readiness of our soldiers. This is a NCO leadership role, not an officers. Fifth, basic soldier skills (rifle marksmanship, first aid, navigation, law of land warfare, small unit tactics, NBC) are thoose skills mastered by the Noncommissioned Officers. Sixth, they have proven themselves in combat since the Revolutionary War. In the absence of commissioned officers, NCOs have been commissioned on the battlefield to continue the mission, and lead our soldiers. Remember, it is not necessarily the man or woman wearing stripes that you are respecting (BUT IT SHOULD BE) but the magnificent history that has been contributed to the Noncommssioned Officers. â€Å"Follow Me† should be the creed of every NCO NCOs do it all. These leaders have their hands in every aspect of the Army from the simplest daily activities to the most complicated strategic planning. Let’s get reacquainted with the â€Å"backbone of the Army. NCOs are responsible for the daily activities of the Army. These sergeants are the first-line supervisors for the majority of the work completed by Soldiers. These actions can be as simple as physical training or motor pool maintenance on vehicles or as complicated as leading a combat patrol in war. Chances are high that every activity from processing pay documents to medical services a t the hospital are being executed and supervised by sergeants. They touch every aspect of our Soldiers and our Families’ lives. Need an MP for an emergency? Here comes a sergeant. Who is teaching at the Warrior Leader Course? A sergeant is instructing right now. Our sergeants find us before we are in the Army: recruiters. NCOs — drill sergeants — mold us from civilians into Soldiers. Career counselor NCOs keep us in the Army. Sergeants teach us at advance individual training, airborne course, Ranger course and other specialty courses. It is sergeants who develop the future NCOs in the Noncommissioned Officer Educational System. From WLC to the Sergeant Major course, NCOs are developing the next generation. And guess who executes large portions of Officer Candidate School? NCOs do! Sergeants enforce the rules, regulations, and policies of the Army. NCOs don’t make policy, they enforce them. Many have heard me say, â€Å"I don’t make the rules; I get paid handsomely to enforce them! † The Army says what is proper and then empowers sergeants to enforce it. So the key aspect to this notion is not the rule, but rather the discipline to enforce the standard. NCOs have the discipline to do the right thing and set the example. So, Sergeant Major, what is the big deal about wearing my patrol cap to the PX? It is quite simple. A commissioned officer wrote the rule making t a legal order — a simple and minor one some could argue. I support the officers, therefore I support their rules and sergeants enforce both simple and complicated ones. Convenience and comfort have never been military priorities. If a Soldier or leader cannot enforce the simple rules, how will they tackle the complicated ones? It is a slippery slope of selective en forcement when individuals only correct the regulations they agree with. What makes our Army different from others? The NCO! Armies from around the world send their officers to visit the United States to see how we run our Army. No one argues the commissioned officers are in charge. A recurring theme comes up, though, when foreign officers see our NCOs doing so much. The comments sound something like this, â€Å"How can you trust these sergeants to do so much? † Or, â€Å"only our officers do that! † And it is this decentralized implicit trust of our NCOs that creates a huge advantage over other Armies. Decisions and therefore actions take place where no officer is present. NCOs are combat multipliers. Our Army learned years ago that NCOs can be trusted to execute tasks that might have been historically linked to officers. And historically, NCOs are officers. Sergeants are officers without a commission. There are several sources to refer to this topic and I won’t give a history lesson here. Read â€Å"Guardians of the Republic† by Earnest F. Fisher Jr. for a detailed narrative on the history of the NCO. For here and now, we need to know that the NCO is more â€Å"bang for the buck† for our Army than anyone else. Sergeants train individuals, teams and crews. NCOs focus on all the single and small unit requirements that support the collective tasks of platoons and companies. Sergeants ensure Soldiers are physically fit to arrive at the leading edge of battle. These same sergeants teach Soldiers how to shoot their weapons effectively. NCOs teach our Soldiers when not to shoot, which is sometimes more important than shooting. Sergeants take the theory of being a Soldier and apply it to people to make them Soldiers. NCOs advise and mentor officers. Starting at the platoon level, our Army â€Å"marries† an officer and a seasoned NCO to accomplish missions. And it works. The combination of commission and noncommissioned officer is powerful and a critical difference in our Army. Senior NCOs advise senior officers about all enlisted issues and concerns. Officers count on NCOs for recommendations on their most critical decisions. Want the truth, ask an NCO. NCOs preserve the traditions, customs and courtesies of the Army. From standing at attention or parade rest to drill and ceremonies, NCOs must preserve these â€Å"lost arts† of a war-time Army. Respecting the flag at retreat is an NCO function. Politeness, respect and courtesy are historic indicators of discipline in our service. Who is preserving this tradition of the Army? The NCO must! When an NCO sees an infraction and makes no correction, a new standard has been set. So if NCOs follow their creed, they will do two things. Sergeants will accomplish their mission. Not only the ones they choose, but the ones the Army gives them. NCOs enforce all of them. And they must ensure the welfare of their Soldiers. Soldiers are a valuable commodity to be protected. To send untrained, undisciplined Soldiers to war is to kill them. NCOs save lives! They do all the dirty work and are quiet professionals who seek no reward other than the satisfaction of making a difference. They are the working class of the Army and the unsung heroes of our nation. In this year of the NCO, have you thanked a sergeant today? How to cite Military, Papers

Project Management Paper free essay sample

Some projects can last for a period minutes, months, and hours, days, and weeks, or even years. Projects are unique meaning the product or service is new and never been done before. For example: Hoover is in the business of manufacturing vacuum cleaners. Each new model of vacuum cleaner that Hoover redesigns, and manufacture is seen as a new project. The newer models will differ from older models in their features, performance, and possibly cost. Project Management Paper 3 When objectives and goals are accomplished the project is completed. A project could end when it is determined that the objectives and goals cannot be accomplished or when the service or product is no longer a need (Davidson Frame, (1995). The three basic requirements of a project are performance, time, and cost. The five features of a project are people are usually involved (2) Uses specifically allocated resources to the work (3) Defines approach, beginning, schedule, and end (4) follows an organized and planned approach and (5) result have goals (cost and quality). We will write a custom essay sample on Project Management Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page What are the basic phases of the project lifecycle and their purposes? To achieve a projects objectives and goals logical order is needed. The basic phases of a project lifecycle are initiation phase, planning, execution phase/ controlling phase, close-out phase, and post-implementation phase. Careful planning s a key component of all projects to ensure that deliverables are achieved in a timely, professional manner. Project managers dealing with todays economy must ensure that every allocated resource is used in an efficient manner. During the initiation of the project must be Project Management Paper 4 accounted for or considered such as (time allotment and budget) and other items not mandatory to the success of the project must be excluded. This must be done to stay on track with the budget, time, and the stakeholders expectations ((Lewis, 2010) The initiation phase is the risk phase of the project life cycle. The projects variables must be determined, if not and the wrong budget, timelines or resources are implemented it could throw the entire project off and risk discontinuance. The planning phase, which the detailed planning occurs and the tasks of completing the plans are set in action. This phase of the planning is about the creation of project plans to guide the team or team to successful completion. The longest portions of a project life cycle are the execution phase/controlling phase. The execution and controlling phase of a project consumes the most amounts of resources. This phase hows the progress of the manager processes to ensure that time; risk, quality, change, and other concerns are addressed. This phase of the project also shows that physical deliverables are achieved and the project plans are met. The close-out phase is also referred to as the wrap-up phase. Formal closure of the project began to take place. Final Project Management Paper 5 summarized reports are submitted to the stakeholders detailing the success and learned lessons of the project. The close-out phase also shows transfer of reports to stakeholders Customers, return of all equipment and the closure of human resources ontracts. The last phase post-implementation phase is a phase that many companies choose to include or add to the project life cycle. Usually one to three months after a project is completed a post-implementation report is done to evaluate the success of the project (Lewis, 2010). Project management is very important for any organization to use to accomplish task because most organizations suffer many of the following problems inaccurate estimates, conflicting priorities, inability to deal with skills of the staff, changing levels of work conditions and no project reporting. Through project management rganizations have experienced better control, higher work morale, higher profit margins, lower cost, better customer relationships, and many other benefits. With the positives comes some negative organizations have also experienced such as higher cost, low personnel utilization, management difficulties, and other problems. In todays society the use of project managers continues to expand. In 1969 The Project Management Institute was Project Management Paper 6 created to develop the professionalism and growth of projects. In many businesses project management is recognized as a career path and a means to gain valuable nowledge and experience within the workplace. Although not problem-free project management is a good way to accomplish project goals. Most projects will have a project management main challenge would be to achieve all project objectives and goals while honoring project constraints (Phillips, 2003). The project constraints consist of time, scope, and budget. In conclusion planning, controlling and scheduling are involved in project management and are part of project activities to achieve performance, time objectives, and cost. The best way to ensure the success of an organization is to minimize the risk with better planning.

Public Speaking Skills free essay sample

They may each have an index card with a few key words Jotted down. These speeches have to be spoken, not read or memorized. That way they will speak with more enthusiasm, ore meaning In their words, and use their eyes for eye contact with the audience Instead of looking down at a paper reading words. Speaking Skills On your speakers checklist on page 17 In your Instructors Manual, we have listed the speaking skills in the Speakers Check List. You can make copies this check list for your students. Here are some of the most important public speaking skills.Storytelling Skills: Storytelling captures your audiences imagination. Your students should tell a story so that the audience can visualize it, as if they are painting pictures with their words. When you are giving a speech and you switch to telling a story, you can almost feel that the mood of the room changes as people give their full attentive to the story. We will write a custom essay sample on Public Speaking Skills or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page * Eye Contact: With eye contact, they will connect with their audience. Ask your students to look at one person for a sentence, and then look at another person for the next sentence.Establish eye contact with one person at a time, rather than looking at the group In general. * Gestures: Gestures should be with their arms. Encourage your students to use large gestures. * Vocal Variety: Vocal variety means not only the pitch, whether Its a high pitch or a low pitch, but It also means the speed and the pace, the enthusiasm, the loudness, the softness as participate by looking at the speaker and concentrating on the message so that they can evaluate the speech. That means all desks or tables are cleared of papers or anything thats distracting. To encourage good listening skills, the instructor can write down some questions about the content of the speech to ask the class after the speech is over. Evaluating the Speeches with Positive Feedback Students learn good presentation skills from watching and evaluating other classmates. However, I believe that it is essential to only point out the positive aspects of the speech. Pointing out negative aspects can be very demoralizing as teenagers are very sensitive to criticism. Instead, make some notes of the negative. Then, as preparation for the next speech you can bring up those points in general.In this way, you keep the atmosphere positive and everyone feeling safe to express themselves. After each speech, ask each speaker, What did you like about your speech? and then ask the audience, What did you like about Marry speech? After each speech, give the students in the audience index cards. They write the speakers name at the top of the card and a sentence or two bout what they liked about the speech. Then they give these cards to the speaker. *As a guide, you can use the Speakers Check List on page 17 of your Instructors Manual.Speech # 1: Impromptu Speech (Page 19) Speech No. 1 is an impromptu speech. It only lasts a minute or two. The objective of this speech is to give the students their first opportunity to speak in front of a group in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. First, ask your students to write their own introductions. And, since these are fun, creative, or even silly, speeches, they can write a short, fun introduction about themselves. Then assign each student an introducer who will read the introduction word for word. Each introduction should end with, And now lets welcome Followed by applause to welcome the speaker. Next, students write a creative topic of their choice on a small piece of paper something funny or silly. For example: pink bunny rabbits, the new kid on the block, a mysterious blue ball Just anything in their creative imagination. Then they wad up their papers into a ball and throw these snowballs to the front of the room. The person speaking goes up to the front of the room and chooses a snowball that bevels their topic. Then the introducer for that speaker does the introduction, followed by the speakers impromptu speech.Speech #4: Graduation Speech -A Great Leader- (Pages 23 and 24) Speech No. 4 is your students graduation speech and will be about -A Great Leader- of their choice. The person could be someone in the students personal life a grandfather, a relative or a close friend, someone in public view, or someone in history. The speech should be approximately five minutes long. It is important to give your students at least a few days to work on that speech. If you re spread out over a semester, you might want to give them a few weeks to work on their graduation speech.Ask your students to tell you the name of their chosen leader ahead of time, so that you dont have two people speaking about the same point accompanied by a story, a quote or an example. This speech must include: * A quote from the leader (the quote can be in the opening or anywhere in the speech. ) * A story that illustrates the quality that the leader has that they admire. * End with a call to action. (Something that the audience can do with the inspiration of this great leader. Your students may also use the black board, make a poster, or bring a prop to illustrate a point in their speeches.Rehearse Be sure to allow enough time for your students to prepare and rehearse their speech. The best way for them to rehearse is in groups of three or four people. This will give them more confidence as they practice doing their speech. As with the other three speeches, the students should speak and not read or memorize their speeches. However, each student may write the quotation of the leader they are speaking about, on one index card. In addition they may write a key word or two to bring to mind the story or example that they are going to be talking about.They should speak as if they are having a conversation, using good eye contact and the other skills that they practiced in previous speeches. Invite Parents, Administrators, and Guests Graduation is a great opportunity to invite parents to hear the presentations. Also, its an opportunity to give the students their graduation certificate for the Leadership course. This certificate is on the Course Overview page of this web site for you to download and print out for each student. Since this is their graduation ceremony, o will not do evaluations.Video Tape Speeches Videotape the speeches so that you have a recording of the graduation. They love to see the recordings of their speeches. You might want to record the previous speeches as well. That way they can see how theyve improved in their speaking ability. You have now completed Lesson 3: Public Speaking. Your students will gain confidence in public speaking as they learn how to connect with their audience during their four speeches. Be sure to read all the information on this web page as it includes additional information to help you use the manual.

Miss Caroline Letter Essay Example

Miss Caroline Letter Essay Example Miss Caroline Letter Essay Miss Caroline Letter Essay Miss Caroline Letter Hey Dairy, Youll be happy to find out your little sister got to teach her first class! Today, I taught grade ones at Macomb down in Southern Alabama. Things are deferent around here Very different. This one little gal named Scout already knew how to read! Can you believe that? Her parents are teaching her the wrong way! The poor little girl knows nothing about real education. But luckily Ill be here to gulled her In the right direction. Also, you wouldnt believe how poor these kids are! I lent one of the boys, Walter, a quarter so the starving kid could have some lunch. He couldnt pay me back ICC! These kids will eventually clean out my wallet. I knew thing were different In the south but I had no Idea how different their lifestyles were. I had a rough start on my first day, but with my teaching skills, I can mold them Into proper children. Im missing you and everyone back home terribly, but the longer Im In the south the longer Im fixing a childs life. Hope to see all of you soon! Lots of love, your little sis

Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Article review - Essay Example All these machines are used for surveillance, tracking and identification purposes. They offer many benefits from efficiency to speed to strong analytical power. However, they continue to sacrifice more on the right to privacy. This paper discuses the issue of privacy verses individual safety. The patriotic act is an act that is supposed to protect innocent American citizens from terrorist attacks. It gives the law enforcement agencies all the power necessary to use any means and tools at their disposal to investigate drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime. This act gives the law the right to use surveillance in their investigation against terrorism This act also give different government agencies to share among themselves pertinent and relevant information (Bennett, 2007). Under this act, and the bank secrecy act, the FBI and special agents from IRS are allowed to access information from the records of financial institutions to investigate and monitor any activities that s eem suspicious without alerting the financial institution (David, 2009). Many argue that public surveillance help in the solving of crimes committed, and this they say is far much valuable than the intrusion by the government. Senior citizens tend to support the governments move in public surveillance (Locker, 2008). ... This surveillance does not take place in the open but takes place in private with no or little oversight by the courts by the public or the congress. Through this power, to collect massive details of private conversations and data, the government security agencies like the FBU and the NSA apply the use of computer programs to make predictions and likes about the behavior of people (Lyon & Zureik, 2006). The government is able to compile dossiers about innocent citizens though the use of sensitive data. This data is stored in government databases, and the names of many Americans end up inaccurate and bloated in the watch lists, which determine if the individual can fly on commercial airlines or renew passports. Dragnet surveillance undermines individual rights to privacy and the freedom of speech, religion and association (Penenberg, 2001). The issue of privacy and surveillance has been a hot topic for debate in the media houses. The government and a large percentage of the citizens a re not on the same terms when it comes to this issue. The government argues that it is its duty to protect the citizens of the country against any threat, be it domestic or foreign. The most effective means of ensuring that this duty is performed is through the use of surveillance to predict behaviors and notice communication patters that may lead to the averting of a terrorist attack of an incident that will infringe on individual security or the security of the nation at whole (Wright & Hert, 2012). Security has been increased at the airports due to the threat that this industry faces from terrorists. This industry has employed the use of new and the latest technology that include the use of biometric scanners. These are machines that are used for recognition purposes. They can

The importance of worldviews in determining national interests Assignment

The importance of worldviews in determining national interests - Assignment Example The worldview can further be explained at a realist point of view and in this case the realists are arms advocates. Realism relies on the concept of balance of power to generate a theory or hypothesis concerning international stability and the likelihood of war and battles between states. On the contrary, the balance of power solely depends on a common foundation for power in which all dimensions can be coherently aggregated. Arms advocates believe that attaining the national interests on the basis of the worldviews is achieved through the use of weapons. That implies going to wars rather than choosing other ways such as diplomacy and negotiations to safeguard their interests (Findlay 2013). On the other hand, the worldviews can be achieved through liberalism policies basically arms control advocates. Liberalism is concerned with the restoration of peace as opposed to war. Therefore, arms control advocates postulate that the national interests can be achieved through peaceful negotiations and diplomacy, which in turn leads to treaties with mutual benefits between states. It is a good approach because it avoids war and vast destruction of property and economic downturns. However, at times it is difficult to achieve when different states have deferring ideologies (Findlay 2013). On the other hand, there exists disarmament advocates that state that nations should disarm for instance, deter themselves from embarking on nuclear weapons programs. Basically, most countries believe that they should have an arsenal of weapons to achieve national interests and the worldviews but disarmament advocates believe otherwise. However, disarmament could be a good approach if and only if every state would implement the exercise without raising false alarms yet they retain weapons. Disarmament could lead to attaining the worldviews while attaining national

Week 7 essays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Week 7 essays - Essay Example It must be emphasized that their differences had main ideological basis. Americans of the Revolutionary and the constitutional period wrestled with a†¦question: does every increase in the powers of the government entails a loss of liberty for the governed? Thomas Jefferson believed that it did. His †¦rival Alexander Hamilton believed it did not. 1 It was due to this opposing approach towards democracy that something that the founding fathers had missed or rather disregarded at the Convention of 1787 was thrust to the forefront. It was this rivalry of differing political ideals that lead to the formation of the two party system in the United States. that such an arrangement had its pit falls, and keeping these inherent dangers and Thomas Jefferson with a number of like-minded politicians, like James Madison, who likewise were fed up with the conservative Hamiltonian stance in United States politics, in the year 1794 formed the Democratic Republican party (which is the precursor of the present Democratic Party and was formally named so under Andrew Jackson in 1826). The ideological difference between the two parties stemmed from the character of Alexander Hamilton who was a through and through Conservative Right-Wing politician. In lay man terms he stood for status quo, which by extension meant among many other things the continuation of slavery. Thomas Jefferson on the other hand was a Liberal Left-Wing politician. Jefferson believed in the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, and these ideas were instrumental in the French Revolution of 1789. It would not be wrong to say that Hamilton was a reactionary while Jefferson a progressive politician. This rift between the two political ideologies was the main cause behind the famous 12th Amendment which was passed in the year 1804 and laid down the foundations of the multi-party system in the United States. Further, Thomas Jefferson’s

The Effect of Hydration on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate

The Effect of Hydration on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Introduction Water is the key to all life; without it, life as we know it would not exist. So it is natural to believe that hydration should have an effect on blood pressure and heart rate, considering our heart is also one of the keys to our life as humans. So we will be testing what affect hydration has on blood pressure and heart rate, if any. Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within our arteries. The measurement is recorded as the systolic pressure (pressure when heart contracts) over the diastolic pressure (pressure when the heart is relaxed). (Weedman, Sokoloski 2009) A study was done at Franz-Volhard Clinical research center that examined how water drinking affected blood pressure in the body. The results showed that drinking 500mL of water increased patients blood pressure and also increased heart rate (Schroeder 2002). Although it was only a slight increase, it still had an affect on the pressure and heart rate. Jens Jordan also did a study on how water affects blood pressure and found that the older the patient was the more of an effect drinking water had on blood pressure. In fact, in some of the younger patients drinking water had no effect at all. However, when the water did have an effect it increased blood pressure every single time. Some of the reasons for this increase,Jordandescribes, are because water and plasma have different osmolarities (concentration of solute vs. solution), the pressure in the blood increases. Also, water may cause different plasma concentrations in the blood which would also cause an increase in blood pressure (Jordan 2002). Rats and humans are very alike organisms. Our bodies both function and are made similarly. So when David Belanger and Samuel M. Feldman did a study on the effects of water deprivation on rats, we can predict that something similar may happen in humans. The rats heart rates decreased the longer they were dehydrated (Belanger and Feldman 1962). The study did not test what hydrating the rats would do, but since the heart rates decreased without water, it is possible that they would increase with water. One reasonable explanation of why dehydration affects blood pressure is due to the tightening of blood vessels. The volume of blood in the blood vessels and veins of the body will begin to lessen when water is drawn from them. As a result, the vessels and veins will contract in order to stay full of blood (otherwise there is extra space, leaving room for gas to build up). This contracting results in high tension, or high blood pressure (Healthy-water-best-filters). I hypothesize that hydration will affect blood pressure and heart rate. I predict that the blood pressure and heart rate will increase. The significance of this experiment is determining how hydration affects blood pressure and heart rate. It is important to know this because high blood pressure is a dangerous condition, and many people suffer from it. If hydration can affect blood pressure (and heart rate) in a good way, it may produce many ways to help keep blood pressure and heart rate at a healthy state. Materials and Methods First, the variable to be tested (hydration) was decided by the class and a question to test was determined. The dependent variable was blood pressure and heart rate (beats per min). The independent variable was hydration (and time). Basal readings (resting blood pressure and heart rate) for each student were used from the last experiment. Each student did not drink any water over the duration of the class (about 2.5 hours), and at the end of class, each student drank roughly 16oz of water. Each person recorded their blood pressure and heart rate at time zero by using their basal BP and HR from the past experiments. Immediately after drinking the water, a partner began timing the other partner. Every three minutes each partner measured their partners blood pressure (systolic/diastolic pressure) and heart rate (beats per min) using a digital sphygmomanometer (which expressed both heart rate and blood pressure). A measurement was taken every three minutes for 12 minutes. There were 13 groups who gathered data, so 26 total students data was obtained and put into excel. Averages, T-Tests, and ranges were then attained and analyzed. (Weedman, Sokoloski 2009) Results The basal readings (resting rate) for blood pressure (systolic/diastolic pressure) for all 26 students ranged from 83/57 (systolic/diastolic) to 158/105 (systolic/diastolic). After every student took three basal readings, the averages for each basal reading were taken, and all three averages were averaged at 108/69 (systolic/diastolic). The blood pressures at time zero ranged from 91/58 (systolic/diastolic) to 175/134 (systolic/diastolic). After the outliers were removed, the average for time zero was 117/74 (systolic/diastolic). At 3 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 86/63 (systolic/diastolic) to 157/117 (systolic/diastolic) and the average was 111/69 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. At 6 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 85/52 (systolic/diastolic) to 150/75 (systolic/diastolic) and the average was 109/70 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. At 9 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 91/53 (systolic/diastolic) to 140/80 (systolic/diasto lic) and the average was 116/75 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. At 12 minutes, the blood pressures ranged from 91/59 (systolic/diastolic) to 137/69 (systolic/diastolic) and the average was 113/70 (systolic/diastolic) after outliers were removed. This data shows that the blood pressures did not change over time. After performing a T-Test, we can determine that the data is significant (the result of the test was 0.17). (Table 2) Graph 2 also illustrates how the systolic and diastolic pressures did not change over time. After drinking 16oz of water, the blood pressure was not affected at all. The slope of the trendline for average systolic pressure is -0.1. The slope of the trendline for average diastolic pressure is -0.07. The heart rate basal readings for all 26 students ranged from 53 beats per minute (bpm) to 122 bpm. The overall average basal reading for heart rate was 76.57 bpm (Table 1). Our data showed that heart rate decreased (from basal), but it is hard to tell whether the heart rate decreased or increased overall because it continued to decrease until 6 minutes, then it began to slowly increase. Graph 1 illustrates the changes in the heart rate over the 12 minutes. From 0 to 6 minutes, the heart rate decreases by 3.2 bpm, but from 6 to 12 minutes, the heart rate increases by 3.03 bpm (Graph 1). However, since the average basal reading was 76.57 bpm, we can see that after drinking water, the heart rate immediately decreased by 7.07 bpm, and did not recover after the 12 minutes (Graph 1). Since we did not measure recovery rate, we do not know how long it took the body to recover. Discussion I hypothesized that hydration would affect blood pressure and heart rate. I predicted that hydration would cause the blood pressure and heart rate to increase. The data did not completely support my hypothesis and prediction. Hydration did not affect blood pressure, but it did affect heart rate. Graph 2 illustrates that once students drank 16oz of water their blood pressure was not affected. The slopes of both of the trendlines for systolic and diastolic pressures were extremely close to zero, showing that the blood pressures did not change due to hydration. This is significant, shown by a T-Test comparing our PRs at 12 and 0 min at 0.70. Although the pressures increased a bit from the basal readings, it still follows the trend of the graph, and would not affect the trendlines. So we determine that hydration did not affect blood pressure. Graph 1 illustrates that heart rate was affected by hydration. From time zero to 6 minutes, the average heart rate decreased by 3.2 bpm. From 6 to 12 minutes, the heart rate increased by 3.03 bpm. These increases and decreases of the heart rate are very close to each other. If we measured heart rate longer, we would be able to determine if this was a pattern or not. However, from the average basal reading of 76.57 bpm (Table 1) to the reading at time zero, there was an average decrease of 7.07 bpm. Compared to the other decrease in the graph, this is a much larger one. So we can conclude that hydration does affect heart rate, but only for a brief period of time. It decreases heart rate immediately, but after about 6 minutes, the heart rate begins to increase again. We can not determine if the heart rate is recovering because we did not measure until the rate completely recovered. So we can only conclude from our data that hydration decreases heart rate for about 6 minutes, and then i t begins to recover. An alternative hypothesis for the effect of hydration on blood pressure and heart rate would be that it would not affect blood pressure, and it would affect heart rate. The results of the study conducted at Franz-Volhard Clinical research center do not match the results we got in our experiment. They found that hydration increased both blood pressure and heart rate (Schroeder 2002). Our study showed that hydration does not affect blood pressure, but it does increase heart rate (for a certain period of time). Jens Jordans study, however, supports our results. In some of the younger patients in his study, hydration had no effect on blood pressure. But in the older patients, blood pressure increased (Jordan 2002). Since the patients of our experiment are all young, our results match Jordans. The study done my David Belanger and Samuel M. Feldman was conducted with rats, not humans and was the effect that dehydration has on heart rate. Their results showed that the longer the rats were d ehydrated, the more the heart rates decreased (Belanger and Feldman 1962). I predicted that since the heart rates decreased without water, they would increase with water. Since the experiments and variables were a little different, it is hard to compare the results of our experiment with theirs, but my prediction that was based on their experiment was not supported by our data. I have identified several weaknesses in our experimental setup. If the amount of time allowed to measure the blood pressure and heart rate were extended, we could have determined when the blood pressure and heart rate recovered, and that would have helped with the analysis of our data immensely-especially the heart rate. We may have been able to determine if the heart rate actually did decrease, or if it was just a pattern that the body and heart have naturally. So recovery time would have helped with the significance of our data, as well as the analysis. Also, our data might have been more accurate with a larger group of people. More people would have solidified our data as more accurate. The water we used was also not measured and temperature was not taken, so that could have an affect on our data. Everyone drank different amounts out water at different temperatures. Keeping those variables constant would have made our results more accurate as well. Works Cited Belanger, David, and Samuel M. Felman. 1962. Effects of water deprivation upon heart rate and instrumental activity in the rat. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology 55. Dehydration And Blood Pressure Are Linked. Treat HBP with Water! Dehydration symptoms= Sickness. Chronic Dehydration,Treatment, Hydration. 31 Jan. 2010. . Jordan, Jens. 2002. Acute effect of water on blood pressure. Mini-Symposium: Review Article. Schroeder, Christoph, Victoria E. Bush, Lucy J. Norcliffe, Friedrick C. Luft, Jens Tank, Jens Jordan, and Roger Hainsworth. 2002. Water Drinking Acutely Improves Orthostatic Tolerance In Healthy Subjects. Clinical Investigation and Reports. 1. Weedman and Sokoloski. Biology of Organisms: A Laboratory Manual for LIFE103. Vol. 5E. Mason: Cengage Learning, 2009.

Down At The Cross :: essays research papers

In â€Å"Down at the Cross†, James Baldwin stresses the idea that regardless of race or culture, people are human beings and should be treated equally. Baldwin criticizes racial issues. Baldwin talks about how whites and blacks don’t understand each other because both have insecurities, fears, and prejudices within their own culture that they can’t understand each other. Baldwin proposes the idea that â€Å"people can renew themselves at the fountain of their own lives† (54). This process of renewal means that people of any culture or color may eventually find a path to understanding and cooperating with each by searching within themselves. In â€Å"Communication in a Global Village†, Dean Barnlund believes that there is problem with communication in society because people of different cultures can’t communicate with each other. Barnlund criticizes that people tend to attach and associate with their own kind and do not want to branch out to learn and communicate with people of other cultures. Barnlund believes that in order for society to flourish and succeed, people must appreciate other cultures and realize that expanding knowledge of other cultures will contribute to a wholesome life. Barnlund would say that the appreciation, interaction, and understanding of other cultures are the processes of â€Å"renewal†. Robert Bellah believes that people isolate themselves from others. Bellah expresses how people tend to separate their â€Å"private† and â€Å"public† lives. He believes that this is a problem because if people keep their private life separate from public life, they will not lead a fulfilling life. Bellah believes that as private and public lifestyles interact with each other, together they create the essence to a nourishing and productive life. Bellah takes different subjects and describes details from their lives about how they â€Å"renewed† themselves by relating their private l ife to their public life. All of the authors portray social criticisms, identify the problems, and propose solutions that find ways of renewal for an individual’s life. Barnlund states, Access to the world view and the communicative style of other cultures may not only enlarge our own way of experiencing the world but enable us to maintain constructive relationships with societies that operate a according to a different logic than our own. (66) Barnlund believes that if people learn aspects of other cultures, people will be able to maintain associations and communications between different cultures within a society. The meaning of appreciation of other cultures is what Barnlund specifies as the survival of a global village.