Cations and Anions Tests

Testing for Cation and Anions OBJECTIVE: †¢ Determine the presence of a cation or anion by a chemical reaction †¢ Determine the cation and anion in an unknown solution All salt solutions have both positive (Cations) and negative (Anions) ions dissolved in it. In this experiment you will observe chemical reactions to determine the presence of specific anions and cations. Compare your observations with the reactions of the known solutions and the unknown solution to determine the ions present in the unknown solution. You will use a flame test for the cations, Na+, K+, and Ca+2 Perform qualitative tests for Ca+2, NH4+, Fe+3.Qualitative tests will be used to identify anions, Cl-, SO42-, PO43-, and CO32-. Expected results of the qualitative test and the reactions are included in your procedure. PROCEDURE: Obtain from the stock room a solid unknown salt to be analyzed for the presence of both cation and anion. HC1, HNO3 are strong acids and NaOH is a strong base so be careful whe n using them. Use the plastic pipettes on the center counter to dispense your unknown solution. Approx. 20 drops is equal to 1 mL, All waste go in the waste jar labeled for your class. Bunsen Burner Safety. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Make sure you are able to get a spark out of the striker consistently!Turn the gas needle valve counter clockwise completely. Adjust the burner barrel so your are able to see through the air inlet Check the rubber tubing and place the rubber hose on the gas nozzle. Turn the gas jet 90 degrees. Open the gas needle valve until you hear the gas and light. If you are not successful in lighting the burner, turn the gas off and try again. Cation Tests Al. Flame Test †¢ Label 3 test tubes, Na+, K+ and Ca+2. Bring the test tubes to the stockroom window to get your wood splint soaked in each of the solution. You will also be given an unused wood splint to use for your unknown. Get your solid unknown as well. Soak the unused wood splint in water. †¢ Observe the change in flame color when the known solutions above are burned. K+ gives a very fleeting color change. Ca+2 gives a very similar flame color as Na+. †¢ Now that you know how observed how Na+, K+ and Ca+2, you will test your unknown. †¢ Transfer a small amount of solid unknown to a scoopula and roll the wood splint †¢ that was soaking in water in the solid unknown and burn. By the end of Part AI, you should be able to conclude the presence or absence of Na+ or K+ and maybe Ca+2. Chemical Tests A2 †¢ Because the flame test for Ca+2 is sometimes inconclusive, the oxalate test is performed. If no immediate precipitation (cloudiness) is observed, heat in a water bath for 5 minutes. Water bath is set up in the southwest hood. A3 †¢ Ammonium chloride, NH4Cl, reacts with sodium hydroxide, NaOH, to form ammonia, NH3 gas. †¢ The presence of the NH3 gas is confirmed using a moistened red litmus paper place on the mouth of the test tube. Ammonia gas is basic and will turn red litmus paper blue. A4 †¢ Fe+3, iron ion, react with potassium thiocyanate, KSCN, to form a blood red solution. By the end of Part A you should be able to identify your one cation. You must do all Tests for the known solutions. Part BThis part of the experiment test for the presence of anions, Cl-, SO42-, PO43- and CO32-. Bl †¢ Chloride ion, Cl-, reacts with silver nitrate, AgNO3 to form a precipitate that does not dissolve in HNO3. B2 †¢ Sulfate ion, SO42-, reacts with barium chloride, BaCl2, to form a precipitate that does not dissolve in HNO3. B3. †¢ Phosphate ion, PO43-, reacts with ammonium molybdate solution, (NH4)2MoO4, in acidic solution to form a yellow precipitate. A yellow solution only is a negative result. B4 †¢ Carbonate ion, CO32-, reacts with HC1 to form CO2 gas that is observed as bubbles. Part C. Each island will have a consumer product to test.

Description of Proposed Network Essay

Our proposal includes the development of a LAN able to meet the requirements of your company’s software. The computer network components include the use of a server, a switch, patch panel, and a router for the office. The selected NOS (Network Operating System) is Windows 2000 Server. This operating system provides great conveniences to the installation, configuration, and maintenance of the network. Windows 2000 Server provides the enhanced DHCP, DNS and WINS features allow a network administrator to expediently manage all clients on the network. The data communication media for the networks is UTP CAT5. This cabling follows the Ethernet standards for TCP/IP and ensures decreased propagation and noise. I understand the motivations for creating a network and can apply these technologies to improve communications and access to information, as well as support and maintain the infrastructure. Goals and Products: The following list is networking hardware that can be implemented: *Nortel Networks Passport 2430 Enterprise Router: Offers the features and performance of more expensive routers, but at a much lower price. Also, this unit is known for its quiet operation, and sleek enclosure. *Nortel Networks BayStack 350 Series Switch: supports high-utilization workgroups for high-bandwidth uplinks to servers. *Dell PowerEdge 650 Server: Cost-effective rack server performance, manageability, and serviceability. Easy to mange. Also with tape drive backup support. *Nortel Networks OPTera Metro Cabinet 5200: Free-standing structure which will hold router, switch, server, and patch panel. *16-port Patch Panel Each employee workstation is to be custom ordered from Dell. Each employee will house a Dell computer with the following options: *2 GHz Pentium 4 Processor *256MB RAM *13GB Hard Drive *Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapters *52X CD-Rom *8 MB Video Card *17†³ Monitor (Can use current monitors if budget is exceeded) *Internal Zip Drive Fast Ethernet is the protocol of choice. The wiring is a higher quality than the Category 3 normally used by Ethernet, therefore is a bit more expensive, but a worthy advantage. Fast Ethernet defines a star topology. There are many advantages in designing a LAN based on a star topology. It allows expansion to the existing LAN without effort or disruption. Troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance can be accomplished to a failed node without holding up or disrupting work on other nodes. The first step of implementing the network involves running drops in two corners of the office. The switch, router, patch panel, and server will be located in a rack closet dedicated to LAN equipment. This rack will be placed in a location for centrality. The entire office will be cabled with category 5 unshielded-twisted pair cable. Wall faceplates to include both drops and a phone jack will be installed. Panels spanning each wall will  house cables to ensure a clean look. As can be expected, the physical cost to install these drops are minimal, the labor is the majority of this expense. The second step of implementing the network involves configuring each piece of networking equipment. The router will be set up to ensure serviceability and reliability between employees and the server. From the router there will be a switch attached. The router will service a protocol (DHCP) which will allow workstations to access the network. The patch panel will be used as a middleman between the user and the switch. 1ft cables will be used to connect the switch and patch panel with also the use of a punch-down block. The third step of implementing the network involves configuring the server. This server will be set up to store crucial data, backup data, directory services (User Management), and file and print services. From the server you will have control and full access to each employee’s machine. Specifications: Hardware plays an important role in reliability of a network. Each workstation is to be custom ordered from Dell. Each employee will house a Dell computer with the following options: *2 GHz Pentium 4 Processor *256MB RAM *13GB Hard Drive *Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapters *52X CD-Rom *8 MB Video Card *17†³ Monitor (Can use current monitors if budget is exceeded) *Internal Zip Drive In addition the office will house a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 4000N due to estimated heavy printing volume. The network equipment will be housed in a rack mount closet. That equipment will consist of a Dell PowerEdge 650 Server with the following components: *3.06GHZ Pentium 4 Processor 512K internal L2 Cache, *1GB ECC DDR266 Memory, *Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapter, *16x4GB SCSI Hard Drive’s, *3.5†³ Floppy Drive, CD-ROM, and Internal Zip Drive. The hard drive’s in the server will be partitioned into a public working drive and a back up drive and will also be using RAID 5. Equipment and Labor Costs: Equipment: *Passport 2430 Enterprise Router – $349.99 *BayStack 350 Series Switch – $714.99 *PowerEdge 650 Server – $1499.99 *OPTera Metro Cabinet 5200 – $1299.99 *12-port Patch Panel – $119.99 *Cabling Costs: oUTP CAT5 Cable 650FT (~60ft per workstation) – $500 o(48) RJ-45 Connecters – $200 *(10) Custom Dell Workstations featuring Windows 2000 – $6000 *(11) 17†³ Monitors – $1100 (Save this by using current monitors) *HP 4000N LaserJet Printer – $200 *Looking at a total for equipment just shy of $12,000 Labor: *Flat hourly rate of $90/HR. *Project will take 5 business days (8hr/day limit). *Looking at a total for labor- $3600 An estimated Grand-Total- $16,000* *This figure is based on new state of the art equipment and software. Every item has been carefully examined to ensure it offers the most for the needs of Creative Accounting. Cost may be cut if the need arises, however, efficiency and technology will be sacrificed. All in all, this network has been developed with the sole purpose of satisfying the company’s needs within realistic constraints. Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this proposal.

Book Review On A General Speaks

Book Review On A General Speaks The name of the author of the book â€Å"A General Speaks† is General (Retd) S. Padmanabhan and it is published by Manas Publications, New Delhi. It was first published in 2005 and its second impression was published in 2007. The author is a qualified person and the experience he took during his service enables him to write this book. He is popularly known as Paddy. General (Retd) S. Padmanabhan was born on 5th of December 1940 at Trivandrum (Kerala).He joined the elite Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun in 1952. He was commissioned in Regiment of Artillary on 13 December 1959. During his long military career of 43 years he had various assignments, some of the important are; Fight against militancy in Punjab, North-Eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir. He commanded 15 Corps (in Jammu & Kashmir), Northern Command and Southern Command. He also held the assignment of Director of Military Intelligence (D.G.M.I). He was Instructor in Indian Military Academy and School o f Artillery. He remained Indian Army Chief from 30 September 2000 to 31 December 2002. During his tenure as Army Chief, Operation Parakram was conducted in which Indian Army remained on the borders of Pakistan for about Ten months. He was the author of the famous book â€Å"The writing on the wall: India checkmates America 2017†. About Book: â€Å"A General Speaks† contains the views of General S Padmanabhan about Indian army and its role with reference to security issues. In this book he had covered a broad perspective initiating from grass root level to the top level forces role with a blend of political leadership role. If we go by chronology of the book initially, writer gives the vision of new millennium army then he discusses future of warfare along with the insight into future wars. Then, techniques of intelligence in 21st century have been discussed in detail followed by the phenomenon of terrorism prevailing in current scenario. A deliberate effort has been ma de to elucidate political control of services. Foreign policy and national security were also analyzed critically to render fruitful recommendations. Psychological profiles of Pakistan Military, Indian Army at grass root level have been discussed to draw comparison as well as to point out shortcomings. Finally, writer discusses prospects of peace in South Asia. Author’s Thesis: The author’s thesis is about Indian army and its role with reference to security issues specially. The author of this book has divided his book into twelve chapters. He started his book with the role of Indian Army in new millennium and started first of all from the historical evolution of Army in India. Moreover, he also throws some light on economic conditions of India. Then he moved towards the details of capability of Indian Army and shed light on the dynamics of Indian Defense like deterrent capability, war fighting capacity, conflict management, force projection capability and peace keepin g. He says that after becoming army chief, he tried to raise the standard of Indian army for meeting 21st century challenges and promotion of games in the country. The army has also faced the tough time of Tehalka revelations about corruption along with the increasing menace of terrorism. He had specified the reasons of fighting a war along with the causes of outbreak of a war. He also suggested measures for its control. Moreover, the disaster relief operation made during Gujrat Earthquake reveals certain limitations of Disaster Management Authorities, though the armed forces have handled it quite well as per the resources. He also elaborates the reasons of wars as for territory, economic gains, punishing enemy and in defense. May be any other reason might be added for fighting a war in future. But the future wars will be more devastating due to the presence of nuclear arsenal. He also suggested the measures for preventing wars in future by powerful role of UNO, strong UN General As sembly to check UN Security council’s veto, UN’s role in regulating weapons, UN Enforcement Wing, strong non-proliferation measures, check on terrorist groups, WTO and Globalization phenomena should be made friendly for third world countries and UN to be a potential Disaster Management Authority. He comments that future wars will be of short duration and more hazardous. Besides that, he also discussed the features of successful war as well as reasons for abortive war. He threw light on the Intelligence agencies and mentioned its two goals viz. acquisition of knowledge and counter intelligence. He also discussed the intelligence agencies structure of India and Pakistan. He discussed terrorism and mentioned the terrorist ways to make a squad of fanatics and mentioned the causes for terrorism that are source of spreading terrorism and mentioned the current position of India regarding that. He had also discussed the structure of army’s control under political govern ment since its inception and mentioned the possibility of army intervention with all its pros and cons along with the strength and weakness of army in this regard. He also made a brief view of an Indian soldiers’ life along with difficulties faced by him. He also shared his views on the foreign policy and national security issues facing India. Furthermore, he discussed Pakistan army officers, soldiers and Indian army soldiers and made a comparison between soldiers of both the countries. He gives special attention to media and discussed the dealings between military and media in India along with setting guidelines for both. Finally, he turned his attention towards the peace conditions in South Asia and discussed it historically, politically and policy wise with special reference to Indo-Pak relations and Indian position. So this was the thesis of the author.

International business finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International business finance - Essay Example It is obvious that each time a business is considering going abroad in its operations, there are likely risks that it is to face. These may be in regards to dealing with the local culture of the new market, the language, business practices and the regulations by the foreign governments (Tolentino 2000). A business has to therefore critically consider these factors before deciding on whether or not to venture on its operations abroad. Legal requirements; this has to be considered to help ensure that the business will oblige to the rules and regulations that support business in the new country (Eitemann, Stonehill & Moffett 1998). Lack of adherence to such rules and regulations normally cause conflicts and business problems in the process of trying to acquire new licenses or permits to commence operations. In most of the developing countries, the procedures or the rules are normally unnecessarily long due to the bureaucracies governing business procedures in those countries (Tolentino 2000). Therefore IBF must expect uphill tasks in obtaining such licenses in both majorities of the Asian and African states. The procedure of venturing into East Europe would not be quite hard since their regulatory procedures are quite easier. IBF should therefore get a way of accessing the legal procedures of the countries they want to exploit in each of the regions identified to avoid the possibility of paying huge fines and penalties for breach of laws. Thorough research on both business and accounting requirements and this will take place by hiring foreign accountant and legal attorney from those countries (Madura 1999). IBF should also consider the language in such a country since language barrier has in the past proved to be the greatest hindrance to business operations. The ease of understanding the official language should therefore be well known in advance. This owes to the fact that language is very important hence the business must consider the possibility and the cost o f hiring a translator in case they have to invest in a country where a language they don’t speak is spoken (Eitemann, Stonehill & Moffett 1998). The other factor is the cross cultural issues; these issues are to a large extent likely to affect business operations depending on the products. This will also dictate the manner in which business operations will be effected since it is not always automatic that business operations take the same direction in different operation environments. Cultural differences may influence the way business associates interact and hence influence the attitude (Tolentino 2000). The business intending to expand its operations abroad should also consider the risks both business and financial that they are likely to face in the foreign markets. This is done through thorough market analysis to weigh the risk exposures and the returns. This will inform on the decision of the prospects to undertake such ventures or drop them. Is risks become more than th e expected returns then the business is not profitable and is as good as not undertaken. Political factors are also necessary since businesses are only able to thrive in peaceful environments. Countries facing political instabilities are not good for business hence should be avoided by IBF due to the high political risks that they are likely to face. Therefore before a business ventures its operations in another country, they

Downstream Processing of Recombinant Proteins in E.coli Essay

Downstream Processing of Recombinant Proteins in E.coli - Essay Example From this study it is clear that hence for the high recovery of the active protein molecule, solubilization and refolding parts must be of high precision. Inclusion bodies consist of polypeptides of the recombinant protein. They are the inactive secondary –like structures. Thus, the isolation and purification of the protein are simple. The activity of the unfolded protein can be brought out by using mild solubilizing conditions. This will help in the high recovery of the bioactive protein than that compared to solubility using high chaotropic agent. The following Downstream processing steps can be used for the production of the recombinant protein from the inclusion bodies The recombinant E.coli is grown in LB medium with antibiotics such as kanamycin or ampicillin or chloramphenicol based on the plasmid. The flasks are shaken at rpm around 150 -250 and the temperature is maintained at 37 degree Celsius. After the cells have reached the log phase, This study outlines that IPTG is added and further shaken for 4-6 hours. The cells are centrifuged and re-suspended in the 50 mM sodium phosphate buffer. The cells are lysed using the homogenizer or sonicator. The cell suspension is centrifuged and filtered using 0.45 Â µm polyethersulfonate membrane. Many protein-specific methods are available for the increased solubility of the recombinant proteins in E.coli. To recover the soluble proteins, strong denaturants like urea, guanidinium hydrochloride are used. The solubilization is carried out under reducing conditions. These inclusion bodies must be washed well before solubilization. Solubilizing agents such as thioredoxin are known to improve the solubility of the proteins. Gene fusion techniques are equally good for the separation of the proteins. Maltose binding protein and Glutathione-S- transferase are found to bind well with the protein and can be removed by using the affinity chromatography techniques. Refolding is performed using dilution or diafliltrat ion in buffers of low.

Basseri of Iran Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Basseri of Iran - Research Paper Example As the study of the social structure of the Basseri tribe by Barth (1961) is one of the classical examples of the research in the field of ethnography of nomadic peoples of Iran, it is instructive to closely analyze the modern state of the Basseri people. In this essay, I will deal with the various aspects of social life of the Basseri, focusing on their subsistence patterns, but paying appropriate attention to their kinship practices, social and political organization. Accordingly, the essay will be divided into four sections in which the relevant aspects will be analyzed. My basic argument with regard to the Basseri is that they represent a stage of development transitional between the primitive lineage form and more developed chiefdom organization, which is itself a necessary prerequisite to the fully stratified society, and the organization of the essay will reflect that argument.

An address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of Essay

An address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of America adopted by a convention of Negroes held in Alexand - Essay Example An address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of America adopted by a convention of Negroes held in Alexandria, Virginia, from August 2 to 5, 1865 This document was written by the African Americans who were once slaves and who had survived the chaos of the American Civil War. These Americans are from a slave state. The first thing once is see is how well the document was written. It is written in formal English and appears to be something which a lawyer would write. One would have to say the document reflects the high education level that some African Americans had gained in spite of the hostile atmosphere of racism that surrounded them. This address underlined the participation and sacrifice of African Americans in the Civil War. It notes that there were 200,000 black soldiers participating. Their undying devotion to the Northern Union cause was confirmed, the address says, by the exclamations that escaped Northern prisoners shouted, whenever they saw a black fa ce. History tells us that after the Civil War a repressive period toward African Americans followed during the Reconstruction Era. The South had been defeated, but that later came back and re-installed their repressive and brutal control over black people, expressing their racism in every way and manner they could. What is interesting about this document is that the newly freed blacks saw that this was going to happen. They express to the Congress of the United States that the loyalty the former residents speak of was only "lip deep"! This expression is unique for us, showing how words and their uses have evolved. Today we no longer use that expression and one would guess it would be called archaic at present. But the expression is full of knowledgeable insight. One must look at the quoting of numbers. The people who wrote the document were fully aware of the strength of the south, of how many of the rebels had been paroled or given amnesty. With such insight, their claim that there will be "unfriendly legislation" - which they quoted to make the term sand out, and setbacks in what the North had accomplished for black people, stands clear and well spoken of. The purpose of the document draws clear. The African Americans were asking for the right to vote before the southern voters re-kindled and passed racist laws. (Congress would later pass the 15th Amendment in 1869 given African American males the right to vote. It would be ratified in 1870). They provided several arguments. One argument was that they will be able to distinguish between a traitor and a loyal man. They pointed to how 12,000 black voters helped Governor Seymour return to his position in New York, along with another politician. This argument, then, addressed the political needs of the Democratic party at that time. But more important was that the African American contingent pointed out that with possession of the ballot, they would be able to protect themselves. Another interesting archaic word phrase came up. They were looking for an equal chance to protect themselves against the "white traitors varnished and japanned," they say, made again citizens with the oath of amnesty. The African Americans assume that the northern whites had faith with them and hence could not deny them the vote. But was this true? Did whites have faith in the blacks? What is very interesting is that this appeal also shows the atmosphere of mistrust that seem to float around all involved parties. It was no cakewalk, after the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln had made the move of emancipation after the War had started and late into it, 1863. Even his move reflected the hesitant nature of American politics. Lincoln probably knew that attitudes had to be given time to change and that at the time he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, that it was the best time to do over a weak South. But the Appeal shows how the black people knew that the Southerners were still not ready. They had still not changed their minds and were still racist. In the paragraph before last, the African Ameri

Quiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quiz - Essay Example When the bee colony collapses, there are fewer bees available to pollinate the flowers that produce foods that we need such as almonds, apples and berries and foods that our food eats like alfalfa. Fuchsia – Hummingbird; Canada Goldenrod – Western Honeybee; Comet Orchid – Sphinx Moth; Common Blue Violet – Common Blue Violet; Wild Celery – Water; Corpse Flower – Carrion Beetle; African Baobab – Rousette Fruit Bat / 7 of 7 correct Go to the PBS website for the Shape of Life series at http://www.pbs.org/kcet/shapeoflife/episodes/index.html There are 8 boxes each box has one type of animal phyla. Pick one of the animal phyla by clicking on the box. Read and explore the link then write a summary of what you learn. Try to connect it to what we went over in class. Cnidarians (jellyfish) probably are the first creatures to have begun to move and studies have shown that the reason for this is not necessarily so that they could swim, but so that they could also bring food closer to their ‘mouths’. Fungi, plants and bacteria all have a similar structure, cell walls. However the cell walls in each have a different composition. Bacterial cells walls contain _murein_, fungal cell walls contain _chiton_, and plant cell walls contain _cellulose_. The similar structures formed for a similar purpose but the difference in the molecular composition indicates that they are (homologous or analogous structures)? (Check Chapter

Casestudy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Casestudy - Essay Example This aspect is very subjective and the expectations and objectives along with their ever changing nature make them very ambiguous and prone to conflicts and misinterpretations (Petersitzke, 2009, p.26). This has made the concept of psychological contract the root cause of mistrust between employers and the employees. Psychological contract is a phenomenon that induces at the very onset of a relationship between an employer and an employee. Psychological contract often forms the basis of employee associations and emergence of faiths and beliefs of an individual (Wilton, 2010, p.37). Figure 1: Psychological Contract and the effect on Organization (Source: Wilton, 2010, p.37) The figure above clearly shows the components as well as the influence on the areas of organization with regards to the aspect of psychological contracts. ... The aspect of psychological contract and its linkage with economic and monetary aspects including rewards and compensation has been a matter of debate for academic and other circles. Authors like Schein state that psychological contracts and its effects are only prominent in case of non tangible aspects and hence rewards and monetary compensation do not influence the aspect of psychological contract in an organization and vice versa. However certain authors often refute this claim and state a direct linkage with aspect like compensation and psychological contracts (Makin, Cooper & Cox, 1996, p.5). The case study in the present analysis reveals a case of psychological contracts and its influence. On one hand it is seen that the initial reception to the trainees was good and it induced a lot of motivation on the part of the employees. This include the corporate sponsored lunch and dining at various plush hotels, blackberry set for office work etc. Moreover the rigorous and tough recrui tment process was also motivating to the extent that employees started to believe of a path breaking successful stint at the organization and were hopeful of getting a profile that would add value to their careers. They also hoped that the rigorous process and the following events would essentially mean a tenure that would provide them with considerable responsibility that would add to their learning curve and would enrich the value addition process. In this case the process of psychological contract can be seen to have evolved much before the actual stint at the organization. It also reveals that these aspects were essentially not a part of the formal contract between the employee and the employer. However these aspects had a crucial linkage with the morale and

Slave resistance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Slave resistance - Essay Example the behaviors exhibited by individuals are observable and does not necessarily require the observation of their mental states in order to explain their behaviors in the environments that they live in (New & Cochran, 2007). However, Watson indicated that observable behaviors are the only ones that can be included in the observation rather than those that include subjective emotions. Drawing on this, this essay will delve into the concept of behaviorism with a focus on learning behavior based on the research findings of Pavlov’s dogs and Skinner’s rats. Essentially, behaviorists deem that people can receive training in order for them to execute various tasks irrespective of their genetic composition or their personalities as long as the conditioning is the right one. In this regard, the two types of conditioning are classical and operant conditioning in which most of the adherents of behaviorism abide by. In essence, operant conditioning is a learning method that involves the inclusion of rewards or punishments depending on the behavior exhibited. On the other hand, classical conditioning is another form of behavioral training method whereby there is a natural response in terms of behavior to the stimulating factor applied (New & Cochran, 2007). The terms used to define the two factors applied in this form of conditioning are conditioned stimulus and response. Based on this school of thought, Russian Psychologist Pavlov applied the conditioned response drawing from the behavior that his dogs portrayed when it came to them salivatin g whether or not their master brought food during his entry into the room that they were in. Through research, Pavlov discovered the salivating behavioral trait that dogs tend to have is not a trainable behavior, meaning that the response is unconditioned indicating food is not the only stimulant that provokes this response. In the course of Pavlov’s research, this psychologist unearthed that dogs salivated or exhibited the same

Ethics of Autonomous Drones in the Military Essay Example for Free

Ethics of Autonomous Drones in the Military Essay She states that even the best and most trained soldiers that are in the midst of battle may not always be able to act accordingly with the battlefield rules of engagement that were stated by the Geneva Convention because of possible lashing out from normal human emotions such as anger, fear, resent, and vengefulness. The second major point Dean wants to show, by the views and studies of others, in her article is that with this possible step in our evolution of military technology we do not want to let this idea fade away. Another major point is if we do develop this technology how would we do so, and if not, would we regret not advancing in this field further many years from now. With all of this information Dean uses to present her ideas there are still major flaws such as, the majority of these ideas and beliefs are theoretical, they still have not been fully tested, there is error in all technologies, and where else would the technological advancements lead artificial intelligence. The first argument providing support for Dean’s major point comes from the research hypothesis and thoughts of a computer scientist at Georgia Institute of Technology named Ronald Arkin. Arkin is currently under contract by the United States Army to design software programs for possible battlefield and current battlefield robots. The research hypothesis of Arkin is that he believes that intelligent autonomous robots can perform much more ethically in the heat of the battlefield than humans currently can. Yet this is just a hypothesis and while there is much research done towards this hypothesis there are still no absolutely positive research information that states an autonomous robot drone can in fact perform better than any soldier on the ground or up in a plane could do. In Arkins hypothesis, he stated that these robots could be designed with no sense of self-preservation. This means that without one of the strongest fears for humans, the fear of death, these robots would be able to understand, compute, and react to situations with out outside extraneous emotions. Although the men and women designing these robot programs may be able to eliminate this psychological problem of scenario fulfillment, which will cause soldiers to retain information that is playing out easier with a bias to pre-existing ideas, it is not always the case that this happens to soldiers. You have to realize that from the second a soldier begins his training he is trained and taught to eliminate the sense of self-preservation. There are isolated incidents with soldier error, but they are and will be corrected by superior officers or their fellow soldiers. Another factor that affects Cornelia Dean’s arguments is that there are errors in all things including technology. Throughout history there have been new uses of technology in warfare but with these come problems and error flaws that have cause and can cause more casualties than needed. With the use of an Automated drone the belief by Dean is that it will be able to decide whether or not to launch an attack on a high priority target whether or not if the target is in a public are and will decide if the civilian casualties would be worth it. But what happens if that drone is only identifying the target and the number of civilians surrounding it? It will not be able to factor in what type of people would be around him such as men, women, or children and any variance of them. The error in this situation would be the drone saying the target is high enough priority and a missile is launched and the civilians were women and children around while a school bus was driving by. The casualties would then instantly out weigh the priority to eliminate a specific target and a human pilot would much easier abort a mission than a predetermined response of an autonomous robot. Although Ronald Arkin believes there are situations that could arise when there may not be time for a robotic device to relay back what is happening to a human operator and wait for how to respond in the situation that could complete a mission, it may be that second of time delay between the robot and human operator that the ethical judgment is made. Also the realization that many robots in which are operated by humans are widely used to detect mines, dispose of or collects bombs, and clear out buildings to help ensure extra safety of our soldiers is a way that robots are already used today as battlefield assistants supports Dean. But all of these machines in the field have moments of failure or error. When the machines do fail it takes a soldier who has trained for that experience to fix and then use it again. If an autonomous drone fails while on a mission it is completely by its self and no human operator to fix it. Then can arise the problem of enemies realizing they were even being monitored and they could gain access to our military technology and can eventually use it against us. Another major point that Cornelia Dean discusses upon is with this possible step in our evolution of military technology we do not want to let this idea fade away. A large part of that is if we do develop this technology how would we do so, and if not, how much would we regret or how much would it affect us for not advancing in this field further many years from now. The argument that if other countries advance upon this faster and better than the United States military we could become less of a world power and be more at risk of attack and war with greater human fatalities is not necessarily true. This situation is important in the sense of keeping up with the other world powers but I believe that the risk for reward is not worth the amount of damage and civilian casualties that could happen from any number of robotic drones and their possible errors. There is a possibility as the technology develops and robots become more and more aware to the point were, Arkin believes that, they can make decisions at a higher level of technological development. Yet if these autonomous robots truly can think for themselves and make decisions brings a whole new possibility of problems of what if the robot can decide something differently than what the developers originally had programmed. Also comes the actual use problem of can the government ethically accept that in early stages of use, even after extraneous testing, there may be accidental casualties. If a robot has any error of making decisions because of how new and un-tested they are any of the possibly terrible results would not be the responsibility of the robot but of the country and government that designed it. The supporting evidence of this article strongly shows that Cornelia Dean will hope that use of these ethically superior autonomous robots will be apart of our military in the near future before the United States fall behind to other super powers in the world. Yet with all of this information Dean uses to present her ideas there are still major flaws such as, the majority of these ideas and beliefs are theoretical, they still have not been fully tested, and that there is error in all technologies. With these major points being enforced with plenty of evidence throughout the article, and with all of the possible negative sides and errors of this argument, it is safe to say that this will be and is a controversial topic of discussion by many governments and all parties involved with this technological advancement.

The Invisible Gorila Essay Example for Free

The Invisible Gorila Essay A talent show is an event that participants perform their specific talents in order to win the first prize. Singing talent shows are quite popular lately because they don’t require participants to be in certain ages or professions. Talent shows are very entertaining so that people start to pay attention to them. In fact, in talent shows, not only contestants, but also judges and audiences, always project illusions. They misperceive something might not exist. In book The Invisible Gorilla, Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons investigate six illusions that happen everyday in people’s lives. They use a lot of examples and scientific experiments to explain how different illusions affect people and reveal that human being’s thoughts are suffered from illusions. Among those six illusions in the book, illusion of confident, illusion of knowledge and illusion of cause have the biggest effect in talent shows. Contestants experience the illusion of confidence because they have unjustified confidence in their own abilities and they are not aware of their lack of skills. Some contestants don’t have skills but they act very confidently. Chabris and Simons state in Chapter 3, â€Å"In fact, those who are the least skilled are the most likely to think better of themselves than they should† (86). Least skilled contestants probably have never done anything relevant to music. They attend talent shows because they like singing or they want to be proved by aud iences. For example, in 2003, a student William Hung who was studying in civil engineering at Berkeley participated in â€Å"American Idol†. Since he couldnt sing and dance, his performance was funny and everyone was making fun of him. However, he was very confident and he thought he was doing his best. Indeed, when people are interested in something or just started doing something, they are more likely to feel confident because they dont know much about it. Furthermore, least skilled contestants don’t realize their actual competence. They mistake their confidence as real competence. When performing on stage, they think that even though they have not been trained before, their personalities or appearance can draw audiences’ attention. When constantans experience illusion of confidence, they are so confident that neglect the fact that they dont have abilities of performing. Except for contestants, audiences experience illusion of confidence as well. Not acting confidently doesnt mean a person has no ability. Yet sometimes audiences automatically treat confidence as a mark of actual competence of contestants. For example, when two contestants who have similar level of skills are performing on stage, audiences consider the one who looks more confident is better than the other. In 2007, there was a Taiwanese singing talent show called â€Å"One million Star. † Jam Hsiao was one of those contestants and he was quiet when asked questions. He told everyone that he wasn’t confident in communicating with other people. When audiences looked at Jam, they automatically thought Jam was not good at singing because he didnt show his confidence in front of other people. Nevertheless, He became totally different while performing and his beautiful and powerful voice attracted everyone. Since audiences are prone to believing a person is not confident, which may give a contestant an unfair disadvantage, but later when proven wrong may give the contestant a bigger advantage due to audiences having to compensate for the contrasting information. They become more likely to support contestants they doubt at the very beginning. Different with those least killed contestants, skilled ones experience the illusion of knowledge. People believe that they know things at a deeper level than they really do. Skilled contestants, who may have been trained for long time, have a lot of experience in performing in front of audiences. For instance, some of contestants who participate in â€Å"The Voice of China† went to musical universities before. As they said, they started learning musical instruments since they were kids and they have attended countless singing contests. They consider themselves as knowledgeable contestants for they have much experience. Compared to least skilled contestants, skilled contestants participate in talent shows because they think they know much about how to utilize knowledge they have learned than those who dont have many skills. Yet, knowing much about music doesnt mean those skilled contestants can definitely win contestants. The illusion of knowledge makes them not be able to properly determine their value because they are more likely to approve their merits and ignore shortcomings. Constantine Mouralis, who had a tony nomination before, participated in season four of â€Å"American Idol†. Constantine Mouralis started to improve his interest in music when he grew up. He sang in high school garage band and he appeared in Broadway roles. He was not only experienced, but also obtained a lot of awards before he competed on â€Å"American Idol. † He thought his ability was good enough compared to other contestants but he was eliminated at the sixth week. Although Mouralis was very skillful, other contestants who are better than Mouralis win eventually. In talent shows, judges project illusion of knowledge as well. Most judges are either famous singers or they are successful in the music industry. When they decide to choose the winner, they use their knowledge and experience to make decisions. They think the winner they choose will be successful after the show ends. Some contestants perform really well in talent shows and they fully show their talents to everyone and of course judges admit them too. After that, some of them are not famous due to all kinds of reasons. Foe instance, record companies decide not to give winners opportunities to release albums or winner contestants realize they want to do something else instead of being a singer. Judges make judgments because they think they know more about entertainment system than anyone else. The illusion of knowledge makes talent shows become unfair because judges are subjective when they make judgments. People are more interested in talent shows because some of them think that talent shows give them opportunities to be a professional singer. Apparently, these people are having illusion of cause. They infer causal relationships from coincidence. In entertainment system, parts of popular singers come from talent shows. They get a contract with record companies so that they can release albums after they win the talent show. Besides, since they are popular, they are invited to perform in many occasions. In fact, winning talent shows and becoming a famous singer are two different things so they have no causal relationships. However, people who want to participate in talent shows infer causal relationships from those coincidences. They believe that if they attend talent shows, they might win the first prize and they have a high possibility to be a famous singer. However, not everyone who comes from talent shows becomes famous. For example, in 2007, the champion of singing talent show â€Å"Super Boy† was really good at singing and he released his first album afterwards. Unfortunately, he wasnt popular and he never got the second chance to release other albums. Talent shows provide people opportunities to show their talents, but participating in talent shows and being famous have no causal relationships. Sometimes, the reason why contestants win talent shows is not only because they are better than anyone else. For record companies who want to make money, they prefer pick up contestants who have good appearance than those who have talent in singing but dont have beautiful faces. Thus, some factors which people think will cause contestants to win are not truly existed. Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons’s explanations make me think illusions that happened in my life. People are beset by all kinds of illusions every day without noticing their existence. In talent shows, both skilled and least contestants have illusions since they are not able to determine their real abilities. People who win talent shows don’t mean that these people will be famous forever. On the contrary, people who failed in talent shows can still be successful. Besides, the reason why top singers and movie stars are famous is not only because talent shows give them opportunities to perform, other factors such as hard working and good luck can also be important for them. We need to pay attention to different kinds of illusions because sometimes they affect our decision-making. If we like singing and want to make music, we dont have to participate in talent shows because there are other ways for us to chase our dreams. After all, we should evaluate our abilities appropriately. If we are just interested in something but we dont actually have talent in doing them, we should have find out something else we can do to fulfill our dreams.

A Stock Analysis Report On Starhub Economics Essay

A Stock Analysis Report On Starhub Economics Essay The aftermath of the financial crisis in the year 2008 has adversely affected the economic systems in the world; causing liquidity in the credit markets to dry up and eventually resulted in many financial institutions facing insolvency issues. Businesses around the world faced tough times in getting funds as banks became conservative in lending. Financial authorities around the world thus took measures in a bid to control the wide spread of the crisis to reduce the impacts. Singapore was not spared in the crisis too and now sees massive funds, monetary policies and fiscal plans being implemented to ease the situation. In 2009, Singapores GDP decreased by 7.5% from a growth rate of 21.7% in the post-crisis bounce Q2 to 14.2% in Q3. However, there were increasing signs of recovery in Q3, showing an expansion of all sectors in the economy. This reflected a better-than-expected outcome for Singapores GDP growth forecast for 2009 and has been revised upwards to between -2.5% and -2%, from -6% to -4%. The decrease in unemployment rate from 3.1% in 2005 to 2.2% in 2008 as shown in Appendix Table 2.1 also signals that the Singapore economy is recovering from economic slowdown. 1.2 Critical Variables affecting Singapore economy We have identified several critical variables that have significant impact on the Singapore economy. They are namely, the monetary policy, fiscal policy, and external trades. 1.2.1 Monetary Policy One of the key initiative of MAS to ease the economy is adopting monetary policy works through manipulating the exchange rate to influence the economy to achieve low inflation and sustainable growth, taking into consideration the fact that the nature of Singapores economy is strongly correlated because of the economys reliance on exports and the city-state imports virtually all of its needs which will be covered in section 1.2.5 Singapore Export. This resulted in MAS relying on the currency rather than its interest rate as its policy tool. Currently, MAS has abandoned its strong currency strategy in which it has implemented since April 2004 and has maintained its loose monetary policy zero per cent appreciation for the Sing dollar despite a modest recovery from recession since 2002 (CNA, 2009a). The maintaining of its relaxed monetary policy of zero per cent appreciation of the S$SNEER policy band came about on October 10, 2009 (Bloomberg, 2009). This new policy is a complete U-turn of MAS stance when MAS called for a quicker exchange-rate appreciation to damp inflation six months ago. Strengthening the Sing dollar, which has been adopted by MAS since April 2004, is a move to tame the increasing inflation as Singapores annual inflation rate has moved up to 7.5% in a new 26-year record high (CNA, 2009b). However, inflation for the upcoming year is expected to fall with the increase in commodity prices. Although MAS Monetary Policy Statement does not state the reason for the new policy except that the economy is deteriorating and inflation is on the rise rapidly, we analyze that the new policy will help Singapore exporters in the long run, and this will be covered under section 1.2.5 Singapore Export. This will encourage a strong growth recovery in the upcoming year and we foresee that the Singapore economy will be favorable to investment despite the gloomy world economy originating from US recession. This is due to the fact that Singapore does not rely only on US but other trading partners from other nations. 1.2.2 Fiscal Policy On the fiscal front, the government has been responsive to the evolving challenges confronting the Singapore economy and has enforced it full force. Subsequently, with the onset of the global financial crisis and credit crunch, the government announced a $2.3 billion package towards the end of 2008 to loosen credit lines and help local businesses gain access to loans (MAS, 2009). In view of the rapidly deteriorating economic environment, a $20.5 billion (8.2% of GDP) resilience package was delivered to save jobs, to address structural challenges, help viable companies stay afloat and enhance the economys long-term capabilities. For instance, the corporate income tax rate will be reduced from 18% to 17%, starting from YA2010, to boost competitiveness and attract investment to spur job creation. In addition, the government is also pressing ahead with long-term investments in infrastructure, education and healthcare to make Singapore a world-class city. Thus with these policies implemented, growth rate for Singapore economy is expected to rise further in 2010 (IRAS, 2009). 1.2.3 Inflation Inflation occurs when demand exceeds supply, causing prices of goods and services to rise. Over the years, the Singapores inflation rate has been on a rise from 0.5% in 2005 to 6.5% in 2008 which is in line with the consumer price index (CPI1) which also raised from 100.4 in 2005 to 110.3 in 2008 as shown in Appendix Table 1.4 (Government of Singapore, 2009). The rise in inflation is mainly driven by higher food and transport costs in Singapore. This leads to slower growth of the money supply in the economy as well as higher interest rate are charged for borrowing money. Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has recently announced that its inflation forecast for 2010 to be between 2.5 and 3.5 per cent as a flood of foreign investment raises asset-bubble worries (JakartaGlobe, 2009). A fall in inflation means that the overall price level of goods will decrease and that consumer purchasing power will raise, simulating consumer spending as well as the economy. 1.2.4 External Factors The outlook of Singapores economy is closely linked to global conditions which is the international trade performance. In other words, positive global economic developments would suggest a healthy economy in Singapore. Singapores consumer price index (CPI1) is driven by external factors such as oil and food commodity prices which is determined by the growth of the world markets. Emerging market economies, especially in Asia, continue to recover strongly. For instance, Indonesia, Singapores fourth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at S$75.1 billion saw a rise of 13 per cent from 2007 (Borhan. H., 2009). In addition, private-sector economists currently expect the US economy to expand by 2.7% in 2010, from a projected -2.4% this year, adding further to the bright outlook of the export markets. 1.3 Forecast for Singapore Economy We expect that the growth in the first and second quarters in 2010 is likely to be moderated, taking in the fact that exportation is expected to remain depressed. However, in the third quarter onwards, we analyse that the economy will shift towards positive as a result of the stimulative policies implemented by the governments of its trading partners. The Singapore economy will thus ride on this wave of economic recovery and progression. In addition to this is the fact that MAS will continue to be vigilant over the progress of the economy and has implemented a series of policies. With the continued implementation of the S$SNEER policy, it will further strengthen Singapores export markets, encouraging an increase in its export rates due to cheaper goods from Singapore. Furthermore, the resilience package which the government delivered will continue to reap positive effects in the economy as more companies are able to tide through this tough period, saving jobs and increasing employment rate in the process. 2. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 2.1 Overview of Singapore Info Communication Industry We have selected info communication industry as the industry suitable for investment. Over the years, the infocomm industry has greatly enhanced Singapores competitiveness by raising productivity and transforming business processes. 2.1.1 Defensive Industry We have indentified infocomm industry as a defensive industry. Telecommunication and internet services are an integral part of business operation and will still be required even in times of recession. The info communication industry plays an important and essential role that supports the Singapore economy to function as a major communication hub. As such, our selected industry will appeal to investors as defensive industries as the values of these stocks are generally maintained during economic downturn. 2.1.2 Market Structures Oligopoly The Singapore infocomm industry was liberalized in April 2000 by IDA to promote competition among existing players and create opportunities for new market entrants. Following that, big companies like StarHub and M1 were awarded licenses to set up telecommunications operations in Singapore (IDA, 2000). This leads to a transition of the market structure from monopoly previously dominated by SingTel to oligopoly. Singapores Info-communication industry is dominated by three major companies namely, SingTel, MobileOne (M1) and StarHub. Currently, SingTel holds the number one position with a 46.4% market share. StarHub came in second with 27.9% market share while MobileOne stands third with 25.7% market share as of 2008 (IR Market Research Corp, 2009). Since a large percentage of the market is taken up by these firms, they tend to cooperate with each other by keeping their prices competitive to take full advantage of the profits in the industry. 2.1.3 Past Sales and Earnings Performance Singapores info communication industry is one of the key contributors to the Singapore economy. From Appendix Chart 2.2, we infer that the overall infocomm industry experienced a stage of constant growth during the period of 2004-2008. The revenue of the industry has been constantly increasing from $34.77 billion in 2004 to $58.10 billion in 2008. This represents an overall growth of 40.2 per cent (IDA, 2008a). Based on the trend given in Appendix Chart 2.2, we infer that the infocomm sector has past the rapid acceleration growth and currently in the stage between mature growth and stablisation market maturity. The public are now familiar with the industry, profit margin continues to grow and begins to stabilise as shown in past three years performance. The Info communication industry in Singapore relies on both the domestic and export markets. Since the domestic market is limited to Singapore, major companies in the sector such as SingTel have expanded its business to overseas. In 2008, the 61% of Singapores infocomm total revenue was contributed by export composition (IDA, 2008c). Based on the annual survey of info communication industry 2008, Singapores infocomm export experienced a constant growth rate of 77.6% from 2004 ($19.86 billion) to 2008 ($35.28 billion) as shown in Appendix Chart 2.4. While Singapores infocomm domestic experienced an overall grow of 53.1% from 2004 ($14.91 billion) to 2008 ($22.82 billion) and strong growth of 25.9% from 2007 ($18.13 billion) to 2008 ($22.82 billion) as shown in Appendix Chart 2.5 (IDA, 2008c). 2.2 Government Initiatives towards Info Communication Industry Singapores government support plays an important role in the growth of the infocomm industry. Over the years, IDA has been continuously working on creating demand and opportunities to enhance competition and sustain growth in the infocomm industry through short and medium term policies, regulations and guidelines. For instance, IDA has been working on programmes such as the Overseas Development Programme to assist local infocomm companies in expanding into international markets through collaborating with major local infocomm companies (IDA, 2009a). Singapore export infocomm has been a key contributor to the overall growth of the industry. In 2008, 61% of Singapores Infocomm total revenue was generated by the export sector (IDA, 2008c). On top of that, the government has recently developed a go-to-market strategy to accelerate market access and expand business opportunities through marketing products and services offered by local infocomm companies to potential foreign customers through overseas tradeshows and seminars (IDA, 2009d). This would help promote the Infocomm industry, create more overseas business opportunities as well as increasing the profit margins of Singapore Infocomm exports in the following financial year. As for domestic of infocomm, the government will be investing S$1.73 billion on the infocomm industry to meet the demand of businesses and citizens through increasing business efficiency (IDA, 2009c). To promote effective competition, IDA has also recently released new advisory guidelines which obligates major mobile operators such as SingTel, StarHub and M1 to cease the fixed early termination charges on customers who sign on mobile contracts for no longer than three months and terminate before the end of their contract with effect on 1 March 2010. This would mean higher competition between firms in the upcoming year which would aid in the growth of the industry (IDA, 2009e). 2.3 Porters Competitive Forces Model 2.3.1 Rivalry among Existing Firms The rising demand for mobile broadband services has attributed to the stronger competition between the three major operators SingTel, StarHub and MobileOne. Competitors are now providing higher quality and value-added services at more attractive prices. For instance, SingTel is offering the all-in-one Mio Home packages that include broadband Internet access, home fixed line and Mio TV at an attractive price. In addition, SingTel and M1 are also offering rewards such as monthly bill rebates to promote loyalty from existing subscribers and new phone set at attractive prices to attract new customers. Besides that, they are also offering full mobile number portability services to allow subscribers to retain their existing phone number even if they switch to another service provider. As such, the competition between these companies would further drive the infocomm industry. 2.3.2 Bargaining Power of Customers Since Singapore Infocomm sector are dominated by SingTel, StarHub and M1, customers will have to accept the service plans offered by these companies. As such, customers in the telecommunication industry have little bargaining power since the price of products and services are mainly determined by these companies and. For example, customers who wish to buy an iphone would need to subscribe to 3G data plans and pay a fixed price plan set by the mobile provider. Thus, even if there is a price cut, it is most likely caused by competition within the industry rather than customers bargaining power (MSN, 2009). As such, major infocomm companies have the ability to influence the market price of their products and services while keeping prices competitive to take full advantage of the profit margin thus making the industry attractive to invest. 2.3.3 Bargaining Power of Supplier The suppliers of the major infocomm companies are recognised as having strong bargaining power over the industry. For instance, the suppliers of StarHubs Max Cable TV are mainly contents providers such as Cartoon Network, HBO, etc and handsets suppliers such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, etc. With the recent acquisition of the distribution rights of Apple iPhone, Apple Inc would become the new supplier of StarHub. These suppliers have high power in exercising the price and quality of the product. For example, in order to broadcast a particular channel on Max Cable TV, StarHub would need to pay a price set by the channel providers. 2.3.4 Threat of New Entrants The ownership of a telecom license can represent a huge barrier to entry. Singapore infocomm industry of was liberalized in April 2000 by the government with the objective to increased competition among existing players and to create opportunities for new market entrants. However, since most citizens already own at least one mobile phone and tied to their service plans, it would be difficult for new entrant to penetrate into the market as they would need to come out with a large sum of money for set up as well as to compete with existing competitors in price, quality and services. As such, the threat of new entrant to major players such as SingTel and StarHub is low (Point-Topic, 2009). 2.3.5 Threat of Substitute Products or Services Our team infer that there are currently no close substitutes in other industry since the Singapore infocomm industry is constantly keeping up with new technology and infrastructure it would be hard for other industries to come out with substitute products or services. As such, the threat of substitute products or services to the major infocomm companies is also minimal. 2.4 Forecast for Info Communication Industry It is expected that the info communication industry will maintain its performance in this economic slowdown. The defensive industry as a whole remains stable and continues to grow even at times of economic slowdown which is an appealing choice for investor. Thus we have grounds to believe that revenue for infocomm industry will sustain and that the industry will achieve a stronger grow to be in line or even go beyond the forecasted growth of the general economy for 2010 (IDA, 2008a). 3. COMPANY ANALYSIS REFERENCES Bloomberg. (2009). Singapore, in recession, ends currency gain policy (update2). Retrieved December 19, 2009, from http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087sid=a0P7GXmf4hEsrefer=home Borhan. H . (2009). Islands of optimism. Retrieved December 20, 2009 from http://www.iesingapore.gov.sg/wps/portal/WCMPreview?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/My+Portal/Main/Past+Events/Islands+of+optimism Business Wire. (2009, August 12). Research and markets: Singapore key statistics, telecom market and regulatory overviews. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from LexisNexis Academic database. BuySingapore. (n.d.). Singapores infocomm technology (ict) industry. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.buysingapore.com/InfoComTechnology.aspx Channel News Asia. (2009a). Singapore will maintain policy of steady dollar. Retrieved December 18, 2009, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/1010760/1/.html Channel News Asia. (2009b). Singapore inflation rate hits new 26-year high of 7.5% in April. Retrieved December 18, 2009 from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/349581/1/.html Choudhury, A. R. (2009). Singapores fixed broadband subscriber base to cross 1m. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://a1preview.asia1.com.sg:90/vgn-ext-templating/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ae8f219aeaf63210VgnVCM100000430a0a0aRCRDvgnextchannel=802a67c086322110VgnVCM100000bd0a0a0aRCRD Government of Singapore (2009). Time series on cpi (2004=100) inflation rate. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.singstat.gov.sg/stats/themes/economy/hist/cpi.html IDA. (2008a). Performance of the infocomm industry. Annual survey on infocomm industry for 2008, (p. 7). Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/doc/Publications/Publications_Level2/20061205092557/ASInfocommIndustry08.pdf IDA. (2008b). Performance of the infocomm industry. Annual survey on infocomm industry for 2008, (p. 8). Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/doc/Publications/Publications_Level2/20061205092557/ASInfocommIndustry08.pdf IDA. (2008c). Performance of the infocomm industry. Annual survey on infocomm industry for 2008, (p. 9). Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/doc/Publications/Publications_Level2/20061205092557/ASInfocommIndustry08.pdf IDA. (2009a). Overview. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/Infocomm%20Industry/20060406160952.aspx IDA. (2009b). Internationalisation. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/Infocomm%20Industry/20060418122545.aspx IDA. (2009c). Singapore government continues to invest in infocomm. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/News%20and%20Events/20050713151856.aspx?getPagetype=20 IDA. (2009d). Public service infocomm exports receive stronger push. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/News%20and%20Events/20090615154025.aspx?getPagetype=20 IDA. (2009e). Consumers to benefit from new guidelines on telecommunication services. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.ida.gov.sg/News%20and%20Events/20091215141259.aspx?getPagetype=20 IR Market Research Corp. (2009). 4Q09 Singapore mobile operator forecast, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2009, from http://www.marketresearch.com/product/display.asp?productid=2495384 IRAS. (2009). Overview of Tax Changes Announced in Budget 2009. Retrieved December 20, 2009 from http://www.iras.gov.sg/irasHome/page.aspx?id=7906 JakartaGlobe. (2009). Singapore expects growth, but asset bubbles a worry. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://thejakartaglobe.com/business/singapore-expects-growth-but-asset-bubbles-a-worry/342607 MAS. (2009). Recent Economic Developments in Singapore. Retrieved December 20, 2009, from http://www.mas.gov.sg/resource/eco_research/eco_dev_ana/Recent_Economic_Developments.pdf MNEWSP. (2009, September 2). Singapore fund third quarter earnings. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from Factiva database. MSN. (2009). Singtel wins epl rights. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://sports.sg.msn.com/commented/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3616738ucpg=4 Paul Budde Communication. (2009a). Singapore telecommunications infrastructure. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=330report_id=223874q=Starhubp=1 Paul Budde Communication. (2009b). Singapore telecoms, mobile and broadband. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?cat_id=330report_id=838318q=Starhubp=1 Point-Topic. (2009). Singapore broadband overview. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://point-topic.com/content/operatorSource/profiles2/singapore-broadband-overview.htm Reuters. (2009a). Update 1-singapore lifts inflation view, sees modest 2010 growth. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://news.alibaba.com/article/detail/markets/100202930-1-update-1-singapore-lifts-inflation-view%252C.html Reuters. (2009b). Singapore lifts inflation view, sees modest 2010 growth. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/business/43905-singapore-lifts-inflation-view-sees-modest-2010-growth Reuters. (2009c). Singapore forecasts 2010 GDP to rise 3 to 5 per cent. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.asiaone.com/Business/News/Story/A1Story20091119-180874.html StarHub. (2009). Home hubbing pack lite at $41.73 per month. Retrieved December 15, 2009, from http://www.starhub.com/promotions/hubbing/97569.html

The Collapse of the Greenland Norse Essay -- european history

In Jared Diamond’s novel 'Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed' he discusses many civilizations that moved away from their homelands, grew in population, and then either failed or succeeded in their new environments. Throughout this essay I will attempt to explain the Collapse of the Greenland Norse, one of the many societies to rise and fall. The Greenland Norse faced multiple challenges including economical, agricultural, and unfriendly neighbors. Alongside Greenland other North Atlantic islands faced geographical challenges that lead to some of their falls as well. Yet, first I will discuss why the Norse left Scandinavia in search of new terrain. Similarly to other expansions the Norse, also known as Vikings, expansion was most likely caused by what’s commonly known as â€Å"push/pull† triggers. â€Å"Push† means that the population pressure lead to a lack of opportunities in their homeland while â€Å"pull† represents good opportunities and empty areas to colonize elsewhere (Collapse pg. 185). Another reason for their sudden expansion is autocatalytic process. For the Norse two very distinct events set of this type of process: one was that in A.D. 793 a raid took place in Lindisfarne Monastery yielding a rich haul of booty that lead to even larger yields in following years and the second reason being the discovery of the unpopulated Faeroe Islands lead to the finding of larger, more distant islands (Collapse pg. 186). Even though the islands looked promising the Norse soon found out otherwise as the geographical environments posed many problems. For instance, Orkneys which lays in the Gulf Stream was perhaps their most successful island as it enjoyed mild climates and allowed for great agricultural production, but on... ...the Norse (Collapse pg. 255). Furthermore, the Inuit was able to outlive the Norse due to their advanced fishing skills that the Norse refused to learn from their neighbors largely in part to religion. In the end though it was the Norse’s decision to refrain from eating fish, ringed seals, and whales that potentially could have saved them from collapse (Collapse pg. 274). Even though the Greenland Norse only survived for four hundred and fifty years they weren’t necessarily failures. After all their unique European society was able to survive longer than we’ve been able to survive here in America (Collapse pg. 276). If we, American’s, don’t learn from others past are we doomed to follow in their footsteps? In my opinion, the answer is yes, but hopefully we’ll be able to turn the tides before its too late and we fall into collapse like so many other societies.

The Yellow Wallpaper -- Literary Analysis, Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The psychologically thrilling story of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman explores the dark and twisted aspect of the American society in the nineteenth century. Through the use of theme, Gilman creatively captures the cultural subordination and struggles women faced on a regular basis. The first theme present in the horrific and heart wrenching story is the subordinate position of women within marriage. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† begins with the narrator’s wish that her house were haunted like those in which â€Å"frightened heroines suffer Gothic horrors† (DeLamotte 5). However, this wish is in essence to empower herself. The narrator is already afraid of her husband and is suffering mentally and emotionally. She desperately wishes for an escape â€Å"through fantasy, into a symbolic version of her own plight: a version in which she would have a measure of distance and control† (DeLamotte 6). Throughout the text, Gilman reveals to the reader that during the time in which the story was written, men acquired the working role while women were accustomed to working within the boundaries of their â€Å"woman sphere†. This gender division meritoriously kept women in a childlike state of obliviousness and prevented them from reaching a ny scholastic or professional goals. John, the narrator’s husband, establishes a treatment for his wife through the assumption of his own superior wisdom and maturity. This narrow minded thinking leads him to patronize and control his wife, all in the name of â€Å"helping her†. The narrator soon begins to feel suffocated as she is â€Å"physically and emotionally trapped by her husband† (Korb). The narrator has zero control in the smallest details of her life and is consequently forced to retreat into her fantasies... ...at the narrator will possibly be physically restrained or imprisoned at some point when her husband regains consciousness. At that point, he will have no other choice but to send her back to her doctor or a mental institution. Nevertheless, the narrator’s mind will always remain free, emulating the freedom relished by the woman in the wallpaper. Unfortunately, this escape of reality means that the speaker will never reclaim any sort of rationality. With the deed of freeing the woman in the wallpaper, the narrator unintentionally guarantees the long lasting burden of insanity. All in all, the heart wrenching and goosebump producing story of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman takes the reader on a psychological rollercoaster ride. Through the swift use of theme, Gilman ingeniously illustrates the struggles women faced during the nineteenth century.

Relationship of Philosophy with Real Life :: essays research papers

Philosophy has a strong influence on everyone’s day-to-day life. We all enrich our lives by thinking about things with a substantial value. We use philosophy as a sort of roadmap to direct us through our lives. We, of course, take other things into consideration while we are going through our day, but philosophy is one of the more ample ones.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Philosophy is, according to the dictionary, â€Å"Literally, the love of, including the search after, wisdom†. This applies to my life, when I am in school and when I am out of school. When I am in classes, I use the available knowledge in books, the lovely newspaper articles from English class (hehe), and the brains of teachers, in order to aid in my ‘hunt’. Wisdom is something that interests almost all of us. It provides us with answers to the everyday problems we run into, and curbs our curiosity. When I am out of school, I read novels in order to expand my imagination, and learn about what happened in the past. The fiction novels I read, allow me to learn about abstract and surreal ideas. I try to dedicate time from my schedule in order to read, because not only does it provide entertainment, but it also allows the intelligence of humans to travel beyond just what is sensible. The intelligence should consist of real hard facts, as well as fictional thoughts as well. I also watch the news about events that are happening around the world. Everyone should do this activity, because you gain insight on mistakes that have happened, and information on how challenges affect people. By integrating both ideal thoughts and real facts, it helps create a better-rounded persona, which is one of the outlining definitions of philosophy. This idea is expressed in the following quote â€Å"the science of truths sensible and abstract†.

Original Writing Essay

I am the princess awaiting rescue in the quiet corner of the ballroom. I stand silently gathering dust in the shadows, grinning with gapped black and white teeth. The pungent odour of rising damp impregnates the air. Lonely and deserted by the warm affectionate hands I once knew and loved, shudders trace the length of my now slackened strings. I can still feel the faint, muffled trembling in my worn hammers of a serene piano concerto. I remain here reminiscing of times gone by; dreaming about rhapsodies of the great composers, sonatas with their heartbreaking refrains casting their sweet melodies out into the hearts of my listeners. I held the power to move people and touch their very souls. My waltzes floated dreamily like a single cloud in a clear blue sky drifting peacefully into the distance. I look back on my past at all the things I have experienced: my debut in the grand concert hall, the first time I felt the touch of his hands pounding passionately on my keys, I remember shaking with nerves as the critics watched and listened attentively, waiting for mistakes. We, my old friend and I, had travelled the length and breadth of the country together enchanting audiences with our music. Each week we would embark on another journey to take us to a new hall, each as grand as the last. The venues with their elegant, majestic decor were visited only by the noble and wealthy people in society. It felt fantastic to be associated with the upper class. They were women who could afford to wear the most opulent of gowns made with the finest silks, taffetas velvets and brocades; all of which were accompanied with stoles derived from the best pelts of fur that money could buy- the most popular of which being mink, ermine and fox. Their partners, of course, were dressed just as magnificently in their white tie evening suits. They looked somewhat like penguins in their expensive attire. I often wondered if it was the actual music they had come to listen to or just an excuse to show off their prosperity; the value of their wives jewellery alone could well have paid a king’s ransom! How I miss the anticipation and the adulation that each concert brought; the scores of fans applauding and cheering for an encore for which we jumped at the chance! We would play for ages after the scheduled end of the show; this was my favourite part of the performance because we always made an unforgettable exit! We amazed crowds like this every night; they all loved us and our music. But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The popularity of such grand events began to dwindle; the new recordings brought the great concertos into ones front room. People’s leisure time was spent in the comfort of their own homes and they much preferred to spend their evenings at the newly developed moving pictures. Then came the Great War. All the men were sent away to foreign lands to fight for their country. War, as they say, can be a great leveller; a rich man can be killed with a bullet just as easily as a poor man. People’s priorities altered, it wasn’t thought to be patriotic to flaunt ones wealth as had been done before. Nobody came to watch our shows: there was no one to escort the ladies, and they no longer felt the need to show their prosperity. Our shows were all cancelled. We were no longer needed; no longer wanted. It broke his heart knowing that we could no longer perform together. Not long afterwards, he went bankrupt. He lost everything: his house, his livelihood, his possessions; and me. I was devastated, how could I cope without him to love and comfort me? Who could be there for me? Most importantly, what would happen to him? I was so confused, my life had been turned upside down and I didn’t know if I’d manage. I knew he loved and cherished me, and the last thing he wanted to do was sell me, but he found himself in financial dire straits. He did what he had to do and I can’t condemn him for that. Nobody said that life should be fair. As the day of the auction loomed the atmosphere in the house was fraught. Complete strangers rummaged ruthlessly through all that was dear to him. The workmen pulled apart his home and left nothing behind. They had no respect for his privacy or his dignity. All his worldly goods were auctioned to satisfy his creditors. The items were sold for a pittance. I was sold there and violently shoved inside a small white transit van. It was not quite the transport I had become accustomed to, but I didn’t really have a choice in the matter. I made my final journey to where I am today; isolated here in the corner, being tortured by incompetent, untrained and inept hands, making a tuneless drone where once beautiful melodies had been played. I hope one day my prince will come rescue me from the depths of my despair; stuck here in this cold, damp dining room fully exposed to the gales blowing through the open window. I long for the caress of someone who truly understands my worth; and I can only hope that someone can appreciate me half as much as my friend did. I resign myself to the fact that I am no longer the youthful princess awaiting my prince, but a dowager condemned to a life of solitude. I now realise that life doesn’t always go the way you plan. I will always miss him but losing him has made me appreciate all the happy times we spent together and all the fond memories we share. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Figure of Speech

————————————————- Figure of speech From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia â€Å"Figures of speech† redirects here. For the hip hop group, see  Figures of Speech. A  figure of speech  is the use of a  word  or  words  diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a  phrase  with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in  idiom,  metaphor,  simile,  hyperbole, or  personification. Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity.However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a  rhetorical figure  or a locution. Not all theories of  meaning  have a conce pt of â€Å"literal language† (see  literal and figurative language). Under theories that do not,  figure of speech  is not an entirely coherent  concept. Rhetoric originated as the study of the ways in which a source text can be transformed to suit the goals of the person reusing the material.For this goal,  classical rhetoric  detected four fundamental operations[1]  that can be used to transform a sentence or a larger portion of a text: expansion, abridgement, switching, and transferring. ————————————————- Examples The figure of speech comes in many varieties. The aim is to use the language inventively to accentuate the effect of what is being said. A few examples follow: * â€Å"Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran† is an example of  alliteration, where the consonant  r  is used repeatedly.Whereas, â€Å"Sister Suzy sewing soc ks for soldiers† is a particular form of alliteration called  sibilance, because it repeats the letter  s. Both are commonly used in poetry. * â€Å"She would run up the stairs and then a new set of curtains† is a variety of  zeugma  called a  syllepsis. Run up  refers to ascending and also to manufacturing. The effect is enhanced by the momentary suggestion, through a  pun, that she might be climbing up the curtains. The  ellipsis  or omission of the second use of the verb makes the eader think harder about what is being said. * â€Å"Military Intelligence is an  oxymoron† is the use of direct  sarcasm  to suggest that the military would have no intelligence. This might be considered to be a  satire  and a terse  aphorism. â€Å"But he's a soldier, so he has to be an Einstein† is the use of sarcasm through  irony  for the same effect. The use of  hyperbole  by using the word  Einstein  calls attention to the ironi c intent. An Einstein  is an example of  synechdoche, as it uses a particular name to represent a class of people: geniuses. â€Å"I had butterflies in my stomach† is a  metaphor, referring to my nervousness feeling as if there were flying insects in my stomach. To say â€Å"it was like having some butterflies in my stomach† would be a  simile, because it uses the word  like  which is missing in the metaphor. Tropes Main article:  Trope (linguistics) * allegory: Extended  metaphor  in which a story is told to illustrate an important attribute of the subject * alliteration: Repetition of the first consonant sound in a phrase. allusion: Indirect reference to another work of literature or art * anacoenosis: Posing a question to an audience, often with the implication that it shares a common interest with the speaker * antanaclasis: A form of  pun  in which a word is repeated in two different senses * anthimeria: Substitution of one part of speech for another, often turning a noun into a verb * anthropomorphism: Ascribing human characteristics to something that is not human, such as an animal or a god (see  zoomorphism) * antimetabole: Repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order * antiphrasis: Word or words used contradictory to their usual meaning, often with irony * antonomasia: Substitution of a phrase for a proper name or vice versa * aphorism: Tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion, an adage * apophasis: Invoking an idea by denying its invocation * apostrophe: Addressing a thing, an abstraction or a person not present * archaism: Use of an obsolete, archaic, word(a word used in olden language, e. g.Shakespeare's language) * auxesis: Form of  hyperbole, in which a more important sounding word is used in place of a more descriptive term * catachresis: Mixed  metaphor  (sometimes used by design and sometimes a rhetorical fault) * circumlocution: â€Å"Talking around† a topic by substituting or adding words, as in  euphemism  or  periphrasis * commiseration: Evoking pity in the audience * correctio: Linguistic device used for correcting one's mistakes, a form of which is  epanorthosis * denominatio: Another word for  metonymy * double negative: Grammar construction that can be used as an expression and it is the repetition of negative words * dysphemism: Substitution of a harsher, more offensive, or more disagreeable term for another.Opposite of  euphemism * epanorthosis: Immediate and emphatic self-correction, often following a  slip of the tongue * enumeratio: A form of amplification in which a subject is divided, detailing parts, causes, effects, or consequences to make a point more forcibly * epanados: Repetition in a sentence with a reversal of words. Example: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath * erotema: Synonym for  rhetorical question * euphemism: Substitution of a less offensive or more agreeable term fo r another * exclamation: An emphatic parenthetic addition that is complete in itself,Exclamation differs from interjection in that it usually involves an emotional response. * hermeneia: Repetition for the purpose of interpreting what has already been said * hyperbaton: Words that naturally belong together are separated from each other for emphasis or effect * hyperbole: Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis hypocatastasis: An implication or declaration of resemblance that does not directly name both terms * hypophora: Answering one's own  rhetorical question  at length * hysteron proteron: Reversal of anticipated order of events; a form of hyperbaton * innuendo: Having a hidden meaning in a sentence that makes sense whether it is detected or not * inversion: A reversal of normal word order, especially the placement of a verb ahead of the subject (subject-verb inversion). * invocation: Apostrophe to a god or muse * irony: Use of word in a way that conveys a meaning opposite to i ts usual meaning * kataphora: Repetition of a cohesive device at the end litotes: Emphasizing the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite * malapropism: Using a word through confusion with a word that sounds similar * meiosis: Use of understatement, usually to diminish the importance of something * merism: Statement of opposites to indicate reality * metalepsis: Referring to something through reference to another thing to which it is remotely related * metaphor: Stating one entity is another for the purpose of comparing them in quality * metonymy: Substitution of an associated word to suggest what is really meant * neologism: The use of a word or term that has recently been created, or has been in use for a short time. Opposite of  archaism * onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meaning oxymoron: Using two terms together, that normally contradict each other * parable: Extended  metaphor  told as an anecdote to illustrate or teach a moral lesson * paradox: Use of apparently contradictory ideas to point out some underlying truth * paradiastole: Extenuating a vice in order to flatter or soothe * paraprosdokian: Phrase in which the latter part causes a rethinking or reframing of the beginning * parallel irony: An ironic juxtaposition of sentences or situations (informal) * paralipsis: Drawing attention to something while pretending to pass it over * paronomasia: A form of  pun, in which words similar in sound but with different meanings are used * pathetic fallacy: Using a word that refers to a human action on something non-human * periphrasis: Using several words instead of few personification/prosopopoeia/anthropomorphism: Attributing or applying human qualities to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena * praeteritio: Another word for  paralipsis * procatalepsis: Refuting anticipated objections as part of the main argument * prolepsis: Another word for  procatalepsis * proslepsis: Extreme form of  paralipsis  in which the speaker provides great detail while feigning to pass over a topic * proverb: Succinct or pithy expression of what is commonly observed and believed to be true * pun: Play on words that will have two meanings * repetition: Repeated usage of word(s)/group of words in the same sentence to create a poetic/rhythmic effect * rhetorical question: Asking a question as a way of asserting something.Or asking a question not for the sake of getting an answer but for asserting something (or as in a poem for creating a poetic effect) * satire: Use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. A literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. A literary genre comprising such compositions * simile: Comparison between two things using  like  or  as * snowclone: Quoted or misquoted  cliche  or  phrasal template * superlative: Saying that something is the best of something or has the most of some quality, e. g. the ugliest, the most precious etc. syllepsis: Form of  pun, in which a single word is used to modify two other words, with which it normally would have differing meanings * syncatabasis  (condescension, accommodation): adaptation of style to the level of the audience * synecdoche: Form of  metonymy, in which a part stands for the whole * synesthesia: Description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another. * tautology: Needless repetition of the same sense in different words Example: The children gathered in a round circle * transferred epithet: Placing of an adjective with what appears to be the incorrect noun * truism: a self-evident statement * tricolon diminuens: Combination of three elements, each decreasing in size * tricolon crescens: Combination of three elements, each increasing in size * zeugma: A figure of speech related to  syllepsis, but different in that the word used as a modifier is no t compatible with one of the two words it modifies * zoomorphism: Applying animal characteristics to humans or god Figure of Speech ————————————————- Figure of speech From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia â€Å"Figures of speech† redirects here. For the hip hop group, see  Figures of Speech. A  figure of speech  is the use of a  word  or  words  diverging from its usual meaning. It can also be a special repetition, arrangement or omission of words with literal meaning, or a  phrase  with a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it, as in  idiom,  metaphor,  simile,  hyperbole, or  personification. Figures of speech often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity.However, clarity may also suffer from their use, as any figure of speech introduces an ambiguity between literal and figurative interpretation. A figure of speech is sometimes called a  rhetorical figure  or a locution. Not all theories of  meaning  have a conce pt of â€Å"literal language† (see  literal and figurative language). Under theories that do not,  figure of speech  is not an entirely coherent  concept. Rhetoric originated as the study of the ways in which a source text can be transformed to suit the goals of the person reusing the material.For this goal,  classical rhetoric  detected four fundamental operations[1]  that can be used to transform a sentence or a larger portion of a text: expansion, abridgement, switching, and transferring. ————————————————- Examples The figure of speech comes in many varieties. The aim is to use the language inventively to accentuate the effect of what is being said. A few examples follow: * â€Å"Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran† is an example of  alliteration, where the consonant  r  is used repeatedly.Whereas, â€Å"Sister Suzy sewing soc ks for soldiers† is a particular form of alliteration called  sibilance, because it repeats the letter  s. Both are commonly used in poetry. * â€Å"She would run up the stairs and then a new set of curtains† is a variety of  zeugma  called a  syllepsis. Run up  refers to ascending and also to manufacturing. The effect is enhanced by the momentary suggestion, through a  pun, that she might be climbing up the curtains. The  ellipsis  or omission of the second use of the verb makes the eader think harder about what is being said. * â€Å"Military Intelligence is an  oxymoron† is the use of direct  sarcasm  to suggest that the military would have no intelligence. This might be considered to be a  satire  and a terse  aphorism. â€Å"But he's a soldier, so he has to be an Einstein† is the use of sarcasm through  irony  for the same effect. The use of  hyperbole  by using the word  Einstein  calls attention to the ironi c intent. An Einstein  is an example of  synechdoche, as it uses a particular name to represent a class of people: geniuses. â€Å"I had butterflies in my stomach† is a  metaphor, referring to my nervousness feeling as if there were flying insects in my stomach. To say â€Å"it was like having some butterflies in my stomach† would be a  simile, because it uses the word  like  which is missing in the metaphor. Tropes Main article:  Trope (linguistics) * allegory: Extended  metaphor  in which a story is told to illustrate an important attribute of the subject * alliteration: Repetition of the first consonant sound in a phrase. allusion: Indirect reference to another work of literature or art * anacoenosis: Posing a question to an audience, often with the implication that it shares a common interest with the speaker * antanaclasis: A form of  pun  in which a word is repeated in two different senses * anthimeria: Substitution of one part of speech for another, often turning a noun into a verb * anthropomorphism: Ascribing human characteristics to something that is not human, such as an animal or a god (see  zoomorphism) * antimetabole: Repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed grammatical order * antiphrasis: Word or words used contradictory to their usual meaning, often with irony * antonomasia: Substitution of a phrase for a proper name or vice versa * aphorism: Tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion, an adage * apophasis: Invoking an idea by denying its invocation * apostrophe: Addressing a thing, an abstraction or a person not present * archaism: Use of an obsolete, archaic, word(a word used in olden language, e. g.Shakespeare's language) * auxesis: Form of  hyperbole, in which a more important sounding word is used in place of a more descriptive term * catachresis: Mixed  metaphor  (sometimes used by design and sometimes a rhetorical fault) * circumlocution: â€Å"Talking around† a topic by substituting or adding words, as in  euphemism  or  periphrasis * commiseration: Evoking pity in the audience * correctio: Linguistic device used for correcting one's mistakes, a form of which is  epanorthosis * denominatio: Another word for  metonymy * double negative: Grammar construction that can be used as an expression and it is the repetition of negative words * dysphemism: Substitution of a harsher, more offensive, or more disagreeable term for another.Opposite of  euphemism * epanorthosis: Immediate and emphatic self-correction, often following a  slip of the tongue * enumeratio: A form of amplification in which a subject is divided, detailing parts, causes, effects, or consequences to make a point more forcibly * epanados: Repetition in a sentence with a reversal of words. Example: The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath * erotema: Synonym for  rhetorical question * euphemism: Substitution of a less offensive or more agreeable term fo r another * exclamation: An emphatic parenthetic addition that is complete in itself,Exclamation differs from interjection in that it usually involves an emotional response. * hermeneia: Repetition for the purpose of interpreting what has already been said * hyperbaton: Words that naturally belong together are separated from each other for emphasis or effect * hyperbole: Use of exaggerated terms for emphasis hypocatastasis: An implication or declaration of resemblance that does not directly name both terms * hypophora: Answering one's own  rhetorical question  at length * hysteron proteron: Reversal of anticipated order of events; a form of hyperbaton * innuendo: Having a hidden meaning in a sentence that makes sense whether it is detected or not * inversion: A reversal of normal word order, especially the placement of a verb ahead of the subject (subject-verb inversion). * invocation: Apostrophe to a god or muse * irony: Use of word in a way that conveys a meaning opposite to i ts usual meaning * kataphora: Repetition of a cohesive device at the end litotes: Emphasizing the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite * malapropism: Using a word through confusion with a word that sounds similar * meiosis: Use of understatement, usually to diminish the importance of something * merism: Statement of opposites to indicate reality * metalepsis: Referring to something through reference to another thing to which it is remotely related * metaphor: Stating one entity is another for the purpose of comparing them in quality * metonymy: Substitution of an associated word to suggest what is really meant * neologism: The use of a word or term that has recently been created, or has been in use for a short time. Opposite of  archaism * onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meaning oxymoron: Using two terms together, that normally contradict each other * parable: Extended  metaphor  told as an anecdote to illustrate or teach a moral lesson * paradox: Use of apparently contradictory ideas to point out some underlying truth * paradiastole: Extenuating a vice in order to flatter or soothe * paraprosdokian: Phrase in which the latter part causes a rethinking or reframing of the beginning * parallel irony: An ironic juxtaposition of sentences or situations (informal) * paralipsis: Drawing attention to something while pretending to pass it over * paronomasia: A form of  pun, in which words similar in sound but with different meanings are used * pathetic fallacy: Using a word that refers to a human action on something non-human * periphrasis: Using several words instead of few personification/prosopopoeia/anthropomorphism: Attributing or applying human qualities to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena * praeteritio: Another word for  paralipsis * procatalepsis: Refuting anticipated objections as part of the main argument * prolepsis: Another word for  procatalepsis * proslepsis: Extreme form of  paralipsis  in which the speaker provides great detail while feigning to pass over a topic * proverb: Succinct or pithy expression of what is commonly observed and believed to be true * pun: Play on words that will have two meanings * repetition: Repeated usage of word(s)/group of words in the same sentence to create a poetic/rhythmic effect * rhetorical question: Asking a question as a way of asserting something.Or asking a question not for the sake of getting an answer but for asserting something (or as in a poem for creating a poetic effect) * satire: Use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc. A literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. A literary genre comprising such compositions * simile: Comparison between two things using  like  or  as * snowclone: Quoted or misquoted  cliche  or  phrasal template * superlative: Saying that something is the best of something or has the most of some quality, e. g. the ugliest, the most precious etc. syllepsis: Form of  pun, in which a single word is used to modify two other words, with which it normally would have differing meanings * syncatabasis  (condescension, accommodation): adaptation of style to the level of the audience * synecdoche: Form of  metonymy, in which a part stands for the whole * synesthesia: Description of one kind of sense impression by using words that normally describe another. * tautology: Needless repetition of the same sense in different words Example: The children gathered in a round circle * transferred epithet: Placing of an adjective with what appears to be the incorrect noun * truism: a self-evident statement * tricolon diminuens: Combination of three elements, each decreasing in size * tricolon crescens: Combination of three elements, each increasing in size * zeugma: A figure of speech related to  syllepsis, but different in that the word used as a modifier is no t compatible with one of the two words it modifies * zoomorphism: Applying animal characteristics to humans or god