W00T †Word Of The Year

W00T – Word Of The Year W00T Word Of The Year W00T Word Of The Year By Sharon Merriam Webster has published its 2007 word of the year, and the winner is w00t. Who would have thought that a word with numbers in it would make the cut? According to M-W, the word is an expression of joy (similar to yay). Its also used by gamers to signify: We owned the other team. Words containing numbers are common in the vernacular of computer hackers. Other words in the top ten include: facebook (meaning to post to facebook) conundrum (a riddle or difficult problem) quixotic (foolishly impractical, capricious or unpredictable) blamestorm (discussing in a group who is to blame for missing a deadline) sardoodledom (mechanically contrived plot or structure or unrealistic characterization) apathetic (spiritless or indifferent) Pecksniffian (unctuously hypocritical) hypocrite (someone who puts on a false appearance or acts contrary to his or her beliefs) charlatan (a quack or fraud) The word of the year competition has been running since 2003. Previous word lists can be found here. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:English Grammar 101: All You Need to KnowTelling a Good Poem from a Bad One40 Idioms with First

Marketing communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing communications - Essay Example So now there is a desperate need to introduce, develop and implement various marketing communications tools in order to cater for the needs and influence the buying patterns of this ‘average bloke’ group. For any marketing plan to be successfully implemented, we first need to evaluate all possible communication tools and methods to promote the product. Next we need deduce what communication tools would best work for the product, and influencing the consumer to the maximum potential as well. Although women aged between 30 to 50 years are properly segmented and targeted, this is not the same for men of the same age group. First we need to construct a profile for the ‘average bloke’, defining their traits and personality characteristics. ‘Average Bloke’, tend to purchase based on their experiences. They buy the product based on quality mostly, and can easily compromise over quantity. Average bloke don’t waste time in buying a product, and wi sh to acquire the maximum information about a product in the least amount of time. Furthermore, average bloke recommend purchase decision based on WOM (Word Of Mouth), which is mostly preferred from family members and friend’s circle. Average bloke also spend less time on shopping as compared to women of the same age group, hence it can be deduced that for the average bloke time is of value. And if the purchasing time is less, the amount of satisfaction derived is the greatest. Average bloke, mostly feel that marketing strategies are just aimed at fooling the consumers into buying a useless product, hence the campaigns used to influence them should portray traits of sincerity, devotion and loyalty towards the consumers. Lastly we can also induce into the profile that average bloke require a strong, lasting and rational relationship with the brand, not just a temporary one. Marketing strategies consists of the marketing mix, which

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Case Study Example One such penetration was the historic September 11 attacks, which led to formation of 9/11 Commission. One of the commission’s recommendations was that the government of the US is not positioned to meet all its own obligations towards the Americans in prevention of terrorists’ entry without collaborating with other governments. In this, the US was supposed to exchange information on terrorism with other trusted allies as well as raise the American and global standards of border security for border crossing and travel via extensive international cooperation (Howard, 2006, p. 459). This recommendation forms the basis of this paper’s case study. The paper wishes to assess the progress of this recommendation for DHS’s view. September 11 attacks marked a great change in the world. This day cannot be considered as a mere media hype as many historians are referring to this date as the real start of the 21st century. It is a bit early to establish whether such assessment will bear out though it cannot be dismissed in simple terms. In fact, 11 September attacks ended the notion that the US could float above all the other nations across the globe and thus have incorporated their contribution in the war against crime (Belasco, 2011, p. 1). US cannot foster the false impression that what takes place in the other parts of the world affects them in no way. Thus, it is more important than ever before for nations to understand the kind of world they are living in as well as what the US has and/or is doing to make the world what it is (Rollins, 2010, p. 21). Collaboration has been a big lesson in combating terrorism and remarkable achievements have been noted. Many nations are getting out to the others as well as asking the Homeland Security, emergency management and law enforcement, health department etc. to ensure more cohesion on what appears as common threats irrespective of the nation under such threat (Laurent,

Final Exam Worl War II Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Exam Worl War II - Assignment Example Legally the British had no right to interfere with Germany’s annexation of part of Czechoslovakia. Germany and Czechoslovakia’s fight was between them. Great Britain could advise the two countries, but had no stake in the fight. Chamberlain did not have a choice but to act in the manner he did. History has made him look like a coward. This is not true. Chamberlain dealt with Germany in a logical manner. Two factors made Chamberlain negotiate with Germany instead of declaring war. The first factor was Chamberlain wanted to maintain peace on the European continent. The second factor was the lack of a treaty between Great Britain and Czechoslovakia. Great Britain and France dealt with Germany diplomatically due to these two factors. History might have been different if Germany tried to annex Poland first. Great Britain and France had a nonaggression treaty with Poland. Thus Poland and Germany’s fight was a British and French fight. History might have also been diffe rent if Czechoslovakia had made a treaty with Great Britain and France before Germany’s aggression. Basically Chamberlain acted in a responsible manner. He had no way of knowing the chaos that would ensue from encouraging Hitler. Chamberlain was a prime minister; he could not read minds or the future. If a simple lesson is to be learned from the situation between Chamberlain and Hitler, it would be do not let fear of the past shadow the future. Chamberlain was frightened by the Great War, like most of his generation. The carnage of World War I would frighten any sane person. This fear might have been more of a deciding factor than the legal aspect for Britain and France’s policies toward Germany during this time. Fear might have blinded Chamberlain into believing Hitler’s lies more easily. Fear should not have been a factor, but in Chamberlain’s defense, he was acting out of fear for his country. 2. There were

Just Desserts Theory and the Death Penalty

Just Desserts Theory and the Death Penalty Is the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment without just cause, or is it just desserts? According to the 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution: nor cruel or unusual punishment inflicted. (U.S. Constitution, 1791). It states that no one will be sentenced to a punishment greater than the crime, with a just system in place to ensure other constitutional rights are not infringed upon. I believe capital punishment is justified under the right circumstances. Some may say the capital punishment is cruel, for the reason you are extinguishing a bright, human life. However, is that life so bright if it smothered and snuffed out others? Before exploring the modern day implications of capital punishment, one must understand that the death penalty is as old as law itself. According to the website procon.org, the Code of Hammurabi contained the first known death penalty laws (History of the Death Penalty), and that was 1700s B.C. Throughout history, capital punishment has been applied to the most serious crimes according to a civilizations values at the time. Whether its helping slaves escape in the 18th century B.C., or murder in the 21st A.D., humanity has punished criminals with the death penalty for heinous crimes for thousands of years. For Americans, the death penalty is an incredibly controversial issue relating to every citizens constitutional rights. Regardless of which side of the issue you agree with, it is important to recognize the death penalty is only applicable to criminal cases of aggravated murder, treason, kidnapping, and rape, as well as a few other various crimes that vary from state to state (Death Penalty Information Center). One may only be sentenced to death if they have been convicted by a jury of their peers and if they have committed one of the aforementioned crimes. Therefore, their constitutional right to a fair trial, as granted by the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, is never violated (U.S. Constitution, 1791). As well, the death penalty affects the common good of society as a whole. Capital punishment keeps the truly dangerous criminals off the streets and out of the prison system. Those that choose to rape and murder could never hope to ever contribute positively to society, so, why should they live in prison and sponge off of state and federal government funds. In short, capital punishment keeps the general public safe from those that would seek to cause harm and grief. Furthermore, the interaction between these two features of American life is subject to fierce debate. I believe that the common good must come before individual rights, or the needs and safety of the public come before the rights of the individual. Now, this may seem like an alienation of ones rights, but the public is a conglomerate of people with their own rights, the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as outlined by the Declaration of Independence (Declaration of Independence, 1776). So, the question posed is how can a person utilize and live these rights when there are murderers, rapists, and bombers that seek to undermine the safety of the American public. The answer is to apply the death penalty to the most gruesome of crimes and to remove these individuals from the world once and for all, to ensure that no one may ever again fall victim to a heinous or violent crime. Additionally, let us not forget that each of these criminals is entitled due process of law and a fair trial. The scales are tipped in favor of the public as far as rights are concerned. Moreover, I intend to advocate my position by providing dangerous criminals on death row that are the underbelly of society. As well, I will explore the morality and implementation of capital punishment. There is a constitutional principle behind the 8th Amendment: that no on shall receive a punishment greater than the crime committed. This is an apt policy, demonstrating the foresight of our founding fathers. It ensures capital punishment is not doled out for minor crimes such as petty theft or vandalism. Rather, it is reserved for only the most gruesome of crimes. One such gruesome crime was the 2005 murders of Brenda Groene, her boyfriend and son, as well as the kidnapping of Brendas two youngest Shasta and Dylan in Coeur d Alene, Idaho (Joseph Duncan, Spokesman.com). The perpetrator, convicted felon Joseph Edward Duncan, then proceeded to murder Dylan in the Montana wilderness. As well, after his apprehension by the authorities he was tied to several other murders, one in California and two in Washington. Duncan was given due process of law, and was sentenced to ten consecutive life sentences and the death penalty for seven murders across four states in a ten year time span. The constitutional principle of just punishment was upheld, an eye for an eye. Justice was served in this instance, for if one murders seven others in cold blood, how can they themselves be worthy of life? Inversely, opponents to capital punishment unanimously believe that the punishment is racially biased. They believe this because the majority of prisoners on death row are in fact minorities. However, an independent study conducted by the R.A.N.D. Corporation (Research and Development), in which several separate teams were tasked with determining whether or not race factors into capital punishment (Muhlhausen, The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives). They concluded, independently with no inter-team contact, that incases resulting in the death penalty, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that decisions to seek the death penalty are driven by characteristics of crimes rather than by race. Furthermore, Prof. Richard Berk of the University of California concluded that cases with a black defendant and white victim or other racial combination are less likely to have a death sentence. (Muhlhausen). In continuation, another primary argument against capital punishment is it costs state and federal governments a great deal to carry out the sentences. They believe this because of constant appeals to convictions and demanded re-trials due to new evidence that cost the courts time and money over the course of decades per inmate. However, in a letter to the editor of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Assemblyman Curt Hagman of the California State Assembly observes the people against the death penalty are the ones that are creating the deficits with those very same appeals. (Hagman, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin). In this way, I believe the opposition to capital punishment, groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), is poisoning the public and courts against justice for grisly crimes. The solution to this problem is to take all the time needed the first time around, as well as to gather all possible evidence and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt guilt or innocence, as wel l as limiting appeals to one per inmate. In summary, the death penalty must be applied strictly, quickly, and fairly. By implementing the death penalty, justice can be served for capital crimes such as murder, and the public will be safe from humanitys worst. Also, if we as a nation dispose of all the red tape in the judicial system, the cost for euthanizing inmates will be reduced drastically. The time to act is now. Hundreds of prisoners have sat on death row for 30 years or more, with countless victims and families never seeing justice served. Help set everyones minds at ease and encourage the death penalty. Bibliographies The Declaration of Independence. The Heritage Foundation. 2008. Print Hagman, Curt. Dont End Death Penalty, Streamline It. InlandValley Daily Bulletin. 5 May 2012. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Muhlhausen, David B. The Death Penalty Deters Crime and Saves Lives. Heritage.org. 28 Aug 2007. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. Staff Writer. Crime Punishable by Death. Deathpenaltyinfo.org. Bjs.ojb.usdoj.gov. 29 Jan. 2012. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. Staff Writer. History of the Death Penalty. Procon.org. 8 May 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. Staff Writer. Joseph Duncan. Spokesman.com. 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. U.S. Constitution. Art./Amend. XI, Sec. 3 U.S. Constitution. Art./Amend. XIII, Sec. 3

The Legalization of Marijuana in the USA Essay -- Argumentative essays,

Legalization of marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in American society today. Surveys done by the US Government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive showed that 95 million Americans have used marijuana. There are two opposing sides that have strong stances on whether it should become legal or should remain illegal. We have one side that is anti-marijuana and the other is pro-marijuana. Each side provides valid and strong arguments supporting their views. The purpose of this paper is to carefully examine each opposing side and try to find some way to come to a compromise. First, let’s carefully look at the views of the anti-marijuana groups. There are several groups that are against marijuana legalization. To name a few are the Drug Enforcement Agency, law enforcement offices, and some religious groups. The anti-marijuana view suggests that there are more negative effects that will come from the legalization than keeping it banned. First, they argue that marijuana is the so called gateway drug to harder more addicting drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Another valid dispute is that driving while high will steadily increase and even though there are strict punishments against drinking and driving, it is hard to recognize if someone is high. Like they say unless the person has just smoked cannabis in the car, it won’t have a strong odor like the fumes coming from someone who has been drinking alcohol. Next, there are the disagreements that if cannabis is made lawful people are afraid that it will land up in the hands of children. It has been said that if children can get their hands on alcohol and cigarettes, they will be able to find the way to getting marijuana. When this happens children will start ... ...d place them into stores where someone would have to show proof of age just like if they were buying a pack of cigarettes or alcohol. Plus, by allowing the government to take control of the production, they could place a hefty tax on the price to help pull our economy out of a slump. If this resolution is executed properly each of the individual desired outcomes could be achieved. The first outcome that would be achieved is it would get the United States out of recession by producing a source of tax revenue, more job opportunities and which then would allow society to go out and spend more. Second, by keeping drugs off the streets it would make it harder for children and teens to get a hold of it and become addicted. The final goal that can be achieved is the crime rate would go down because there would not be arrests and imprisonment on simple marijuana charges. The Legalization of Marijuana in the USA Essay -- Argumentative essays, Legalization of marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in American society today. Surveys done by the US Government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive showed that 95 million Americans have used marijuana. There are two opposing sides that have strong stances on whether it should become legal or should remain illegal. We have one side that is anti-marijuana and the other is pro-marijuana. Each side provides valid and strong arguments supporting their views. The purpose of this paper is to carefully examine each opposing side and try to find some way to come to a compromise. First, let’s carefully look at the views of the anti-marijuana groups. There are several groups that are against marijuana legalization. To name a few are the Drug Enforcement Agency, law enforcement offices, and some religious groups. The anti-marijuana view suggests that there are more negative effects that will come from the legalization than keeping it banned. First, they argue that marijuana is the so called gateway drug to harder more addicting drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Another valid dispute is that driving while high will steadily increase and even though there are strict punishments against drinking and driving, it is hard to recognize if someone is high. Like they say unless the person has just smoked cannabis in the car, it won’t have a strong odor like the fumes coming from someone who has been drinking alcohol. Next, there are the disagreements that if cannabis is made lawful people are afraid that it will land up in the hands of children. It has been said that if children can get their hands on alcohol and cigarettes, they will be able to find the way to getting marijuana. When this happens children will start ... ...d place them into stores where someone would have to show proof of age just like if they were buying a pack of cigarettes or alcohol. Plus, by allowing the government to take control of the production, they could place a hefty tax on the price to help pull our economy out of a slump. If this resolution is executed properly each of the individual desired outcomes could be achieved. The first outcome that would be achieved is it would get the United States out of recession by producing a source of tax revenue, more job opportunities and which then would allow society to go out and spend more. Second, by keeping drugs off the streets it would make it harder for children and teens to get a hold of it and become addicted. The final goal that can be achieved is the crime rate would go down because there would not be arrests and imprisonment on simple marijuana charges.

Dominant Images of Women and Gender Construction

Introduction Women in society are viewed as subordinates to men. Women are expected to listen, sit and wait for the men. There are examples of the subordination of women everywhere you look. In literature, the media and different societies all over the globe, women are portrayed as lesser than men. In the past, many Eastern and Western societies did not allow women to be educated due to the fact that men thought women should not have the knowledge and be able to use their knowledge in any way. Men treated women in such a primitive manner.All the females needed to know were the basics of keeping house, raising children, and following their husband’s orders. In section 2, I will describe two dominant imageries of women. I will provide modern day examples of these two dominant images which I chose to discuss. I will discuss how these images co-play with the mechanisms of gender construction. There will be a feed-back loop on the effects of expectations of women due to these 2 typ es of imagery. 2. Women as Sex Objects Women are often viewed as sex objects.One reason why men view women as sex objects is because men use women to reproduce and without women, there will be no way to have more children. Another reason why men view women as sex objects is because it makes them feel more superior to women. This is especially true in the porn industry. Pornography constructs women as what men want sexually. Pornography is the answer to the fantasies of men. Women are constantly being dominated by men and used to satisfy the men’s desires. In many cases, women who are perceived as â€Å"dangerous† are often made to appear less threatening, more childlike.Women who are perceived to be too pure are portrayed to be more â€Å"bad†. Many antipornography feminists protest against pornography because it degrades women and promotes violence against women. Overall, pornography radiates a bad image of women to the world. As a result of women being viewed as sex objects, men acquire a certain expectation from women to act and behave the way women are portrayed in pornography. Sometimes, men take pornography scenes too literally and are tempted to re-enact the scenes out, giving life to these fantasies. In MacKinnon’s, Pornography, Civil Rights, and â€Å"Speech†: The books that were ound with this man were: Violent Stories of Kinky Humiliation, Violent Stories of Dominance and Submission – you think feminists made up these words? – Bizarre Sex Crimes, Shamed Victims, and Water Sports Fetish, Enemas and Golden Showers. The Minnesota Supreme Court said, â€Å"It appears that in committing these various acts, the defendant was giving life to some stories he had read in various pornographic books. †(1993: 379). Women as Earth Mothers Ever since ancient times, women have been viewed as earth mothers because they are considered to be closer to nature.Staying at home, having kids, raising the kids, teachin g, cooking and cleaning – these are all the things that are expected naturally from women. According to anthropologist Sherry Ortner: Women are universally devalued and this is tied to the symbolic association of women and â€Å"nature†. (1974: 29). She argued nature is controlled by culture by means of symbol and artifacts. In her sense, â€Å"culture† is associated with human consciousness and the products of humans, such as technology and thoughts which humans use to control â€Å"nature†.This means that culture is superior to nature because it can form and shape nature any way it wants to shape it according to the needs or wishes of humans. As earth mothers, women are associated with â€Å"nature† and men have been associated with â€Å"culture†; so therefore, men are seen as superior to women and men can easily control women. Women are considered closer to nature in 3 ways. One is due to their ability to bear children. To be able to rep roduce makes women a step closer to nature than men. Another reason is based on the fact that women are caretakers or infants and children.They are nurturing individuals who take care of children who are too young to acquire cultural values so this makes children closer to nature. The women are viewed as even closer to nature because they are taking care of these young children who have yet to acquire culture. The third way women are seen as earth mothers is because women deal with more concrete issues such as taking care of the children, taking care of her husband, and housework. As a result of women being viewed as earth mothers, the women act the role while the men expect the women to have kids and nurture the family.If this standard expectation is not followed, society will criticize the individuals. 3. Conclusion There are many dominant images of women. The main ones I chose to discuss are women portrayed as subordinate sex objects and women portrayed as nurturing earth mothers . The world is still filled with the idea that women are subordinates compared to men and it will be a tough fight for feminists; but little by little, progress is being made. Soon, not only women are going to be viewed as the caretakers of the family – men are slowly adopting the roles women are currently playing. Society is gradually changing.