Argentavis - Facts and Figures

Argentavis - Facts and Figures Name: Argentavis (Greek for Argentina bird); pronounced ARE-jen-TAY-viss Habitat: Skies of South America Historical Epoch: Late Miocene (6 million years ago) Size and Weight: 23-foot wingspan and up to 200 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Enormous wingspan; long legs and feet About Argentavis Just how big was Argentavis? To put things in perspective, one of the largest flying birds alive today is the Andean Condor, which has a wingspan of nine feet and weighs about 25 pounds. By comparison, the wingspan of Argentavis was comparable to that of a small planeclose to 25 feet from tip to tipand it weighed anywhere between 150 and 250 pounds. By these tokens, Argentavis is best compared not to other prehistoric birds, which tended to be much more modestly scaled, but to the huge pterosaurs that preceded it by 60 million years, notably the giant Quetzalcoatlus  (which had a wingspan of up to 35 feet). Given its enormous size, you might assume that Argentavis was the top bird of Miocene South America, about six million years ago. However, at this time, terror birds were still thick on the ground, including descendants of the slightly earlier Phorusrhacos and Kelenken. These flightless birds were built like meat-eating dinosaurs, complete with long legs, grasping hands, and sharp beaks that they wielded on their prey like hatchets. Argentavis probably kept a wary distance from these terror birds (and vice-versa), but it may well have raided their hard-won kill from above, like some kind of oversized flying hyena. A flying animal the size of Argentavis presents some difficult issues, chief of which is how this prehistoric bird managed to a) launch itself off the ground and b) keep itself in the air once launched. Its now believed that Argentavis took off and flew like a pterosaur, unfurling its wings (but only rarely flapping them) in order to catch the high-altitude air currents above its South American habitat. Its still unknown if Argentavis was an active predator of the huge mammals of late Miocene South America, or if, like a vulture, it contented itself with scavenging already-dead corpses; all we can say for sure is that it was definitely not a pelagic (sea-flying) bird like modern seagulls, since its fossils were discovered in the interior of Argentina. As with its style of flight, paleontologists have made a lot of educated guesses about Argentavis, most of which, unfortunately, are not supported by direct fossil evidence. For example, analogy with similarly built modern birds suggests that Argentavis laid very few eggs (perhaps an average of only one or two per year), which were carefully brooded by both parents, and presumably not subject to frequent predation by hungry mammals. Hatchlings probably left the nest after about 16 months, and were only fully grown by the age of 10 or 12; most controversially, some naturalists have suggested that Argentavis could attain a maximum age of 100 years, about the same as modern (and much smaller) parrots, which are already among the longest-lived vertebrates on earth.

hypochondriasis essays

hypochondriasis essays The research topic that I have chosen to write on is Hypochondriasis. I have chosen this disorder because until recently hypochondriasis was considered a disorder with no effective treatments and has a very poor prognosis rate. The other reason is that hypochondriasis is usually found in the primary care field and many times may go untreated. The main treatments for hypochondriasis are small, but the main treatment that is used is cognitive-behavioral therapy. This includes explanatory therapy, exposure and response prevention, and group therapy. In addition, they have found that in patients with secondary hypochondriasis sometimes pharmacohtherapy works well along with cognitive-behavioral therapy. It is found that a high rate of hypochondriasis patients have co morbid conditions. It is very important to diagnosis this first before treating the patient for hypochondriasis. After diagnosing if the patient has co morbid conditions researchers have found that they are usually able to resolve the hypochondriasis if this is treated first. If the patient does not have co morbid conditions though usually, the first line of treatment used is the cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of therapy with hypochondriasis patients is usually very effective but the effectiveness rates are not completely known at this point. With pharmacotherapy researchers have found that in very few cases does this work, and if it does work it is usually with an SSRI. In short, there are very few and effective treatments for hypochondriasis but if diagnosed properly the patient does have a chance at recovery. Blanco, C., Margarinos, M., Nissenson, K., Chrisman, S., Hardy, E., ...

Analyze Supreme case of County Wayne vs Hathcock Essay

Analyze Supreme case of County Wayne vs Hathcock - Essay Example The only blight came with a small but significant percentage of landowners who refused to sell their lands voluntarily. For practicality reasons, this land could NOT be excluded from the noble project. This not only gave birth to the tussles between Wayne County and Hathock but also an interesting and applicable case to any urban planner and specifically a Michigan urban planner. Adopting a resolution of necessity and a declaration of taking the property (almost forcefully), Wayne County started condemnation procedures under the justification that thee land in question was to have more public benefits, in the long run, in its hands than in the aboriginal owners. The owners, on the other hand, felt that if the county was awarded eminent domain, which it did, it would be a constitutional breach. It is crucial to note that the Michigan Supreme Court had in 1981 used the case of public domain in a case Poletown Neighborhood Council v Detroit present on the same economic reasons as Wayne County’s. Article 10, section 2 of the Michigan constitution states that â€Å"private property shall not be taken for public use without just compensation. Property may only be taken if it is for a public purpose and if just compensation is provided.† An interesting debate on what exactly can be termed as public use ensued, with the term generating different ideas. For the land to meet the public test threshold and condemned property acquired by a private investor, the court set up 3 criterions. Public necessity was evident, the property remained very much subject to public control after transfer and that the reason for choosing the land did nothing but serve the public good. The court however failed to decipher any of the above exceptions applicable to Pinnacle Project. The Wayne v. Hathock opened other chapter to any planner’s mind: what if the land itself was the case of public

Miniaturization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Miniaturization - Essay Example Advantages of miniaturization Miniaturization is very vital as it has several advantages. It requires low cost, has the ability to accommodate greater density and it is high in speed. The small electronics are very faster as the signals they transmit travel over short distances and the devices do not travel for long distances within the implemented device. Furthermore, packing of small sized devices is quite advantageous as it help reduce the cost incurred in the electronics. For instance, though four times the memory capacity, a 1-megabit DRAM chip which contains 256-kilobit DRAM is less costly as compared to a product of same space. The number of chips on a system determines the total cost of the circuit therefore, 1-megait of DRAM used reduces the probable number of memory chips in the long run reducing the prices as compared to a four 256 kilobit DRAM in use. In addition, the prices of logic devices have gone down due to the greater integration and reduction in the size of the tr ansistors. Miniaturization is also vital as it has the ability to create new markets through enabling new and advanced applications. For instance, through development of the microprocessors which is a very small component in an integrated circuit has led to expansion of markets for personal computers. The flat panel displays with the improved packaging of chips have contributed to the advancement of battery-powered computers. This has been one of the functional markets that miniaturization has created. In addition, the reduction of cellular telephones and computers into small components has led to the merging of these devices to a cordless appliance which can easily link the whole world through network. For instance, the application of miniaturization is evident in companies such as Nippon Electric Company which offers laptops that have a cellular phone. This laptop is available in Japan though countries such as America are also coming up with this technological change in miniaturiz ation. Disadvantages of miniaturization Miniaturization has several side effects that are very difficult to handle. For instance, miniaturization produces a lot of noise. The quality of image suffers the soaring loud noise which comes from miniaturization of the varied pixel sizes. Errors from the registering photons and signaling process in reading out of the CCD phase leads to the production of noise. The different pixels differ in time and due to the varied sensitivity. Thus, there is a big difference in the amount of photons that are transformed to the electrical charge. More so, photons are always changing with change in the pixels at different times. However, if the photons fail to arrive noise must be produced in the process. If the pixels reduce then reducing noise becomes more difficult. There is high amount of photons arriving if the pixel is small in size. The energized or small pixels contain small energy difference as compared to huge pixels. This has made it difficult for one to easily distinguish noise from signals. Image noise in low light is severe while signals are lower. Therefore, amplifying weak signals leads to production of noisy pictures. Increase in miniaturization leads to increase in noise which causes a lot of waste on the area of the chip. Secondly, miniaturization leads to diffraction. Diffraction in miniaturization occurs when a wave takes its way or passes near an obstacle resulting to deflection of light. The normal dispersion of light is linear and involves photons spreading out near

Telemarketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Telemarketing - Essay Example Through the store image the retailers can force customers to buy their products. Store image is necessary to persuade and create a special image in the consumers' minds. Store image helps the retailer to differentiate itself from competitors. Customers integrate all their experiences of observing, using, or consuming a product with everything they hear and read about it. Information about stores comes from a variety of sources, including advertising, publicity, sales personnel, and packaging. Perceptions of service after the sale, price, and distribution are also taken into account. The sum of impressions is a store image, a unified image about both the products and the store that markets them. Store image attracts customers to both the store and the branded merchandise (McDonald, Christopher 2003). Merchandize assortment helps to attract wider target audience of potential consumers. The buyer orientation includes such categories as convenience, preference, shopping, and specialty goods. However, different assortments and quantities of products may be desired and purchased in various countries. Merchandize assortment makes selling more rewarding. It makes easier for customer to select a product they need and reduce time required for everyday purchases.

Street gangs in the UK and US

Street gangs in the UK and US Today, the problem of street gangs affects both the US and the UK. The emergence of gangs is often accompanied by the trend to the change of gang demographics, including the change of the age of gangs members, ethnic origin of gang members and so on. Historically, street gangs in the US and the UK developed in isolation from each other and they did not intersect in their criminal activities. Law enforcement agencies in the US and the UK used different methods of struggle against street gangs but both criminal justice systems in the UK and the US tended to the punitive methods of struggle. Remarkably outcomes of such struggle were similar and what is more this struggle was not very effective. Thus, street gangs kept growing and progressing in both the US and the UK. As a result, today, they represent a serious threat to the existing social order because street gangs are responsible for high street crime rates and violence, especially in large cities of both the US and the UK. In such a situation, a widely-spread belief that the physical distance and historical separation of street gangs in the US and the UK is growing popular. However, in actuality, street gangs in the US and the UK, being quite different tend to be quite similar because of the similar causes of their origin and because of the current trend to globalization which eliminates cultural differences between countries, while crime has always being in the avant-garde of the international integration of countries. Similarities between street gangs in the US and UK On analyzing the development of street gangs in the US and UK, it is possible to trace certain similar trends. For instance, one of the most disturbing trends concerning the development of street gangs is the growth of crime rates. In this respect, it is possible to refer to recent studies dedicated to the problem of street gangs in the US and the UK. According to one of the recent studies (Youth Violence, 2007), it is possible to reveal several key facts that indicate to the trend of gangs and crimes in the US growing younger and committed by gangs: In 1998, among youth ages 10 to 19 in the United States, there were 2,054 suicides, and suicide was the third leading cause of death for that age group. Male youth were more than four times more likely than females to complete suicide. More than 60 percent of youth suicides in 1998 were firearm-related suicides. From 1993 to 1998, suicide rates for teens ages 15 to 19 dropped by 18 percent. In 1998, among youth ages 10 to 19 in the United States, there were 2,570 homicide deaths, and homicide was the second leading cause of death for that age group. Male youth were more than four times more likely than females to be murdered. From 1993 to1998, homicide rates for teens ages 15 to 19 dropped by 43 percent. Just as homicides and suicides decreased from 1993 to 1998, nonfatal firearm injuries from crime declined 49 percent, and firearm injuries from suicide attempts decreased by 48 percent in that same time period At the same time, the study conducted in the UK (Street Robberies Soar by 28%), revealed the fact that there are several key areas where reported crime is on the rise are: Violent crime up 11% to 812,000 incidents Murders up 4% to 886 and attempted murders up 21% to 858 Robbery up 28% to more than 121,000 incidents, including a 31% rise in robbery of personal property. Rapes up 14% Soliciting up 60% In such a way, it is obvious that both street crimes tend to grow in both the US and the UK. However, the growth of crime rates does not necessarily imply the similarity of street gangs. In this respect, the location, where street gangs operate is much more important. In this regard, the location of street gangs in the US and the UK is also similar. To put it more precisely, one of the recent studies conducted in the UK by Hill (2007) reveals the fact that street gangs are located in the largest cities of the country. To put it more precisely, according to Hill (2007) the violence racking Britains cities is as follows: Manchester Doddington Boys, Pitt Bull Crew, Pepperhill Gang, Gooch Close Gang, Longsight Crew. All based around the Moss Side area from where they have been fighting a vicious turf war since the Nineties. Liverpool Croxteth Crew are the rivals of the Strand Crew from Norris Green. Liam Smith, 19, alleged leader of the Strand Crew, was shot dead last year. Birmingham The Burger Bar Boys gang were responsible for the killings of Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis in 2003. London The A Team, The Bombers, Claphams Clap Town Boys, Peckhams Blood Set and the PDC in Brixton which claims to have renounced violence are all established gangs. Recently a number of immigrant gangs have come to the fore. Nottingham Two members of the Waterfront Gang were jailed for life in October 2005 after being convicted of the drive-by murder of a schoolgirl. The similar location is typical for street gangs in the US. The FBI (1996) reports that violent street gangs are active in 94% of the medium- and large-sized cities in the United States (many of these cities have up to 40 different gangs), and that gang membership exceeds 400,000. More worrisome than the actual number of street gangs, however, is their rate of growth. (In 1991, there were an estimated 249,324 gang members.) This exponential increase is also apparent from the number of US cities reporting gang involvement (before 1961 = 54; up to 1970 = 94; up to 1980 = 172; up to 1992 = 766) (Klein, 1993), and escalating violence attributed to gang activity (Gangs in the United States, 2004). Obviously, street gangs in the US and the UK are located in large cities mainly. Small towns are not vulnerable to the development of street crimes. Difference between street gangs in the US and the UK In spite of obvious similarities, street gangs in the US and the UK are quite different. In this respect, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that the development of street gangs in the US occurs on the ethnic or racial ground. For instance, many street gangs especially in Southern states of the US involve members of the Latin American origin, or African Americans or other minorities, whereas whites are not inclined to the creation of gangs. In this respect, it is worth mentioning the fact that street gangs in the US exist in the inner city mainly, which is populated by minorities such as African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans and others. As for the UK, the ethnic distinction of street gangs is not so obvious. Representatives of the white majority are often gang members and the belongingness to a street gang does not necessarily mean that its members are representatives of minorities, which is the characteristic of street gangs in the US. Instead, many British street gangs consist of representatives of the poor or people originating from families of workers and other low-paid employees. In such a way, social standing is prior to ethnic origin in regard to the street gang membership in the UK. The common ground for street gangs in the US and UK On analyzing similarities and differences between street gangs in the US and the UK, it should be said that similarities prevail and, what is more important, street gangs in the US and the UK are rather similar than different. What is meant here is the fact that the causes of the origin of street gangs are similar in the US and the UK. One of the major causes of the emergence of street gangs in the US and the UK is the poverty which pushes community members to street gangs where they find protection and support which they cannot find in their families, or from the part of the state. Furthermore, the pauperization of the population in large and medium-size cities leads to the marginalization is often determined by their unemployment, which is another factor that increases the social tension and forces people to join street gangs. In addition, it is important to take into consideration the role of globalization which eliminates cultural barriers between countries and street gangs tend to become homogeneous to a certain extent. In a long-run perspective, this trend will grow stronger. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that street gangs are influenced by the modern culture and shape the modern culture to the extent that there are stereotypes which force people to join gangs because they believe that street gangs give them power and protection. Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that street gangs in the US and the UK are rather similar than different. Street gangs in the US and the UK emerge because of the desperate social position of their members. In addition, globalization makes values and culture of different countries closer and street gangs become closer too. Therefore, street gangs of the US are similar to those of the UK.

County Community College Should Provide On-Campus Housing Essay

When I moved to California two weeks before school started, I had difficulty looking for places to live around County Community College. This is because community colleges don’t usually have on-campus housing facilities for students. This made life very difficult for me because I was brand new to the area and I knew no one. My dad did help me by calling up one of his friends and asked if I could stay at their house temporarily until I was able to find a place I could live at, that was near school because I didn’t have a car at the time. The day I finally found a place to live, school was almost about to start. When I went to check the house out, I really disliked it there because there was no cooking allowed, the only time I could use the stove was to boil water. There were even curfews enforced because poor wooden floorboards would alert everyone whenever someone would walk around just to grab a cup of water or a snack at night. Another limitation was that the landlad y had ridiculous shower curfews that I had to follow. The house was very unclean and unhygienic due to the lack of maintenance and care provided for the building. There was no other choice but to live there because it was the closest place to school, that was within walking or biking distance, I could find because I didn’t know how to take the bus in this new country. This is what leads me to believe that County Community College should see if it’s feasible to construct an on-campus housing facility for students because it is able to help a large variety of students in various ways. County Community is a college that is known for its successful transfer rates. An article on CNN Money discussed about County Community’s fine transferring rates, â€Å"County Community s... ...enefits that can affect current and future students. However, County Community may choose to overlook some obstacles due to the great convenience and the great benefits that it may provide for both staff and students. County Community should not disregard this great opportunity that may change lives for staff and students, but look further more into this. Works Cited Aquije, Omar. â€Å"Most Community Colleges say Building Dorms is Good Plan.† Glens Falls Post-Star, 13 August. 2011. Web. 7 Nov 2013. Clark, Kim. â€Å"Community College: How to Avoid ‘dropout factories.’† Cable News Network, 07 June. 2012. Web. 7 Nov 2013. Driscoll, Emily. â€Å"Great Housing Debate: Living On or Off Campus.† Fox Business. Fox News Network, 19 July. 2013. Web. 7 Nov 2013. Staff, CB. â€Å"Campus Living: On Campus Vs. Off Campus.† College Bound Network, 08 August. 2011. Web. 7 Nov 2013.

Daycare Observation of Toddlers Essay

In today’s working society, parents need to rely on quality daycare for their children. However, finding a daycare that will strive to nurture each child’s unique qualities and create a work environment that encourages professionalism, growth, and diversity can be stressful for a parent because of the realization of how important this decision may be. A daycare teacher must focus on many different areas to provide a developmentally appropriate curriculum for young children. As a teacher in a toddler room, my girlfriend Christine needs to communicate to her peers, children and parents on a daily basis both verbally and non-verbally. As I entered the room, early this morning, I noticed five children, each of them doing his or her individual thing. About 70 percent of children, at this toddler age, have a vocabulary consisting of 50 to 250 words (Ginny Graves, 2003); however, only one of them spoke when I entered the room. Once the two females of the room noticed me, they immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at me in a disapproving way. One of the females hid behind the shelf, exposing only her part of her face, while the other turned her back to me to continue playing in the â€Å"dramatic play† sand box. As for the three boys, they seemed content, as if I were not a foreign object in the room. The set of twins waved to me as if to say â€Å"Welcome to our room† while the third boy said â€Å"Hi† with a big smile. I previously met the set of male twins on a recent previous trip from a few days ago; therefore, the warm welcome from the boys was expected. As I said, â€Å"Hello friends† to the children of the room, Christine immediately said â€Å"Hello Pete†, along with a big wave and smile to give example to the children. After taking a few steps into the room, I was asked to bend down so that I was at there level. Christine began to associate me with a picture of myself, which is posted on the closet door at the toddler’s eye level by saying, â€Å"Friends, we know Pete, he is in the picture†. Christine held the hands of the two females and brought them over to the picture and pointed to the picture of me and asked, â€Å"Do you see Pete in the picture†? One of the girls pointed reluctantly and the other bowed her head as in an uninterested manner. A few minutes into the observation and it was snack time, well at least to one of the twins it was. The boy was pointing to where they keep the snacks so Christine bent down to his level and began to say â€Å"You are pointing to the cabinet, does this mean you want snack†? The boy grunted as if to say yes. Christine said, â€Å"Yes you are right, it is time for snack, but what do we do right before snack?† Once the rest of the children heard this, they began to jump up and down to show their appreciation of snack time. The children understood what had to be done by placing his or her hands in the air. â€Å"That’s right. We need to wash our hands first before we eat†. Christine gave each toddler one direction at a time as to not overload them. She asked that they stand in a line in front of the sink so each of them could wash their hands, independently reinforcing with word labels as to how the child is washing his or her hands. She then played a game with them to find their appropriate place at the table. For each child, she asked them to sit in a colored chair that she announces for them to sit in, and then repeat back to her the color; this seating arrangement changes daily so that they learn their colors and as well as how to appropriately say them. This exercise helped them with speaking to others at a proper tone by not shouting. Once they all sat, she gave each child the option for apple juice or cranberry juice. Only one boy was able to make the decision on his own using words while the other grunted and pointed. As one of the females finished her first sip, she said the word â€Å"cold†. Whenever a child uses telegraphic speech, it is highly recommended for the instructor to reiterate what was said by the child in complete form (Michael K. Meyerhoff, 2002). Christine said, â€Å"That’s right. The juice is cold. Can everyone say cold? What else is cold?† The snack chosen by Christine was a common snack consisting of â€Å"Gold fish† and craisins. As the children began to eat the snack, there was one disapproving member of the bunch. This child immediately tossed her plate on the floor to show she was not satisfied with her snack. Christine immediately displayed her disapproval of this children’s action by saying to  her â€Å"Please use your words. We do not throw the craisins on the floor. They are for eating†. This child acknowledge what she heard by trying to speak the word â€Å"Sorry†. Once the children were finished eating, they were notified that they would be going outside in 10 minutes. Again, the children showed their appreciation by jumping up and down in excitement. Toddlers communicate with a combination of grunts and gestures as a preferred method of communicating. Understanding what the toddler is attempting to communicate, through these combinations, comes with time, dedication, understanding and patience. ;Spending just a short amount of time sheds new light as to why Christine needs a few minutes alone to herself when she arrives home. All day long she has keep all her non-verbal communication positive in front of the children for eight hours a day; this includes showing her pearly whites in the room even when she wakes up on the â€Å"wrong side of the bed† (Christine, personal communication, August 19, 2005). References: Ginny Graves (2003, April). Parents magazine: Toddler Talk Michael K. Meyerhoff (2002, April v20) Pediatrics for Parents: Perspectives on Parenting: Communication and language acquisition skills in toddlers. P8(2)

Niccolò Machiavelli Essay Example

Niccolà ² Machiavelli Essay Example Niccolà ² Machiavelli Paper Niccolà ² Machiavelli Paper The Prince, the philosopher Machiavellis most famous work, was a book dedicated to the leader Lorenzo de Medici, written on the topic of how to be an effective ruler. The basis of Machiavellis theory was that conditions of a society rise and fall perpetually as time continues, and a successful leader must learn to cope with these fluctuations. Of all the philosophers so far, Machiavellis take on the obligations of leaders and on government itself has been the most agreeable. In order to contend with constant change, leaders must understand and consider 5 key ideas: fortuna, virtu, necessita, occasione, and ordini. The factual existence and proof of these ideas are demonstrated today. Fortuna is the idea that everything that occurs, occurs by chance. Combined with virtu, the ability to think and act intelligently to overcome fortuna, and necessita, the obligation to face things necessary for human purposes, this states that a good leader must be prepared to help his people cope with sudden changes. For example, President Bush has given regular speeches about the September 11th attacks to keep the country in a state of ordini, which is the constant goal of order in a government. The United States Government is now using its virtu and necessita to determine the next step whether it be war or peace and is trying to find the occasione the time to act upon its decisions. Machiavelli was greatly disliked for his opinions expressed in The Prince. He thought that politics was a science; by studying the lives of great politicians of the past, the world today could supposedly do the same and gain the same results. In addition, he appropriately believed religion and morals should be eliminated from politics altogether, leaving politics amoral (with no knowledge of morals). This stated that leaders, therefore, could do bad or evil things in order to gain a greater good, such as in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki though many lives were lost, more would have been inevitably taken if the war had dragged on. Sometimes, however, leaders misjudge what the greater good actually is, and ends up doing immoral or at least incorrect things without any more-positive results; in these instances, according to Machiavelli, the leader is in fact in the wrong. For example, the USs interference in the Vietnam War simply cost us thousands of American lives. In order to be an effective leader, one must understand that people are not always agreeable, and peace is not a given. As a result of this, Machiavelli developed a 7th idea of an economy of violence if people do not listen to the government, then they must be punished. A truly competent leader would be able to minimize the amount of punishment and violence, and maximize prosperity. The US is once again a good example of this the government has created laws, which, if the people abide by them, allow benefits for the abiding individuals; however, those who break the laws are punished. Machiavellis views are accurate in stating, The end justifies the means. Though sometimes certain situations are too extreme to be applied to this theory, the idea in itself is appropriate, for if there is a greater good to be had, then sometimes evil acts are necessary. Society is in constant change, and leaders who have been accepted and beneficial have been able to cope with these changes.

Definition and Examples of Indexicality

Definition and Examples of Indexicality In pragmatics (and other branches of linguistics and philosophy), indexicality encompasses the features of a language that refer directly to the circumstances or context in which an utterance takes place. All language has the capacity for indexical function, but some expressions and communicative events suggest more indexicality than do others. (Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, 2008). An indexical expression (such as today, that, here, utterance, and you) is a word or phrase that is associated with different meanings (or referents) on different occasions. In conversation, interpretation of indexical expressions may in part depend on a variety of paralinguistic and non-linguistic features, such as hand gestures and the shared experiences of the participants. Examples and Observations of Indexicality Among philosophers and linguists, the term indexicality typically is used to distinguish those classes of expressions, like this and that, here and now, I and you, whose meaning is conditional on the situation of their use, from those such as, for example, noun phrases that refer to a class of objects, whose meaning is claimed to be specifiable in objective, or context-free terms. But in an important sense, namely a communicative one, the significance of a linguistic expression is always contingent on the circumstances of its use. In this sense, deictic expressions, place and time adverbs, and pronouns are just particularly clear illustrations of a general fact about situated language.(Lucy A. Suchman, What Is Human-Machine Interaction? Cognition, Computing, and Cooperation, ed. by Scott P. Robertson, Wayne Zachary, and John B. Black. Ablex, 1990)Direct Indexicality, DudeDirect indexicality is a meaning  relationship that holds directly between language and the stance, act, activit y, or identity indexed. . .An illustration of this process can be seen in the American-English address term dude (Kiesling, 2004). Dude is used most frequently  by young white men and indexes a stance of casual solidarity: a friendly, but crucially not intimate, relationship with the addressee. This stance of casual solidarity is a stance habitually taken more by young white American men than other identity groups. Dude thus indirectly indexes  young, white  masculinity as well.Such descriptions of indexicality are abstract, however, and do not take into account the actual context of speaking, such as the speech event and the identities of the speakers determined through other perceptual modes, such as vision. (S. Kiesling, Identity in Sociocultural Anthropology and Language.  Concise Encyclopedia of Pragmatics, ed. by J.L. Mey. Elsevier, 2009) Indexical Expressions- The success of a deictic act of reference to a given book by means of an indexical expression like This book, for instance, requires the presence of the book within the visual field shared by the interlocutors, just like its gestural indication. But indexical expressions are not necessarily put to deictic use. Definite noun phrases and third person pronouns allow for anaphoric and cataphoric use. During anaphoric indication, the expression remains the same, but the field undergoes a change. The expression does not typically refer to an individual physically given in the perceptual field, but necessarily refers to an entity previously or subsequently named within the same discourse or text: Im reading a paper on cataphora. I find it (this paper) interesting.(Michele Prandi, The Building Blocks of Meaning: Ideas for a Philosophical Grammar. John Benjamins, 2004)- The most frequently noted indexicals  are personal pronouns (I, we, you, etc.), demonstratives (thi s, that), deictics (here, there, now), and tense and other forms of time positioning (smiles, smiled, will smile). Our understanding of both spoken utterances and written texts must be anchored in the material world. To understand a sentence such as, Would you take this over there, we need a provisional location for myself (the speaker- a meaning for here), for you (my addressee), for the object (this), and for the goal intended (there). (Ronald Scollon and Suzanne B. K. Scollon, Discourses in Place: Language in the Material World.  Routledge, 2003)

Reflection on Kon-Tiki and The Concept of National Cinema Essay

Reflection on Kon-Tiki and The Concept of National Cinema - Essay Example In this regard, the Concept of National Cinema which was advanced by Andrew Higson is relevant to this film in its entire creation, editing and production (Andersson, 2010). The concept of National Cinema asserts that a film reflects the culture of a given country of its origin. This explains the varied dress codes, languages and overall production techniques of movies across the world. Taking the instance of Kon-Tiki, the film gives a narration of the cross cultural experience of the sailor through America and learning important aspects of cultural diversity as far as the role of art is concerned (Williams,2002). The filming industry as indicated by Higson need to observe the role of culture in influencing the audience size of the film viewers. Even the source of funding of a film dictates the cultural domination in it. In the case of Kon-Tiki, the film was created from a book that already had massive demand in various parts of the world before being acted through United States funding. It is therefore worth to conclude that the ideas expressed in Higson’s Concept of National Cinema are significantly captured in the techniques and mode of production of the

How to build an android application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

How to build an android application - Essay Example Android 1.0 was released in 2008 and featured in HTC dream. In Feb 2009 Android 1.1 update was released for the use in T mobile (Böhmer, 6). On 30th April 2009, cupcake version of android (Android 1.5) was unveiled with more enhancements than the previous version. It had Bluetooth and camcorder support, animation and on screen keyboard. Android version 1.6 Donut was released later in September the same year as the cupcake version. In October 2009, Android 2.0 Eclaire version was released with a few improvements made on the version 1.6. It had an improved user interface, speed, on screen keyboard. The release of versions 2.0.1 and 2.1 (SDK ) followed on 3rd December 2009 and 12th January 2010 respectively. Android 2.2: Froyo was then released on 20th May 2010 with such improvements as home screen widgets, camera control and multilingual keyboard support. On 6th December 2010, Android version 2.3: Gingerbread was released. This version had a more refined user interface which improved simplicity of the UI. The simplified user interface ensured an increased speed. The support for screens with higher resolution was another one of the improvement made in this version in addition to sensor compatibility (Böhmer, 8). Android 3.0: Honeycomb was released on 22nd February 2011 with an optimized user interface specifically for tablets. The on screen keyboard was redesigned for accuracy and speed in the entry. It enables Bluetooth tethering which allowed more devices share network connections. In 19 October 2011 Android version 4.0 : Ice cream sand which was unveiled with refined user interface, wifi direct support , network data control and face unlock among other enhancements. Android version 4.1:Jelly Bean was released on 9th July 2012 followed closely by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean 4.2 on 29th October 2012. A number of ways exist through which android development can be created. For windows, the following steps should