Use Truncated Words with Caution

Use Truncated Words with Caution Use Truncated Words with Caution Use Truncated Words with Caution By Mark Nichol When is it acceptable to use abbreviated versions of words? The type of publication and the context of the content determine the suitability of truncated words. Some words used in even the most formal writing are shortened versions of words that now seem stiffly pedantic: auto is the first part of automobile, zoo derives from â€Å"zoological gardens,† and flu was snatched from the middle of influenza. Phone and plane are taken from the third and second syllables of telephone and airplane, which are themselves becoming obsolete. But what about, for example, carb (from carbohydrate), hood (from neighborhood), or perp (from perpetrator)? Such terms may be found in newspaper and magazine feature stories (though not in news articles) and in less formal contexts such as blog posts and mass-market books, but they’re highly unlikely to be found in scholarly texts, academic papers, and business reports. This discussion doesn’t answer the question I posed in the first paragraph, however. How do you determine whether abbreviated terms such as these are appropriate for more formal content? The key is to avoid being an innovator. Once sociology texts refer to burbs, papers on nutrition mention veggies, and science journals discuss nukes, you’ll know it’s safe to employ these terms. Until then, be more circumspect about using such casualisms except in vernacular writing. Writing and speech are becoming more informal, and modern usage also reflects the inclination toward faster-paced communication enabled by more sophisticated technology, but acceptance of colloquial vocabulary still lags in general acceptance by years if at all. That last point is significant: Writers who use colloquial abbreviations risk being ahead of the curve, especially if that curve never manifests itself, and convention continues along in a straight line. Use of casualisms is especially questionable in printed books, even those dealing with popular culture and other general-interest topics, because of the delay in publication between drafting the manuscript and publication of the book. By the time the product is released, months later, the public may have rejected or forgotten the term, and its persistence in print may distract readers. In informal, ephemeral writing such as blog posts, anyone can form new boundaries, but in more formal contexts, be a follower, not a leader. 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 Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsCharles's Pen and Jesus' Name

BGSU (GPA, SAT Scores and ACT Scores for Admission)

BGSU (GPA, SAT Scores and ACT Scores for Admission) BGSU GPA, SAT and ACT Graph Bowling Green State University GPA, SAT Scores and ACT Scores for Admission. Data courtesy of Cappex. How Do You Measure Up at Bowling Green State University? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex. Discussion of BGSUs Admissions Standards: Bowling Green State University admissions arent overly selective, but you will need decent grades and test scores to be admitted. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. Successful applicants typically have high school averages of B- or higher, combined SAT scores of 900 or higher (RWM), and ACT composite scores of 17 or better. Youll notice a few red dots (rejected students) and yellow dots (waitlisted students) mixed in with the green and blue on the left and lower portions of the graph. A few students with grades and test scores that were on target for Bowling Green were not admitted. The opposite is also true some students got in with grades and test scores that were a bit below the norm. This is because Bowling Greens admissions process is about more than numerical data. The admissions folks will want to see that you have taken rigorous college preparatory courses, not courses that get you an easy A. The university will also take into consideration factors such as a students contribution to campus diversity, a students special talents, and a students socioeconomic background. To learn more about Bowling Green State University, high school GPAs, SAT scores and ACT scores, these articles can help: BGSU Admissions ProfileWhats a Good SAT Score?Whats a Good ACT Score?Whats Considered a Good Academic Record?What is a Weighted GPA? Articles Featuring Bowling Green State University: Mid-American ConferenceOhio Colleges and UniversitiesPhi Beta Kappa If You Like BGSU, You May Also Like These Schools   Other large public universities in Ohio, similar to BGSU, include  Cleveland State University, the  University of Toledo,  Ohio University,  Kent State University, and  Youngstown State University. Colleges in the NCAA Mid-American Conference that  are  most similar in size and academic profile to Bowling Green include  Miami University,  Eastern Michigan University,  Ball State University, and  Northern Illinois University.

Reflection on Christian text Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflection on Christian text - Essay Example s, a Christian fulfills all the other commandments, because they will avoid doing sin against God or even doing anything that might harm their neighbors. Therefore, the commandment of love is related to the other commandments, since it binds them all, by giving a single course of action that can be taken by the Christians, to avoid the necessity of trying to fulfill all the commandments. When one loves God and his/her neighbor, sin or any other evil acts that are guarded against by the commandments will no longer be a part of him/her. When Jesus said that â€Å"All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments,† he meant that the commandments and the life that prophets had been advocating for Christians to live can easily be accomplished through loving God and loving ones neighbor. Thus, the commandment of love becomes the core of all Christian laws, since Christians should be bound by love for God and for their fellow men, and in so doing, they will accomplish Gods will in their life, which is living free of sin and serving other people, as Christians would serve

Theoretical Matrix of Organizational Change Research Paper

Theoretical Matrix of Organizational Change - Research Paper Example However, it should be noted that the contribution of these people is vital for effective change to take place. The fourth category is late majority, which mainly involves individuals who are interested in the results brought about by change before they can devote themselves to the change. The fifth one is laggards, which is composed of individuals who might disagree with efforts aimed at bringing change. In addition, they may also not be effective during the initial as well as the late change phases (Bate, Mendel and Robert, 2008). Kotter’s Theory According to Kotters' theory, change is made of emotional and situational components. Moreover, he developed a model of eight steps where through it change can be managed. These include the development of urgency, creation of a team to guide others, creation of vision, buying communication, enabling actions, creation of short-term advantages, not giving up and making the change stick. In addition, Kotter organizes every step into thr ee similar phases. The initial phase, which is the creation of climate that enables change, entails the first, second and third step. The next phase is engaging and enabling the entire organization; moreover, it entails step four, five and six while the last phase involves implementing and sustaining change; additionally, it encompasses the seventh and eighth steps. This theory involves gradual change that eventually becomes permanent, during the period of implementation; thus, an organization can enjoy various changes that are taking place. Therefore, when the change is complete it is anchored into an organization’s policies, and it becomes permanent. This theory mostly involves the person who comes up with the idea to make changes since it is his or her responsibility to see it successful. In addition, Kotter’s change theory is relevant in healthcare since it is capable of enhancing patient safety. Moreover, the theory offers opportunities for innovations capable of improving the safety of patients within the healthcare (Kotter, 2007). Lippitt’s Theory Lippitt came up with the seven-step theory, which lays much emphasis on the key roles, as well as responsibilities of change agent; however, there is a continuous exchange of information all through the process. Moreover, it commences with diagnosis of the problem whereby the problem is detected, and raises the organizations’ concern. After the diagnosis, the motivation and capability for change is assessed. Therefore, assessment of resources as well as motivation of the agent of change is the step that follows. The next step entails choosing change objects that are progressive; however, there is also the development of action plans and establishment of strategies. Change agent’s role ought to be selected and understood clearly by every party in order to ensure that clear expectations are made; therefore, maintaining change then follows. Effective communications, as well as c oordination of groups, are vital components in this phase. Finally, change agent ought to pull steadily out from their major roles with time. Therefore, this can take place when change has become part of the culture of the organization (Petersen & Pedersen n.d). However, after the change has been implemented it should be included in an organization’s rules and policies to make it part of the company. The Theories Application Lippit’

Branches of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Branches of Philosophy Essay In order to narrow the aims of discussion philosophy was broken into branches. Traditionally philosophy has been broken into four main branches; however we would like to add a fifth branch in our text -Epistemology Epistemology, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge and love. -Metaphysics Metaphysics (derived from the Greek words ta meta ta physika biblia) meaning the book that follows the physics book. It was the way students referred to a specific book in the works of Aristotle, and it was a book on First Philosophy. (The assumption that the word means beyond physics is misleading) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). In other words, Metaphysics is the study of the most general aspects of reality, such as substance, identity, the nature of the mind, and free will. In other way is a study of nature and the nature of the world in which man lives -Logic Logic (from Classical Greek (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy amongst philosophers (see below). However the subject is grounded, the task of the logician is the same: to advance an account of valid and fallacious inference to allow one to distinguish good from bad arguments. -Ethics Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy. Other Branches Philosophy of Education: Fairly self-explanatory. A minor branch, mainly concerned with what is the correct way to educate a person. Classic works include Platos Republic, Lockes Thoughts Concerning Education, and Rousseaus Emile. Philosophy of History: Fairly minor branch (not as minor as education), although highly important to Hegel and those who followed him, most notably Marx. It is the philosophical study of history, particularly concerned with the question whether history (i. e.the universe and/or humankind) is progressing towards a specific end? Hegel argued that it was, as did Marx. Classic works include Vicos New Science, and Hegel and Marxs works. Philosophy of Language: Ancient branch of philosophy which gained prominence in the last century under Wittgenstein. Basically concerned with how our languages affect our thought. Wittgenstein famously asserted that the limits of our languages mark the limits of our thought. Classic works include Platos Cratylus, Lockes Essay, and Wittgensteins Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Philosophy of Law: Also called Jurisprudence. Study of law attempting to discern what the best laws might be, how laws came into being in the first place, attempting to delimit human laws from natural laws, whether we should always obey the law, and so on. Law isnt often directly dealt with by philosophers, but much of political philosophy obviously has a bearing on it. Philosophy of Mathematics: Concerned with issues such as, the nature of the axioms and symbols (numbers, triangle, operands) of mathematics that we use to understand the world, do perfect mathematical forms exist in the real world, and so on. Principia Mathematica is almost certainly the most important work in this field. Philosophy of Mind: Study of the mind, attempting to ascertain exactly what the mind is, how it interacts with our body, do other minds exist, how does it work, and so on. Probably the most popular branch of philosophy right now, it has expanded to include issues of AI. Classic works include Platos Republic and Wittgensteins Philosophical Investigations, although every major philosopher has had some opinion at least on what the mind is and how it works. Philosophy of Politics: Closely related to ethics, this is a study of government and nations, particularly how they came about, what makes good governments, what obligations citizens have towards their government, and so on. Classic works include Platos Republic, Hobbes Leviathan, Lockes Two Treatises, and J. S. Mills On Liberty. Philosophy of Religion: Theology is concerned with the study of God, recommending the best religious practises, how our religion should shape our life, and so on. Philosophy of religion is concerned with much the same issues, but where Theology uses religious works, like the Bible, as its authority, philosophy likes to use reason as the ultimate authority. Philosophy of Science: Study of science concerned with whether scientific knowledge can be said to be certain, how we obtain it, can science really explain everything, does causation really exist, can every event in the universe be described in terms of physics and so on. Also popular in recent times, classic works include Humes Treatise on Human Nature, Kripkes Naming and Necessity, Kuhns Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Empiricism is a philosophical idea based on the idea that all reliable knowledge about the world is gained in the process of experience. Famous empiricists were Hume, Locke and Berkley, basing themselves on ideas already postulated by Aristotle, that we are born with the Tabula Rasa which receives throughout our lives information on which it can base all thinking and knowing. The movement of empiricism was in part a countermovement to what Descartes and Spinoza had proposed as rationalism. Knowledge derived from experience is called a posteriori. - Doing Philosophy Many fields can be studied and learned without ever actually working with the tools in the field. For instance, chemistry can be learned in depth without ever picking up a test tube or mixing ionic compounds. Philosophy, however, is more about the methodology behind deriving answers than it is about the answers themselves. As such, students studying philosophy must use the methodology of philosophy on the philosophy they are learning as they are learning it. Doing philosophy involves asking the right questions, critically examining the work of previous philosophers, truly understanding the works and the reasoning behind the works, and possibly building on the works of previous philosophers by expanding or testing this methodology.

A Social Injustice: the effects of social inequalities in foster care a

As an adult, people that I encounter in my everyday life often wonder how I got to be the person that I am today – an understanding, open-minded individual who does not look down upon anyone that is less fortunate than I am and who does not look to â€Å"more† fortunate individuals as role models. When I am asked how I got to be so understanding, I answer giving credit to my parents’ value system they instilled in me as well as acknowledging their duties as public servants in the City of New York. My father was a police officer who worked in a number of precincts in some of the worst, crime ridden areas of Brooklyn and my mother worked for the Department of Social Services in Child Welfare and the Bureau of Public Assistance, initially as a case-worker, in Brooklyn as well. It was because of their experiences in the â€Å"field† and interacting with those less fortunate then we were that I gained a certain level of knowledge and understanding of the unfor tunate mishaps of people of my culture and the inequalities inflicted upon the black community. Yet the most influential aspects of my knowledge came from the exposure my mother had through working for the City of New York’s child welfare system and the unfair treatments that her clients endured. As a result I will discuss the affects of social, economic and racial inequalities suffered by her clients and the impact it has had on their children’s education. During my studies in this class, we have discussed many issues in society that affects children apart of education systems across America. After reading through our assigned texts so far, I have had time to reflect upon and add to the opinions discussed in class as far as access, gender, opportunity and particularly inequalities in today’s society and how they affect our children today. The main text that influenced most of my opinions so far is David Nasaw’s book â€Å"Schooled to Order† – which discusses the history of the public school system here in America. As shown through my reaction papers and discussions in class, I felt Nasaw’s theories and opinions were reflective of the elitist, biased and prejudiced attitudes towards the working poor. I believed that people in our society today believe that unless you come from a certain lineage, pedigree, or mass amounts of money that the individual lacks a certain level of class and therefore would no t be successful adul... ...y own observance, many of these children learn from an early age to give up hope in growing up to improve their lives through education, and sometimes do not want to strive to achieve better. My mother and I both agree that until racial, economic and social inequalities are put into balance, that this city as well as many other areas around the country minority citizens will seem to always struggle and suffer from unfair treatments. She said that it is no coincidence that most of the city’s worst schools, hospitals, and emergency services seem to largely be in heavily minority populated areas and she feels that the biggest inequality in New York is race. Admittedly, this paper has been the most difficult for me to prepare in that of the topics we discussed in class, I feel that inequalities is the main category for society’s problems in which it incorporates accessibility, opportunity, gender, and mostly race. Our education system has been set-up mainly to separate the elite from the masses, and the fact that blacks have been apart of this country’s history, unfortunately have always been the last on the social list and I believe that until it changes, they will remain that way.

Artificial Intelligence in the Near Future Essay

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a bunch of robots do everything for you? Cook, clean, run errands, maybe even take care of the children and animals. That sounds like a pretty easy life. What would you do though if they all turned on you; suddenly your easy life was made more difficult than before. There are two sides to Artificial Intelligence, much like there are two sides to every person. There is a lot to take in when talking about Artificial Intelligence, such as what it means, how it started, advantages, disadvantages, things that use artificial Intelligence, how do other people feel about it, how do you feel about it, and many other questions. So what is Artificial Intelligence? Artificial Intelligence is considered the development of machines such as robots and security systems that do the jobs of humans. They are also able to understand human speech. With this being said in the future robots will be able to do everything humans can, if not better. Things that use Artificial Intelligence will be programmed to response to voices, either any voice that speak to it, or only certain ones. Systems that can only open to a certain voice are most likely going to be used for government work, while ones that open to any can be used for everyday things. In 1963 Konrad Zuse invented the Z1 computer. This computer was the first computer that was freely programmable. 1942 John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry Created the ABC Computer, twenty years later Steve Russell and MIT invent the Spacewar computer game, which was the first computer game on record. By 1973 Robert Metcalfe and Xerox were able to come up with computer networking. Eleven years after that in 1984 Apple invented the Macintosh Computer, which was the first affordable desktop computer to be in homes. In 1949, between the ABC Computer and the first computer networking advancement in computer theory lead to computer science, and eventually Artificial Intelligence. After networking came about AI (Artificial Intelligence) became possible. Norbert Wiener was the first American to make the observation between human intelligence and machine, this happened back in 1950. Even though Norbert made the connection John McCarthy was consider the father of AI, because he put together many conferences to get AI up and working. This took seven years. Finally the Thermostat was consider the first AI because it could control the temperature in the room, it was able to notice if the room was to hot or too cold, and adjust it to your liking. Then in 1955 The Logic Theorist was developed by Newell and Simon, and consider to be the first AI computer program. BY 1960 it was predicted that by 1985 AI would be doing the job of humans (Kurweil 69) Fast forwarding to the present AI has skyrocketed. There are vacuums that all you have to do is press the power button and it does everything on its own there is no need for you to do any of the work. GPS are also a great invention, put one in your car, or type on your phone and it can tell you how to get where you need to be, as well as find shorter routes, non toll roads, as well as avoiding accidents or back up traffic, you can even put in if you are walking or riding a bike. Smart phones have made lives easier as well. There is so much you can do with them, from checking bank account to putting in reminders, and some things are even voice activated. AT&T Bell Laboratories may be the single most active telecommunications body working in Artificial Intelligence. Now if you want to have some fun with an AI, Cleverbot is the way to go. Cleverbot is a computer system that you can talk to, it’s doesn’t always have the nicest things to say, or even make sense but it is fun to play around with. The most recent thing to come of age is a car that drives itself, and is able to tell the difference between people who are walking and those on bikes. In 2004 the Company named Topix was founded by Sun Microsystems and Netscape engineers Tom Markson, Bryan Dole, and Bob Truel. This company created artificial intelligence algorithms to monitor news from more than 50,000 sources. They later added user-generated capabilities allowing site visitors to share, edit, and discuss news. Having an item that is an AI has its advantages. For starters it would make for safer work places. Some work places have jobs with low oxygen, radioactive elements or even poor weather conditions, if we have robot working in those environment instead of human, many lives could be saved. Even jobs that keep families apart would be at an all time low. NASA and the Military would also have more advance weapons. They would be able to notice and destroy other countries harmful weapons and keep us safer. Also if we had robots and other types of machines that do not need to rest or eat, they could work around the clock on finding a cure for cancer, and ending world hunger. Instead of sending our men and woman to foreign countries were they are bombed and shot at, we could send AI machines. Most of all there would be less error in the work place. Many places already use machine to do things because they can better measure out the right amount of equipment. There is a downside to using AI as well. With the rise of robots taking over jobs it means people will be replaced. The unemployment rate will go up, less people will get the help they need because too many people will need assistants, and laziness in humans will reach an all time high. Without having to go anywhere or do anything that will leave people to sit and watch TV all day. With jobs being taken away, younger generations will be at a disadvantage because they will not know what it is like to â€Å"earn a buck†. As AI grows they will be collecting all kinds of information, too much knowledge for one being is not a good thing, they might end up thinking they are smarter than us, and go haywire causing more problems. Not to mention if the wrong people get their hands on it they could misuse it. Most of all though it will be pricey. Meaning the people will have higher taxes to pay, and with robots doing all the work with money we just don’t have. When it comes to artificial intelligence my thoughts on it are 50/50. While I think it would be great to have extra help in work places or around the home, as well as not having to put so many people in danger just to get a job done I myself would not want to lose my job. I feel that if we use artificial intelligence for the good of others and not just to make things easier then we should do fine, but we must be careful that it does not fall into the wrong hands. After taking a survey of ten men and ten woman ranging from the ages twenty to forty, asking them if they think artificial intelligence would be a good use for the future, the result were as followed: five said yes, five said no, 3 were unsure, and seven think it would be both good and bad. In the twenty age group most were unsure though those who chose both were close behind, yes and no’s were equal. In the age group of thirty there were no yes’s or unsure, those who chose no were beaten out by those who chose both. In the forty age rang there were no unsure, those who chose both and no’s were equal as the yes’s beat them out. So it would seem the younger you are the more you are not sure, and the older you are the more you would like it to happen. I asked the people that I surveyed why they picked the answer they did. For those who said No, most of them said it was because they wouldn’t want to lose their job, while other worry about the system outsmarting us and causing a lot of damage and problems, pulse they have no moral judgment, compassion or other human emotions. Those who said yes were looking forward to work being easier, decision making would be easier and not put as much pressure on the person in charge. One of the people who said yes had this to say â€Å"Yes they could rescue a child from a burning building without getting hurt†¦83 Firefighters died last year while attempting to stop fires. That number would be zero if we had AI in the sense of I, Robot. That’s just one example but the implications are innumerable. Would you rather have a robot that never fatigues or gets distracted do surgery on your brain†¦ or a surgeon that may have had a late night or may have a difficult personal issu e on his mind, like a divorce? (J.s).Those who choose both thought that it should be allowed, but with limits. Everyone has questions when it comes to AI. The one that seems to be worried about the most though is â€Å"will laws change, or will there be different laws for AI? People are worried that they will have to learn a new set of laws. If by chance there are different laws for AI beings will they be just as fair as ours? Or will they have more privileges? There is so much information out there when it comes to AI that it can be hard to keep up with. Now that you know what AI is, how it started, things that use it, advantages and disadvantages, my thoughts, other peoples thoughts and questions that are asked you have a good head start on learning more. What you find may surprise you and enlighten you, but nevertheless it is very interesting. One last piece of advice I would give to anyone, is since AI can be used for good or bad, watch whose hands it falls into.

Lewy Et Al: Study Review

Lewy et al (2006) study review Background: This study was based by another study done by Avery et al. (2001). The study investigated the relationship of melatonin levels in conjunction with sleep patterns and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a type of depression that occurs in the beginning and ending stages of winter, where the amount of daylight is shorter. This usually occurs in northern countries with colder climates, since the production of melatonin is triggered by lack of light. Aim:The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between melatonin, the sleep cycle, and the time of melatonin release. Procedure: The researchers conducted an experiment similar to Avery (2001). Participants with Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD) was divided into four groups– dawn simulation therapy, traditional bright-light therapy, a control and a group given with low doses of melatonin at night. Results: The researchers found that the sleep patter ns and mood of the participants were significantly higher than the other groups, but not high enough to compare with the group receiving bright-light therapy.Therefore, it can be concluded that the bright-light therapy is more efficient in treating  Seasonal Affective disorder (SAD) than the other procedures (dawn simulation, group given low doses of melatonin at night. Discussion: This study contributed to the understanding of the relationship between melatonin and the circadian rhythm (sleep-wake cycle). This can also be applied to the concept of jet-lag, in which our bodies can adapt to another time zone by making us sleep at specific times.

When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names

When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names By Mark Nichol Few technical writing errors drive editors to distraction like superfluous capitalization does. This eruption of capitalitis (a pathogen otherwise known as Uppercasis ludicrosii) is most often seen in references to plants and animals. Words that comprise the names of plant species are generally lowercase: â€Å"Lumber from the live oak is rarely used for furniture.† Exceptions occur when one or more of the words is named after a person or a geographical location, as in the name of the California poppy. (The flowering plant bougainvillea is named after French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, but plant names so inspired are still lowercase.) An exception is also made for references to types of fruits and vegetables, such as Red Delicious apples or Early Girl tomatoes. Then there are names of cultivars, or cultivated varieties, of plants, such as that of a kind of broccoli, Brassica oleracea ‘Calabrese’. The convention in botany is to enclose the name of the cultivar in single quotation marks. Note also the exception to the rule about placing closing punctuation within quotation marks; this format, also employed in linguistics and philosophy, reflects the intention to clarify the precise terminology in question. Notice the italicized name mentioned just above, and the jocular one in the first paragraph: Those are examples, respectively authentic and artificial, of binomial nomenclature, the system of Latin-inspired scientific names for life-forms. The first element, the genus name, is capitalized; the second element, the species name, is not (even if it derives from a place name, as in Artemisia californica, the name of a plant found in California). Such terms, as shown here, are generally italicized. Binomial nomenclature is, of course, also used for animals, including the singularly curious one designated as Homo sapiens. However, as in the case of plant names, animal names are not capitalized (â€Å"I spotted a red-tailed hawk,† not â€Å"I spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk†), except when an element of the name is a proper noun, as in â€Å"Steller’s jay† and â€Å"Siberian tiger.† Animal breeds, unlike types of produce and plant cultivars, are given no special treatment: Your cocker spaniel is special, of course, but its breed name merits no capitalization. However, many names of breeds of dogs and cats are exceptions, such as those of the German shepherd, the Siamese cat, and the Thoroughbred horse. The preponderance of such examples may be the cause of confusion about capitalization of animal names. The rules are complicated, but it’s a simple enough matter to get a ruling: Check the dictionary. 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 Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†At Your DisposalWhat’s the Best Way to Refer to a Romantic Partner?

Biography of Pol Pot, Cambodian Dictator

Biography of Pol Pot, Cambodian Dictator Pol Pot (born Saloth Sar; May 19, 1925–April 15, 1998) was a Cambodian dictator. As the head of the Khmer Rouge, he oversaw an unprecedented and extremely brutal attempt to remove Cambodia from the modern world and establish an agrarian utopia. While attempting to create this utopia, Pol Pot initiated the Cambodian genocide, which lasted from 1975 to 1979 and caused the deaths of at least 1.5 million Cambodians. Fast Facts: Pol Pot Known For: As the leader of the revolutionary Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot oversaw the Cambodian genocide.Also Known As: Saloth SarBorn: May 19, 1925 in Prek Sbauv, CambodiaParents: Loth Sar and Sok NemDied: April 15, 1998 in Anlong Veng, CambodiaSpouse(s): Khieu Ponnary (m. 1956–1979), Mea Son (m. 1986–1998)Children: Sar Patchata Early Life Pol Pot was born Saloth Sar on May 19, 1928, in the fishing village of Prek Sbauk, Kampong Thom province, in what was then French Indochina (now Cambodia). His family, of Chinese-Khmer descent, was moderately well-to-do. They had connections to the royal family: a sister was a concubine of the king, Sisovath Monivong, and a brother was a court official. In 1934, Pol Pot went to live with the brother in Phnom Penh, where he spent a year in a royal Buddhist monastery and then attended a Catholic school. At age 14, he began high school in Kompong Cham. Pol Pot was, however, not a very successful student, and he eventually switched to a technical school to study carpentry. In 1949, Pol Pot obtained a scholarship to study radio electronics in Paris. He enjoyed himself in Paris, gaining a reputation as something of a bon vivant, fond of dancing and drinking red wine. However, by his second year in Paris, Pol Pot had become friends with other students who were impassioned by politics. From these friends, Pol Pot encountered Marxism, joining the Cercle Marxiste (Marxist Circle of Khmer Students in Paris) and the French Communist Party. (Many of the other students whom he befriended during this period later became central figures in the Khmer Rouge.) After Pol Pot failed his examinations for the third year in a row, however, he had to return in January 1953 to what would shortly become Cambodia. Joining the Viet Minh As the first of the Cercle Marxiste to return to Cambodia, Pol Pot helped assess the different groups rebelling against the Cambodian government and recommended that returning members of the Cercle join the Khmer Viet Minh (or Moutakeaha). Although Pol Pot and other members of the Cercle disliked that the Khmer Viet Minh had heavy ties with Vietnam, the group felt this Communist revolutionary organization was the one most likely to take action. In August 1953, Pol Pot left his home secretly and, without even telling his friends, headed to the Viet Minh’s Eastern Zone Headquarters, located near the village of Krabao. The camp was located in the forest and consisted of canvas tents that could be easily moved in case of an attack. Pol Pot (and eventually more of his Cercle friends) were dismayed to find the camp completely segregated, with Vietnamese as the high-ranking members and Cambodians (Khmers) given only menial tasks. Pol Pot himself was assigned tasks such as farming and working in the mess hall. Still, he watched and learned how the Viet Minh used propaganda and force to take control of peasant villages in the region. The Khmer Viet Minh was forced to disband after the 1954 Geneva Accords; Pol Pot and several of his friends headed back to Phnom Penh. 1955 Election The 1954 Geneva Accords had temporarily quashed much of the revolutionary fervor within Cambodia and proclaimed a mandatory election in 1955. Pol Pot, who was now back in Phnom Penh, was determined to do what he could to influence the election. He infiltrated the Democratic Party with the hope of being able to reshape its policies. When it turned out that Prince Norodom Sihanouk had rigged the election, Pol Pot and others became convinced that the only way to change Cambodia was through revolution. Khmer Rouge In the years following the 1955 elections, Pol Pot led a dual life. By day, Pol Pot worked as a teacher and surprisingly was well-liked by his students. By night, Pol Pot was heavily involved in a Communist revolutionary organization, the Kampuchean Peoples Revolutionary Party (KPRP). (â€Å"Kampuchean† is another term for â€Å"Cambodian.†) During this time, Pol Pot also married Khieu Ponnary, the sister of one of his Paris student friends. The couple never had children together. By 1959, Prince Sihanouk had begun to seriously repress leftist political movements, especially by targeting the older generation of experienced dissidents. With many of the older leaders in exile or on the run, Pol Pot and other young members of the KPRP emerged as leaders in party affairs. After a power struggle within the KPRP in the early 1960s, Pol Pot took control of the party. This party, which was officially renamed the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) in 1966, became more commonly known as the Khmer Rouge (meaning â€Å"Red Khmer† in French). The term â€Å"Khmer Rouge† was used by Prince Sihanouk to describe the CPK, since many in the CPK were both Communists (often called â€Å"reds†) and of Khmer descent. The Battle to Topple Prince Sihanouk In March 1962 when his name appeared on a list of people wanted for questioning, Pol Pot went into hiding. He took to the jungle and began preparing a guerrilla-based revolutionary movement that intended to topple Prince Sihanouk’s government. In 1964 with help from North Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge established a base camp in the border region and issued a declaration calling for armed struggle against the Cambodian monarchy, which they viewed as corrupt and repressive. The ideology of the Khmer Rouge gradually developed in this period. It featured a Maoist orientation with an emphasis on the peasant farmer as the foundation for a revolution. This contrasted with the orthodox Marxist idea that the proletariat (working class) was the basis for revolution. Courting Vietnam and China In 1965, Pol Pot was hoping to get support from either Vietnam or China for his revolution. Since the Communist North Vietnamese regime was the most likely source of support for the Khmer Rouge at the time, Pol Pot went to Hanoi to ask for aid. In response to his request, the North Vietnamese criticized Pol Pot for having a nationalist agenda. Since, at this time, Prince Sihanouk was letting the North Vietnamese use Cambodian territory in their struggle against South Vietnam and the United States, the Vietnamese believed the time was not right for an armed struggle in Cambodia. It did not matter to the Vietnamese that the time might have felt right for the Cambodian people. Pol Pot next visited the Communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) and fell under the influence of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which emphasized revolutionary enthusiasm and sacrifice. It accomplished this in part by encouraging people to destroy any vestiges of traditional Chinese civilization. China would not openly support the Khmer Rouge, but it gave Pol Pot some ideas for his own revolution. In 1967, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, though isolated and lacking widespread support, made the decision to start a revolt against the Cambodian government. The initial action began on January 18, 1968. By that summer, Pol Pot had moved away from collective leadership to become the sole decision maker. He even set up a separate compound and lived apart from the other leaders. Cambodia and the Vietnam War The Khmer Rouge’s revolution progressed very slowly until two major events occurred in 1970. The first was a successful coup led by General Lon Nol, which deposed the increasingly unpopular Prince Sihanouk and aligned Cambodia with the United States. The second involved a massive bombardment campaign and invasion of Cambodia by the United States. During the Vietnam War, Cambodia had officially remained neutral; however, the Viet Cong (Vietnamese communist guerrilla fighters) used that position to their advantage by creating bases within Cambodian territory in order to regroup and store supplies. American strategists believed that a massive bombing campaign within Cambodia would deprive the Viet Cong of this sanctuary and thus bring the Vietnam War to a quicker end. The result for Cambodia was political destabilization. These political changes set the stage for the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. With an incursion by Americans within Cambodia, Pol Pot was able to claim that the Khmer Rouge was fighting for Cambodian independence and against imperialism. Although he might have been refused aid from North Vietnam and China before, Cambodian involvement in the Vietnam War led to their support of the Khmer Rouge. With this new backing, Pol Pot was able to concentrate on recruiting and training while the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong did most of the initial fighting. Disturbing trends emerged early. Students and so-called â€Å"middle† or better-off peasants were no longer allowed to join the Khmer Rouge. Former government workers and officials, teachers, and people with an education were also purged from the party. Chams- an important ethnic group in Cambodia- and other minorities were forced to adopt Cambodian styles of dress and appearance. Decrees were issued establishing cooperative agricultural enterprises. The practice of emptying urban areas began. By 1973, the Khmer Rouge controlled two-thirds of the country and half the population. Genocide in Democratic Kampuchea After five years of civil war, the Khmer Rouge was finally able to capture Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh on April 17, 1975. This ended Lon Nol’s rule and began the five-year reign of the Khmer Rouge. It was at this time that Saloth Sar began calling himself â€Å"brother number one† and took Pol Pot as his nom de guerre. (According to one source, â€Å"Pol Pot† comes from the French words â€Å"politique potentielle.†) After taking control of Cambodia, Pol Pot declared the Year Zero. This meant much more than restarting the calendar; it was a means of emphasizing that all that was familiar in the lives of Cambodians were to be destroyed. This was a far more comprehensive cultural revolution than the one Pol Pot had observed in Communist China. Religion was abolished, ethnic groups were  forbidden to speak their language or follow their customs, and political dissent was ruthlessly suppressed. As dictator of Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed Democratic Kampuchea, Pol Pot began a ruthless, bloody campaign against a variety of groups: members of the former government, Buddhist monks, Muslims, Western-educated intellectuals, university students and teachers, people in contact with Westerners or Vietnamese, people who were crippled or lame, and ethnic Chinese, Laotians, and Vietnamese. These massive changes within Cambodia and the specific targeting of large sections of the population led to the Cambodian genocide. By its end in 1979, at least 1.5 million people had been murdered in the â€Å"Killing Fields.† Many were beaten to death with iron bars or hoes after digging their own graves. Some were buried alive. One directive read: â€Å"Bullets not to be wasted.† Most died from starvation and disease, but probably 200,000 were executed, often after interrogation and brutal torture. The most infamous interrogation center was Tuol Sleng, S-21 (Security Prison 21), a former high school. It was there that prisoners were photographed, interrogated, and tortured. It was known as â€Å"the place where people go in but never come out.† Vietnam Defeats the Khmer Rouge As the years passed, Pol Pot became increasingly paranoid about the possibility of an invasion by Vietnam. To preempt an attack, Pol Pot’s regime began carrying out raids and massacres in Vietnamese territory. Rather than dissuade the Vietnamese from attacking, these raids ultimately provided Vietnam with an excuse to invade Cambodia in 1978. By the following year, the Vietnamese had routed the Khmer Rouge, ending both the Khmer Rouge’s rule in Cambodia and the genocidal policies of Pol Pot. Ousted from power, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreated to a remote area of Cambodia along the border with Thailand. For several years, the North Vietnamese tolerated the existence of the Khmer Rouge in this border area. However, in 1984, the North Vietnamese made a concerted effort to deal with them. After that, the Khmer Rouge survived only with the support of Communist China and the toleration of the Thai government. In 1985, Pol Pot resigned as head of the Khmer Rouge and handed over day-to-day administrative tasks to his longtime associate, Son Sen. Pol Pot nonetheless continued as the de facto leader of the party. Aftermath In 1995, Pol Pot, still living in isolation on the Thai border, suffered a stroke that left the left side of his body paralyzed. Two years later, he had Son Sen and members of Sen’s family executed because he believed that Sen had attempted to negotiate with the Cambodian government. The deaths of Son Sen and his family shocked many of the remaining Khmer leadership. Feeling that Pol Pot’s paranoia was out of control and worried about their own lives, Khmer Rouge leaders arrested Pol Pot and put him on trial for the murder of Sen and other Khmer Rouge members. Pol Pot was sentenced to house arrest for the remainder of his life. He was not punished more severely because he had been so prominent in Khmer Rouge affairs. Some of the remaining members of the party, however, questioned this lenient treatment. Death On April 15, 1998, Pol Pot heard a broadcast on Voice of America (of which he was a faithful listener) announce that the Khmer Rouge had agreed to turn him over to an international tribunal. He died that same night. Rumors persist that he either committed suicide or was murdered. His body was cremated without an autopsy to establish the cause of death. Legacy Pol Pot is remembered for his long, oppressive reign and for his attempt to exterminate all religious and ethnic minorities in Cambodia. The Cambodian genocide- responsible for the deaths of at least 1.5 million people- resulted in several Khmer Rouge leaders being convicted of crimes against humanity. Sources Bergin, Sean.  The Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Genocide. Rosen Pub. Group, 2009.Short, Philip.  Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare. Henry Holt, 2005.

Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study - Research Paper Example Aims of the faculty member involve issues relating to distance, ethical considerations in practice and application of evidence based nursing professional standards in internet technology. One of the learner objectives in introducing the technology is to develop, among students, the ability to bridge distance as a barrier to nursing practice as demonstrating the technology’s application will inform students of facilitated online communication. Another learner objective of the technology’s inclusion in the course curriculum is to promote ethics in practice through exposing the students to technological application and its involved ethical environment. Inclusion of the technological application also aims at equipping students with ability to implement evidence based nursing professional standards in internet simulation strategy. Research findings by Rush et al support the ability of technology to facilitate learning and to bridge distance barrier (2008). The first learning objective, to facilitate the students’ ability to bridge distance barrier, can be evaluated through asking the students questions about what they have learnt. This evaluation can be achieved through direct questions after learning sessions or through designed questionnaires. Responses exhibits students understanding of taught concepts and are an indicator that they can apply the concepts in real life (Morris, 2011). The goal to promote professional ethics among learners can be evaluated by â€Å"direct observation† (Morris, 2011, p. 150). This method can be achieved through observing students’ demonstration of a real life application of the technology and its involved ethics (Morris, 2011). Written examinations can however be used to evaluate the objective of developing students’ ability to implement evidence based nursing professional standards in internet simulation strategy. Subjecting the students to similar