An Argument Against Gun Control Essay - 912 Words

A proposed federal law to outlaw all guns would be more effective at disarming law-abiding citizens than at disarming the criminals who abuse them. If guns were outlawed, the criminals would not stop carrying guns, but the good, law-abiding citizens would. It would do nothing about the illegally obtained handguns in the possession of criminals. In The NRA is Right, Josh Sugarmann states that â€Å"One tenet of the National Rifle Association’s faith has always been that handgun controls do little to stop criminals from obtaining handguns† (Sugarmann 185). Criminals simply aren’t discouraged, they just ignore bans. The only two things passing a law of this nature would accomplish would be to take away the honest†¦show more content†¦If a student makes an error in their writing, do we blame the pencil they use to write? Highly unlikely. Gun control would not prevent criminals from obtaining guns. In The NRA is Right, Sugarmann argues â€Å" The black market that has fed off the legal sale of handguns would continue for a long while† (Sugarmann 190). Most criminals get guns through informal off-the-record swaps, purchases and trades with relatives, friends, drug-dealers, or other street sources. Spending millions of dollars on a fail proof checking system would cause felons to stop buying guns from a shop, and send them to buy their weapons from the streets. Guns are effective forms of self-defense. Taking them away would leave civilians defenseless and easy targets. Guns, when stored and operated correctly and safely can create a sense of safety. When used for protection, guns provide a psychological buffer against the fear of crime. When protected by a gun, people often feel safer because if something should arise they have some sort of security. Criminals will avoid situations where there is a possibility that their target may be armed. Guns can save a potential victim from becoming one. Victims who use guns for protection are less likely to be attacked or injured than victims who respond in any other way. Since guns empower the weak against the strong, and because victims are generally weaker thanShow MoreRelatedThe Arguments Against Gun Control Essay1207 Words   |  5 Pagesfocus on the arguments against and for gun control? Gun control is a controversial topic in the United States. Therefore, the arguments against gun control are whether or not there is gun control law, and people still can find firearms from some illegal place. Second, the 2nd Amendment’s allows people have the rights to own guns for self-defense. Third, my friend gives me detailed explanation about why he likes to own a gun. On the other hand, I also research some arguments for gun control. People whoRead MoreThe Argument Against Gun Control Essay1141 Words   |  5 Pagesthis paper, I consider the topic of gun control. First, I present Dixon’s argument in support of gun control, which is that all personal guns should be banned. Second, I introduce Huemer’s argument against the regulation of guns, which is that b anning personal firearms is not justified. Third, I critique Huemer’s argument against gun control on the grounds of three claims. First, the right to own a gun is nullified by its negative repercussions. Second, gun control does not violate an individual’s rightRead MoreArgument Against Gun Control1340 Words   |  6 Pages Final Paper: Argument Against Gun Control The argument on firearm regulation has been a heated discussion for many years. On one side of the debate, we have people in favor placing restrictions on guns, while, on the opposite end of the spectrum, we have people fighting the regulation of guns. People in favor gun restrictions believe gun control can reduce crime ,while, the people against gun control believe having the right toRead MoreEssay on An Argument Against Gun Control773 Words   |  4 PagesArgument Against Gun Control An Argument Against Gun Control As long ago as 1789, the creators of the Constitution realized the importance of guns in American society. The Second Amendment states,A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. No loopholes, or legal caches exist in this statement. The Founding Fathers allow for no restriction of the private ownership of firearmsRead MoreArguments For And Against Increased Gun Control994 Words   |  4 PagesThis paper analyses data from several sources to create a more complete understanding of the arguments for and against increased gun control in the US. While this paper will not cover all of the factors that should be taken into account it does cover some of the more prominent ones are discussed. The first has to do with the effects weapons may have on people, more specifically called the weapons effect. Second is the effect of intent and the difference between aggression and violence. The thirdRead MoreAn Argument Against Gun Control Essay971 Words   |  4 Pagescriminals committing crimes with the use of guns infringe the national right of the innocent to possess guns. This is a question that arouses everywhere and no matter which way it is viewed the controversy will always go on. quot;A gun is a mere tool that can be used for g ood or evil. Our country is based on the belief that man is good until he or she is proven to be otherwise.quot;(Harris p.2) This means that only a few people are committing crimes with uses of guns and why completely remove them fromRead More An Argument Against Gun Control Essay1765 Words   |  8 Pages The Gun Control issue has sparked major controversy in America today. People who support gun control feel that guns are the reason for the soaring crime rate in our country. I disagree with the supporters of gun control. I feel that because of the black market, violent criminals being released from prison early, and the need to ensure personal safety, stricter gun control will have very little impact on violent crime in America. I believe that gun control works in theory, but not in real lifeRead MoreThe Debate Over Gun Laws1672 Words   |  7 Pagesthe legal right to own a weapon that could end your life? Gun control in America has been a long fought out debate. Republicans typically believe that it should be entirely legal for Americans to own guns because it is their right from the Constitution and they need it to defend themselves. Democrats typically believe that guns should not be legal because they are dangerous weapons and they can be abused by violent people. The debate over gun laws has continued to divide American because of the manyRead MoreGuns Should Be Banned1092 Words   |  5 PagesThe argument of whether guns should be banned has become increasingly popular as more and more shootings occur. Since 2006 there have been thirty-two mass shootings in the United States alone. This is one of the biggest debates going on right now and there are many people who are willing to argue both sides of i t. In Phoebe Maltz Bovys article Its Time to Ban Guns. Yes, All of Them.   she argues for gun control. Evan DePhillips and Devin Hughes also argues for gun control in their article 5 argumentsRead MoreGun Control And The Second Amendment Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesGuns, Guns, Guns. In today’s news Gun Control, has become a controversial topic. I have heard many people say that, â€Å"Guns don’t kill people, people kill people†. So, do we need gun control? People talk because they have mouths, they don’t know the extent about gun violence. About half of the country’s population is for / against gun control. Consistently, the media outlets are reporting shootings, that is accidental or intentional whichever way it is trending across the United States. Stronger gun

What Did The End Of The Reconstruction Happened - 1046 Words

Kyera Dancy Mr.Stanley American History 9 January 2017 Rutherford B. Hayes Who is Rutherford B. Hayes? What did he do while in office? How well did he work with congress? How well did he work with foreign countries? How well did he help the American people? Did he keep the economy ordered and organized? Hayes was the 19th President of the United States, he only served one term as president from 1877 to 1881. He was involved in the ending of the reconstruction, the Dawes Act, The Great Railroad Strike, Colombia and the Monroe Doctrine, etc. Hayes tried to do things he thought was good for this country but little did he know it made things worst than what they already were. The ending of the reconstruction happened because of†¦show more content†¦Baltimore and Ohio railroad workers went on strike because the companies had reduced workers wages twice over the previous year. The strikers refused to let the trains to run until the most recent pay cut was returned to the employees, so West Virginia militia was sent they refused to in tervene. The strike took over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, St. Louis and Missouri had gained control. Hayes sent federal troops which ended the strike. The role that Hayes played in this event was Leader of the economy, Commander in Chief and Chief Executive because he had to take control of the strike so he can bring peace to his country and to show people had everything in control. In 1876, Roscoe Conkling aspired to the Republican Nomination but Conkling did not assist the party, so Hayes wanted revenge by investigating the New York Custom House, seat of Conkling’s power. This enraged the Republican Conkling and his supporters (the stalwarts). The role that Hayes played in this event was Chief Administrator because he wanted to check and see if anyone was doing scandalous things while in the customs houses and he wanted to see if anyone was up to something that was right. The Bland - Allison Act of 1878 is an act of United States Congress it required the U.S Treasury to buy a certain amount of silver and put it into circulation as silverShow MoreRelatedThe End Of The Civil War Essay1090 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish 11 Mr. Lara/Mr. Doyle Dec 7 2016 Fords Theatre The end of the civil war was drawing near, and Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America was looking forward to the reconstruction of his country. He went out for a play at Fords Theatre. While enjoying the play he was shot in the back by an assassin . This assination changed the future of America, and affects us today. At the end of the Civil War there were very different plans for reconstructing theRead MoreThe Reconstruction of the United States754 Words   |  3 PagesThe Reconstruction of the United States was a success by having a unified nation by 1877. However it did not come easy. It started in 1863 when Lincoln was president. During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln wrote a plan to help get the country back to its feet. President Abraham Lincoln began to prepare the reconstruction of the North and South shortly after the war ended (Roark, pg. 458). Lincoln plan was to restore loss properties for everyone except for slaves (Roark, pg. 459). He also restoresRead MoreWhat Caused The Civil War? Slavery? Politics?Social Conflicts?Maybe1628 Words   |  7 PagesWhat caused the Civil War? Slavery? Politics? Social Conflicts? Maybe it was little bit of everything. In 1861-1865 America s bloodiest conflict happened. It was called the Civil War. The Civil War was between the Nort h and the South about slavery. The North was antislavery, but the South was all for slavery. The North wanted to free the slaves to help fight the war, but the South was not fond of that. Some would believe that they would talk it out; however, they both decided to haveRead MoreAfrican American and Black People Essay1273 Words   |  6 PagesTricia McCullers End of chapter question Chapter 12-20 1 . What issues most concerned black political leaders during Reconstruction? Reconstruction brought important social changes to former slaves. Families that had been separated before and during the Civil War were reunited, and slave marriages were formalized through legally recognized ceremonies. Families also took advantage of the schools established by the Freedmens Bureau and the expansion of public education, albeit segregatedRead MoreOrdeal or Reconstruction1334 Words   |  6 Pages1. What were the four main questions facing peacemakers in 1865? a. The aftermath of the war was crucial due to the fact that the south and north were totally separated during the civil war, but more importantly was that all the fighting had ben done in the south, which meant that the majority of the damage was done in the southern towns. This caused the towns and fields to be ruined, and many properties worthless. So many peacemakers wanted to assure the southerners possessions. b. SecondlyRead MoreFreedom Summer Comparisons with Era of Reconstruction815 Words   |  4 PagesFreedom Summer comparisons with Era of Reconstruction With the end of the Civil war, many blacks felt that they would start reaping the benefits that had been denied from them for years. Being able to vote, own land, have a voice in political affairs were all goals that they felt were reachable. The era of Reconstruction was the miracle they had been searching for. But the South wasnt going down without a fight and blacks would have to wait at least 100 years for Freedom Summer to arriveRead MoreThe Reconstruction Era During The Civil War1370 Words   |  6 PagesThe Reconstruction Era beginning in 1865 marked the period where white men and recently freed African Americans quarreled over the concept of equality on the basis of race as well as where freedom extended to. After the Civil War, there was a power struggle between the Republican and Democratic parties as they had extremely distinct ideas on whether African Americans should be free and hold citizen rights. African Americans were able to achieve citizenship as well as have equality through the 14thRead MoreThe Legacy Of Lincoln And Andrew Johnson1017 Words   |  5 PagesI will be going through and telling you what happen through the time periods and the months. Through every time period I will tell you every event that goes on during that time period and how long is last. Basically I am giving you a research time lime from event to event. Lincoln and Andrew Johnson were out of sympathy with black suffrage, especially conferred by the federal government. Johnson s interpretations of Lincoln s policies prevailed the Congressional elections of 1866 in the NorthRead MoreThe Reconstruction Era990 Words   |  4 PagesThe Reconstruction Era was from around 1865-1877, during that time many laws were passed to break down the color barrier. The 13th Amendment which officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude was passed on April 8th, 1864. Then came the 14th Amendment passed on July 9th, 1868 which granted citizenship to everyone born in the U.S. Finally came the 15th Amendment passed in 1870 which gave freedmen the right to vote and could not be denied on account of race or previous condition of servitudeRead MoreAfrican Americans in the Reconstruction Era1518 Words   |  7 PagesThe Reconstruction era was put into effect by Congress in 1866 and lasted until 1877. Reconstruction was aimed at reorganizing the Sout hern states after the Civil War. The reconstruction plan granted the means for readmitting the southern states into the Union, and tried to come up with the methods by which whites and blacks could live together in a non-slave society. Americas position as a country was established on principles of freedom but those beliefs were weakened by slavery. At the end of

Project Management Skills

Question: Write an essay about the project management skills. Answer: It will be really difficult to address any profession, which requires the more or larger varied skill set as compared to the project management. Nowadays, project managers should have the specific knowledge about his/her industry, top-notch abilities, as well as, the strong communication skills just to name the few of them. Although the list and types of useful and important skills required for project management is nearly endless, but certain skills are often considered to be necessary and more important as compared to others. In case if someone is experienced project management professional, these skills are the one that is to be used daily for keeping the projects on time, as well as, on budget. However, in case if someone is an aspiring project manager, developing these skills will lead to the path of success (Chang Torkzadeh, 2013). Communication: Communication is the foremost important tool used by the project manager as about 90% of their total time is spent communicating. Communication is one of the widest topic, and hence is very difficult to approach the communication from all of the encompassing angles. Therefore, the best place to initiate with is the improvement of the presentation skills, which is capable of translating everything from the meeting to the pitch to stakeholders, as well as, the clients. Even if someone is the gifted writer, as well as, an engaging speaker, one requires the distinct skill of communication for delivering an efficient and effective presentation (El-Sabaa, 2001). Leadership: Leadership is also the important skill every individual should possess in order to lead in the right direction, as it is said If you can lead, you can deliver. Leadership is the skill that is utilized at every step of the project management whether it is the time of conflict resolution, time management, negotiation, or relationship management. A good project manager is the one who has the effective leadership qualities and is successful in solving all the issues and concerns (Ingason Jnasson, 2009). Team management: Besides having the role of leading a team and its members from the strategic perspective, there is also a need of the project manager to manage his/her team from an operational perspective (Sunindijo, 2015). An effective project manager excels in delegating the tasks among the team members, administering, as well as, coordinating the different groups of members by promoting teamwork, setting goals, resolving conflict, as well as, evaluating the performance of the team members. Where leadership is all about inspiring the other individuals or members to walk with you, the team management on the other hand, makes sure that the team and its members have the right shoes (Indelicato, 2012). Negotiation: A lot of the communication skills have to deal with negotiating various areas like negotiating the utilization of various resources, schedules, budgets, scope creeps, as well as, the variety of other issues that are unavoidable. Discussions related to the resource allocations, budgets, and timelines can sometimes become adversarial, as well as, counterproductive in case it is not dealt tactfully (Ponnappa, 2014). Hence, successful project managers have the knowledge and skills to find out compromises whenever possible, as well as, they know how to have a hold on the firm line without affecting the workplace relationships. The capability of knowing how to manage and negotiate well in such a way that provides satisfaction to all the parties is the important key skill of the effective project manager (Malinowski, 2011). Personal Organization: It is a well known statement that you cannot give what you do not have. It is very important for the project managers organize themselves personally for the better organization of the work of others. It is very difficult to get things done, as well as, to organize work if ones own personal life, as well as, projects are disorganized. Hence, personal organization is very important for carrying out an effective project management (Fisher, 2011). Risk management: Whenever something goes wrong while working on the project or during its completion, all eyes are turned towards the project manager. No matter what is the issues and regardless of the situation or circumstances, every person wonders if the project manager could have anticipated, as well as, prevented the problem. Hence, being able to foresee the issues, as well as, to develop solutions for all the circumstances in advance will increase the chances of success dramatically (Hwang Ng, 2013). Conflict resolution: More big is the project, as well as, higher is the stakes, the greater is the chances that conflicts will originate. No matter if the disagreement exists between the same team members, the vendor and the customer, or in any other stakeholders groups, the good project manager is capable of defusing the tension, as well as, to lead the path forward. The skills of setting the expectations, as well as, providing transparency throughout the lifecycle of the project can go far to minimize the conflicts, as well as, will aid in keeping everyone on track (Mihiotis, Oikonomou, Konidaris, 2007). Conclusion Hence, from the above discussion, it has been learnt that project management is the job, which demands the varied, as well as, vast skill set. As being the project management professional, the individual is the change agent who works with the teams that involves complex individuals in various different roles. Therefore, somehow the project manager is the one who is supposed to act like a leader, as well as, should also possess the knowledge on how to negotiate, read the body language of others, as well as, to be the master at a myriad of other skills. This can be achieved by honing the individuals practices in each and every skill set, and to keep adding, as well as, incorporating all the skills into ones work (Pant Baroudi, 2008). Moreover, it has been learnt that project management does not just include management of the project, but it also includes managing the individuals who are involved in the project. Hence, project managers are basically the link existing amongst the projec t team, the people, as well as, the sponsors who will have an impact on the outcome. Therefore, being the project manager, cultivating important and required skill sets, as well as, focusing on the professional development are very important and vital for the successful work (Davidson Frame, 2014). References Chang, J. Torkzadeh, G. (2013). Perceived Required Skills and Abilities in Information Systems Project Management.International Journal Of Information Technology Project Management,4(1), 1-12. Davidson Frame, J. (2014). Reconstructing Project Management.Project Management Journal,45(1), e2-e2. El-Sabaa, S. (2001). The skills and career path of an effective project manager.International Journal Of Project Management,19(1), 1-7. Fisher, E. (2011). What practitioners consider to be the skills and behaviours of an effective people project manager.International Journal Of Project Management,29(8), 994-1002. Hwang, B. Ng, W. (2013). Project management knowledge and skills for green construction: Overcoming challenges.International Journal Of Project Management,31(2), 272-284. Ingason, H. Jnasson, H. (2009). Contemporary knowledge and skill requirements in project management.Proj Mgmt Jrnl,40(2), 59-69. Indelicato, G. (2012). The Complete Project Manager: Integrating People, Organizational, and Technical Skills.Proj Mgmt Jrnl,43(6), 113-113. Malinowski, M. (2011). Essential project management skills.Proj Mgmt Jrnl, n/a-n/a. Mihiotis, A., Oikonomou, C., Konidaris, N. (2007). Managing information flow: an important factor in the implementation process of project management.IJMP,2(3), 255. Pant, I. Baroudi, B. (2008). Project management education: The human skills imperative.International Journal Of Project Management,26(2), 124-128. Ponnappa, G. (2014). Project Stakeholder Management.Project Management Journal,45(2), e3-e3. Sunindijo, R. (2015). Project manager skills for improving project performance.International Journal Of Business Performance Management,16(1), 67.

WATERGATE Essays - Watergate Scandal, Richard Nixon,

WATERGATE President Ricmard M. Nixon is refereed to as one of the most controversial presidents in the history of the United States of America. He is synonymous with this title, because of his involvement in the great "Watergate" scandal. It all started with the election of 1972, Nixon's bid for a second term of presidency. In his attempt at re-election, Nixon took on a different strategy than any other re-election campaign of the past. Instead of using the usual Republican National Committee for re-election, President Nixon divided his campaign into two separate committees. These two committees were named , the Committee for re-election of the president, headed by Attorney General , John Mitchell, and the finance committee to re-elect the president, headed by Secretary of Commerce, Maurice Stans. "Together these committees managed to raise over sixty million dollars for the president' campaign." (Sam J. Ervin, The Whole Truth, pg.36) The work of these two committees enabled Nixon to defeat democrat nominee, George S. McGovern, by a landslide. This decision, by Nixon, would, in the future prove to be the beginning of the end for a good old "Tricky Dick". In his second term, Nixon was known to be positively involved with foreign affairs. "For example, he worked out an agreement with Vietnam to order a stoppage of the war and commence a prisoner exchange program in 1973." (World Book, Nixon, Vol 17) Also in 1973, he worked hard to improve relations with China. His attempts allowed us to open diplomatic office in their capital and they in ours. His events at home also included many positive advancements. His major accomplishment was ending the military draft in 1973. Many of his efforts were thwarted by his inability to work cooperatively with congress. This began with his refusal to approve of a program, spending billions of dollars on projects created by congress. "In return, they refused to support his bombing of Kampuchea, which Nixon said was needed to prevent a communist takeover on their government." (Sam J. Ervin, The Whole Truth, pg. 79) In addition, congress also disagreed with a resolution introduced by President Nixon to reduce the war powers of the president. This resolution was the strongest action ever taken to spell out the war-making powers of congress and the President. Along with these problems, Nixon also had to endure economic setbacks. In January, 1973, he ended most of the government required limits that had been placed on wage and price increases in 1971, but prices still ballooned. Another brief use of controls resulted in a shortage of beef and other foods. By the end of 1973, inflation had risen to 8.8 percent nationally, the largest increase in any year since 1947. Also in 1973, a fuel shortage hit the nation. It led to reduce supplies of oil for home heating and industry, and to a form of gasoline. In 1974, congress approved Nixon's proposal to establish a Federal Energy Administration to deal with the energy shortage. As you can see, President Nixon had a very eventful term. The whole Watergate controversy came about in 1973, when many Nixon employees were arrested and convicted for the burglary of the democratic headquarters in the Watergate Building Complex in 1972. Two of the major figures of the case were James McCord and Gordon Liddy, two figureheads of Nixon's Committee for re-election of the President. Also, information linking many top White House aids to the break-in of Watergate or attempting to hide information concerning it, was released in 1973. This did not look good for our president, but he still denied involvement with the break-in and ordered an investigation. Nixon thought that he could walk right through this investigation unharmed, but he would find later that he had another thing coming. Archibald Cox, a Harvard law professor, was appointed to head the investigation. The chief witness in the case would turn out to be Nixon's own former counsel, John W. Dean. Upon questioning Dean, Cox learned of Nixon's awareness of the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. For his involvement, Dean served four months of a four year sentence that was handed to him. Also during the investigation, the Senate investigation committee learned of recordings of conversations that Nixon made

A Massive Collection of Free SAT Practice Tests

A Massive Collection of Free SAT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whether you’re building your own SAT prep program or justsupplementing a class, finding SAT practice tests and questions can pose a serious challenge. This article will go through every type of practice SAT test, how to best use them, and, most importantly, where to find them. What You Need SAT Practice Tests For Before we get into the many different sources of SAT practice tests, let’s talk about why you need a deep well of practice material to draw from and the different ways you’ll use these resources. RealPractice Tests A key part of SAT prep istaking full-length practice tests in realistic conditions. Since you want to mimic the SAT experience as closely as possible,you’ll need to use real SATs.Using official testsfor SAT practice questionsalso gives you a better prediction of your score and can help you determine what areas you need to focus on. You’ll want to use at least three tests for this purpose and make sure they’re the most current version of the SAT (from 2016 onward). Question Analysis Official SAT questions have their own style and logic, which other test writers aren’t always great at imitating. Unsurprisingly, then, the best way to understand the SAT is to studywith actual SATs. As part of your testprep,spend some time looking really closely at official SAT questions and thinking about what they’re asking and how each question is constructed.Themore familiar you become with the unique structure and language of SAT questions, the less daunting the test will seem. Subject Practice The final type of SAT prep is practicing with the various types of test questionsto hone your section-specific strategies and grasp of the content.Subject-targeted practice will also ensure that you know how to employ your math and grammar knowledge effectively to answer SAT-style questions. Though official SAT questions are the ideal materials for this type of practice, it's less important that you focus exclusively on real SAT questions. Using unofficial materials to practice general strategies will help you save official SATsto use as full practice tests. Now that you know what you'll need SAT practice tests for, let's go through the different places you can find each type of them- starting with official College Board tests. Instead of a map of the world, you need a map of SAT practice tests. Where to Find Current and Old Official SATs As I described above, there are a number of types of practice that you shouldonly use official SAT questions for. As such, they’re the most valuable type of SAT prep material and you’ll want to build up as large of a collection as possible. I’ve divided these tests up by which version of the SAT they are: Current (2016 and onward) Old 2400-scale format (2005-2016) Very old format (pre-2005) You’ll want to focus mostly on the current tests, but the other versions can still provide helpful extra practice. For more info on how to get the most out of older SAT practice tests, check out our complete guide to old SATs. Most of these materials are free, but I've included the best materials for sale as well. After all, spending $10-$20 dollars on great practice tests can be well worth the investment! Current SAT Practice Tests Below are all the official practice SATs for the current version of the exam. 10 Official Free Practice Tests The College Board has released 10 practice SATs for the current version of the test. You can download them below or take them online at Khan Academy (see next section for more details): Practice Test 1:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 2:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 3:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 4:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 5:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 6:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 7:Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations |Essay Practice Test 8: Questions | Answers | Answer Explanations | Essay Practice Test 9: Questions | Answers| Answer Explanations Practice Test 10: Questions | Answers| Answer Explanations Unfortunately, the practice tests in The Official SAT Study Guide, 2020 Edition are the same as those above (except that the book doesn't include practice tests 2 and 4 and does include essays for tests 9 and 10), so these are really all you have in the way of full official new SATs. Plan accordingly! Official SAT Prepat Khan Academy There are a bunch of official SAT practice questions available as part of Khan Academy’s free SAT prep.You’ll need to sign up for an account to access these resources, but it's completely free and tracks your progress over time. The lessons and practice questions are all divided by type, so they're very helpful for more targeted studying. While thestrategies and suggestions aren’t super useful for the Reading and Writing sections, there’s a lot of Math content if you want to brush up on any concepts you might have missed or forgotten. You can see a sample question below: Practice Questions on the SAT Website Finally, there are someextra practice questionsavailable on the College Board website: 24 Reading questions with two passages 22 Writing and Language questions with two passages 30 Math Calculator questions 18 Math No Calculator questions Keep in mind that some of these questions also appear in TheOfficial SAT Study Guide. Older SATs Although the 2016 overhaul involved big changes to the format of the test, previous versions of the SAT can still provide you with helpful study material. Free Full Practice Tests There are fourolder practice tests you can download for free: SAT Practice Test (2013-2014)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2012-2013)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2007-2008)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2004-2005)Questions| Answers Unfortunately, these tests don't have explanations for the answers,so you'll have to figure out why the correct answer is correct on your own or ask a friend, family member, or tutor for help. If you really run out of practice materials, you can turn to the pre-2005 SATs: SAT Practice Test (2004-2005)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2003-2004)Questions| Answers SAT Practice Test (2002) Questions + Answers SAT Practice Test (2001) Questions + Answers You’ll notice some question types that no longer exist on the SAT, so make sure that you know which questions to use and which to ignore. The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd Edition This official book offers10more full official old SATs and can be worth buying if you're studying aggressively and needsome extra practice tests. Just remember that they are all in the old format, so there will be some irrelevant content and question formats. You can usually get this prep book for around $10-$20 on Amazon. Other Resources for Official SAT Practice Tests You might also be able to find official SATs through unofficial channels.Try searching for "old SATpractice test" or a similar phrase on Google and clicking through the results. If you're lucky, you might find some PDFs of previously administered SATs (though they'll likely use the old test format). Be aware that there's no guarantee these are real SATs. One helpful website you can use for this purpose is CrackSAT.net. They offer a huge collection of (what they claim to be) official SATs and practice questions.While the website can be tricky to navigate, it's definitely worth looking at if you want more realistic-looking SAT questions to practice with. X marks the spot- where you can find SAT practice tests. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! Where to Find (and How to Use) UnofficialSATs Sadly, there aren’t a ton of official SAT practice tests available, so if you’re planning 40+ hours of studying, you’ll probably need some supplementary materials. Notethatpractice materials not sanctioned by the College Board can vary wildly in quality: some are very similar to the actual SAT, whereas others don’t even share the same basic structure as the test! I've collected the most helpful resources and provided some suggestions on how to get the most out of them in your SAT prep. This list is extensive but not exhaustive- there are a lot of SAT books and tests out there. Be aware, however, that many of them aren’t very high quality, so use your judgmentwhen deciding whether to incorporate something you find into your prep. Unofficial SAT Prep Books SAT prep books are a good alternativefor extra content review and practice.Their questions aren’t always quite right- for example, they might cover material you don’t really need to know or are easier or harder than those on the real SAT- but prep books can be a great resource for both reviewing concepts and trying out different strategies. I've provided some suggestions for general SAT prep books below. These each cost between $10 and $20, but you might be able to find them for free at your local or school library. Just make sure that they aren't written in before you check them out. Also, note that many of the best SAT books cover only one subject, so buying books can get expensive quickly. Best Book for High Scorers: Barron’s SAT, 29th Edition Barron’s SAT, 29th Edition hasa lot of in-depth study material that's particularly helpful for high scorers looking to fine-tune their test-taking strategies and ensure that they know every concept that might appear on the test. That said, the questions (especially those for Reading) tend to be much more difficult than those on the actual SAT, so this prep book isn't a good choice for students who get easily frustrated. You'll get a total of five full-length practice tests (including one diagnostic test) with this book. Best Book for Low Scorers: Kaplan's SAT Prep Plus 2020 Kaplan's SAT Prep Plus 2020, as well as its other SAT prep books, are better for students who need a basic foundation on what to expect on the test and how to approach it.The questions skew easier, so it doesn't provide great preparation for the more challenging aspects of the exam. This book is a good place to start if you have a low baseline score and want to increase it by a lot,since it will let you save official tests and more challenging practice for later in the process. This book offers five full-length SAT practice tests(two in the book and three online). Free Online Practice SATs from Test-Prep Companies Since these tests are free, they’re often (though not always) of a lower quality than the tests in books. If you really need more free practice materials, stick to using these for untimed content review and don’t worry if something seems weird or unusual. If you’re a high SAT scorer, trying to figure out how the test is different from an official SAT can be a good exercise and will help you understand exactly what makes the real thing tick. Ivy Global Ivy Global offers two free SAT practice tests, which are pretty decent in terms of quality. As you can see in the example below, both tests mimic the style of the official test very closely. Given the scarcity of materials for the current version of the SAT, these practice test PDFs could be a helpful addition to your prep- as long as you keep in mind that neither are official resources. MajorTests.com This website has a large selection of SAT practice questions divided by type. They're in thesame basic stylesas oldSAT questions, though the online format is less streamlined than that of the College Board or Khan Academy websites. You can see an example below: These SAT questions are best used sparingly- to test knowledge of math and grammar content and to practice general strategies (such as plugging in answersor numbers). Keep in mind that they might contain some errors. Varsity Tutors The format on these SAT practice questions isn’t especially accurate, and they sometimes ask about concepts that aren’t tested on the SAT. I generally wouldn’t recommend using them, but you can if you really want more questions to help test your general SAT knowledge. Here's an example of a question: Other Free Unofficial SAT Practice Tests Big test-prep companies, such as The Princeton Review and Kaplan, often offer a free practice test if you register for an account on their website. Sometimes you can even sign up to take the practice SAT at one of their test centers. As always, keep in mind that the qualityof the practice SAT will vary wildly, and the companymight aggressively pitch you their services. You'll probably end up using a mix of books and online resources for your SAT prep. Making an SAT Study Plan: 3 Essential Tips Now that youknow where tostart compiling the materials you'll need to prepare for the SAT, let's discuss how best to use these resources in a study plan. For more details on how to plan your SAT prep, check out our guide on how to build a prep plan that fits your schedule. #1: Find Your SAT Baseline Score Make sure to take a real SAT to determine your baseline score- unofficial diagnostic tests won’t give you a realistic sense of what the SAT is like or what your actual strengths and weaknesses are. Take the test in a quiet room without any distractions, and be sure to follow the official time limits. #2: Practice Skills and Review Content With Supplementary Materials Because there’s a limited number of official SATs available, you should supplement these tests with practice materials focused on specific subjects or question styles, including the official questions on Khan Academy and the SAT website, as well as those from unofficial sources. Making strategic use of these materials will allow you to try out new strategies and drill specific skills without having to worry about how many full official tests you have left. #3: Focus On Using Official SATs as Full-Length Practice Tests Again, because your supply of official SATs is limited, you want to use them judiciously. Don’t waste these tests by taking them in bits and pieces or while you’re distracted or stressed out. Instead, use most of the official SAT practice tests as full-length practice tests under real testing conditions: timed, all in one sitting, in a quiet room, etc. Once you’ve taken a test, take time to carefully go over the questions you missed and the ones you guessed on, analyzing why you got each one wrong and how the question is actually solved. Rememberto also save one or two official SATs for the end of your prep schedule! What's Next? Taking an SAT practice test is only the first step- you also need to go over your answers.Make sure that you know the best wayto review your mistakes. If you want to focus on a specific SAT section, check out our guides to the best practice materials for Reading, Math, and Writing. Want to improve your SAT score quickly? Try our 20-hour SAT prep planor our one-month SAT study plan, depending on how much time you have left before test day. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also feature thousands of practice questions, official SAT practice tests, and personal feedback on your essays from an expert instructor. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Urbanization And China Example

Urbanization And China Example Urbanization And China – Coursework Example URBAN PLANNING URBAN PLANNING There was restriction on the rural-urban migration which were set by the government. Secondly, it was the rustication period where the employment opportunities or prospects of a better life in the urban centers was bleak and less. Thirdly, there was the agricultural responsibility system which benefited the people in the rural areas and thus they had little or less incentives to move to urban areas and increase the population of urban areas. The Chinese government increased the foreign direct investment incentives and encouraged more investments into China which encouraged more jobs in the urban centers. In principle, the government changed some of the restrictive and punitive legislations and policies that hindered the flow of foreign investments and chances or opportunities. The urbanization movement has been balanced regionally, because the counties or states which have higher economic endowments have higher population and number of people. Thus, coun ties such as Shanghai has higher population due to prospects of opportunities of employments. China faces a surge and challenge of a very high population which cannot be fed or taken care of by the existing natural resources and endowments. It is challenging to struggle with limited resources yet the number of people able and willing to work at the existing wage rate is high. As a remedy, it would be critical to control the high population by adopting family planning tendencies and approaches. Secondly, china may give the interest groups such as youths and women grants and other incentives to start their own businesses and employment since the government cannot accommodate the high population. ReferenceLevy, J.M. (2013). Contemporary urban planning (10th ed.). Upper Saddler River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall Press.

The possible effects of splinting natural teeth to dental implant Essay

The possible effects of splinting natural teeth to dental implant restorations - Essay Example Modern dental implants help these dentally challenged people who have lost their teeth in some unfortunate way. Dental implants are so realistic that they are virtually identical to real teeth in form, sense and purpose. Dental implants allow these persons to eat normally again and are rest assured that their facial structures are back in line. The implants are actually miniature titanium posts, planted in the gaps where a tooth or a set of teeth should be. Once these are in place, these posts act as anchors and as tooth root replacements. The jawbone then bonds with the titanium, providing a base for the new tooth ("What are Dental Implants"). According to surveys, there are a lot of Americans suffering from oral deficiencies (Meskin & Brown; Harvey & Kelly). Implants are seen as appropriate alternatives to other oral correction aids, with about 300,000 to 428,000 implants performed each year (Seckinger et al). Osseo integration (Branemark) or functional ankylosis (Schroeder et al) are the formal terms for bone anchorage attributing to the sound success of dental implants. Osseointegration works at the microscopic level and it involves the bond between the bone and implant (Branemark). There are no unstable soft tissue connection between the bone and implant, and this implant bonds at an amazing level of efficiency. Electron microscope photographs show that the bone and implant are only about 20 nanometres apart (Listgarten et al). On metal implant surfaces, the oxidation reaction between titanium forms an oxide layer (3 to 5A) on the surface of the implant (Albrektsson). This oxide layer is highly desirable as it has a c eramic -like feel to it and is resistant to water and most forms of corrosion and is entirely organically attuned (Hansson et al; "Dental Implants in Periodontal Therapy"). History shows that implants were performed ever since people learned how to replace teeth in some way. The ancient Mayans have performed dental implants as evidenced in their obsidian carvings. In the recent eras, gold and other precious metals , ceramics , rubber, stainless steel were used at some point and has proved to be effective ("Implant history"). In 1952, Per-Ing-var Branemark, based in Sweden made a breakthrough discovery resulting in dental implants using various techniques and tools in dental technology. It turns that the metal titanium can bond with organic material well and when placed surgically in a jawbone, it facilitates anchorage and also the full recovery of gums. Thus the term "Osseo integration" was born ("Implant history"). Osseo integration was actually discovered accidentally by Dr. Brnemark. Dr. Brnemark observed that titanium can combine with bone tissue, a fact that is in contrast with modern scientific facts. He showed that under certain conditions, titanium can be incorporated into living tissue with much success and with out the hassles of tissue swelling or tissue rejection Dr. Brnemark as the discoverer of this occurrence' was also the one who first coined the term "Osseo integration" ("History of dental implants"). 1965 saw the birth of the new screw-shaped implants, but these types of implants wer subsequently improved until 1985. after this time that dentists were confident of this process and it has been used ever since. Throughout those 20

Health Care Reform in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Health Care Reform in America - Research Paper Example The contention was supported by authors Siegel, Mead and Burke (2008) who revealed an analogous argument in the rising costs of healthcare services coupled with the increasing number of Americans who are uninsured. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) emphasized that â€Å"some  47 million U.S. residents have no health insurance, and the numbers keep growing† (AFL-CIO, 2011, par. 1). In view of this, the current administration has enacted the Affordable Care Act that envisions implementing â€Å"comprehensive health insurance reforms that will hold insurance companies more accountable, lower health care costs, guarantee more health care choices, and enhance the quality of health care for all American† (USDHHS: Health Care, n.d, par. 1). The purposes of the reform are as follows: to broaden the population that receives health care coverage through either public sector insurance programs or private sector insurance companies; to expand the array of health care providers consumers may choose from; to improve the access to health care specialists; to improve the quality of healthcare; to give more care to citizens; and to decrease the cost of healthcare, among others. (PLS CITE YOUR SOURCE) Health care reform is therefore important to all Americans in terms of making health care accessible to more affordable health coverage through the following strategies, to wit: â€Å"(1) sets up a new competitive private health insurance market; (2) holds insurance companies accountable; and (3) puts our budget and economy on a more stable path† (USDHHS: Health Care, n.d., pars. 6 to 8). 1965 President Lyndon Johnson Lyndon enacted legislation which introduced Medicare covering both hospital and general medical insurance for senior citizens paid for by a Federal employment tax over the working life of the retiree, and Medicaid permitted the Federal government to partially fund a program for the poor, with the program managed and co-financed by the individual states.  

Aam Road Safety Campaign Essay Example for Free

Aam Road Safety Campaign Essay In effort to decrease the number of road accidents during festive seasons, The National Road Safety Council (MKJR), launched its annual National Road Safety Campaign 2013 which was held on 4 February 2013 at the Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), Kuala Lumpur. In-conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration this year, the event was implemented by the Road Safety Department (JKJR) in partnership with huge names deriving from government agencies and key players of the automotive industry. YB Dato’ Seri Kong Cho Ha, Minister of Transportation, graced the event as the Guest-of-Honour to launch the campaign in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The launching of the event campaign was also attended by the Chairman of the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM), YM Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar Tunku Mustapha, Treasurer of MKJR cum committee member of AAM, En. Ahmad Ismail Bin Haji Amin together with the AAM Chief Executive Officer, Madam Melinda Ngew. See more:Â  Perseverance essay The annual campaign aims to highlight the consequences of dangerous driving by creating awareness of safe driving habits, to ultimately reduce the number of accidents and casualties on the road and develop a safe driving culture. The Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) also played a vital role in making this annual road safety campaign a success by promoting road safety through the sponsoring of the AAM child-seat for the flag-off ceremony. Apart from the campaign launching ceremony, participating agencies and companies were also invited to set up their own booths and conduct their road safety campaign activities and promotions. AAM also took the chance to promote road safety, through road safety services products (AAM 3-in-1 torchlight the AAM compact fire-extinguisher). As a follow-up to make success the road safety campaign, several state level road safety campaigns were also held. The National Road Safety of Kuala Lumpur (MKJR WPKL), co-joint by the Road Safety Council of Kuala Lumpur (JKJR WPKL) extended the effort by organizing the Kuala Lumpur Road Safety Campaign 2013 at the Plaza Sg. Besi Toll, which also involved government agencies and huge automotive companies. Inspections were done by the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalanraya (JPJ) to motorcyclists, which involves license checking and replacing new helmets for motorcyclists wearing old helmets, fully-sponsored by the Road Safety Department of Kuala Lumpur (JKJR WPKL) The Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM), also took part in the event campaign through the involvement of the committee member, En. Ahmad Ismail B. Haji Amin who also helped at giving away brand new helmets for the motorcyclists.

A Slight Misunderstanding :: Free Essay Writer

A Slight Misunderstanding The media sure has its hands full! First off, it’s changing the physiology of grown men, transforming their brains into those of sixteen-year-olds with its cathode tubes, according to Steven Stark in his essay, â€Å"Where The Boys Are.† Next on the list is the task of convincing our youth that â€Å"murder is cool and fun,† a statement courtesy of John Grisham’s essay, â€Å"Unnatural Killers.† The media is making today’s youth somehow disregard everything they’ve ever heard about it being wrong to kill someone and consult their television for guidance instead! That job can’t be easy! Never having a moment’s rest, the media has also been sighted by Marie Winn. It was in the act of changing our entire families into groups of distant acquaintances, which we read in, â€Å"Television: The Plug-in Drug.† Finally, add to this list â€Å"screaming.† Deborah Tannen states that the media is making us scream at each other, an enlightening fact one may find in her essay, â€Å"The Triumph of the Yell.† Some new light has recently been shed on the subject, though: the media is not a concrete being. To say the media is sending out a message is akin to saying that your TV is talking to you. This being not possible, we must now examine those who control the media. This is a tough crowd to figure out. We do not know anything about these people. They could be the guy on the corner, or your favorite bartender†¦ probably not, but with all the face-less notoriety this industry has been painted with, one might think so. We are led to believe that we are being controlled and manipulated by unknown egomaniacs that are systematically destroying every facet of good ole’ fashioned life. Life, though, was fashioned many moons ago and has not changed much since. We have always craved to live our lives vicariously through art. The concept of real life imitating art was not born with the advent of slasher films and rap music: the heyday of the Wild West spurned multitudes of dime novels that city kids grabbed up and relived on their stoops. And the media, throughout the course of its evolution, has always attempted to tap into our innermost desires, desires to step into surrealism. It has to. It’s the product it’s selling. Some may say that they’re exploiting our vulnerabilities.

Speech about Drugs

It does not matter who I am or what my name is, what really did matters is my experience about this topic and of course the message that m going to pass you at the end of this speech. Marijuana, L SD, Cocaine, Heroin†¦ All these fancy words, what are they all? They are drugs, all different types Of drugs. All Of which have a different affect on our body, some more than others but they all do the same. Lets be honest. Drugs is not as cool as you think they are, they must be taken seriously especially in your age fellow students when it is more likely to want to try new things.Close your eyes. Imagine your life as a drug addict. What you have just thought, I am so convince that it can not be compared to what drugs can do to any of us. Well, test take a deeper look. First of all, let me explain the true definition of the word drug. Drug addiction is a dependence on a legal or illegal drug on medication. When you are addicted is when your body requires the drug in higher doses to ha ve the same effect and to avoid withdrawal symptoms. You have an intense crave for the drug. Most people can not quit and they need help since they can not do it on their own.Also, drugs can cause serious, long term consequences, including problems with physical and mental health, relationships and employment. Based on the observation, the students consume the drugs cause of stress. It is to calm down the instant thought. The students do not realize that the drugs consumption has the negative impact for them, like the intelligence decreases, mental disorder, death and many kinds of disease. Take a moment and think of the signs that someone can have when he is addicted. At first, it is not so obvious to recognize the addict from the healthy human.Usually, If the addict go too long without drugs, he experience symptoms such as nausea, restlessness, insomnia, depression, sweating, shaking, and anxiety. If you take a deeper look in someone addicts eyes they re usually bloodshot, larger or smaller than usual. He does not eat, sleep and he sudden lose or gain weight. His physical appearance is starting to deteriorating and he has an unusual smells on breath, body or clothing. Not only he lose his words, but also when he is talking his voice tremors.As for his behavior can easily change and the person you knew, it turns out to be someone else that the only thing he cares about is to take his drug dose. He drops in attendance and performance at work or school. He has an unexplained need for money, and he also may borrow or steal money if you effuse to give him. Sudden change in friends, and he frequently getting into trouble, fights or even illegal activities. What about the effects that drugs can do to their victims? Well there are so many, that I have no idea where to start.Firstly, drugs can weaken the immune system and also rate to heart attacks. We all know that drugs such as heroin can be injected. Well, injected drugs can also lead to collapsed veins, infection s of the blood and different kind of diseases such as Aids. Another effect on drugs is that it can cause seizures, stroke and widespread brain mage that leads to problems with memory, attention and decision-making. Do you know that drugs can produce global body changes? For instance they may development breast in men and it can increase body temperature.Drugs speed up the nervous system and give a feeling of happiness and well-being. They prevent you from relaxing and sleeping, you become uncontrolled and jumpy. The drugs can take you, to not only on good ‘trip' that extraordinary things will happen, they can also take you on a bad trip that it turns out to be a nightmare that you can not wake up from. Your life revolves around drug SE. You spend a lot Of time using and thinking about drugs, figuring out how to get them, and recovering from the drugs effects.You become depressed and you lose all interest in life. You also become paranoid, you confused reality from what you are seeing when you are stoned. Another effect is that the drug addicts have the feeling that someone is after them like the police, or someone who wants to hurt them. What about the people around the addicts? Can you imagine what the surrounding environment can think of them when they find out that you became drug addict? First of all, since you can not concentrate to your job responsibilities, one day to another you become unemployment.Say goodbye to your friendships or relationships that you once had. They can also be negatively affected since the people around you can not trust you. Lastly, the most fatal feeling that you can cause to your family is the feeling of disappointment. The family of the addicts usually blame themselves for the addicts mistakes for doing drugs. F-articulately they are some ways that in nowadays a drug addict can help himself. First of all, you have to stand out and refuse to take drugs. Also, you should find out more healthy solutions to your problems tha t you may facing.Last but not least, as a friend of the victim motivate him to seek for help for his addiction. For example, going to rehab or even going to some organizations such as the Narcotics Anonymous (AN) can help you in many ways to stop using drugs. So, you want know who I am or who I was? Well, I was a drug victim that ended up destroying everything in my life. I was the one that changed dramatically and became one of the things that I warned you about. I shut people up, especially my own family. Captioned everyone and when I wanted help it was too late.

Five Forces Analysis on Indian Retail Industry

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis on Indian Retail Industry An analysis of the structure of the industry should be undertaken in order to find effective sources of competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Therefore, in order to analyse the competitive environment of Tesco, Porter’s five forces analysis has been used by the researcher as follows: Threat of substitute products and services The threat of substitutes in the grocery retail market is considerably low for food items and medium to high for non-food items. In the food retail market, the substitutes of major food retailers are small chains of convenience stores, off licenses and organic shops which are not seen as a threat to supermarkets like Tesco that offer high quality products at considerably lower prices (Financial Times, 2009). Moreover, Tesco is further getting hold of these shops by opening Express stores in local towns and city centres creating a hurdle for these substitutes to enter the market. However, the threat of substitutes for non-food items, for instance clothing, is fairly high. It should be noted that so long as the economic recession prevails, customers will be inclined towards discounted prices hence Tesco is a threat to the speciality shops. Threat of entry of new competitors The threat of entry of new competitors into the food retail industry is low. It requires huge capital investments in order to be competitive and to establish a brand name. Major brands that have already captured the food retail market are Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and they account for 80% of all shopping in the UK (Mintel, 2010). Therefore, new entrants have to produce something at an exceptionally low price and/or high quality to establish their market value. Gaining planning authorisation from local government takes a considerable amount of time and resources to establish new supermarkets and this is therefore a considerable barrier to new entrants. Intensity of competitive rivalry The intensity of competitive rivalry in the food and grocery retail industry is extremely high. Tesco faces intense competition from its direct competitors, including Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, which are ompeting with each other over price, products and promotions intermittently. It should therefore be highlighted that Asda is one of the key competitors in this segment with an increase of market share from 16. 6% to 16. 8% during the fiscal year 2010/ 09, while Sainsbury’s has shown an increase to 16. 1% from 15. 8% and Morrisons to 11. 6% from 11. 3% through the same period (Euromonitor, 2010). The slow market growth essentially means that these increasing market shares from competitors have intensified the market rivalry, which is threatening Tesco’s market leadership position. In rural areas where the nearest superstore can be some distance away, some primary consumers are attracted by retailers like Somerfield and Co-op . Hard discounters like Aldi and Lidl have taken over the market in times of recession. During 2008 they recorded a growth of sales of over 25% (Keynote, 2010). Bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers is fairly high. In cases where products have a slight differentiation and are more standardized, the switching cost is very low and the buyers can easily switch from one brand to another. It has been proposed that customers are attracted towards the low prices, and with the availability of online retail shopping, the prices of products are easily compared and thus selected. Bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is fairly low. It should be noted that the suppliers are inclined towards major food and grocery retailers and dread losing their business contracts with large supermarkets. Hence, the position of the retailers like Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s is further strengthened and negotiations are positive in order to get the lowest possible price from the suppliers.

cordless tech essays

cordless tech essays Wireless technology, from cell phones to business networks is revolutionizing the world we live in. Now we can access the Internet while in our cars, on the beach, and even at dinner. This wave of technology will soon be felt in full force as we begin to travel with the assistance of a computer, run businesses with high quality networks, and check last nights game on our digital phones and personal digital assistants (PDA). Advancements made by wireless technology are allowing us greater degrees of freedom, security, and efficiency. Cars are feeling the wave of wireless technology as we speak. General Motors Corp.s navigation systems subsidiary, OnStar Communications, will provide drivers voice access to the Internet, starting with 30 of its 2001 models. The OnStar service provides airbag deployment notification, remote door unlocking, location services, stolen-vehicle tracking, and remote diagnostics (Wallace). It is easy to see why this technology is sought after, authorities will arrive on the seen faster, thieves will be detoured, and locking ones keys in the car wont incorporate the vandalistic approach once used. Also it is figured that 50-80% of all cellular phone calls are made from vehicles, with this new technology voice activated technology, users can expect to have both hands free while talking. With the new services, drivers will set up profiles from their desktop PC that are then kept on servers in OnStars service centers. With a hands free, voice-activated interface, OnStar subscribe rs will use voice prompts, such as Start my E-mail or Start my stock quotes to receive information via the Internet. The service will convert Internet text to speech and read the information via synthesizes voice (Wallace). And if that isnt enough, the price ranges from $199 to $399 a year, a great buy, as it will cut one ...

Working Backwards to Create Tension in a Short Story

Working Backwards to Create Tension in a Short Story Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most prolific and well-known short story writers in American literature, and had much to say regarding the craft, particularly regarding the writers process. In addition to believing firmly that a literary work should be read in one sitting, in his essay, The Philosophy of Composition, Poe writes: Nothing is more clear than that every plot, worth the name, must be elaborated to its dà ©nouement before anything be attempted with the pen. It is only with the dà ©nouement constantly in view that we can give a plot its indispensable air of consequence, or causation, by making the incidents, and especially the tone at all points, tend to the development of the intention.It is within this concept of knowing the dà ©nouement that the writer overcomes the biggest challenge in writing a short story: namely, the challenge of compressing a meaningful tale into one sitting for the reader. This becomes especially difficult considering the modern reader, whose atte ntion span has become arguably shortened by multiple technological interruptions throughout the day. But the fact remains- if you wish to create a meaningful tale in fewer than 7,500 words, the best way to do it is by working backwards.But how do I actually do that?Knowing what to do and doing it are two different things, and if youve never done it, rest assured that working through the entire plot before writing your story might feel counterintuitive. However, the good news is that once you do it, the hard part of writing a short story is over; you can then focus on writing, which becomes much simpler when there is a clearly defined outline to work with.When I work backwards in writing a short story, I start by asking myself what major change or revelation I want to transpire or be revealed at the end. A word of warning: this could be the most tedious part of the process, because in essence, you are determining a storys thematic focus.After these questions have been answered and yo u have created a way to drive that theme home for your readers with a shocking or unnerving ending, you can then determine the best and most representative characters to complete those events or make those revelations. This is usually much easier to do than the aforementioned first step, because now, you have a thematic focus to work on and a solid base plot point (the conclusion) to build upon. Finding a character (or characters) to populate that plot is usually only a matter of looking for archetypes that fit your theme.What are the advantages?Although is almost goes against logic to write a story from the end, backwards, youll find several advantages to undergoing this process. For example, knowing the end allows the writer to do the following:Build suspense at a more correct pace- knowing how the story ends provides the opportunity to build suspense from the beginning, through foreshadowing and imagery from the very first sentence.Build a character around the plot rather than th e other way around- knowing a characters fate is highly useful in characterization techniques. Since short stories provide little opportunity for in-depth characterization, building a character around the plot rather than the other way around allows the writer to create a character who fits well into the short story genre.Write the storys arc then go back in to fill in details- this type of outline, if you will, allows the writer to create a more realistic arc. To use geometrical reference as metaphor, knowing the beginning and ending of an arc supplies the writer with the most obvious angle for drawing it.Building suspenseAccording to Poe, A short story must have a single mood and every sentence must build towards it. One of the greatest challenges for the short story writer, then, becomes determining this mood from the onset, and there is no easier way to achieve this task than to write (or at least know) the ending first. Working backwards from the end toward the beginning in you r thought process when creating the story then becomes more intuitive, and allows you to pick out events or conversations between characters along the way that serve to build suspense before the dà ©nouement.CharacterizationCharacterization isnt often a focus in short story writing, primarily because there is such limited space in which to develop a character. This mystery surrounding the character can work to your advantage, though, in that you can offer the reader a targeted, turbulent tour of the inner workings of a characters mind and then pull them right out again, while questions still remain. Its a process that makes the short story genre so uniquely powerful and appealing.The storys arcIf you work out the end before even beginning the first sentence of the story, youll likely be tempted to write the end first. This isnt necessarily a bad idea, and some short story writers swear its the best method. Having carefully planned out the ending- what the main character or main cha racters will see and experience- youll be more able to see the trajectory of plot and can more easily work backwards. This helps you avoid two of the most common pitfalls many writers face in the middle of writing a short story:Wandering off track with plot.Not being sure where to go next.With the end plainly in sight, and especially if details of the end are worked out in great depth, youll stay on track with plot and find a more suitable beginning that creates a well-paced short story plot line.

Stereotypes in Disney and other Kids Programs Research Paper

Stereotypes in Disney and other Kids Programs - Research Paper Example Stereotypes in Disney and other Kids Programs The paper will also elaborate the impact of these stereotyped characters on the children and adults, and its consequences on their future life. The paper will be supported with the Utilitarian Theory articulated by J.S. Mills while investigating into the affects and influences of the recreational programs developed and telecasted with the aim of providing entertainment to the children. The paper will also elucidate the remedies essential for discouraging the trends of promoting bias and hatred among the individuals coming of different ethno-racial and religious backgrounds, as well as between both the genders that had been in vogue for the last several decades in various regions of the globe. The Paper: By critically investigating into the history of the cultures and civilizations of the globe at large, it appears a reality that the individuals, groups and societies had been in conflict with one another since ever (Ember & Ember 68). These clashes and conflicts occurred on the basis of their differences with regards to food collection, belief system, political rivalries, physical appearances, socioeconomic characteristics and gender identities etc. These differences have not only played the dynamic role in respect of increasing the gulf between the people and civilizations, but also led to the battles, war and bloodshed in the wake of the divergences in views and opinions on the one side, and interests and appearances on the other. (Macionis 255). The ethno-racial clashes that had been taken place in the wake of the prejudices the humans observed against the members of out-groups in one way or the other were also staged and administered because of the lust of the communities to dominate over others with the help of political, social, economic and strategic supremacy (Ritzer 91). Consequently, the Africans had been the target of the hatred witnessed by the members of white Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASP), as the whites considered them to be the descendants of the ir slaves, and refuted to grant them the right associated with the white members of the American society (Desmond & Emirbayer 334). Hence, the blacks remained at risk of experiencing a number of acute racism reactions, and biased behavior that left adverse affects of ethno-racial victimizations on them both sentimental and psychological viewpoints. The people belonging to various ethno-racial groups did not confine their biased behavior to one specific field or zone only; on the contrary, the reflections of hatred in the name of religion and race made their sure headway in economic institutions, political activities, art, literature, and even amusement and recreational activities. It is therefore the literary pieces including poetry, novels and short stories, and the recreational sources i.e. films, movies and theatre also presented the ideas and images displaying one specific race and gender to be sober, gentle, law-abiding and peace-seeking, while the rival groups as the represent atives of evil, malevolence and violence. As a result, women were portrayed and presented to be evil and monsters through films and movies on the one side (Jensen & Oster 10), and the blacks were depicted to be quarrelsome, violent and aggressive on the other. The

Character analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Character analysis - Essay Example He was the 11th son of Jacob and was the favourite amongst his all sons. The entire and complete theme of Joseph’s story is given in Surah-e-Yusuf in the Quran. The character of Joseph is sketched as a young boy who is quiet, bashful, and courteous. He has the gifted quality of prophecy to interpret dreams. The story introduces Joseph’s dream about â€Å"eleven stars, the sun, and the moon which are in a position that are bowed before him†. He understands the meaning of this dream and was hesitating to inform his father about it due to his fear of being an audacious boy but soon he communicates with his father about this dream. He also interprets this dream as a message from God to Joseph to become the messenger of God and enlighten their family’s prophecy. The second part of the story was Joseph's brothers’ plot against Joseph, as they all abhorred him for being the favourite of their father. The character of Joseph’s brothers is described a s dark. They planned a conspiracy against Joseph and persuaded Jacob to grant them acceptance to take Joseph with them. Jacob granted them permission with affliction and on a condition that they had to keep an eye on him and to bring him back in absolute condition. However, Joseph’s brothers wended their plan and dropped Joseph into a well and left him there alone. Upon returning home, they came up with a lie told to their father that Joseph has been attacked by a wolf and showed to him a blood stained shirt as a proof of their calumny but their father did not believed them. While Joseph was extricated from the well by a caravan passing by and he was sold to a well off merchant named Aziz (Potiphar). Joseph’s character has been evaluated as a grown up person as a truthful, meek, innocent, and compliant person who distinguished well among virtuous and sin. He has been described as a very attractive and alluring man. While living as a slave at Potiphar’s place he was seduced by Potiphar’s wife but he constantly disdained her, as his character was pure and dignified. The Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph in front of the town for seducing her; due to this allegation, Joseph was sent to prison where another theme of story hits the line. In the prison, more shades of Joseph’s personality came into view as a preacher of God’s messages he appraised the prison-mates upon God’s belief and divinity when they came towards him asking for their dreams’ interpretation. Secondly, he has been appeared to have an adroit and intelligent personality who has the power to assure other men for his perspective of religious values and convictions. He assured them to interpret the meaning of their dreams and fulfilled his promises, which shows the trustworthy and honest shade of his character and he was testified by the two prison-men as a Muhsin. He had been a dignified and virtuous person all through which can be analyzed by the fact that he aggrandized prison life rather than being induced into sin. He possessed such spiritual powers that did not let his faith decline; instead, it enhanced and became unchallengeable with the time. A principal shade of his character as a truthful person can be evaluated when Joseph was informed by the king’s butler for interpreting the king’s dream and Joseph then acceded for interpreting the dream but he still preferred honor over sin which made it possible for him to stop conspiracy against him once he was freed from the prison by the order of the

The impact of violent video games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The impact of violent video games - Essay Example Players compete on a higher level and physically and emotionally than people do when reading literature. I think that video games and literature differ a lot. The difference arises once a consideration that encompasses all the attributes of the video games against those of the contents in literature. There is valid evidence that supports the logic that participating in film sports differs from the experience of reading a book, listening to radio broadcast or viewing a typical movie (Atwaan). The statements imply that there may be differences between players who play the same game. Just as literature, the more active acknowledged positive impact of video games is that they help children to improve their manual diversity and computer literacy. Violent acts include unclear but commonly examples of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Besides, accidents that might result to death of a person and torture are part of the violence. Literature has different impacts to a person. The influence is mostly influential to individuals below the age of eighteen whereby video or graphic violence. They arouse strong emotions that range from excitement and titillation to even terror. The fact also depends on the mindset of the viewer and the method that contains its presentation. Unlike literature, video games are presented in adult action genre and is expected to evoke excite feelings of the targeted demographic without inducing disgust or revulsion. I think the comparison between literature and video games differ and do not have the same impacts on an individual who uses them. In addition, video games that have been a source of controversy of violence tend to be interactive and not passive when compared to research. This clearly indicates how video games and literature differ Video games violence differ in many ways , it has impacted different emotions on children and the viewer of the same they can lead to alienation , psychiatric diodes ,suicide risk,

General Trends of English Politics Before The Viking Invasions Essay Example for Free

General Trends of English Politics Before The Viking Invasions Essay Do you detect any general trend or trends in the pattern of English politics before the Viking invasions? Although there were sporadic Viking attacks on the coasts of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from 793 onwards, the Viking invasions, when large forces started to appear for sustained campaigns, should probably be seen as beginning in 865, when a heathen army encamped on Thanet.1 Before this time, we see a trend in English politics of increasingly extensive overlordship of some kings over others. There is debate about the extent of these overlordships, but it seems reasonable to suggest that certain kings at certain times were able to dominate other kingdoms, and also that there was some increase in the area a king might aspire to control. However, there is more argument about what this trend might mean, and particularly whether it can be seen as part of an inexorable progression towards the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in the ninth and tenth centuries. I shall argue that the pattern tended to a limit, and that there is no reason to see unification as its inevitable result, for three main reasons. Firstly, we see another trend that, as kingdoms grew both in size and strength, it became harder to convert overlordship into amalgamation, although this is seen in some cases. Secondly, I shall contend that the overlordship seen was based upon opportunism, with little or no institutional continuity between different overlords. Thirdly, the nature of Anglo-Saxon politics was such that no kingdom before the Viking invasions could sustain its ascendancy sufficiently for the trends to represent long-term moves towards unification. The best way to explain the eventual unification is not as a result of long-term trends, but as West Saxon opportunism at a time when the other kingdoms were weak, buttressed by a latent sense of united ecclesiastical identity, which the Viking threat brought to the surface. The main trend that we see in the pre-Viking Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is the growth of overlordship, whereby one political unit, while retaining a degree of separate identity, and quite possibly its own ruler, was dominated by another. Bede uses a variety of terms to refer to different rulers, including rex, princeps and subregulus. The impression that one gets from this is a complex patchwork of kings, with some subordinate to others: Dumville and Campbell both justifiably point out that the terminological variety suggests that there was no universal pattern, but a web of dependent relationships; this is similar to the situation in Ireland at the same time. It is likely that such relationships go back to the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon period; Kirby points out that this would hardly be surprising, since Tacitus describes similar hierarchies in Germany. However, we do see overlordship being exercised over increasingly large areas: the traditional starting point here is Bedes list of sev en kings who ruled over all the southern kingdoms. 2 The evidence does generally support the view that these kings exercised considerable power over large parts of England. Keynes asserts that it is inconceivable that Aelle of Sussex and Ceawlin of Wessex, the first two rulers, could have wide ranging power. We know little about them, but the Chronicle entries do suggest that they were significant and had successes, particularly against the Britons.3 Furthermore, Myres studies of the distribution of pottery fragments suggest that both rulers exercised some authority in the Midlands and East Anglia, since pottery finds match those in their native kingdoms. The evidence is not sufficient to suggest that they had control as far north as the Humber, but we would be unwise to dismiss the idea that these kings had some form of overlordship over much of southern England. Furthermore, Keynes is sceptical about Aethelbert of Kents power, suggesting that Bedes reiteration of the claim that he was king of all the land south of the Humber4 shows that this was dubious, requiring repetition to convince readers. However, the papal appeal that Aethelbert should spread the Word to his subjects suggests that he had considerable power, as Higham argues, even if he was not literally king of the English, the style accorded to him by the appeal.5 It is less easy to rebut Keynes diminution of Raedwald of East Anglia, since we know very little about him. If we could be more certain that the person buried at Sutton Hoo is indeed Raedwald (as many historians posit), we could assume that he was a very rich and powerful king; however, Keynes does not give us any positive reason to doubt Bedes claim regarding Raedwalds wide overlordship. Although Keynes asserts that Bede makes inflated claims about the scope of the influence of Edwin, Oswald and Oswiu of Northumbria, there is no strong evidence to support this: Bedes account is internally consistent, giving examples of these kings intervening in the Mevanian Islands (Angelsey and Man),6 Wessex,7 East Anglia,8 and Mercia9 at various times. These interventions could be entirely military (as is implied for the islands) or could involve peaceful shows of power, such as Oswalds participation in the baptism of Cynigils of Wessex. It seems reasonable to conclude that these kings did exert influence across large parts of Southumbria and it appears that the areas they could control increased; Keynes attempt to deny extensive overlordship in this period to strengthen his (already strong) case against a formal Bretwaldic institution is not particularly convincing. Furthermore, overlordship did not end with Oswiu: indeed, the later Mercian kings were possibly even more successful in securing practical overlordship across much of Southumbria. Bede acknowledges that the southern kingdoms were subject to Aethelbald at the time he was writing,10 supporting Dumvilles conclusion that the omission of the Mercian kings from the earlier list was prompted by concern to curtail the digression from Aethelberts death, rather than Northumbrian bias. There is evidence of Mercian hegemony in the south before Aethelbald: Bede explicitly states that the South Saxons were subject to Wulfhere11 and Eddius refers to Wulfheres ability to draw forces from all the southern kingdoms.12 Furthermore, charters give us evidence that Mercian kings were overlords in Southumbria: in the Ismere Diploma, Aethelbald is styled king not only of the Mercians but also of all provinces which are called by the general name South English';13 Offa could confirm a land grant by an ealdorman of the South Saxons;14 Offa was apparently the most beloved lord of the Hwicce;15 Offa was in a position to revoke a grant of land by the King Egbert of Kent;16 Wiglaf could grant land in Worcestershire;17 and Brihtwulf could do the same in Berkshire.18 This charter evidence is very important: it demonstrates that the kings of Mercia in this period claimed authority over other southern kingdoms and also implies that this authority could have practical manifestations, such as the right to grant land or at least to confirm grants made by their underkings. The extent of their authority seems to decline after Offa, but the principle of overlordship, in a more limited sense, continued. One of the most debated possible indicators of widespread Mercian overlordship is the document known as the Tribal Hidage. The difficulties and ambiguities of this text are such that the charter evidence cited is a far stronger sign of extensive Mercian overlordship, but there is a significant possibility that the Tribal Hidage is a Mercian tribute list, estimating the tribute that the Mercian kings hoped to collect from southern kingdoms. Highams bold self-confidence in dismissing a Mercian origin is unwise, in that such levels of certainty are wholly inappropriate in this context: all we can do is suggest hypotheses, while accepting that other hypotheses may be valid. As Featherstone and Sawyer point out, the methodical arrangement, with the kingdoms being arranged in an approximately clockwise order around Mercia, hints at a Mercian origin. The inclusion of a figure for Mercia, which Higham sees as evidence that the document is a Northumbrian tribute list, might be an assessment of internal food renders, Featherstone suggests. The preservation and copying of the Tribal Hidage imply that there was some practical purpose in estimating the hidation of Southumbria: it is still possible to accept tentatively the claims of Davies and Vierck that the Tribal Hidage is an indicator of widespread Mercian overlordship. There is some agreement that Egbert of Wessex, whom the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle appends to Bedes list of overlords and styles Bretwalda (Manuscript A ruler of Britain) or Brytenwalda (other Manuscripts wide ruler), was overlord of extensive territories. Keynes accepts the Chronicles claim that Egbert conquered the kingdom of the Mercians, and everything south of the Humber;19 this statement must cast doubt upon Stentons assertion that the extent of Egberts overlordship was not comparable to Offas. Nevertheless, Keynes claim that Egbert was the first, not the eighth, wide ruler is dubious: the evidence very strongly suggests that overlordship had been an aspect of Anglo-Saxon politics for centuries. However, the territories being brought under a single overlord were tending to increase in scale: the archaeological record suggests that the early great kings, like Aelle and Ceawlin, could aspire to rule much of the land south of the Humber, but nothing like as much as the later Mercians and Egbert. This trend was not relentless: in the period between Offa and Egbert, there is little evidence of comprehensive overlordship on the scale of either of these rulers. Although we observe this trend towards the formation of more extensive overlordships, we should not conclude, as Stenton and John do, that this trend could be extrapolated to encompass the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the first place, it seems to have been increasingly difficult to convert overlordship into the actual amalgamation of kingdoms. Initially, with small kingdoms, it may not have been unduly difficult to effect such assimilation: Yorke points out that East Kent seems to have consumed West Kent sometime during the sixth century. Indeed, much amalgamation probably occurred in the sixth century, before the various kingdoms that we see emerged. Furthermore, it was often possible for a larger kingdom to digest a smaller one: this is seen in the cases of Deira (eventually subsumed into Bernicia after 651) and the Hwicce (gradually divested of independence by Mercia in the eighth century). However, integration was not always smooth: despite being united under Aethelfrith and Edwin, Deira was ruled separately under Oswine from 642 until 651. In the latter part of the pre-Viking period, it would have been very difficult for one of the greater kingdoms to consume another permanently: this is suggested by the fact that, despite their struggles and periods of subjection to one another, Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia and Wessex all survived until the Viking onslaught. An illustration of this difficulty is the case of Mercia: Oswiu of Northumbria was only able to rule Mercia directly for three years after his victory in 655; he was driven out by the Mercian ealdormen in 658. Similarly, Egberts domination of Mercia was not secure: he was recognised as king by the Mercians in 829 but Wiglaf was restored in 830. Indeed, it would seem that political union was most successful when it was pursued gently: unlike Offas aggressive attempts to dominate Kent from 764 until 785, Wessexs absorption of Kent and Sussex was done with sensitivity to the local nobles; this did, however, mean that the sense of union was perhaps not cemented, as is suggested by Aethelwulfs proposed division of Greater Wessex, with Aethelbert succeeding in the East and his other sons taking Wessex itself in turn. However, unification in the ninth and tenth centuries can be explained in that the situation after the coming of the Vikings was different, since Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria were seriously weakened by the attacks, aiding Wessexs expansion. Moreover, the overlordship that we see was probably highly opportunistic, without institutional underpinnings. Yorke is probably right that the principal motivation for overlordship was the collection of tribute: Bede mentions tribute in connection with overlordship20 and Eddius says that Wulfheres purpose in attacking Northumbria was to gain tribute.21 Furthermore, the Mercians could presumably have conquered a tribe like the Hicca (assessed at a mere 300 hides in the Tribal Hidage), had they wished to do so; that such tribes existed as notionally independent entities suggests that, if the Tribal Hidage is a Mercian tribute list, the Mercians were content with tribute rather than political union. However, John argues that there was some kind of institutional framework and that overlordship was being gradually translated into unification. Key to this argument is the adoption of formal titles by kings: John contends that the ideal of a united Britain was a real one in kings minds, citing the use of various titles. The most famous of these is Bretwalda or, as John prefers, Brytenwalda, which appear in different versions of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle;22 I shall not become drawn into an argument about which style is the original, because the ambiguity and confusion is sufficient of itself, as Wormald argues, to cast doubt upon the existence of such an institution in reality. Clearly, whoever was copying the manuscripts was not familiar with the term, which suggests that it was a literary construct devised retrospectively to describe Egbert; its frequent application to kings like Aelle and Raedwald is therefore probably anachronistic and Kirbys vision of kings striving to become Bretwalda23 is most likely to be fanciful. John also argues that other titles imply the existence of some kind of abstract concept of overlordship separate from the individual kings who happened to be overlords. For example, he highlights that Adomnan says that Oswald was ordained by God as emperor of all of Britain24 and that Boniface refers to Aethelbald wielding the glorious sceptre of imperial rule over the English.25 This evidence, combined with the point about Bretwaldas, is a rather thin basis for a case: it is quite possible that the titles were simply being used for flattery; the fact that Boniface calls Aethelbald king of the Mercians in his letter asking Herefrith to deliver the previous communication suggests that the imperial title used in the letter to Aethelbald was unofficial.26 Moreover, Offa is also generally styled king of the Mercians,27 as is Cenwulf.28 In their charters, they tend to claim to be kings of various kingdoms, rather than stressing titles of institutional overlordship. If there was no institution of overlordship, each de facto overlordship would have to start afresh in trying to create cohesion: the trend of increasingly extensive overlordship was not therefore destined to result in the formation of England, since there was often little continuity between the different overlords. The sense of common identity that began to emerge by the later ninth century (Alfred could speak of Angelkynn and Englisc) probably had far more to do with religious unity in the face of the pagan Viking threat. As Wormald argues, the Church, rather than the so-called Bretwaldas, was the institution that provided a common reference point for the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, by stressing that the Gens Anglorum was a chosen people, selected to receive the Word. Given that there were most probably no institutions to produce continuity in overlordship, momentum towards unification could only be maintained as long as a particular kingdom was in the ascendant; however, the nature of Anglo-Saxon politics in this period was such that success tended to be transient. We see this is Northumbria, whose hegemony collapsed very quickly after defeats at the Battle of the Trent (679) and Nechtansmere (685). Likewise, Mercian hegemony seems to have declined gradually after Offa. There was, to a significant extent, a natural instability in the pattern of politics: kings required land to grant to warriors (to secure their support), which required the conquest of land, which required more warriors; this pattern was clearly unsustainable in the longer term. The importance of giving gifts to warriors is seen in Beowulf, where Hrothgar says that he will dispense / his God-given goods to young and old;29 Bede shows that such gifts were necessary in the real world, expressing concern that excessive endowment of secularised monasteries had left Northumbria with insufficient land to grant to warriors. 30 There is evidence to suggest that warriors would desert their lord, if he ceased to provide them with treasure and land: Aldhelm expresses disapproval of those who do this in his letter to the clergy of Bishop Wilfrid.31 Probably, the importance of conquering new lands explains why the initiative shifted away from the south-east to Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex: these kingdoms could, at least for a while, conquer land from Britons, in a way that kingdoms like Kent could not. A notable feature of both Beowulf and Anglo-Saxon politics is that kingdoms tended to come to grief sooner or later; success was rarely lasting. Another source of instability was internal dynastic politics: there seem to have been frequent civil wars. This is hardly surprising given that, according to Dumville, any aetheling could claim the throne through descent in the male line from the founder of the kingdom: the multiplicity of aethelings32 would not infrequently compete for the kingship. The Historia Regum attributed to Simeon of Durham demonstrates that four different dynasties competed for the Northumbrian throne between 759 and 796, with murders, exiles and (probably forced) tonsures being common.33 Similarly, there is evidence of the threat of dynastic instability in Mercia, in that Offa decided to eliminate his son Cenwulfs potential competitors; Alcuin attributes conflict in Cenwulfs reign to this policy and says that this was not the strengthening of his kingdom, but its ruin. 34 Given that there were such internal problems, it is hardly surprising that kingdoms could lose overlordship quickly, as dynastic politics came to predominate. The importance of dynastic stability is seen in the eventual rise of Wessex: Egberts successes against Mercia came when the latter was probably engaged in dynastic wrangles; Campbell suspects that neither Ludeca (825-7) nor Wiglaf (827-40) were related to their predecessors. On the other hand, the West Saxon succession was more stable, as Dumville points out: this is seen in the succession in turn of Aethelwulfs sons, even if it did not conform entirely to Aethelwulfs intentions. However, dynastic tension was generally a feature of the pre-Viking period: this contributed to the rapid rise and fall of kingdoms, meaning that overlordship could not consolidate into unification. We do therefore see a trend towards greater overlordships in this period, though it must be noted that this trend was gradual and not entirely linear. Nevertheless, it is clear that certain kings were able to exert influence over far larger areas just before the Viking invasions than others could at the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon period. However, it would be unwise to extrapolate this trend and interpret it as some kind of progression towards the eventual unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms under the West Saxons. It became harder to translate overlordship into political amalgamation as kingdoms grew, and overlordship was not itself stable, given the internal vicissitudes of kingdoms. We see that, before the later ninth and tenth centuries, no kingdom could sustain overlordship for long and, in the absence of recognised institutions of overlordship, this meant that whatever progress might conceivably have been made towards unification under one overlord was lost when his kingdoms power waned. The rise of Wessex was predicated upon factors that mostly could not have been foreseen: it was able to take advantage of the weakness of the other English kingdoms in the wake of the Viking attacks and could exploit the latent sense of religious unity, which was probably made stronger by the common, external, pagan threat. Bassetts extended metaphor of a knockout football competition, which inevitably produces a single winner, is not particularly apposite; while we might nowadays modify Kembles nineteenth century allusions (he described overlordship as a mere fluctuating superiority such as we may find in Hawaii, Tahiti or New Zealand, due to success in war and lost in turn by defeat35), his basic conclusion, that the overlordships that we see in the pre-Viking Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were not leading inexorably towards unification, still seems entirely reasonable. Bibliography Sources: Adomnan, Life of Columba, ed. and trans. R. Sharpe (1995) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, in English Historical Documents, i, 1, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Beowulf, trans. S. Heaney (1999) Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ed. and trans. B. Colgrave and R.A.B. Mynors (1969) Bede, Letter to Egbert, in English Historical Documents, i, 170, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Eddius, Life of St Wilfred, in English Historical Documents, i, 154, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Simeon of Durham, Historia Regum, in English Historical Documents, i, 3, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Charters: in English Historical Documents, i, 54, 66-7, 76-7, 79-80, 85-7 Letters: in English Historical Documents, i, 165-6, 177-9, 191-3, 195, 197-200, 202, 204-5, 208-10, ed. and trans. D. Whitelock (1955) Secondary works: S. Bassett (ed.), The Origins of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (1989) M.P. Brown and C.A. Farr (eds.), Mercia: An Anglo-Saxon Kingdom in Europe (2001) J. Campbell, Bedes Reges and Principes (Jarrow Lecture 1979), in J. Campbell, Essays in Anglo-Saxon History (1986) J. Campbell (ed.), The Anglo-Saxons (1982) J. Campbell, The Impact of the Sutton Hoo Discovery on the Study of Anglo-Saxon History, in J. Campbell, The Anglo-Saxon State (2000) W. Davies and H. Vierck, The Contexts of the Tribal Hidage: Social Aggregates and Settlement Patterns, in Frà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½hmittelalterliche Studien 8 (1974) D.N. Dumville, The Aetheling: a study in Anglo-Saxon Constitutional History, in Anglo-Saxon England 8 (1979) D.N. Dumville, The Terminology of Overkingship in Early Anglo-Saxon England, in The Anglo-Saxons from the Migration Period to the Eighth Century: An Ethnographic Perspective, ed. J. Hines (1997) N.J. Higham, An English Empire: Bede and the early Anglo-Saxon kings (1995) D. Hill, Offas Dyke: Pattern and Purpose, in Antiquaries Journal 80 (2000) E. John, Orbis Britanniae and the Anglo-Saxon Kings, in E. John, Orbis Britanniae (1966) J.M. Kemble, The Saxons in England, ed. and revised W. De G. Birch (1876) S. Keynes, Raedwald the Bretwalda, in Voyage to the Other World: the Legacy of Sutton Hoo, ed. C.B. Kendall and P.S. Wells (1992) S. Keynes, England 700-900, in The New Cambridge Medieval History II, c.700-c.900, ed. R. McKitterick (1995) D.P. Kirby, The Making of Early England (1967) D.P. Kirby, The Earliest English Kings (1991) J.N.L. Myres, Anglo-Saxon Pottery and the Settlement of England (1969) P.H. Sawyer, From Roman Britain to Norman England (1998) F.M. Stenton, The Supremacy of the Mercian Kings (1918), in F.M. Stenton, Preparatory to Anglo-Saxon England (1970) F.M. Stenton, Anglo-Saxon England (1971) A. Williams, Kingship and Government in Pre-Conquest England c.500-1066 (1999) P. Wormald, Bede, the Bretwaldas and the Origins of the Gens Anglorum, in Ideal and Reality in Frankish and Anglo-Saxon Society: Studies presented to J.M. Wallace-Hadrill, ed. P. Wormald et al. (1983) P. Wormald, The Venerable Bede and the Church of the English, The English Religious Tradition and the Genius of Anglicanism, ed. G. Rowell (1992) B. Yorke, Kings and Kingdoms of Early Anglo-Saxon England (1990) 1 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 865 2 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 5 3 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 485, 491, 568, 577, 584 4 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, i, 25; ii, 3; ii, 5 5 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, i, 32 6 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 5; ii, 9 7 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 9; iii, 7 8 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 14 9 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 16 10 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, v, 23 11 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, iii, 30 12 Eddius, Life of St Wilfred, 20 13 English Historical Documents, i, 67 14 English Historical Documents, i, 76 15 English Historical Documents, i, 77 16 English Historical Documents, i, 80 17 English Historical Documents, i, 85 18 English Historical Documents, i, 87 19 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 829 20 Bede, Ecclesiastical History, ii, 5; iii, 24 21 Eddius, Life of St Wilfred, 20 22 Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, 829 23 Kirby, The Making of Early England, p 54 24 Adomnan, Life of Columba, i, 1 25 English Historical Documents, i, 177 26 English Historical Documents, i, 178 27 English Historical Documents, i, 191, 198, 210 28 English Historical Documents, i, 204, 205 29 Beowulf, lines 72-3 30 Bede, Letter to Egbert 31 English Historical Documents, i, 165 32 Dumville, The aetheling: a study in Anglo-Saxon constitutional history, p 13 33 Simeon of Durham, Historia Regum, in English Historical Documents, i, 3 34 English Historical Documents, i, 202 35 Kemble, The Saxons in England, volume ii, p 17