A Writers Bookshelf

A Writers Bookshelf A Writers Bookshelf A Writers Bookshelf By Sharon No-one knows it all, and as a writer I use several sources of research for my articles and ebooks. Aside from the resources I use to research particular topics, there are also several essential books I need related to the craft of writing. Here are the books on my bookshelf which I couldnt do without. Dictionary My top pick for this is the Collins English Dictionary. Its an easy to read, clear format. I used to use the Oxford English Dictionary. I switched to the Collins because I was already using their French and Spanish dictionaries, so when it was time to update, it seemed a good idea to complete the set. Another good option (especially if youre American) is the Merriam Webster Dictionary. I sometimes use the online version of MW if I need to check something when Im not at my desk. Thesaurus Many people rave about Rogets Thesaurus. I find that hard to use, so my favorite is the Merriam-Webster thesaurus. Thats because it is easy to find the words for which I want to find synonyms. Again, MW online is a good option when on the move. Usage Every now and then you need to use a word, punctuation mark or expression, and youre not quite sure how to use it correctly. When this happens, I have two main sources. Ive been using the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors since I started in journalism, and its never let me down. For a more fun approach to usage, theres also a more recent book by R L Trask called Mind The Gaffe. Published by Penguin, its a guide to some common errors in English. Finally, although I dont use it every day, I also keep a copy of the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology handy. Its always useful to be able to find the origin of a word or expression. Just call me a word nerd. 🙂 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersFlier vs. FlyerComment, Suggestion, and Feedback

Darwinism Essays - Charles Darwin, Coleopterists, Free Essays

Darwinism Essays - Charles Darwin, Coleopterists, Free Essays Darwinism Throughout time, great minds have produced ideas that have changed the world we live in. Similarly, in the Victorian times, Charles Darwin fathomed ideas that altered the way we look at ourselves and fellow creatures. By chance, Darwin met and learned of certain individuals who opened doors that laid the foundation for his theories which shook the world. Darwin's initial direction in life was not the same as his final. He grew up in a wealthy sophisticated English family and at the age of sixteen, Darwin went to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine.(Darwin) Two years later, he decided to leave medical school and attended the University of Cambridge to become a clergyman of the Church of England.(Darwin) While at Cambridge, Darwin met Adam Sedgewick, a geologist, and John Stevens Henslow, a naturalist. Henslow built Darwin's self confidence and taught him how to be an exact and painstaking observer of nature and collector of specimens.(Spruce) After graduating from Cambridge University, Darwin went aboard the English survey ship HMS Beagle, largely because of Henslow's recommendation, as an unpaid naturalist on a scientific expedition around the world.(Darwin) Before the time of Darwin, most geologists believed in the catastrophist theory that the earth had experienced a succession of creations of animal and plant life, and that each creation had been destroyed by a sudden catastrophe.(Somervell 127) According to this theory, the most recent catastrophe, Noah's flood, wiped away all life except those forms taken into the ark. The rest of the organisms were only visible in the form of fossils. "In the view of the catastrophists, species were individually created and did not change over time"(Darwin). This catastophist theory was widely accepted before such scientists as Darwin published their theories. Darwin's job on the Beagle gave him the opportunity to observe the "different geological formations and climates, as well as a large variety of fossils and living organisms"(Spruce). He was impressed with the effect that natural forces had on the shaping of the earth's surface.(Darwin) Darwin found himself fitting many of his observations into the theory that the earth is undergoing constant change.(Spruce) He realized that some of his own observations of fossils and living plants and animals cast doubt on the accepted theory that species were specifically created.(Spruce) He noted, for example, that fossils of organisms said to be extinct closely resembled living species in the same area. In the Galapagos Islands, Darwin also observed that each island had its own kind of tortoise, mockingbird, and finch; the various kinds were closely related but were different in the aspects of structure and eating habits from island to island.(Darwin) Both observations, raised the ! question, for Darwin, of possible links between distinct but similar species. Darwin's opportunity of sailing around the world laid the basis for his theories. After returning to England, Darwin began recording his ideas about the changeability of species in his notebooks on the "Transmutation of Species". Darwin's explanation for how organisms evolved was brought into sharp focus after he read "An essay on the Principle of Population" by Robert Malthus, who explained how human populations remain in balance.(Darwin) Malthus argued that the availability of "food for basic human survival could not match the rate of growth in the population. The population was altered by natural limitations such as disease, famine, and war"(Darwin). Darwin immediately applied Malthus's argument to animals and plants. By 1838, Darwin had arrived at a sketch of a theory of evolution through natural selection.(Spruce) For the next two decades, Darwin worked on his theory and other natural projects. Darwin's complete theory was published in 1859, in On the Origin of Species. The book was often referred to as "the book that shook the world".(Somerv! ell 128) Darwin's book sold out on the first day of publication and it went through six editions. Darwin created many theories which were published in his book. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is that because of the food supply problem described by Malthus, the young born to any species must compete for survival.(Spruce) Those young that survive to produce the next generation tend to embody favorable natural variations.(Spruce) This process was called the process of natural selection. These variations are passed on from

International Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

International Economics - Assignment Example The expansion of businesses in the country will lead to growth of the economy through building of industries and infrastructure. Creation of industries and construction of infrastructure will result in the creation of job opportunities to the citizens of that country.Therefore, improving their living standards and the economy (BalinÃŒÆ'o, TomaÃŒ s and Cottarelli, pp. 45-50). The yen, on the other hand, is weaker compared to U.S dollar. The situation may pose different effects on the economy of Japan. The funding cost of government will be high in the country. Since flows from outside the country often go into local government bonds, the flow will higher yield, therefore, raising money at a higher rate in the market. The little currency will trigger an increase in taxes, which might cause inflation hence lowering value of the economy. The import rates will be high, therefore, discouraging growth of local industries. On the other hand, a weaker currency enables a country to increase its competitive advantage internationally. Since the currency is weak, goods from the country will be in high demand hence increase sales of local industries thereby improving the economy (Nelson, E, and Buckland, pp. 71-75). According to the report, U.S job growth has increased from 214,000 to 230,000. The increase in employment in the U.S is because of currency growth. The currency increases in value, employment increase in the country. The increase in employment opportunities leads to growth of the economy due to increasing in income of employees. In addition, the increase in employment may be attributable to the expansion of businesses in the country. Since the industries are expanding, it translates to an improvement in the country’s economy and development of people living standards. The currency improves as economy of the state improves, as investors are attracted to investing in the country. More investors in the country will mean more

Why dont Milwaukee School of Engineering offer bus passes for students Assignment - 1

Why dont Milwaukee School of Engineering offer bus passes for students - Assignment Example The situation of travel in the campus is wanting especially for students. There are many benefits of the bus passes but the two that stand out are; cost effectiveness and convenience for the staff and the students. It is also worthwhile noting that to promote the bus pass culture; MSOE can adopt the U-Pass culture and also include the cost for bus pass in tuition to avoid instant payment of bus pass fee which might be seen costly in the short term. On the extreme end they can offer free bus pass as an incentive for students. However the challenges faced include security issues at pick-up points, non 24 hour operation and the costs incurred by the campus. It is thus noticed that bus pass culture is a better culture by weighing the pros and cons and thus it is recommended that the adoption of the U-Pass or any other discounted or free bus pass is necessary for learning in MSOE This is a report on the casual analysis of the transportation situation in Milwaukee School of Engineering with specific regard to the use of bus passes by students. This university commonly referred to as MSOE is a private university situated in the parts downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a nonprofit making entity that offers degrees in Engineering, Nursing, Mathematics, Business, Technical communication among others. Over the years the school has had a great insurgent of graduate and undergraduate students. By 2011 the tally of students was estimated at more than 2500 students partaking both graduate and undergraduate courses. Due to the rise in the number of students, transportation to the issue has been a challenging issue and debate about the safest, most convenient and most economical form of travel students should use has been on the rising. Students, citizens and various stakeholders have put interest in the issue and have offered various suggestions on the best travel mo de for students. This university is among the

Video game literature review Essay Example for Free

Video game literature review Essay Violent video games are said to have a negative effect on those who play them, but there is also the debate that violent video games help those who play them rather than hurt them. There is a rating system that separates games into groups from games for everyone all the way to games that can only be bought if youre eighteen and older. The main questions with this rating system seem to be, Where do we draw the line, and Who draws the line? All to often younger teens get their hands on the video games that are made for the eighteen and older crowd, but will the game actually have a negative effect on the teen, or will it help the teen by allowing them to vent some anger or make them feel good about themselves because they solved a difficult puzzle within the game. As you may have seen there are many contrasting viewpoints, but before we explore the contrasting views on violent video games, we should try to understand our own views, and those of others who take positions that are different from ours, by reviewing some key insights. First we can start with the insights of a few different people who dont think violent video games are bad for teens. From there we can move to a couple of pieces that think violent video games are bad. To finish we will look at an article doesnt take a stance either way, but does provide some very good facts. Greg Costikyan, also known as Designer X, is an American game designer and science fiction writer. Costikyans career spans nearly all genres of gaming, including hex-based war games, role-playing games, board games, card games, computer games, online games and mobile games. Several of his games have won Awards. In Costikyans argument, The Problem of Video Game Violence is Exaggerated, he tackles violence in video games from many different angles such as video game advertising, the successful way to incorporate violence into video games, how violence is part of human nature, and the ignorance of the opposing viewpoint. When reading the argument it is easy to see that Costikyans viewpoint is biased, but he does a good job of stating the opposition and then shooting it down with his own research, and he does not avoid certain questions just to prove his point. I think that Costikyan makes his best argument when he talks about the artistic use of violence in video games. He says that when people play video games they develop a rhythm, but when violence is thrown in it creates a dissonance which breaks the players rhythm, which in turn makes the game that much more of a challenge. Costikyan sums it up best when he says, Violence used artistically is effective; violence used crudely is vile. Tom Kalinske is the former president and CEO of Sega America, Inc. , and now works for Educational Technology, LLC. In Kalinkses speech, Video Games do not Cause Aggressive Behavior in Children, he makes some very good points on why people might think that video games are bad. Kalinske poses a very good point in his speech where he says, Parents and educators who look casually at boys playing out fighting games are quick to condemn because the content of the games mirrors real societal problems. But to jump to the conclusion that game content leads to really inappropriate behavior is like speculating that students studying the Napoleonic Wars may lay siege to their neighborhood. Kalinske argues that parents fear technology because they have less of an understanding of it than their children, and those who think that kids will emulate the violence seen within the video games that they play have a very pessimistic view of kids. Kalinske also makes a very good argument about how video games can improve academic performance. He says that beating a video game takes more than good hand-eye coordination. It takes good puzzle solving, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and problem solving skills, which all happen to be key skills for academic success. I think that Kalinske has many good points in his speech that will help me in writing my paper. David Deutsch is a physicist at the University of Oxford. He is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation, Clarendon Laboratory. He pioneered the field of quantum computers, and is a proponent of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. In Deutschs interview he talks about how video games are beneficial to children, because it gives children a different and unique learning environment. Deutsch says that all the evidence that video games are bad boils down to the fact that children like them, and prima facie video games are bad. He suggests that if children like doing something so much, such as playing video games, then we should find ways to make it better and allow them to do more of it. Deutsch make a very good argument when he compares playing video games to playing the piano or playing chess. He says that all three take a lot of time to master, some more that others, and if a child is seen playing chess for long periods of time he is considered a genius, but if a child is seen playing video games for long periods of times he is stigmatized. This doesnt make sense, because all three are done for the same reason which is the impulse to understand things. Deutsch also argues the addiction to video games very well by saying that the reason why people choose to play video games so much is because the games make you engage you emotions as well as your intellect. He also gave this as a very good example, I remember once, I came back to playing the Piano after a long time, and I ended up with blood all over the keys. I saw that I had a cut, but I did not want to stop, so I carried on playing. If that had been a video game and I had been younger, people would have used that as evidence of addiction. Kevin Saunders is currently a professor at Michigan State University and is the author of two books, Violence as Obscenity: Limiting the Medias First Amendment Protection and Saving Our Children from the First Amendment. He has authored dozens of book chapters, law review articles, and commentaries in legal and popular periodicals. He also teaches a variety of courses and seminars on topics in Constitutional Law. In this article Saunders establishes a good topic for debate when he says that fps (first-person shooter) games create a realistic adaptation of an actual gun fight to whereas the armed forces and law enforcement agencies use fps games to train their soldiers. He then gives us a couple of examples of what these violent games can make teens do in real life. The first example is about Michael Carneal, a fourteen-year-old freshman who enjoyed playing the popular fps Doom. One morning Michael showed up at school with a stolen pistol and open fired on a group of kids. He killed three and injured eight. The second example is about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold the two students who showed up at Columbine High School heavily armed and killed one teacher, twelve students, and injured twenty-three others. They too were avid players of the game Doom. These are both prime examples of what violent video games can do to teens. Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr. is a professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami. Provenzos academic interests include the role of the teacher in American society, and the influence of computers and video games on children. His work has been reviewed in American and British media, including ABC World News Tonight, The Economist, and The New York Times. In this article Provenzo says he believes that real life simulators, such as video games, are taking kids out of the real world and teaching them about violence, and how to be violent. He argues that when teens play an fps (first-person shooter) game they virtually put themselves into an emotionless killing machine and by doing this they are behaviorally reinforced as they play the game thus being taught that its ok to shoot people. Provenzo makes a great comparison when he compares playing an fps and playing a game of paintball. He says that they are two different things because while playing paintball you can get tired and wounded, and there are serious consequences for getting out of control. When playing an fps there are no limits, players are not responsible for what they do, and there are no consequences for anybody. I think that Provenzo makes a great point when he says, Video and computer games are, in fact, highly effective teaching machines. You learn the rules, play the game, get better at it, accumulate a higher score, and eventually win. This next article is titled Video Games and Violence and it was taken from Issues and Controversies at facts. com database. The article covers both sides of the argument. It says that supporters of the legislation against violent video games say that violent video games make kids more acclimated to violence, and that violent video games cause an increase in violence within the kids. Critics of the legislation against violent video games say that our current rating system for video games is working and that video games should be protected as free speech. Within this article are some very good statistics one of which being in the year 2000 85% of minors sent to buy a video game rated M (M for Mature) were successful. Sometime after that study stores started to enforce an ID rule for M rated video games, and in the year 2003 the percentage of minors able to purchase M rated video games fell to 69%. Another good statistic within the article is that in the year 2003 out of all the video games purchased only 11. 9% were M rated games. The biggest percentage of games being bought were rated E (E for Everyone) with 54%, and in second were T (T for Teen) rated games with 30. 5%. This article brings up a very good point when it says that parenting is a big part of regulation in what youth under the age of eighteen watch and do. The video game rating system was originally put in place for parents to be able to judge what their children should be playing and to have an idea of what would be in the game that their children were playing. As you can see, with the information provided, there are many valid points around this debate. While reading Saunders and Provenzo I noticed that both of them brought up the Columbine school shooting which is a very emotional subject for some people. Kalinske and Deutsch both portray the general argument that video games can help educate teens, and video games could be a very powerful educational tool, if used correctly. All of these sources have helped me a lot in understanding more about the effects of violent video games on teens. Before my research I was not sure if I was for or against changing the rating system for video games, but now, with all this information, I will be arguing against creating a more strict rating system for video games. Works Cited Costikyan, Greg. The Problem of Video Game Violence Is Exaggerated. Video Games (2003) 25 Jan. 2007 . Deutsch, David. Playing Video Games Benefits Children. Video Games: Harmfully Addictive or a Unique Educational Environment? (1992) 02 Feb. 2007 . Kalinske, Tom. Video Games Do Not Cause Aggressive Behavior in Children. Violent children (2000) 02 Feb. 2007 . Provenzo, Eugene. Violence in Video Games Is a Serious Problem. Is Media Violence a Problem? (2002) 02 Feb. 2007 . Saunders, Kevin. Censorship Should Be Used for the Protection of Children. Censorship (2005) 05 Feb. 2007 . Video games and violence. Facts. com. (2007). Issues and Controversies. 25 Jan. 2007.

Themes In A Farewell To Arms :: essays research papers

A Farewell To Arms: Themes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three major themes in Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. The first themeis enduring love ended only by mortality. The second, the effects of war on a man’s ideals and morals, things which people can and do believe during war. The last and most important theme is Frederic Henry’s disillusionment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemingway shows that love can persevere in a world ruined with war. Frederic is not looking for love, and when Rinaldi introduces him to Catherine Barkley, he thinks of her as merely a sexual conquest. Henry considers his flirting with Catherine â€Å"like moves in a chess game.†. Henry thinks Catherine is a little bit crazy, and both admit they are acting. At the front, Henry realizes he is lonely without her and misses her. But it is not until he meets her, after he is wounded and sent to an American hospital, that he realizes he loves her. Henry admits he didn’t want to fall in love with her, but even so he has. Their love continues to grow during his stay at the hospital. Their relationship is unusual since they rarely argue. Their ideal relationship provides them with refuge from the war. However, love, has it’s limit, mortality. Henry leaves for the front again he suggests that their romance is only ended by death. He notices because of his love he has become gentle. When he deserts and returns to Catherine he finds comfort, order, and courage. He says, foreshadowing the end of their love, â€Å"If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them.†. Henry has become dependent on Catherine. His love for her is strong enough to ease his disillusionment In Chapter 41 their baby is born dead. Henry hopelessly watches as Catherine dies and he is left without comfort or hope.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Henry’s ideals and morals change during the novel. He begins to question the legal and immoral theories of the war and replace them with illegal but moral ideas. For instance, in Chapter 7 Henry meets a soldier who wants to be taken to a hospital which is against the rules. At first Henry objects, but when the soldier asks him â€Å"You wouldn’t want to go in the line all the time, would you?†, he answers no and decides to return later and pick him up. Henry has been unable to find new morals, since he has lost faith in what the leaders proclaim. Another example is the Romantic ideology of the time, the belief

How Have Our Ideas of Heroes Changed over Time Essay

In the beginning of cinema heroes and heroines tended to stay within the mythic structure of heroes using binary pairs of opposite terms to simplify the complexity of events and reducing the players down to good guys and bad guys or more cinematic, white hats and black hats. That changed radically in the late 1960’s and early ’70’s when a series of films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, The Godfather, Midnight Cowboy and One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, literally turned mythic structure on its head and presented the cinematic anti-hero. Before this golden age of film an audience could rely on the belief that no matter how complicated events got for the hero in the end the hero would prevail and the villain would be brought to justice. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid asks its audience to redefine justice in order to root for our heroes who are in fact the villains and hiss the villains who are in fact the good guys. Bonnie and Clyde does the same, the Godfather does it so well that films influence is noticeable in prevailing attitudes about justice today. Midnight Cowboy and One flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest don’t necessarily offer up villains as heroes, but our heroes are so flawed, so aimless in their pursuit that even if in the end they are brought down by their own hubris they are still weaker, less competent versions of the mythic hero who rather than ask there audience to be inspired by greatness they ask their audience to celebrate rebelliousness for the sake of rebellion and immorality as an acceptable form of happiness. The radical changes that took place in the films of the seventies still has heavy influence in film making and particularly in film criticism today. There are still and will always be plenty of films made that remain true to classical mythic structure where white hats prevail and black hats do not. Current examples of such mythic structure can be found in films such as Live Free Die Hard, Casino Royale, Mission Impossible, and almost any Harrison Ford film. In these films, no matter how complicated things get the white hats always prevail the black hats lose. These films do not do well with the film critics that find employment in the media. It’s not that critics don’t like action films as most heaped plenty of praise on such films as Children of Men, Pans Labyrinth, 3:10 to Yuma and I am Legend. The difference between these movies and the action films such as Live Free Die Hard or any Harrison Ford Film is that Harrison Fords heroes always live and in the films praised by critics the heroes always died. I am skeptical that Braveheart would have actually won the Oscar for best picture if William Wallace lived. This is the primary and perhaps the most important change in the depiction of heroes and heroines over the years in film. The abandonment of classical mythic structure in exchange for â€Å"realism† where â€Å"rational ideas† become notions that heroes aren’t heroes unless they die fighting the good fight and villains aren’t so bad once you really get to know them.