Geography of Kuwait

Geography of Kuwait Capital: Kuwait CityPopulation: 2,595,628 (July 2011 estimate)Area: 6,879 square miles (17,818 sq km)Coastline: 310 miles (499 km)Border Countries: Iraq and Saudi ArabiaHighest Point: An unnamed point at 1,004 feet (306 m) Kuwait, officially called the State of Kuwait, is a country located on the northeastern portion of the Arab Peninsula. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west (map). Kuwait’s eastern borders are along the Persian Gulf. Kuwait has a total area of 6,879 square miles (17,818 sq km) and a population density of 377 people per square mile or 145.6 people per square kilometer. Kuwait’s capital and largest city is Kuwait City. Most recently Kuwait has been in the news because in early December 2011 Kuwait’s emir (the chief of state) dissolved the its parliament following a protest demanding that the country’s prime minister step down. History of Kuwait Kuwait’s modern history began in the 18th century when the Uteiba founded Kuwait City. In the 19th century, control of Kuwait was threatened by the Ottoman Turks and other groups located on the Arabian Peninsula. As a result, Kuwait’s ruler Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah signed an agreement with the British Government in 1899 that promised Kuwait would not cede any lands to any foreign power without Britain’s consent. The agreement was signed in exchange for British protection and financial aid. Throughout the early to mid-20th century, Kuwait underwent significant growth and its economy was dependent on shipbuilding and pearl diving by 1915. In the period from 1921 to 1950, oil was discovered in Kuwait and the government attempted to create recognized borders. In 1922 the Treaty of Uqair established Kuwait’s border with Saudi Arabia. By mid-20th century Kuwait began pushing for independence from Great Britain and on June 19, 1961 Kuwait became fully independent. Following its independence, Kuwait experienced a period of growth and stability, despite Iraq’s claiming of the new country. In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and in February 1991, a United Nations coalition led by the United States liberated the country. Following Kuwait’s liberation, the U.N. Security Council drew new borders between Kuwait and Iraq based on historic agreements. The two nations continue to struggle to maintain peaceful relations today however. Government of Kuwait Economics and Land Use in Kuwait Geography and Climate of Kuwait The climate of Kuwait is dry desert and it has very hot summers and short, cool winters. Sandstorms are also common during June and July due to wind patterns and thunderstorms often occur in the spring. The average August high temperature for Kuwait is 112Â ºF (44.5Â ºC) while the average January low temperature is 45Â ºF (7Â ºC). To learn more about Kuwait, visit the Geography and Maps of Kuwait on this website.

What to Do About Slime Flux (Bacterial Wetwood)

What to Do About Slime Flux (Bacterial Wetwood) Most everyone has seen these symptoms in a tree at some point: an oozing, weeping spot in the bark of the tree, often near a crotch or pruning scar, but sometimes just appearing randomly. The elm trees that line boulevards in many communities are a prime place to spot these wet, slimy weeping spots, but a number of other trees can also exhibit the symptoms.   Bacterial Wetwood or Slime Flux This familiar symptom is associated with  bacterial wetwood  or slime flux disease. This disease is  a major cause of rot in the trunks and branches of hardwood trees. Slime flux is caused by a bacterial infection in the inner sapwood and outer heartwood areas of the tree and is normally associated with wounding or environmental stress, or both. In elm trees, bacteria  Enterobacter cloacae  are the cause of slime flux,  but numerous other bacteria have been associated with this condition in other trees, such as willow, ash, maple, birch, hickory, beech, oak, sycamore, cherry, and yellow-poplar.  These similar bacteria include species of Clostridium, Bacillus, Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas. In an infected tree, these bacteria feed and grow inside a tree wound and they use tree sap as their favorite source of nutrients. Symptoms of Slime Flux A tree with slime flux disease has water-soaked patches and weeps from visible wounds and sometimes even from healthy-looking bark. The actual weeping from the patch may be a good sign, as it is allowing for a slow, natural draining of an infection that needs a dark, damp environment. In the same way  that an infection in an animal or person is relieved when the wound drains, a bole (trunk) infection in a tree is helped when drainage occurs. A tree with this form of bole rot is trying its best to compartmentalize the damage.​ The attacking bacteria in a slime flux infection alters wood cell walls, causing moisture content of the wood to increase to the point of injury.  Slime flux is identified by dark liquid streaks running vertically below an injury and a foul-smelling and slimy seepage running down the bark.  Chemically, the weeping liquid is actually fermented sap, which is alcohol-based and toxic to new wood.   Treatment for Slime Flux Disease For many years, experts advised that  holes drilled in a tree could allow gases and liquids to drain from an area of slime flux rot. More recently, several United States Forest Service reports advise against this practice. It is now thought to further spread the bacteria.  There is still some debate about this practice, but the consensus now is to refrain from drilling holes.   In reality, there are no active measures to effectively treat the bole rot caused by slime flux disease. As determined by the late Dr. Alex Shigos research, the best current advice is to maintain the trees overall health so that the tree can isolate the spot and grow good wood around the diseased portion. Affected trees will usually overcome the problem themselves and seal off the damage. Avoid Insecticide Use Another common treatment that really has no benefit is the use of insecticides applied in the hopes of preventing the rot from spreading within the tree. The impetus to trying this treatment stems from people noticing insects feeding on the rot. It should be remembered, however, that the insects have not caused the disease nor do they spread it. There is even some opinion that by removing the decaying wood, insects may actually help the tree. Spraying for insects in an effort to cure slime flux is a waste of money and may actually perpetuate slime flux disease.   Preventing Slime Flux Disease The basic control for slime flux disease is prevention. Avoid wounding the tree and make sure to plant trees in locations where there are no stresses from urban soil compaction, such as walking and vehicle traffic. Trim away broken, torn branches promptly.   Remember that a healthy tree will usually overcome slime flux. If you keep your trees healthy in other ways, they almost certainly will overcome a bout of slime flux disease.

Deep Water Experts Financial Ratios Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Deep Water Experts Financial Ratios - Assignment Example Overall, the picture of the company’s financial health is quite promising, and a potential for expansion seemed to be a likely opportunity to explore. I. Short-term solvency or liquidity ratios Short-term solvency or Liquidity Ratios 2010 2011 Industry 1. Cash Ratio 1.08 1.56 0.21 2. Current Ratio 2.67 3.30 1.43 3. Interval Measure    96.92 n/a   4. Net working capital to total assets 0.12 0.17   n/a 5. Quick Ratio 1.80 2.20 0.38 Liquidity refers to the â€Å"availability of resources to meet short-term cash requirements† of the company (Larson and Jensen). In the case of Deep Water Experts’ finances, it refers to its ability to generate cash and cash-like assets to pay for its expenses as they come due, at least in the short-run horizon. Cash ratio indicates the amount of cash the company has for every unit of current liability falling due. In this area, the company has performed way better than the industry ratio. In 2011, it has a cash ratio of 1.56, whi ch means that it has 1.56 Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) to cover each unit of current liability falling due. This is way better than the industry’s 0.21 per unit of current obligation. ... Interval Measure indicates the company’s current asset per average daily operating cost, which includes cost of goods sold, operating expenses, and interests. While no industry average is available for comparison, on its own, the company seemed to have a large enough current asset compared to its average daily operating cost. It has a very solvent position in this regard, with almost 97 AED for each unit of average daily operating cost. The company has large investment in durable or fixed assets, as can be gleaned from its working capital to total assets ratio. While working capital has increased from 2010 to 2011, in relation to total assets, it is still pretty small, with only 17 percent compared to its total investment on its assets. Finally, the company’s quick ratio further confirms its high degree of solvency. It has a quick acid ratio 1.80 in 2010, improving further to 2.20 in 2011, while the industry performance is only 0.38. This company has lesser risk of defa ulting on its current obligations, as can be seen from its short-term solvency ratios. II. Long-term solvency or financial leverage ratios Long-term solvency has been defined as the â€Å"company’s long-run financial viability and its ability to cover long-term obligations† (Larson and Jensen). Further, it is concerned more on the company’s capital structure, or the composition of the company’s sources of finances to support its business activities, whether in financing, investing, or operating activities. The company’s debt to equity ratio measures the proportion of the company’s assets contributed by its owners, and those assets that are supplied by its creditors. In 2011, the company has one unit of debt for each unit of equity. In 2010, it has a

Long-Term Assets (Assignment 8) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Long-Term Assets ( 8) - Assignment Example Generally, the company recorded a positive change in its long term assets which is a positive thing. However, the financial statements and notes to the financial statements of Pentair Inc do not disclose vital information such as accumulated depreciation. Instead, the company has computed the combined values which make it impossible to identify specific information. Does your firm report any intangible assets on the balance sheet? If yes, describe the policies, e.g., method and estimated life, your firm uses to compute amortization expense. YES. Pentair Inc uses the unit-of-activity method in the amortization of intangible assets such as patents. The company provides for an estimated useful life of five years ending in the year 2017. If yes, describe the acquisitions or disposals that occurred. In April 2012, Pentair acquired Sibrape including its subsidiary at a cost estimated to be $21.5 million. However, the company did not record any disposals during the same period. How do your firms long-term asset ratios compare to those of your comparison firms? Are they high, low, about the same? Is there anything specific about your firm, its industry, or your comparison firms or industries that tend to explain the differences between your companys long-term asset ratios and those of the other firms? Discuss and explain. Pentair’s long-term ratios are almost the same to those of comparative firms. This is because most of the ratios among the firms are within the same range. However, there are some slight differences between the ratios and this can be attributed to the difference in the sizes of the firms and how they manage their long-term assets. Bigger and well managed firms have higher long-term assets ratios compared to other firms. In most cases, the size of a firm is measured by the level of its revenues or assets. In this case, we can measure the size of a

College Student Essay Example for Free

College Student Essay As a student nurse, I was working in a student assignment group, where we were to make a project for a presentation on â€Å"Breast Cancer†. We had four persons in our group. On our meeting day, one of our group members did not come to our group meeting and she also did phone none of us. We were not able to finish our group work because we were missing her part of the project. We did not even know whether she had started her part of the work or not. Our meeting without her part of the work was not productive and we decided to set up another meeting on another day. On next day I met her and asked if everything is fine with her and her family. She confirmed that everything was fine. My expectation was that she would give some explanations or would try to talk about what had happened. She did not show any interest in a further communication. Her behavior was surprising and the same time frustrating for me. I perceived that she was not a responsible person, because before our meeting she did not call us. I also perceived that she did not value and respect other people time. I felt that she even ignored the importance of the group project and the work that she was spouse to complete. The conflict arose in our work group about her part of the work, and we were undecided whether we were to keep on being silent or to start an open discussion about our concerns. Eventually, we did not do very well on our group project and then our group was disbanded when for the next project we had to choose new partners for the group. 2. Communication Despite my perceptions about her, I decided to ask her if everything was fine with her family. She confirmed that her family was fine and then I kept a distance from her because I decided that she did not have a legitimate reason not come to the meeting and in fact this validated my perception that she was not responsible person and she did not value other people time. Because of her behavior the conflict arose in our work group about her part of the work, and we were undecided whether we were to keep on being silent or to start an open discussion about our concerns. Eventually, we did not do very well on our group project and then our group was disbanded when for the next project we had to choose new partners for the group. Even when our group project was completed, I kept thinking about her behavior and I came to the conclusion that there could have been other reasons for her behavior that she never shared with any of us. I feel that the reason for the further events was the lack of communication between her and the group members. Now I regret that I failed the opportunity to fix the situation by an open communication, and create strong group solidarity. But I value this experience for the idea of importance of a communication to build strong group solidarity. 3. Possibilities I formed my perceptions about her having only limited information about her; I did not know the real reason she had that day not to come to the meeting. As I knew that she had a large family with four children, and maybe one of her children was sick, so she had to stay at home with the sick child. As a mother, her baby’s health could be the priority for her. The other reason for her not to come to the meeting could have been an accident and maybe she did not have an opportunity to call us or to let us know about it. Finally, maybe one her close relatives had breast cancer and she was very sensitive to the work project, so she was not able to come and discus the topic with the group members. We never had an opportunity to know what exactly had happened to her since she never talked to us about the reasons for her behavior. 4. Influences Analyzing the event I can identify many assumptions on my part that influences my thoughts. There is another important factor about myself, which formed my perceptions. I have an experience in working with sick children and their parents and in this case I thought that the reason could be that her baby was sick, and as a mother for her the baby’s health is the most important thing for her. I am a very responsible person, and I respect people and their time. I am always early for any meeting or group projects. I am also very careful with my study process, so this made me feel that she did not respect our group member’s time. In my cultural background it is very important if I promise or decide to do something in a group, and I am not able to go on with that, I must let my partners know. Another thing that made an influence on my perception was that I value other people time and I always let them know if I am late. The other reason could be that as an ESL student she had a hard time to complete the work. As an ESL student with some language barriers, I thought that she had a hard time to complete any work. 5. Application of Learning to Nursing Practice I think that perception checking can play a significant role in my critical thinking and decision making process. Only open communication and accurate perception checking can help us to understand other people behavior. It is now my understanding is that I would have done better to discuss the issue with my group partner, and to address the conflict in an open way. Open communication would give me an opportunity to perform and improve my direct perception checking skills. Even somehow I had tried to discover the real reasons for my group partner behavior, my actions and skills were not enough to understand her behavior, to have a whole picture of what happen, rather that make my assumptions. On my meeting with her on the next day somehow I tried to understand the possible reasons for her behavior. That was an example of indirect perception checking process, but not performed completely. I feel that I formed most part of my perceptions on my own assumptions. For my further successful practice I have to learn more about perception checking process and also improve my perception checking skills toward my successful nursing career. Nursing work is always a team work and in my further practice I also will use this experience to build team solidarity.

The Second Coming :: Second Coming

The Second Coming In his poem "The Second Coming," Yeats predicts cataclysmic changes about to be wrought upon human kind. He states, "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;/Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," (1511). This statement is in line with Modernistic thought of this time period. Modernistic writers felt that traditional teachings left something to be desired, and that it was time for change. There was a huge upheaval in religious beliefs and current religious convictions were being challenged with new scientific knowledge. Yeats foresees spiritual changes in the words, "Surely some revelation is at hand;/Surely the Second Coming is at hand..."(1511). The Modernistic period was also a time when questions were asked about the old, established, and customary beliefs. Writers attempted to challenge people to think about archaic ways of conduct, and to check the motivations behind their beliefs. Joseph Conrad stated in Heart of Darkness, "Black shapes crouched, lay, sat between the trees leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth, half coming out, half effaced within the dim light, in all the attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair,"(1377). He portrays in these lines the ugliness of Europeans treatment of another culture. He is challenging his reader to adopt another attitude, but does not ever tell his reader how to feel, another defining feature of literary Modernism. Conrad tells us about a Black man with a white cloth tied about his neck. Again he does not interpret this white cloth, but leaves it open to our interpretation, "He had tied a bit of white worsted round his neck - Why?"(1377). Conrad questions the motives o f white Europeans in Africa, repeatedly referring to their greed: ". . . weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly..."(1377). Conrad, in his statement about their building of a railway, "The cliff was not in the way or anything but this objectless blasting was all the work going on"(1376), asks his reader to observe the violence against a country, not only its people, but the actual land.

Effect of Solvent Exposure and Temperature on Beet Cell Membrane

The Effect of Solvent Exposure and Temperature on Beet Cell Membrane Integrity Introduction: Cell membranes are vital to proper cellular function †¢ Cell membranes consist of a lipid bilayer made up of phospholipids †¢ Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules meaning they have a dual nature in that they show both hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing) properties †¢ The amphipathic nature of phospholipids causes them to spontaneously form bilayers in water based solutions o The inner and outer surfaces of the bilayers are hydrophilic and can interact with the aqueous environment, while the core of the bilayer is hydrophobic and able to exclude water and other polar molecules o Because of these properties, phospholipids bilayers are able to serve multiple functions including: ? act as barriers to protect the cell from the outside environment ? house proteins and carbohydrates necessary for cell to cell and extracellular communication ? rganize and prov ide surface areas for metabolic reactions †¢ While the phospholipids bilayer is a highly organized system with multiple functions, it is also highly dynamic and can be functionally described using the fluid mosaic model (FMM) o FMM characterizes the phospholipids bilayer of the cell membrane as highly dynamic and fluid meaning that the position (location) of any given phospholipids in the membrane is not fixed but fluid; thus, individual phospholipids can change positions are needed based on the current conditions. o Similarly proteins and carbohydrates are generally mobile in the membrane as well. †¢ This experiment was aimed at investigating the conditions that affect cell membrane integrity. o Because cell membranes are part of a living system they are sensitive to environmental conditions o Like most biological systems, cell membranes show a relatively narrow range of function with respect to pH, temperature, and exposure to organic solvents †¢ The experimental mo del employed was red beets Red beet cells contain large, membrane bound central vacuoles that house a pigment, betacyanin o When cell and vacuole membranes are in tact, betacyanin in contained within the cell o If the cell and vacuole membranes are disrupted, betacyanin can leak in the surrounding solution turning it pink o Higher amounts of membrane damage will lead to more leakage of betacyanin pigment from the cells. The more pigment present the higher the absorbance reading. o Therefore, betacyanin release, as determined by measuring absorbance, serves as a proxy for quantifying membrane damage. †¢ In this experiment, we tested the effect of changing two environmental conditions on cell membrane integrity.First, we tested the effect of temperature on cell membranes o To accomplish this we exposed beet cells to temperatures ranging from -5(C to 70(C o Because cell membranes maintain integrity under a narrow range of conditions, we hypothesize that exposure to higher temperat ures (50-70(C) and extreme low temperatures (-5(C) will cause severe damage to the cell membranes which will result in higher amounts of betacyanin being released from the cells. †¢ We also tested the effect of exposing beet cells to two different solvents o Methanol and acetone are organic solvents capable of dissolving hydrophobic species such as phospholipids o Acetone is generally considered a stronger organic solvent compared with methanol o Thus, we hypothesize that exposure to acetone will cause more damage to beet cell membranes compared with exposure to methanol.Additionally, we hypothesize that higher concentrations of acetone will cause more damage than lower concentrations. Similarly, higher concentrations of methanol will also cause more damage. Results (the data numbers are for example only and meant to reflect the general trend in the class; data from individual groups will vary): †¢ Experiment 1: The effect of temperature on cell membrane integrity o We tes ted the effect of exposing beet cells to various temperatures ranging from -5(C to 70(C. (Question) o To do this, uniform pieces of beet were placed in empty test tubes then incubated at a specific temperature. (How the question was addressed) ?Following this water was added to the test tube and the cells were incubated for 20 minutes. ? After incubation, the water was transferred to a clean tube and absorbance at 425 nm was determined. o Absorbace readings were similar at temperatures of 5? C, 25? C, 40? C, 55? C, and 70? C (A425 0. 25-0. 30) (Figure 1) (Experimental data) o Incubation at -5? C showed a dramatic increase in absorbance (A460 = 0. 95) (Figure 1) (Experimental data) o We conclude from this data that temperatures ranging from 5-70? C have only minor effects on cell membrane integrity. In contrast; exposure of cells to a temperature below freezing causes much more membrane damage. (Conclusion) Experiment 2: The effect of solvent on cell membrane integrity o We tested wh ether exposure to two different organic solvents, methanol and acetone, disrupted cell membrane integrity (Question) o Beet cells were incubated in 10%, 25%, and 50% methanol or 10%, 25%, and 50% acetone. Additionally, additionally cells were also incubated in saline, a solvent that mimics physiological conditions. (How the question was addressed) ? Following exposure to solvent, membrane damage was determined by measuring absorbance. o Incubation in 10% or 25% methanol yielded absorbance readings of 0. 2 and 0. 25 respectively; however, incubation in 50% methanol showed an increase in absorbance to 0. 5. Figure 2) (Experimental data) o Incubation in 10% or 25% acetone produced higher absorbance readings compared to the same concentrations of methanol (0. 4 and 0. 42 respectively). Similar to 50% methanol, 50% acetone yielded the highest absorbance reading of 0. 8 (Figure 2). (Experimental data) o Taken together, these data show that acetone causes more membrane damage than methanol and that concentrations of 50% solvent are more damaging than lower concentrations. (Conclusion) Overall Conclusion: †¢ We hypothesized that temperatures outside of the normal physiological range would disrupt membrane integrity causing betacyanin to leak out of the cells. Our data shows that our hypothesis was partly correct, low temperature, -5? C, inflicts the most damage to cell membranes while higher temperatures, ranging from 55-70? C induce little damage when compared with physiological temperatures. †¢ We also hypothesized that exposure to high concentration organic solvents would disrupt membrane integrity and that acetone, being a stronger solvent, would show more damage than methanol. o In this case our hypothesis was support. Acetone showed more damage as measured by betacyanin release than methanol. Additionally, the highest concentration of each solvent showed the most damage. Data: [pic] Figure 1: The effect of temperature on cell membrane integrity.Cells w ere exposed to temperatures ranging from -5C to 70C. Following incubation at the indicated temperature, water was added and the cells were allowed to incubate at room temperature for 20 minutes. Damage to cell membrane integrity was assessed by quantifying leakage of the pigment betacyanin via measuring light absorbance at 460 nm. [pic] Figure 2: The effect of solvent on cell membrane integrity. Cells were incubated in the presence of methanol, acetone, or saline at the indicated concentrations. Following incubation, damage to cell membrane integrity was assessed by quantifying leakage of the pigment betacyanin via measuring light absorbance at 460 nm.

A parent’s dilemma

Parenting is never an easy task. How the children are being raised is always the parents’ prerogative. Parental child rearing styles are key components to assessing emotional attachments, respect, and other domains of parent-child interaction. The belief system, societal norms, and culture are basic ingredients in understanding parental personality and psychopathology.The drama of leaving the young ones behind while daddy and mommy go to work has always been quite difficult for the parents. Therefore relationship between parents and children breakdown to a state more often channeled through professional agencies such as babysitters and other childcare to look after them while at work. Moreover it is still parent’s responsibility to ensure that children behave in a way acceptable to societal norms and community.Considering that disruptive behaviors of children are always followed by criticisms concerning parental irresponsibility, it has always been a headache when some values of the babysitter were being incorporated and taught to the children.Parents tried to compensate absence making calls every now and then to check the kids. But the relationship and the values that children gather is more on witnessing the adult that they are spending a majority of their time in a day.My mother used to call me three times a day. If she is busy she forgot and I got no calls to expect. It is lonely when parents are not at home. This is true especially when I get sick and is left under the care of a babysitter. When I have a slight fever and I want a hug and have someone beside me, the babysitter depending on their race, can be cold at times. I may have my medicines but I still can sense I don’t know what is lacking. Affection and love is really not there, just not there.The need to support high cost maintenance of rearing children and coping up basic needs like education and food has given rise to mothers definitely working to help sustain finances. The c ommon practice of family work balance still refers to women as continually responsible for most of the work associated with child rearing. The behavior of children continues to project experience from other changes made within family context.From my experience, some babysitters tend to be warm and nice in front of my parents and start to change course of mood the moment the car is already off the driveway.They become distant and grouchy in my every request. Food sometimes is a problem. I don’t like how they prepare my meals. I noticed that I was becoming uncaring and disrespectful too even with my parents. The attitude puzzled them. The idea seems to go around like this: what you see is what you portray.Pay off for both parents working are the quantity and nature of family social capital. This is evidenced by home environments. This relatively means that the number of hours parents spend working impacts family strength and relationships.Mothers spending more time with childre n create stronger home environments. The consequence of changing context of parental employment affects the kind of parenting the children benefits and receives. It also shows significant effect on the quality of care giving experience they are receiving.When dad was promoted and he got a nicer pay than the previous month, mom decided to shit from full time work to part time work. I was very happy then and I really value her presence and was really thankful she is the one caring for me most of the time.When Dad had another promotion, the house was already filled with luxury items and my things and my bed are really nice. I have my allowance and I can buy items whenever mother decides for a short trip to the supermarket on mornings for groceries.

Talking Up Sales

Talking Up Sales Talking Up Sales Talking Up Sales By Guest Author This is a guest post by Lorraine Mace. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Anyone with a book to promote is constantly on the lookout for new ways to get the message across to the widest possible audience. So what do you do when you’ve sent review copies to everyone you can think of, attended book fairs, set up author signings and promotions anywhere some kind soul would give you an inch of space, joined websites, commented on the blogs of others and generally covered every aspect of self-promotion? Do you relax, pat yourself on the back and raise a glass to a job well done? No, because there is another avenue you might have overlooked. In the words of an old song: â€Å"Say it really loud, say it really clear, on the radio.† Many an author who has appeared on national radio and/or television began their media trail on local radio. So how do you get your voice (and details of your book) heard? Local radio is precisely what it says – the radio for and about local newsworthy people. Before making contact with the station, sit down with a sheet of paper and list all the reasons your story (not necessarily your book) would be of interest to their listeners. That’s what they need to know. They won’t care about you as an author, they won’t care too much about your book either, but if you are able to tell them something their listeners would find fascinating, the chances are high that they will invite you onto the show. Take a reminder sheet of the things you want to say when you are on the air. This is essential because the time will pass so quickly that you may find the interview is over before you’ve done more than mention your book’s title. Talk about your current book Say why it’s unique Say where it is available Say where you will be conducting book signings Plug your blog and/or website Mention any other books you have written or are currently writing Once you know you are going to be interviewed, do the rounds of all the book outlets covered by the station and arrange signings, preferably for a day shortly after the interview. You’ll be amazed at how accommodating book stores will be if they know the event will receive media coverage. The next step is to contact your local newspaper, or newspapers if you live in an area where there is more than one. Write out a news item detailing who you are, when you will be on the radio as well as when and where you will be signing books. Make the piece interesting, not just a plug for your book. Editors aren’t likely to print something that is purely self-promotional, but if you jazz it up so that their readers would find it fascinating, they are more likely to use it. And if you’ve done all of that successfully, is it then time to sit back and raise that glass? Sorry, no. There is still one other radio avenue to explore and that is online radio. I was interviewed for Blogtalk Radio by Maggie Ball of the Compulsive Reader. Maggie lives in Australia, I live in France, we communicated through Skype and the interview promoting The Greatest Moving Abroad Tips in the World went live around the world on the Internet. How successful was it? Let’s just say a month after the event my website is still receiving visitors from places as diverse as Uruguay, India and South Africa. English speaking writers in overseas countries bought the book through Amazon. They would never have heard of it without that interview. Lorraine Mace is a columnist with Writing Magazine (UK) and has had her work published in five countries. Winner of the Petra Kenney International Poetry Award (comic verse category), she writes fiction for the women’s magazine market and is a writing competition judge. Lorraine, a tutor for Writers Bureau, is the author of The Greatest Moving Abroad Tips in the World (Oct 2008) and co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer’s ABC Checklist (Accent Press, Jan 2010). 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 Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHang, Hung, Hanged7 Proofreading Steps

Definition and Examples of RAS Syndrome

Definition and Examples of RAS Syndrome RAS syndrome is a humorous initialism for Redundant Acronym [or Abbreviation] Syndrome syndrome: the (redundant) use of a word thats already included in an acronym or initialism. Also known as  PNS syndrome (PIN number syndrome syndrome) and acronym-assisted pleonasm. Common examples of RAS syndrome include  PIN number (personal identification number number),  AC current (alternating current current) and HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus virus).  Such redundancies, says Bryan Garner, may be passable in speech- especially with unfamiliar acronyms- [but] they should be avoided in formal writing (Garners Modern American Usage, 2009). The term RAS syndrome first appeared in the magazine New Scientist (May 26, 2001). Examples and Observations LCD display for liquid crystal display displayCNN network for Cable News Network networkRAM memory for random-access memory memoryRSI injury for repetitive strain injury injury  SARS syndrome for severe acute respiratory syndrome syndromeMVUE estimator for minimum-variance unbiased estimator estimatorCMS system for content management system systemBBC corporation for British Broadcasting Corporation corporationIRA account for individual retirement account accountPCR reaction for  polymerase chain reaction reaction Redundancies Everywhere You Look I overheard part of your ATM story and I just couldnt let it go by. Do you know what ATM stands for?Of course. Automated teller machine.He went to college, Robin said.Okay, how about PIN?You mean as in PIN number?Aha! she exclaimed again. Now do you see it? The bartender brought her drink and she took a careful sip, then came back to them. You said you were at the ATM machine and forgot your PIN number. The automated teller machine machine and the personal information number number. Redundancies everywhere you look.(John Lescroart, The Hunter. Dutton, 2012) Reply RSVP The request reply RSVP is pretty much the same thing as youre being asked to reply twice. . . . [T]he word Sahara means great desert in Arabic (via Tuareg), so referring to that big, hot, sandy place in North Africa as the Sahara Desert is totally tautological, meaning as it does great desert desert.(Roger Horberry, Sounds Good on Paper: How to Bring Business Language to Life. Bloomsbury, 2010) The Lighter Side of RAS Syndrome Sidney Cochran: I am going to bed. We have a 10 a.m. plane to catch in the morning.Diana Barrie: 10 a.m. is the morning. That is redundant, you A.H.(Michael Caine and Maggie Smith in California Suite, 1978)

Problem solving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problem solving - Research Paper Example According to Raj et al (2014), as most organizations embrace the technology they come to a realization that cloud computing only increases value to the organization but with little challenges during adoption. Some of the notable benefits recorded with this technology include greater scalability, availability, quick access to infrastructure and reliability (Raj et al, 2014). Vendors of the cloud computing services include dell, IBM, Amazon, google, Microsoft and Oracle. IBM, one of the pioneers of cloud computing technology has been offering cloud computing to all users of the technology for the last decade. They have several products that cater for the different levels of users such as IT leaders, developers and business leaders. For instance, the Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) for integrating the IT infrastructure and applications for the IT leaders. The Platform as a service (PaaS) such as Bluemix platform enables the developers to create apps very fast. IBM also allows business leaders to run their daily business processes more efficiently and effectively using their wide range SaaS business applications (IBM, 2015). Amazon has been another major player in the field of cloud computing, they are one of the most preferred providers of private, public and hybrid cloud services. Their services are widely used by the health care organizations particularly for next generation DNA sequencing. In a recent summit in San Francisco, the company announced new services and improvements to their existing cloud computing services (Amazon Web Services, Inc., 2015). These new services include the Amazon WAM for deployment and management of apps for Amazon work spaces. Amazon has been the lead providers of cloud computing services such as the AWS and EC2 cloud services. During the summit, they introduced the AWS market place for the desktop applications. Additionally, Amazon introduced an