Viral Marketing Essay Example

Viral Marketing Essay Example Viral Marketing Essay Viral Marketing Essay History Unbalanced scales. svg The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (September 2008) There is debate on the origination and the popularization of the term Viral Marketing, though some of the earliest uses of the current term are attributed to Harvard Business School graduate Tim Draper and Harvard Business School faculty member Jeffrey Rayport. The term was later popularized by Jeffrey Rayport in his 1996 Fast Company article The Virus of Marketing , and Tim Draper and Steve Jurvetson of the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson in 1997 to describe Hotmails e-mail practice of appending advertising for itself in outgoing mail from their users. [3] Among the first to write about viral marketing on the Internet was media critic Douglas Rushkoff in his 1994 book Media Virus: Hidden Agendas in Popular Culture. The assumption is that if such an advertisement reaches a susceptible user, that user will become infected (i. e. , accept the idea) and will then go on to share the idea with others infecting them, in the viral analogys terms. As long as each infected user shares the idea with more than one susceptible user on average (i. e. , the basic reproductive rate is greater than one the standard in epidemiology for qualifying something as an epidemic), the number of infected users will grow according to a logarithmic curve, whose initial segment appears exponential. Of course, the marketing campaign may be wildly successful even if the rate at which things are spread isnt of epidemic proportions, if this user-to-user sharing is sustained by other forms of marketing communications, such as public relations or advertising. Among the first to write about algorithms designed to identify people with high Social Networking Potential is Bob Gerstley in Advertising Research is Changing. Gerstley uses SNP algorithms in quantitative marketing research to help marketers maximize the effectiveness of viral marketing campaigns. In 2004 the concept of Alpha User was released to indicate that it had become ow possible to technically isolate the focal point members of any viral campaign, the hubs who are most influential. Alpha Users can today be isolated and identified, and even targeted for viral advertising purposes most accurately in mobile phone networks, as mobile phones are so personal. In response to its use, many sites have started up trying to describ e what viral marketing is and to offer viral marketing services as an outsourced extension of a business. [citation needed] [edit] Notable examples * The Ponzi scheme and related investment Pyramid schemes, are early examples of viral marketing. In each round, investors are paid interest from the principal deposits of later investors. Early investors are so enthusiastic that they recruit their friends resulting in exponential growth until the pool of available investors is tapped out and the scheme collapses. * Multi-level marketing popularized in the 1960s and 70s (not to be confused with Ponzi schemes) is essentially a form of viral marketing in which representatives gain income through marketing products through their circle of influence and give their friends a chance to market products similarly. Multis include Amway and Mary Kay Cosmetics among many others. * Early in its existence (perhaps between 1988 and 1992), the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 had limited distribution. The producers encouraged viewers to make copies of the show on video tapes and give them to friends in order to expand viewership and increase demand for the fledgling Comedy Central network. During this period the closing credits included the words Keep circulating the tapes! [5] * In 2000, Slate described TiVos unpublicized gambit of giving free TiVos to web-savvy enthusiasts to create viral word of mouth, pointing out that a viral campaign differs from a publicity stunt. [6] * In 2001, BusinessWeek described web-based campaigns for Hotmail (1996) and The Blair Witch Project (1999) as striking examples of viral marketing, but warned of some dangers for imitation marketers. [7] * Launched in 2002, BMW Films was among the earliest viral marketing ampaigns. It attracted nearly 55 million viewers and helped to elevate the career of Clive Owen. * Some accuse Publius Enigma, a series of unusual postings in 1994 that relate to The Division Bell, to be viral marketing to gain attention for the album. * Burger Kings The Subservient Chicken campaign, running from 2004 until 2007, was cited in Wired magazine as a striking example of viral or word-of-mouth marketing. [8] * Cadburys Dairy Milk 2007 Gorilla advertising campaign was heavily popularised on YouTube and Facebook. The release of the 2007 concept album Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails involved a viral marketing campaign, including the band leaving USB drives at concerts during NINs 2007 European Tour. This was followed up with a series of interlinked websites revealing clues and information about the dystopian future in which the album is set. * In 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment promoted the return of Chris Jericho with a viral marketing campaign using 15-second cryptic binary code videos. The videos contained hidden messages and biblical links related to Jericho, although speculation existed throughout WWE fans over whom the campaign targeted. 9][10] The text Save Us and 2nd Coming were most prominent in the videos. The campaign spread throughout the internet with numerous websites, though no longer operational, featuring hidden messages and biblical links to further hint at Jerichos r eturn. [11][12] * In 2007 the New York Times advertising columnist Stuart Elliott wrote about a business-to-business viral campaign for a software company, showing that viral advertising has application in areas outside of consumer marketing. [13] * In 2007, Portuguese football club Sporting Portugal integrated a viral feature in their campaign for season seats. In their website, a video required the user to input his name and phone number before playback started, which then featured the coach Paulo Bento and the players waiting at the locker room while he makes a phone call to the user telling him that they just cant start the season until the user buys his season ticket. [14] Flawless video and phone call synchronization and the fact that it was a totally new experience for the user led to nearly 200,000 pageviews phone calls in less than 24 hours. [citation needed] * Avirginsplea. om claimed that a 25-year old virgin living in Toronto named Geoff needed five million hits on his website in 30 days in order for Jenn, one of his very hot platonic female friends, to help him lose his virginity. * The 2008 film Cloverfield was first publicized with a teaser trailer that did not advertise the films title, only its release date: 01Â ·18Â ·08. Elements of the viral marketing campaign included MySpace pages created for fictional characters and websites created for fictional companies alluded to in the film. The Big Word Project, launched in 2008, aims to redefine the Oxford English Dictionary by allowing people to submit their website as the definition of their chosen word. The viral marketing project, created to fund two Masters students educations, attracted the attention of bloggers worldwide, being featured on Daring Fireball and Wired Magazine. [15] * The marketing campaign for the 2008 film The Dark Knight combined both online and real-life elements to make it resemble an alternate reality game. Techniques included mass gatherings of Joker fans, scavenger hunts around the world, detailed and intricate websites that let fans actually participate in voting for political offices in Gotham City, hidden phone numbers and websites in the queue lines of The Dark Knight roller coasters at Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure, and even a Gotham News Network that has links to other Gotham pages such as Gotham Rail, a Gotham travel agency, and political candidates pages. The movie also markets heavily off of word of mouth from the thousands of Batman fans. Both the second and third games in the Halo series were preceded with viral marketing in the form of an alternate reality game called I Love Bees for the second game, and Iris for the third game. * In December 2009, podcasters of The Mike OMeara Show launched a viral marketing campaign on Facebook to encourage others to download the show. * Between December 2009 and March 2010 a series of seven videos were posted to YouTube under the name iamamiwhoami leading to speculation that they were a marketing campaign for a musician. In March 2010, an anonymous package was sent to an MTV journalist claiming to contain a code which if cracked would give the identity of the artist. [16] The seventh video, entitled b, appears to feature the Swedish singer Jonna Lee. [17][18][19][20] * On July 14 2010, Old Spice launched the fastest growing online viral video campaign ever, garnering 6. 7 million views after 24 hours, ballooning over 23 million views after 36 hours[21]. Old Spices agency created a bathroom set in Portland, OR and had their TV commercial star, Isaiah Mustafa, reply to 186 online comments and questions rom websites like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, Youtube and others. The campaign ran for 3 days[22]. [edit] Viral Marketing Services Viral marketing services (VMS) include full service marketing, advertising, and media brokerage. There are outsourced companies hired for these services. Like other professional niches, (i. e. lawyer, accountant, IT), companies are now being sought for their professional insight and expertise in Guerilla marketing strategies and advanced Internet and mobility technology in the hopes of providing more leads, sales, and profits than traditional marketing service providers. A VMS company will typically create impressions for a very specific market or audience as defined by a client. The more impressions created for a client, the greater the chance of increasing prospective customer awareness of the client’s products or services. A VMS company’s basis of success is based on the ability to successfully leverage many forms of media to create a large market presence for the client. A VMS company is not responsible for searching out leads. Rather, they are responsible for creating leads through brand recognition by means of market branding and innovative advertising services. edit] Methods * Internet Search Engines Blogs * Target Marketing Web Services * Social Media Interconnectivity * Industry specific organization contributions * Television Radio * Multiple forms of Print and Direct Marketing * SEO Web Development * Customer Participation Polling services * Outbound/Inbound Call Center Services * Mobile SmartPhone Integration VMS target m arketing is based on three important principals: 1. Social Profile Gathering 2. Proximity Market Analysis 3. Real-Time Key word Density Analysis By applying these three important disciplines to an advertising model, a VMS company is able to match a client with their targeted customers at a cost effective advantage. [edit] Motivations Products and services change as consumers demand change. Because of this, businesses have recognized that the method of marketing must change. Marketing is about putting your business in front of the largest interested audience for the lowest cost per viewer. In the early 20’s, radio was the means of reaching a mass audience followed by television in the late 40’s. Television would maintain the number one spot in terms of mass audience advertising until the Internet took hold in the mid-90’s. Now people are sharing information, collaborating on topics of interest, and networking on the internet in ways not previously imaginable. [edit] Statistics * Two thirds of the world’s Internet population now visit a social network or blog site weekly[23] * 220+ million people visit the top 25 social networks each month[24] * Facebook alone has 500+ million active users[25] Social media Internet traffic has exceeded adult entertainment sites * Time spent visiting Social media sites now exceeds time spent emailing[26] * Consistent polls reflect that 89% of people forward news, events, and vendor specific information to people in their network. [27] * 59% of adults polled state that they use their cell phone to remain connected with their social network[28] Because of statistics such as these, companies – big or small – have seen to it that viral marketing services are integrated into their company. Because the cost per impression is typically much lower in comparison to other forms of media, businesses have been able to reach a very large buying audience at a lower cost when compared to other forms of available media. [edit] Techniques Many companies simply embed key words on their web site to support Search Engine Optimization best practices in order to receive a high ranking on Google in the hopes of building a strong internet business. However, this is only one component to capitalizing on the power of viral marketing. Viral marketing is about connections. The more quality connections a company can make, the more business impressions they will create. The more business impressions they create the higher likelihood that a consumer (or other business requiring a service) will make contact to purchase a good or service. By use of a social profile gathering system, a VMS company is able to create interconnections with web sites and social media groups specific to the client’s market audience. In addition to the more common social media web sites (LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. , the internet is home to over 300,000 social community web service providers. Each of these social community web service providers have from 5 million to 50 million active users thus creating a large community of active consumers. By actively maintaining an extensive analytical database of these connections, a VMS goal is to be able to successfully match a business with the targeted buyers. Technology is the tool that allows b usinesses to moderate, manage, and automate communication with the global scale of Internet users. VMS technology incorporates artificial intelligence which allows a system to communicate with a prospective buyer via their phone (voice), SMS (Text Message), blog site, or email. Without having this level of sophisticated technology in place, a VMS company would be unable to manage the large amount of users and leads available on the Internet; but because of the advancements of technology, targeted campaigns can meet the goals and requirements of businesses from all over the world.

An Introduction to French Register

An Introduction to French Register Register refers to the level of formality of a given word, expression, grammatical structure, gesture, or means of pronunciation. In French, there are six registers, listed here from most to least formal. 1. Literary/Refined - Littà ©raire/Soutenu Literary French is an extremely formal and elegant language which is nearly always written. When spoken, it tends to be for effect and sounds snobbish or old-fashioned. Poetic French is a subcategory. 2. Formal - Formel Formal French is polite language, both written and spoken. It is used when the speaker doesnt know, wishes to show respect for, or wants to demonstrate distance/coldness toward another person. 3. Normal - Normal The normal register is the largest and most common category of language, what you might call everyday language. Normal French has no particular distinction (neither formal nor informal) and is the language used by and between just about everyone. It includes various subcategories of specialized and technical language, such as administrative, judicial, and scientific jargons. 4. Informal - Familier Informal French expresses closeness and is typically used between friends and family. Baby talk and most apocopes are informal. Although informal French is grammatically correct, it is at the bottom end of what the French call bon usage (correct usage). 5. Familiar - Populaire Familiar French is used between friends and expresses closeness verging on disrespect. Verlan and largonji are subcategories, though their individual words can range from a normal register to slang. 6. Slang (Vulgar)  - Argot (Vulgaire) Slang is vulgar, offensive, and usually insulting language, often related to sex, drugs, or violence. It may be used between friends or enemies. The familiar and vulgar registers are considered non-standard French.

Impact of the Housing Market on the US GDP Term Paper

Impact of the Housing Market on the US GDP - Term Paper Example There are different types of competition and different types of markets available in economic sense. Why is GDP important? The GDP Gross domestic product is one of the primary indicators to predict a country’s stability and economic health. â€Å"Gross domestic product (GDP) tells you about the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living.† Impact of the Housing Market on the US GDP (Facts and Statistics): the housing market of US includes the construction, sale, and resale; of all residential properties all over the country, people might underestimate the US housing market but usually the conditions of the housing market indicates the stability of the entire economy. Homes are fixed Assets. Constructing and selling of the houses are highly related with the economic society. People usually buy houses for the purpose of long term investment. Hous es are their tangible assets. People only buy houses when they are confident enough that they will be able to pay entirely for the house. But often people take loans and borrow money from people to purchase a house and when they fail to pay back, this has a very diverse impact on the economy. Besides the basic buying and selling of the houses, whenever a new house is built or purchased many new appliances, furniture, utility services, and many other goods and services are brought. Many people earn their livelihood by constructing, buying and selling of the houses in US. Hence the Housing market has a vast impact on the US economy. â€Å"The best way to judge the stability of any country is to look at its GDP, the U.S. economy, as measured by GDP, is everything produced by all the people and all the companies in the U.S. In 2010, it was $14.7 trillion. (The American Bureau facts and statistics 2010)† Housing is a â€Å"mid-stream† sector of the economy, meaning that man y other industries, both upstream and downstream, is affected by the health of the housing market. For example, the demand for building materials increases in a booming housing market, as does the demand for appliances and furnishings. Even more important in terms of dollars pumped into the economy, is appreciated home values, which have been an important source of stimulus over the past few years. Housing sector contributes to GDP in two main ways: through private residential investment and consumption spending on housing services. In times gone by, residential investment has averaged roughly 5 percent of GDP while housing services have averaged between 12 and 13 percent, for a combined 17 to 18 percent of GDP. These shares tend to vary over the business cycle. The construction of the houses has a small portion of the Gross domestic product i.e. $573 bill-lion. Other investments like furniture and household equipments, comprises another 5 percent of GDP. Altogether, currently the h ousing sector comprises 15 percent of the economy. (The American Bureau facts and statistics 2011) Constructing a new home building generates income and jobs for the citizens, as well as becomes a source of revenue for the government. Whereas home building also generates liability for the government and increase their costs by

Psychiatry, self harm risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Psychiatry, self harm risk - Essay Example ose to slit their wrists or do something similar to ease their pain or even to feel alive by sensing the pain, or they choose to ultimate and fatal option- to commit suicide. One of so many examples of self harm people cause to themselves is of a 26 year old person, Mr. A, who has Downs syndrome and whose functioning indicated intelligence in the range of mild retardation. He lived with a supportive family and attended a vocational program. He had not history of smoking, nor did he receive any unusual medications. Similarly, he hasnt been through any unusual medical procedures or any surgeries, and his medical history was very ordinary. In the early stages of his adolescence, he approached non-disabled young women for dates and was continually rejected. In response, he made suicidal statements and gestures, one of which was to burn himself with a cigarette lighter he took from his mother without her knowledge. At the age of 26, after being rejected once again, he jumped from a second story window, but wasnt injured badly. His family reported that he had been agitated and having troubles to sleep in the months previous to the incident, and staff at the vo cational program reported agitation and unproductiveness at work. He was sent to a psychological evaluation. In his apperception test, he described feelings of sadness, tiredness, frustration and hopelessness, with thoughts of suicide. He was referred to psychiatric evaluation, and started psychotherapy sessions, in which he articulated his belief that he wouldnt be able to have a relationship with a woman of his choice due to his having Downs syndrome. He enrolled in social programs for people with mental retardation and hasnt made anymore suicide attempts since. 1 Ive seen him about four months ago, in December 24th at a vocational program to which he still goes. Hes been going to it for nearly a decade now, and reports that hes very happy with it since it gives him tools on how to handle his life and function

Noah and Utnapishtims Wild Ride Essay Example for Free

Noah and Utnapishtims Wild Ride Essay Almost every religion in the world has a story about the â€Å"Great Flood† which destroys the earth, and each teaches its followers a different story about this disaster. While the Babylonians have the story of Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Judeo Christians have Noah from the Bible. Both men save a few people and many animals. In these stories, Noah and Utnapishtim seem to have similar situations, but a further analysis shows how truly different the two stories are. The boats in each story are exceptionally different. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim’s boat was six stories high, had nine apartments in each story, had a flat bottom, and was one hundred and twenty cubits high as well as wide (par 5-6). Utnapishtim covered the inside of his boat with bitumen, and covered the outside of it with pitch (par 6). Noah’s ark was made of cypress wood, and was coated in pitch on the inside and out (6:14). It was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high (6:15). It had three decks, a door, and a roof (6:16). The Lord shut Noah in the ark with his family and the animals, and Utnapishtim shut himself in when the flood waters came (7:16; par 9). Each story tells of a storm, but there are conflicting differences in each one. The storm in Utnapishtim’s story lasted for six days and six nights (par 14). On the seventh day, the rain stopped and the waters receded (par 14). They stayed in the boat for at least another week before they decided the land had dried enough (par 16). The storm in Noah’s story lasted for forty days and forty nights (7:17). The floods were on the earth for a hundred and fifty days (7:24). Noah, his family, and the animals stayed on the ark for three hundred and ninety two days (7:6, 8:14). Utnapishtim stayed on the boat until the raven did not come back, and Noah stayed on the ark until God told him to come out (par 16; 8:15-16). Noah and Utnapishtim each sent out birds to let them know when they could leave the boat, but sent out different ones in different parts of their stories. When the waters started to recede, Utnapishtim sent out a dove first, and she came back finding no place to rest (par 16). He then sent out a swallow, which also returned (par 16). The third bird he sent out was a raven, and she did not return, for she had found a place to rest (par 16). The first bird Noah sent out was a raven (8:7). He sent out the dove next, but she returned with no place to rest (8:8-9). He waited for a week and sent the dove out again, and she brought back an olive branch (8:10-11). He waited yet another week and sent her out again, but this time, she did not return (8:12). In each story, the birds that let them know the water is gone are different. Noah and Utnapishtim seem to survive similar situations in each story, but they are a far cry from each other. Each of their boats is built in different dimensions, are made from varied kinds of materials, and structured differently. The storms in each story lasted for assorted periods of time, and they were inside the boats for different lengths of time as well. They both sent out different birds for various reasons in their stories. Each story clashes with the other in numerous distinctive ways.

Dr. Faustus Essay: Free Will and Personal Responsibility

Free Will and Personal Responsibility in Faustus  Ã‚   It can be argued that Doctor Faustus is damned from the moment of conception. His innate desire for knowledge inevitably leads to his downfall. He represents the common human dissatisfaction with being human and the struggle of accepting our lack of omnipotence and omniscience. Marlowe manipulates this struggle between the aspirations of one character of his time and the implications to Christianity in relation to its doctrine of heaven and hell. Indeed, Doctor Faustus asks for more than what was intentionally made available to him through God's plan, yet it was God's gift to him of his intellect, that tempted him to search beyond his appointed realm of knowledge. Faustus, through his own free will, decides to trade his soul with Lucifer in order to gain the answers to the questions of the universe. According to the divine plan ideology of Catholic doctrine, his decision worked into the cosmic outline. The divine application of his decision implies that there are benefits or rather s ome other importance, outside of the connection to Faustus, of his selling his soul. This lessens the impetus behind his decision because of the emphasis on universal application as opposed to the immediate ramifications to Faustus, the human being. Therefore, one can argue as to where the responsibility or fault lies concerning Faustus' fate because of the presence of other forces who may have influenced his decision. However the responsibility for his choice remains his and his alone. Faustus sells his soul for what he believes to be limitless power, with the full logical, as opposed to emotional, knowledge as to consequences of such a transaction. He knows the stakes of his gamble with the ... ...oth lead to eventual and eternal damnation. On the contrary, one could argue that Marlowe was illustrating the cruelty of the notion that faith alone was not enough to secure one's salvation, merely by Faustus' tragic end in itself. However, by taking into consideration Marlowe's possible sympathizing with Catholic dogma, it can be inferred that much of the ideology of the character of Doctor Faustus, indeed was the direct product of Marlowe's own religious beliefs. Works Cited and Consulted Marlowe, Christopher Dr Faustus in ed. WB Worthen (1996) The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn., Texas: Harcourt Brace Steane, J.B (1965) Marlowe Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Wilson, F.P (1953) Marlowe and the Early Shakespeare Oxford: Clarendon Press The Oxford English Dictionary (1989), Second edition, Volume xviii. Oxford: Clarendon Press  

“Horses of the Night” by Margaret Laurence Essay

-â€Å"I detested the fact that I was so young† -Chris creates his own fantasy world (ranch, racing horses etc.) He tries to sell magazines, vacuum cleaners even when he knows he won’t make it to university. He can’t face reality. Also, when there is conflict he ignores it and it seems like he doesn’t even notice it. He holds a fantasy in his mind that seems real to him -In Shallow Creek, when Vanessa sees the horses is when we are aware that Chris is living in a world of delusions. -Chris’ fantasy world is his only refuge from potential insanity because without it, he would have no hope for life -Vanessa worries that she is incapable of saying the right thing when they go camping and Chris talks about God and the Stars. â€Å"pretending to be asleep† (pg.22) -Chris doesn’t respond when his grandfather talks about him, he sets a barrier between his own world and reality. -His world consists of his horses, saddle, criss-cross, own ranch. He has control of everything in his world so it only applies to him -The line slowly, slowly horses of the night means Chris disappears into insanity and that he can’t see day and night. Means the night must move slow for Chris and â€Å"Whether he had discovered at last a way for himself to make the necessary dream perpetual† (pg.24) -Chris views God as ridiculous and brutal. He doesn’t believe in God. Vanessa doesn’t respond, so maybe she does believe in God and doesn’t want to tell Chris her views. The circumstances for their views might be the fact that Chris’ family lives in poverty while Vanessa is better off a little bit. Vanessa is scared of talking/saying the wrong things -It reveals that he had a mental breakdown and that he is lost in his fantasy world. He no longer lives in his own world (Chris’ letter) -Vanessa learns that the letter from Chris is the final thing that tells her he is lost and the letter confirmed why he did unrealistic things. She understands why he had a fantasy world. -excess of imagination harmful -he has control of his own fantasy world horses Duchess and Firefly. But in reality they are plough horses. -barrier between person and the real world when a person dreams too much -he communicates and plays with younger children because he has control and they make no judgements about him. -sells vacuum cleaners, magazines and knitting machines to university but he doesn’t have the marks to get in. -without his fantasy world he would have no hope for life. -Chris takes his life to escape the â€Å"absolute unbearability of battle†

Without Pity

September 4th 2012 RH 200 / Merar REACTION PAPER (JOURNAL) by Raymond Alvarez, Jr. I though the people profiled in  Without Pity: A Film About Abilities represented a fair cross-section of disabled individuals struggling against the world's obstacles, to gain control of how they will eventually live. One story that really hit home with me was Charlie. Being born with no legs and arms, Charlie showed great adaptation and intelligence and had such a go-getter attitude.He attends school with the help of a special wheelchair, and aside from his obvious disability, was very well accepted by everyone who got to know him. Charlie inspired me tremendously. His Mom and Dad are also very admirable in how they chose to let Charlie live a great life, and with so much determination to be a normal kid. I got teary eyed, not because of his disability, but because of his triumph in life. God has big plans for such a little guy. Charlie has a great message to deliver to this world.The other story, which I could most relate too was Josh. In his mid 20's, a motorcycle accident paralyzed him. (I grew up riding motorcycles, and at any moment could have had a life changing accident. ) With obvious and understandable frustration, Josh shares the pains of being a quadriplegic. It took so much courage to share (on camera) the anger he suffers. He lost the love of his life amidst it all. The Victory was seeing him overcome to become, and eventually finishing his dream of college.I only pray to have that much courage to persevere if ever to face a life changing disability. I could only imagine it being much harder experiencing a major disability later in life as Josh did. Charlie never experience life with arms and legs, so in a graceful way, that may have made adjusting to his disability easier. Either way, they were a great testimony to (in my opinion) God's loving grace, and the tremendous power of the holy (and human) spirit! What a great movie!

Free Essays on Free Speech On Campus

â€Å"Free Speech on Campus†, by Nat Hentoff provides an overview of the first amendment from one school to another. Throughout the story Hentoff uses examples such as fliers, professors, guest speakers, and many other devices to convey his point. Hentoff states, â€Å"how are they going to learn to identify and cope with them†, this dealing with the protection of students from bad ideas. Hentoff feels that the problems with free speech expand beyond this one issue and also has to do with freedom of inquiry, action, and religion on campus as well. Even thought there are many attempts to protect students from free speech on campus, organizations are wrong for doing so. These attempts to protect are taking away our first, and most important right freedom of speech. The first amendment of the constitution states, â€Å"Congress must not interfere with freedom of religion, speech or press, assembly, and petition† (Bailey and Kennedy VX). This amendment is not limited to just whites or blacks; as long as a person holds residency in the United States, they have the rights stated in the first amendment. To take away this right is to take away our self expression, this expression is on of the many reasons people fled to the United States. However this expression is not limited to just free speech. This expression allows Jews to be Jews, openly, Muslims to be Muslims, openly, and so on. Yet, there are people in this country who abuse this right. Although freedom of speech and other rights we have due to the first amendment should not be harmed, there are people and groups in out country who abuse these rights. For example the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), this group began to gain popularity in the 1860’s. If it was not for the first amendment groups like the KKK would not exist. Yet because they have the right to free speech, assembly and practice there is nothing that can be done. In response to the KKK many other groups similar in nature began to gain... Free Essays on Free Speech On Campus Free Essays on Free Speech On Campus â€Å"Free Speech on Campus†, by Nat Hentoff provides an overview of the first amendment from one school to another. Throughout the story Hentoff uses examples such as fliers, professors, guest speakers, and many other devices to convey his point. Hentoff states, â€Å"how are they going to learn to identify and cope with them†, this dealing with the protection of students from bad ideas. Hentoff feels that the problems with free speech expand beyond this one issue and also has to do with freedom of inquiry, action, and religion on campus as well. Even thought there are many attempts to protect students from free speech on campus, organizations are wrong for doing so. These attempts to protect are taking away our first, and most important right freedom of speech. The first amendment of the constitution states, â€Å"Congress must not interfere with freedom of religion, speech or press, assembly, and petition† (Bailey and Kennedy VX). This amendment is not limited to just whites or blacks; as long as a person holds residency in the United States, they have the rights stated in the first amendment. To take away this right is to take away our self expression, this expression is on of the many reasons people fled to the United States. However this expression is not limited to just free speech. This expression allows Jews to be Jews, openly, Muslims to be Muslims, openly, and so on. Yet, there are people in this country who abuse this right. Although freedom of speech and other rights we have due to the first amendment should not be harmed, there are people and groups in out country who abuse these rights. For example the Klu Klux Klan (KKK), this group began to gain popularity in the 1860’s. If it was not for the first amendment groups like the KKK would not exist. Yet because they have the right to free speech, assembly and practice there is nothing that can be done. In response to the KKK many other groups similar in nature began to gain...

Facts About the Whale Shark

Facts About the Whale Shark Whale sharks are gentle giants that live in warm waters and have beautiful markings. Although these are the largest fish in the world, they feed on tiny organisms.   These unique, filter-feeding sharks appeared to evolve about the same time as filter-feeding whales, around 35 to 65 million years ago.   Identification While its name may be deceiving, the whale shark is actually a shark (which is a cartilaginous fish). Whale sharks can grow to 65 feet in length and up to about 75,000 pounds in weight. Females are generally larger than males. Whale sharks have a beautiful coloration pattern on their back and sides. This is formed of light spots and stripes over a dark gray, blue or brown background. Scientists use  these spots to identify individual sharks, which helps them learn more about the species as a whole. The underside of a whale shark is light. Scientists are not sure why whale sharks have this distinctive, complex coloration pattern. The whale shark evolved from bottom-dwelling carpet sharks that have noticeable body markings, so perhaps the sharks markings are simply evolutionary leftovers. Other theories are that the marks help camouflage the shark, help sharks recognize each other or, perhaps most interesting, are used as an adaptation to protect the shark from ultraviolet radiation.   Other identification features include a streamlined body and broad, flat head. These sharks also have small eyes. Although their eyes are each about the size of a golf ball, this is small in comparison to the sharks 60-foot size. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataClass: ElasmobranchiiOrder: OrectolobiformesFamily: RhincodontidaeGenus: RhincodonSpecies: Typus Rhincodon is translated from the Green as rasp-tooth and Typus means type. Distribution The whale shark is a widespread animal that occurs in warmer temperate and tropical waters. It is found in the pelagic zone in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Feeding Whale sharks are migratory animals who appear to move to feeding areas in conjunction with fish and coral spawning activity.   Like  basking sharks, whale sharks filter small organisms out of the water.   Their prey includes plankton, crustaceans, tiny fish, and sometimes larger fish and squid. Basking sharks  move water through their mouths by slowly swimming forward. The whale shark feeds by opening its mouth and sucking in water, which then passes through the gills. Organisms get trapped in small, tooth-like structures called dermal denticles,  and in the pharynx. A whale shark can filter over 1,500 gallons of water an hour. Several whale sharks may be found feeding a productive area. Whale sharks have about 300 rows of tiny teeth, totaling about 27,000 teeth, but they are not thought to play a role in feeding. Reproduction Whale sharks are ovoviviparous and females give birth to live young that are about 2 feet long. Their age at sexual maturity and length of gestation are unknown. Not much is known about breeding or birthing grounds either.  In March 2009, rescuers found a 15-inch long baby whale shark in a coastal area in the Philippines, where it had been caught in a rope. This may mean that the Philippines is a birthing ground for the species. Whale sharks appear to be a long-lived animal. Estimates for the longevity of whale sharks are in the range of 60-150 years. Conservation The whale shark is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.  Threats include hunting, impacts of diving tourism and overall low abundance. References and Further Information: Associated Press. 2009. Tiny Whale Shark Rescued (Online. MSNBC.com. Accessed April 11, 2009.Martins, Carol and Craig Knickle. 2009. Whale Shark (Online). Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. Accessed April 7, 2009.Norman, B. 2000. Rhincodon typus. (Online) 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed April 9, 2009.Skomal, G. 2008. The Shark Handbook: The Essential Guide for Understanding the Sharks of the World. Cider Mill Press Book Publishers. 278pp.  Wilson, S.G. and R.A. Martin. 2001. Body markings of the whale shark: vestigial or functional? Western Australian Naturalist. Accessed January 16, 2016.

Understanding Property Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding Property Markets - Essay Example Understanding Property Markets On the other hand, real GDP is computed by dividing the nominal GDP by the price index or inflation for that year. That makes it real because it is being adjusted for the price level at the time of measurement. The pattern of nominal and real GDP showed that there was an increasing GDP from 1948 to 2008 but a little decrease in the next years. The gap between the nominal and real GDP shows the difference in the price level over the years. As the graph shows, the large gap between the red and blue curves means that there was a high rate of inflation during those years. So, when even if nominal GDP is reported at high volumes, once it is adjusted to the high price index it will result to lower real GDP. The estimates of the long-run annual growth rates of nominal and real GDP will help us determine the future growth rate of UK economy. We can also see how the UK economy is expected to perform in the coming years through these estimates. This will also help other sectors of the economy in deciding about their participation in the economic activities. As the estimates show rising growth rates, we can speculate that UK economy is also in rising position as to economic growth is concerned. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the United Kingdom expanded 0.70 percent in the last quarter of 2010 over the previous quarter. From 1955 until 2010 The United Kingdom's average quarterly GDP Growth was 0.59 percent reaching an historical high of 5.30 percent in March of 1973 and a record low of -2.50 percent in March of 1974.... Economic fluctuations and economic growth are related (McConnell,Brue, p. 114, 2005). During recessions, consumer spending is reduced or lower but in economy’s recovering period income can be increased as production also increases. The manufacturing sector is being driven by exports, not least to the growth areas on the far side of the globe, but the service sector is suffering from a lack of confidence with consumer spending being reined in (www.bbc.co.uk, 2011). From the figures given, we can say that the real GDP can fall because of the small standard deviation. Standard deviation is used to measure the volatility of the business cycle or economic fluctuations. As business cycles become less volatile, economic growth is also in slower rate. But if the volatility will be higher, the economy will be in good position. The graph shows the UK quarterly growth rate in percentage. The quarterly percentage change marked at positive rate shows the increasing rate of outputs of goods and services. This may be the times of peak for an economy. For during these times the economy is at full employment, real output is at economy’s capacity and prices may be at high level. But quarterly percentage change marked at negative may present the economy’s recession. This means that at these times there is no economic growth attained because of decreasing output or real GDP. Contrary to the peak phase, recession may bring output at its lowest level. But if the economy can recover, the output may rise again through the increase in production and price levels. Annual economic growth rate can be examined through the annual changes in real and nominal GDP. These changes can tell us about the economy’s level of performance