Hitlers Appeal essays

Hitlers Appeal essays The unemployment in Germany from 1928 to 1932 was devastating to the nations economy. Reasons are varied but all are contributing factors. Unemployment soared, it grew 3 1/2 times in just five years. The treaty of Versailles was to blame, as it took away much land, where many natural resources were obtained. Also was the disarmament, which caused much job cuts, as no more weapons were being made. The Jewish were blamed for the bankruptcies and inflation because they were in charge of many financial institutions. Hitler proclaimed that they somehow tampered with the banking system to promote their own financial needs. All allegations were false; they were only used to help Hitler in his political race to rule the country, and eventually the world. Hitler made these speeches to make German residents think that all the other countries blamed them and their allies for the war. Hitler made their country sound strong, but also capable of doing a lot because of the quarantine imposed on them. Germans were gaining a false sense of pride and hope for the future from Hitler. Germans were feeling anger towards the nations forcing the treaty of Versailles against them because of many things. One, Loss of German territory, overseas and much of their own connected land. Payments of reparations were severe, especially because of their economic state of depression. Germany was also ordered disarmament, which only lowered their defense and decreased employment. Germany and their Allies were blamed for the war, even though Germany was under a new government, their old leaders also took responsibility for all losses. Their old national leaders and their allies, who were overthrown, signed the treaty. The new government had to assume responsibility. Citizens of Germany seemed to love Hitler; he represented hope for a new country, a strong country. A country whose power would be dominant over all other countries. Here was a man who could brin ...

Using Contests as Door Openers

Using Contests as Door Openers In a world where its near impossible to land an agent or publisher, and indie publishing appears to be a monstrosity of complexities, it might be time to consider contests. And dont talk about how most of them are scams, either. There are more publishing scams out there than contests, my friend. Why focus on contests when your goal is publishing? Because contests are a roundabout way to open a door to getting published. And you get to toy around with submitting more than that book youve obsessed over. You can also submit novellas, short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. Suggestions on entering contests to aid your career: 1) Stick to contests that result in publication. Whether its a website, a journal, or a publishing house, getting publication credits in your portfolio matters. You need credibility. 2) Extract from your book-length work and create a short piece or two. There are way more short story competitions than novels contests. Take the gist of your longer piece and turn it into a short submission. The point is to make people realize you can write. If you win, THEN tell them you also write novels. 3) Choose reputable contests, not something cutesy and cheap, so that when you win you are respected, not chuckled at. Show that even when you enter contests, you are a professional. 4) Be willing to pay entry fees. They fund the publishing, the judging, and the prize money. Better to pay $25 to enter and win $1,000 than pay $0 and win $50. The latter doesnt look as good on a resume or pitch letter. 5) Consider those contests that offer feedback. Those critiques might right some wrongs in your work. 6) Choose contests where the judges are agents, publishers, or editors. Even if you dont win, you might catch someones eye. Some authors enter contests regularly while still pursuing publication. Theres no point in passing up this sort of opportunity. Especially during a time that writers are a dime-a-dozen and landing attention is like screaming into the wind. While youre planning your query letters or indie promotion, make time for a contest or two each month. It might be the catalyst to take that stalling writing career to a higher level.

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication Essay

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication - Essay Example Yet, what we communicate is even more important than how we communicate. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication would give me the deeper knowledge I require to pursue a career in Public Relations and Event Planning. My obligation to the field is to bring a solid foundation rooted in the many issues I will face in tomorrow's world of Journalism and Mass Communication. I have long aspired to work in the field of communications. During the last two years I have worked as an event planner, helping the staff promote and produce events for our clients. This exposure has worked to heighten my dedication to pursue this area as I have found it fascinating as well as enjoyable. I have gotten great self-satisfaction working with people as we crafted the messages and images required to produce a successful event. This experience has taught me the importance of the details that can only be acquired through a continued and quality education. It is the many facets of communication that I hope to gain from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. My previous studies have focused on my eventual attendance in the higher level courses of communications. I have always strived to maintain a high level of academic success and in the fall of 2005 I was recognized by John Cabot University for this achievement.

Discuss the history of the hospitality industry, characteristics and Essay

Discuss the history of the hospitality industry, characteristics and importance of the hospitality industry - Essay Example From the origin and development of hospitality industry, it can be gathered that the industry has unique and distinctive characteristics. First the industry is to balance between services and products delivered. Communication is also essential between the hospitality staff and clients, another feature in the industry is the fact that there is diversity in culture, which may result to some problems differences (Walker 2007). There are also various importance of hospitality industry to the economy of a given region such as offering employment to the local residents. Since hospitality is related to tourism there is conservation of culture and heritage. Hospitality industry also enhances the development of auxiliary services such as transport, insurance and banking facilities. Tourism and hospitality in Bournemouth is growing tremendously, and it is projected that thousands of jobs will be developed faster as compared to industries such as manufacturing, retail or construction. Due to ho spitality and tourism industry, Bournemouth is the second destination for studying languages after the Great Britain. It can therefore be concluded that there is a lot of economic impact that has resulted from hospitality industry in

President of Omega Essay Example for Free

President of Omega Essay Stephen Urquhart, Swiss and British citizen, who studied Industrial Management at the University of Neuchà ¢tel, has been a member of the Extended Group Management Board since 2000 and is President of Omega. Mr Urquhart began his career at Omega in 1968. From 1974 to 1997 he pursued his career with Audemars Piguet, where he became Joint Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors from 1989 onwards. Mr Urquhart returned to Swatch Group in 1997 as President of Blancpain Luxury Watch Industry Luxury watch industry is completely dominated by Switzerland which contributes almost 100 percent of market value. The major exports market includes United States, France, Germany, Italy United Kingdom. Rolex dominates the luxury watch market followed by Tag Heuer, Omega, Cartier, Bulgari Longi Brand Strategies Today , seven out of ten people throughout the world are familiar with the OMEGA watch brand. Most luxury brands will integrate themselves with some projects or activities to set up their continual image PRODUCT LINE Other than watches Omega has other products like, Jewellery, Leather Goods Fragrance. First watch on the moon The Omega Speedmaster, or moonwatch selected by NASA for all the Apollo missions. The Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph was the first watch on the Moon, worn by buzz aldrin Although Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong was first to set foot on the moon, he left his 105.012 Speedmaster inside the Lunar Module as a backup because the LMs electronic timer had malfunctioned. Buzz Aldrin elected to wear his and so his Speedmaster became the first watch to be worn on the moon. Armstrongs watch is now displayed at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Aldrins is lost. He mentions in his book, Return to Earth, that when donating several items to the Smithsonian Institution, his Omega was one of the few things that was stolen from his personal effects. In 2007, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph, the Omega company unveiled the commemorative Speedmaster Professional Chronograph Moonwatch. The watch had the distinctive features of the first hand-winding Omega Speedmaster introduced in 1957. It was sold in an edition of 5,957 Omega in Olympic . Omega has been responsible for the timekeeping of the world’s most prestigious sporting events, including 25 Olympic Games, and also for the development of the equipment which has ensured that the technology has kept pace with ever-better performances. Omega is active in a lot of different domain with its ambassadors. Overall 7 different domains for 14 celebrities. It shows that omega is trying to reach every segment without being involved in one. Among the attributes territories are well defined such as, show business for beauty, surf sailing for hedonism, motor sports and swimming for victory. Golf is used for both for the hedonistic and the victory attributes. This coherence can may be help the customer to understand the communication better. The majority of the advertisements picture male young adults. This shows that Omega really tries to increase recognition on this segment. Therefore communication is aimed at youth. One is a star today and tomorrow is forgotten. Brand is phenomenon that should find its roots in duration, which is pretty much the opposite of fashion. Therefore, omega rightly chooses to use multiple endorsement in order to avoid dependence on the ambassadors and diversify its risk of a bad celebrity away. Pri cing Strategy

Jim Morrison; From Boy To Legend Essay example -- essays research pape

Jim Morrison; From Boy to Legend "hope is just a word when you think in Table Cloths Laughter will not end her funny feeling or assuage our strange desire Children will be born" Jim Morrison Jim Morrison is often thought of as a drunk musician. He is also portrayed to many as an addict and another 'doped up' rock star. These negative opinions project a large shadow on the many positive aspects of this great poet. Jim's music was influenced heavily by many famous authors. You must cast aside your ignorance and look behind the loud electric haze of the sixties music. You must wipe your eyes and look through the psychedelic world of LSD. Standing behind these minor flaws, you will see a young and very intellectual poet named Jim Morrison. Jim Morrison's distraught childhood was a contributing factor to Jim's fortune and his fate. As a young child, Jim experienced the many pains of living in a military family. Having to move every so often, Jim and his brother, and sister never spent more than a couple of years at a particular school. Jim attended eight different schools, grammar and high, throughout his schooling career. This amount of traveling made it hard for a young child to make many friends. In high school, Jim had an especially hard time. The only real friend he made was a tall but overweight classmate with a sleepy voice named Fud Ford. Although there seems to be many negative aspects of Jim's child hood, many positive did arise. The traveling done by the Morrison family brought Jim through may different experiences and situations. For instance, while driving on a highway from Santa Fe with his family, he said he experienced the most important moment of his life. The Morrisons came upon an overturned truck of dying Pueblo Indians. This moment influenced Jim and later beca... ...e. His notebooks and intellect are now the basis of the Doors and the fortelling of his death. All of the past are now part of the present and the songs all come from the same root. Jim's adoption of Aldous Huxley's, Doors of Perception, was now his number one motto. The drugs taken were only to help open these many doors in his mind. Although his mind seemed lost in the infinite drug world of the unknown, Jim Morrison was the "American Poet." His crave for knowledge was driven by his wondrous mind and only used drugs, not as an exit , but rather as an entrance. The world of Jim Morrison is not well known by many. Most see an alcoholic, others see an addict, and yet more see a deranged waste of a person. But for those who take the time to care, those who take the time to learn and understand will find out that behind the "American Poet," was a young genius. "This is the end, beautiful friend, This is the end, my only friend, the end, of our elaborate plans, the end, no safety or surprise, I'll never look into your eyes again... Jim Morrison

Acre Wood Retirement Community Case Study Essay

The pool design was not in tune with the original design, so what was promised was not delivered. Funds allotted were not fully used. Sarah’s complaint in the newspaper would create another legal issue and would invite public outcry against the organization. Ethical issues: – The director was not concerned about the welfare of public even though the organization’s mission was to improve the quality of life of its residents both physically and emotionally. Lack of commitment to visit the pool and refusing to look into Sarah’s complaints were other ethical issues. A2.   The behaviour of director only promoted greed (underutilization of money), irresponsibility (refusing to visit the pool and not listening to the complaints), unethical practices (not concerned about public safety; totally against the organization’s vision) and partiality (promoting Gene who wasn’t complaining) A3.   A role model is some one who inspires, motivates and ultimately brings out the best in the follower by making him realize his own potential. Ethics are one of the key determinants of a role model. An ethical role model is one who puts his organization’s goal ahead of his personal goals, who does not promote malpractices, who is always ready to look in to matters which interest public health and welfare and one who is always ready to listen to his employees suggestion. The director had all the qualities missing which surely don’t make him an ethical role model.   

The Impact of Technology on Music in the 20th Century

Matthew Hugenschmidt LBST 3020-090 Final Paper For centuries man has sought pleasure through music and visual arts. Until the last 100 years or so that required someone to go see a live performance, either locally or possibly to a larger metropolis with concert halls and theaters. The technological advances experienced in the last century have allowed the pairing of the audio and visual media for the masses, and have let them spread much farther than their local roots and changed their influence on society.Though essentially performing the same function, they have gone from merely allowing an escape from everyday life for very limited audiences to affecting American society’s values, view of its own culture, and consumerism. With the advent of the gramophone in 1901 people were able to listen to music inside their own homes, as well as were able to easily transport music from one area to another. (Savage 115) It was these earliest recordings brought with the American troops, o r doughboys, in WWI that brought jazz, blues, and other American musical styles to Europe.These recordings would heavily influence the shape of the European musical landscape after the war, and also increase the overseas demand for American culture and style. The music and associated dances were completely new to Europeans, and combined with the care free attitude of the Americans it showed what was seen as a hopeful way of life that had all but been forgotten in the war ravaged continent. This craving for American culture would have a large effect on the coming European generations, and would help steer the musical course for the bands that started the British Invasion.Almost simultaneously, nickelodeons started to become popular in urban areas of the United States. Named after their admission price, a nickel, these places showed short motion pictures and were usually located in working class districts. (essortment. com) Since the movies of the time were silent, the theaters usuall y had a piano or organ to provide music for the film. This was the first time there was a mass media distribution that included both audio and visual components, though the music played varied a bit from theater to theater. As movie technology improved nickelodeons soon ecame out of date, but they laid the ground work for audio and visual pairings in mass media. The rise of national radio broadcasts in the United States would play a huge part in the spread of music around the country. When the national broadcasts went to clear channel, it signaled the rise of weekly radio shows that became standard nationwide. Because of the limited variety of programming at the time, these programs had a very large audience base. One of these radio shows was Ozzie and Harriet, a family oriented radio show that was based on Ozzie and Harriet Nelson’s family.The show was quite popular on the radio since it portrayed the everyday stereotypical white suburban family. The major leap came when tel evision became the new medium of choice. In 1957 Ozzie and Harriet moved from radio to television, and by this point their son Ricky had also become an integral part of the show. This was during the very beginnings of Rock & Roll, and Ozzie saw an opportunity to cross market his son as both an actor and a singer. At the time the genre was represented primarily by figures like Elvis and Chuck Berry who were by considered risque by the elder suburban white population.Ricky Nelson was marketed as a wholesome alternative singing the same style of music, thereby appealing to both the youth and their parents. This was a major step in defining stars in pop culture since it cemented that the performers image could be more important than their musical ability and gave rise to the teen idol culture. Concurrently, since the national broadcasters had begun to focus on television, the local radio stations no longer had time occupied retransmitting the major station broadcasts. Because of this th ey found it necessary to diversify their offerings to fill the time slots.This allowed them to cater more to their local audience and what they wanted to hear. This heralded the rise of the disc jockey, and because the radio signals reached beyond the immediate locale it broadened the fan base for many musical styles. Programs like Red Hot and Blue in Memphis started playing some more alternative styles, and when it was realized that there was a large demand for this music they became important for the stations and their advertisers. (Miller 35) These shows would play what they pitched as new and â€Å"hot† tracks, thereby pushing their listeners in the directions they wanted.The person that would take this to the next step was Dick Clark with American Bandstand. He very successfully took what these radio shows were doing and applied it to national television. By carefully selecting the performing artists and the kids dancing to the music, he cultivated a very tame and innoce nt atmosphere for the show. This was integral in changing the image of Rock & Roll and its perception by the older generation, and though there had been variety shows for a good number of years, it was the first television show to completely focus on music and giving it a visual component.American Bandstand would go on to be one of the longest running series in television history. Also in the mid-1950s movie industry was becoming more popular than it had ever been, and this was due largely to the trickle down of the post World War II economic boom. Many teens had part time jobs doing things like delivering papers or running errands, and others were given an allowance by their parents. Because they had no bills to pay, all of the income for this demographic was disposable income. This led to almost all of their money being spent on entertainment.This started in the early 1900s with the nickelodeons, and then progressed as the movie industry expanded and technology progressed to allow longer films and include audio. When the movie Blackboard Jungle was released in 1955 it brought out a very interesting revelation. The Bill Haley and His Comets’ song â€Å"(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock† was played over the opening credits, and though it had been released the year before it had not fared well at all on the charts. As soon as it was featured in the movie it immediately shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for eight weeks. Covach 78) Alan Freed, a New York City DJ, immediately saw an opportunity and began making movies such as Rock Around the Clock, Rock Rock Rock, and Mr. Rock and Roll. These movies had very little in the way of plot or story line, but focused on promoting some of the hottest musical acts of the time, including Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They also served to further the career of several new artists such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. (Covach 84) This would mark the beginning of cross marketing musica l stars into movies.The person who is most responsible for the cross genre bridge between music and visual media was Elvis. His start was a humble one, beginning with him paying for his own recording at Sun Records. Sam Phillips thought the he heard something special and signed him. For the first year and a half that after his first Sun recordings, Elvis was primarily known in the south and was relegated to the country charts. It wasn’t until Phillips sold his contract to RCA that Elvis began getting television appearances, starting with Stage Show. Covach 85) The show had poor ratings, but within week of his start there he had become a national phenomenon. This led to his appearances on the Milton Berle show, the Steve Allen show, and culminating in the Ed Sullivan show. With his good looks, sex appeal, and exciting performance style, his television performances rapidly cast him onto the national stage. (Covach 84) This meteoric rise would forever cement the link between ima ge and popularity, and also add to the â€Å"rags to riches† dream which has always been prevalent in lower and middle class households.Once Freed’s movies started coming out and doing well, RCA was quick to pitch their new star as an actor as well, though more as a feature with hip music in it rather than a sort of American Bandstand movie. The movies Elvis did, such as Jailhouse Rock, fared decently well at the box office, and usually had a single by the same name released concurrently, which in turn became a hit. The companies behind the scenes had realized that by doing this they could have their star produce multiple revenue streams for them. This would lead to a slew of movies following the same formula, especially beach movies with surf music.These movies would prove to be very influential to the images of bands and individual singers for years to come. The next level of combining visual arts and music came in the form of marketing for a band, manifested as The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. This movie departed from the Elvis style fictional motion picture that just included songs by the featured artists, which were pretty much standard at the time. Rather, this film portrayed The Beatles roughly as their lives actually were. Though exaggerated, they used The Beatles playing themselves showing their daily lives.The use of irony and satire were prevalent throughout the movie, which makes it an entertaining comedy. Even so, the viewer gets the sense that they are connected to the band and has gotten to know them on a personal level, and they could easily be someone down the street. One of the common themes throughout the film is the manager’s futile attempts at controlling the band members. Whenever he tells the band they need to do something like reply to fan mail or stay in the dressing room the first thing that is done is the opposite.Though the band members are always going against what they are being told to do, they always come through to fulfill their responsibilities, usually at the last possible moment. This appealed to both the youth who appreciated the free spiritedness The Beatles exhibited as well as the adults who cared about the example it set of fulfilling responsibility, thereby successfully cross marketing the band to both demographics. All of these events were heavily intertwined with the boom in consumerism in the 1950s and 60s. In an era of excess, the image of success is what was being sold.The idea of the suburban house with two cars and modern amenities was what the older generation who still remembered the depression was being pushed towards. With the surplus of disposable income in the post WWII economic boom, Americans began replacing items rather than fixing them, which let almost all products to be disposable. This attitude carried over to entertainment as well. Because of the short attention span of the general public it was no longer enough to just make good music. The image of the artist and how they were marketed became in some cases more important than the music itself.Rock & Roll was integral in the shift of America’s values in 1950s to 1960s towards the liberal side, starting with the youth. The music and the image it portrayed meant different things to different people, usually split by generation, but the successful visual marketing done by some key players helped change the image and soften the transition to allow the older generation to become more receptive to the cultural changes. The liberalization of music and image that started in the 60s would grow by leaps and bounds in the 70s.Artists began to take the alter ego route started by the Beatles with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and stepped it up a notch. One of the most notable examples of this was Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper’s lead singer, Vincent Furnier, had noticed that most rock stars of the day were portrayed as heroes, but there were few rock villain s. He created the persona of Alice Cooper as such a villain and also dressed in tattered women’s clothes to add more social controversy. The biggest break and controversy that really launched the band was the infamous â€Å"Chicken Incident†, where at a show a chicken somehow made its way on stage.Thinking chickens could fly Alice Cooper threw the chicken into the air above the audience thinking it would fly away. Unfortunately, the chicken fell into the audience where it was torn apart. This turned into a story of him biting the head off the chicken and drinking its blood, which made national headlines. As had been learned with Elvis, the only bad press is no press, and this rang true for Alice Cooper as well. Following this, their performances were known for being â€Å"dangerous, dark, and irreverent. † (Covach 344) These shows usually ended with some sort of gruesome death for Alice, frequently beheading or electric chair.This goes to show how important and image and show could be to the career of a band. The next major development in visual and music pairing was MTV. This would go on to change the course of pop music and culture from its inception in 1981 all the way through the present day. MTV was modeled after Top 40 radio, focusing on the most popular artists at the time. In the early days they found that their most successful market was mainly the Midwest, so they focused on playing the mainstream rock artists that were usually white as well.At the same time most videos were shot on shoestring budgets since labels weren’t convinced that music videos would pay off in additional sales. (Covach 451) The view of music videos would change with Michael Jackson. In 1983 â€Å"Billie Jean† was rising in the pop charts, but MTV refused to play the video, presumably because it was thought it wouldn’t appeal to their target audience. After a great deal of pressure from Jackson’s label MTV conceded, and the video became very successful. This brought a significant rise in popularity to both the network and artist, and that in turn showed the labels the importance of music videos.After that, videos were major undertakings with major label backing and significant repercussions. It was found that even if the music wasn’t good, if the artist looked good in the video then they could be successful. This really is a continuation of the teen idol phase of the late 1950s, just taken to the next level and across a broader range of styles, which still continues today. Though MTV had become more popular and mainstream, it also had the double edged effect of negative media attention for the content of the videos it played.Applying images to music that was said to be â€Å"a help to the devil† (Gilmore 263) would bring further scrutiny to the content of the music itself. Though rap music was already under attack from the media and PMRC (Parents Music Resource Commission), videos like that of N. W. A. would further widen the gap. The most important technological advancement of the last 20 years or so is the development of the internet. This one creation has done more to connect the globe and share information than anything else in the history of man. The amount of information that is readily available o anyone with an internet connection is almost incomprehensible. This sharing of information has also had a drastic effect on the music industry and artists. According to Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick â€Å"the Internet appears to be the most consequential technology shift for selling music since the 1920s. † (Hiatt & Serpick) Because of the internet, anyone with a microphone or video camera and internet access can publish their music. With the advent of some computer programs like Pro-Tools there isn’t even a need for musicianship. This has greatly changed the landscape for artists and how music is viewed socially.Until an artist becomes successful enough for corporations to heavily invest in, the responsibility for creating an image and fan base has largely moved from the label to the artists themselves. No longer does the label sign a band, make a record, and then produce a formulaic video to try to garner interest. Take Arctic Monkeys for example. Their debut album â€Å"Whatever people Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not† released in 2006 became the fastest selling debut album in British music history. (NME) They did this by recording early demos and giving them away on burned CDs at shows.In the digital age, these songs were immediately shared on the internet as well by their fans, which greatly broadened their popularity. Once their popularity was recognized, they were signed and had a huge debut album. This shows the shift in landscape and how the sharing of information and files on the internet can impact such a major industry. Works Cited Covach, John. What's That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History. Ne w York: W. W. Norton ; Company, 2009. Essortment. com. The Nickelodeon’s History. ; http://www. essortment. com/nickelodeons-history-21268. html;. Gilmore, Mikal.Night Beat: a Shadow History of Rock ; Roll. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Hiatt, Brian and Evan Serpick. â€Å"The Record Industry’s Decline†. Rolling Stone 19 June 2007: n. pag. Web. Miller, James. Flowers In the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock n' Roll 1947-1977. New York: Fireside, 1999. NME. com. â€Å"Susan Boyle beats Leona Lewis, Arctic Monkeys to ‘biggest first week sales for UK debut album’ title†. < http://www. nme. com/news/various-artists/48619> Samuels, David. Only Love Can Break Your Heart. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. Savage, Jon. Teenage: the prehistory of youth culture: 1875-1945. New York: Penguin Books, 2007.

Perfect Blackjack Strategy 15 Charts to Help You Master the Game

Perfect Blackjack Strategy 15 Charts to Help You Master the Game SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the United States, and it's one of the most popular casino games in the world. You probably know how to play blackjack, but do you know how to play blackjack well? Do you want to win more money at the casino by learning blackjack strategy? If you play your cards right, you may be able to make enough money to see Cirque Du Soleil. Blackjack strategy lets you know the right play to make to maximize your winnings. It tells you what to do based on your hand and the card that the dealer is showing. If you perfectly follow the strategies outlined in this guide, you can reduce the casino’s advantage to less than .5%, making blackjack the most advantageous game to the player in a casino. Perfect blackjack strategy has been determined using probability theory and computer simulations which have figured out the best play in each situation. In this article, I'll explain perfect blackjack strategy and how to use it to your advantage. I've focused on playing at a casino, but the same strategies apply if you're playing online or at a home game. The Basic Rules of Blackjack The goal of blackjack is to beat the dealer’s hand without going over 21. Before cards are dealt, players place their bets. Each player starts with two cards that are face up. Face cards are worth 10. Aces are worth 1 or 11; whichever makes a better hand. One of the dealer’s two cards is face down until the very end after every player completes his hand. You can ask for another card (hit) or stick with your current hand (stand). You have the option to keep hitting until you’re satisfied with your hand, or you go over 21 (bust). If you bust, the dealer wins regardless of the dealer’s eventual hand. The dealer must hit until her cards total 17 or higher. Blackjack! (banspy/Flickr) Defining Blackjack Terms These are the blackjack terms you must know to determine the right play to make in each situation. I put the terms in alphabetical order. Blackjack: The best possible hand in blackjack. It consists of an ace and a card with a value of 10. At most casinos, blackjack plays 3:2. So for example, if you bet $10, getting blackjack pays $15. Bust: Busting is going over 21. As mentioned previously, if you bust, you automatically lose. Double Down/Doubling: Doubling down or doubling is when a player places an additional bet equal to his original bet and then receives just one additional card. You can only double down with your first two cards. For example, if you bet $5 and get dealt an 11, you can place an additional $5 bet and receive one more card. Regardless of whether you get a 2 or a 10, you can’t hit again. Hard/Hard Hand: Any hand that doesn’t contain an ace that can count as an 11. A 10 and a 7 is a hard 17. Hit: Hitting is asking for another card. Insurance: When the dealer shows an ace, the player can place a side bet of up to half of his original bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 to 1. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, the insurance bet loses. Based on probability, you should never take insurance. Push: When you push, your hand ties with the dealer and you keep your original bet. For instance, if you and the dealer both have 19, you push. Soft/Soft Hand: A soft hand is a hand that includes an ace valued at 11 instead of 1. For example, an ace and a 6 is a soft 17. You can be more aggressive with soft hands because there’s no risk of busting. If you hit on a soft 17 and get a 5, the ace will be valued at 1 and you’ll have a 12. Split: If a player is dealt two equal cards, he can split them into two separate hands by placing an additional bet equal to his original bet. For example, if you bet $10 and are dealt two 8’s, for another $10, you can split your hand into two separate hands, each with one 8. Stand/Stay: Standing or staying is sticking with your hand and no longer asking for more cards. Surrender: Surrendering is basically giving up before seeing what the dealer gets. If you surrender, you abandon your hand and recover half of your initial bet. Surrendering is the best option when it’s extremely likely that you’ll lose given your hand and the card the dealer is showing. Unfortunately, many casinos don’t offer the surrender option. A casino blackjack table (Thomas Hawk/Flickr) Blackjack Basic Strategy To perfect your blackjack game and completely minimize the house advantage, there’s quite a bit to remember. However, if you can just memorize the basic blackjack strategy rules, then you’ll be well ahead of the novice player. Following these rules won’t always be the 100% perfect play, but it almost always will be, and again, these rules are much easier to remember than perfect blackjack strategy. Compared to absolute perfect blackjack play, following these rules will only cost you about one hand in 12 hours of play. Basic Blackjack Strategy Chart Here are the charts outlining basic strategy. They tell you what to do given the value of your hand (left column) and the card the dealer is showing (right two columns). HARD 2 to 6 7 to A 4 to 8 HIT HIT 9 DOUBLE HIT 10 or 11 DOUBLE DOUBLE if more than dealer* 12 to 16 STAND HIT 17 to 21 STAND STAND *This means that if you have a 10 and the dealer is showing 9 or less, you should double. If the dealer is showing 10 or an ace, just hit. Similarly, if you have 11, double if the dealer is showing 10 or less. If the dealer is showing an ace, just hit. SOFT 2 to 6 7 to A 13 to 15 HIT HIT 16 to 18 DOUBLE HIT 19 to 21 STAND STAND SPLITS (Yes or No)* 2 to 6 7 to A 2/2, 3/3, 6/6, 7/7, 9/9 YES NO 8/8, A/A YES YES 4/4, 5/5, 10/10 NO NO *If you don’t split, treat your hand like a hard hand. For example, if you don’t split with two 7’s, make the appropriate play for a hard 14. Additional Rules On top of the blackjack strategy charts above, here are a few additional rules to remember: Surrender if you have a 16 and the dealer is showing a 10. If the table doesn’t allow surrendering, then hit. If the strategy says to double but you’re not allowed, then hit, except you should stand with a soft 18. Never take insurance. When the dealer shows an ace, the player can place a side bet of up to half of his original bet. If the dealer has blackjack, the insurance bet pays 2 to 1. If the dealer doesn’t have blackjack, the insurance bet loses. Similarly, never take even money when you get blackjack. If you’re dealt blackjack and the dealer is showing an ace, you’ll be offered an even money payout in case the dealer has blackjack. For example, if you bet $10, if you take even money you’ll win $10 instead of the $15 for a 3:2 payout. If you decline the even money and the dealer has blackjack, you’ll push and you’ll just get your original bet back. Perfect Blackjack Strategy While following the basic blackjack strategy will almost always have you make the right play, there are occasions when it won’t. If you’re really trying to master blackjack, then just following the basic strategy won’t quite cut it. The perfect blackjack strategy charts are based on the slightly different versions of the game. Blackjack can be played with a single deck or 4-8 decks. Most casinos I’ve been to have single deck or use six decks. Also, some casinos require the dealer to stand with a soft 17, and some mandate the dealer to hit with a soft 17. If the dealer has to stand with a soft 17, that will give you better odds. Perfect Blackjack Strategy Charts Here are the charts you need to memorize to get your blackjack strategy perfect. The numbers going horizontally at the top of the chart represent the card that the dealer is showing, and the numbers in the left most column are the value of your hand. This is the key to to the abbreviations used in the charts: H= Hit S= Stand Dh= Double down if allowed, if not hit Ds= Double down if allowed, if not stand Rh= Surrender if allowed, if not hit Rs= Surrender if allowed, if not stand Rp= Surrender if allowed, if not split P= Split Ph= Split if double after hit is allowed, if not hit Pd= Split if double after hit is allowed, if not double Ps= Split if double after hit is allowed, if not stand Single Deck Blackjack Charts These are the perfect strategy charts for single deck blackjack. The first set covers what to do if the dealer is required to stand on a soft 17 and the second set covers the strategy if the dealer is expected to hit on a soft 17. Each includes three charts that you can use depending on whether your hand is hard, soft, or split. Single Deck, Dealer Stands on Soft 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 5-7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 9 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H H 16 S S S S S H H H Rh Rh 17 + S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 S Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H S 19 S S S S Ds S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph P P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P Ph H H H 4, 4 H H Ph Pd Pd H H H H H 6, 6 P P P P P Ph H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P Ph H Rs H 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S A, A P P P P P P P P P P Single Deck, Dealer Hits on Hard 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 4-7 H H H H H H H H H H 8 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 9 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H H Rh 16 S S S S S H H H Rh Rh 17 S S S S S S S S S Rs 18+ S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 S Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H S 19 S S S S Ds S S S S S 20 S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph P P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P Ph H H H 4, 4 H H Ph Pd Pd H H H H H 6, 6 P P P P P Ph H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P Ph H Rs Rh 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S Ps A, A P P P P P P P P P P Do you think these fellows are following perfect blackjack strategy? 4- to 8-Deck Blackjack Charts The most common multi-deck blackjack I’ve seen is six-deck, but the same strategies apply for 4-8 decks. You’ll see that the charts are extremely similar to those for single deck. Again, the first set is for tables where the dealer is required to stand on a soft 17 and the second set is for tables where the dealer is expected to hit on a soft 17. Each includes three charts for hard, soft, and split hands. 4-8 Decks, Dealer Stands on Soft 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 4-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H Rh H 16 S S S S S H H Rh Rh Rh 17+ S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 S Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H S 19+ S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 4, 4 H H H Ph Ph H H H H H 6, 6 Ph P P P P H H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P H H H H 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P P 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S A, A P P P P P P P P P P 4-8 Decks, Dealer Hits on Soft 17 Hard 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 4-8 H H H H H H H H H H 9 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 10 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh H H 11 Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh Dh 12 H H S S S H H H H H 13 S S S S S H H H H H 14 S S S S S H H H H H 15 S S S S S H H H Rh Rh 16 S S S S S H H Rh Rh Rh 17 S S S S S S S S S Rs 18+ S S S S S S S S S S Soft 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 13 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 14 H H H Dh Dh H H H H H 15 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 16 H H Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 17 H Dh Dh Dh Dh H H H H H 18 Ds Ds Ds Ds Ds S S H H H 19 S S S S Ds S S S S S 20+ S S S S S S S S S S Splits 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 2, 2 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 3, 3 Ph Ph P P P P H H H H 4, 4 H H H Ph Ph H H H H H 6, 6 Ph P P P P H H H H H 7, 7 P P P P P P H H H H 8, 8 P P P P P P P P P Rp 9, 9 P P P P P S P P S S A, A P P P P P P P P P P How to Learn These Blackjack Strategies You may be overwhelmed by the amount of charts and the information you have to remember to perfect your blackjack play. Start with learning basic blackjack strategy! Then, if you want, you can move on to perfect strategy. If you don’t have much time to learn, I recommend sticking with basic blackjack strategy. Remember that you’ll almost always make the right play with basic strategy, and the few mistakes you may make won’t cost you much. Some casinos will allow you to refer to blackjack charts while you’re playing, so you can also print them out and refer to them while playing. But the other players may get annoyed with you if you keep looking at your charts. If you want to learn perfect blackjack strategy, I advise you to learn one chart at a time. Also, if you know you’ll be playing a specific type of blackjack (e.g. 6 decks, dealer hits on soft 17) at a casino, just focus on the charts that are applicable to the game you'll be playing. Furthermore, once you think you’ve learned the blackjack charts, you’ll remember your perfect strategy by drilling it into your head by playing tons of hands and testing your knowledge. If you ever forget your perfect strategy while playing, just use basic strategy. Play the Best Game for You Finally, always remember that you want to play the blackjack games that offer you the best odds. There are many variations of blackjack at casinos that will impact your odds of winning. The ideal version of blackjack will allow doubling, doubling after splitting, splitting, and surrendering. If any of these aren’t allowed, your odds of winning will be lowered. Most are normally offered, but I haven’t found many casinos that allow surrendering. Additionally, your odds will improve if the dealer has to stand on a soft 17 instead of hitting on a soft 17. Finally, you want a table that will pay blackjack 3:2 as opposed to a lower payout (sometimes 6:5) or even money.

Varying Degrees of Stupid

Varying Degrees of Stupid Varying Degrees of Stupid Varying Degrees of Stupid By Maeve Maddox As I browse the Web, skimming comments on various topics, one word comes up again and again: stupid. There’s no end of people or things that some grump somewhere is calling stupid in speech or in writing. For example: The government is stupid. Women are stupid. Men are stupid. April Fool’s Day is stupid. Handwriting is stupid. Classical music is stupid. Riding a bicycle is stupid. What a waste! English speakers are blessed with dozens of words that convey numerous shades of stupidity. First, let’s look at the meaning of stupid. Some speakers regard it as the opposite of intelligent, but that’s misleading. Intelligent people often say and do stupid things. Stupid derives from the Latin adjective stupidus, which in turn comes from the Latin verb stupere, â€Å"to be stunned or benumbed.† English stupid is still used with that meaning. For example, a person might be â€Å"stupid from a blow to the head,† â€Å"stupid with grief,† â€Å"stupid with sleep,† â€Å"stupid from lack of sleep,† or â€Å"stupid with drink.† In these contexts, the stupidity is temporary. It refers to an impaired ability to think and react normally. More commonly, applied to a person, stupid means â€Å"slow of mental perception.† A stupid person is slow-witted, lacking in quickness of mind. Applied to an idea or a thing, stupid means that the thing is dull, uninteresting, or ill-considered. Numerous synonyms for stupid exist. When the intention is to point out a lapse of judgment or careful thought, these are useful options in serious discussions of literature, personal relationships, and public affairs: unintelligent foolish vacuous vapid obtuse nonsensical unwise injudicious inane absurd fatuous asinine unthinking ill-advised ill-considered ludicrous ridiculous laughable risible Some terms common in colloquial speech are considered inappropriate for formal use because they derive from terms once used to describe types of mental deficiencies. For example: idiotic imbecilic moronic cretinous Note: The words ignorant and dumb are also used colloquially to mean â€Å"mentally slow,† but they are unfortunate choices. Everyone is ignorant in some areas. All ignorant means is â€Å"lacking in knowledge.† Likewise, dumb has a meaning unrelated to intellectual ability: â€Å"unable to speak.† An intelligent, well-informed person may for some reason lack the ability to speak. Some words that name impaired thinking also connote ridicule and disdain: dense doltish thick, thickheaded dim, dimwitted dopey dozy pea-brained half-witted brain-dead bone-headed daft crazy cracked half-baked dimwitted cockeyed harebrained lamebrained nutty batty cuckoo simple-minded loony loopy Finally a few adjectives convey the idea of stupidity without the sting of ridicule- among friends, at least. Here are some: daft dopey dozy scatter-brained nutty batty cuckoo loony loopy Admission: Even with all these options, sometimes stupid is the only word that satisfies the feelings of the speaker. For example, â€Å"This stupid app keeps crashing!† 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in SHow to Punctuate Descriptions of Colors15 English Words of Indian Origin

Visual Arts Manet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Visual Arts Manet - Research Paper Example We are then going to look at the difference in thinking between the artist and the public opinion. We are finally going to conclude by airing opinions, on whose thinking creates an insight to the human population (Sturken & Cartwright, 2008). As I had mentioned, we shall start by analyzing Manete’s work, of 1862-3. Le dejeuner sur l'herbeis is one of the initial artistic wok that Manet ever did. He made this painting in 1862-3. It generated substantial debate amongst many young painters, who desired to create impressionism in art. Together with Olympia, they marked the genesis of modern art. In English, this piece of art means the luncheon on the grass. It is a sketch like art, which comprises of two men and one woman. The men are well groomed in black coats and superb pairs of trouser. On the other hand, the lady is entirely nude. On the other end, there is another woman seem to be washing something in a river. The whole setting is in the wild. The three (i.e. the two men and the naked lady) appear to be discussing something. The lady is more aligned to the man on her right side, and his legs are crossing under hers. There is a basket of fruits, and some snacks by their side. The food stuff is in a disorganized ma nner, which is suggestive that they have already dealt with it, though there are some remainders. This piece of art was out rightly rejected in 1863, at the Paris salon (Herbert,1991). After the rejection, it was exhibited at â€Å"salon of the rejected† later in the same year. Emperor Napoleon instigated this salon, after the rejection of more than 4,000 paintings, during that year’s salon. Another thing that led to its rejection is the fact that it had a sketch-like handling and innovation. This piece of art reveals that Manet had studied previous arts. This is evident through the fact that the main figures in this art were similar to those of Judgment of Paris. Judgment Paris is an engraving by Raimondi’s. It was made in c.1515 and was grounded on Raphael’s drawing. He also seems to have borrowed a leave from the tempest. The tempest was developed in c.1510. He also seems to have taken some idea from the pastrol concert. In the pastrol concert, two fully groomed men, and a nude woman, seated on some grass while making some music. All the artistic wo rks we have mentioned above seem to be carrying some vital cultural information. For instance, there is the common message of gender, and gender role in portrayed in them. They portray the role of a woman in the traditional, western society. The woman is portrayed as the minor, while men are portrayed as senior. This is shown through the act of drawing the women naked, while the men are fully groomed. The roles of a woman are also portrayed in Manet’s oil painting, whereby the woman is doing some washing, while the men and the other naked woman, are just seated down. In addition, it seems to pet ray the traditional western culture, and their way of living, and entertainment. For instance, they would go out into the natural world; in this case the forest, where they would have their meals/snacks. For instance, in the pastrol concert, the characters enjoy playing music, while seated on the grass. Apparently, in their culture, it was a form of entertainment to see naked women. F antasy rape â€Å", is a recent (2007) advertisement, which triggered a pronounced debate amongst many people. It is a print advertisement, wh

Every American should pay the same percentage of taxes. The Rich Essay

Every American should pay the same percentage of taxes. The Rich should not be forced to support the poor and lazy - Essay Example he US income tax structure as either of these have faced the same problem, for albeit it has followed an essentially progressive taxation framework since its inception in that the rich have had to bear larger tax rates compared to the poor, often there have been certain tax cuts or impositions that allegedly go against the principle of progression itself (Folsom, 1999). Apart from this aspect, the assumptions that justify progressive taxation have also been challenged leading to considerable debate that has not limited itself to only politicians or economists. Considerable amounts have been written and spoken about regarding the tax system that should be followed and the structure taxation should assume in the USA. The common layman like the erudite scholar has developed his particular opinion regarding the pattern in which taxes should be levied and the incidences the different economic classes should bear. This lack of consensus is at least partially a result of under-comprehension of the socio-economic aspects that govern the system and this lack of comprehension is evident in the large furore that is the inevitable result of any tax cuts for the upper or the upper-middle class. This non-substantial general comprehension stems from among other things, the fact that the degree of progression has observed remarkable instability and variation in th e US economy. For instance, while in 1954, federal income tax was imposed at different rates ranging from 20% to 91% for 24 different income bracket layers (Internal Revenue Code, 1954) brackets with the tax rates varying from 10% to 35% in 20061. Thus although both these structures were progressive in nature, the changes brought about that reduced the number of brackets as well as the magnitude of the tax rates can be argued to have been regressive, as the maximum tax rate has been reduced from 91 to 35 percentage points and the minimum has been reduced to 10% from 20%. The IRS reports that for the year 2006, the top