Friday, November 29, 2019

Thomas Paine Common Sense Essay Example

Thomas Paine Common Sense Essay Christian Arnold November 28, 2010 Thomas Paine At the beginning of 1776, Thomas pain was a novelist who came to America on Ben Franklin’s request. He was famous for writing the book â€Å"Common sense† which was basically about expressing current idea to capture the attention of the public. Pain was also very skilled in style more than thoughts. He spent most of his early life in England experiencing personal failures and experiments. The connection between religion and government was simple. Thomas Paine attacked all forms of religion meaning he didn’t have a specific religion he worshiped so that means he wasn’t Christian, he was more towards a atheist. At that time he felt England’s government was very unconstitutional, meaning basically the people had no rights. So he made concepts relating to government easy for people to understand . Paine’s view of religion was also very plain he had no real religion to fall back on. Basically whatever was in at that time he went on and went with. He did this in order to reach the colonist who didn’t have an idea of what he was talking about. Paine was successful in expressing current Ideas that caught the publics attention. Thomas pains view of equality related to America against Britain was the division from England when America and France entered the political scene which unrepairably should’ve declare their independence, this called colonist to unite with him for the fight for their independence. We will write a custom essay sample on Thomas Paine Common Sense specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Thomas Paine Common Sense specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Thomas Paine Common Sense specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The king had proclaimed the colonists to be rebels, rejected their petitions with disdain, and was preparing to send a crushing force hither, men in every station in life began to speak out boldly in favor of independence. Because, after the major defeat in the first battle he wrote the first â€Å"American Crisis† paper, which was so persuasive that Washington did not hesitate to order a reading to the troops. â€Å"Independence is now the only bond that will keep us together. We shall then see one object, and our ears will be legally shut against the schemes of an intriguing, as well as cruel, enemy. We shall then, too, be on a proper footing to treat with Great Britain; for there is reason to conclude that the pride of that court will be less hurt by treating with the American States for terms of peace, than with those whom she denominates rebellious subjects for terms of accommodation†, stated Pain. Thomas Pain was an excellent role model for early American history, his achievements are noted throughout history as you can see. Thomas Pain was at times a complete jerk and had no regard for the human race but on the other hand he made life easier for people to understand by creating this famous book â€Å"Common Sense†. As an American citizen I am really thankful that Ben Franklin talked him into coming over to the United States to help us out.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Round

Round Round Round By Maeve Maddox The word round is the ideal word to illustrate the fact that a word is not a part of speech until it is used in a sentence. Of the eight classic parts of speech–noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, pronoun, and interjection–round can function as five of them. 1. Round as Noun We speak of a round of golf and the rounds of a boxing match. We sing musical rounds like â€Å"Row, Row, Row Your Boat† and â€Å"Frere Jacques.† Shakespeare spoke of a king’s crown as â€Å"a golden round.† The steps of a ladder are called rounds. The creed of the United States Postal Service, translated from Herodotus, declares, â€Å"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.† Here are some more common meanings of round as a noun: a large piece of beef a slice of bread, especially toast a regularly recurring sequence the constant passage and recurrence of days the act of ringing a set of bells in sequence a circular route a regular visit by a doctor or a nurse in a hospital a set of drinks bought for all the people in a group an amount of ammunition needed to fire one shot. a single volley of fire by artillery an outburst of applause a period or bout of play at a game or sport a division of a game show a session of meetings for discussion 2. Round as Adjective Anything that is spherical in shape may be described as round, for example, balls marbles, oranges, and grapes. Also round are cake pans, plates, Frisbees, wheels, CDs, and bagels. Vowels can be round, (i.e., enunciated by contracting the lips to form a circular shape.) Applied to a quantity of something, round can mean large or considerable: â€Å"A million dollars is a good round sum.† But applied to an estimate, round means rough or approximate: â€Å"The figure of three thousand years was only a round guess.† Shakespeare and his contemporaries frequently used round in the sense of outspoken: â€Å"Sir Toby, I must be round with you.† Horses can trot at â€Å"a good round pace,† and scholars often have â€Å"round shoulders.† 3. Round as Verb You can round a piece of clay into a ball, round the edges of a table, round the bases, round chickens into a corner, round out your gnome collection, round a number, and round suddenly on someone who has been annoying you. 4. Round as Adverb and Preposition These uses of round are more common in British usage than in American: â€Å"When the door slammed, everyone turned round.† (adverb) â€Å"At last, the bus came round the corner.† (preposition) See Round vs. Around for a discussion of these two uses of round. 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:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?"Replacement for" and "replacement of"English Grammar 101: Sentences, Clauses and Phrases

Friday, November 22, 2019

Industrial Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Industrial Revolution - Essay Example The success of the whole process depended on the ability to access products and services readily and the reduction of time wastage because of increased accessibility (Kiely, 2003, p. 56). Increased product and service visibility is directly linked with improve livelihoods because it reduces the amount of time and allow citizens to solve issues faster than before the revolution. Actually, industrial revolution simplified the living condition and improved the status of American citizens. As the focus changed from subsistence production to commercial production, several changes occurred and affected the citizens positively. The increase in competition led to drive to change the production methods and need for expansion due to increasing demand. Therefore, industrialization led to change in transportation and technology (Kiely, 2003, p. 57). New production systems were invented in order to reduce cost of production and increase the number of units produced. Consequently, the infrastructure was upgraded in order to improve connection between suppliers and consumers. The change was effective because it improved the citizen’s access to cities and essential products and services. The development of highways, canals, and turnpikes improved connection in the society which affected the society positively. Industrial revolution led to increased job creation within the society thereby increasing per capita earning of the country. The development of factories as a result of increased competition and revolution was in tandem with the demand for labor. The demand for labor created an opportunity for American citizens to get employment in the companies (Kiely, 2003, p. 89). The demand for labour attracted immigrants which led to more immigrants crossing the border in search for jobs. The entry of immigrants changed the countries perspective and led to the development of new approaches in the society including integration of different cultures and production systems. The immigrants shaped the landscape of the country by improving the understanding of the rights of the citizens and outsiders. In fact, the immigration led to awareness on human rights infringement and the need to develop the bill of rights. Therefore, it led to improved societal awareness. Challenges of the industrial revolutio n Despite the positives associated with the industrial revolution, it also brought several challenges as a result of change in population and production. One main issue highlighted by environmentalist is environmental damage as a result of the increased damage. During the industrialization era, few rules existed that protected the environment. In fact, there was no guidance in relation to environmental protection. As a result, companies polluted the environment seriously. The most affected sector was air because of the use of coal, wood and fossil fuel in the production process (Kiely,

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Is consciousness a strongly emergent property Essay

Is consciousness a strongly emergent property - Essay Example The emergentist theories on consciousness are based upon the idea that the whole of consciousness is far greater than that of the parts from which it is composed. The reductionist theories suggest that there cannot be a system in which the parts do not exist and therefore cannot be reduced from that system. In discussing the idea of the consciousness, the idea of an emergent system from which something more is created that is beyond that of the definable parts suggests that the idea of consciousness is an emergent system. The concept of consciousness is a difficult place to locate in relationship to the natural world. It is a part of the present, an aspect of the moment, but also an intangible that cannot be placed in the physical plane. Chalmer (2003) discusses the concept of consciousness in relationship to six different classes, which can then be divided into two sets. The first set is focused on the idea of consciousness as a physical process where the second is focused on the id ea of consciousness which requires a â€Å"re-conception for a physical ontology† (Chalmer 2003, p.103). The idea of consciousness, although easily defined as being present or not, as in either someone is conscious or not, it is far more difficult to determine what it means to be conscious. Consciousness is essentially defined by the idea of experience. What is perceived is translated into the mind and the ability to create those perceptions can be defined as a part of what it means to be conscious. Identifying the functions and processes that are the defining concepts of consciousness and trying to separate them between the physical and the metaphysical becomes a part of how the problem of consciousness becomes more complicated. American philosopher John Searle stated that â€Å"the most important problem in the biological sciences today is the problem of consciousness†¦understanding the nature of consciousness crucially requires understanding how brain processes cause and realize consciousness† (Bonshek, Bonshek and Fergusson 2007, p. 3). The duality of being ‘awake’ is in the idea of the separation of mind and body. When the mind is separated from the body as a metaphysical presence, the idea of consciousness becomes far more complicated to define as a state of being. In trying to define consciousness, the two opposing theories are termed emergent or reductionist. The emergent theories of consciousness can be understood as a development of a group of parts that are all associated and when put together there is more to them than how they are valued separately. Kim (1999, p. 3) that â€Å"systems acquire increasingly higher degrees of organizational complexity they begin to exhibit novel properties that in some sense transcend the properties of their constituent parts, and behave in ways that cannot be predicted on the basis of the laws governing simpler systems†. The emergent concept allows for the idea that the parts d o not have meaning when not in the function of the whole. From a reductionist perspective, the definition of the object is constructed by the understanding of how the parts work individually and are then assembled to create the whole (Bonshek, Bonshek, and Fergusson 2007). It might be said that the reductionist looks at what can be determined through tangible means and the emergent theorist looks at how the sum extends beyond the tangible provability of what is reduced to its parts. In order to look at the idea of consc

Monday, November 18, 2019

Research on the two careers Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On the two careers - Research Proposal Example The areas of study included what the client could expect in terms of educational demands, salary expectations, working conditions, skills development and the level of contact with external forces within each career field. An interview was conducted with the client to uncover their demands in each of these five areas for each career choice. Human Resources Management The client indicated that a competitive salary with only four-year college education were the largest demands for a career in management in either human resources or hospitality management. Unwilling to seek a Master’s degree due to cost and personal obligations, it was necessary for Open Options to satisfy these demands for careers only requiring a four-year Bachelor’s level degree. The role of human resources manager, in most industries, requires only a Bachelor’s in Human Resources in order to receive the average salary of $59,310 (payscale.com, 2011). This was the salary for Lowe’s Home Imp rovement and was competitive with most other industries both retail and non-retail. Educational demands in the role of human resources manager are related to basic business courses, knowledge of applicable labor laws, marketing, and organizational communication. These are typical four-year degree courses that build a rounded applicant profile for the role of HR management. The client indicated that there was a need for a working environment that required little in terms of physical labor and also one where there was a high reliance on technology in daily role obligations. This is why Open Options determined that the career of HR manager would be best-suited to the client needs. For example, the HR manager often utilizes the human resource information system (HRIS) with is â€Å"a composite of databases, computer applications, and hardware/software necessary to store, manage, deliver present and manipulate data† (Ngai & Wat, 2006, p.299). The working condition for an HR manage r is one where technology is integral to serving low-level business populations and also large-scale corporate or multinational business environments. It is thus suited specifically to accommodate needs as identified through the interview. Skills required for the role of HR manager, it was identified through research, include knowledge of human psychology above and beyond the educational degree. â€Å"Human beings are sensitive and reflect on what they experience, responding to inner feelings and interpretations† (Sandoff, 2005, p.530). In order to be an effective HR manager, it is necessary to understand what motivates individuals at the sociological and psychological level in order to gain their commitment and avoid resistance to corporate change practices. Because the client indicated that they were people-focused and enjoyed diverse working environments, it was determined again that the role of HR manager was absolutely suited to fit these needs. When inquired as to wheth er the interviewee would rather work independently or with outside forces in daily job role, a strong inclination was discovered for external consulting based on the high level of people-friendly personality traits. The role of HR manager requires the individual to work with diverse individuals from multiple business sources, including regulatory forces that monitor labor conditions,

Saturday, November 16, 2019

History Of Measuring Consumer Ethnocentrism Marketing Essay

History Of Measuring Consumer Ethnocentrism Marketing Essay For marketers it is essential to understand the importance of attitudes, motives, beliefs and attitude change in the study of Marketing and Consumer Behavior. Therefore, Consumer Behavior is about the perceptive of the consumers needs and what affect their purchase intention. Consumer behavior can be distinct as the study of individuals, groups or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society (Hawkins, 2001). It covers the field from psychology, sociology and economics. With the open-door-policy in 1979, China has improved its trade relations with the rest of the world. China benefited from foreign direct investments and its export expansion. Today, China is the second largest economy in the world. The rapid growth in China led to an increase in consumption. Chinese consumers nowadays have comprehensive choices in buying different kind of products. Due to the open-door-policy, many overseas companies have entered China and benefited from the increased consumer spending. Chinese consumers can choose from foreign goods that are imported from overseas or manufactured by foreign companies in China, or domestic goods. Due to the increased foreign investments, domestic companies face fierce competition in several markets. Markets are globalizing in China but Chinese consumers still keep buying local products. The globalization affects consumer behavior but China has a strong traditional culture which remains noticed in the countrys choice of product purch ase. According to Mooij (2011), globalization can also cause a strengthening of local identities. Studies have identified that consumers in developing countries have a different perception than consumers in developed countries towards local made products. The consumers in developing countries believe that foreign sourced goods are better than local made products. Belk (1996) identified that globalization can lead to motives to resist the globalization policies, such as localism, ethnogenesis and the neo-nationalism. Further research about this paradox can be an effective way for investors, entrepreneurs, companies and producers to develop and enhance their marketing strategy in China. There have been several studies about consumer ethnocentrism and its effect on consumer behavior and purchase intention. Most of the studies have their focus on the Western consumers. There has been little emphasis on the research of Chinese consumer purchasing behavior and evaluation towards consumer ethnocentrism, which leads to a scarce knowledge of the Chinese consumers. This study focuses at explaining the degree of consumer ethnocentrism and its assumptions on evaluation of several products. This research will focus on food products by Chinese consumers. To explain the relationship there has to be a literature review to issue the concepts in the research and analyzing existing studies on consumer ethnocentrism to understand the theoretical background. Secondly, a research question and the hypotheses will be described and after the methodology will be explained. To test the hypotheses, data will be collected. At last, after evaluation of the hypotheses, a conclusion can be drawn from the present study. 1.1 Problem statement Chinese consumers are shifting towards other consuming patterns as the economy grows faster than any other country in the World. The behavior of Chinese consumers has shown significant changes in the couple of years. In the 12th five-year plan, the Chinese government wants to boost its domestic consumption. The changes have led to a declining demand for foreign goods. An explanation can be that Chinese consumers are becoming more ethnocentric because of the favoring for domestic products. The central question in this research is therefore: Does Consumer Ethnocentrism (CE) apply for the Chinese consumer towards food products? Which moderators are influencing the relationship between CE and the outcomes of CE for Chinese consumers towards food products? 1.2 Research method A literature review is needed in order to answer the central question. A literature review is needed to gain insight about a suitable method to measure Consumer Ethnocentrism. It is important to set a theoretical background to gain insight about the factors that are influencing CE, the effects of CE and the moderators that are influencing the relationship between CE and the outcomes of CE. A conceptual framework can be developed after a literature review. In this framework, the factors that can be found that are influencing CE and also the outcomes and moderators that are influencing the relationship between CE and the outcomes, will be presented. The final conceptual model will be empirical tested. This research will be a quantitative research. A questionnaire will be developed and a convenience sample will be used to collect data. A total of 210 questionnaires will be delivered randomly to adult participants. 1.3 Thesis structure In Chapter 2, there will be an explanation how Consumer Ethnocentrism can be measured and if this is applicable in this research. In Chapter 3 there will be a brief description of the Chinese consumer market. In Chapter 4, the conceptual framework of Consumers Ethnocentrism will be developed and thereby its hypotheses. This framework will be the basis for the empirical research that will be described in Chapter 5. At last, the conclusions, limitations and recommendations will be discussed in Chapter 6. 2. Theoretical background 2.1 Ethnocentrism The concept ethnocentrism was first introduced by Sumner (1906). According to the author, ethnocentrism is the tendency to perceive that a particular ethnic or cultural group is being more significant than other groups. Individuals who tend to be more ethnocentric find their group better than others, who are seen as inferior. Ethnocentric individuals have developed an own perspective of how they see people or groups and they dont accept individuals who are different from them (Netemeyer et al., 1991; Shimp and Sharma, 1987). In the field of sociology Lewis (1976) argued that individuals tend to give their group members a privileged treatment than non-group members. Thus, ethnocentrism established the development of in-groups, which is the group of the individual as pride and on the other side a disfavor for out-groups (Levin Campbell, 1972). According to Lynn (1976) ethnocentrism is part of the human nature. Thus, the phenomenon can be used for large diversity of societal groups including the local community, regions and nations. In the study of Chryssochoidis et al (2007, p. 1518) he issued: ethnocentrism is based on the formation of we-group feelings, whereby the in-group is the focal point and all out-groups are judged in relation to it. Levinson (1950) also related ethnocentrism to cultural narrowness which explains behavioral tendencies of favoring the individuals with the same culture and excluding other cultures, who are not the same. 2.2 Consumer ethnocentrism Consumer ethnocentrism is derived from the psychological concept of ethnocentrism and particularly points out to ethnocentric perceptions held by consumers in one country, the so called in-group, towards products from a different country, the out-group (Shimp and Sharma, 1987; Shankarmahesh, 2004). Ethnocentrism is adapted in order to suit Consumer behavior, which is suitable for marketers. Ethnocentrism has already been discussed to the study of consumer behavior in the 1970s (Markin, 1974; Berkman et al, 1978). Shimp and Sharma (1987) defined the concept in order to suit the field of marketing. Sharma, Shimp Shin (1995) argue that the ethnocentric tendencies of consumers are influenced by social-psychological and demographic factors. The basic conceptual model of Sharma, Shimp Shin (1995) shows that Consumer Ethnocentric is the focal concept that is related to demographic variables (age, gender, education) and social physiological variables (openness to foreign cultures, patriotism, collectivism/individualism and conservatism). The result of Consumer ethnocentrism is overestimating the domestic products and underestimating the import products. Thus, Consumer Ethnocentrism is a significant factor towards import product attitude. In their model, there is also a moderating factor. The model issues that when products are perceived as not necessary, consumers will have stronger ethnocentric tendencies towards the attitude of import products. Sharma, Shimp Shin (1995) have tested this conceptual model in Korea. Results have shown that there is a negative correlation between openness to foreign cultures and Consumer ethnocentrism. This shows that people who are open to foreign cultures, are less ethnocentric. There is a positive correlation between patriotism and Consumer ethnocentrism. The demographic variable gender is also significant related to CE: women show more ethnocentric tendencies than men. The study also identified that higher education leads to less ethnocentric tendencies. The research did not find a negative correlation between age and CE. Consumer Ethnocentrism tendencies Antecedents Openness to foreign cultures Patriotism Conservatism Collectivism/individualism Attitude towards imports Moderators Perceived necessity Economic threat Demographics Age Gender Education Figure : Basic model Sharma, Shimp Shin (1995) Consumer ethnocentrism is about the perceived appropriateness and morality when buying foreign products and preferring domestic goods over foreign goods which can be seen as consumer loyalty (Shimp and Sharma, 1987). According to Shrimp and Sharma (1987) highly ethnocentric consumers tend to believe that purchasing foreign-produced goods will affect the countrys economy negatively and will cause unemployment. Conversely, non-ethnocentric consumers, who do not consider ethnocentric beliefs, have no bias where a product is produced. These consumers will consider their purchase based on evaluation of the merits of the products. Shimp and Sharma (1987) state: The family unit would be expected to be the primary socialization agent, but adult opinion leaders, peers and mass media would also influence a childs ethnocentric orientation during the prime period of early childhood socialization. This statement explains that an adults perception is created by what he or she has learned and exper ienced as a child. According to Lingquist (2001) the degree of ethnocentrism is influenced by the developed levels of different regions. In some studies there has been concluded that consumers in developing countries tend to perceive foreign sourced products as prestigious and of high quality while on the other side, developed countries tend to perceive domestic products as prestigious and of higher quality (Agbonifoh and Elimimian, 1999; Bow and Ford, 1993; Sklair, 1994; Wang et al., 2000). Sharma et al. (1995) assume that the less significant product categories lead to greater ethnocentric tendencies and behavior by consumers. Orth Firbasova (2003) and Dosen Krupka (2007) have researched the food industry, where it has been identified that ethnocentric consumers have more willingness to purchase domestic food products instead of foreign food products. To measure consumer ethnocentrism, Shimp and Sharma (1987) developed The Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale (CETSCALE). The CETSCALE is a 17-item predictor of consumer ethnocentrism (Lindquist et al. 2001). This measurement distinguishes consumers whether they are highly ethnocentric or not, thus consumers scoring high on this scale will tend to prefer domestic products over foreign ones. There are several researchers that use the CETSCALE with their own modification for aiming on employment impact, patriotism and economic impact in studies (Lindquist et al., 2001; Cleveland et al., 2009). The scale has been applied widely in different countries, such as Turkey, France and the Czech Republic (Klein et al., 2006). Herche (1992) identified that the CETSCALE is able to forecast consumers choices to buy domestic or foreign products. He argues that this measurement is even better than demographic and marketing mix variables. According to Balabanis (2001), the Customer ethnocentric mea sure of buying intentions differs from countries. Good and Huddleston (1995) agreed on this. They identified that Polish consumers find it significant to purchase foreign goods, contrary to Russian consumers. In a research study of Wei (2008) he issues that the Consumer ethnocentrism will decrease when brand sensitivity and product cues are taken in account. These factors will influence the purchase intention of the consumer. The CETSCALE will be further explained in paragraph 2.3. 2.3 CETSCALE The central question in this research is: Does Consumer Ethnocentrism apply for the Chinese consumer towards food products? This question can only be explored if there is a method to measure CE. There are different kinds of methods and tools to measure CE, but the Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale is the most common used. Shimp and Sharma (1987) have developed this scale to measure CE (see 3.1). Previous studies have tested this scale on its reliability and validity (see 3.2 and 3.3). At last there will be a conclusion if this CETSCALE is valid for measuring CE in this research. 2.3.1 Measuring Consumer-ethnocentrism The first study to measure CE was done by Shimp (1984). He came to a conclusion that measuring CE was being hindered by a suitable tool. Before Shimp developed the CETSCALE, there were other tools, such as the famous F- and E-scales of Adorno et al. (1950). These scales were able to measure ethnocentric tendencies but were useless because of the commonality and dated nature of the scales. Shimp (1984) used an open question to test CE empirically. He used the following sentence: Please describe your views of whether it is right and appropriate for American consumers to purchase products that are manufactured in foreign countries. The question is aimed on the perception of the respondent, questioning if buying foreign products is ethical. Shimp (1984) indicated that the choice for an open question is legitimate, given that the concept of CE is very complex and the relevant dimensions were not known at that moment. Shimp Sharma (1987) developed and validated a multi-item scale to measure the CE of individual consumers: the CETSCALE, which stands for Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale. The CETSCALE consist 17 items, with a 7-point Likert-scale ranged from Totally disagree (1) to Totally agree (7). The 17-item CETSCALE is validated and tested on its reliability in three studies, which are the four area study, Carolinas study and crafted-with-pride study. Shimp Sharma (1987) also developed a shortened version of the CETSCALE for the national consumer good study. This scale consists 10 items of the original 17-item scale. This is because the 17-item scale is often being used for commercial market research. For this subset scale Shimp Sharma (1987) use a five-point Likert-scale. In table 1, the 17-item and the subset 10-item scale is shown. 17-item CETSCALE 10-item CETSCALE 1 American people should always buy American-made products instead of imports. 2 Only those products that are unavailable in the U.S. should be imported. 1 Only those products that are unavailable in the U.S. should be imported. 3 Buy American-made products. Keep America working. 4 American products, first, last, and foremost 2 American products, first, last, and foremost 5 Purchasing foreign-made products is un-American 3 Purchasing foreign-made products is un-American 6 It is not right to purchase foreign products, because it puts Americans out of jobs. 4 It is not right to purchase foreign products, because it puts Americans out of jobs. 7 A real American should always buy American-made products. 5 A real American should always buy American-made products. 8 We should purchase products manufactured in America instead of letting other countries get rich off us. 6 We should purchase products manufactured in America instead of letting other countries get rich off us. 9 It is always best to purchase American products. 10 There should be very little trading or purchasing of goods from other countries unless out of necessity. 11 Americans should not buy foreign products, because this hurts American business and causes unemployment. 7 Americans should not buy foreign products, because this hurts American business and causes unemployment. 12 Curbs should be put on all imports. 13 It may cost me in the long-run but I prefer to support American products. 8 It may cost me in the long-run but I prefer to support American products 14 Foreigners should not be allowed to put their products on our markets. 15 Foreign products should be taxed heavily to reduce their entry into the U.S. 16 We should buy from foreign countries only those products that we cannot obtain within our own country. 9 We should buy from foreign countries only those products that we cannot obtain within our own country. 17 American consumers who purchase products made in other countries are responsible for putting their fellow Americans out of work. 10 American consumers who purchase products made in other countries are responsible for putting their fellow Americans out of work. Table 1: The CETSCALE of Shimp Sharma (1987) 2.3.2 International reliability The basic requirements of a scale, that can be used in several countries, is the reliability of a scale (Craig Douglas 2000). In case a scale is being used in a different country than where the scale is developed, there can be a measurement invariance. This refers to observing the construct in different conditions and studying constructs where the measurement does not always measure the same attribute. Linguistically or conceptual inequality of measuring instruments can cause variations in the reliability. This is a threat to the validity of conclusions. The focus on the study of the reliability is to obtain the same results when using the existing measuring instrument in a different context, different way or different point of time. These tools do not have to be reliable in every context, despite the attempt to develop tools that can be used in every culture (Craig Douglas 2000). Therefore, the CETSCALE does not have to be reliable everywhere. If the scale in the United states giv es a good reflection of the items that are measuring the CE in the United States, however this does not mean that these are the right items for a different country (Douglas Craig 2000, p.277). It is important to determine if the CETSCALE is international reliable and therefore suitable in other countries. The reliability of a scale can be identified in multiple ways. There are two parts of reliability of the CETSCALE that come up for discussion: The internal consistency and the dimensionality of the CETSCALE and the stability of the CETSCALE over time. The internal consistency is being measured with the Cronbachs Alpha. The Cronbachs alpha measures if the items of the CETSCALE truly measure one concept: Consumer Ethnocentrism. The internal consistency has to be large enough (alpha higher than 0.60) to measure CE with the CETSCALE. When this is the case, the items can be considered as reliable indicators of CE (Hair et al. 1998). When a low alpha occurs, the respondents do not have consistent image of the concept and in that case the measurement is not reliable. A requirement by measuring the internal consistency of a set of items, is that the items are one-dimensional (Hair et al. 1998). This means that the items have to be interdependent and combined they have to measure one concept (Hair et al. 1998). Factor analyses are important to measure the dimensionality of a set of items by determine several factors (Hair et al. 1988). For one-dimensionality all items of the CETSCALE have to load high on one single factor (Hair et al. 1998). The stability of the CETSCALE over time is being measured by a test/retest method. The consistency of the answers of a respondent is being measured at different moments. The objective of this method is to be sure that the answers do not vary over time, in order for the CETSCALE to be considered reliable at every moment (Hair et al. 1998). According to Hair et al. (1998) Cronbachs alpha is being defined as: Cronbachs Alpha is most widely used objective measure of reliability. It is used to measure the internal consistency of a test or scale. The measurement is expressed as number of 0 and 1, whereby the nearer Cronbachs Alpha coefficient is to 1, the better the internal consistency of the set of variables. Internal consistency and dimensionality of the CETSCALE Shimp Sharma (1987) were the first researchers that executed four distinctive studies to determine the reliability of the 17-item CETSCALE. These studies have shown that the internal consistency of the CETSCALE is very high; the Cronbachs alpha of the four studies varies from 0.94 to 0.96. The internal consistency and the dimensionality of the CETSCALE is identified in several studies and countries (Appendix 1). The alpha coefficients in the appendix show a consistency. That implies that the alpha in every study lies about 0.90 (with exception of the alpha for Hungary in the study of Lindquist et al. (2000)). In any other cases the internal consistency meets the minimum of 0.60.Orth Fibrasova (2003) have studied the role of CE towards the evaluation of food. They have found a high Cronbachs Alpha value for the CETSCALE and imply that the CETSCALE is internal consistent. There are different opinions about the amount of items of the scale that must be used. Shimp Sharma (1987) have used 10 items in the national consumer good study, because of the limited possibilities in the questionnaire. Lindquist et al. (2001) have studied the dimensionality of the shortened 10-item CETSCALE in Hungary, Czech and Poland. According to this research, the CETSCALE does not have a universal good fit in the central- and east-European countries. They assume that a scale that can be used in every country does not exist. Therefore, they suggest to use a part of the CETSCALE items and add some land specific or population specific items to effectively measure the CE. Another problem the authors have identified is the translation of the CETSCALE. The authors imply that the scale functions better in English then translated to their native languages in their research. The authors emphasize that the back-translation technique must be used to set up an accurate translation of the scale. Stability of the CETSCALE over time Shimp Sharma (1987) have used the test-/retest method by doing the research twice with a interim period of five weeks. These studies have found comparable alpha values. Shimp Sharma (1987) conclude that the CETSCALE is stable over time. Nielsen Spence (2001) have also researched the stability of the CETSCALE over time. They studied the stability in the United States over an eight week period during the summer of 1992. In this period they have found that the CETSCALE-scores are stable over time but by investigating different groups, the scores can vary over time. They conclude that a longer period of data collection, scores can vary more. 2.3.3 International validity The validity of a scale refers whether a scale or set of measurements measures the focal concept accurate (Hair et al. 1998). The three most accepted types of validity are convergent, discriminant and nomological validity. Convergent validity examines the degree to which the operationalization converges with other known measuring instruments of the concept. Discriminant validity assures that the scale differs enough of other similar concepts and nomological validity measures if the scale shows the relationship based on previous studies or theories. These types of validity are empirical tested by defining the correlation between theoretical defined sets of variables (Hair et al. 1998). Convergent validity This type of validity examines the correlation between two measurements that measure the same concept (Hair et al. 1998, p. 118). A researcher can look for this and find an alternative tool to measure CE and correlate this method with the CETSCALE. If the correlations are high, then the CETSCALE truly measures CE. Shimp Sharma (1987) have found a convergent validity in their study. The 17-item CETSCALE correlates with the open question of Shimp (1984). This correlation (r (=correlation coefficient) =0.54, n=388, p Discriminant validity Discriminant validity is the degree where two concepts are different. This type of validity examines the correlation between measurements. In this case, the CETSCALE is being correlated with a different conceptual measurement. The correlation has to be low, as it shows that the CETSCALE differs enough comparing to another measurement (Hair et al. 1998, p. 118). Shimp Sharma (1987) have found evidence for discriminant validity. Three constructs are being used in the studies (patriotism, politics, economic conservatism and dogmatism) that are related to Consumer Ethnocentrism. The researchers have used a test of Fornelll Larcker (1981). They assume that the average variance of the separated constructs is larger than the variance where the constructs are being combined. They have found that this is the case for the CETSCALE and the politic-economic conservatism-scale. The variance distinctive is 71% for the CETSCALE and 61% for the conservatism-scale, as the combined variance of the two constructs is 34%. Thus, Shimp and Sharma (1986) indicate that there is a discriminant validity. The study of Sharma, Shimp Shin (1995) also proves that there is a discriminant validity between CE and the product attitude towards foreign goods. They have found this through a factor analyses on the 17-item CETSCALE and the 10 attitude items. Findings have shown that the CETSCALE items and the attitude-items load on two different factors. A factor analyses have shown that the correlation between the two constructs (r = 0.568) differs significantly . Thus, these two constructs are not similar. Nomological validity Nomological validity examines how far the CETSCALE can give an accurate prediction for other concepts in a model that is based on theories. In this case, a research must identify theoretical supporting relationships from earlier studies, then he has to determine if the scale has comparable correlations (Hair et al. 1998, p.118). For the 17-item scale Shimp and Sharma (1987) have used the CETSCALES-scores of the respondents to determine the nomological validity. Shimp and Sharma (1987) applied different measuring instruments of Warshaw (1980), Fishbein Ajzen (1975) and Ajzen Fishbein (1980). These tools have been used two years before the development of the CETSCALE to investigate the purchase of a domestic or foreign car. The purchase of a foreign car is negative correlated with the CETSCALE score of the ethnocentric respondents of Shimp and Sharma (1987). Furthermore, the ethnocentric consumers have less favorable cognitive structures and attitudes regarding foreign cars than non-ethnocentric consumers. These results imply the nomological validity of the Consumer Ethnocentrism concept and measuring this concept with the CETSCALE. The 10-item scale is also tested on its nomological validity by Shimp and Sharma (1987). They have tested this by looking to the country origin of the manufactures. According to this study, the country of origin of the manufacturer is an important purchase consideration when the scores on the CETSCALE increase. Consumers with a higher score on the CETSCALE are likely to choose for American manufactures and have less preference for European and Asian manufactures. Predictive validity Herche (1992) has some remarkable notes about the predictive validity of the CETSCALE. He assumes that the predictive validity of the CETSCALE is product specific (the predictive validity for cars is higher than computers). Herche (1992) gives several explanations for this phenomena. First, when buying a more expensive product, people tend to have more ethnocentric tendencies because these transactions have a bigger economic impact. Another possibility is that if there are no acceptable domestic goods available, even ethnocentric consumers are being forced to purchase foreign goods. Also, the degree of involvement can be responsible for the difference between product categories. Purchases with a higher involvement can evoke emotional reactions about the country origin. However, this does not have to be true because the involvement of a purchase of a car does not has to be bigger than the purchase of a computer. Witkowski (1998) assumes that the predictive validity of the CETSCALE does not has to be product specific but also country specific. He has found this assumption in his study in Mexico and Hungary. Respondents in this study are asked to give nine durable products in the past three years. There was a significant negative relationship between the CETSCALE-scores and the purchase of a foreign car, television, video recorder and washer in Hungary. No significant relationship was found between CE and the purchases in Mexico. 2.3.4 CETSCALE in this research The internal consistency of the scale is high in most of the studies and meets the minimum requirements of the Cronbachs alpha value of 0.60. Orth Fibrasova (2003) have done studies of the role of CE regarding food products. To measure CE, they make use of the CETSCALE. In this research the shortened 10-item scale of Shimp Sharma (1987) will be used. The main reason the use the 10-item scale is because the length of the questionnaire has to be limited. In paragraph 3.3, sufficient evidence has found for the international validity of the CETSCALE. Thus, the CETSCALE is an useful scale to measure CE in China. 3. Chinas consumer market Due to the globalization of markets, there is an abundance of foreign goods in China. Domestic companies had to face strong competition of foreign companies during the last ten years. According to Cui (1999), the Chinese consumer market has the largest growth opportunity in the world. The market of 1.3 billion people, with an emerging spending power of the middle income class, is an enormous opportunity for producers of consumer goods. Each year 10 million new Chinese consumers enter the market. In 2010, Chinas consumer market was approximately worth $1.7 trillion. According to Forbes (2011) the domestic consumer market in China could grow to about $15 trillion within ten years. A.T. Kearney (2007) assumes that the middle class will increase its consumptions especially on food, the branded food product market supposed to increase from $150 billion to $650 billion by 2017. The statistics show that the mediocre

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Ghost Story of Haunted Roads :: Ghost Stories Urban Legends

The Ghost Story of Haunted Roads The story of a haunted road in comes from a resident of the city. He is an Asian, male University sophomore. He told me the story in March at a very late hour. Among friends discussing plans to one day explore some supposedly haunted areas of the state, the storyteller spoke of a â€Å"rumor† he had heard from one of his college friends. The â€Å"late hour† previously mentioned is noteworthy since it affected the way the urban legend was told. There were four of us in a diner, eating at a time when most restaurants had been closed for hours already. Thus, we were all a bit tired, including the storyteller, who blamed the combination of hunger and the time of day for his lack of presentation skills. For example, he would eat and talk and restate certain parts. He started by describing that the haunted road was â€Å"somewhere in the city, I think it was Marriott Road. Like the hotel, ya know?† He claimed that the road was close by because his friend said so. Later, we looked online and found a nearby street named Marriottsville Road. The storyteller continued by saying that the road is haunted because when you drive there at night, when the sun has completely set, the area seems to be pitch black. Even with headlights, it is supposedly unsafe due to the darkness that shrouds the pavement. He said that the trees there are so tall and the vegetation so thick that they â€Å"practically cover the road and form a tunnel around it† to block any light from entering. Not only is the road a dark one, but there are two more supernatural elements to it. The first is a barn off the side of the road. The storyteller said that noises have been heard from the barn. When people go to investigate the noise, they eventually get close enough to hear whimpering animals. The sounds get louder until, as the storyteller claimed, â€Å"They sound more like screaming than whimpering.† At this point, any would-be investigators run away from the site of the barn. Furthermore, there is an even more terrifying aspect of the road. As already described, it is hard to drive there. The darkness is just part of the difficulty. The road also has many turns and curves along with steep hills. At this point of the story, the teller used lots of hand gestures to help us visualize the severity of the road’s twists.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Martin Luther King Jr.: Speech Forum

Kacee Bailey Public speaking 10/06/10 Martin Luther King Forum 1. What oratorical devices does Dr. King use to add vitality and force to his speech? 2. Do you think that Dr. King's dream has become a reality? Why or why not? 3. What changes could you make in your life to help Dr. King's dream become a reality at SWHS? 1. He pause a lot and he repeats himself. The way he talks is also very enticing it makes you want to pay attention. 2. Yes, We are a lot less segregated and there are many minority's in schools and there is no more separation for schools and public places. So I feel that Dr.Kings dreams ave very much come true. although in some states there is still racism. 3. I think that even though there is less segregation and less racism. People still look down to others. So a change we could make is if we see discrimination for race at SWHS we could approach the situation and try to figure things out with the two people. But you don't wanna make the situation worse so make sure t hat actually whats going on before you get in the middle. Ambrias Answers: 1. Dr. King forces his point by uses different points of inflection and volume in his voice when he speaks.There are points when he speaks louder than other points and where he emphasizes more on specific points. Also, he uses specific hand gestures at times when he wants to make a point very specific. 2. I think think that Dr. King's dream has opened up more because of the fact that this county is becoming more tolerant and accepting of others as the years go by. Has his dream been fully fulfilled? I don't think it has yet because there are still many people, especially in the southern states, who are very discriminatory against others.What he is dreaming is the fact that every will view each other as equal and stop the discrimination and until it fully stops the dream hasn't fully been fulfilled. 3. The changes I could make are that I could be more accepting of people with different view points as me. Also, I could go out of my way to be nicer to people everyday and try to make new friends no matter what others think of them or me. My Responses: 1. A agree with you. He uses a lot of volume and inflection. I also like ho you included his hand gestures. 2. I agree with you on this. Although I don't like how you said people are being tolerable.I think its more than just tolerating. But I do agree that it hasn't been completely fulfilled yet. 3. I like your views on this issue and I hope everything works ^_^ Chantalls Answers: 2. Yes, his dream has become reality. Even though there is still discrimination all around the world it has definitely died down. There is no more discrimination in schools or public places. In general people have a much more opened mindset towards other cultures, races, religions and so on. 3. One of the few things I can do to stop discrimination at SWHS is to not tolerate it.Laughing or agreeing with a racist joke that someone has said only allows to think that it s alright to say such things. By not tolerating it eventually teaches people that some things should be kept un-said. My responses: 1. I don’t agree with you on number 2 because I think there is still a lot of racism in schools. But I do agree with you that there is less discrimination in public places. And the island does a good job at not being racist. 2. I agree with you completely. If people would stop laughing it wouldn't want to make other keep doing it. I love your answer I think everyone needs to fallow this exmple

Saturday, November 9, 2019

How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines

How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines By Mark Nichol The headline of a piece of content is the reader’s invitation, so make it inviting in form as well as content. Using all capital letters is overbearing; choose between headline style (capitalizing initial letters only in words representing major parts of speech) or sentence style (initial caps only for the first word and proper nouns). Using uppercase initial letters in every word is not advisable, because words of one to three letters can look awkward when formatted that way. Headlines should be noticeably larger than the running text (the main body of copy) and other headings but not so large that they are out of proportion to them. (A range of two to five times the size of the running text is best.) Notice how newspapers and magazines use especially large headlines only for highly significant or catastrophic events. The headline font should be different than that of the running text, and I recommend reversing the serif/sans serif (â€Å"no serif†) style as well. (Serifs are appendages that extend the strokes on some letters; the headline and running-text font on this site has almost no serifs only the letter t has a â€Å"foot† while the lettering in the site’s text ads, resembling the type in most newspapers, is serif.) Notice also how the headline type’s color differs from the black type of the running text and matches the site’s color scheme. For an organization’s publications (reports, print and email newsletters, etc.) or for organizational or individual websites, it’s best to create a template in which headlines are always the same font, font style, and color. Various articles can have headlines with different point sizes (generally, the larger the article, and the higher it appears on the page, the larger the headline’s point size should be), but if every issue of your newsletter or every page on your website has the same layout, maintain consistency across iterations. Print publications have traditionally utilized one of three approaches for wording headlines to draw readers in: what I call the statement headline, the phrase headline, and the concept headline. The statement headline, employed in news articles and on many content websites, is formatted like a sentence and straightforwardly tells readers what to expect (â€Å"Grammar Guru Offers Advice on Formatting Headlines†). The second style, also used widely in print and online journalism (especially editorials, features, and how-to articles) and on the Internet, is an incomplete sentence that nevertheless conveys the gist of the content to follow (â€Å"How to Format Reader-Friendly Headlines†). The third format uses wordplay to evoke the subject of the material below the headline while entertaining the reader (â€Å"Tips for Top Type†). It’s the most creative alternative, and therefore my favorite, but it should be used with caution in creating online headlines because it’s not as search friendly as the other methods (though my example does include two keywords). It’s fine to mix and match these styles in one publication or on one website, but keep the content type and the tone of the piece in mind when choosing from among them. For more tips on how to craft headlines, go to this post. Read this post instead for general advice on creating inviting Web sites. I’ll follow up with a piece about other display type (subheads and captions) next week. 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Is She a "Lady" or a "Woman"?List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and AdultsKn- Words in English

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Facts About the Ambulocetus Prehistoric Whale

Facts About the Ambulocetus Prehistoric Whale Ambulocetus dates from the early Eocene epoch, about 50 million years ago, when the ancestors of modern whales were literally just dipping their toes into the water: this long, slender, otter-like mammal was built for an amphibious lifestyle, with webbed, padded feet and a narrow, crocodile-like snout. Name: Ambulocetus (Greek for walking whale); pronounced AM-byoo-low-SEE-tussHabitat: Shores of the Indian subcontinentHistorical Epoch: Early Eocene (50 million years ago)Size and Weight: About 10 feet long and 500 poundsDiet:Â  Fish and crustaceansDistinguishing Characteristics: Webbed feet; narrow snout; internal rather than external ears Oddly, an analysis of Ambulocetus fossilized teeth shows that this walking whale thrived in both fresh and saltwater lakes, oceans and rivers, a characteristic shared only with a single modern-day crocodile hailing from Australia (and no identified whales or pinnipeds). Given its slim, unprepossessing appearanceno more than 10 feet long and 500 pounds dripping wet how do paleontologists know that Ambulocetus was ancestral to whales? For one thing, the tiny bones in this mammals inner ears were similar to those of modern cetaceans, as was its ability to swallow underwater (an important adaptation given its fish-eating diet) and its whale-like teeth. That, plus the similarity of Ambulocetus to other identified whale ancestors like Pakicetus and Protocetus, pretty much seals the cetacean deal, though creationists and anti-evolutionists will always continue to doubt the missing link status of this walking whale, and its kinship to more recent beasts like the truly enormous Leviathan. One of the odd things about Ambulocetus, and its above-mentioned relatives is that the fossils of these ancestral whales have been discovered in modern-day Pakistan and India, countries otherwise not well known for their abundance of prehistoric megafauna. On the one hand, its possible that whales can trace their ultimate ancestry to the Indian subcontinent; on the other, its also possible that the conditions here were particularly ripe for fossilization and preservation, and early cetaceans had more of a worldwide distribution during the Eocene epoch.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The first crusade 1096-1109 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The first crusade 1096-1109 - Essay Example Visiting places that were thought to be sacred was a common practice upheld by early Christians. Of particular importance was the city of Jerusalem. Since the time of Emperor Constantine, pilgrimage to Jerusalem was highly embraced by most economically able Christians. According to Khalidi, this city was thought to be holy due to the fact that it was the place where most events surrounding Jesus’ nativity, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection took place (Khalidi 82). Therefore, for Christians, visiting Jerusalem was a blessing than just a mere experience. The city of Jerusalem was under the rule of the Saracen Caliphs, a Moslem Jihad group, since 638 AD. However, up to the tenth century, Christians could still be allowed to visit the Holy city. The caliphs encouraged the Jerusalem pilgrimage and made it one of the main sources of their revenue. At the dawn of the eleventh century, everything changed. A serious Muslim group comprising the Seljukian Turks from the ancient kingdom of Persia fought the Caliphs out of the region. Unaware of the change in power, about three thousand pilgrims to Jerusalem were caught unaware and persecuted. Jerusalem was captured by the Seljukian Turks in 1065 and all its holy and important places were destroyed (Al-Athar 109). This news was sadly received by Western Europe Christians. At the same period, the Normans had permanently settled in France and conquered England and the entire Roman Empire. The next step for them now was to conquer more kingdoms in order to satisfy their insatiable desire of expanding their territories. Therefore, their leaders began to strategize on how to conquer the entire Mediterranean region and take away Jerusalem from the hands of the Islamic Fatimids and the Seljuk Turks... This essay discusses that when the First Crusade broke out, most of the Islamic countries and the ruling powers of the time were disunited. They fought one another and they had been weakened by the time the crusade was launched. They could not combine their forces against the common western enemy. For instance, the Fatimids and the Seljuks attacked the Latin Christians separately. On the other hand, some cities under the control of Muslims had traitors who betrayed their fellow Muslims. A good example is Firouz who accepted a bribe to leave some gates of Antioch open for the enemy (Khalidi 363). The crusader armies were many in number. The army comprised of more than 35, 000 crusaders. Whenever this army was starving of hunger, good Samaritans came to their aid. For instance, Baldwin supplied them with enough food when they were planning to attack Antioch. Moreover, the revelations made by some of their priests encouraged the crusaders and gave them hope of victory against their oppo nents. The First Crusade is considered by many as the most successful of all the nine crusades. This is due to the fact that it enabled the West to set up a power base in the city of Jerusalem for the very first time since the collapse of the Roman Empire. The crusade was really advantageous in that apart from enhancing the Latin Christians’ grip on the Holy City-Jerusalem- it opened several international trade routes between Europe and the Middle East. The First Crusade led to the emergence of four new crusade states.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

MEANING OF A WORD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MEANING OF A WORD - Essay Example properly considered the fundamental ideology, perhaps as deep a separation from the natural world as self-existent time.   And if timelessness resolves the split between spontaneity and consciousness, languagelessness may be equally necessary.† (John Zerzan: Language: Origin and Meanings, quoted in Primitivism). Although language is the most popular way of exchanging views among the individuals, yet such words and slang terms are used in different societies, against some typical community or group, which are not only condemnable, sorrowful and insulting, but also humiliating and pinching for the community that is the special target of such specific word full of hatred. These hateful and annoying remarks are abhorred and avoided by all the cultured people and civilized nations all over the globe. And also they try to remove and eliminate them from the daily usage. Same is the case with the word â€Å"nigger†. Nigger is the most offensive word in respect of racial discrimination and is often referred by the white community in a sense of hatred against the African ancestry. Nigger is derived from the word â€Å"Negro†, used by the white European conqueror states to define and describe the black African people. The Africans regard it the word of great shame and are irritated by it. Malcolm-X, the renowned leader for the cause of the African ancestry, and founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity had also pointed out and alluded to the same word, in his book, as one of the most offensive comment faced by the community in its every day life. The famous American novelist and scholar Gloria Naylor has also viewed in her famous essay, â€Å"The Meanings of A Word† that how she was puzzled by hearing the word â€Å"nigger† from the mouth of her class fellow when she was a small child and the student of Grade III. In her words: â€Å"I remember the first time I heard the word nigger. In my third grade class, our math tests were being passed down the rows, and as I