Maven

Maven Maven Maven By Maeve Maddox A reader who lives in Cardiff, Wales wants to know more about the word maven: In the last fortnight or so I’ve twice seen a word I’ve never come across before (and I read a lot!). The word is ‘maven’, and I’ve encountered it in the self-development context. I’ve looked it up and it seems to have come into use in the US in the 1980s, from a Hebrew term. A post on this word would be very interesting.    The word maven- also spelled mavin and mayvin- is from the Yiddish word meyvn (plural mevinim): â€Å"expert, connoisseur.† The Yiddish word comes from Hebrew mebin, â€Å"a person with understanding, a teacher.† The earliest use cited in the OED (spelled mavin) is dated 1907. The Ngram Viewer graph (set for English) indicates that maven existed in print as early as 1809, mavin in 1813, and mayvin in 1879. The OED labels maven â€Å"chiefly North American† and suggests that its spread may be related to radio advertising introduced by a Chicago-based food company in 1964. The ads were voiced by Allen Swift, who was introduced as â€Å"the herring maven.† Note: Ira Stadlen, known professionally as â€Å"Allen Swift,† was an American voice actor who- among many other jobs- voiced Mighty Mouse and characters in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. Although maven is a new word to the UK reader who suggested this post, the first time I encountered the word maven was while I was living in London. I had a high-rise-dwelling friend who was referred to in a local newspaper article as â€Å"a rooftop-gardening maven.† William Safire, who wrote a weekly column called â€Å"On Language† for the New York Times from 1979-2009, referred to himself as â€Å"a language maven.† Food writer Arthur Schwartz calls himself â€Å"The Food Maven.† A Web search turns up a math maven, a makeup maven, a plumbing maven, and some sort of software â€Å"core engine† called â€Å"Maven.† Maven has joined the ranks of guru as a word for a wise or knowledgeable person. Related post Gurus and Other Teachers 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:Is She a "Lady" or a "Woman"?For Sale vs. On SaleHow to Write a Proposal

Dont Blame the Americans for this One!

Dont Blame the Americans for this One! Dont Blame the Americans for this One! Dont Blame the Americans for this One! By Maeve Maddox Ever since the 17th century, our English cousins have been blaming Americans for distorting, weakening, or vulgarizing the English language. For many, the term Americanism next to a word in the dictionary is a warning to avoid using it. Well, a recent press release from the Old Country puts paid to the idea that the English language is more respected in its land of origin than it is in the New World. Heres the headline in the Telegraph: Councils ban elitist and discriminatory Latin phrases In a story that sounds more like an April Fools Day joke than a bona fide news story, we are informed that several English City Councils have forbidden their employees to use specific Latin words and phrases. What are some of these dreadful, incomprehensible, elitist horrors? Here are some examples: bona fide, e.g., ad lib, etc., i.e., per se, quid pro quo, vice versa, via, status quo If any of these elitist expressions are unfamiliar to you, do something outrageous: look them up in an English dictionary. (You may also wish to browse Daniels compendium of Latin expressions.) What is the reasoning behind this official purge of common Latin expressions in English? According to the Bournemouth Council, Not everyone knows Latin. Many readers do not have English as their first language so using Latin can be particularly difficult. I agree that not everyone knows Latin. Sadly, its no longer part of the general curriculum. But words and expressions of Latin origin are part of the English language. Some of these Latin borrowings have been more digested than others, but surely status quo is as English as spaghetti. George Orwell warned us this would happen. In his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the English of the future is called Newspeak. It is the only language in the world whose vocabulary gets smaller every year One of the characters admires the way every new edition of the dictionary is smaller than the one before it: Its a beautiful thing, the destruction of words. Read the Telegraph article here. Discover the principles of Newspeak here. 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:50 Handy Expressions About HandsPeople versus Persons50+ Words That Describe Animals (Including Humans)

Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders Essay - 1

Do corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports provide shareholders and stakeholders with useful information on corporate soci - Essay Example Emphasizing on the corporate social responsibility has become a core part of the public policies for development of private sectors within the framework of the international cooperation development. It is considered a deliberate choice for an enterprise to give back to the community and to respond the environment crises while maintaining relations with the shareholders and stakeholders based on dialogue and transparency (Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen 2009). A CSR report, therefore, consists of all activities that the company has taken part. This includes the whole of their chain of value and it considers the effects on ecological, economic, and social parameters in dialogue with the shareholders and stakeholders. The report conveys the following information to the public and to the stakeholders: consumer interest, environmental care, air operating practices such as corruption and bribery, involvement to the community and firm’s governance. A company will therefore, use the report to reach to its consumers, shareholders, and stakeholders. Corporate managers and leaders have taken the initiative to call upon the government, as a stakeholder, to recognize their CSR participation and achievements. The companies can only achieve that by creating a CSR report that communicates to the society on its CSR activities. The government has gone ahead to encourage, support and to enforce Corporate Social Responsibility behavior of firms (Turker 2009). This has therefore resulted to multiple rationales, such as deregulation and competitiveness in companies by including their CSR reports in their annual reports. However, the legal standards and frameworks have been put in place in order to ensure the companies include the appropriate information. This is because some of the stakeholders and shareholders are non-profit agencies which require in knowing the benefit of the company to the community before investing in it. The government also requires knowing how the company res ponds to environmental issues such as pollution and global warming. It is important to note that most stakeholders including investors, community, markets, NGOs and the government need to know the role of a company to the society and their role in ensuring the environment is maintained. For instance, the mentioned groups expect organizations to put efforts in fighting global warming and feeding the poor. It is humble call for a company to do that, but it has a great effect to the consumers and to the investors. Consumers want to be associated with a company that understand their needs and which cares for their future. As well, investor will invest in a company that has responsible management and that which takes part in CSR activities. Background information Since the early years of 1990, an increase in the environmental awareness and development of sustainable economic growth redirected firms into environmental sensitivity. The recent economic events have resulted to a greater emph asis on the Corporate Social Responsibility in redefining the future of the society. Whereas companies and business organizations are responsible of creating wealth for the shareholders and driving company’ progress, they are directed and guided by regulations and governments, green consumer pressure and society pressure groups (Henriques & Sadorsky1999). A balance between needs of the society and economic growth attracts

Abortions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abortions - Essay Example These views have been termed as â€Å"pro-life† and â€Å"pro-choice†. Those who are against the abortion believe that there is something needs to be done to preserve life. They believe that the government has a duty of preserving all human life (Pro-choice Action Network 1). This view is typically held by the mainstream churches such as the Roman Catholic Church. On the other hand, those who support abortion believe that a person has a right to their own productive means (Pro-choice Action Network 1). People not affiliated to mainstream churches usually hold this view. These have been described as pro-choice. These people believe that all choices must remain valid. The stands have generated a serious conflict on the issue of abortion. Such believe on the issue of abortion are rooted on science and religion. Therefore, any view tries to prove its stance on the issue of abortion. A reflection on abortion helps in understanding pro-choice and pro-life position. There is d ifferent postmodern worldview based on pro-choice position on the issue of abortion. These views have been in support of abortion and have come to be known as prochoice. The worldview has made it possible for abortion to be viewed as a simple thing. In fact, most of the people in favor of abortion believes that abortion is as easy as taking of pill.

The Influence of Power in Macbeth Essay -- Corruption of Power

In The Tragedy of Macbeth, the most prevailing theme is the shift in power in the relationships of the central character. The main character of the play, Macbeth, experiences a shift in control of his relationships as he gains more power. Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but because he is the King of Scotland, Macbeth loathes him. In the play there is very interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies Macbeth is loyal to Duncan, and would never imagine killing him. After the one of the witches’ prophecies comes to be true, the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth "yield[s] to that suggestion / whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / and make my seated heart knock at my ribs," showing that he originally would never imagine killing Duncan. (1.3.146-148) Partly because of Lady Macbeth’s suggestion his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, and he begins to take into consideration killing Duncan. (1.7.27) Macbeth however, does not feel confident in killing Duncan, giving himself reasons why not to kill him: â€Å"First, as I am his kinsman and his subject/†¦then , as his host, /Who should against his murderer shut the door/Not bear the knife myself,† Lady Macbeth, convinces Macbeth, that killing Duncan is the right thing to do until right before he performs the murder. (1.7. 13-16) After the Macbeth murders Duncan, one sees that Macbeth trusts and is loyal to Duncan, but knowing that one day he would become king, his ambition and the persuasion by Lady Macbeth, causes him to perform the act, that he will regret. This murder changes Macbeth as a person, however, and he soon feels little regret for killing... ...anquo and his son Fleance, the prophesied heir of the throne, in which he states how Banquo â€Å"was your enemy,† referring to the murderers, and how Banquo is Macbeth’s enemy as well, showing that Macbeth and Banquo’s relationship changed from camaraderie to being on opposing sides. (3.1.130) In the Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the complex character of Macbeth, to reveal a message about relationships. He shows that the more power one receives, the more naracastic that person will become, and will only make decisions in his or her best interests. After Macbeth becomes King, all of his actions are based on keeping his position in power, and making sure no one will find out about his previous measures in becoming King. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Macbeth. Boston: D.C. Heath and Company, 1915. Google Books. Web. 3 Sept. 2015.

A Cybernetic Approach to Controlling Health Problems

For several decades, health issues have increased by more than 8.5% each year. According to a recent study conducted by the center for Disease Control and Prevention, 65% of US adults are either overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes are increasing in the United States, with a 27 percent increase seen in the last five years. The high cost of health care also poses a major threat to the nation's economy. However, health problems can be prevented to a large extent by controlling people's lifestyle. Group discussions and conversations may help people to adopt a healthy way of living. Therefore, Cybernetics which is the study of conversation/communication and control/regulation can be used to help solve this problems. This study aims at using cybernetics as a model for controlling health problems. Addiction In developed countries of the world like USA, where the literacy rate is above 95%, people know that leading a healthy lifestyle removes the risk of chronic health issues to a considerable margin. However they most times do not adopt a healthy way of living. Why? Addiction has ruined the healthy life style of people. For example- people may be addicted to sleeping and do not exercise, addicted to eating foods with high calories that causes them obesity and make them prone to heart problems. Addiction is a condition in which a consistent desire/craving to repeat an addicted behavior exceeds the ability to rationally stop doing so. When the more you have, the more you seem to need to achieve the same effect or result. This effect can be displayed as a positive feedback loop where the want continues expanding within the loop.Some background about feedback loops – Feedback loops are of two forms: negative feedback loop and positive feedback loop. Negative feedback loops strives towards balance and stasis by subtracting error with each cycle. A good example of negative feedback loop is homeostasis, the body's system for keeping itself chemically and temperature balanced. Positive feedback loops, by comparison, add the variations of each cycle. As a result they can become potentially dangerous as their effect mount with each event. Hypothermia, shock, heatstroke are examples of positive feedback.Figure-1 models addiction (nicotine addiction) as a positive feedback. The desire for smoking continues to increase in the loop for achieving the same level of satisfaction. The first day, Bob needs to smoke once and get satisfied. The second day, he needs to smoke twice to get the same level of satisfaction. Gradually, his cravings and urge to smoke increases along with the frequency.Controlling the Uncontrollable(addiction)The graph above (Figure-1) indicates how the addiction continue to expand in a positive feedback loop. Also, Bateson's examination of alcohol addiction contended that the very attempt to regain discretion, to be a â€Å"commander of one's own spirit†, added to the heightening of the alcoholism. Moreover, the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous-which has been effectively adjusted to a huge number of addictive practices, offers recuperation by â€Å"surrendering† that is, by stopping to deliberately try to stop the addiction. Subsequently, the person who is addicted does not have an essential variety to control addiction.At the point when Addiction becomes uncontrollable, how can it be controlled? Ludwig's research on Alcoholics mind demonstrates that â€Å"developing the right mind frame† (sufficient inspiration) for sobriety improves the probability that an individual can figure out how to resist his addiction .Sufficient inspiration or adequate motivation can solve the puzzle of addiction as an uncontrollable event. The diagram beneath demonstrates the cybernetic approach to deal with controlling health issues by inspiring individuals to follow a sound way of life (work out, yoga, healthy food and so on.), that is abstaining from an unhealthy way of life.Reward/Incentive SystemPeople have various needs including monetary needs, physiological needs, safety needs and esteem needs. An individual can be motivated for performing an activity using proper incentives which may help in fulfilling some of his needs. A reward system could be a web application like Weight Watchers or an organization such as a health club. Below is a model of an incentive system used in motivating a person to exercise regularly. The model also shows that the system can keep refining or modifying the incentive system to make sure that the user is always motivated.Group Affiliation/FriendsGroups, friends and circle of relatives assist in controlling addictions and regulating the manner people live. People develop trust, care and similarity in a group that offer intellectual strength for controlling their cravings. It has additionally been proved that the group association programs offer long- term remedy for addiction in comparison to short-term remedy provided through medication therapy. Self-assist programs like Alcoholics anonymous, rational healing or women for Sobriety, assist in gaining control over addiction through assisting the affected person to integrate into a self-assist group. Trust Trust is a system-related concept and that is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. Figure-4 demonstrates the system model of trust between two actors (trustor and trustee). The trustor continually accesses the behavior of the trustee against his mental model of trustworthiness, which results in increased trust if the behavior matches with his mental model otherwise decreased trust. Trustworthiness relies on three variables which relate to perception about the person to be relied on: competence, integrity and benevolence. ‘Competence' is the perceived potential of the trustee, as measured through indicators which includes training or credentials, experience, and reliable past performance. ‘Integrity' is the degree to which the trustee is considered to perform with honesty, fairness, and consistency of actions and words. ‘Benevolence' concerns the extent to which the trustee demonstrates care and consideration for people he or she interacts directly or indirectly. In addition to the above-recognized antecedent variables, trust also relies on the ‘context' within which the trustor and trustee are embedded. It could affect the extent to which the trustee is rated on antecedent variables particularly competence. For instance, a person may be perceived as competent in one context but no longer in another. Furthermore, it is essential to differentiate between Interactions among unfamiliar others and ongoing interactions among familiar others for trust. In a social system, trust could be unidirectional or bi-directional. Also, trust may be commutative.After the developement of trust, the trustor (Alice) feels confident and becomes willing to take actions based on the suggestions, actions and decisions of the trustee (Bob) to an extent proportional to the trust level in the trustee. Now, when Bob says that he controlled his blood sugar level by following the recipes from the diabetic cook-book, Alice feels confident the same recipes in the diabetic cook-book works and she is now motivated to follow them too. It also gives her a social proof of the reliability of the recipes from the diabetic cook-book. Figure-6 is the conversation model of this trust and social proof scenario between Alice and Bob.CareCare is also a continously evolving state of information aquisition, processing and feedback.Similarity, trust, understanding and reciprocity make the important variables. It is also dependent on context and familiarity/relationship between individuals. Below is a figure which shows a model of care between Alice and Bob and how care helps them for abstinence. Bob's behavior is matched to Alice's mental model of a person she would like to care for. If there is a positive match,then the care for Bob increases otherwise it decreases. When there is a match, she cares about what Bob's expectations are from her. She feels a sense of responsibility/accountability for Bob's expectations because she does not want to disappoint him. Similarly, Bob also does a behavior assessment of Alice against a mental model of a person she would like to care for. Its also important to note that both may have different perceptions or mental models of the persons they may like to care for. Also, care may be unidirectional as well. Now when Bob makes a suggestion to Alice about losing weight, she feels responsible/ accountable for losing weight as she cares about Bob. Similarly, Bob feels responsible/accountable for not smoking when Alice asks him to quit smoking.Figure 7: Care/Accountability/ResponsibilitySimilarityIn comparism to trust and care, similarity also is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. The antecedent variables for similarity might include mental attitude, behavior, hobbies, age gender and race.The figure below shows how similarity motivates Bob for exercising frequently because he gets competitive and inspired by Alice.The table below summarizes Trust, care and similarity. Antecedent Variables MotivationTrust Competence, Integrity, Benevolence Willing to act on the basis of words, actions anddecisions of anotherCare Similarity, Understanding, Trust, Reciprocity Accountability,ResponsibilitySimilarity Mindset, hobbies, age, gender, race Competitiveness,InspirationFigure 9: Summary for Trust, Care and SimilarityAlternative model for Accountability, Responsibility, Competitiveness and collaboration in a self-help group.

Catcher in the Rye- Holden as a Dynamic Character Essay...

Alexa Noelle Mrs. Mow American Studies 27 March 2012 Analysis of Holden Caulfield Throughout the novel The Catcher in the Rye Holden sees the world as an evil and corrupt place, however it is clear that he gradually comes to the conclusion he cannot change it. The first instance demonstrating Holden’s progression is when he sees the profanity written all over Phoebe’s school. In this moment he finally understands that it is inevitable to enter adulthood and realizes the impossibility to try to rid even half of the profanity within the world if given a million years. The first majority of the novel displays Holden’s pessimistic view on everything in life and his desire to contain the innocence he has left. Holden’s evolution as a†¦show more content†¦It seems that Holden is finally coming to the conclusion that every child will have to fall at some point and he is accepting of that. This part of the novel is significant because it is one of the first moments that a reader can clearly note that Holden seems to change his original mindset from the beginning. Reaching the very end of the novel there are several events that lead up to the conclusion that Holden evolves as a dynamic character. The last few contributions include Holden sitting in the rain while Phoebe goes on the carousel, and finally when readers learn Holden must have entered some sort of a mental institution. While waiting for Phoebe he sits on a bench as it starts raining and thinks to himself, â€Å"My hunting hat really gave me quite a lot of protection, in a way, but I got soaked anyway. I didn’t care, though.†(Salinger 213). One of the symbolic objects Holden keeps throughout the novel is the hat because it is comforting and gives him the feeling of protection. In this particular part of the novel it is clear that the hat can no longer protect him from entering the adult world. An English novelist Malcolm Bradbury expresses his opinion when writing, â€Å"Some seem to suggest a role for Holden in relation to childhood—he can be a catcher in the rye, the adult who is the protector of childish innocence. Over these episodes, Holden obviously develops and his attitudes change. He is hunting for his ownShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Characters And Themes Of The Catcher Rye 1537 Words   |  7 Pages Analysis of Characters and Themes in The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger was born in 1919 to a wealthy Manhattan family. He grew up in the same social conditions as Holden Caulfield does in The Catcher in the Rye. The last thing Salinger cared about was being a successful student because he was very lazy, without care for his responsibilities and tasks. Salinger flunked out of many prep schools, and his parents sent him to a military academy named Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where he graduatedRead MoreDaisy Caulfield : Minor Character1424 Words   |  6 PagesA minor character in The Catcher in the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger, is Phoebe Caulfield, the main character, Holden’s younger sister. Holden describes his sister as not only the smartest kid in the world, but also a great dancer, and a very sympathetic listener. She’s also known as the funniest little sister ever. She is first introduced to readers when Holden says: â€Å"You d like her. I mean if you tell old Phoebe something, she knows exactly what the hell you re talking about. I mean you canRead MoreAnalysis Of One Flew Over The Cuckoo s Nest 1750 Words   |  7 Pages Kaitlyn Doll Mrs. J. 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