Flowering Dogwood Care and Identification

Flowering Dogwood grows 20 to 35 feet tall and spreads 25 to 30 feet. It can be trained with one central trunk or as a multi-trunked tree. The flowers consist of four bracts below the small head of yellow flowers. The bracts may be pink or red depending on cultivar but the species color is white. Fall leaf color on most sun grown plants will be red to maroon. The bright red fruits are often eaten by birds. Fall leaf color of Dogwood is more vivid in USDA hardiness zones: 5 through 8A. Specifics: Scientific name: Cornus floridaPronunciation: KOR-nus FLOR-ih-duhCommon name(s): Flowering DogwoodFamily: CornaceaeUSDA hardiness zones:: 5 through 9AOrigin: Native to North AmericaUses: Wide tree lawns; medium-sized tree lawns; near a deck or patio; screen; shade tree; narrow tree lawns; specimenAvailability: Generally available in many areas within its hardiness range. Popular Cultivars: Several of the cultivars listed are not readily available. Pink-flowering cultivars grow poorly in USDA hardiness zones 8 and 9. ‘Apple Blossom’ - pink bracts; ‘Cherokee Chief’ - red bracts; ‘Cherokee Princess’ - white bracts; ‘Cloud 9’ - white bracts, flowers young; ‘Fastigiata’ - upright growth while young, spreading with age; ‘First Lady’ - leaves variegated with yellow turning red and maroon in the fall; ‘Gigantea’ - bracts six inches from tip of one bract to tip of opposite bract. More Cultivars: Magnifica - bracts rounded, four-inch-diameter pairs of bracts; Multibracteata - double flowers; New Hampshire - flower buds cold hardy; Pendula - weeping or drooping branches; Plena - double flowers; var. rubra - pink bracts; Springtime - bracts white, large, blooms at an early age; Sunset - supposedly resistant to anthracnose; Sweetwater Red - bracts red; Weavers White - large white flowers, adapted to the south; Welchii - leaves variegated with yellow and red. Description: Height: 20 to 30 feetSpread: 25 to 30 feetCrown uniformity: Symmetrical canopy with a regular (or smooth) outline, and individuals have more or less identical crown formsCrown shape: roundCrown density: moderate Trunk and Branches: Trunk/bark/branches: Droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; routinely grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks; not particularly showy; tree wants to grow with several trunks but can be trained to grow with a single trunk.Pruning requirement: Needs little pruning to develop a strong structureBreakage: resistantCurrent year twig color: greenCurrent year twig thickness: medium Foliage: Leaf arrangement: opposite/suboppositeLeaf type: simpleLeaf margin: entireLeaf shape: ovateLeaf venation: bowed; pinnateLeaf type and persistence: deciduousLeaf blade length: 4 to 8 inches; 2 to 4 inchesLeaf color: greenFall color: redFall characteristic: showy Flowers: Flower color: Bracts are white, actual flower is yellowFlower characteristics: Spring flowering; very showyThe showy flowers are, in fact, bracts that subtend a boss of 20 to 30 real flowers each of which are less than one-quarter inch in size. The actual flowers of Cornus florida are not white. Culture: Light requirement: Tree grows in part shade/part sun; tree grows in the shade; tree grows in full sunSoil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; slightly alkaline; acidic; well-drained.Drought tolerance: moderateAerosol salt tolerance: lowSoil salt tolerance: poor In Depth: Dogwood branches on the lower half of the crown grow horizontally, those in the upper half are more upright. In time, this can lend a strikingly horizontal impact to the landscape, particularly if some branches are thinned to open up the crown. Lower branches left on the trunk will droop to the ground, creating a wonderful landscape feature. Dogwood is not suited for parking lot planting but can be grown in a wide street median, if provided with less than full-day sun and irrigation. Dogwood is a standard tree in many gardens where it is used by the patio for light shade, in the shrub border to add spring and fall color or as a specimen in the lawn or groundcover bed. It can be grown in sun or shade but shaded trees will be less dense, grow more quickly and taller, have poor fall color, and less flowers. Trees prefer part shade (preferably in the afternoon) in the southern end of its range. Many nurseries grow the trees in full sun, but they are irrigated regularly. Flowering Dogwood prefers a deep, rich, well-drained, sandy or clay soil and has a moderately long life. It is not recommended in the New Orleans area and other heavy, wet soils unless it is grown on a raised bed to keep roots on the dry side. The roots will rot in soils without adequate drainage.

Martin Luther King Jrs Impact on the Civil Rights...

Martin Luther King Jrs Impact on the Civil Rights Movement Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech directly contributed to the Civil Rights movement. While delivering his speech at a kairotic moment, King tells us how blacks have been serving an injustice and that they should be treated equally. Much had transpired before the speech was delivered. As civil rights protests spread throughout the nation, King continued to combine peaceful methods of protest and his theological training to work towards the hope of equal rights for blacks (Kauffeld and Lefrd, 1989). During this time, blacks were not treated equally and were often denied service. King was trying to get the merchants and the government officials to negotiate on†¦show more content†¦He was able to find a proper and fitting response to the injustices of African-Americans. He spoke on a subject many didnt care to hear about, the deep injustice of segregation. The Kennedy administration had stalled on the issue and even avoided supporting the civil rights demonstration which King spoke of ( 2000). To King, this offered an opportunity to end the delay that the Civil Wars promises had made. He knew he wasnt just talking to protestors, but also the Kennedy administration, to white Americans apathetic and u naware of the injustice, and also to segregationists and racists (Rappaport, 2002). In this speech, King planted his place as first among equals in civil rights leadership. From this first televised mass meeting, an American audience saw and heard the unedited oratory of Americas finest preacher, and for the first time, a mass white audience heard the undeniable justice for black demands (Seattle Times, 4 April 1993). King said There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship. Senator Hubert Humphrey said all this probably hasnt changed any votes on the civil rights bill, but its a good thing for Washington and the nation of the world. And Senator David Lewis says that the speech exceeds as an emotional oratory. This shows that the speech was good for America and the speech had a lot of emotion, but it according to these Senators, it may not have changedShow MoreRelatedMartin Luther King Speech Analysis989 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr gave what could be considered one of the most well known and most influential speeches in the entirety of time. His words sparked change for an entire nation and was an enormous factor in contributing to the African American Civil Rights movement. During the time of Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, the country was in a great state of distress regarding equal rights and equal opportunity for people of color. Riots, protests, and chaos seemed to be taking over the country asRead More The Life And Time s Of Martin Luther King, Jr. Essay1714 Words   |  7 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the eldest of Martin Luther King, Sr., a Baptist minister, and Alberta Williams King. His Father served as a pastor of a large Atlanta church, Ebenezer Baptist, which had been founded by Martin Luther King, Jr.s maternal grandfather. King, Jr., was ordainded as a Baptist minister at age 18. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;King attended local segrated public school, where he excelled. He entered a nearbyRead MoreMartin Luther King, Speech Research1572 Words   |  7 PagesAfrican American civil rights movement was creeping forward but two individuals created a greater atmosphere for the reinforcement of the movement, sure William Wilberforce abolished the slave trade for Britain in 1807, and that was just the start, but 203 years later the African Americans are now equal. It took time but nonetheless it happened. In essence the African American civil rights movement was Martin Luther king’s dream, and that dream has come true. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born onRead MoreMartin Luther King Jrs Letter From The Birmingham Jail1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe Civil Rights movement has aimed to gain rights for African-Americans for decades. Over the course of the semester we have looked at movement’s that have helped advocate for civil rights. One of the movements of that we looked at specifically in class was Martin L. King Jr’s movement and his â€Å"Letter from the Birmingham Jail†. In this letter, we hear Dr. Kings honest opinion about the criticism he received from his opponents of timely protest. We gain a lot of insight about Kings honest opinionRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X1491 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the Civil Rights Movement, which lasted from 1865 to the late 1960s, three different amendments were composed and ratified in favor of African Americans. Many famous African Americans, from musicians to authors and leaders to entertainers, sprouted from the influence of this period. Two strong leaders from this era were Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King Jr. made a bigger impact on the population than Malcolm X because of his speeches, beliefs, direct and peaceful activitiesRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of I Have Been To The Mountaintop835 Words   |  4 PagesI Have Been To The Mountaintop The Civil Rights Movement occurred in the 1950’s. It’s a movement against segregation and discrimination in the Southern states of America towards the African Americans. Throughout the wars and battles that were fought, African Americans never had equal rights like Caucasians. Caucasians downgraded African Americans due to their skin tone and their intelligence. Since African Americans were not given the same equality like Caucasians, they started to fight for equalityRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement : Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesA civil rights leader by the name of Reverend (PBS, 2016) Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world he occupied and changed the future course of the United States of America by advocating for desegregation. Martin Luther King Junior was on a mission to end the segregation of the African American community. Segregation was the post result of slavery throughout the United States of America which enslaved Africans. He challenged the status quo of the time. Protesting peacefully and advocating for socialRead MoreMarch on Washington Causes and Consequences Essay1522 Words   |  7 Pagespoint of the Civil Rights movement in America. This essay will look at how dissatisfaction with the slow pace of integration growing concern at the economic disparity between black and white Americans, the campaign in Birmingham under Martin Luther King juniors leadership, and the desire to support the proposed civil rights bill that Kennedy was introducing were the main causes of the March taking place. It will also discuss the consequences of the impact of Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, whiteRead MoreMartin Luther Kings I Have A Dream Speech1538 Words   |  7 Pages Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is one that is hard to forget due to the impact he had on thousands of African-American individuals and American society as a whole. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, however, King is best known for his contributions to the civil rights movement as an activist. One of his most renown works would be his â€Å"I Have A Dream† speech. During a dark period in America, people of colour were still being oppressed and held at a lowerRead MoreDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay1918 Words   |  8 PagesDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s (MLK) was a every influential person he led the civil rights movement to bring equality to people regardless of race. He had a strong belief in nonviolence this is why MLK fought for the civil rights movement which lead the society we have today. His dream was halfway fulfilled and we can say halfway because still today in society even though there is no segregation, people still judge and still think wrong about others. In this paper show that his dream is some

Pakistan’s Educational System Free Essays

The education system of Pakistan is one is the least-developed in the world. Until 1947, the educational system was based on the British colonial educational system. In 1947, Pakistan gained independence resulting from the partition of the Indian subcontinent into the states of India and Pakistan. We will write a custom essay sample on Pakistan’s Educational System or any similar topic only for you Order Now The colonial system was selective. It was meant to educate a small section of the population to run the government. Regardless of the changes since independence, the Pakistani education system has kept its colonial system, to prevent the lose of illiteracy. Pakistan’s educational system is divided into five levels. The pre-university education includes four levels. The first is the primary level, which is grades one to five. Then, the middle level consisting of grades six to eight. Next is the high level, grades nine and ten. Then is the intermediate level which is grades eleven and twelve, leading to a diploma in arts or science. There is also a university level, which lead to undergraduate and graduate degrees. The Pakistani educational system is based on removing political power from local levels and concentrate it in a central authority. All of the institutions involved in academic and technical education, up to the intermediate level are controlled by the Ministry of Education. For any education programs above those levels, there is a government- enabled university in the four Pakistani provinces. The four provinces are Punjab, Baluchistan, and the North West Frontier. The universities are in control of organizing instructions and exams for their province. Separate from the Ministry of Education, other ministries supervise certain degree programs. Other private and nonprofit school and universities have started to come up in Pakistan. Some examples are the Lahore University of Management Sciences and the Aga Khan medical University in Karachi. Since they are privately funded, they provide a chance for higher education for a small portion of people who do not have the opportunity to pursue their education at publicly funded universities, that have limited annual admission. Despite the plans of the Pakistani government, the educational system has failed to get rid of illiteracy after their era of independence. It has also failed to teach a number of people to meet the needs of the country in different fields. This had been a major disablement to the nation’s economic development. The government reforms in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s did not bring up these problem. They mainly focused on replacing English, the colonial language of education, with Urdu, the language of most Pakistanis. The reforms also led to the making school public. Dealing with the flaws of the educational system, the Pakistani government organized new reforms in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. These made three major processes begin. The government privatized the school that were made public in the 1970’s. It also cancelled the process of making Urdu the language of education and encouraged to go back to English language in private schools. Finally, the government stressed Pakistani studies and Islamic studies as two major parts of the curriculum. This was a major change from colonial education’s based on British history and English literature. The changes have improved the educational system and have increased the number of literate Pakistanis, but there are still some struggles. Educational funding is low. Also, there is little political efforts to make improvements. Pakistan’s expenses on education is not enough to meet the growing needs for education services for the nation’s increasing population. On the other hand, In the 1999-2000 school year, government spending on education was 2 percent of Pakistan’s gross national product. This amount shows a decrease from 1995-1997. School enrollment also increased from 19 percent in 1980 to 24 percent in 1990. The Pakistani educational system showed a lot of discrimination against women. This unfairness was shown in the pattern of literacy, which shows a strong relationship between gender and literacy rates. The illiteracy rate is very high among Pakistani women of all ages. In 1998, the adult illiteracy raters were 42 percent for males and 71 percent for females. In the same year, the illiteracy rate for male youth and female youth was 25 and 53 percent. This gender-based favoritism has contributed to the continued illiteracy and shortage of educated people and has had major impacts on the underdevelopment of Pakistan. The educational system of Pakistan has been unable to meet the needs of educational requirements of the Pakistanis. The system needs extreme investment to increase the number of educational institutions and to train and find a sufficient amount of educators at all levels. The Pakistani government has limited financial resources, which is not enough to meet all of Pakistan’s needs. Added to the money spend because of the unstable relations between India and Pakistan and a huge foreign debt further reduce the available resources for educational purposes. Unless the worsening Pakistani economy improves there is little hope for a significant change in Pakistan’s educational system in the future. How to cite Pakistan’s Educational System, Papers

Leadership in Business Development- MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theLeadership in Businessfor Authentic Leadership Development. Answer: Leadership can be referred to a status, which inhibits a series of differing qualities that affects its surrounding followers. The leadership is not something, which is set for a particular group of people (Avolio and Gardner 2005). However, it is also fact that some people are born with some unique leadership quality such as Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, barrack Obama and Bill Gates. However, the list is long but still it is conveyable that some leaders are born. However, some become leaders after absorbing the surrounding atmosphere where it is being connected to the different kinds of leaders. This is something, which helps these people in becoming a leader. The surrounding factors and the realization about the leadership quality are two most important things, which help shape the mind of the observer. Nevertheless, different kinds of leadership theories do really help analyze the leadership qualities in some people those who are in connection by any means (Barbuto Jr and Wheeler 2006). The main purpose of this blog is to analyze and evaluate the selection of different behavioural tagging aligned to the different digital images based on Trait Theories of Leadership. Some of the most profound leadership theories are such as Trait Theories, Behavioural Theories, Contingency Theories and Power Influence Theories (Carlson 2015). Trait theory is something, which helps identify the different kinds of characteristics that are present in its inhibitors such as integrity, assertiveness, likability and good decision-making skills (Deierlein 2015). On the other hand, the Behavioural theory governs the different kinds of leaders such as Autocratic leaders, Democratic leaders and Laissez-faire leaders. All are different to each other, as according to the behavioural theory some leaders do like the contribution from the others whereas some do not (George 2016). On contrary to the above-mentioned theories, the Contingency theory does tell that the leadership quality does not exist; it is rather inhibited guided by the influence of the real time situation (Katz 2009). Power Influence theory does take an altogether different approach as it governs the fact tha t leaders of these kinds do perform according to their power. In course of this, they also influence others in their supervision (Landis, Hill and Harvey 2014). Irrespective of the kinds of theories that are mentioned above, trait theory has helped me in finding and classifying the different kinds of characteristics tagging to the different kinds of digital pictures. In the first individual image, the leadership tagging is such as Focussed, Role Model and Humble. The chosen tagging was made based on the observation; however, the theoretical frameworks of leadership such as Trait Theories do very well help analyze the given tagging and the relevant digital picture. The picture does very well depict that the group is composed of three young men who are expressing and are engaged in numerous different kinds of stuffs. The first one is engaged in some stuff on the Tablet whereas another one has smiles on his face. The next one is not prominent but can be observed as a silently observing person in the group. The one who is engaged with some stuff despite being in the group does simple reveal a fact that the person is very dedicated to its interes t. However, it is not clear that what has made him engaged but the one is very dedicated and concentrated towards its area of interest. This gives an impression of a characteristic, which can be termed as focussed. The trait theory of leadership styles does very well help judge the above-depicted digital image. The theory does support the different kinds of qualities, which a leader can have. The above-depicted image does tell about one of the leadership qualities, which is to being focussed on the personal area of interest (Ronald 2014). The above-depicted image does also reflect on another aspect of a leadership quality through the image of the person who is smiling. The person is showing the quality of humbleness. This is another leadership quality, which help the humanity by being resolved with the others requirement. It is very tough to judge that the image is reflecting the humbleness but the expressions of the image are giving more or less the same kinds of impression. According to the Traits theory, leadership styles do have several characteristics, which contain but are not limited to integrity, good decision-making skills and assertiveness. Moreover, the image does also help in finding other kinds of leadership quality such as role model through the given image. The person who is busy and concentrated on something on its Tablet does very well reflect the role model kinds of quality, which is hugely concentrated on its interest even being in the crowd. It is such a quality, which most others try to imitate fo r attaining the maximum success (Katz 2009). Another picture doe also reveal the three kinds of leadership characteristics such as Humility, Inspirational and Influential. The one who is representing the group is very approachable to all the attendees. The woman has three kinds of characteristics in her such as Humility, Inspirational and Influential. These characteristics can well be evaluated with the help of Trait theories as it governs the importance of the different kinds of characteristics, whim the leaders can have. The women in the picture who is representing the entire group is able to make all happier and being attached to the session. This is something, which rare human beings have. The quality to make a group of people happier, joinable and attached to the purpose of the session with their utmost interest is nothing but is rare qualities, which only great leaders have (Katz 2009). The two selected digital images do very well reveal and represent the different kinds of leadership characteristics, which make the soul of its inhibitor satisfied and the surrounding society. The different kinds of characteristics such as Humility, Role Model, Inspirational and Influential, which are tried to be represented with the help of two digital images, do present some of the nicest characteristics of leadership. The images especially the second one where the woman is representing the entire group does reflect on the highly valuable traits of leaders. Moreover, these traits are for the betterment of personal career and for the benefits of the surrounding people. References Avolio, B.J. and Gardner, W.L., 2005. Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root of positive forms of leadership.The leadership quarterly,16(3), pp.315-338. Barbuto Jr, J.E. and Wheeler, D.W., 2006. Scale development and construct clarification of servant leadership.Group Organization Management,31(3), pp.300-326. Carlson, L., 2015. LEADING THROUGH CORE VALUES.Leader to Leader,2015(77), pp.61-66. Deierlein, T., 2015. WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE A WRITTEN LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY.Leader to Leader,2015(77), pp.13-18. George, B., 2016. THE RISE OF TRUE NORTH LEADERS.Leader to Leader,2016(79), pp.30-35. Katz, R.L., 2009.Skills of an effective administrator. Harvard Business Review Press. Landis, E.A., Hill, D. and Harvey, M.R., 2014. A synthesis of leadership theories and styles.Journal of Management Policy and Practice,15(2), p.97. Ronald, B., 2014. Comprehensive leadership review-Literature, theories and research.Advances in Management,7(5), p.52.

Get Started With WordPress SEO - 13 Things to Do Today

Why get started with WordPress SEO? Well, we all love WordPress It is the best and easiest CMS, and it is also the most SEO-friendly. However, it is a huge fail if you think that all you have to do is publish some blog posts, and SEO will just magically happen. Tinker Bell is not sprinkling fairy dust.This is a guest contribution by Nicole Boyer.Using WordPress by itself will give you some optimization, but its not enough. You need to make it much better and more powerful. Hence, here are 13 ways to do that:How to get started with WordPress SEO:1. Use custom URLs / permalinksDefault URLs in WordPress are filled with characters and numbers that have nothing to do with your content. (e.g., YOURSITE.com/?p=143). What you really want are your post titles in those URLs, because they contain the SEO keywords that search engines seek.This is an easy fix. We have a separate guide on that. It only takes a minute, by the way.2. Convert to AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)Google has come to love content that is mobile-friendly, and you will have a privileged position if you conform to its desires. What AMP does is lighten your pages and cause them to load faster on mobile. Faster loads mean happy consumers and a happier Google you will get a higher ranking.What you have to do here to get started with WordPress SEO is convert your HTML/JS to AMP HTML/JS, and there are two ways to do this:Install the AMP plugin. It will generate AMP posts from that  point forward, but it will not change any of your older pages. AMP Author(s): AMP Project ContributorsCurrent Version: 1.3.0Last Updated: October 14, 2019amp.1.3.0.zip 72%Ratings 3,841,784Downloads WP 4.9+Requires Hire a developer to do it. Its not a horribly complex task, and there are instructions to use. This may be the better option, because the plugin is relatively new, and there will be tweaks to get it up to speed.3. Get Yoast SEO Yoast SEO Author(s): Team YoastCurrent Version: 12.3Last Updated: October 15, 20 19wordpress-seo.12.3.zip 98%Ratings 200,063,756Downloads WP 4.9+Requires What a great tool. This plugin  will let you write titles and descriptions and will prompt you to write these so that they are SEO optimized. It will give you an analysis of how you are positioned for SEO. This plugin is constantly updated based upon new algorithms.Dont think that you can just add Yoast and sit back. You cant. For every blog post you write, you need to go through each optimization section and analyze what comes up (example visible in the screenshot below). You will be shown where there are issues, along with suggestions for fixing them.4. Add captions and alt tags to imagesYou have to put images in your blog posts. No one wants to read large chunks of text without something to pique their interest. This function is already built into WordPress. All you have to do is access the admin area and choose Media. Choose the images and begin to add alt tags, titles, and captions.Make sure that th e text you add has your target keywords, but do add context around these keywords rather than stuffing them. Doing this will make Google unhappy! You should also know what to do with the other image fields WordPress offers.5. Those snippetsO.K. So, there are those basic snippets that appear anytime a Google search is performed a small amount of text that appears along with the site.I recently had a problem with gnats in a houseplant, for example. Here is a result from my Google search about these little buggers:The snippet is the text that follows the URL address.Then, there are rich snippets. These are little pieces that appear just below the URL, but before the standard snippet. These little pieces give Google the ability to give better results to a searcher to be more meaningful in some way. Rich snippets can come in a few different forms, but most often they are images or tidbits of information about ratings (by stars) or number of views, etc.Here is a page from a Google searc h on recipes for jamon:Notice that the first three results have an image or star ratings. These are the rich snippets that give Google more information. These rich snippets appear because they are programmed in to appear.So, how do you get started with WordPress SEO in the rich snippets department? Here is what you can do:There is a rich snippets plugin you can install, and no coding will be required. Schema All In One Schema Rich Snippets Author(s): Brainstorm ForceCurrent Version: 1.5.6Last Updated: March 12, 2019all-in-one-schemaorg-rich-snippets.1.5.6.zip 82%Ratings 954,422Downloads WP 3.7+Requires Hire someone to build these into your code.  Hiring someone may be preferable if you dont want to get your hands dirty, so that you can specify the snippets you want images, reviews, etc., and there wont be bugs that may gum up the works.6. Security   protect yourself from hackers and malwareWordPress is vulnerable because it is such a popular platform and is used by so many – this makes it a popular target. You need to take steps to secure your theme, your plugins, your file permissions and your databases. This is important for SEO, because search engines like sites that are secure and rank them higher.This is a simple act. Just install WordFence you will get monitoring and automatic security upgrades: Wordfence Security Firewall Malware Scan Author(s): WordfenceCurrent Version: 7.4.0Last Updated: August 22, 2019wordfence.7.4.0.zip 96%Ratings 135,846,747Downloads WP 3.9+Requires 7. Add a  cache pluginWhen people access websites they request information, and that information is then retrieved by the site so that the user can read it. This can be a slow process on the retrieval side if information/data is not cached, or stored.Using cache plugins allows information to be served up quickly reducing load time, which is always a good thing as far as SEO is concerned. Search engines do not like sites that have slow load times and wil l penalize them on SERPs. You can install W3 Total Cache for WordPress and resolve this issue pretty permanently. Or, check out our in-depth guide on this (link).8. Get rid of spam commentsWe have all had this experience. We are reading a blog post and then start to review the comments. All of a sudden there is a comment that has nothing to do with the topic but that is basically touting something else with a link. This is comment spam. You are vulnerable to it if you have conversation capability installed on your blog (and you should). Sometimes, especially if these spam comments provide links back to questionable sites, search engines will notice and penalize you.Again, the fix is easy and simple. Install something like Akismet or some other comment blocker. You want your blocker to check comments, identify those that are spam, and then report them. Most important, they wont show up on your conversation threads. Akismet Anti-Spam Author(s): AutomatticCurrent Version: 4.1.2Last Updated: May 14, 2019akismet.4.1.2.zip 94%Ratings 143,374,346Downloads WP 4.0+Requires Akismet is not free for business blogs you will have to buy a key.9. Engage your usersTheres no better way to get started with WordPress SEO than by focusing on how long people hang out on your site or  blog. No plugin can do this for you. You are the one who must create great content, so that visitors want to stay and read/view. The longer you can get visitors to stay, the better search engines view you.Everything you post on your site or your blog must be considered a type of content marketing you want visitors to find your stuff interesting, unique, and sometimes entertaining and humorous. This means you have engaging ways to present information, lots of visuals and perhaps a video or two.DollarShaveClub.com has this nailed. The site opens with an explainer video that shows the value and benefit of subscribing to their razor club in a hilarious way. This video has received millions of views.The site also has a great blog, title, Bathroom Minutes, which keeps visitors coming back for more.Now one thing you can do with WordPress is set up an automatic display of other posts that are related to one a visitor is reading. So, if there is interest, that individual can access other posts on your blog and thus stay even longer a good thing. For this you just install the Contextual Related Posts plugin. Contextual Related Posts Author(s): WebberZoneCurrent Version: 2.7.0Last Updated: June 16, 2019contextual-related-posts.zip 96%Ratings 972,874Downloads WP 4.7+Requires Here is what you want to check:10. Add social sharingYou have probably already provided for social sharing of your content, but, if by chance you have not, install the Social Media Share Buttons plugin now. The more your content is shared on social media, the more visitors you will get, and the more visitors you get, the better your SEO rankings are. Social Media Share Buttons | MashShare Author( s): Renà © HermenauCurrent Version: 3.6.9Last Updated: August 31, 2019mashsharer.3.6.9.zip 96%Ratings 1,848,849Downloads WP 3.6+Requires 11. Back it all upWhile this is not directly related to SEO, you can lose everything if your site crashes or disappears. All of your hard work is gone. Dont let this happen install a good backup plugin.12. Clean up your databaseEvery time you edit a post, WordPress creates another copy of it. And that includes all comments and other stuff that has collected with it. All of this takes placed in your database. Eventually, it slows everything down. You can prevent this and keep your load time up to par by installing the WP-Optimizer its free, and it will regularly clean up your database. WP-Optimize Clean, Compress, Cache. Author(s): David Anderson, Ruhani Rabin, Team UpdraftCurrent Version: 3.0.12Last Updated: September 24, 2019wp-optimize.3.0.12.zip 98%Ratings 11,586,621Downloads WP 3.8+Requires 13. Tell search engines where they ca n goUnless you put some restrictions in place, search engines will send their spiders through all of your pages for indexing. This is silly you dont need them in your admin area or in your CSS files. So, you can create a robots.txt file that directs them properly. You can use Virtual Robots.txt plugin to create that file and then upload it to your root folder. Virtual Robots.txt Author(s): Marios AlexandrouCurrent Version: 1.9Last Updated: March 28, 2019pc-robotstxt.zip 80%Ratings 261,249Downloads WP 4.0+Requires Final wordMost of these tips to get started with WordPress SEO are quite technical, and they are important. But understand this: while they may enhance SEO, they will never take the place of your content quality. You have to have amazing content, engaging content, compelling content, content that people want to share. The technical fixes are easy. Crafting exceptional content takes work get at it.Whats your no.1 struggle when it comes to how to get started with Wo rdPress SEO right now?About the author:  Nicole Boyer is a  web designer, traveller, and blogger for several websites. Nicole is passionate about self-improvement, healthy lifestyle, and obviously, web design! Talk to her on Facebook: Nicole Boyer, Twitter @nicoleboyernr, or visit her blog at GrabMyEssay.com.Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Chasing The Grant

Chasing The Grant Most major cities offer artist grants for those of us involved in the arts. In my town there’s an annual drive for locals to apply, and back in 2014, I gave it a go. According to the rules, anyone in the arts field, including literary arts, was eligible. â€Å"Hot dog, I’m going for it!† I said. I followed the guidelines, crossed my Ts, and dotted my I’s. I was rejected. I applied again in 2015 and was rejected, 2016 rejected, 2017 rejected. If you’re reading this, you are a writer. Rejections are commonplace. You’re told â€Å"don’t take it personal because this is a subjective business.† Applying for grants might fall into that â€Å"subjective business† category, but Looking back it never dawned on me the lesson I’d learn from all this. The more you work at something the better you become. I received a phone call. I already had the grant organization in my contacts so the name popped up. I thought â€Å"Wow they’ve never called me about a rejection. This is a first.† Reluctantly, I answered. â€Å"Rod?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I’m calling to personally congratulate you. You won the grant.† â€Å"Don’t play with me,† I said. â€Å"This isn’t funny.† â€Å"No, seriously, you won. And I know how long you’ve pursued this. Congrats.† Honestly I don’t remember how many times I heard the word congratulations in that phone call, but that day was a turning point. As a writer you crave recognition. You yearn to hear that all this work you put in hasn’t gone in vain. We may never amass the riches of JK Rowling, but we do seek readership and acceptance. I felt vindicated. Then I researched, eager to learn how many writers had won this grant. Most grants are required to list all past winners, and I went back to when the records were first kept online in 2012. The only writers awarded grants were journalists, poets, a screenwriter, and a children’s picture book artist. No fiction author had ever won. Wow, right? What had I done differently? I had tired of rejections and attended a couple of webinars on grant writing, learning it’s more than filling in blocks on an application. You pursue a grant with the same serious mentality you infuse into your writing. You make the judges believe in you wherever you can. Where do you find grants? Online sources like FundsforWriters, state arts commissions, and local arts councils, for starters. Join one of many writer’s organization like AWP, SCBWI or Author’s Guild. Writer’s Digest, The Writer, and Poets and Writers magazines also list them. When you see a grant opportunity in FundsforWriters or anywhere online or in print, go for it. Maybe it won’t take you the five years it took me but consider a grant in your destiny. You are worthy, and writers are not quitters.

Emerging Political Tensions between Israel and Palestine Research Paper

Emerging Political Tensions between Israel and Palestine - Research Paper Example Palestine is controlled by two governing bodies i.e. Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank. The division of governance has resulted in suspension of peace making attempts between Israel and Palestine. The recent war occurred in 2014, is a result of political tensions between the two states. This research paper focuses on the major political issues due to which peace-making attempts have been failing between the states. The conflicts between Israel and Palestine have become sensitive at present due to several issues. In the year 2006, the Palestinian Authority held elections in Gaza and the West Bank on the request of George W. Bush’s administration and Israeli support. Despite making attempts, Hamas won the majority of seats. The United States responded by cutting off aid to Palestinian Authority, on the other hand the Israelis withheld tax revenues they collected on Palestinian’s behalf. The Bush’s administration encouraged Abbas to go against Hamas with the help of Fatah and its chief Mohammad Dahlan (Brownlee 113). The circumstances were severe during the period and Fatah was defeated by Hamas in the battle. Finally Hamas took charge in Gaza. These situations became even worse when United States did not make any attempt to talk to the new formed government. The Israelis started to block exports from Gaza, which led to drop of per capita income to 17 percent in the year 2011, compared to 2005. The Israelis even banned exports to the West Bank, which made the life of people worse in Gaza. The people of Gaza were suffering from unemployment and malnutrition on a very high scale. The circumstances forced Hamas to attack Israelis, for the benefit of their people and save his government. The attacks disturbed the life of people and most of the citizens were exposed to threat. The occurrence of cold-war was merely due to the political issues that happened in the year 2006.  

Article from Marketing Journals Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

From Marketing Journals - Article Example The process adds to the product's final cost, convenience, and customer acceptance. A process may be streamlined to reduce costs and diminish consumer options, or the product may be customized, which adds to the total cost of the product but offers the consumer a greater number of alternatives. The article contended that the two major measurable and manageable characteristics of any process are complexity and divergence. It is the challenge of the manager to find the most effective balance of these important components of the process. Complexity refers to the "number and intricacy of the steps required" to perform the process (35). A laboratory that performs DNA testing could be said to be more complex than checking the air pressure in a tire. Divergence is the "degree of freedom allowed or inherent in a process step or sequence" (35). Processes that require analyzation, assimilating data, and judgment are said to be highly divergent, such as a doctor performing surgery. By blueprinting a service into a schematically represented diagram, or flow chart, the degree of complexity and divergence can be readily and visually available. The complexity and divergence can then be adjusted to fit a marketing, cost, manufacturing, or consumer need. Altering the complexity and divergence of the service process can have a significant impa... For example, a gasoline outlet may decide to offer only 2 grades of gasoline instead of 4. This will save costs by reducing inventory requirements and overhead costs. However, the customer has been offered fewer options. Alternatively, the station may decide to carry 6 grades of gasoline and add kerosene and diesel fuel. This strategy can result in a niche market with lower volume and greater margins, as it increases the divergence and positions the station differently in the market. Complexity also dictates the market position as well as consumer perception. A mechanic's garage may opt to reduce their complexity and limit their work to muffler and brake systems. This specialization strategy can be risky when competing with more broad based and full service alternatives (38). However, increasing complexity runs the risk of poor quality or customer confusion. Customers may be unaware that a garage that offers automobile detailing, inspections, body and paint, and mechanical work, also does quality brake work. The manager must look for the market position that will maximize the opportunities with the least risk. In conclusion, visualizing the complexity and divergence of the service processes can help to understand the current market position and help plan for repositioning. The process that goods or services are subjected to is a raw material that can be manipulated and formed. This structured approach can reveal the characteristics that "not only affect market position, but also can be deliberately and strategically managed for positioning purposes" (42). Blueprinting and diagramming gives the manager a greater understanding and more control over the processes that affect cost, quality, deliverability, and consumer perception. Works Cited Shostack, G L.

Porters Diamond Theory Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Porters Diamond Theory Application - Essay Example The purpose of this report is to discuss the contribution of Porters diamond model to the success of Apple Incorporated. Various aspects of this model such as firm strategy, demand and factor conditions, as well as supporting and related industries will be considered in determining their contribution to Apple’s international success. However, this company has also ventured into other technology related businesses among them the production of personal computers and computer software. In addition to these investments, it is also involved in the business of providing online services; hence, it has a healthy range of products for its target market. However, Apple is not on itself in the production of computer electronics. It faces a lot of competition from other equally well-established international companies such as Samsung from South Korea and China’s Hawaii. Their main points of competition besides the usual superiority of their respective products also border around other aspects such as product pricing and market appeal. In coming up with the Diamond strategy, Michael Porter recognized the fact that the strategies invoked by a firm play a crucial role in determining its market performance (Reinhert 2013, p.15). Hence, for multinational companies such as Apple, strategy is of the essence as it helps direct their approach towards the market. A primary strategy that is the hallmark of this corporation is differentiation. In the world of technology whereby consumer tastes and preferences tend to revolve around similar product attributes, differentiation is of the essence. The unique designs of Apple products and their high quality have greatly served to set them apart from the products of other competitors such as Nokia. Another vital strategy is value creation. This company has outsourced manufacturing functions to third parties as a way of focusing on product design and creation of user interfaces.

Fundamentals of block coding

Fundamentals of block coding ABSTRACT In this essay the basic fundamentals of block coding as a type of forward error correction code, as well as an example of such a code, are examined, in order to highlight the importance of error correction in digital communication systems. In the first part, the theory around error correction codes and types is presented with special emphasis on the block codes, their properties and the problems they encounter. In the second part the most popular block code, Reed-Solomon code, is discussed along with its mathematical formulation and the most common applications that implement it. INTRODUCTION Over the past years, there has been an extraordinary development in digital communications especially in the areas of mobile phones, personal computers, satellites, and computer communication. In these digital communication systems, data is represented as a sequence of 0s and 1s. These binary bits are expressed as analog signal waveforms and then transmitted over a communication channel. Communication channels, though, induce interference and noise to the transmitted signal and corrupt it. At the receiver, the corrupted transmitted signal is modulated back to binary bits. The received binary data is an evaluation of the binary data being transmitted. Bit errors may occur because of the transmission and that number of errors depends on the communication channels interference and noise amount. Channel coding is used in digital communications to protect the digital data and reduce the number of bit errors caused by noise and interference. Channel coding is mostly achieved by adding redundant bits into the transmitted data. These additional bits allow the detection and correction of the bit errors in the received information, thus providing a much more reliable transmission. The cost of using channel coding to protect the transmitted information is a reduction in data transfer rate or an increase in bandwidth. 1. FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION BLOCK CODES 1.1 ERROR DETECTION CORRECTION Error detection and correction are methods to make sure that information is transmitted error free, even across unreliable networks or media. Error detection is the ability to detect errors due to noise, interference or other problems to the communication channel during transmission from the transmitter to the receiver. Error correction is the ability to, furthermore, recreate the initial, error-free information. There are two basic protocols of channel coding for an error detection-correction system: Automatic Repeat-reQuest (ARQ): In this protocol, the transmitter, along with the data, sends an error detection code, that the receiver then uses to check if there are errors present and requests retransmission of erroneous data, if found. Usually, this request is implicit. The receiver sends back an acknowledgement of data received correctly, and the transmitter sends again anything not acknowledged by the receiver, as fast as possible. Forward Error Correction (FEC): In this protocol, the transmitter implements an error-correcting code to the data and sends the coded information. The receiver never sends any messages or requests back to the transmitter. It just decodes what it receives into the most likely data. The codes are constructed in a way that it would take a great amount of noise to trick the receiver interpreting the data wrongly. 1.2 FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) As mentioned above, forward error correction is a system of controlling the errors that occur in data transmission, where the sender adds additional information to its messages, also known as error correction code. This gives the receiver the power to detect and correct errors (partially) without requesting additional data from the transmitter. This means that the receiver has no real-time communication with the sender, thus cannot verify whether a block of data was received correctly or not. So, the receiver must decide about the received transmission and try to either repair it or report an alarm. The advantage of forward error correction is that a channel back to the sender is not needed and retransmission of data is usually avoided (at the expense, of course, of higher bandwidth requirements). Therefore, forward error correction is used in cases where retransmissions are rather costly or even impossible to be made. Specifically, FEC data is usually implemented to mass storage devices, in order to be protected against corruption to the stored data. However, forward error connection techniques add a heavy burden on the channel by adding redundant data and delay. Also, many forward error correction methods do not quite respond to the actual environment and the burden is there whether needed or not. Another great disadvantage is the lower data transfer rate. However, FEC methods reduce the requirements for power variety. For the same amount of power, a lower error rate can be achieved. The communication in this situation remains simple and the receiver alone has the responsibility of error detection and correction. The sender complexity is avoided and is now entirely assigned to the receiver. Forward error correction devices are usually placed close to the receiver, in the first step of digital processing of an analog signal that has been received. In other words, forward error correction systems are often a necessary part of the analog to digital signal conversion operation that also contain digital mapping and demapping, or line coding and decoding. Many forward error correction coders can also produce a bit-error rate (BER) signal that can be used as feedback to optimize the received analog circuits. Software controlled algorithms, such as the Viterbi decoder, can receive analog data, and output digital data. The maximum number of errors a forward error correction system can correct is initially defined by the design of the code, so different FEC codes are suitable for different situations. The three main types of forward error correction codes are: Block codes that work on fixed length blocks (packets) of symbols or bits with a predefined size. Block codes can often be decoded in polynomial time to their block size. Convolutional codes that work on symbol or bit streams of indeterminate size. They are usually decoded with the Viterbi algorithm, though other algorithms are often used as well. Viterbi algorithm allows infinite optimal decoding efficiency by increasing limited length of the convolutional code, but at the cost of greatly increasing complexity. A convolutional code can be transformed into a block code, if needed. Interleaving codes that have alleviating properties for fading channels and work well combined with the other two types of forward error correction coding. 1.3 BLOCK CODING 1.3.1 OVERVIEW Block coding was the first type of channel coding implemented in early mobile communication systems. There are many types of block coding, but among the most used ones the most important is Reed-Solomon code, that is presented in the second part of the coursework, because of its extensive use in famous applications. Hamming, Golay, Multidimensional parity and BCH codes are other well-known examples of classical block coding. The main feature of block coding is that it is a fixed size channel code (in contrary to source coding schemes such as Huffman coders, and channel coding techniques as convolutional coding). Using a preset algorithm, block coders take a k-digit information word, S and transform it into an n-digit codeword, C(s). The block size of such a code will be n. This block is examined at the receiver, which then decides about the validity of the sequence it received. 1.3.2 FORMAL TYPE As mentioned above, block codes encode strings taken from an alphabet set S into codewords by encoding each letter of S independently. Suppose (k1, k2,, km) is a sequence of natural numbers that each one less than |S| . If S=s1,s2,,sn and a specific word W is written as W = sk1 sk2 skn , then the codeword that represents W, that is to say C(W), is: C(W) = C(sk1) C(sk2) C (skm) 1.3.3 HAMMING DISTANCE Hamming Distance is a rather significant parameter in block coding. In continuous variables, distance is measured as length, angle or vector. In the binary field, distance between two binary words, is measured by the Hamming distance. Hamming distance is the number of different bits between two binary sequences with the same size. It, basically, is a measure of how apart binary objects are. For example, the Hamming distance between the sequences: 101 and 001 is 1 and between the sequences: 1010100 and 0011001 is 4. Hamming distance is a variable of great importance and usefulness in block coding. The knowledge of Hamming distance can determine the capability of a block code to detect and correct errors. The maximum number of errors a block code can detect is: t = dmin 1, where dmin is the Hamming distance of the codewords. A code with dmin = 3, can detect 1 or 2 bit errors. So the Hamming distance of a block code is preferred to be as high as possible since it directly effects the codes ability to detect bit errors. This also means that in order to have a big Hamming distance, codewords need to be larger, which leads to additional overhead and reduced data bit rate. After detection, the number of errors that a block code can correct is given by: t(int) = (dmin 1)/2 1.3.4 PROBLEMS IN BLOCK CODING Block codes are constrained by the sphere packing problem that has been quite significant in the last years. This is easy to picture in two dimensions. For example, if someone takes some pennies flat on the table and push them together, the result will be a hexagon pattern like a bees nest. Block coding, though, relies on more dimensions which cannot be visualized so easily. The famous Golay code, for instance, applied in deep space communications uses 24 dimensions. If used as a binary code (which very often it is,) the dimensions refer to the size of the codeword as specified above. The theory of block coding uses the N-dimensional sphere model. For instance, what number of pennies can be packed into a circle on a tabletop or in 3-dimensional model, what number of marbles can be packed into a globe. Its all about the codes choice. Hexagon packing, for example, in a rectangular box will leave the four corners empty. Greater number of dimensions means smaller percentage of empty spaces, until eventually at a certain number the packing uses all the available space. These codes are called perfect codes and there are very few of them. The number of a single codewords neighbors is another detail which is usually overlooked in block coding. Back to the pennies example again, first pennies are packed in a rectangular grid. Each single penny will have four direct neighbors (and another four at the four corners that are farther away). In the hexagon formation, each single penny will have six direct neighbors. In the same way, in three and four dimensions there will be twelve and twenty-four neighbors, respectively. Thus, increasing the number of dimensions, the close neighbors increase rapidly. This results in that noise finds numerous ways to make the receiver choose a neighbor, hence an error. This is a fundamental constraint of block coding, and coding in general. It may be more difficult to cause an error to one neighbor, but the number of neighbors can be so big that the probability of total error actually suffers.

The Mistreatment of Women in the Works of Zora Neale Hurston :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Mistreatment of Women in the Works of Zora Neale Hurston Society is suffering from a number of serious social problems related to women, and to the interaction between the two sexes. Male domination and patriarchy have been under challenge by feminists and the women's movement. The economic, social and political subjection of women around the world, the violence brought against women and their confinement has been brought to the forefront in recent years. Zora Neale Hurston's stories speak out against the uncivil and unjust treatment of women especially in their marriages. Hurston's stories reveal the disturbing situation for women about mistreatment abuse in the 1930s, when speaking out was unheard of. This was the time period for the setting of Hurston's stories, and her stories reflect violence against women that occurred during that era. "Zora Neale Hurston's works are brilliant glimpses into the mind of a woman who lived life for what it was, who wanted nothing more then to have"...a busy life, a just mind and timely death." "She lived as she wrote, to the fullest, she wasn't just a writer, but also an anthropologist who brought to the light the folklore, and culture of nations that before there had been little study of. She brought new, exciting views of the world through her poetic words, and is a shining example of what it is to be a woman. Intelligent, driven, and confidant" (Walker 8). At only thirteen years old Hurston was thrown out of her father's house because her stepmother didn't approve of her or her siblings. At an early age Huston knew about struggling and making a way for herself (Ford 7-9). In Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography she said, "There is something about poverty that smells like death. Dead dreams dropping off the heart like leaves in a dry season and rotting around the feet, impulses smothered too long in the fetid air of underground caves. The soul lived in a sickly air. People can be slave ships in shoes (Hurston 37). Hurston was mistreated as a child, and in her story "Drenched in Light" it reveals some of her background of child abandonment. She also focused on women's rights and fights in marriages.