A Quick Tutorial on the Perl Array Pop() Function

A Quick Tutorial on the Perl Array Pop() Function When writing a Perl script you might find it handy to use the pop() function, which looks like this: $ITEM pop(ARRAY); Perls pop() function is used to remove and return (or pop) the last element from an array, which reduces the number of elements by one. The last element in the array is the one with the highest index. Its easy to confuse this function with shift(), which removes the first element from an array. An Example of Using the Perl Pop() Function myNames (Larry, Curly, Moe);$oneName pop(myNames); If you think of an array as a row of numbered boxes, going from left to right, it would be the element on the far right. The pop() function would cut the element off the right side of the array, return it, and reduce the elements by one. In the examples, the value of $oneName becomes Moe, the last element, and myNames is shortened to (Larry, Curly). The array can also be thought of as a stack- picture of a stack of numbered boxes, starting with 0 on the top, and increasing as it goes down. The pop() function would pop the element off the bottom of the stack, return it, and reduce the elements by one. myNames (Larry,Curly,Moe);$oneName pop(myNames);

How to write a presentation - Emphasis

How to write a presentation How to write a presentation Delivering a memorable and effective presentation to your colleagues or customers is about so much more than pulling together some PowerPoint slides and donning your best suit. You need to inspire your audience, not bludgeon them with jargon and visuals. Robert Ashton provides some handy tips on how to impress. Gordon Brown, in one of his first high-profile public presentations as shadow chancellor, talked in detail about the post neo-classical endogenous growth theory. He was greeted with widespread media derision while the electorate remained bemused and unenthused. Now, 13 years later, and finally on the cusp of being the new Prime Minister, his words on the economy are unquestionably more straightforward and easier on the ear: The task ahead is to build an even stronger economy with even higher standards of living It would be fair to say that Mr Brown has learned a thing or two about giving a presentation. Of course much has been made of his changing style: he smiles more, speaks more openly, looks more relaxed, wears more fashionable clothes. All of these may have improved his presentation style. But giving a decent presentation is about more than wearing the right outfit and developing a more upbeat speaking voice. It is also about the words you use. As Mr Brown said himself in his leadership-bid speech, I have never believed presentation should be a substitute for policy. He may have been referring to politics (while having a little dig at Tony Blair), but we should echo his call for substance to triumph over style in the world of business presentations. Presentation has always been an important part of professional life, but there has been a noticeable trend over the last few years for the focus to be on delivery and appearance rather than content. Mr Brown is not the only one who has been polishing his presentation style. Countless organisations send their staff on presentation skills courses to learn how to improve their public speaking. Not that presentation skills dont count of course they do. But a good presentation depends on much more than simply presenting yourself. A clear voice and a confident manner will never disguise irrelevant, ill-chosen content or over-complicated, inappropriate terminology. And by content, Im not referring to PowerPoint slides. Most of us have had enough of sitting through presentations where we are either bored to tears by slide after slide overloaded with text or dazed by endless graphics whizzing pointlessly across the screen. To be fair, some businesses are starting to realise this. But many have missed the point in their response to the growing disenchantment with PowerPoint. A well-known software company, for example, decided that employees were not engaging with corporate presentations. Its solution was to decree that no presentation should be longer than six slides. The result? Slides with as many words, figures and graphics as possible squeezed in by means of the teeniest illegible font and the narrowest margins. The employees, I imagine, have gained nothing other than future eyesight problems to add to their disengagement. But my real objection to PowerPoint is nothing to do with the number or style of the slides. It is the fact that pulling together the slides seems to have become almost synonymous with writing a presentation. Slides may give you a checklist of points to cover, and sometimes even some worthwhile visual support. But they will never win over your audience. Wise words To engage and inspire an audience you need to appeal to their values. To carry them, you need pace and rhythm. To change minds and influence decisions, you must choose and order your words carefully. In short, you need to plan and write your presentation, not just pull together some slides. Presentations demand a physical style of writing thats tied to your breath, the ability to deliver a telling phrase or sentence and whether you can capture and keep an audiences attention. You need to tell a good story and you need to keep it short and snappy, using simple, evocative words that will immediately strike a chord. You cant afford to leave your audience behind to have them wondering what you meant by something when youve already moved on to something else. Your ideas and values have to register in the moment. Your words need to be both simple and powerful. No matter how accomplished or experienced a public speaker you are, you will rarely get a good response from using technical, philosophical, or intellectual jargon or convoluted language in a presentation. Imagine if Martin Luther King had said: I am in possession of a vision statement for mankind that my four offspring will at some future juncture reside in a nation where they will not be appraised by the pigmentation of their skin but by the nature and substance of their disposition. I am in possession of a vision statement today. Or if John F Kennedy had tried to appeal to peoples national pride with: In addition, therefore, co-habitants of America, do not request of yourselves as to the nature of the obligations your territory should render unto you; request of yourselves as to the nature of the obligations you should render unto your reign of domicile yourselves. Perhaps their undisputed personal magnetism and formidable public speaking skills may have compensated a little for the lacklustre content. But it is their use of simple but carefully-constructed language that has secured their speeches a place in the pages of our history books: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. So next time you have to give a presentation, whether it is to win hearts and minds, flog your products, or simply tell people what you do, forget the PowerPoint slides, the vocal exercises and whether or not your suit is looking a bit out of date. Instead, concentrate on the actual content of what youre going to say and the words that are going to make an impression on your audience. Some hints and tips for writing a good presentation: Syntax: Disentangle your thoughts and arrange the words in your sentences to be simple and logical. Often when theres a lot of information obscuring a main point, syntax becomes far too complex. Jargon: Every profession or industry has its jargon, but only use it if you are speaking to peers and are sure they will understand you. Words: We all have our favourite words that we enjoy using and make us feel confident. As you write, imagine yourself saying the words you use and see if you are comfortable with them. And avoid any words you have trouble saying eg. if you might stumble over statistics, then say figures instead. Sentences: The sentences in a presentation should be shorter than in the typical business document. When you do write a longer sentence, make sure there is a natural break point so you can take a breath. Pace, rhythm and tone: Varying the pace, rhythm and tone of sentences makes both the speaking and listening experience far more enjoyable. Make sure the stress falls on the most important words (eg. To be or not to be; I have a dream); vary the length of sentences; arranging words in pairs and trios (saying things in threes gives a sense of movement, progression and resolution: Going, going, gone). Saying words in pairs gives a more balanced tone (courage and commitment, energy and effort) or sense of tension between the words (war and peace, imports and exports). Analogies: Good analogies can work well in presentations because they paint vivid pictures for the audience. The best way to do it is to use either a simile (It wasnt so much a dinner party, more like feeding time at the zoo) or a metaphor (Shes a dragon of a teacher). Words to avoid: Be careful about using clichs like pushing the envelope, playing hardball and thinking outside the box. And think carefully about any word that ends with -ism, -ise, -based, -gate, -focused and -driven. Alliteration: Big and bold, sleek and shiny, key components. On the page alliteration may look contrived, but it can effectively highlight important phrases in a presentation. Repetition: Repeating words also works well in physical writing. The phrase used by New Labour politicians, Education, education, education, was much stronger (and far more memorable) than something bland like, Were going to make education our priority. Punctuation: Use punctuation to help you deliver your speech. You dont need to have perfect punctuation in your presentation script instead use exclamation marks, underlining and brackets to tell you when to breathe and which words to stress. You can always have another correct version of your script for distribution. Robert Ashton is chief executive of business writing specialists Emphasis. For more information see emphbootstrap.wpengine.com Do you want your team to write persuasive presentations? Have a look at our in-house presentation-writing course.

Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld 548 US 557 (2006) Case Study

Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld 548 US 557 (2006) - Case Study Example Bush, President of the United States. After a year of detention, President Bush deemed him eligible to be tried before a military commission that was authorized under Military Commission Order No. 1. The military commission would have allowed the inclusion of evidence with no probative value or acquired through illegal means, made it possible that there be evidence used against the accused that the accused would not be able to see, and the appeals would only be within the Executive branch. Opposing this, Hamdan filed a writ of habeas corpus, in chief arguing that a military commission conducting trial in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Geneva Conventions should be declared illegal and with no power to proceed. Procedural History: Hamdan filed his petition before the United States District Court for the District of Colombia, which found in his favor. Upon Appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously revers ed the decision of the District Court. Subsequently, on 7 November 2005 the Supreme Court issued a writ of certiorari to hear the case, and it was argued before the said court on 28 March 2006. On 29 June 2006, the Supreme Court issued its decision, reversing the Court of Appeals and finding in favor of Hamdan. Issues: 1. The first issue is whether or not the provisions in the military commission that would allow the accused to be convicted using evidence that he had not seen or heard, or evidence that may not be in compliance with admissibility or relevancy rules in other court martial proceedings violate the uniformity rule and the principle that â€Å"no procedural rule must be contrary or inconsistent with the UCMJ†? 2. The second issue is whether or not Hamdan can invoke the guarantees of the Geneva Conventions given the contextual background of the capture of Hamdan, and giving due regard to the fact that such capture was done pursuant to the war with Al Qaeda, which is not a High Contracting Party to the Conventions? Holding: The Supreme Court answered in the affirmative to both questions. It held firstly that the deviations in the military commission rendered it defective, and secondly, that the Geneva Conventions could be validly invoked by Hamdan. Rationale: The Supreme Court relied on the case of Ex Parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942) as justification for granting certiorari to Hamdan, stating that trial by military commissions surfaces important questions about the balance of powers of the three branches of government. Likewise, the case of In Re Yamashita 327 U.S. 1, 11 (1946) recognizes that the exigencies of war may demand extraordinary measures. In the case of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004) it reaffirmed the war powers of the President, including the authority to convene military commissions. With respect to the first question, the Supreme Court noted that in the military commission created by Military Commission Order No. 1, Section 6 permits exclusion of the accused from proceedings and denial of his and his civilian counsel’s access to evidence that may be used to convict him. The grounds for the denial of access "include the protection of information classified or classifiable . . .; information protected by law or rule from unauthorized disclosure; the physical safety of participants in Commission proceedings, including prospective

By contrasting these seven works, discuss the idea of the self (me, Essay

By contrasting these seven works, discuss the idea of the self (me, the artist, my portrait, my body) and what leads the viewer to identify with these works - Essay Example Organized loosely around the principle that a mimetic representation is one that "looks like" the subject, or more specifically has a photographic component to its content, then the self portraits of Chuck Close, Bruce Nauman, Andy Warhol, and arguably Christian Schad are mimetic in nature. Provisionally, while the Christian Schad painting lacks a photographic realism that the others to some degree or another elicit, the facial features of Schad in the self-portrait insofar that they are meant to correspond to the actual features of someone's face do so successfully. One could reasonably suggest that they could imagine a human being looking like the character in the Schad painting. This notion of being human plays an important role in our theoretical development of identity. Our responses to human facial features are deeply programmed into our biology, our ability to recognize pain, ecstasy, surprise or indignation based on the slightest of facial movements is highly refined. Moreove r, our penchant to anthropomorphize animal behaviors speaks to our deep desire to "find the human" in our world. Our concept of identity and self is intimately tied to the species of which we count ourselves as members. Thus some of the other pictures such as the Picasso, or The Tree of Life, or Psyche do not immediately strike us as examples of real people depicting their identity. This resistance derives from an inherent preference for human features, namely the eyes in order to properly judge identity. This preference is intimated by the phrase, "looking a person in the eyes," in order to gather something about who they are as people. This sort of species-mimetic cage of identity of self is exactly the sort of prison that the works of Ana Mendieta and Gina Pane are explicitly trying to escape. Though interestingly the photographically influenced works are not totally submissive to this warden of identity and each in their own way seeks to subtly subvert this dominant paradigm. Chuck Close is most intimately associated with the Photo-Realist school, whose emphasis was on technical mastery and detail. Though Close has worked with a number of different media formats, in this screenprint a photo is gridded and each individual block is then transposed onto a larger canvas. The work is intentionally pixilated to foreground this method, and as a result the notion of a photo-realistic portrayal of Close is oddly transformed into a somewhat fuzzy understanding of the identity of Chuck Close. One can choose to parse that in any number of ways, possibly that one "true" identity can never be literally transposed anywhere. Bruce Nauman's, Self-Portrait as a Fountain, seems less concerned about the nature of identity transposition and more focused on analyzing the semiotic chain between self and object. One might suggest that the print is a picture of some person spitting water out of his mouth and little else. The evidence for this is in fact compelling. Because of the photo-realistic image we are in little doubt that that person is or was in fact a human in existence somewhere in the world. In this sort of tactically blunt interpretation it might also be held that the water flowing out of

Age of Exploration Essay Example for Free

Age of Exploration Essay The age of exploration had many varied effects on the countries involved, mainly Spain, France, and England. By establishing a prosperous empire in South America by conquering the native people, Spain became vastly wealthy off of the gold collected by its native subjects. However, since the native people were dying off rapidly due to the foreign diseases brought over by the Conquistadors, as well as malnutrition and fatigue, Spain and Portugal were the first to introduce slavery to the New World by replacing them with African slaves brought over by Portuguese slave traders. The silver mining by these slaves caused world trade to increase. Often, silver brought to Europe from America was then traded with China and other Asian countries, making silk, porcelain, and Indian spices more prevalent in Europe. Products from America that became popular in Europe included corn, potatoes, pineapples, and sugar cane. Many cultures spread and combined with others: Spanish missionaries converted natives to Christianity, which then combined the new Christian beliefs with the natives’ cultural traditions. Another example, Arabian coffee with American sugar became quite popular throughout Europe. Although saying that anyone who crossed the Atlantic (at least when referring to modern theories) truly discovered America is ridiculous, I believe that the first to do so was Leif Eriksson and his group of Vikings whose settlement was found in Canada. According to the Greenlander saga and the Eric saga, his father, Eric the Red, a Viking outlaw, discovered Greenland. In order to establish himself as a man separate from his father, Leif sailed to the west in order to discover his own land. He sailed west because there had been a rumor in Greenland for the past fifteen years of a merchant sailing from Iceland to Greenland whose ship had been blown off course in a storm. According to the rumor, the merchant claimed that there were three separate lands west of Greenland. Around the year 1000, Leif purchased the merchant’s ship from the story, and obtained directions from the same merchant. He set sail only for a few days, which was reportedly was miserable due to the conditions on the open boat. On this expedition, they were seeking trees, which were scare in Greenland, but abundant in what is now northern Newfoundland, Canada, where the party landed. Leif named the new land Vinland after the wild grapes found there and the wine the grapes produced. Shortly thereafter, the settlers began to erect a settlement and scouted the land. In 1960, the archeologist and set out to find the fabled Vinland, using a four hundred year old Icelandic map and descriptions from the sagas. On the very northern tip of Newfoundland, they came across an area of mounds and ruins near a small town. Because the ruins predated the settlement of the area, the locals had always believed that Native Americans created the mounds. In fact, through almost seven years of painstaking excavations and radiocarbon testing, it was proven that the ruins were of a settlement dating back to the year 1000. Various artifacts found at the site also confirmed its Norse origins. Archeologists have gone so far as to pinpoint which ‘house’ was Leif Eriksson’s, based on size and complexity of the structure. I believe that Leif Eriksson was the first to cross the Atlantic and settle in America because of many factors. The radiocarbon dating of the site which puts it at 1000 C. E. immediately eliminates any of the explorers from the age of exploration, as well as the Chinese in 1492, in addition to the obvious implausibility of traveling above Canada in ice riddled waters in a flimsy wooden vessel. A case could perhaps be made for the merchant in the sagas who started the rumor, but as with all epic stories, the Icelanders who were the ones to transcribe the sagas based on oral stories, may have simply added him in as a fictional supporting character. Because of this and other equally plausible scenarios, I have to concede that Leif Eriksson was the first to reach the New World by crossing the Atlantic. There is confusion among certain people about whether America was colonized because of a desire for more money on the part of England or because the colonists were seeking religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church. This confusion stems mainly from the watered down version of Jamestown and the Mayflower that we teach students at a young age. While it is true that Puritans did indeed come to the New World seeking religious freedom, the initial desire to colonize America was all about the desire for wealth. Because of Spain’s conquests in South America, the gold it had acquired from the natives and silver mining had made the country vastly wealthy and other nations were eager to get their share of the riches. America also had an abundant supply of farmland at a time when many farmers had small farms that they toiled over in an effort to merely support their families. In addition, as more settlers moved to America and created a demand for indulgences that they were accustomed to in Europe, the companies that sold such items made more money because of the higher prices the settlers had to pay in order to accommodate shipping costs. In short, while religious freedom was a noble and idealistic dream, it wouldn’t benefit anyone or make any money, which is what people were chiefly concerned with. How would America be different if it had been settled one hundred years later, in 1592? To begin with, it probably would not be called ‘America’. America is so named after Amerigo Vespucci; however, as he died in 1512, it is unlikely that we would have been named after him. Perhaps we would be named Raleigh, after Walter Raleigh, a British explorer of both North and South America in our actual history. Christopher Columbus would not be in history books, as he would not have been to Raleigh. Native Americans thus would have never been referred to as Indians. Because of our late start as a nation, it is reasonable to assume that certain historical events in our country would be delayed, let us say, fifty years or so. Because colonization was delayed, it would take longer for tensions to raise between the colonists and the French, so the French and Indian War would not have started in 1689, but around 1739 instead. This in turn would delay the Seven years war and thus the taxed imposed by the British that led to the American Revolution, which would now begin in 1825. Thus, we would have the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1826 and become our own country in 1833. Or alternatively, because of the differing technology, we might have lost the war and still been English today. But lets assume that we won and Raleigh was founded. I believe the Civil War would have been delayed as well until 1911, three years before World War One started. Both world wars, because we did not start them, would have happened the same years as they actually did, 1914 and 1939 respectably. However, I believe that the issue of civil and women’s’ rights would have been later in coming, perhaps in the 80’s. We would probably be dealing with racism more than gay rights today, if that were the case. And our music would be behind as well, so 60’s music today would then be 80’s music now.

Rhetorical Analysis of JFKs Inauguration Speech -- John Fitzgerald Ke

John Fitzgerald Kennedy delivered one of the most important American speeches after being sworn in as president on January 20, 1961. His inauguration speech was so influential that it seized the nation’s attention, and quotes from it are still clearly remembered by people today. It is considered one of the best speeches ever written and ever delivered. It presents a strong appeal to pathos, ethos, and logos and accomplishes what any speaker strives for – it speaks straight to the heart of the audience and inspires people. John F Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States and at 43 years old he was the youngest president to take office. Because of his youth, he stumbled upon much skepticism from his opposition and even a little from his supporters. Kennedy’s inauguration speech was so vital because he needed to make a quick and powerful first impression to America and to the entire world. The address was written to encourage American citizens to get involved with their country and with the issues of the time. This speech reassured the voters that they made the correct choice and informed the country that changes were on there way. The inaugural speech was arranged so that it flowed easily from start to finish. The first paragraph contains many uses of comparison and contrast. For example, â€Å"We observe today not a victory of a party but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying a renewal as well as change†(Kennedy par 1). There are also examples of cause and effect in the speech. I believe that this is to be expected because of all the deliberations over war. Kennedy used these techniques to make it sound like it was our moral responsibility we should go to war. These are the two basic s... ...commitments and his plan. By reiterating common knowledge, Kennedy has his audience reflect on known fact in order to drive his message home. In conclusion, this speech was structured beautifully. Its use of figurative and expressive language makes it an unforgettable speech. Kennedy does a great job of using pathos, ethos, and logos to reiterate his commitment to the American public as well as discuss expected changes. Given the state of the world at the time of his inauguration, the decision to rely so heavily on pathos and ethos was a wise one which got the job done. His use of the rhetoric triangle effectively conveys Kennedy’s plan for America to not only her citizens, but to the world. Works Cited Kennedy, John F. â€Å"Inaugural Address.† Reading Literature And Writing Argument. Ed. Leah Jewell. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc, 2005. 622- 625.

Counseling Liza

Joe understands Liza’s theme or belief that she has a problem with her boyfriend. It is not a life theme seeing as Liza’s problems with her boyfriend are recent and ongoing events. Besides, the frustration that she feels is her moodiness in the face of the problematic situation. However, if Liza expresses the belief that â€Å"All men are obnoxious,† Joe may rightfully conclude that it is a life theme that his client is expressing; and that, in fact, she is having a problem with her boyfriend because of a core belief.In order to deal with Liza’s stuck pattern of repeating the same story about her problem with her boyfriend, Joe should use both education and hypothesizing in his counseling sessions with Liza. It is clear that Liza would like to find a way out of her problem with her boyfriend. Regardless of whether she would like to continue her relationship with her boyfriend or not, Joe should provide his client with literature concerned with her particul ar patterns.Bibliotherapy in the area of relationship patterns should help Liza understand her own patterns. Furthermore, Joe should complement the education with hypothesizing by asking questions that would allow Liza to speak her mind and thereby understand her situation better. To allow Liza to hypothesize, Joe should ask her questions after she has spoken her automatic thoughts.If Liza claims about her boyfriend, â€Å"He always does that,† referring to problem behavior on the part of her boyfriend; Joe should follow up with the question, â€Å"Why do you think he does that? † Such questions would allow Liza to truly understand the situation that she is faced with. Moreover, her education as part of the therapeutic process would add to her insight, allowing her to eventually leave the problem pattern that she must work her way out of with the help of the counselor.