School Uniforms Essay Example for Free

School Uniforms Essay sCHOOLMany schools across the nation enforce students to wear school uniforms. While school boards feel that they are better for the students, many parents and students disagree and feel that not only are they outdated, but should be banned. School uniforms are an outdated habit and they should be banned because they don’t allow expression, they may make students feel uncomfortable, and they don’t guarantee safety of the students. Enforcing school uniforms along with the schools settings restrict students from wearing the style of clothing of their desire. Students lose their freedom to choose and right of personal expression. Losing these rights may cause students to retaliate in extreme ways using piercings, extreme hair styles, and even tattoos. John Adams Middle School in Los Angeles, California requires their students to wear uniforms. Most students felt that the uniforms were restricting of their personal style and that the dark blue bottoms were dangerous because the color could be mistaken to be part of a gang, or involved in something that is gang related. School uniforms causing students to dress the same every day, along with dressing like everyone around them, may make students feel uncomfortable in their own skin. Students can also lose confidence in their appearance because the uniforms are plain. Forcing school uniforms may depress students and it may impair their academic performance causing grades to fall. â€Å"When you’re young you hate the fact that you have to dress like everyone else because you feel like each person is different and each person has their own style. I personally didn’t like uniforms in high school but only because I was forced to wear them and there was no way for the guys to make it their own style like the girls†. (Davis) Another fact is that school uniforms don’t always guarantee safety. If a school enforces uniforms, it’s easier for intruders to blend in and potentially take over the school with weapons and injure students and faculties. Also, they don’t prevent bullying because the uniform itself won’t keep one student from picking on another student, and it may cause students to pick on others even more if their uniform is even a hint off. â€Å"When I was in school, we had to have green pants, and my mom couldn’t afford any so she made me a pair. On the first day of school my teacher made me stand in front of the whole class as an example because they were the wrong shade of green. The rest of the day I got picked on and laughed at by the other kids. † (Matthews) Students from wealthy families have valuables including smart phones or expensive jewelry. While school settings provide protection from damage and theft of clothing, they do not provide protection of personal items. Katelyn, a student at John Adams Middle School, at a point in time received a pearl necklace, and a ring that was passed down from one generation to the next. While at school, in P. E. a group of girls were going through personal belongings in the locker room. The jewelry was stolen and the school refused to pull all of the students to check for the missing items. School uniforms blocks the self-expression of students, makes them uncomfortable, and doesn’t guarantee 100% safety. Bullying can, and more than likely, will still take place among high school students. If students continuously dress the same, they may feel as if teachers and faculty want everyone to be the same, and they may feel uncomfortable with being like everyone. Blocking a student’s self-expression can lower their self-esteem and they may feel like no matter how hard they try they will never be good enough. Works Cited Davis, Chad. Telephone interview. 08 Sept. 2012. Matthews, Deionte. Personal interview. 08 Sept. 2012. Pros Cons of School Uniforms. School Uniforms Pros and Cons. N. p. , n. d. Web. 06 Sept. 2012. http://www. proconlists. com/list/education/school-uniforms/35. Pros and Cons of School Uniforms. LoveToKnow. N. p. , n. d. Web. 06 Sept. 2012. http://kids. lovetoknow. com/wiki/Pros_and_Cons_of_School_Uniforms.

The importance of Pompeii today Essay Example for Free

The importance of Pompeii today Essay QNo1:1a: The volcanic eruption results in the loss of people’s life and home making their families helpless and homeless. Sometimes it destroys the village under the ash or lava. 1b: On the 24th August in the year AD 79, the people of Pompeii were going about their business in the usual way. Suddenly it grew dark a great was leaving the top of mountain. The people of Pompeii started to run out of the town, but more than 2000 of them didn’t get for. Stones and cinders began to fall on the town and the town was completely buried. 1c: The importance of Pompeii today is that the Italian government has very carefully cleared away the volcanic matter to uncover public buildings, private houses, shops and market places. We can see where people lived and how they live and can make a picture depicting of their culture. From the body of a Roman soldier which was found by the archaeologist we can, today, understand the people of that time and the things they possessed at that time. 1d: The people who have been living near volcanoes know the merits of the soil formed by the condensation of the matter erupted by the volcanoes, how fertile that is. 1e: Tristan da Cunha was a living island which had erupted many time and forced people to leave their places. The volcano was dormant. QNo3: (i) Erupting – suddenly coming out of something – volcano has started erupting. (ii) Cinders – a piece of material that is left after something such as wood or coal has burned – the ash is occupied from cinders. (iii) Extinct – a volcano that is unlikely to erupt – extinction is a fact of living. (iv) Dormant – something that is not active – the volcanoes after losing capability of Eruption become dormant. (v) Lava – a kind of rock which comes out of volcano in the form of a very hot liquid lava after cooling becomes solid rocks. QNo4: A Country I Would Like To Visit I have a craving to go to a foreign country. The very thought sends a wave of thrill in me. I feel that a visit to some foreign country will add to my knowledge of men and manners and I shall be able to know more of the world and its geography. There are a number of countries where people generally go. There is U.S.A., the richest country of the world. It is a land of skyscrapers, crime and affluence, to is said that out of every two families there one has got a car. There is the United Kingdom, whose inhabitants ruled over India for over a century and fleeced her of all her wealth. There is Russia—a super power, the leader, of the countries with Communist ideology. Japan, too, is a country which has fascination for some. Japan is once again making rapid strides towards industrialization after the mishap of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During the Second World-war two American bombs had razed them to the ground and brought Japan to her knees. Germany, too, is advancing rapidly towards industrialization. Which country I would most like to visit? Well, I have no particular fascination for the United Kingdom. The reason is simple enough. I have heard so much about the country from my friends and relatives who have been there that I feel there would be nothing new for me to see. The visit to Russia is out of question. Undoubtedly, Russia is a great country. She has made great progress in science and technology. Yet its way of life is not congenial to my taste. It is a Communist country. There is no liberty of speech. Adverse criticism is not tolerated. The country I would most like to go is the U.S.A. Not that it is a rich country. The Americans are the best people in the world. There is no formality in their behaviour. If India is now able to tide over her problem  it is all due to American help. Food grains worth billions were imported from that country and the food problem is all but solved. It is also helping the country with the technical knowhow in some of the major industries. The Americans also speak the English language which I can speak and write with ease. I have therefore, decided to go to America as and when I get an opportunity to do so. QNo5 : (i) Friend: Hey, I told you about that problem. Me: Which one? Friend: About my dad’s broken car. Me: Yeah. So? Friend: What should I do now? Me: What can I say May be you should talk to your dad about it. Friend: Shall I lie to him? Me: No. Just don’t make this situation worst by lying to your dad about it. Friend: So? Me: Go and tell him the truth. Tell him what happened and how that happened. Tell him that it was neither yours nor the opposite driver’s fault but because of the slippery road. Friend: Will that be ok? Me: Yeah. I think so. Friend: Okay. Thanks brother for the advice. (ii) Mother: Vacations are not about sleeping late and watching TV all day. You can take up photographs, learn an instrument, learn judo Son/Daughter: I really worked hard for my exam. I do want to rest. Mom: Okay. I know but I will not allow you to watch TV all day and do nothing. Son/Daughter: But mom Mother: No. I don’t want to listen anything now. Son/Daughter: Ok fine. I’ll do something but not today, by tomorrow, I promise. Mother: Are you lying to me? Son/Daughter: How can I! Mother: Okay. But only today you can keep being lazy. Son/Daughter: Thank You! You are the sweetest mom in the world. Mother: Okay Okay Now stop buttering. QNo7: (i) the, a (ii) a, a, an, a, the, the, the, the QNo8: (i) to help (ii) playing (iii) to catch (iv) cooking (v) to work (vi) driving (vii) to go (viii) lending (ix) to buy (x) listening QNo9: 1 were. 2 had prepared. 3 arrived. 4 discovered. 5 had reserved. 6 had not had. 7 had given. 8 had also misunderstood. 9 required. 10 suspected.

Demand For Electricity

Demand For Electricity INTRODUCTION If future demand for electricity is to be matched by adequate supply, then it is essential that models are built for estimating accurately, what the future demand for electricity is likely to be. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary that the factors affecting electricity demand are clearly indentified and quantified. It is even more crucial in the case of energy industries because, future energy demand requires investment spending today (due to their huge capital investment requirement and long lead time).[1] In other words, if a country should underestimate its future electricity demand, then it would most likely not make adequate capital investment in the present time which would then result in a shortage of electricity supply (when compared to demand) in the future. One of the most influential factors affecting the demand for electricity is the price of electricity.[2] The price of electricity has since been incorporated into the majority of electricity demand models.[3] This paper tries to examine the effects of the price of electricity in the UK on its own electricity demand. The focus here is to determine the price elasticity of demand for the period 1980-2008 (annual time series data) by the use of a loglinear regression model. The research paper will take the following format. Chapter one is the introduction, chapter two will be the literature review, chapter three will focus on the modelling approach and data analysis and chapter four will be the conclusion and findings. LITERATURE REVIEW Price Elasticity According to economic theory there is an inverse relationship between the price of energy and the quantity of energy demanded. As energy prices rise the quantity of energy demanded falls and vice versa. Given that all other factors are held constant[4]. Economic theory further postulates that the demand for energy is not as responsive to the changes in energy prices as compared to other commodities that are more responsive to their individual prices[5]. Economists define price elasticity as consumers sensitivity to price changes or the degree of responsiveness of changes in quantity demanded to changes in prices and is given by the formula below as: Since price elasticity is the ratio of two percentages, we therefore do not express it in any unit. Price elasticities are usually negative this is due to the inverse relationship between demand and price. Demand elasticities are mainly of two types which are; elastic and inelastic. If the values of elasticity of demand fall within the absolute values of 0 to 1 then demand is said to be inelastic and this can be interpreted thus as a change in price results in a less than proportionate change in quantity demanded. On the other hand if the values of elasticity of demand equals to the absolute value of one or above one, then demand is said to be elastic. In the case where elasticity of demand is equal to the absolute value of 1, it is interpreted as; a change in price leads to a proportionate change in quantity demanded. If the elasticity of demand is greater than the absolute value of 1 then it is interpreted thus as: a change in price results in a more than a proportionate change in quantity demanded. For example in the inelastic range, if price increases by 10 percent on a commodity with a price elasticity of -0.3 then the demand for the good falls by only 3 percent. However, in the case of the elastic range, a commodity with an elasticity of -2.0 would face a fall in demand of 20 percent, if price was to increase by 10 percent. This relationship can be further illustrated in the figure below. Figure 1: Relationship of supply and demand with two demand curves Figure 1 shows a supply curve (S1) and two demand curves which have different elasticities of demand (D1 and D1). D1 is more elastic than D1 (i.e. less steeper). At equilibrium, the supply curve S1, with both demand curves D1 and D1, have a common equilibrium price and quantity at P1 and Q1.Now, let us now assume that the supply curve shifts to the left due to say an increase in the cost of production (i.e. the price of coal used to generate electricity). Then, the new equilibrium point will depend on the nature of the demand curve that is used as shown in figure 2. If the demand curve is relatively elastic at (D1), then prices will rise and demand will fall by a much larger amount when compared to the more inelastic demand curve (D1). Note here that with the inelastic demand curve, the price and quantity demanded (P2 and Q2) are much larger than in the case of a more elastic demand curve at (P2 and Q2). In reality this can be explained by the fact that, if the demand for a commodity is inelastic then, any increase in costs (for example generation costs as mentioned above) can easily be passed on to the consumers without much reduction in supply, hence the larger price. On the other hand if the demand for the commodity were to be elastic then only a much smaller portion of the cost increase would be passed on to the consumer. Figure 2: Shows the effects of a shift in the Supply Curve We can also see the effects of a shift in the demand curve on price and quantity. If we assume that demand curves were to shift outward to the right (i.e. increases) from (D1 to D2) and (D1 to D2) while supply is held constant then with a more elastic demand curve the equilibrium price and quantity (P2 and Q2) would be much lower than if demand were to be inelastic (i.e. P2 and Q2). Figure 3: Effects of a shift in the Demand Curve From the three above illustrations it is quite clear that the resulting impact of changes in supply or demand on equilibrium price and quantity will vary in accordance to the nature of product elasticity. Price elasticities can be used to show how consumer demand responds to changes in price as well as the ease at which individuals can switch over to a substitute, when commodity prices go up. A consumer who has a fixed income has three options of responding to price changes in the short term; (a the consumer can switch over to a substitute; b) they can purchase less of the commodity without any additional purchase of a substitute; or (c he or she can still buy the same quantity of good while reducing his or her consumption of other commodities that make up their total expenditure. In the case of electricity the degree at which it can be substituted is very limited. Electricity can be used mainly for heating, lightening or a wide range of electric appliances such as (computers, television sets, printers, irons etc.). In the case of heating, a consumer may substitute the use of electricity for natural gas (and in the case of less developed countries may even substitute it for it for kerosene or firewood). However, the consumer also has the option of switching over to an appliance that uses a more energy conserving source. For end uses such as power supply for television sets, electricity has no substitutes. The consumer also has the option of purchasing a more efficient television set and maintaining the same level of service while using less electricity. Replacing appliances such as television sets may involve the change of a relatively expensive appliance and as such would take some time to do so. Since, this will involve a first initial capital outlay which i n turn depends on the income of the consumer, frequency of wage payment and payment of bills schedules etc. The time period required by consumers to substitute a relatively expensive appliance in response to higher energy prices is usually referred to as the long-run adjustment time period. On this the basis of this analysis, it is expected that the price elasticity of demand is usually inelastic in the short run and more elastic in the long run. This is because in the short run the consumers options of responding to higher electricity prices are limited i.e. he is restricted to reactions such as, reducing his or her level of appliance utilisation (for example running the heater for lesser hours of the day) or reducing his expenditure on other commodities to maintain the same level of electricity consumption. In the long run however, his options of responding to high energy prices are increased compared to the options he had in the short run. In the long run the consumer can fully respond to price changes by the purchase of appliances that are more efficient and/or the purchase of appliances that use a cheaper energy source. That is why in the long run elasticities tend toward a more elastic range than in the short run. Earlier Literature on Price Elasticity of Electricity Demand Earlier literature on electricity demand has revealed that the price elasticity of demand for electricity is relatively inelastic in the short run and tend to be relatively more elastic in the long run. The previous works written on price elasticity of demand are far too much to be fully discussed in this research. Therefore we shall focus on only the summary of a few. Taylor (1975) wrote one of the first literatures on electricity demand surveys. After carrying out reviews on various existing studies of commercial, industrial and residential electricity demand, he reported the following: (a in the case of residential demand for electricity, short term price elasticity ranged from -0.13 to -0.90 while long run price elasticities ranged from near 0 to -2.0. In the case of commercial demand, price elasticities were valued at -0.17 for the short run and -1.36 for the long run[7]. Boone kamp (2007) using the bottom up model on an annual data series for the period 1990-2000 reported that the household long term price elasticity ranged from -0.09 to 0.13[8]. Pouris (1987) conducted an analysis for the elasticity of demand for electricity for South Africa using data for the period (1950-1983) and determined that the long term price elasticity of electricity demand for the period was -0.90.[9] Bjoner and Jensen (2002) using a loglinear fixed effects model on panel data for the period of (1983-1996) discovered that short term price elasticity to be -0.479.[10] Filippini and Pachuari (2002) using a loglinear model on a monthly household panel data series discovered that the household short term price elasticity for electricity ranged from -0.16 to 0.39.[11] Zimmerman and Bohi (1984) carried out a detailed review of existing studies of energy demand. They reported that general consensus figures for residential price elasticity of electricity were -0.2 in the short run and -0.7 in the long run. The range of estimates in commercial electricity was too volatile to provide any consensus on values.[12] Al Faris (2002) used an error correction model to estimate short term price elasticity for UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain to range from-0.04 to- 0.18.[13] The analysis carried out was based on an annual time series data for the period 1970-1997. Garcia Cerruti (2000) calculated the price elasticity for residential demand for electricity in California to have an estimated mean value of -0.17.[14] In summary, earlier literature show that price elasticity of electricity demand are normally inelastic in the short run and tends to be more elastic in the long run. However, on the whole price elasticity of electricity demand are usually inelastic (i.e. the absolute value of the co-efficient of price elasticity is usually below 1). MODELLING APPROACH AND DATA ANALYSIS According to Lin (2003)[15] he identified that there were three major factors affecting the demand for electricity in any country which were, electricity prices (tariff), GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and population. He went further to say that there were other factors as well contributing to the price of electricity which varied with different countries. Such factors includes nature of weather (i.e. people tend to use more electricity for heating purposes during cold seasons than in hot seasons) and changes in the structure of the economy. Pouris (1987)[16] identified the two major factors affecting the demand for electricity as price and GDP. Using the common independent variables identified by both Lin and Pouris, we have the following model; Log EDt = a + b1LogPEt + b2 LogYt + µEquation Where: EDt = Total electricity demand in period in a given year (Gwh) PEt = Average price of electricity in constant terms for a given year ( £/Kwh) Yt = GDP of country for period t in constant Billion Pounds a = Constant b1 =Price elasticity of electricity demand b2 =Income elasticity of electricity demand  µ= Disturbance term (represents all other factors affecting the demand for electricity) We use the log functional form because it enables us easily determine the price elasticity for electricity demand which is the regression coefficient of price. The price elasticity of demand for electricity is also assumed to be constant.[17] The data used for the period is in constant terms and aggregated at the national level. We express our data in constant terms because we would like to take out the effects of inflation. The data used is aggregated at a national level because it tends to provide a more stable relationship between independent and dependent variables. Pouris (1987)[18] cited Ehrenbergs (1975)[19] work in which he (Ehrenberg) argued that the advances in physical sciences are to a great extent due to the fact that simple relationships (laws) are achievable because they usually account for the collective behaviour of million entities. Pouris (1987) then argued further that, the success of finding laws in social sciences would be in likely areas where behaviour of large individuals or objects can be aggregated. From the above table we can see that the price elasticity of demand for electricity (for the UK) is approximately -0.15 which agrees with economic theory that; (a elasticities of demand are inversely related to price as shown by the negative coefficient of price elasticity and (b price elasticity of demand for electricity tends to be inelastic i.e. having an absolute value below one. Also we do not reject the result due to the high R2 = 0.9688 (co-efficient of determination) and the fact that the result is statistically significant i.e. the absolute t values for real GDP and real electricity prices are above 2. While their (real GDP and real electricity prices) P values are below 5%. The table below shows the data (for U.K.) used in carrying out the regression analysis. The demand for electricity data and average electricity prices were sourced from the Economic and Social Data Services (ESDS) website. While the Real GDP and Consumer prices were obtained from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) website CONCLUSION/FINDINGS The price elasticity of electricity demand for the period (2008-2020) is about -0.15, which is consistent with economic theory that the co-efficient of price elasticities tend to have negative values and that the price elasticities for electricity tend to be inelastic. If we assume that the price elasticity for all organization and individuals in the U.K. lies close to this value (-0.15) and is constant through out time, then such information could have various implications for the economy. Firstly, an inelastic demand for electricity, would mean that there would be little or no government intervention required on the supply side (existing producers and suppliers) to ensure that producers and suppliers of electricity are able to breakeven (recover costs from generated revenue). This is because an inelastic demand for electricity (with respect to price) would mean that whenever there is an increase in demand and producers have to increase their supply in order to match the rising demand, the costs associated with increasing supply can easily be passed on to the consumer. As such, the government could be able to focus on other activities such as the provision and maintenance of public roads, hospital, and schools. Secondly, it would enable the government easily achieve renewable energy targets set in the power generating sector, due to the fact that the potential increases in costs arising from setting renewable energy targets can easily be transferred to the consumer (due to inelastic nature of electricity demand). The government should however ensure that the targets are set in a fair main manner such that the impact of the targets are felt by all power generators in a similar way and that no undue advantage is given to any one single producer due to the implementation of such targets. Furthermore the government should ensure that the targets are set in such a way that it does not increase tariffs too much so that consumers cannot easily afford their bills. Which in turn would then reduce demand drastically (since the consumers in the short run have the option of turning of their appliances) and hence, adversely affect supply as producers may not be able to recover all their fixed cost. If t his effect (rising prices drastically affecting demand) is unavoidable then the government should adopt policies that could assist in improving the disposable income of its citizens. BIBLIOGRAPHY PRIMARY SOURCES SECONDARY SOURCES Books Articles Bin Lin Q. (2003) Electricity Demand in the Peoples Republic of China: Investment Requirement and Environmental Impact at, www.adb.org/Documents/ERD/Working_Papers/wp037.pdf (Last Visited on 26th of April 2010) Mark A. Bernstein and James Griffin (2005) page 2: Regional Differences in the Price-Elasticity of Demand for Energy Pittsburgh U.S.A.: Rand Corporation Mark Lijesen G. The Real-Time Price Elasticity of Electricity in Science Direct Energy Economics 29 (2007) 251 Elsevier at, www.wlsevier.com/locate/eneco (Last Visited on 26th of April 2010) Pindyck 1979, The Characteristics of Energy Demand, in Energy Conservation and Public Policy , (Ed.)J. Sawhill Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Pouris A. (1987) The Price Elasticity of Electricity Demand in South Africa at, http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a739318120 (Last Visited April 2010) Others Bohi, D. (1981) Analysing Demand Behavior A Study of Energy Elasticities, John Hopkins University Press for the Future Inc., Baltimore Ehrenberg A. (1975) Data Reduction: Analysing and Interpreting Statistical Data, Wiley-Interscience, London. Kotze, D. and Cooper, C. (1985) Energy Projections for South Africa, Institute of Energy Studies, Rand Afrikaans University, RSA. Venter, G and Basson, J. (1986) Quo-Vadis, National Non-Nuclear Energy Research in South Africa, Paper Presented in the South African National Committee of World Energy Conference, CSIR Pretoria 9-10, June. Lead Time and Costs EIA/DOE Electricity Market Model (2010) at, www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/assumption/pdf/electricity.pdf (Last Visited April 2010) Subhes B. and Andon B. (unpublished): Domestic Demand for Petroleum Products in MENA countries at, http://www.dundee.ac.uk/cepmlp/gateway/index.php?category=13 (Last Visited on 26th April 2010) Website Economics and Social Data Services website at, http://www.esds.ac.uk/ (Last Visited on 26th April 2010) International Monetary Fund Website at, http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm (Last Visited on 26th April 2010) For Details of Lead Time and Costs see EIA/DOE Electricity Market Model (2010) at, www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/assumption/pdf/electricity.pdf (Last Visited April 2010) Pindyck 1979, The Characteristics of Energy Demand, in Energy Conservation and Public Policy , (Ed.)J. Sawhill Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Pouris A. (1987) The Price Elasticity of Electricity Demand in South Africa at, http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a739318120 (Last Visited April 2010) Mark A. Bernstein and James Griffin (2005) page 2: Regional Differences in the Price-Elasticity of Demand for Energy Pittsburgh U.S.A.: Rand Corporation ID Note 4 Supra Note 4 Supra Note 4 Mark Lijesen G. The Real-Time Price Elasticity of Electricity in Science Direct Energy Economics 29 (2007) 251 Elsevier at, www.wlsevier.com/locate/eneco (Last Visited on 26th of April 2010) Supra Note 3 page 1 Supra Note 8 page 251 Supra Note 8 page 251 Supra Note 4 page 13 Supra Note 8 page 251 Supra Note Bin Lin Q. (2003) Electricity Demand in the Peoples Republic of China: Investment Requirement and Environmental Impact page 5-6 at www.adb.org/Documents/ERD/Working_Papers/wp037.pdf (Last Visited on 26th of April 2010) Supra Note 3 Subhes B. and Andon B. (unpublished): Domestic Demand for Petroleum Products in MENA countries page 10-11,at, http://www.dundee.ac.uk/cepmlp/gateway/index.php?category=13 (Last Visited on 26th April 2010) Supra Note 3 page 1271 ID note 18

John of Gaunt :: Essays Papers

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt was Edward III’s fourth and favorite son, brother of the Black Prince, father of two Queens and the ancestor of the dynasties of Portugal and Spain, and the Stuarts, Tudors, and the Georges. John was a key figure in most major developments during the latter part of the fourteenth century, involved in important and dramatic events both in England and Europe and, in his capacity as a soldier, statesman, and diplomat he appears as one of the dominant figures of his time. Evidence of his greatness is found in the work of chroniclers like Chaucer, a good friend and patron, and Troissart. John was born on March 4, 1340, in Ghent (hence Gaunt) in the city of Flanders, England at a turning point in the social and cultural expansion of Europe and England. Gaunt lived nearly sixty years against a background of debilitating war with France, the Hundred Years War, constant and embittered opposition to the power of the Papacy, epidemics of the plague, and the eventual economic exhaustion of England towards the end of century. By the end of his life in 1399, Gaunt’s own daughters were among the first educated women to emerge in literature. As John consistently encouraged, English became the accepted language of the country. Wyclif’s translation of the Bible, which John had defended in Parliament, began to be accepted, and Chaucer’s use of the vernacular was established in literary circles at Court. John of Gaunt’s life was dominated by war. He played an important part in wars between England and France and between England and Spain. From 1359, when he accompanied Edward III on his last great expedition to France, until his return from Gascony in 1395, he was continually employed in the wars against the French and their allies. He helped the Black Prince to establish English rule over most of southern France during the Hundred Years War. In 1367 John defeated the army of Henry II (later Henry II, king of Castile and Leon). John then temporarily laid a claim to the throne of Castile. Nor was he simply an English war-leader but by reason of his marriage to Constance of Castile in 1372, a European prince with pretensions to a throne of his own that had to be secured by force of arms.

Christopher Columbus :: Christopher Columbus Essays

Christopher Columbus is an amazing figure of past history. He was known as the discoverer of America and the first true American. Recent studies have brought up a question if maybe Christopher Columbus is not the â€Å"hero† we where thought to believe in elementary school. Its is proven that Columbus’ methods of beginning colonies and taking land where cruel and barbaric. Christopher Columbus has turned out to be a different man from what I grew up believing. The first change that was brought to mind was the fashion in which Columbus ascertained the funding and supplies for his initial trip around the other side of the world. Mr. Columbus was quite a sales pitch expert. He wanted to find a passage to China, through unmarked waters. He had to receive funding for the great adventure, which had to be covered by the richest of the rich. The only place he could go would have to be the king of Spain. The fact that Columbus was Italian (a foreigner) he had to definitely make an impression on the king. Another problem was the fact that Columbus had never actually been a captain on a ship, only a passenger. There was also not a huge market for a Trans-Atlantic voyage. The fact that the idea of the world being round was a somewhat new aspect. It was amazing that this trip had started at all. The price of this trip included several boats, manpower, and survival supplies. This was all he needed to do the trip. This was not enough. Christopher wa nted 10% commission on all commerce between his discoveries and the mother country, the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea, permanent position of governor of all new territories, and a long list of other personal demands. Columbus understood the importance of helping others get what they wanted. He presented the royalty with dreams of wealth and glory. He even appealed to their desire to spread their

Drug Abuse Essays -- Drugs Narcotics Research Papers

Drug Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drug Abuse is generally defined as the use of a drug with such frequency that the user has physical or mental harm or it impairs social abilities. The substances that are discussed in this report are called psychoactive drugs; those drugs that influence or alter the workings of the mind, affect moods, emotions, feelings, and thinking processes. Drug Dependence/Addiction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three basic characteristics that indicate that the user is dependent on a drug. First, the user continues to use the drug for an extended period of time. Second, the user finds it difficult to stop using the drug. They may drop out of school, steal, go to jail, lose their jobs, or leave their families in order to keep using. Finally, the user has withdrawal symptoms when drug use is stopped. They may undergo physical pain or mental distress. The drug mimics a natural process in the brain called neurotransmission. This is when a brain cell releases a signal to another brain cell. The signal then returns to the first brain cell. The signal is called a neurotransmitter. One major neurotransmitter is called dopamine, which is involved in feelings of pleasure. When the drug is released into the brain, it blocks the dopamine from returning to the first brain cell. Repeated use changes the brain cells so that normal messages can't be sent between brain cells. The drug must always be present in order for neurotransmissions to take place. The user is only able to feel pleasure from the cocaine rather than the things he/she used to find pleasurable. This is called drug addiction or dependence. Drug Classification Drugs are generally categorized into two groups, stimulants and depressants. Stimulants are drugs that speed up signals through the nervous system. They produce alertness, arousal and excitability. They also inhibit fatigue and sleep. They include the amphetamines, such as cocaine, caffeine, and nicotine. Depressants slow down the signals through the nervous system. They produce relaxation, lowering of anxiety, drowsiness, and sleep. They include sedatives (such as barbiturates, alcohol, and tranquilizers) and narcotics (heroin, morphine, opium, codeine), which dull the mind's perception of pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some drugs are not included in the stimulant/depressant categories. An example is the hallucinogens, such as PCP and LS... ...nclude nausea, diarrhea, and pain, but they vary between drugs. Cocaine users report depression when denied the drug. Since heroin is a very addictive drug, it has many withdrawal symptoms. For example, insomnia, muscle cramps, nausea, sweating, chills, panic, tremors, loss of appetite, yawning, runny nose, and watery eyes. Drug Treatment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A drug addict generally goes through denial before he/she accepts his/her drug addiction. When they are confronted by a family member or friend, they refuse to accept that they are addicted. This is sometimes called a mental block. The user isn't ready or able to deal with thier addiction. The time period of denial varies from person to person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the person has come to accepting their problem, they may go to therapy for treatment. Group therapy has had excellent results. They learn to come to terms with their problem with the support of other people who are going through the same thing that they are. They also learn tools that they can use to help them through the recovery period, such as prayer, excercise, and meditation. Drug abuse is a serious problem, but through treatment and therapy, it can be overcome.

5 Benefits of Facebook

————————————————- 5 Great Benefits of Facebook Fan Pages for Local and Small Businesses Small and Local businesses are discovering the advantages of having a Facebook fan page and are beginning to learn the secrets to attracting new customers and website visitors with simple tricks that are classified as affordable and easy. With some effort, your great plan or product can be become a fan favorite on Facebook! We often hear the old adage, It’s an amazingly small world when coincidences occur or common acquaintances are discovered.With the growing rise in popularity of Facebook, the entire world seems even smaller in recent times, simply because this popular social network connects people around the world, building a global community of shared connections and interests that knows no cultural boundary. Facebook allows users to connect not just with old friends, however with people all over the world who share their interests and passions on fan pages created for them. These fan pages are fundamental to Facebook’s popularity and incorporating one into your marketing plan might just be your ticket to success.With just a few clicks of the mouse, you   can create a Facebook fan page to advertise your product, interest or passion. Without any effort or expense by you, Facebook’s search feature will yield your fan page as being a search outcome and those who share your interest will soon find you. To help get more website visitors to your fan page without any cost, you can spread the concept about your latest page to all your current client database and Facebook connections.Considering that the average Facebook user has 130 friends, there exists nearly endless potential for attracting new individuals to your page simply by reaching over to those you already know and asking them to assist you in making connections. Naturally, you also wi ll want to be sure to promote your fan page on your website, and vice versa. Proven Benefits of Facebook Fan Pages: 1. Attract more traffic to your site through fan page links- People who find you on Facebook will probably be interested enough into your product or service to click on a link that will take them directly to your website. 2.Effortless income potential- Through Facebook’s innovative advertising options, you can make an income by targeting certain demographics and like-minded potential customers for a very low cost. 3. Easier search engine optimization- A Facebook fan page does more than heighten your exposure within a social network; a fan page raises the odds of your name being found quicker on search engines, like Google. 4. Increased customer loyalty- Current customers who follow your Facebook fan page will develop an individual connection to your product or service, particularly if you are diligent about feedback and responses with their posts.Fan pages offer fans chances to post pictures, provide product reviews and with loyal fans to post feedback and comments that may possibly attract others and provide you with priceless insight into the wants and also needs of your projected audience. 5. Get to know your customers- With Facebook’s detailed analytics, you will get entry to valuable specifics about people who follow your fan page, such as their gender, age and also place. Gaining a more rewarding knowledge of the demographics of your respective group of followers can help you more effectively reach particular people with targeted, customizable advertising.Facebook is fast becoming the most popular element that links people from around the world. As friends connect on Facebook, they naturally share information about products and services they normally use and love. That is where a Facebook fan page and its great potential for business owners enters into play. Increasing your global exposure with a fan page for your product or s ervice provides a simple means for people to hook up with you and tell their friends about you.The great thing about a Facebook fan page is the benefits that are available to even the smallest business and it also takes simply passion and purpose to attract fans and initiate to reap all of the benefits Facebook fan pages have to offer. Business owners worldwide depend on Facebook experts for a bunch of their Facebook fan page needs, from Facebook marketing suggestions to information about how to monetize Facebook. Visit us online or call us at 206. 350. 3504 to learn more about the proven advantages of Facebook fan pages and how to use them to get results for your business. ————————————————-Facebook Business Basics (Lesson 1): Facebook Status Updates and How They Work So That You Can Better Understand How to Use Them to Your Advantage October 19, 2011 by  Lisa Santos    ·Ã‚  Leave a Comment 1 Welcome to the first lesson in the Facebook Business Basics Crash Course. Over the next few weekly posts you will receive several lessons that will help you learn a few basic ways that you can build your business and increase your profits with Facebook . In this first lesson let’s talk a little about Facebook status updates and how they work so that you can better understand how to use Facebook to your advantage.Because there are so many social network terms out there, let’s start this lesson by distinguishing early on what a Facebook status actually is. A Facebook status is a post that appears for your contacts to read. Whereas before, Facebook statuses were immediately broadcast for everyone, now there are plenty of privacy settings to protect the person by letting them choose who can actually read their messages. You can also interact through your Facebook status. Friends and other contacts are allowed to comment on the Facebook status or s imply Like the status. Recently, Facebook has added a tagging feature to Facebook statuses.Put @ in the beginning and you are allowed to tag as many as 6 people in a post. Friends and contacts that are tagged will be notified in the same way that they are also notified when somebody else or the status owner has replied a status he   commented on. How are Facebook statuses important for professionals, you may ask? Well, Facebook statuses are what many consider as the very essence of Facebook. Here, customers, potential customers and other interested parties can interact on a particular piece of information in a casual manner that is way more convenient and conversational than email or even Twitter actually will.With Facebook statuses also, almost everyone can join in the conversation (that is if you want them to) which makes for a casual promotion of your product, service or company. The Facebook status is a powerful part of using Facebook for your business. The number of Likes and comments for every Facebook status will help your page climb up in its search engine position. Facebook statuses can also help you with branding efforts. For your Facebook marketing to be successful it is important that you monitor your page carefully, that you keep your status posts enthusiastic and professional at the same time.While it’s tempting to place something instantly catching, hilarious or even shocking, you need to ask yourself first whether this will help the business reputation in the long run or will it just server as temporary entertainment? It is important to optimize Facebook statuses in order to make them more searchable for potential customers. A good feature to use is Facebook status tagging. What makes this so advantageous for business owners is that when you tag affiliated companies in the post, it will also appear on their page. Therefore exposing your company to customers who may be looking at a related site.You can also do this with community pages. When you tag a community page, you will gain access to millions of potential customers who may have the same interests as your business. While it’s important to organize your Facebook status updates, it isn’t recommended that you leave all the work to organizing sites like Hootsuite. Checking through a Profile or Fan Page that are dominated by RSS Feeds is a turnoff for most potential customers. Clients want to feel like they’re interacting with a real person in the company, so be mindful of interaction.We have a lot to go over in the next few days if you want to learn how to use Facebook for your business, so make sure you look for your next lesson soon. We will be talking about how you can use Facebook to attract new customers. ————————————————- —————————————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- ————————————————- ————————————————- Facebook Business Basics (Lesson 2): How To Use Facebook to Attract New Customers 0 It’s time for your second lesson in the Facebook Business Basics Crash Course.I hope you found lesson one informative and that you now have a good understanding of how Facebook statuses work to your advantage. In this lesson we are going to talk about how you can use Facebook to attract new customers. Some business owners ask, why is it important to establish online presence through social networking sites particularly Facebook even when if you already have an official website? Simple, because Facebook is more accessible and to most, more user-friendly than any traditional website will ever be.It gives a sense of friendliness to business that puts prospects at ease and lends a sense of credibility to businesses who have no website to speak of. Aside from this, a Facebook page allows a business to be more interactive with present and potential customers, getting their feedback for everything from product reviews to testimonials. While it may seem scary because you can be given both positive and negative feedback, businesses should not be afraid because with Facebook it can be easily moderated. If you have a mind to you can retain the best feedback and hide the rest.This way, most potential customers will be able to read the positive testimonials of previous customers. Such feedback adds a touch of authenticity to your business, and can entice the potential customer reading it. Furthermore, customers who are tired of traditional online marketing such as email, newsletters and online ads will look to the Facebook page to have their questions answered. Having a Facebook page will give your busin ess access to over 500 Million users without even having to buy e-mail addresses like what traditional email marketing resort to.Interaction isn’t limited to Facebook updates and wall posts though. You can also use Apps to provide photos, notes and videos. When using a Fanpage which is the recommended page for businesses (instead of the more personal profile page), you can change the posting ability of fans which allow them to post photos, videos and links to the page. This way, potential customers will be able to see how other customers use the product or service. Again, this can engage the community to be more interactive as was successfully executed by the Pampers’ Facebook Fanpage.Other companies like Ben & Jerry’s go as far as polling customers. This gives customers a sense of power with regards to their products, which in turn will give them a sense of ownership and acceptance. Facebook is also a great tool to gain audience to promos, special prices and di scounts as in the case of the company rushIMPRINT, who use their page to feature their products for sale. The site easily leads back to their official website as well as their toll free number. Some even use Facebook to give exclusive deals to their customers. This is a good way to gauge the effectively of your page.Various incentives can be given exclusively to Facebook users which aren’t accessible by those who follow you through e-mail, Twitter or your official website. Other companies such as Baskin Robbins develop and use a Facebook application to make their Facebook page more interactive and enticing to customers. Through their account, they’re giving out a very enticing deal, a Buy One, get one promo that most enthusiasts will not surpass. Facebook is an easy tool to master and can add just the right sense of fun, differentiating you and your business from the rest in the market. That’s it for today’s lesson.In your next lesson we will be talking a bout how to use Facebook to advertise your business without spamming. ————————————————- Facebook Business Basics (Lesson 3): How You Can Use Facebook to Advertise Your Business Without Spamming November 18, 2011 by  Lisa Santos  Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Leave a Comment 0 It’s time for your third lesson in the Facebook Business Basics Crash Course. Today let’s talk about how you can use Facebook to advertise your business without spamming. Using Facebook as the means for free advertising is probably one of the wisest moves any business person can make in this competitive marketing age.As we have been discussing Facebook offers plenty of opportunities for the business owners to launch develop and grow through its influential social network. Through Facebook, you can actually choose who to target just as easily as a paid system such as Google Ads does. Through Facebook, you can choose the location, interests, relationship status, gender, age and location of your target market. What a convenient way to start your marketing strategy online! The best part is that it can actually be free if you want it to be. Facebook gives you the option of running free or paid promotions.The paid aspect is through Facebook’s formal ads. Now, how do you run free promotions? Why, through your personal network, of course, or through your fan page. If you’re launching a product, service or brand, it is recommended to have a formal fan page. Nevertheless, personal connections such as friends, friends of friends, acquaintances and relatives will help greatly in building your business social network. Wall updates, photos, notes, group discussions and basically any other posts will help the product or service stay top-of-mind.As I mentioned in your last lesson, prospective customers want companies to have enthusiastic and informative updates. Tip: Don’t make the mistake of barraging your customers or potential customers with too many Facebook updates at one time, or worse, continuously flood their Facebook walls with the same message placed several times. Spamming is annoying no matter who does it, so take care that you avoid doing that to your friends and fans. The best way to avoid spamming others, however intentional or unintentional, is to choose your target market well.Nobody wants to receive a wall post that is a generic message of a product they’re not even interested in. You can control who sees your message by researching the person’s likes or dislikes which may be apparent in their profile page or you may also ask from a personal contact. You can even check out organizations or groups that they are affiliated with online which are related to your business or industry. Another way to place a wall post in that isn’t tantamount to spamming is to place it like a personal message. The less generic the message is,   the better.You may start with something like, ‘Hi. I just saw from your profile that you like Ice Cream and I though you may be interested in a free sample of our Homemade Ice Cream. ’ If this strategy is a bit too forward for you, then work on making Facebook applications that can insert advertisements into them or better yet, try Social Ads. Demographically speaking, these two are more effective and less time consuming than having to analyze your customers one by one. That’s it for today’s lesson. In your next lesson we will talk about using Facebook and Twitter together for your business. u are here:  Home  / Advertising ————————————————- Facbook Advertising for Local Business: 5 Benefits You Can Receive From It November 3, 2012 by  Lisa Santos  Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Leave a Comment Facebook Advertising Local Business You’ve probably read this a million times, but one of the best things you can do to boost your business’ online performance is to participate in the world of social media. And what HOT social media platform do you know that can help you with that? Facebook of course! =) Facebook is your best avenue to start on this journey of advertising.It offers a lot of features that are especially helpful for  local business  owners like yourself. If you aren’t making use of  Facebook advertising  and timeline pages (aka fan pages), then you should be, no matter how small or localized your business is. Here are five benefits for  local business  from  Facebook advertising: ————————————————- 1) Highly targeted marketing – Facebook Advertising Local Business One of the best things about Facebook ads is that you can specify exactly who you want to view your ads, based o n things like age, interests, and geographic location.For example, if you run a mobile salon business, you may opt to target your ads to women in your area who have expressed an interest in beauty, hair care, fashion, and salons. ————————————————- 2) The Snowball Effect – Facebook Advertising Local Business Basically, any time someone clicks on your ad and lands on your page, they have the option of â€Å"liking† your page if they are pleased with what they find. Any time someone likes your page, that activity shows up in that person’s newsfeed.This means that all of that person’s friends are exposed to your page and have the option of liking it themselves. Facebook ads are a great way to attract attention to your page and gain fans on an exponential level. ———————————à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- 3) Broader Reach – Facebook Advertising Local Business The numbers don’t lie: Facebook is the world’s highest ranking website, and is viewed on a global scale. You may have a small local business, but there is no question that if you sell a product, your business could benefit greatly from having a broader reach. ) Smart Phone Users – Facebook Advertising Local Business Most people these days access the web from their smart phones on a regular basis. By using Facebook advertising, you are making your presence known to local smart phone users who only search for businesses while on the go. 5) Customization – Facebook Advertising Local Business In addition to the previously mentioned targeting, Facebook ads also allow for a lot of flexibility when it comes to customizing ads to your liking, especially when compared to Google ads (a very common advertising platform that you are likely already using).For example , the ability to have longer descriptive text and the ability to add images allows you create ads that best suit your needs and marketing goals. To make the most of your social media marketing, contact the professionals. We at  LS Virtual Assistant Services  can help take your Internet presence to the next level. Contact us by phone, at 757-204-5782, or  contact here. Filed under  Advertising,  Facebook,  Facebook Marketing  Ã‚ · Tagged with  facebook ads,  facebook advertising,  facebook advertising local business,  Local Business ————————————————- Ways to Boost Up Your Facebook Fan Activity October 26, 2012 by  Lisa Santos  Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Leave a Comment Got a fan page for your business but it’s lifeless? Well, it’s time to shake things up on your fan page. With the popularity of social media sites like Facebook, there is a new way to mar ket: it’s interactive. You no longer have to figure out creative ways to relay messages that will somehow get peoples’ attention, and then sit back and hope it’s working. By marketing through social media sites like Facebook, you get to hear your customers’ reactions first-hand, and can tweak your marketing efforts accordingly.In my post today, I’m going to cover 5 ways you can wake up your fans and get them interacting on your fan page. Here we go†¦ The first way is by  interacting on other fan pages. Why is this important? Because you want to build credibility on Facebook and in order to do that you need to be an active participant on other fan pages related to your niche or business. Simply get involved in serious discussions, post useful bits of information, or even show your support for the page and people will reciprocate by participating more on your fan page.The second way is through  interactive type Apps. There are numerous apps on Facebook that are helpful in building up your fan page activitiy. An example of one is the â€Å"Fan of the Week† app which actually keeps track of your fans’ participation and acknowleges your top fan of each week. People love being recognized and this app will surely encourage your fans to keep hanging out on your fan page more often. The third way is very simple. Be GENUINE! Make your communication human and not like a robot. Be yourself. Interact on a personal level with your fans and they will respond.The fourth way is through  Fan Page partnerships. Get with other fan page owners and promote each other’s fan pages. You can promote other fan pages by sharing their pictures and posts, and by linking to their pages from your own page. And finally, another way, is by  having a contest. Create a contest of some sort and provide your fans with a chance to win a prize, based on their participation. You can set it up any way you like. It can be anything lik e a photo contest or answering a silly question and then advertise the prize and the deadline date.As you can see, there are some very simple ways you can take action on to increase your Facebook fan activity. If you want to get the most out of your social media marketing, contact the professionals. We at LS Virtual Assistant Services can be reached by phone, at (757)204-5782, or reach us on our  contact form. Filed under  Facebook,  Facebook Fan Pages,  Facebook Marketing  Ã‚ · Tagged with  faccebook activity,  facebook fan page activity,  increase fanpage activity ————————————————- How to Make Your Facebook Timeline Posts Stand Out May 1, 2012 by  Lisa Santos  Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Leave a CommentIt seems that the new Facebook format, Timeline, really has people in arms. But don’t people always complain any time Facebook makes format changes? The truth is, F acebook Timeline has some great new features that truly broaden the Facebook user experience . . . and Timeline is not going anywhere. As of today, Facebook users will have no choice but to learn and adapt to Timeline since most all profiles have been converted. One great thing you can do with your Timeline is to make your most important posts (of your choosing, of course) stand out amongst the rest of your posts.How do you accomplish this? Read on for step by step instructions: Timeline Highlight. The new feature that allows you showcase any and every post you want to call special attention to is called â€Å"Highlight. †Ã‚   Highlight is super easy to access and use, as you will see in this breakdown. (Side note: the Highlight feature applies to Facebook fan pages only. The same feature is actually called â€Å"Feature† on standard profile pages. However, both Highlight and Feature work the same way. ) How does Timeline â€Å"highlight† your posts? Basically, when you choose a post to highlight, that post is xpanded to the full width of your screen (or the full width of the Timeline, that is). Where is the Highlight feature? This is easy. Simply hover your mouse around the upper right hand corner of your post and two buttons will appear: a star and a pencil. The star is your Highlight button. The highlighting process. Click on the star. Yes, that’s it. If you make a mistake and highlight the wrong post, or if you have a change of heart and decide that a post you highlighted is unworthy, simply click the Highlight star again to remove the highlighting.What can you highlight? Anything you post on Facebook may be highlighted. This means status updates, photos, videos, Timeline events, and much more. As a matter of fact, you may use Highlight to customize the look of your page in any way you like; for example, you may opt to highlight every one of your posts if you prefer that your page fans have a large, simplified view of everything you post. Facebook’s new Highlight feature can be a powerful marketing tool, if you know how to use it. To make the most of your social media marketing, contact the professionals.We at LS Virtual Assistant Services can help take your Internet presence to the next level. Contact us by phone, at 757-204-5782, or use our  contact form  here. Filed under  Facebook,  Facebook Marketing,  Facebook Timeline  Ã‚ · Tagged with  facebook timeline,  facebook timeline highlight feature,  highlight posts in facebook,  powerful marketing tool,  social media marketing ————————————————- The Importance of Using Customized Facebook Pages that are Built to Capture Leads February 7, 2012 by  Lisa Santos  Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Leave a CommentMost business owners understand that fresh leads ultimately means more business. Therefore, having a powerful, steady stream of lead p ouring into your business is not an option – it’s a must. One way to accomplish this is with a customized Facebook Fan page that is built to specifically capture leads. I’m sure you’re heard of Facebook†¦ Yes, that site that currently has over 750 BILLION users? That’s it. Any smart business knows they need to have a strong presence on Facebook if they want to continue to grow and prosper. How does a lead capture Fan page work?Let’s say a business prospect lands on your lead capture Fan page because it’s clean, attractive, and professional-looking. They get just enough information to pique their interest so they decide to take your free offer in exchange for their email address. They now want to know more about you and decide to venture over to your website to get even more information†¦ Not only that, but now that you have their email address, you can start communicating with them on a regular basis and work on converting t hem into a customer. Can you see how this process can end up giving you an endless stream of new leads?Ensure that your business is on the front lines. A sleek, real-time and inspirational Fan page will draw in customers who did not know they needed what you have to offer. Put your advertising dollars in the right place. As a savvy business owner, harness the energy of social media fans who will â€Å"like† your business. When you customize your Fan page, whether you are a small business, non-profit or service industry, your web presence and reputation will catapult your bottom line to high profits and product longevity. Nothing motivates people more than liking what their friends like.When you use customized Fan pages to capture leads through social marketing, your business is sure to be a winner. Filed under  Facebook,  Facebook Fan Pages,  Facebook Marketing  Ã‚ · Tagged with  customized fan pages,  facebook fan pages,  facebook pages,  lead capture fan pag es,  lead capture pages ————————————————- Facebook: The Real Power Of â€Å"People See – People Do† January 24, 2012 by  Lisa Santos  Ã‚ ·Ã‚  Leave a Comment In case you haven’t noticed, just about everyone is online these days doing a thousand different things.From paying bills, to arranging travel, to shopping for a new home, people spend a LOT of time online. People are even using the Internet more than ever to keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers. Not only do they keep in touch with each other, but they recommend products and services that they like. For instance, when one person â€Å"likes† a product or service, they let other people know about it and they, in turn, â€Å"like† the product or service too. On Facebook, businesses build followers by getting them to â€Å"Like† their Facebook Fan pages. Imagi ne omeone being in love with your product or service†¦ so they tell everyone they know. Then, they come to your Fan page and â€Å"Like† you and now they get all of your promotions and become loyal customers. The process becomes viral and continues to go on and on†¦ Business owners are becoming aware that they also need to be online in a major way to capitalize on social network usage amongst consumers. It is a fact that your business success strongly relies on a solid, reputable online existence. If you do not have a customized landing page you are actually losing out on business.Your gross income is probably sagging if you are a small business owner without an online fan base or ability to capture leads. Imagine how much traffic you can send to your website if you provide surveys for your customers about that new product you want to launch? Not only will you get real-time data for market analysis, but your customers will be delighted and relieved to know they can find you, their friend, online 24/7. If you really want to effectively allocate your marketing and advertising dollars wisely, get a Fan page setup and start a viral explosion amongst your satisfied customers.