Thursday, October 31, 2019

ENGINEERING ECONOMY & GEO-RESOURCE EVALUATION AND INVESTMENT ANALYSIS Term Paper

ENGINEERING ECONOMY & GEO-RESOURCE EVALUATION AND INVESTMENT ANALYSIS - Term Paper Example Highlight of the events in the stock vs. commodity graph 8.4. Explanation of each of the 10 key events 9. Summary 10. Conclusions 1. Abstract (summary of the report) This project is about reporting the performance of a company’s events versus its variation in stock value. It studies ten key events in Exxon Mobil, which is the company of choice. This study is done through the history of Exxon Mobil, highlighting the ten events and then narrowing down into five of the events (Coll, 2012). The events are about the important management of the Economy of the company and the behavior of the company stock in the stock market. The report will culminate into data analysis in which it will show the values of the stock found during the semester. It will have the inclusion of the discussion supporting this pattern of behavior of the stock price during the same period and in the previous year. 3. Introduction Exxon Mobil Oil Company is the largest among the major oil companies vertically i ntegrated in the New York Stock Exchange. Its stock is the second best in the global domain and hence it is the second largest revenue contributor in the region. In the year 2010, Exxon Mobil generated total revenue of 30.50 billion US Dollars, growing by 57 percent from the previous year 2009 (Okada & Adelman, 2012). Its Stock Exchange name is XOM. ExxonMobil is a collection of six global major oil-trading organizations, which does oil exploration, production, refinery and sales of gas and oil. The six companies in the group include ChevronTexaco, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips and Total. ExxonMobil has been consistent in its production of the largest revenue returns on invested capital and income. In 2009, it produced return on investment of 63% (Russell and Angel, 2011). It diversifies its revenues and continues to expand by introducing its natural gas capacity. It does this through the acquisition of shale deposits, exploration of oil sands increasing its geographical cov erage. Even though ExxonMobil has all these strengths, its performance is highly determined by the market performance and the decisions by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). OPEC controls the oil prices of all oil trading countries by keeping the base (40%) of oil crude oil stock in the whole world (Okada & Adelman, 2012). It is also affected by the environmental factors affecting the production of natural gas and oil. Its geographical coverage is also very expensive to create and maintain. The other factors include threats from alternative energy supply including bio-fuels. 3.1. History and Background of the company In 2010, ExxonMobil generated revenue of 30.5 billion US Dollars, which was an increase of 57% from the previous year 2009. The dramatic increase was because of the massive crude oil supply and the realization of natural gas. Additionally, ExxonMobil recorded a capital of 32.2 billion US Dollars including exploration costs. It distributed more than 19 billion US Dollars to its shareholders in form of dividends and buy back of shares. At the end of the year 2010, ExxonMobil had a reserve base of oil of 24.8 billion barrels. It had upstream revenue of 75.1 percent. This segment was involved in the E and P program (Exploration and Production). The total revenue from gas and oil in 2010 was 24.1 billion US Dollars (Coll, 2012). In the same year, it had a downstream earning of 11.1 percent. The downstream segment was used in the refinery and marketing of natural gas as well as oil. It earned a total of 3.6 billion US

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Roles and Responsibilities of a Teachers Essay Example for Free

Roles and Responsibilities of a Teachers Essay Roles ,Responsibilities, boundaries and Relationship of teachers with other professional. * Roles and Responsibilities of a teachers in life long sector. In my view ,followings should be the roles and responsibilities of a teacher of numeracy /math, Physics, and ICT at adults level. 1. One of the responsibilities of someone who is thinking about going into teaching in the lifelong learning sector would be to gain the skills, which are required for the subject , in which he/she intend to teach and make sure that the/she have relevant literacy, numeracy and ICT skills and preferably the qualifications. 2. A teacher must make communication in easy and simple words so that all the learners can understand easily. He should communicate by lowering his own level at the level of the learners. A teacher should be very clear and concise in his ideas .Words and language with dual meanings or ambiguous language should not be used. He/she should be Generous with advice and guidance. Teachers should adjust their teaching style to meet individual needs of students. 3. A teacher should enter into the classroom with full preparation and in depth knowledge of the subject .He/she should plan the sessions and prepare the teaching materials with great care. It should be the responsibility of a teacher to make sure that all handouts, lesson plans, presentations and any other writing is always spellchecked as any spelling mistakes will reflect on the learners. He/she should use the modern technology in preparation of this material. It should be attractive, creative and inspiring. 4. Sometimes, the behaviour of learners demonstrates that something is not going right. Therefore, I think ,I as a teacher must pay attention to any suspicious sings that could bother the learners. As teacher must be my responsibility to find out what is going on with the learners in the classroom 5. A teacher should be inspiring , patient and must not preach. 6. A teacher should attend and contribute team meetings, section meetings, tutor and area team meetings where applicable. 7. A teacher should work closely with colleagues in developing and improving the current curriculum offer for programs of teaching. 8. A teacher partake in marketing and recruitment activities including open evenings, school tasters and visits, student profiling for publications, interview, induction, awards evenings, result day and enrolment. 9. A teacher should identify students weaknesses and should be able to plan a strategy to assist them with it. 10. A teacher should encourage students to discuss the chosen topic/method not only with the teacher but also amongst themselves . Teachers should create effective and stimulating opportunities for learning through high quality teaching that enables the development and progression of all learners 11. A teacher should assess various learning styles within the group and identify the methods by which various learners can understand better. And method should be easy and updated. 12. A teacher must try to make sure that all students have equal rights and safe learning environment where they are able to build a trusting and honest relationship. Teachers should value all of their learners individually and equally .A teacher should be professional yet sympathetic to the learner’s needs. Teachers should give students an environment to learn on their own without putting them in a box and sayingyou belong here because of your age, etc. 13. A teacher should be friendly with the learners, but he/she must remember that the learners should not be his/her friends. 14. The teacher needs to show respect toward the students so the students also respect the teacher 15. A teacher should complete attendance records and maintain the records of learners progress e.g. interviews, tutorials, assessments. 16. A teacher must not give false advice but a constructive and accurate one. 17. A facilitator must be organiser, analyst, administrator, media designer, tutor, team player, communicator, assessor, group leader and presenter. 18. A teacher should actively participate in continuous professional development appropriate for the development of programs and career of a teacher as a member of college staff. 19. And most of all, the perfect teacher, is the teacher that doesnt think himself/herself perfect. * Boundaries of the teachers in life long sector.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Fordism and Post-Fordism: Concepts of Capitalism

Fordism and Post-Fordism: Concepts of Capitalism Understanding Dawn Dusk:  The Evolution of Capitalism from the Perspectives of Fordism and Post-Fordism. The pursuit of profit was not a science born perfect. Instead, as one technological or organizational invention after another led to ever increasing rates of incremental improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the enterprise. These improvements either reduced the cost structure, increased the market demand or both. It was just such an ‘incremental’ improvement in the early twentieth century that led Henry Ford and his Model T to begin an era of ‘namesake’ capitalism that dominated until the 1980’s and persists even today. The methods that began the period of capitalism known as Fordism was not so much just the additional of an assembly line but rather a line that moved to the worker rather that the other way around. This technology of this method was not new, having been utilized in Chicago slaughterhouses since at least the 1890’s but it was the first time that it have been used on such a scale to consumer goods with the end effect of making the automobile affordable. Perhaps even more importantly, the application of this method to automobile production, enabled the use of additional organizational technologies to be deployed. For example, bottlenecks and other production issues could be readily identified and solved and it became possible for a smaller number of managers to ‘control’ the output of a larger group of workers (Grint, 1991, p. 294-295; Clarke, 1992, p. 17). Because of the organizational paradigm shift, these methods were quickly and successfully adopted at other companies in a many different industries. Together, changes introduced in technology and management paved the way to broader sociological changes. At the heart of these was the rise of â€Å"management† as controlling influence upon workers. While Taylorism implemented strict measures of control and efficiency to the workers, the organizational impact of Fordism harnessed individual productivity back into the firm. In some ways, practices at the Ford Motor Company were quite progressive such as his â€Å"Five Dollar Day† policy by which workers were paid for their time. While significant from a labor perspective, it also merits commented on based on the fact that this was compensation. Not just â€Å"pay† but rather compensation for becoming a cog in a wheel and a so-called ‘factor of production’ under somewhat harsh conditions. While some might consider Ford to be generous to pay his employees so a sum, others might not that it could also be viewed as a particularly shrewd means to decrease absenteeism, work interruptions, poor quality and perhaps most importantly, as a means to fend off interest in trade unionization by workers. In fact, once instituted, the results were dramatic as the following were observed, â€Å"absenteeism fell from 10% to less than 0.5% turnover fell from nearly 400% to less than 15%. productivity rose so dramatically that despite the doubling of wages and shortening of the workday production costs fell† (Clarke, 1992, pp. 20-21). With regards to organization and sociological implication, in the past, the dominant method of work was the â€Å"craftsman† who was a skilled worker and spent [his] time on creating specialized and unique projects and the family was, in a sense the primary economic unit of production (Pietrykowski, 1999, p. 191). Ford needed relatively few craftsmen but rather he needed many comparatively unskilled workers that were willing to submit to Tayloristic-type management in exchange for â€Å"†¦regularly rising wages†¦ as well as general guarantees of employment security† (Freidman 2000, p. 60). The widespread employment of an emerging American middle class by a growing number of large, vertically integrated oligopolistic firms bred the beginning of mass production. With ever increasing levels of productivity as a result of newer technologies and greater organizational control, more goods were produced at even lower cost levels. Not surprisingly, in return, this bro ught about new levels of mass consumption of mass-produced products by the burgeoning ranks of the working class (Friedman, 2000, pp. 59-60). This produced a cycle that was both self-reinforcing and self-entrenching. As the system of Fordism perpetuated itself, it began to create a bit of a monster. Almost by definition, Fordism is epitomized and stereotyped by very large corporations. For example, General Motors, employing the same tactics as Ford (General Motorism does not have quite the ring to it of Fordism), became the largest corporation in world in the 1950’s to the extent that this one firm had a macroeconomic impact on the US gross national product (think of Wal-Mart today with over $250,000,000,000 in annual sales). These companies that made their profits on economies of scale on the consumption of goods that were mass-produced and mass-consumed until they hit a bit of a ‘speed bump’ in the 1970’s. These speed bumps took on the form of a number of historical events as well as growing trends. For example, the oil crisis of the 1970’s, a wheat shortage and unrest among organized labor groups in addition to a â€Å"saturation of the market in consumer dur ables† let to the beginning of the end of what had came to be known as the Fordism era. The economy-wide, these changes were greatest for the types of companies that profited most from the technological and organizational developments that created them. Thus, the changes for ‘big’ corporate America came about through the combined phenomena of changes in markets and changes in labor, ironic but fitting as the very things that made them were undoing them, or, at least, causing them to learn to re-make themselves as conditions changed (Pietrykowski, 1999, p. 181). As America consumers had consumed about all they could, firms began to logically seek out new markets such as Latin America, Asia or European regions that had yet to be hardly touched with regards to US produced consumer goods. This globalization of business introduced a number of ‘new’ concepts to US firms. Perhaps most importantly, that simply selling the same widget may not be a path to profit. Interestingly enough, the corporate giant General Motors, in the now ubiquitous tale, was one of the first to discover this lesson as management noticed very disappointing sales for the Chevrolet Nova automobile south of the US border. Only later did they learn that â€Å"No va† exactly translates to â€Å"no go†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a hard but valuable lesson as America goes global. Within the borders of the US, it was not that consumers no longer wanted to make purchases, rather, they wanted new products. Listening to the market was not a strength of the Fordist system. As Henry Ford himself said in regards to the Model T, â€Å"†¦ any color you want, as long as its black†, mass production was not noted for being flexible. The idea of flexibility became central to the emergence of what has come to be known as the post-Fordism era. â€Å"Flexibility† is reflected in post-Fordism in a number of ways. In regards to employment, in an effort to cope with changes in demand, corporations began to turn to the notion of flexible employment arrangements in order to avoid the high fixed costs of maintaining a large workforce in times of low demand. This was reflected by a small, core workforce that was supplemented by subcontractors and part-time workers and, temporary workers, if needed (Pietrykowski, 1999, p. 183). This is much in contrast to the masses of employees who, either through the employer or the Union, operated on the premise of life-time employment. Another means by which post-Fordism employed the concept of flexibity in employment was the introduction of ideas such as ‘cross-training’. Rather than having a one person – one specific job mantra, the new era of productivity espoused employees who were trained to do any number of tasks. This flexible functionality in production employees was adopted by companies with the idea of being able to adapt faster to changing demand and by employees in order to enrich jobs and to gain increased employment security (Pietrykowski, 1999, p. 187); Grint, 1991, pp. 296-297). In addition, firms began to outsource non-core functions such as cleaning or security in order to achieve lower costs and reduce the size of bureaucracies often accompanying large companies (Friedman 2000, p. 71). Overall, the change in markets and market pressures as well as the shifts in labor strategies that began to be noticeable in the 1970’s, marked the transition of the dominance of a few oligopolistic firms from a half century reign of mass-production to the current period of ‘mass customization’. Seemingly at odds with one another, the terms â€Å"mass customization† reveal an dynamic tension that is as evident on the factory floor and is in the market place. As technologies emerged that made it possible to store and analyze large amounts of data collided with the ability to precisely control manufacturing processes, the reality of being able to cost effectively introduced customer-requested variances in the processes of production heralded the birth of mass customization. In stark contrast to a ‘one-option’ Model T, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler (the ‘Big 3’) offered a plethora of models and options ranging from color, upholstery and interior appointments, engines, transmissions and more all for largely the same cost as one ‘off the rack’. This flexibility is easily reflected by a conversation with any US person over age 25 when asked what ordering anything but a ‘stock cheeseburger’ was like in the eighties. Now, the experience is much different with Burger King even going to far as to adopt the slogan, â€Å"We do it your way.† While mass customization continues to grow and flourish, mass production is not dead by any means but continues to be redefined in ways that â€Å"modify traditional [Fordism] relationships between capital and labor† (Pietrykowski 1999, p. 194). At the heart of Fordism is the congruence between large, vertically integrated firms competing in oligopolistic markets by striving for cost efficiencies through mass production principles. In contrast, post-Fordism is a combined economy / method that makes great use of the ability to deliver relatively customized goods on a large scale by using multi-skilled workers in firm that is strives to be market-sensitive so as to be able match demand (Friedman 2000, pp. 59-60). Though in many ways Fordism and post-Fordism could be viewed as being antagonistic to one another, by understanding the progression of early management styles and the accomplishments in productivity achieved, the idea that one is the necessary precursor to the other can not be overlooked. And so, in seeking greater understand of these concepts as periods of time during which there is a changing of dominant paradigms, the analogy of â€Å"night and day† is not so appropriate as perhaps â€Å"dawn and dusk† in that they are two perspectives on the same entity of the path to profitability. Works Consulted Clarke, S. (1992). â€Å"What in the F‘s Name is Fordism†. Fordism and Flexibility. (Gilbert, N., Burrows, R., Pollert, A., eds.). St. Martins Press: New York, New York. Friedman, A. (2000). â€Å"Microregulation and Post-Fordism: Critique and Development of Regulation Theory†. New Political Economy, (5), 1, pp. 59-76. Grint, K. (1991). The Sociology of Work. Polity Press: Cambridge, UK. Pietrykowski, B. (1999, June). â€Å"Beyond the Fordist/Post-Fordist Dichotomy: Working Through The Second Industrial Divide†. Review of Social Economy, (LVII), 2, pp. 177-198.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Impotent Othello Essay -- Othello essays

The Impotent Othello Othello is one of the most extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare's dramas. He enjoyed unheralded success on the battlefield, which gave him the reputation as one of Venice's most able generals. The Moor's military proficiency placed him in a class by himself in the same way his ethnicity distinguished him from his Venetian counterparts. These are two intrinsic and highly identifiable characteristics of Othello. But a much lesser discussed idiosyncrasy of the Moor was his sexual disorder - impotency. As striking as this claim sounds there is much evidence in the drama to support the idea that Othello was impotent in both sexual and social relationships. Othello's sexual impotence stifled the consummation of his marriage to Desdemona as the two never experienced sexual intimacy. His sexual disorder then sparked a social impotence: powerlessness in dealing with his wife and friends. In terms of shaping the final events of the drama, Othello's impotency played an even more vital role than his military might or Moorish heritage. Throughout Othello, there is much evidence to suggest that Othello and his wife Desdemona never consummated their marriage. Shortly after murdering his wife, the Moor remarked, "cold, cold my girl?/Even in thy Chastity" (V.ii.273-4). The final word Æ chastity - brings what actually transpired in their bedroom into serious question. By referring to Desdemona as chaste is it possible that Othello was divulging that he and his wife never had sexual intercourse? Other passages from the play indicate that this is indeed the case. Upon his arrival at the citadel in Cyprus, Othello invited his wife to their sleeping quarters for the second time with the following utterance: Com... ... character as his Moorish ancestry.   Ã‚         Works Cited Butler-Evans, Elliot. "'Haply, for I am Black': Othello and the Semiotics of Race and Otherness." New Essays by Black Writers. Ed. Mythili Kaul. Washington D.C.: Howard UP, 1997. 139-150.       CEINET. Impotence On-line. Online. Internet. Available: http ://www.cei.net/~impotenc/deth.html.       "Impotent." Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.       Koch, Carl. Living a Christian Lifestyle. St. Paul: Saint Mary's Press, 1996.       Sedwick, Eve. Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire. New York: Colombia UP, 1985.       United States. Natl. Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Impotence. Online. Internet. 9    July 1998. Available: http://www. niddk.nih.gov/health/urolog/pubs/impotnce/impotnce.htm#cause

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Ashley Bracero september Essay

America a land of hope and prosperity, one might even go as far as saying ,†The land of Dreams†. People from all over the world migrate to our great country for the luxurious rights we offer to all our people. Some of those rights including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, and The right to privacy. But what if we told everyone one who entered the united states that there was a catch ? That at any moment if the goverment felt threatened enough, they could twist those rights to there benefit ? Do you think people would still view America as a getaway or more like a false advertisement ? Now we will try and dicuss one topic that has been raising a huge controversy in America today, security vs privacy. Ever since it has been revealed that the goverment has been hacking into american citizens private information for ,†Security Meaures,† America has been going into a spiral of doubt. Both parties are making compelling arguments regarding their reasoning and perspective on the matter of security vs privacy. The huge question being raised,†Is security actually more Important than privacy ? The goverment may tell you yes; that the precautions they are taking are only minor set backs necesary for the continuation of a strong society. In my opinion this is just yet another fib told to keep the goverment in control of what has been spiraling in the other direction since 9/11. Fear of Terrorism has fueled many changes in The United States , some proving better than others. For example, The TSA has been given massive amounts of power to protect America and has been rediculed for being unconstitutional, too expensive, and ineffective, yet it remains. Little by little it seems that the goverments fear of terrorism is beginning to drive them to any measures. Threatening the privacy of their own citizens to protect national security. The worst part is some of these under cover plans are so top secret it often takes leaks to get the truth on how much of our privacy is actually being threatened. Realistically you can not have a hunderd percent of privacy along with a hunderd percent of security, so, as an American citizen i chose privacy. I believe security should come as a choice, not to say it does not withold a huge place in society, because realistically without security the world would rapidally fall into choas. Privacy is a natural right more of an obligation that should always be presented to us no matter what the circumstance. America’s power has always laid in our rights and freedoms. It is America’s individualism and personal freedom that our enemies often hate the most. So, I believe if we change our great society to make us less free we are rolling around in their hands as pawns . I do not believe that we should neglect our liberties for one victory, for the chance that it might deminish the reputation that makes our society great. Forcing important networks like facebook, yahoo, and many more to relinquish private information is a huge disrespect to all citizens. Every citizen has the right to privacy, even the idea of privacy originated from the fourth amendment. Ironically, though the goverment seems to dismiss that fact for reasonings they seem only intitled to debate on. For a country that has comforted citizens on the idea that we are a democracy, the goverment begins to show the public holes in their stories and true intentions. Slowly the public is being to sway a different direction since it was revealed the goverment was hacking into americans private information. In 2010 a Pew research survey was held and showed that 32 percent of people believed that the goverments anti-terrorism policies have gone to far in restricting the average persons civil liberities. That means 66 percent of people found it vaild and implaced for a reasonable cause. In 2011 the same survey was conducted by the same organization and found that 53 percent now found that it has gone too far, thats more than half the people surveyed in 2010 . So, with that piece of information we see that people arent just doubting the goverment, they are begining to re-evaulate their own way of thinking. I believe if the goverment continues to deny us our full privleged right to privacy, we will crumble as a nation and they will being to lose not only our trust but our respect. No matter how much our society improves and develops there will always be a threat. So, if they begin to strip away our rights now , how long will it take before we lose more ? Don’t just take my word for it , here are some people who co-exist with my idea that privacy holds more substance and reasoning than security. Jessica from Debate.org says, † Now the reason for why i feel privacy is more important, is as simple as, If i owned a home of 5 acres and bought that land. A home because i wanted to feel secluded. This allows for me to walk around my home naked if i would like without a curtain down, or go swimming in my pool naked. If i knew i was being watched 24/7 like many famous people it would make me go insane, and i would not be able to deal with it.† Also, fliex jimenez, 17 says,† Security is always going to be there no matter how much we have of it, but, once you take away someones privacy you cant get it back. Its kind of like respect when you cross that line you just cant re-write that wrong.† In conclusion, privacy is a valuable thing to many citizens. lately the right we use to have is being to stripped away from us layer by layer. Many people are debating wether security holds more value than privacy but when it comes to statistcs it seems that is not the case. Like Benjamin Franklin said,† They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserves neither liberty or safety.† So as a country we continue to try and fight this idea of selling moral rights for temporary safety promised by the goverment. So, like Benjamin Franklin said we must remember to hold on to important things such as our privacy and not sell it for something that has unpredicatable outcomes and strive for a greater stronger country were all people are respected.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Points and Punctuation

Points and Punctuation Points and Punctuation Points and Punctuation By Mark Nichol Point and words and compounds containing that root, as well as terms with the element punct- and some similar (and not so similar forms), are all cognate, deriving from the Latin verb pungere, meaning â€Å"prick† or â€Å"stab.† Such words are listed and defined in this post. appoint: officially fix or set, or assign or name, or equip or furnish as appropriate; an appointee is a person assigned to an office or position, and an appointment is such an assignment, or an office or position itself, or an arranged meeting (or equipment or furnishings collectively); someone who is self-appointed has taken it upon himself or herself to occupy a literal or (usually) figurative position of authority ballpoint: a type of pen with a point consisting of a small rotating metal point from which ink is transferred to a surface on contact; usually called a ballpoint pen bluepoint: a type of oyster cashpoint: British English term for an ATM checkpoint: a location, generally at a border or entrance, at which entry is monitored colorpoint: a color pattern on a domestic cat consisting of a light-colored body with darker features compunction: misgiving, anxiety as a result of feelings of guilt, or distress about anticipation of an event or outcome contrapuntal: adjectival form of counterpoint (see next entry) counterpoint: something that complements or contrasts with something else, the use of a combining or contrasting element in a work of art, or a melody independent of a given melody; as a verb, arrange or compose in counterpoint, or set in contrast dew point: the temperature at which vapor condenses disappoint: fail or frustrate; disappointment is the quality of failure or frustration, or someone who or something that causes such feelings drypoint: an engraving made without fluid, or a print made from such an engraving embonpoint: plumpness end point: the point of completion of a process or stage; as endpoint, a point or value marking the end of a line segment, an interval, or a ray expunge: mark for deletion, or destroy, eliminate, or obliterate eyepoint: the position of placement of an eye in relation to an optical instrument being used flashpoint: the lowest temperature at which vapors produced by a volatile combustible substance will ignite when exposed to flame, or a point at which something suddenly is created or takes place or someone takes action goldpoint: the temperature equivalent to the melting point of gold gunpoint: the muzzle of a gun (used in the expression â€Å"at gunpoint,† meaning â€Å"having a gun pointed at one†) interpoint: a system of embossing braille on both sides of a paper interpunction: see punctuation knifepoint: the point of a knife blade (used in the expression â€Å"at knifepoint,† meaning â€Å"having a knife pointed at one†) midpoint: the halfway point in a journey, a race, or a process needlepoint: embroidery on a base of canvas, or lace on a base of paper, accomplished with a needle; also a verb describing the action of producing embroidery or lace outpoint: outscore, or sail closer to the wind than another vessel pen point: a metal attachment used for drawing or writing with ink pink: perforate ornamentally or cut a saw-toothed edge on, or pierce or stab, or figuratively wound with speech (other senses of pink are unrelated) pinpoint: a very small or insignificant thing, or a small or sharp point such as the point of a pin; as a verb, precisely aim, locate, or identify, or highlight poignant: emotionally cutting, piercing, or touching, or apt or stimulating, or, in the context of smell, pervasive point: a detail or essential point, the purpose or significance of something, a particular place or position or a geometric element marking a position, an exact moment or interval, a degree, stage, or step, a projecting part or marking, a unit for measuring or tallying, a compass position, any of various punctuation marks or other small marks, a short musical phrase, the head of a bow used with a stringed instrument, a small military detachment ahead of or behind an advance or rear guard or the foremost member of a military patrol, one of various positions of a player in team sports, or the credit or goodwill created by making a good impression; as a verb, sharpen or give emphasis, punctuate or mark with diacritics, direct attention to or indicate direction or position (as with a finger), turn to a particular direction, or indicate a fact or probability point blank: at close range point break: the point at which a wave breaks as it makes contact with a point of land point man: the foremost member of a military patrol, or an advocate, spokesperson, representative, or person at the forefront of a movement or organization point of view: a perspective or position for consideration or evaluation of something pointe: in ballet, a position of balance on the tip of a toe (sometimes referred to as â€Å"en pointe†) pointed: having a point, conspicuous, pertinent, or aimed at an individual or a group pointer: a stick used to direct an audience’s attention to a particular part of a display; a hint or suggestion; any of various breeds of hunting dogs; or a type of computer memory address pointillism: the painting technique of applying small dots or strokes of color to a surface that blend together from a distance; a practitioner of this technique is a pointillist pointless: ineffective or senseless pointy: coming to a point, or having various points that stick out pour point: the lowest temperature at which a substance flows punch: a tool for piercing or for applying pressure to a small area, or a hole or notch produced by a punch; a blow or the action of punching, or energy or forcefulness; strike or prod, or perforate or apply pressure as with a punch, or give emphasis or move forcefully; the sense of â€Å"fruit drink† is unrelated punctate: marked with dots, points, or small spots, or an area so marked punctation: marking of an area with dots, points, or small spots punctilio: a detail in conducting a ceremony or observing a code punction: a piercing punctual: on time; the quality of being on time is punctuality punctuate: mark or divide with punctuation marks such as commas and periods, divide into or interrupt at intervals, or accentuate or emphasize punctuation: symbols used to separate and clarify meaning of units of written content, or the act of using such marks, or something that accentuates or emphasizes punctulate: marked with small spots puncturation: the act, process, or state of being punctured, or arrangement or form of punctures puncture: an act of physically piercing or figuratively damaging, a hole or wound made by piercing, or a small depression; as a verb, pierce or deflate pungent: painful or pointed, or having an intense flavor or odor, or creating an irritating sensation silverpoint: a drawing technique using silver on a specially prepared surface standpoint: see â€Å"point of view† touchpoint: a point of contact between a buyer and a seller viewpoint: see â€Å"point of view† waypoint: a location on a route Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)"Confused With" and "Confused About"5 Erroneously Constructed â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Sentences