Katherine Chopin Has A Different Opinion Of Love, Marriage, Than Most

Katherine Chopin has a different opinion of love, marriage, than most writers of her day. In her writing she indicates to her readers that marriage, though built on a foundation of love can not contain passion. Love is considered a feeling that inspires passion, and romance. It continues on throughout the marriage, but the passion and romance are lost somewhere in the struggles of married life. This loss can also occur in the task of raising children, causing a sort of neglect for the love of one's life. Passion is what inspires an individual to do anything. Chopin it seems is saying that this is an impossibility in marriage in the since of love or sexual relationship. Passion however can be found outside the marriage with other sexual partners. It can also be found in other areas such as in "The Story of an Hour." The main character in this story exemplifies this truth by the statement made after she got over the shock of her husband's death, "Free, free, free!" Her passion came from the realization that she was once again free to do as she wished. Marriage it seems is considered somewhat sacred even though it was almost as if it was acceptable for extramarital relations to take place in Chopin's stories. She seems to think this act of breaking the holy vows of marriage was a justifiable act.

Apple Picking Professor Ramos Blog

Apple Picking â€Å"Never marry a Mexican†, is what I told my two daughter, Clemencia and Ximena only once. I didn’t want them to go through the same struggles that I went through, marrying at such a young age. They deserved to have a better future that could bring them happiness. A happiness that I didn’t have since I was seventeen. When I heard Clemencia tell me that she would never marry it brought some relief but sadness as well because I did want her to marry and have children eventually. I hoped that she would have a marriage where her husband wouldn’t think that he married below him. I loved my husband but in a way, the relationship felt to fast. It felt as if though one second I was enjoying the freedom that I had as a young adult and then I was walking down the aisle a couple months later. Years passed and I saw my two little daughters grow into two young and beautiful ladies.My husband was still very loving and caring but my feelings seemed to fade away the more that time passed. Our home didn’t feel much like a home and as much as I hate to admit it, I was no longer happy. But what could I do? I, a thirty four year old Mexican-American woman, mother of two couldn’t do much.I couldn’t talk to my husband about it because I was afraid that he would be disappointed in me after all the sacrifices that he had made for the family and I couldn’t tell my family members because they would say that I wasn’t an ideal housewife and mother. All I could do was make sure that the house was clean, the food was prepared, and that everyone in the household was happy. Everyone, except me. As I finished cleaning the house, I began thinking of what I would make for dinner tonight while I put my apron on. I walked into the kitchen towards the refrigerator and when I opened the door, I noticed that the main ingredients that I needed weren’t there. With a heavy sigh, I took my apron off, grabbed my purse and keys, and drove to the closest grocery store. Getting out of my car, I immediately felt the heat suffocating me. When I got inside the market, I grabbed the closest cart and headed towards the vegetables and fruit . After grabbing corn, lettuce, carrots, cherries ,peaches,   oranges and other items from the produce section I headed towards the bakery. I read my list and continued checking items off one by one while getting the other necessities. I then waited at the cash register and as my turn came up, I remembered that I didn’t get apples, which was my husband’s favorite fruit. I led myself out and pushed my cart towards the apples. As I quickl y parked my cart next the the huge box filled with apples, I noticed a tall, handsome, white man picking apples as well, almost filling the bag to the brim. I silently grabbed a clear bag, opened it, and began looking for the best apples from the pile. I heard noise from my left side and quickly looked up to see what was wrong. Not noticing anything I continued picking apples, but instead of an apple, I felt something warm in my hand. It was the man’s hand; we quickly apologized and looked away from each other. As I tied my bag and headed towards my cart I felt something touch my ankle. Looking down I saw an apple and quickly reached down to grab it. Again, I felt the man’s hand on top of mine and we both had a little laugh. When I looked at him, I stared into his clear blue eyes; I felt like a high school teen again at the moment. He apologized and asked for my name which I responded to by saying â€Å"I’m Sophia.† â€Å"My name is Owen,† he replied. Owen, such a beautiful name that fit him perfectly. His personality oozed off of him and I was intrigued with him at once. Even though I met him less than ten minutes ago Owen was someone that I wanted to get to know and create a bond with. After our first encounter we began to talk on the phone once a week to make sure nobody would get suspicious. Then, when talking wasn’t enough we began to take walks in the park while talking about our lives and what made us unhappy. It felt wonderful being able to share someone’s sadness; it made me feel like I wasn’t the only one suffering in the world with my marriage. Whenever we had those conversations I felt like the unhappiness would somehow leave me alone whenever I was near Owen. He felt like peace, comfort, and joy and I wanted more of it. Owen and I became best friends and life couldn’t get any better. Whenever I went to the grocery store and pass by the apple container, I’d reminisce our first encounter and I’d feel a deep happiness that would fill my soul. Months passed and our bond was getting better and better. My husband and my daughters noticed a great change which kept everyone around happy. My family members were also starting to see that I was doing much better when it came to being a housewife. My friendship with Owen was beautiful as well but I began to notice that whenever we would see each other , he wouldn’t talk as much as he used to. When I asked him what was going on, he said that he and his wife weren’t doing so well. He said that his wife wasn’t satisfied with the few luxuries that he would buy her. He feared that she would be asking for a divorce soon; they were high school sweethearts and quickly got married after they graduated from high school. I felt terrible for him and I gladly tried to comfort him as best as I could. After our encounter I went home worried and upset that his wife wasn’t happy. She was so lucky to have someone that loved her so much. Owen was always telling me stories of when they had their first and second child, his marriage proposal to her on prom night, and the day of their wedding. The more I thought about all the conversations that he and I had, the more I desired for my husband to be that way but it was already too late. I wanted to talk to Owen’s wife to make her see what a great man she had beside her. A couple weeks passed and Owen wasn’t able to see me as much due to him going through his divorce process. It upset me to see him go through so much pain but I was more than happy and ready to be there by his side though it all. After the divorce process ended I began to see Owen more, making sure that he was eating and doing well. There were moments were he would smile and everything seemed to be alright but there also moments where he wouldn’t speak and then he would suddenly start crying. I would try bringing him some small treats and reminded him how amazing he was but it didn’t seem to work. I ended up taking him to a park to see if the scenery would cheer him up. As we sat down Owen got close to me and laid his head on my shoulder while looking at the small flowers. The silence that surrounded us kept us at peace and everything seemed okay in the world once again. When I felt that the moment was right, I opened the bag that I had and took out two apples. Th e apples were what brought us together. It gave us both a happiness that we needed deep down. I gave him the apple and as I took my hand away he grabbed it which made me look up to him. And as I did, I looked into his eyes and we began to get close to each other and when we couldn’t get any closer, our lips touched and we gave each other a kiss. A kiss that ignited a fire inside the both of us.

Consolidation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Consolidation - Case Study Example The preparation of the consolidated financial statements DOES NOT involve any adjustments to the financial statements of either the parent or the subsidiary companies. In this case, the parent is Batman and the subsidiary is Robin. A. This means that the investing company, Batman is willing to pay more that the total value of the stockholder's equity. There are many good reason why companies agree to pay more than the acquired company's actual net worth. some of the reasons are: A. The pre acquisition journal entry is also known as the elimination entry. The journal entry made such as investment in subsidiary is credited. The original entry where the stockholders' equity amounts are credited is now debited. The main reason for such pre -acquisition entry is to produce a correct combined financial statement where the assets, liabilities and stockholders' equity accounts are lumped together. Based on the above declaration, the dividends declared after acquisition is bigger than the dividends declared before acquisition. The main reason is that the income derived from combined financial statement shows that the is higher then the pre acquisition net income.

The Impact of Social Media Technology on Individuals Essay

The Impact of Social Media Technology on Individuals - Essay Example Browsing these sites makes one feel connected to a much larger community. However, such an easy and casual connection on the internet can also have its pitfalls (Ramli 646). The social media technology has an immense psychological impact on individuals. The positive aspect of this entire experience lies on social media’s capability to connect several people together. The central part USP of social media such as Twitter and Facebook is their ability to connect the world across every nation, and this has brought a certain sense of joy to its users. One is capable of meeting old friends on Facebook, and be in touch with these people irrespective of where they are located makes it have a strong psychological impact on individuals (Das 223). However, it has its detrimental side too. It is exciting to see a good number of adults and several teens wake up, and the first thing they do even before brushing their teeth is to log to Twitter and Facebook. Facebook encourages idling, and t his has made a number of people to get distracted completely from what they initially intended to do. It begins with two minutes of Facebook to two hours, and this may stretch to days. This addiction to social media sites has made some individuals become unaware of their time zones; thus, creating negative impacts on the mindsets of individuals. The prioritizing of these activities has led to misplaced priorities over varying many very important activities (Ahn 23). The social media technology has also led to revolutionary impact. The prominent power of this technology is its ability to muster support for social causes within a short time. A good example is an unrest in the Arab world. This is one of the achievements of social media (Ahn 24). Both Facebook and Twitter have been used in galvanizing the dictator regime, as well as to remove it from office. The Tahrir Square uprising in Egypt is a perfect example of how social media played a significant role in the struggle for change. In as much as social media brought about the revolution; it triggered tension and fear among people as a result of the threats and posts that were being spread through it (Ramli 645). So far, the biggest negative impact of social media technology revolves around the unfairness that they have intrinsically created on the private life of its users. These sites have encouraged many people to engage themselves and expose their private life to the public. This is because the intimate details of their lives can be posted so easily. This is attributed to the fact that some users are likely to bypass the filters that they should employ when discussing their private lives. Worse still, the things that are posted remain available indefinitely for people all over the world to see. While the users of these sites are capable of controlling the number of people who see what they post, these limitations are forgotten, and leakage of information through friends is also possible. Social media has a lso led to cyber infidelity, and this is capable of destroying relationships. It enables people to connect and make new relationships with people all over the world. You can imagine waking up and finding out that your spouse has updated her Facebook status as single. People posting comments of this sad break up in your relationship can make one extremely miserable. This shows how relationships of this age have been made cheap by social media.  

Dell, Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dell, Inc - Research Paper Example The company has gained significant recognition in the world and is currently the number three supplier of computers in the world. This paper is going to highlight the business cycle of Dell, including risks the company faces, and the reason for their success. Dell computers face challenges in its demand. The company offers its computers at low cost. The low price makes customers buy the computers. Lower prices and high quality made dell computers become so popular all over the world. An increase in demand required an increase in supply. Dell expanded its company size and was able to manufacture many computers, making it the number one shipper of computers as by 2012. Consumer’s income always affects the supply of demand of a product(Hawken, 1988). It also depends on the commodity. A customer will not spend more than what he earns. Dell established itself in the high life areas of Texas. These are places where people are high-class earners. The demand for dell was on the rise here, and more people came to know about dell. It was the baseline for the success of Dell as more and more people came to know about it. After reaching the big markets, Dell reduced its prices to favor the low class earners. Prices of goods that relate to each other are forces that affect supply and demand. HP and Lenovo are the main competitors of Dell. Each company has different prices on their computers. HP computers are cheaper than Dell computers. This has made HP have higher demand in their products compared to Dell. If goods are of same characteristics, but from different companies, people will favor the cheap one. HP is the number one PC vendor in the world because of this. Dell is trying to improve its demand by reducing the prices of their goods. Computer companies always face competition in the markets based on the level of production. The systems in the computers are very

Yann Martels Life Of Pi 2001 Literature Essay

Yann Martels Life Of Pi 2001 Literature Essay Yann Martels Booker-Prize winning novel Life of Pi (2001) narrates the nine months odyssey of Piscine Patel on the Pacific Ocean. Far from being only a fascinating adventurous tale, this novel addresses important issues such as faith, identity, universalism, religion, and areas of cultural contact. Although the plot may seem to revolve mainly around Pi and Richard Parker, Life of Pi deals extensively with the great human project of trying to live together. By using Pi as his trans-cultural hero, Martel seems to insist on the need to constructively reformulate the human mind in relation to cosmopolitanism, absolute truth and religious identity. This papers aim is to bring out the cosmopolitan message that Martel seeks to transmit to his readers and to show how the latter focuses on that part of our common human identity that links us, instead of stressing on those identities that only partially define and differentiate us. A cross-reference is also going to be made to Homers The Odyss ey so as to highlight the idea of the equal treatment of all human beings, regardless of religion, culture, ethnicity and values, as prescribed by cosmopolitanism. Life of Pi is a novel which can be read in many different ways; as an adventurous story, as an allegory of power, as a reflection on the superiority of imagination over reason, as an explanation of the intricate and complex life of humans and animals, and, of utmost importance to this essay, as a spiritual journey or a quest for identity and as a metaphor of the cultural and religious conflicts that characterize every known human society. Culture and identity play a key role in many contemporary wars. Many philosophers and cultural theorists argue that the resolution of protracted ethnic and religious conflicts lies in the fostering and nurturing of cosmopolitan identities. First of all, what makes Life of Pi an interesting platform for exploring trans-cultural and interfaith relationships is not merely Martels cosmopolitan background, but also the novels portrayal of the protagonists life before and after the shipwreck. Pi Patel grows up in Pondicherry, a former French territory on the Indian subcontinent, where Eastern and Western cultures inevitably exist in close contact. To the dismay of grownups, particularly the representatives of different religions, the wise men as they are almost satirically referred to in the novel, Pi shows devotion to Hinduism, embraces and practices Christianity and Islam simultaneously. After his nine months in the lifeboat, he is hospitalized in Mexico and the author finally encounters him as an Indian immigrant in Toronto. Pis hybrid, multiple faiths and open-mindedness not only help him survive emotionally and physically but are also strengthened after the events. His house in Canada can be used as a proof to support this statement; the author describes the devotional articles that he finds in the protagonists house, ranging from a framed picture of Ganesha, a plain wooden cross, a small framed picture of the virgin Mary of Guadalupe, to a framed photo of the black-robed Kaaba, holiest sanctum of Islam. Pi is therefore presented as a cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world, as he not only practices three religions but is also at home in the worlds of science and theology, having achieved university degrees in both fields. Martel juxtaposes the young Pi Patels receptiveness to other cultures and religions to the intolerance of the three religious figures encountered on the beach; the priest, the imam and the pandit, each convinced of the singular truth of the path he taught. Each of them apoplectically try to impose the superiority and validity of their respective faiths after discovering that Pi shows devotion to three different, opposing, and often conflicting religions; The priest looked askance at both of them. Piscine, he nearly whispered, there is salvation only in Jesus. Balderdash! Christians know nothing about religion, said the pandit. They strayed long ago from Gods path, said the imam. Wheres God in your religion? snapped the priest. You dont have a single miracle to show for it. What kind of religion is that, without miracles? It isnt a circus with dead people jumping out of tombs all the time, thats what! We Muslims stick to the essential miracle of existence. Birds flying, rain falling, crops growing-these are miracles enough for us. Feathers and rain are all very nice, but we like to know that God is truly with us. Is that so? Well, a whole lot of good it did God to be with you-you tried to kill him! You banged him to a cross with great big nails. Is that a civilized way to treat a prophet? The prophet Muhammad-peace be upon him-brought us the word of God without any undignified nonsense and died at a ripe old age. The word of God? To that illiterate merchant of yours in the middle of the desert? Those were drooling epileptic fits brought on by the swaying of his camel, not divine revelation. That, or the sun frying his brains! Whereas Pi just [wants] to love God, the three religious leaders represent those who insist on believing in one, absolute truth. This situation of world-wide coalition of cultures as Claude Levi- Strauss termed it, can be further elaborated using Richard Burtons famous words; All Faith is false, all Faith is true; Truth is the shattered mirror strown In myriad bits; while each believes His little bit the whole to own. Like Burton, Martel implies that absolute truth is inaccessible to human beings, who will probably never be able to understand it fully. Therefore, adhering slavishly and blindly to one faith without taking an interest in the practices and beliefs of others only contributes to [obstruct] empathy and [makes] ethnocentrism inescapable. The problem with most human beings and civilizations, as highlighted in Life of Pi and as extensively discussed by Appiah, appears to be that everyone believes that their particular faith is the all-comprehending and absolute truth. Everyone seems to be holding their little bit of their shattered mirror, guarding it protectively (almost jealously) from others and trying to see as much as they can in it. Gilroy describes such a situation as being one in which we are all sealed up inside our frozen cultural habits and where there is no workable precedent for adopting a more generous and creative view of how human beings might communicate or act in concert across racial, ethnic, or civilizational divisions. What Appiah in turn proposes to cultural and religious differences reflects Pis own ideologies. For Appiah therefore, there is no agreed-upon answer- and the point is there doesnt need to be. He urges that it is of central importance for the benefit of humanity that we all learn about people in other places, take an interest in their civilizations, not because that will bring us to agreement, but because it will help us get used to one another. In this sense, Pis behavior towards Richard Parker can be read as a metaphor used to promote or idealize a cosmopolitan ideology among human beings. Appiah also carefully points out that we can perfectly live together without agreeing on what the values are that make it good to live together. If the world could share their myriad bits, human beings would have definitely been able to see a lot more clearly. Similarly, there exists no singular truth. There are many truths, depending on our moralities and experience. As Pi reproaches to Mr. Okamoto and Mr. Chiba twice at the end of the novel; Tigers exist, lifeboats exist, oceans exist. Because the three have never come together in your narrow, limited experience, you refuse to believe that they might. Yet the plain fact is that the Tsimtsum brought them together and then sank. And at some later point in the same conversation, Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe? Pi here implies that openness and the taking of interest in others lives and experiences are more enriching to human beings rather than further entombing themselves in what they believe is the absolute truth, thereby turning their own lives into yeastless factuality. Inspite of all his misadventures though, Pi not only remains faithful to all three religions but also admires the religious as well as the irreligious. Readers cannot disagree therefore with Pis statement that to choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation. Similarly, closing ourselves into our set of beliefs and closing all doors to the appreciation of other cultures, civilizations and people is akin to living without any enriching human and cultural progress. Sharing a lifeboat with a tiger for 227 days is considered as quasi-impossible both to believe and as a thing likely to occur. However, Martel beautifully uses imagination over reason to drag his readers in a kind of magical realism tour which requires a strong yet willing suspension of disbelief so as to show that such a thing is plausible and was actually experienced by the hero of his novel. Pi renounces to the initial idea of murdering Richard Parker because he realizes that if he does so, he will have no one to provide for, no one to depend on him and no reason at all to live. Thereupon, the tiger shifts from being a source of fear and a mortally threatening creature to a source of peace, purposeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ even wholeness. What Pi does therefore is that he uses his understanding of animals, acquired at the zoo, so as to establish a peaceful cohabitation between himself and Richard. According to June Dwyer, Pis success lies in the fact that he respects the Others instincts, n eeds and values and gives him equal consideration; it is acceptance of the Other without imposing change on him.Since Richard has already claimed his part in the lifeboat, Pi decides to negotiate. So, instead of killing, he shares and instead of giving up his authority he makes it clear to the tiger what is his by also urinating on his territory. The tiger in turn, much to Pis surprise, reacts positively to the latters whistle-blows. What Martel is trying to show here is that the human and the tiger are capable of living together (even in a lifeboat with limited space) as long as each respects the others space. If two completely different creatures are able to live together peacefully, by making compromises and respecting each other, then it becomes very much possible for cosmopolitanism among humans to be completely disregarded as a mere set of utopian ideals, as is often claimed by many,or, put in simpler terms, to be seen as a realistic utopia, as Nancy Fraser puts it. Likewise, Homers most enduring hero, Odysseus, celebrates someone seeking adventure and valuing the unfamiliar and the strange.According to one definition, cosmopolitanism represents the attempt to exhibit a familiarity with, or appreciation of many parts and peoples of the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ This definition aptly applies to both Life of Pi and The Odyssey. Much like Pi himself, Odysseus is also shipwrecked, which leads him to encounter different people, civilizations, cultures and languages. We witness for example his admiration for the Phaiakians at some point in the book, and we see how he admires the latters polity. The simple swineherd Eumaeus, remarkable for his apparent striking similarity to Odysseus, also helps to better understand the shared human condition at that time. According to Patrick Deneen, Eumaeuss understanding of the situation of humanity relative to the gods is similar to that of Odysseus himself. This understanding leads to his realization that the human con dition leads one to recognize that the parts of our human identity that link us outnumber those identities that differentiate us. As he says to Odysseus, whom he meets as a begger, upon their first encounter, Stranger, I have no right to deny the stranger, not even if one came to me who was meaner than you. All vagabonds and strangers are under Zeus, and the gift is a light and dear oneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Readers are thus able to see how Eumaeus, as well as Odysseus, recognize the protection that Zeus accords to all human beings, even to the most desperate ones. Since readers are able to travel through different civilizations, cultures, mindsets and values in The Odyssey, comparisons between those who show kindness to strangers and those who do not (such as in the case of Polyphemus, Poseidons son) are made possible. In this sense, Telemachuss meetings with Nestor and Menelaus also allow Homer to explore the Greek code of xenia, or hospitality. As Bernard Knox argues in the introduction to Robert Fagless translation of The Odyssey, the obligation of attending to and entertaining travelers is the closest The Odyssey comes to affirming an absolute moral principle. This also reminds of Nussbaums most explicit description of the duties or obligations of any citizen of the world; Our task as citizens of the world, and as educators who prepare people to be citizens of the world, will be to draw the circles somehow toward the center, making all human beings like our fellow city dwellers. In other words, we need not give up our special affections and affiliations and identifications, whether national or ethnic or religious; but we should work to make all human beings part of our community of dialogue and concern, showing respect for the human wherever it occurs, and allowing that respect to constrain our national and local politics. Likewise, the social code of ancient Greek necessitated that one expresses kindness to strangers in foreign regions by receiving them into ones home. This social expectation of hospitality was so culturally crucial and significant that it was believed to be implemented by Zeus, the king of the gods. Both hosts offer their guest a warm welcome even before they learn Telemachuss identity. Furthermore, this adherence and respect for the social norms enforced by the gods sharply demarcates Penelopes careless wooers plundering of Telemachuss home in Ithaca from Telemachus and Odysseus. Homer sets the right against the wrong by portraying the latter as hero and the suitors as villains. Although it is set in 700 BC, The Odyssey certainly sheds light on contemporary debates about cosmopolitanism. Martel on the other hand beautifully uses Pi as the hero of his novel, so as to transmit the innocent yet strong cosmopolitan and universal visions of a child, thereby providing more hope for a cosm opolitan future for the new generations. On a conclusive note, it can be noted that what Martel in a way wants his readers to know is that the persistent barriers of doubt, fear of the Other, ignorance, close-mindedness, racism and imaginative, long- held stereotypes are only vicious obstacles to the creation of a cosmopolitan world and fruitful human relations. In order for the human experience to progress therefore, these constant obstacles have to be destroyed. Indeed this book seems to suggest that the most appropriate and beneficial perspective to be adopted in the 21st century is one of cosmopolitanism.

Preliminary Design of a Robot :: Robotics

Preliminary Design Though my prototype serves the same function as the production version will, the production version will visually be a totally different robot. While testing my robot, I identified numerous problems the design of my prototype that could not easily have been fixed. To fix these problems, completely new materials will be required as well. Since it is likely that my robot would be used by disabled people(most probably with poor motor control), it is necessary that the robot is durable, and safe to use. The outer shell will be made out of aluminum, since it is a relatively light and cheap metal. It is important that the robot weighs as little as possible, so it does not require large motors, which will increase the cost and overall size of the robot. Since aluminum often has sharp edges, the robot will be covered in padding to reduce the risk of injury from operation, and act as a shock absorber if the robot is struck by an object or dropped. The other, more obvious difference will be that the real version of my robot will be controlled by a circuit board, instead of an RCX control brick. This will allow the use of many different sensors and motors, and surprisingly will also be considerably cheaper. The other important difference is that the real version of my robot will write using a robotic arm instead of moving as whole. However, the robot will still be able to move for convenience. Just like the RCX, it will have computer connectivity, except that it will have a wired connection for higher speed and lower cost. Materials and Prototype Design Parts List: Many standard Lego parts 3 Motors 8, 16, 24, and 40-tooth gears One Touch Sensor 1 RCX 1 Black Crayola Marker My robot is divided into 3 basic parts (not including the RCX brick). Below the RCX, brick, I have the standard wheel structure with the standard gear configuration. There are eighttooth gears on both motors, connected to the wheels with forty-tooth gears for maximum torque. I have also used the standard medium-sized, flat tires in the front since they perform well. However, there are no rear wheels; Instead, the back of my robot is supported by bare forty-tooth gears, which has caused no problems. The reason why I have this odd wheel setup is because I originally built legs for my robot, but switched to wheels after finding that the legs had extremely little traction. The second, and most complicated part of my robot is the marker-lowering mechanism. This mechanism is comprised of a motor, a very large set of gears, and a platform that slides on

Road Safety Speech Essay

A very good morning to the Principal of SM Sri Mayang, teachers and fellow friends. As the chairperson of the school’s organizing committee for the ‘Road Safety Week’, I would like to give a talk on some safety tips for the students. As we know, there has been an increase in the accidents reported involving students of this school. I hope this talk will raise your awareness to be more responsible and careful when using the road. I would like to identify some of the reasons why road accidents occur. First, speeding beyond the prescribed limits is the main cause.Some drivers not only speed but also drive recklessly, breaking road rules and beating the traffic lights. Moreover, drivers who are tired after long distance driving or after a long day work, may not be able to concentrate on the road, thus causing accidents. Youngsters using the road as their racing track is another cause too. Drivers who do not check and maintain their vehicles often may be involved in ac cidents because their vehicle is faulty. Many potholes and uneven roads which contribute to the poor condition of the road too can cause accidents.However, these problems can be overcome with strict enforcement of traffic rules to those who flaunt the law. The offenders should be caught and fines should be increased. Only road-worthy vehicles, which have been maintained well, should be permitted on the roads. Awareness campaigns on safe driving should be carried out everywhere. Since young drivers are high on the accident list, their age limit should be increased. If the drivers are involved in any accidents, their licence should be suspended. I hope the short talk that I have delivered have given you some ideas of how to use the road safely. Thank you for listening.

Rare Earth Properties

Rare Earth Properties When you look at the Periodic Table, there is a two-row block of elements located below the main body of the chart. These elements, plus lanthanum (element 57) and actinium (element 89), are known collectively as the rare earth elements or rare earth metals. Actually, they arent particularly rare, but prior to 1945, long and tedious processes were required to purify the metals from their oxides. Ion-exchange and solvent extraction processes are used today to quickly produce highly pure, low-cost rare earths, but the old name is still in use. The rare earth metals are found in group 3 of the periodic table, and the 6th (5d electronic configuration) and 7th (5f electronic configuration) periods. There are some arguments for starting the 3rd and 4th transition series with lutetium and lawrencium rather than lanthanum and actinium. There are two blocks of rare earths, the lanthanide series, and the actinide series. Lanthanum and actinium are both located in group IIIB of the table. When you look at the periodic table, notice that the atomic numbers make a jump from lanthanum (57) to hafnium (72) and from actinium (89) to rutherfordium (104). If you skip down to the bottom of the table, you can follow the atomic numbers from lanthanum to cerium and from actinium to thorium, and then back up to the main body of the table. Some chemists exclude lanthanum and actinium from the rare earths, considering the lanthanides to start following lanthanum and the actinides to start following actinium. In a way, the rare earths are special transition metals, possessing many of the properties of these elements. Common Properties of the Rare Earths These common properties apply to both the lanthanides and actinides. The rare earths are silver, silvery-white, or gray metals.The metals have a high luster but tarnish readily in air.The metals have high electrical conductivity.The rare earths share many common properties. This makes them difficult to separate or even distinguish from each other.There are very small differences in solubility and complex formation between the rare earths.The rare earth metals naturally occur together in minerals (e.g., monazite is a mixed rare earth phosphate).Rare earths are found with non-metals, usually in the 3 oxidation state. There is little tendency to vary the valence. (Europium also has a valence of 2 and cerium also a valence of 4.)

Gullivers Travels Essays - Gullivers Travels, Houyhnhnm, Yahoo

Gulliver's Travels Essays - Gullivers Travels, Houyhnhnm, Yahoo Gulliver's Travels Swifts Gullivers Travels is without question the most famous literature to emerge from this 18th century Tory satiric tradition. It is the strongest, funniest, and yet in some ways most despairing cry for a halt to the trends initiated by seventeenth-century philosophy. In Book IV, we discover how Gullivers journey into a discovery of what man is becomes a journey into madness. We encounter, here, a cruel attack on man. This is an attack using two of the most striking literary metaphors for man: the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos. The first are beings in every way like horses except for their possession of absolute reason; the second are creatures bearing an uncanny resemblance to man except for their animalistic brutality. Swifts use of these creatures, Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos, as an approach to the problem of the nature of man, has attracted more critical attention than has any other part of his work. Now, the first important question to ask of any satirist is how he or she achieves the necessary comic distortion, which transforms the familiar into the ridiculous. And Swifts main technique for achieving thisand a wonderful technique for satireis the basic plot of science fiction: the voyage by an average civilized human being into unknown territory and his return back home. This apparently simple plot immediately opens all sorts of satiric possibilities, because it enables the writer constantly to play off three different perspectives in order to give us the reader a comic sense of what is very familiar. It can do this in the following ways: If the strange new country is recognizably similar to our culture, then comic distortions in the New World enable the writer to satirize the familiar in a host of different ways, providing, in effect, a cartoon style view of our world. If the strange new country is some sort of utopiaa perfectly realized vision of the ideals often proclaimed but generally violated in our worldthen the satirist can manipulate the discrepancy between the ideal New World of the fiction and the corrupt world we live in to illustrate repeatedly just how empty the pretensions to goodness really are in our world. However, the key to this technique is generally the use of the traveler, the figure who is, in effect, the readers contemporary and fellow countryman. How that figure reacts to the New World can be a constant source of amusement and pointed satiric comment, because, in effect, this figure represents the contact between the normal world and the strange New World of either caricatured ridiculousness or utopian perfection. We can see Swift moving back and forth between the first two techniques, and this can create some confusion. For example, in much of Book I, Lilliput is clearly a comic distortion of life in Europe. The sections on the public rewards of leaping and creeping or the endless disputes about whether one should eat ones eggs by breaking them at the bigger or the smaller end or the absurdity of the royal proclamations are obvious and funny distortions of the court life, the pompous pretentiousness of officials, and the religious disputes familiar to Swifts readers. At the same time, however, there are passages where he holds up the laws of Lilliput as some form of utopian ideal, in order to demonstrate just how much better they understand true reasonableness than do the Europeans. In book II, he does the same: for most of the time the people of Brobdingnag are again caricatured distorted Europeans, but clearly, the King of Brobdingnag is an ideal figure. This shift in perspective on the New World is at times confusing. Swift is, in effect, manipulating the fictional world to suit his immediate satirical purposes. It is easy enough to see what he is doing, but it does, in some sense, violate our built-up expectations. Just how are we supposed to take Lilliput and Brobdingnaas a distorted Europe or as a utopia or what? This lack of a consistent independent reality to the fictional world which he has created is one of the main reasons why Gullivers Travels is not considered one of the first novels (since one of the requirements of a novel, it is maintained, is a consistent attitude

Data Encryption and Authentication Methods Term Paper

Data Encryption and Authentication Methods - Term Paper Example The recipient's identity is usually established online through digital signatures or certificates. Under this encryption, the user has to manually select the files and folders to be encrypted and run special command/ menu item to encrypt and decrypt the selected objects through certain software. Thus, the user must always remember to encrypt the relevant data before logging off. This gives scope for human errors, where the user might forget to encrypt the data before leaving the system. However, manual encryption is technically more reliable and simple than other forms of encryption.[Cryprite.com] In this form of encryption, encryption is compulsorily done permanently on the disc during every read and write task. The encrypted data is stored in the transparently encrypted volumes. In this type of encryption, encrypted data can only be transferred from computer to computer through diskettes. For the purpose of low level encryption, transparent encryption is the safest way to secure one's data. However, in this type of encryption, there are problems in implementation as it doesn't generally fit into multi-user networks. This kind of encryption involves encrypting the data before and after certain read /write functions are completed or certain confidential files are accessed. When a file is copied or moved, it is ciphered in a secret folder and when it is opened through a standard application, it is deciphered. Again, when the application is to be shut down, the files are enciphered. Thus, at Start up, the encrypted files/folders are deciphered from specified folders/files and enciphered again during shutdown. A disadvantage is that when the data to be encrypted is too large, it may lead to loss of data and reduction in efficiency of the computer. 1 Protection and authentication of data can be also be achieved at three levels : Email and file-encryption The use of passwords while accessing e-mails provides the first level of security. These mails could be encrypted and sent over a secure network by the sender and again decoded and read by the receiver. However, with the use of internet expanding to unlimited proportions, files can be intercepted and sensitive information can be accessed by hackers. It is also possible to hack or send phishing mails through e-mails. Data encryption during transmission using VPNs Transmission encryption technologies include DES (Data Encryption Standard) or AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) .This is a relatively safer way of transmitting information over the internet. A virtual private network cannot be easily accessed by intruders or hackers and information is encrypted using standard procedures like DES or AES. Password encryption on public interfaces An example of asymmetrical key provision; this type of encryption involves the use of a plug point that has to manage keys, decide the algorithm to use for encryption and protect the master key or secret. Classification based on keys : Cryptography is the process of disguising data as cipher text before sending it over a network. This disguised data is encrypted by applying an algorithm to a

Aligning Adoption Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Aligning Adoption Law - Essay Example Given this dogma, one wonders how the severance of the above-referenced child's ties to her grandmother is truly taking all aspects of her welfare into consideration. The above ruling also begs the question of whether or not the court proceeding was in keeping with section 8 of the European Convention on the Protection of Human and Fundamental Freedoms 1950. Indeed, Diduck and Kaganas may be correct in their statement that "the complete replacement of one family with another may be out of step with human rights ideals. It may also be out of step with changing family practice' (Diduck and Kaganas, 2006). Current adoption laws in the United Kingdom stem from the Adoption Act of 1976, which was revised under the Children's Act of 1989. Further amendments were created with the Adoption and Children Act of 2002 and the Children and Adoption Act of 2006. From the time of the Adoption of Children Act in 1926, the majority of children adopted in the United Kingdom were infants. There was an explosion of abandoned infants after World War I. Women having affairs with soldiers while either unmarried or with husbands away at war led to many illegitimate births. These women, and the women who had taken care of these children were now working in factories. A better solution than abandonment was found in adoptions. The focus of these adoptions was twofold; adoption provided relief for unmarried mothers, and it allowed married couples, unable to conceive, to become parents. Most adoptions were closed and cloaked in secrecy. The 'clean break' these types of adoptions created was thought to be the best way for infants to create bonds of attachment to their new parents. The last several decades have seen many changes in social thinking and behavior. Some of these new ideas have led to drastic changes in the types and needs of adopted children. Illegitimacy and unwed mothers no longer carry the social stigma they once did, and many religions have grown more tolerant of these people, welcoming them whereas before they would have been shunned. As a result, more women are choosing to keep their infant children to raise themselves. New legislation has made divorce easier to obtain, thus there has been a growing number of single parents. Legislation has also allowed more women to obtain abortions for unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. 2 See Keating's discussion on the underlying issues of the enactment of the 1926 Adoption of Children Act. 3 Keating provides reasoning behind the clean break ideas of early adoption. For the opposing view, see Norrie (pg20). RUNNING HEAD: Aligning Adoption Law with Human Rights Ideals These social changes, along with the wide spread use of more effective contraceptives, have caused the number of infancy adoptions to sharply decline since 1970.4 At the same time, adoptions of looked-after or foster children have increased. In 1975, 7% of all