Clash with the Hurricane- Personal Narrative Essay

Clash with the Hurricane- Personal Narrative I woke up early morning and turned on the TV. I could not see anything clearly because I did not have my glasses on. Only red flashing lights from the TV appeared in my eyes. I got up and went and put on my glasses. The red flashing lights that were coming from the TV now made sense to me. ‘BREAKING NEWS’ I used the remote controller and went and put up the volume. ‘Indestructible hurricane has blown over the Big Ben’ I could not believe what I was hearing.†¦show more content†¦I had to get out of this city. The bloody, brutal, barbaric hurricane might come here anytime. I went outside. The grey sky darkened from the blue, light sky of the early afternoon. It suddenly turned to a dark, gloomy sky with a mist cloud hovering. I walked back into the car, seemingly it was going to pour down. Heavily, the wind blew. I turned to shut the windows, but, as I looked closer out of the window, gigantic clouds started swirling together creating an immense hurricane. I knew hurricanes were so dangerous but, at the same time, from a distance it was such a magnificent phenomenon. Heavily, rain poured, hitting the ground with loud bangs like bullet from a gun. I was in my car so the sound was on the roof. All around ‘bang, bang, bang.’ I began to be afraid. My mobile phone vibrated in my pocket. I picked it up. I looked at the phone screen to see who it was. It was my mum. ‘Hello, mum are you alright’ I said in a panicked voice, after knowing that she lived in London with my other brothers ‘Son, save me. I don’t think I’m going to live any longer. My mum repeated in an agonizing voice. ‘Mum, whatShow MoreRelated Clash with the Hurricane- Personal Narrative Essay868 Words   |  4 PagesClash with the Hurricane- Personal Narrative The sky darkened from the blue light sky, it turned suddenly to a dark black gloomy sky hovering with a mist cloud. I walked back into the car, seemingly it was going to pour down. Heavily, the wind blew. I turned to shut the windows, but, as I looked closer out of the window, huge clouds started fusing together which then created a huge immense hurricaneRead MoreClimate Change Caused By Humans2227 Words   |  9 Pagesdeveloping countries experience it. The US had hurricane Katrina in 2005. Japan had the Tohoku tsunami in 2011. In 2013, the Philippines had typhoon Haiyan. Despite catastrophes being non-selective, societies barely put forward concrete laws and enforcement. Debates are ongoing among policymakers while citizens continue to live with the ways that they are used to. 63% of the US population believes in global warming, yet the political parties seem to clash on whether the issue should be dealt with (GeilingRead MoreHegemony and Discourse : Negotiating Cultural Relationships Through Media Production8970 Words   |  36 Pagesnational or transnational) and the interests of those who own and control them. What is most important about these mediascapes is that they provide (especially in their television film and cassette forms) large and complex repertoires of images, narratives and ethnoscapes to viewers throughout the world, in which the world of commodities and the world of news and politics are profoundly mixed. What this means is that many audiences throughout the world experience themselves as a complicated and interconnectedRead More Exploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagessuccessful dot.com. Formula One – developing the capabilities for competitive success in a hi-tech industry. Manchester United – clash of expectations in the football world. Salvation Army – strategic challenges for a global not-for-profit organisation with a mission. Bayer MS – corporate social responsibility in the international development of a German company. Eurotunnel – clash of cultures threatens to derail Anglo–French rail link. Ryanair – competitive challenge and strategic choice in the budgetRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 Pagesand a flattened organization. It is an organization that can overcome limitations, understand the pressures against it, and seize opportunities when they present themselves. The basic principles of this approach are made up of five core areas: 1. Personal mastery, with people identifying what is important in the pro cess. 2. Mental models, with the organization continuously challenging members in order to improve their mental models. 3. Shared vision, requiring an imagining of what the organizationRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pages2011 Johnson, Whittington and Scholes, Exploring Strategy, 9th Edition, Instructor’s Manual Supporting resources Visit the Exploring Strategy, ninth edition Companion Website at www.pearsoned.co.uk/mystrategylab. Register to create your own personal account using the access code supplied with the copy of the book. Access the following teaching and learning resources: Resources for students †¢ A dynamic eText of the book which you can search, bookmark, annotate and highlight as you please †¢ Self-assessment

Code For Accountability For Renegade Police Officers

When a man gets robbed on the dark streets of the city he can resist and fight back. When a woman gets raped she can resist and scream for help. When the family home gets burglarized, family can call the police or use other means for protection. But what could a person do, be that man or a woman, if he/she is a victim of crime committed by law enforcement officers? Any resistance will only be met with further escalation of physical and emotional punishment in addition to criminal charges that will surely follow that person in courts. There is no use to cry for help because nobody has the authority to fight police. The channels for accountability for renegade police officers are limited and unfortunately more often then not two thirds of†¦show more content†¦According to Encyclopedia.com, police brutality is the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful police purpose. Probably the most notorious example of police brutality is case of Rodney King. On March 2nd, 1991 King was involved in a high-speed chase with California Highway Patrol. Mr. King was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana and was trying to outrun the police because a charge of driving under the influence would of have violated his parole for previous robbery conviction. After 8 miles of high-speed chase King’s car was cornered and moments later he was severely beaten by 8 police officers. Later it was determined in court that Mr. King received 31 hits with PR 24 metal batons, 6 kicks and 2 Taser zaps each carrying 50, 000 volts (Linder). Rodney King sustained severe physical trauma, including 11 fractures. His initial surgery took three doctors working five hours straight to keep him alive. In a CNN interview in 1994 the ophthalmologist who treated King said some bones were so pulverized they were like grains of sand. Fortunately this incident was filmed by George Holliday from his apartment and King’s case viral within hours (CNN). Rodney King’s case created a violent backlash of public opinion across US opening old wounds of government’s oppression and discrimination, especially against minority groups. People across the country were mobilizing for numerous

Ethical Issues with Sweatshops free essay sample

Newkirk Remember when you were at the mall the last time and saw a pair of Nike shoes that you just couldn’t live without? You had to buy them, for a pricey cost, and just loved them, right? We all have owned a pair or two of Nike shoes in our life. They were the â€Å"cool† shoes to have back when I was in school. The thing that we may not have known is that Nike has been using â€Å"children as young as fifteen years old† (Jennings, 2012) as employees to make these shoes. In the following report I am going to go over some major ethical issues regarding using underage children and women in foreign countries for labor. I will tell about what the conditions that these people have to work in to get paid barely enough to survive from one day to the next. The first topic that I would like to talk about is a quote coming from Nike when questioned about the conditions of their facilities and the employees that they had working in them. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Issues with Sweatshops or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The quote was â€Å"We’re damned if we do because we exploit. We’re damned if we don’t because these foreign economies don’t develop. Who’s to know what’s right? † (Jennings, 2012) Well, let’s answer that question. First of all you are not damned if you make your product out of the country. Sure, as Americans we would like the opportunity to have the business be here where we could benefit from the jobs that it would create, but we also understand the need to help these other countries build and grow. Second, how is it helping these other countries if you are taking their children out of school at the age that they are able to work in a factory? Jennings, 2012) Wouldn’t the better way to help these countries be to pay them a fair wage and help their children get a good education so that they can grow up to help build their country the way that we are wanting them to? And finally, I don’t know who to say is right in this case, but I do know that Nike was found to â€Å"make women run laps around the factory for wearing no regulation shoes to work; payment of subminimum wages; physical beatings, including with shoes, by factory supervisors; and most employees were women between the ages of fifteen and twenty eight years old. (Jennings, 2012) After having that information, I think I can safely say that Nike cannot possibly think that they should be the ones that people think are right in this situation. Now, let’s go over child labor in general and if it should be allowed. I personally could never employ a child that was under the age of 15 whether it was legal or not. By making these children work in the conditions that they make them work in, for the pay that they give them for this work is not an ethical decision that I could ever live with. In a story about child labor that I found it stated that â€Å"In the 1990s, child labour has found a new niche in the rapidly expanding export industries of some developing countries. In one small carpet factory in Asia, children as young as five were found to work from 6 in the morning until 7 at night for less than 20 cents a day. † (Child Rights, 1995) Can you imagine you five year old child going to work and working for 13 hours? These children have absolutely no childhood and are giving up their education to work so that their families can survive. I think that it is important to have a limit to the hours that a person is allowed to work in one week and that there should be a required minimum wage. Even if it were not a law, if I owned my own company I would have these standards in place for every employee that I hired. While it is important for a company to make a profit, I believe that it is also important for their employees to be healthy and safe in their working environment. When it comes to the wages that are being paid, if you are not up to a standard of income that is expected or needed from employees, they are going to go and try to find work somewhere else. If this happens the turnover rate at the company would be incredibly high, therefore causing the company to lose money in the long run. If you are constantly having to hire and train more people you are taking time away from the product that should be being made. So, if you want to keep happy employees that are devoted to the company that they are working for and making a product that is up to standards that are wanted by the company then they should pay them a respectable wage and keep the hours at the amount that you would expect to work yourself. One of the things that I have stated a few times in this report already is that children are not getting the education that they should be getting because they are being taken out of school to work in these factories or they are just not being sent to a school to begin with. I would make it a top priority to make educational opportunities for these children in these countries if I had a business there. I think that it is important that these countries continue to grow and prosper to get as close to the conditions that we live in here in the United States. There is no way that this can happen if we are not sending their children to school. They will have no way to know what to do to run a successful business, only to work nonstop in them. How are they ever going to learn the necessities this way? In today’s businesses they are not thinking about this. They are thinking that they can continue to send the employees here from the United States over there to run the businesses. In which case they will never be an independent society able to function on their own. I think that the reason that society focused so much on the Kathi Lee Gifford and Nike issues are because of the fame that they already have and the popularity of the products that they are selling. We see Kathy Lee Gifford as a wholesome all American Actress that we all love. We all loved the fact that she made a clothing line, and then sold it in an affordable place such as Wal-Mart. Then we realize that the clothes that we love and are finding affordable are being made in sweatshops in Guatemala. Of course this is going to upset people because it is something that no one would have suspected. When it comes to Nike, it is the company that every athlete endorsed and wears most of the time. It is probably one of the most recognizable shoe companies in the United Stated today. I think that the thing that upsets people the most is that it is such an â€Å"American† known shoe, that people feel that it should being produced in America. So as we have learned in this report is that if you want happy, healthy employees, you need to treat them right and pay them the wages that they are actually earning. Also, children are our future and if we want our future to be prosperous and continue that way we need to make sure that they are getting the education that they need to run things when we are no longer here. Bibliography Child Rights. (1995). Retrieved 4 1, 2012, from Children pay high price for cheap labour: http://www. unicef. org/pon95/chil0016. html Jennings, M. M. (2012). Business Ethics. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

The Miller’s Tale Essay Paper Example For Students

The Miller’s Tale Essay Paper Chaucer implores the reader to appreciate Nicholass role and to join him in laughing at his fooling of John, as well as wanting us to delight in the irony that Nicholas provokes, most notably when he tells John Thy wyf shal I wel saven, out of doute. Although Nicholas is worthy of admiration, the reader feels no sympathy for Nicholass painful encounter at the end of the Tale. His experience of having an iren hoot We will write a custom essay on The Miller’s Tale Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now amidde the ers can be seen as a just punishment for tricking John and sleeping with Alison, especially as he feels no remorse. It is arguable that the reader may feel Nicholass outcome is just, owing to his behaviour; however, though this is debatable, it is unlikely that the reader will ever feel compassion for Nicholass situation. Alison is the definitive object of femininity for the reader since Chaucer introduces her as the yonge wyf of the carpenter, through her physical attributes and clothing, deliberately withholding her name. Her supple and sinuous figure is likened to that of a weasels, emphasising her sexual attractiveness whilst also hinting at her sly nature, which Nicholas later exploits, and the turn that the Tale will take later on. It is through her clothing that Alison is presented to the reader; her skirt broiden al bifoore, embroidery on her collar withinne and eek withoute and hir filet brood of silk, implying her to be of an affluent background. The more attentive reader will be aware that her rich clothing is a product of her marriage to the carpenter, whom she arguably married for his wealth. In Nicholas and Alisons first encounter, it is unclear to the reader why Alison initially plays so hard to get, claiming that her housbonde is so ful of jalousie, however, they are aware that after calling her lemman and crass advances, she is won round with unseemly haste. Revelling in the attention of Nicholas, it becomes clear that Alison is a better match for Nicholas. Chaucer accentuates her qualities that can be comparable with young animals, such as a kid, a calf and a foal. It is through these associations with animals that Chaucer hints at her animalistic instincts, where she would want to mate with another young animal, namely Nicholas, rather than her elderly husband. Alisons visit to church in recognised as part of the medieval texture of life; however, before she leaves home she crosses herself with holy water and it is implied that she made Hir forheed shoon as bright as any day in order to appear seductive. A more modest woman would have covered her forehead out of respect. This in itself is mildly blasphemous and so signals to the reader not only of what Alisons character is like, but also the direction the Tale is going in. The reader can recognise that although her characterisation by Chaucer is mainly decorative, its important to the plot of the Tale. Firstly, Alisons characterisation emphasises the position of her foolish old husband trying to keep her under control. Secondly, her appearance as a natural conquest for Nicholas assists the plot of deception, and thirdly, she is a perfect target for the ridiculous courtly love of Absolon. Taking these things into account, Alisons role in the Tale makes her character difficult to either sympathise with or admire, since she has neither commendable qualities for the reader to appreciate, nor does she end up as the butt of the Tale. It is difficult for the reader to feel sympathy towards either Alisons character or her situation, owing mostly to her willingness to cuckold her husband, her curt treatment of Absolon and the delight she takes in her infidelity. .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d , .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .postImageUrl , .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d , .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:hover , .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:visited , .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:active { border:0!important; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:active , .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaa0079bb06a1adc79148609b1614cc5d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Compare the poems 'Out, Out' by Robert Frost and 'Mid Term Break' by Seamus Heaney EssayHer character is also difficult to admire in that it is obvious to the reader that she married John for his wealth, that she enjoys the attention from Nicholas, assists the cuckolding of her husband and also ridicules Absolon. Beautiful Alison may be, but the reader experiences glimpses of a young madam in her love affair with hende Nicholas, in the play-acting with her sely husband and in her treatment of joly Absolon. Absolon is associated with Absalom in the Old Testament of the Bible who was hanged by his hair from a tree and though peripheral to the main theme, Absolons part in the Tale is extensive and crucial. It is in portrait painting that his description as the effeminate young buck, fastidious in both appearance and habits whilst also being over-dressed to the point of ridicule, with poules window corven on his shoes, that Absolon first comes across as a joke to the reader. Apart from self-adoration, the reader can appreciate that Absolon spends his energies on self-advertisement, in both socializing and flirting, and in making himself useful in such activities where company and gossip are the essential ingredients. The reader is aware that these traits of his personality, although making him likeable to some extent, cause him to firstly, appear superficial in his love for Alison, and secondly, come across as almost deserving of his later humiliation. It is from this point of view that the reader can understand Alisons impatience with Absolons failed attempts at courtly love as he can be seen as annoying, unappealing and no match for Nicholas. The reader realises that Alison may be aware of Absolons delight in playing at being in love with the parish wives and barmaids of the town and so, in effect, would not be immediately be charmed by him. His effeminacy is unattractive to Alison, most notably when compared to Nicholas, however its Absolons squeamishness, fastidiousness, refined manner of speaking and high sensitivity that are combined to create a figure thats ridiculously inappropriate in the necessary and vulgar setting of the tale. It is these qualities of Absolon that make him so ridiculous, apt as the butt of Alisons joke later on in the Tale and therefore the reader has little sympathy for him. Similarly to John, humour rather than compassion is felt by the reader concerning Absolons downfall. Absolon resembles Nicholas in that hes an attractive, youthful man with many talents, however, unlike Nicholas hes portrayed as ridiculous to the Millers audience. Though Absolon is accomplished, he is only connected to small-town activity and his achievements do not measure up to Nicholass scholarly education. The pains that he goes through to win Alison are described to the reader in detail, yet we are aware that his efforts are in vain since Nicholas has already won her over with his close proximity and crude advances. It is arguable that Chaucer sets Absolon up to be ridiculed, however it is through Absolons wooing techniques that Chaucer invites the reader to ridicule his position. . An example of this is apparent in Absolons reading of the part of Herod from the mystery plays in order to impress Alison; however judging from both his appearance and pitch of his voice, the reader is aware he would be more suited to female roles. Since the reader regards Absolon as somewhat ridiculous, it is only in his action of revenge that the reader ever feels any form of admiration for him. In his attempts to woo Alison it is apparent that Absolon is a complete parody of courtly love since the true courtly lover woos discreetly and when he sings to her, it is his ladys husband he awakes, not her, with his love song. John recognises the high pitch of the voice to be Absolons and awakes Alison to hear it. The fact that Absolons song reaches the wrong set of ears initially implies his failure and as there is a companionable recognition of who it is singing between John and Alison it is indicated further that neither of them take him very seriously. .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 , .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .postImageUrl , .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 , .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:hover , .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:visited , .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:active { border:0!important; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:active , .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63 .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u22d0d7e751e230256108127c410e2d63:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Tony Kytes the arch-deceiver by Thomas Hardy EssayUnfortunately for Absolon, Chaucer uses him to provoke humour for the reader and though he is worthy of sympathy in certain circumstances, the reader never regards with true compassion. Playing the part as victim of ridicule throughout the Tale makes it hard for the reader to ever respect him. It is notable that Absolon is only ever the subject of admiration from the reader when he seeks revenge of Alison after humiliating him, however, revenge is in reality not a quality to be admired in someone. Owing to his position in the love-triangle of the Tale, his vanity, his immaturity and vengeful personality, Absolon is never truly empathised with, but his determination and wilfulness make him a creditable, if a times laughable, character. John foolish, marriage, jealousy Ignorance religious knowledge about flood Story telling nature Miller states he needs, and is deserving of punishment Possessive, line 124 Gullible Speaks like an old man garrulous Miller tries to get back at Reeve Nicholas vain Blasphemous No remorse No guilt of consequences Just desserts Alison eager to deceive Chose to deceive a man who genuinely loved her Sly, line 126 as any wezele Understandable that she deceives her husband Lines 114, 126, 136 Things to consider:Â   No one gets off Scott free!

Free Essays on Communications Technology

Communication/ Media Technology This essay will be based on the life and works of some of the more noted innovators in the field of communication and media technology and will include a discussion around how technological advancement may have a detrimental effect on the lives of individuals and society as a whole. Early Methods  ¡Ã‚ ¥Communication ¡Ã‚ ¦ is the act of transmitting and receiving ideas, messages and information. When considering communication between two people it could be described as a by-product or outgrowth of various different methods of self expression that have developed over thousands of years: Gestures accompanied by sounds could have been the beginnings of language. Smoke signals as used by Native Americans, cave paintings and engravings from the Palaeolithic period dating as far back as 10,000  ¡V 40,000 BC are all forms of expression and are efforts to communicate thoughts and ideas. Long before the telephone was developed and became universally available and before the invention of the electric telegraph, communicating over any significant distance would undoubtedly have been protracted and frustrating with letter mail being among the most popular and relied upon method of communication. Semaphore It seems that  ¡Ã‚ ¥fast ¡Ã‚ ¦ long distance technology began during the French revolution, in the late eighteenth century, when French merchant Claude Chappe used a semaphore telegraph to send messages between the French army at Lille and Paris. This was achieved by using a relay system and by changing the position of the arms which were set upon a mast or tower. A message could be sent considerable distances and it was possible to send a semaphore telegraph the 240 kilometres from Lille to Paris in two minutes. Semaphore telegraphs continued to be popular until the early 19th century, until the electric telegraph was invented. Telegraph The electric telegraph was pioneered... Free Essays on Communications Technology Free Essays on Communications Technology Communication/ Media Technology This essay will be based on the life and works of some of the more noted innovators in the field of communication and media technology and will include a discussion around how technological advancement may have a detrimental effect on the lives of individuals and society as a whole. Early Methods  ¡Ã‚ ¥Communication ¡Ã‚ ¦ is the act of transmitting and receiving ideas, messages and information. When considering communication between two people it could be described as a by-product or outgrowth of various different methods of self expression that have developed over thousands of years: Gestures accompanied by sounds could have been the beginnings of language. Smoke signals as used by Native Americans, cave paintings and engravings from the Palaeolithic period dating as far back as 10,000  ¡V 40,000 BC are all forms of expression and are efforts to communicate thoughts and ideas. Long before the telephone was developed and became universally available and before the invention of the electric telegraph, communicating over any significant distance would undoubtedly have been protracted and frustrating with letter mail being among the most popular and relied upon method of communication. Semaphore It seems that  ¡Ã‚ ¥fast ¡Ã‚ ¦ long distance technology began during the French revolution, in the late eighteenth century, when French merchant Claude Chappe used a semaphore telegraph to send messages between the French army at Lille and Paris. This was achieved by using a relay system and by changing the position of the arms which were set upon a mast or tower. A message could be sent considerable distances and it was possible to send a semaphore telegraph the 240 kilometres from Lille to Paris in two minutes. Semaphore telegraphs continued to be popular until the early 19th century, until the electric telegraph was invented. Telegraph The electric telegraph was pioneered...

Dinah and Male-Dominated Biblical Narrative

Dinah and Male-Dominated Biblical Narrative One of the aptest historical criticisms of The Holy Bible is the way it fails to chronicle womens lives, abilities and viewpoints with the same effort it puts into mens lives. The story of Dinah in Genesis 34 is one of the best examples of this male-dominated narrative. A Young Woman at the Mercy of Men Dinahs story actually starts in Genesis 30:21, which tells of her birth to Jacob and his first wife, Leah. Dinah reappears in Genesis 34, a chapter that early versions of the Bible titled the rape of Dinah. Ironically, Dinah never speaks for herself in this significant episode of her life. In brief, Jacob and his family are encamped in Canaan near the city of Shechem. By now having reached puberty, teen-aged Dinah understandably wants to see something of the world. While visiting the city, she is defiled or outraged by the prince of the land, also called Shechem, who is the son of Hamor the Hivite. Although scripture says Prince Shechem is eager to marry Dinah, her brothers Simeon and Levi are enraged at the way their sister has been treated. They convince their father, Jacob, to exact a high bride price, or dowry. They tell Hamor and Shechem that it is against their religion to allow their women to marry men who are not circumcised, i.e., converts to the religion of Abraham. Because Shechem is in love with Dinah, he, his father, and eventually all the men of the city agree to this extreme measure. However, circumcision turns out to be a trap devised by Simeon and Levi to incapacitate the Shechemites. Genesis 34 says they, and possibly more of Dinahs brothers, attack the city, kill all the men, rescue their sister and despoil the town. Jacob is horrified and frightened, fearing that other Canaanites sympathetic with the people of Shechem will rise against his tribe in retaliation. How Dinah feels at the murder of her betrothed, who by this time may even have been her husband, is never mentioned. Rabbinical Interpretations Vary on Dinahs Story Later sources blame Dinah for this episode, citing her curiosity about life in the city as a sin since it exposed her to risk of rape. Shes also condemned in other rabbinical interpretations of scripture known as Midrash because she didnt want to leave her prince, Shechem. This earns Dinah the nickname of the Canaanite woman. A text of Jewish myth and mysticism, The Testament of the Patriarchs, justifies the anger of Dinahs brothers by saying that an angel instructed Levi to take revenge on Shechem for the rape of Dinah. A more critical view of Dinahs story holds the tale may be not historical at all. Instead, some Jewish scholars think Dinahs story is an allegory that symbolizes the way Israelite men conducted feuds against neighboring tribes or clans that raped or abducted their women. This reflection of ancient customs makes the story valuable, according to Jewish historians. A Feminist View of Dinahs Story In 1997, novelist Anita Diamant re-imagined Dinahs story in her book, The Red Tent, a New York Times best-seller. In this novel, Dinah is the first-person narrator, and her encounter with Shechem is not rape but consensual sex in anticipation of marriage. Dinah willingly marries the Canaanite prince and is horrified and grieved by her brothers vengeful actions. She flees to Egypt to bear Shechems son and is reunited with her brother Joseph, now Egypts prime minister. The Red Tent became a worldwide phenomenon embraced by women who longed for a more positive view of women in the Bible. Although entirely fiction, Diamant said she wrote the novel with attention to the history of the era, around 1600 B.C., particularly in terms of what could be discerned about the lives of ancient women. The red tent of the title refers to a practice common to tribes of the ancient Near East, in which menstruating women or women giving birth lived in such a tent along with their co-wives, sisters, daughters and mothers. In a question-and-answer on her website, Diamant cites work by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, who links the biblical law that keeps a mother separate from the tribe for 60 days upon the birth of a daughter as a sign that it is a sacred act for a woman to bear to another potential birth-giver. A subsequent work of non-fiction, Inside the Red Tent by Baptist scholar Sandra Hack Polaski, examines Diamants novel in light of both biblical story and ancient history, particularly the difficulties of finding historical documentation for womens lives. Diamants novel and Polaskis non-fiction work are completely extra-biblical, and yet their readers believe that they give voice to a female character whom the Bible never allows to speak for herself. Sources Giving Voice to Dinah Sermon given December 12, 2003, by Rabbi Allison Bergman Vann The Jewish Study Bible, featuring the Jewish Publication Societys TANAKH translation (Oxford University Press, 2004). Dinah by Eduard KÃ ¶nig, Emil G. Hirsch, Louis Ginzberg, Caspar Levias, Jewish Encyclopedia. Ten Questions on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (St. Martins Press, 1997). Inside the Red Tent (Popular Insights) by Sandra Hack Polaski (Chalice Press, 2006)

What are the strengths and weaknesses of dependency theorists Essay - 1

What are the strengths and weaknesses of dependency theorists interoperation of global inequality What are the strengths and weaknesses of modernisation theorists interoperation of global inequality - Essay Example this paper will focus on other factors that are perceived to be of immense significance when it comes to general shortcomings of these theories and their strengths as well. Specifically, this paper is going to evaluate the view of dependency theory in relation to its strengths and weaknesses in relation to interpretation of global inequality. The emergence of dependence theory is based on the questioning of reliability of market-oriented theories like modernization theory. The major issue of concern was to reject the idea that the major reason according to modernization theory, why underdeveloped countries continued to be poor was due to their cultural and institutional faults. Dependency theorist built their argument based on Karl Marx’s capitalism. This is what was highlighted in major areas of concern as to why these countries were underdeveloped. They argued that capitalism was responsible for creation of a class of countries that manipulated other countries (Giddens 2009). This is in relation to what happens to capitalism within a country, where the rich or owners of means of production exploit workers or low class people. In light with this, dependency theorist argues that poverty and underdevelopment of low income countries is as a result of exploitation by the wealthy nations. In their view, dependency theorist believes that this kind of exploitation began with colonialism. This is the spectrum through which wealthy and powerful nations ruled over the weak nations for their greed for profit maximization and domination. For example, powerful nations have colonized poor countries in a bid to acquire raw materials to use in their factories. In addition, they ensure that they control the market from which the poor countries trade on. Unfortunately, the products sold in the controlled market are the end products of the raw materials taken by the wealthy nations. In fact, it is believed that this is well executed by global companies supported by big banks

Critical literature review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical literature review - Assignment Example In contrast, some of the scholars have shown that performance management involves the scope for stereotyping and many other errors very frequently (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). Therefore, it cannot be considered as a key constituent of organizational growth and development. In this paper, various aspects of performance appraisal will be critically analysed from the researchers’ point of view. Eminent researchers Melnyk, Bititci, Platts, Tobias and Andersen (2014) have identified the concept of performance management as a research paradox. According to them, though the system provides a critical and constructive assessment of employee functions in the organization, comparative assessment of employees in turn results in demotivation and deterioration of performance of some of the employees within the same organization. Therefore, performance management creates a paradoxical situation in the organization. Conversely, Armstrong and Taylor (2014) have shown that effective performance management enables the managers of an organization to review the performances of all individual employees and accordingly plan requirement for training and skill development, determine the performance gap and infuse visibility and accountability among the employees. Therefore, according to them, performance management tends to enhance organizational efficiency. Performance management can be explained through two contrasting theoretical perspectives such as Universalistic perspective and Contingency perspective. As defined by Hamid (2013) the universalistic approach establishes a direct relationship between management of human resource of an organization and performance of the employees. Hamid (2013) also stated that the universalistic approach of Human Resource Management (HRM) is based on the core idea of best practices of HRM. The approach is

Chaucer creates humour Essay Example for Free

Chaucer creates humour Essay The Merchants Tale is only rarely seen as humorous; most often it is noted for its darkness, its unrelieved acidity; it is said to offer a perversion of the courtly code.1 I disagree with this statement made by J. S. P. Tatlock. Chaucer was successful at creating humour within his narratives, which is partly why his works were, and still are, so popular. Humour can be achieved through a variety of elements including plot, characterisation, language, timing and circumstance. Chaucer used of all these, but largely drew upon the satirical portrayals of both the courtly love genre and religion within The Merchants Tale. The tale opens with The Merchant who is envious and astringent of all people that are of a higher class than he; therefore, in his narrative, he targets and satirizes the traditions of the knightly class, including the romantic conventions of courtly love often attributed to the upper classes.  Another of Chaucers tales is The Knights Tale which is about two knights and close friends, Arcite and Palamon, who are imprisoned by Theseus, duke of Athens. Whilst in prison they fall in love with the beautiful sister of Hippolyta, Emily (Emelye). The sense of competition brought about by this love causes them to hate each other. They eventually get let out of prison and fight each other to win the girl.  Arcite wins the battle, but dies before he can claim Emily, so Palamon marries her. The story introduces many typical aspects of knighthood such as courtly love and ethical dilemmas. The Merchants Tale begins with a description of Januarie who is presented, satirically, as A worthy knight. The Merchant however attempts to display to the audience that this knight is not worthy at all. He contrasts him to the knights in The Knights Tale. Theseus was tough, forceful, confident and young but Januarie is portrayed as old and fading, old and hoor. He is also shown as an exception to many knightly virtues, as he folwed al his bodily delit On women, thereas was his apetite. This portrayal of him shows the audience that he is in fact obsessed with women and sex. In the tale he attempts to gain himself a young wife, despite the warnings of his advisors. Chaucer uses the dialogue of the characters to explain to Januarie that a young wife will be difficult to keep happy at his age. He makes Januarie exclaim that She shal nat passe twenty yeer, certain Thanne shoulde I lede my lif in avoutrye,/ And go straight to the devel whan I die. Chaucer portrays him as a character envious of youth, so much so that if he cannot have a young wife he will have no choice but to sin. In other words, he must have a young wife for his own moral safety. This is not the image of a strong and powerful knight like Theseus. Januarie fails in the area of courtly love and ends up having his courtship mocked by the Merchant. This not only creates humour in the audiences eyes as we see how dim-witted Januarie really is, but it also creates sympathy for the character as he cannot help how he is portrayed. Another example of the use of satire is the whole incident with Damien, May and Januarie and the adultery issue. One could argue that May does not love Damien any more than she loves January. He could perhaps just be a suitable alternative for May to love. When she receives a love-letter from Damien, she disposes of it in the toilet (privy) which could show this lack of love for him. Therefore, her motivation for adultery could be seen as an action of revenge, as January assaulted May by marrying her, and not out of affection for Damien. This is satire on the whole theme of courtly love. This feeling of revenge on her part is further demonstrated in the cuckold scene. May deceives January in the garden and we, as the audience, cannot blame her for doing so. January built the garden so that he can have May sexually in the way he wants her. She feigns pregnancy and then steps onto Januarys back to have sex with Damien in the tree. She has been stepped on by January and now she gets to do the same to him. When Januarys sight is restored by the Gods, he rightfully accuses her of adultery. In response she acts impertinent and insulted: This thank have I for I have maad yow see/ Allas, quod she, that evere I was so kinde!'. This creates humour as the audience knows that Chaucer is satirising the idea of courtly love and cannot believe that Januarie is so dense that he believes Mays excuse.

The Character of Torvald Helmer and Nils Krogstad in A Dolls House Ess

Torvald Helmer is the least likeable character in A Doll's House, a play by Henrik Ibsen. Torvald is sometimes portrayed as a sexist pig. Such a reading does an injustice to Torvald. There is more depth to his character if one follows the hints that he had actively covered up for Nora's father. The first hint came when Nora told Kristina that Torvald had given up his government post because there was no prospect of advancement. It may be that there was no opportunity for getting ahead because promotion was slow in the bureau, but it may have been because his most intimate co-workers (those who would have used the familiar Du with him) were aware of what he had done. While the management did not prosecute him (just as Krogstad was not prosecuted), those acquainted with the incident could prevent his advancement into an office where his larcenous tendencies could do real harm. A second hint is that Helmer saw Krogstad as a threat to his new post in the savings bank: "he seems to think he has a right to be familiar with me." Did he suspect that Krogstad knew the one awful secret that could destroy him? The third hint follows that trail: Krogstad expected that Nora had sufficient influence to persuade her husband not to dismiss him. Why did he believe this unless he had some su spicion of her past influence? A further hint comes when Helmer remarks: "I pretend we're secretly in love--engaged in secret--and that no one dreams that there's anything between us." Why does he want that? Is this not a reference to the conflict of interest regarding her father? Lastly, after reading Krogstad's letter, almost immediately Nora's father comes to mind; he exclaims, "So this is what I get for condoning his fault! I did it for your sake, and t... ...e Artist. Coral Gables, Florida: University of Miami. Koht, Halvdan. 1971. Life of Ibsen. New York: Benjamin Blom. Meyer, Michael. 1971. Ibsen. A Biography. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday and Company. Northam, John. 1965. "Ibsen's Search for the Hero." Ibsen. A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. Â   Notes: 1. Clurman (1977:115, 117). Brandes (1964:77-78): "The man is thoroughly honourable, scrupulously upright, thrifty, careful of his position in the eyes of strangers and inferiors, a faithful husband, a strict and loving father, kind-hearted. . . ." 2. Brandes (1964:49) says that Ibsen views Helmer as a stupid and evil man, whose "stupidity arises solely from his self-righteous egoism." 3. Clurman (1977:115-116) presents the traditional interpretation of Krogstad: "a soft man driven to hardness."

The 20th Century State of the American Dream

The American dream has always been a popular and typical subject matter in literature and arts in the United States. Though not a lot of people may be able to define the term in technical detail, Americans certainly know it by heart. The American dream has grown to a multitude of meanings over the years. A 15-year old girl may see the American dream as winning Ms. USA and being able to represent her country in front of the whole world. A young college student on the hand may see it as finding the most promising job and succeeding in his dream profession someday.While a newly wed man may see the American dream as acquiring his own house and property in a typical sub-urban area where he can start his life with his family calmly and peacefully. These are just some possible faces of American dream based on the perspectives of Americans from different walks of life. However, the real and concrete definition of ideal may not be that certain. The American dream have also been observed to ev olve through the years since it has to base itself on the necessity of the American society.And considering the current state of the American society in this modern age of the 20th century, the American dream can be easily seen as the vision of America as an economically stable, politically peaceful and societally harmonious nation. In this light, one may easily see how the different sectors of the country contributes to the achievement of this dream. However, although it can be observed that all of the American's visions are directed to this goal, there may still be things that hinder the achievement of this ultimate dream.In Loren Hickock's letter to Harry Hopkins in 1934 reveals the state of America, and this was reflected in this statement: â€Å"A Promised Land, bathed in golden sunlight, is rising out of the grey shadows of want and squalor and wrethchedness down here in the Tennessee Valley these days† (Hichock, 1934). The United States of America as the nation on whic h the roots of the state if Tennessee stands was evidently described as a gifted nation showered with golden sunlight. This entails a lot of positive things. This can entail how rich the soil of America is, and this can entail how great it natural resources are.This could have made the American Dream reachable if only the showers of the golden sun was put to good use. In the same letter by Hickock, she describes the state of American farm lands in Tennessee and how these lands, despite their arability and richness do not even grow sufficient crops for people to consume. Hickock writes, â€Å"Crops grown on it are stunted. Corn, for instance, grows only about a third as tall there as it does in Iowa. They tell me it isn't even good timber land. Just a thin coating of soil over rock. † (Hickock, 1934). This was during the 1930s.The situations at present may already be the same, but these confessions may reveal a pre-existing predicament which may have found its way to the roots of all Americans. A similar situation to this which can be seen to hinder America in achieving its ultimate dream is people's waste of resources. Just like the failure of earlier Americans to maximize the capacity or arable lands in Tennessee, American nowadays are suffered with debts and unnecessary financial debts that eventually make them fail in balancing and maximizing their prime resource which is money.Aside from the dilemma on resources, one of the most significant dilemmas of Americans that may have hindered them for so long in achieving the American dream is racism and discrimination on religion. The popular men's magazine in the US, Playboy conducted an interview with Malcolm X regarding the state of racism in America. During the 1960s. In Malcom X's answers, his view of the American dream was clear; however, the destruction of this dream was depicted even clearer. Malcom X says: â€Å"Freedom, justice and equality are our principal ambitions[†¦ The white man has t aught the black people in this country to hate themselves as inferior, to hate each other, to be divided against each other[†¦ ] the brainwashed black man can never learn to stand on his own two feet until he is on his own. We must learn to become our own producers, manufacturers and traders; we must have industry of our own,to employ our own† (â€Å"Playboy Interview Malcolm X, Alex Haley†, 1963). In these lines, the division between black and whites Americans was very apparent.It seemed like these people were living in two separate nations, when in fact, there were sharing one ground. Hence, there was practically no concrete sense of unity during that time. And although most Americans would claim that racism has finally found its end in the country, it can never be denied that it has created a serious scar in America's history. That although the current American society may be doing everything to heal the issue, the scar will always be there and it will never be erased in America's face.This can also be one of the most significant and considerable hindrances of achieving the American dream. Today, almost everything is being commercialized already. Everything seems to have a price tag. Because of this, people are becoming more and more competitive against each other to the extent that human rights violations are committed against their own countrymen. Evidently, in this kind of situation, achieving the ultimate American dream would be impossible. America has always been deemed as the land of the free.But considering how pressured, restrained and oppressed people are now due to financial debts, poltical predicaments and economic instability, America may not be totally free after all. At least not yet. This picture can be easily seen in this statement of Hickock in the same letter she sent to Hopkins: â€Å"And all over the state, in rural areas, the story is the same– an illiterate, wretched people, undernourished, with standards of l iving so low that, once on relief, they are quite willing to stay living so low that, once on relief, they are quite willing to stay there for the rest of their lives. It's a mess† (Hickock, 1934)

Positive effects of media

The media influences people in different ways, some positive and some negative. It is Important to realize although media can have a positive effect on society too much exposure to television, computers, or magazines can lead to unhealthy effects. The media gives people a way to connect with one another through news updates or even social networking. Most everyone wakes up in the morning grabs the newspaper, computer, or flips on the television to educate themselves on the worldly happenings of that day.According to Manali Oak author of â€Å"Positive Effects of the Media†, Research has revealed that media Is responsible for influencing a major part of our daily life. Media contribute to a transformation in the cultural and social values of the masses. Medla can bring about a change in the attitudes and beliefs of the common man. The persuasive nature of the content presented over media influences the thoughts and behavior of the general public. Medla has a direct impact over the lifestyle of society. The media gives society a way to come together and educate us as a whole. With this education we are able to make crucial decisions toward elections, polls, or any other vent that affects everyone In our country. -Friends and Relations: Social networks started as a place to connect with your friends In an easy and convenient way. Truly speaking, many of you might have found your old pals from school or college who were out of touch due to one reason or other, well I would say I have and I thank social networks for this.Social networks has provided us the opportunity to connect with people and bulld better relationships with friends with whom we are unable to meet personally, and let them know about our life and take Input about their lives and events happening with them. Reducing communication Barriers: With social networks we are able to communicate our thoughts and perceptions over different topics with a large number of audiences, and raise our voice. Th e sharing feature available on the social networks makes your opinion about any topic reach huge number of people (even to those who are not on your friends list).We have the option to make groups with people who are Ilke minded and share the related news 1 OF2 wltn tnem ana ask Tor tnelr oplnlon or Input aoout tne toplc. Slmply tnere are a number of options available for us to communicate with others on these social etworks. -Opportunities for Businesses: Social networks have become a crucial part of many of us. We don't even notice this but as soon as we open our desktops or laptops to access the web, we sub- consciously open our favorite social network Just to see about the updates received.Businesses have noticed the value of social networks in our life, and they are using different techniques to promote their products. There are a number of customized applications being made on the social platforms, whose main purpose is to promote the product or brand. As social marketing is c ost effective and brands have a huge udience, they are shifting more towards social marketing. Without the media, most people would know little of events beyond their immediate neighborhood. The further one goes outside of one's circle of friends and family, the more time-consuming and expensive it becomes to get information.Very few, if any, individuals have the resources to stay independently informed of world events. With the news, however, all one has to do is turn on a television or turn to the Internet. Even when it is biased or limited, it is a picture of what is happening around the world. The more sources one compares, the more accurate the picture that can be ut together. In addition to the media conglomerates, there are also a range of independent news outlets, though they have a much smaller audience.Some of these provide an alternative view of events and often strive to publish stories that cannot be found in the mainstream media. Technological advances in many industri alized (primarily Western) countries make it possible to read papers and watch broadcasts from around the globe. While language skills can be a barrier, it is possible to live in the United States and watch Arab-language broadcasts from the Middle East, or to get on the Internet and read scores of Chinese newspapers. Having access to these alternative voices limits the power of monopolies over information.Another important benefit of a functioning mass news media is that information can be relayed quickly in times of crisis. Tornado and hurricane announcement can give large populations advance warning and allow them to take precautions and move out of harm's way. In a country suffering war, a radio broadcast outlining where the latest fighting is can alert people to areas to avoid. In quieter times, the media can publish other useful announcements, from traffic reports to how to avoid getting HIV. It is a stabilizing and civilizing force. Positive Effects of Media The media influences people in different ways, some positive and some negative. It is important to realize although media can have a positive effect on society too much exposure to television, computers, or magazines can lead to unhealthy effects. The media gives people a way to connect with one another through news updates or even social networking. Most everyone wakes up in the morning grabs the newspaper, computer, or flips on the television to educate themselves on the worldly happenings of that day. According to Manali Oak author of â€Å"Positive Effects of the Media†,â€Å"Research has revealed that media is responsible for influencing a major part of our daily life. Media contribute to a transformation in the cultural and social values of the masses. Media can bring about a change in the attitudes and beliefs of the common man. The persuasive nature of the content presented over media influences the thoughts and behavior of the general public. Media has a direct impac t over the lifestyle of society.†The media gives society a way to come together and educate us as a whole. With this education we are able to make crucial decisions toward elections, polls, or any other event that affects everyone in our country.Friends and RelationsSocial networks started as a place to connect with your friends in an easy and convenient way. Truly speaking, many of you might have found your old pals from school or college who were out of touch due to one reason or other, well I would say I have and I thank social networks for this. Social networks has provided us the opportunity to connect with people and build better relationships with friends with whom we are unable to meet personally, and let them know about our life and take input about their lives and events happening with them.Reducing Communication BarriersWith social networks we are able to communicate our thoughts and perceptions  over different topics with a large number of audiences, and raise ou r voice. The sharing feature available on the social networks makes your opinion about any topic reach huge number of people (even to those who are not on your friends list). We have the option to make groups with people who are like minded and share the related news with them and ask for their opinion or input about the topic. Simply there are a number of options available for us to communicate with others on these social networks.Opportunities for BusinessesSocial networks have become a crucial part of many of us. We don’t even notice this but as soon as we open our desktops or laptops to access the web, we sub-consciously open our favorite social network just to see about the updates received. Businesses have noticed the value of social networks in our life, and they are using different techniques to promote their products. There are a number of customized applications being made on the social platforms, whose main purpose is to promote the product or brand. As social mark eting is cost effective and brands have a huge audience, they are shifting more towards social marketing.Without the media, most people would know little of events beyond their immediate neighborhood. The further one goes outside of one's circle of friends and family, the more time-consuming and expensive it becomes to get information. Very few, if any, individuals have the resources to stay independently informed of world events. With the news, however, all one has to do is turn on a television or turn to the Internet. Even when it is biased or limited, it is a picture of what is happening around the world. The more sources one compares, the more accurate the picture that can be put together.In addition to the media conglomerates, there are also a range of independent news outlets, though they have a much smaller audience. Some of these provide an alternative view of events and often strive to publish stories that cannot be found in the mainstream media. Technological advances in m any industrialized (primarily Western) countries make it possible to read papers and watch broadcasts from around the globe. While language skills can be a barrier, it is possible to live in the United States and  watch Arab-language broadcasts from the Middle East, or to get on the Internet and read scores of Chinese newspapers. Having access to these alternative voices limits the power of monopolies over information.Another important benefit of a functioning mass news media is that information can be relayed quickly in times of crisis. Tornado and hurricane announcement can give large populations advance warning and allow them to take precautions and move out of harm's way. In a country suffering war, a radio broadcast outlining where the latest fighting is can alert people to areas to avoid. In quieter times, the media can publish other useful announcements, from traffic reports to how to avoid getting HIV. It is a stabilizing and civilizing force.

Biotechnology and genetic engineering Essays

Biotechnology and genetic engineering Essays Biotechnology and genetic engineering Paper Biotechnology and genetic engineering Paper 1 Biotechnology and genetic engineering of both plants and animals raise a lot of issues from concerned groups such as the Green Peace and Friends of the Earth environmental activists. Biotechnology is â€Å"defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles to manipulate life forms to provide desirable products for human use (Lewis 70) This definition is applicable to the proponents but to those who oppose, they consider this process as the cause of the destruction of nature. 2. aBiotechnology involves processes of manipulating and modifying the genes of an organism to suit the desired structure of the genes such as greater yield quality, tastier character, immune resistance to pests and weeds and a lot of other qualities that may be useful for humans. This is not entirely different from selective breeding that improves the breeds of an organism but the latter is more of a natural process and does not involve very advance modification processs. Another difference is the time needed in completing the process. Selctiive breeding involves programs to choose the traits to be improved while the genetically modified or genetically engineered organisms are, as the names suggest, forcedly modified and engineered in their genes. â€Å"Scientists at Beltsville, Maryland, created a boar by injecting cattle genes into fertilized embryos of a pig and implanting the embryos in the womb of a surrogate cow(Krimsky, 1991, p. 55) is an example of modifying the genes. This is not possible in selective breeding because a cow cannot actually give birth to a pig naturally. 2. b The good side and potential advantages of biotechnology is that it causes the genetically engineered food crops to yield more which is beneficial to farmers and to the world that needs food. It also makes the food to taste better and fortified with induced vitamins and nutrients in it, while causing the crops to have resistance to pests and weeds reducing the use of expensive and environmentally harsh chemicals. 2c On the side of those environment activists and ethically concerned groups, they argue that biotechnology causes a lot of troubles in the long-run and even in the present. The case of seed patenting letting farmers suffer is one among these many issues. Another is on the possibility of causing immunities to weeds and pests in the long run and they would not be able to be eliminated due to these immunities caused by chemicals that are paired with genetically engineered crops. Another issue is on the loss of diversity in the environment, genetic erosion, environment problems that may be caused by genetic engineered cropping in the future such as soil erosion and many more. Reference Krimsky, S. (1991). Biotechnics Society: The Rise of Industrial Genetics. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Lewis, N. (2006) Pursuing Biotechnology: Opportunities Abound for Innovative Entrepreneurs in This Multibillion-Dollar Industry. Black Enterprise. Questia. 31 May 2008 questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5016671750.

Biography of Saddam Hussein of Iraq

Biography of Saddam Hussein of Iraq Born: April 28, 1937 at Ouja, near Tikrit, Iraq Died: Executed December 30, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq Ruled: Fifth President of Iraq, July 16, 1979 to April 9, 2003 Saddam Hussein endured childhood abuse and later torture as a political prisoner. He survived to become one of the most ruthless dictators the modern Middle East has seen. His life began with despair and violence and ended the same way. Early Years Saddam Hussein was born to a shepherds family on April 28, 1937 in northern Iraq, near Tikrit. His father disappeared before the child was born, never to be heard from again, and several months later, Saddams 13-year-old brother died of cancer. The babys mother was too despondent to care for him properly. He was sent to live with the family of his uncle Khairallah Talfah in Baghdad. When Saddam was three, his mother remarried and the child was returned to her in Tikrit. His new stepfather was a violent and abusive man. When he was ten, Saddam ran away from home and returned to his uncles house in Baghdad. Khairallah Talfah had recently been released from prison, after serving time as a political prisoner. Saddams uncle took him in, raised him, allowed him to go to school for the first time, and taught him about Arab nationalism and the pan-Arabist Baath Party. As a youth, Saddam Hussein dreamed of joining the military. His aspirations were crushed, however, when he failed the military school entrance exams. He attended a highly nationalistic secondary school in Baghdad instead, focusing his energy on politics. Entry into Politics In 1957, the twenty-year-old Saddam formally joined the Baath Party. He was selected in 1959 as part of an assassination squad sent to kill the Iraqi president, General Abd al-Karim Qasim. However, the October 7, 1959 assassination attempt did not succeed. Saddam had to flee Iraq overland, by donkey, moving first to However, the October 7, 1959 assassination attempt did not succeed.   Saddam had to flee Iraq overland, by donkey, moving first to Syria for a few months, and then going into exile in Egypt until 1963. Baath Party-linked army officers overthrew Qasim in 1963, and Saddam Hussein returned to Iraq. The following year, due to infighting within the party, he was arrested and imprisoned. For the next three years, he languished as a political prisoner, enduring torture, until he escaped in 1967. Free from prison, he began to organize followers for yet another coup. In 1968, Baathists led by Saddam and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr took power; Al-Bakr became president, and Saddam Hussein his deputy.   The elderly Al-Bakr was nominally the ruler of Iraq, but Saddam Hussein really held the reins of power.   He sought to stabilize the country, which was divided among Arabs and Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites, and rural tribes versus urban elites. Saddam dealt with these factions through a combination of modernization and development programs, improved living standards and social security, and brutal suppression of anyone who caused trouble despite these measures.   On June 1, 1972, Saddam ordered the nationalization of all foreign-owned oil interests in Iraq. When the 1973 energy crisis struck the following year, Iraqs oil revenues shot up in a sudden windfall of wealth for the country. With this flow of money, Saddam Hussein instituted free compulsory education for all Iraq children all the way through university; free nationalized medical care for all; and generous farm subsidies. He also worked to diversify Iraqs economy, so that it would not be utterly dependent on volatile oil prices. Some of the oil wealth also went into chemical weapons development. Saddam used some of the proceeds to build up the army, party-linked paramilitaries, and a secretive security service. These organizations used disappearances, assassination, and rape as weapons against perceived opponents of the state. Rise to Formal Power In 1976, Saddam Hussein became a general in the armed forces, despite having no military training. He was the de facto leader and strongman of the country, which was still supposedly ruled by the sickly and aged Al-Bakr. Early in 1979, Al-Bakr entered into negotiations with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to unite the two countries under al-Assads rule, a move that would have marginalized Saddam from power. To Saddam Hussein, the union with Syria was unacceptable. He had become convinced that he was the reincarnation of the ancient Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar (r. 605 - 562 BCE)  and destined for greatness. On July 16, 1979, Saddam forced Al-Bakr to resign, naming himself president. He called a meeting of the Baath party leadership  and called out the names of 68 alleged traitors among those assembled.   They were removed from the room and arrested; 22 were executed. In the following weeks, hundreds more were purged and executed. Saddam Hussein was not willing to risk party in-fighting like that in 1964 that had landed him in prison. Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolution in neighboring Iran put the Shiite clergy in power there. Saddam feared that Iraqi Shiites would be inspired to rise up, so he invaded Iran. He used chemical weapons against the Iranians, tried to wipe out Iraqi Kurds on grounds that they might be sympathetic to Iran, and committed other atrocities. This invasion turned into the grinding, eight-year-long Iran / Iraq War.   Despite Saddam Husseins aggression and violations of international law, much of the Arab world, the Soviet Union, and the United States all supported him in the war against Irans new theocracy. The Iran/Iraq War left hundreds of thousands of people dead on both sides, without changing the borders or governments of either side. To pay for this expensive war, Saddam Hussein decided to seize the oil-rich Gulf nation of Kuwait on grounds that it was historically part of Iraq. He invaded on August 2, 1990. A US-led coalition of UN troops drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait just six weeks later, but Saddams troops had created an environmental catastrophe in Kuwait, setting fire to the oil wells. The UN coalition pushed the Iraqi army back well inside Iraq  but decided not to roll on to Baghdad and depose Saddam. Domestically, Saddam Hussein cracked down ever harder on real or imagined opponents of his rule. He used chemical weapons against the Kurds of northern Iraq  and tried to wipe out the marsh Arabs of the delta region. His security services also arrested and tortured thousands of suspected political dissidents. Second Gulf War and Fall On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda launched a massive attack on the United States. US government officials began to imply, without offering any proof, that Iraq might have been implicated in the terrorist plot. The US also charged that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons; UN weapons inspection teams found no evidence that those programs existed. Despite the lack of any ties to 9/11 or any proof of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) development, the US launched a new invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2003. This was the beginning of the Iraq War, or Second Gulf War. Baghdad fell to the US-led coalition on April 9, 2003. However, Saddam Hussein escaped. He remained on the run for months, issuing recorded statements to the people of Iraq urging them to resist the invaders. On December 13, 2003, US troops finally located him in a tiny underground bunker near Tikrit.   He was arrested and sent to a US base in Baghdad. After six months, the US handed him over to the interim Iraqi government for trial. Saddam was charged with 148 specific counts of murder, torture of women and children, illegal detention, and other crimes against humanity. The Iraqi Special Tribunal found him guilty on November 5, 2006, and sentenced him to death. His subsequent appeal was denied, as was his request for execution by firing squad instead of hanging. On December 30, 2006, Saddam Hussein was hanged at an Iraqi army base near Baghdad. Video of his death soon leaked on the internet, sparking international controversy.

Critical Thinking - Applying Evidence To Practice Essay

Critical Thinking - Applying Evidence To Practice - Essay Example 112). Smoking has been regarded as the single largest cause of preventable deaths in UK with passive smoking claimed to be taking away between 1000 and 16000 lives on non-smokers annually. Various nations including UK have enacted legislations prohibiting smoking in public places (Webber, 2011). The goal of such laws is to protect non-smokers from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke. However, there is concern about the welfare of the district nurses and other health care providers because these legislations do not cover them. Second-hand smoking is of major concern in this study because people who get exposed to it suffer involuntary unlike in the smokers who smoke at their will (Whitehead & Irvine, 2010). Its causes and effects are widely known and the menace can be prevented or reduced to a greater extent through massive campaign and implementation of proper policies to create awareness among the public. Therefore, employers should come up with policies to protect the nurse worke rs against exposure to second-hand smoking when they visit the patients in their homes. Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemical particles of which about 250 are toxic to a human being, and about 69 have carcinogenic effects. It has been termed as the leading single cause of death of human beings around the globe (Pearson, Field & Jordan, 2006, p 153). Exposure to smoking claims about 5 million people annually across the globe. Between 1964 and 2014, there were more than 20 million death cases related to smoking in US out of which 2.5 million occurred to non-smokers and were associated with exposure to secondary smoking. Each year smoking kills about 120,000 people in UK of which more than 11,000 die from second hand smoking (Law & MacDermid, 2013). People get exposed to second-hand smoking in various places such as the workplace, at home and

The United Nations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The United Nations - Essay Example The UN peace troops only observed from the ground and neutrally reported on obedience to the cessation of hostilities, personnel pullout or other elements of peace treaties. The United Nations Principle of peacekeeping had commenced during the height of the Cold War as a probable solution to the growing tensions between states by fielding military personnel who are either unarmed or lightly armed. These personnel are from various countries who could be called anytime by the UN Security Council when the observing of peacekeeping or ceasefires are being observed to uphold peace and security for all citizens, "as projected by the United Nations Charter." (UN Meeting New Challenges 2007). The end of the Cold War had profoundly affected the role of world peacekeeping of the UN. The demise of bipolarization triggered the Security Council to establish a larger and more expanded peacekeeping missions, more often than not to persuade states to pursue peace agreements. Moreover, UN peacekeeping after the Cold War integrated into a non-military element form to guarantee sustainability.

PEST Analysis on Deodorant market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PEST Analysis on Deodorant market - Essay Example This in turn influences the prices they are to be charged in the market. For example if the import duty imposed on the deodorant is high, this means they will be charged at high prices hence their demand will be low. On the other hand, if the custom taxed charged on them is low, it means that they will be charged less in the market hence they demand will be high thereby increase the sales. 1 On the other hand, economic factors greatly influence deodorant market in that during inflation deodorants are charged more in the market hence they become unpopular to the consumers. At this time, the purchasing power of the consumers is greatly affect and the only money they have, they spend it to buy necessities and not things like deodorants. This in turn affects the deodorant sales. 2 Unemployment is another factor that affects deodorant market. The whole world today is greatly affected by unemployment and there as so many young energetic people in the world that ought to be working and there are no employment opportunities for them. For this case, they are not salaried; hence they have nothing to spend to buy anything like cosmetics. Due to this, the sales of deodorant go down since those people who ought to be buying these deodorants have no purchasing power at all. 3 Deodorant market is also affected by socio cultural environmental factors that greatly affect their demand in

The Contemporary Issues In Hospitality Management

The Contemporary Issues In Hospitality Management Experiencing HRM issues in Hospitality: Whatever the choice of terminology or decisions on organisation, effective HRM and the successful implementation of personnel activities are essential ingredients for improved organisational performance. The smooth-running man or woman is an essential feature of any company and for some industries people are not just important but the key factor for successful performance. HR policies and practices have an important role in hospitality to play in facilitating the effective implementation of management processes. Hospitality Companies today face five critical business challenges: globalisation; profitability through growth; technology; intellectual capital; and change, change and more change. These challenges provide HR with an opportunity to play a leadership role in the development of new capabilities to meet the challenges. The five challenges present a new mandate for hospitality human resource management in order to help deliver organisational excellence in the following four way s:- It should become a partner with senior and line managers in strategy execution an expert in the way work is organised and executed to ensure costs are reduced and quality maintained a champion for employees, vigorously representing their concerns to senior management and working to increase employee contribution and commitment an agent of continuous transformation, shaping processes and a culture to improve an organisation 2.1 Training: One major area of the HRM function of particular relevance to the effective management and use of people is training and development. Staffs are a crucial, but expensive, resource in hospitality. In order to sustain economic and effective performance it is important to optimise the contribution of employees to the aims and goals of the organisation. Training is necessary to ensure an adequate supply of staff who are technically and socially competent, and capable of career advancement into specialist departments or management positions. There is, therefore, a continual need for the process of staff development, and training fulfils an important part of this process. Training should be viewed, therefore, as an integral part of the hospitality process. Because specially in hospitality industry new IT based training are getting famous irrespectively in hotels, airlines. Training benefits includes:- Improve performance which results in cost savings of HRM Improve productivity Improve quality of customer service Improve self esteem of employees Improve sense of job security Increase comrade and sense of team work among employees Increase higher morale among employees and Reduce employee turnover and absenteeism Reduce stress and tension of employees Reduce waste Reduce work conflict among employees In todays competitive business weather hospitality industry is facing new skill developing process in different way. Customers are now more concerned about quality service rather than just service. According to WTTC tourism hospitality industry supporting more than 258 million jobs worldwide and generating some 9.1% of global GDP. In 2008 UK Government  £112m fund for hospitality training reveals the importance of training. Travelodge welcome this fund from Government. Chrissie Herbert, director of HR at Travelodge, said: As we approach the 2012 Olympics we are in a skills race to ensure we have the number of people needed to match the demand. 2.2 Customer Care: After training customer care is the another big issue in hospitality industry now-a-days. It is important to remember that good customer care start with good staff care. Surveys reveals that people are happiest at their work when they feel valued and important, when they are involved in the business and feel knowledgeable about what is happening. In todays hospitality business customer care is the main concern where all businesses should focus on because customer expectations for quality are increasing, presenting the industry with a double edge sword; at the same time qualified labour is becoming harder to find and keep and this is a great challenge for HRM in any hospitality business. Thats why HRM in hospitality trying to get more effective result by training existing employees in several field in hospitality. Customers are demanding higher levels of service excellence. Linking this issue with seasonality, a common characterise of tourism enterprise , Baum and Hagen(1999,p130)wrote, the lack of sustained employment, which is characterise as seasonal operations, undermines the ability of operators to deliver quality, which the market place, increasingly, expects. Service remains key factor for hospitality but value for money is becoming increasingly important as recession looms, research has revealed in UK 2009 by Square Meal Restaurants Bars report, which surveyed more than 9,500 diners, found service remained a major gripe (44% of all complaints containing words such as over-priced, costly and poor value) for customers. 2.3 Stress in Hospitality: Work stress is now recognised as a major issue in the human resource management within the hospitality industry context. Service quality issues are beginning to assume major importance in the success of many operations. Interpersonal conflict and work stress responses associated with hospitality industry employee management conflict, together with approaches to service quality. In European Union countries, hospitality industry has been identified as one of those most stressful sector to work, with frequent contact with inebriated clients and customers. Exposure to violence and sexual harassment is sometimes viewed as being a regular occurrence and a part of the job in the sector. Stress factors in the hospitality industry include an intensive interface with customers; increasing customer demand for highly diversified and personalized services; tight requirements on timely delivery of services, especially in kitchens and restaurants; unclear roles in a customer-dominated environment; and lack of training for supervisors. These result in low control of employees over their work. The health status of workers in the hospitality industry is worse than that of the average population, especially concerning mental health. In hospitality there are different reasons for stress and they are: global competition, customer expectations and demand for highly diversified and personalized services, tight requirements on timely services, especially in kitchens and restaurants, unclear roles in a customer-dominated environment, and lack of training for supervisors, reducing in staff to reduce cost, lack of control over working situations, seasonal staff turnover etc. 2.4 Empowering the employees: Empowerment, formerly known as participative management, reduces employee turnover and increases customer satisfaction. High hospitality industry turnover is the result of poor employee selection, inadequate training and an over-abundant management staff. Empowering the staff makes them work better together as a team and leads them to provide a better quality of service. In a simple way, empowerment extend democratic approach from workforce which is very good for hospitality organisations because its not possible for hospitality managers to be everywhere every time, in those moment empowerment make employees more participative and delegate them towards job satisfaction. Empowerment was known as participative management, but the problem had always been that implementing the concept was much more difficult than talking about it. No one knew how to overcome this problem for the usual reasons that all concepts can fail that is, identifying the whos, whats, whens, wheres and hows of implementation. The hospitality industry today requires to examine the way to manage. Hospitality industry is plagued with turnover statistics that are way out of proportion and this situation has developed because of poor hiring practices, insufficient training and overstaffing in management ranks. Empowerment is a style, not an evolution. It is a philosophy that must originate from the top if it doesnt, it will fail. Empowerment flattens out the organizational chart naturally by eliminating the tiers of responsibility, replaces desire to establish accountability with results, allows hospitality industries to respond to the aspect of customers needs and complete satisfaction. HRM in hospitality industry must understand the economic benefits of employee empowerment. Employee empowerment makes each individual responsible for doing the job to the best of their ability which results in greater guest satisfaction, returning guests and lower employee turnover. Hiring the best person for the job and adequately training that individual will also lead to greater employee empowerment. Empowering management personnel requires altering the job so that management receives feedback on their management style from their staff as well as their supervisors. 2.5 Management Leadership in hospitality: Effective leadership is the number one factor that influences success in hospitality organization. Maintaining cultural identity, employment brand and employee satisfaction requires consistent and regular communication. Leadership skills include a strong focus on relationships, emotional intelligence, a track record of results and innovation, a focus on process and outcome, and the ability to give positive and constructive feedback. Also important is the ability to teach and coach others and provide recognition both formally and informally. Management and leadership style is a contemporary issues in todays hospitality business. There is a sentence Employees dont leave their jobs, they leave their managers. The reason for that is the style adopted by todays leaders are not always right and its a big issue. International Labour Organisation(ILO) said almost 600,000 employees a year leave hospitality managers in their droves, which leads hospitality industry average recruitment and initial training cost  £1,500, costs around  £886m as a whole. Labour turnover for the whole hospitality, leisure tourism and travel (HLTT) industry stands at 30%, although some employers within the hospitality industry alone report double or triple this figure. Yet, only 14% of employers feel their labour turnover is too high. HRM should be part of any pilot program to help leadership understand, anticipate and mitigate management problems in hospitality. When HRM has experience in participating in a virtual team, it lends credibility for HRM to fully participate and respond to problems as they arise. 3. Conclusion: It is known that, hospitality industry stands on employee performance. So, HRM department in hospitality now-a-days getting more and more challenge day by day because every business strategy of todays world more focused on service which is a crucial issue in hospitality field. HRM managers should emphasis on the need for professional approach and right leadership attitude to achieve goals and keep status. HRM in hospitality industry has grown with its impact and status because of huge number of hospitality industries increased globally. Only The British hospitality industry contribute  £46 billion to the UK economy and the core hospitality economy is estimated to directly contribute  £34 billion in tax revenue by creating 2.44 million jobs in the hospitality sector the 5th largest industry in the UK, and a further 1.2 million jobs are indirectly generated by hospitality which is around 8% of the total UK employment. This statistics proves that, the HRM has great responsibility to play a vital role in hospitality sector by adjusting with market needs and trends.

Visuality, Readability, and Materiality :: Visual Rhetoric Essays

My intention here is to acknowledge two problems that I believe all scholars of "the visible" will encounter at some point in their work. Both showed up early in my research on commemorative artworks, but I suspect that they crash everyone's party at some point. I have no "solution" to these problems, but I believe they should, actually must, be addressed in work on visual rhetoric. The first, "readability," is both a practical and theoretical problem having to do with the possibilities of interpretation in visual culture. The second, which I'll simply label "materiality" for the moment, has a presence in numerous arenas beyond the study of visual culture, but remains nearly unaddressed and nearly unacknowledged in rhetorical work on visual images. The first party crasher, "readability," probably makes its presence felt in all of our venues at least occasionally, but it haunts our work all the time. At the simplest and most practical level, readability is a hermeneutic problem. But it is a special problem of interpretation, not just the "same old" questions that come up in any work involving the production of signs and meaning. We try very hard to reduce the special problem to the same old problems, as evidenced by terms like visual, media, and computer "literacy." The question is this: What makes us so confident that our "readings" of visual signs are legitimate or defensible? Okay, that does sound a whole lot like the "same old" hermeneutic questions, but I don't believe it is the same in the case of visual rhetoric as in spoken or written discourse. Or at least, it doesn't seem the same, given the degree of skepticism registered by readers and students about interpretations of visual signs. Leaving aside for a moment the pos sibility that my interpretations just aren't very good and that that's what's provoking this response, our own colleagues and my students seem to pose far more and greater challenges to such interpretations than they do to those of a speech or a written document. For them, apparently, even in the wake of deconstruction, natural language seems safer, easier, and more stable in its capacity of meaning generation than does the visual image. I wonder why that is the case, and particularly so in a culture in which "seeing is believing" and a "picture is worth a thousand words." It is possible, of course, that this is an idiosyncratic problem, but I doubt it.

Open-Book paper Essay

Alpha and beta decay are two types of naturally occurring radioactive decay. In alpha decay, an unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle (? ), a particle made up of two protons and two neutrons. For example:1 2 In beta decay, a neutron in the nucleus is converted into a proton and a beta particle (i ), an electron. Specifically, as protons and neutrons are both made of quarks, i -decay converts an up quark into a down quark; releasing a i -particle and an antineutrino (an antineutrino has no charge or mass, so does not affect the chemistry of i -decay). This occurs by the weak nuclear force. 3 For example:4 This table shows some of the differences between ? -decay and i -decay emissions:5 ?-decay i -decay Particle emitted helium nucleus electron Relative charge +2 -1 Relative mass 4 0. 00055 Range in air < 10cm < 10m Stopped by Paper Aluminium foil Deflection by electrical field Low High The fundamental difference between radioactive decay and nuclear fission is that, whereas radioactive decay is spontaneous, nuclear fission must be induced. In nuclear fission, when an unstable nucleus absorbs a neutron, it splits, emitting more neutrons and setting off a continuous chain reaction. This leads to products with nuclear masses around half those of the initial nuclei, whereas in radioactive decay, the initial and final nuclear masses are relatively close together. The other major difference is that fission releases considerably more energy than decay. This energy comes from mass lost in fission, according to the equation E = mc2, where E is energy, m is mass and c is the speed of light. Synthesis of Elements in Stars Stars produce their energy from nuclear fusion, in which nuclei join together to make larger nuclei. Hydrogen is used in normal-sized stars:(e+ represents a positively charged electron, and ? e is a neutrino). This process requires temperatures of around 13 million K and pressures of around 300 billion atmospheres. 6 When almost all of the hydrogen has fused, the helium nuclei can collide to make nuclei such as beryllium:7 This leads to the creation of further nuclei containing four nucleons: carbon, oxygen, neon and magnesium. Once all the helium has fused, further collisions take place between the created nuclei. This leads to the production of small amounts of hydrogen and helium, producing most of the first 18 elements, such as lithium:8. Lithium can also be produced by the collision of a Beryllium-7 nucleus and an electron. The nuclear process that takes place here is electron capture, in which an atom captures an electron, turning a proton into a neutron and releasing a neutrino. This happens by the weak interaction, like i -decay:9 Smaller amounts of lithium can also be produced in the fission of some nuclei by cosmic rays and in supernovae, when heavy stars become unstable and explode. 10 Producing Energy through Nuclear Fission and Fusion. In nuclear fission, an unstable nucleus absorbs a neutron, exciting the nucleus, causing it to oscillate and split into two smaller nuclei. This process releases more neutrons, causing more nuclei to split, and so on. This is shown in Fig. 211 with Uranium-235. The energy produced by nuclear fission, by E = mc2, is 3. 2Ãâ€"10-11 J per fission. 12 Uranium-235 is used to produce energy by fission – see Fig. 313. Controlling this reaction:   Uranium-238 is mixed with uranium-235. Uranium-238 nuclei absorb neutrons but do not react by fission, breaking the chain in the reaction. Graphite moderators placed in between the uranium rods reduce the kinetic energy of the neutrons produced so they can induce fission.   Boron-coated steel control rods absorb neutrons, and can be moved in and out of the reactor. If they are fully in, the reaction stops. Nuclear fusion takes place when, under certain conditions, two nuclei fuse together. For example, with deuterium and tritium:14 The energy produced comes from the mass lost – 3. 17Ãâ€"10-29 kg 15 16. By E = mc2, this gives out 2. 86Ãâ€"10-12 J per fusion. On earth, for this to happen the nuclei must be in ionised plasma at temperatures of 15Ãâ€"108 i C. The problem with this is that it must be kept away from the walls of the container to minimise heat loss. To do this, a tokamak is used. This uses magnetic currents to keep the plasma from touching the walls (see Fig. 417). The walls are made of graphite, which is not harmed by the temperature. Both fission and fusion have several advantages and disadvantages for use in producing electricity: Advantages Disadvantages Fission Uranium-235 produces 3. 7 million times the energy per unit mass as coal18   Uranium-235 will not run out on the same timescale as fossil fuels19. It produces no gases that directly cause global warming   Fission produces waste radioactive actinides, which are dangerous for thousands of years   Fission has led to disasters such as Chernobyl in 1986, which caused over 4000 deaths20 Fusion The fuel – hydrogen – is abundant   The radioactive waste products have half-lives hundreds of years less than those of fission   Fusion is safer than fission, as only small amounts of products are used   It produces no gases that directly cause global warming   The conditions required for fission are hard to produce. The process used to produce energy by fusion is not yet perfect – see below Challenges Facing the Development of Fusion Power Stations The major problem with fusion is generating and containing the conditions required for the reaction. As detailed above, a tokamak is used, this has some problems. The plasma still touches the bottom of the chamber, and where it does this; hydrogen reacts with the walls forming hydrocarbon radicals. These can form a film, which flakes away into the plasma, affecting performance21. Possible solutions include removing the film with lasers22 or using tungsten walls, which would not erode23. A probable source of a solution is the International Tokamak Experimental Researcher, currently being built in France. It will be used as a prototype to test the reaction on the necessary levels required. Fusion should be available to produce commercial power by 2040. References Used throughout the report:   Chemistry Review: Lise Meitner: Radiochemist, physicist and co-discoverer of nuclear fission, Gordon Woods, Volume 16 Number 1, September 2006 (Article 1); Fusion, Powering the future? , Chris Warrick, Volume 16 Number 1, September 2006; and Lithium, Chris Ennis, Volume 15 Number 31, February 2006 (Article 2). Salters Advanced Chemistry Chemical Ideas, George Burton et al, Heinemann Educational Publishers, Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford, OX2 8EJ, ISBN 0-435-63129-9, first edition 1994, second edition 2000 1 Equation copied from page 3, Lise Meitner: Radiochemist, physicist and co-discoverer of nuclear fission; see above 2 Fig. 1 copied manually from Page 487, The exchange nature of forces, Advanced Physics, Tom Duncan, John Murray (Publishers) Ltd, 50 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BD, first edition 1972, ISBN 0-7195-7669-5, fifth edition 2000, reprinted 2002 3http://www. chemie. de/lexikon/e/Beta_decay, Beta Decay, (c) 1997-2008 Chemie.de Information Service 4 Equation copied from page 3, Lise Meitner. Radiochemist, physicist and co-discoverer of nuclear fission; see above 5 Table adapted from Page 20, Nuclear Reactions, Salters Advanced Chemistry Chemical Ideas; see above 6Where did the chemical elements come from? , Page 131, The Universe: A Biography, John Gribbin; published by Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London, WC2R ORL, ISBN 978-0-1410-2147-8, 2006 7Equation copied from Box 1: Nucleogenesis. Page 21, Lithium, Chris Ennis; see above 8Equation copied from Box 1: Nucleogenesis, Page 21, Lithium, Chris Ennis; see above.9 http://www. britannica. com/nobelprize/article-48278, electron capture with a Beryllium-7 nucleus, from the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Guide to the Nobel Prizes, (c) 2008 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 10. Where do the chemical elements come from? , Page 10, Salters Advanced Chemistry Chemical Storylines, George Burton et al, Heinemann Educational Publishers, Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford, OX2 8EJ, ISBN 0-435-63119-5 first edition 1994, second edition 2000 11 Fig. 2 taken from http://www. astro. bas. bg/~petrov/herter00. html, lecture notes for astronomy. Bulgarian Institute of Astronomy http://www.astro. bas. bg/ 12 http://www. lancs. ac. uk/ug/bloomer/nuclearpower/theory. htm, Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion, from the University of Lancaster, www. lancs. ac. uk 13 Fig. 3 copied manually from Box 2, Article 1 (see above); adapted from Chemistry Today, (c) E. Henderson, Macmillan Publishers Ltd, 1977. 14 Equation copied from Box 2, Fusion, powering the future? , Chris Warrick; see above 15 Mass of reactants and products given in proton masses in Box 2, Fusion, powering the future? Chris Warrick; see above 16 Proton masses converted to kilograms using the mass of one proton as 1.67Ãâ€"10-27 kg, from Data Sheet, Page 3, AQA GCE AS Physics A Unit 1, January 2007 17 Fig. 4 taken from http://www. jet. efda. org/pages/fusion-basics/fusion3. html, Fusion Basics, (c) EFDA-JET 18 http://www. virtualnucleartourist. com/basics/reasons1. htm, a website â€Å"intended to provide you basic information about the different types of plants and their principle of operation†, (c) 2006. The Virtual Nuclear Tourist 19 http://www. abc. net. au/rn/scienceshow/stories/2007/2080110. htm, an interview with Professor Martin Sevior from the University of Melbourne by the Australian Broadcasting. Corporation20 http://www. who. nt/ionizing_radiation/chernobyl/who_chernobyl_report_2006. pdf, the World Health Organisation’s report on Chernobyl 21 Chemistry Review: Fusion, powering the future? , Chris Warrick; see above 22 http://www. lasers. org. uk/paperstore/Cleaning14. pdf, Dust Removal from Next Generation Tokamaks by Laser and Flashlamp Cleaning, K. G. Watkins et al, Lasers and Laser Engineering, University of Liverpool, 2001 23 http://www. jet. efda. org/documents/articles/samm. pdf, Controlled thermonuclear fusion enters with ITER into a new era, Page 12; Ulrich Samm, EFDA-JET, 2003.