Dire Predictions: Global Warming

Geography November 29, 2010 Dire Predictions : Student Edition Chapter one of Dire Predictions Understanding Global Warming does exactly like the title says, it gives the reader the essential basics of understanding the Global Warming issue. Chapter one gives essential information covering a wide range of things including: the natural and human impacts on climate, definition of a greenhouse gas and how it affects temperature, positive and negative feedback loops, threatening human byproducts that affect the ozone, ways scientists study ancient climates, and it gives possible future Earth outcomes due to global warming.It is a really loaded chapter I know, but this information proves to be very valuable when learning about global warming. In fact, the information is so valuable that it can’t be covered by just stating a quick overview of the chapter, but needs a more detailed summary. Some natural variables that potentially affect the Earth’s climate include the sun, vol canic eruptions, and Earth’s orbit. But how exactly does something like a volcanic eruption effect climate?This is because â€Å"Explosive volcanic eruptions modify the composition of the atmosphere by injecting small particles called aerosols into the atmosphere layer. † These released aerosols block the solar radiation that would have reached Earth’s surface and consequently, it has cooling effect on Earth’s surface. The more talked about topic in chapter one however is the non-natural, or human induced impacts causing global warming. Humans burning of fossil fuels and release of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) are both examples of human variables that affect global warming.CFC’s are a kind of gas that is released by cooling apparatus’ such as the refrigerator. These gasses have been proven to destroy the ozone. Furthermore, the book goes on to prove that the major impacts causing global warming are not natural but mostly human made. It states that the hole in the ozone is not mostly caused by a natural increase in CO2 gasses but the release of CFC-11 and CFC-12 gasses by humans into the environment. As proof of the gasses affect on the ozone it states that the average temperature of the globe has gone up from 13. degrees Celsius to 14. 5 degrees Celsius. It seems like a small amount of temperature increase but even one degree average increase can have a major influence on global warming. Finally, chapter one goes on to describe what happens if these patterns persist. So what will happen if these patterns persist, and what effects will it have on agriculture and man? To better understand what will happen to us, we have to understand what the ozone layer does. The ozone layer protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation.If these patterns persist the ozone will protect less and less ultraviolet radiation from entering Earth’s atmosphere. If this happens then the ice caps will melt which will be catastrophic to man and agriculture. According to http://www. tropical-rainforest-animals. com/Global-Warming-Effects. html some effects of global warming will be: Floods Droughts, Heat waves, Extreme winter cold and snow fall, Tornadoes, Extreme storms, Tropical cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons. You don’t have to be a geography major to know that these types of effects will deal a devastating blow to people and plants.Precipitation patterns will also change everywhere, messing up normal agricultural growth. Some more effects global warming will have on agriculture and animals is it will make trees produce leaves earlier, it will cause earlier greening on vegetation, it causes re-distributions of algae that will kill animals that eat it to survive, and the ultraviolet radiation will ultimately poison humans and animals and destroy plants everywhere. If we have no ozone life will be unsustainable on Earth. But wait, all these horrible things don’t have to happen; we can do things to prevent global warming.We can start to help this not to happen by burning up less fossil fuels, thus reducing emissions into the ozone. Scientists and mechanics have recently been working together to make cars that produce less waste and are better for the environment. We can help by buying these kinds of cars and investing in this type of research. Another way to help is if we as a world unite and we set goals and laws that require fewer emissions from each country. Also, it may seem small but a way we can all help is by recycling things which cuts down the waste it takes to make whole new things.More ways you can help are by: using less air conditioning and heat, changing light bulbs to more energy efficient ones, buying energy efficient products, driving less or carpooling, using less hot water, and finally planting a tree. Although planting a tree or changing a light bulb may seem like a small way to help, if everyone in the world followed these suggestions emissions would b e greatly reduced which could save the Earth. Scientists have worked together to try to understand the problem.By constantly recording new data and looking at old data they have come to a better understanding of what we use that causes these emissions and the way it affects us and our planet. A way scientists have studied the ancient atmosphere is by drilling into the ice caps and examining the trapped air. Also scientists are constantly observing the ozone layer to see any changes that might come. Scientists also look at what kind of molecules the ozone is made of and gasses that could destroy it. Learning about the problem is half the battle so we are on our way to a brighter tomorrow.I think the information given in the book was good information based on scientific truths. The information in this book was very easy to follow as almost every page had a corresponding graph or picture to help you understand the information given. However one of the problems I had with the informatio n in this book is I felt that it was really quick to discredit the other side of the argument with not much detail. When faced with an opposing point the author just basically says that all other views are wrong and moves on.Also, the information in this book jumped to something completely different every other page. But that being said I did learn a lot from reading this book. The thing I found most interesting in the book were some of the statistics given throughout the chapter. For example thought how long the gasses CFC-11 and CFC-12 last and how much more potent it is that carbon dioxide. Even after five hundred years after CFC-12 is released, it is still 5,200 times more potent than carbon dioxide. And five hundred years after CFC-11 is released, it is 1,620 times more potent that the carbon dioxide (Dire Predictions, p. 9). With CFC gasses and other harmful gasses lasting this long it is important to stop the release of these harmful gasses as soon as we can. Another thing I found interesting in the book was the change in Mount Kilimanjaro snow coverage over time. First, it shows Mount Kilimanjaro during the year 1912 and it is covered in snow. That picture is followed by a picture of Mount Kilimanjaro during the year 2007, and the snow cover has almost all disappeared. Another statistic I found very interesting in chapter one is the graphs on page thirty-three.These graphs show the amount of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere before and up to 2005. The graphs show that the levels of these greenhouse gasses are pretty constant until it reaches the year 2005; When the graph line representing the gasses reaches to just before the year 2005, levels of all three of these gasses skyrocket. (Dire Predictions, pg. 33) Reading this book made me realize how serious the global warming issue is and how it is already affecting the world today. Due to global warming life as we know it could possibly come to an end.But don’t start put ting your bucket list together just yet. If we start doing things everyday to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses we can make sure that tomorrow is a brighter day, figuratively that is. The things stated earlier (using less air conditioning and heat, changing light bulbs to more energy efficient ones, buying energy efficient products, driving less or carpooling, using less hot water, planting trees) are all examples of everyday things we can do to help the environment and stop global warming.Another thing that people can do to help this problem is by educating themselves about global warming. By educating yourself about global warming you can solve the problem easier because you know the causes. Also you can educate other people about the importance of taking global warming into consideration. If everyone around the world pitches in to try to help, maybe the next book we read will be Optimistic Predictions.Works Cited Banerjee, Subhankar. â€Å"Global Warming. † New York Times. 6 Oct. 2010. Mann, Michael E. , and Lee R. Kump. Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming. New York, NY: DK Pub. , 2009. Print. May, Elizabeth, and Zoe? Caron. Global warming for dummies . Mississauga, ON: J. Wiley & Sons Canada, 2009. Print. Nodvin, Stephen C. â€Å"Global Warming. † encyclopedia of earth. 9 May. 2010. 29 Nov. 2010. . Yeatman, William. â€Å"Global Warming: Solutions/Cost/Science GlobalWarming. org  |  Archive  |  Global Warming 101 . † Global Warming . N. p. , 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

Zoecon Case Recommendation

The Problem(s). Does the South Delaware Coors distributorship offer sufficient investment potential given Mr. Brownlow’s current business and personal situation? Recommendation(s). Given Mr. Brownlow’s current business and personal situation operating the South Delaware Coors, Inc. distribution does offer sufficient investment potential. The following explanation is presented to evaluate the decision factors in the case. Profit Potential. From the studies conducted by Manson and Associates the potential profit can be estimated.The primary objective was to determine the investment potential of the distribution of Coors. As shown in Table 1, in order to break even, the South Delaware Coors distribution would need to sell $247,272 or 224,793 gallons to break even. This amount is not out of reach when calculating the market potential. The market potential calculated in Table 2. The table uses 2002 estimates to approximate the first full year of production for the South Dela ware Coors distribution. When total sale is multiplied with the wholesale price per gallon, the potential market for the distribution is 415,128 gallons.This potential market gallons sold is higher than the break even amount by 185%, creating a potential profit of $456,641. The industry demand also shows market potential by using the tax approach from Table E of the Manson study. The tax approach shown in Table 3 provides a look into the industry demand of beer in Delaware, where the average revenue of a wholesaler in 1997 was $799,944. Subtracted by the break-even cost, the tax approach shows revenue of $799,944 from the average revenue of a wholesaler.Comparing the break-even cost with the 1998 wholesaler revenue the profit increases 5. 8%, with estimated projected profit of $950,111 in 2002. Market share is shown in table 4. The market shares A, B and C are reflective of the good, better, best scenarios respectively. Even with the worst market share of 436,588. 2 gallons, it stil l surpasses the break even gallons by nearly double. The best market share scenario almost triples the breakeven point at 677,647. 7 gallons. Market and Competitive Environments.Since 1873, Coors has evolved into the fourth largest seller of beer in the United States, working on the philosophy of â€Å"hard work, saving money, devotion to the quality of the product, caring about the environment, and giving people something to believing in. † The impact of Coors on the competitive environments can be seen in the consumer and retailer questionnaire results from the Manson and Associate studies. Study G shows a large consumer following of Coors products with 70% of consumers with a â€Å"certainly will† intention to buy Coors. Similarly the retailer questionnaire, study H, showed 88. % of retailers â€Å"certainly will† sell Coors products. Public Acceptance. Coors’ history stands to show the acceptance in the quality of product Coors offers to their consume rs for over 140 years. Similarly, as with the market and competitive environment, 70% of consumers have the intention to buy Coors’ products. With this amount of anticipation from the consumers, there will most certainly be a spiked period of verbal advertisements from satisfied consumers. This type of advertisement is more powerful than any other advertisement because new consumers are more willing to try a new product when requested by someone they know.

Middle Kingdom Essay

China is known as one the most advanced countries in the industrialized world; it is also one of the United States leading resources in products brought in to the states. China is known as â€Å"Zhongguo† which means Central Nation or Middle Kingdom. In the year 1000 B.C. the beliefs were that the Chou people really thought that they were indeed at the centre of the world. The Chou people were unaware of civilization in the west and that their empire occupied the middle of the earth, surrounded by barbarians, but in 1949 the Communist took charge and the name officially changed. China supports about a fifth of the world’s population on only 7 percent of the world’s arable land (Essentials of World Regional Geography second Edition, Pg.111, White, Dymond, Chacko, Bradshaw). The Chinese people believed in mainly their families and their community, unlike the Europeans who focused on individualism or themselves. In 1950, they introduced the Great Leap forward act that targeted Chinas’ vast population to rapidly transform the country from being agricultural based economy into a contemporary communist society by implementing industrialization and collectivization. In 1950, China’s population was about 563 million; the population grew drastically to about one billion in the early 1980’s. 1959 was the year that everything was collapsing, the people worked long and hard hours trying to make ends meet. The machinery broke down and the people were over worked and tired. Starvation became rampant. The products that the industries produced were very inferior and weak for example; the steel furnace was going down they couldn’t even use to make some of the beautiful structures they wanted to construct. The weather was so bad and the soil became very poor for farming because of consistent flooding. China’s fertility rate increased over the past few decades this was attributed to immigration and a decrease in infant mortality and a decrease  in death rate as national health improves. Later in 2010 , China’s population has reached 1.4 billion. Student Name: Latara Bradshaw Student ID#: AC1209024 Course Number and Title: EN120.2.1 English Composition 1 Assignment Number:6_06 Topic:The best teacher I ever had Date of Submission:08th November, 2012 There were lots of teachers in my school. But there was only one who stood out and I’ll never forget Mr. James Ward’s helpfulness and enthusiasm. His dedication helped me tremendously from my Elementary years and instilled with me now I am an adult. Loving, hardworking, tender-hearted and free spirited Mr. James Warde, my favourite Elementary teacher. I have had the privilege of him being a very good teacher to me for three (3) consecutive years, grades 5(five), 6(six) and a repeat of (six) 6. Short with a tall personality, medium built with black kinky hair, beady eyes and a contagious smile are some of the characteristics of my favourite teacher. He was very stern but polite and always cared about changing our failures into successes. During the day time we enjoyed going outside under a tree to capture the refreshing breezes which helped us to be more focused. Our teacher loved nature and he thought that the outside atmosphere would make us more relax and help us to c oncentrate on what he is teaching. In fact, he would turn our day dreaming into a reality with his creative ideas and interesting stories. Our classes were filled with humour and excitement; there was never a dull moment, even during Mathematics class he would demonstrate for even the slowest student to understand and at the end of the day everyone was evenly served. Mr. James Ward portrayed good characteristics of a great teacher. A knowledgeable man who was well respected by the students, teachers and community helped us be well rounded children at the end of every session. His professional duties extended from formal teaching to playing a very important part in my life as if he was my very own father. On a regular we would attend field trips pertaining to what topic we are doing in class, he would help organize school events that  were only educational and will help with the development of a student. Mr. James Ward built strong student teacher relationship and showed interest whether personal or school related, anything to help he was involved in. Enthusiastic teachers help students to have a better feeling about themselves and it also promotes a higher grade than a boring teacher who shows to love nor embrace which stimulates low esteem. Mr. Ward was known for his good manners and he always instilled in us that manners takes us a long way and we must respect ourselves and our peers. Our Motto was, â€Å"Good interaction promotes good grades.† On Friday afternoons we will have week quiz of what we learnt throughout the week, we really looked forward for Friday because he would bring us snacks and toys to motivate us if we got our questions correct and it motivated us for the next week. I never seen him with a frown or a displeased face even in a crisis he would smile and say, â€Å"God knows best.† He was a good teacher and a solid mentor and whatever was taught by him will instil in me and I will use his characteristics throughout the rest of my life. I love him and I will follow in his footsteps one day.

Is Neoliberalism in crisis today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Is Neoliberalism in crisis today - Essay Example In other words, a change towards a neo-liberalized world is taking place. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher had adopted such an approach much earlier as a means to economic growth and welfare of the citizens. But recent events like the global recession have brought about doubts regarding the long term effects of neo-liberalism. This paper looks at the impact of neo-liberalization with regard to organizational change at the macro and micro levels in the world today. It will review whether this concept is relevant and whether its future as a saviour of mankind is in peril. The paper will first review the concept of organizational change at micro and micro levels. It will then discuss the concept of neo-liberalism and then review its impact on organizational change. Change in organizations has been studied seriously by many authorities from diverse fields such as management, psychology, anthropology and sociology. Prominent among them are Kurt Lewin and John Kotter. This is what authors from the field of management have to say about the two authorities mentioned above. Richard Swanson, a noted authority on human resources development says that â€Å"The classic metatheory of change is Kurt Lewin’s (1951) field theory. This theory remains at the core of most change theories† (Swanson & Holton 2001, p. 137). About Kotter, authors George Manning and Kent Curtis has this to say - â€Å"There are many models for understanding organizational change. One of the best is an eight-stage process provided by John Kotter of Harvard University† (Manning & Curtis 2002, p. 281). These two theories apart from those propounded by others form a framework for implementing organizational change. But what is important in this context is the impact of neo-liberalism on organizational change. As mentioned earlier, the business world is changing

Warehouse Management Services Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Warehouse Management Services - Assignment Example For the purposes of this discussion, the paper will focus on the following companies services, OOCL Logistics, ATC International, and DAMCO Warehousing, all based in the United States. OOCL Logistics Information Integration OOCL Logistics incorporates technology within its services. The company utilizes application software MyPodium- Domestic to link information end to end across the clients’ supply chain. Such technology ensures timely delivery of information between warehouse clients and the manufacturers. The technology offers services such as capturing of transload data, gate in and gate out, trailers numbers and waybill reference numbers into the company’s system. In addition, MyPodium-Domestic application further connects the company’s inventory system to the internet. The internet enables the OOCL Logistics to operate on a real time basis on a global platform facilitating up to date decision-making regarding orders, supply chain and expected demand in the market. Real time decision-making and appropriate product allocation leads to minimum time wastage and lower cost thus enhancing the supply chain (OOCL Logistics. 2013). Reverse Logistics Processing One of the outstanding services being offered by OOCL Logistics is the reverse logistics processing. Reverse logistics processing involves the following activities; remanufacturing and repair, remarketing, recycling, and returns management. According to Richards (2011), returns management refers to the management of reverse flow of product that did not sell or recalled product. On the other hand, remanufacturing and repair facilitates the reverse flow of product following its useful life. OOCL Logistics majorly concentrate on electronic product for the reverse logistics. After performing repair of recalled electronic products, the company then resale the products at much, lower prices. The warehouse also has the capabilities to recycle plastic products. Most plastic products are recycled into newer forms and then put for sale. Reverse logistics processing has the effect of adding more value to goods in supply chain. The service also creates more avenues for increasing returns to manufacturers and warehouse management (OOCL Logistics, 2013). ATC International Cross-Docking Services According to Richards (2011), Cross-docking is the process of combining inventory from multiple origins into a prespecified assortment for a specific customer. Most small-scale businesses employ cross docking to replenish fast selling goods in their business. At ATC, a single invoice is received for goods to be shipped from a factory. The shipment is usually a consolidation of numerous orders destined for the same customer.ATC facilitates the clearance of the shipment with US customs brokers, receives the goods into the warehouse, and further alerts the client of the shipment arrival. With cross docking, goods are able to move through the supply chain rapidly leading to low cost and deman d satisfaction. The provision of cross docking services by ATC is in line with economic benefits of warehousing taught in chapter five (ATC International, 2006). Pick and Pack Services In the pick and pack services, manufacturers ship stocks in large quantity to ATC warehouses. The main objective of pick and pack services is to pack the bulk goods into smaller quantities as desired by the clients be it the manufacturers or the end users. First, the manufacturer sends orders, invoices, or

Business of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business of Law - Essay Example Task 1: Contract and Tort: As far as the case is concerned it can be understood that Alice and Cyril had been to Purple Pumpkin for their lunch where after having their food, both suffer from food poisoning. The fact that needs to be considered in this case is that Purple Pumpkin is actually responsible for the food that they serve to their customers since they are the customers to Purple Pumpkin and not the companies that supply the food. It was supposed to be the potential liability of Purple Pumpkin to test the food that is supplied to them before providing them to the customers. Hence Purple Pumpkin can be sued by Alice and Cyril in this case. Considering the tort of negligence in this case, in the first step of the law that states about the duty of care, it can be said that neither the act of the defendant or Purple Pumpkin or the consequences were not foreseeable nor there existed any legal or physical closeness among the two parties. However from the losses or the suffering of the customers, there taking legal actions against Purple Pumpkin can be considered to be fair and just. ... This includes the third stage of the law of tort of negligence that considers the issue of the damage caused by the defendant. As the law states in terms of the remoteness of damage and as suitable in this particular case, â€Å"The defendant will be responsible for the harm caused to a claimant with a weakness or predisposition to a particular injury or illness† (Tufal, n.d., p.3). Hence it can be concluded on this case that Alice and Cyril being the suffered customers of Purple Pumpkin can sue the organization for providing them with foods that caused food poisoning to them. However they would require proving that it was the food supplied by that organization that caused them the poisoning. Moreover, on the part of the company, Purple Pumpkin may sue Mactavish Sea Foods Ltd that had supplied the lobsters to the organization proving the same. Liability at Contract and Liability at Tort: A Contrast: The primary difference in the liability at contract and liability at tort is i n the fact that the responsibilities assumed in contracts are completely voluntary. Thus there arises no force on any individual for the liabilities to be maintained. On the other hand, in case of tort, the potential liabilities are enforced on the individuals without letting them know or be aware of such potential liabilities. â€Å"The law sometimes requires compulsory insurance to protect against claims of liability in negligence or other torts, but it may be prudent for businesses to carry insurance for their property and possessions in the event of claims against them† (Negligence and Nuisance, n.d., p.257). Thus it can be said that in case of contracts, the law of contract would enable

What Should Eastern European Migrants to UK Do In Order To Be More Dissertation

What Should Eastern European Migrants to UK Do In Order To Be More Gainfully Employed - Dissertation Example What Should Eastern European Migrants to UK Do In Order To Be More Gainfully Employed? According to European Commission website (European Commission, 2011 http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/5th_enlargement/index_en.htm), in May 2004 Poland, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Hungary and Estonia joined European Union. The United Kingdom was only one of three European countries to allow the free migration of workers. The ability to work and to live in abroad made thousands of people leave their home and go to look for a better living in UK. Hull like other UK cities experienced rising number of immigrants coming from East and Central Europe. According to Department for Work & Pensions, the total number of immigrants coming to Hull between 2004-2008 from east and central European countries was 6.780. Most of the people coming to Hull are from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia. Migrant workers come with a broad range of qualifications and skills. They intend to choose low skilled jobs through recruitment agencies and take a low- income employment. This research will look into the reasons why migrant workers have a tendency to take vacancies in low skilled jobs market despite the level of skills they have. The immediate aims of this research are: †¢ To explore skills and qualifications of East European workers; †¢ To clarify primary obstacles faced by immigrants wanting to access better employment; †¢ To look into reasons why East European workers don’t adapt in English labor market. ... In order to achieve these aims, in the course of researching, a survey would have to be done to know the hopes and needs of Eastern European (EE) migrant workers in the UK. The laws and regulations affecting those Eastern European Migrant workers have to be scrutinized and summarized to see how they can affect their hopes and needs. The survey questionnaire should gather some information about their strengths and weaknesses as Eastern European Migrant workers. A review of their opportunities, rights, and privileges will then shed light on the usefulness of those strengths in the UK. Finally, in order that this formal research can contribute some insights to the existing body of knowledge about Eastern European Migrants in the UK, and to the improvements in productivity with the UK, an attempt to recommend plans will be done for the conversion of Eastern European Migrant workers at Hull into becoming more productive for the UK. Overview The UK government is committed to its Equality A ct 2010 which serves as an anti-discrimination law. It gives equal treatment in trying to access employment regardless of race, religion or belief, gender, civil status. By December 2010, the government (GEO 2010) â€Å"announced that it will bring into force section 159 of the Equality Act 2010 in April 2011. This will help employers achieve a more diverse workforce by giving them the option, when faced with candidates of equal merit, to choose a candidate from an under-represented group.† In 2005, Hull had a sluggish economy in 2005. Growth was low. Productivity was low. Earnings were low. So the Local Authorities of Hull developed a strategy and called it NDC or New Deal for Communities Sanderson, I., Green, A., and

Vampire Influences on Modern Popular Culture Research Paper

Vampire Influences on Modern Popular Culture - Research Paper Example â€Å"In essence, the domain of eroticism is the domain of violence, of violation,† Bataille wrote in the text ‘Death and Sensuality’ (1957). â€Å"The most violent thing of all for us is death which jerks us out of a tenacious obsession with the lastingness of our discontinuous being.† (Bataille, 1957) The area of experience which Bataille writes about is typically kept under the veils of secrecy and taboo, not to be spoken of publicly. Nevertheless, his theories open up an understanding of why the vampire mythologies have become so popular and prevalent in modern culture, because he shows how the sensuality of the experience is heightened when the religious, sexual, violent, and erotic images are mixed with narrative in a dramatic fashion. Bataille critically worshipped the orgasm as â€Å"la petite mort† or â€Å"the little death† in French, and through this association the power of the vampire stories can be seen in evoking a transcendence that takes the initiate from the realm of common life to the existence of immortals. (Fuchs, 2011, p.3) This theme is seen repeatedly whether it is in the â€Å"Interview with the Vampire,† Twilight,† â€Å"Lost Boys,† or â€Å"Dracula† imagery. The fusion of mystical, religious, and erotic imagery has the effect of taking the narrative beyond social taboos and therefore heightening excitement through the combined semantic value of the symbols in the minds of the audience. Death and Eroticism Bataille was an early member of the Surrealist movement in France, but focused primarily on literature and exploring the psychological relationship between death and eroticism in experience. His early work focuses on the violation of religious and social taboos, just as the vampire mythologies do in contemporary culture, albeit in a far more extreme manner than the television and films typically depict today. The reason for Bataille’s excesses can be seen in t he phenomenon of transgressive sexuality combining elements of religious mysticism, artistic creation, style, symbolic drama, and violence in the practice of eroticism. The vampire mythologies follow this same pattern, for example in the â€Å"Twilight† series, Bella wants to marry and experience eternal life with Edward Cullen as a type of higher love, while the settings of the vampire myth include religious elements fused with eroticism. As Bataille wrote, â€Å"The whole business of eroticism is to strike to the inmost core of the living being, so that the heart stands still. The transition from the normal state to that of erotic desire presupposes a partial dissolution of the person as he exists in the realm of discontinuity. Dissolution — this expression corresponds with dissolute life, the familiar phrase linked with erotic activity. In the process of dissolution, the male partner has generally an active role, while the female partner is passive. The passive, fe male side is essentially the one that is dissolved as a separate entity. But for the male partner the dissolution of the passive partner means one thing only: it is paving the way for a fusion where both are mingled, attaining at length the same degree of dissolution. The whole business

Intelligence Definition and Measurement Paper Essay - 1

Intelligence Definition and Measurement Paper - Essay Example Again, things seemed to fall in a common sense pattern throughout this test. This test was also presented in a multiple choice format. It seemed standard for an intelligence test, but it does seem that if a person is not honest or does not know himself or herself well, the results of the test could be thrown off. As for me, I did felt that the test matched my personality; I am an outgoing person that enjoys going out and having fun, and this did reflect strongly in the test. The dictionary meaning defines intelligence as "the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge by means of thought and reason." This definition, like many of the psychological definitions of psychology, comes across as a bit too rigid. Intelligence is, in fact, a very open term, and this needs to be considered. The tests above do demonstrate this concept. Therefore, the theory that seems to fit these tests the best, and the theory that seems to make the most sense is Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This is because Gardner takes a look at intelligence in a bit more open concept, actually categorizing different forms of intelligence. Intelligence therefore no longer becomes something about being â€Å"smart,† it is actually encompassed in a human’s senses as well. The eight intelligences described by Gardner are: Gardner’s theory has become quite popular, and the tests above actually rated people by these categories. Therefore, I feel strongly that the tests are reflecting on Gardner’s theory. By breaking intelligence into categories and demonstrating that several items can makeup intelligence, the concept makes much more sense to people, and allows them to see that intelligence is about far more than stereotypical book smarts. All three tests above were standard, and very reliable and valid as far as the overall test results were concerned. Nothing really surprised me and I did feel that the tests

Existential Lit Final Paper Essay Example for Free

Existential Lit Final Paper Essay Part I 1. In Thomas Nagels â€Å"The Absurd† (1971), he begins by addressing the standard arguments for declaring life to be absurd. The first argument he points out is the idea that nothing humans doing in the present will matter in the distant future, or as Nagel says, â€Å"in a million years† (Nagel 716). People believe that what they do now wont matter at all in a million years, and that they are just one person living in the now that will soon be gone and will therefore not matter and dont matter. Humans see this not mattering as a reason why life is absurd, since if nothing matters then the point of life is questioned. The second standard argument Nagel looks at is the idea that humans â€Å"are tiny specks in the infinite vastness of the universe† (Nagel 717). This idea focuses around space and time, and how individual humans only live for an extremely short amount of time in a tremendously vast universe. People see this as a reason why life is absurd, looking at their lives as such short increments of time, especially on the large scale of the universe. Since humans are so small and take up such little time with their lives, this is seen as a reason life is absurd. The third argument Nagel looks at is about not being able to justifying all of lifes activities, since humans could die at any moment and will eventually. People go through sequences in life, one thing leading to the next, to accomplish something each step of the way, and therefore it is justified. However, eventually, life must end, and the chain of sequences will be cut off in the midst of one of the activities, and therefore will end without justification. â€Å"All of it is an elaborate journey leading to nowhere† (Nagel 717). These are the three standard arguments for explaining why life is absurd that Nagel discusses. Nagel, however, disagrees with these arguments and finds each invalid for specific reasons. When looking at the idea that nothing humans do now will matter in a million years, Nagel objects this with the realization that it doesnt matter now whether or not what we do now in a million years will matter or not. Whether what humans do now will matter in a million years or not is not important, because either way it wouldnt change how people feel now. â€Å"If their mattering now is not enough to accomplish that, how would it help if they mattered a million years from now? † (Nagel 716). If now doesnt matter in the future, than the future must not matter now, and therefore this explanation of why life is absurd is invalid. The second idea, focusing on life being absurd because of how small and short lived humans lives are, is contradicted by Nagels idea that if humans were larger presents in the universe theyre lives would still be just as absurd and that if humans lived for longer, or forever, there lives would just be absurd for that much longer, or even infinitely absurd. This thought of humans as living for such a short amount of time and being so tiny in the universe is clearly not what makes life absurd, even if life is absurd. These facts, if anything, would make humans lives more absurd, if they were larger presents in the universe or lived forever then the absurd would be even larger or last for eternity. Therefore, this is not a valid argument in saying that life is absurd. Looking at the third argument, which focuses on death preventing the justification of human lives and its many sequences, Nagel shows that this idea is actually false as life does not consist of these sequences that all have purposes and continuous justification. â€Å"Chains of justification come repeatedly to an end within life, and whether the process as a whole can be justified has no bearing on the finality of these end-points† (Nagel 717). Many things we do in our daily lives are already reasonable and do not need further justification, such as taking aspirin for a headache, Nagel points out. However, even if someone wanted to further justify any of lifes activities, this further justification would also have to end somewhere, as all things must. â€Å"If nothing can justify unless it is justified in terms of something outside itself, which is also justified, then an infinite regress results, and no chain of justification can be complete† (Nagel 717). All reasoning must end at some point and must be accepted as it is instead of looking at it as incomplete, because if it is looked at as incomplete then reasoning is impossible. With Nagels profound contradictions to these three arguments, he shows that these are not valid reasons to say that life is absurd. 2. Though Nagel discards the standard arguments for stating that life is absurd, he nonetheless says that life can be seen as absurd, just for different reasons than the previous ones discussed. He states that life is absurd because of the clash between humans tendency to take their lives so seriously and the ability of humans to doubt these things which they take so seriously or view them as arbitrary. Humans take their lives seriously, as seen through the idea that many things are necessities for living and that humans actions, such as making choices, are very important. However, humans also are capable of seeing things outside of their lives, which then creates doubt about the things that are taken so seriously. This idea that humans cannot live their live without this seriousness, yet can have a point of view outside of their lives that makes this seriousness doubtful, is why life is absurd. â€Å"It is absurd because we ignore the doubts that we know cannot be settled, continuing to live with nearing undiminished seriousness in spite of them† (Nagel 719). There is a clash between what people think is happening in life and what is truly happening, and because humans are able to have a point of view outside of their own life, they can see what is truly happening and therefore become doubtful of what they think is happening. However, they continue on with what they think is happening, or with this seriousness of life, even with the doubts from seeing what is truly happening. These two viewpoints, one within our own lives and one outside our lives, are both unavoidable yet clash with one another, and this, according to Nagel, is why life is absurd. Nagel states that humans take their lives seriously whether they live in a serious manor or not, and regardless of what their primary concerns in life are. â€Å"Human life is full of effort, plans, calculation, success and failure: we pursue our lives, with varying degrees of sloth and energy† (Nagel 719). Humans can reflect, make choices, question things, and decide what to peruse and what to avoid and who they want to be or become. This alone is signified, but when it clashes with humans ability to think outside themselves and survey this seriousness, it creates absurdity. â€Å"Yet humans have the special capacity to step back and survey themselves, and the lives to which they are committed, with that detached amazement which comes from watching an ant struggle up a head of sand† (Nagel 720). This ability to step back creates these doubts and questions about this seriousness life is taken with, doubts and questions about things that seem so sure before stepping back. Nagel explains: We step back to find that the whole system of justification and criticism, which controls our choices and supports our claims to rationality, rests on response and habits that we never question, that we should not know how to defend without circularity, and to which we shall continue to adhere even after they are called into question† (Nagel 720). According to Nagel, life is absurd not because humans are capable of this stepping back and reflecting on the seriousness of life, but because they then continue with their lives and taking them so serious even after doubts about the seriousness have been identified. 3. Nagel focuses on the idea that humans live absurd lives because of their self-consciousness, and therefore their ability to see themselves as humans and create this clash between seriousness and reality. With this, it can be said that God, all-knowing and self-aware, also lives an absurd life. The mouse Nagel refers to cannot have an absurd life because he is not self-aware, so he does not know he is a mouse and does not have the ability to reflect on this and create doubts about it. God, however, knows he is God and therefore has the ability to step back and have doubts. Being self-aware means that you doubt, and that every justification is doubted. This means that God, self-aware, doubts justifications, just like humans, and has an absurd life with the clash between these. When Nagel describes how the mouses life would be if he was self-aware, he says, â€Å" he would have to return to his meagre yet frantic life, full of doubts that he was unable to answer, but also full of purposes that he was unable to abandon† (Nagel 725). This sentence is applicable to Gods life being absurd, as God has a life full of doubts without answers due to his self-consciousness, but also has great purposes that he is unable to abandon, since he is the higher power that humans rely on. Also, like humans, God cannot refuse this consciousness, because to refuse it would mean he is aware of it, and it therefore he would already be self-aware. Since God cannot escape this self-consciousness, he is trapped, like humans, in this clash between his self-awareness and the seriousness that is taken with it and the doubt that comes with self-awareness where he reflects and doubts all justifications. This makes Gods life absurd, just like humans lives, as he too experiences the clash between self and reality. 4. Nagel stresses that absurdity is one of the most significant things that makes humans humans, and that it is essentially incurable. With this idea in mind, it can be seen that religion cannot cure the feeling of absurdity, and religious people live absurd lives just as all humans do. Humans lives are absurd because they have life goals and strive for things, which is the aspect of taking life seriously, but they also can step back and reflect on things and this causes doubts, which happens regardless of religion. â€Å"What makes doubt inescapable with regard to the limited aims of individual life also makes it inescapable with regard to any larger purpose that encourages the sense that life is meaningful† (Nagel 721). Believing in something larger does not allow escaping to occur, as it can be doubted in the same way that individual life can be. People use a higher being for comfort and to give their lives meaning and justification, however, as pointed out before, justifications end and humans no longer look any further. Moreover, religious people still have the humanistic qualities that all humans do that eventually lead to reflection and doubt. Another way of portraying religious peoples life as absurd just as nonreligious lives is to look at the idea of being self-conscious leading to absurdity and that this is a natural part of being human. â€Å"The only way to avoid the relevant self-consciousness would be either never to attain it or to forget it—neither of which can be achieved by the will† (Nagel 725). Religion does not change this unavoidable self-consciousness, and therefore life it still absurd with religion. The idea of religion is to provide meaning to life, however, if all humans are prone to this inevitable doubt, than this meaning will be doubted in the same way that life without meaning is doubted, or may even be doubted even more and therefore this creates a more significant contradiction, and may mean that religion makes life even more absurd. The gap between seriousness and reality is even larger in a life with religion because life is taken more serious, as there is this idea of more meaning, but still has the contradiction with reflection and doubt, hence a life with religion abets absurdity. Nagels main focus about religion is that it does not cure the feelings of absurdity because, regardless of being religious or not, humans cannot avoid this inevitable doubt of their seriousness, and therefore creating this clash which makes life absurd. â€Å"There does not appear to be any conceivable world (containing us) about which unsettlable doubts could not arise† (Nagel 722). Nagels idea about facing this absurdity is, rather than believing in something higher that gives life a certain meaning that does nothing but encourage absurdity, view life as ironic. He says to â€Å"approach our absurd lives with irony instead of heroism or despair† (Nagel 727). Heroism, as seen in religion, means to value life too much, whereas despair, seen in the depressed or suicidal, means to not value life enough or at all. However, to look at the absurdity of life with irony allows humans to live this contradicting life, aware of this contradiction, but continue to live it without denial, torment, or resentment. In Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot (1953), this concept of absurdity seen from continuing seriousness even after doubting it is portrayed. Vladimir and Estragon have chosen enslavement to an authoritative figure, Godot, and though they have yet to see Godot or even get confirmation that he will eventually come, they still continue to wait for him. This is the same idea that religion brings to humans, as they can live their lives without signs from God or true meaning from religion, yet they still believe because it gives them a sense of purpose. However, this creates absurdity because, for religious people, they also doubt all of this purpose and meaning they are waiting for, and for Vladimir and Estragon, they doubt Godot will ever come. Towards the end of the play, it is clear that Vladimir has doubt about Godot and has a realization that he has been waiting for a long time and will continue to wait, possibly for eternity. He has this realization and doubt about his seriousness for waiting, yet continues to wait. This clash is what makes Vladimir and Estragons lives absurd, and is the same clash that is seen in religious lives as well. 5. According to Nagel, atheistic existentialists, such as Sartre and Camus, dwell on and blame the fact that God doesnt exist as the reason life is absurd. They believe that without God, our lives lack the meaning which they demand, and without this meaning our lives are meaningless, and therefore absurd. However, Nagel has already pointed out that this is not why life is absurd and that whether our lives have meaning or not does not change this clash between the seriousness which we take our lives and the reality that causes us to doubt the seriousness that is the true creator of absurdity. These atheistic existentialists view absurdity of humans lives as a problem, as something that needs a solution or to be fixed. Camus advice on dealing with this â€Å"problem† of absurdity is defiance. Nagel looks at Camus proposal, and says, â€Å"We can salvage our dignity, he appears to believe, by shaking a fist at the world which is deaf to our please, and continuing to live in spite of it† (Nagel 726). This, of course, will not rid our lives of absurdity, as this is not possible as long as we are self-aware and able to reflect, but Camus believes it will give humans at least a more fulfilled life. Nagel disagrees with these ideas, and says that the absurdity of human lives isnt even a problem at all. He falls back on his idea that absurdity is one of the most significant things that makes us human, and humans lives are only absurd because they posses the ability of a kind of insight that other species do not. â€Å"If a sense of the absurd is a way of perceiving our true situation (even though the situation is not absurd until the perception arises) then what reason can we have to resent or escape it? † (Nagel, 727). Nagel says that it is important that humans are aware of this absurdity, yet do not try to avoid it as it is not possible to do such a thing and one will only dwell on this attempt their entire life. Instead, as mentioned before, Nagel suggests the only way going about absurdity is to approach it with irony. It is important to not let this absurdity become torturous, but is also crucial to not allow it to force an avoidance or attempt to surpass the absurdity. The acknowledgment of the clash between seriousness and reality is important in acceptance and living life in between heroism and despair. If humans can look at their absurd lives with irony, the absurdity will be acknowledged, but will not effect their lives as to cause anything actually problematic from happening. Nagel also states that this absurdity is important because it exposes our human limitations and allows humans to understand these, so there is no reason to try to escape this. Nagels argument helps make sense of these atheistic existentialists works. For example, in Camus The Stranger (1942), the ending is very clear because Camus didnt believe in the idea of approaching absurdity with irony, so he did not end his book like this, and instead ended it with Maurseult approaching the absurdity with the dramatic feeling that Nagel discourages. Maurseult is unable to find irony in his absurd life, and blames Gods nonexistence for his inability to justify morals. It is clear that this happens because these are Camus beliefs, and Nagel portrays these as making a problem out of absurdity that shouldnt be a problem at all. Jean-Paul Sartre, also an atheistic existentialist according to Nagel, falls back on the idea that existence proceeds essence, and in that way humans achieve absolute freedom. However, this idea is contradicted by Nagel when he says that humans are born into absurdity and there is no escaping it, as it would have to have been never attained or forgotten, which is impossible to do if its part of humans from the start. Nagels ideas about absurdity, such that it is unavoidable yet not necessarily a problem, contradict these atheistic existentialists ideas, and he ends with he belief that contrary to what these existentialists say, humans must approach their absurd lives with irony, because if nothing matters, than it wouldnt matter to do anything other than this. Part II a. â€Å"Existentialism Is a Humanism†, by Jean-Paul Sartre (1946), focuses on freedom as the bases of morality. Sartre defends existentialism as being a moral philosophy by contradicting arguments against this idea with his own thoughts. The first idea that Sartre rejects is that which claims existentialism allows people to â€Å"dwell in the quietism of despair† (Sartre 1). In his argument against this he focuses on the concept that existence proceeds essence, where humans first exist before anything else, such as defining themselves. â€Å"Man simply is. Not that he is simply what he conceives himself to be, but he is what he wills, and as he conceives himself after already existing—as he wills to be after that leap towards existence† (Sartre 2). This is what Sartre refers to as the first principle of existentialism. The next idea Sartre argues against is that existentialism is a pessimistic view, however, he says that existentialism actually reflects severe optimism. He gives the example of the way an existentialist looks at a coward and sees him as personally responsible for being a coward, as something he chooses and commits to, which is an optimist way of looking at such a thing. Sartre then looks at the idea of subjectivity, which is argued as a negative aspect of existentialism as it is seen as living a solitude and therefore selfish or egotistical life, and conveys two meanings for â€Å"subjectivism†. One meaning he points out is the freedom of an individual, and the other meaning refers to man unable to further himself beyond human subjectivity. This is a further look at existence proceeding essence, as it shows that humans do not choose being human but they do choose their actions after becoming humans, and by choosing for ones self, one chooses for all humans. This shows, therefore, that existentialists view humans as not individuals whom are selfish, but rather that their actions speak for all humans. The last argument Sartre rejects is that existentialism denies reality and the seriousness of humanity. However, according to Sartre, existentialism is humanist when looking at a fundamental definition of the word. â€Å"Man is all the time outside of himself: it is in projecting and losing himself beyond himself that he makes man to exist; and, on the other hand, it is by pursuing transcendent aims that he himself is able to exist† (Sartre 13). Existentialists believe that there is no human action that doesnt have an explanation, and if an action has an explanation it is human. These ideas portray Sartes position that existentialism is a moral philosophy and that it is a humanism. However, his ideas are not enough to make this statement. He focuses deeply on the idea of freedom and that because humans are free as seen by existentialists, existentialism is a moral philosophy. For existentialism to be completely moral, however, it would have to compliment Sartes idea of freedom with other values, such as charity, kindness, and serving our duty to the world and others, as this is what is truly moral and humanitarian. Complimenting freedom with something else though would take some freedom away and therefore his idea of the moral system being based on freedom is invalid. One example Sartre provides to express this idea of freedom being the basis for existentialism, and the reason it is moral, is about a man facing a moral dilemma. He must choose between either staying with his mother, whom has been abandoned by everyone else in her life and only has this one son left, or leaving her, alone and empty, to go join the Free French Forces. He looks at this as a moral dilemma, however, this is not a moral dilemma because both choices are good. A moral dilemma is one where an individual is faced with two options and picks the one which is good and leaves the other which is not good. However, whether this man stays with his mother or goes to fight for a cause, he is choosing between two goods and therefore is not making a moral decision. Sartre also looks at the idea that existentialism leaves you uncertain and that all moral decisions operate with a degree of uncertainty. This, to an extent, is true, and it is not wise to base decisions on certainty of the future. However, there are actions that are possible, and should be, taken based on their consequences. For example, the question of whether one should push another individual off an enormous cliff seems very certain. It is true that life is uncertain, but there is quite a high chance that that individual, if pushed off the cliff, will fall and die. The immediate and certain consequences seen in life are not mentioned and are ignored in Sartres moral system of existentialism, and therefore is not enough to make this claim. Sartre focuses on this idea that freedom is what makes existentialism a moral philosophy, however, true morality limits freedom, and there is so much more to morality than what Sartre mentions. b. Ivan Ilytch and Meursault both experience an epiphany at the end of their lives, and therefore die as happy men. Both men lived selfish lives, unaware of what life truly was about. They both lived under an idea of what they thought was the right way to live, with Ivan attempting to live a normal life, fitting into society, and Meursault living a life in effort to embody the universe. Both of these life styles were structured and allowed the men to just follow guidelines which they believed was the right thing to do. However, this was selfish as it led to them ignoring the rest of the world, such as their families and other aspects of true happiness. Meursault went through life seeing it as meaningless and therefore claims he believes in nothing. However, the fact that he in so deeply devoted to this meaningless shows that he believes in this meaninglessness. This becomes clear when Meursault is talking to the priest and realizes that his uncertainty was just as strong as the priests certainty about everything, and when he says that the priest was living like a dead man he realizes that it was really him who was doing such a thing. Meursault comes to terms with the fact the he so deeply believes that nothing matters and life is meaningless, and in doing so he looses his temper and becomes emotional and passionate about something for once in his life. This same insight about realizing that life is not so structured and that it is about existing and having fulfillment is seen in Ivan when, as he is laying on his death bed, he becomes aware that there is no goal in life. He spent his whole life chasing something, but finally realizes that this is not what life is about, as he already had things in his life that could have given him fulfillment, such as his family. As he looks at his son and is overcome by this realization, he is finally happy. Meursault also was pursing something in life, that of embodying the universe, but he too sees that this is not what life is about. Soon before he dies, he really sees the world for the first time in his life, the smells and sounds that it holds, and is happy. He even thinks about his mother and shows a side, lacking selfishness, that he had never shown before. With this thoughtfulness, as well as recognizing that nothing matters and there is no meaning, he finally gives himself the fulfillment that life is truly about and feels happiness. c. In Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot (1953), two men wait for an authoritative figure to appear and convey a message, telling them what to do and what to live for. This is a constant part of society, where humans continue â€Å"waiting† and spend their entire lives hoping the universe will tell them something. The play symbolizes this human waiting and longing for something more in many ways throughout it. Estragon cannot take his shoes off, symbolizing that he is stuck on earth and nothing can be done as he cannot escape. Vladimir looks at his hat, as if to find something in it that tells him something or gives some sort of sign, but finds nothing and continues to gaze at the horizon, which holds hope and something more than this life theyre stuck in. However, as trapped and unhappy as they are, as they even considered suicide, they do not give up hope. In fact, they decide against suicide because they must wait for Godot to come and see what he offers, and then they will decide what to do from there. Vladimir and Estragon cannot stop their wanting to live as they want to live for something, so they are hoping that Godot will give them something to live for, even though he already is just from the hope that he might come. They have lost track of time and are unsure of whether they were here yesterday, as waiting tends to make people lose track of time since it is just what humans do and is inherent in our human condition. In metaphysical time, it is always just now, and waiting is eternal. When two new characters enter the scene, Pozzo and Lucky, the main characters become puzzled. Lucky, who is seemingly not so lucky, carries Pozzos bags for him, but he never puts them down, and he obeys Pozzos every command. Vladimir and Estragon wonder why this is, and why Lucky even puts up with Pozzo. Lucky, however, is not much different from Vladimir and Estragon, as he just seeks authority. He wants this enslavement, where he is told what to do and think and how to live. Vladimir and Estragon have their own symbolic bags that they too refuse to put down, as seen through their choice to continue to wait for Godot, with no one telling them they must wait but it being their own decision to do so and continue to do so. When Vladimir and Estragon find themselves worried that Pozzo wants to get rid of Lucky and leave him behind, it symbolizes that they too are worried of being left behind by Godot. This constant desire for authority is something seen in this play as well as in society, as humans are very frightful of being alone or without someone to tell them what to do or how to live. Though Vladimir and Estragons decision to wait is questionable, it does however give them something to do and comes from a command from authority. As mentioned before, though Godot isnt there, Godot is still ruling over them and gives them the authority that is so desperately sought for. This enslavement to Godot seen in Vladimir and Estragon is actually rather admirable, as it shows their devotion and commitment. The patience seen in their servitude conveys their faith and religious spirit. It brings them hope and a sort of comfort to continue this faith and commitment. When the boy comes the second time to deliver Godots message, Vladimir seems to know that the same thing happened yesterday, and that it will continue to happen, but he still continues to wait. The boy does not tell Vladimir that he will convey his message to Godot and does not give Vladimir his desired recognition that this is real, and Godot has not shown up, yet Vladimir and Estragon still continues to wait and do not lose hope. This idea that they are not just existing as humans but are devoting themselves to this higher authority shows that their existential journey leads beyond existentialism, as they continue to wait by choice but are being controlled by the idea of something more.

Construction Essays Road Works Equipment

Construction Essays Road Works Equipment Road Works Equipment Road Works Equipment/Compaction/Asphalting Executive Summary Roads are the lifeline of any economically vibrant nation. In this perspective, the road works equipment assumes a special significance as it not only impacts the overall quality of roads in a country, but also influences the economies associated with the construction and maintenance of roads. Road works equipment is a billion dollar industry that is growing and expanding at an exponential pace. The construction and maintenance of roads involves many technical and procedural nuances that demands special procedures and specialities. The purpose of this report is to analyse these micro and macro details associated with road works equipment and to delineate the role played by the modern road works equipment in the dynamics and economics of road works Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers The contemporary road works equipment has completely altered the way road works companies conceptualize and plan their work and the way they allocate their resources. Traditionally speaking, the road works industry has been a labour intensive and capital intensive venture, a factor that significantly added to the costs of the construction and maintenance of roads. In such a scenario, the allocation of scarce resources and manpower used to become a cumbersome task that added to the complexity of the road works operations. One objective of this study is to delineate the changes and contrasts in the earlier practices and the modern day practices. Not only this report mentions the major companies, manufacturers and suppliers of road works equipment but also takes a look into the hire, purchase and leasing arrangements feasible in this industry. Introduction The road works and highway maintenance has become a field of astute specialization in itself. Hence all the aspects of this business are undergoing through a process of refinement and specialization with the passage of time. The way road works operations were managed in the past are a complete contrast to the ways things are done today. With the advent of mechanization in all the aspects of construction industry in the last few decades, the road works equipment has assumed a special significance and importance of its own. The main task before this report is to compare and contrast the earlier practices in the road works operations with the contemporary trends and practices. Though the roads always played a special significance in the economic and cultural well being of a nation, their importance has increased manifold in the new liberalized and globalized economic scenario. With the advent of trading blocks like the European Union (EU) on the scene, the roads have become a vital instrument of change and harmonization. The unprecedented increase in the number of automobiles over the years has necessitated the need for improvisation and ingenuity in the road works industry. Till the last few decades, the road works procedures in Europe were primarily capital intensive and labour intensive. A major chunk of the budgetary allocations in the road works assignments were set aside for the labour costs and the purchase of road works equipment. This massive augmentation into the costs of factors of constructio n unleashed a revolution into the road works equipment industry. It is well said that necessity is the mother of invention. Till now the manual approach in the road works operations was not only compromising on the quality of roads, but also coasted immensely in terms of time and assets. Soon a need was felt that the salient aspects of the road work aught to be mechanized by using the innovative and specialized equipment. This vital need was catered to by the companies specializing in the road works equipment. The impact of this change was felt acutely in the major road works tasks like compaction and asphalting. The new equipment not only saved much time and money but also performed the above mentioned tasks with an enhanced efficacy and refinement. The specific objective of this report is to deliberate on the changes unfolded by the arrival of mechanized procedures and new equipment. This new approach towards road works definitely increased the efficiency and savings associated with all the procedures. Discussion Innovation and specialization are the hallmarks of the scientific and economic development. Roads are an important aspect of the economic and cultural development. This aspect of the national growth has certainly undergone rapid and multifarious changes in terms of technological and procedural inputs. The way road works operations were planned and carried on in the past are definitely a far cry to the modern state of the art road works techniques and equipment. Today the roads are expected to satisfy a number of criteria and expectations which were never heard of and expected in the days of the yore. It will be really interesting to delve on the compromises and contrasts between the earlier practices and the modern day practices. 3.1 Earlier and Modern Day Practices Roads always played a special significance in the British financial, cultural and social life. The British rulers always paid a special attention to the roads and well understood their relevance in maintaing and upholding the economic and cultural growth in this vibrant nation. However, the roads of the yore were predominantly un asphalted and narrow and though they successfully catered to the needs and the aspirations of the times, they were no match to the modern metalled roads that were designed to meet the realities of industrial revolution and economic growth. The invention of automobiles and the industrial revolution proved to be a turning point so far as the history of road works is concerned. The new automobiles and transportation vehicles demanded very different types of roads, the construction of which required special features and procedures. This need gave birth to the nascent road works industry that was later to evolve into an important and vital aspect of the British business and cultural life. The new roads needed to be compact and levelled, the achievement of which required procedures like asphalting and compaction. In the earlier times, these procedures were performed mostly manually and were predominantly labour intensive. The crews associated with compaction tasks had to hustle to get their jobs done and open the roads to traffic. These compaction procedures performed manually required large amounts of time and investments. This augmented the public pressure to minimize the time spent with lane closures and traffic disruptions. These compaction procedures were mostly performed using bulky road rollers that produced nearly 2400 vibrations per minute and influenced the quality of roads. Thus the outcome achieved also proved to be flawed and not as per the ideal quality requirements. However, the advent of modern equipment has drastically changed the things. Today there are available the highway compactors that yield a miniscule 4000 vibrations per minute (ZOOM Info, 2008 ). This enables the construction crews to control the impact per foot that definitely magnifies the smoothness and the density of roads. The new compactors also enable the construction companies to perform the jobs well before the expected time limits and have minimized the frequency and time of lane closures and resultant traffic disruptions. As was with compaction, so stands true for the awesome task of asphalting. The process of asphalting involves paving the roads with a mixture of gravel and asphalt. This primarily involved the twin procedures of mixing and paving of asphalt. The asphalt mixing equipment used in the past was primarily manual and thus did not allow the mixing of asphalt as per the desired proportions and density. The modern asphalt mixing machines are totally automatic and allow the road works crew to choose the density and viscosity of the asphalt mixture as per their requirements (APELLC, 2008). This has certainly revolutionized the concept of road works. So also stands true for the bothersome task of asphalt paving. The asphalt laying and paving today is no more done manually as was the practise in the past. Today there are available such machines that perform the task of asphalt paving and laying at one go and that too automatically. This not only helps in constructing smoother and flawless roads b ut also allow the road works crews to achieve pavements pf desired thickness and with. Though the road works industry is a vital constituent of the national growth, the fact is that like any other business it is a business and has to abide by the norms and aspirations expected of all the successful ventures. Like other industries, the road works industry also aspires to cut down on its time related commitments and investments, modernize and automate its operations and use its finances to the optimum level. The road works ventures of today are way apart from the practises of the past in the sense that the usage of modern road works equipment and accessories enables them to achieve efficiency and savings which was not possible with the predominantly manual road works procedures of the past. The advent of modern road works equipment especially in the segment of asphalting and compaction has totally revolutionized the contemporary road works industry. 3.2 Major Companies/Manufacturers/Suppliers Today their exist many companies in the world that specialize in the manufacturing and supply of increasingly sophisticated and automated road building equipment that is in tandem with the changing industry needs (SED, 2008). Especially considering the lack of skilled labour in this industry in the West, the services rendered by these companies are increasingly in demand. Some of the major road works equipment manufacturers and suppliers are; Caterpillar Tadano Haulotte Group Ingersoll-Rand Company JCB Inc. Multiquip Inc. Stone Construction Equipment Inc. Dynapac Prater-Sterling Sebright Products Inc. Reynolds Industrial L.P. 3.3 Methods of Procurement Road works industry is primarily a capital intensive industry that needs the optimal utilization of the assets at its disposal. Hence it prefers to procure its equipment using a spectrum of methods like procurement, hiring, outsourcing, purchasing, purchasing on instalments and leasing. Hence most of the major companies dealing in the road works equipment offer a range of options and facilities to their customers. This not only ensures the optimum utilization of scarce resources but also enforces customer loyalty, brand preference and accountability in the long run. 3.4 Drivers and Barriers The recent upsurge in the number of automobiles and the stringent pollution norms has necessitated the up gradation of the existing roads throughout the developed world. The economic boom in Asia and South America has also motivated most of the international road works companies to shift their operations to these lucrative climes. This has enhanced the demand for the road works equipment related to compaction and asphalting. However, the availability of cheap unskilled labour and a shortage of skilled labour in Asia and Europe are hampering the introduction of sophisticated road works equipment. The recent recessionary trends in the West and the upsurge in the oil prices are also proving to be a major barrier to the expansion and growth of road works equipment industry. 4.0 Conclusion The introduction of the sophisticated road works equipment and machinery has definitely altered the face of road works industry. Courtesy the better and accurate compaction and asphalting machines, the quality of roads has improved drastically along with the optimal achievement of requisite economies and parameters. Considering the latest statutory guidelines pertaining to pollution in the developed world and the economic boom in the Asia and South America, the market for the road works equipment is expected to expand further. However, the road works industry being strictly capital intensive, the companies involved will have to offer a wide spectrum of procurement options and facilities to its customers. References Asphalt Paving Equipment, APELLC, viewed 17 July 2008, Industrial Machinery, ZOOM Info, viewed 17 July 2008, SED The National Event for Construction, viewed 17 July 2008,

Concepts of Evolution and DNA in Biology

Concepts of Evolution and DNA in Biology Because the fossil record did not exhibit Darwins predicted slow and gradual evolution with transitional forms, some paleontologists sought to find a theory of evolution where, changes in populations might occur too rapidly to leave many transitional fossils (see Figure from Gould and Eldredge 1977 . In 1972, Gould and Eldredge proposed the theory of punctuated equilibrium where most evolution takes place in small populations over relatively rapid geological time periods. By reducing the numerical size of the transitional population and the number of years for which it exists, punctuated equilibrium greatly limits the number of organisms bearing transitional characteristics. Since many organisms are not fossilized, this increases the likelihood that transitional forms would not be fossilized. One strength of this theory is that Gould and Eldredge claim it is predicted by population genetics. But what are the implications of punctuated equilibrium? Under punctuated equilibrium, species usually change little as, gradual change is not the normal state of a species. Large populations may experience, minor adaptive modifications of fluctuating effect through time but will rarely transform in toto to something fundamentally new. This is called stasis. But small peripheral populations may allow for more change at a quicker rate. Gould argued that most macroevolutionary change takes place in such populations during speciation such that there is insufficient time for the transitional forms to be fossilized: Speciation, the process of macroevolution, is a process of branching. And this branching â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¦ is so rapid in geological translation (thousands of years at most compared with millions for the duration of most fossil species) that its results should generally lie on a bedding plane, not through the thick sedimentary sequence of a long hillslope. What is meant by phylogeny? Give an account on phylogeny of humans. Ans- The context of evolutionary biology is phylogeny, the connections between all groups of organisms as understood by ancestor/descendant relationships. Not only is phylogeny important for understanding paleontology, but paleontology in turn contributes to phylogeny. Many groups of organisms are now extinct, and without their fossils we would not have as clear a picture of how modern life is interrelated. We express the relationships among groups of organisms through diagrams called cladograms, which are like genealogies of species. Phylogenetics, the science of phylogeny, is one part of the larger field of systematics, which also includes taxonomy. Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying the diversity of organisms. In humans- it is used to the transfer of genes. In general, organisms can inherit genes in two ways: vertical gene transfer and horizontal gene transfer. Vertical gene transfer is the passage of genes from parent to offspring, and horizontal gene transfer or lateral gene transfer occurs when genes jump between unrelated organisms, a common phenomenon in prokaryotes. Horizontal gene transfer has complicated the determination of phylogenies of organisms, and inconsistencies in phylogeny have been reported among specific groups of organisms depending on the genes used to construct evolutionary trees. Carl Woese came up with the three-domain theory of life (eubacteria, archaea and eukaryotes) based on his discovery that the genes encoding ribosomal RNA are ancient and distributed over all lineages of life with little or no horizontal gene transfer. Therefore, rRNAs are commonly recommended as molecular clocks for reconstructing phylogenies. This has been particularly useful for the phylogeny of microorganisms, to which the species concept does not apply and which are too morphologically simple to be classified based on phenotypic traits. DNA is genetic material. Describe two classical experiments to support this statement. Ans- Clarification came during the First World War. During the war, hundreds of thousands of servicemen died from pneumonia, a lung infection caused by the baceterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. In the early 1920s, a young British army medical officer named Frederick Griffith began studying Streptococcus pneumoniae in his laboratory in the hopes of developing a vaccine against it. As so often happens in scientific research, Griffith never found what he was looking for (there is still no vaccine for pneumonia), but instead, he made one of the most important discoveries in the field of biology: a phenomenon he called transformation. Dr. Griffith had isolated two strains of S. pneumoniae, one of which was pathogenic (meaning it causes sickness or death, in this case, pneumonia), and one which was innocuous or harmless. The pathogenic strain looked smooth under a microscope due to a protective coat surrounding the bacteria and so he named this strain S, for smooth. The harmless strain of S. pneumoniae lacked the protective coat and appeared rough under a microscope, so he named it R, for rough . Dr. Griffith observed that if he injected some of the S strain of S. pneumoniae into mice, they would get sick with the symptoms of pneumonia and die, while mice injected with the R strain did not become sick. Next, Griffith noticed that if he applied to the S strain of bacteria, then injected them into mice, the mice would no longer get sick and die. He thus hypothesized that excessive heat kills the bacteria, something that other scientists, including Louis Pasteur, had already shown with other types of bacteria. However, Dr. Griffith didnt stop there he decided to try something: he mixed living R bacteria (which are not pathogenic) with heat-killed S bacteria, then he injected the mixture into mice. Surprisingly, the mice got pneumonia infections and eventually died (Figure 3). Dr. Griffith examined samples from these sick mice and saw living S bacteria. This meant that either the S bacteria came back to life, an unlikely scenario, or the live R strain was somehow transformed into the S strain. Thus, after repeating this experiment many times, Dr. Griffith named this phenomenon transformation. This discovery was significant because it showed that organisms can somehow be genetically re-programmed into a slightly different version of themselves. One strain of bacteria, in this case the R strain of S. pneumoniae, can be changed into something else, presumably because of the transfer of genetic material from a donor, in this case the heat-killed S strain. Scientists around the world began repeating this experiment, but in slightly different ways, trying to discover exactly what was happening. It became clear that, when the S bacteria are killed by heat, they break open and many substances are released. Something in this mixture can be absorbed by living bacteria, leading to a genetic transformation. But because the mixture contains protein, RNA, DNA, lipids, and carbohydrates, the question remained which molecule is the transforming agent? This question was examined in several ways, most famously by three scientists working at The Rockefeller Institute (now Rockefeller University) in New York: Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, and Maclyn McCarty. These scientists did almost exactly what Griffith did in his experiments but with the following changes. First, after heat-killing the S strain of bacteria, the mixture was separated into six test tubes. Thus, each of the test tubes would contain the unknown transforming agent. A different enzyme was then added to each tube except one the control which received nothing. To the other five tubes, one of the following enzymes was added: RNase, an enzyme that destroys RNA; protease, an enzyme that destroys protein; DNase, an enzyme that destroys DNA; lipase, an enzyme that destroys lipids; or a combination of enzymes that break down carbohydrates. The theory behind this experiment was that if the transforming agent was, for example, protein the transforming agent would be destroyed in the test tube containing protease, but not the others. Thus, whatever the transforming agents was, the liquid in one of the tubes would no longer be able to transform the S. pneumonia strains. When they did this, the result was both dramatic and clear. The liquid from the tubes that received RNase, protease, lipase, and the carbohydrate-digesting enzymes was still able to transform the R strain of pneumonia into the S strain. However, the liquid that was treated with DNase completely lost the ability to transform the bacteria . Thus, it was apparent that the transforming agent in the liquid was DNA. To further demonstrate this, the scientists took liquid extracted from heat-killed S. pneumoniae (S strain) and subjected it to extensive preparation and purification, isolating only the pure DNA from the mixture. This pure DNA was also able to transform the R strain into the S strain and generate pathogenic S. pneumoniae. These results provided powerful evidence that DNA, and not protein, was actually the genetic material inside of living cells. PART-B Do the two strands of DNA duplex carry the same genetic information? Explain. Ans:- No,the two strands of dna duplex carry different information ,because  complementary  base pairs  binding to form a  double helix.The two chains are wound round each other and linked together by hydrogen bonds between specific complementary bases to form a spiral ladder-shaped moleculeThe stabilization of  duplex  (double-stranded) DNA is also dependent on base stacking. The planar, rigid bases stack on top of one another, much like a stack of coins. Since the two purine.pyrimidine pairs (A.T and C.G) have the same width, the bases stack in a rather uniform fashion. Stacking near the center of the helix affords protection from chemical and environmental attack. Both hydrophobic interactions andvan der Waals forces  hold bases together in stacking interactions. About half the stability of the DNA helix comes from hydrogen bonding, while base stacking provides much of the rest. What is the difference between Z and B- DNAs? ANS:- Z-DNA  is one of the many possible double helical structures of  DNA. It is a left-handed double helical structure in which the double helix winds to the left in a zig-zag pattern. alternating  purine-pyrimidine  sequence (especially poly(dGC)2), negative  DNA supercoiling  or high salt and some  cations  (all at physiological temperature, 37 °C, and pH 7.3-7.4). Z-DNA can form a junction (called a B-to-Z junction box) in a structure which involves the extrusion of a base pair.  The Z-DNA conformation has been difficult to study because it does not exist as a stable feature of the double helix. Instead, it is a transient structure that is occasionally induced by biological activity and then quickly disappears. B-DNA It is an antiparallel double helix.It is a right-handed helix. The base-pairs are perpendicular to the axis of the helix. (Actually, they are very slightly tilted at an angle of 4 degrees)The axis of the helix passes through the centre of the base pairs.Each base pair is rotated by 36 degrees from the adjacent base pair.The base-pairs are stacked 0.34 nm apart from one another.The double helix repeats every 3.4 nm, i.e. the pitch of the double helix is 3.4 nm.B-DNA has two distinct grooves: a MAJOR groove; and, a MINOR groove. These grooves form as a consequence of the fact that the beta-glycosidic bonds of the two bases in each base pair are attached on the same edge. However, because the axis of the helix passes through the centre of the base pairs, both grooves are similar in depth. 6. What is the role of RNA in DNA replication? ANS:- RNA WAS NEED TO INTIATE THE TRANSCRIPTION PROCESS.   On the lagging strand, primase builds an RNA primer in short bursts. DNA polymerase is then able to use the free 3 OH group on the RNA primer to synthesize DNA in the 5 † Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 3 direction. The RNA fragments are then removed (different mechanisms are used in eukaryotes and prokaryotes) and new deoxyribonucleotides are added to fill the gaps where the RNA was present. DNA ligase is then able to ligate the deoxyribonucleotides together, completing the synthesis of the lagging strand. This rna primer was a short strand of RNA that is synthesized along single-stranded DNA during replication, initiating DNA polymerase-catalyzed synthesis of the complementarystrand.  

Adeline Yen Mahs Falling Leaves Essay -- Mah Falling Leaves Gender

Adeline Yen Mah's "Falling Leaves" Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For years, the world has been oblivious to the painful, degrading traditions toward women that take place behind the â€Å"Bamboo Curtain† of China. Falling Leaves , by Adeline Yen Mah, unveils the darker side of Chinese culture through her eyes as an unwanted Chinese daughter. Shocking mistreatment, of not only the author, but also the females in her extended family keep suspense alive throughout the book. My heart sobs at each account of Adeline’s tortured life, but through it all, there was a flicker of her spirit that could not be put out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In China, girls are seen as a possession or a â€Å"cheap commodity† (Yen Mah 100). Sons, especially the eldest, are given far more attention and praise. Families that are well off keep their daughters and marry them off to prominent families’ sons through a marriage broker (â€Å"mei-po†). Rich daughters often had their feet bound, a process by which the â€Å"four lateral toes of the foot are forced with a bandage under the sole so that only the big toe protruded. (It was) tightened daily for a number of years (so as to) permanently arrest the foot’s growth in order to achieve tiny feet so prized by Chinese men† (Yen Mah 11). Their inability to walk with ease is a symbol of submissiveness, weakness, and wealth. This tradition is becoming more rare, but still many older women bear its pain today. Adeline’s grandmother went against these traditions by not torturing her own daughter i...

Protecting your Privacy from the Government Essay -- Politics Persuasi

Protecting your Privacy from the Government Privacy and the Government, for century’s people have debated the conspiracy theory that the government is always watching you.With integration of information System, this fear is fast becoming reality.Since September 11, the Government has developed a completely new understanding of information the individuals that live in the United States.They are now focusing on the any and all potential threats to national security.The Government’s big imitative, which is part of Homeland Security, is Total Information Awareness (TIA) also known as Terrorism Information Awareness.This campaign is the closest thing to ‘Big Brother’ that the United States has ever seen.It is a focus on pulling as much information together on as many people as possible into a single database, making the information available to government officials to weed out and find potential people involved in terrorism.On the surface this would seem to be a good thing, but if you look at the situati on closer, you will find that they are gathering information on anyone and everyone.This means that they are gathering information on people for future purposes.They are gathering information on the pretense that they may use it in the future in the name of Homeland Security.The TIA is not the only mode of extraction of information from our privacy; the airlines in conjunction with the government have developed a similar system for airline passengers.The government is also purchasing information from other companies on its customer to gain more data on potential wrong doers.We will discuss basic points on all three later on this site.In essence many believe that they are violating our privacy. The Total Information Awareness ... ...ng the awareness of privacy within its agencies.They have begun to create positions called Private Contact Officers (PCO), which have the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of the implied privacy agreement with its citizens.Of the government agencies polled over 74% respondents thought that privacy was extremely important to their agencies.Some of the main focuses of the agencies are on Internet security and personal information security and integrity.Most of the agencies polled expressed that privacy was a priority; it did not rank as one the top priorities.The issue of privacy and the government is getting better but at an extremely slow pace.Once people understand that when you lose your privacy you can never get it back, they will guard themselves and there personal information better.The only one that can help prevent invasion of privacy is ourselves.

Communication Barries Essay

Communication is the imparting or exchanging information and news with people around us. Therefore, communication is an important theme for our daily life. Without communications well in this generation, people may cause conflict between each other. Communication as well contains barriers like non-verbal signals, language, pre-judgement, relationships, listening, systems and emotional responses. According to my past communication barriers that I have experienced, in the past, I do not know how to speak or read in Chinese because I have study and use to the environment there in English primary school since I was young. After I finished my primary school, I entered the secondary school. I have found out that I am having difficulties to communicate with my schoolmates and teacher and they can’t communicate well with me. Moreover, in the secondary school now, as a Chinese student, the Chinese students are compulsory to attend Chinese classes and take the Chinese subject as a main subject other than the bahasa subject. Not just that, I often having misunderstanding with my classmates with my language too. Next, I have also found that their lifestyle was totally different from me. For example, every Friday, the Muslim’s student will have to go for their pray in the noon of 12pm so that we also have to stop our class lesson on 12pm every Friday. In this situation, I have analyzed the problem that I am not use to it in my secondary school. First of all, I am having the problem of one of the communication barrier, language. The meaning in English to Chinese and Malay have various of different meaning that I can’t crop up and sometimes I could misunderstanding what are they trying to send me a message in a conversation. Next, the cultural problem. I may have not use to their cultural in the Malay secondary school. For example, I did not know that in the Chinese culture of sending them clock as a gift by meaning sending them off to death. Not just that, I have found out that Malay could not eat non-halal foods while the Chinese can’t eat cows. Lastly, the listening problem. As I use to the English’s school environment, sometimes I could misunderstand of my classmate speak to me. It is hard for me to crop up by sudden changing of my environment lifestyle. In order for me to encounter that I faced, I have been study and doing some research of language in my secondary school. I was impelled to follow up to the tuition classes to strengthen my Chinese and Malay’s language. Not just that, during my school time, I was practicing language with my classmates or even noted down that words to look for the dictionary to find out the meaning. As for the cultural problem, my classmates told me about their cultural lifestyle during recess or free time. I have learned one of the Malay’s lifestyle of eating by using the right hand. Moreover, if there any special occasion, my classmate would invite me to their house to celebrate with them so that I could easily understand their culture. Lastly, the listening, I encountered the problem by asking them to repeat or explain of what are they trying to message me during our conversation.

An Attempted Robbery

One evening when the sun was about to set, my mother asked me to go and buy some onions and salt from the nearby sundry shop. The shop is run by Samy, a jovial middle-age Indian man with a huge pot-belly. His wife and two young children, a boy and a girl, help him run the shop. It was almost completely dark when I reached the shop. Samy had switched on the lights in his small but adequately stocked shop. He was alone at the time and I was the only customer. Samy greeted me with a huge smile. I always wanted to ask him how he kept his teeth so sparkling white but I was afraid to ask. Anyway I told him what I wanted to buy and he went about getting the things for me. Next door to Samy’s shop is a coffee shop run by another Indian man. It was still open at the time. From the coffee shop emerged two men. They came into Samy’s shop and I could smell the overpowering smell of beer coming from these two men. Both of them were young but from the way they half-walked half-staggered into the shop it was obvious they had a bit too much to drink. I kept a safe distance from these men. It is never a good idea to be near drunks. One never knows what they will do next. True enough, my caution was justified, for the next moment, without any warning, one of the men swept a pile of tinned goods from a table onto the floor. In a second the neat rows were reduced to utter chaos. The man who did it roared out in laughter. I could see Samy’s anger rising. He raised his voice. As if in reply to his retort, the two men started shouting obscenities at him. Then suddenly a knife appeared in one of the men’s hand. The man that held the knife was small and wiry and judging from the muscles in his hand I had no doubt he was very strong. The knife-man lunged and in a flash he had the point of his knife at Samy’s throat. Samy froze and his face paled. I was so overwhelmed by the suddenness of events that the next thing I knew I could not move my hands, nor the other parts of my body. I was held in a vice-like grip by the other man. I did not even see him coming. I struggled but all I could do was to make the grip tighten more. I got difficult to breathe. I heard a lot of shouting and I could see the knife-man slapping Samy. Reluctantly Samy opened the drawer where he kept his cash and the knife-man leaned over and made a grab for the cash. That was a big mistake he made. For a fleeting moment his knife was forgotten and in that short moment Samy seized his chance. Samy’s huge right hand came down hard over the back of the leaning man’s head. The force of the blow carried the man’s head right down hard onto the table. There was a sickening thud when face met table. The knife-man’s head rebounded like a rubber ball from the table and I could see blood all over his face. He was badly hurt. The knife dropped from lifeless hands on the floor. Moving with surprising speed, Samy grabbed a bottle of tomato ketchup from a shelf and broke it over the man’s head. Red tomato ketchup splattered all over the place. I could not distinguish how much of the red stuff on the man’s face was his own blood, or tomato ketchup. Slowly he sank to the floor and lay still. I struggled to get loose. I felt so easy. Then I realized that hands no longer held me. I turned around and saw the dark figure of a man running out of the shop and disappearing into the semi-darkness. I was about to go in pursuit but Samy stopped me. He said it was useless pursuing somebody in the dark. Moreover the man could be armed and that would be dangerous. Ten minutes later the shop was filled with curious people all wanting to know what had happened. The knife-man was herded into a police car. Samy and I had to give our statements to the police. When I arrived home half an hour later, my mother was waiting impatiently for me. She was about to lecture me about being so slow in getting a few things but she stopped and listened dumbfounded while I related the recent events to her. When I finished she smiled and said that she was glad I was not injured.