Why We Use Stereotypes

Why generalizations? Why can’t we simply be decided by our own singularity and not founded on somebody else’s? Generalizations fundamentally give individuals false â€Å"facts† about various ethnic gatherings and their specific qualities and practices. So in this paper I’m must sort things out. I’ll characterize what generalizations are, the reason do individuals use generalizations and who/how can it as a rule influence individuals. Generalizations are overstated or contorted convictions or pictures about an individual or gathering of individuals. They accept that everybody in the gathering have similar attributes persuading that they are all alike.No one is conceived trusting in generalizations, they are typically gained from the media (TV, radio, and so forth), guardians, peers, and so on. In any event, when a generalization is sure it influences the brain such a great amount of that there is no space for an individual to show their singularity o r how unique they can be. Numerous individuals use generalizations on the grounds that it’s difficult for them to take in this confounded data about others on the planet. Individuals think that its hard to invest the vital measure of energy figuring out how to get why or what various ways individuals behave.So then because of that we begin tolerating generalizations on the grounds that their simpler for us to comprehend. Generalizations influence individuals everywhere throughout the world. There isn’t one gathering of individuals that isn’t influenced by generalizations (because of the way that everybody is fundamentally not quite the same as us). The impact that generalizations take is that it kills the difficulties of us becoming acquainted with and comprehend individuals who are not quite the same as us. They don’t permit individuals to be viewed as various. They give us a general outline of entire gatherings of individuals so we comprehend what's in store and the proper behavior when they’re seen.Also when we have issues with somebody of an alternate gathering, we as a rule distinguish the issue as it being related the gathering instead of the particular individual. So the do affect us on how we think, and feel. Generalizations additionally make us critical about others and tragically they oftentimes do. Generalizations cause us to accept that somebody (or that gathering of individuals) planned something for us, instead of the issue, dread, or unbending nature/shut reasoning we have inside ourselves. Generalizations have left a major impact on us. We can’t be viewed as various with them around so we should attempt to wipe out them.We need to really set aside the effort to become more acquainted with individuals as opposed to tolerating generalizations on the grounds that their simpler. Everybody is extraordinary, so you can’t simply take a gander at somebody and think this is the manner by which they act de pendent on what’s said about the gathering when all is said in done. Get the opportunity to comprehend individuals dependent on their uniqueness not what you hear. In spite of the fact that nobody is conceived put stock in generalizations they are normally gained from the media (which for the most part impacts us at any rate). Taking everything into account generalizations are not what’s best to be utilized and are essentially bogus.

Online Shopping Buyer Behaviour in Fashion industry Dissertation

Internet Shopping Buyer Behavior in Fashion industry - Dissertation Example The paper Internet Shopping Buyer Behavior in Fashion industry will investigate the contrasts between the customary retail promoting and web based shopping in the style business. The fundamental contrasts between the customary and web based shopping inclinations for design items incorporate presentation, cost, area, correspondence and innovation. Most definitely, the conventional style shopping offered the purchasers a chance to contact and handle design items genuinely when they are keen on something. This had the advantage of the purchaser guaranteeing that the item is of high caliber and that it is sturdy. This was extremely valuable to the design item purchasers. Then again, internet looking for design items doesn't offer the buyer a possibility of getting into physical contact with the items. Rather, the purchaser should be satisfied with the graphical showcases, pictures and the content depictions for the items. This has the impact of guaranteeing that imminent clients would pr efer to purchase from the customary style retailers instead of the advanced online design retailer. Costs are likewise significant determinants and number of elements exist that design item retailers need to place into mind. One of the components is that while the customary retailers must search for suitable premises that will draw in clients, the online retailers don't need to search for premises. Henceforth, the customary retailers should cause numerous costs for setting up the organizations.

Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service

Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service The decision to go to an academic writing service is an important one. You want to make sure that the service provided is of good quality and delivers on-time. While there are numerous academic writing companies out there, some are better than others. You want a company that has a history of providing good service. This can be provided by testimonials, such as those listed on our company’s website, or from word-of-mouth referrals from past clients. In addition, having a professional looking website as well as having a professional approach to dealing with prospective clients goes a long way towards solidifying the reputation of an academic writing company. When the final product is delivered to you, the client, you will naturally have an expectation that it will result in a good grade. But it is also important to use the service provided as a learning tool. Time and effort has certainly been saved on your part in hiring someone to do academic work for you, that much is obvious, but there is also an opportunity there to gain insight into the subject matter. Think of it as reading the Coles Notes version for a long book containing many pages, too many pages for you to read in the time you have. That summarized version can give you insight into the book in a much shorter time than would have been possible from reading the book itself. It is often the case that too much time is spent by students researching and crunching through tedious material before finally putting together the distilled version of all that effort. In fact, this is part of a broader problem, which is that many students have too much homework. It can become self-defeating. That said, there are times when it is much better to have a summary of the work in front of you. It would save you so much time, and you could be at the same point, in terms of knowledge gained, as you would be otherwise. Now there is certainly great value in having research and investigative skills, but there are instances when it is a more efficient use of your time to have someone else do the leg work for you. You can then gain the benefit from that work, in a finished format that you can easily understand. And from there you can easily modify or add to it in order to suit your personal style. Let the professionals at Homework Help USA do the leg work for you and make your learning easier. We provide help with all your research needs, whether it’s for essays or other research papers. Don’t get bogged down poring through piles of information. Let us do that for you. We have the expertise and experience to get the job done. Reference: Lawrence, L. (2015, May 10). Do kids today have too much homework? Retrieved August 21, 2015, from Do-kids-today-have-too-much-homework Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service Getting The Most Out Of An Academic Writing Service The decision to go to an academic writing service is an important one. You want to make sure that the service provided is of good quality and delivers on-time. While there are numerous academic writing companies out there, some are better than others. You want a company that has a history of providing good service. This can be provided by testimonials, such as those listed on our company’s website, or from word-of-mouth referrals from past clients. In addition, having a professional looking website as well as having a professional approach to dealing with prospective clients goes a long way towards solidifying the reputation of an academic writing company. When the final product is delivered to you, the client, you will naturally have an expectation that it will result in a good grade. But it is also important to use the service provided as a learning tool. Time and effort has certainly been saved on your part in hiring someone to do academic work for you, that much is obvious, but there is also an opportunity there to gain insight into the subject matter. Think of it as reading the Coles Notes version for a long book containing many pages, too many pages for you to read in the time you have. That summarized version can give you insight into the book in a much shorter time than would have been possible from reading the book itself. It is often the case that too much time is spent by students researching and crunching through tedious material before finally putting together the distilled version of all that effort. In fact, this is part of a broader problem, which is that many students have too much homework. It can become self-defeating. That said, there are times when it is much better to have a summary of the work in front of you. It would save you so much time, and you could be at the same point, in terms of knowledge gained, as you would be otherwise. Now there is certainly great value in having research and investigative skills, but there are instances when it is a more efficient use of your time to have someone else do the leg work for you. You can then gain the benefit from that work, in a finished format that you can easily understand. And from there you can easily modify or add to it in order to suit your personal style. Let the professionals at Homework Help Canada do the leg work for you and make your learning easier. We provide help with all your research needs, whether it’s for essays or other research papers. Don’t get bogged down poring through piles of information. Let us do that for you. We have the expertise and experience to get the job done. Reference: Lawrence, L. (2015, May 10). Do kids today have too much homework? Retrieved August 21, 2015, from Do-kids-today-have-too-much-homework

Feminism A Feminist Perspective - 1505 Words

Author Tutor Course Date Feminism is a movement that is targeted towards a common goal which is, achieving equal rights for women in each sector; cultural, economic, social and personal. Its main aim is to seek to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A feminist advocate is in charge of supporting the rights of women and advocating for equality. The feminist movement on the other hand campaign for women rights and protect girls and women from being mistreated (Adel 56). Feminism began in the nineteenth and twentieth century when the plight of women became a great issue. Feminism then and now still promotes equality for women. Discussed below will be feminism in its various forms and in different environments. Some types of feminism have been criticized taking into account our differences in culture and beliefs, and this has led to the formulation of ethnically specific and multicultural forms of feminism (Adel 77). The Feminist theory aims to understand why women are undergoing gender inequalities in the political, job and household sectors. By providing a critique of the political and social relations, the theory tries to highlight what is going wrong in the society in general. Feminism is a movement that promotes full equality of women with men and a high valuation of women as equal human beings both theoretically and practically. Feminism is both a way of thinking about the world and a way of acting in it ( Diana 58). Feminism inShow MoreRelatedFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1083 Words   |  5 PagesFeminism is an interesting topic to cover. Feminism is often associated with or assumed to be radical feminism, despite the fact that they are two different mindsets. Feminism, in its purest sense, is the seeking of gender equality in society. It seeks to go against the idea of male supremacy and gender stereotypes, saying that both of the two are oppressive and uncalled for. Radical feminism tends to have more to do with the concept of patriarchy, saying that female dominance has been â€Å"historicallyRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1168 Words   |  5 Pagesactivism has influenced my intellectual journal through feminist theory. Feminism is a contentious topic with matters that pertain to contemporary feminism, including the following: reproductive rights; equal access to education and employment; marriage equality; violence against women; and the sex trade. While these are only a few of the issues faced by feminists, it is evident that feminism has great value in today’s society. My journey with feminism began in high school when a professor shared negativeRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective2541 Words   |  11 Pagesignored in criminology. After this, the second wave of feminism interest came mid-twentieth century. This wave led to renewed interest in female offenders. Feminism is a set of theories and strategies to make gender the central focus in social change. This will help in attempts to understand relationships, institutions and processes. To broadly summarize, feminism is the belief that women are inherently of equal worth to men. Many feminist views believe women suffer from oppression and discriminationRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1904 Words   |  8 Pagesthe 19th century to the present day, feminism has evolved over periods of time, shaped and molded our structure of society into what it is today. Feminism, the exploration and critique of male power that challenges traditional sex roles has always played a major role and been expressed in classic and modern literacy. From press articles, to film productions. From plays to books. Along with this, feminist literary and cultural theories were born from feminists who also challenge and analyze the expressionsRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1667 Words   |  7 PagesM odern Feminism Before we begin, I want you to create a picture in your head. You read that there is going to be a feminist rally in your local city this afternoon. What does your mind picture? Lots of pink I’m sure. Who is there? Why, a bunch of women, of course! And what could they possibly want this time? I’ll let you keep that one to yourself. We all know that in today’s world, feminism is often seen as a joke. Just a bunch of white women prancing around with signs expressing their angst forRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1567 Words   |  7 PagesTo Be or Not to Be a Feminist Not identifying as a feminist, I have become oblivious to some of the things that go on where thousands of women fight for on my behalf. I have identified myself as a non feminist and believe in the things that I have always been taught. Yet, there is many in my life who have identified themselves to be feminism or follow in the beliefs of feminism. With this subject being one that everyone already has their opinion about; we have no use trying to argue it, despite whoRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1321 Words   |  6 Pagesthen congratulations -- you re a feminist! (Kingston). People who advertise feminism in this manner are exactly how feminists have reached the point they are today. Feminists are demonizing men to sexual predators and using popular culture as ground zero for their activism campaigns, to show females as either a victim or the hero who empowered herself as a woman. These absurd characteristics come to mind when someone speaks of feminism today. When a mo dern feminist does not adhere to some ridiculousRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective2502 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"But, of course, you might be asking yourself, Am I a feminist? I might not be. I don t know! I still don t know what it is! I m too knackered and confused to work it out. That curtain pole really still isn t up! I don t have time to work out if I am a women s libber! There seems to be a lot to it. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? I understand. So here is the quick way of working out if you re a feminist. Put your hand in your pants. a) Do you have a vagina? And b) Do you want to be in charge of itRead MoreFeminism : A Feminist Perspective1965 Words   |  8 Pagespeople think of the words â€Å"feminist† or â€Å"feminism† it sometimes open the doors to a scrutinizing debate. People will go back and forth on their opinions of this delicate topic causing some people to change their minds where as others will just add more fuel to their own fire by making the ir beliefs even stronger for the next time they wish to defend their thoughts and ideas. Those people who stand by their strong supportive thoughts, ideas, and beliefs on the topic of feminism are known as a feminist’sRead MoreSecond Wave Feminism : A Feminist Perspective2232 Words   |  9 PagesWhat is feminism? What makes someone a feminist? In today’s society, a common answer might be â€Å"an angry lesbian that hates men.† However, feminism as defined by the OED, is â€Å"the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.† Simply put, a feminist is someone who believes that women and men should be treated equally, regardless of gender. The rise in feminism is due in part to the multiple waves of feminist movements that have raised awareness concerning

Celebrity Endorsed Advertising - 2343 Words

In today s world of fiercely competitive and highly fragmented market, every company tries to maximise the share of its target market segment to optimise its profit. To achieve this goal, companies try a combination (or mix) of various marketing tools and techniques as their marketing strategy. Advertising is one of the important components of the communication mix through which companies convey their offerings to present and potential customers and general public as well. This essay will discuss the various aspects of celebrity endorsement as a prevailing advertising technique along with critical evaluation of the phenomenon of multiple celebrity endorsement as a marketing tool and the and will conclude with taking on overview of†¦show more content†¦Furthermore there are other researches as well which suggest that the approach of using a celebrity to endorse a product can not be viewed as a general practice of using any celebrity for any product endorsement. Pornpitakpan (2003), while discussing match-up hypothesis, describes the results of a study by Erdogen et al (2001) which suggests that British advertising agency managers considered various criteria like celebrity- target audience match, celebrity-product match, overall image of the celebrity, cost of hiring the celebrity, celebrity trustworthiness, controversy risk, celebrity familiarity, celebrity prior endorsements, celebrity likeability, risk of celebrity overshadowing the brands, celebrity expertise, celebrity profession and celebrity physical attractiveness. A match between the target market and the endorser is important for effectively transmitting right message to target audience. For example, the advertisements which are produced by Pepsi, are mostly targeted for youths and so the celebrity endorsers that they use in their advertisements are young personalities. The match up hypothesis goes true for the multiple celebrity advertising as well. A good example of this is the Pulse Polio campaign taken up in India to eradicate the polioShow MoreRelatedThe Consumer Attitudes Towards Brands Essay1316 Words   |  6 Pagesrevealed that there are declining returns attached with involving celebrities in advertising campaigns. For instance, the demands for remunerations by celebrities are rising with many celebrities endorse several brands at the same time and may at times, shift their endorsement to competing brands. The recent negative publicity generated by some celebrities increase the risk of negative returns; however, since the use of celebrities for brand promotion is constantly practiced by sponsors, it depictsRead MoreCelebrity Endorsement Marketing Campaigns1497 Words   |  6 PagesOctober 20, 2008 Celebrity Endorsement Marketing Campaigns Celebrity endorsement is a billion dollar industries today (Kambitsis et al., 2002) with companies signing deals with celebrities hoping that they can help them stand out from the clutter and give them a unique and relevant position in the mind of the consumer. According to Solomon (2002), the reasons for using celebrity endorsement involves its potential to create awareness, positive feelings towards their advertising and brand. ResearchRead MoreHerbal Essences: In Pursuit of Beautiful Hair Essay1396 Words   |  6 Pagesstyles of the time. Herbal Essences was only making their target audience natural so as to attempt to reach the largest amount of consumers. About thirty years after the original debut of the Herbal Essences shampoo product, a drastic change in advertising became noticeable. Because an entirely new generation had appeared and society had changed in every aspect, beauty needs were different. In a 2002 magazine advertisement for Jane, Herbal Essences appears with a completely different approach to attractingRead MoreEffective Use of Celebrity Endorsement as an Advertising Strategy2892 Words   |  12 Pagesunderstanding of effective use of celebrity endorsement as an advertising strategy. The types of sources covered when conducting this research included journals, articles, books and dissertation which relevant to the celebrity endorsement. There are four main parts need to be emphasis, first is the history and background, second is evaluation of three theories model; which consists of TEARS model shows celebrity play an important role in facilitating advertising effectively, The Meaning TransferRead More Celebrity Puppe ts Essay1086 Words   |  5 PagesCelebrity Puppets The concept of using sports stars to market non-sport items has soared to new heights. Every corporation in the world is trying to get the edge over their competitors. The classic example is that of the â€Å"Cola Wars.† During the 1980s, Pepsi and Coca Cola began an advertising slugfest, in which Pepsi emerged victorious by using Madonna and Michael Jackson as puppets in their commercials. These two companies, as well as thousands of others, have taken advantage of exposing celebritiesRead MoreEffective Use of Celebrity Endorsement as an Advertising Strategy2878 Words   |  12 Pagesunderstanding of effective use of celebrity endorsement as an advertising strategy. The types of sources covered when conducting this research included journals, articles, books and dissertation which relevant to the celebrity endorsement. There are four main parts need to be emphasis, first is the history and background, second is evaluation of three theories model; which consists of TEARS mode l shows celebrity play an important role in facilitating advertising effectively, The Meaning TransferRead MoreImpact of Celebrity Endorsements on Brand Image1321 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of Celebrity Endorsements on Brand Image Introduction Celebrities are people who enjoy public recognition by a large share of a certain group of people. Whereas attributes like attractiveness, extraordinary lifestyle or special skills are just examples and specific common characteristics that are observed and celebrities generally differ from the social norm and enjoy a high degree of public awareness. The term Celebrity refers to an individual who is known to the public actors e.gRead MoreLiterature Review Celebrity Chef4456 Words   |  18 PagesLiterature search, methodology used 5 2.3. Description of sub-topics 6 3. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEWED 8 4. A REVIEW OF CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENT 9 4.1. Effectiveness of celebrity endorsement 9 4.2. The consumer 10 4.2.1. Association to celebrity endorsement 11 4.2.2. Perception of association 12 4.2.3. Attitudes towards the endorser 12 4.3. Positive or negative effects of celebrity endorsement 13 4.4. Purchase intentions 14 5. CONCLUSION 15 5.1. Implications for practitioners 15 5.2. ImplicationsRead MoreQualitative Research and Celebrity Endorsement24767 Words   |  100 PagesThe Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement in India Abstract   The practice of celebrities being used for rendering services other than performing their actual job as either an actor or an athlete, such as endorsements has proliferated over time. Despite the cost and the risks involved with this technique of advertising, it is been used quite extensively in the present era. The instrument of celebrity endorsement has nowadays become a pervasive element in advertising and communication managementRead MoreEffectiveness Of Celebrity Endorsement On Consumer Brand Preference2728 Words   |  11 Pages Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsement on Consumer Brand Preference Submitted by Aakash Pandya Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 1.1 Background of the Study 3 1.2 Research Problem 5 1.3 Research Objective 6 1.4 Significance of the study 6 II. Literature Review 7 2.1 Hypothesis 8 2.2 Significance of the study 9 III Research Methodology 10 3.1 Research Design 10 3.2 Population 10 3.3 Sample Size and Sampling Method 10 3.4 Data Collection 11 3.5 Analysis and discussion

Being a vegetarian Free Essays

It is extremely important to take good care of your health. Our health is our wealth. As much as possible we do not want to get sick and become regular hospital visitors as hospitalization serves as an eye opener telling us to slow down because we are risking our health and our lives. We will write a custom essay sample on Being a vegetarian or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is pretty obvious that every year more and more people die because of unhealthy living. In industrial countries, life-style diseases such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancers are widespread. (â€Å"Home for Animals- A Farm Sanctuary†). We do not want to have any of those diseases isn’t it? We need to prevent those diseases from ruining our lives and one of the many solutions is Vegetarianism. Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming meat, with or without the use of other animal derivatives, such as dairy products or eggs (â€Å"What is vegetarianism†). The term vegetarian generally means a person who does not consume animal products; this includes land and sea animals. Most vegetarians generally do consume eggs and dairy products (milk products). The four main types of vegetarians are: †¢ Lacto-vegetarians – they consume dairy products, but no eggs. Most do consume honey. †¢ Ovo-vegetarians – they consume eggs, but no dairy. Most do consume honey. †¢ Lacto-ovovegetarians – they consume eggs and dairy. Most do consume honey. †¢ Vegans – only consume plant-based foods (no dairy, eggs or honey). (â€Å"What Is The Vegetarian Diet? What Are The Benefits Of A Vegetarian Diet†). It is very difficult imagining yourself in a restaurant eating vegetable salad when the person seated beside you is eating steak, chicken or turkey. But if you come to think of it there are many health benefits you could get by being a vegetarian. Many studies indicate that a vegetarian diet helps you combat several unwanted diseases, and vegetarian people are 50% less likely to develop heart diseases as compared to non-vegetarian people. Do you know that apart from heart diseases, saturated fat and cholesterol present in meat and dairy products also cause brain strokes? Research confirms that strokes kill an Americas every three minutes. Research also reveals that people consuming good quantity of fruits and vegetables face the lowest risk of developing heart or brain stroke. Many doctors claim that a low fat vegetarian diet reduces the risk of suffering a heart attack by more than 80% and the risk of developing cancer by nearly 60%. (â€Å"Health Benefits of Being a Vegetarian†) Weight loss is one of the many benefits of being a vegetarian. You will never find a fat vegetarian anywhere. Meat takes quite a while to be digested. It is easier for our stomach to digest fruits and vegetables. Aside from that they contain vitamins and minerals. You are not aware that you are losing weight and gaining more energy as time passes by. Do you know vegetarians are less likely to die from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and prostate and colon cancer? The reason is simple. The vegetarian diet is rich of cancer preventing foods including vegetables, whole grains, fruits, soy, nuts, and beans. In fact your chances of developing cancer reduce manifolds if you minimize the intake of meat. (â€Å"Health Benefits of Being a Vegetarian†). Avoiding meat and being a vegetarian is challenging and very hard to do. But if you will try to embrace its long term benefits you will then realized that it is better to be a vegetarian than sorry. Works Cited Smith Jenny R. , â€Å"Health Benefits of Being a Vegetarian†. Ezine Aricles. 21 May 2010. http://ezinearticles. com/? Health-Benefits-of-Being-a-Vegetarianid=2050473. â€Å"Home for Animals- A Farm Sanctuary†. Expert Article. Web. 21 May 2010 http://www. heimat-fuer-tiere. de/english/articles/med/meat_makes_you_sick. shtml. â€Å"What Is The Vegetarian Diet? What Are The Benefits Of A Vegetarian Diet?. Medical News Today. â€Å"27 May 2004 . 21 May 2010. http://www. medicalnewstoday. com/articles/8749. php â€Å"What is vegetarianism†. veggieheaven. com. 21 May 2010. http://www. veggieheaven. com/info/what_is_vegetarianism/ How to cite Being a vegetarian, Papers

October Sky Summary Essay Example

October Sky Summary Paper The story told In Joe Johnnys film October Sky (1999) Is a beautiful one and a true one. I was really enthusiastic to watch this movie, because I love to watch movies based on true stories. I find they teach us many lesson through their experiences. The four teenage boys Homer Hickman, Question Wilson, Roy Lee Cooke, and Sherman ODell are very devoted to fulfill their dream of rocketry. The boys are first inspired by the Sputnik 1, the first satellite launched into the earths orbit. But everyone in the town of Coaled is destined to become coal-miners, unless they are lucky enough to et a football scholarship. To everyone coal-mining was Homers only future, Just like his father. Homer and his friends fearlessly begin learning how to build rockets and testing them. The whole town is not behind them and believe theyre wasting their time, especially Homers father John Hickman. The only one who strongly supports them is their teacher, Miss. Riley. She tells them that they can contend in The National Science Fair. The prize being college scholarships. By examining their experience you learn a lot about striving to achieve a goal, no matter what the odds. Homer has always rebelled against the coalmine and his fathers wishes. He Is very hopeful for his dream of doing rocket science and wont stop until he reaches it. He cares a lot for his family and the people around him, especially Miss. Riley. When Homers father got injured and couldnt work in the mine temporarily, Homer understood that he had to give up his dream and work in his fathers place. We will write a custom essay sample on October Sky Summary specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on October Sky Summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on October Sky Summary specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer But it is until Miss. Riley grow sick and Homer visits her, then she tells him Sometime you really cant listen to what anybody else says, you Just got to listen inside. His ambition is renewed. Homer leaves the mine and continues to go into The National Science Fair, he get excepted. He ends up winning the gold metal, and he and his friends all earn scholarships. Miss. Riley has always been such a support for Homer. She always stuck out for him in the hopes that he would make a difference. When the boys were in the lunchroom looking at their rocket, the principal didnt allow the rocket in his school. Miss. Riley covered for them saying they were planning to enter The National Science Fair. She brought hope to the boys, even though they didnt seem like the smartest kids around. She never stop at anything even as she was dieing and Homer seemed to have given up his dreams. As for John Hickman he did not support Homer in any of his efforts. In fact he was against him. The only thing that seemed Important to him was his pride, the coalmine, and Coaled. When Homer lets go of his dreams to work in the mine John was very proud and begins to finally prelate but when Homer goes on continuing rocketry he doesnt support him at all. Until his wife, Elsie begs him while the strike Is going on to help Homer when his rocket part were stolen in the science fair. John Bolder Dont you have work to do? John learns that going difficulties and even scaring his pride is important to achieve his goals. After Homer goes home he and the boys decide to shoot their last rocket. Homer asks his father if he would come watch them shoot their last rocket, but he excuses him for his work. Then Homer tells him l only hope I could as good as a man as you are Sure Dry von Braun is a great scientist, but he isnt my hero. John was stunned by that and later ends up watching Homer and the boys shoot their last rocket. For the first time John is completely behind his son. Looking at their experiences and the consequences they had taken, it really reflected to the theme of the movie. They would have never achieved any of their goals if they hadnt tried their hardest even against all the odds. Homer does whatever it takes to achieve his goals, he walked 8 miles off company property to test his rockets when his father banned him. He still had hope even when the boys were charges for starting a forest fire. And even after working in the mine Homer decided hed quit and continue rocketry, knowing his father would be disappointed. Miss Riley is very caring and understanding, and tries to help Homer and the boys in anyway she can. She motivates and believes in them, causing her to strive and do whatever it takes in the hope of achieving something. Even as she was laying in the deathbed. She did everything she could to support these boys. The best representation of this theme is when John Hickman didnt stop at anything to save the people from the mine, even if it meet risking his life. For he saved many lives from this action. All of them made sacrifices and had consequences but they all had good results. This story shows the achievement people made, with no hesitation to strive to make a difference.

A Midsummer Nights Tragedy

A Midsummer Nights Tragedy Certain parallels can be drawn between William Shakespeare's plays, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and 'Romeo and Juliet'. These parallels concern themes and prototypical Shakespearian character types. Both plays have a distinct pair of 'lovers', Hermia and Lysander, and Romeo and Juliet, respectively. Both plays could have also easily been tragedy or comedy with a few simple changes. A tragic play is a play in which one or more characters is has a moral flaw that leads to his/her downfall. A comedic play has at least one humorous character, and a successful or happy ending. Comparing these two plays is useful to find how Shakespeare uses similar character types in a variety of plays, and the versatility of the themes which he uses.In 'Romeo and Juliet', Juliet is young, 'not yet fourteen', and she is beautiful, and Romeo's reaction after he sees her is,'O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!It seems she hangs upon the cheek of nightAs a rich jewel in an Ethiop's earBeauty to ri ch for use, for the earth too dear!'Juliet is also prudent, 'Although I joy in thee, I have no joy in this contract tonight.Romeo and Juliet,Act I- Scene_1It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden.' She feels that because they have just met, they should abstain from sexual intercourse.Hermia is also young, and prudent. When Lysander suggests that 'One turf shall serve as a pillow for both of us, One heart, one bed, two bosoms, and one troth,' Hermia replies 'Nay, good Lysander. For my sake, my dear, Lie further off yet; do not lie so near.' Although this couple has known each other for a while (Romeo and Juliet knew each other for one night when the above quote was spoken), Hermia also abstains from even...

Identifying Granitoids and Other Granite Rocks

Identifying Granitoids and Other Granite Rocks Granite rock has become so common in homes and buildings that anyone these days can name it when they see it in the field. But what most people would call granite, geologists prefer to call granitoid until they can get it into the laboratory. Thats because relatively few granite rocks out there are truly petrologically granite. How does a geologist make sense of granitoids? Heres a simplified explanation. The Granitoid Criterion A granitoid meets two criteria: (1) it is a plutonic rock that (2) has between 20 percent and 60 percent quartz. Plutonic rocks cooled at depth very slowly from a hot, fluid state. A sure sign is well-developed, visible grains of various minerals mixed in a random pattern  as if they had been baked in a pan in the oven. They look clean, and they dont have strong layers or strings of minerals like those in sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.​As for the quartz, a rock with less quartz than 20 percent is called something else, and a rock with more than 60 percent quartz is called quartz-rich granitoid (a remarkably simple answer in igneous petrology). Geologists can assess both of these criteria (plutonic, abundant quartz) with a moments inspection. The Feldspar Continuum OK, we have abundant quartz. Next, the geologist evaluates the feldspar minerals. Feldspar is always present in plutonic rocks whenever theres quartz. Thats because feldspar always forms before quartz. Feldspar is mainly silica (silicon oxide), but it also includes aluminum, calcium, sodium, and potassium. Quartz- pure silica- wont start forming until one of those feldspar ingredients runs out. There are two types of feldspar: alkali feldspar and plagioclase. The balance of the two feldspars is the key to sorting out the granitoids into five named classes: Granitoid with only (90%) alkali feldspar is alkali-feldspar graniteGranitoid with mostly (at least 65%) alkali feldspar is syenograniteGranitoid with a rough balance of both feldspars is monzograniteGranitoid with mostly (at least 65%) plagioclase is granodioriteGranitoid with only (90%) plagioclase is tonalite True granite corresponds to the first three classes. Petrologists call them by their long names, but they also call them all granite. The other two granitoid classes arent granites, although granodiorite and tonalite in certain cases can be called a name very much like granite (see the next section). If you have followed all this, then you will readily understand the QAP diagram that shows it graphically. And you can study the gallery of granite pictures and assign at least some of them exact names. The Felsic Dimension OK, weve dealt with the quartz and the feldspars. Granitoids also have dark minerals, sometimes quite a lot and sometimes hardly any. Usually, feldspar-plus-quartz dominates, and geologists call granitoids felsic rocks in recognition of this. A true granite can be rather dark, but if you ignore the dark minerals and assess only the felsic component, it can still be properly classified. Granites may be especially light-colored and nearly pure feldspar-plus-quartz- that is, they may be very highly felsic. That qualifies them for the prefix leuco, meaning light-colored. Leucogranites may also be given the special name aplite, and leuco alkali feldspar granite is called alaskite. Leuco granodiorite and leuco tonalite are called plagiogranite (making them honorary granites). The Mafic Correlative Dark minerals in granitoids are rich in magnesium and iron, which dont fit in felsic minerals and are called the mafic (MAY-fic or MAFF-ic) component. An especially mafic granitoid may have the prefix mela, meaning dark-colored. The most common dark minerals in granitoids are hornblende and biotite. But in some rocks pyroxene, which is even more mafic, appears instead. This is unusual enough that some pyroxene granitoids have their own names: Pyroxene granites are called charnockite, and pyroxene monzogranite is mangerite. Still more mafic a mineral is olivine. Normally olivine and quartz never appear together, but in exceptionally sodium-rich granite the iron-bearing variety of olivine, fayalite, is compatible. The granite of Pikes Peak in Colorado is an example of such a fayalite granite. A granite can never be too light, but it can be too dark. What stone dealers call black granite is not a granite at all  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹because it has little or no quartz in it. Its not even a granitoid (although it is a true commercial granite). Its usually gabbro, but thats a subject for another day.

Kidnapping in Africa and control Research Paper

Kidnapping in Africa and control - Research Paper Example On the other hand, in the Niger Delta, schoolchildren are also victims of kidnapping. Noting that Nigeria will soon have its elections, it is an indication that with the rise of criminal acts and insecurity there is a possibility that the elections will fail to be free and fare. In the recent years, the state of Abia has had a plague of kidnapping, acts of hijacking and robbery. The only way that Nigerian government has been doing to ensure that such cases are curbed is by negotiating with the kidnappers to get back the victims and also the security forces have been involved in putting up new strategies to conquer the pervasive issue of kidnapping. In addition, the police forces are being trained to enhance their knowledge and skills to decisively deal with the kidnappers across Nigeria.The governments have a tendency of blaming the pervasive kidnapping wave away from the Niger Delta as a result of the increasing rates of unemployment across the country. The African continent is the challenge with kidnapping cases since the police force is ineffective and corrupt. Furthermore, the police forces are inadequately equipped to stem such crimes and the relationship that exists between the kidnappers and politicians as well. These elements, however, seem to be more signs of a wide malaise, for instance, pervasive kidnapping is a major symptom failed and failing country. This feature is common in countries which are failing or had failed like Columbia since 1970s to 2000.... On the other hand, in the Niger Delta, schoolchildren are also victims of kidnapping. Noting that Nigeria will soon have its elections, it is an indication that with the rise of criminal acts and insecurity there is a possibility that the elections will fail to be free and fare. In the recent years the state of Abia has had a plague of kidnapping, acts of hijacking and robbery. The only way that Nigerian government has been doing to ensure that such cases are curbed is by negotiating with the kidnappers to get back the victims and also the security forces have been involved in putting up new strategies to conquer the pervasive issue of kidnapping. In addition, the police forces are being trained to enhance their knowledge and skills to decisively deal with the kidnappers across Nigeria (Omonijo, 2011).The governments have a tendency of blaming the pervasive kidnapping wave away from the Niger Delta as a result of the increasing rates of unemployment across the country. The African co ntinent is challenge with kidnapping cases since the police force is ineffective and corrupt. Furthermore, the police forces are inadequately equipped to stem such crimes, and the relationship that exists between the kidnappers and politicians as well. These elements however seem to be mere signs of a wide malaise, for instance, pervasive kidnapping is a major symptoms failed and failing country. This feature is common in countries which is failing or had failed like Columbia since 19770s to 200. The depth of kidnapping can help a country to know it direction. Kidnapping being a government priority to countries that have had the invasion of the can aid in teaming it. Governments partnering with local authorities will aid in reducing the pervasive act within its

Jazz music Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Jazz music - Assignment Example Others in accompaniment of the musicians were: conductor: Paul Schwartz; arrangers: Kendall Moore and Paul Equihia; saxophoners: Derrick Dymalski, Derrek Smith and Joey Rosin; trumpeters: Derek Ganong, Jesus Malto and John Britton; pianists: John Britton and Tyler Giroux; tromboner: Eric Bowman; basser: Tim Smith; drummer: Jonathan Hullet and percussionist: Ryan Hecker. The Paul Equihia jazz trumpet performance transformed the Brian Lynch studio into an intimate set for jazz music. The concert was entitled Paul Equihia jazz trumpet performance, explored the rearrangement of already existing pieces by musicians causing their transformation into original pieces. To fully appreciate the concert, there was a need for inputting of a well-tuned ear for jazz (Franz and Smulyan19). This is in order to pinpoint the similarities and differences of the pieces played and their transformation. Music director Paul Equihia provided the history of the pieces as well as instructions on how to carefully listen to them. Entirely throughout the show, the musicians did give an outstanding performance. Each of the soloists captured perfectly the emotion of the music. Every one of the musicians played with a tangible energy even when there was no solo. The first half of the performance was full of noteworthy pieces. The ensemble got the audience warmed up with â€Å"Daahoud†. The original composition by Clifford Brown was slow and flat, however, the re-arrangement by Kendall Moore literally did breathe life into the piece, with a great solo by Derrick Dymalski (Howland 10). The next piece, â€Å"Delilah† was played at a slower tempo other than the normal vocal version by Victor Young. But the solo of the tenor saxophone by Derek Smith almost rivaled Young’s. Delilah ended in a smooth transition into â€Å"a trumpet and piano nocturne†, which

Determining Magnitudes of Calibration Stars

Determining Magnitudes of Calibration Stars SN 2014J in M82: Follow-Up Photometry Aims and Objectives This laboratory involved using photometry of the images of M28 which were obtained in R and I filters from ULO’s robotic telescope, hence determined the magnitudes of calibration stars and the new discovered supernova. In addition, compare the experimental results to the published AAVSO data by investigating the time series of data within the night of 23rd and 24th of January. Introduction Supernova are basically the explosion of massive supergiant star when they are reaching the end of their evolution. In general, supernovae can be classified as type I and type II supernova, each of them has its own specific features and dynamics. Type Ia supernova are generally thought to a white dwarf explosion and type II supernova are triggered by a core collapse of massive supergiant stars. Astronomers use type Ia supernova as a â€Å"standard candle† to measure the cosmic distances because they are very bright which can be seen at great distances and they all are observed to have similar brightness at their peaks. Light curve is one of the methods that astronomers use to identify different types of supernova. It is constructed by plotting the magnitude of the supernova as a function of time after the event of explosion. Type I supernova have very distinctive light curve compare to type II supernova. The figure bellow shows that type I supernova light curves exhibit a sharp increase to a maxima and then decrease steeply, eventually die away smoothly and gradually whereas type II supernova have less sharp peaks at their maxima and they have another peak later on after the first peak. (From hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu) Supernova SN2014J was discovered in the galaxy M82 on 21st January 2014 at ULO. Early studies of SN2014J light curve and spectrum indicate it is a type Ia supernova meaning that its light curve would have a peak absolute magnitude around the same value and it follows the general shape of type Ia light curve. In the laboratory, we can determine the magnitude of the supernova and plot the result to AAVSO database to see if it fits the published data and follow the trend of typical type Ia supernova light curves, whence to predict the peak brightness and its magnitude. Procedures I first downloaded and printed out the list of standard stars’ magnitudes from the AAVSO website which was used for reference throughout the laboratory. I also obtained the subset of the images of M82 from ULO’s robotic system by selecting only Rc and Ic filter’s image as well as the time range from 21:29 to 21:35 on the date of 23rd of January 2014. These images were opened and analysed with GAIA’s aperture photometry tool. I analysed the Ic images first in GAIA. Before making any magnitude measurements of stars, the brightest stars were checked to make sure they were not saturated and all the given star in AAVSO list don’t have peak count over 40000 counts. These must be done to get reliable results. In order to measure the magnitude, a suitable aperture needed to be drawn on the image and it should be in the size about two to three times the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of a star image. By using the slice tool, a graph of the selected star was opened in a new window where the FWHM could be measured. Determined FWHM of several listed stars and calculated the mean value, hence the aperture was set to three times the size of FWHM. When the aperture was set to a suitable size, I clicked the â€Å"define object aperture† button and placed the aperture to stars in the same order as they appeared in the AAVSO reference data. At last, dropped the aperture in supernova as well. After all, I collected my results by clicking on â€Å"Calculate results† button. These results were then save in a excel file for further analysis. Repeat the same procedures for Rc images and also save all the results in the same excel file. Measurements and results Calculated FWHM for making the judgement of the size of aperture: FWHM of star 112 = 178-174=4 FWHM of star 120 = 548-544=4 mean of FWHM = 4 size of aperture = 3 x 4 =12 Thus, I set the aperture as size 12 and placed it to each star to make a measurement. On my downloaded images for both Ic and Rc filter, star 155 and star 159 did not appear on them which lead to no measurements were taken from them. Results of Ic image and Rc image were tabulated in table 1 and table 2. Table 1. Results of Ic image Table 2. Results of Rc image Both of the tables have their first column listing all the known standard star from the reference data and supernova is also included. The column with heading of Sky is the values of sky annulus which are used to measure local background sky values for each star. And the last column is the signal from a star which is used to calculate magnitude and constant k of the star as well as the supernova. To estimate the magnitude of supernova, several calculations were carried out by using the equation: m = -2.5log N +k (1) The constant k was first calculated from known reference stars on the list and hence the mean value of constant k for both Ic and Rc imgaes. Then both Ic and Rc apparent magnitude of supernova were determined. All these values were tabulated in table 3 and associated uncertainties showed in table 4. Uncertainties on k and apparent magnitude were obtained by using the following equation: Ntot = N x n x 2.53 (2) Where N is the signal obtained from an average of n images, and 2.53 is called the ‘gain’ of the CCD. à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  m2 ≈ 1.1/√Ntot (3) Where à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  m2 is the error in magnitudes in measurement of the star signal And finally, the combined uncertainty becomes: (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  mSN)2 = (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  k)2 + (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  m2)2 (4) Table 3. Results of calculated magnitude and constant k for both Ic and Rc imgaes Table 4. Uncertainties 4.3 Q5. Compare table 3 and the reference list, we can see that there is no obvious trend for constant k (both Ic and Rc) varies for standard star colours as well as standard-star magnitude. In the reference list, standard star colours such as B, V and B-V increase in their values following the order of the stars from 106 to 156, however, values of constant k fluctuates with different values of star colours but not follow any increasing or decreasing trend. Discussions and Conclusions This laboratory is to analyse and make magnitude measurements of the known stars from images of M28 which were obtained in R and I filters from ULO’s robotic telescope by using the aperture photometry tool, hence determined the magnitudes of the new discovered supernova. At the end of the laboratory, experimental results were plot in the light curves from AAVSO data so we can investigate the time series of data within the night of 23rd and 24th of January and more importantly, to predict the time that the supernova reach peak brightness and magnitude when Rc and Ic images were taken. Table 6. Results of magnitude both Rc and Ic by different students. 4.4 Q1. Table 6 shows all the laboratory results obtained by different groups of students. My calculated results for the Ic and Rc magnitude of supernova in the time range 21:29—21:35 are 10.04 +/- 0.02 and 10.54 +/- 0.03 respectively. Compare my results with those obtained by other students, I cannot conclude that out results are not consistence because the uncertainty for my Ic and Rc magnitude are +/-0.02 and +/- 0.03, but the difference in magnitude between students is about +/-0.1 which is not within my uncertainty range, thus the results did not maintain the consistency. 4.4 Q2. Because the great consistency of the results obtained from different groups of students, we can say the magnitude of the supernova is around the similar value at the time the images were taken. There is no obvious trend observed for the magnitude to change with time during that night, also, the condition of the sky was thought to be not vey ideal, thus the we cannot conclude that there is a change in brightness at the night of 23rd January to 24th January 2014. However, from the general shape of light curves of supernova, there should be obvious brightness change before and after peak. So, more reliable results should be obtained for plenty of nights to detect the change in brightness. 4.3.1 Q4. Table 4 listed majority of the uncertainties that can possibly be calculated from my results. They are relatively small compare to the large values of my results. However, there were also systematic uncertainties arising from the measurement of the background galaxy light. This is related to the size of annulus when I did the aperture measurements. The annulus is used to measure the background of the sky by drawing a larger circle and a smaller circle around the centre of the star. The background is therefore the region between these two apertures or the annulus. If the aperture is oversized, extra light from neighbour stars will be included which can cause unreliable results of the measurement as it introduces noise from the sky background, thus the signal strength from the star fluctuates as well. To check this uncertainty, I adjust the inner scale and the outer scale of the annulus to make some measurements of a star. The results were tabulated in table 5. Table 5. Results of aperture measurement with different size of annulus By trying different set of inner and outer annulus scales, the signals were very different to the one I obtained in the first stage. To mitigate them, multiple aperture with different size within the range about 2 to 3 times the FWHM can be used to make more measurement. This would give a more reliable signal strength of the star. Figure 1. Light curve of SN2014J from AAVSO with own data plotted Figure 1 is the light curve that I downloaded from AAVSO for SN 2014J with my results plotted on. My results for Ic and Rc magnitude were plotted in blue and yellow respectively. My data actually fits the AAVSO data, both of the magnitude are on the light curves at the same time on the night. We can spot that there is a trend from the AAVSO data from the same night at ULO. Both of I and R light curves show an increase in magnitude with change in time meaning that the supernova was brightening during the night at 23rd of January 2014. As mentioned previously in introduction, the shape of typical supernova Ia light curves exhibit a sharp increase to a maxima and then decrease steeply, eventually die away smoothly and gradually. Combine this information to the plot from AAVSO, there is a sharp increase from 17th to 23rd of January, and the magnitude gradually increase until reach its peak at around the date of 29th to 30th of January, and even the data is up to 4th February, we still can observe that there is a slight decrease in magnitude after 31th of January. We can say the magnitude at peak is about 9.5 for Ic and 10 for Rc. Throughout the whole observation, colour dependent extinction were not allowed by the Earth’s atmosphere. Basically, the extinction effect varies from night to night and the coefficient of extinction depends on wavelength and on different altitude. As the data was obtained from just one night, the extinction should not vary too much and for the wavelength dependent, different filter needed to be used to maintain a good accuracy of photometry, in this case, red and invisible filter were used. And the extinction is corrected by calculating the magnitudes outside the atmosphere. This can be the reason to cause the fluctuation of our measured magnitudes. In conclusion, I got the magnitude of SN2014J in Ic and Rc filter are 10.04 +/- 0.02 and 10.54 +/- 0.03 respectively within the time range 21:29—21:35 on the night of 23rd of January 2014. These data exactly follow the trend of the light curves of SN2014J obtained by AAVSO website at the same night. However, results gathered from other student in the same group didn’t show an obvious change in brightness of the supernova whereas the light curve did show that there is an increase in magnitude on the same date. References: American Association of Variable Star Observers AAVSO (2014) [Online] Available from http://www.aavso.org/ [Accessed: 11th February 2014] Aperturephotometry (2004) [Online] Available from http://mth.uct.ac.za/~lab/chap6/chap6/node3.html [Accessed: 11th February 2014] R Nave, HyperPhysics 2001 [Online] Available from: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/astro/snovcn.html [Accessed: 19th February 2014] Megan Gannon, How Students Discovered New Supernova in Nearby Galaxy (2014) [Online] lightAvailable from http://www.space.com/24413-supernova-star-explosion-student-discovery.html [Accessed: 19th February 2014] American Association of Variable Star Observers AAVSO (2014) [Online] Available from http://www.aavso.org/ [Accessed: 11th February 2014] Steve Fossey, PHAS1130 Practical Skill 1A SN 2014J in M82: Follow-up Photometry Manuals Shaoshan Zeng

Online Learning Environment Essay

The recent shift towards intensive use of computer technology in educational practices has already become so powerful that computer-based learning is no more perceived as something new. Whether it is computer laboratories in the primary schools or Internet-equipped computer facilities in the high-school, computers have turned into unalienable part of students’ life. However, such rapid and overwhelming spread of the new technology raised serious questions concerning positive and negative aspects, new opportunities for students and teachers, age peculiarities, and gender specifics of computer-based learning. The latter seems to be one of the major focuses of contemporary research in computer-based learning. Article â€Å"Gender differences in the use of computer mediated communication by post graduate distance students† written by Barrett and Lally (1999) investigates into the gender aspect of computer-mediated education, namely the use of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) in a specific learning context by a small group of postgraduate (MEd) distance learners and their tutors. Taking into consideration the fact of steadily growing audience of students involved into online educational practices, relevance of such research can hardly be questioned. Although the number of participants is rather small – probably the first and foremost drawback of the research – the authors have managed to collect comprehensive amount of data using students’ electronic diaries, questionnaires and transcripts of all their online contributions. Barrett and Lally (1999) apply content analysis – arguably the most popular method in psychology – to evaluate on-line dialogues between members of the group. Specific attention has been paid to studying learning and socio-emotional pattern of behavior demonstrated by participants, since the major hypothesis of the authors is that male and female students differ significantly on this dimension. The choice of method seems absolutely correct keeping in mind the hypothesis posed by the authors. Key outcomes of the study supported the authors’ hypothesis: content analysis of the available data has revealed serious difference in behavior of men and women put into the online learning environment. Firstly, male students tend to send more messages than their female counterparts. Secondly, messages written by male students were on average twice as long as messages written by female students. And thirdly, male students tend to write socio-emotionally oriented messages, while female students exhibit interactive orientation. These three findings make it possible for the authors to establish strong correlation between student’s gender and his/her behavior in the online learning environment. Despite seeming plainness of this study, it seems rather difficult to give it a univocal assessment. On the one hand, there is a small sample group, which raises the issue of the study’s reliability, and simple research design, while on the other hand, there is exceptional relevance of the study (keeping in mind that it was published in 1999) and important findings, which have shown right direction for further research. Although there may be another point of view, the second component outweighs all drawbacks of the research: while the drawbacks relate to formal aspect of the study (e. g. insufficient sample size, poor data capturing techniques, etc), the content (hypothesis and findings) is really great. Newness of the author’s ideas has turned the article into a good starting point for other researchers, whose works help develop the most optimal learning and teaching strategies designed according to specific learning behavior of both sexes in a mixed online learning environment. Although newness is the most important characteristic of Barrett and Lally’s (1999) work, they apparently relied upon a number of previous studies. As soon as the overall subject of their research is concerned, the study can hardly be addressed as absolutely original: a number of studies dealing with the impact of computer technologies on the learning environment of classrooms (including the learning activities that take place in the classroom, and various educational strategies designed to make them more effective) were written throughout the 1990s. Although none of them paid serious attention to gender differences that might characterize behavior of students in computer learning environment, they definitely revealed a number of specific features of computer-based (including online) learning and teaching practices. For example, Richards (1996) conducted one of the first studies of the influence of computer-based environment on student motivations. His research conducted as a part of the Bell Atlantic’s World School Program revealed that computers and the Internet significantly improved students’ motivation. Thus, 92 percent of the respondents in Richards’ program classified the Internet as an effective learning tool (Richards, 1996). Findings of another research performed by Follansbee (1996) and his colleagues the same year stand in line with those of Richards. Comparison of the learning outcomes of students doing a task with access to the Internet demonstrated much higher level of confidence in conducting and presenting the research task. Besides, the study discovered that students with access to the Internet demonstrated better diversity and inventiveness presenting their tasks, could better integrate various perspectives, and presented their answers/projects more accurately (Follansbee 1996). In 1997, Proost and Lowyck (1997) published a study devoted to gender aspect of computer-based education. The sample group of the study was impressive: traditional and distance learning university students – a total of 1368 students (945 males and 416 females) over 18 years of age (Proost and Lowyck, 1997: 371-372). However, that study dealt only with the gender differences in perceptions of and preferences for computer based learning environments, while Barrett and Lally (1999) went deeper into the subject. Thus, Proost and Lowyck (1997) found out that female respondents had, on average, more negative perception of computer based technology and a preference for traditional methods than male respondents (p. 380), but did not try to answer the question whether male and female students demonstrate different behavioral patterns in the online learning environment or not. While Barrett and Lally (1999) relied on a number of previous researches, their own findings were further explored, confirmed, corrected, and extended by later studies. Kelly (2000) used Barrett and Lally’s (1999) assumption that girl pay more attention to the interactive aspect of computer-based communication and learning to explain why girls normally have little interest to computer science. In her account, computer does not involve a lot of teamwork and social interaction and, therefore, is less interesting than traditional communication and learning. In the same way Kelly (2000) explains why absolute majority of the computer games are designed according to tastes of male audiences and emphasize things (violence, intensive action, speed) that are not attractive to women. Therefore, boys feel more attraction to computers and computer-based learning and â€Å"†¦ with more males getting into careers in the computing industry, they perpetuate this cycle of catering for the needs of a predominantly male audience who gain an entry point into the computing world via games and later take up careers in the computing industry† (Kelly, 2000: 156). Similarly, Passing and Levin (2000) explored gender difference amongst pre-school students trying to reveal their preferences to various designs of multimedia learning interfaces (in order to improve outcomes of learning). The study involved a sample of 90 children (44 girls and 46 boys), and its major outcome was significant difference in boys and girls’ preferences: boys demonstrated more attraction to movement while girls paid more attention to visual elements. Shin and Chan (2004) also cite Barrett and Lally’s (1999) in their study of the effects of online learning on distance education students. The authors assume that there is a direct relationship between students’ involvement in online learning and distance learning outcomes taking into consideration gender aspect as the major factor that affects online learning (p. 277). Riding and Grimley (1999) investigated how differently the same computer multimedia affects cognitive style and performance of boys and girls (11 years). The study involved 40 boys and 40 girls and was conducted in two stages: firstly, participants underwent the procedure of assessment which revealed their cognitive style; secondly, they were offered a multi-choice recall test after studying a science topic with the help of computer and CD-ROM (p. 44-45). Upon completion of both stages the authors compared computer-based scores of the participants with scores given for similar topics learned with the help of traditional educational methods. The authors reported that â€Å"with regard to the mode of presentation of the multimedia materials, girls who were Wholist-Imagers and Analytic-Verbalisers were better with presentations which had picture and sound than those which had only picture and text. Those who were Wholist-Verbalizers and Analytic-Imagers were better with presentations which had picture and text than those which had only picture and sound. The results were the opposite for boys. For both gender groups performance was best with presentations which combined picture, text and sound† (Riding and Grimley 1999: 55). Evidently, the article written by Barrett and Lally (1999) can hardly be addressed as a classic work which has already become the basic reference point of modern studies in computer-based teaching and learning. At the same time, it is far from being a mediocre and irrelevant study that has absolutely not scientific value. The truth is somewhere in between: the article is a well-written piece of work which stands in line with previous research, has an element of newness and, therefore, opens new opportunities for scientists. REFERENCES Barrett, E and Lally, V. (1999) â€Å"Gender differences in an on-line learning environment† Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 15, 48-60 Follansbee, S. , Gilsdorf, N. , Stahl, S. , Dunfey, J. , Cohen, S. , Pisha, B. and Hughes, B. (1996) The role of online communication in schools: a national study . Peabody, MA: Center for Applied Special Technology. Kelly, Karen. (2000) â€Å"The Gender Gap: Why Do Girls Get Turned Off to Technology? † The Digital Classroom, ed. D. T. Gordon, The Harvard Education Letter, Cambridge, pp 154-160 O’Hara, S. P. (1998) â€Å"A case study of attitudinal effects of Internet use in a middle school integrated science curriculum†. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, San Diego, CA, April 19-22, 1998 (Eric document ED417978). Passing, D. & Levin, H. (2000) â€Å"Gender Preferences for Multimedia interfaces†, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 16: 64-71 Proost, K. , Elen J. & Lowyck J. (1997) â€Å"Effects of Gender on Perceptions of and Preferences for Telematic Learning Environments†, Journal of Research on Computing in Education, Summer, 29(4): 370-384 Richards, F. C. (1996) â€Å"The impact of the Internet on teaching and learning as perceived by teachers, library media specialists and students† Masters thesis, Salem-Teikyo University (Eric document ED410943)

Synthesis And Testing Of Aa2014 Al2o3 - 1962 Words

Synthesis And Testing of AA2014-Al2O3(alpha) Nano Composite Abstract—Al2O3 reinforced Aluminium Matrix Composites give advanced mechanical physical properties. They have voluminous applications in automobile, aerospace, defense, sports, electronics, bio-medical and other industrial fields. Various manufacturing techniques like stir casting, ultra-sonic assisted casting, compo-casting, powder metallurgy, liquid infiltration are used for the production of the aluminium matrix composites. These composites reveal advanced physical and mechanical properties like lower density, low coefficient of thermal expansion, good corrosion resistance, high tensile strength, high stiffness, high hardness and wear resistance. Our paper reviews the characterization of mechanical properties like tensile strength, hardness with production route of casting for aluminium matrix- Al2O3 composites. Al2O3 agglomeration along with the increasing volume percentage is still a challenging task in composites materials manufacturing. 0.5% by weight of pure magnesium powder is used as wetting agent. Process parameters are optimized for the stir casting process of aluminium composite. Tensile and hardness test microstructure study was performed to find the deviation from the aluminium alloy. Keywords: Agglomeration, stir casting, aluminium composite. I. INTRODUCTION The use of Aluminium alloys in aerospace and automobile industries are remarkable due to their low density and good mechanical properties.

Edna Pontellier’s Search for Independence in Chopins The...

Ednas Search for Independence in The Awakening How do you honor the deepest truth you know? --Ram Das In order to honor ones deepest truth, one must first discover what that truth is and then apply that truth to everyday life. The life of Edna Pontellier in The Awakening signifies the search, discovery, and application of an individuals deepest truth. Edna, a wealthy New Orleans housewife, at first attempts to find the deepest truth about herself by conforming to societys norms. She marries a well-respected man, Leonce, and bears him children. However, Edna discovers that she wants more out of life; something about her marriage is not allowing her to achieve fulfillment. Through her relationships,†¦show more content†¦But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul (504). Although Edna did perform her duties as a wife for some time, she is not the typical housewife. She does not worship her husband or idolize her children, which makes both Edna and Leonce begin to sense that Edna i s different from the other mother-women (Lin 1). Edna never realized the reasons she neglected her duties as a wife until she fell in love with Robert and acknowledged that her desires and needs exist outside of her marriage. Thus, after her experiences with Robert, Edna is ready to neglect her husband even more, because she now realizes that her husband is holding her back from her needs. When Leonce tries to make Edna act like the other women that obey their husbands, his attempts to control Edna further instigate Ednas desire for independence from him. For example, the scene when Edna is lying in the hammock, Leonce says: I cant permit you to stay out there all night. You must come in the house instantly, Edna replies: I mean to stay out here. I dont wish to go in, and I dont intend to. Dont speak to me like that again; I shall not answer you (492). Edna is carefree and spirited, and she refuses to conform to her husband because she does not want to lose herself. Becomin g the perfect, obedient wife would mean losing her individuality, and Edna realizes she can gain no fulfillmentShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening: An Emergence of Womens RIghts in the Late Nineteenth Century1330 Words   |  6 PagesThe Awakening: An Emergence of Women’s Rights in the Late Nineteenth Century Kate Chopin’s The Awakening addresses the role of women within society during the late nineteenth century. The novel is set in South Louisiana, a place where tradition and culture also play a vital role in societal expectations. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, initially fulfills her position in society as a wife and as a mother while suppressing her urges to live a life of passion and freedom. Edna’s relationshipRead MoreThe Awakening : Evaluating The Core Values Of The Nineteenth Century1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe Awakening: Evaluating The Core Values of the Nineteenth Century In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier exists as the embodiment of the feminist ideas that stand as outliers in the midst of the more traditional nineteenth century beliefs. Set in 1899 near the end of this generation, Chopin’s work explores the shared attitudes of most of the novel’s cast as they respond to Edna’s search for independence and freedom, an action that challenges her conservativeRead More Kate Chopins Awakening Essay1448 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopins Awakening Kate Chopins depiction of â€Å"The Awakening† is realistic as she develops Edna Pontellier’s character from a socially and morally respectable individual to an individual that turns her back on everything closest to her as she births her new self-being. Edna Pontellier struggles between her subconscious and conscious thoughts as unusual feelings stir unfounded emotions and senses. Some of Chopin’s characters lend themselves in Edna’s â€Å"awakening†. Through examination of LeonceRead MoreSymbolism In The Awakening1420 Words   |  6 PagesAnalyzing Chopin’s use of symbolism in â€Å"The Awakening† What would one expect to be the personality of a woman, who was raised in a family of no man dominance in the year of 1800? Kate Chopin was born in Missouri, in 1850 and was one of the five children. At very young age, Kate lost her both sisters and her brother. At age of five, Kate was sent to a Catholic school. Not long after leaving her home, Chopin loses her father. Kate is being sent home from school to live with her mother, grandmotherRead MoreDocumented Argument of the Awakening1513 Words   |  7 PagesDocumented Argument of the Awakening Kate Chopins depiction of The Awakening is realistic as she develops Edna Pontelliers character from a socially and morally respectable individual to an individual that turns her back on everything closest to her as she births her new self-being. Edna Pontellier struggles between her subconscious and conscious thoughts as unusual feelings stir unfounded emotions and senses. Some of Chopins characters lend themselves in Ednas awakening. Through examinationRead MoreFemale Empowerment in Kate Chopins The Awakening7915 Words   |  32 Pages04.2011 Female Empowerment in Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Awakening† Anjana Dhir BA Englisch KF, Geschichte NF 3. Semester Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. The French – Creole society of Louisiana 4 2.1 Cultural background 4 2.2 French-Creole women 5 3. The Role of Women 6 4.1 Edna vs. Madame Ratignolle 7 3.1.1 â€Å"A ValuableRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1638 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The author of the book is Kate Chopin, the title is The Awakening and the main focus point of this essay is to talk about Eden’s interaction and relationships with men throughout the novel. It is important to figure out how these relationships affected Edna and her ‘awakening’ and realization of herself. Edna Pontellier is the main character in this reading and her devotion to her family is questioned when her husband Leonce Pontellier starts to make demands that she can not meet. ThroughoutRead MoreEssay about Restrictions of Society in The Awakening2019 Words   |  9 Pages Edna Pontellier’s Struggle for Freedom in The Awakening by Kate Chopin In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the constant boundaries and restrictions placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her struggle for freedom and her ultimate suicide. Her husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it evident that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. Despite these people, Edna has a need to be free and she is able to escape from the society that sheRead MoreCultural Constraints on a Woman in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening537 Words   |  2 PagesKate Chopin’s The Awakening depicts a womans struggle to find and assert herself within the cultural constraints of late 19th century America. Edna Pontellier’s journey is chronicled throughout the novel as she experiences a new sense of independence and expression of freedom that’s paralleled by her corresponding sense of conflict and despair through a series of fractured and convoluted relationships among friends, family, and societal c ustoms. The term awakening is defined as the act or processRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1479 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s controversial novel, The Awakening, ignited turmoil because of her blatant disregard of the established 19th century perspective of women upholding strictly maternal and matrimonial responsibilities. Edna’s candid exploration of the restrictions on women through her liberal behavior in a conservative Victorian society makes her a literary symbol for feminist ideals. Despite denunciation from other people, Edna chooses individuality over conformity through her veering from traditional

The Ozone Layer And Global Climate Change - 1186 Words

NASA states that, â€Å"In its Fourth Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of 1,300 independent scientific experts from countries all over the world under the auspices of the United Nations, concluded there s a more than 90 percent probability that human activities over the past 250 years have warmed our planet†. The ozone layer and a stable climate temperature are the only thing protecting life on earth from the deadly UV rays and harmful global temperature rise. All around the world today the ozone layer is constantly depleting and the overall global temperature is constantly heating up whether anyone is acknowledging it or not, but there is a cause. Ozone layer depletion and global climate change are naturally occurring events that have been extremely and negatively heightened by human life. Not many people know what global warming or the ozone layer actually is. The ozone layer is a layer in the earth s stratosphere that absorbs most of the ultra violet rays from the sun. Global warming is the progressive optimization in the overall temperature of the earth s atmosphere. Carbon dioxide levels have a major effect on the earth’s overall temperature. For 650,000 years the carbon level has fluctuated between 160 and 300 parts per million. 1950 to 2014 is when it immediately skyrocketed to 400 and continues to increase today . About thirty years ago scientists unearthed a hole in the ozone layer. The ozone layer hole is not a complete holeShow MoreRelatedClimate Change : Global Warming, And The Disappearing Of The Ozone Layer862 Words   |  4 PagesDid you know that with all this talk about global warming, and the disappearing of the ozone layer, the root of the problem is us? Yes, we’re the cause of all those problems. We keep putting something called greenhouse gases into the air. A few greenhouse gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane. While some climate change is natural, humans need to be careful about greenhouse gases because ecosystems are changing, sea levels are rising, and global average temperature increased by more thanRead MoreVolcanic Eruptions Can Have On The Ozone Layer1325 Words   |  6 PagesIn today’s day and age, when you hear the word â€Å"global warming†, the first thing you tend to think about is car emissions or large nuclear power plants killing the ozone layer. However, you never think about natural causes of climate change such as solar activity or volcanic eruptions. 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Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Three Free Essays

string(41) " Some of them died, and some of us died\." Something was nudging me awake. I swatted at it. â€Å"Die,† I said. We will write a custom essay sample on Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Three or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"Zoe,† Hickory said. â€Å"You have a visitor.† I blinked up at Hickory, who was framed as a silhouette by the light coming from the corridor. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I said. â€Å"General Gau,† Hickory said. â€Å"He is here. Now. And wishes to speak to you.† I sat up. â€Å"You have got to be kidding me,† I said. I picked up my PDA and looked at the time. We had arrived in Conclave space fourteen hours earlier, popping into existence a thousand klicks out from the space station that General Gau had made the administrative headquarters of the Conclave. He said he hadn’t wanted to favor one planet over another. The space station was ringed with hundreds of ships from all over Conclave space, and even more shuttles and cargo transports, going between ships and back and forth from the station. Phoenix Station, the largest human space station and so big I’ve heard that it actually affected tides on the planet Phoenix (by amounts measurable only by sensitive instruments, but still), would have fit into a corner of the Conclave HQ. We had arrived and announced ourselves and sent an encrypted message to General Gau requesting an audience. We had been given parking coordinates and then willfully ignored. After ten hours of that, I finally went to sleep. â€Å"You know I do not kid,† Hickory said. It walked back to the doorway and turned up the lights in my stateroom. I winced. â€Å"Now, please,† Hickory said. â€Å"Come to meet him.† Five minutes later I was dressed in something I hoped would be presentable and walking somewhat unsteadily down the corridor. After a minute of walking I said, â€Å"Oh, crap,† and ran back to my stateroom, leaving Hickory standing in the corridor. A minute later I was back, bearing a shirt with something wrapped in it. â€Å"What is that?† Hickory asked. â€Å"A gift,† I said. We continued our trip through the corridor. A minute later I was standing in a hastily arranged conference room with General Gau. He stood to one side of a table surrounded by Obin-style seats, which were not really well designed either for his physiology or mine. I stood on the other, shirt in my hand. â€Å"I will wait outside,† Hickory said, after it delivered me. â€Å"Thank you, Hickory,† I said. It left. I turned and faced the general. â€Å"Hi,† I said, somewhat lamely. â€Å"You are Zoe,† General Gau said. â€Å"The human who has the Obin to do her bidding.† His words were in a language I didn’t understand; they were translated through a communicator device that hung from his neck. â€Å"That’s me,† I said. I heard my words translated into his language. â€Å"I am interested in how a human girl is able to commandeer an Obin transport ship to take her to see me,† General Gau said. â€Å"It’s a long story,† I said. â€Å"Give me the short version,† Gau said. â€Å"My father created special machines that gave the Obin consciousness. The Obin revere me as the only surviving link to my father. They do what I ask them to,† I said. â€Å"It must be nice to have an entire race at your beck and call,† Gau said. â€Å"You should know,† I said. â€Å"You have four hundred races at yours. Sir.† General Gau did something with his head that I was going to hope was meant to be a smile. â€Å"That’s a matter of some debate at this point, I’m afraid,† he said. â€Å"But I am confused. I was under the impression that you are the daughter of John Perry, administrator of the Roanoke Colony.† â€Å"I am,† I said. â€Å"He and his wife Jane Sagan adopted me after my father died. My birth mother had died some time before that. It is on my adopted parents’ account that I am here now. Although I apologize† – I motioned to myself, and my state of unreadiness – â€Å"I didn’t expect to meet you here, now. I thought we would come to you, and I would have time to prepare.† â€Å"When I heard that the Obin were ferrying a human to see me, and one from Roanoke, I was curious enough not to want to wait,† Gau said. â€Å"I also find value in making my opposition wonder what I am up to. My coming to visit an Obin ship rather than waiting to receive their embassy will make some wonder who you are, and what I know that they don’t.† â€Å"I hope I’m worth the trip,† I said. â€Å"If you’re not, I’ll still have made them nervous,† Gau said. â€Å"But considering how far you’ve come, I hope for both our sakes the trip has been worth it. Are you completely dressed?† â€Å"What?† I said. Of the many questions I might have been expecting, this wasn’t one of them. The general pointed to my hand. â€Å"You have a shirt in your hands,† he said. â€Å"Oh,† I said, and put the shirt on the table between us. â€Å"It’s a gift. Not the shirt. There’s something wrapped in the shirt. That’s the gift. I was hoping to find something else to put it in before I gave it to you, but you sort of surprised me. I’m going to shut up now and let you just have that.† The general gave me what I think was a strange look, and then reached out and unwrapped what was in the shirt. It was the stone knife given to me by the werewolf. He held it up and examined it in the light. â€Å"This is a very interesting gift,† he said, and began moving it in his hand, testing it, I guessed, for weight and balance. â€Å"And quite a nicely designed knife.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said. â€Å"Not precisely modern weaponry,† he said. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Figured that a general must have an interest in archaic weapons?† Gau asked. â€Å"Actually there’s a story behind it,† I said. â€Å"There’s a native race of intelligent beings on Roanoke. We didn’t know about them before we landed. Not too long ago we met up with them for the first time, and things went badly. Some of them died, and some of us died. You read "Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Three" in category "Essay examples" But then one of them and one of us met and decided not to try to kill each other, and exchanged gifts instead. That knife was one of those gifts. It’s yours now.† â€Å"That’s an interesting story,† Gau said. â€Å"And I think I’m correct in supposing that this story has some implication for why you’re here.† â€Å"It’s up to you, sir,† I said. â€Å"You might just decide it’s a nice stone knife.† â€Å"I don’t think so,† Gau said. â€Å"Administrator Perry is a man who plays with subtext. It’s not lost on me what it means that he has sent his daughter to deliver a message. But then to offer this particular gift, with its particular story. He’s a man of some subtlety.† â€Å"I think so, too,† I said. â€Å"But the knife is not from my dad. It’s from me.† â€Å"Indeed,† Gau said, surprised. â€Å"That’s even more interesting. Administrator Perry didn’t suggest it?† â€Å"He doesn’t know I had the knife,† I said. â€Å"And he doesn’t know how I got it.† â€Å"But you did intend to send me a message with it,† Gau said. â€Å"One to complement your adopted father’s.† â€Å"I hoped you’d see it that way,† I said. Gau set the knife down. â€Å"Tell me what Administrator Perry has to tell me,† he said. â€Å"You’re going to be assassinated,† I said. â€Å"Someone is going to try, anyway. It’s someone close to you. Someone in your trusted circle of advisors. Dad doesn’t know when or how, but he knows that it’s planned to happen soon. He wanted you to know so you could protect yourself.† â€Å"Why?† General Gau asked. â€Å"Your adopted father is an official of the Colonial Union. He was part of the plan that destroyed the Conclave fleet and has threatened everything I have worked for, for longer than you have been alive, young human. Why should I trust the word of my enemy?† â€Å"The Colonial Union is your enemy, not my dad,† I said. â€Å"Your dad helped kill tens of thousands,† Gau said. â€Å"Every ship in my fleet was destroyed but my own.† â€Å"He begged you not to call your ships to Roanoke,† I said. â€Å"This was a place where he was all too subtle,† Gau said. â€Å"He never explained how the trap had been set. He merely asked me not to call my fleet. A little more information would have kept thousands alive.† â€Å"He did what he could,† I said. â€Å"You were there to destroy our colony. He wasn’t allowed to surrender it to you. You know he didn’t have many options. And as it was he was recalled by the Colonial Union and put on trial for even hinting to you that something might happen. He could have been sent to prison for the simple act of speaking to you, General. He did what he could.† â€Å"How do I know he’s not just being used again?† Gau asked. â€Å"You said you knew what it meant that he sent me to give you a message,† I said. â€Å"I’m the proof that he’s telling you the truth.† â€Å"You’re the proof he believes he’s telling me the truth,† Gau said. â€Å"It’s not to say that it is the truth. Your adopted father was used once. Why couldn’t he be used again?† I flared at this. â€Å"Begging your pardon, General,† I said. â€Å"But you should know that by sending me to send you this warning, both my dad and my mom are absolutely assured of being labeled as traitors by the Colonial Union. They are both going to prison. You should know that as part of the deal to get the Obin to bring me to you, I can’t go back to Roanoke. I have to stay with them. Because they believe that it’s only a matter of time before Roanoke is destroyed, if not by you then by some part of the Conclave you don’t have any control over anymore. My parents and I have risked everything to give you this warning. It’s possible I’ll never see them or anyone else on Roanoke again, because I am giving you this warning. Now, General, do you think any of us would do any of this if we were not absolutely certain about what we are telling you? Do you?† General Gau said nothing for a moment. Then, â€Å"I am sorry you have all had to risk so much,† he said. â€Å"Then do my dad the honor of believing him,† I said. â€Å"You’re in danger, General. And that danger is closer than you think.† â€Å"Tell me, Zoe,† Gau said, â€Å"what does Administrator Perry hope to get from telling me this? What does he want from me?† â€Å"He wants you to stay alive,† I said. â€Å"You promised him that as long as you were running the Conclave, you wouldn’t attack Roanoke again. The longer you stay alive, the longer we stay alive.† â€Å"But there’s the irony,† Gau said. â€Å"Thanks to what happened at Roanoke, I’m not in as much control as I was. My time now is spent keeping others in line. And there are those who are looking at Roanoke as a way to take control from me. I’m sure you don’t know about Nerbros Eser – â€Å" â€Å"Sure I do,† I said. â€Å"Your main opposition right now. He’s trying to convince people to follow him. Wants to destroy the Colonial Union.† â€Å"I apologize,† Gau said. â€Å"I forgot you’re not just a messenger girl.† â€Å"It’s all right,† I said. â€Å"Nerbros Eser is planning to attack Roanoke,† Gau said. â€Å"I have been getting the Conclave back under my control – too slowly – but enough races support Eser that he has been able to fund an expedition to take Roanoke. He knows the Colonial Union is too weak to put up a defense of the colony, and he knows that at the moment I am in no position to stop him. If he can take Roanoke where I could not, more Conclave races could side with him. Enough that they would attack the Colonial Union directly.† â€Å"You can’t help us, then,† I said. â€Å"Other than to tell you what I just have, no,† Gau said. â€Å"Eser is going to attack Roanoke. But in part because Administrator Perry helped to destroy my fleet, there is no way I can do much to stop him now. And I doubt very much that your Colonial Union will do much to stop him.† â€Å"Why do you say that?† I asked. â€Å"Because you are here,† General Gau said. â€Å"Make no mistake, Zoe, I do appreciate your family’s warning. But Administrator Perry is not so kind that he would have warned me out of his own simple goodness. As you’ve noted, the cost is too high for that. You are here because you have nowhere else to turn.† â€Å"But you believe Dad,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† Gau said. â€Å"Unfortunately. Someone in my position is always a target. But now of all times I know that even some of those who I’ve trusted with my life and friendship are calculating the costs and deciding that I’m worth more to them dead than alive. And it makes sense for someone to try for me before Eser attacks Roanoke. If I’m dead and Eser takes revenge on your colony, no one else will even try to challenge him for control of the Conclave. Administrator Perry isn’t telling me anything I don’t know. He’s only confirming what I do know.† â€Å"Then I’ve been no use to you,† I said. And you’ve been no use to me, I thought but did not say. â€Å"I wouldn’t say that,† Gau said. â€Å"One of the reasons I am here now is so that I could hear what you had to say to me without anyone else involved. To find out what I could do with the information you might have. To see if it has use to me. To see if you are of use to me.† â€Å"You already knew what I told you,† I said. â€Å"This is true,† Gau said. â€Å"However, no one else knows how much you know. Not here, in any event.† He reached over and picked up the stone knife and looked at it again. â€Å"And the truth of the matter is that I’m getting tired of not knowing, of those whom I trust, which is planning to stab me in the heart. Whoever is planning to assassinate me is going to be in league with Nerbros Eser. They are likely to know when he plans to attack Roanoke, and with how large a force. And perhaps working together we can find out both of these things.† â€Å"How?† I asked. General Gau looked at me again, and did that I-hope-it’s-a-smile thing with his head. â€Å"By doing a bit of political theater. By making them think we know what they do. By making them act because of it.† I smiled back at Gau. â€Å"‘The play is the thing in which I shall catch the conscience of the king,'† I said. â€Å"Precisely,† Gau said. â€Å"Although it will be a traitor we catch, not a king.† â€Å"In that quote he was both,† I said. â€Å"Interesting,† Gau said. â€Å"I’m afraid I don’t know the reference.† â€Å"It’s from a play called Hamlet,† I said. â€Å"I had a friend who liked the playwright.† â€Å"I like the quote,† Gau said. â€Å"And your friend.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"I do too.† â€Å"One of you in this chamber is a traitor,† General Gau said. â€Å"And I know which one of you it is.† Wow, I thought. The general sure knows how to start a meeting. We were in the general’s official advisors’ chamber, an ornate room, which, the general told me beforehand, he never used except to receive foreign dignitaries with some semblance of pomp and circumstance. Since he was technically receiving me for this particular meeting, I felt special. But more to the point, the room featured a small raised platform with steps, on which sat a large chair. Dignitaries, advisors and their staff all approached it like it was a throne. This was going to be useful for what General Gau had in mind for today. In front of the platform, the room opened up into a semicircle. Around the perimeter stood a curving bar, largely of standing height for most sentient species in the Conclave. This is where advisors’ and dignitaries’ staff stood, calling up documents and data when needed and whispering (or whatever) into small microphones that fed into earpieces (or whatever) worn by their bosses. Their bosses – the advisors and dignitaries – filed into the area between the bar and the platform. Usually, I was told, they would have benches or chairs (or whatever suited their body shape best) offered to them so they could rest as they did their business. Today, they were all standing. As for me, I was standing to the left and just in front of the general, who was seated in his big chair. On the opposite side of the chair was a small table, on which lay the stone knife, which I had just (and for the second time) presented to the general. This time it was delivered in packaging more formal than a shirt. The general had taken it out of the box I had found, admired it, and set it on the table. Back along with the staff stood Hickory and Dickory, who were not happy with the plan the general had come up with. With them were three of the general’s security detail, who were likewise not very pleased at all. Well, now that we were doing it, I’m not sure I was entirely thrilled with it either. â€Å"I thought we were here to hear a request from this young human,† said one of the advisors, a tall Lalan (that is, tall even for a Lalan) named Hafte Sorvalh. Her voice was translated by the earpiece I had been given by the Obin. â€Å"It was a pretense,† Gau said. â€Å"The human has no petition, but information pertaining to which one of you intends to assassinate me.† This naturally got a stir in the chamber. â€Å"It is a human!† said Wert Ninung, a Dwaer. â€Å"No disrespect, General, but the humans recently destroyed the entire Conclave fleet. Any information they would share with you should be regarded as highly suspect, to say the least.† â€Å"I agree with this entirely, Ninung,† Gau said. â€Å"Which is why when it was provided to me I did what any sensible person would have done and had my security people check the information thoroughly. I regret to say that the information was good. And now I must deal with the fact that one of my advisors – someone who was privy to all my plans for the Conclave – has conspired against me.† â€Å"I don’t understand,† said a Ghlagh whose name, if I could remember correctly, was Lernin Il. I wasn’t entirely sure, however; Gau’s security people had given me dossiers on Gau’s circle of advisors only a few hours before the meeting, and given everything else I needed to do to prepare, I had barely had time to skim. â€Å"What don’t you understand, Lernin?† asked General Gau. â€Å"If you know which of us is the traitor, why hasn’t your security detail already dealt with them?† Il asked. â€Å"This could be done without exposing you to an unnecessary risk. Given your position you don’t need to take any more risks than are absolutely necessary.† â€Å"We are not talking about some random killer, Il,† the general said. â€Å"Look around you. How long have we known each other? How hard have each of us worked to create this great Conclave of races? We have seen more of each other over time than we have seen of our spouses and children. Would any of you have accepted it if I were to make one of you disappear over a vague charge of treason? Would that not seem to each of you that I was losing my grip and creating scapegoats? No, Il. We have come too far and done too much for that. Even this would-be assassin deserves better courtesy than that.† â€Å"What do you intend to do, then?† asked Il. â€Å"I will ask the traitor in this room to come forward,† he said. â€Å"It’s not too late to right this wrong.† â€Å"Are you offering this assassin amnesty?† asked some creature whose name I just did not remember (or, given how it spoke, I suspect I could not actually pronounce, even if I did remember it). â€Å"No,† Gau said. â€Å"This person is not acting alone. They are part of a conspiracy that threatens what all of us have worked for.† Gau gestured to me. â€Å"My human friend here has given me a few names, but that is not enough. For the security of the Conclave we need to know more. And to show all the members of the Conclave that treason cannot be tolerated, my assassin must answer for what they have done to this point. What I do offer is this: That they will be treated fairly and with dignity. That they will serve their term of punishment with some measure of comfort. That their family and loved ones will not be punished or held responsible, unless they themselves are conspirators. And that their crime will not be made known publicly. Every one outside this room will know only that this conspirator has retired from service. There will be punishment. There must be punishment. But there will not be the punishment of history.† â€Å"I want to know where this human got its information,† said Wert Ninung. Gau nodded to me. â€Å"This information ultimately comes from the Colonial Union’s Special Forces division,† I said. â€Å"The same group that spearheaded the destruction of the Conclave fleet,† Wert said. â€Å"Not especially trustworthy.† â€Å"Councilor Wert,† I said, â€Å"how do you think the Special Forces were able to locate every one of the ships of your fleet? The only time it assembles is when it removes a colony. Locating four hundred ships among the tens of thousands that each race alone has at its disposal was an unheard of feat of military intelligence. After that, do you doubt that the Special Forces had difficulty coming up with a single name?† Wert actually growled at me. I thought that was rude. â€Å"I have already told you that I have had the information checked out,† General Gau said. â€Å"There is no doubt it is accurate. That is not under discussion. What is under discussion is how the assassin will choose to be discovered. I repeat: The assassin is in this room, right now, among us. If they will come forward now, and share information on their other conspirators, their treatment will be generous, light and secret. The offer is in front of you now. I beg you, as an old friend, to take it. Come forward now.† No one in the room moved. General Gau stared at each of his advisors, directly and in the eye, for several seconds each. None of them took so much as a step forward. â€Å"Very well,† General Gau said. â€Å"We do this the hard way, then.† â€Å"What will you do now, General?† asked Sorvalh. â€Å"Simple,† Gau said. â€Å"I will call up each of you in turn. You will bow to me and swear your allegiance to me as the leader of the Conclave. Those of you who I know are truthful, I will offer you my thanks. The one of you who is a traitor, I will reveal you in front of those you have worked alongside for so long, and have you arrested. Your punishment will be severe. And it will be most definitely public. And it will end with your death.† â€Å"This is not like you, General,† Sorvalh said. â€Å"You created the Conclave with the idea that there would be no dictators, no demands of personal allegiance. There is only allegiance to the Conclave. To its ideals.† â€Å"The Conclave is near collapse, Hafte,† Gau said. â€Å"And you know as well as I do that Nerbros Eser and his sort will run the Conclave like a personal fiefdom. One among you has already decided that Eser’s dictatorship is preferable to a Conclave where every race has a voice. It’s clear to me that I must ask for the allegiance I once only held in trust. I am sorry it has come to this. But it has.† â€Å"What if we will not swear allegiance?† Sorvalh said. â€Å"Then you will be arrested as a traitor,† Gau said. â€Å"Along with the one who I know to be the assassin.† â€Å"You are wrong to do this,† Sorvalh said. â€Å"You are going against your own vision for the Conclave to ask for this allegiance. I want you to know I believe this in my soul.† â€Å"Noted,† Gau said. â€Å"Very well,† Sorvalh said, and stepped forward to the platform and knelt. â€Å"General Tarsem Gau, I offer you my allegiance as the leader of the Conclave.† Gau looked at me. This was my cue. I shook my head at him, clearly enough that everyone in the room could see that he was waiting for my verification. â€Å"Thank you, Hafte,† Gau said. â€Å"You may step back. Wert Ninung, please step forward.† Ninung did. As did the next six advisors. There were three left. I was beginning to get very nervous. Gau and I had already agreed that we would not carry the act so far as to accuse someone who wasn’t actually guilty. But if we got to the end without a traitor, then we both would have a lot to answer for. â€Å"Lernin Il,† General Gau said. â€Å"Please step forward.† Il nodded and smoothly moved forward and when he got to me, viciously shoved me to the floor and lunged for the stone knife Gau had left on the table next to him. I hit the floor so hard I bounced my skull on it. I heard screaming and honks of alarm from the other advisors. I rolled and looked up as Il raised the knife and prepared to plunge it into the general. The knife was left out and within easy reach for a reason. Gau had already said he intended to reveal the traitor; he said he knew without a doubt who it was; he said the punishment for the traitor would include death. The traitor would already be convinced he would have nothing to lose by attempting the assassination then and there. But Gau’s advisors didn’t usually carry around killing implements on their person; they were bureaucrats and didn’t carry anything more dangerous than a writing stylus. But a nice sharp stone knife carelessly left lying around would be just the thing to convince a desperate would-be assassin to take a chance. This was also one reason why the general’s guards (and Hickory and Dickory) were stationed at the perimeter of the room instead of near the general; we had to give the illusion to the assassin that he could get in a stab or two before the guards got him. The general wasn’t stupid, of course; he was wearing body armor that protected most of the parts of his body susceptible to stab wounds. But the general’s head and neck were still vulnerable. The general thought it was worth the risk, but now as I watched the general trying to move to protect himself, I came to the conclusion that the weakest part of our plan was the one where the general presumably avoids being stabbed to death. Il was bringing down the knife. None of the general’s guards or Hickory or Dickory was going to get there in time. Hickory and Dickory had trained me how to disarm an opponent; the problem was I was on the ground and not in any position to block the knife blow. And anyway the Ghlagh were a Conclave race; I hadn’t spent any time learning any of their weak points. But then something occurred to me, as I lay there on my back, staring up at Il. I may not know much about the Ghlagh, but I sure know what a knee looks like. I braced myself on the floor, pushed, and drove the heel of my foot hard into the side of Lernin Il’s most available knee. It gave way with a sickly twist and I thought I could feel something in his leg go snap, which made me feel sick. Il squealed in pain and grabbed at his leg, dropping the knife. I scrambled away as quickly as I could. General Gau launched himself out of his chair and took Il all the rest of the way down. Hickory and Dickory were suddenly by me, dragging me off the riser. Gau shouted something to his guards, who were racing toward the general. â€Å"His staff!† Gau said. â€Å"Stop his staff!† I looked over to the bar and saw three Ghlagh lunging at their equipment. Il’s people were clearly in on the assassination and were now trying to signal their conspirators that they’d been discovered. Gau’s men skidded to a stop and reversed themselves, leaping over the bar to get at Il’s staff. They knocked away their equipment, but not before at least one of them had gotten a message through. We knew that because all through the Conclave headquarters, alarms began stuttering to life. The space station was under attack. About a minute after Il had made his clumsy attack on General Gau, an Impo battle cruiser named the Farre launched six missiles into the portion of the Conclave space station where Gau’s offices were. The Farre was commanded by an Impo named Ealt Ruml. Ruml, it turns out, had reached an agreement with Nerbros Eser and Lernin Il to take command of a new Conclave fleet after Gau was assassinated. Ruml would then take the entire fleet to Phoenix Station, destroy it and start working down the list of human worlds. In exchange all Ruml had to do was be prepared to do a little flagrant bombing of Gau’s offices and flagship when signaled, as part of a larger, orchestrated coup attempt, which would feature Gau’s assassination as the main event and the destruction of key battle ships from races loyal to Gau. When Gau revealed to his advisors that he knew one of them was a traitor, one of Il’s staffers sent a coded message to Ruml, informing him that everything was about to go sideways. Ruml in turn sent coded messages of his own to three other battle cruisers near the Conclave station, each captained by someone Ruml had converted to the cause. All four ships began warming up their weapons systems and selecting targets: Ruml targeted Gau’s offices while the other traitors targeted Gau’s flagship Gentle Star and other craft. If everything went as planned, Ruml and his conspirators would have disabled the ships most likely to come to Gau’s aid – not that it would matter, because Ruml would have opened up Gau’s offices to space, sucking anyone in them (including, at the time, me) into cold, airless vacuum. Minutes later, when Il’s staff sent a confirmation note just before getting their equipment kicked out of their paws, Ruml launched his missiles and readied another set to go. And was, I imagine, entirely surprised when the Farre was struck broadside almost simultaneously by three missiles fired from the Gentle Star. The Star and six other trusted ships had been put on alert by Gau to watch for any ships that began warming up their weapons systems. The Star had spotted the Farre warming up its missile batteries and had quietly targeted the ship and prepared its own defense. Gau had forbidden any action until someone else’s missiles flew, but the instant the Farre launched, the Star did the same, and then began antimissile defenses against the two missiles targeting it, sent by the Arrisian cruiser Vut-Roy. The Star destroyed one of the missiles and took light damage from the second. The Farre, which had not been expecting a counterattack, took heavy damage from the Star’s missiles and even more damage when its engine ruptured, destroying half of the ship and killing hundreds on board, including Ealt Ruml and his bridge crew. Five of the six missiles fired by the Farre were disabled by the space station’s defenses; the sixth hit the station, blowing a hole in the station compartment next to Gau’s offices. The station’s system of airtight doors sealed off the damage in minutes; forty-four people were killed. All of this happened in the space of less than two minutes, because the battle happened at incredibly close range. Unlike space battles in entertainment shows, real battles between spaceships take place over huge distances. In this battle, however, all the ships were in orbit around the station. Some of the ships involved were just a few klicks away from each other. That’s pretty much the starship equivalent of going after each other with knives. Or so I’m told. I’m going by what others tell me of the battle, because at the time what I was doing was being dragged out of General Gau’s advisor chamber by Hickory and Dickory. The last thing I saw was Gau pinning down Lernin Il while at the same time trying to keep his other advisors from beating the living crap out of him. There was too much noise for my translation device to work anymore, but I suspected that Gau was trying to tell the rest of them that he needed Il alive. What can you say. No one likes a traitor. I’m also told that the battle outside of the space station would have gone on longer than it did except that shortly after the first salvo of missiles a funny thing happened: An Obin cruiser skipped into existence unsettlingly close to the Conclave space station, setting off a series of proximity alarms to go with the attack alarms already in progress. That was unusual, but what really got everyone’s attention was the other ships that appeared about thirty seconds afterward. It took the station a few minutes to identify these. And at that point everyone who had been fighting each other realized they now had something bigger to worry about. I didn’t know about any of this right away. Hickory and Dickory had dragged me to the conference room some distance away from the advisor chamber and were keeping it secure when the alarms suddenly stopped. â€Å"Well, I finally used that training,† I said, to Hickory. I was amped up on leftover adrenaline from the assassination attempt and paced up and down in the room. Hickory said nothing to this and continued to scan the corridor for threats. I sighed and waited until it signaled that it was safe to move. Ten minutes later, Hickory clicked something to Dickory, who went to the door. Hickory went into the corridor and out of sight. Shortly after that I heard what sounded like Hickory arguing with someone. Hickory returned, followed by six very serious-looking guards and General Gau. â€Å"What happened?† I asked. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"What do you have to do with the Consu?† General Gau asked me, ignoring my question. â€Å"The Consu?† I said. â€Å"Nothing. I had asked the Obin to try to contact them on my behalf, to see if they could help me save Roanoke. That was a few days ago. I haven’t heard from the Obin about it since.† â€Å"I think you have an answer,† Gau said. â€Å"They’re here. And they’re asking to see you.† â€Å"There’s a Consu ship here now?† I said. â€Å"Actually, the Consu asking for you is on an Obin ship,† Gau said. â€Å"Which doesn’t make any sense to me at all, but never mind that. There were Consu ships following the Obin ship.† â€Å"Ships,† I said. â€Å"How many?† â€Å"So far?† Gau said. â€Å"About six hundred.† â€Å"Excuse me?† I said. My adrenaline spiked again. â€Å"There are still more coming in,† Gau said. â€Å"Please don’t take this the wrong way, Zoe, but if you’ve done something to anger the Consu, I hope they choose to take it out on you, not us.† I turned and looked at Hickory, disbelieving. â€Å"You said you required help,† Hickory said. How to cite Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Three, Essay examples