Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain!...

Dealing with Death in Whitman’s O Captain! My Captain! and Tennyson’s Crossing the Bar Life and death are recurring topics in literature; they are not often referred to directly, but are inferred from figurative language. In Walt Whitman’s poem entitled â€Å"O Captain! My Captain† from his anthology of poems, Leaves of Grass, he describes the passing of Abraham Lincoln through the use of an extended metaphor. Similarly, â€Å"Crossing the Bar,† by Lord Alfred Tennyson, from his collection of poetry, Demeter and Other Poems, alludes to one’s preparation for his or her own death. At times, the two authors utilize similar techniques, employing various figurative language devices such as extended metaphors, diction and format, which all work†¦show more content†¦Both Tennyson and Whitman utilize extended metaphors involving nautical references to discuss issues regarding death. In Tennyson’s poem, at the end of three of the four stanzas, the speaker refers to the times, â€Å"When I put out to sea† (4), â€Å"When I embark†(12) and â€Å"When I have crost the bar† (16), which all are alluding to a time in the future when he will reach the end of his time on earth. The focus of Tennyson’s journey is a specific point in the future, when the speaker will face death. This is opposite of Whitman’s poem, as the speaker proclaims â€Å"our fearful trip is done† (1) to the Captain. The Captain’s life is over, as he has â€Å"fallen cold and dead† (8) on the deck of the tattered ship. It is an elegiac remembrance of the fallen leader of the United States, Abraham Lincoln and his experiences leading the country. The poets utilize the sea as a means of expressing the separate journeys, as Whitman’s â€Å"Captain† (1) died after a long time at sea, and the speaker in Tennyson’s poem is preparing to embark on his journey at sea, to face God and the end of his time. The diction in the two poems invokes various images and emotions, which involve the poets’ expressions of two different journeys at sea. In Whitman’s poem, the descriptions of completed journey invoke happiness, as the ship

Sunil Bharti Mittal - Entrepreneur Profile - 1627 Words

BACKGROUND: Family support: Sunil Bharti Mittal, born October 23, 1957 is an Indian businessman. He is the chairman and managing director of the Bharti group. The $4.5 billion turnover company runs Indias largest GSM-based mobile phone service. Sunils father, Sat Paul Mittal, an MP, was always in public life. It was Sunil who started in business (making cycle parts in Ludhiana, India) in 1976 at the age of 18 with borrowed capital of Rs 20,000.The son of a politician, Sunil Mittal is a Punjabi. He has built the Bharti group, along with two siblings, into Indias largest mobile phone operator in just ten years.15 years back, his company, Bharti Telecom, was a manufacturer of telephones of the push-button variety, and made its money by†¦show more content†¦Vision for the venture: In five years Bharti should be a very large corporation. A billion-dollar one! Personally, in another seven years, Id like to play a larger role in society. No, not politics If I can be of any use to the government then, Ill be available. By then the company should run on its own steam. Empowering people is important. Ive had some desires but no time. I used to fly planes. Id like to do something for my intellectual enrichment. GROWTH: Growth Of Bharti telecomm in initial years: Bharti Tele-Ventures was incorporated on July 7, 1995 as a company with limited liability under the Companies Act, for promoting telecommunications services. Bharti Tele-Ventures received certificate for commencement of business on January 18, 1996. The Company was initially formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bharti Telecom Limited. The chronology of events since Bharti Tele-Ventures was incorporated in 1995 is as follows: Calendar year Events Ââ€" 1995 - Bharti Cellular launched cellular services AirTel in Delhi 1996 - STET International Netherlands NV, or STET, a company promoted by Telecom Italia, Italy acquired a 20% equity interest in Bharti Tele-Ventures - Bharti Telenet launched cellular services in Himachal Pradesh. 1997- British Telecom acquired a 21.05% equity interest in Bharti Cellular - Bharti Telenet obtained a license for providing fixed-lineShow MoreRelatedSunil Bharti Mittal - Entrepreneur Profile Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pages Family support: Sunil Bharti Mittal, born October 23, 1957 is an Indian businessman. He is the chairman and managing director of the Bharti group. The $4.5 billion turnover company runs Indias largest GSM-based mobile phone service. Sunils father, Sat Paul Mittal, an MP, was always in public life. It was Sunil who started in business (making cycle parts in Ludhiana, India) in 1976 at the age of 18 with borrowed capital of Rs 20,000.The son of a politician, Sunil Mittal is a Punjabi. He hasRead MoreI Love Reading Essay69689 Words   |  279 PagesKolaskar and Mr. Sunil Bahri. Table of Contents Acknowledgements Executive Summary Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Annexure I : : : : : : : : Introduction: Why Entrepreneurship What Motivates Entrepreneurship Socio-cultural Factors Access to Early Stage Finance Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Business Environment for Entrepreneurship Conclusion: Encouraging Entrepreneurship List of Stakeholders and Details of Entrepreneurs Surveyed EntrepreneurshipRead MoreBrand Case Studies.Docx23428 Words   |  94 Pagesplayers in the business will come down from 22 to five or six. The probable long-term players could be Bharti Enterprises, BPL, Hutchison Whampoa, Reliance and the Tata-Birla-ATamp;T combine... ------------------------------------------------- Welcome Orange In early 2000, a bright orange bloom over cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata was giving sleepless nights to Sunil Mittal (Mittal) and Rajeev Chandrashekhar (Chandrasekhar). In February 2000, Hutchison Max Telecom introduced Orange in

Europe and its Relationship with the World Free Essays

Europe and its relationship to the universe From the clip through early 1800’s to early 1900’s, Europe has changed a batch in many parts. Such as the Gallic revolution and the Spanish and Lusitanian are seeking to set up their settlement, to distribute their ain civilization and faith like Christian. There are, undouble, a batch of advancements during that clip that can decidedly be found, while the definition of advancement can be understood in different manner, there are non merely positive advancement, but besides a batch of negative advancement. We will write a custom essay sample on Europe and its Relationship with the World or any similar topic only for you Order Now In European’s thought at that clip, they decidedly think the advancement is positive, while for those indigens who live in European settlement they may happen a batch of unjust and see this advancement that made by Europe is negative. We can non deny the benefit that the Europe has made at that clip, but to see the relationship between Europe and the universe between 1800-1914 negative advancements are more obvious because of European industrialisation and imperialism. A batch of illustrations can be found during 1800- 1914 to demo the imperialism of Europeans is non accepted by the indigens. We can see Europeans at that clip were non so successful when they are seeking to construct the relationship with Africa. From the novel â€Å"Thingss Fall Apart†[ 1 ] by Chinua Achebe, the writer writes about how the Europeans treated Africans in an unjust manner, from the age of industrialisation. Europeans arrived in West Africa non for peace but for the slaves, they want enslave the Africans and allow them go the free labour for Europe and work for Europe.Achebe showed how the native react when they hear about the Europeans, â€Å" We have heard narratives about white work forces who made the powerful guns and the strong drinks and took slaves away across the seas, but no 1 thought the narratives were true † [ 2 ] ( Ch. 15 Achebe ) . We can see the Africans do non even think Europeans as one of world will handle their compatriots as slaves, b ut they were incorrect. In the terminal of the novel, we can see there was about no effectual advancement has been made between the Africans and the Europeans. In the antonym, the Europeans really had destroyed all the good hopes to the European that Africans used to hold and convey war to them non merely for their land but besides for their faith. In the book Okonkwo says to Obrierika, â€Å"He [ Europeans ] came softly and pacifically with his faith. We were amused at his folly and allowed him to remain. Now he has won our brothers and our kin can no longer move like one † [ 3 ] ( Ch. 20 Achebe ) . The Europeans usage means to change over some members of the indigens to Christianity, but cause other indigens to detest Christian. To be honest, we can non happen any positive advancement that was made between the Europeans and the Africans because the selfishness of Europeans make they took advantage of indigens land and labour but merely convey goods to their ain state. In add-on, we besides can happen this unfair in the novel â€Å"This Earth of mankind† which writes about a immature adult male, Minke, who can populate a instead simple life as a pupil in a Dutch high school in Surabaya, Indonesia. Although he is one of the few Natives who surveies in his school, he still do non lose confident for himself. But Minke’s life begins to alter when he meets and falls in love with the most beautiful miss he has of all time seen. Annelies is a mixed-blood girl of a Native and a European man of affairs. Her female parent as a native learn several sorts of linguistic communication and truly outstanding. When Minke’s relationship with Ann grows deeper, people of the town start to state he and Annelies is illegal, but even his life is threatened and he is brought to the tribunal, he still continues to contend against the unfairnesss of the authorities, non merely want to win but to support humanity and its rights. Although Minke and Anneli es eventually lose but they do demo to this Earth of world a great illustration that racism will ne’er be a good manner to handle people and justness will eventually come. This is a great novel that shows how people fight against for their right. Different from â€Å"Thingss Fall Apart†, â€Å"this Earth of mankind† [ 4 ] shows a negative advancement of Europe’s imperialism has cause but show us a positive attitude about how to defy the unfairness under the imperialism. This article shows the hope and the imperialism will eventually do Europe lose the people. Jules Ferry besides talks about the enlargement of colonial and what character should the Europeans had if they want to success, â€Å"In a Europe, or instead in a universe therefore constituted, a policy of backdown or abstinence is merely the high route to decadence! † [ 5 ] ( On French Colonial Expansion ) . This sort of procedure did non better the relationships but merely hindered the advancement of the dealingss between Europe and the universe. Besides from the information of â€Å"Chadwick ‘s Report on Sanitary Conditions† , â€Å"That the one-year loss of life from crud and bad airing are greater than the loss from decease or lesions in any wars in which the state has been engaged in modern times† [ 6 ] Shows the bad wellness conditions in Europe during that clip. These may be caused by the excessively many settlements and will besides convey this disease to those who are indigens that ne’er run into such diseases. It is difficult to state it is positive or negative, but it does do bad consequence on indigens. The industrialisation besides causes jobs for Europe. No 1 can deny the importance of industrialisation, because without it all of our modern machines can be a gag, but Karl Marx besides show the injury that industrialisation cause to the lower degree people. In his article â€Å"Manifesto of the Communist Party† , he pointed out that with the higher development of the industrialisation, it non merely makes mass production more easy but besides increase the spread between the rich and the hapless. In his article he said â€Å"From the minute when labour can no longer be converted into capital, money, or rent, into a societal power capable of being monopolized, i.e. , from the minute when single belongings can no longer be transformed into bourgeois belongings, into capital, from that minute, you say, individuality vanishes† [ 7 ] which shows the struggle between the labours and the upper degree. His sentiment about revolution can besides be regard as possible crisis of the Europe. So half positive and half negative is what the history’s rating about industrialisation. But there is some positive advancement that Europe did throughout the 19Thursdayand 20Thursdaycentury is in footings of women’s rights. At the pervious age adult females were treated with about zero regard before the Revolution started. Womans do non hold the same rights as adult male, they merely see as accoutrement of work forces. But sometimes they were besides â€Å"used† like work forces, or even requested higher than adult male like work longer than adult male with fewer pay. Women and kids were seen making the â€Å"same sort of belowground work, and to work for the same figure of hours, as male childs and men† [ 8 ] ( Women Miners ) . The adult females dress like work forces, work as work forces but still can non win their regard. The Revolution did alter the manner that adult females were used to handle a batch because after the revolution adult females had their freedom and rights, which is pretty easy but was ne’er heard before the 1800’s . This is decidedly a positive advancement Europeans have made. The advancement of the European industrialisation, imperialism and their relationship with the universe in decision can be regard as negative. Europeans destroyed civilisations for doing their civilization and benefits. Use other’s labour for their ain selfishness. When they find a manner that suits them best, they did non waver to handle others like African below the belt. The Africans were enslaved like they are non human at all. In add-on, the civil war that was caused by Gallic Revolution besides affected France’s relationship with other European states by impacting each other’s issues such as trade ( Lecture ) [ 9 ] . Positive advancement was made by Europeans by successfully bettering their finicky conditions and giving suited rights to the adult females, but even for these positive advancements, they are still made for their ain state and society non for other settlements. So wholly in all, the selfishness dominates the Europeans and makes their advancemen t connected with the universe at 1800-1914 negative How to cite Europe and its Relationship with the World, Essay examples

The Gradual Estrangement of the East and West free essay sample

Prior to the division of the empire, the special position of three bishops known as patriarchs within the church organization was recognized: the Bishop of Rome, the Bishop of Alexandria, and the Bishop of Antioch. At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, two additional patriarchates were recognized: the Bishop of Constantinople and the Bishop of Jerusalem. These patriarchs held authority and Jurisdiction over their tellow bishops in the Church. However, by virtue of his position as the successor of Saint Peter, the Bishop of Rome was held in a higher status and his see was of distinct importance since Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire. While regarded as first among equals in the hierarchy, the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) was not afforded any additional authority or powers. But the authority of the Roman Empire in the West collapsed in the fifth century when the last Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was definitively deposed by invading barbarians. We will write a custom essay sample on The Gradual Estrangement of the East and West or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The crumbling of the Roman Empire had given way toa mixture of regional governments and barbarian kingships, none of whom had Romes ability to cohesively construct the infrastructure of modern society. In this void, the Pope in Rome assumed a role in governing not only his ecclesiastical subordinates but to secular rulers as well. It was the Papacy that acted as a monarch set up over the church and serviced in ways to provide unity, continuity and stability in the spiritual and political life of Western Europe and centralize the organization and activities of the church in the West. The Greek Patriarchs of the East were not involved in secular politics and governance as the Emperor remained ensconced in the East to maintain order and enforce the law. 4) In the West, the Pope became the absolute authority over all of the Western church, while in the East there remained a sense of a college approach holding to the doctrine that no single person had the ability to make changes in doctrine: that absolute authority rested with the Ecumenical council Just as it had from the times of the Apostles. (5) As long as the Pope did not interfere in the East, the Greek Patriarchs did not object. But conflict ensued when ambition the Pope tried to enforce his claim of supremacy and infallibility upon the East. A second significant political cause of the gradual estrangement of the churches in the east and in the West was the rise of Islam in the seventh century. The Mediterranean had long been the established connection between the East and the West for both cultural and economic prosperity. With the invasion of Islam from Arabia, the Mediterranean passed in to Arab control and effectively cut off this vital connection along with the consequent commerce and free exchange. At the ermination of the Islamic advance, the patriarchates in Jerusalem, Antioch and Alexandria were forfeited and innumerable Christians were living in the east under Islamic control (6) Isolated from each other the Western church proceeded to establish a Roman Empire of its own while the Eastern church consolidated itself and regrouped in order to once again establish their authority over the remnants of Christendom spared by the Muslim conquest. The largest single cultural issue to impact the estrangement of the Roman Catholic and the Greek Orthodox churches may have been language. At its core, language is an instrument of communication. Additionally, language shapes ideas and contributes to the formation and expression of thoughts. Deeper still, language is a symbol of culture and played a large role in the esteem held for each other by the Latin and the Greek Church. Dating back to Apostolic time the Roman Empire itself united the church and culture linguistically. Latin and Greek were understood throughout the Empire with Greek being the predominant language of business and commerce and Latin reserved for administrative and Judicial purposes. However, by the year 450, educated men were o longer bilingual and few in the West could read Greek. After 600, few in the East could or would speak Latin even though they considered themselves to be a part ot the Roman Empire. (7) In the end, the West was completely Latinized while Greek became the prevailing language in the East. Christendom was split in two corresponding to linguistic boundaries. Language is a symbol of culture and shapes ideas. The difficulties of language can be subtle and intricate.

International Lemonade free essay sample

â€Å"Experience is not what happens to us, but rather what we do with what happens to us.† Anthony D’Angelo The experiences I have had while traveling are some of the most unique, crazy, hilarious and significant ever. They have taught me so much about myself and life. Aside from learning that my true passion is traveling, the most important thing I now know is that you must make the best of every situation, or you will never enjoy anything. For most, vacation conveys a sense of relaxation, perhaps a summer home or beach, but my family isn’t most people. Our summer home is parked in our driveway ten months of the year. People have told me I could write a book about our family vacations, which is fitting because I want to be a writer. The ingredients to a Kriedel family vacation are chaos, disorder, the open road and, of course, too many people packed into a motor home. We will write a custom essay sample on International Lemonade or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since I am the youngest, I especially suffer from this last problem. While my brothers and sister get to sleep on a real bed, I spend my nights on a two-foot wide board suspended between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. But I have no reason to complain. As I lay in my â€Å"bed,† I just think about how beautiful it looks when the sun sets over the Badlands or the rush of freedom I feel when standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. So even if it’s over 100 degrees in our crowded RV, I can’t get mad at my father for not spending extra money for electricity because he’s given me the opportunity to see and experience the beauty of America. Although family vacations had revealed travel as my true passion, it was a bit harder to make my parents understand this. But after begging, some crying, and a lifetime of being a good kid, my parents finally agreed to let me go on a school trip to Europe. After it was postponed sophomore year, just getting to Europe felt like a privilege. Since I had already learned the value of optimism, I didn’t let a little jet lag in London, a lot of rain in Paris, and continually getting stuck with the smallest hotel rooms ruin my trip. I knew there was no use whining; after all, I was simply experiencing the realities of life, the good and the bad. So when jet lag wore off, the weather was perfect, and I eventually got the biggest, best room in the hotel with an absolutely stunning view of the Alps, I was on cloud nine. Europe proved to me that being happy when things don’t go right only means you can be ten times happier when they do. Europe also taught me more about myself than I thought possible. I learned that I can’t read a map, but that getting lost is never a bad thing; it just gives you additional experience. So long as you remain optimistic and believe in yourself, you can get through anything. I couldn’t have learned this better than when my friend got lost in Switzerland. Usually, I am afraid to talk to strangers, even in my native language. But when I knew my friend depended on me, I put aside my fears, gathered my courage and knowledge of the German language and asked strangers, â€Å"Eine dame? Schwarzes haar?† Even though I couldn’t understand their replies, their points and nods told me that my friend was just up the hill. I was happy to find her, but I was even prouder of myself for finding her. They say that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I guess I’ve drunk a lot of lemonade in my life, but I can say that I’ve enjoyed it all, no matter how sour it tasted at the time. Bad experiences, good experiences, they are all part of life, so you might as well enjoy them. Whether I’m traveling in America or anywhere else in the world, I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn these lessons, especially while so young. I hope to live the rest of my life with this same attitude, no matter where my future lies, but I do hope to keep traveling and especially, always to keep learning.

Know Your Regional Vocabulary

Know Your Regional Vocabulary Know Your Regional Vocabulary Know Your Regional Vocabulary By Mark Nichol One of the delightful facts about American English is that even though the rich regional variety of pronunciation and vocabulary ever diminishes, we’re still a long way from universal treatment of the language, and that’s an important detail for writers to observe. Take soda, for example. I mean pop. I mean coke. Each of these three terms for carbonated beverages is prevalent in various parts of the United States, and the respective regional dominations aren’t likely to go flat soon. According to a Web site that invites visitors to engage in an ongoing electronic survey of word usage, coke is it in the South, in much of Arizona and isolated other parts of the Southwest, and, curiously, in pockets of south and central Indiana. (The dominance of coke in the South may have something to do with the fact that Coca-Cola is based in Atlanta.) Pop, however, is the dominant variant in terms of geographical coverage, popping up throughout the northern states outside New England and rarely elsewhere. Soda, by contrast, which accounts for a slim majority by population, is the term of choice in the Northeast, in and around Miami and St. Louis, in eastern Michigan, and in much of Northern California and Arizona. (This Northern Californian concurs, though I call carbonated beverages â€Å"soft drinks.† But I don’t drink them, so what do I know?) Other, relatively rare synonyms are tonic in the Boston area and dope in some parts of North Carolina and South Carolina. (The latter term perhaps derives from the fact that originally, Coca-Cola contained cocaine hence the brand name.) The dominant vocabulary in selected other nations includes â€Å"soft drink† for Australia and New Zealand (no, I’m not from Down Under), mineral in Ireland, and pop in Canada. What does what you call a carbonated beverage have to do with writing? Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, it behooves you to adhere to the local dialect, including vocabulary, when you’re engaging with regional culture. That’s easy for many authors, who write about their own neck of the woods and are intimately familiar with the local word-hoard. But if you’re going to virtually venture afar in your writing, make sure your characters don’t stand out as strangers by the way they talk unless, of course, that’s the point: A great strategy for showing, not telling, in a fish-out-of-water tale is to introduce the character by having them, for example, ask for a tonic when they sit down at a diner in the rural South. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph Examples50 Types of Propaganda45 Idioms About the Number One

Strategic Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Management - Research Paper Example Stable political situation in America and economic relations with Europe supported development and growth of international operations. Government policies and employment law have a positive impact on company's performance, its market position and organizational structure. Economic factors included stable economic development of the region, low interest rates and low inflation rates; regional and international cooperation, high record of airline industry growth. Social/demographic included lifestyle changes (involve aging of population), and increasing number of travelers. Technological forces generate problem-solving inventions. Airline target was on average as dependent on reliable information technology as any other businesses. Improvements in cargo ships and handling equipment, increasing containerization, applications of IT to scheduling and controlling shipments and to customs procedures, new plains, and a host of other technological advances and innovations have reduced the cos ts of services and information. On the other hand, airline technology cost is one of the highest among other industries (Rinehart, 2005; Meyer 2003). After 9/11 Delta Airlines experienced profit loss and lost it market share. ... Many potential passengers prefer to use alternative transport even if it takes more time to get to the place of destination. In this case the bargaining power of customers is not crucial. The ultimate aim of customers is to pay the lowest possible price to obtain the services that they require. Events of 9/11 forced many carriers including Delta Airlines invest in security systems and increase safety of airplanes (Meyer 2003; Delta Air Lines 2007). Porter's 5 P's (forces) include: the threat of entry of new competitors; the threat of substitutes; the bargaining power of customers; the bargaining power of suppliers; the degree of rivalry between existing competitors (Porter 45). Before 9/11, new entrants to an industry raised the level of competition, thereby reducing its attractiveness. Competition did not have a great impact on Delta Airlines obtaining a string market position and brand image. The presence of substitute services like trains, ships or automobiles transportation did not influence the industry and the price levels. A source of customers' power was the willingness and ability to achieve backward integration. Supplier power in the airline industry was the converse of buyer power. Suppliers had enough leverage over industry firms, and raised prices high enough to significantly influence the profitability of their organizational customers (Delta Air Lines 2007; Marks 2007). After 9/11, the threat of substitutes and the bargaining power of customers were the main 'drivers' in this industry. Many customers use alternative transport because of safety concerns. The high fuel prices do not allow Delta Airlines to decrease prices and attract wider target

Indecent Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Indecent Behavior - Essay Example 439). The attraction towards indecency through media is increasing day by day. Studies concerned with internet utilization prove that the sites which provide access to sexual materials have great popularity among the internet users. There is the great threat that the children may easily get exposed to indecent content and in order to prevent it the congress enacted the Communications Decency Act of 1996. It prohibited anyone from knowingly transmitting any indecent communication to persons under the age of 18, through a telecommunications device (Lively & Weaver, 2006, P. 149). The society is a deciding factor in determining what is right and what is wrong. Social changes occurring in one’s society can alter one’s attitude and behaviors. Say for people have different opinions about the homosexuality. Some are totally against it while the other group gives consent mentally. Certain countries’ legal systems make the particular group see themselves as wronged and pe rsecuted and it relieves their feeling of guilt. It is because of the police that homosexuals often regard themselves as unfairly treated minority group (Nardi & Schneider, 1998, p.

NEWS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

NEWS - Essay Example Although this has been a norm during the last many decades and various subsequent researches have been unable to point out the deficiency inherent in the model; the model has however been challenged recently as it has failed to explain the current flow phenomenon in the lithium ion batteries. This discovery surfaced when a cell containing a carbon coated porous electrode was used to analyze the validity of the old concept; while the older model failed to explain the results, the Marcus-Hush-Chidsey theory successfully explained the flow of energy within the battery. This theory gives a new insight into the phenomenon of flow of energy in a battery and relates it to rate of flow of electrons between carbon coating and porous electrode. The difference is more marked at higher voltages. This is an entirely new explanation of a previously known phenomenon and it is hoped that this will assist in developing batteries with better performance in

X-ray diffraction

X-ray diffraction INTRODUCTION: X-ray diffraction The diffraction of X-rays as they pass through a substance, usually forming an interference pattern that can be captured on film and used to analyze the internal structure of the substance. The scattering of x-rays by crystal atoms, producing a diffraction pattern that yields information about the structure of the crystal. X-ray diffraction is used in x-ray crystallography . X-ray diffraction the scattering of X rays by the atoms of a crystal; the diffraction pattern shows structure of the crystal . X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with typical photon energies in the range of 100 eV 100 keV. For diffraction applications, only short wavelength x-rays (hard x-rays) in the range of a few angstroms to 0.1 angstrom (1 keV 120 keV) are used. Because the wavelength of x-rays is comparable to the size of atoms, they are ideally suited for probing the structural arrangement of atoms and molecules in a wide range of materials. The energetic x-rays can penetrate deep into the materials and provide information about the bulk structure. X-rays are produced generally by either x-ray tubes or synchrotron radiation. In a x-ray tube, which is the primary x-ray source used in laboratory x-ray instruments, x-rays are generated when a focused electron beam accelerated across a high voltage field bombards a stationary or rotating solid target. As electrons collide with atoms in the target and slow down, a continuous spectrum of x-rays are emitted, which are termed Bremsstrahlung radiation. The high energy electrons also eject inner shell electrons in atoms through the ionization process. When a free electron fills the shell, a x-ray photon with energy characteristic of the target material is emitted. Common targets used in x-ray tubes include Cu and Mo, which emit 8 keV and 14 keV x-rays with corresponding wavelengths of 1.54 Ã… and 0.8 Ã…, respectively. (The energy E of a x-ray photon and its wavelength is related by the equation E = hc/ï  ¬, where h is Plancks constant and c the speed of light) (check out this ne at animated lecture on x-ray production) In recent years synchrotron facilities have become widely used as preferred sources for x-ray diffraction measurements. Synchrotron radiation is emitted by electrons or positrons travelling at near light speed in a circular storage ring. These powerful sources, which are thousands to millions of times more intense than laboratory x-ray tubes, have become indispensable tools for a wide range of structural investigations and brought advances in numerous fields of science and technology. Powder Diffraction Powder XRD (X-ray Diffraction) is perhaps the most widely used x-ray diffraction technique for characterizing materials. As the name suggests, the sample is usually in a powdery form, consisting of fine grains of single crystalline material to be studied. The technique is used also widely for studying particles in liquid suspensions or polycrystalline solids (bulk or thin film materials). The term powder really means that the crystalline domains are randomly oriented in the sample. Therefore when the 2-D diffraction pattern is recorded, it shows concentric rings of scattering peaks corresponding to the various d spacings in the crystal lattice. The positions and the intensities of the peaks are used for identifying the underlying structure (or phase) of the material. For example, the diffraction lines of graphite would be different from diamond even though they both are made of carbon atoms. This phase identification is important because the material properties are highly dependent on structure (just think of graphite and diamond). Powder diffraction data can be collected using either transmission or reflection geometry, as shown below. Because the particles in the powder sample are randomly oriented, these two methods will yield the same data. In the MRL x-ray facility, powder diffraction data are measured using the Philips XPERT MPD diffractometer, which measures data in reflection mode and is used mostly with solid samples, or the custom built 4-circle diffractometer, which operates in transmission mode and is more suitable for liquid phase samples. A powder XRD scan from a K2Ta2O6 sample is shown below as a plot of scattering intensity vs. the scattering angle 2or the corresponding d-spacing. The peak positions, intensities, widths and shapes all provide important information about the structure of the material. Thin Film Diffraction Generally speaking thin film diffraction refers not to a specific technique but rather a collection of XRD techniques used to characterize thin film samples grown on substrates. These materials have important technological applications in microelectronic and optoelectronic devices, where high quality epitaxial films are critical for device performance. Thin film diffraction methods are used as important process development and control tools, as hard x-rays can penetrate through the epitaxial layers and measure the properties of both the film and the substrate. There are several special considerations for using XRD to characterize thin film samples. First, reflection geometry is used for these measurements as the substrates are generally too thick for transmission. Second, high angular resolution is required because the peaks from semiconductor materials are sharp due to very low defect densities in the material. Consequently, multiple bounce crystal monochromators are used to provide a highly collimated x-ray beam for these measurements. For example, in the Philips MRD used in the x-ray facility, a 4-crystal monochromator made from Ge is used to produce an incident beam with less than 5 arc seconds of angular divergence. Basic XRD measurements made on thin film samples include: Precise lattice constants measurements derived from 2 scans, which provide information about lattice mismatch between the film and the substrate and therefore is indicative of strain stress Rocking curve measurements made by doing a scan at a fixed 2 angle, the width of which is inversely proportionally to the dislocation density in the film and is therefore used as a gauge of the quality of the film. Superlattice measurements in multilayered heteroepitaxial structures, which manifest as satellite peaks surrounding the main diffraction peak from the film. Film thickness and quality can be deduced from the data. Glancing incidence x-ray reflectivity measurements, which can determine the thickness, roughness, and density of the film. This technique does not require crystalline film and works even with amorphous materials. Texture measurementswill be discussed separately The following graph shows the high resolution XRD data of the superlattice peaks on the GaN (002) reflections. Red line denotes results of computer simulation of the structure. Texture Measurement (Pole Figure) Texture measurements are used to determine the orientation distribution of crystalline grains in a polycrystalline sample. A material is termed textured if the grains are aligned in a preferred orientation along certain lattice planes. One can view the textured state of a material (typically in the form of thin films) as an intermediate state in between a completely randomly oriented polycrystalline powder and a completely oriented single crystal. The texture is usually introduced in the fabrication process (e.g. rolling of thin sheet metal, deposition, etc.) and affect the material properties by introducing structural anisotropy. A texture measurement is also referred to as a pole figure as it is often plotted in polar coordinates consisting of the tilt and rotation angles with respect to a given crystallographic orientation. A pole figure is measured at a fixed scattering angle (constant d spacing) and consists of a series of -scans (in- plane rotation around the center of the sample) at different tilt or -(azimuth) angles, as illustrated below. The pole figure data are displayed as contour plots or elevation graphs with zero angle in the center. Below we show two pole figure plots using the same data set. An orientation distribution function (ODF) can be calculated using the pole figure data. Residual Stress Measurement Structural and residual stress in materials can be determined from precision lattice constants measurements. For polycrystalline samples high resolution powder diffraction measurements generally will provide adequate accuracy for stress evaluation. For textured (oriented) and single crystalline materials, 4-circle diffractometry is needed in which the sample is rotated so that measurements on multiple diffraction peaks can be carried out. The interpretation of stress measurement data is complicated and model dependent. Consult the reference literature for more details. Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) SAXS measurements typically are concerned with scattering angles SAXS measurements are technically challenging because of the small angular separation of the direct beam (which is very intense) and the scattered beam. Large specimen-to-detector distances (0.5 m 10 m) and high quality collimating optics are used to achieve good signal-to-noise ratio in the SAXS measurement. The MRL x-ray facility has cutting edge capabilities for SAXS measurements with three custom-built SAXS instruments including one 3.5-meter long ultra-small angle SAXS instrument with state-of-the-art optics and area detector for low scattering density samples. X-ray Crystallography X-ray crystallography is a standard technique for solving crystal structures. Its basic theory was developed soon after x-rays were first discovered more than a century ago. However, over the years it has gone through continual development in data collection instrumentation and data reduction methods. In recent years, the advent of synchrotron radiation sources, area detector based data collection instruments, and high speed computers has dramatically enhanced the efficiency of crystallographic structural determination. Today x-ray crystallography is widely used in materials and biological research. Structures of very large biological machinery (e.g. protein and DNA complexes, virus particles) have been solved using this method. In x-ray crystallography, integrated intensities of the diffraction peaks are used to reconstruct the electron density map within the unit cell in the crystal. To achieve high accuracy in the reconstruction, which is done by Fourier transforming the diffraction intensities with appropriate phase assignment, a high degree of completeness as well as redundancy in diffraction data is necessary, meaning that all possible reflections are measured multiple times to reduce systematic and statistical error. The most efficient way to do this is by using an area detector which can collect diffraction data in a large solid angle. The use of high intensity x-ray sources, such as synchrotron radiation, is an effective way to reduce data collection time. One of the central difficulties in structural determination using x-ray crystallography is referred to as the phase problem, which arises from the fact that the diffraction data contains information only on the amplitude but not the phase of the structure factor. Over the years many methods have been developed to deduce the phases for reflections, including computationally based direct methods, isomorphous replacement, and multi-wavelength anormalous diffraction (MAD) methods. METHODOLOGY: X-Ray Diffraction Method At Proto we use the x-ray diffraction method to measure residual stress. X-ray diffraction is presently the only portable nondestructive method that can quantitatively measure residual stress in crystalline and semi-crystalline materials. Our high speed x-ray detector technology enables measurements to be performed easily on metals and ceramics; including traditionally difficult materials such as shot peened titanium. XRD uses the coherent domains of the material (the grain structure) like a strain gage which reacts to the stress state existing in the material. Residual stress and / or applied stress expands or contracts the atomic lattice spacing (d). How do we Measure Stress? Actually, we measure strain and convert to stress. The d-spacings are calculated using Braggs Law: ÃŽ » = 2 d sin . If a monochromatic (ï  ¬) x-ray beam impinges upon a sample with an ordered lattice spacing (d), constructive interference will occur at an angle . Changes in strain and thus the d-spacing translate into changes in the diffraction angle measured by the x-ray detectors. The diffraction pattern is in the shape of a cone for polycrystalline materials. The shape of the diffraction peaks can also be related to the dislocation density and coherent domain size. Why Use Multiple Detectors? Unlike other single detector systems. Proto uses two (2) detectors for stress measurements thus capturing both sides of the diffraction cone. This means twice as much data is collected in the same amount of time simply by virtue of the design. Proto offers a four (4) detector system that can be used for both the four peak % retained austenite method and in multiphase stress measurements. Proto also offers 3 and 5 detector configurations for use in Simultaneous Stress and % Retained Austenite determination. Proto adheres to SAE SP-453 Retained Austenite and Its Measurement by X-ray Diffraction and ASTM E975-84 Standard Practice for X-ray Determination of Retained Austenite in Steel with Near Random Crystallographic Orientation.. Patented Fiber Optic Based Solid State Detectors Longevity and Maintenance Proto uses fiber optic based solid state detectors. The fiber optics allow the detector electronics to be remote from the sensing head making them suitable for measurements in harsh environments. Proto detectors are maintenance free and do not degrade with exposure to x-rays, thus less down time, better productivity and no hidden maintenance costs. Direct expose solid state detectors and position sensitive proportional counters degrade with exposure to x-rays and eventually require replacement which can be extremely costly. Because of x-ray damage, these detectors and counters must constantly be re-calibrated. In addition, some position sensitive proportional counters require periodic (bi-annual) maintenance to refill the sealed gas filled detector housing. Speed Proto detectors are the fastest detectors on the market today. A stress measurement can be performed in less than 0.3 seconds, an order of magnitude faster than any other detector technology commercially available. Position sensitive proportional counters can only detect one x-ray event at a time. In addition, there is dead time associated with their signal processing which slows data collection. Proto detectors have no dead time associated with them. They are multi-channel solid state detectors that collect many x-ray events simultaneously resulting in unmatched data collection speed. This is particularly important for laboratories with high throughput demands and for industrial on-line and audit station applications. Drift Position sensitive proportional counters can drift if there is any fluctuation in the DC bias voltage thus causing errors in peak position determination. Ambient temperature fluctuations, gas pressure and oxides on connections, to name a few, can contribute to detector instability and drift. Proto detectors are solid state, thus there is no positional drift associated with them. This means they are much more stable in harsh environments and at elevated or cold temperatures. Detector width Protos wide 2 detector range, 18.7 degrees 2for the 40 mm goniometer geometry offers increased accuracy on materials with broad diffraction peaks found in hardened tool and bearing steels. Flexibility in Residual Stress Measurement Techniques Most systems, particularly one detector systems, offer only double exposure and multiple exposure sin  ²Ã¯  ¹ techniques. Proto systems offer the double exposure and multiple exposure sin  ²Ã¯  ¹ techniques as well as the single exposure technique and the multiple exposure sin  ²Ã¯  £ techniques. This translates into more flexibility for characterizing samples with complicated geometries. Flexibility in Residual Stress Analysis With Proto equipment, unlike other diffraction systems, diffraction peaks can be fit using a number of mathematical functions including, Parabola, Gaussian, Cauchy, Pearson VII, centroid, and mid-chords. Proto also offers both the difference, and cross-correlation methods for peak position determination. This translates into both improved accuracy and flexibility. Focusing Optics Proto systems operate on a true center of rotation and are delivered pre-calibrated to meet exceed ASTM E915-90 Standard Test Method for Verifying the Alignment of X-ray Diffraction Instrumentation for Residual Stress and adhere to SAE J784a Residual Stress Measurement by X-ray Diffraction alignment specifications. All Proto systems operate using parafocusing optics thus eliminating the need for Sollier slits and allowing very fine positional accuracy in stress measurements inside 90 mm and 120 mm i.d. confinements (e.g. the i.d. of pipes and holes, or between parallel surfaces). The competition cannot offer access to such small holes. Simplicity in Use, Sophistication in Results Proto systems are easy to use and setup: Quick change apertures allow for easy adjustment of the irradiated area and sample setup (apertures can be changed in about 2 seconds) with beam dimensions (irradiated area) available from 0.3 mm to 5.0 mm. Sample positioning and focusing can be performed easily using the standoff pointer provided with all systems and through the collimator laser pointer which allows the user to quickly locate measurement locations. This is particularly helpful when using the Automated Stress Mapping option. The 4-Point bending fixture and Proto strain bridge are used for quick and easy determination of the effective x-ray elastic constant for new materials as per ASTM 1426-91, Standard Test Method for Determining the Effective Elastic Parameter for X-ray Diffraction Measurements of Residual Stress. The Proto Portable Electro Polisher is custom manufactured specifically for x-ray diffraction work, making material removal quick and efficient. Truly portable systems are available weighing less than 18 kg (40 lbs). Custom systems are available for customers with special requirements. Comprehensive turnkey systems are offered by Proto to their customers to simplify and expedite their stress measurement needs. Continuous Research and Development and a commitment to give you the best systems in the world. CONCLUSION:  · Other Sectionsââ€" ¼ Abstract 1.Introduction 2.Purification 3.Crystallization 4.X-ray diffraction data collection and analysis 5.Conclusion References Abstract Human phosphate-binding protein (HPBP) was serendipitously discovered by crystallization and X-ray crystallography. HPBP belongs to a eukaryotic protein family named DING that is systematically absent from the genomic database. This apoprotein of 38 kDa copurifies with the HDL-associated apoprotein paraoxonase (PON1) and binds inorganic phosphate. HPBP is the first identified transporter capable of binding phosphate ions in human plasma. Thus, it may be regarded as a predictor of phosphate-related diseases such as atherosclerosis. In addition, HPBP may be a potential therapeutic protein for the treatment of such diseases. Here, the purification, detergent-exchange protocol and crystallization conditions that led to the discovery of HPBP are reported. Keywords: ABC transporters, missing gene, apoproteins, atherosclerosis, paraoxonase  · Other Sectionsââ€" ¼HPBP was serendipitously discovered from supposedly pure PON1. The structure of HPBP (Morales et al., 2006 ) relates it to prokaryote phosphate solute-binding protein (SBP; Tam Saier, 1993; Luecke Quiocho, 1990 ; Vyas et al., 2003), which is associated with the ATP-binding cassette transmembrane transporters (ABC transporters; Higgins, 1992). Despite the existence of the ABC transporter in eukaryotes, SBPs have never been described or predicted by genomic databases in eukaryotes. The complete amino-acid sequence of HPBP (376 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 38.4 kDa) was assigned from the electron-density map at the 10% error level (Morales et al., 2006). Surprisingly, the deduced HPBP sequence cannot be retrieved from the human genome or other genomic databases. HPBP is related to a family of eukaryotic proteins that are named DING owing to their four conserved N-terminal residues (Berna et al., 2002). Similarly to HPBP, DING genes are also absent from DNA or RNA databases, although they are likely to be ubiquitous in eukaryotes. This raises numerous questions about the peculiarity of DING genes. The HPBP sequence deduced by crystallography is the first complete sequence of a DING protein and provides a precious basis for understanding the genetic mystery associated with DING proteins. We have provided evidence that HPBP is a new apoprotein mainly located on HDL (good cholesterol) capable of binding inorganic phosphate ions. Furthermore, HPBP presents 59% amino-acid identity with a protein named crystal-adhesion inhibitor (CAI) that may prevent the development of kidney stones by inhibiting the adhesion of calcium oxalate crystals to renal cells (Kumar et al., 2004). Thus, HPBP could be tentatively regarded as a potential predictor and as a possible therapeutic protein for treatment of phosphate-related disorders, including atherosclerosis. In this article, we report the purification, detergent-exchange protocol and crystallization conditions that led to the discovery of HPBP. HPBP was discovered by copurification from an apparently pure PON1 preparation. The HPBP/PON1-containing fractions were obtained according to a protocol based on the method of Gan et al. (1991) (Renault et al., in preparation) that was assumed to provide PON1 pure at ≠¥95%. Briefly, out of date plasma bags from blood donors (Etablissement Franà §ais du Sang Rhà ´ne-Alpes) were supplemented with CaCl2 to a final concentration of 10 mM before the resulting fibrin clot was separated by filtration. The filtrate was then submitted to a pseudo-affinity chromatography on Cibacron Blue 3GA-agarose (type 3000-CL; Sigma) using 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer pH 8.0 supplemented with 1 mM CaCl2 and 3 M NaCl to avoid the adsorption of albumin. Elution of hydrophobic plasma proteins, mainly lipoproteins, was performed using 0.1% sodium deoxycholate and 0.1% Triton X-100 in Tris-HCl buffer. The PON1-containing fractions were pooled and separated from the other HDL-bound proteins, mainly apolipoprotei n A-I, by anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow (Pharmacia Biotech) using 25 mM Tris buffer containing 0.1% Triton X-100 as starting buffer with a gradient of NaCl (0-0.35 M). Pooled HPBP/PON1-containing fractions were dialyzed and concentrated in the presence of C-12 maltoside (0.64 mM) using a centrifugation device (Centriprep Amicon, 10 kDa cutoff, Millipore, St Quentin-en-Yvelines, France) to a final absorbance of 2.3 at 280 nm. Light-scattering analysis revealed a homogeneous sample with an apparent molecular weight of about 80 kDa (Josse et al., 2002 ). This molecular weight was attributed to dimeric PON1 because the existence of HPBP was unknown at this point. Some dialyzed fractions spontaneously crystallized overnight. Crystal plates were very numerous and very thin (about 1  µm width). Once useless crystals had formed in the absence of precipitant agent, it was impossible to dissolve them again. Thus, crystallization trials were performed quickly after detergent exchange. Inspection of the resulting electron-density map clearly indicated that the crystallized protein was not PON1. The sequence deduced from the structure was totally unknown and not predicted by the genomic database. The complete amino-acid sequence was determined from X-ray data. This protein is the first inorganic phosphate transporter characterized in human plasma (Morales et al., 2006). The discovery of this protein by crystallography opens new insight into the physiopathology and medical treatment of phosphate-related diseases RECENTDEVELOPMENTS IN POLYMER CHARACTERIZATION USING X-RAYDIFFRACTION In the absence of an orientational force, thelamellae organize into spherulites (1-10 mm indiameter). X-ray scattering can be used to ob-tain structural information at three lengthscales—1, 10 and 100nm—using scattering atwide-, small- and ultra small-angles, respec-tively.A continuum of structures between the ex-tremesof what are generally regarded as amor-phous and crystalline phases are present in areal polymer, and these entities have complexorganization. But, a model that describes thesemicrystalline polymers in terms of two phases, an average amorphous and an averagecrystalline phase, has been found to be ade-quate for many practical purposes. The fractionof the material that is crystalline, the crys-tallinity or crystalline index, is an important pa-rameter in the two-phase model. Crystallinitycan be determined from a wide-angle X-ray dif- fraction (WAXD) scan by comparing the areaunder the crystalline peaks to the total scatteredintensity [12]. The accuracy and the precision ofthese measurements can be improved by draw-ing a proper base-line, using an appropriateamorphous template, and by carefully choosingthe crystalline peaks [13, 14]. The disorder inthecrystalline domains can be evaluated by measuring the crystallite sizes which are relatedto the radial widths D(2q) of the reflections at ascattering angle 2q by the Scherrer equation. Inreality, there are two contributions to the width:one is the size and the other is the para crystallinity or microstrain [15, 16]. A more detailed analysis based on the Warren-Averbach methodis widely used in metals and ceramics, but lessso in polymers [17]. The disorder in the crys-talline domains is also reflected in the unit celldimensions. But, calculation of the unit cell pa-rameters requires an accurate measurement ofthe positions of many crystalline peaks, which can be difficult. Therefore, in practice, relativepositions of selected crystalline peaks are used as accurate measures of the changes unit cellparameters [18, 19].Structures at length scales larger than a unit cell (10nm instead of 1nm) can be investi-gated using small-angle X-ray scattering(SAXS). The methodology for these analysis isnow highly developed and can be found in anystandard literature [9, 20-24]. While WAXD isused to study the orientation of the crystals,and the packing of the chains within these crys-tals, SAXS is used to study the electron densityfluctuations that occur over larger distances asa result of structural inhomogeneities. SAXS iswidely used to study the lamellar structure bymeasuring parameters such as lamellar spac-ing, height and thickness of the transition layer betweenthe crystalline and amorphous domains. In theanalysis of fibers, SAXS can provide informa-tion about the details of fibrillar morphologysuch as fibril diameter and orientation, and large scale inhomogeneity such as microporesand cracks. This information is somewhat simi-lar to that obtained from a transmission elec-tron micrograph, with one important difference:SAXS requires no sample preparation , and thedata is averaged over the area (typically 0.1mm2) of illumination. SAXS is also used for studying conformation, size and dynamics ofpolymers in solutions and in gels. 3. New Methods to Study Polymer Structure The two-phase model for the polymer hasbeen quite useful in providing a qualitative un-derstanding of the polymer properties in termof its structure, but is not adequate for quantita-tive prediction of the polymer properties. For this purpose, a detailed knowledge of the char-acteristics and distribution of soft (amorphous) and hard (crystalline) domains, and the interac-tions between these domains is necessary. New techniques that have been introduced duringthe past decade provide precisely this informa- tion. Some of these techniques will be discussed here. 3.1. Microbeam Diffraction Microbeam diffraction, or microdiffraction,has been used in semiconductor industry for over 25 years [25]. It is now being used to ex-amine polymeric materials. In most routine characterization of polymers, it is assumed thatthe structure is homogeneous. But, this is not always the case. Temperature gradients are pre-sent during injection molding, and both temper- ature and stress gradients are present duringextrusion and drawing. These gradients intro- duce structural inhomogeneities that influencepolymer performance. Even filaments that are only 10 mm in diameter show variations in ori-entation and density across the cross section [5, 26]. These structural gradients, and the changesin these gradients during deformation can now be studied at spatial resolutions as small as1 mm using microbeam diffraction [26]. An ex- ample of the typical structural gradients presentin a shown in Figure 2 [6]. This diffractogram was obtained from KevlarTM fiber with a 3 mm 16 Synchrotron Radiation Facility) synchrotronsource. The data show that the Hermans orien- tation function of the crystalline domains in this12 mm diameter fiber increases from 0.955 at the center to 0.980 at the surface of the fiber.The higher orientation of the skin layer is obvi- ously due to large shear stresses at the spin-neret, extensional forces in the air-gap and the solidification in the coagulation bath. Such astructural gradient implies that the modulus de- creases from the skin to core. It is interesting tonote that these inhomogeneities gradually de- crease and disappear under uniaxial stress.Microbeam techniques have reached a level of sophistication that it is now possible to focus .X-rays on a micron size crystal and follow the changes in the structure from one crystal to t

Rayona’s Growth in A Yellow Raft In Blue Water Essay -- Yellow Raft Bl

Rayona’s Growth in A Yellow Raft In Blue Water      Ã‚   As the subject of the first section of Doris' novel, A Yellow Raft In Blue Water, Rayona faces many problems that are unique to someone her age. Ray's mixed race heritage makes her a target of discrimination on the reservation. Problems in her family life (or lack thereof), give Rayona a reversed role in which she is the mother taking care of Christine. In dealing with these issues, Rayona learns a lot about herself and others.    Because of the life that Christine leads, the role of mother and daughter are switched and Rayona often finds herself watching out for her mom. When Ray comes home from school, she would often learn that her mother had gone out to party. Times like this meant that Rayona had to care for herself. It is not uncommon for one to stay out late; but when it is the parent who is doing so, one must question the responsibility of the person. When Christine leaves the hospital, Rayona shows up and helps prevent a potential disaster. She realizes what her mother plans to do, and that her mom will not crash the car with her on board. While Christine is not very reliable, she has no wish to hurt Rayona either; Ray's prediction was correct. As a child, Rayona must fulfill more obligations than a normal teen. Over the time that leads to her abandonment, Rayona begins to feel displaced from her mother. Christine's increasing self concern causes Rayona to feel her mom is ignoring her, when that is no t true at all.    In any given culture, people are proud of their heritage. However, when an individual of one group meets with people of another, and the element of ignorance is added, the individual will be socially ostracized. Of mixed descent, Rayon... ...lways easy to accomplish. After getting bucked off for the first time then the second, Ray feels that she has "a connection to a power that she never knew existed (120)." This event enormously boosts Rayona's self-perception and leads her forward in life.    As a teen, Rayona is in a confusing period of life. The gradual breakdown of her family life places an addition burden on her conscience. Without others for support, Rayona must find a way to handle her hardships. At first, she attempts to avoid these obstacles in her life, by lying, and by not voicing her opinions. Though when confronting them, she learns to feel better about herself and to understand others.    Works Cited Gleick, Elizabeth. "An Imperfect Union." Newsweek. 28 April 1997: 68-69. Covert, Collin. "The Anguished Life of Michael Dorris." Star Tribune. 3 Aug. 1997: A1, A10-A13.

Face-to-Face Communication Is a Better Way of Communication Essay

Imagine that your sweetheart keeps talking to you through telephone, the Internet or letters and refuses to meet you face to face even for a meal, what will you do? If I were you, I must be getting crazy! But things like this often happen in nowadays’ society. With the development of communication industry, people are getting used to various so-called fast ways of communication. Personally, however, no matter how fast and convenient those other communication modes can be, I think we should never abandon the most original way of communication—face-to-face communication, which is more vivid, interactive and easier for us to promote relationships with others. Face-to-face communication can make it more fun and vivid to talk to others, because it contains much more nonverbal languages than other ways of communication. When you talk to a person face to face, you make eye contacts with each other, by which both of you can exchange your inside emotions. Furthermore, by observing the person’s gestures, you can also dope out his personalities and decide what kind of person he is. And maybe the least important one is that, as the old saying goes,† all men search for beauty†, you can view the appearance of the person you are talking to, which might cause you rub out the birth of love if both of you are satisfied with each other’s appearance. All of these make it attachable for us to feel the person we are talking to is a real and touchable individual. There are times when you have to deliver exact information to other people, and at such times face-to-face communication will be your first choice, because it creates an interactive and efficient conversation. Firstly, when you are talking to a person face to face, both of you can raise questions about anything you can’t understand, so that the other person involved can explain it clearly in time, which contributes a lot to eliminate the misunderstandings and barriers of your communication. Secondly, a person’s tone and voice can suggest his present mood, which can make it easier for you to perceive his subtle changes of emotion. Finally, in face to face communication, you can tell whether the words the person spoke are authentic through observing his facial expression , which can also ensure that the person you are talking to is a faithful one. All of these can make your talking more successful and efficient especially when you are negotiating with someone. Maybe the biggest advantage of face-to-face communication s that it can deepen your relationship with others, because it can kill the distance among people. When communicating face to face, you can see the smile on the person’s face, which will make you feel warm and kind; you can hug each other when you’re getting excited; and even a handshake can make you feel the respect from the other person. All that can make you get closer to each other, which may be hardly made attachable by communicating through telephone or e-mail. For instance, we are far away from home as college students, even if we call our parents almost everyday, we still feel homesick and lonely. Why? Because telephone can never make us feel as close as meeting each other face to face. And so does it among friends, if we don’t meet each other face to face as often as possible, we will soon feel that our relationships are getting cold. In conclusion, with all factors taken into consideration, I totally agree that face to face communication is better than any other type of communication. Now, try to communicate with people face to face and you will find it more colorful and efficient than calling others through telephone or greeting each other just by sending an e-mail!

A maid up ending of the Cask of Amontillado (i got Essays - Fiction

A maid up ending of the Cask of Amontillado (i got Essays - Fiction A maid up ending of the Cask of Amontillado (i got an A-) There was none At precisely 10:30 A.M. I got a call from a Mr. Machiano saying while renovating a palazzo his men found the bones of a human. When I got to the scene one of his employees showed me to the bones. The clothes were still on the carcass. I asked Mr. Machiano how the body was discovered, "My men were knocking down the walls and one of them found a skeleton with its clothes on, and thats when I called you." I asked whom he bought the palace from. "A man I would say in his early eighties, named Montresor." I then left to learn about this person.. I found out that he is living with a cousin right near his old home. I decided to stop by and ask him a few questions hoping he will remember or know something. After about an hour of getting "I do not know. What are you talking about? Please leave." I realized this was a waste of time and decided to go. Later that night while eating dinner I decided the next morning I would go back to the crime scene to check for clues. The next morning I called Mr. Machiano and asked him to meet me at the palazzo. As I approached the body I began to feel a little queasy from last nights dinner but luckily I brought some herbal tea to help soothe my stomach. Anyway, I began to search the ground around the body hoping to find some clues. I noticed a gold bracelet on the ground near the body, and it read Montrsor. I decided to do a little more research on this man. I went to the station and asked the secretary to show me the file on any person missing for more than 20 years. The list only had about five people on it with a brief description. There was a man by the name of Fortunato on it who has been missing for about 50 years. He was last seen wearing a motley. I then put two and two together and after some investigation, I found out that the carcass was indeed Fortunato. Later that afternoon I decided to visit Mrs. Fortunato. She took the news pretty well, but I guess she had a feeling he was dead She said "The last time I saw him was fifty years ago during carnival season." I went back to Montresors house and told him that "Next to Fortunatos body was a gold bracelet with your name on it." He still claimed to have nothing to do with the murder and had no idea how his bracelet got near the body. "It must have fallen off and sunk into the mortar." When I said that I could sense his nervousness. I asked him if he was okay, then I heard him mumble something. I asked him to say that louder I could not quite hear that. He said "I killed him, and I do not even regret it." He kept the murder a secret all these years because he did not want to go to jail. "Now you are definitely going to jail." I felt kind of bad bringing an eighty year old person to jail, but I had no choice. Epilogue Four years later Montresor died. The Trumpino Towers was completed and a big success!

Tula de Hidalgo (Mexico) Toltec Capital City of Tollan

Tula de Hidalgo (Mexico) Toltec Capital City of Tollan The archaeological ruins of Tula (known as Tula de Hidalgo or Tula de Allende) are located in the southwestern part of the Mexican state of Hildalgo about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Mexico City. The site is located within the alluvial bottoms and adjacent uplands of the Tula and Rosas Rivers, and it lies partially buried beneath the modern town of Tula de Allende. Based on extensive ethnohistorical research by Wigberto Jimenez-Moreno and archaeological investigations by Jorge Acosta, Tula is considered the likely candidate for Tollan, the legendary capital of the Toltec Empire between the 10th and 12th centuries AD. In addition, Tulas construction bridges the Classic and Postclassic periods in Mesoamerica, during the period when the power of Teotihuacan and the southern Maya lowlands were fading, to be replaced by political alliances, trade routes and art styles at Tula, and at Xochicalco, Cacaxtla, Cholula and Chichà ©n Itz. Chronology Tollan/Tula was established during the Epiclassic period, about 750 AD as a fairly small town (ca 3-5 square kilometers or 1.2-1.5 square miles), as the Teotihuacan empire was crumbling. Colonial (after 1550 AD)Late Postclassic (1230-1550 AD)Early Postclassic (900-1230)Epiclassic (750-900) During the height of Tulas power, between AD 900 and 1100, the city included an area of some 13 sq km (5 sq mi), with an estimated population perhaps as high as 60,000. Tulas architecture was set in a large diversity of environments, from a reedy marsh to adjacent hills and slopes; within this varied landscape are hundreds of mounds and terraces, representing residential structures in a planned city scape, with alleys, passageways and paved streets. The heart of Tula was its civic-ceremonial district, called the Sacred Precinct, a large open quadrangular plaza surrounded by two L-shaped buildings, as well as Pyramid C, Pyramid B and the Quemado Palace. The Quemado Palace has three large rooms, sculpted benches, columns and pilasters. Tula is justly famed for its art, including two interesting friezes worth discussing in detail: the Coatepantli Frieze and the Vestibule Frieze. Coatepantli Frieze The Coatepantli Frieze (Mural of the Serpents) is the best known piece of art work at Tula, believed to date to the early Postclassic period. It is a carved into a 2.2 meter (7.5 foot) high free-standing wall running for 40 m (130 ft) along the north side of Pyramid B. The wall seems to channel and restrict pedestrian traffic on the north side, creating a narrow enclosed passageway. It was named coatepantli, which is the Aztec (Nahuatl) word for serpent, by excavator Jorge Acosta. The Coateplantli Friese was made from slabs of local sedimentary stone carved in relief and brightly painted. Some of the slabs were borrowed from other monuments. The frieze is capped by a row of spiral-shaped merlons; and its facade shows several reclining human skeletons intertwined with serpents. Some scholars have interpreted this as a representation of the feathered serpent in pan-Mesoamerican mythology, called Quetzalcoatl; others point to the Classic Maya Vision Serpent. (see Jordan for some interesting discussion). The Frieze of the Caciques (a.k.a. the Vestibule frieze) The Vestibule Frieze, while lesser known than that of the Coateplantli, is no lest interesting. It is a carved, stuccoed and brightly painted frieze that illustrates a line of ornately dressed men walking in a procession, located on the interior walls of Vestibule 1. Vestibule 1 itself is an L-shaped colonnaded hall that links Pyramid B with the main plaza. The hallway had a sunken patio and two hearths, and 48 square pillars supported a roof. The frieze is on a nearly square bench, measuring 94 centimeters (37 inches) high by 108 cm (42 in) wide in the northwest corner of Vestibule 1. The frieze itself is 50 cm x 8.2 m (19.7 in x 27 ft). The 19 men shown in the frieze have been interpreted at various times as local chiefs (caciques), priests or warriors, but based on the architectural setting, composition, costumes and color, these figures represent merchants, people who were engaged in long-distance trade. Sixteen of the 19 figures carry staffs, one appears to wear a backpack, and one carries a fan, all elements associated with travelers (see Kristan-Graham for more). Sources This article is a part of the About.com guide to the Toltec Civilization, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Castillo Bernal S. 2015. El Anciano Alado del Edificio K de Tula, Hidalgo. Latin American Antiquity 26(1):49-63. Healan DM, Kerley JM, and Bey GJ. 1983. Excavation and Preliminary Analysis of an Obsidian Workshop in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico. Journal of Field Archaeology 10(2):127-145. Jordan K. 2013. Serpents, skeletons, and ancestors?: the Tula Coatepantli revisited. Ancient Mesoamerica 24(02):243-274. Kristan-Graham C. 1993. The Business of Narrative at Tula: An Analysis of the Vestibule Frieze, Trade, and Ritual. Latin American Antiquity 4(1):3-21. Ringle WM, Gallareta Negron T, and Bey GJ. 1998. The return of Quetzalcoatl: Evidence for the spread of a world religion during the Epiclassic period. Ancient Mesoamerica 9:183-232. Stocker T, Jackson B, and Riffell H. 1986. Wheeled figurines from Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico. Mexicon 8(4):69-73. Stocker TL, and Spence MW. 1973. Trilobal Eccentrics at Teotihuacan and Tula. American Antiquity 38(2):195-199.

United States - A superpower in decline Term Paper

United States - A superpower in decline - Term Paper Example Global media is abuzz with news, opinions and predictions on the decline of the US, and there are innumerable ‘foretellers’ assuming the rise of other would-be superpowers, especially China. Theories of world domination by emerging economies have always been around, however, it is yet to be seen if the superpower status of the US actually caves in. Are US powers really declining? The answers to this question are extremely elusive especially in light of the fact that even after severe economic crises in the past, the US has successfully bounced back to stable conditions, retaining its economic and political dominance. This paper attempts to analyze the current status of economic and military power of the US, in order to investigate the ‘assumed’ decline of the power of this nation. The present economic situation in the US, the extreme debt crisis topped with public protests such as Occupy Wall Street demonstrate the gravity of the U.S situation. Most economists worldwide have even gone to the extent of analogizing it to the Great Depression. It is believed that the present crisis will consume the nation and that it is a harbinger of the US downfall from power. Although the US economy is currently under recovery, the percentage decline in median annual household income is greater than it was during the previous recession. The decline in income during the period of recession from 2007 – 2009 was 3.2%, which increased to 6.7% by June 2011 (Berman). Lack of growth in income coupled with the sluggish job growth has marred the U.S’s once enviable job market. It is in fact feared that the US will trip back into another recession. In another major drawback, the US lost its AAA credit rating, downgrading it to AA+ status. As the dollar is under threat and the US debt burden mounts up, it is speculated that within a decade or so, China, with a GDP growth rate of 9.8% as of 2010, will outgrow the US, whose GDP growth rate is only 3.10% (World Bank). The Chinese Yuan may replace the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This scenario reminds of earlier predictions in the 1980s when it was foretold that Japan would be a superpower, which however did not come true. This proves the inconsistency and fallibility of such predictions. However, the avowal that the US economic and military power is in decline, stands true, as will be discussed in the following sections. 2. The US Economy Economy is a major determinant of world power and the size of the economy influences its position in the world market. The US economy is analyzed here, in terms of growth, export, import, innovation, natural resources and trade. 2.1 Growth The annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is a major indicator of economic growth. The US economy is the largest in the world, followed by China and Japan. The GDP growth rate of the US was documented as 1.6% in the third quarter of 2011 (tradingeconomics.com). The GDP growth rate of China is far higher, at 9.1%. The GDP growth rates of other major economies of the world, such as India, Germany, Canada, France, Australia, UK and Japan were 7.7%, 2.7%, 2.2%, 1.6%, 1.1%, 0.5% and -1%, respectively, in the third quarter of 2011. As is evident, China has the highest GDP growth rate and India is not far behind. The US GDP growth rate is despairingly low, falling from 3.10 to 1.6%. Therefore, in terms of economic growth, the economy of the US is seemingly in decline. As for the prediction that the Chinese economy will soon become the world’

Management case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management case study - Essay Example Mark, who described to his team members about group dynamics and team effectiveness. Enough time needed to be provided in order to understand each other and proper co-ordination among the team members is of paramount importance. The group leader Mark gave a proper direction and scrutiny to its team members. For the effective undertaking of this session, proper co-ordination among the team members was essential. Working in a group is more dynamic as well as challenging than doing things on one's own. Motivation helps to improve the morale of the team members. Thus, the group leader needs encourage the team members to achieve the goals that they set. It is also necessary to provide a clear idea to the members about the group norms. The goals shall be achievable through team efforts of the group members. Team spirit and effective communication are the key factors behind the proper implementation of the norms of the group. Along with group dynamics and team effectiveness, proper leadership and supervision are necessary for the retreat group's success. Effective training and development programs are also necessary. The members of each group are different from one another on the basis of their knowledge and skills. They come from different environment and are mainly from three locations. While undertaking the session, Mr. Mark, the group leader maintained the group systematically, by arranging seating properly for the team members, and discussed their ultimate goals. The major goals of the team members were to accumulate competitive power, assimilate the essential quality to cope with other groups, reach the best in sports or athelitical activities, running around 25miles, and the like. The group also aimed at developing a sound atmosphere. As the retreat session went on, it could be clearly evaluated that the group was developing in athletic efforts, rather than those of academicals. When the first week of the training session ended, the participants of the group were called to undertake a self evaluation. Even though the group members knew each other, their strength and weaknesses, and so on, they were reluctant to charge each other. Both academic and athletic programs of Mark's group were good enough, but it turned out to be the worst when compared it with those of competitors. Mr. Mark was worried, because he was responsible for developing effective steps to overcome those problems an effectively. After a few days' gap, Mr. Mark planned another procedure known as Project X, by dividing the group members in to two, i.e. six members each. This project aimed at evaluating the capability and skills of the group members. This project would help in analyzing whether the group members will be able to tackle the problem, and their ability to provide a solution for it within the stipulated time period. But the Mark's group performed badly, which made the group leader quiet disappoint. The goals so set by the group remained unachievable. The leadership qualities of Mr. Mark were not remarkable. And the members were unable to attain the goals. The members of the group consist of their own personal merits, but there is a lack of group or team effectiveness to attain these goals. More than this, after the failure of Project X, the group decided to modify the goals on the basis of success and failures attained by them. The Mark's group was unable to