High Tech Computer Industry essays

High Tech Computer Industry essays In today's fast-paced world, the high-tech computer industry offers a unique opportunity for high-paying jobs. Many people start their careers much younger than I have, so consequently I have to search for a career in a field that will offer me adequate financial rewards in a limited amount of time. I started working with computers four years ago, upgrading systems, and increasing modem speeds to enable me access to the World Wide Web. I find programming to be the most interesting area of Computer Science; there is a subculture within this area that call themselves hackers. There seems to be a negative connotation with the word hacker. This is a misunderstanding because these programmers, who consider themselves to be hackers, are not the evildoers that the media portrays them as. Some misguided souls do attack systems for profit and pleasure, but these are usually the wannabe hackers; they are referred to as crackers or cyberpunks. True hackers do not waste their time with t hese types of antics. It is similar to an artist who, instead of painting a beautiful picture, sprays profanity on a city wall. There are many misconceptions surrounding the artform of hacking. Computers have made our world and lives much easier. In the past, many jobs were done by hand. Computers have replaced calculators. Word processing is now much faster and more conveienent than it was when we had to use typewriters. Not only can we type and correct errors much quicker since it can be done on a computer, but we dont even have to type at all as a result of dictation software, which allows us to speak to our computers. Computers revolutionized our world. We can communicate through e-mail with friends around the world. Research on any form or type of information is readily and easily accessible through the Internet. Computers have opened doors to people all over the world that just twenty years ago were not even dreamed of. Through all th...

How to Conjugate the French Verb Découvrir

How to Conjugate the French Verb Dà ©couvrir In French, the verb  dà ©couvrir  means to discover or to uncover. When you want to change it to the past tense discovered or the future tense will uncover, you will need to conjugate the verb. French verbs are rarely simple to conjugate, and  dà ©couvrir  is one of the more challenging. However, a short lesson will run you through the basics. Conjugating the French Verb  Dà ©couvrir Dà ©couvrir  is an  irregular verb, meaning it does not follow a common verb conjugation pattern. Yet, it is not alone because the majority of French verbs that end in  -frir  or  -vrir, including ouvir (to open),  are conjugated in the same way. The challenge of conjugating in French is that you not only take into account the present, future, or past tense when changing the infinitive ending. There is also a separate ending for each subject pronoun within each of those tenses. That means you have more words to dedicate to your memory. Study this table to learn the correct forms of  dà ©couvrir. Simply pair the subject pronoun with the proper tense: I discover is je dà ©couvre and we will discover is nous dà ©couvrirons. Practicing these in context is a good way to help memorize them. Subject Present Future Imperfect je dà ©couvre dà ©couvrirai dà ©couvrais tu dà ©couvres dà ©couvriras dà ©couvrais il dà ©couvre dà ©couvrira dà ©couvrait nous dà ©couvrons dà ©couvrirons dà ©couvrions vous dà ©couvrez dà ©couvrirez dà ©couvriez ils dà ©couvrez dà ©couvriront dà ©couvraient Present Participle Adding -ant  to the verb stem  dà ©couvr-  creates the  present participle  dà ©couvrant. Its useful beyond a verb and can also become an adjective, gerund, or noun when needed. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © The  past participle  of  dà ©couvrir  is  dà ©couvert. This is used to form the common past tense known as the  passà © composà ©. To use it, you will also need to conjugate the  auxiliary verb  avoir. For example, I discovered is jai dà ©couvert and we discovered is nous avons dà ©couvert. More Simple  Conjugations There may be times when you will find a  use for the subjunctive or conditional verb forms of  dà ©couvrir  as well. The subjunctive verb mood implies that the act of discovering is subjective or uncertain. Similarly, the conditional verb mood says that discovering will only happen  if  something else takes place. The passà © simple is  primarily found in literature and formal writing. The same applies to the imperfect subjunctive. While you may not use them yourself, being able to recognize these as a form of  dà ©couvrir  is a good idea. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Passà © Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je dà ©couvre dà ©couvrirais dà ©couvris dà ©couvrisse tu dà ©couvres dà ©couvrirais dà ©couvris dà ©couvrisses il dà ©couvre dà ©couvrirait dà ©couvrit dà ©couvrà ®t nous dà ©couvrions dà ©couvririons dà ©couvrà ®mes dà ©couvrissions vous dà ©couvriez dà ©couvririez dà ©couvrà ®tes dà ©couvrissiez ils dà ©couvrent dà ©couvriraient dà ©couvrirent dà ©couvrissent To use  dà ©couvrir  in the imperative form, there is no need to include the subject pronoun. Instead of tu dà ©couvre,  simplify it to dà ©couvre. Imperative (tu) dà ©couvre (nous) dà ©couvrons (vous) dà ©couvrez

Diabetes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Diabetes - Term Paper Example Diabetes results from the body not being able to produce enough glucose or the inability of the body to use the insulin efficiently. Insulin transfers glucose from blood into the cells for use hence when the glucose level increase in the blood diabetes sets in (Stehouwer & Schaper, 2009). The beta cells of pancreas that is an organ located just below the stomach work to produce insulin hormone. There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes results from failure of the pancreas to produce enough insulin into the blood stream. Type 1 diabetes can either result from the pancreas producing less insulin or the insulin from the pancreas being ineffective. This results in accumulation of the glucose in blood. Starvation of the body cells off energy causes diabetes type 2. Normal glucose levels vary with time before eating (fasting levels), random levels, and tolerance test levels of glucose. Blood glucose level during fasting range from 80-90mg/dl, random blood sugar levels range between 80-139mg/dl while the glucose tolerance levels also range between 80-139mg/dl hence blood sugar increases because of the glucose being out of the ranges (Stehouwer & Schaper, 2009). Type 1 diabetes is more of a genetic condition while type 2 is due to lack of physical activity and obesity among other life style living. The clinical manifestations of diabetes vary depending on the type of diabetes. However, they exhibit some common signs and symptoms, for example excessive thirst, frequent urination, extreme hunger, increased fatigue, and unusual weight loss. Classification can also be according to the level of diabetes in that in the cause of hypoglycemia, which is low glucose level in the blood the clinical manifestations include: shaking, sweating, dizziness, anxious, fast heart rate, hunger, weakness, impaired vision, fatigue, and headaches. In the case of hyperglycemia which is the increase of glucose level in the blood due to lack of its transfer in to the

Long-Term Investment Decisions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Long-Term Investment Decisions - Assignment Example The level of government intervention is high in an oligopolistic market environment and this situation would prevent potential mergers in the entertainment industry from absorbing smaller corporations. This paper will discuss whether government regulation is needed in this industry and analyze certain potential threats to the expansion of industry through capital projects. Significance of Government Regulation Based on a comprehensive analysis, it can be said that government regulation is essential in a market economy, particularly an oligopolistic market structure like entertainment industry. Achievement of social efficiency and equity are the major reasons for government involvement in a market economy. Social efficiency can be attained at a point where the marginal benefits of either production or consumption to society are equal to marginal costs of production or consumption. In addition, social equality is less likely to be promoted in a market environment where government inter vention is insignificant. As Hyman (2007, p. 67) points out, government involvement in a market economy is particularly vital to prevent the creation of monopoly power, which in turn will result in an output level below the socially efficient level. This practice is also necessary to provide the public with proper information and to enhance market certainty. Probably, lack of certainty would persuade people to produce or consume at a level less than they would choose otherwise. Free market environments seem to respond sluggishly to demand and supply fluctuations and this time lag in response can result in permanent disequilibrium state and cause instability problems. Timely government regulation in a market economy is also crucial to promote adequate provision of dependents and adequate output of merit goods. Evidently, tools like taxes and subsidies are specifically important to address market distortions effectively. To illustrate, imposing tax rates equal to marginal external cos ts and granting subsidy rates equal to marginal external benefits are some potential strategies to resolve externalities. In short, effective government regulation is inevitable to prevent the imposition of external costs and to enhance customer protection. Rationale for Government Intervention in US Currently, the entertainment industry’s long-term expansion plans through mergers are challenged by Federal government regulations. There are various reasons for the intervention of government in the market process in the US. As discussed already, today entertainment industry is an oligopolistic market, which is dominated by four main players. Evidently, the planned mergers would turn the entertainment industry into monopoly and this situation in turn would negatively affect the interests of the society. Under a monopolistic market structure, there is no market competition and therefore the ‘market ruler’ is free to charge any price regardless of consumer interests. In other words, customers do not have any option other than buying the products at the rates fixed by the company. In this situation, the organization may find it profitable to produce inferior or substandard goods because customers are compelled to purchase those items without a second thought. Hence, it can be claimed that creation of a monopolistic market structure would lead to consumer exploitation and this practice may cause customer dissatisfaction. Price discrimination is another negative impact of

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay Example for Free

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay The book The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros is merely a collection of different (and in some ways similar) traits, experiences, cultures, traditions, values and points of views of the girls and boys living at Mango Street. From these collections collating in 44 inter-related chapters create a single topic of how the main character in the story Esperanza Cordero evolves, empowers herself, dreams and struggles to have a life she is aspiring of someday while still focusing herself to remain her feet standing on the ground.   The story also tackles some human rights issues although it is laid not in a tragic or overly dramatic situation since lightness and simple poetic style of narrating events and describing characters through short outline and vignettes are the manner the author has used.   Hence, the book is intentionally written for young mind readers for them to know and understand serious issues in a light touch. As a young preadolescent girl, Esperanza Cordero manages to identify herself in each of the character lives in her neighborhood although not exactly in the same manner.   She successful shows through her descriptions of the place and people in her life the not-so-good and not-so-bad experiences of the dual citizenship inhabitant in the city like the Latin – Americans.   She is most likely referring to females.   These females are what she actually provides us to be able to identify her as herself, or someone she wishes she could be or someone she hates exactly being a member of minority gender living in a minority community, in each of the characters given. Esperanza Cordero belongs to a family of six composed of a mother, a father, two brothers named Kiki and Carlos, and with only one sister Nenny.   Like many other kids, she has inner hopes and aspirations.   One of them is having a house she owns someday, and described as a white big one with lots of free space and bathrooms, perhaps due to her own experiences of living in a house of only one bedroom and bathroom.   After some changing of locations, her family decided to acquire a house to call their own to be free from rental obligations and irritating experiences of having landlords and landladies.   The house is situated at Mango Street.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the characters in the story are Cathy described as a typical rich girl who easily gets annoyed with the rudeness of people especially Esperanza’s male neighbors, Sally who at a young age forced to get married just to be free from domestic violence at home, another rich girl Alicia who always gets horrified with rats in their house, Elenita the fortune-teller, the materialistic girl Marin, Ruthie and Rafaela who always keep on telling Esperanza the disadvantages of marrying at a young age, and sisters Lucy and Rachel who are her playmates and companions in biking and in some memorable adventures along with her sister Nenny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Empowering herself is passively done as it is only a shadow which reflects her girly actions through her noting down of observations and understandings.   It means that the struggle of Esperanza to be free over power and superiority does not mean that she has to gain it over others or at the expense of others.   It only suggests that being true to oneself, as what she does, is enough to make things change for betterment. R E F E R E N C E S Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Random House Inc. 2005

San Gabriel River and its drainage problems :: essays research papers fc

In 1938, the San Gabriel Mountains (Los Angeles, USA) experienced heavy amounts of rain. This then led to mass movement, such as mudslides, and flash flooding, which flushed through downtown LA, damaging buildings, homes and vehicles. After these events, a flood committee was formed, and networks of hard defences were set up along the long profile of the San Gabriel River. The aim: decrease the hydrograph, and reduce the risk of flooding. In the upper course of the San Gabriel River, the San Gabriel Dam was built. This is a filtering dam, and uses sluice gates to prevent large boulders from progressing down river. By doing this, the amount of sediment in the river decreases, which reduces the possibility of flooding from high sediment yield, and in the case of a flood, there will be no harmfully large sediment. Problems, however, are that the velocity of the river increased as there is less load to carry, which makes the erosion process scarce, as attrition and corrasion cannot take place. Also the riverbed and slip-off slopes of the river are very weak and can erode easily from hydraulic action. Then there are open dam systems, like Santa Fe and Maddock, where the river is stored and filtered of its sediment. This shares the same benefits of the sluice gates, however, it means no natural levees can form on the riverbanks. Further downstream, there are large control dams and artificial diversion-zone river basins, like the Wittier Narrows. When the river begins to flood, the control dams close, and form a barrier. This completely prevents the river from flowing downstream. The water is then detoured into the artificial basins, like the Wittier Narrows where it is stored until the river returns to its normal level. Then the control dams gradually re-release the stored water into the stream flow. This is effective as it prevents the flooding entering the downtown area. It also allows for things like hydroelectric power and water supply to be easily obtainable, without affecting the main river flow itself for too long. This problem is that this can lead to the starvation of habitats living alongside the river, as there is no water flow.

Current Market Conditions Competitive Analysis Essay

Before investing time, money, and resources into new product development, every company must fully understand the existing market competition. Analyzing competitors in depth will help a company determine future potential success of the new product segment. Though Keurig is the industry leader in coffeemakers and coffee portions, they too experience factors affecting supply and demand. In addition, Keurig often sees many attempts to compete with their product. However, it is important to note that even the competition has great potential. The critical points of researching the current market include knowledge of any issues that may affect long-term profitability as well as how the company can compete in the market. With successful research and analysis, the company can consider ways in which they can maximize their success and profit-making potential in their new market. Keurig Products Founded in 1992 by John Sylvan and Peter Dragone, the Keurig leads today’s market with a single brew technology that revolutionized the way many people drank morning coffee (McGinn, 2014). The chosen name â€Å"Keurig† means a form of excellence and is a name Sylvan found in a Danish-English dictionary (McGinn, 2014). The company took years to develop with minimal success and changed hands in 2006 (McGinn, 2014). Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. purchased Keurig in 2006 and turned the company into a multi-billion dollar company (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). In the 2010 fiscal year, Keurig sold more than $330 million worth of single-cup brewers and more than $800 million worth of the single K-Cups (McGinn, 2014). What began as an office-based machine is now available in more than 9,000 retail stores for the home (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). The Keurig is a single-portion machine that brews a consistent single cup of coffee every time the machine runs a cycle. Through patented technology, the Kuerig system includes three components unique to the company (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). The three components include their unique single-cup brewer, the patented K-Cup, and one of the largest selections of gourmet  teas, coffees, and hot cocoas (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). First, the brewer combines the precise amount of water with temperature and water pressure for consistent flavor every brew time (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). Second, the K-Cups combine roaster specifications with filters and barriers to produce the most flavorful and consistent cup of coffee with every brew (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). Last, the Keurig system offers more than 170 varieties with blends from 12 brands (Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., 2014). Defining the Market According to Mifflin (2014), the Keurig system offers something that many of the competitors do not. Keurig offers the ability to brew fresh cups and blends for less than ten cents per cup (Mifflin, 2014). The savings with this system is significant in that competitors cost around $.45 to $.50 each with similar types of single coffee pods and capsules (Mifflin, 2014). Because of this cost saving, yet advanced technology, Keurig’s target market includes both employees of the corporate world and households. The methods and strategies of their market include not focusing solely on the commercial office segment, but including the household as well as the home office segments. The Keurig plans included a successful rollout into the commercial and home office segments, which then can provide a springboard for the launch into the household segment. Keurig has many competitors but Starbucks seems to be the biggest threat. Starbucks is known for their gourmet coffee. Starbucks provides up scaled fresh vanilla bean coffee along with other wonderful brands. With this economic state Starbucks prices has caught up with them which caused the demand to decrease. Starbucks was forced to face reality and lower there price and even close a couple of stores along with reducing staff. This proves that the cost of the coffee is elastic and if the price is too high then the demand will decrease. Even with success there are factors that affect demand such as availability, competition, developments and costs. Due to the increasing demand for the Keurig system, consumer prices continue to rise. Many consumers argue that a case of 15 K-Cups cost an inexpensive $9.99, while others argue that one can purchase a 31.5oz of Colombian ground coffee for the same price. To stay ahead of the competition and attempt to fight some of the arguments, Keurig also produced the My K-Cup product. The My K-Cup product allows the consumer  to use the machine without purchasing standard K-Cups and instead use store-bought grounds to brew a single cup of coffee. In addition to the factors affecting demand are the factors affecting the supply. Neejan (2014) speaks of economics in general in that when the supply will increase if and when foreign producers enter the market. Just as well, Nee jan (2104) speaks of technology in that with the improvement of technology, productivity will rise because production can become robotic. Neejan (2104) concludes that for the same amount of costs it is possible to supply more of the product, thus the supply curve will shift to the right. This effect Keurig because if the supply decrease then the demand will increase. It the product is not present the consumers will shop where the supply is this means a lost in revenue. According to â€Å"Market Equilibrium† (N.A), â€Å"graphically, changes in the underlying factors that affect demand and supply will cause shifts in the position of the demand or supply curve at every price. Whenever this happens, the original equilibrium price will no longer equate demand with supply, and price will adjust to bring about a return to equilibrium.† This relates to Keurig given the scenario the outcome could be the same .Keurig has a lot of competition everything about the product Keurig has to be aligned. The competition lies with the store who can prepare the coffee and have it readily available. Also, the machine is not portable, and the competition could have an advantage for convenience when it comes to outside the home workers. Issues and Opportunities That Affect its Competitiveness and Long-Term Profitability Price elasticity of demand is an important factor for any firm’s profitability. It measures the responsiveness of consumers to a change in the product’s price (Colander, 2013). If consumers are very responsive to a change in price demand is elastic, while demand is inelastic if consumers are relatively unresponsive to a change in price (Colander, 2103). The more inelastic the demand is, the higher prices companies can charge for the product with higher profits. A key factor in determining the price elasticity of demand is the availability of substitutes. Some available substitutes include Mr. Coffee, Bunn, and Bloomfield Because of multiple  substitutes, technological innovation is critical. Through technological innovation, Keurig can differentiate its product from substitute products. By differentiating with new technology, Keurig can reduce the price elasticity of demand and make demand inelastic. Doing so allows for an increase in profits and works in direct relat ion to the creation of the K-Cup technology. With the cost effectiveness and reliability of the Kuerig, issues can arise that will affect the long-term profitability of the product. For example, in 2009 alone, the Kuerig coffee maker sold well over 2,000,000 units, equaling to significant labor costs associated with the product (CITATION). The amount of physical labor required to build the units, coupled with the multiple variations of models, proves high capital costs within manufacturing. For example, in initial years temporary workers constructed the K-Cups (CITATION). After Green Mountain Brewing Coffee Brewers acquired the company, a top priority became hiring full time employees to produce K-Cups at a much faster rate (CITATION). Additional issues with the Keurig product include the waste of K-Cups and an increase in competition. According to one consumer, the K-Cup is producing a significant amount of waste for landfills (Gordon, 2014). The products are not biodegradable or recyclable and any means of trying to do so comes with a price from Keurig (Gordon, 2014). Though the company is addressing some of the economic concerns, many consumers feel that the company focuses more on profits than sustainability (Gordon, 2014). Also, as new Keurig systems enter the market with an attempt to address specific issues, consumer prices only continue to rise. Simple and basic competitive systems such as the Mr. Coffee brewing system range around $75 to $100 (CITATION). Howeve r, competitive Keurig models can cost as much as $250.00 (CITATION). When considering future challenges of Keurig, there is an issue of cost in comparison with competitive models, but also with the concept that kitchen appliances come and go as a fad product (McGinn, 2014). The real strength of the Keurig system in terms of revenues is in fact not the brewing system, but instead the continued sales of the K-Cup (McGinn, 2014). Factors Affecting Variable and Fixed Costs Variable costs are those costs that change as the output changes (Colander, 2013). In contrast, fixed costs are those costs that remain constant and are  not affected by production volume. As the total cost of brewing a Keurig cup of coffee can range from ten to fifty cents, this cost is a fixed cost that remains constant in total. This cost is not affected by volume of production, but vary on a unit basis. The base unit saves ten cents by one brewing their own grounds (Mifflin, 2014). As consumers consider costs, one can calculate that with brewing 200 cups per day, the consumer will save $20 per day, $140 per week, totaling $7,280 per year. By using individual blends, Keurig provides a significant savings to the consumer. Labor costs are variable depending on a number of factors, including the number of brewers and number of K-Cups. Labor costs may increase to meet supply and demand of the units. To offset some of the labor costs, Keurig introduced the My K-Cup to the market, the refore decreasing the labor costs for standard K-Cups on the market. Controlling some of the labor cost will have to be born at the market and choosing to use your own blend as shown above will save a significant a lot in return to offset labor cost (THIS REDUCES CONSUMER COSTS, NOT THEIR LABOR COSTS). Supply and demand comes into play when you sent wages, just as it does when companies determining the price of products. If there is a shortage of workers unfortunately, wages will have to go up to attract a good worker, but if there is not the shortage wages, labor will be reasonable, and the cost of productivity will go down. (twist, 2010) (THIS SITE DOES NOT LOAD PROPERLY AND RELATES TO THE HOUSING MARKET) Recommendations on Maximizing Profit-Making Potential Perfect competition refers to markets that do not have participants large enough to have the market power to set the price of a homogenous product (Colander, 2013). There is always room for growth and changes to increase the profit making potential for companies and still stay competitive in the market. In order to compete successfully and remain profitable, a company must have a competitive strategy. A critical step in the strategy is having a lower cost producer, meaning that the company will produce or manufacture their product for the lowest possible cost without losing any of its value. This type of strategy will provide the company with a cost advantage that is comparable or relative to its competitors. The results of Keruig utilizing these recommendations will provide the Keurig with two options. First, they can undercut their competitors, thus resulting in the increase of their  share on the market. Second, they can continue selling their products at a price that is similar to their competitors, which would result in them having a higher profit margin. Keurig does not need to limit or sacrifice the quality of their product which may lead to a decrease in sales. Rather, Keurig can reduce their costs with a few options. Keurig can purchase more efficient production equipment, purchase other fixed or capital assets to increase efficiency, or do away with one or more of their cost producing activities. In addition, Keurig can source less expensive raw material suppliers, reduce employee overtime costs, or reduce the amount of waste in their products. Conclusion References Colander, D. C. (2013). Microeconomics (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Gordon, A. (2014). Opinion: Keurig needs to brew up solutions for wasteful K-Cups. Retrieved from http://thelantern.com/2014/02/opinion-keurig-needs-brew-solutions-wasteful-k- cups/ Keurig Green Mountain, Inc.. (2014). Corporate profile. Keurig. Retrieved from http://www.keurig.com/in-the-news/2010/~/media/Files/News%20And%20Media %20PDFs/keurig_CoProfile.ashx McGinn, D. (2014). The buzz machine. Boston.com. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/ business/articles/2011/08/07/the_inside_story_of_keurigs_rise_to_a_billion_dollar_coffe e_empire/ Mifflin, M. (2014). Single serve brewer buying tips and Keurig brewer features. About.com. Retrieved from http://housewares.about.com/od/coffeemakers/qt/Keurig-Brewers-and-Single-Serve-Buying-Tips.htm Neejan, S. (2014) What are the factors affecting demand and supply? Answers. Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_factors_affecting_demand_and_supply

Oscar Wilde the Happy Prince and Other Stories Essay

Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet, novelist, author of short stories as well as playwright, and it was his comedies which made him famous. In spite of that, it looks like his works remain only a reflection of his great mind. He was always fascinated by the public – for his work he needed immediate reaction. Probably he was a better storyteller than writer. Nevertheless, Oscar Wilde was a very talented student, with great memory. He studied at Trinity College in Dublin and later on in Oxford. He decided to go to London to make some money and, especially, become famous. In order to get respect of the upper classes, he had a perfect plan. Being aware of the fact that it was necessary to entertain or shock people to be noticed, he started to wear extravagant clothes. And this became his image.. Despite the fact that he got married and had two sons, he fell in love with a young, not very talented poet. As it was illegal to have a homesexual relationship at his time, he was found guilty and sent to prison. As he mentioned later on, there were two important events in his life: going to study to Oxford and being sent to prison. After being released from prison, he never returned to London. He lost joy to write (he wrote only one ballad and letters) and his health was very poor, too. Eventually he died in Paris, abondened with a smile on his face saying: „I have lived above my circumstaneces and it seems I will die above my circumstances as well. â€Å" Oscar Wilde is well-known for his plays, for example A Woman of No Importance, Salome (French and English version), An Ideal Husband, or The Importance of Being Earnest. Oscar Wilde was also a great poet, known for his Poems, Ravenna, The Sphinx, or The Ballad of Reading Gaol (his last work written in prison). Nevertheless, the most of his works is prose – for example The Canterville Ghost, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories (novel, which was like a prediction of his future), The Picture of Dorian Gray (very famous novel), De Profundis (a letter to his friend from prison), The Letters of Oscar Wilde (letters written at the end of his life), or the Happy Prince and Other Tales (fairy tales), which are so beautiful that I would like to desribe them more. The Happy Prince and Other stories is a book of fairy tales which consists of the following stories: The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Selfish Giant, The Devoted Friend, The Remarkable Rocket, The Young King, and The Star-Childe. Despite the fact that the first two fairy tales are Oscar Wilde’s best-known fairy tales, my favourite ones are The Devoted Friend, The Young King, The Star-Childe, and especially The Selfish Giant. In my opinion, these stories are not only naive and sad, but give us also a moral lesson, which makes them a little bit more positive. The Happy Prince is a fairy tales about a statue of prince that sees all things happening in the city. One day a swallow passes by, he asks her to take some brilliants from his coat and bring them to the poor people who need it. Every day they work together. But as winter approaches, the swallow has no more time to leave and dies as it is already so cold. In consequence, the prince’s heart breakes. The statue already looking ugly is being torn down in the end. As we can see, the world is sad and not even a statue can bear all this sadness. Whoever decides to improve this horrible situation, ends up very badly. The world around us is superficial and very cruel. Whoever has nothing else to offer is forgotton and taken off. People care only for things that shine. People care for surface, not inner heart. In such world, people with sensitive hearts die, without understanding. The Nightingale and the Rose is a story about a student who longs for dancing with a beautiful girl. She demands a flower for that. The Nightingale sees the student sad and wonders why. After the students explains his situation, the nightingale decides to help the student, but in order to make a flower red it needs to color it with its own blood. And so he bird sings the most beautiful song till the dawn, when the flower gets finally red. For the rose, the nightingale gave up its life. But when the student appears with the rose, the girl throws the flower away saying she has already a different boyfriend to dance with as he brought her a nice gift. The student walks away – he does not believe in love anymore and returns back to his studies. The Nightigale knew the beauty of life. It was living it every day. Just people are so spoilt, they are so blind that they do not recognize what is important in life – gifts, books, etc. – this is what give a meaning to their empty lives. The Nightingale knew Love and for Love it gave up its life. People not knowing Love cannot appreciate it though. That sad world is.. (again). The Selfish Giant is a little bit different fairy tale as it also brings a moral lesson. The Selfish Giant lives alone in a beautiful garden. Once he leaves for a visit out of town. After his return he notices children got used to play in his beautiful garden, which is only his. He throws children out of his garden. And winter comes, but it seems it will never go away. It is already sunny everywhere, only his garden is still covered with snow. He wonders what happened, but one day he hears beautiful music outside. When he looks out, he sees spring has eventually come to his garden, too. He notices the children got into his garden as well. And suddenly he realizes how foolish he has been. He wants to welcome children in his garden and let them come to his garden anytime from now on, but frightened kids run away. Only the smallest boy stays alone in the corner of the garden, where the ground is still covered with snow. The Giant puts the litte boy up into the tree and falls in love with him. But this little boy comes back to his garden nevermore. Nobody knows where he is from. The Giant is very sad and wonders every day why the boy never appears again. One winter day he sees him eventually in his garden. It is very strange because he stands in the same corner, but this time under the tree full of blossoms. The Giant runs to the little boy and aks why his hands are wounded and the little boy answers these are the wounds of love. His last words are: „You let me play once in your garden, today you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise. â€Å" In my opinion, this is a very impresssive story as it works with a picture of Christ. It also contains Christ’s words and legacy. It shows us how to live, it shows us how to love – it tells us what love it, it even gives us hope that Paradise exists and, moreover, it shows us how to get there. All good deads are not lost. Good deads and love just open the door to the universal (never-ending) love. The purest love is to give and not to expect – just enjoy the love from giving. The message is so pure and clear that it needs no other explanation. I think there can’t be a better, nicer ending, as this is the nicest end of all ends. The Devoted Friend is a fairy tale with a moral message, again. It desribes a relationship between little Hans, who lives in a garden with beautiful flowers, and a Miller, who declares to be a friend of Hans, but he just stops by when he needs some flowers. All winter long Hans does not have his flowers and for that reason even a source of income, but the Miller never stops by – he explains his wife, who admires him, that people when feeling bad should be left alone. Once the Miller decides to help Hans and give him his old wheelbarrow as a present. Afterwards, the Miller starts to ask Hans to do different kinds of work saying that friends should help each other. Hans feel obliged to help the Miller, which brings Hans his death eventually. I think this story is very important for several reasons. First, it is a psychological analysis – it desribes different kinds of characters and shows consequences of certain actions. While Hans is a nice boy who believes in good nature of people, the Miller is a selfish man who uses everybody around him for his own benefit. A good man ends up badly while a bad man lives on without any harm. Second, the story has a philosophical aspect. While Hans follows his feeling, the Miller follows his reason. Philosophers may contemplate about the proportion of feeling and reason needed for healty life. Third, it brings us a moral message, again. It is actually Hans’s fault that he ends up so badly. If he could say no to the Miller, he could live on. If we let ourselves be used and manipulated, other people will do so. Fourth, the story shows us a relationship between the exploiter and the exploitee, so we may actually capture functioning in the capitalistic world. The Remarkable Rocket is a story about a rocket that thinks it is very special, despite the opinion of the surroungings. It should be used for the king’s wedding, but it not even fired in the end. The Rocket ends up in mudd, still persuaded about its importance. After meeting with a Frog, the rocket still believes it is very important and nobody understands it. In the end, some people find it and throw it in the rubbish. In this fairy tale, we can see different kinds of characters, again: the Rocket, the Cathrine Wheel, the Roman Candle, the Crackers, the Bengal Lights. Let us look how they quarrel over Romance, for example: „But love is not fashionable any more, the poets killed it. They wrote so much about it that nobody believed them, and I am not surprised. True love suffers, and is silent. Romance is a thing of the past. â€Å" „Romance never dies. It is like the moon, and lives for ever. â€Å" As we can see, Oscar Wilde is a master in comparisons and metaphores. Oscar Wilde is a very good psychologist, too (thanks to his fine eye), but now I would like to mention a different aspect that is very typical for his work. The Rocket is a representative of hypocrytical society. There are many examples of hypocrytical behaviour in this story. Of course, Oscar Wilde makes fun of it. The problem occurs when the Rocket meets the Frog – the same people meet. The Rocket sees itself like in a mirror, but it does not change anything about its behaviour. Let us look at some excellent perceptions and remarks (on this topic as well as others): „Arguments are extremely vulgar, for in good society everybody holds the same opinions. â€Å" „If you say the same thing over and over a great many times, it becomes true in the end. â€Å" „Travel improves the mind wonderfully, and does away with all one’s prejudices. â€Å" Oscar Wilde is well-known for his citations, which are included in his works. Sometimes he offeres us even definitions – for example the definition of imagination, which we can find in this story as well: Why, anybody can have common sense, provided that they have no imagination. But I have imagination, for I never think of things as they really are – I always think of them as being quite different. â€Å" Another fairy tale is called The Young King. The Young King appears to be back in the palace after his mother’s death. He grows up in the country where he was sent as a little boy as his mother had him with a foreigner of not acceptable position. Being the only child, he is brought back to become a king. He loves beauty so much. But later on has three dreams which reveal him the truth about being a true king. He refuses all jewellery for his coronation, but people do not want to accept him being a king without showing wealth. In the end, lights from the windows „sewâ€Å" him the nicest dress of all. And he is forgiven and accepted as a true king. In this fairy tale, I appreciate the importance of our dreams. Dreams give us answers to our questions many times. The future king has seen the lives of poor people working for him and so he feels responsible for them. He wants to be a good king in his heart, on the other hand he loves beauty so much, too. He fights this contradiction in his dreams. But in the end he follows his inner voice and gives up all unnecessary things to become a true king. The last fairy tale is called The Star-Child. It is a fairy tale about a little boy that is found left alone in the woods. He is covered in an expensive cloth, but nobody is found around him. So one good man decides to take him home despite the fact that he already has a big family. As the little boy grows up, he becomes very beautiful, but also very proud. Not knowing his parents, he believes they must be very special. Once a very ugly lady comes along and stares at him. Suddenly she says he is her son – she has travelled all the world to find him. But the little boy is so disappointed and sad that he refuses her saying he cannot be her son. At once, his appearance changes. Everybody laughs at him and so he decides to travel round the world to find his mother and apologize to her. He can’t find her anywhere, but while travelling he becomes a better man. After a lot of suffering, he gets into the city where his parents live and finds out his parents are the king and the queen and he is the future king. I find this story very impressive. It shows us that only through suffering we become good people, moreover, at the end of our road we are crowned kings, which is a parallel to Jesus, again. A difficult road through life brings us eventually the biggest reward, which we have not even dreamt about. Outer beauty is here to confuse us while inner beauty is the one that matters. Oscar Wilde became a symbol of sensitivity, knowledge and humour. And I am happy his extravagant clothes enabled him to become famous and capture his excellent ideas.

Saudi Arabias Education System compared with the Australian essays

Saudi Arabias Education System compared with the Australian essays The Saudi Arabian education system and Australian education system have many similarities and many differences. This essay shall compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the Saudi Arabian Education system and the Australian Education system. At the time the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932, education was not accessible to everyone and limited to individualized instruction at religious schools in mosques in urban areas. These schools taught Islamic law and basic literacy skills (Profile of Saudi Arabia, 2004). Where as Schools in Australia were established very early, the first school in 1789 and three by 1793 under the guidance of Rev Richard Johnson (Wright, 2003). The history of schooling within the countries differ in that Australia has established its schools much earlier than in Saudi Arabia, however the similarity is that they both were founded on religious grounds and revolved around religious education. Education in the Kingdom consists of kindergarten, six years of primary school and three years each of intermediate and high school (Profile of Saudi Arabia, 2004). Where as Education in Australia consists of: preschool education which is commonly one year in length and is not compulsory, one year of kindergarten, 6 years of primary school and 6 years of secondary school (Australian Education International, 2004). These are the differences between the general education structure within the countries. Saudi Arabia's nationwide educational system comprises seven universities, 83 colleges and more than 18,000 schools. Open to every citizen, the system provides students with free education, books and health services. (Profile of Saudi Arabia, 2004). There are more than 142,000 students at Saudi universities and colleges, a dramatic improvement over the 7,000 students enrolled in 1970. Of that number, more than 60,000 are female students studying at five of the universities King S...

How to Melt Gallium Metal in Your Hand

How to Melt Gallium Metal in Your Hand Gallium is an unusual metal. It does not occur as a pure element in nature, but can be purchased in pure form to be used for some truly amazing science demonstrations. One of the most popular gallium demonstrations is melting gallium in the palm of your hand. Heres how to do the demonstration safely and the explanation for how it works. Melted Gallium Materials pure gallium  plastic gloves (optional) You can buy a chunk of pure gallium for around $20 online. Its safe to use your bare hand for this experiment, but gallium has two properties that may make you wish to wear a pair of disposable gloves. First, gallium metal wets both glass and skin. What this means is the melted metal will leave finely divided gallium particles on your skin, giving it a grayish cast. Its not super-easy to wash off, so you might want to avoid the issue. The other consideration is that gallium attacks other metals. So, if you usually wear a ring, you may want to wear gloves just to make certain no gallium or leftover metal is available to discolor your jewelry. How To Melt Gallium What could be easier? Simply place the piece of gallium in the palm of your hand and let the warmth of your body heat do the work! The melting point of gallium is  29.76 C  (85.57 F), so it will readily melt in your hand or in a very warm room. Expect this to take around 3-5 minutes for a coin-sized piece of metal. When you are done examining the gallium, tilt your hand to allow the metal to flow into a non-metal container. If the container is also warm, the slow cooling will allow you to watch gallium form metal crystals. You can supercool gallium, which is holding it as a liquid above its freezing point. Do this by pouring the liquid gallium into a warm container and keeping it free of vibrations. When you are ready to crystallize the metal, you can jar the container, touch the sample, or seed crystallization by adding a small piece of solid gallium. The metal exhibits an orthorhombic crystal structure. Points To Keep in Mind Gallium may temporarily discolor your skin. This is because it wets skin. Keep in mind this means youll lose a tiny bit of your sample every time you do the demonstration.Some people have reported mild dermatitis (redness, itching, inflammation) from long-term gallium exposure to skin. Basically, this means you should wash your hands after the conclusion of the demonstration.Gallium is not toxic. It is used in pharmaceuticals, so you could probably swallow it and be okay, but its not recommended, plus it would be an expensive snack.Gallium attacks other metals, so do not let it come into contact with jewelry or store it in metal containers.Gallium expands as it cools, so it usually kept in a plastic bag or flexible container rather than glass to avoid any possibility of expansion shattering the container. Also, gallium wets glass, so storing in plastic helps minimize sample loss. Other Elements That Would Melt in Your Hand Gallium is not the only metal that melts into a liquid near room temperature or body temperature. Francium, cesium, and rubidium also would melt in the palm of your hand. However, you seriously dont want to attempt this demonstration with any of them! Francium and cesium are radioactive. Cesium and rubidium react vigorously with water, which basically means they could set your hand on fire. Stick with gallium. Learn More About Gallium If you have gallium to melt in your hand, you may also wish to try the melting spoon trick. In this science magic trick, you either melt a gallium spoon with what appears to be the power of your mind or else you make it seem to disappear in a glass of hot water. Gallium is an interesting metalloid, so you may wish to learn more about the element.

Austin Farrer Faith and Speculation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Austin Farrer Faith and Speculation - Essay Example When goes through Farrer’s article, Grace and Freewill, one can understand that elements of speculation and faith are the leading traits which exert a predominant role in one’s life. Analysis of his article leads the readers to the fact that man strongly believes that one can attain self realization only through bridging a good relation with God and following His ways. Analyzing the article a reader can find the fact that Austine Farrer has exposed his ideas with a specific touch of speculation and Faith. Author comments that religion forces the people to believe that the existing nature has a divine structure and all its parts follow a positive end and the man is bounded with his devotion towards God. It is also a thought provoking concept that man believes the positive rapport between God and he permits him to go on being himself .Here a researcher can easily understand the signs of a conscious effort from the part of the author to establish the idea of ‘faith’. Human psyche never finds a rebuff on God’s faithfulness if a material perception proves all appearances are vein. Whatever the result, pain or frustration, man keeps on a constant friendship with god and follows the principles of the religion. The author indirectly persuades the reader to follow the principles of a believer. There are a number of agencies that link on es relation with his creator. But it should be noted that the agencies do not strike us in the springing point of causes but in the finished effects. The effect is more or less based on a divine cause and it is related to a religious mind. In our engagement with god we are solely concerned with his purposes and actions and for the operation we provide ourselves completely that is we commit ourselves entirely to it. It is done with the divine assistance and for which trust in god is obligatory. When we actaccording to god’s will we are