Brently Mallard Essays

Brently Mallard Essays Brently Mallard Paper Brently Mallard Paper â€Å"The Story of an Hour† written by Kate Chopin, is a short story about a woman named Louise Mallard and her reaction to the news that her husband has died. This news is brought to Mrs. Mallard from her sister, Josephine. Mrs. Mallard does not know how to react at first, and decides to have some time alone in her room. Inside the room, she feels lots of emotions such as sadness, happiness, that come together and ultimately she smiles. However, because of so much excitement, she could feel her heart pumping so fast that at the end of the story when Mr. Mallard enters the house, she dies because of a heart attack according to the doctor. Chopin successfully describes her actions and emotions with very vivid descriptions throughout the entire story. The sad, relief, happy emotions that Mrs. Mallard felt were thanks to his husband death, because his death meant finding independence from him. His role as a character is very significant for this story to continue; and thus I would like furthermore focus on his role and function in this short story. Even though he does not appear until the end, Mr. Mallard plays a very important role in this short story. The reason for all the chaos and all Mrs. Mallard’s emotions is because of the news that her husband is presumed dead. His ‘death’ was the primary source of the development of this story. Moreover, Mr. Mallard represents a middle social class in the 19th century. His family and he himself were definitely not working class, and this is suggested in the story through the expensive objects in the house. They had lots of windows, chairs with cushions, and a door that could be opened with a latchkey, and could even afford to call doctors. He could afford everything a married couple needed, but why would someone who had him as a husband feel so free after hearing the news of his death? Mrs. Mallard needed and wanted some freedom in her life. She was tired of pretending to be a woman who devotes herself to her husband, she wanted a life of her own; do whatever she felt like doing. Consequently, she became so happy after learning that her husband has passed away that even she died of â€Å"heart disease-of joy that kills† according to the doctors. This was the case for many women during this period. According to a website about Chopin’s works and biography, this story was originally published as â€Å"The Dream of an Hour† in 1894. The reason why the word ‘dream’ was changed to ‘story’ might be because this kind of story could only happen to a few people in the late 19th century. However since liberty for women started to increase, this once called ‘dream’ turned into ‘reality’ and thus, into a story. One other interpretation of the role of the husband in the short story is that Mr. Mallard can be seen as society itself and society’s expectations. His wife, Mrs. Mallard, represents individuals who have been so oppressed by society that this oppression later on comes to be a disease that is carried for the rest of their lives. Comparing these characters with a society and the people living in it, these individuals are not able to live alone when they want to break out of society (shown through the death of Mrs. Mallard). Humans are beings that cannot survive alone; and thus, we need a group of people, a society. Nevertheless, we always have something to complain about in the society we live in. Chopin lived in an age where women and men had clear roles in society. Men were the ones who worked and financially supported the family; middle class women supported the family by staying at the house, taking care of the kids, doing the laundry, etc. Women in the 19th century could not even dream about studying for a high degree or even having a job outside the house. It was a male-based society and because of this, the boom of feminist people began to rise. Chopin thus successfully expressed women’s feelings through her literary work, â€Å"The Story of an hour†. Bibliography Koloski, Bernard. Kate Chopin The Story of an Hour: When The Story of an Hour was written and published. KateChopin. org. Kate Chopin International Society, 1 Oct. 2011. katechopin. org/the-story-of-an-hour. shtml#characters. 14 Oct. 2011.

Famous Geographers and People Who Studied Geography

Famous Geographers and People Who Studied Geography There are a few famous people who studied geography and then moved on to other things after obtaining a degree. There are also a few notable geographers within the field who have made names for themselves within and outside the discipline. Below, youll find a listing of famous people who studied geography and famous geographers in their own right. Famous People Who Studied Geography The most famous former geography student is Prince William (the Duke of Cambridge) of the United Kingdom who studied geography at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland; having switched from studying the history of art. He received his  Scottish masters degree (the equivalent of a U.S. bachelors degree) in 2005. Prince William utilized his navigational skills to serve in the Royal Air Force as a helicopter pilot. Basketball great Michael Jordan graduated with a degree in geography from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1986. Jordan took several courses in the regional geography of the Americas. Mother Teresa taught geography at covenant schools in Kolkata, India before she founded the Missionaries of Charity. The United Kingdom (where geography is a very popular university major) claims two additional famous geographers.  John Patten  (born in 1945) who was a member of Margaret Thatchers government as Education Minister, studied geography at Cambridge.   Rob Andrew  (born 1963) is a former England Rugby Union Player and Professional Rugby Director of the Rugby Football Union who studied geography at Cambridge. From Chile, former dictator Augusto Pinochet  (1915-2006) is usually cited as a geographer; he wrote five books on geopolitics, geography, and military history while associated with Chiles Military School. Hungarian Pl Count Teleki de Szà ©k [Paul Teleki]  (1879-1941) was a university professor of geography, member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungarian Parliament, and Prime Minister of Hungary 1920-21 and 1939-41. He wrote a history of Hungary and was active in Hungarian scouting. His reputation is not great since he governed Hungary during the ramp-up to WWII and was in power when anti-Jewish laws were enacted. He committed suicide over disputes with the army. Russian Peter Kropotkin [Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin] (1842-1921), a working geographer, secretary of the Russian Geographical Society in the 1860s, and, later, anarchist and communist revolutionary. Famous Geographers Harm de Blij (1935-2014) was a famous geographer known for his studies in regional, geopolitical and environmental geography. He was a prolific author, a professor of geography and he was the Geography Editor for ABC’s  Good Morning America  from 1990 to 1996. Following his stint at ABC, de Blij joined NBC News as a Geography Analyst. He is best known for his classic geography textbook  Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was described by  Charles Darwin as the greatest scientific traveler who ever lived. He is widely respected as one of the founders of modern geography. Alexander von Humboldts travels, experiments, and knowledge transformed western science in the nineteenth century. William Morris Davis  (1850-1934) is often called the father of American geography for his work in not only helping to establish geography as an academic discipline but also for his advancement of physical geography  and the development of geomorphology. The ancient Greek scholar Eratosthenes is commonly called the father of geography for he was the first to use the word  geography  and he had a small-scale notion of the planet that led him to be able to determine the circumference of the Earth.

Arbitration Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Arbitration Law - Essay Example With the rapid strides made by the world financial and business communities, it has become imperative for businesses to have a proven method of resolving business disputes promptly, expeditiously and constructively. When businesses grow and expand it is natural that disputes will arise. In wake of this, parties often favor a private and informal settlement of disputes, in a businesslike fashion that enable them to further their business interests without strangling their business relationship. It is for such occasions that arbitration is designed—for prompt, pragmatic and efficient resolution of disputes. Arbitration is essentially a process of dispute resolution inspired by ones free will where a neutral third party renders a final and binding decision after the concerned sides have presented their views. This method is particularly useful in international business transactions where parties are often unfamiliar with foreign legal systems. The parties may reside in a number o f different geographic locations, each subject to quite different laws and legal systems. Matters get much more complicated if their transactions involve activities in other jurisdictions, where they otherwise have no presence or familiarity. With stark deviations from a judicial procedure, arbitration is conducted outside the court system by disinterested arbitrators selected by the concerned parties based on the criteria that best suit the nature of the contract.

Malham Field Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9500 words

Malham Field - Lab Report Example Common helminth parasites present included cestodes and trematodes. The rodents served as either intermediate or definitive host of the parasites. Examination of human faecal for the parasites yielded related parasites in terms of their biology and pathogenesis. Parasites prevalence correlated with rodent sex in addition to the rodent weight or length. Females harboured more parasites than males and a single host could have multiple infections of different endoparasites. In our results common parasites population we found include; Graphidium strigosum, Cittotaenia lobata, Passalurus spp. and Taenia pisiformis in rabbit (O. cuniculis and in wood mouse, Heligsomoides spp., Plagiorchis spp, Syphacea and Capillaria spp. Rainfall data for the period coinciding with the collection of the parasite data was also gathered to assess the influence of seasonal changes in weather against the parasites population. A comparison of the biology of endoparasites fauna present in the rodents in Malham Tarn and gastrointestinal parasites of humans was also undertaken. DNA extraction from Cittotaenia lobata (tapeworm) using affinity methods where DNA was allowed to bind to a membrane and then eluted using appropriate buffer was done. The purity of the recovered DNA was determined by taking absorbance at 260 nm and at 280 nm and comparing the ratio to the known ratio of pure DNA which is 1.8 Table of Contents Summary 2 List of figures 4 List of tables 7 Acknowledgement 8 1.INTRODUCTION: 9 1.1.Brief background to site: Malham Tarn 9 1.2.Aims/objectives of field course 9 1.3.Summary of host and parasite fauna from Malham via available literature/references; common parasites in woodmice, rabbits 9 1.4.Gastrointestinal parasites of humans; common parasites in underdeveloped regions; possible comparative biology for Malham parasites species 11 1.5.Importance of diagnostic tests in humans and veterinary parasitology, relative importance/usefulness of different approaches e.g. microscopy c oprotests, serology, PCR 13 2.MATERIALS AND METHODS: 14 2.1.Microscopy 14 2.2.Preparation/staining blood films, thin smear faeces 14 2.3.Trapping rodents 14 2.4.Dissections; 14 2.4.1.Examination and dissection of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) 14 2.4.2.Examination and dissection of wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) 16 2.5.Parasites Data Collection 16 2.6.Data Analysis 17 2.7.DNA extraction and concentration, protein evaluation 17 3.RESULTS: 18 3.1.Apodemus (wood mouse) parasites levels found in after dissection rabbit 23 3.2.Parasites levels found in wood mouse after dissection 30 3.3.DNA extraction and purity on OD280/260 convert to ug/ml 48 4.DISCUSSION: 49 REFERENCE 51 List of figures Figure 1: histogram showing the distribution of Graphidium parasites in rabbit host sampled between 1992 and 2011 in Malham Tarn area 24 Figure 2: Prevalence of Graphidium infections from 1992-2011 25 Figure 3: Histogram showing T. pisiformis parasites population from 1992-2011. Parasites populations was highest in 1999 as can been seen above. 26 Figure 4: Prevalence of Taenia pisiformis population from 1992-2011 at Malham Tarn 27 Figure 5: histogram showing mean Passalurus infections from 1992-2011 27 Figure 6: Line graph showing the prevalence level of Passalurus parasites among rabbit hosts from 1992 to 2011 28 Figure 7: Histogram of the mean Cittotaenia intensity from 1992 to 2011 28 Figure 8: Prevalence of Cittotaenia infections from 1992 to 2011 29 Figure 9: Histogram showing the changes in Trichostrongylus population from 1992 to 2011 29 Figure 10: Graph of the prevalence of Trichostrongylus parasites from 1992 to 2011 30 Figure 11: The graph shows the mean Heligmosomoides parasites found in wood

Fast Food Popularity in China Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Popularity in China Essay Examine the reasons for the popularity of fast food restaurants in your country. When, why, and how have these restaurants become so popular? (Cause) Demonstrate the impact of this popularity on your country’s culture, i. e. , food, health, economy, lifestyle. (Effect) You will need to do some research on the fast food chains growth, menus, nutritional background, business models, and perhaps more. Your research should include more than one fast food restaurant. Recently, McDonald’s announced their plan to expand outlets from 1300 to 2000 by the end of 2013 in China. It is reported that the main purpose is to compete with KFC, which is the largest quick service restaurant brand in China with over 4,200 restaurants in more than 850 cities across China. The growing huge market and politic strategies taken by restaurants make fast food popular in China; this in turn has a great influence on China’s economy, culture and health. There are several of causes for fast food popular in China. On the first place, the growing market and industry attract plenty of fast food restaurants. Chinas fast food market worth over 700 billion yuan in the last year and had a rapid speedabout 12 percent in the past several years. Furthermore, the market is estimated to grow to 1400 billion yuan by 2015. The second main cause of this popularity is some strategies taken by fast food brands especially localization. Take KFC for example, the brand adds many localized product like Beijing Chicken Roll, tomato egg soup and corn salad to meet Chinese consumers demand. The popularity also brings some effects especially for Chinese culture. First, the change reflects on food consumption habits. For example, Yum! China’s menu is dominated by meat-rich food except for breakfast. Furthermore, fast foods are becoming affordable by most people so that the brand opens almost one third of its restaurants in countryside. Second, traditional wedding has been influenced with wedding services provided by some fast food brands. Nowadays, to compare with Chinese traditional, extravagant and tawdry weddings, more and more young people in China prefer smaller, easier and cheaper weddings. Many fast food restaurants contribute to this tendency like McWedding offered by McDonald’s, which is held by restaurant assistants with a more intimate and less costly way. In short, fast food popularity has an effect on Chinese eating habit and wedding tradition. Also, the popularity has an effect on economy. For one thing, it increases the revenues for economy. The revenue of fast food industry in 2011 is $74. 8 billion which benefits the economy in turn. More important thing is that the revenue will keep growing at the rate of 14. -15. 0% in the next five years. For another thing, it influences the agriculture. With the explosive development of fast food industry, many grain farms are out of use. In 2011, there are roughly 700 thousand hectares of arable land are reconstructed to raise livestock or fowl instead of growing grains. As a result, China needs to rely more on importation and increase grain imports. In 2010, China imported 927 (1000 MT) wheat, while in 2012, nearly 3200 (1000 MT) wheat were imported. It is obvious that the popularity benefits China’s revenue while harming the agriculture foundation. Finally, the popularity also carries two problems for people’s health: obesity and diabetes. The number of overweight people has grown from 18 to 100 million in the last 5 years with the rapid development of fast food industry. As a result, many complications like high blood pressure and diabetes become more common in China. Take diabetes for example, there are over 92 million adults suffer from diabetes and the costs of diabetes make up nearly 1. % of GDP. It is undeniable that fast food restaurants make Chinese people cost a lot on their health especially on the treatment of diabetes. In conclusion, the pursue towards maximum profits and proper strategies contribute to the popularity of fast food in China, as a result, China’s culture, economy and Chinese health. In the foreseeable future, the popularity of fast food will last for a lone time and will have long-term effects in china.

Spotted Horses :: essays research papers

"Spotted Horses" Vs. "Mule in the Yard" William Faulkner wrote two short stories, which are alike in many aspects. "Spotted Horses" and "Mule in the Yard" are short stories that both involve comic animal chases and financial transactions. Even though the stories are written by the same author, have similar characteristics, and share similar plot features, they are entirely different stories. The stories are both examples of interpretive literature, however "Spotted Horses" is a more interpretive short story than "Mule in the Yard because "Spotted Horses" fits Perrine’s profile of interpretive literature, and "Mule in the Yard" seems to replicate Perrine’s profile of escape literature. According to Laurence Perrine in his seventh edition of Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense he states the definition of interpretive literature is "Literature written to deepen and broaden and sharpen our awareness of life." Interpretive literature is not candy coated. It allows its readers to experience the trials and tribulations of life. By using graphically realistic plots and endings, which are consistent to those in real life, interpretive literature achieves a higher literary value than escape literature. Interpretive literature allows its reader too step out of the fantasy world they might be living in and focus on what the world is really about. One might say an interpretive story provides insight to understanding. Not only understanding of ourselves, but our neighbors, friends, family or anyone else we might encounter. Escape literature is the complete opposite of interpretive literature. Escape literature is written purely for entertainment. Escape literature takes it’s reader out of the real world and into a fantasy world where everything works and happens just like we want it to. This is a world where the ending always has closure. Escapist authors hardly ever end on a bad note. They want the reader to leave the pages of their story satisfied, and having a sense of contentment. Perrine’s example of escape literature is Cinderella. Cinderella’s life goes from rags to riches in one night. She marries a prince and lives happily ever after. According to Perrine the most common expectations of escape literature readers are the sympathetic heroes or heroines, the suspenseful plot which one exciting event proceeds another, the resolved happy outcome, and the theme. Escape literature themes confirm the reader’s previous opinions of the world. Readers of escape literature read for pleasure not to gather knowledge on how to survive in the real world.

Organizatinal Commitment and Communication Paper

Organizational Commitment and Communication Starbucks is committed to displaying leadership, power, and motivation within its organization. Howard Schultz the owner of Starbucks has worked hard to develop a beneficial program that would draw top people who were eager to work for Starbucks while displaying an act of commitment to excellence.This analysis will explain how different leadership styles would affect group communication in your chosen organization; analyze the different sources of power found in the organization and how might the different sources of power affect group and organization communication, identify the motivational theories that would be effective within that culture, evaluate the role of communication as an element of these theories, and describe the commitment of the workforce to the organization and their relationship to the organization’s communication.The leadership styles, power tactic, form of motivation and level of commitment all have a significan t impact on the development of an organization. The way in which leaders communicate these methods plays a key role in the success of an organization (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Starbucks success is due to its great degree of it leaders and employees and their communication with each other and with its customers. The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz is known for having a charismatic leadership style.Charismatic leaders tend to be more effective in his or her leadership style â€Å"because these leaders inspire lots of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward† (Mind Tools 1996). Possessing the Charismatic Leadership style, CEO Howard Schultz has enabled Starbucks to be one of the leading coffee retailers by being committed to communicate with its employees and create a rewarding and honest relationship. The transformational leadership style â€Å"has many similarities to the charismatic style.Transformational leaders provide a vision, seek high expectations, promote trust, and give personal attention to the employees. Transformational leaders focus on setting goals and articulating those goals to the employees, instilling commitment to the vision and creating mutual trust† (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Starbucks known success is due to its partners know as its employees and its customers. That is why the transformational leadership style is recognized at Starbucks because of their developed business processes and the power tactic used that ensure organizational culture of the company.Power â€Å"refers to a capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B sot that B acts in accordance with A’s wishes† (Robbins & Judge, 2007). There are different sources of power utilized by Starbuck which are expert and reward power. â€Å"Expert power is influence wielded as a result of expertise, special skill, or knowledge† (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz stands behind its organization and u pholds its reputation for the finest coffee in the world and that is why it is one of the leading companies in the coffee industry.Collective efforts are amplified by its legendary customer service and highest integrity. â€Å"Reward power is compliance achieved based on the ability to distribute rewards that others views are valuable† (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Starbucks is about providing top quality customer service which stems from its employees (partners). Starbucks is about treating each other with respect and dignity and when employees adhere to the rules and regulations that go to show the type of employees Starbucks hires.Starbucks encourages its employee’s feedback and offers incentives to its employees which motivate the employees of Starbucks to display top quality customer service that matters to the public. The level of power is evident in Starbucks through its open communication with its manager, employees, and customers. Starbucks has exemplified a busine ss out of people connection through community involvement and various cultures. Starbucks organization is a prime example of a people-oriented business motivated to be the top selling business in its industry.Many of Starbucks motivational approaches can be found in the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Starbucks approach to motivate its employees are based on the fundamentals of Starbucks providing its employee a prestigious work environment, treating everyone with respect and dignity, with equality, and challenging each other to excel at the best of his or her abilities. Starbucks company culture which focuses on respect, integrity, and communication encourages open line of communication with a clear understanding of positive and negative actions.Starbucks workplace environment focuses on how they treat one another, how customers are treated, diversity, workplace health, safety, and security, and Starbucks quality and customer protection. Starbucks is committed to excellence and displaying legendary customer service which is top priority at Starbucks. Starbucks employee workforce manages and maintains a high level of expertise and treats its customers as they treat each other, with respect and dignity.Starbucks also has an obligation to ensure that Starbucks is a great place to work for all partners. Starbucks atmosphere is motivated by greeting each customer that walks through the door. To obtain this type of environment stems from the leadership roles in place and the drive to remain at its best behavior. Starbucks is committed to developing innovative and flexible change. Each employee is empowered, have a responsibility, have helped, and have a voice at Starbucks. It is about unity at Starbucks and its communication skills are critically important.In conclusion This analysis explained how different leadership styles would affect group communication; analyzed the different sources of power found and how might the different sources of power affect group and organization communication, identified the motivational theories that would be effective within that culture, evaluated the role of communication as an element of thee theories, and described the commitment of the workforce to the organization and their relationship to the organization’s communication. In order for Starbucks to remain competitive its workforce has to remain empowered

Examine Freud’s View of Religious Belief. Essay

Sigmund Freud was born in 1856; he lived most of his life in Vienna. His family were Jewish so was brought in a religious faith. Freud fled the Nazi’s in London then died the following year on the 23rd of September 1939. He was an atheist. He saw himself as â€Å"The Godless Jew†. He rejected both America and Religion. Freud had a Neurotic and obsessional character. Freud’s view on religious belief was a form of neurotic illness. Freud believed that religious activities bear a striking resemblance to the activities of a neurotic person. Neurotic conditions such as OCD repeat actions which. Primal Horde Theory, Freud’s principle contribution was the idea of the murder of the primitive horde â€Å"one day, the brothers who have been driven out, came together killed and devoured their father and so made an end to the patriarchal horde. The leader was killed out of jealously, as he was taking all the women. In guilt for the murder of their father figure they put up a Totem, symbol or animal which is believed that their spirit is inside in place of their father figure. Guilt was eventually paid of by praying or sacrificing to them Totem. Over millions of years the Totem becomes God, guilt then passed. The Totem is seen as sacred and must be protected. After a year the animal believed to be the Totem could be killed then eaten. The Oedipus complex, Freud believed that everyone suffered a dramatic trauma which was the Oedipus complex. This is when a boy at the age of six would have sexual desires for his mother and wants to kill his father, in jealousy. The suckling child was used to having its mother’s attention, where the libido is transferred

An Overview of the Chinese Communist Party

An Overview of the Chinese Communist Party Fewer than 6-percent of the Chinese population are members of China’s Communist Party, yet it is the most powerful political party in the world. How Was the Communist Party of China Founded? The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began as an informal study group that met in Shanghai starting in 1921. The first Party Congress was held in Shanghai in July 1921. Some 57 members, including Mao Zedong, attended the meeting. Early Influences The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in the early 1920s by intellectuals who were influenced by the Western ideas of anarchism and Marxism. They were inspired by the 1918 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and by the May Fourth Movement, which swept across China at the end of World War I. At the time of the CCP’s founding, China was a divided, backward country ruled by various local warlords and burdened by unequal treaties which gave foreign powers special economic and territorial privileges in China. Looking to the USSR as an example, the intellectuals who founded the CCP believed that Marxist revolution was the best path to strengthen and modernize China. The Early CCP Was a Soviet-Style Party The CCP’s early leaders received funding and guidance from Soviet advisors and many went to the Soviet Union for education and training. The early CCP was a Soviet-style Party led by intellectuals and urban workers who advocated orthodox Marxist-Leninist thought. In 1922, the CCP joined the larger and more powerful revolutionary party, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), to form the First United Front (1922-27). Under the First United Front, the CCP was absorbed into the KMT. Its members worked within the KMT to organize urban workers and farmers to support the KMT army’s Northern Expedition (1926-27). The Northern Expedition During the Northern Expedition, which succeeded in defeating the warlords and unifying the country, the KMT split and its leader Chiang Kai-shek led an anti-Communist purge in which thousands of CCP members and supporters were killed. After the KMT established the new Republic of China (ROC) government in Nanjing, it continued its crackdown on the CCP. After the break-up of the First United Front in 1927, the CCP and its supporters fled from the cities to the countryside, where the Party established semi-autonomous â€Å"Soviet base areas,† which they called the Chinese Soviet Republic (1927-1937). In the countryside, the CCP organized its own military force, the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. The CCPs headquarters moved from Shanghai to the rural Jiangxi Soviet base area, which was led by the peasant revolutionary Zhu De and Mao Zedong. The Long March The KMT-led central government launched a series of military campaigns against the CCP-controlled base areas, forcing the CCP to undertake the Long March (1934-35), a several-thousand-mile military retreat that ended in the rural village of Yenan in Shaanxi Province. During the Long March, Soviet advisors lost influence over the CCP and Mao Zedong took over control of the Party from Soviet-trained revolutionaries. Based in Yenan from 1936-1949, the CCP changed from an orthodox Soviet-style party based in the cities and led by intellectuals and urban workers to a rural-based Maoist revolutionary party composed primarily of peasants and soldiers. The CCP gained the support of many rural peasants by carrying out land reform which redistributed land from landlords to peasants. The Second United Front Following Japan’s invasion of China, the CCP formed a Second United Front (1937-1945) with the ruling KMT to fight the Japanese. During this period, CCP-controlled areas remained relatively autonomous from the central government. Red Army units waged a guerilla war against Japanese forces in the countryside, and the CCP took advantage of the central government’s preoccupation with fighting Japan to expand the CCP’s power and influence. During the Second United Front, CCP membership increased from 40,000 to 1.2 million and the size of the Red Army surged from 30,000 to nearly one million. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Soviet forces that accepted the surrender of Japanese troops in Northeast China turned over large quantities of arms and ammunition to the CCP. Civil war resumed in 1946 between the CCP and KMT. In 1949, the CCP’s Red Army defeated the military forces of the central government in Nanjing, and the KMT-led ROC government fled to Taiwan. On October 10, 1949, Mao Zedong declared the founding of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing. A One-Party State   Although there are other political parties in China, including eight small democratic parties, China is a one-party state and the Communist Party maintains a monopoly on power. The other political parties are under the leadership of the Communist Party and serve in advisory roles. A Party Congress Every Five Years A Party Congress, in which the Central Committee is elected, is held every five years. Over 2,000 delegates attend the Party Congress. The Central Committee’s 204 members elect the 25-member Politburo of the Communist Party, which in turn elects a nine-member Politburo Standing Committee. There were 57 Party members when the first Party Congress was held in 1921. There were 73 million Party members at the 17th Party Congress that was held in 2007. The Party’s Leadership Is Marked by Generations The Party’s leadership is marked by generations, starting with the first generation who led the Communist Party to power in 1949. The second generation was led by Deng Xiaoping, China’s last revolutionary-era leader. During the third generation, led by  Jiang Zemin  and  Zhu Rongji, the CCP deemphasized supreme leadership by one individual and transitioned  to a more group-based decision-making process among a small handful of leaders on the  Standing Committee of the Politburo. The Current Leadership The fourth generation was  led by  Hu Jintao  and  Wen Jiabao. The fifth generation, made up of well-connected Communist Youth League members and the children of high-ranking officials, called ‘Princelings,’ took over in 2012. Power in China is based on a pyramid scheme with supreme power at the top. The Standing Committee of the Politburo holds supreme power. The Committee is responsible for maintaining the Party’s control of the state and military. Its members achieve this by holding the highest positions in the State Council, which oversees the government, the National People’s Congress- China’s rubber-stamp legislature, and the Central Military Commission, which runs the armed forces. The base of the Communist Party includes provincial-level, county-level, and township-level People’s Congresses and Party Committees. Fewer than 6-percent of Chinese are members, yet it is the most powerful political party in the world.

All About Fracking or Hydrofracking

All About Fracking or Hydrofracking Fracking, or hydrofracking, which is short for hydraulic fracturing, is a common but controversial practice among companies that drill underground for oil and natural gas. In fracking, drillers inject millions of gallons of water, sand, salts and chemicals- all too often toxic chemicals and human carcinogens such as benzene- into shale deposits or other sub-surface rock formations at extremely high pressure, to fracture the rock and extract the raw fuel. The purpose of fracking is to create fissures in underground rock formations, thereby increasing the flow of oil or natural gas and making it easier for workers to extract those fossil fuels. How Common Is Fracking? The fracking process is used to boost production at 90 percent of all oil and gas wells in the United States, according to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, and fracking is increasingly common in other countries as well. Although fracking most often occurs when a well is new, companies fracture many wells repeatedly in an effort to extract as much valuable oil or natural gas as possible and to maximize the return on their investment in a profitable site. The Dangers of Fracking Fracking poses serious dangers to both human health and the environment. The three biggest problems with fracking are: Fracking leaves behind a toxic sludge (called drill cuttings)  that companies and communities must find some way to manage. Safely disposing of the sludge created by fracking is an ongoing challenge.Somewhere between 20 percent and 40 percent of the toxic chemicals used in the fracking process remain stranded underground where they can, and often do, contaminate drinking water, soil and other parts of the environment that support plant, animal and human life.Methane from fracture wells can leak into groundwater, creating a serious risk of explosion and contaminating drinking water supplies so severely that some homeowners have been able to set fire to the mixture of water and gas coming out of their faucets. Methane also can cause asphyxiation. There isnt much research on the health effects of drinking water contaminated by methane, however, and the EPA doesnt regulate methane as a contaminant in public water systems. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a least nine different chemicals commonly used in fracking are injected into oil and gas wells at concentrations that pose a threat to human health. Fracking also poses other hazards, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, which warns that besides contaminating drinking water with toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, fracking could trigger earthquakes, poison livestock, and overburden wastewater systems. Why Concerns About Fracking are Increasing Americans get half their drinking water from underground sources. Accelerated gas drilling and hydrofracking in recent years has fueled public concern about well-water contamination by methane, fracking fluids and produced water, the wastewater extracted from wells after the shale has been fractured. So its no wonder people are increasingly concerned about the risks of fracking, which is becoming more widespread as gas exploration and drilling expands. Gas extracted from shale currently accounts [in 2011] for about 15 percent of natural gas produced in the United States. The Energy Information Administration estimates it will make up almost half of the nation’s natural-gas production by 2035. In 2005, President George W. Bush exempted oil and gas companies from federal regulations designed to protect U.S. drinking water, and most state oil and gas regulatory agencies don’t require companies to report the volumes or names of the chemicals they use in the fracking process, chemicals such as benzene, chloride, toluene and sulfates. The result, according to the nonprofit Oil and Gas Accountability Project, is that one of the nations dirtiest industries is also one of its least regulated, and enjoys an exclusive right to inject toxic fluids directly into good quality groundwater without oversight. Congressional Study Confirms Fracking Uses Hazardous Chemicals In 2011, congressional Democrats released the results of an investigation showing that oil and gas companies injected hundreds of millions of gallons of hazardous or carcinogenic chemicals into wells in more than 13 states from 2005 to 2009. The investigation was initiated by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2010, when the Democrats controlled the U.S. House of Representatives. The report also faulted companies for secrecy and for sometimes â€Å"injecting fluids containing chemicals that they themselves cannot identify.† The investigation also found that 14 of the most active hydraulic fracturing companies in the United States used 866 million gallons of hydraulic fracturing products, not including the water that makes up the bulk of all fracking fluid. More than 650 of the products contained chemicals that are known or possible human carcinogens, which are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act or listed as hazardous air pollutants, according to the report. Scientists Find Methane in Drinking Water A peer-reviewed study conducted by scientists at Duke University and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in May 2011 linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing to a pattern of drinking-water contamination so severe that faucets in some areas can be lit on fire. After testing 68 private groundwater wells across five counties in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York, the Duke University researchers found that the amount of flammable methane gas in wells used for drinking water increased to dangerous levels when those water sources were close to natural-gas wells. They also found that the type of gas detected at high levels in the water was the same type of gas that energy companies were extracting from shale and rock deposits thousands of feet underground. The strong implication is that natural gas may be seeping through either natural or man-made faults or fractures, or leaking from cracks in the gas wells themselves. â€Å"We found measurable amounts of methane in 85 percent of the samples, but levels were 17 times higher on average in wells located within a kilometer of active hydrofracking sites,† said Stephen Osborn, postdoctoral research associate at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. Water wells farther from the gas wells contained lower levels of methane and had a different isotopic fingerprint. The Duke study found no evidence of contamination from chemicals in the fracking fluids that are injected into gas wells to help break up shale deposits, or from produced water.

Instrumentation Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Instrumentation Systems - Essay Example A typical digitised process control instrumentation system is as follows: 2. Sensors and Transducers: Strictly speaking, a sensor is a device that receives a signal or stimulus and responds with an electrical signal, while a transducer is a converter of one type of energy into another. In practice, however, the terms are often used interchangeably. Sensors and their associated circuits are used to measure various physical properties such as temperature, force, pressure, flow, position, light intensity, etc. These properties act as the stimulus to the sensor, and the sensor output is conditioned and processed to provide the corresponding measurement of the physical property such as temperature, pressure, level, etc. (Kester 12) (a) Temperature Sensors: Measurement of temperature is critical in modern electronic devices, especially expensive laptop computers and other portable devices with densely packed circuits which dissipate considerable power in the form of heat. Knowledge of system temperature can also be used to control battery charging as well as prevent damage to expensive microprocessors. Compact high power portable equipment often has fan cooling to maintain junction temperatures at proper levels. In order to conserve battery life, the fan should only operate when necessary. Accurate control of the fan requires knowledge of critical temperatures from the appropriate temperature sensor. (Kester 174) The various types of temperature sensors are: Thermocouples are small, rugged, relatively inexpensive, and operate over the widest range of all temperature sensors. They are especially useful for making measurements at extremely high temperatures (up to +2300Â °C) in hostile environments. They produce only millivolts of output, however, and require precision amplification for further processing. They also require cold-junction compensation (CJC) techniques.