Meteors Case Study Essay

Meteorites are rocks from space, which land on Earth, attracted by her gravity. The shooting stars that you see at night, are actually burning meteors that fall on Earth from outer space! This is the first of many interesting facts that are going to follow. Why do meteorites fall? For the same reason why anything falls on Earth – ‘Gravity’. Very few can escape it! Meteorites have their origin in outer space. They are relatively small pieces of dust and debris, usually left behind in the wake of a comet. Meteorites, that are huge in size, have their origin in space, as asteroids. They are left over pieces of matter from formation of the solar system, which could not clump together to form a planet like our Earth. There is a dense belt of such asteroids outside the orbit of the planet Mars, called the ‘Asteroid Belt’. Asteroids are huge in size and their lengths can number to kilometers! Once in a while, small pieces of rock or dust, come into range of Earth’s gravitational pull and fall on Earth as shooting stars. An asteroid dislodged from its trajectory and falling on Earth is also called a meteorite. However, an asteroid being huge in size, causes a cataclysmic explosion on Earth on impact. Origin ‘Meteor’ and ‘Meteorite’ facts are interchangeable terms and we shall see why they are so. When these rocks and pieces of dust are floating in space, they are called ‘Meteoroids’. When they make a blazing entry into Earth’s atmosphere, they are called ‘Meteors’. Finally, if they survive the burning entry into Earth’s atmosphere and fall on Earth, they are called ‘Meteorites’. So a meteorite could originate from comet debris called meteoroids or larger objects called asteroids! Here are some basic facts about meteorites, meteors and meteoroids. Comets leave tons of dust and debris in their trail as they travel along long orbits round the Sun. When Earth, while revolving around the Sun, passes through some patches of this comet debris, it enters the Earth’s atmosphere causing meteor showers. Meteor showers are periodic events. One can see thousands of meteors or shooting stars, as they are called, dur ing such a shower. The most popular meteor showers are ‘Perseids’ (which peak around August 12) and Leonids (which peak around 17 November). During these showers, you can observe a shooting star at the rate of 1 meteor per minute on an average. A falling meteor can travel at speed of as much as 44 miles per second ! One of the facts is that they have some of the oldest rocks in the solar system among them. They could be older than the Earth and date from the period when Sun was forming! Every day, about 4 billion meteoroids fall on Earth! Majority of them are very tiny and therefore do not cause much harm. If a meteorite is observed while falling and recovered from the place of fall, it’s called a ‘fall’ meteorite. If a meteorite is not observed while falling, but found from any location, it’s called a ‘find.’ Till 2006, there have been roughly 1,050 witnessed falls while there are about 30,000 documented ‘Finds’. Falling meteors which are large in size, can create an intense electromagnetic pulse, which temporarily disrupt radio communication in the region of fall! With a properly designed radio antenna, you can actually ‘hear’ meteorites falling as radio noise. Types and Composition Here are some facts about their types and composition, that you should know about. Recovered meteorites are classified into three main categories which are ‘Chondrites’ (Make about 86% of all recovered meteorites), ‘Achondrites’ (8%) and ‘Iron’ meteorites (6 %). The name ‘Chondrites’ comes from features called ‘Chrondules’, which are melted silicate materials from their past. Chondrites are about 4.55 billion years old and are the types of rocks from which our own planet formed! Certain chondrite meteorites fallen from outer space contain traces of amino acids and organic matter, bolstering the theory that life may have been planted on Earth! This is one of the most astounding facts. Achronidtes are relatively younger meteorites of the igneous rock type and are pieces of asteroids, the Moon and Mars! Iron meteorites are composed of iron-nickel alloys and silicate materials. They are also thought to be pieces of asteroid s! Every one of these meteor facts are intriguing. Earth has been pounded by the impact of many meteorites, ranging from the very tiny to gigantic meteorites. The meteorites impact craters that are found on earth are testimony to this. It is time for the last of our facts. One gigantic meteorite impact occurred millions of years ago on Earth which brought on the extinction of dinosaurs! One question that may come to your mind is, ‘Where do meteorites fall?’. They could fall anywhere on Earth. Meteors have been found all over the world. The recent findings have been mostly in Africa and accessible parts of Antarctica. If you could find one, you are bound to be rich as private collectors and museums pay millions of dollars for them! The reason is that they are very rare and are made up of minerals, which are never found on Earth! So keep looking! You may never know, when one might pop out of the sky, making you rich. So it’s actually profitable to know some meteor facts. Originating in the outer space, an object reaches Earth and gets a place in the list of meteorites. There have been many instances of extraterrestrial bo dies impacting the Earth’s surface while some have only passed through the Earth’s atmosphere before they were destroyed. Meteorites have been arousing interest of the masses as there is an element of mystery that surrounds them. Where do they originate? What makes some of them enter the Earth’s atmosphere? How dangerous can they get? Space research and astronomy have revealed some interesting information about some of these questions and researched thoroughly on the different types of meteorites. Most of the meteorites disintegrate before reaching Earth while some reach the planet’s surface. Huge meteorites form craters on Earth while the smaller ones involve less danger. Meteorites containing small round particles are known as chondrites and form about 86% of those falling on Earth. Those similar in appearance to small igneous rocks are called achondrites and believed as being the crustal material of asteroids. Meteorites originating from the core of asteroids are known as iron meteorites and form about 5% of the meteorites, which fall. History has recorded a number of instances of meteorites impacting the Earth. ALH 84001: It was found in the Allan Hills, Antarctica in December 1984. Meteorite hunters of the United States working on ASMNET project discovered this meteorite. When discovered, its mass was 1.93 kilograms and its rock was reportedly one of the oldest forms. This meteorite was supposed to have come from Mars. Later it was believed to consist of some traces of the life on Mars and this made ALH 84001 more famous than ever. Hoba: This meteorite lies on the farm Hoba West in Namibia and has never been moved elsewhere because of its exceptionally greater mass. With a mass of about 60 tons, it is the largest meteorite known to mankind. It is tabloid in shape and composed of metal. It is believed to have landed on Earth about 80,000 years ago. In 1955, it was declared as a national monument and has since then been attracting visitors from different parts of the world. Tunguska Event: The Tunguska explosion took place in June 1908 near Tunguska River, now a part of Russia. Most probably, the air burst of a large meteorite caused this explosion. The energy emitted from this explosion was about 1000 times greater than that of the bomb blast of Hiroshima. According to the eyewitnesses of this explosion, the event started with a flash of bright blue light and a sound originating from east and moving northward. Later the sound was accompanied by shock waves that broke windows miles away. This was one of the famous disintegrating meteorites that remain in the list of world’s most famous meteorites. Willamette Meteorite: This is an iron-nickel meteorite that was discovered in the United States near Oregon. It is the largest of the meteorites found in the United Sates as also the sixth largest in the world. Probably the meteorite had landed in the region, which is now known as Canada. This meteorite weighing about 15.5 tons is one of the very large meteorites of the world. Orgueil: This meteorite fell in France in 1864 and is a relatively older meteorite. The fall of this meteorite consisted of small stones that covered a massive area. This is one of those eight meteorites that belong to the CL chondrite group. A striking feature of this type of meteorite it that its composition is similar to that of the Sun. This meteorite is one of the most researched ones. For purposes of deeper study of the composition of this meteorite, it was split into pieces. Currently, it exists in the form of pieces kept in different museums in Europe and the United States. These were some of the famous meteorites of the world. They have always been a subject of interest for researchers around the world. Meteor showers A meteor shower is a celestial event wherein it is observed that a group of meteors radiate from anyone point in the sky. This phenomenon is also known as ‘Meteor Storm’ or ‘Meteor Outburst’. The meteors that are present in the showers are actually cosmic debris that enter the Earth atmosphere at very high speed and vaporize very quickly due to friction leaving behind a streak of light which is known as the meteor shower. An identified meteor shower is usually an annual affair as the Earth will encounter the same meteors at approximately the same time and same speed every year. Causes Meteor showers are a result of interaction that takes place between the planet Earth and a comet. Comets consist of ice and rocks (often termed dirty ice balls) that orbit around the sun like planets. Every time the comet gets close to the sun, some of the ice present in the comet melts which produces a large amount of debris. This debris moves away from the comet and becomes a part of its tail which is visible part of the comet. The solid parts of the tail are the meteoroids and they spread along the entire orbit of the comet which is termed as a meteoroid stream. As the Earth orbits around the sun, its path may cross the meteoroid stream and a meteor shower follows. When the meteoroid stream is particularly dense, then we get to witness the meteor storm and having witnessed one myself, I can guarantee that the sight is truly spectacular. People Behind the Concept It is believed that Irish astronomer George Johnstone Clooney collaborating with the British astronomer Arthur Matthew Weld Downing and Adolf Berberich belonging to the Royal Astronomical Computation Institute in Berlin, Germany offered the very first idea of the meteoroid stream in the 1890. They were able to calculate as to how the meteoroids once freed from the comet would travel at low speeds when compared to the comet itself would start drifting after completing one orbit. This effect was attributed to simple orbital wherein the materials drift laterally away from the comet as some particles make a wider orbit when compared to other particles. The gravitational pull of the Earth’s atmosphere would decide where the dust trails would pass the Earth’s atmosphere. It is a fair possibility that some years, the dust particles can completely miss the Earth’s orbit. Major Meteor Showers If you want to watch meteor showers then the best time of the year is the night of January 3. The shower has been named Quadrantids and this particular shower can produce over a close to 140 meteors per hour. The source of this shower is not a comet but a minor planet, 2003 EH1 which suffered a catastrophic breakup in 1490. However, the showers are very faint and the peak hours last only for a few hours. Hence, you will have to be in a good spot and at an ideal point to watch the shower in all its glory and the best place to watch this particular shower is from the Northern Hemisphere. But people in Southern Hemisphere need not be disappointed. As a matter of fact, they get to witness a meteor shower termed Eta Aquarids which consists of debris from the famous Halley’s Comet. This shower peaks on the night of May 5 and the rate of meteors is about 30 per hour. The meteor shower ‘Geminids’ is considered to be the best annual shower. It peaks around the night of December 13 and the rate of meteor is around 70 per hour. The source of this shower is also a minor planet, 3200 Phaethon. It is best visible from the Northern Hemisphere and it is believed that due to the extreme cold conditions, the air tends to be more transparent and this is the reason as to why this particular shower is spectacular. Sporadic Meteor Showers When the meteoroids collide with each other and can become a part of the sporadic meteors background. They form isolated meteors and are not a part of any shower. Asteroids Asteroids are considered to be remnants of an early broken planet of the solar system. Asteroids have no fixed shape and are too small to be spherical in shape. They are ellipsoids (two dimensional figure), dumbbell or irregularly shaped. As they have different shapes, they also vary in their size. The first asteroid Ceres, discovered in January 1801 by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi, is the largest known asteroid and is 940 km in diameter. Some of the smallest asteroids are just 6 meters in diameter. The mass of all the asteroids added together, is believed to lesser than the mass of the Moon. Only 200,000 asteroids have been discovered so far, but billion more undiscovered asteroids still exit in our solar system. Asteroid Belt Most asteroids lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, however there are more belts in the solar system, namely the ones beyond Neptune’s orbit. The belt itself has interesting origination theories. Most astronomers believe that the belt is a broken planet, while some say that the belt is primordial material that never coalesced into a planet because of Jupiter’s gravitational pull. The asteroid belt lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and contains more than 200 asteroids larger than 100 km in diameter, and more than 750,000 asteroids with diameters larger than 1 km. Most asteroids are found in this belt because of the gravitational interaction between the solar system and the celestial bodies in it. As opposed to the fiction made popular by various depictions of the asteroid belt, it is not at all dense. The region is so vast that asteroids are hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from their closest neighbor. The asteroids are so small and far away from each other that they appear as faint stars, and except for Ceres, are not bright enough to be seen without some telescopic aid. Only the asteroid Vesta, on rare occasions of an extremely clear dark sky can become visible to the naked eye. What are Asteroids Composed Of? Asteroids are made of different minerals and substances. This depends on the planet they broke away from in a collision, as well as the chemical reactions they might have experienced while orbiting in the solar system. The asteroids closest to the Sun are mostly carbonaceous and the ones further away are composed of silicate rock. The metallic asteroids are made of 70-80% iron and the remaining is nickel with many other metals such as iridium mixed in. Some are also made of half silicate and half metallic. The asteroid Ceres is composed of a rocky core covered by an icy mantle, whereas Vesta has a nickel-iron core, basaltic crust and a covering of magnesium iron silicate (olivine mantle). Asteroids composition has been classified as the following: C class asteroids: They are found in the Earth’s outer belt and are darker and more carbonaceous than the ones found in the S class. D class asteroids: They are also known as Trojan asteroids of Jupiter and are dark and carbonaceous in composition. S class asteroids: They are found in the Earth’s inner belt, closer to Mars and are composed of mostly stone and iron. V class asteroids: They are a far-out group of asteroids that follow a path between the orbits of Jupiter and Uranus, and are made of igneous, eruptive materials. A near-Earth asteroid collided with the Earth about 65 million years ago, which triggered environmental changes, leading to the extinction of the dinosaurs. This asteroid created a huge circular depression called the Chicxulub Basin and is centered in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, a major tourist attraction. Though the chances of asteroid collision with the Earth is very rare, they do come very close to our planet due to collisions and gravitational tugs on the highly elliptical Sun’s orbit. Most asteroids burn up in the atmosphere and never reach the Earth. NASA projects, such as the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) and the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) main objectives are to detect and intercept asteroids or other celestial bodies coming close to the Earth before they cause untold damage to our planet. Asteroids are small celestial bodies composed of rock and metal, that revolve around the Sun. Their size can vary: some asteroids are large and roughly spherical in shape, due to which they appear like miniature planets; while the others are small and irregularly shaped. The matter of these celestial bodies also differs. The asteroid ‘Vesta’, is believed to have a nickel-iron core, olivine mantle and basaltic crust, while the asteroid ’10 Hygiea’ is composed of carbonaceous chondrite. Most of the small asteroids are piles of rubble held together by gravity. Some asteroids supposedly have traces of amino-acids and other organic compounds, and it is assumed that the impact of asteroids on the Earth could have initiated life on the planet by seeding it with the necessary chemical substances. Although, it is believed that the asteroids may have planted life on the Earth, they are capable of having catastrophic effect on the planet as well. Asteroids with a diameter of 5 to 10 meters, and energy equal to 15 kilotons of TNT, enter into the Earth’s atmosphere approximately once every year; while, those with a diameter of over 50 meters enter the Earth’s atmosphere approximately once in a thousand years. Their impact can be devastating if they hit the Earth, but they disintegrate in the upper atmosphere and most of the particles are vaporized, thus rendering them harmless. In the distant past, our planet has experienced a massive climate change and large-scale extinction of animal and plant species, ascribed to the impact of some large asteroids on the planet. The exogenesis theory suggests that origin of life on the Earth must have been triggered by the impact of some asteroid, carrying organic chemicals needed to initiate life form. The Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, which led to the end of dinosaurs and the Permian-Triassic extinction event that led to the end of the Permian period finishing off 90% of the species on the planet, are believed to be the result of an asteroid impact on the Earth. The craters on the solid bodies in the solar system, which were attributed to volcanic activities till 1960s, were actually formed due to the impact of celestial bodies. Researchers have determined that in the last 600 million years, 60 objects with a diameter of five km or more, have struck the Earth. Even the smallest of these object possessed energy of ten million megatons of TNT, and would have formed a crater, approximately 95 km in diameter, on the surface of our planet. The Rio Cuarto craters in Argentina are believed to have formed due to the impact of asteroids that struck this area around 10,000 years ago. In 1490, ten thousand people reportedly lost their lives due to a hail of stones from the sky. This hail of stones is assumed to be result of the disintegration of a large asteroid, after it entered the Earth’s atmosphere. In 1908, a mid-air explosion of an asteroid destroyed 80 million trees, within an area of 830 miles, near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River, in Si beria. In many cases, the sighting of a foreign body, such as an asteroid or a meteoroids is reported as a fireball in the sky. Millions of asteroids will pass by the Earth in the years to come. Though, they are unknown now, they are detectable as they come closer to the planet. The Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) and the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking (NEAT) are projects initiated by NASA to detect asteroids or other such foreign bodies coming close to the Earth. The need of the hour is to develop an intercept system in space, to destroy or deflect foreign objects heading towards our planet, before they prove catastrophic. Asteroids are celestial bodies consisting of rocks and metals. They are mainly concentrated in the region known as the asteroid belt which lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Asteroids can be as big as Ceres, which is close to 1000 kilometers in diameter, or can be just a few feet in diameter. Whatever the size, asteroids are neither big enough to be called planets nor are they as small as comets. They are classified as minor planets that include the Kuiper Belt Objects. Discovery On January 1, 1801, Giuseppe Piazzi discovered the first asteroid which he initially thought to be a comet. He named this asteroid Ceres, after the Sicilian Goddess of grain. Ceres is also the largest asteroid to have been discovered so far. Soon, other large asteroids like Pallas, Juno and Vista were discovered. By the end of the 19th century, several hundred asteroids were discovered. Formation of Asteroids It was once believed that asteroids were formed by the explosion of a planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter. However, according to present day astronomers, asteroids are debris left behind by the Big Bang that could not come together to form a tenth planet because of the effect of Jupiter’s gravitational pull. Asteroid Hits Asteroids have been hitting the Earth since millions of years. However, due to the friction with Earth’s atmosphere most of the asteroids get burnt. The asteroids that enter the Earth’ s atmosphere are called meteors while the ones that get burnt and appear as shooting stars are called meteorites. According to the Giant Impact Theory, the Moon was created when Theia, an asteroid of the size of Mars, collided with the Earth in the early days of the solar system. However, some consider Theia to be more of a planetoid than an asteroid. The largest crater caused by an asteroid hit is the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico that is 180 km in diameter. The asteroid that formed the crater had a diameter of 10 km. This collision is supposed to be responsible for the extinction of a large number of flora and fauna including the dinosaur. However, the evidence of the largest asteroid hit is in the Vredefort crater in South Africa that is 300 km in diameter. Impacts of Asteroid Hits The damage that an asteroid’s impact can cause depends mainly upon its mass and velocity, as these are the two factors that determine the energy that is released when an asteroid hits the Earth. While some asteroids are capable of sending thermal waves that can incinerate most flora and fauna within a few hundred kilometers, some larger asteroids can create huge impacts causing magma to cover areas as big as continents. The worst effect of an asteroid hit is the blocking out of sunlight for months together due to formation of dust clouds and soot in the upper atmosphere. This would hamper the green plants’ ability to prepare food through the process of photosynthesis and the food chain would be disrupted. Near-Earth Asteroids Near-Earth asteroids are those that have moved closer to the Earth’s orbit as they have been knocked out of the asteroid belt due to collision with other asteroids or comets, or due to the gravitational forces of Jupiter. They are classified into the following three groups: The Amors: These are near-Earth asteroids that cross the orbit of Mars but do not go out of the Earth’s orbit. The Apollos: The orbits of these near-Earth asteroids cross the Earth’s orbit but have an orbital period of greater than one year. The Atens: These near-Earth asteroids have orbits that cross the Earth’s orbit but have an orbital period of less than one year. Asteroids are currently being monitored for their probability of colliding with the Earth. Such studies have predicted that asteroids may hit the Earth on February 1, 2019 and March 16, 2880. The probability of the 2880 collision is as high as 1 in 300. A number of projects in the field of astronomy, like Spacewatch, Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking and Catalina Sky Survey are being carried out to detect any threat of such catastrophes. Comets A comet is a small body in space. It was matter of great interest to astronomers like Sir Edmond Halley. Many decades later, comets still remain a challenging mystery for the field of astronomy. Space research institutes around the world have reported the existence of 3628 comets that are known and studied. Annually, an average of one comet is sighted by the naked eye from the surface of the Earth. According to the definitions given by the various space research organizations, a comet can be defined as a space body that travels in an elliptical orbit around the sun. Most of the comets travel in elliptical orbits. When the comet comes in the vicinity of the star it is orbiting around, its comma-like tail gets illuminated. A majority of comets are visible only through telescopes and other aids. There are however, some comets which are also visible to the naked eye. What is a Comet Made Up of? A comet is principally made up of ice, dust and different forms of gases. The nature of the components differs from comet to comet. The central part of a comet that looks like a ball is termed as the nucleus. The nucleus is principally made up of ice and frozen gases. The frozen components also include many other compounds like ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide. Rocks are another component of the nucleus. Due to such composition, the nucleus of the comet often resembles a huge ball of dirt and snow. It is also believed by some astronomers, that the nucleus of a comet is rather fragile because several comets have split into parts without any explainable reason except immense velocity. The huge elliptical orbit takes the comet in the range of heat of the star around which it is orbiting. When the comet enters the inner parts of the solar system, the frozen content of the nucleus starts melting. The gases and water within the nucleus vaporize as a result of radiation from the star and the solar wind. The immense velocity of the comet and the solar wind, push the vaporized matter away from the nucleus. This gives the comet it’s distinct tail and the comma-like appearance. The high amount of heat and the ions (charged particles that are formed due to the heat of the sun) cause the tail of the comet to glow. How are Comets Formed? According to their formation or birth, the comets can be classified into two types. The first type is short-term comets which originate in the Kuiper belt as space bodies beyond the orbit of Pluto. The gravitational pull of the planets in the solar system, causes the origin of short term comets. These comets enter the solar system and take the form of active and glowing comets. Long term comets originate as traveling bodies in the Oort cloud (located around 50,000 light years away from the sun). The gravitational attraction of the planets in the solar system and other gravitational forces cause these comets to form elliptical orbits. Death of a Comet The study of comets has revealed that they have a fragile structure. Sometimes, comets split into parts due to sheer velocity. The entry and exit of comets in the solar system in course of its orbit, reduces the amount of matter (ice and frozen gases) in it. Due to this reduction in matter, the comets break-up and disperse into clouds. A dead comet is nothing but an asteroid or a similar form of a space body. Sometimes the comets also crash in other planets when their orbits cross each other. The most famous example of such a comet is the Shoemaker Levy 9, that crashed into Jupiter. For astronomers who have spent their lives studying comets, it a very heart-breaking moment to gaze at a dying comet. The Halley’s Comet is said to be one of the most beautiful comets. Another very beautiful comet is the Hale-Bopp, that was discovered in the year 1995, on 23rd July. It was predicted by astronomers that the Halley’s Comet would be sighted in the November of 1835. Mark Twain, the famous writer, was born just two weeks after the sighting. He developed a very special liking towards the Halley’s Comet. In his biography he comments,†I came in with the Halley’s Comet, and expect to go with it. The Almighty has said no doubt, Now here are two unaccountable freaks; they came in together; they must go out together.† Halley’s Comet was next sighted on 20th April, 1910. Twain ended the journey of his life the very next day. The journey of any comet is indeed like that of Mark Twain. It is remarkably long, fast, adventurous as it streaks across the dark sky. Haley’s comet Historical Spottings British scientist, Edmond Halley who observed the comet in 1682, was the first person to establish its periodic reappearance after every 75-76 years. He studied the comet and quite accurately predicted that it had earlier appeared in 1531 and in 1607. It was named ‘Halley’ in his honor and was observed again in 1758 as stated by him. It was last seen in February 1986. However, this was not the first time the comet was in focus. The first sighting recorded, was way back in 240 BC, by the Chinese and was mentioned in a chronicle, ‘Records of the Great Historian’. The comet also finds a mention in a Babylonian clay inscription of 164 BC. It has always been a subject of great interest, since it was believed to have an influence on the contemporary events. Armenian king Tigranes II, had its image printed on the coins issued in his regime after it was sighted in 87 BC. Therefore, even though the recurrence of the comet was an unknown fact, people were fascinated b y its appearance. The bright star that appeared in the night sky in 12 BC, coinciding with the birth of Jesus, is widely believed to be the Halley’s comet. Giotto Di Bondone, the famous Italian painter, who lived before the renaissance era, painted it in his work ‘The Star of Bethlehem’ in the Nativity, in 1305. He had seen the comet appear in 1301 and was impressed by the spectacle. In the middle ages, the appearance of a comet was considered to be a warning sign of a forthcoming danger. The most famous incident of spotting a comet during this period, was in 1066, before the Battle of Hastings. King Harold who had lost the battle, was believed to have seen the comet due to which he was cursed. In fact, the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy, France, signifies the Norman victory in this battle with an image of King Harold looking at the comet in the sky. In 1456, Pope Calixtus III had condemned its appearance considering it to be an evil omen. Three years prior to this, Europe was defeated by the Ottoman Empire. Human beings have always blamed celestial phenomena, whenever they have not been able to explain the causes of certain unfavorable events. Historically, the presence of a comet in the night sky was commonly cited as the reason behind difficult situations that were beyond the reasoning of common man. A French physician, Ambroise, had described the pitiful conditions of middle ages, when a comet was seen just before the spread of a big epidemic. According to him, some people were scared to death while others fell sick on seeing the comet. It was believed to be some ‘evil form’ leaving behind a trail of blood, believed to be a sign of misery. Recent Spottings In the 16th and the 17th century, scientists learned to calculate the speed and distance at which comets travel around the Sun. Once, Edmond Halley had established the year of its reappearance, Halley’s comet became a matter of great interest. Although, he didn’t live to see his prediction coming true, his observation had a significant impact on the way society perceived comets. The sighting of a comet, especially Halley’s comet became less of a concern and more of a curiosity among people. Once people realized that comets are orbiting bodies just like planets, they became less apprehensive on the arrival of a comet in the Earth’s visibility zone. The change in the attitude of the people was seen in the depiction of the comet in the contemporary pictures. Halley’s comet was a subject of scientific study and was depicted as a beautiful heavenly body in the sky. Famous American writer Mark Twain was born in 1835, the year when Halley’s comet ha d appeared. He predicted in 1909 that since he had ‘come’ with the comet he will ‘go out’ with it. Sure enough, he passed away a year after the comet reappeared in 1910. In the 1900s, it had appeared twice; once in 1910 and then in 1986. Further studies gave us a deep insight into the structure, composition and orbital journey of many different comets. Halley’s comet has one of the shortest orbital paths. It is classified as a short period comet, i.e. comets having an orbit period of 200 years or less. Once upon a time, it belonged to the long period class, but due to the gravitational force of planets, its orbit shortened over a period of time. Today, it is known that comets like ‘Hale Bopp’ which appeared in 1997, will reappear after 4200 years! Thus, Halley’s comet is the most frequently spotted one. Recently, it was seen in February 1986. During this visit, it was subjected to its biggest scrutiny ever. Five spacecrafts from The European Space Agency, Japan and the USSR were launched to study its surface. Structure and Composition of Halley’s Comet Halley’s comet is a big mass of ice and dust, having an elliptical orbit and shaped like a peanut. It has a highly elongated orbit, taking it very close to the Sun. It flings off far in the outer solar system, similar to a slingshot motion. The composition is mainly of water, sodium monoxide, methane, ammonia, hydrocarbons, iron and sodium. Its closest distance from the Sun was found to be just 0.6 AU (astronomical unit) and the farthest distance was calculated to be 35 AU, roughly the same distance as that of Pluto. It orbits the Sun in a retrograde or in the direction opposite to that of the planets’ revolution. The speed with respect to the Earth is quite high, since it is highly eccentric and inclined. The day time is relatively more on its surface and its maximum temperature rises up to 77 degrees celsius. Due to its large size and a well-defined and regular orbit, it was easy for the probe missions photograph it closely and study its surface. The mass of the comet is 1.7Ãâ€"1015 kilograms and the size of the nucleus has been estimated to be 15 km Ãâ€" 7 km Ãâ€" 7 km. Winds blowing near its surface are so strong that 1 gram particle of dust which hit the Giotto space probe, briefly destabilized it. Halley’s comet will next appear in 2062. Comets have always been a fascination for human beings and will continue to mesmerize generations to come, as we discover more interesting facts about these spectacular fireballs, the comets. Comet lullin Comet Lulin was discovered on July 11, 2007, by the duo of Ye Quanzhi and Lin Chi-Sheng. A non-periodic comet, Lulin appears to be greenish in color. This green color is attributed to the presence of gases such as cyanogen and diatomic carbon, which produce a green glow when illuminated by sunlight in the vacuum of the space. Officially designated as C/2007 N3 (Lulin), it is also known as the ‘Comet of Cooperation’ in China and Taiwan, as the two individuals involved in its discovery, were from these two countries. This comet was first photographed by Taiwanese astronomer Lin Chi-Sheng on July 11, 2007, while he was working on the Lulin Sky Survey Project (LUSS) at the Lulin observatory in Nantou, Taiwan. The Lulin Sky Survey Project aims to identify the numerous small objects in the solar system, particularly those that pose possible hazards to our planet. Lin used a 16-inch telescope to photograph this comet, which was initially assumed to be an asteroid. A few days later, Ye Quanzhi, a 19-year old student of meteorology from Sun Yat-Sen University, China, recognized this comet while going through Lin’s photographs. Its status of being a comet was confirmed after the presence of coma, the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of the comet, was noticed. Both, Lin and Quanzhi were accredited with the discovery of this new comet. As it was first noticed from the Lulin Observatory, it was named as Comet Lulin. Comet Lulin was seen in the Libra constellation from January to March 2009. In January, it was getting brighter and could be seen just before dawn; while in February, the brightness reached its peak. Eventually, in March, it started to fade as it went farther away from the Earth. While it was approaching the Earth, it had a typical tail pointing away from the Sun, as well as an ‘anti-tail’ which was directly pointing towards the sun. Although, it was assumed that this anti-tail was observed only in photographs, so me observers reported that it was visible even from a telescope in February 2009. According to Brian Marsden, an astronomer at Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Massachusetts, this comet’s closest approach to the sun was on January 10, 2009 when it reached a distance of 113 million miles from the sun. He noticed that the comet was moving in a retrograde orbit that is near-parabolic. On February 24, Comet Lulin came the closest to the Earth, at a distance of 0.41 AU or 38 million miles to be precise. On February 4, 2009, a team of Italian astronomers, under the leadership of Ernesto Guido, witnessed a strange phenomenon taking place in comet Lulin. While photographing the comet with a remotely controlled telescope in New Mexico, they saw that its tail suddenly disconnected. Ernesto attributed this odd phenomenon to magnetic disturbance of the solar wind hitting the comet. Earlier, this had been observed with Comet Encke too, when coronal mass ejection occurred, due to such magnetic storms. Photographs taken by NASA’s Swift Gamma-ray Explorer satellite in ultra-violet and X-rays show that Lulin is shedding 800 gallons of water every second. Observations by NASA also revealed that the surface material of the comet was burning away due to sun’s heat. This sighting of Comet Lulin was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the whole world, as there is no possibility of this comet returning to the inner solar system, at least not for the next thousand years. Human kind has always looked to the heavens in awe and wonder, and sometimes in fear. Perhaps no other astronomical phenomenon except a total solar eclipse has historically evoked as much fear as comets. When the specter of fear is removed, however, they emerge as strikingly beautiful objects in the sky. It was once believed that if earth passed through a tail of a comet, its inhabitants would die; this theory has been discredited. Comets are messengers from a time long past. Most are chunks of dirty ice, locked away in the Oort cloud for billions of years. (Oort cloud: – It is the source for long period comets, with orbital periods of greater than two hundred years.) Comets are familiar to nearly everyone as striking star like objects with long tails stretching across a wide band of the sky. The most famous comet, Halley’s comet makes its return to the skies every seventy-five years. The word â€Å"comet† is derived from a Greek word meaning â€Å"long haired† Comets were greatly feared before the twentieth century as bad omens. Since then, they have been identified and cataloged as objects that come from deep space. Most of them occupy orbits that carry them far outside the solar system. Many of them make only a single approach to the sun and never return again, while others exist in stable, but highly elliptical orbits that allow them to return after an extended period of time, su ch as the Halley’s comet. In 1986, the European space probe Giotto passed about 600 kilometers from the Comet Halley as it made its close approach to the sun. The probe verified existing theories that comets are made up of ices covered by black dust or soil. The spacecraft confirmed a theory that had been advanced prior to the reconnaissance that described comets as â€Å"dirty snowballs.† Using data taken by the spacecraft, scientists determined that the dust is composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. Other metals have also been discovered in comets, such as iron, calcium, nickel, potassium, copper and silicon. Halley’s comet was one of the darkest objects ever seen in the solar system; it was basically flat black. Comets are composed of a mixture of ices and dust. As a comet approaches the sun, it absorbs the suns energy and warms up. The main body of the comet is called the nucleus. As the nucleus warms, the ice beneath the comets soil evaporates. Because the comet has no atmosphere, the evaporated substance (also called a volatile) escapes into the vacuum of space as a gaseous envelope that surrounds the comet called â€Å"coma.† As the coma grows, it forms a plume of vapor that carries away some of the comets surface as well. This mixture of evaporated volatile particles and dust is carried away from the comet by solar wind, is ionized by high-energy particles, and creates the spectacular tail of the comet. The comet’s tail, glowing in the solar wind, can stream behind the comet for millions of kilometers. The nucleus of the comet consists of mostly volatile ices and dust. The ice is nearly all water ice, but there is also evidence of ices composed of carbon dioxide and methane. More elementary compounds of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon monoxide may exist as volatile ices. Comets are typically small bodies (comparatively!!). Halley’s comet is a potato shaped object, 14 by 17 kilometers. The largest known comet is Chiron, which is estimated to be approximately 200 kilometers in diameter. Comets are thought to have formed as the solar system evolved. The material of which comets are composed was constructed by accretion at the outer edge of the disk of material that ultimately became the sun and planets. Because the comet material was fashioned at the outer edge of the solar system, the sun did not evaporate the volatiles in the cometary material. At the same time, the giant planets of the solar system formed at what would become the outer orbits of the solar system. These massive planets encountered the newly formed comets, and the ones that were not engulfed by the giant planets were, over the first billion years, catapulted into interstellar space by the planets massive gravitational fields. Not all comets met that fate, however. Some were gently nudged into stable orbits closer to the sun. Others were flung into the inner solar system and impacted the inner planets. Relevance: – The study of comets involves detailed knowledge of its composition of the outer regions of the solar system and the space between the last planet and 100,000 astronomical units onwards. Cometary study also seeks to understand complex gravitational interactions between bodies separated by wide distances and even gravitational interactions between tiny comets, their behavior when approaching the sun, and something of the makeup and evolution of the early solar system. New comets approaching the sun for the first time have been held in deep freeze in the Oort cloud and are thought to be composed of primordial material of the newly forming solar system. They have been tied up in the Oort cloud for billions of years at temperatures slightly above absolute zero. As they approach the sun, their internal gases begin to steam away. A detailed study of an approaching comet may tell cosmologists about the composition of the early solar systems. Comets and their approach have also hinted at the existence of the elusive brown dwarf, thought to be one of the most common bodies of interstellar space. Because they are so dim, they are all but invisible from Earth. On the other hand, because brown dwarfs are thought to be so plentiful, the study of comets and their orbits may give the first real clues to the former’s reality and abundance. In the early 1980s the existence of the galactic tidal action was merely speculation. Since then, careful study of cometary orbits and approaches has favorable supported the theory of galactic tides. In the close approach of Halley’s comet by an unmanned spacecraft in 1986, a wealth of information was recovered on the shape, behavior, and composition of comets. The existence of the Oort cloud and the concept gravitational interactions by passing objects in space have led to the theory of periodic comet showers. Such comet showers, separated by periods of tens of millions of years, may be responsible for the mass extinction on Earth. There is a wide speculation that Earth was struck by one or more comets 70 million years ago, which wiped out the dinosaurs. Some scientists have speculated that this extinction was the result of a shower of comets from the Oort cloud, sent on their close approach to the sun by a passing star or brown dwarf through the Oort cloud. Comets have been used to judge vast distances, evaluate the composition of the solar system as it was being born, and even test the idea that the gravity of the entire galaxy can make a difference to the smallest objects in space. Comets have been used as yardsticks to evaluate what may be the most type of star in the galaxy-the brown dwarf-which ironically is one that may never be seen. They have also been called dirty snowballs. Halley’s comet was so black that it was the darkest object ever seen in space. Yet, from these dirty specks of ice, cosmologists have witnessed some of the most spectacular light shows. Ultimately comets may also generate clues to some of the most fundamental secrets about the solar system and planets. From these tiny messengers, cosmologists may unlock and examine pristine elements from creation itself.

Why Farts Are Awesome

People are too uptight. Or maybe people just don't realize how funny farting actually is. And by people, I mean the feminine half of the population. The difference in opinion between the sexes on the humorous value of a good fart is one of the most telling signs that men are far more evolved than women. Or at least have a better sense of humor. Dammit, farts are funny. So what brought this on, you ask? Well today at work, I had to fart. So naturally I ran over to where one of my coworkers was standing, lifted my leg, scrunched my face up, and let ‘er rip. Apparently, that was rude. Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu uuuuuuuuuuuse me. After I farted on my coworker, every single male working starting laughing their asses off, and the females looked at me as if I'd just committed the most heinous crime one can commit. The manager tried to keep the peace by politely asking me to not fart on people, but it was one of those times where you're trying to tell somebody not to do something, yet you just can't stop laughing. I was forced to admit that farting on someone is rude. Yeah, so? It's also very freakin hilarious. We do it to each other all the time, well, the guys anyway. We'll run over to each other's workstations, rip one off, then run away laughing as the other person covers their nose. Then an hour later they'll get us back. And you know what? It's damn funny too. So of course when I farted on my coworker people asked me if I would think it's funny if someone farted on me. Not especially, but it would be damn funny to them, and if they did it to me and didn't laugh, I'd kick their ass. Of course it isn't funny if you're on the receiving end, but it's comedic gold if you deliver a well-timed stinker to a friend. The humor value of a fart is judged by the level of humor in the eyes of the farter and the third-party audience, if applicable. The fartee's perspective doesn't count. That's the whole point of getting a good laugh at the expense of others. I don't mind if people get a laugh at my expense. It's the rules of the game, you live by the sword and die by the sword. I can take a fart from someone else, but you can bet your ass I'll be delivering one with your name on it. You see, if God didn't want people to fart on each other, he wouldn't have made it so funny. God wants us to fart in the funniest manner possible. Usually that involves assaulting the nasal passages of your fellow man. Farting is just funny. I mean think about it, it stinks, it makes a funny noise, and it comes out of your ass, how could it possibly get any funnier than that? As a matter of fact, I challenge you to name five things in life that are funnier than nailing somebody else with a big stinky fart. I don't think it's possible. To help all of you appreciate the art of farting a little more, I have taken the liberty of coming up with a few farting tips from a farting pro. If possible, make certain someone else gets the pleasure of smelling your fart. A fart nobody else smells or hears is an opportunity wasted and lost forever. If you have to fart and you're standing next to someone, bend your ass and â€Å"aim† toward them. This doesn't really make it any smellier for them, but it adds dramatic effect and makes the experience funnier. If you have to fart, and nobody is standing right next to you, hunt someone down, then lift your leg, scrunch up your face, and let it go. For bonus points, try to corner someone and then fart on them. Also for bonus, get down on your knees as though you're looking for something on the ground. Ask for help. As soon as the good samaritan gets on their knees to help you, quickly move your ass right up next to their face and let go. When someone is giving their opinion and you have to fart, say â€Å"You know what I think about that? † and then scrunch up your face and fart. When you have to fart and someone is walking in your direction, hold the fart until the are directly behind you, then release. If you're sitting down when you fart, lift the ass cheek facing the person nearest to you, that way they get the full effect. Upon completion of the fart, say â€Å"aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh†, as though you've just taken an eleven-pound shit. Quickly claim the fart as your own handiwork, especially to those who didn't hear it. If you don't tell them, they may never know you just farted. Raise your arms over your head as though you've just won the World Heavyweight Title in front of thousands of people. Announce what it was that made you fart. Make sure to use lots of description. Rather than say â€Å"I need to stop eating so much Mexican food†, say â€Å"God damn, those three bean burritos went right through me, I'll be lucky if I don't get diarrhea. † Describe to all around you how the fart felt as it came out. For example, was it a wet one? A cheek burner? Did you feel like a giant gas bubble in your stomach popped with the fart's release? Do you need to go to the restroom just to make sure a little feces didn't escape as well? Rate the fart. Unless it was a dud, in which case you shouldn't have done all the buildup. But if it was a good one, talk about what a great fart it was and how you wish you'd had a video camera.

Completed [email protected] Report

NATIONAL GENERAL CERTIFICATE Candidate report template (2009 specification) UNIT NGC3 – THE HEALTH AND SAFETY PRACTICAL APPLICATION Student number: Location: Date of review: Introduction including overview of area inspected and activities taking place This report follows an inspection of the building and yard located in †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. in order to meet the requirements of the Nebosh NGC 3 practical application. The areas concerned with this inspection are the works building and one store in the yard and its immediate surrounding area.The building consists of a canteen area, an office for admin duties, two toilets, a locker room, a drying/store room for personal protective equipment (PPE) and a small store room. In the yard is one store for the storage of various outdoor work materials and tools. The premises are occupied by up to fifteen staff at any one time. Staff work on a rotation of day and night shifts and the building is used for messing, completing paper work and plann ing work. The yard and store are used for loading and unloading vehicles with work equipment to prepare for railway work.There were no members of staff on duty at the time of the inspection. Executive Summary Upon completion of the inspection I found there were several areas of concern which lead to breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO), the Manual Handling Operations Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER). The health and safety of the employees who are using the premises may also be at risk if some of these concerns are not addressed immediately.Failure to address these issues may lead to attention and possible enforcement action from the HSE and/or the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). Breaches of statutory duty or failure to comply with improvement or prohibition notices may result in court action being taken which may lead to criminal prosecution and fines of up to ? 20 000 in a magistrates court and the possibility of up to 6 months imprisonment. A detailed description of the findings is listed below with reference to specific observations given in brackets.Main findings of the inspection Fire precautions The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (RRFSO) requires that fire fighting arrangements must be provided in the workplace (18). Although there are fire extinguishers located throughout the building there is an absence of any extinguisher in the office. Therefore there is an urgent requirement to have extinguishers installed here as employees would be in extreme danger if a fire were to start in the office. The RRFSO also states that fire exits must remain free from obstructions at all times (1).The PPE blocking the fire exit is not only creating a tripping hazard but it is putting the health and safety of the employees at risk of becoming trapped in the building if a fire were to start. Ma nagement of Health and Safety Many of the observations are the result of a poor Health and Safety management system which could easily be rectified by members of staff and at a very low cost to the organisation. (2,3,8,10,12). Use of rail steel as doorstops presents a significant risk of slips, trips and falls and is a very easy problem to rectify.Other housekeeping issues such as tangled cables, hand cleaners being stored near eating and drinking utensils and overflowing waste paper bins are all issues that will present a very poor image to visitors but are low cost and not time consuming problems to resolve. These issues may also be in breach of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. PPE. Issues The Personal Protective Equipment regulations state that all PPE must be suitably stored and maintained (1, 14). The PPE blocking the fire exit must be removed and all the old PPE in the store room should be disposed of and replaces as it is no longer fit for purpose .The heater in the drying room (6) also needs urgent attention as its purpose is to dry out PPE used by employees in wet weather conditions. With the heater not functional this has an impact on the ability to maintain the PPE to a good standard. PUWER Issues The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations state that employers must ensure that all work equipment is suitable, maintained and inspected (7, 17). The old fax machine in the office has been out of use for quite some time with service tags out of date and there has been no effort to have it repaired or replaced.It is creating a tripping hazard as well as breaching PUWER. A similar situation has arisen regarding the water dispenser in the canteen. The employees have shown their concerns about not being able to use the machine and it is in serious need of repair or replacement. This is also creating a welfare issue which must be addressed. Manual Handling Issues There are some issues concerning heavy materials being stored at ground level (13, 20). This is in breach of the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and presents a high risk of a RIDDOR injury to employees lifting or moving these materials.As suggested these materials must be stored correctly and at waist level to prevent injuries from bending and lifting. This will prevent high costs through RIDDOR incidents and loss of productivity. Conclusions The building and yard are all of modern design with full refurbishments having been carried out as recent as 2007. Many of the hazards found were as a result of a lapse in general Health and Safety management and many of the observations could be rectified by simple maintenance and tidying up of the building and yard.This is a very low cost practice which in turn could improve the Health and Safety of the workforce. The employees have all had a very good level of workplace specific Health and Safety training with certificates on display on the notice board. However this training counts for li ttle if it is not put into practice on a daily basis. It appears there have also been many bad habits picked up over the years such as poor general housekeeping. Employers and employees should take pride in a clean and safe workplace and it also sets a good example to any visitors or potential clients.A safe workplace will also reduce the risk of accidents and ill health to employees and in the long run save money from unnecessary claims, losses of production and a poor corporate image. Recommendations: |Recommendation |Likely resource implications |Priority |Target date | |Fire exit door should remain free |PPE to be removed from exit area and signs to |High |Immediate | |from obstructions at all times. (1) |be erected advising to keep clear. | | |Fire extinguisher to be installed in |New fire extinguisher, ? 30, easy to install by|High |Immediate | |the office. (18) |a member of staff. | | | |Heater in drying room must not be |Wall brackets to be replaced, 1-2 man hours to|High |1 week | |used until it is re-attached to the |fit and reinstate heater to wall, approx cost | | | |wall. 6) |? 50. | | | | | | | | |Arrange for repair or replacement of |Repair could be very expensive, more practical|High |1 week | |drinking water dispenser. (17) |option may be to replace. ?200 approx. man | | | | |hour to install. | | | |Remove battery chargers from power |Install an extra plug socket to prevent |Medium |1 month | |when not in use, and establish better|tangling cables under chairs. Electrician for| | | |layout of cables. (8) |1 hour plus parts. 50 approx | | | |Arrange for a repair to be carried |Hire of a welder for 1 hour. ?50 approx. |Medium |1 week | |out on the entrance handrail. (23) | | | | |Dispose of old office swivel chair |Order the correct replacement chair. ?30-40 |Medium |1 week | |from canteen. 22) | | | | |Bracket for wall mounted first aid |New bracket approx ? 10 and less than 1 man |Medium |1 week | |kit to be replaced. (12) |hour to install. | | | |Remove cut-offs of rail steel from |Source correct doorstops or fit latches to the|Medium |1 month | |doors and keep doors closed whenever |walls.Approx cost ? 15 to fit. 1 man hour. | | | |possible. (2) | | | | |Yard store flooring to be cleared of |General clean up and disposal of any disused |Medium |1 week then review each | |obstructions to gain access to |and waste materials. 2 staff hours | |month | |shelving. 21) | | | | |Steel plates to moved from the yard |1-2 staff hours to store on shelving, |Medium |1 week then review every 3 | |area into the store and stored on |preventing injuries from lifting heavy plates | |months | |shelving at waist height. (20) |at ground level. | | | |Remove spray cans and all outdoor |General clean up of office by staff.Keep all|Medium |1 week then review each | |work equipment from office area. (9) |areas around and under desks free from | |month | | |clutter. 1-2 hours | | | |Install correct hand wash dispenser |Dispenser costs ? 5 a nd takes less than 1 man |Medium-Low |1 month | |in canteen. (4) |hour to fit. | | |

The Actors's Nightmare and The 15 Minute Hamlet Essay

The Actors's Nightmare and The 15 Minute Hamlet - Essay Example ay, Christopher Ferdinand Durang is an American playwright, who is known for humor based works, which dealt with important and even controversial issues in an absurd as well as outrageous way. Although, he has been coming up with popular works from the 1980s, his works are achieving immense critical as well as commercial success from late 1990s into 2000s. Some of his best known works through the last three decades includes Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Baby With the Bathwater, The Nature and Purpose of the Universe, Titanic, The Idiots Karamazov, Laughing Wild, Naomi in the Living Room, etc, etc. His latest play of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike got the Tony Award for the Best Play for the year 2013. As mentioned above, his plays often dealt with sensitive as well as controversial issues like homosexuality, child abuse, religious activities, etc., in a critical way. As pointed out above, the play was written and performed in early 1980s, and it mainly reflected the experiences of the actors including Durang, particularly how they will react, if they forget their lines while performing on the stage. In 1980s, stage plays garnered sizable audience, more than the current times, and so the pressure was always on the actors to perform without miss every time. With Durang himself being an actor, who have also faced the ‘actors’ nightmare’ of forgetting the lines, this play reflected author’s personal experiences as well as the professional pressure faced by the actors in those times. In addition, with the issues like homosexuality and child abuse coming into the public domain in 1980s, more than the previous decades, Durang’s plays were maximally relevant to those times. â€Å"There was a time in the 1980s when Christopher Durangs absurdist dark comedies turned up on every stage in Central Florida, and audiences wer e used to his tales of dysfunctional parochial-school students and nuns with guns.† (Maupin). Durang’s take on these

Applying Organizational Management to Work and Life Term Paper

Applying Organizational Management to Work and Life - Term Paper Example 2. Corporate culture also affects talent management and the overall success of the organization. B. Explain the effect of power and influence on leadership 1. Effective leaders use their personal power rather than position power. C. Explain the centrality that ethics has to leadership within organizations 1. Ethics provide a set of principles that guide leaders in making decisions. III. Viewing the course learning outcomes in light of my experience in the army A. The U.S. Army follows the transformational leadership style wherein a leader can influence followers to transcend self-interests and commit themselves to excellence. B. Not all managers are leaders. C. A good leader is one who can switch instinctively between leadership styles based on the people and work that they are dealing with. IV. Applying the course learning outcomes to my personal and professional goals A. Use my influence and power to provide the best qualified LNLs who can assist military units in Afghanistan in th eir varied and complex missions. B. Ensure that the corporate culture within the organization encourages creative talent, sincerity and trust. C. Be sensitive to cultural differences and maintain ethical responsibility. V. Insight that I gained from this course A. The organizational culture established by leaders is key to organizational success VI. Conclusion A. Organizational management is a complex process. However, its success rests on leaders who provide a supportive culture for employees to feel committed to achieving organizational goals. Applying Organizational Management in Work and Life Organizational management has been a subject of great interest to me. Since I have worked in the army for twenty two years in a supervisory role and I am currently working as a site manager for the linguist program in Afghanistan, I have been able to look back at my experience and compare and contrast it with what I learnt in this course. In simple terms, organizational management is define d as, â€Å"the process of planning, organizing, leading and controlling the efforts of organizational members and resources to achieve stated organizational goals† (Schermerhorn, 2002, p. 9). As part of their roles, organizational managers need to achieve certain specified goals and thereby ensure that each person does their part in unity and integrity. To achieve this, managers need to make decisions and resolve problems on a daily basis. These decisions are made to benefit the organization and improve organizational performance. Although, organizational management is an extremely complex process, organizational success depends on leaders who establish a supportive culture within the organization to ensure that employees are committed to achieving the goals of the organization. Three course learning outcomes important to me After reviewing the course learning outcomes, I feel that the following three learning outcomes are very important because they form the foundation, bas ed on which a leader would try to find solutions to address any given problem in an organization: 1. Analyze the ways leadership is affected by corporate culture, personal values, globalization and outcomes performance According to Rue (2001), a noted ethicist and educator, â€Å"Values are the essence of who we are as human beings. Our values get us out of bed every morning, help us

Design your own greenhouse Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design your own greenhouse - Assignment Example be applied to each variety in order to enhance the best conditions for photosynthesis.if the temperature does not match the variety, growth is inhibited since respiration increases over photosynthesis. Very low temperatures inactivate the enzymes of photosynthesis while very high temperatures denatures the enzymes. At low temperatures there is a low uptake of carbon dioxide For high photosynthesis to be enhanced, the optimum temperatures of 15-40 degrees Celsius should be maintained. Light- plants make more food under a high quantity of light and photosynthesis is low in low quantity and hence low growth rate. The quality of light determines the amount of light absorbed by plant leaves for photosynthesis. Green light is barely absorbed as it is reflected away. Blue light helps leaf growth and also encourages flowering. Plants exposed to light for a long duration absorbs more light for photosynthesis. The light reactions take place in the thylakoid while the dark reactions take place in the stroma. A blue colour filter should be used in the greenhouse as it’s the best quality for a high growth rate. Air pollutants like dust particles and smoke should be avoided as they reduce light

The reasons for the failure of EBay to set its base in Japan Case Study

The reasons for the failure of EBay to set its base in Japan - Case Study Example The reasons for the failure of EBay to set its base in Japan Method: The information used while preparing the report was collected from the case study paper titled â€Å"EBay in Japan: strategic and cultural missteps† written by Indu Perepu and Sachin Govind in 2008. Findings: EBay, a powerful on line trading company for consumer merchandise, enters Japan in 2007 in a partnership with Yahoo to make easy the transnational bidding system. A Japanese website called Sekaiomon was also launched to facilitate shipping and clearance. Previously in 2000 EBay had entered the Japanese market in alliance with NEC Corporation to form EBay Japan. It failed to garner many takers (managed to get only 3% share of the total online market value in Japan) even after waiving off its online transaction fees, and was nowhere near the Yahoo auctions, the number one online bidding website in Japan at that time. After repeated unsuccessful attempts to better its position, eBay finally decided to close it portal in Japan on 31st 2002, and decided instead to concentrate on other Asian markets like, India, China, Philippines and Taiwan. In was only in 2006 after Yahoo shut down its auction websites in US and Canada, and went into an alliance with EBay in these 2 countries, did the latter come into an agreement with Yahoo to re-enter the Japanese market in 2007, though the analysts even then did not predict a bright future for EBay in Japan. Analysis/ Discussion: From the case study it is clear that there are two main reasons for the failure of EBay in Japan.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - Essay Example Jake Barnes of Ernest Hemingway’s novel â€Å"The Sun Also Rises,† is the hero, as he possesses these qualities of head and heart. This hero knows the values of simple pleasures of life and finds the meaning of existence in them in trying circumstances. Hemingway places Jake into tragic situations to test his mettle, and shows how Jake does not submit to them meekly, and emerges with credit to set examples to others. Those who come into his contact have no option but to praise his disposition and learn something of the leadership qualities that are needed in a war situation. Pressure does not create any adverse reactions in his dealings. Jake is not a hero in terms of physical strength, but of the mind. His understanding of life is profound and he is not affected with success or failure. Sincere and skillful performances are his concerns. Jake has two types of values. One set is related to the army of which he is the integral part and another set relates to his personal values. He will not, under any circumstances violate the army rules but adds dignity to them with his personal values. His code of morality inspires even the enemy that is at war. Thus humanity and morality always triumph over enmity. The successful execution of the balancing act in a difficult situation is the hallmark of a true hero like Jake. The aftermath of World War I left harrowing societal situations. Jake’s war-incurred injury has turned him sexually impotent. However, he still has romantic urges, both intellectually and sexually. In the first part of the novel, a prostitute Georgette LeBlanc, catches the imagination of Jake and though he is unable to have any sexual relations with her, he still hires her and confesses, â€Å"[I had] a vague sentimental idea that it would be nice to eat with someone." (24) The generation, immediately after the war, finds itself directionless and destination-less. In such a grim situation anyone will turn cynical, but not Jake. He i s physically challenged from the war. He is part of the aimless and scared war survivors, but the important traits of his charismatic personality are depicted brilliantly by Hemingway. Nowhere in the novel is Jake a resigned character. He has his emotional problems, besides his physical disability. His sacrifice wins him the accolades of an Italian General who exclaims, â€Å"You†¦.have given more than your life. What a speech! I would like to have it illuminated to hang in the office.†(39) Jake’s disability affects his life from both ends, physically as well as emotionally. From the physical angle he is unable to consummate his love for Brett Ashley, and the tragic part of the relationship is, he must spend his time being in nearness to the one who is most dear to his heart at that turn of his life and he has daily interactions with her. He accepts his handicap that would have crushed any man, with great sense of equipoise. He does not exploit his physical handic ap to emotionally blackmail Brett, and he tries to overcome his plight with courage showing great understanding. He does not escape from the reality. He is desperate, but he will not compromise with the reality of his intense internal suffering arising out of his physical handicap. Hemmingway describes the plight of Jake brilliantly in the brief conversation that takes between the two lovers. This is the fitting finale to the story of the novel. â€Å"

ASEAN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ASEAN - Essay Example Then it discusses the origin of ASEAN in detail. This section stresses on the kind of economy existing in the South East Asian countries prior to the formation of ASEAN. It also highlights the role of United States and Japan in the formation of ASEAN and the implication of the development of this organization. ASEAN has certain restriction in the achievement of its goals The reason for the limitations to attain its goals are discussed in detail. The second part of the paper mainly concentrates on the achievements of ASEAN. It describes in detail the role played by it in the economic and the political affairs of the South East Asian countries. The successful ASEAN strategy that has developed the economy of India and China, the endeavor of ASEAN in the global market place and the growth rate of ASEAN countries are also highlighted in this section. The various achievements discussed in this section are the benefits of free trade, the growth of outside economic relations, technological innovations, the increasing buying potential of various countries, market unification and monetary assistance. The initiatives taken to strengthen political stability and to combat terrorism in the region is also one of the aspects discussed. The third part of the paper deals with the kind of challenges faced by ASEAN to achieve and sustain its primary goal. Some of the challenges that ASEAN faces because of relations between member nations and concerns faced in resolving these issues are the important aspect of this section. The kind of security threats that appears in South-east Asia is mentioned in detail. The challenges due to economic development of certain south East Asian countries, the monetary crisis, and the issues due to the incorporation of new member countries in ASEAN are some of major topics, which are discussed in detail. The fourth part of the paper stresses on the response to challenges and the future of ASEAN. ASEAN follows a certain strategy to face the challenges in future. Hence, the first part of this section concentrates on the objectives of the formation of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM). The importance of regionalism and steps taken to ensure peace in the South East Asian countries are also covered. There are suggestion put forth to face its future challenges. The various steps taken by ASEAN to eliminate the barriers of trade and the development in the infrastructure of the south East Asian countries is also discussed at length. The different strategies to enhance the dealing of trade, the technological advancements, necessity of transparent, specific rules and treaties, initiatives taken in the field of finance and planning are some of the other aspects dealt with in this section. The second part of this section ascertains the future of ASEAN. The reason for the existence of ASEAN, changes anticipated in future to ensure the security of southeast nations due to increased terrorism and the need to initiate in its financial policies are discussed. The change in role of ASEAN, some of the benefits of extending this establishment, the change in the utility of the concept of regionalism are some of the changes in the structure of ASEAN that is discussed under this section. The change in the

College Education Essay Example for Free

College Education Essay It’s important to get a college education not only to be successful in the future but also to think for yourself and gain freedom through education, we can accomplish this by being educated liberally. Like Cronon, I think â€Å"a liberal education is about gaining the power and wisdom, the generosity and the freedom to connect† (Cronon; paragraph 18) to the real world. Finding a purpose to attend college should go beyond college itself, you should be motivated to learn something you have a passion for and will actually use and apply it to the world. †Truly educated people love learning, but they love wisdom more† (Cronon para 15). When learning you are just recycling information that the educators teach you just like Freire’s â€Å"banking system† but wisdom is what you incorporate to the â€Å"real world† and it is what is most valued than just being educated and not apply what you learned with other things. In my opinion liberal thinkers or people who are liberally educated want to be able to progress in life and not just do what they are told to do. They want to be able to think for themselves and come up with their own ideas. Liberal educated people want to â€Å"leave the world a better place than they had found it† (Cronon para 17). It takes wisdom and education to leave the world a better place than how it was before because it’s not an easy thing to do in a life time. Liberalists want to progress no just to benefit them but to benefit everyone else as well and I think they can accomplish this by using their wisdom and their college education. The way I see the banking system is that the educators are selfish because they only teach to their own convenience and they don’t let the receivers think for themselves. The receivers then don’t make any progress in life due to the fact that they are so used to just following the rules that are given to them by the educators. Liberal education is not like that. â€Å"Liberally educated people understand they belong to a community-and help that community flourish by making the success of others possible† (Cronon para 18). Liberalists want to succeed and want to see others succeed as well. â€Å"Liberal education must be that the freedom of the individual is possible only in a free community† (Cronon para18). When having the freedom you can think for yourself and not have others think for you like in a banking system and I personally think as well as Cronon explains that the only possible way to be gain freedom is by being liberally educated that way you learn to think for yourself and be able to be part of a free community. What is the whole point of going to college and get an education and when you graduate you will have no idea how to apply it or connect it to the real world. â€Å"Being an educated person means being able to see connections that allow one to make sense of the world and act within it in creative ways† (Cronon para 19). What’s the whole point of paying so much money for a college education if at the end you won’t know how to apply what you learned in college in the real world? If you don’t know how to apply things learned in college to the real world then you won’t be successful in the future and you practically gained no power or wisdom throughout your whole college education. Being educated can help you succeed in life and in the future if you know how to apply everything you learned in college to the real world once you graduate and help you and others succeed in your community and the real world. By being liberal educated can help you not only succeed in life but it can also help you gain freedom.

Theme of Civilization and Savagery in The Novel The Lord of The Flies

Theme of Civilization and Savagery in The Novel The Lord of The Flies Theme of Civilization and Savagery in The Novel The Lord of The Flies The novel written by William Golding is an allegorical novel where lots of elements of fiction are used to communicate the main ideas and themes of the novel. One of the themes that can be explored trough this novel is civilization and savagery. The central concern of Lord of The Flies deals with the collapse of civilization to the rebirth of civilization. The conflict appear from this theme is communicate through the disintegration of the British young boys well look behaviour as they adapt themselves to a uncivilized, brutal life in the jungle after they were stranded on an island. The theory of inborn evil human evil hold an essential aspect in this theme as the young boys evolve more primitive, the beast that they scared of developed within themselves. The inborn evil is the beast that destructs the civilization as savageness call for its status. In the novel, The lord of the flies symbolizes the existence of the beast within the young boys mind. The rift of the theme of civiliza tion and savagery is also communicated through the symbols exist in this novel, the conch which related with the character Ralph and the lord of the flies which related with the character Jack. The fundamental concernment of this novel is the theme of civilization and savagery where civilization giving away to savagery within human heart, as the young boys shed their civilization for savagery after being influence by fear, superstition and their desires. Through the whole of this novel, the theme civilization and savagery communicates by the conflict between Ralph and Jack, who respectively represent civilization and savagery. The vary theory are deliberate by each two boys different attitude toward authorization on the island. Ralph who was selected to become a chief used his authority to set up rules on that island in order to have a better life between them. From the novel, Ralph said Thats what this shell called. Ill give the conch to the next person to speak. He can hold it when hes speaking (Golding, 43). This shows that the only person who can speak is the one who hold the shell which called conch during the meeting. Ralph has set up the rules so that no one will interrupt when someone is speaking to ensure the smoothness of the meeting which shows us that they are still civilized boys that have moral and ethical codes of the English society. On the other hand, Jack is more interest in gaining power over the others to satisfy his most primal impulses which is his desires of hunting pigs. All the same you need an army-for hunting. Hunting pigs, said Jack on the novel (Golding, 43). Jack desires for power shows that savagery has started taking over his mind. When Jack begin acting savage, the savage side become evident with the power of the leader, Ralph, collapse. Jack overthrows Ralph as a leader. He manage to persuade the others boys to join his tribe, a tribe which involve with hunting pigs, making sacrifices to the beast and having fun without realizing that they were stranded on an deserted island. This is proved by the line Now listen. We might go later to the castle rock. But now Im going to get more of the biguns away from the conch and all that. Well kill the pig and give a feast. He paused and went on more slowly. And about the beast. When we kill well leave some of the kill for it. Then it wont bother us, maybe (Golding, 165). He and his tribe go so far until it results in the destruction of th e peaceful environment on the island as well as the collapsing of their civilized mind. The cleft of the theme is also demonstrate through the novels major symbol which are the conch that affiliate with character Ralph and The Lord of the Flies that affiliate with the character Jack. The conch that was found by Ralph is a powerful symbol which shows the democratic order on that island, agreeing Ralphs leadership that was determine through the election and also the power of assembly among the young boys. From the novel, Piggy said, We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. Theyll come when they hear us (Golding, 22). This shows that the conch has the power to call the others for a meeting which represent the symbol of authority and order that related to the civilization among the boys. However, as the engagement between Ralph and Jack getting worse, the conch loses symbolic importance. You havent got it with you, said Jack, sneering. You left it behind. See, clever? And the conch doesnt count at the end of this island (Golding, 186). From what Jack has said, th is shows that the conch started to loses its power of authority and order and represent the decline of civilization on the island. In the meanwhile, The Lord of the Flies, which is a sacrifice to the suppositious beast on the island, contributes to the dominance of the savagery on the island and also symbolise Jacks authority over his tribe. From the novel, Jack spoke loudly, This head is for the beast. Its a gift (Golding, 170). In addition, the demolition of the conch at the scene where Piggy was killed manifests the complete destruction of civilization on the island. In the novel, the devastation of the conch is shows from the phase, The rock struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee, the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist(Golding, 222). At the end of this novel, the savagery has totally displaced civilization as the prevailing system on the island. The clash between the theme of civilization and savagery in this novel also can be explored through the symbol of fire which associate with civilization and the symbol of mask which associate with savagery. The symbol of fire in this novel is very important as it bring lots of meaning to the boys. It represents the hope of being rescue, survival and also civilization. In the novel, Ralph said Theres another thing. We can help them to find us. If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire(Golding, 49). This indicates that the boys know that the fire is very important because without the smoke from the fire, they would never be rescued. The symbol of fire shows the only civilization left on the island as it is a form of hope, survival and most importantly, rescue as Ralph said in the novel Your only hope is keeping a signal fire going as long as theres light to see. Then maybe a ship will notice the smoke and c ome and rescue us and take us home. But without that smoke weve got to wait till some ship comes by accident. We might wait years; till we were old (Golding, 219). On the other hand, the symbol of mask in this novel stands for savagery and barbaric behaviour. The mask has encouraged the incivility in the boys and provides them with a different identity. From the novel, Jack said For hunting. Like in the war. You know -dazzle paint. Like thing trying to look like something else (Golding, 79).The mask has made the boys started to transform from civil to savage. When the boys hide behind the mask, the boys somehow are given a new identity which gives confidence and a sense of carefree. Behind the masquerade, they commit acts of barbarity. It liberates them from shame and leads them into a savage like creatures. It also detaches them from reality and triggers them to neglect their responsibility. As the novel progress, Golding shows how different people feel the influences of the instincts of civilization and savagery to different degrees. Generally, however, Golding implies that the instinct of savagery is far more primal and fundamental to the human mind than the instinct of civilization. The Lord of the Flies is a chronicles of civilization giving way to savagery within human nature, as the young boys who were stranded on the island shaped by the supremely civilized British society become fully savage guided only by fear, superstition and desire.

Essays --

To make its brand personally relevant, surprising, and easy to process, Under Armour initially positioned itself as â€Å"a brand for the next generation of athletes.† Instead of sponsoring established athletes, Under Armour chose to sponsor up-and-coming athletes to show off their product. In first endorsement was a deal with a Dallas Cowboys football player who had been at University of Marland with Under Armour’s founder. Furthermore, the company’s performance apparel had been spotted on endorsers such as Heather Mitts (soccer), Cam Newtown (football), and Derrick Williams (basketball). As Under Armour’s sponsored athletes did well, and their teams won games and even championships, its brand started to gain attention and visibility. Under Armour gains mass recognition and attract young and serious athletes. The brand got exposure although not every rising star became a sports legend. Under Armour continued to make their products relevant by keep upgradi ng and using technology to let its customers with the best sports gear. Moreover, they took advantage of social media by staying connected with customer and offering the important information about their products. This was how Under Armour did to gain attention from onlookers and made its brand personally relevant. It started from a little-known brand name to be able to afford some high-profile deals. It’s surprising since they started out as small company becoming an industry dominated by corporate giants such as Nike and were able to grow and became a serious industry competitor. It made onlookers of sports believing its brand name and quality. Under Armour had a strong brand vision and product was easy to process because they made a clear statement that they wanted to better all a... ...purchase a top of the line product. The guarantee of the product is also clearly seen on the website because Under Armour wants its customers to feel like they matter and if they are not satisfied with the product then they will be fully refunded. This also shows that Under Armour is very confident in their product and truly cares about their customers. Under Armour wants potential customers to read their guarantee because a customer that is having a hard time making a decision of whether or not to purchase a product will see that they can have a full refund if they are dissatisfied. This provides the customer with a low risk, high reward situation and may influence their decision. Products that are continuously updated through technological advancements, has a strong brand name, and a strong mission statement and guarantee creates trust and loyalty with customers.

The Effects of Alcohol on the Body Essay -- Papers Alcohol Drinking Es

The Effects of Alcohol on the Body (word count includes outline) Alcohol can be helpful or harmful to the body depending upon the amount of alcohol consumed. Drinking in moderation increases life expectancy, reduces the likely hood of heart attacks and other diseases. Heavy drinking can lead to poor nutrition, liver disorders, strokes or heart attacks, and affect sexual desire and offspring. Although alcohol is usually considered harmful there is growing evidence of health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption, approximately one to three drinks per day. A recent study at Harvard found that moderate drinkers tend to live longer than those who either abstain or drink heavily. The study found the risk of death from all causes to be twenty-one to twenty-eight percent lower among men who drank alcohol moderately, compared to abstainers. Furthermore, in a larger study of about 88,000 people conducted over a period of ten years found that moderate drinkers were about twenty seven percent less likely to die during the period. This was largely due to a reduction of such diseases as coronary heart disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases. (Alcohol and Health) Moderate drinkers of alcohol are less likely to suffer heart attacks than those who abstain or heavily drink. Research conducted from 1900 to 1986 found a strong, consistent relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and reduction in cardiovascular disease, the number one killer in American. Harvard researchers have identified the moderate consumption of alcohol as a proven way to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. These researchers concluded, ?Consumption of one or two drinks of beer, wine, or liquor per day has corresponded to ... ...the liver. B. Alcoholic hepatitis damages many liver cells and can cause various symptoms. C. Cirrhosis of the liver is a serious condition that will likely turn into death. D. Liver cancer is also common among heavy drinkers. VI. Heavy amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of strokes and heart attacks. A. It can cause high blood pressure and enlargement to the heart. B. The heart muscle is also weakened by alcohol. VII. Effects of heavy alcohol use includes missed periods and lessens sexual desires for women and possible sterility in men. A. A woman who drinks while pregnant risks the health of her unborn child. B. It is proven that this will cause a fourteen percent risk that the unborn child will be deformed. Conclusion: Alcohol can be both helpful and dangerous to the body depending if the person who consumes it is a heavy or moderate drinker.

Black Boy Essay -- essays research papers

In the book Black Boy, we see many black people in the south dealing with many hardships. One of the most prominent problems for blacks seemed to be the "Jim Crow" laws. These laws withheld blacks from society, breaking them apart from whites and making it very hard for them to live an even close to normal life. Black people couldn’t express their own ideas at all. They had to call all white men "sirs" and all white women "ma’am". They couldn’t act the slightest bit superior to whites. It was almost impossible for black people to make a decent living in the south, and they also had to take the abuse dealt to them by he whites without even attempting ant resistance. Blacks in the south also had to deal with the separation aspects of the "Jim crow" laws. They had to sit in the back of the buses, they had to use separate water fountains and bathrooms, they were looked upon almost like they had some sort of disease. These are just a few of the "Jim Crow" laws that the black people had to deal with. Richard was not the only one in this book dealing with racism. All the people around him were also coping with it also, friends co-workers and family had to face the challenges of a racist environment. Throughout the book we see these other people dealing with the problems of an extremely racist society. We also see how each person in Richards life deals with it differently. There are a few people and insience that stick out in my mind especially. The first one would have to be an incident with Shorty. Shorty has dealt with racism his whole life, and he has learned to deal with it as he has grown. We see a great example of how Shorty deals on page 269Shorty is faced with the problem of no money, such as many other southern blacks were, and we see that he is willing to do anything for any amount of money. " You can kick me in the ass for a quarter" (269,wright) As this happens Richard witnesses the whole thing and we can see that he is very disappointed in the way Shorty dealt with the situation. He can’t understand how he can put himself in that kind of degrading position, and Shorty simply answers. " But a quarter can’t pay for what he did to you!" But we can see Shorty thinks differently. A... ...urt black skin. By this point in the book Richard learns to deal better with racism, but he still has attitude about being treated differently then the white kids or adults. One final incident the Richard had to deal with was when he was working at the hotel. This incident didn’t completely have to deal with him but he got involved. When the door man at the hotel slapped his black girl friend in the ass as they were walking out of the hotel, Richard got pretty upset that he did that considering that the doorman was white. It was like he couldn’t understand how white people didn’t like blacks, but yet the would use such sexual connotations towards the black women, We see Richard react, as he stops and just looks at the doorman. After Richard decides not react violently, and got somewhat of a threat from the doorman when he just continued. This was Richards way of "scaring" the white man without starting something physical. We see Richards way of dealing with the racism change throughout the book. When he is younger we see how he can’t help but get defensive, and as he gets older he learns to control himself better.

Altruism Essay

The statement â€Å"People never intentionally act to benefit others except only to obtain some good for themselves† is often described as Altruism or an Altruistic act. This statement is not entirely true. It is possible for someone to intentionally act to benefit others, but this is something that does not happen very often. There are multiple theories as to why people do and do not perform altruistic acts. If someone is a member of your family you are more likely to help a person in need, if you feel sympathetic towards someone you are likely to help a person in need or if it is a social norm you are likely to help them. If in a certain situation helping someone is not a social norm then you are less likely to help this person. Even if someone wanted to perform an altruistic act it is very difficult to do so in our society because we reward people who we perceive to be good, or to have done good things. If you perform an Altruistic act towards a member of your family would be acting within Hamilton’s kin selection theory (1960s). The kin selection theory which states that you are much more likely to perform an altruistic act if the person you are helping is a member of your family. An example of this is recently in Melbourne there was a wall collapse. Three people died as a result of this incident; a woman in her thirties and an eighteen and nineteen-year-old siblings, the older brother and his sister. The older woman died upon impact, as did the brother, but only after he shielded his sister from the collapsing wall. His sister also died later in hospital. (ABC News, 1st April 2013) This is an example of the kin selection theory. Instead of doing what benefited himself, he tried to save his sister, despite it having dire consequences. This would be considered an act of altruism as it did not benefit him, and in this case even had negative consequences, especially as his sister later died in hospital. Another reason people perform altruistic acts is out of sympathy. Sympathy is a natural feeling of concern for a person. Even if you can’t relate to the person you feel bad for them, or concerned for them. An example of someone feeling sympathetic is Julio Diaz, who when a mugger came up to him one night with a knife he handed over his wallet without complaint. When the mugger went to walk away he stopped him and offered him his coat as well, saying he didn’t want the mugger to get cold. He then continued to offer to buy the mugger dinner. (Huffington Post, 17th November 2011). Diaz obviously felt sympathy towards the mugger, or he wouldn’t have given over his wallet, jacket and paid for his dinner. Diaz ended up getting his wallet back from the boy who handed it over after they had eaten. Diaz felt sympathy towards the boy due to the fact that the boy had almost nothing, where as Diaz had enough money to comfortably live. Sympathy makes people feel like they have a moral obligation to help someone in need – the person they feel sympathetic towards. – Sometimes people help others because it is considered a social norm. An example of this is saying please and thank you. This is considered normal in most societies and it is often frowned upon if you don’t use these. A social norm is something people often take for granted and a lot of people are shocked when someone doesn’t follow what they consider to be normal. Another example of a social norm in our society is to wear clothes in public. If you were walking down the street and you say someone walking towards you naked you would not think this was normal. You would wonder why they were naked and often avoid walking to close to, making eye contact with, or speaking to this person. If you were in some traditional aboriginal culture you would wear nothing but animal skin, or even walk around naked. This is/was considered a social norm within that society. There are some internationally recognized social norms, like not engaging in cannibalism, and dressing modestly. While not all societies, past or present, follow these social norms most of the world does. There are also norms within society, religion and individual families. A social norm in our society is mate-ship, not letting down your friends, family, or community. There are plenty of social norms in religion, such as in Christianity it is not exactable to love someone of the same sex. This is an example of a social norm that is slowly changing over time, as do most social norms. It was a social norm in Britain in the 1800’s that you attended church, where as in 2002 only 18. 6% of people in the United Kingdom attended church regularly. (Tearfund report, 2007) This is an example of how social norms change over time, and what we consider to be social norms at the moment may not be considered normal in 40,50,60,70 or more years. These things cannot be considered an altruistic act because you would benefit poorly from not doing these things, so it is good for you to say please and thank you, bringing it back to the first example. There are also plenty of things people do not do to help others because it is considered outside of the social norms. If you saw a drunk person on the street you probably wouldn’t help them because society has shaped us to think that these people brought the state they are in on themselves, therefore it is not our problem to help them once they are in this situation. Social norms can be beneficial, but they can also detrimental. Another instance where helping someone is not considered an altruistic act is if the act is mutually beneficial. This can cover a range of things, from the benefit to you being a smile from someone, to a bravery award. If you see a child drowning and you swim out and save them and when you get back their mother says thank you and buys you an ice cream then you are benefiting, the ice cream being the benefit. If while trying to save this child you drown you do not benefit in anyway, and this even has a negative affect on you. This would be an act of altruism because there is no mutual benefit. A benefit for you may be something as small as a good feeling inside, or a smile, but these are benefits of saving the child, there for there is mutual benefit. You walk away with a good feeling and maybe an ice cream and the child walks away with his life. A real life example of this is Don Richie, who lived just across the road from one of Australia’s most notorious suicide locations. It is estimated that Richie saved more than 160 lives in his lifetime. He received the title of Australia’s local hero in 2011(ABC Radio, 14th May 2012). This is something he got out of stopping these people commit suicide. Despite the fact that he had no knowledge he was going to receive this award when he started saving people, because he received this award it is not an act of altruism. Some would argue that even if he hadn’t received this award these would still not be acts of altruism, as he felt good about saving these people, and it made him a happier person. This is his benefit, making it mutually beneficial and not an act of altruism. People do act to benefit others, without obtaining good for themselves, but this is a rare situation. Whether the person wanted to obtain some good for themselves or not they almost always do, as acts of kindness are rewarded in most societies. While people can intentionally act to benefit others without obtaining good for themselves this almost never happens, simply because of the way our society is shaped.