Soil Conversations Essay Example for Free

Soil Conversations Essay The aim of soil conservation is the prevention of soil erosion so that the fertile topsoil is retained. There are a lot of methods that can be used to conserve the soil. These are: *Mechanical methods: The main strategy used in mountainous areas is terracing. Terraces built across slopes hold the soil on flatter land. These are mainly needed in tropical lands were rain falls in heavy storms, capable of removing large amounts of soil on slopes. On a smaller scale are embankments placed across the bottom of steep slopes to hold back soil and water. Farmers can help by using contour ploughing (around the slope instead of up and down). Ridges formed by ploughing block the downward movement of water on slopes. Planting trees in lines, either as windbreaks for the farm or as shelter belts between the fields, checks wind speed and protects from erosion. *Changes in farming practices: Erosion rates are lower when the soil is covered, one strategy can be the use of mixed cropping or internal cropping. For example, a field crop like maize can be planted between a bush or tree of coffee. Instead of leaving the soil open to wind, the bushes will afford protection. Crop rotation can also help in the same way if crops of different sizes and periods of growths are planted in neighbouring fields. The main advantage of crop rotation is the maintenance of soil fertility. This is because not all crops use the same nutrients: what one takes out from the soil, another will give back. Maintaining soil fertility is very important; adding organic matter to the soil is the best way to hold water and promote a stable soil structure. The main farm sources are animal manure, crop stubble, and straw. Mixed farming cannot be practiced everywhere, in the Great Plains in the western USA dry farming is used. Because of the low water availability, dry farming involves spacing plants more widely than in wetter areas and leaving the land empty of crops (fallow) every other year. In the dry years of the 1930s the top soil blew away in great clouds. Farmers were obliged to change their techniques during fallow years. Now field surfaces are left rough, and the soil is covered with a layer of waste and straw to protect it from the action of both sun and wind. *Community solutions: Some strategies are funded by governments, for example tree planting on slopes in and next to farming areas, in order to replace trees already cleared. Planting schemes without the community support are not always successful; the participation of the community increases the chances of success. For example in Nepal local people are allowed to harvest grass that is taken to the village to fed animals, animal dung is used to fertilize the land. When government instructs and supports this kind of projects, schemes like this can form part of an integrated rural development program. Soil conservation is integrated with agricultural change to increase food output and improve rural standards of living. A major issue in many rural communities in developing countries is land ownership. A majority of farmer don’t own their lands but pay rent to landlords, making the introduction of new conservation strategies impossible. What is need is a land reform that change this, but liitle progress has been made because powerful landowners have too much too lose.

Rhetorical Analysis of Jfk Inaugural Speech Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Analysis of Jfk Inaugural Speech Essay In early 1961, the United States of America was enduring racial tensions and inequalities on the home-front, as well as waging war against Communism and the Cold War internationally. Chaos and fear had penetrated the minds of the American people because the Cold War was near its pinnacle; the American people longed for a strong, reassuring leader. John F. Kennedy provided that reassurance in his Inaugural Address. Taking the current national and international turmoil into account, Kennedy sought to persuade the Nations people to Join in his efforts and unify together in order to achieve peace. The inaugural address is saturated with rhetorical strategies seeking to flatter the American People and utilizes words of encouragement to evoke unification. Kennedy was able to effectively establish a profound kairotic moment at which his discourse can make the most difference or have the most influence. The speech persuades the American people by providing motivating propositions through appeals to ethos, logos and pathos. Kennedys inaugural address plays to an irrefutably persuading rhythm. Strong, motivational verbs are Joined with sophisticated adjectives in a manner that would make the most nane speech capable of swaying an entire population. In order to capture the minds of the American people, Kennedy begins with an antithesis, calling his victory, a celebration of freedom-symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning. This statement is to ensure the people that they are embarking in a new era of reform and peace, the end of turmoil, and the beginning of prosperous tranquility. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, Kennedys speech emphasizes the unification of the country through the use of parallelism and Juxtaposition. Kennedy appeals to his udiences ethos through visions of freedom and American values. He does this through the Juxtaposition of freedom from the tyranny of man and the reliance of God to provide such freedom. By utilizing a quote from Isaiah, .. to undo heavy burdens and let the oppressed go free, Kennedy persuades all who listen to pursue freedom because it is both their God given right and their patriotic duty. Kennedy emphasizes his argument for patriotic unification by effectively using anaphora to break his pledges and propositions into segments. The repetition of declarative lements exemplifies his pledge that he will continue to pursue peace and encourage action. He declares, to those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, and, to those peoples in huts and villages across the globe in order to evokes nationalistic feelings through the appeal to pathos. This pledge of calm persuasiveness exemplifies his stasis of remaining strong and unified amongst the division of tyranny. Kennedys choice of such language caused his audience to find it hard to disagree with such an amiable stance. He stated, United, there is little e cannot do in a host of co-operative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder. This statement exemplifies the importance of international and national unification. Due to the Cold War, Kennedy is extremely intent on bringing liberty to the world much more than protecting the liberties already present. However, it is evident that there was an underlying fear in his pledge; almost a plea to advisories for union and non violent where disagreeing with him would seem unpatriotic and weak, In your hands, my ellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe. Kennedy chose words such as, national loyalty, in order to evoke an appeal to ethos and logos and graves of young Americans to appeal to their pathos. He points to the resiliency of the United States and the need for the people to continue to support the ideals of freedom that ave seemed forgotten. The people were challenged to Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty. Kennedy successfully appeals to the pathos and ethos of the audience in order to establish his views of the inane strength and duty within all Americans. In the conclusion of his speech, Kennedy cleverly positions one of the most memorable quotes of history. While the audience is full of excitement and atriotic duty because of his previous statement calling for strength and faith, he pauses for a moment and states And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what you r country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. This statement attenuates itself to the rhetorical instrument of kairos because the placement and the time in which Kennedy chose to speak the words provided its long lasting impact. The influence of this statement has persuading many Americans to act upon their own stasis and exemplify true freedom and strength for their country.

The Importance Of Refrigeration Technology History Essay

The Importance Of Refrigeration Technology History Essay The refrigeration technology is an important technology in that it slows down the growth of bacteria. In doing this, it lowers the risks of diseases. This is because bacteria exist all around us including in the foods that we eat. When the bacteria are supplied with enough nutrients and favorable climatic conditions, they grow rapidly and hence can cause illnesses. Refrigeration technology comes in hardy to stop the rapid multiplication of the bacteria and this is a benefit to the society in that its chances of falling ill from Bacteria illnesses are reduced (Bauer, 1998) Historical roots behind refrigeration. The very first artificial refrigeration known was the demonstration presented at the University of Glasgow by William Cullen in 1748. This discovery however was not use for any practical purpose. The first refrigerator was designed by Oliver Evans, an American inventor in 1748. But the first practical refrigerator was built in 1834 by Jacob Perkins. This refrigerator used vapor in a vapor compression cycle. John Gorrie an American physician built a refrigerator in 1844 based on Evans design. This refrigerator was built with the aim of making ice to cool the air for the yellow fever patients that he was treating. Carl Von Linden, a German engineer patented, in 1976 the process of liquefying gas but not the refrigerator (Burstall, 65). Gas liquefaction is the basic part of refrigeration technology. The first refrigerators were made of wood cabinet and a compressor that was cooled with water. Steel and porcelain cabinets emerged in 1920s to replace the wooden refrigerators which were le ss effective. The evolutions of the refrigerators continue to improve in the 50s and 60s and they became better to suit the needs of the customers. Automatic ice makers and automatic defrost were added in the refrigerator with the aim of making them user friendly and reduce the maintenance. The modern day refrigeration technology is aimed at making the refrigerators more environments friendly (About.Com) The refrigeration process has not stopped evolving. The early refrigerators of 1800 used toxic gas like ammonia, methyl chloride and sulfur dioxide as the refrigerant. These were used up to 1929. In the 1920s, there are many fatal accidents which occurred. This was caused by the leaking of methyl chloride from the refrigerators. It was after this that 3 American corporations embarked on intensive research to come up with a less dangerous method of refrigeration. Their efforts led to the use of Freon which became a standard for all refrigerators. Freon was changed in 1996 and it was replaced with HFC 134a. This was done so as to comply with The Regulatory Clean Air Act. The replacement was done because HFC 134a was less injurious to the environment and the Ozone as compared to Freon. The effectiveness of HFC 134a was just the same as Freon and the users of refrigerators did not notice any difference. The table below shows the milestones achieved in the refrigeration technology. Milestones: BC 1000 The Chinese cut and stored ice 500  Ã‚   Egyptians and Indians made ice on cold nights by setting water out in earthenware pots AD 1700 In England, servants collected ice in the winter and put it into icehouses for use in the summer 1720 Dr. William Cullen, a Scotsman, studied the evaporation of liquids in a vacuum 1805 Oliver Evans of Pennsylvania, compressed ether machine, the machine is never built 1820 Michael Faraday, a Londoner, liquefied ammonia to cause cooling 1834 Jacob Perkins, ether vapor compression cycle, Ice Making Machine 1844 James Harrison of Australia invents compressed ether machine 1850 Edmond Carre of France, invents an absorption process machine 1852 William Thomson James Prescott cooling increases in proportion to the pressure difference 1855 Dr. John Gorrie builds compression refrigeration system based on Faradays experiments. 1856 James Harrison commissioned by a brewery to build a machine that cooled beer. 1859 Ferdinand Carre of France, developed the first ammonia/water refrigeration machine 1871 Carl von Linde of Germany published an essay on improved refrigeration techniques 1873 Carl von Linde first practical and portable compressor refrigeration machine was built in Munich 1874 Raoul Pictet of Switzerland, a compressor system using sulfur dioxide instead of ammonia 1876 Carl von Linde, early models he used methyl ether, but changed to an ammonia cycle 1878 von Linde starts Lindes Eismaschinen AG, (Society for Lindes Ice Machines), now Linde AG 1881 Edmund J. Copeland and Arnold H. Gross start Leonard Refrigerator Company 1894 Linde developed a new method (Linde technique) for the liquefaction of large quantities of air. 1894 Linde AG installs refrigerator at the Guinness brewery in Dublin, Ireland 1895 Carl von Linde produced large amounts of liquid air using the Thomson-Joule effect 1901 Patent # 665,814 issued January 10, for a Refridgeator (Ice Box) invented by Henry Trost. 1911 General Electric company unveiled a refrigerator invented by a French monk. Abbe Audiffren 1913 Fred W. Wolf Jr.of the Domelre Company (DOMestic Electric Refrigerator) 1914 Leonard Refrigerator Company renamed Electro-Automatic Refrigerating Company 1915 Alfred Mellowes starts Guardian Frigerato to build first self-container refrigerator for home use 1916 Servel models compressors were generally driven by motors located in the basement 1916 Henry Joy of Packard Motor Car Co. purchased the Fred W. Wolf refrigerator rights 1918 Guardian Frigerato purchased by General Motors and renamed Frigidaire 1918 Electro-Automatic Refrigerating Company renamed Kelvinator 1920 there were some 200 different refrigerator models on the market. 1922 Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munters introduce absorption process refrigerator 1923 Kelvinator held 80 percent of the market for electric refrigerators 1923 AB Arctic.begins production of refrigerators based on Platen-Munters invention 1925 Electrolux purchases AB Arctic and launches the D-fridge on the world market 1925 Steel and porcelain cabinets began appearing in the mid-20s 1927 first refrigerator to see widespread use was the General Electric Monitor-Top refrigerator. 1930 first built-in refrigerator is launched by Electrolux 1931 Dupont produced commercial quantities of R-12, trademarked as Freon 1931 the first air-cooled refrigerator introduced by Electrolux 1932 Gibson, then owned by Frank Gibson, manufactured its own line of refrigerators. 1934 an innovation, the Shelvador refrigerator, was introduced by the Crosley Radio Corporation 1936 Albert Henne synthesizes refrigerant R-134a 1937 more than 2 million Americans owned refrigerators. 1939 refrigerator with one section for frozen food and a second for chilled food, introduced by G. E. 1946 Mass production of modern refrigerators didnt get started until after World War II. 1947 GE two-door refrigerator-freezer combination 1955 80% of American homes now have refrigerators 2005 A domestic refrigerator is present in 99.5% of American homes   Table 1. Source: The Great Idea Finder Is refrigeration an old or a new technology. Refrigeration is an old technology that started a long time ago. Refrigeration concept can be said to originate from the prehistoric times. During this period, man found that the meat he had hunted lasted longer when stored in the cool areas of the cave or when packed in snow. The early man found that when he stored his game in cold temperatures, it lasted for long. He therefore hunted excess game which he kept in cold temperatures and he would eat this meat when the food was in short supply. As the early man progressed, he started using ice which he harvested in winter to use in summer. Ice was also harvested from lakes and rivers to be used for the purpose of refrigeration. Adding chemicals like sodium and potassium nitrate to water so as to lower its temperatures was the next stage in the history of refrigeration. It is recorded that this method was used to cool wine in 1550. The use of mechanical refrigeration started in the last quarter of the 19th century. This evolution was a long slow process (Trevor, 1978) Has refrigeration led to any type of social change? The refrigeration technology can be said to have a great impact to women in particular. This is because women are viewed as the domestic worker (Cowan, 137-138). Though this mentality has changed in the modern world, there is still the thought that the domestic world belongs to women. The refrigerators can be seen to symbolize the freedom of house wives. They have saved women from preserving foods in the old fashioned ways of salting, smoking or dehydrating. The air conditioning has contributed immensely to the development of the hot and humid areas both socially and economically. This has been achieved through creation of habitable environments with desired temperatures and humidity levels in office buildings and private homes (Barbara, 2003) Benefits of refrigeration to the society Refrigeration has changed the lifestyles of the society in various ways. One can buy food for a whole week without fear of it getting spoiled after refrigeration. Cooked food can also be stored for long without getting spoilt. Salting of food as a method of preservation is long forgotten. The food preserved using this method did not even last for a long time. One can also get a cold drink during the hottest summer and this seemed like a dream before refrigeration wad invented. Fruits, vegetables and even flowers can be kept fresh for a long period of time with refrigeration. The modern life is in the fast lane. This has called for most people to be working for long hours or working two jobs. In homes both partners may be busy for up to a whole week and hence no time for everyday cooking. With refrigeration, they can cook as much food as possible when they are free and storing it in refrigerators and they can eat it throughout the week. This saves them much time which could have been wasted ion cooking after work. With refrigeration, the temperature of the food is lowered and thus the food can be kept for long to be used later without getting spoiled (Shephard, 29) Refrigeration is also widely used for the purposes of air conditioning in homes, public buildings and restaurants. It is also used for refrigeration of foodstuffs in restaurants and also in large storage warehouses. Refrigerators have become very common in the United States. Most American homes started using refrigerators a long time ago. More than 80 % of the rural American and more than 90% of urban American homes used owned a refrigerator by the year 1950 (Historychannel.com) Refrigeration is also used commercially and in manufacturing industries. It is used to liquefy gases including oxygen, nitrogen, propane, and methane. It is used to compress and condense water vapor in compressed air purification. This process is aimed at reducing the moisture content of compressed air. In industries like petrochemical, refineries and chemical plants, refrigeration is important as it is used for the maintenance of certain chemical processes and reactions at low temperatures. An example is in the production of high octane gasoline component where the alkylations of butanes and butane is done at low temperatures (Noor, 2009) Refrigeration is therefore a vital technology in many sectors of the economy like the dairy industry, the meat industry, fish and pork industry and also in the fruits and vegetables sector. In the non food sectors, refrigeration is used in school laboratories to store chemicals, samples and cultures. It is also the technology that is used to preserver corpses in morgues. Detrimental effects of refrigeration to the society. The refrigerant used in refrigerators has a negative effect on the environment. Though the use of CFC has been banned, some manufactures may sell the old stocks of refrigerators which use CFC. These are detrimental to the ozone layer. The HFCs being used on modern refrigerators are strong green house gas emitters. Though they do not harm the ozone, they destroy the environment that we live-in. Refrigeration contributes to the global warming. Though HFCs were seen as the solution to refrigeration, it has a very high potential of global warming. This contribution is due to direct emissions of the refrigerant gases. Most of these emissions are due to leakage of the refrigerant into the environment either due to poor maintenance and containment. Freon was seen as been safer to the consumer though it had negative impacts on the environment. Clean Air Act was passed in 1990 and it restricted use of CFCs. Many industries had no other choice than to be forced to phase out CFCs in their produ cts (Gopalnarayanan, 19) Refrigeration as a symbol of growth. Refrigeration has allowed many families and industries to keep food fresh for long periods of time. It is a symbol of growth in that most families are small and they occupy a small piece of land and hence there is no space for keeping livestock and growing different varieties of fruits and vegetables. Also most modern families live in towns and cities where there are no gardens for growing fruits and vegetables or keeping animals. This does not therefore mean that because these families are limited by these factors, they cannot enjoy a varied and balanced diet. Supermarkets have stocked all types of me4at, eggs, vegetables and eggs in their refrigerated shelves. These customers come and buy the same and stock it in their refrigerators. The fish, poultry, dairy products and vegetables can be kept in the same space of the refrigerator within the kitchen. Refrigeration is an important symbol of growth and societal progress in that the society can enjoy a variety of salads, fruits and vegetables all year long without having and tilling their own garden. The society can also enjoy dairy products without having their own dairy animals, meat products without owning beef cattle, egg products without rearing their own poultry and all kinds of fish without having a fish pond all year round. Also other types of foods from far off countries are madder available to the society. These food products are shipped or delivered by air under refrigeration. Refrigeration allows purchase of goods in large scale and in bulk. With regard to economies of scale, this saves on money. It has become possible to enjoy ice cream which may have been produced from abroad unlike in the past where ice cream was eaten on the spot at the place of manufacture. Through refrigeration world trade has been opened up and refrigerated goods from one country can be easily market in another without the fear of spoilage. Refrigeration technology has acted as a source of employment to many people. The direct employees include the refrigeration experts, technicians; mechanics and installers. These are mainly people employed by air conditioning, plumbing and heating contractors and companies. Indirect employment involve people in other sectors e.g. in shops that sell the refrigeration equipments, dairy farmers, fishermen and fruits and vegetable farmers. How government institutions helped shape refrigeration. Government as a regulator- the government through the Environmental Protection Agency has set standards for monitoring and regulating refrigerant leaks. There are other regulations and strict standards that have been set by the government regarding green house emissions from the refrigerants. The government has identified CFCs, HCFCs, and PFCs as ozone depleting gases (ODS) and also global warming gases and has therefore prohibited their use as refrigerants. These are the gases commonly used for HVAC and in AC units. Many US states have increased the demand for a detailed refrigerant reporting requirement (Stouffer, 1998). Government as consumer- many government buildings, both central and federal government, is installed with air conditioners, refrigerators and other heating and cooling systems that use the refrigeration technology. Also government hospitals and other governmental organizations are installed with refrigeration systems. This is evident that the government is a major consumer of the refrigeration technology. Is refrigeration an example of deterministic technology or socially constructed technology. In my opinion, refrigeration is a socially constructed technology. Refrigeration does not determine the human actions but rather it is the human actions that have shaped refrigeration. The need for fresh products has resulted into the invention of the refrigeration technology. Human beings actions are such that they are very busy either in work places or in school and hence have no time to cook fresh foods every day. This has led to the development of the refrigeration technology. With its development, the human beings are now able to cook more food whenever they are free which they can refrigerate and eat them for a long period of time. Abstract Refrigeration can be said to the process of heat removal from substances. It is done with the aim of lowering the temperature of the substance and maintaining that low temperature. Refrigeration in food is done to reduce the risk of bacteria survival. Bacteria are responsible for most of the illnesses. The technology of refrigeration can be said to have started a long time ago. Its evolution is still continuing as we seek to find the best refrigerant that can be safe to us and to our environment. Refrigeration has been associated with a lot of benefits in our homes and in the society at large. Many homes in the United States are now equipped with a refrigerator. Important words used :refrigerator, fridge, fridgerator, refrigeration, Carl Linde, Carl von Linde, William Cullen, Oliver Evans, Fred Wolf, Linde, William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, James Prescott Joule,   invention, history, inventor of, history of, who invented, invention of, CFC, HCFC, ODS,AC, HAVC.

Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Huckleberry Finn There may never be another novel written quite like Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. It combines adventure, suspense and comedy to create a most accurate account of the times. Huckleberry Finn warms the heart of the reader by placing an ignorant white boy by the name of Huckleberry Finn in some strange situations, having him tell his remarkable story the way it streams into his own eyes. Huckleberry Finn is nearly always confused on account of so many different kinds of people having such different impressions upon him; he turns to his own heart and intelligence for guidance. Huckleberry Finn has a heart of gold, and grows as a person throughout the story. Huckleberry Finn's setting jumps around to a number of different places. The beginning takes place in St. Petersburg, Missouri in around the 1840s, before the Civil War. Huckleberry lived in a very "sivilized" household; a rather prosperous one as well, with the Widow Douglas. It was a time of slavery, though throughout the entire novel there was very little said to put down African Americans. The characters in the book, as many as there were, were all created by Twain to respect and acknowledge the decency in their slaves. There are two main characters in Huckleberry Finn: Huckleberry Finn, and Jim, a runaway slave. Huckleberry Finn finds himself torn between his own judgement of helping Jim escape, and the people around him who support slavery in it's entirety. He is in a bad and dangerous situation while with Jim, because anyone might possibly think Jim a runaway "nigger" and turn him back in for the reward of cash, as well as clout for being honest. But Huck is a very bright and creative young man, and uses his intelligence to both his and Jim's advantages in order to save their lives, on more than one occasion. He is quite brilliant under pressure, as when encountered by two men looking for runaway "niggers". The men inquired about who else was with Huck. The men threatened to come closer and see, and Huck replied, "I wish you would, because it's pap that's there, and maybe you'd help me tow the raft ashore...He's sick..." and Huck let on that he needed the men's help, and that hi s "pap" was awful ill, and soon enough the men hollered, "Keep away, boy. Confound it, I just expected the wind has blown it to us.

The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Essay -- Stress Stressing

The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Progress has always been an essential component in modern society. At times it is equivalent to success, learning, and overall growth. In the field of science, progress is measured by comparisons to what was known before, what is known now, and what can be known in the future. Therefore, one could say that much progress was made in the field of science in terms of understanding the functions of the human brain and some of its behavior. It seems that as each new day passes, something new is discovered about the brain, whether it be a new mental or physiological brain condition, or merely a link and clue to one of the vast number of questions the world has considering the human brain and behavior. These discoveries and answers are becoming more and more important and imperative due to the fact that the overall population seems to becoming more and more emotionally fragile and more subject to several cerebral ills such as depression, anxiety, hysteria, and clinical insanity. A good question to ask is whether or not the overall population seems to be suffering more mental and cerebral ills, or that it is merely a result of more cases being reported and more statistics calculated. But if it is true that the number of people suffering from conditions or types of behavior which hinder their ability to go on with their everyday lives, what is the cause? And when we find the cause, what is the cure? Or how will society as a whole handle it? A possible theory is to look at the correlation between the rate of growth and process in modern society and the stress level of the average individual. Another question to ask is what exactly is the role stress plays in an individ... ...raising the levels of anxiety and depression amongst the population. Perhaps evolution will take hold and those with brains and systems more well adapt to handling this relatively new level of stress will flourish, making our society stronger. Or it could have a reverse effect, making society weaker in the process. Hopefully stress and it's harmful effects will be brought to attention more by the scientific community and as a whole society will do something about it or risk suffering from the potential set backs. Sources Cited: 1)Physiological Effects of Stress http://tm.cme.edu/03.html 2)Holistic-online http://holistic-online.com/stress/stress_GAS.htm 3)http://www.brainsource.com/stress_&_health.htm 4)Neurobiology of Stress http://www.biopsychiatry.com/stress.htm 5)http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/symptoms-of-anxiety.asp The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Essay -- Stress Stressing The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Progress has always been an essential component in modern society. At times it is equivalent to success, learning, and overall growth. In the field of science, progress is measured by comparisons to what was known before, what is known now, and what can be known in the future. Therefore, one could say that much progress was made in the field of science in terms of understanding the functions of the human brain and some of its behavior. It seems that as each new day passes, something new is discovered about the brain, whether it be a new mental or physiological brain condition, or merely a link and clue to one of the vast number of questions the world has considering the human brain and behavior. These discoveries and answers are becoming more and more important and imperative due to the fact that the overall population seems to becoming more and more emotionally fragile and more subject to several cerebral ills such as depression, anxiety, hysteria, and clinical insanity. A good question to ask is whether or not the overall population seems to be suffering more mental and cerebral ills, or that it is merely a result of more cases being reported and more statistics calculated. But if it is true that the number of people suffering from conditions or types of behavior which hinder their ability to go on with their everyday lives, what is the cause? And when we find the cause, what is the cure? Or how will society as a whole handle it? A possible theory is to look at the correlation between the rate of growth and process in modern society and the stress level of the average individual. Another question to ask is what exactly is the role stress plays in an individ... ...raising the levels of anxiety and depression amongst the population. Perhaps evolution will take hold and those with brains and systems more well adapt to handling this relatively new level of stress will flourish, making our society stronger. Or it could have a reverse effect, making society weaker in the process. Hopefully stress and it's harmful effects will be brought to attention more by the scientific community and as a whole society will do something about it or risk suffering from the potential set backs. Sources Cited: 1)Physiological Effects of Stress http://tm.cme.edu/03.html 2)Holistic-online http://holistic-online.com/stress/stress_GAS.htm 3)http://www.brainsource.com/stress_&_health.htm 4)Neurobiology of Stress http://www.biopsychiatry.com/stress.htm 5)http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/symptoms-of-anxiety.asp

Free College Essays - A Captain’s Metamorphosis in The Secret Sharer :: The Secret Sharer Joseph Conrad

The Secret Sharer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Captain’s Metamorphosis      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the short story â€Å"The Secret Sharer† by Joseph Conrad, the captain of the ship, the Colorado, changes from an insecure and inexperienced ship captain to a more confident and secure individual, due to his experiences with the Secret Sharer.   At first, the captain is not sure of his place on the ship and does not feel right about being in charge.   Through his relationship with the Secret Sharer, the captain finds identity and becomes a confident person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning of the story, the captain is very uneasy when he is thrown into the position of captain of a ship travelling on a long and arduous journey.   The captain begins to feel insecure about running his ship and questions his ability to lead his ship.   During one of the first nights on board the ship, the captain demonstrates his thoughts of insecurity and self-consciousness when he does something that a captain would not normally do: he plans to take part in the night watch.   â€Å"I felt painfully that I - a stranger - was doing something unusual when I directed him to let all hands turn in without setting an anchor watch† (941).   The captain is so self-conscious and insecure about his actions that he reacts almost painfully to the crew’s judgement of his orders.   He also states that he perceives himself to be a stranger amongst the others.   Among his insecurities, the captain also sees himself as a stranger to himself a nd not fit to run his ship.   The captain thinks, â€Å"But what I felt most was my being a stranger to the ship; and if all the truth must be told, I was somewhat of a stranger to myself.   The youngest man on board (barring the second mate), and untried as yet by a position of the fullest responsibility, I was willing to take the adequacy of the others for granted† (940).   The captain is young and does not feel he really knows himself.   This insecurity leads him to believe he is not fit to lead others if he does not even have confidence in himself.   The captain begins to change when he develops a close relationship with the secret sharer, a criminal that he harbors and to whom he can relate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through a close and secret relationship with the Secret Sharer, the captain begins to find his identity and transforms into a very confident and able captain. Free College Essays - A Captain’s Metamorphosis in The Secret Sharer :: The Secret Sharer Joseph Conrad The Secret Sharer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Captain’s Metamorphosis      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the short story â€Å"The Secret Sharer† by Joseph Conrad, the captain of the ship, the Colorado, changes from an insecure and inexperienced ship captain to a more confident and secure individual, due to his experiences with the Secret Sharer.   At first, the captain is not sure of his place on the ship and does not feel right about being in charge.   Through his relationship with the Secret Sharer, the captain finds identity and becomes a confident person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning of the story, the captain is very uneasy when he is thrown into the position of captain of a ship travelling on a long and arduous journey.   The captain begins to feel insecure about running his ship and questions his ability to lead his ship.   During one of the first nights on board the ship, the captain demonstrates his thoughts of insecurity and self-consciousness when he does something that a captain would not normally do: he plans to take part in the night watch.   â€Å"I felt painfully that I - a stranger - was doing something unusual when I directed him to let all hands turn in without setting an anchor watch† (941).   The captain is so self-conscious and insecure about his actions that he reacts almost painfully to the crew’s judgement of his orders.   He also states that he perceives himself to be a stranger amongst the others.   Among his insecurities, the captain also sees himself as a stranger to himself a nd not fit to run his ship.   The captain thinks, â€Å"But what I felt most was my being a stranger to the ship; and if all the truth must be told, I was somewhat of a stranger to myself.   The youngest man on board (barring the second mate), and untried as yet by a position of the fullest responsibility, I was willing to take the adequacy of the others for granted† (940).   The captain is young and does not feel he really knows himself.   This insecurity leads him to believe he is not fit to lead others if he does not even have confidence in himself.   The captain begins to change when he develops a close relationship with the secret sharer, a criminal that he harbors and to whom he can relate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through a close and secret relationship with the Secret Sharer, the captain begins to find his identity and transforms into a very confident and able captain.

Discuss the Significance of Names in of Mice and Men Essay

As seen in the book Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck uses a range of different names for his character, but as it seems, it is not just a coincidence that they are named this way. Steinbeck uses these specific names to match personality of a character and to show the significance of these characters to the society. Many characters names begin with a C for example Candy, Crooks, Curley, to create a direct reference to ‘Cain’ a nomad from the bible; who was cursed by God that he would never be able to settle down because of his wrongdoings for power, this signifies that the characters and Cain have a similarity; they are not able to settle down but are forced to keep moving from one area to another. Curley’s Wife, is perhaps the most major female character that is essential to the story, but has no name in the book. The most obvious assumption as to why Steinbeck has decided to do this is because he is using a historical reference to the American community, where woman were considered to be a man’s possession. â€Å"When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitchers†. In the book, Curley’s Wife has a dream/desire to have her name known as an icon, however, the results were that she had married a ‘nobody’ which makes her an even smaller existence to the society and the world. We can come to a conclusion that Curley’s wife is unnamed because Steinbeck reflects her complete lack of individual identity. Lennie Small, one of the two most major and necessary characters in the storyline, has a very ironic name. ‘Lennie’ is short for ‘Leonard’ or abbreviated to ‘Leo’ has a definition of lion, has symbolizes courage, rulership and strength, which is a complete opposite of Lennie’s character. ‘Small’ is also an addition to the irony, where Steinbeck uses this to emphasize his huge physical appearances. â€Å"I don’t want no trouble, don’t let him sock me George†. As seen in the book, Lennie is a ‘coward’, as he has a huge body and strength, yet doesn’t know how to defend himself in certain situations and cannot stand-up for himself. Slim is perhaps the most unique characters throughout the whole book. The reason as to why Steinbeck has decided to name this character in this way is to reflect on the American society (similar to Curley’s wife’s reasoning) as to where people were depressing and rarely had a reason to laugh or be ‘positive’ meaning that his physical appearance as being a tall skinny man refers to this. Slim however, is often thought as a hero, and thinks deeply about his actions toward other people as seen in chapter 6 where Slim out of all men goes over to check on Curley’s Wife’s lifeless body. â€Å"Then Slim went quietly over to her, and he felt her wrist. One lean finger touched her check, and then his hand went under her slightly twisted neck and his fingers explored her neck.† In other words, Slim’s naming is decided on to reflect and perhaps to criticize the American society at the time. Carlson, is the complete opposite of Slim, with ‘Carl’ meaning ‘man’ or ‘manly’ and ‘son’ meaning son, creating a definition of man’s son. Carlson as seen in the earlier parts of the story is seen to show no respect or value to Candy’s dog because of its putrid odor, not considering that the pet could be Candy’s only companion, showing that his character is arrogant and selfish. Carlson’s name is also decided to reflect on the American society, where his physical appearance also represents the average man. â€Å"Carlson stepped back to let Slim precede him, and then the two of them went out the door†. Nonetheless, Carlson shows in chapter 2 that he pays respect to the more superior than him, in this case to Slim, as he precedes back to let Slim past by. In conclusion, the names of characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ are not just coincidences. In fact, the names John Steinbeck have chosen a re to symbolize and signify certain images and personalities and sometimes to criticize the American society, therefore, names in ‘Of Mice and Men’ are also a great significance to the story.