Friday, November 29, 2019

25 Coups de Plume

25 Coups de Plume 25 Coups de Plume 25 Coups de Plume By Mark Nichol What, exactly, is a coup, and how many kinds of coups are there? This post describes a variety of phrases using the word, plus an array of related terms. Coup, a word for a sudden bold and/or brilliant act it also serves as a truncation of â€Å"coup d’à ©tat† comes from the French word coup, meaning â€Å"stroke† or â€Å"blow†; ultimately, it’s from the Greek term kolaphos by way of the Latin borrowing colaphos. Few of the following expressions have been widely adopted into English, but they’re all available for literal and/or idiomatic use: 1. Coup la porte (â€Å"knock on the door†): a signal or summoning 2. Coup bas (â€Å"low blow†): a cheap shot 3. Coup d’archet (â€Å"stroke of the bow†): contact of the bow with one or more strings on a violin or a similar instrument 4. Coup d’chance (â€Å"stroke of luck†): a fortunate event 5. Coup d’eclat (â€Å"stroke of glory†): a glorious feat 6. Coup d’à ©tat (â€Å"stroke of state†): the overthrow of a national government by a government faction usually, elements of the nation’s military 7. Coup d’oeil (â€Å"stroke of the eye†): a survey taken at a glance 8. Coup de coeur (â€Å"blow to the heart†): an intense but short-lived passion 9. Coup de crayon (â€Å"stroke of the pencil†): an expression of artistic creativity 10. Coup de destin (â€Å"blow of fate†): a tragic event 11. Coup de foudre (â€Å"stroke of lightning†): an unexpected sudden event; also, love at first sight 12. Coup de glotte (â€Å"stroke of the glottis†): a method in singing and speaking technique in which the glottis, the space between the vocal folds, is suddenly manipulated by muscular contraction 13. Coup de grà ¢ce (â€Å"stroke of mercy†): a blow or shot to end the suffering of a mortally wounded person or animal; a figuratively similar act; or a decisive act, event, or stroke 14. Coup de l’amitià © (â€Å"stroke of friendship†): one (drink) for the road 15. Coup de main (â€Å"stroke of the hand†): a sudden, full-scale attack, or assistance 16. Coup de plume (â€Å"stroke of the pen†): a witty or masterful turn of phrase 17. Coup de poing (â€Å"stroke of the fist†): a punch, or a shock 18. Coup de pouce (â€Å"stroke of the thumb†): a helping hand, or a nudge 19. Coup de repos (â€Å"stroke of rest†): a chess move in which a player prepares for a blow against the player’s opponent 20. Coup de sang (â€Å"stroke of blood†): extreme anger 21. Coup de thà ©Ãƒ ¢tre (â€Å"stroke of theater)†: a sudden twist in a stage play’s script, or, in general, a sudden turn of events or a sudden effect; also, a successful stage production 22. Coup du ciel (â€Å"stroke from heaven†): sudden good fortune 23. Coup dur (â€Å"stroke of difficulty): a tough blow, or something difficult to accept 24. Coup en traà ®tre (â€Å"stroke of treachery†): a stab in the back 25. Coup montà © (â€Å"stroke of fitting†): a frame-up or con Many other phrases and expressions include the word coup; those listed above are just most of them that begin with it. Among the others are coup pour coup (â€Å"blow for blow,† or â€Å"tit for tat†) and coup sur coup (â€Å"in quick succession,† or â€Å"time after time†). Coup appears in other usages, and related terms abound. A coup injury is one in which the head strikes an object, causing injury to the brain; the accompanying countercoup injury to the brain occurs when the head strikes a fixed object, causing the brain to impact against the skull as well. Counting coup is the act of dominating or defeating an opponent in single combat without causing injury; in some Native American cultures, a warrior won such prestige by striking a foe or an enemy position with a hand, a weapon, or a coup stick, or by stealing an opponent’s weapon or his horse. Success in counting coup, which required the honoree to withdraw without injury, was acknowledged by notches cut in the coup stick or eagle feathers worn in the honoree’s hair. Coupage has four distinct meanings: blending two types of wine to alter flavor, mixing drugs with other substances, removing hair from a hide, and tapping on the thorax to help dislodge secretions, such as in treatment for tuberculosis. Decoupage, unrelated to any of these senses, describes decoration of an object with paper cutouts and other materials. Other terms with the root word coup include recoup, which originally meant â€Å"to deduct,† though now the general sense is of compensation for a loss, and beaucoup, a French term meaning â€Å"many, a great number.† The latter entered general usage in American English by way of military personnel who had served in Vietnam, which had until recently been part of French Indochina. Coupà ©, the word for a type of carriage and, later, a style of car, is related; the sense is of something cut (with a stroke) down to a smaller size. So, too, is coupon, from the French word for â€Å"piece.† They are cognate with the verb cope, frequently seen in the phrase â€Å"cope with† and meaning â€Å"deal with challenges† and, less often, â€Å"prevail in combat or competition.† A coping saw, meanwhile, is a tool with a small, thin, saw blade set in a U-shaped frame, and a coppice (also rendered copse) is a thicket of trees cultivated for cutting. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund PhrasesDifference between "Pressing" and "Ironing"Honorary vs. Honourary

Monday, November 25, 2019

Assistive Technologies Linked to Low Vision

Assistive Technologies Linked to Low Vision This is a case involving Emily, a fives of auditory-based technologies that can be applied in this case would include the use of tape recorders to record class sessions for future review by the students. There are also software programs and computer systems that can convert text to speech or other forms of communication medium which may be appropriate for the user. Speech-based technology is another useful intervention which may assist Emily cope with her disability challenges, especially in class. This program will involve things such as portable note takers. In this context, text is entered into the system using Braille keyboards or QWERTY keyboards that are specifically designed for persons who prefer touch-typing.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Assistive Technologies Linked to Low Vision specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Once the text has been loaded, the note takers provide speech output which can ena ble users understand previous learning experiences better. Type Lite and PacMATE Series are good examples of common portable note takers used to assist persons with low vision in class. There is no doubt that, through effective application of the above assistive technologies, Emily’s capabilities at school will improve greatly and match those of typical peers in class. These technologies will help her understand lessons taught to her better, and this will increase her motivation in class activities. These programs will also help at improving Emily’s self-reliance abilities, since she could now understand her lessons without many complications. Improved performance, which is the goal for every student, will also be realized in Emily’s life through these interventions. References Abner, G. Lahm, E. (2002). Implementation of assistive technology with students who  are visually impaired: Teachers readiness. Journal of Visual Impairment   Blindness, 96(2), 36-45 . Beard, L.A., Carpenter, L.B., Johnston, L.B. (2011). Assistive technology: Access for  all students (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Braddock et al. (2004). Emerging technologies and cognitive disability. Journal of  Special Education Technology, 19(4), 49-56. Bryant, D., Bryant, B., Raskind, M. (1998). Using Assistive Technology to Enhance  the Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities. Intervention in School and  Clinic, 34(1), 53-58.Advertising Looking for critical writing on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Hasselbring, T. Bausch, M. (2005). Assistive technologies for reading. Learning, 63  (4), 27-34. Iovannone et al. (2003). Effective educational practices for students with autism  spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 18  (3), 150-165. Man, D., Wong, M. (2007). Evaluation of computer-access solutions for students with  quadriplegic athetoid cerebral palsy. The American Journal of Occupational  Therapy, 61(3), 355-364. Todis, B. (1996). Tools for the Task? Perspectives on Assistive Technology in  Educational Settings. Journal of Special Education Technology, 13(2), 49-61.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

English - Hazard Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

English - Hazard Communication - Essay Example The general public is relatively ignorant when it comes to information on hazardous chemicals. II. Description of the problem Manufacturers Chemical manufacturers and suppliers are at fault for failing to give adequate information to the public concerning the hazardous character of chemicals. This is despite the fact that, each and every chemical manufacturer is required by law to give sufficient information on the hazardous nature of chemicals. As a result, many people have suffered chemical accidents that have scarred their lives. The standard for hazard communication requires that information be made available, through material safety data sheets, training of employees and labeling of chemicals. Therefore, chemical manufacturers are required to document comprehensive literature on the hazardous nature of the chemicals they produce. Each chemical should have its name, synonyms, acronyms, Chemical Abstracts Services, as well as its chemical designation and substance composition. Inf ormation on substance composition should include active ingredients, inactive components, and impurities. In order to ensure that information on the hazardous nature of chemicals is easily comprehensible, manufacturers and exporters should also use texts and symbols. Employers and employees Most affected are employees working in chemical producing companies, who are oblivious of the hazards they are subjected to at the work place. This is the primary group that needs to have access to hazardous communication. This is because they come into contact with these chemicals on a daily basis, thus rendering them vulnerable to danger. Employers need to protect their employees from danger by conducting training programs on how to handle, transport, store, and dispose of hazardous substances. Once employees have access to such kind of information, they become increasingly aware of their rights, as well as how to best protect themselves. General public However, the general public should not be isolated, as they often come into contact with chemicals, and they deserve to know how to handle such chemicals. There have been numerous reports of people going health facilities to seek medical help after mishandling chemicals. Some chemicals have permanent effects on victims, for example carcinogenic chemicals. Public awareness needs to be conducted to prevent people from being harmed by these chemicals. III. Significance of inquiry It is the prerogative of manufacturers and suppliers to give adequate information concerning the hazardous nature of chemicals to target audiences. It is not humanly possible for employers to evaluate and document all the safety hazards a chemical can cause to its employees. Nevertheless, employees have the right to be informed of the dangers they are most likely to face, when they come into contact with these chemicals, as well as how they can protect themselves. However, this information is not always readily available, thus the essence of this pro posal, to champion for the rights of the public to be well-versed of the threats and risks of dealing with these chemicals. More needs to be done to ensure safety management is upheld in all areas concerning chemical handling. This will in turn, lead to a significant reduction in the number of people suffering from chemical related problems. IV. Relevance statement The

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The British Royal Marine Corps Influence on the US Marine Corps Research Paper

The British Royal Marine Corps Influence on the US Marine Corps - Research Paper Example In order to understand the complexities of the reactions of the United States corps towards the British corps, it is imperative to first analyze the manner in which the British authority treated the Indians. The facts that have been publicized concerning the British rule in United States corps give a glimpse of the sad realities that faced the population of the Briton at that time. With respect to the British population in India at the time, the Indians did not have any rights. An example of the treatment they faced is best exemplified by the fact that they were not allowed to walk on the sidewalks next to the British. Failure to adhere to this and any other baseless law resulted in the incarceration of the Indian outlaw. It is right to refer to wrongdoers as such since they basically received treatment akin to outlaws. While inside the jails and prisons, the Indians were severely beaten and abused by the commanding British police officers. The treatment of the United Corpse at that time is akin to the treatment of the black population by the Americans in the nineteenth century. It is however imperative to note that this had not always been the status quo. In fact, at the beginning of the British presence in India, the relationship between the British and Indians was quite respectful. The harsh inhumane treatments were realized with the progress of time. The British had gone to the extent of taking on United States corps wives while at the same time embracing a number of Indian customs and traditions.... It is right to refer to wrong doers as such, since they basically received treatment akin to outlaws. While inside the jails and prisons, the Indians were severely beaten and abused by the commanding British police officers. The treatment of the United Corpse at that time is akin to the treatment of the black population by the Americans in the nineteenth centuryiii. It is however imperative to note that this had not always been the status quo. In fact, at the beginning of the British presence in India, the relationship between the British and Indians was quite respectful. The harsh inhumane treatments were realized with progress of time. At the beginning, the British had gone to the extent of taking on United States corps wives while at the same time embracing a number of Indian customs and traditions. So, what factors led to this drastic change in attitude? There is one conjecture that has been entertained by historians. This entails the industrialization of Britain with respect to United States Corps. With time, Britain became more industrialized at a higher rate than America. As such, the feelings of contempt on the Indians were sourced from this fact. This was rather vain of the British populace. Also of prime importance to note, is that the British power structure propagated the notion of being of a superior race with respect to all other races. As such, equality was essentially unheard of and therefore could not be entertained. Though there had been a few Britons calling for equality, a majority of them adopted a rather low regard for the Indian population. With the advance of education, a larger population of the native Indians started to become more and more educated. As a consequence of this trend, feelings of

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Effect of Barley and Oat in Blood Glucose Level in Diabetic Assignment

The Effect of Barley and Oat in Blood Glucose Level in Diabetic Patients - Assignment Example People suffering from diabetes have a condition whereby the level of glucose in their blood is much higher than normal, scientifically known as hyperglycemia. In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) estimates patients with diabetes as 3.8 million, with the figure projected to grow to 6.2 million in 2035 (Stewart et al 2007). 17 percent of the NHS’ healthcare budget will also be spent on diabetes by 2035. Diabetes, or diabetes mellitus as doctors refer to it, is a collection of chronic, metabolic diseases characterized by the patients’ high level of blood sugar (or blood glucose). It occurs in three key forms; type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States placed the prevalence of type 2 diabetes at 90 percent of all reported cases, with type 1 taking up the remaining 10 percent (Polonsky 2012). Gestational diabetes was not in the statistics, which only affects 2 to 5 percent of pregnant women. Out of the affected pregnant women, 20 to 50 percent of them develop type 2 diabetes in later years of life. There is also a condition known as prediabetes, which most of type 2 diabetes patients experienced in their early stages of the disease. Typically, they had higher blood sugar levels than normal, although not high enough to warrant a diabetes diagnosis but rendering body cell s resistant to insulin. In that stage, the damage will usually have occurred to the heart and the circulatory system (Piller, Chang-Claude & Linseisen 2006). Other common characteristics observed in diabetes patients include increased thirst, increased hunger and more frequent urination, known as polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria respectively. The condition is as a result of either insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas or the improper response to the insulin by the body cells, with the occurrence of both circumstances not being a rare phenomenon (Jensen et al 2004).

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Homelessness Act 2002 Analysis

Homelessness Act 2002 Analysis Assessing the new homelessness strategies introduced by the Homelessness Act 2002: are the housing needs of the young homeless in the UK closer to being adequately addressed? Chapters Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 3 Homelessness Act 2002 Young People†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 5 Distinctive Qualities of ‘Youth Homelessness’†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 10 Local Authorities and Discretion Post-2002:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..Page 12 Lack of Monitoring Procedures / Inadequacy of Performance Indicators†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Page 12 Diversity or Chaos under the Homelessness Act 2002†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Page 15 Priority Need†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 18 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 20 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 21 ‘We have weapons of mass destruction we have to address here at home. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction. Homelessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Unemployment is a weapon of mass destruction.’ Dennis Kucinich[1] Introduction Property, as a jurisprudential concept, holds a lot of sway in liberal philosophical thought. We see property as a central theme for such institutional writers as Locke, Hegel, Kant and Nozick who see Property Rights as going to the centre of ‘sanctioned behavioural relations among men’[2]. Thus in a purely philosophical manner the Homeless are truly disenfranchised from the underlying rationale of law. This pervasive attitude also leads to a disenfranchisement across a number of important social spheres such as voting, raising money and unemployment benefit However, we recognise limits on all property rights in order to help disadvantaged, for example the Family Law Act 1996 recognises rights for a spouse who suffers domestic abuse[3]. This work is concerned to look at the quantitative and qualitative outcomes for young[4] homeless people achieved by the statutory framework, how does this demographic fare given their no-property status? The importance of this review cannot be underestimated. In the U.K. it is a general problem which ‘despite economic prosperity, a private housing market boom, and a raft of legislation and homelessness initiatives, recorded levels of homelessness in the U.K. remain stubbornly high’[5] and in recent years the problem was more prosaically described as ‘taking us back towards the deep social divisions of Victorian society a moment in history than no one wants to see repeated’[6] However, despite it’s persistent nature and damaging social effects there is a dearth of real academic research on the topic as a whole. This work hopes to contribute to an area which desperately needs quality academic attention. Secondly, this review is prompted by similar government observations that suggest a review of the legislative apparatus is timely: ‘It is our view that there should not be homeless people in the UK in 2004. A home is a fundamental right which should not be denied to anyone living in as affluent and ambitious a society as our own.’[7] The Select Committee then goes onto argue that ‘a review of the workings of the 2002 Act would identify the weak spots for the government’[8]. This work will carry out such a review. However, given the limitation of space it focuses on the young homeless. In recent years this demographic has been receiving more academic and media attention than others simply because of the prevalence of youth homelessness within England – in 2004 it was estimated that up to 52,000 young people between the ages of 16-25 were homeless and at any rate that this demographic accounts for a quarter of all the homeless throughout the U.K.[9]. However, whilst there may be a reasonable degree of peripheral awareness of this subject as a social problem which has particular risks and difficulties associated with it there has been no current published research on the effectiveness of the homeless strategies, implemented under the Homelessness Act 2002, as it applies to this demographic. This work will attempt to fill this void and give some guidance on the direction of any review or reform of the legislative apparatus. Homelessness Act 2002 Young People The Homelessness Act 2002 was the culmination of a significant policy from New Labour which, obviously, therefore provides the underlying rationale of the statute. If we are to understand what reforms to the content or rationale are required from our qualitative and quantitative analyses of the operation of the statute we need to first understand what the existing structure represents. Whilst it is fair to say that ‘the UK has a lengthy history of voluntary and statutory provision for homeless people’[10] statutory intervention on a large scale was not comprehensively implemented until the introduction of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977. However, for many commentators this legislation was seen as ‘an ineffective and inadequate means of resolving the problems of many homeless persons’[11]. There were numerous problems with the legislation which we will briefly prà ©cis so as to provide a comparator to the 2002 Act. A large degree of discretionary decision-making was left in the hands of local housing authorities[12] which meant that groups of homeless people who didn’t satisfy the ‘priority need’ criteria or other statutory requirements for other groups of homeless people had virtually no protection[13]. The 1977 Act setup a two-tiered approach which imposed different duties on the local authority at each level. Its initial duties operated when an individual made an application to the local housing authority which indicated a possibility that the person may either be homeless or threatened with homelessness[14]. Accommodation would then only be provided if the local authority had done an investigation and had reasonable grounds for believing the facts of the application and the person fell into a category of ‘priority need’. Otherwise the duty was one of advice and appropriate assistance[15]. Furthermore, the extent of the duty to provide accommodation only covered a ‘period of time reasonable to enable the applicant to secure housing on his own’[16]. The system setup had a narrowing effect in that there were large groups of people, typically non-parent single individuals[17], who had to rely on charity or voluntary services to provide any kind of accommodation. This system was argued to have lead to ‘an unprecedented increase in street homelessness in the U .K.’[18]. The period between the 1980’s and 1997 was mirrored by an exponential growth in NGO agencies providing support to the homeless in stark contrast to the complete lack of statutory change, although consolidation did occur in the Housing Act 1996. There were Government sponsored programmes such as the ‘Rough Sleepers Initiative’ and ‘Supporting People’ which transcended many professions such as housing, health, social work, education and employment. These multi-agency initiatives have been seen as vital to the ending of homelessness however there was always a fear over the disjointed and inefficient nature of these many statutory and voluntary agencies as well as confusion to the individual faced with homelessness[19]. As of 5th May 2006 there is a new UK government department for Communities and Local Government, taking over from the Homelessness Directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is now in charge of overseeing the current framework. The Labour Government came to power in 1997 on the back of a manifesto pledge that they would ‘impose a new duty on local authorities to protect those who are homeless through no fault of their own and are in priority need’[20]. The DETR[21] published the Housing Green Paper in April 2000 which outlined the intention of the government this was then introduced in the form of the Homes Bill which fell because of the proroguement of parliament for the general election. However, this was quickly followed by another bill that in time became the Homelessness Act 2002 that received Royal Assent on 26th February 2002 The 2002 Act made some very significant changes to the pre-existent statutory framework detailed above[22]. The central provision was a requirement placed upon local authorities to carry out a review of homelessness in their area and publish strategies to overcome this within 12 months of the passing of the Act and to be renewed every five years[23]. These included audits of current levels of homelessness, programs for combating, preventing or alleviating homelessness. The information gathered under the review was then to be scrutinised and the strategy would build upon any strengths and remedy weaknesses[24]. This was part of a clearer focus on devolving responsibility for tackling homelessness at a local level however the Act did also modify the pre-existent law by amending the Housing Act 1996. Whilst not implementing a duty it did give local housing authorities the discretionary power to give unintentionally homeless applicants not in priority need accommodation whereas the duty before was advice and assistance. The latter duty still exists but is more clearly defined and requires an investigation into the individual’s circumstances and needs. The hope of the government was that these ‘two provisions combined†¦can be used by applicants to argue that local authorities should consider referrals of applicants not in priority need to registered social landlords’[25]. There was formerly a two year time limit on the duty to provide housing but the Act now requires more than simply time lapsing including refusal of unsuitable accommodation, intentional homelessness or a change in circumstances[26]. This provision will introduce a lot more equity into the law and its arbitrary time limits. The largest change to the law was undoubtedly wrought through ss.13 – 16 which completely change the rules on allocation of a property in particular the power of the local authorities to power to exclude specific groups from priority need and reduce other priority[27]. Exclusion is permitted to individuals subject to immigration control or those deemed unsuitable by reason of their ‘unacceptable behaviour’[28]. Behaviour in general is also permitted as a reason for reducing the priority of an individual[29]. Local Authorities are still provided with discretion to create an allocation scheme but in determining preferences to be given in that scheme the definition of homelessness was widened to include all homeless, even those who are intentionally so or are not in priority need. The idea here is that in allocating available housing to all homeless people, rather than those that the local authority has a pre-existent duty to provide accommodation to, will clearly be more equitable[30]. For the sake of brevity the other main changes are bullet-pointed: Local authorities are able to offer assured tenancies and assured short-hold tenancies provided by private landlords in order to meet their duty to provide accommodation. However, refusal of such an offer doesn’t discharge the duty of the local authority as it normally would. The protections surrounding domestic violence are extended to those not only actually suffering but also those threatened with violence. A requirement that social security services’ cooperate with housing authorities this is to combat those families that are intentionally homeless with children. In summary the 2002 Act placed a much higher emphasis on the responsibility of local authorities through the review and strategy requirements whilst also making relatively minor amendments to the pre-existent structure which were principally designed to extend local authorities duties and powers regarding the homeless. A large part of this work will concentrate on the discretion of local authorities as detailed above in particular looking at whether the Act had created disparity between local authorities and a lack of meaningful monitoring of the operation of discretion or whether the approach by local authorities has lead to more flexibility and choice for individuals. This will be a qualitative assessment of the impact of the Act however we will also have regard to substantive aspects and ask whether the definitions of ‘priority need’ and ‘homelessness’[31] adequately cater for the urgent need of young, 16-25 year old, persons. It is worth just noting at t his point that the Act and the surrounding government publications do not mention youth homelessness as a target but homelessness in general. It is therefore accepted that we may be critiquing the Act for things outside its original remit however given the importance of this demographic any failing will be considered a large one. Distinctive Qualities of ‘Youth Homelessness’ The fundamental question for this work is to assess whether or not the Homelessness Act 2002 has to any degree moved the U.K. closer to addressing the needs of young homeless persons. However, in doing this what we have to be aware of is that ‘homeless people are a heterogeneous group with diverse social, economic and health needs’[32]. The exposition of these particularistic needs has not always been made explicit but to some degree it needs to be done so for this work to be of any importance. In other words, what are the specific needs of the youth homeless demographic? This is a difficult question and in itself could form the basis of a much larger work however it is possible to glean from some sources that there are a few predominant needs of the youth demographic which we can use to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures under the 2002 Act. One clear need is that of information, whilst always important the issue is more acute in youth homelessness given their relative inexperience and lack of social awareness[33]. As a logical corollary to this it would include training staff and volunteers on how to relate such information to children[34]. In general this is necessary because unlike other demographics there is a lack of self-sufficiency or financial resources[35], extremely high emotional and financial exploitability leading to higher risk of mental illness or disease of some form[36]. The problems with self-sufficiency and financial resources are explained because a youth group will tend to have little education, qualifications or job exper ience. This is coupled with the fact that they will have little or no experience of independent living which prevents them from doing even the most basic of things[37]. This has been recognised by a number of commentators who argue that ‘the problems of long term homelessness are to an extent due to lack of skills, knowledge and social development’[38]. Finally, another prominent need for the youth homelessness is not just the provision of accommodation but is the need for further support after the allocation of accommodation, of any kind. It has been argued that this is a particular need of youth homeless and that provision of such support must be ‘flexible, appropriate and geared to need’[39]. The foregoing is not meant to be an authoritative statement but a guide to what we will be analysing in the rest of this work. In order to assess the Homelessness Act 2002 we will be looking at how local authorities and the statute are capable of meeting some of these needs that we have outlined above. Local Authorities and Discretion Post-2002 As we saw, above, the local authorities have a great deal of control and discretion in publishing a strategy and creating there own allocation criteria. The importance of this is that the young homeless tend not to fall into an explicit category of those in ‘priority need’, as we shall see, and therefore the operation of local authorities under the Act become of the utmost importance to assessing the effectiveness of the legislative structure. In determining this we are looking at three separate but inter-related areas that might impact on the effectiveness of providing a coherent approach to youth homelessness. Thus if we look at needs such as information provided to the young – there is a clear danger that if there is a disjointed approach across local authorities then the quality of life enjoyed by those young people who fall into homelessness will become a post-code lottery. Lack of Monitoring Procedures / Inadequacy of Performance Indicators The first specific area that this research wants to uncover is whether or not the lack of monitoring provisions leads to an inconsistent application which consequently fails young homeless people. Furthermore, are the indicators used by government to monitor local authority initiatives helpful? The joining up of local authorities under the 2002 Act was a specific aim and the government stated ‘While the Government will join-up policy at the national level, local authorities will need to do so locally’[40]. This was supposed to be achieved by an alliance between supra-local bodies such as the Housing Corporation, Local Government Association and National Housing Federation[41]. They all recommended the adoption of a partnership between housing associations and local authorities to help implement the strategies required under the 2002 Act. However, with this many bodies involved it is hard to monitor the success of the Act especially as the local authorities are under no d uty to monitor the success. However, in an indirect way a lack of monitoring will cause severe difficulty for the Local Authority in reviewing current and future levels of homelessness in accordance with their strategy. This is because the raw information will not be in an accessible form, it will be spread across many different agencies or it may not be gathered at all[42] Shelter has campaigned for the wider introduction of ‘multi-agency monitoring’[43] which derives from governments ‘Homelessness Strategies: A Good Practice handbook’[44]. The idea of a MAM is that a lead agency, usually a local authority, will take charge of running the scheme and have a department dedicated to the maintenance of it. The scheme operates as follows: ‘All agencies use common forms to collect information, asking the same questions, and using the same data entry codes. A MAM scheme uses a unique identifier for each individual when recording the information onto a central database’[45]. The advantages of this are the ability to identify demographics and look at how policy and initiatives impacts on them. In that way the local authority can look at numerous independent variables such as person of first contact, place of first contact, popularity of various services and many other incredibly important pieces of information. However, th e handbook is a recommendation and is not mandatory by any means and it is therefore unsurprising that the Housing Quality Network Services (HQNS) recommended in 2004 that more guidance on the ‘minimum requirement for monitoring to ensure best practice’[46] be introduced by the government. The HQNS service highlighted that producing an action plan including plans for monitoring and having performance indicators was ‘a weak point in many strategies’[47] who failed to set out in any substantive detail how they were going to go about monitoring homelessness. However, in fairness there are other councils who have mentioned MAM’s[48] in their strategies but even there these are prospective and thin on detail[49]. The difficulty for this work is in assessing the effectiveness and the dedication to these limited stated aims without direct access to primary resources. Thus this work must defer to the conclusions of the quantitative research done by the HQNS that makes explicit that whilst many strategies mention monitoring few have much detail or concrete plans for how a MAM would be set-up The picture that arises, therefore, is that the lack of mandatory minimum monitoring requirement’s is not being counteracted by pro-active councils around the country therefore in that way it fails to achieve the goals of having effective reviews and strategies. As the Bath North East Somerset strategy stated ‘A strategy is only as good as the information that supports it’[50]. The fact that a government produced report which generally heralded the whole process of producing a review and strategy as a success mentioned data collection and monitoring as a problem on several occasions highlights that this could be a significant problem in targeting the strategies in any meaningful sense at youth homelessness. This has a knock-on effect on performance indicators. The government had encouraged local authorities to introduce performance indicators[51] and in 2005 they introduced The Local Government (Best Value) Performance Indicators and Performance Standards (England) Order 2005[52]. This followed a wide consultation on the issue. It applied this to all local authorities and measures performance by reference to five criteria: Average length of stay in bed and breakfast or hostel accommodation by households including dependent children or pregnant women. Number of rough sleepers on a single night within authority’s area. Percentage increase / decrease from year to year of statistic 1. Number of families for which housing advice casework intervention resolved their homeless situation; and Proportion of repeat homeless people.[53] Quite apart from the fact that, on a formal level, none of these mention youth homelessness but at another level the performance indicators will be useless if the monitoring procedures are as inadequate as the HQNS review suggests. Whilst it is impossible to be specific about the impact in quantitative terms we can discuss the issue in qualitative terms. We can see that there is an almost blind-spot by the government of youth homelessness in relation to monitoring information and how that translates into performance indicators. Diversity or Chaos under the Homelessness Act 2002 As we saw in our description of the Act the basic framework set-out is that ‘strategy is led from central government departments†¦but local housing authorities are key to planning and service delivery, irrespective of their political complexion’[54]. The reason for this was made clear in the government green paper which eventually lead to the 2002 Act: ‘Central Government can set the framework for housing policies. But the delivery of those policies must be tailored to a variety of local circumstances.’[55] This devolving of responsibility for implementation of strategy to local authorities is clearly designed to avoid a top-down homogenous approach to community-sensitive issues such as homelessness however the question for this work is how this has worked in relation to young people. It is integral to see whether this devolution has lead to innovative solutions which fit the needs of young people and also to see whether this leads to a post-code lotter y because of regional discrepancies. Primarily, we can draw comparative conclusions from a very useful survey of Scottish Local Authorities carried out in 2004 which looked at which authorities were addressing youth homelessness specifically as a problem[56]. The study was carried out only one year after The Homelessness, etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 and thus many strategies were in draft format and some weren’t available at all but the conclusions are stark. As far as having clear aims and objectives in relation to young people the survey only found one strategy that had these specifically stated. There was a much larger emphasis on prevention rather than aiding those already homeless thus twenty-seven strategies dealt with provision of information on services for homelessness in schools. Worryingly there were no strategies that assessed the general availability of affordable housing for young people but as we mentioned one of the major needs of young homeless people was provision of ongoing support and this was ide ntified as an objective in the strategies of twenty-six of the local authorities however only six took this any further and proposed aid in relation to education, training or employment. We will recall that lack of those skills is seen as endemic to youth homelessness and it seemed it was poorly addressed. The conclusions of the SCSH as a whole were that ‘†¦youth issues are generally not well addressed in the homelessness strategies, aside from one or two exceptions’[57] and worryingly one of the least well addressed issues was having a specific youth homelessness policy within the general homelessness policy. It is hard to make direct generalisations to England with regard to this study but it is suggestive that youth-specific issues are not as high in the list of priorities of many local authorities as perhaps other demographics such as those suffering domestic abuse or pregnant woman. In a similar study, which had a much wider remit, the ODPM had argued that in English Homelessness Strategies ‘†¦Young people, either single or in families, are a key priority in most parts of the country.’[58] However it noticed a disparity in other demographics such as single people and gypsies / travellers. However, what is worrying about this can be highlighted in a study of the strategies of Bromley and Lewisham Councils. In Bromley it is true to say that ‘Vulnerable Young People’ is one of the specific client groups that were included in their strategy and included plans for the development of specific support services[59]. Thus it created a new team within the council to specifically deal with young people and their needs as well as arranging funding for new supported accommodation facilities as a form of initial accommodation for young people[60]. However, the problem is that such services are de-limited and targeted solely at 16 and 17 year old s. However, our review of young people’s needs indicated that 16 – 25 years olds all felt similar disadvantages. This was also the case in Lewisham Council[61] who talk about vulnerable young people as a group including those leaving care and 16 / 17 year olds. This, as we shall discuss below, is largely in response to the government’s widening of ‘priority need’ in the Homelessness Act 2002 to cover 16 and 17 year olds. This is undoubtedly a step-forward but the approach is undermined because it skews focus onto these two age groups. The other thing that is striking about both of these strategies is the lack of plans specifically to provide information to young people[62], statistics about youth homelessness and nothing about education, training or employment opportunities or schemes for young people. Having looked at these two large councils, Scotland and the overall review carried out by the ODPM there are a number of conclusions that we can make. Firstly, disparity between the councils doesn’t seem to be a large problem as far as young people are concerned. However, the approach does seem homogenous and inadequate to cater to the wider 16 – 25 demographic all of whom experience similar needs[63] as well as making up 25% of all homeless rough sleepers in the U.K.[64]. There seems little of this sensitivity to local issues and the government’s focus on 16 and 17 year olds has skewed the debate to a degree and in fact lead to poorer recognition of the needs of 16 – 25 year old homeless people. The major problem with this is that following the abolition of housing lists and the qualifying / non-qualifying groups division that existed pre-2002, above, local authorities have discretion to target groups. Those groups seem unlikely to be a holistic treatment of 16 – 25 year olds. Priority Need The importance of being categorised as homeless and in priority need is extremely high. It is the difference between having the possibility of interim accommodation offered and the council having a duty to provide long-term accommodation, as we saw in the second section. Thus for all demographics qualification into these categories will be keenly contested and we must see to what degree young people are catered for. We don’t have the space to carry out a thorough review of both subjects however a brief prà ©cis will again highlight the impact

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Physiologic Effects of Insulin :: essays research papers

Stand on a streetcorner and ask people if they know what insulin is, and many will reply, "Doesn't it have something to do with blood sugar?" Indeed, that is correct, but such a response is a bit like saying "Mozart? Wasn't he some kind of a musician?" Insulin is a key player in the control of intermediary metabolism. It has profound effects on both carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and significant influences on protein and mineral metabolism. Consequently, derangements in insulin signalling have widespread and devastating effects on many organs and tissues. The Insulin Receptor and Mechanism of Action Like the receptors for other protein hormones, the receptor for insulin is embedded in the plasma membrane. The insulin receptor is composed of two alpha subunits and two beta subunits linked by disulfide bonds. The alpha chains are entirely extracellular and house insulin binding domains, while the linked beta chains penetrate through the plasma membrane. The insulin receptor is a tyrosine kinase. In other words, it functions as an enzyme that transfers phosphate groups from ATP to tyrosine residues on intracellular target proteins. Binding of insulin to the alpha subunits causes the beta subunits to phosphorylate themselves (autophosphorylation), thus activating the catalytic activity of the receptor. The activated receptor then phosphorylates a number of intracellular proteins, which in turn alters their activity, thereby generating a biological response. Several intracellular proteins have been identified as phosphorylation substrates for the insulin receptor, the best-studied of which is insulin receptor substrate 1 or IRS-1. When IRS-1 is activated by phosphorylation, a lot of things happen. Among other things, IRS-1 serves as a type of docking center for recruitment and activation of other enzymes that ultimately mediate insulin's effects. A more detailed look at these processes is presented in the section on Insulin Signal Transduction. Insulin and Carbohydrate Metabolism Glucose is liberated from dietary carbohydrate such as starch or sucrose by hydrolysis within the small intestine, and is then absorbed into the blood. Elevated concentrations of glucose in blood stimulate release of insulin, and insulin acts on cells thoughout the body to stimulate uptake, utilization and storage of glucose. The effects of insulin on glucose metabolism vary depending on the target tissue. Two important effects are: Insulin facilitates entry of glucose into muscle, adipose and several other tissues. The only mechanism by which cells can take up glucose is by facilitated diffusion through a family of hexose transporters. In many tissues - muscle being a prime example - the major transporter used for uptake of glucose (called GLUT4) is made available in the plasma membrane through the action of insulin.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Analysis of Imitiaz Dharker’s Poems

Imitiaz Dharker was born in Lahore, Pakistan in the year 1954. She is a poet, documentary film-maker and an artist. Her family moved from Lahore to Glasgow when she was less than year old. Presently she divides her time between London and Mumbai. Her other works includes Purdah and other poems (1988), Post Cards from God (1997), I speak for devil (2001), Terrorist at my table (2006), Leaving foot prints (2009). Dharker is also a documentary film-maker and has scripted and directed over a hundred films and audio-visuals, centering on education, reproductive health and shelter for women and children. In 1980 she was awarded a Silver Lotus for a short film. She is also an accomplished artist. The main themes of her poetry include home, freedom, journeys, geographical and cultural displacement, communal conflict and gender politics. Today she is considered as one of the most important contemporary poets. The theme of social exclusion can be clearly seen in both of the poems. It is also her background and her personal experience that influence her work. In her poem Minority, Imitiaz Dharker talks about the condition and the problems faced by a person who belongs to a minority. As her other notable works even in this poem her own cultural background and her personal experiences can be clearly understood. When we first see the tittle we can clearly infer that it has something to do with minority group or people belonging to minority. The tittle says it all. It is a first person narrative but it is difficult to find out the gender of the speaker. Let’s just take into account that the speaker is a female. There is a heavy use of metaphor in the poem. So the speaker says, she was born a foreigner and after that wherever she went she carried the tag of foreigner with her. These lines can be directly linked with the life of the poet herself as she was born in Lahore but soon the family shifted. So even where the speaker was born she is foreigner in that country. Further the speaker says that she went to places where her relatives stayed but, just like the roots of tubers even when the hold was deep within she felt like she was an outsider like she didn’t belong there. Everything was new to her. This is probably a reference to poets’ home country. People like to maintain a safe distance from a person who is different than them. The people who are supposed to understand the speaker are the ones who distance themselves from her just because she is a minority, isolating her culturally and socially. This people are the educated ones who are isolating her. The speaker has compared herself to a clumsily translated poem. Her life is a poem but a translated one which lacks the grace and is full of gawky moments. She doesn’t seem to fit anywhere. She can’t find a place where she can adapt because she is never given a chance to do so. Cooking food in coconut has long been a Indian tradition. To people she is like the food cooked in coconut. The mention of ghee and cream contradict each other because both of them belong to different cultures. So where people expect ghee and cream speakers’ life is like food cooked in coconut and it gives an aftertaste of neem and cardamom instead of two good items like ghee and cream. Neem and cardamom it’s bitter and people don’t like it. Whether it’s in her home country or any other country and thus makes her a minority. There comes a point when people find her language strange and don’t seem to accept her. It’s like she has landed into a trap by saying anything to the people at all. They are just waiting for their traps to work and are waiting to put her down and make her a minority on basis of her language. There is an frame fixed in the minds of people, a perfect frame which is as good as them and they view everyone through this frame but when the speakers picture comes into the frame the frame slips. Her picture is not good enough for the frame like they can’t accept someone like her, someone from the minority and that she is not good enough to be with them not good enough to be called as their own. They see someone who is not tuned with them, someone who is not like them, someone who is from a different world, someone like a ghost. For them the speaker stands out for apparently all wrong reasons and she is an outsider to them, in their midst she is an alien. So the speaker sits scratching throughout her lonely nights. It can be interpreted as she is scratching a desperate plea a message on a piece of paper. But if we infer the deeper meaning it can also mean that she is scratching because she is feeling uneasy, she is scratching over the scab of division and the label that she is a minority. She is scratching over the scab of people treating her minority over her skin colour. ‘A page doesn’t fight back’, according to me this is the most powerful line in the whole poem. By page here she is referring to a minority person like herself. The speaker hopes that whatever she has spoken so far shoots through the thick layer of stereotypes the community has set and the noise of repression of the community. So whole carrying on with this life of hers, the speaker comes across a person who is stranger to her yet there is something about the person that makes her feel like she knows him or her. The face of the person is pure and simple without any mask of stereotypes. The speaker can actually read through the persons face and his or her outcast eyes. She comes to a realization that the person is like her a minority. She comes to a realization that she is not only the one who is an outcast, one who has no place to call home and one who is a foreigner wherever she goes. It gives speaker some hope to know that she doesn’t stand alone. The poem reflects the life of the poet herself. While she visits India people view her as a visitor and also because she is a Muslim, who come under minority in our country. On the other hand when she is in western countries people view her as an immigrant. The poem gives us an idea about the feelings of people belonging to minority. ‘They’ll say: â€Å"She must be from another country†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The poem, ‘they’ll say: â€Å"She must be from another country†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is also written by Imitiaz Dharker. The poem is a sharp critic on various forms of exploitation that are carried in India as well as in different parts of world. The poem is about how people of the world can’t come to terms with a person who is liberal and open-minded. The poet has criticized old and traditional minds. The poem gives various indirect references to racial discrimination, state repression and curbing the right to freedom of expression. We have examples of painters like MF Husain and writers like Salman Rushdie who were opposed at different times due to their work. The poet talks about them indirectly without mentioning their names. Numerous films have been opposed just because they clash with some minds. The speaker is a female as it is clearly said in the poem and as well as the tittle. In country like India or any other country for that matter, not everything is welcomed open mindedly. Pieces of literature and art which are found to be offensive are taking down while not looking or hearing what the creator of the masterpiece wants to say about it. Whether he she really means any offence to particular religion, group of people and if he or she wants to hurt any sentiments. There are some traditional and orthodox minds that do not seem to respect freedom of expression. In today’s ever changing and modern world lines like right to freedom of speech and expression are only to say but in reality this things are not welcomed. Certain anti-social minds think they are protecting their identity or uplifting the interests of their religion or community. But this is not true. They are just not bold enough to take whatever falls on their ears even if it is the truth. So as the speaker says books are burned and paintings are taken down. Just because the thoughts expressed in those pieces of work clash with the orthodox thinking. Sometimes even the educated minds do this. Of course all are open to say whatever they want but I think it can be done in a better way other than taking down the books and the paintings. This people aren’t mature enough to accept ideas which come across them. We have numerous examples of books which have been banned. They condemn the pieces of master pieces to dust when a particular piece of art is found disturbing. Art is expressed in different ways. Every artist has his or her own style of expressing their ideas on a paper. Not all naked pictures of Gods and Goddesses are painted to tarnish a particular religion. We need to look through the artist’s eye to understand them to understand the beauty of it. Burning the work isn’t going to help. There are cases in our country when artists were forced to leave the country. Whenever this happens we lose these valuable masterminds. Then the speaker also talks about films which are banned. Whenever films are released on controversial topics, there are people who oppose their screening and in most of the cases even stop them from getting screened. They vandalize the cinema houses and destroy the property if their demands are not met. When the speaker questions such behavior she is told that she must be from another country. It indirectly indicates that this type of behavior is not going to stop and that it happens often. There are times when a person is criticized due to the language and accent. They point it out and explain it the way it should be spoken and they’ll say she must be from another country. The speaker further says when she walks with her head up, with dignity, commanding respect they criticize. As being a woman they expect her to keep her head down and walk as if she’s some less of the person. When the speaker wears table cloth to go to town, it means when she wears different type of clothes like stylish clothes she is condemned. Even today i8n certain places women are not allowed to wear western outfits. The speaker says there is discrimination on the basis of colour and sexual orientation of a person. If any Indian or Asian goes in western countries, they are often discriminated on the basis of their skin colour. The speaker also says that, if a person is gay then he or she is not accepted in society by the orthodox minds. Hence when they see a black person or a gay they whisper to each other that he or she doesn’t belong here. The speaker further adds about how there is a huge gap between a country like India and other western countries like the Great Britain. They find the speakers habits disgusting. Such as eating olives and spitting out the pits, peeing outside. These people belong to a sophisticated place and hence do not like such things. The mention of Bombay shows that she is clearly talking about India. The places like opera are meant for serious minded and elite class of society. So the speaker says when she yawns in opera and laughs, they do not like it. They say very sadly and with disgust that she is same as rest and does not belong here. So due to all this un-acceptance she receives everywhere, the speaker says that maybe there is a country foe all the freaks like herself. By freaks she means the liberal minded people who are considered as freaks by the orthodox minded people. This are the people who do not owe any allegiance or loyalty to the old fat fools who wear the uniform. By this she does not necessarily mean the police. It means all those people in power and influence. According to her they are the one who act like crooks and thugs and take away the rights of people when they are the ones supposed to protect the interests of people. The people with power suppress anyone who comes in their way and by doing so they break the same rules which they are supposed to abide by. Further the speaker says the country is just for namesake and to her and other people like her it doesn’t look like a country at all. There are cracks all over and people like her live behind the backs of those who rule with their cruel power. There are divisions and this is tearing up the country. So the words like national integration and universal brotherhood look good only in books and pages. The speaker has never understood this eccentric behavior and is at peace with it. She is happy that she is not associated in any way with the fat old fools and happy that she remains an alien to the customs and traditions. She readily accepts the tag of outsider. She accepts that she indeed belongs to a different country which probably doesn’t exist. A country where freedom is put down and chained in every way possible. The two poems are related to each other. In both poems the person is made to feel different and unwanted and in the end somehow in both poems the speakers have found some hope and solitude.

Friday, November 8, 2019

All About the United States Space of the 1960s

All About the United States Space of the 1960s In 1961, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed to a Joint Session of Congress that â€Å"this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.† Thus began the Space Race that would lead us to achieve his goal and be the first to have a person walk on the moon. Historical Background At the conclusion World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were decidedly the world’s major superpowers.  In addition to being engaged in a Cold War, they competed against each other in other ways.  The Space Race was a competition between the U.S. and the Soviets for the exploration of space using satellites and manned spacecraft.  It was also a race to see which superpower could reach the moon first. On May 25, 1961, in requesting between $7 billion and $9 billion for the space program, President Kennedy told Congress that he felt a national goal should be that of sending someone to the moon and getting him back home safely. When President Kennedy requested this additional funding for the space program, the Soviet Union was well ahead of the United States. Many viewed their achievements as a coup not only for the USSR but also for communism. Kennedy knew that he had to restore confidence in the American public and stated that Everything we do and ought to do should be tied in to getting on to the Moon ahead of the Russians... we hope to beat the USSR to demonstrate that instead of being behind by a couple of years, by God, we passed them.† NASA and Project Mercury The United States space program began on October 7, 1958, just six days after the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), when its administrator, T. Keith Glennan, announced that they were starting a manned spacecraft program. Its first stepping stone to manned flight, Project Mercury, began that same year and was completed in 1963.  It was the United States first program designed to put men in space and made six manned flights between 1961 and 1963.  The main objectives of Project Mercury were to have an individual orbit around the Earth in a spacecraft, explore a person’s function ability in space, and determine safe recovery techniques of both an astronaut and a spacecraft. On February 28, 1959, NASA launched the United States’ first spy satellite, the Discover 1; and then on August 7, 1959, the Explorer 6 was launched and provided the very first photographs of the Earth from space.  On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he made a 15-minute suborbital flight aboard Freedom 7. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn made the first U.S. orbital flight aboard the Mercury 6. Program Gemini The major objective of Program Gemini was to develop some very specific spacecraft and in-flight capabilities in support of the upcoming Apollo Program.  The Gemini program consisted of 12 two-man spacecraft that were designed to orbit the Earth. They were launched between 1964 and 1966, with 10 of the flights being manned.  Gemini was designed to experiment with and test the astronaut’s ability to manually maneuver the spacecraft.  Gemini proved very useful by developing the techniques for orbital docking that would later be crucial for the Apollo series and their lunar landing. In an unmanned flight, NASA launched its first two-seat spacecraft, the Gemini 1, on April 8, 1964. On March 23, 1965, the first two-person crew launched in the Gemini 3 with astronaut Gus Grissom becoming the first man to make two flights in space.  Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space on June 3, 1965, aboard the Gemini 4. White maneuvered outside his spacecraft for approximately 20 minutes, which demonstrated an astronaut’s ability to perform necessary tasks while in space. On August 21, 1965, the Gemini 5 launched on an eight-day mission, the longest lasting at the time.  This mission was vital because it proved that both humans and spacecraft were able to endure spaceflight for the amount of time required for a Moon landing and up to a maximum of two weeks in space. Then, on December 15, 1965, the Gemini 6 performed a rendezvous with the Gemini 7.  In March 1966, the Gemini 8, commanded by Neil Armstrong, docked with an Agena rocket, making it the first docking of two spacecraft while on orbit. On November 11, 1966, Gemini 12, piloted by Edwin â€Å"Buzz† Aldrin, became the first manned spacecraft to make a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere that was automatically controlled. The Gemini program was a success and moved the United States ahead of the Soviet Union in Space Race. Apollo Moon Landing Program The Apollo program resulted in 11 space flights and 12 astronauts walking on the moon.  The astronauts studied the lunar surface and collected moon rocks that could be scientifically studied on Earth.  The first four Apollo Program flights tested the equipment that would be used to successfully land on the moon. Surveyor 1 made the first U.S. soft landing on the Moon on June 2, 1966.  It was an unmanned lunar landing craft that took pictures and gathered data about the moon in order to help prepare NASA for the manned lunar landing. The Soviet Union had actually beat the Americans with this by landing their own unmanned craft on the moon, Luna 9, four months earlier. Tragedy struck on January 27, 1967, when the entire crew of three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee, for the Apollo 1 mission suffocated to death from smoke inhalation during a cabin fire while in a launch pad test.  A review board report released on April 5, 1967, identified a number of problems with the Apollo spacecraft, including the use of flammable material and the need for the door latch to be easier to open from the inside. It took until October 9, 1968 to complete the necessary modifications. Two days later, Apollo 7 became the first manned Apollo mission as well as the first time that astronauts were telecast live from space during an 11-day orbit around the Earth.   In December 1968, the Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon.  Frank Borman and James Lovell (both veterans of the Gemini Project), along with rookie astronaut William Anders, made 10 lunar orbits in a 20-hour time period. On Christmas Eve, they transmitted televised images of the Moon’s lunar surface. In March 1969, the Apollo 9 tested the lunar module and rendezvous and docking while orbiting the Earth. In addition, they tested the full lunar spacewalk suit with its Portable Life Support System outside the Lunar Module. On May 22, 1969, Apollo 10’s Lunar Module, named Snoopy, flew within 8.6 miles of the surface of the Moon.   History was made on July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin landed at the â€Å"Sea of Tranquility†. As Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the Moon, he proclaimed Thats one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind. Apollo 11 spent a total of 21 hours, 36 minutes on the lunar surface, with 2 hours, 31 minutes spent outside the spacecraft. Astronauts walked on the lunar surface, took photographs, and collected samples from the surface.  The entire time Apollo 11 was on the Moon, there was a continuous feed of black-and-white television back to Earth. On July 24, 1969, President Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon and a safe return to Earth before the end of the decade was realized, but unfortunately, Kennedy was unable to see his dream fulfilled, as he had been assassinated nearly six years earlier.   The crew of the Apollo 11 landed in the Central Pacific Ocean aboard command module Columbia, landing a mere 15 miles from the recovery ship. When the astronauts arrived on the USS Hornet, President Richard M. Nixon was waiting to greet them on their successful return. Manned space missions did not end once this mission was fulfilled. Memorably, the command module of Apollo 13 was ruptured by an explosion on April 13, 1970. The astronauts climbed into the lunar module and saved their lives by doing a slingshot around the Moon in order to speed up their return to Earth. Apollo 15 launched on July 26, 1971, carrying a Lunar Roving Vehicle and enhanced life support to enable the astronauts to better explore the Moon. On December 19, 1972, Apollo 17 returned to Earth after the United States last mission to the Moon. On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon announced the birth of the Space Shuttle program â€Å"designed to help transform the space frontier of the 1970s into familiar territory, easily accessible for human endeavor in the 1980s and 90s. This would lead to a new era that would include 135 Space Shuttle missions, ending with the last flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on July 21, 2011.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Sin essays

Sin essays A sin can be defined as the act of breaking a Religious law or purpose. Morals and how someone is raised can factor into their views on a sin. Everyone has a conscience, which is the ability to recognize right and wrong. A sin severity varies by intent, and results of the commented act. Some sins are taken more seriously than others are. For example if you choose to lie to your parents you may get grounded, but if you were to murder someone you would be condemned to prison. Usually after a person commits an iniquity it causes them to feel guilt and remorse because they know their action was wrong. In The Scarlet Letter, Roger Chillingworth is the worst sinner. Chillingworth is the greatest sinner because his sin is intentional, selfish, and continual. Chillingworth consciously commits two sins. His first sin is against nature by marrying Hester, knowing she does not love him. His selfish desire to have a lovely, young wife. He is aware of this by telling Hester Mine was the first wrong. When I betrayed thy budding youth into a false and unnatural relation with my decay. (Hawthorne, 153) But his worst offense is when he let the sin take over. Chillingworth sacrifices Dimmesdale to satisfy his own selfish need for vengeance. He focuses constantly to destroy Dimmesdales sanity. Being Dimmesdales doctor he knows he is causing Dimmesdale to be ill and he intentionally does not stop. Not only is Chillingworth aware of his sin, but he sins selfishly. When Chillingworth arrives in Boston and sees his wife on the scaffold he plans to break vengeance on the man who seduces his wife and fathers her child. Unlike Dimmesdales and Hester crime of passion, his is cold and plotted to only benefit himself. His constant poking at Dimmesdale wound with diabolical determination to increase his suffering and pain brings self-enjoyment. He enjoys tormenting him so much that he arranges to keep him in his selfish clutch...

Monday, November 4, 2019

International Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

International Law - Essay Example Apart from monitoring cease-fires,, United Nations is also involved in multilevel peace keeping operations that are usually resolved through political dialogues, and reconciliation. Due to varying global conditions and nature of conflicts, the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and the Department of Field Support (DFS) have embarked on an improvement task, that is to set up a Peace Operations 2010, which is targeted at improving and rebinding the various planning, management and conduct of United Nations peacekeeping operations1. The continuum of contemporary peace keeping operations has developed into a progressively wide-ranging activity and comprises both United Nations – led peace operations, as well as those conducted by other actors, generally with the approval of the Security Council. The Charter of the United Nations The UN charter was signed, in San Francisco, on 26 June 1945 and is the groundwork document for all the activities and work under taken by the United Nations. The organization was set up â€Å"save succeeding generations from the scourge of war†. The main purpose behind the establishment of the United Nations is to secure global concord and safety. ... In fulfilling this responsibility, the Security Council may adopt an array of processes, including the formation of a United Nations peacekeeping operation2. Human Rights International human rights law is a vital portion of the normative agenda for United Nations negotiation procedures. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which arrays the keystone of international human rights principles, underlines that human rights and vital freedoms are common and assured to everyone. United Nations peacekeeping procedures must be directed in complete respect of human rights and ought to pursue advance human rights through the execution of their mandates. United Nations peacekeeping employees – whether military, police or citizen – must achieve in arrangement with global human rights rule and comprehend how the implementation of their tasks intersects with human rights. Peacekeeping workers would endeavor to confirm that they do not develop perpetrators of human rights misuses . They need to be capable to identify social rights violations or misuse, and be ready to reply suitably within the confines of their mandate and their proficiency. 3United Nations peacekeeping staffs ought to respect human rights in their relations with associates and with native people, both in their public and in their private lives. Where they commit cruelties, they should be held responsible. International Humanitarian Law International humanitarian law also called as â€Å"the law of war† or â€Å"the law of armed conflict,† limits the methods and approaches of armed encounter. Global humanitarian law is enclosed in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and two Additional Protocols of 1977, as well as in instructions regulating the means

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Scholarship essay for wsu personal stmt Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Scholarship for wsu personal stmt - Essay Example iven the opportunity for holistic development of physical and mental skills; as well as a balanced honing of spiritual, emotional, ethical and moral values. Through these abilities and skills, I have manifested belief in ethics of reciprocity that assisted in conflict resolution, negotiation and problem-solving over time. As a validated and proven leader, I was recognized through various academic and civic awards. Knowledge or creativity in a field: Describe any of your special interests and how you have developed knowledge in these areas. Give examples of your creativity: the ability to see alternatives; take diverse perspectives; come up with many, varied, or original ideas; or willingness to try new things. Being physically active is a very important commitment in my life. The various sports that I actively participated in over the years are football, basketball, soccer, track and baseball. From among the special activities I do for fun in the summer are hiking, wakeboarding and water skiing; as well as snowboarding and skiing in the winter. I enjoy playing the piano and drums and I play the trumpet in band and quad toms in the parades. Further, I work in our family apple orchard, especially at harvest time in the fall maintaining and driving equipment. Among these, a family trip Stehekin in our boat is a cherished thing to do. Dealing with adversity: Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to address this challenge. Include whether you turned to anyone in facing that challenge, the role that person played, and what you learned about yourself. The challenging experience of having to go through a series of surgeries due to spinal curvature was the most memorable. I had to go through two major surgeries, a brain and spine surgery to address the chronic dilemma. My greatest fear then, aside from recovering from all the pain is the thought that I could no longer participate in any strenuous physical activities because