Self-Identity Qualities - 1010 Words

Identity is defined as the qualities that distinguish one from someone else. Thus, self- identity is how one characterizes themselves as an individual. This may at first seem easy to conclude. One might say I am me because I look in the mirror and recognize myself. Or, I am me because I possess a mind and memories unique to me that cannot be replicated by another in the same perspective. However, the body and the mind undergo constant change throughout life, so how can they be attributed to one’s â€Å"sameness†? I have arrived at the problem of self-identity, what makes one person the same over time? I assert that in addition to the presence of unique physical and mental substance, in each person is a constant factor that cannot be altered. I shall show that the problem of self-identity is solved with both the existence of a soul as well as psychological makeup; X is the same as Y so long as X possesses the same soul, body and consciousness as Y. Descartes theory of dualism supposes that there are two fundamental substances. The body is an example of a material substance, as it can be defined by its dimension, shape, movement, and other extensions. However, an immaterial substance like the mind cannot be defined by such concepts, nor can it be interpreted from sensory data. Descartes argues that the mind is the soul, as it cannot be altered by physiological means and ascribes its place in the pineal gland. Though I agree with Descartes distinguishing of the mind and body, I doShow MoreRelatedSelf-Identity Means The Finding Of A Person’S Qualities1287 Words   |  6 PagesSelf-identity means the finding of a person’s qualities and the potential that a person has, especially given in a social context.( Self-identity can also be a vital part in literature based on how characters in a novel are treated in the world they are living in. In literature, self-identity, in many ways, can be an important part in the way a character is shaped and developed through a story. Self-identity can show many ideas of a character changing form the way they act to the way they dress,Read MoreBecoming an Individual in Rewriting the Soul by Ian Hacking Essay1399 Words   |  6 PagesIn a planet consisting of over six billion humans, finding individuality in oneself becomes an arduous task. There exists in man the desire to be recognized by others as an individual with specifically positive qualities. Therefore, based on the labels assigned to him, he creates his desired persona. This concept is exemplified in Rewriting the Soul by Ian Hacking through his theory of the looping effect, which portrays a cycle of mutual changes based on the influence of classifications and thoseRead MoreProfessional Identity As A Nurse Identity1533 Words   |  7 Pages Title: Using examples relevant to your discipline, define professional identity as it relates to health and human service delivery and discuss how industry, professional and quality agencies guide the provision of the safe and effective patient or client care in your discipline. Professional identity has become a necessary concept to employees who are working in a health and human-serviced environment because it comprehends the image and perceptions of individuals that has based on the way she/Read MoreJohn Hick argues that human beings are psychophysical persons938 Words   |  4 PagesHick then proceeds to say that if John Smith died and a new John Smith appeared, people would have to accept new John Smith as who he was. Finally, John Hick goes a little further and say that if John Smith were to die and his mental and emotional qualities were to appear in another time, at exactly the same time as the original John Smith, then John Smith’s psychopersona was recreated by God. I agree with Hick in the sense that the soul is not attached to the body forever, and once the physicalRead MoreEssay on Man of Steel: The Dichotomy of Superman’s Character1324 Words   |  6 Pagesexceedingly amazing and admirable to the public, as compared to the average hero. The personal qualities of him being self-controlling, highly moral and responsible will be the qualities that give the audience a sense of his marvelous character. Firstly, through Clark Kent’s development of his self-controlling quality, he is able to balance the utilization of his super powers with his human identity and emotions. As Clark Kent is growing up, he consistently struggles with his emerging powersRead MoreHow Extracurricular Activities Affect The Development Of Human Beings1496 Words   |  6 Pagesadolescents try different activities as a process for identity exploration. Erikson purposed his theory of the development of human beings in different stages and a task that must be completed at each stage in order to move on to the next stage. One of the stages that is in his theory is that at the adolescent stage the person goes through a challenge of identity versus identity confusion (Waterman, 1982). Alongside identity the concept and importance of self-worth for adolescents will be explained. To firstRead MoreIdentity in the Novel Jasmine1470 Words   |  6 Pages The novel jasmine follows a Hindu women, Jyoti, who leaves her homeland in hopes to obtain a new identity in the American Dream. In her country we see Jyoti struggle to follow the guidelines made to obtain a happiness in here country. Later she is told by a fortune teller that she is destined to be a widower and an exile. In an effort to run away from the foreseer she fails and gains a mark on the middle of her forehead. The mark is a metaphoric representation of Jyotis gift of great insightRead MoreDevelopment Of Identity And Journey1141 Words   |  5 PagesIdentity Many people believe that a journey leads to a development of identity, of who we are as a person. Along the same lines, our values and characteristics evolve over time, as we make changes throughout our lives. Therefore, the liaison that identity and journey, share is a journey of obstacles and internal and external trials. Thus, helping us grow by maturing and helps develop valuable life skills as a result, learning new experiences. This journey will help us see what makes us differentRead MoreVictim by Oliver Smithfield763 Words   |  4 Pagesthe reader to have negative and sympathetic opinion on the issues presented. Such as power, identity and bullying. For example Mickey the young boy is having issues facing his identity. It could be argued that finding your identity may have the individual stuck trying to fit in with upon two groups. The main character Mickey is represented as valuing the outcasts of society. He is at an age where identity is important to find and seeking power to prove he can fit in. The issues facing this characterRead MoreIntroduction. Erik Erickson’S Interest In How One’S Environment1646 Words   |  7 Pagespaper will analyze how each stage is impacted by these various factors. Identity vs. Role Confusion Erik Erikson’s fifth stage of Psychosocial Development is Adolescence (teen years). Throughout this stage, the â€Å"teenager works at developing a sense of self by testing roles, then integrating them to form a single identity (Erikson Handout, 2017).† Adolescence stages is one of the most crucial stages in forming the identity. During this stage, the teen is experiencing several changes to their development

Emily Blair . Ms.Kaba. Research Paper. 13 May 2017. The

Emily Blair Ms.Kaba Research Paper 13 May 2017 The Legal Drinking Age is Not Working A problem that is becoming very prevalent throughout the United States is underage drinking. Although the legal age of alcohol consumption is twenty one, alcohol abuse still remains a significant problem with American youth. Almost all alcohol consumption by teenagers is done through binge drinking. In America the age of eighteen is when you are finally considered an â€Å"adult†. Although you are now considered an adult and have legal and social responsibilities, you are not legally allowed to consume any alcoholic beverages . This is a very different approach than neighboring countries such as Canada and Mexico. In countries like these, where there are†¦show more content†¦While on the other hand cigarettes are are not only bad for the person who is smoking them they are bad for the people around them. But, the US still allows eighteen year olds to purchase tobacco products without the blink of an eye. You are also allowed to purchase a firearm. Although this is a right protected by the constitution, America trusts their youth, who are barely out of high school, to handle a fully loaded weapon. The US gives these teenagers many new obligations but can not let them participate in alcohol consumption. Countries that have a lower drinking age do not have as many problems as The United States. The US and places such as Europe do not treat alcohol the same way. In Europe, kids as young as twelve share a glass of wine with their parents at dinner. In America if you were to see a situation like that the authorities would be involved. The country does not condition or ease its youth into drinking. They are taught that drinking is a social activity to drink in moderation. In America, moderation and alcohol do not mix. The US does not like to admit that a very large percentage of youth partaken in not just drinking alcohol, but binge drinking. Because of this it leads to many accidents. Around 2,000 teenagers die each year from alcohol related car accidents. In Europe the rate of alcohol related car crashes has had a decline much quicker than the US. The youth in Europe tend to have more responsibility and control compared to

A Character Study of J. Alfred Prufock Free Essays

J. Alfred Prufock, the character in T.S. We will write a custom essay sample on A Character Study of J. Alfred Prufock or any similar topic only for you Order Now Eliot’s poem ‘The Love Song Of   J. Alfred Prufock’ is clearly portrayed in the poem as someone with a fleeting, flimsy personality, one who has a problem with self-esteem, and one who cannot take decisive action. The poem begins with a sweeping vista of frustration, â€Å"Let us go then, / you and I, /When the evening is spread out against the sky  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   / Like a patient etherised upon a table;† (1-3) setting the tone for the entire poem where the tone goes progressively miserable on the part of Prufock. Appropriately, this particular opening for the poem sets the stage for the character who goes through various situations and seems to be going around in circles or going back to ‘square one’ or is actually unable to progress in his character as illustrated by the refrain, â€Å"Let us go and make our visit. / In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo.† (12-14)   These lines are repeated numerous times throughout the poem usually after a series of narrations by the character focusing on what he has to go through. The previously mentioned sweeping vista of frustration also progresses as Prufock reveals more in the poem – unfortunately, there is no progress with the character as he consistently drags himself down, even to the bottom of the sea, in the end of the poem, â€Å"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea / By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown / Till human voices wake us, and we drown.† (129-131), indicating his inability to rise above the situation and merely succumb to the consequences of other people’s actions. Prufock, in the poem, manifests his fleeting, flimsy personality in many passages, like in the passage, â€Å"And time yet for a hundred indecisions, / And for a hundred visions and revisions,† (32-33), and in the repetition of the phrases, â€Å"There will be time, there will be time†¦There will be time†¦And time†¦Time for† (26,28-31)   Someone with the personality as indicated by these lines waits and expects for indecision to set in and cannot make up his mind as indicated by the phrase ‘visions and revisions’. (33)   In the same manner, the repetition of the ‘time’ phrases illustrates how Prufock allows time to pass him by in that instead of making time for things that he needs to do, he simply waits for time to come, and instead of grasping opportunity, remains passive. Prufock’s self-esteem problem is as well indicated by many lines that show how he feels about himself, foremost by his reference to his balding, â€Å"Time to turn back and descend the stair,   / With a bald spot in the middle of my hair – / [They will say: â€Å"How his hair is growing thin!†]† (39-41) Hair is a symbol of virility, and in these lines Prufock shows unsure he is of himself with the phrase ‘turn back’ (39) where he decides to go back down the stairs and hold his ground instead of moving up, because as shown in his internal thoughts, in the last bracketed line, he feels that people will be talking about his lack of virility. Prufock here illustrates his inability to cope with society in that he is quite concerned about what other people will say about him.   This lack of confidence and self-esteem is again validated when Profock talks about how he should make a decision, â€Å"And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin, / When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall, / Then how should I begin / To spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?† (57-60) Here, he clearly shows how indecisive he can be, that even when he is in a situation that calls for drastic and immediate action, he resorts to slinking back and considering what he has done wrong, instead of considering what he can do right; ‘spit out all the butt-ends of my days and ways?† (60) Finally, the very main train of Prufock in the poem that dominates the entire piece is his abject indecisiveness – while the whole poem takes this as its main subject matter, there are very detailed indications as to this particular trait of Prufock.   For instance, in the passage, â€Å"And how should I presume?†¦ And should I then presume? / And how should I begin?† (61, 68-69) More than this obvious indecision of the man when exposed to women is his deeper dilemma with what to do with himself, in the lines, â€Å"Though I have seen my head [grown slightly bald] brought in upon a platter / I am no prophet—and here’s no great matter; / I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,† (82-84) These lines do not only show that Prufock is terribly indecisive, but it shows as well that because of his indecisiveness he had let opportunities pass to the point of regret and self-pity. The characterization of Prufock in the poem gave rise to what is known as Prufockian paralysis which is a personality type that is characterized by extreme self-pity, fleeting thought, severe loss of self-esteem, and serious indecisiveness to the point of corruption of the individual himself.   T.S. Elliot, in this poem, very accurately portrayed these traits in his character, Prufock, and created a living, breathing symbol of male indecision. How to cite A Character Study of J. Alfred Prufock, Papers

The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water free essay sample

Essay, Research Paper The Keys To Unlocking Transitions in Water When analyzing Waterss passage from fresh to salt every bit good as from salt to fresh one rapidly finds the importance of estuaries. In footings of geology, contemporary estuaries are immature and passing coastal characteristics. Today # 8217 ; s estuaries began to take their current signifier during the last interglacial period, when sea degree rose about 120 m ( Braun 36 ) . However, the comparatively high sea degrees and extended estuaries found today have been characteristic of merely approximately 10 to 20 per centum of the last million old ages. When sea degree was lower, during glaciation periods, estuaries were much smaller than they are at present and were located on what is now the Continental incline. Unless sea degree rises, estuaries tend to make full with deposits and go much smaller. The deposits come from riverborne tellurian stuffs from the gnawing continents and from sand transported upriver by the tides from the Continental shelf ( Braun 55 ) . We will write a custom essay sample on The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is in estuaries that most of the universe # 8217 ; s freshwater overflow brushs the oceans. Because fresh H2O is lighter, or less dense, than salt H2O, unless the two are mixed by the tides or air currents, the fresh H2O remains at the surface, ensuing in a salt gradient. Tides force saltwater inland as a rip and bring forth a seawater we dge below the fresh water surface Waterss ( Bellamy 62 ) . Estuaries are ever in a province of alteration and barely of all time in a steady province. The chief energy beginning are tides, doing estuarine commixture, but air current, moving ridge gestures, and river overflow can besides be of import locally ( Braun 45 ) . Salt H2O and fresh H2O mix to organize brackish H2O. The three chief estuarine 1s? seawater, brackish, and freshwater? can switch seasonally and vary greatly from one country to another because of alterations in river flow. Besides, an country of an estuary can alter from stratified to well-mixed during the spring neap-tide rhythms. The most extremely graded estuaries are the 1s that receive a big sum of fresh H2O but that have a comparatively low tidal scope. Partially assorted estuaries have moderate fresh water influx and tidal scope. The brackish zone of such estuaries may hold a salt of 2 to 10 parts per 1000 ( ppt ) , compared with the salt of salt H2O, which is about 35 ppt. Where there is a big tidal scope but small fresh water influx commixture is more complete. In coastal lagunas, where there are big unfastened Waterss, little tidal scope, and low fresh water inputs, air current is normally a more of import commixture agent than tides. It is genuinely apparent the amazing function estauries play in the passage between salt and fresh H2O.

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Taoism and Confucianism Research Paper Example

Taoism and Confucianism Research Paper Example Taoism and Confucianism Paper Taoism and Confucianism Paper Essay Topic: Religion Tao Te Ching The Chinese spiritual experience is a synthesis of Taoism and Confucianism. I feel it is their shared quest that humans move away from being individuals to become a part of a greater whole, whether it is Confucius society or Lao Tzus nature. However, just as they have their similarities they, like all the other religions, have their differences, theirs being the way to becoming a part of the greater whole. In their different and similar aspirations, like the Yin and the Yang, Taoism and Confucianism is a combination which balances the Chinese character. I believe the Chinese spiritual experience is when humans strive by being or doing to become a part of the greater whole. Both Taoism and Confucianism urge humankind to shed their individuality for this goal. They both contend that individualism holds the individual back as well as fragments the essence of the greater whole. When more people become a part of it, the greater whole will become stronger. As Lao Tzu asks, What happens when 10,000 people go back into the woods? I think he might have answered the woods, nature, becomes that much greater by being able to guide life in its own way. Just as Taoism and Confucianism maintain a similar direction, they differ in other aspects. One difference they come across is what the greater whole is whether it be the Taoists nature or the Confucianists society. Another opposition they have is what process one takes in becoming a part of the greater whole. Where Taoism says the way to do is to be, Confucianism disagrees saying the way to be is to do. The two religions also differ as to what actually makes the other great. Whereas Taoism says the Tao (the way) makes people great, Confucianism teaches that people make the Tao great. I believe the most significant variance between Taoism and Confucianism is what is the greater whole. Taoists believe the greater whole to be nature. However, Confucianists feel it is society. They are both correct if we looked at the hierarchy of the Chinese experience that is self, society, nature, cosmos, and the great beyond (infinity). The difference comes in how far they travel to find the greater whole. The Confucianists stop at society because they see it as synthesis of effort put forth by every human being to make life better. Taoists look to nature because they see it as our creator and being our creator we should realize our potential to become apart of it once again. How a person becomes a part of society or nature is also a point the two religions split ways. In Taoism, the way to do is to be or simply the way to be will guide us to unity with nature. Confucianism disagrees noting the way to be is to do or plainly the way to do will make us a part of society. Taoism is the guidance of the way. The way can be defined in three manners. Taoism is the way of the ultimate reality. It is where everything originated yet we can only experience. There are no words or pictures to describe it, and all we can know is it is within us, it is outside us, it is everywhere and nowhere. Taoism is the way of the universe. It is the driving power in everything which exists. It is natures orderer. It puts everything in its place without any spark of prejudice. Taoism is the way of human life. It is humans emulating water. It is humans doing by not doing. It is humans allowing nature to guide them. Confucianism follows the way of doing. Its model figure is the Chun Tzu who in our society could be likened to a moral leader. Humans strive to become the Chun Tzu (Superior Man) because they must serve others. To become a Chun Tzu, one must first follow the way of Jen by respecting themselves and maintaining a sensitivity towards all humanity. One must strive to be just to others and to be understanding of others emotions. One must also follow the Silver Rule of not doing those things they would not have others do to them. Another division between the two religions is their contrasting beliefs as to what force makes the other great. Taoists believe it is the way or the Tao that makes humans great. This is because it is the Tao by which humans are able to rejoin with nature. By rejoining nature, we are able to regain power in allowing nature to do things or things to do themselves. However, Confucianists believe it is humans that make the Tao great. This is because only through the efforts of humans can society become great. Humans make the Tao great by choosing to follow it, giving power to its force. There are opposite forces in all corners of life. There is no day without night and no good without evil. Like the Yin and the Yang, these opposing forces are halves of a greater whole. Just as these forces merge to create a vivid existence so too does Taoism and Confucianism combine to create a brilliance in the Chinese Character. Without one the other would be greatly flawed, but their joined beliefs and practices make the one as well as the infinite greater. It is not hard to see that our western society could learn a lesson from the teachings of Lao Tzu and Confucius. Nature which we have coldly ravaged and our own streets would be safer. Politicians would actually work for the society instead of the powerful few. Even art would be supported for its value in bringing people together. However, we could never hope to attain the dedication both require because of our deeply rooted individualistic attitudes. If we followed the practices of Confucianism and we believed that serving others is great honor, then our western world would be a safer one. There would be no illegal drug use or sells for we would know this is harmful to those we live to serve. There would be no crime for we would live by sharing all that we have with others eliminating the main cause of crime, the desire to have what we do not have. Life as we know it would be transformed into a peaceful world where we care for others regardless of who they are. If politics were conducted based on Confucianism, the government would be a vessel for society. Politicians would not be indentured to private causes driven by personal gain because they would believe that their purpose is to serve society. They would be the rightful protectors of all they govern. They would also uphold the principles of Li for they would understand that they have been given a chance to make society greater and to maintain its greatness. If we followed Taoism or Confucianism, we would fully support the arts of our days. We would provide the means for artist to flourish and places to share their works. There would be no art critics for the purpose of art is to bring society together. Critics are deconstructionists and they would be a hindrance in the natural expression of art. It is in the naturalism of art that the two religions find its power of unity. Run by the Chinese religions, our society would appreciate art not because peoples analysis finds it excellent but because art is a grounds of bringing people together. We look to the stars in search of our future when we only need look at ourselves to find it. Before we can reach the stars we must be one entity. I believe this is the overall lesson of the Chinese religions that to be great we must be unified. Imagine what we could become and where we could go if we have our opposite forces working together. Once this were to happen, nothing could ever work against us.

Musical Orientalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Musical Orientalism - Essay Example Imitation aims to duplicate; musical Orientalism has little to do with the objective conditions of non-Western musical practices-rather, it brings something new into being. Here is a list of Orientalist devices, many of which can be applied indiscriminately as markers of cultural difference. Orientalism describes the representation of the Eastern Other to the Western Self; it is not an impartial account of cultural difference, it is alternity understood in terms of fear and desire, terror and lack. Orientalism is never quite a case of "anything goes"; it is possible to mix signifiers of difference in a confusing manner: for example, it would be possible to write a calypso using Liszt's "Hungarian" scale. Moreover, Orientalist signs are contextual. For example a mixture of 6/8 and 3/4 is not a sign for Spanish in William Byrd's madrigal "Though Amaryllis Dance in Green," but it is in Bernstein's "I Want to Be in America" (from West Side Story). Likewise, the similarity between the close of the first movement of Anton Bruckner's Sixth Symphony and the theme tune of Maurice Jarre's Lawrence of Arabia does not create confusion. It is interesting, nonetheless, to wonder how much more stress on the Phrygian in Bruckner's coda would have been necessary to conjure up Sinbad for Donald F. Tovey, rather than Odysseus. In westerIn western music, Orientalist styles have related to previous Orientalist styles rather than to Eastern ethnic practices, just as myths have been described by Lvi-Strauss as relating to other myths. One might ask if it is necessary to know anything about Eastern musical practices; for the most part, it seems that only knowledge of Orientalist signifiers is required. Nevertheless, the state of affairs found in a work like Rameau's Les Indes Galantes (1735), where, for example, Persians are musically indistinguishable from Peruvians, was to change. Distinctions and differences developed in the representation of the exotic or cultural Other, and that, as well as the confusion that sometimes results, is my present concern. This confusion is most evident in the nineteenth century, when Western composers, especially those who worked in countries engaged in imperialist expansion, were torn between, on the one hand, making a simple distinction between Western Self and Oriental Other and, on the other hand, recognizing that there was no single homogeneous Oriental culture. Thus, even when different Orientalist styles had become established, they could sometimes be applied in a careless manner. J. A. Westrup stated apropos of Purcell's The Indian Queen: "For all the music tells us, the action might be taking place in St. James's Park." His remark indicates that there is a historical specificity to musical Orientalism and thus helps to establish its beginnings. Consider the music sung by the Indian Boy, which concerns "native innocence," part of a favorite colonizing theme in which the indigenous peoples of conquered countries are looked upon as children-and here they are indeed a boy and girl. Lakm's "O va la jeune Indoue" (the "Bell Song" from Delibes's opera Lakme, 1883) is a tale of a young Indian girl's seduction by the divine Vishnu. It begins with a wordless vocalize, a device that became common in representations of the "emotional" Easterner, the lack of verbal content pointing to a contrast with the "rational" Westerner. Carolyn Abbate (1991) remarks that

Leadership Phase 1 individual Project 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership Phase 1 individual Project 1 - Essay Example Similarly in case of change the situational leader will concentrate on the people or his subjects who cannot adjust themselves to change. According to Ken Blancard the situational leader will analyses the needs of the situation dealt by him and his team. This will be the first step in adopting him and his team to the situation. After analyzing the situation he decides on the style of leadership. This has been applied with different types of managers at different levels. The situational model is simple to understand and can be applied in various environments. Not only to the managers, can the situational model of leadership be applied universally to any person in work and at home? The leadership behavior depends on the strengths of the leader. The strength of the leader decides the direction and the support received by him from his supporters and vice versa. In this manner the style I select is about direction the leader gives to the followers and the support he receives from them. In the direction the training is involved and in the support of the followers, the delegation is involved. This involves problem solving, which can be termed as an important aspect in the course of leadership. The style of leadership decides the development level. As the leadership style depends on the followers it is up to the leader to mould them according to the style. This can increase the development level of the follower by the leader. The leader should show competence, commitment to make the followers increase their development levels according to the styles of the leader. Here the styles are direction and support. The followers must be in a position to support the leader an d this position shall arise due to activities and strength of leader. The direction and support styles will suit the situational leadership because the development levels of the followers are situational and should vary with changes they face. The situational model I chose will be comfortable to me

Paraphrasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Paraphrasing - Essay Example The heat transfer resistances are determined by the feed flow rate and feed concentration, feed temperature and other operating parameters. The system heat transfer is controlled by the heat transfer in the membrane the resistance of which is 27-46 times higher than that of feed stream. 1. Heat Transfer The total heat flux (Q), across the membrane is expressed by the following equation: (1) Where, U is the overall heat transfer coefficient is bulk temperature difference among the feed and permeate sides J is the trans-membrane mass flux is the latent heat of vaporization Under steady state conditions, derived from the heat balance, the heat transfer in the individual compartments of system is represented by the following equation: (2) On the basis of equation 8, and, or the temperatures on both sides of the membrane can be estimated using the following equations: (3) (4) Further the heat transfer coefficient of the membrane (hm) can be determined on the basis of thermal conductivitie s of the membraneand of the vapor that fills the pores, using the equation 5. (5) The heat transfer coefficients of the boundary layer and can next be estimated experimentally or can be calculated using empirical correlations of dimensionless groups, namely Nussselt number (Nu), Reynolds number (Re) and Prandtl number (Pr). These numbers can be calculated directly from the data available for aqueous NaCl solutions and water, using the equation 6. ... The primary set up included pure water operated at four selected feed temperatures viz. 40, 50, 60 and 70?C. 3. Membrane distillation coefficient and pure water flux The vapor pressure differencewas calculated at the membrane surface temperaturesand, and plotted against the steady state fluxes obtained at selected feed temperatures as illustrated in Fig 4. On the basis of equation (1), it can be concluded that the slope of the straight line of the plot thus obtained gives the value of membrane distillation coefficient, (C= 0.0004 kg/m2.h.Pa or C= 1.11E-7 kg/m2.s.Pa). The membrane distillation coefficient remains constant for a specific membrane and vapor properties. The experimentally determined value of C was equivalent to the value reported in literature (C= 8.5E-7 kg/m2.s.Pa). 4. Effect of feed temperature on permeate flux Permeate flux is largely dependent on fee temperature. Fluxes of pure water and aqueous NaCl solution is represented in Fig. 6. Elevation of feed temperature le ads to a rise in permeate flux as a consequence of rise in vapor pressure of gas-liquid interface on liquid feed side, which causes a simultaneous increase in the driving force of mass transfer. 5. Effect of feed flow rate on permeate flux At a constant temperature the mass flux is dependent on feed flow rate as depicted in Fig. 7 showing the flux time curve at four feed flow rate at a constant temperature of 40?C. The mass flux rate is directly proportional to feed flow rate since a rise in feed flow rate causes a rise in turbulence, reduction of heat transfer resistance in the boundary layers and consequential rise in mass transfer rates. Moreover, the increase of feed boundary heat transfer coefficientwith Reynolds number lead to further rise

Appraisal Techniques Available to Finance Managers

Appraisal Techniques Available to Finance Managers INTRODUCTION: What are the different appraisal techniques available to finance managers to make decisions relating to investment projects? Discuss each of them and recommend, giving your reasons, which of them you consider as the best technique applicable to your company. INVESTMENT APPRAISAL: Investment appraisal also known as capital budgeting. As finance manager one of the important areas of decision-making for the long-term is must to tackle the investment the need to committed funds by buying buildings, machinery and land. Finance manager have to check of the size of the inflows and outflows of funds, for handling these types of decisions, the degree of risk and the lifespan of the investment cost of obtaining funds are despatched. The capital budgeting cycle can be summarised in some stage which are as follows: Expecting investment needs Identifying project to satisfy needs Examine the alternatives Choose the best alternatives Making the spend Monitor the project Looking at investment appraisal involves us in stage 3 and 4 of this cycle. We can classify capital expenditure projects into four broad categories: Maintenance replacing old or obsolete assets for example. Profitability quality, productivity or location improvement for example. Expansion new products, markets and so on. Indirect social and welfare facilities. Even the projects that are unlikely to generate profits should be subjected to investment appraisal. This should help to identify the best way of achieving the projects aims. So investment appraisal may help to find the cheapest way to provide a new staff restaurant, even though such a project may be unlikely to earn profits for the company. WHAT ARE THE INVESTMENT APPRAISAL TECHNIQUES? Investment Appraisal also known as Capital Budgeting is used to assess whether capital Expenditure on a particular project will be beneficial for the entity or not. These techniques can be used to evaluate projects both in the private and public sector companies. Most commonly used the following techniques. A: Traditional Methods 1: Payback Period 2: Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) B: Discounted Cash Flow Methods 3: Discounted Payback Period 4: Net Present Value (NPV) 5: Internal Rate of Return (IRR) 6: Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR) 7: Adjusted Present Value (APV) Traditional Methods Payback and Accounting rate of return (ARR) period are non discounted methods while all other mentioned methods are discounted. By discounted it is meant that the time value of money is considered in these methods. 1: Payback Period Payback period calculates the time taken by a project to recoup the initial investment. For a finance manager, evaluating projects by this technique would prefer projects with short payback period than those with longer payback periods.It is simple to calculate and easy to understand. Payback is literally the amount of time required for the cash inflows from a capital investment project to equal the cash outflows. The usual way that firms deal with deciding between two or more competing projects is to accept the project that has the shortest payback period. Payback is mostly used as a starting screening method. Payback period = Initial payment / Annual cash inflow So, if  £12,000000 is invested with the aim of earning  £12,00000 per year or net cash earnings, the payback period is calculated thus: P =  £12,000000 /  £12,00000 = 10 years This all looks fairly easy! But what if the project has more uneven cash inflows? Then we need to work out the payback period on the cumulative cash flow over the duration of the project as a whole. Payback with uneven cash flows: Of course, in the real world, investment projects by business organisations dont yield even cash flows. Have a look at the following projects cash flows with an initial investment in year 0 of  £120,000 The payback period is precisely 6 years. The shorter the payback period, the better the investment, under the payback method. We can appreciate the problems of this method when we consider appraising several projects alongside each other. We can see that the payback period for two of the projects (3, 5) is six years. In this case, then, the two projects are of equal merit. But, here we must face the real problem posed by payback: the time value of income flows. Put simply, this issue relates to the sacrifice made as a result of having to wait to receive the funds. In economic terms, this is known as the opportunity cost. More on this point follows later. So, because there is a time value constraint here, the two projects cannot be viewed as equivalent. Project 3 is better than 5 because the revenues flow quicker in years five and six. Project 4 is better than Projects 1 and 2, because of the earlier flows and because the post-payback revenues are concentrated in the earlier part of that period. So its clear that the payback method is a bit of a blunt instrument. So why use it? Advantages of payback: 1st, it is popular because of its simplicity. Research over the years has shown that UK firms favour it and perhaps this is understandable given how easy it is to calculate. 2nd, in a business environment of rapid technological change, new plant and machinery may need to be replaced sooner than in the past, so a quick payback on investment is essential. 3rd, the investment climate in UK in particular demands that the investors got fast returns. Mostly long-term profitable possibilities investments are viewed due to longer wait for revenues flow. Disadvantages of payback: It has not enough real facts, which choose the length of best payback time? No one from other does it is planned by pitting one investment opportunity against another. Cash flows are regarded as either pre-payback or post-payback, but the latter tend to be ignored. Payback takes no account of the effect on business profitability. Its sole concern is cash flow. Payback summary. It is probably best to regard payback as one of the first methods you use to assess competing projects. It could be used as an initial screening tool, but it is inappropriate as a basis for sophisticated investment decisions. 2: Accounting Rate of Return (ARR): This technique compares the profit earned by the project to the initial investment required for the project. Thus a project with higher rate of return is preferred. The Accounting rate of return expresses the profits arising from a project as a percentage of the initial capital cost. However the definition of profits and capital cost are different depending on which textbook you use. For instance, the profits may be taken to include depreciation, or they may not. One of the most common approaches is as follows: ARR = (Average annual revenue / Initial capital costs) x 100 Lets use this simple example to illustrate the ARR: A project to replace an item of machinery is being appraised. The machine will cost  £550,000 and is expected to generate total revenues of  £80,000 over the projects seven year life. What is the ARR for this project? ARR = [( £ 90,000 / 7) / 550,000] x 100 ARR = 2.37% Advantages of ARR As with the Payback method, the chief advantage with ARR is its simplicity. This makes it relatively easy to understand. There is also a link with some accounting measures that are commonly used. The Accounting rate of return is similar to the Return on Capital Employed in its construction; this may make the ARR easier for business planners to understand. The ARR is expressed in percentage terms and this, again, may make it easier to use.There are several criticisms of ARR which raise questions about its practical application: Disadvantages of ARR: 1st, the ARR doesnt take account of the project duration or the timing of cash flows over the course of the project. 2nd, the concept of profit can be very subjective, varying with specific accounting practice and the capitalisation of project costs. As a result, the ARR calculation for identical projects would be likely to result in different outcomes from business to business. 3rd, there is no definitive signal given by the ARR to help manager to decide whether or not to invest. This lack of a guide for decision making means that investment decisions remain subjective. Discounted Cash Flow Methods 3: Discounted Payback Period This technique works similar to payback period, the difference here is that discounted values of cash flows are used for calculation of the payback period. 4: Net Present Value (NPV) The NPV method calculates the present values for all future cash flows. The discount rate may be the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) or it may be any cost of capital depending on the risk of the project in consideration. This type of appraisal is regarded superior to the ARR and the payback period, however there are certain assumptions, on which this technique is based, making its evaluation less reliable. The Net Present Value (NPV) is the first Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) technique covered here. It successes on the idea of situation cost to put a value on cash inflows increasing from capital investment. Keep in mind that opportunity cost is the calculation of what has been given or forward as a result of a special decision. It is also referred to as the real cost of taking some action. We can look at the concept of present value as being the cash equivalent now of a sum receivable at a later date. So how does the opportunity cost affect revenues that we can expect to receive later? Well, imagine what a business could do now with the cash sums it must wait some time to receive. Looked at another way, it is simply that the business have to receive the capital to invest in the project. So, it has to wait for the revenues arising from the investment, the interest is paid on received capital. NPV is a technique where cash inflows expected in future years are discounted back to their present value. This is calculated by using a discount rate equivalent to the interest that would have been received on the sums, had the inflows been saved, or the interest that has to be paid by the firm on funds borrowed. Present Value Table Net Present Value tables provide a value for a range of years and discount rates. Notice the time scale used in the table: The present value for 0 years is always 1, and this is not included in the present value table. If we are looking to find the present value of  £ 10, 0000 which you expect to receive in 5 years time, at a rate of interest of 7 %, we should use the following table: Step 1 Look down the top column of the table (After n years) and find 5 years. Step 2 Look across the row titled At rate r for the rate of interest of 7 %. Step 3 Where the row for 5 years intersects with the column for 7 % in the table, there is the relevant present value factor. In this case this is 0.713. Step 4 Multiply  £ 10, 0000 by 0.713 =  £ 71300 NPV Illustration Calculate the present value of the following projects cash flows, using a 10 % discount rate. Assessing the value of NPV calculations is simple. A positive NPV means that the project is worthwhile because the cost of tying up the firms capital is compensated for by the cash inflows that result. When more than one project is being appraised, the firm should choose the one that produces the highest NPV. 5:Internal Rate of Return (IRR): IRR calculates the rate at which the NPV of a project equals zero. According to this method if the cost of capital of a company is more than the IRR, the project will be rejected and if it is lower than the cost of capital it is likely to be accepted. IRR and NPV concepts are correlated. We know that when a positive NPV is produced by our DCF calculations, a project is worthwhile. We have also seen that when there are competing projects, we should select the one that produces the highest NPV. But sometimes a finance manager will wants to know how well a project will perform under a range of interest rate scenarios. The aim with IRR is to answer the question: What level of interest will this project be able to withstand? Once we know this, the risk of changing interest rate conditions can effectively be minimised. The IRR is the annual percentage return achieved by a project, at which the sum of the discounted cash inflows over the life of the project is same to the sum of the capital invested. Another way of looking at this is that the IRR is the rate of interest that reduces the NPV to zero. Making the investment decision Lets set out the criteria for accepting or rejecting investment opportunities, using the NPV and IRR. As a Finance manager, considering whether to accept or reject an investment project, on the basis of their acquiring the funds necessary at a known rate of interest. 1: The NPV approach asks if the present value of cash inflows less the initial investment is positive, at the current borrowing rate. 2: The IRR approach asks if the IRR on the project is greater than the borrowing rate. Illustration of NPV IRR An initial investment of  £ 2500 in a project produces cash inflows of  £ 750,  £ 750,  £ 900,  £ 900 and  £ 595 at 12 month intervals. The cost of capital to finance the project is 12 %.We are required to decide whether the project is worthwhile using: 1. The Net Present Value 2. The Internal Rate of Return A positive NPV makes the project worthwhile because the cost of tying up the firms capital is compensated for by the cash inflows that result. 2. IRR The above calculation for NPV used a 12 % discount rate and produced a positive value of  £ 318.07. We need to find a discount rate that produces a negative NPV. Lets try 20 %. The IRR lies between 12 % and 20 %. But we can get much closer to the precise answer by using arithmetic. IRR = 12% + Difference between the two discount x Positive NPV Range of +ve to â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"ve NPVs IRR = 12 % + (8 % x 318.07) IRR = 478.73 IRR = 12 % + 5.32 IRR = 17.32 % IRR Problems While there are some different difficulties with the IRR, MIRR solves two of them. First problem is the IRR accepts that interim complete money movements are invested again at the rate of return which was same as the project which creates them. This is most often happening a plan which is not real and a very simple situation, that the funds will be invested again at a rate where the firms cost of capital is closure. Therefore, the IRR often provides a reasonable, hopeful image of the projects which is under study. Normally for checking the projects in the fair way, the weighted average cost of capital can be used for investing again the interim money movements. 2nd, you can find more than one IRRs for projects with different negative and positive flows of cash, which control to confusion. IRR Summary: The value to a business of calculating the IRR is that its decision-makers are able to see the level of interest that a project can withstand. In the case where a number of projects are competing for selection, the one that is most resilient can be chosen. 6: Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR) (MIRR) is a managing the methods of an investments attractiveness. It is used in capital budgeting to give the rank to different investments. Modified Internal Rate of Return is a change of the (IRR) internal rate of return and intent to solve some problems with the internal rate of return (IRR). Using (IRR) we assumes that reinvestment rate of the company is the (IRR). (MIRR) overcomes this assumption and evaluate projects on the assumption that the reinvestment rate is the same as the companys cost of capital. This assumption for the cost of capital makes it a more effective technique as compared to the IRR. MIRR is calculated as follows: mbox{MIRR}=sqrt[n]{frac{-FV(text{positive cash flows, reinvestment rate})}{PV(text{negative cash flows, finance rate})}}-1 Where n is used for the number of same periods which is at the finish stage, where the cash flows occur, PV is used for present value, FV is used for future value. 7:Adjusted Present Value (APV) APV method is used for evaluating investment in projects where risks for a project are different from the company considering such undertakings. This type of evaluation overcomes weaknesses present in the NPV technique. Adjusted present value (APV) is similar to NPV. Use the cost of equity as the discount rate is different. For the financing effects different adjustments are made. Normally with DCF models, adjusted present value calculation is simple but boring. Calculating the first step of an APV is to calculating the basic NPV by using the cost of equity like discount rate. The companys cost of equity and this may be the same. To recalculate using CAPM and by estimating a beta, in some cases may be it is necessary. First calculated the base of NPV, after that calculate the NPV of every set of cash flows which results from financing. The tax results of using debt rather than equity are most obvious. The cost of debt can be discounted or that shows unknown activities about the tax effects at a higher rate. NPV of the tax effects is added then to the basic NPV. If there are some other activities of financing, also added or subtracted, then APV is the final result. Given capital organization unrelated, savings from the financing should be levelled by changes in the necessary return on equity and changes in capital structure as well. Normally this makes a simple NPV with the WACC like the discount rate suitable. Normal NPV calculation: Where, in a simple situation: These more complicated situations are more easily handled BY using Adjusted Present Value (APV), more difficult conditions are very easy to handle. APV based on the below: APV = NPV of project pretended, itâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all equity financed + NPV of financing results. APV divide the total value of the project into different parts: any debt is no used for value assuming in one part, and then using the debt in capital structure we add the extra value Best Technique: After discussing all the financial appraisal techniques, it seems that the choice of best financial appraisal techniques depends upon the nature of Project. References Internal Rate of Return: A Cautionary Tale Find MIRR with FinEasy MIRR v1.0 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_internal_rate_of_return http://www.bized.co.uk/timeweb/reference/using_experiments2.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance http://moneyterms.co.uk/dcf/ http://moneyterms.co.uk/capital-structure/

Last Exit to Brooklyn :: essays papers

Last Exit to Brooklyn Last Exit to Brooklyn is a very violent film. In fact, the film’s purpose is to have the audience look at the whole question of violence. The film shows, in a very realistic way, the psychological, verbal and physical violence that permeates a Brooklyn neighborhood in the midst of a bitter strike during the 1950s. The film is based on the book, Last Exit to Brooklyn, by Hubert Selby, which was banned for its violent and sexually explicit content. Verbal violence is very prevalent in this film. People swear at and verbally abuse one another throughout the movie. Everyone seems angry. There are several causes for their anger. First the film takes place during a strike. Many of the characters are unemployed and have little money. They resort to drinking and drugs that feed into their society’s violent tendencies. In one scene, the workers who are on strike are screaming obscenities at the scab workers and the boss. But in virtually every scene there is verbal violence. In every scene someone is being threatened, belittled, embarrassed or humiliated. The verbal violence is so punishing because behind it is the possibility of physical violence. Physical violence is also very common behaviour in the movie. For example, the very first scene shows a violent altercation between three soldiers and a gang of local thugs. Physical violence is the fundamental way in which the whole society behaves. The men use it to show that they are â€Å"macho,† so they beat up those who are weaker than they are, especially women. For example, Vinnie, the leader of a street gang, physically and verbally harasses a young prostitute named Tralala. In the most violent, nasty, and horrible scene in the movie, Tralala is gang raped and beaten by over a hundred men in a garbage dump. Many of the men in the film are homophobic and sexually insecure, and they act out their hostility and insecurity by beating up gays. They have problems at work and go out on strike. But their strike is full of violent incidents: they get into fist fights, they blow up trucks, they beat up cops. Whenever they have a problem, they use violence to deal with it. Psychological violence, that is, intimidation or the threat of violence, is also an important element of this film. Vinnie is a gang leader who uses psychological violence to control and manipulate his gang and other people in the neighborhood.

Come a-knocking on Death’s door Essay

The Ode is used as a poetic form for philosophical contemplation. Compare two odes by Keats in the light of this observation How much do you agree with the statement: John Keats was unfortunate in his upbringing to some extent? On one hand there was a chance for a budding surgeon but he gave that away to his literary awakening which drew him to write odes such as the ones I am going to analyse. Personally, learning about his life prior to literature, I feel that the situations he dealt with, at such a young age were remarkable but perhaps had he not faced those decisions, he wouldn’t have come to write such poetry brimming full with philosophical contemplation. John Keats was born on the October 31st, 1795 in Finsbury Pavement, near the centre of London. He learnt to deal with death from an early age as his father died in an accident when he was only eight years old. Seventeen years later in 1810, his mother died due to consumption, leaving John in the care of his grandmother. Subsequently, under the care of guardians he left school to become an apprentice to a surgeon. Unfortunately, before the completion of his apprenticeship, John had a quarrel with his master and therefore left to pursue a stronger path in literature, deftly in the company of his good friend Cowden Clarke. Three years of receiving scarce and negative feedback on his sonnets and poems, John was once again in the presence of a dying man: this time it was his brother. Tom Keats was also taken by consumption in 1818. Though by this time, distinct signs had begun to show in the decent of Keats’s own health. Keats himself was fighting illness and death in his latter years. Despite the fact of his deteriorating wellbeing, Keats continued to delve deeper into love and time. His mental understanding of what lies beyond was perhaps something that I could never even begin to contemplate. His dying wish was to have the words: â€Å"Here lies one whose name was writ in water,† on his gravestone when he died on 23rd February, 1821. Writing his most famous odes in his dying years was a sign of great character; I think that being able to face such a prospect of dying young, his mind matured faster than that of others. Increasingly throughout the odes, I can see that John has indeed spent many thought provoking sessions in front of the artefact he describes. He sees, he feels, he waits and then he writes. The form of poetry which Keats was most celebrated for was the Ode. This style of elaborate and stately lyric poem was lengthened or shortened at the whim of the poet. However, the basic arrangement of the stanzas was patterned in sets of three – a strophe and an antistrophe, of which both had an identical metrical scheme, and an epode, which had a structure of its own. Dating back to the Greek choral songs, the ode has appeared in many centuries over the world. Roman poets such as Catullus took the form of poetry to their own meaning. The ode was generally used to express strong emotions that flooded the poets mind at the time, the poet would be transfixed onto the idea and he would try to convey his meaning through the literary form.

buy custom Means of Empowering Nurses essay

buy custom Means of Empowering Nurses essay Certification is one of the ways of empowering nurses since it validates their competency and increases their chances of experiencing professional growth. However, certification comes at a cost and one has to spend time pursuing the certification process. Certified nurses are often regarded as specialty leaders in their practice. For a nurse to get certification, many hours have to be spent in a program that facilitates the certification process. Therefore, the initials that are found in names of some nurses indicate more than professional excellence; they also indicate the efforts that the nurse made in pursuing a program that would facilitate the recognition of her individual nursing excellence in a particular specialty. While certification plays a very important role in the nursing profession, it also has a share of problems. The implication created by certification by specialty is that nurses practice as autonomous groups. These groups are established in the process through which different nurses are required to meet different qualifications in order to be certified. Practice, education and experience requirements differ from one specialty to another. Specialty organizations have in the past been trying to propose the creation of a nursing specialty board at the national level whereby certification criteria and standards would be established uniformly. The presupposition of this proposal was that this would increase the value of credentials in a scenario where there is wide variation in nursing certification programs, thereby improving professionalism in nursing. Certification is a means of empowering nurses. Specialty certification benefits the individual nurse, the area of specialty where the nurse practices, (and generally, the nursing profession), the institution and the entire community. Gibson (1989), (cited in Tenney, Demoucell Wias, 1992) revealed in a research study on nurses perceptions of specialty certification that nurses anticipated an automatic validation of professional achievement as well as an improvement in their self-image upon becoming certified. The study also revealed that 84% of all the 493 respondents who were surveyed said that certification would enable them make improvements in patient care skills. Nurses with specialty certification tend to get respect and great admiration from their peers because of their expertise and advanced knowledge. Certification stimulates many nurses to stay up-to-date with knowledge and practice since they are often exposed to continuing education. Additionally, certification makes it easy for nurses to find opportunities for private practice, where they can take up career roles as expert witnesses or consultants (Tenney, Demoucell Wians, 1992) This research explores the perceptions that influence nurses into seeking specialty certification. The research delves into benefits of getting nursing certification with a view to find different perceived benefits and inherent, self-evident benefits. The main aim of this research, therefore, is to clarify the validity of different benefits of getting certified. Tenney, Demoucell and Wians (1992) lists five main different areas where benefits are achieved through specialty nursing certification: (a) to the individual nurse, (b) areas of specialty practice, (c) the nursing profession, (d) the nursing institution, and (e) the community. This research will explain the benefits of nursing in all these different areas, although the main emphasis will be on the benefits that accrue to the individual nurse, the main aim being to try and disentangle inherent benefits from mere perceptions. To the specialty practice, certification makes it easy for different levels of competence in the practice to be clearly drawn out and defiined. Through certification, the legitimacy a certain specialization is guaranteed. To the nursing profession, certification is a form of self-regulation. A nurse is recognized through the validity of his proficiency. A nurse who is certified in a certain areas is considered to have mastered a certain body of highly specialized knowledge, has adhered to certain established standards and has become competent in terms of practice and experience. The nursing institution, too, derives many benefits through certification, one of them being creation of a basis for hiring, promotions, wage increases, and provision of practice privileges. Certification is a good basis for third-party payment (Edari and Staff, 1979 cited in Tenney, Demoucell Wians, 1992). The community benefits through certification through improvement in quality in the care given to patients. For a nurse to become certified, he has to commit some time, money and energy into the certification process. There are exams to be taken, and this means drawing up study plans for several months that precede the exam. Demauro (2008) says that today, certifications are available for almost every nursing specialty such as the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) or Board of Certification for American Nurses). The ANCC certifies nurses in more than 20 different specialties. Certification, adds Demauro, is a good basis of getting a pay increase, whereby certified nurses according to national salary statistics, earn more compared to their uncertified colleagues with the same level of academic qualifications. According to Demauro (2008) many nurses are motivated to seek certification since it carries the same connotation regardless of where one works in the military, NGOs, private practice and so on. National salary surveys indicate that it becomes easy for certified nurses to get better-paying jobs that fall squarely along their chosen career paths. Buy custom Means of Empowering Nurses essay

Apollo 13 essays

Apollo 13 essays Can you remember back to the year 1970? This was the year the U.S. was supposed to make history by landing the first man on the moon. Two days after launch, while Apollo 13 was approaching the moon to begin lunar operations, something exploded on the ship. The crew had to overcome many life-threatening obstacles while on the trip back to earth. NASA discovered what caused the explosion on Apollo 13 after the crew was safe back on earth. The Apollo 13 capsule was launched atop a Saturn V rocket on April 11, 1970. During all spacecraft launches, launch controllers on the ground keep a close watch on the spacecrafts systems. The Apollo 13 astronauts faced a dangerous situation when an oxygen tank in the command and service module exploded two days after launch, but they were able to use oxygen reserves in the lunar module and returned safely to the earth. On April 11, 1970 the Apollo 13(piloted by A. Lovell Jr., John L. Swigert Jr., and Fred Wallace Haise Jr.) was launched into space on a trip to the moon. Two days after launch, while Apollo 13 was approaching the moon to begin lunar operations, something exploded on the ship that caused the service module of the CSM(control systems module) to lose its oxygen, electrical power, and other systems, including its ability to achieve an abort maneuver for a direct return to earth. The crew of three had to shut down the CSM and quickly moved to the LM. When they shut down the CSM the heaters were shut off, the capsule and the LM(lunar module) would get as cold as 32Â ° or below, the crew had to endure the cold temperatures for the next few days. During the trip around the moon and back to earth the crew had to overcome many life-threatening obstacles such as: near freezing temperatures, excess carbon dioxide in the LM, storing their urine, and re-entering earths atmosphere. The crew could not do anything about the near freezing temperatures. They overcame the lo ...

George Orwell's 1984 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

George Orwell's 1984 - Research Paper Example People are not allowed to speak freely—in the press or otherwise—because they are afraid of retribution. This is in direct contrast to the United States, where freedom of speech is built into the First Amendment of the Constitution, the founding document upon which U.S. ideals are based. Totalitarian governments don’t want people to think, live, or do anything without the government’s approval. For example, Communist China only allows one child per family. So, even the means of reproduction is controlled in that country, simply because it gives the government power over even peoples’ private sex lives. Not only this, but the government can claim that it is instituting such a law to have one child per family due to â€Å"the ecology† or some other such reason. This is not the true reason why leaders do not want the Chinese people empowered by having many children. China thinks that by controlling the fact that even these poor citizens of their own country cannot have intimate relations without worrying that the government might execute their child—puts them in a state of continual fear. This persistent fear that people would wake up to also include the fear that someone is watching them all the time who may have a higher place in the government than is originally known. That happens a lot in 1984. People are not whom they seem, and there are several shifting sands in this book, leading one to believe that one cannot always blindly accept the simple platitudes of what appears to be reality. Not only this, but Orwell warned against the dangers of giving leaders totalitarian power. One of the ways that this was achieved was that the so-called ‘winners’ in history would completely and most convincingly erase history. They would do this by incinerating any documents that would show proof of any kind of wrongdoing by the government. Thus, the government’s actions could only be analyzed through the na rrow view it had of itself—which was that it was basically a perfect entity, at least, according to its own records. This is the position in which poor Winston Smith finds himself. He works for the Ministry of Truth (Minitrue), and finds himself having the task of ‘revising’ history. What is interesting is that Winston starts realizing, as an Outer Party flunky, that the Inner Party is using him as a tool to help manipulate information control so that the top 2% can remain at the top. This reflects something similar which is going on at the Occupy Wall Street protests all over the globe and in riots in the UK, Africa, and the Middle East—people are realizing that their power comes from taking back their history, and seeing history as it really is and was as opposed to how it might be or should have been. This leads us to our next topic, which has to do with historical revisionism and its evils. III. The Deliberate Distortion of History The deliberate disto rtion of history is what Winston was in charge of doing. The novel 1984 depicts how detrimental history can be when it is written through the lens of the people who were on the winning side of

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Salem Witch Trials - Research Paper Example The causes of Salem Witch Trials resides in why were the girls strangely behaving. According to the theory of Mary Beth Norton, the girls made the acquisitions and were behaving strangely because they were suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and this was because of wars that occurred between the Puritans and American Indians (Goss 2008, p.63). The first individual, Tituba who was accused of witchcraft was a American Indian and due to a grudge held by the puritans against the American Indians, she was accused as a practitioner of witchcraft. Another explanation of the strange behaviors of the girls was provided by Linnda R. Caporael, she asserts that those who were believed to experience strange behavior were experiencing ergotism, which is a disease due to eating of bread that has been contaminated with ergot (Hil 2009, p.257). Individuals suffering from this disease act strangely, for example: they may experience crawling sensation in their skin and even may experie nce headaches. These were the symptoms exhibited by those who were considered to be possessed. Events The issue experienced by Salem took off as two young girls went to a slave Tituba to get their future sweet hearts predicted. To predict the future Tituba used a trick in which a white egg is drowned in a water glass. While the trick was taking place, one of the two young females saw a coffin. After this event, both girls started exhibit strange behaviors such as hiding beneath chairs and using ridiculous words. The happening of these events were then noticed by the Reverend Parris and he asserted that these events were taking place as the girls were possessed by devils. The similar behaviors were exhibited by several young females and due to pressure applied by adults of that area, the girls accused that Tituba and other white women were practicing witchcraft on them. Due to this, the accused were shifted to a jail in region of Boston where Tibuta accepted that she was practicing w itchcraft. During the month of March similar behavior was exhibited by an adult and the number of accusations increased. During the three months of March, April and 50% of May the count of those accused increased and they were all shifted to jails. Later on June 2 special court proceedings took place after which on June 10th, Bridget Bishop was hanged to death and later on July 19th five more accused individuals were hanged and then on September 22nd, eight more of them were hanged (Goss 2008, p.181). Later the trails came to a stop under the order of Governor Phips as his own wife was recognized as a witch. Consequences The main consequences of the special court proceedings that took place as a result of accusations was the hanging and corporal punishment of several individuals who were completely innocent. Individuals who did not practice religion and visited churches were accused for livestock death and ill health that was spreading all over Salem. The second major consequence wa s the imprisonment of over 200 individuals along with those who were hanged to death for being accused of practicing witchcraft. These individuals were simply imprisoned on the basis of evidence that was spectral in nature. Property of these individuals was seized by the town and their families had to

Corporate Level Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporate Level Strategy - Essay Example However, for a department like Police, a portfolio approach will be relatively better suited. Both the approaches towards corporate strategy requires a very well thought out approach towards viewing organization amid the competition it faces in the market place. It is however, important to understand that not all firms and organizations are established for competitive purposes as public sector organizations have to actually fulfill certain responsibilities without any commercial consideration. Organizations like Police Department therefore don’t focus on maximizing the profits as most commercial organizations do however, to work efficiently and effectively, it is important that such organizations also maintain a strategic outlook. Portfolio approach to corporate strategy may focus on achieving financial synergy while allowing business units to operate independently however, it is also important for allowing business units to operate on their own. The challenge for management however is to ensure that all the business units operate according to overall corporate strategy of the firm and overall execution of strategy remains well intact. Portfolio approach for a department like Police will be a relatively better approach because Police department, as a whole, works in different units. Not all units are assigned the same roles and responsibilities however, a close integration of all the departments is considered as necessary. However, various departments also need to ensure that they operate on their own to fulfill their strategic role while at the same time maintaining required synergy. Core competencies approach is relatively strong approach however this may not be suitable for a department like Police. Core Competencies approach requires that organization generate and maintain its core competencies across the whole organization. Each department and business unit therefore is required to ensure that organizational

Evolutionary Psychology Essay Example for Free

Evolutionary Psychology Essay Just as in the past a brilliant scientist and researcher William Harvey was able to find the fact that it is the heart that is responsible for pumping blood through the human body, psychologists of today have been able to find out and to prove the fact that ‘cognition’ has a particular and specific structure. These psychologists are known as ‘evolutionary psychologists’, and it is this team of experts that have floated the theory that cognitive structure, like physiological structure, has followed, through the centuries, the all important process of natural selection. This was how it has been able to survive and engage in reproduction through the years. What exactly is evolutionary psychology? It is a science that focuses on discovering the evolved process of the nervous systems of human beings, bringing into focus the fact that the human brain is a completely organized structure, just like tissues in any living organism are fully organized. In other words, it is the opinion of evolutionary psychologists that the human brain is composed of several functional parts, made to facilitate the survival and the reproduction of that particular organism. Therefore, this can be taken to mean that the human brain is not an organ with one single function, but rather as an organism made up of a large number of fully functioning parts. In general, evolutionary psychologists refer to the functional components of organisms as ‘adaptations’, and this is the term applied to the functions of the human brain as well. (Hagen, Edward 2004) It is evident therefore that evolutionary psychology refers to a particular approach to psychology, which uses the accepted principles of evolutionary biology to research the design and the workings of the human mind. It can be described as an approach, or a way of thinking, which can be applied to any subject within it. (Cosmides, Leda, Tooby, John 1997) What are the primary activities of evolutionary psychologists? Charles Darwin had this to say, in the year 1859, â€Å"In the distant future, I see open fields for far more important researches. Psychology will be based on a new foundation, that of the necessary acquirement of each mental power and capacity by gradation. † Darwin had foreseen the advances that would be made in the field of psychology in the future, and the science of evolutionary psychology was one of his predictions that came true. As mentioned earlier, evolutionary perspectives on human psychology are a part of the larger theory of general selection, and this field has led to greater scientific advancements in areas like sociobiology and ethnobotany, among others. Evolutionary psychologists have to find answers to questions such as how, why and when did human consciousness evolve, are there any differences between the psychology of men and women, and if so, what are they? Are there any differences between the psychologies of various races and ethnicities? Are there are adaptive explanations for human behaviors such as aggressiveness, self destructiveness and so on? Is it true that human consciousness is evolving today, as it has been steadily over the past hundreds and thousands of years? Is it true that human intelligence is inherited, and is it at all in any way influenced by one’s environment? Can the theories of evolutionary psychology accurately describe and explain the reasons behind the common phobias among human beings? One must remember however that several sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists are completely wary of using and understanding the new evolutionary perspective on human brains and behaviors, perhaps because in their opinion, evolutionary psychologists tended to adapt theories from the animal world and apply them to humans, and also, tended to generalize the principles of evolution in a much too dramatic fashion. (Evolutionary Psychology 2003) these are the basic of evolutionary psychology theory: Darwin’s ‘descent with modification’ theory, Hamilton’s ‘inclusive fitness’ theory, Maynard Smith’s ‘game theory’, and Trivers’ ‘optimization’ theory. Take for example the theory of ‘inclusive fitness’. This is also referred to as ‘kin selection’, and therefore forms an important element of evolutionary psychology. Kin selection explains away the fact of altruism and philanthropy, by stating that all genes are invariably ‘selfish’, and that an individual is in reality nothing but a gene’s ‘survival machine’. Nevertheless, since a gene would automatically be passed on to the next generation, if the person who is carrying that gene survives in order to reproduce, or even if any of the several other relatives of the surviving individual survive and reproduce, thereby passing on the gene to the next generation. According to Maynard Smith, this may be the reason why a lapwing will fake being injured in order to lure a predatory hawk away from its offspring, thereby acting in an altruistic manner towards its young. This type of altruism may also benefit non-relatives, because it is an acknowledged fact that the members of the same species will help take care of the youngsters of the species, even if they are not related in any way. The reason why this happens may be because of the fact that the evolved mechanism may not be sufficiently complex to make fine discriminations of this kind. This may be why some people like to take care of pets, while some do not. The people who do have pets are in fact allowing their caretaking mechanism to be exploited. Evolutionary psychology has also been applied into another important are: aggression of the human being. It is an accepted fact that sexual rivalry often leads to blatant aggression, and most violent deaths are caused by man killing another man, or man killing a woman in the name of sexual tension and rivalry. In such a case, violence may be taken to refer to be just one strategy in the plethora of male coercive tools, coercion being the direct result of sexual proprietorship and possessiveness. Men who allow themselves to be cuckolded would then be considered losers of the zero-sum evolutionary game that human beings play in their desire to make sure that their genes get into the next generation. Men use violence as a tool to stop and prevent their mates from sexually engaging with other men, because although maternity is always a given, paternity may not be proven. It is this same principle that works in the case of step-children and their adoptive fathers. These fathers have no interest in their step children, because they are not carrying their genes onto the next generation, and supporting another man’s child may mean that this man is working in opposition to his evolutionary interests. History can prove to man that in general, step fathers indulge in greater violence and aggression towards their step children than towards their biological children, the primary reason being that of ensuring that his genes are carried forward, and not another man’s. (Evolutionary Psychology 1998) According to evolutionary psychologists, there is a lack of fit between the current environment and the adaptation of the brain. In their opinion, if the brain is an adaptation, then there could be no doubt that at some time back in time, there existed some sort of selection for brain mechanisms, which in effect transformed information about environment and its conditions, into human behaviors that could adapt and change in accordance with the requirements of the situation and environment. Selection, however took place because of the manner in which they responded to the environment at the time in which they were selected. Therefore, this theory can be taken to imply that because environmental conditions are different today, the information that is input to the brain is different as well, and as a direct consequence, the brain may respond by generating behavior that may not be adaptive to the new conditions in which it finds itself. Failure to adapt may occur in two ways: either the brain could continue to produce the same older behavior under the newer conditions given, or the brain could produce new behavior that responded to the new information coming in, and the behavior could fail to be of the adaptive sort. This is in fact a rather common behavioral pattern, and when conditions change, the response becomes different from what the designers intended, like for example, as demonstrated by sophisticated computer programs, designed to perform a variety of complicated tasks, are also programmed to produce adaptive outputs as a direct response to certain key commands. At the same time, a new input could confuse the computer and prompt it into giving a completely nonsensical and non-adaptive output in response. In human beings, as evolutionary psychologists theorize, there is in place an evolved behavioral predisposition to make sure that reproductive success is always at its highest level, but this conflates the theory that the human brain was designed through a process of selection, as mentioned earlier. (Buller J David n. d)

This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff Essay -- Character Analysis

The book â€Å"This Boy’s Life† by Tobias Wolff is a memoir written about the author’s childhood memories and experiences. The author shows many different characters within the book. Many of them are just minor character that does not affect the author much in his life choices and thoughts throughout his growth. But there are some that acts as the protagonist and some the antagonist. One of them is Dwight, the protagonist’s or Jack’s stepfather. This character seems to be one of the characters that inhibit Jack’s choices and decisions. This character plays a huge role in Jack’s life as it leaves a huge scar in his memory. The author here spends the majority of time in this character in the memoir to show the readers the relationship between Jack and Dwight. There are several â€Å"masks† that Dwight wears to hide his true intention towards Jack and Rosemary. One of the most obvious times is when during the approval seeking moment where Dwight threatened and instilled fear in Jack by driving dangerously and swerving his car intentionally. Dwight here wants to show Jack that he is in complete control of Jack and Rosemary’s life. To forewarn Jack about his future decisions and implication, Dwight intentionally puts on a mask of â€Å"malice.† This proves to be advantageous for Dwight as Jack finally succumbs toward Dwight’s threats and corners Jack to approve his mother’s marriage to Dwight. Later on, Dwight and Jack started painting their house where white paint is used as a primary paint supposedly to symbolize purity and a new start towards Jack’s new life. But this also had an alternate mask covering the false positive pretense. It shows to the reader that Dwight may be covering the true rotten, ill and malice with white paint. Even with w... ...s violence and his bad attitudes as a safety precaution on Dwight’s future behaviors. In the end, readers will get a sense of disapproval on Dwight due to many presentations of â€Å"evil† and â€Å"malice† towards Jack. This may be the deceitful nature of Dwight towards both Jack and Rosemary, or the many tortures that Jack encounters while living with Dwight. In the end, there is a conclusion that points toward a relationship that is based on hatred and a kind of necessity need for both characters to one another as Dwight needs Jack for Rosemary’s love and Jack needs Dwight for Rosemary’s security in life. It is not a relationship desired by Jack as he finally says â€Å"We hated each other. We hated each other so much that other feelings didn’t get enough light. It disfigured me† (Wolff 232), and â€Å"I left Chinook without a thought for the years I’d lived there.† (Wolff 234),

Star Trek - The Next Generation :: essays research papers

Star Trek - The Next Generation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Star date: 41176.8 Captain's log. This is my (Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise #NCC-17O1 D) account of the events leading up to and beyond the Federation and Romulan war (2380-2385 AD).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Star date: 32851.2: The Enterprise received a distressed call from a fleeing scout ship. SOS... I am ... under ... attack!! request ... asylum ... Federation ... Space!!..   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ship was pushing the limits of its engines as it hurtled out of the neutral zone -- the volume of space that serves as a no-ones-land separating the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Empire. A powerful Romulan warbird was mercilessly firing wave after wave of disrupter blasts at the small defenseless scout ship. Once the scout was in Federation space, the warbird broke off the attack and quickly retreated back to Romulan space.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We hailed the ship and found out from her captain that he was alone. His name was Shaq, captain of the Check Mate. He claimed to be a Romulan captain in search of Federation asylum. I had never heard of such a thing; in Romulan society, loyalty to the Romulan Empire is more sacred than life itself. In any event, I was certain that we would learn a lot more during the next few days.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Star date: 32851.5: Captain Shaq claimed that he was defecting in order to prevent intergalactic war. He told us that the Romulan Empire has plans for an abominable new weapon for use against the Federation and any others who might dare to resist total domination of the Romulans. The weapon, called the Metagenic Device, would be launched from orbit to any planet and release a deadly virus throughout the planet's atmosphere. The virus would then quickly infect all forms of life and cause fatal mutations in the DNA of its victims. Within twenty-four hours, all life would cease. Within thirty-six hours, the virus itself would break down becoming inviolable, leaving the planet's resources free for plunder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At this time we did not know if we should trust Captain Shaq, so I decided to send an away team to investigate his ship and its computer record. As I was ordering my number 1 officer, Commander Riker, with the away team over to the Checkmate, Shaq warned me against such action claiming that he had initiated a self-destruct sequence before leaving his vessel. Seconds later, the scout ship exploded. We immediately questioned Captain Shaq as to why he initiated the self-destruct. He replied, that though he wanted to prevent the war, he was no traitor and would not willingly give up the secrets of his

The Audio Engineer

A vital part in the making of any professionally made album is the production and post-production process. These processes are the responsibility of audio engineers employed by record labels. The engineers are responsible for the recording, mixing, and mastering of audio tracks. To do this, engineers are trained with various technologies in the fields of multi track recording, outboard gear and digital/analog workstations.With their knowledge and tools, engineers help the artists convey their art as best as possible not only to themselves but also to the demographic they wish to express their art to. The job of the engineer can be best described as a presenter in a techno artistic field. The job requires the technical capabilities and instinct to translate the artist’s ideas into a working production. In order to do this, the engineer must be educated in the Audio Industry with a Bachelors Degree in at least one of many Audio Production courses. Associated essay: Advantage Energy Technology Data Center MigrationThe individuals training for this degree must know the fundamentals of proper signal flow, how to work a mixing board, set up microphones, and manipulate outboard equipment that includes time based and dynamic processors. Once the engineer has taken the proper courses for the specific field and has received their commemorative degrees, they can learn more about audio engineering by taking in an internship at a recording studio, music venue, or radio station.A suggestion made by the Audio Engineering Society states that, â€Å"students should complete and internship or apprenticeship to gain hands-on experience, which will make them more marketable to potential employers† (www. aes. org). After receiving the hands on experience from internships, the climb to the top of their field starts and soon they begin to take on more important tasks in the studio, which can include becoming a second engineer or even becomi ng the lead engineer.As an engineer, the skills learned through out the course of ones career can build a high reputation in the industry, which in turn opens a wide range of opportunities to experience. The first phase in the production process of any project is recording. In this phase, the engineer captures one or more sound sources through the use of a wide range microphones and record it directly to one or more of the isolated tracks of a recording system.Through the process of multi track recording however, technologies have added a degree of flexibility by allowing multiple sound sources to be captured onto and played back from isolated tracks. Some of the many types of technology and supplies engineers use in the recording process include microphones, dynamics and time based processors, equalizers, and personal address systems. Personal address systems are made up of three different components that include speakers, amps, and mixers along with a wide variety of backline equi pment.Time Based Processors include effects such as echo which is recognizable, repeat of direct sound and reverb which consists of multiple, blended, random echoes. Dynamic based processors deal with compressors that reduce the dynamic range of a signal by making the loud signals softer and the soft signals louder or vice versa; a gate, which utilizes a threshold knob, that tells the processor when to start the process by cutting out certain frequency ratios. The microphones for each instrument are selected by experience or by experimentation and are then connected to the desired console.They then place the microphone in the desired position in order to get the best possible sound without distortion. Once that is processed, the microphone and track selection should be noted onto a track sheet for easy input and track assignment in the studio. After all the assignments and labeling have been applied, the engineer can begin the process of setting levels for each instrument and mic in put by communicating with each musician to play in solo mode or by asking for a complete run through of the song and listening to one input at a time.With the new age of pro studios, project studios, and digital audio workstations, engineers have a wide variety of tools and options for different types of productions, causing the approach to the projects to vary in many different ways. According to an interview of noted audio engineer Simon Kasprowicz â€Å"what makes a good engineer from a bad is totally subjective and depends upon individual desire because what may sound fantastic to someone, others will find fault in† (Kasprowicz, about. com).When all of the tracks of a project have been recorded, assembled, and edited onto the digital audio workstation or tape deck, the next step would be to individually mix the elements of their work in their final edited forms. The mix down process occurs by routing the various tracks of a digital audio workstation or tape based recorder through a hardware virtual mixing console to alter the overall session’s program, all which include getting relative level, spatial positioning, using equalizers, and effects. Once these measures are taken care of, the engineer can then set up a rough mix of the song by adjusting evels and the spatial pan positions. The producer who is mostly provides feedback to the artist and the engineer during the session, listens to the mix and may ask the engineer to make specific changes such as amplitude adjustments. Instruments in their isolated tracks are often soloed for equalized changes to be made. The usual compression and limiting can be used in the mixing process to make individual tracks sound fuller and more consistent in level or to prevent them from overloading the mix when searching for a desired level.Finally, the team consisting of the artists, producers and engineers in the session can now begin the cooperative process of building the mix in its final form. When the m ix begins to take its form, signal processors, such as effects like reverb and echo, can be added to shape the ambience of the recording in order to help blend with instruments and give a more live feeling to the mix. It’s very important for levels to be as consistent as possible between the various takes. Very often, good judgment is needed to monitor compatible listening levels on speakers or headphones.The reasoning behind this technique is due to the variations in human ear frequency response at different sound pressure level will result in inconsistencies between song balances. Once the final mix is made, the engineer will listen to the mix over different speaker systems for flaws that may have been missed. Making copies of the final mix and sending them out to the producer and artists to listen to is also an ideal way to discover any changes that may be necessary before sending out the final mix to the mastering engineer.Mastering is the process that uses specialized hi gh quality audio gear together with one or more sets of critical ears to help artists and producers attain the desired sound. This has to be done before the recording is made into a finished product. Bob Katz, author of Mastering Audio states that, â€Å"Mastering is the last creative step in the audio production process, the bridge between mixing and distribution† (Katz, 13). It is the last opportunity to enhance sound or repair problems within a studio under an audio microscopic spectrum.Once the final mix is completed, the edited mix down project is sent to the mastering engineers who then fine-tune the overall project. These engineers lend their well-trained ears to help determine what can go wrong technically or aesthetically. With this in mind, mastering too can be considered a techno-artistic field; when applying the rules that one mastering engineer can have a different approach to the sound and overall feel of the project than a different engineer. Mastering can have an important impact on the final project and the assignment of finding the right engineer should never be taken lightly.At times, the mastering engineer may not need to adjust the final mix at all and just give the track the seal of approvable for press. Most of the time, however, the engineer still aids the producer in the track they could not get right during the mix down process by adding their final touch to it. With the audio industry’s constant evolution due to new artists, technologies and recording techniques, labels and production companies are constantly seeking the services of professionally trained engineers.The importance of audio engineers in the hypercompetitive world of entertainment will only increase as new media become more prevalent. Whether its recording tracks at the beginning of the project, assembling and implementing sound effects during the mixing process, or finalizing the project to a desired standard, the audio engineer will continue to be an int egral member in the creation of mass distributed records.

The Third Twin essays

The Third Twin essays The Third Twin by Ken Follett is a type of mystery book. It makes you look at different aspects of the story. When you think you know whats happening it is not always what you think. Dr. Jeannie Ferrami, a scientist funded by a university who is doing a study on twins is one of the main characters in the story. Jeannie Ferrami is tall with long brown hair and is also very athletic. Steve Logan a student at another college is also a very important character in the story. Berrington Jones the head of the college funds Dr. Jeannie Ferrami until Jeannie discovers something Berrington didnt want her to know. Ricky Phillips Berringtons son is a twin just and he plays a small part but with a big impact on the story. Lisa Miller who is Jeannies best friend comes early into the story playing a very dramatic role, another small character is Dennis Pinker one of the twins in the story who is a murderer and is also being studied He is one of Steve Logans twin brothers. Lisa Miller and Jeannie Ferammi are play tennis at the university they work for while changing in the locker room a fire breaks out in which Lisa is caught. Ricky Phillips poses as a security guard and ushers the woman out of the locker room all except Lisa who he rapes in the locker room. Soon after Ricky leaves Jeannie enters the locker room looking for Lisa who she finds unconscious and calls the firemen to help her get Lisa out. Lisa then ends up at the police station filing a report and giving a description of the man whom raped her. The next day Jeannie finds a match in the system she created to help aid her in her search for twins. In her research Jeannie is trying to prove that twins have the same behavior patterns as other twins. In Jeannies system she came up with Steve Logan and Dennis Pinker and found out Steve Logan was a model student at a college campus across town and Dennis Pinker was a conv ...