Tartuffe essays

Tartuffe essays Much like the great comedies of our time, Tartuffe is founded on serious issues. The 17th-century comedy, written by Moliere, achieves a representation of human nature through farce and satire. Moliere had a method of portraying life that could not be matched, not even by the likes of Shakespeare or Sophocles. The show really has a good message, said Josh Wintersteen, a junior theatre major who plays Cleante in the upcoming performance of the play at UW-Green Bay. It brings up questions about truth, society and religion that everyone has thought about before. The purpose of the playwright is to expose hypocrisy and the gullibility that makes it possible, by casting it in a comic light, said John Mariano, director of the play. As Moliere said himself, To expose vices to everyones laughter is to deal them a mighty blow. Tartuffe has been recognized as Molieres greatest and most representative play, but it has also met great hostility and opposition. First performed as a private production for King Louis XIV in 1664, the play was then banned from public performance because of strong objections by officials of the Catholic Church. Moliere protested, revised the play and produced it twice more before the ban was lifted in 1669, when it was performed for the public. The satire was so effective that the word Tartuffe has become part of the English language. However, it also made Moliere many enemies. He was attacked and slandered for his criticisms of human nature. In preparing for the production, the actors and production staff have been presented with many challenges. The biggest challenge is probably the language, Mariano said. Many of the actors are working on their first classical play. The language is rich and written entirely in rhymed couplets. The role requires more physical hu...

The West gains Ascendancy essays

The West gains Ascendancy essays Many historians have struggled with the reasons as to why Europe claimed ascendency over China. There is speculation that importing gold and silver helped Europe quite a bit as well as the steam engine. Historians have also observed China's continuing resistance to learn from other civilizations. One thing that helped Europe to gain hegemony is the ability to import large amounts of bullion into the West. There were no special qualities that lead Europe into their time of glory, but because they were able to import large quantities of bullion into the West that they were able to get the ball rolling. Since Europe was getting the gold and silver from the New World, and almost certainly making Indians mine for the bullion, labor was cheap. With the labor cheap, Europe was making almost all profit with the exception of a few small expenses. This is one theory as to why Europe's economy was so successful. With the largely imported bullion, Europe was able to take full advantage of new technology, most importantly the steam engine. Europe's political system was set up extremely well to accommodate the new technology. With the steam engine, the West was able to set up factories and mass produce clothes and other items that could be use for exports. Along with being able to produce more goods quicker, Europe worked extremely hard at expanding their trading network while China did almost nothing to protect or expand their large trading posts in East Asia. The third and final reason for the rise of Europe was their ability to learn. European were able to learn from other cultures. Examples of this would be the concept of zero from the Arabic Numerals, and taking paper and gunpowder from the Chinese. The Chinese on the other hand did not accept ideas from other cultures. In their stubborn pride they refused to acknowledge any ideas of another civilization. It was not uncommon in this time from China to slip into p...

Medical law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Medical law - Essay Example The only exception to this case is when Clare comes from or resides in Northern Ireland or any other, state or region that is outside the United Kingdom mainland. Secondly, the reason Clare and Sarah’s advance to have the pregnancy terminated is valid, given that it is based on the baby’s susceptibility to incur disability and the mother’s ability to biologically handle the pregnancy. The Abortion Act of 1967 indeed qualifies a high probability of the baby developing medical conditions and the vulnerability of the mother to health risks as conditions that independently validate grounds for therapeutic abortion. It is important that Clare ensures that she procures the abortion in a specialist licensed clinic or in a licensed hospital. Secondly, Clare should ensure that at least two physicians analyse her situation and agree that the abortion procedure will cause less damage to Clare’s mental and physical health than a situation in which Clare carries the baby. At the moment, Clare has to be aware of the fact that the Abortion Act of 1967 respects the sanctity of her choice as an independent individual. This means that the final decision to terminate the pregnancy fully rests upon her decision and free will. The import of this is that the standpoint that others such as Ian, Sarah and Rose may have towards Clare’s choice may be immaterial, the degree of biological affiliation that any of these parties may have with the child, notwithstanding. Likewise, it is to be brought to Clare’s attention that Ian’s act of disclosing her medical details and history is a criminal offence which is punishable by law. The decision to grant Ian pardon or to launch a legal case against Ian will therefore remain a matter of personal discretion. Ian, (note that) your commitments to ethics as the grounds on which you object Clare’s resolution to procure an abortion are commendable. However, I would like to bring your

Any arguement with a moral or causal claim Essay

Any arguement with a moral or causal claim - Essay Example Indubitably, such religious decrees have made man what he is today, where God and His guidelines have been argued to have paved the way of human development. Astonishingly, there is no specific definition for God. Yet, man loves Him and fears Him from the ancient period. Nevertheless, humans, either in their conscious or unconscious thoughts, have faced the questions asking for the existence of God. Certainly, if God exists, and as argued in the religious verses, acts in the good of mankind then why does not He share His presence in the earthly world or even support His followers with firm evidences to proof that He exists? Thesis Statement This thesis will aim at assessing the cosmological claim of God’s existence which states that if the universe exists, it is for a cause which is none other than God and thus, it can be considered as a truth that God exists. Based on this cosmological thought and the modern day connotations, the thesis will further intend to argue regarding the causal claim to come across a rational explanation to the theological question that whether God exists, and if He does then why. Discussion Since the evolution of scientific theories, ancient human beliefs have been contradicted on various grounds, whether it is Galileo Galilei’s discovery of earth’s rotation around the sun or Albert Einstein’s theory on gravity. Although these revolutionary concepts were accepted in the human society with passing time and relatively at a much rapid pace, a few of these still remain widely debated topics amid philosophers and scientists. The arguments regarding God’s existence have been one of the most disputable issues to create a parallel distinction between atheists and theists. Certainly, due to the unavailability of requisite proof on the basis of scientific rationale and also because of the reluctance deciphered by the theists to accept the logic argued by atheists, this particular issue has contributed in moder n philosophy as a cosmological thought which has attracted critics from around the world and apparently, from every doctrine (Palmquist, 2009). Arguments raised on this ground have often pointed that if God’s existence is questioned, the historic notional views, based on which the human society has been built, shall fumble and alas, might be destroyed (Hans & Helge, 2011). The cosmological view explained with reference to kalam argument on the existence of God further affirms that, â€Å"Everything that exists or begins to exist has a cause (Premise 1: EP); The universe exists and began to exist (Premise 2: EP); The universe must have a cause (Premise 3: IP); The cause of the universe is God (Conclusion: IC)†. However, this particular argument has been strongly criticized by atheists acclaiming the view to be a paradoxical notion (Morriston, 2000). In response to these questions and arguments, various studies were conducted to prove that God exists on the basis of comp lex theoretical philosophical underpinnings. Explaining the cosmological arguments on the existence of God, Craig (2010) explained that things exist either for an external cause or because of its necessity in the world as connoted in the Premise 1 of the kalam argument. For instance, mathematics exists because of necessity while physical objects exist for a particular cause. Therefore, if the universe is regarded as a physical object, it

The Two Waiters At The Café Essay Example for Free

The Two Waiters At The Cafà © Essay Ernest Hemingway’s short story, â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† is about two waiters discussing an old customer late in the night.   The younger waiter is anxious to go home, while the older waiter is in no hurry whatsoever.   The latter would like to stay at the cafà © to serve customers who might drop by unexpectedly, seeing that the cafà © is a clean and well-lighted place while bars are not as clean and well-lighted.   The younger waiter, on the other hand, is in a hurry to get into bed with his wife.    The older waiter lives by himself and finds it difficult to sleep in the night.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An obvious difference between the older waiter and the younger waiter is that the latter poses questions and expects the older waiter to possess answers for each of them.   The older waiter is asked about the old customer in detail.   Although he does not possess all answers to the younger waiter’s questions, he makes inferences to develop the conversation.   Moreover, the younger waiter mentions that he is full of confidence, which the older waiter says that he lacks.   The younger waiter does not mention lack in his life in any way, while the older waiter feels that he is deprived of everything other than work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lastly, while the younger waiter is focused on ending his work for the night and returning home, the older waiter indulges in a great deal of thinking.   He speculates about the life of the old customer, and also tries to engage the younger waiter in deep thinking.   When the younger waiter mentions that he would like to return home, the older waiter asks him the meaning of an hour.   To this, the younger waiter replies that an hour is more precious to him than to the old customer.   The old waiter explains that an hour is the same to both individuals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even as he goes home, the older waiter must decide to stop thinking.   He says to himself, nevertheless, that many people may be experiencing insomnia.   The younger waiter is not expected to think so much.   It can be inferred that the younger waiter’s life is based on actions rather than thoughts for the most part. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest. â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place.†

Danger and NASCAR Essay examples -- Racing Death Essays

Danger and NASCAR â€Å"I had never even heard of Dale Earnhardt until he crashed into eternity, but now here I am writing a column about him† (King, 64). This reaction, recorded by Florence King in National Review, seems to be a common one since Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt was a driver in the Winston Cup circuit for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Despite the fact that he is arguably the most popular NASCAR driver, many people did not know who he was until he died. It is sad to realize that sometimes it takes death to become recognized. However, Dale is not the only NASCAR driver who is becoming known from his death. In a span of nine months, Tony Roper, Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, and Earnhardt himself all have died on three different racetracks (Hinton, 133). NASCAR is focusing on the pressing issue of how to make racing as safe as possible, while remaining competitive. Some of this deals with learning from thes e deaths. All sports have risks. Unfortunately, sometimes we learn most from our mistakes. NASCAR is learning, and changing. Despite the fact that NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing) has a $1.7 billion, 8-year deal (Hinton, 135) with Fox, it actually had very humble beginnings. Many debate the very beginnings of racing itself. Richard Petty, a 200 race winner nicknamed â€Å"The King,† once joked, â€Å"It was the day they built the second automobile† (Menzer, 57). NASCAR actually began with a bunch of â€Å"Good Ol’ Boys† from down south. Many of the original drivers were moonshine runners, transporting illegal whiskey to lots of places in the southeast. NASCAR â€Å"was born on December 14, 1947, during a meeting of thirty-f... ... June, 2001. Hunter, Don & Pearce, Al. The Illustrated History of Stock Car Racing. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Company, 1998. King, Florence. "The Misanthrope's Corner." National Review. 2 April, 2001: 64. McCormick, Steve: About.com. 27 Aug. 2001. 26 October 2001. http://nascar.about.com/library/weekly/aa082701a.htm Menzer, Joe. The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. "NASCAR considers safety rules for super tracks." The Goshen News 24 Oct. 2001: B-2. "NASCAR Safety is the Issue." Advertising Age 72.9 (2/26/01): 28. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 25 October, 2001. Spencer, Lee. "NASCAR is Facing Pressure to Get up to Speed." Sporting News. 225.7 (2/12/01): 22. Academic Search Elite. Palni Site Search. Goshen College Good Library. 25 October, 2001.

Our Country’s Good, Acting Advice For Act Essay

The scene starts off with just Ralph. I think I would tell the actor to look studious and intellectual, as Ralph would be making every effort to make the play to a very high standard so he can impress Captain Phillip in the hope of getting the promotion he has desired for some time. The mood should then change as soon as â€Å"Shitty† Meg enters on stage. She should walk on with a â€Å"tarty’ stride. She is old and thoroughly unattractive but she makes an over enthused effort to look glamorous and highly sexual. She should move toward Ralph in a very intimidating manor. Her sexual innuendoes should be delivered with a knowledgably bawdy tone and charisma, â€Å"I can play Lieutenant, I can play with any part you like†. When trying to convince Ralph into giving her a part in his play, â€Å"You don’t want a young woman peculiar, Lieutenant, they don’t know nothing†, I think she should grab Ralph’s leg as soon as she says the line; â€Å"Shut your eyes and I’ll play you as tight as a virgin†. Ralph should seem very intimidated and should jump up and back away from her in disgust. Meg should continue like this until Ralph has enough and shouts â€Å"Long! â€Å". At this point Meg should be slightly scared of Ralph’s anger but she keeps face by accusing Ralph of being a homosexual, â€Å"We thought you was a madge cull†, she should say her lines in a patronising matter-of-fact way to try and lower Ralph’s high persona of himself. The comic mood should continue when Sideway comes on the stage. He should be lively and full of character as he is your typical London â€Å"geezer†. He delivers his first few lines with an almost fake admiration for Ralph; â€Å"I am calling you Mr Clarke as one calls Mr Garick Mr Garick†. Sideway should have a very â€Å"in-your-face’ attitude to Ralph. Ralph should be very intimidated and suspicious but remain on the spot in a very militaristic manner to give the impress that he is not phased by Sideway’s very forward and friendly approach. Sideway should be walking around Ralph the whole time to try and show that he is nimble and enthusiastic; â€Å"top of my profession, Mr Clarke†. As Sideway delivers his lines, in a very reflective thoughtful manner, Ralph should gradually ease out of his rigid posture and himself seem to be thinking of the wonderful London which Sideway speaks of; â€Å"London bridge at dawn†. Then when delivering the line â€Å"plucking up courage, I pluck her†, he should remove a handkerchief out from Ralph’s back pocket, unknown to the audience or Ralph himself. Then when saying â€Å"the handkerchiefs† he should reveal the handkerchief in a very theatrical way so it is made clear to both the audience and Ralph that Sideway had stolen his handkerchief. Ralph should seem surprised but should then give the impression that he is still very important and pretending almost that nothing had happened. As soon as Dabby and Mary enter, we should realise how different the two characters are. Dabby should be confident and pushy whereas Mary should be quiet and highly reserved. Ralph should be infatuated with Mary as soon as he lays eyes on her. Although he can’t take his eyes off her I don’t think that Mary is either confident or keen enough yet to achieve eye contact with him. Dabby should push Mary forward quite forcefully after saying her line; â€Å"You asked to see Mary Brenham, Lieutenant. Here she is. â€Å"Mary is still very nervous and still doesn’t show any sort of interest in Ralph whatsoever. He intimidates her because he is one of the officers and she is also scared because she is about to audition for a play. Ralph should seem keen to want to talk to Mary rather than Dabby, purely because he is smitten with her â€Å"Do you know what a play is? â€Å". Dabby to him is just an annoyance â€Å"I’ve seen lots of plays, Lieutenant, so has Mary†. Mary must still remain quiet and nervous (this shown in the stage directions when it says that should say some of her lines â€Å"inaudibly’. Although Dabby is very keen to get Mary her part in the play because she feels that Ralph would be a good person for Mary to be with and sleep with on the ship â€Å"Mary wants to be in your play, Lieutenant† but should be very obvious about the fact that she wants in the play as well â€Å"and so do I†. Ralph wants to make sure he gives Mary the impression that he wants her to be in the play by telling her all of the good things that other people have said about her; â€Å"The Reverend Johnson told me you could read and write, Brenham†. The first time that Ralph’s and Mary’s meet should be when they both start reading the play to each other, â€Å"whilst there is life there is hope†. Every time the two look each other in the eyes when they are reading the play the looks should be held and prolonged to show an obvious attraction from both of them. Ralph for the first time in this scene is above the convicts and seems to have intellectual superiority over the two of them. The actor should say this lines in quite a patronising way not because he wants the convicts to know their place but because that is how he treats everyone â€Å"This is a comedy, they don’t really mean it†. Mary should seem very innocent and like a little girl. Especially when Ralph tries to explain the plot of the story which is rather bizarre â€Å"she falls in love with Silvia†. In the stage directions it actually says â€Å"Mary begins to giggle but tries to hold it back’. The mood then changes drastically as soon as Liz enters. Her stride should show that she is aggressive and very confident. Mary should very subtly sneak away and not say anything. Dabby and Liz should give each other evil glares. It says in the stage directions about the characters; â€Å"each holding her ground, each ready to pounce’. Ralph should seem unphased purely because he knows nothing of the hostility between the two characters; â€Å"Dabby: You can’t have her in the play, Lieutenant. Ralph: Why not? † Liz’s anger just mounts until the point at which she nearly cracks, the stage directions say that she â€Å"looks briefly at Dabby, as if to strike, then changes her mind’. The actress playing Liz should be forward and confident and intimidated by nothing â€Å"she snatches the book from Ralph and strides off’.

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation

Post-Stroke Rehabilitation Stroke, if survived, is the largest cause of long-term disabilities in the United States. Nearly 160,000 Americans have strokes every year, killing one of three individuals (reference? ). Due to our nation’s ageing population, the stroke epidemic is expected to increase nearly 25% by year 2030 (Brewer, 2012). These stroke-related disabilities impact the survivor’s quality of life and independence in everyday activities. Nearly 50% to 75% of all stroke survivors have residual cognitive or motor disabilities that prevent them from living independently (neuro-rehab reference).To determine a successful post-stroke rehabilitation for these survivors, therapists must decide on the best form of therapy, study cause and risk factors of stroke prevalence, and consider long-term effects of impairments (reference). The most recognized disability after a stroke is motor impairment. The main focus on recovery in survivors is to reduce their disability and to live independently again by participating in their normal everyday activities (Brewer, 2012). Clinical experiments have been done with robotic therapy in an attempt to find the best possible form of a successful functional recovery.It has been observed that robotic possibilities for establishing rehabilitation go beyond what a normal therapist can do. One component of this approach is the use of resistance in a direction opposite the movement. Interestingly, several researchers are still currently exploring robotic techniques that are not necessarily designed to imitate the therapeutic process, but actually probe new capabilities. For example, one possible technique that is being studied is to have the robot guide or pull the hand toward the desired trajectory and have the guidance transition to resistance as the client’s recovery progresses (Kovic, 2006).Robot- assisted therapy, in itself, has had the most success in functional recovery among these survivors. Therapists c an still use hands on approach with their clients, but are able to use robotic techniques until their patients are strong enough to not require any more assistance in learning everyday functions (Brewer, 2012). The whole purpose of therapy is to re-teach motor functions that the patients need to perform in their daily lives. Task-oriented skills in functional recovery should be key in therapy, rather it is by use of robotics or not. Another form of post-stroke rehabilitation is adaptive training. Brewer)Robotic techniques are most often used as adaptive training to facilitate motor recovery (Kovic, 2006). In JRRD#2, research was done to suggest that adaptive training was a promising novel approach to a post-stroke recovery. In their research, Patton, Kovic, and Mussa-Ivaldi used the natural adaptive tendencies of the nervous system to facilitate motor recovery. â€Å"Motor adaption studies have demonstrated that when people are repeatedly exposed to a force field that systematicall y disturbs arm motion, subjects learn to anticipate and cancel out the forces and recover their original kinematic patterns.After the disturbing force field is unexpectedly removed, the subjects make erroneous movements in directions opposite the perturbing effects. This technique has recently been shown to alter and hasten the learning process in nondisabled individuals (p644). The researchers conducted an initial pilot study to show how adaptive training might be useful for restoring arm movement. These stroke survivors showed less conspicuous results compared with nondisabled subjects exposed to the same technique.Basically, their results support the view that subjects can adapt by learning the appropriate internal model of the perturbation rather than learning a temporary sequence of muscle activations; however, adaptive training will only work if stroke patients can adapt. Their results concluded that motion is impaired because of an ineffective motor plan that can be changed t hrough structured adaptive training. (do I need reference here too? ) Risk factors increase a person’s chance of having a stroke. Those who smoke have a 50% more likely chance to have a stroke versus people who do not smoke.High blood pressure is probably the highest most common risk factor (Brockelbrink, 2011). Risk factors can be placed into either modifiable or non-modifiable groups. Many modifiable risk factors result from our individual lifestyle habits such as smoking or a diet high in fat, salt, and sugar and normally can be modified by specialists in the healthcare industry (Allen, 2008). Non-modifiable factors are related to heredity, natural processes due to our gender or age. Long-term effects with disabilities and impairments are different for each stroke victim.A number of qualified studies have shown that 50% to 75% of stroke victims cannot live independently at home (Boyd, 2009). Most long-term effects are not overcome by the older population. The younger the v ictim the more likely they are to experience a more positive post-stroke rehabilitation experience. Majority of long-term effects have been linked to the victim’s social status in life. The ones with higher education, higher wealth, more popularity, more involvement have shown the biggest increase in overcoming disabilities.Even so, families who show interaction and help in a positive way with rehabilitation of their loved ones have shown the biggest impact over everything. Strokes are estimated to become the largest cause of death globally by 2030 (Brewery, 2012). The advances of technology and medicine will have progress along in heart disease and cancer, leaving strokes as the biggest threat to our loved ones. References Brewer, L. , Hickey, A. , Horgan, F. , Williams, D. (2012) Stroke Rehabilitation: Recent Advances and Future Therapies.QJM, Ireland. Oxford University Press. Kovic, Mark. , Mussa-Ivaldi, F. A. , Patton, James. L. (2006) Custom-Designed Haptic Training for Restoring Reaching Ability to Individuals with Poststroke Hemiparesis. Chicago, IL. Northwestern University. Boyd, Lara A. , He, Jianghua. , Macko, Richard F. , Mayo, Matthew S. , McDowd, Joan M. , Quaney, Barbara M. (2009) Aerobic Exercise Improves Cognition and Motor Function PostStroke. Kansas City, Kansas. Kansas Medical Center. Fang, Jing. , George, Mary G. , Shaw, Kate M. 2012) Prevalence of Stroke-United States, 2006-2010. MMWR. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 61(20); 379-382. Bockelbrink, Angelina. , Muller-Nordhorn, Jacqueline. , Muller-Riemenschneider, Falk. , Norte, Christian H. , Stroebele, Nanette. , Willich, Stefan N. (2011) Knowledge of Risk Factors, and Warning Signs of Stroke: A Systematic Review From a Gender Perspective. Allen, Claire L. , Bayraktutan, Ulvi. (2008) Risk Factors for Ischaemic Stroke. International Journal of Stroke, 3: 105-116.

Electric Power Industry Deregulation Essays - Free Essays

Electric Power Industry Deregulation Essays - Free Essays Electric Power Industry Deregulation The roots of modern day regulation can be traced all the way back to the late 1800's and found in the form of antitrust. By the beginning of the 20th century, the U.S. government had formed the interstate Commerce Commission to regulate the railroad industry, and shortly thereafter, many other regulatory commissions were founded in the transportation, communication, and securities fields. The main goal of these regulatory commissions was to create a reasonable rate structure that would be appealing to both producers and consumers. While this system has worked for many years, it has recently come under heavy criticism, with many people pushing for open competition among electric power producers. Although once believed to be an impossible proposal, competition among electric power producers is finally a reality in a few areas. Massachusetts is just one state where legislation implemented to create competition among electric power producers is not only favored by the people of the state , but has also provided significant rate reductions as well. The attempt at regulating price in the electric industry is a troublesome one. The objective is not only to minimize the cost to consumers, but also to create a rate structure that will entice the electric company to remain in the industry. The regulatory commission wants the electric company to have a reason to innovate so that they will be able to provide cheaper power in the future. However, if the commission captures all gains from innovation in the form of lower prices, then the electric company has no incentive to undertake any type of innovation. Therefore, a compromise must be reached which would provide adequate incentives for firms to undertake cost-reducing actions while at the same time ensuring that the price for consumers is not exorbitant. The term regulation refers to government controlled restrictions on firm decisions over price, quantity, and entry and exit. Each factor of an industry must be regulated for producers and consumers to truly benefit. The control of price does not mean setting one fixed price, but rather entails the creation of a price structure for purchasing electricity during peak and non-peak times. The control of quantity refers to the government's attempt to control the amount produced or in this case the amount of electricity produced. For example, in the electric industry, it does not make sense to have a lot of small power plants produce electricity. However, at the same time one company can not be allowed to monopolize the industry and set prices at its own discretion. Another factor in this problem is the control of entry and exit in the electric industry. By controlling who can enter the industry, the government can control who produces the electricity and how much of it they produce. Howev er, the effectiveness of regulation has begun to be questioned, and created the evolution of a more competitive market. Ever since the Public Utility Act of 1935, which in turn created the Federal Power Commission, the role of electric utility regulation and its effectiveness has been questioned. Since that act was passed into legislation, the question has always remained: has electric regulation made a difference? Major studies done throughout the 20th century found conflicting results. A study published in 1962 and conducted by Stigler and Friedland compared the price of electricity in states with regulation to the price in states without regulation. However, at the time all states had electric regulation, so Stigler and Friedland had to go back to the 1920's and 1930's to find states without regulation. Their finding was as expected. In 1922, the average price of electricity was 2.44 cents per kilowatt-hour in states with regulation. However, in states without regulation, the average price increased to 3.87 cents per kilowatt-hour. While many would say that prices could vary for reasons other than regulation, Stigler and Friedland controlled the analysis of other variables and found that no significant difference in price existed. Other critics felt that this study was done in a time when regulation was just getting started, and that regulators in the present day are more effective. Two other studies which found different results were those conducted by Meyer and Leland and another done by Greene and

How Laszlo Biro Changed the History of Ballpoint Pens

How Laszlo Biro Changed the History of Ballpoint Pens No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had. Samuel Johnson. A Hungarian journalist named Laszlo Biro invented the first ballpoint pen in 1938. Biro had noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper smudge-free, so he decided to create a pen using the same type of ink. But the thicker ink wouldnt flow from a regular pen nib. Biro had to devise a new type of point. He did so by fitting his pen with a tiny ball bearing in its tip. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rotated, picking up ink from the ink cartridge and leaving it on the paper.   Biros Patents This principle of the ballpoint pen actually dates back to an 1888 patent owned by John Loud for a product designed to mark leather, but this patent was commercially unexploited. Biro first patented his pen in 1938 and he applied for another  patent in June 1943 in Argentina after he and his brother emigrated there in 1940.   The British government bought the licensing rights to Biro’s patent during World War II. The British Royal Air Force needed a new pen that would not leak at higher altitudes in fighter planes the way fountain pens did. The ballpoint’s successful performance for the Air Force brought Biro’s pens into the limelight. Unfortunately, Biro had never gotten a U.S. patent for his pen, so another battle was just beginning even as World War II ended.   The Battle of the Ballpoint Pens   A lot of improvements were made to pens in general over the years, leading to a battle over the rights to Biros invention.  The newly-formed Eterpen Company in Argentina commercialized the Biro pen after the Biro brothers received their patents there. The press hailed the success of  their writing tool because it could write for a year without refilling. Then, in May 1945,  Eversharp Company teamed up with Eberhard-Faber to acquire exclusive rights to Biro Pens of Argentina. The pen was rebranded as the â€Å"Eversharp CA,† which stood for â€Å"capillary action.† It was released to the press months in advance of public sales. Less than a month after Eversharp/Eberhard closed the deal with Eterpen, a Chicago businessman, Milton Reynolds, visited Buenos Aires in June 1945.  He noticed the Biro pen while he was in a store and recognized the pen’s sales potential. He bought a few as samples and returned to America to launch the Reynolds International Pen Company, ignoring Eversharp’s patent rights. Reynolds copied the Biro pen within four months and began to sell his product by the end of October 1945. He called it Reynolds Rocket and made it available at Gimbel’s department store in New York City. Reynolds’ imitation beat Eversharp to market and it was immediately successful. Priced at $12.50 each, $100,000 worth of pens sold their first day on the market. Britain was not far behind. The Miles-Martin Pen Company sold the first ballpoint pens to the public there at Christmas 1945.   The Ballpoint Pen Becomes a Fad Ballpoint pens were guaranteed to write for two years without refilling and sellers claimed they were smear-proof. Reynolds advertised his pen as one that could write under water. Then Eversharp sued Reynolds for copying the design that Eversharp had acquired legally. The 1888 patent by John Loud would have invalidated everyones claims, but no one knew that at the time. Sales skyrocketed for both competitors, but Reynolds’ pen tended to leak and skip. It  often failed to write. Eversharp’s pen did not live up to its own advertisements either. A very high volume of pen returns occurred for both Eversharp and Reynolds. The ballpoint pen fad ended due to consumer unhappiness.  Frequent price wars, poor quality products, and heavy advertising costs hurt both companies by 1948. Sales nosedived.  The original $12.50 asking price dropped to less than 50 cents per pen. The Jotter   Meanwhile, fountain pens experienced a resurgence of their old popularity as Reynolds’ company folded. Then  Parker Pens introduced its first ballpoint pen, the Jotter, in January 1954. The Jotter wrote five times longer than the Eversharp or Reynolds pens. It had a variety of point sizes, a rotating cartridge, and large-capacity ink refills. Best of all, it worked. Parker sold 3.5 million Jotters at prices from $2.95 to $8.75 in less than a year. The Ballpoint Pen Battle Is Won   By 1957,  Parker had  introduced the tungsten carbide  textured ball bearing in their ballpoint pens. Eversharp was in deep financial trouble and tried to switch back to selling fountain pens. The company sold its pen division to Parker Pens and Eversharp finally liquidated its assets in the 1960s. Then Came Bic   The French Baron Bich dropped the ‘H’ from his name and began selling pens called BICs in 1950. By the late fifties,  BIC  held 70 percent of the European market.   BIC bought 60 percent of the New York-based Waterman Pens in 1958, and it owned  100 percent of Waterman Pens by 1960. The company sold ballpoint pens in the U.S. for 29 cents up to 69 cents. Ballpoint Pens Today   BIC  dominates the market in the 21st century. Parker, Sheaffer, and Waterman capture smaller upscale markets of fountain pens and expensive ballpoints.  The highly popular modern version of Laszlo Biros pen, the BIC Crystal, has a daily worldwide sales figure of 14 million pieces. Biro is still the generic name used for the ballpoint pen used  in most of the world.

IT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IT - Research Paper Example Thus, it is advised by computer experts to keep a backup of the information and resources that are stored on computer systems. This paper will focus upon the various storage devices that can be used by computer users to keep a backup of their information and resources, and the differences between redundant and backup data storage and how systems fail and how can they be protected. Backup Media Various forms of backup media available to users include: optical storage methods such as writeable and re-writable CDs and DVDs, external and internal hard disks that can be mounted on the systems and flash memory systems such as pen drives, USB drives and memory cards. Information stored on optical drives can last for very long period of time if these drives are kept safely, secondly these drives are even available in write once only form. This is an advantage because the data that is stored on these drives cannot be replaced or over-written. These drives even come in re-writable form; this m eans that same drive can be used do over write if old information is no longer needed. These drives are easy to move from one pc to another, these drives can be used in several systems but one system can use it at a time. Another downside of optical drives is that the time taken by these drives to write data and store information on them is considerably high if compared to the time taken by flash drives and other forms of memory drives. Another form of backup media that can come in handy for computer users is installing a second hard drive internally or externally. The advantages of having a second hard disk are enormous. Firstly, the second hard disk can act as a backup for files stored on your system; this will come in handy if the files from the first hard disk are deleted. Another advantage of using an extra hard disk is that the process of backing up files in a second hard disk is faster as compared to backing up these files in an optical drive or a USB flash memory drive. Havi ng a second hard disk is even of advantage as the files and the resources that have been downloaded over time on the computer system can be safe and the users d not have to take the pain of downloading and saving these resources again. All the operations conducted in a computer system take place on the first hard disk or the primary hard disk, due to this continuous usage, the hard disk becomes old and starts wearing out and ultimately the user has to replace it. When two hard disks are involved in the process of running a computer system, the burden of running the computer system is shared and both the hard disks gain higher functional life time. Disadvantages associated with installing a second hard disk are few in number. Firstly, hard disks have to be dealt with extra care, misuse may easily damage or corrupt the hard disk and data loss may occur, secondly, if the drive is installed inside the system, moving the drive to another system might become difficult and during the trans fer, the chances of damage are quite high. One of the best backup media designed to-date is USB flash memory drives/sticks. The advantages of using this media are: they are very small in size and can hold huge amount o information, they are easy to move and do not contain parts that might get corrupted if they are mishandled. These drives are even better than optical drives as they cannot be destroyed due to scratches and dust. Installing them is much easier than installing hard disks as they do not need

Teaching techniques. Differentiated Process, Product, and Content Assignment

Teaching techniques. Differentiated Process, Product, and Content - Assignment Example Students are then encouraged to develop critical thinking skills by looking at writings and other forms of media that influence them today, and compare that to the time of the Founding Fathers as well. All of the objectives stated in the lesson are clearly explained to the students from the outset, and the main assessment related directly back to aforementioned learning goals. Because of the varied types of writing in existence during the time the Constitution was being written, and the plethora of different messages we receive today, this particular lesson and topic provides multiple opportunities to introduce differentiated instruction into the classroom. Based upon student interest, the instructor can tailor make various videos, multi-media, technology, and print based options for the students to learn the necessary concepts for this unit. Each of these strategies would fit the stated learning outcomes (that each student will understand the influence that others have on our way of thinking) and can be aligned to cover differentiated access, product, and content. Differentiated Process, Product, and Content In considering how to apply differentiation to this lesson, it is important that teachers remember that their role is to match the interest level of each student with the mode of instruction and assessment. For this particular unit, the teacher will need to consider the types of media that most influence each student in the class. This can include taking a learning inventory, or simply through observation, but the bottom line is that the instructor needs to bring the curriculum alive to the students. Implementing the differentiation process for this unit will enable each student in the class to understand the lesson objectives, presented in the form of source documents, in their own unique manner. In so doing, it is possible for teachers to differentiate the content, process, and product for their students (Sousa & Tomlinson, 2011). The differentiation of content refers to the change that occurs in the material as it is being taught and learned by each individual student in the class. As example of this for this particular lesson would be if the classroom objective is for all students in the classroom to be able to identify the reasons why source documents influence our thinking and way of life. In order to accomplish this task, some students may choose to focus on the original writings of the day, while other may choose to use modern day media to illustrate a real life example that is relevant today. The differentiation process actually refers to the way in which each student in the class accesses the material. One study, for example, may explore various writings contained an in actual historical text, while others may choose to review video representations of the same material. This process continues with the differentiation of product, which most commonly refers to the way in which a student demonstrates what he or she has actuall y learned. For this unit, that will take place via the individual or group products that are presented at the conclusion of the lesson. One group or individual might choose to present a skit, for example, while other will choose to demonstrate their findings via a PowerPoint. When implementing the differentiated process, the sky is truly the limit. Conclusion As teachers decide to differentiate their lessons, they must take into account the readiness, interest, and learning profile of each individual student in the class. In this case, readiness most commonly ref