Solar Energy Outline Essays - Renewable Energy, Energy Conversion

Solar Energy Outline Thesis: Ever since the dawn of time, the sun has been a resource we cannot live or do without, so its not such a shock that man has come up with the idea of solar energy. Solar energy had many uses. Some can be dangerous and some, a very valuable asset to the modern world. I. What is solar energy? A. Who was the first person to use solar energy? B. When was it used? C. Where was solar energy first put to use? II. What are some of the uses of solar energy? A. Solar roof 1. Who invented it? 2. When was it invented? 3. What was it used for? 4. How does it work? B. Solar cooker 1. Who invented the first one? 2. When was it invented? 3. How does it work? 4. What is it used for? C. Solar oven 1. Who developed it? 2. When was it developed? 3. What does it look like? 4. How does it work? III. What are some of the dangers of solar energy(used today or otherwise) A. Laser 1. What is it? 2. How does laser work? B. Ultra-Violet Rays (UV rays) 1. Who discovered UV rays? 2. When was it discovered? 3. In what way is it dangerous? 4. How can we protect ourselves from this? IV. Conclusion A. What are some uses of solar energy around our household? 1. List some examples C. Thoughts on Solar energy 1. What we think of solar energy 2. Poll results A Primitive Resource: Solar Energy and Its Many Uses Ever since the dawn of time, the sun has been a resource we cannot live or do without, so its not such a shock that man has come up with the idea of solar energy. Solar energy had many uses. Some can be dangerous and some, a very valuable asset to the modern world. Solar energy is energy derived from the sun in a form of ultra-violet rays. Its was first applied to use in 212 B.C., by the Greek genius Archimedes. Solar energy was used to defend the habor of Syracuse against the Roman fleet. Archimedes used a mirror or "burning mirror" as they had called it, to set fire to the ships of the Roman fleets while standing on shore (McDaniels 83). It wasn't until 1615 when Salomon de Caux constructed the first solar device; a solar engine. His device was made of glass lenses, supporting frame, and an airtight metal vessel containing water and air. This produced a small water fountain when the air heated up during operation. This was considered to be more of a toy than a device, but it was the first published account of the use of solar energy since the fall of the Roman Empire (Cheremisinoff 1). Some other use of solar energy after that was the solar roof and the solar oven. The solar roof was thought up by Harold Hay. In a solar roof system, water is contained in a clear plastic bag and it is placed on a black metal roof. Hay got the idea while traveling in India on a technical aid mission for the U.S government. While there, he noticed that many people were living in rusty, sheet metal shacks, which were hot in the day and cold at night. Hay's plan was to remove the insulation from the roof on winter days so that the roof would get hot, and Replacing the insulation at night to allow the shack to be warm through the night. Then in the summer, he would so the reverse of what he did in winter to let the house cool at night and replacing the insulation in the daytime to block out the heat. Then over the years, Hay and a man named John Yellott constructed a 3- by 3.7-m building using water basins as the actual roofing material. During the summer, a slab of foam insulation was rolled back at night, and the water would become cold through the night sky evaporation. Since the water supply sat directly on a metal ceiling, it absorbed the heat from the room and kept the building air-conditioned all day. During the winter, the movable insulation was rolled back in the daytime which allowed for it to collect heat. This generated enough heat into the house through the ceiling at night to keep the room comfortable (McDaniels 179-181). Then there was the solar cooker. Developed by Augustin Mouchot in France and by John Ericsson in the United States in the nineteenth century. They wanted to develop a solar cooker that not only reached high temperatures, but also was to be used as a means of heat storage

Sara Nobiling essays

Sara Nobiling essays No one really knows what a case of the Mondays is until you have spent a day in the shoes of Sara Nobiling. She is a first year student here at Northwest Missouri State University, and majoring in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Sara has experience as a writer and editor for the local newspaper in her hometown. She comes from the town of Glidden, Iowa, home of the World War II hero, Merle Hay. Born and raised in a farmhouse seven miles out side of Glidden, Sara attended Glidden-Ralston Community School District from kindergarten to her days as being a senior. She was involved in a wide variety of extra curricular activities, such as cross-country, swimming, volleyball, basketball, track, Dance Team, cheerleading, Speech/Drama, Student Director, Science Club, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America), Spanish Club, National Honor Society, Whos Who Among American High School Scholars, West Central District Honor Roll, President and Secretary of he r class, Student Council and Homeroom Representative, jazz band, choir, newspaper, yearbook, K-3 Tutor, Homecoming Court, and yet still managed to graduate in the top third of her class and hold a part time job. Not many people can look back at high school and say they felt involved but Sara has done that and beyond. Sara was mostly interested in journalism, which was perfect because the town newspaper donated a section of the paper to the high school and Sara took up the job as editor. This section was called the Paw Print and she oversaw all the operations to make it a success. One of the hardest parts of being an editor was making the paper as politically correct as possible. Sara took up the responsibility; if she failed to do her job correctly the school could possibly face a large lawsuit, and she could get suspended or even expelled from school. In her job she looked over ...

Innovation Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Innovation Organisation - Essay Example Various tables and figures have been employed in order to justify the objectives of this research, and to provide evidence of the company’s operational excellence. Present day business environment is very dynamic in nature which keeps on changing frequently with the changing market conditions at domestic and international level. Organisations existing in the present day business environment have sufficiently understood this fact and perform their market analysis and research activities to identify the changes. It is very essential for present day organisations to get adapted to the changes and maintain their business operations. To attain the level of flexibility required for adapting to the changes organisations develop innovative approaches to modify their business structure and systems as per the changes. This report discusses the theories of innovation and its real application in present day organisations. Irrespective of industry type every organisation is required to identify the changes and resist them. This report has considered the construction industry and its performance in the international market. BAM Construct UK Ltd. is one of t he leading construction companies in UK and is a part of the European construction enterprise. The study has considered the company BAM Construct UK Ltd. as its sample organisation for analyzing the innovative practices performed within present day organisations. The study emphasizes various innovative approaches which are practiced in the sample organisation and also provides with suggestions on improving their innovation practices in regards to their product development activities. Organisations come up with innovative products which are developed as per the changing demands of the customers’. Organisations are required to update their product range at regular intervals which help them in gaining

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Same Sex Marriage - Essay Example I believe that promoting the rights of homosexuals and legalizing marriage for them is an insult for the sacred and traditional institution that marriage is. Our society gives us no right to play with the traditional values that has been set by our ancestors. Homosexual marriages will give more rise to non-serious marriages. As mentioned by Andrew Sullivan, gay men enjoy more sexual freedom and escape the strains of monogamy. Legalizing gay marriages would hence mean inculcating more promiscuousness and corruption into your own society. Gay men are more likely to have many partners than straight men and they are less likely to be loyal to only one partner for a long time. Hence, the traditional family ties would be further weakened which would in turn have a detrimental impact on the future generations. Many people also believe that by legalizing homosexual marriage, the concept of marriage would gradually crumble down. Over the years, people would start marrying their pets or would develop a love for animals and would then press the authorities to legalize that, thereby derogating the entire system that our forefathers have followed. People might also want to marry stuff toys, their mothers or brothers or sisters, so how would they be stopped from claiming their rights? To be frank, Homosexuality is still considered an abnormality or a psychological disorder amongst many conservative societies and they would be completely unacceptable towards the stance of legalizing same sex marriage. Also, it has been shown by numerous studies that gays are more likely to have a shorter life expectancy. Promiscuousness, drinking, smoking and unhealthy lifestyles should be avoided. I disagree with Andrew Sullivan’s claim that same-sex marriage would strengthen the culture of marriage. Heterosexual marriages are considered sacred because they are the reason behind the continuation of generations of a particular race. Promoting same sex marriages would mean promoting a

Foreign policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Foreign policy - Essay Example China’s economy has grown steadily over the past thirty years; it is the nation with the highest level of foreign reserves currently. The country is acknowledged as the manufacturing capital of the world with a number of exports that rivals most nations of the world. A number of the issues associated with China’s prosperity have emerged; a number of them are predominantly ideological and social. The Chinese government has struggled with internal conflicts between itself and Tibet as well as challenges with Taiwan. Criticisms have also been brought out against the country concerning cyber security as well as its respect for democracy and human rights. For the first time in history, Australia must engage with a centre of power that lacks political and cultural similarities to the nation. In the past, major investors in Australia were largely democratic and western, so it was not difficult for foreign policy experts to forge partnerships between these nations. However, China is a unique case for the country because of the unconventional nature of its social-political climate; some reconciliations and transitions must take place before sustainable relations can be reached (Camilleri, Martin and Michael, 2013). China and Australia’s symbiotic association can largely be attributed to Australia’s mineral resources and China’s huge demand for these resources. On the other hand, several Chinese students come to Australia to acquire a higher education while other older citizens think of Australia as a preferred tourist destination. Australia has been influential in getting China to participate in multilateral institutions, most of which dwell on regional cooperation. Now the largest import source for Australia is China as it brings in about 15.3% of the nations’ inputs. Goods exchanges are not one-sided among these two nations as Australia exports 22.6% of its items to the above country (Capling, 2008). Regardless of the

Body as a form of capital

Body as a form of capital Baudrillard writes that Beauty is such an absolute imperative because its a form of capital (1998: 132). Analyze the role of the body as a form of capital (addressing the specific practices and implications) with reference to one particular form of body work (e.g. an occupation, a consumer practice e.t.c). This essay would focus on the body form of a bodybuilder as a form of capital. Bodybuilding being a form of capital is said to add value to an individuals body. This value could be economic, social, cultural and symbolic (Bourdieu 1986). Physical capital is most usually converted into economic capital (money, goods, services), cultural [for example] education and social capital (social networks which enable reciprocal calls to be made on the goods and services of its members) (Bourdieu 1978, 1984, 1986) in Shilling 2003, p. 111. Our conception of beauty is shaped by the media. Bourdieus analysis of the body involves an examination of the multiple ways in which the body has become commodified in modern societies in Shilling 2003, p. 111. This is why Bourdieus theory of social reproduction would be used intensively to explain why Baudrillard wrote that beauty is such an absolute imperative because its a form of capital (1998: 132). This would be done in relation to Bourdieus physical capital to the body. It was stated by Bourdieu that This refers not only to the bodys implication in the buying and selling of labour power but to the methods by which the body has become a more comprehensive form of body capital; a possessor of power, status, distinctive symbolic forms. (In Shilling 2003, p. 111). So in relation to bodybuilder the practices of the bodybuilder would be taken into account, e.g drug taking to enhance the muscles and the implications of such behavior. Beauty is an absolute essential in our society; it allows for individuals to feel really confident with themselves and hopefully in their endeavors to be able achieve success, as in our current environment greater emphasis is placed on peoples physical appearances. This could make a huge difference between failure and success. This aspect can be linked to Marchands parable of the first impression, which states first impressions brought about immediate success or failureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the reason one man gained a promotion or one woman suffered a social snub had become less explicable grounds of long-standing favoritism or family feuds (1985, p. 217). This could be related to bodybuilding as if one is not muscular enough; they might not enter for a show or competition. This idea of presenting ones self in an acceptable manner in a bodybuilding sector of society would have made individuals feel good and helped increase their self esteem amongst their peers thus ensuring happiness; this could hence be linked to the social capital as they would gain increased connections. The implication and practices of being a bodybuilder would most probably be the idea that they are trying to make themselves feel confident in the body they are in. The ideal of feeling confident could be said to be on a personal level, on an economic level for these bodybuilders, they would be able earn money, earn a living for what they do. And on a social capital level, they would be able to earn a status amongst their peers because according to Klein image is everything (1993, p. 3) and that the goals of competitive bodybuilders are not simply to be champions but to become Mr. Olympias and Mr. Universe (Ibid, p. 3). This could also link to the symbolic capital. Contributors to the recently established sociology of the body (e.g. Nettleton and Watson 1998, Shilling 1993) reference Giddens (1991) when contextualizing a burgeoning social scientific interest in bodily matter. According to Giddens, contemporary society (what he terms high or late modernity) is a post traditional order where the self, like the broader institutional context in which it exists, has to be reflexively made (1991: 3) in Monaghan 1993, p. 4. So in relation to the body builders it could be suggested to what Monaghan calls striving to create the perfect body (1999a in Monaghan 1999, p. 708). So in the case of the bodybuilders, they practice using body enhancement medication so that they could work and reach that potential. This can be illustrated again by Monaghan bodybuilding, a project like activity (Bloor et al 1998) adopted by the denizens of the late modernity, represents one choice (among many) for sustaining a coherent narrative of self (Giddens 1991). It can be a rgued that in a post traditional world there is confusion, as science has taken over traditional authority, so it can be argued that bodybuilders take risks. It was stated by Monaghan that bodybuilders who are steroid users, are engaging in chemical, not just social constructions (Bloor et al 1998: 41); hence the beneficial possibilities of science and technology become double edged, creating new parameters for risk (1999, p. 726). Advertising is said to have given rise to why so much importance is placed on the human body. It has always proposed the idea that it can fix any imperfection of the body and that such solutions are available to anyone who is ready. This can be related to Marchands Democracy of goods. Maguire Stanway stated images of ideal bodies seem to be very important in contemporary society (2008: 1). This is why Liess et al 1997: 7 argued that advertising is one of the great vehicles of social communication and Williams [1961] 1993:321 stated that advertising is an institutionalized system of commercial information and persuasion. This may be why it was suggested by Hitzler 1988 that the individual has to recognize and acknowledge the body and self as flawed, inadequate or at least incomplete, and identifying areas for transformation and the appropriate tools, practices and experts to perform that work. The self, in other words, becomes a do-it-yourself project (in Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, 200 2: 3). Consequently, the advertizing system dictates to society what the body should look like. The implication of a bodybuilder, it is the idea of the drug taking. They do not think of the negative consequences that these drugs would have overall on their wellbeing. That is why Giddens argues that the conditions of late modernity have important implication for psychic processes as well as the body. The reflexivity of the self extends to the body, where the body is part of an action system rather than merely a passive object (Giddens 1991: 77) For him the body is reflexively mobilised, available to be worked upon by the influences of high modernity (1991: 218) in Monaghan 1993, p. 5.The advertising system needs conforming/passive individuals so as to achieve their goals. They look for the weaknesses that individuals dread on and use that to their advantage, and those who conform not would most probably not achieve their potential goals. The advertising system makes it a norm that pe oples body is meant to look a certain way, and if you dont look that way that which the system proposes, then the individual would be picked on. With advertising practices constantly being portrayed to the public and the increasing idea given to the public that they can fix whatever faults they have on their body. The more likely individuals are exposed to these ideas, the more they are to succumb to this culture of paying so much attention on their body. Consequently be looked on as being self obsessed. Laschs book called The culture of narcissism describes the major changes that occurred in the 1970s explained by Cashmore 2006: 101, It describes the apotheosis of individualism, in which self centered feeling or conduct reached its highest state of development. After the turbulent 1960s in which people all over the world challenged and subverted traditional ideals, values, and norms [] Their rebellious efforts changed hearts and minds, but not the material facts. So, they retreated to purely personal pre-occupation, according to Lasch, getting in touch with their feeling, eating health food, taking lessons in ballet or belly dancing [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]overcoming the fear of pleasure. (1980:4) Thus advertising and marketing would constantly be producing the tools for reshaping appearances (Maguire Stanway 2008: PAGE). In the context of bodybuilding, these tools could be the use of drugs/steroids to make their muscles bigger. Bloor et al. 1998 Bodybuilding, perhaps more so than others athletic pursuit, is a socio-cultural environment which normalises the instrumental use (as opposed to abuse) of steroids and accessory drugs (Monaghan 1999, p. 707). Moreover, the implication of bodybuilders would continually change their body so as to continually fit with what the bodybuilding system and advertising has in trend as a result fit in society and feel a sense of belonging. This can be further illustrated by Arnold and Price who stated that the second mode of self-making is the authoritative performance in which feeling of community, acceptance and belonging arise from shared participation or shared rituals (20 00: 155 cited in Maguire Stanway 2008, p. 9). This could be related to the related to the symbolic and the economic capital. The symbolic capital in the sense that society accepts bodybuilders using drug so, when these individuals achieve that body, they would be more likely to get jobs so, it works in a two way advantage, they get the job they want (economic capital) and the bodybuilding industry get the labour that they pay for. In contemporary society, greater emphasis has being placed on the body as well as beauty and being beautiful as its seen as part of forming ones identity. This can be illustrated by Shilling (2003) who argued that there is tendency for the body to become increasingly central to the modern persons sense of self-identity. People are starting to think more and be concerned of how others view and perceive them. This could be said that their body is for other to gaze at it, an example could be given from Pumping Iron 2: The women, the scene at 3 minutes 07 seconds where they all had to show off their body, to an admiring audience who were all applauding. This could be related to the narcissistic self as Cashmore stated the narcissist depends on others to validate his self esteem, observed Lasch. He cannot live without an admiring audience à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ for the narcissist, the world is a mirror (1980: 10 in Cashmore 2006, p. 102). This could be said to a certain extent that these bodybui lders need society to approve of their body. They want their body to be adored. The act of thinking of ones body on how people perceive them could be said to link to the other directed self. (WHICH LINKS TO PARABLE OF FIRST IMPRESSION (EWEN 1999, MARCHAND 1985) this could link to the body form of body builder in the sense that the first impression that one gets from them is that they are very strong. Woodward further stated that one only has to think of the rewards received by professional sports people across the world, to see how bodily performances can be exchanged for financial rewards. Nightclubs and discos frequently employ body-builders as bouncers, while prostitutes use their bodies to earn a living Woodward 1997: 88. It can be argued that different classes treat their bodies differently, as Shilling stated according to Bourdieu that the working class tend to develop an instrumental relation to their body as they have little time free from necessity. The body is a means to a n end à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2003, p. 114. It was also argued that workers who use their bodies all day in heavy manual labor tend to have little time for what they see as pretension of jogging and health and fitness centres [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the working class are concerned to spend their efforts on weightlifting and activities directed towards strength, both field in which manual dominance can be asserted (ibid: 114). So in relation to the body form of a bodybuilder, according to Bourdieus theory, they would be classed as a working class, as they are only wanting to survive and strive through life with what their body can achieve for them financially. Whereas it can be said in relation to Bourdieus theory that the dominant class differ such gratification, the dominant class, used their body for cultural, social capital etc this can be illustrated by Shilling who stated that dominant classes have the time and resources to treat the body as a project with variants according to whether the e mphasis is placed on the intrinsic functioning of the body as an organism, which leads to the macrobiotic cult of health, or on the appearance as a perceptible configuration, the physique, i.e. the body for other (Bourdieu, 1978: 838; 1984: 212- 13). The dominant class tend not to be overly concerned with producing a large, strong body, but with a slim body better suited to the world in which economic practice is constituted more strongly by the presentation of self (Wilkes, 1990: 118) in Shilling, p. 114 The body is also said to have possessed power and freedom in our current society whereas in previous society (Traditional Society) there were restrictions and people did not have the choice to do what they wanted. The personality rather than character has come to be much more important in contemporary society which was stated by Warren 1979: 212-26 in Ewen 1999). Thus great power is placed on the individual, as a result, they are allowed to do what they want with that power, consequently, citizenship duty and work no longer seem to be important rather attractiveness, creativity and a fascinating personality is much more preferred in the society. As it was further argued by Shilling from Bourdieus angle that in traditional societies, power is exercised more directly by one embodied individual over another, whereas in contemporary society the modern body has a far more complex role in the exercise of power and the reproductions of social inequalities (2003). That power in relation to t he bodybuilder is the possession of medicine. Monaghan stated Empirical data on perceptions of the medical profession, risk, and bodybuilders various sources of ethno-scientific knowledge, suggest that medicine is simply one authority among many in the construction of the self and the body within late modernity'(1999: 707). This refers to the muscle enhancement drugs. Baudrillards point of view, he suggests that the body has today become an object of salvation (Baudrillard 1998). This further illustrates how the body is viewed in contemporary society and portrays the amount of freedom that individuals possess thus bodybuilder take pride in themselves and worship their body as they believe it is the way they would be able to achieve their goals. This can be related to the culture of narcissism based on the individuals point of view as Cashmore stated that there are two dimensions of the culture of narcissism: on one hand swatches of people abandoned their collective endeavours and co ntented themselves with individual quests for satisfaction and happiness: yet, on the other, they depend on each other for confirmation that they are looking and feeling good (2006: 102). This therefore means that, although they have this individual power, they still need other people to validate them. Baudrillard (1998), the body is no longer flesh [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] but is taken up again in its materiality as narcissistic cult object so in relation to body building, it could be seen that individuals who take part in these activities are vain and think too much about themselves. Cashmore in relation to the narcissistic self that these individuals are getting in touch with their primordial sense of self (2006) According to Shilling 1993 the idea of physical capital is easily grasped by thinking of ways in which sports men and women convert physical ability into income or the ways that models, or even prostitutes use their bodies for material gain (www.aare.edu.au.01pap/lig01450.htm). Of course the ways in which the opposing classes of our society use their body would be totally different. And it could be said they view beauty differently because of the way the body is treated, to illustrate this idea Shilling argued that bodies are also formed through the development of taste [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] preferences, lifestyles which are rooted in material constraints (2003: 113). Bourdieu also argued that the act of labour are required to turn bodies into social entities and that these act influences, people develop and hold the physical shape of their bodies and learn how to present their bodies through styles of walk, talk and dress in Shilling 2003: 112. Thus it can be argued that both types of b odies are a source of physical capital. Consequently, the body bears the indisputable imprint of an individuals social class (Bourdieu, 1984) in Shilling 2003, p. 112. Thus, people develop preferences for what is available to them Shilling 2003, p. 113 Lasch saw no harm in any of these pursuits in themselves, but he rued the break with history, the turning away from collective activity, and the switch from trying to change society to changing oneself. Personal well-being health, and psychic security became the motivating goal for the generation that had earlier wanted to change the world (Cashmore 2006: 102) From a theoretical stance one could posit that it is only within a deregulated and essentially postmodern world, where people have the freedom to explore the self and the body in new ways (Kelleher et al. 1994: xxii) that such activity is possible. An empirical illustration of the thesis that the body is less and less an intrinsic given, that we perceive them to be more pliable and are actively seeking to alter, improve and refine them (Giddens 1991, Nettleton and Watson 1998) in Monaghan 1999, p. 708 This is because an individuals body is never fully finished. While the body is implicated in society, it is constantly affected by social, cultural and economic processes (Bourdieu, 1985) in Shilling 2003, p. 116 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. With the resources, to treat the body as a lifelong project. 2003, p. 112 Bourdieu states bodies are involved in the creation and reproduction of social differences, more specially, they bear the imprint of social class because of three main factors: an individuals social location; their formation of their habitus; and the development of their taste in Woodward (1997). This can then be said as to why Bourdieu believe that the body is a bearer of value in contemporary society in Shilling 2003, p. 111. And that the body is in continuation of many changes this is why Bourdieu emphasized The body is an unfinished entity which develops in conjunction with various social forces and is integral to the maintenance of social inequalities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ in Shilling 2003, p. 113 WORD COUNT 3,067

Dominate Cultural Patterns of Switzerland Essays -- essays research pa

Interpersonal Relations/Communications Dominant Cultural Patterns in the United States as Compared and Contrasted to Dominant Cultural Patterns in Switzerland   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Switzerland is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. The Alps cover more than half of the country. It is a small country of 15,942 square miles. The country can be geographically divided into 3 areas: the Alps, the Mittleland (plateau), and the Jura mountains.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The population of Switzerland is about 7.3 million, with the majority of the population living in the Mittleland area. Switzerland is a melting pot of different ethnic groups-Germans, French, Italians, and Romansch. About 6% of the people who live in Switzerland have come from the Middle East, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy, and other countries. Most of them are guest workers and do not have Swiss citizenship (Culturgram 277). Due to the diversity of cultures, Switzerland has four official languages-German, French, Italian. and Romansch. Romansch is spoken by 1% of the population.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Switzerland is one of the world’s oldest democracies. The founding of the Swiss Confederation took place on August 1, 1291. Switzerland became a neutral country in 1815, making it illegal for the Swiss federal government to enter into political alliances or to make war except for in self-defense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The country is divided into 26 states. These states are known as cantons. Political powers are divided between the federal government and the cantons (state) government. The citizens enjoy close control over the laws of the cantons, as well as the federal government. Referendums allow people to demand popular vote. Initiatives give the citizens the right to bring specific issues before the people to vote upon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now that you have a brief overview of Switzerland, we can successfully compare and contrast this country to the United States. Not just socially, or economically, for the reason behind this paper is to compare and contrast the dominant cultural patterns of the United States (individualism, equality, materialism, science and technology -progress and change, activity and work) to the dominant cultural patterns of Switzerland.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When comparing and contrasting the dominant cultural... ...as skiing, bobsledding, camping, hiking, climbing, boating and swimming. We as American’s enjoy many different forms of â€Å"play†. There is a great demand for amusement parks, sporting events, art, music, hobbies, and food. We enjoy spending time with family and friends, indoors as well as outdoors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Switzerland is considered to be an industrial nation, as is the United States. The Swiss are known for their craftsmanship and take pride in their work. Manufacturing includes the production of various precision instruments, watches, machine tools, textiles, and chemicals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, I have decided that the United States and Switzerland are similar in many ways. Our social and political systems are similar. Both of these countries are innovative, industrious, prosperous, and value freedom and independence. Works Cited â€Å"Switzerland.† Culturgram 2000, Ed. Grant P. Skabelund. 2 vols. Brigham Young University and eMSTAR, Inc. USA, 1999 â€Å"Switzerland.† Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, Ed. Leon. L Bram. 29 vols. United States  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of America: Rand McNally & Company, 1986 â€Å"Switzerland.† New Enc

Speech about the importance of water Essay

Assalamualaikum and a very wonderful morning I bid to our lecturer and to all fellow classmates. This morning, it is my pleasure to share with all my audiences on my talk about the importance of water. As we know, water brings and sustains life in our planet. Water is something which we cannot do anything without it. After all, our bodies are made up of seventy percent water. It is quite possible to survive without food for more than a month, but without water we will perish in a matter of days. Ladies and gentleman, Before I go further with my speech, I would like to read the poem from the ancient mariner’s that cry of agony and despair in Samuel Coleridge’s poem that sound; Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. This poem clearly points to the absolute need of suitable drinking water for survival. The mariner, being the only survivor left on his ship, is desperately lost at sea for months. Having used up all the ship’s store of drinkable water, he laments on his plight; surrounded by water on all sides, but not a drop to drink. Ladies and gentleman, Water is essential to life. We require water for washing and cooking, cultivating our field, and most important, for drinking. Life becomes impossible on earth without water. Imagine a drought situation: there are no rains; the rivers and lakes have dried up; and all plant-life lay dry and wasted. When we read about the origins of life on earth, we realize at once the importance role water had played in causing living things to come into existence. Water has those unique chemical elements and properties needed to nourish the living cells of living beings. Dearest comrades, Apart from the fact that water is essential to life, water is also man’s precious resource. Water is a source of energy. Water converted into steam can be used as fuel for driving vehicles fitted with water power. In conclusion, the importance of water cannot be measure. It is not only a source of life and energy, it also sustains life on the planet. We should all be duty bound to ensure that our sources of water remain unpolluted. That’s all for my speech today. Thank you for listening.

Synopsis of Jewish History essays

Synopsis of Jewish History essays Most educated people in the world today believe that the holocaust was a pivotal moment in Jewish history and led to the establishment of the state of Israel. But this theory is simplistic. It does not take into account the many factors in history that led to the establishment of the state of Israel. Also in a historical context, in the two events took place to close together for one to have such an impact on the other. The holocaust in Europe took place between 1938 and 1944, and the establishment of Israel took place in 1948 a mere four years later. The full extent Of Germanys crimes during world war two were not fully understood for many years. It is hard to understand the historical context for these events. To understand one must look at the events as if theyre on a timeline. Most people look at all these events as occurring on one timeline. That is a false premise; I propose these events happened on overlapping timelines. The first starting with the expulsion of the Jews from Israel by The Romans and ending with the holocaust in Europe. The second starting with the trial of Dreyfus in Paris in 1907 and then continuing through the establishment of the state and ending in 1967. The first time line could be identified as Jews as piraha and the second could be identified as Jews as the underdog. Lets look at the second timeline first, and the first timeline second. The second line was born of the first. It is represented best by the Zionist movement. The philosophy of Zionism was first articulated by Leo Pinkster, a Jew from Odessa, in 1881. After the Pogroms that year Pinkster wrote Autoemmancipation, a pamphlet that called for an independent Jewish State. Zionism didnt gain widespread notoriety until the writing of Theodore Herzel. Herzel, a Hungarian born journalist had made a modest name for himself writing in Vienna. In 1894, Herzel covered the...

The eNotes Blog Bookless Libraries TheyreComing

Bookless Libraries TheyreComing Just this week, I was watching an episode of  Downton Abbey  and one of the scenes was set in the library. Beautiful leather-bound volumes filled the vast room from floor to ceiling and covered every wall. Lord Grantham took no notice of them at all, as he stood, brandy in hand, waiting for his valet to fetch his evening coat. The visual image of this early twentieth century library struck me on a couple of levels; first, how books like the ones that adorn the Crawleys home were once meant for the very elite. The servants downstairs might have indulged themselves occasionally in a penny dreadful but it is unlikely that any of them read, or had access to, much more. The second thing that I noticed was the sheer numbers of tomes, and how unnecessary, really, it is in the twenty-first century to have to devote so much physical space to the printed word. Dont get me wrong. There is nothing I love more than the heft of a book. I love the way they smell. I delight in actually turning pages. Until it is time to move. I have as many books in my Kindle now as I do on my buckling shelves. And they all fit in my smallest pocketbook. So I suppose I understand that modern libraries are facing the same dilemma. The space and time needed to house and administer books is enormous. Not long ago, bookless libraries were only an idea, but now they are happening. This fall, San Antonio, Texas will open its first entirely electronic lending library. There will be fifty computer terminals and eReaders that patrons can check out and take home. Even though the project cost $1.5 million dollars, its advocate, Judge Nelson Wolff, argues that it is cost effective. The new institution, dubbed BiblioTech uses existing city facilities, and, perhaps more importantly, is available to a largely underserved community whose residents often do not have their own personal electronic devices. Is this the future for most libraries? Probably. But not for a while yet. To say there is still an enormous amount of material to be digitized is a understatement. And there are copyright issues with which to contend. Sarah Houghton, director of a library in California, complains that 99 percent of the materials that the general public want to check out,   such as best-sellers,  simply arent available to libraries digitally. Another issue inhibiting the growth of bookless libraries is the training of staff, not only on use of the devices, but how to explain them to their patrons, many of whom may have had little or no experience with digital readers. Moreover, the expense of acquiring all of these new devices is often prohibitive for most public libraries. And what happens when these devices become outdated? Today, it seems that technology improves every two years, if not sooner. Better not upset Lord Grantham just yet. You may still need to borrow that volume of Tocquevilles  Democracy in America.

Management report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Management report - Essay Example Macdonald’s corporation is recognised as one of the most popular fast food organization, operating successfully in more than 111countires and 24000 restaurants in the entire globe. It offers varied types of dishes with ingredients such as chicken, fish, eggs, sausage, French fries, salads and many others1. Due to which, it is highly preferred by the individual of all castes, culture, race and creed thereby making it leading brand in the segment of fast foods. As a result it comprises of almost 50 percent of the market share in this segment among other competitors. Keeping this fact in mind, numerous individual owners are trying to open the franchise of McDonald’s that proved effective for the organization in enhancing its number of outlets and stores. Due to which, its ranking and revenue has increased to $ 350, 000. In order to retain the sustainable competitive position of the organization or brand within the minds of the customers, the employees or owners of Macdonald’s desired to offer high-quality of food products at a lowest possible time. This is because; the aim of the brand of Macdonald’s is to offer fast, friendly and perfect services to its target customers in the entire globe. This might help the organization in enhancement of the brand image and reliability of the brand thereby amplifying the rate of satisfaction of the customers as well. Not only this, such a strategy is used by the organization in order to increase its range of customers and reduce its business threats to a significant extent2. However, in order to fulfil such a dream, all the franchise owners in the entire globe desired to offer more concentration over three basic factors namely speed, affordability and standardization. Among them, speed is recognised as the vital factor of the operational strategy of Macdonald’s in order to offer the ordered dish to the customer in lowest possible time. However, in order to do so, the management desires to offer

Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Economy - Essay Example tanding of how the economy is utilizing scarce resources, economists delve into classifications of GDP and its effects on the several forms of spending occurring in the country. The GDP is divided into four main components. These include consumption, investment, government purchases and net exports. All these components when added together equal the GDP. The relationship between GDP and its four components can be expressed in the form of an equation as follows: This equation represents an identity (Mankiw 208). This means that the variables of the equation are going to decide on the validity of the equation. In the equation, all sorts of expenditure that is done in the country are classified into either of the components of the GDP. The largest part of the GDP is consumption purchases and constituted 70% of the GDP in the US in 2007 (Mankiw 211). They entail the expenditure of the household on consumer goods and services in a particular period. Consumption purchases entail a flow concept (Gwartney et al. 153). The services and goods that the consumers opt for are mostly nondurable in nature. Expenditures done on food, clothing, entertainment and medical services are part of consumption purchases. These products are not very long-lasting and are used up in a short span of time. On the other hand, durable products such as cars form only one-ninth of the total consumption purchases and are used up over a long period of time. Investment entails the production of capital goods that are going to cause a flow of future services. They are not consumed over a short period of time and include the investments of companies into machineries and equipments as well as houses. Gross private investment can be carried out for the purpose of replacing old machinery or for adding net additions to the existing pool of capital assets (Gwartney et al. 153). Net investment is crucial in knowing the future scope of productivity of the economy. In 2007, they equaled to 15% of the GDP in