Handle Popular Culture Terms with Care

Handle Popular Culture Terms with Care Handle Popular Culture Terms with Care Handle Popular Culture Terms with Care By Mark Nichol Writers and editors must exercise caution when using terms and idioms that organically develop in popular culture. A misunderstanding of meaning or implication can adversely affect the message or impact of written content, so if you’re unsure about something, take a little time to research an unfamiliar or ambiguous word or phrase online. Sometimes, a pop culture pileup occurs because an idiom takes on two or more meanings. Take, for instance, the term redshirt. The traditional definition of the noun form describes a collegiate athlete kept out of competition in their freshman year to allow them to be eligible in their second through fifth years of higher education, rather than in the usual first four years. (These students, though still permitted to train with their teams, were originally distinguished from eligible teammates by wearing red shirts.) The term, thanks to the flexibility of the English language, also came to be used as an adjective (â€Å"The team has four redshirted players this year†) and a verb (â€Å"She redshirted last season.†) Furthermore, it has recently been extended to refer to children held back from kindergarten as a purported developmental benefit. However, a new, quite distinct meaning developed from usage among the fans of a cult television series that later expanded into an extensive multimedia franchise, and the term has become correspondingly more ubiquitous. On the original Star Trek series, initially aired during the late 1960s, at least one crew member of the starship Enterprise was often killed by some extraterrestrial menace or other and that person was usually a security officer, designated by a red uniform. Therefore, fans came to refer to these expendable stock characters as redshirts. (The latest Star Trek film, released in 2009, pays tribute to that trope by foreshadowing a bit character’s fate through the color of his uniform.) As familiarity with the Star Trek universe, and as appreciation of science fiction in general, became more pervasive in our culture, the concept of futuristic cannon fodder already had a name, and now the term is used throughout the sci-fi genre. (Similarly, at least one horror movie fan site, in its reviews, refers to doomed film characters as monster chow.) Numerous other references to the phrase pertain to various political and social movements that use or used such a garment as a unifying theme, and there’s even a Red Shirt School of Photography; this derogatory term refers to the tendency among National Geographic photographers and their imitators to favor (or even stage) brightly colored subjects for dramatic visual impact. Another pop culture reference with divergent meanings (though in this case, one was hatched from the other) is â€Å"rubber chicken.† The original trope is the prop of that description used in stand-up comedy and other entertainment such as juggling, and sometimes displayed at home or at the office as a goofy sight gag. (The rubber chicken apparently evolved from inflated pig bladders used as props by court jesters.) Subsequently, the term was employed to refer to the entree served as large invitation-only events that include a meal. Because of the time constraints, numerous plates of chicken are precooked, then reheated just before serving, giving the meat a tough consistency suggestive of the comic prop. From this term, the idiom â€Å"the rubber chicken circuit† was derived to describe the milieu of events such as fund-raising dinners for political campaigning, where such food is served. The next step in the pop culture progression, I suppose, is redshirted rubber chickens. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating ConjunctionsLatin Words and Expressions: All You Need to Know40 Idioms with First

Satis house and entrance Essays

Satis house and entrance Essays Satis house and entrance Paper Satis house and entrance Paper Dickens uses repetition often so it makes the readers think there is a sense of danger and threat. It also causes a bit of humour because the convict keeps saying he will rip out Pips heart and liver.  In the churchyard Pip meets a man called Magwitch who is a convict and Pip knows he is a convict and the readers also do because Dickens says  A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied around his head. A man who ha been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled: and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin. In Dickens day if you didnt wear a hat you were considered not to be a gentlemen and were worthless so this make Pip sense threat.  Dickens uses verbs such as soaked, smothered, lamed and stung. This is to keep the readers visualising what the convict has been through to escape. This also ties in with earlier when the convict says  I wish I was a frog or a eel!  Magwitch says this because he is soaking wet and muddy he has escaped from prison and he wishes he were an eel because hes on the marshes and being an eel would suit him and the environment.  In chapter eight Dickens writes about Miss Havishams house in a dark and creepy manor and this sets the atmosphere for her house. It was paved and clean, but grass was growing in every crevice. And all was empty and disused. The cold wind seemed to blow colder than outside the gate; and it made a shrill noise in howling in and out at the open sides of the brewery, like the noise of the wind in the rigging of a ship at sea.  The world shrill noise gives the readers a unpleasant imagination of what kind of dark noise it. This makes the house sound supernatural and like it is in a world of its own. The house makes Pip feel insecure and it makes him feel like he doesnt know himself. Also the words ship at sea implies that Pip is on a new voyage because he is meeting different people and going on new journeys. In chapter eight Dickens portrays Satis house and explains how the entrance has got two chains across it, which acts as a prison. This shows that Miss Havisham has become a prisoner and has imprisoned herself in her own house.   The great front entrance had two chains across it outside- and the first thing I noticed was that the passages were all dark. This also ties in with chapter one because Miss Havisham has imprisoned herself and Magwitch has escaped from prison. The word dark reveals that Miss Havisham lives in complete darkness because she has imprisoned herself from light because she has closed all the shutters and windows so the light doesnt peer through. Dickens later on writes bout Miss Havishams brewery yard in a very negative way and he implies death is all around and this ties in with chapter one and this is why the brewery yard is deserted.   To be sure it was a deserted place.  Also the word no is repeated often because this reveals that everything in the brewery yard is dead including animal and this is why its deserted.  Later in Great Expectations Dickens writes about how the beer in the empty caskets had turned sour which is a metaphor and this implies with Miss Havisham because she has also turned sour. He also writes about the garden, which he describes as a rank garden and he also writes about how the house is overgrown with tangled weeds. This ties in with chapter one when Pip goes to the churchyard to his parents grave to visualise them and his brothers the grave stones are overgrown with tangled weeds. Which had a certain sour remembrance of better days lingering about them;  Behind the farthest end of the brewery was a rank garden.  When Pip first enters Miss Havishams house he walks into a dark room which waiting for him is Miss Havisham. When he walks in he sees a ladys a dressing table and back in Dickens days if you had dressing table you were considered to be rich.  And that I made out at first to be a fine ladys dressing table.  When Pip goes into Satis house and meets Miss Havisham he realises that she has a ladys dressing table and that Miss Havisham herself was wearing rich materials like satin, lace and silks. The word white is repeated a varied of times and this makes it incongruous. He also notices that she is not wearing her watch and neither her train and she only has one shoe on this gives the reader the impression Miss Havisham is half arranged. She was dressed in rich materials- satins and lace, and silks- all of white. For she had but one shoe on- the other had was on the table near her hand- her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on.  Dickens uses imagery of death and decay by describing Miss Havisham dress as faded and yellow. This implies that she has also faded and lost her essence and immortality. She has also withered, and has sunken eyes this implies she has lost the passion from her eyes and now her eyes seem to reveal a dark past. She also looked liked a ghastly waxwork, which tells us she seems alive but she is no longer living inside.  Furthermore Dickens writes about how Miss Havisham is half dressed and still trapped in the past with all of her bad memories she cant escape. Miss Havisham is stuck in a time where she doesnt wasnt to forget that she was gilted. Miss Havisham has stopped all the clocks because she doesnt want to forget. Watch had stopped a twenty minutes to nine, and that a clock in the room had stopped at twenty minutes to nine.  Miss Havisham has stopped all the clocks because she doesnt want to forget that awful day. She wants people to know that she was gilted and its like she wants to drag everyone down with her so they can also feel her pain and misery. Miss Havisham because of this sort of inhales all of her pain and misery and thrives off it to sort of survive.   She uttered the word with an eager look, and with strong emphasises, and with a weird smile that had a kind of boast in it. Dickens creates death imagery again by creating Miss Havisham as a dead corpse and describes everything as decayed and which have no expression to them anymore. A shroud covers a dead body so this ties in with the death imagery.  Dickens writes about how Miss Havisham looks like she is wearing grave-clothes or the long veil so like a shroud. So she sat, corpse-like.  Dickens writes about Miss Havisham in a very low and intimidating way. He writes about now the emotional blow from when she was gilted is like physical violence because of he appearance. Her chest had drooped, so that she stooped; and her voice had dropped, so that she spoke low, and with a dead lull upon her; altogether she had the appearance of having drooped, body and soul, within and without, under the weight of a crushing blow.  The first time Pip meets Estelle he gets very intimidated by her and she is very sarcastic towards Pip and this makes Pip feel small. She always calls Pip boy and this intimidates him even more even though theyre about the same age.   But dont loiter boy. She seemed much older than I, of course being a girl and beautiful and self-possessed; and she was a scornful of me as if she had been one-and-twenty, and a queen. Later on again Estelle makes Pip feel really small and she intimidates him so much about his hands. This makes Pip feel insecure about his body and also this hurts him inside because he doesnt know who he is anymore.   I had never though of being ashamed of my own hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair. Her contempt was so strong, that it became infectious, and I caught it.  The same as Estelle keeps on making Pip feel insecure and makes hi not sure of who he really is. Estelle treats Pip like dog and this is very humiliating for Pip.   As if I was a dog in disgrace. I was humiliated, hurt spurned, offended, angry and sorry.  After Estelle had intimidated Pip about his hands she humiliates Pip about his background and about how he plays cards and what he calls them. Hes always been like a friend to Joe but because now Pip has been taught wrong what the cards are called he feels ashamed and embarrassed and blames Joe for it. They had never troubled me before, but they troubled me now, as vulgar appendages. I determined to ask Joe why he had never taught me to call those picture- cards, Jacks, which ought to be called Knaves.  After this Pip is feeling even smaller and very scared. He is scared of Estelle because of the way he was brought up by his sister in a very strict and punishable way. This has made Pip feel sensitive and very vulnerable when around Estelle.   My sisters bringing up had made me sensitive. In the little world in which children have their existence, whoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice. In a great part refer the fact that I was morally timid and sensitive.  Dickens creates imaginative and passionate images of people and places by the novel being serialised. Dickens teases us by not telling us more of the story and leaving it exciting and imaginative moments. The favourite image in my mind Dickens has created for me when Pip was stood outside Satis house and entrance and it had chains across it which made it look like a prison you were trapped in. It creates and very strong and dark image in my mind and it was like I was there visualising the entrance of Satis house

Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hank Aaron or Barry Bonds - Essay Example Bonds did smack five homers in 42 at bats in a cameo return in September, increasing his career total to 708, seven short of surpassing Ruth as the most prolific lefthanded power hitter ever. Bonds, 41, vowed to play next season with a slimmer physique to reduce the wear on his body. His first test drive will be as a DH in the World Baseball Classic in March. Given his age and surgical history, the condition of his knees appears to be the only thing keeping the Giants' leftfielder from slugging his 756th homer and overtaking Hank Aaron's alltime record by June 2007. Major League Baseball will be conflicted about how to celebrate Bonds's eclipsing Ruth. Scores of security agents will patrol the outfield seats to verify possession of the 715 ball. Should it occur on the road, pockets of fans will boo. Whatever ceremony is staged will be muted because of Bonds's connection with BALCO. The occasion will take place without the commissioner of baseball, who will claim no obligation to be on hand for a player securing second place on an alltime list. The top spot will be a different story, forcing Bud Selig to attend, where he will applaud politely. Send his butt to first. Don't even think about pitching to him. I don't care if no one's on base. Let's not have him beat us in the first inning. I'd rather have him on first with the bases loaded than those guys out there in the water fighting over a ball. And so it goes with Barry ... In turn, the hostility between Barry and the media is real - as real as his feared black bat, as real as his rock-hard body, as real as his focus to do his job without regard to what anyone says about him. Bonds' Godfather Willie Mays says, "He thinks no one likes him." Mays and Barry are total opposites. During his career, Mays was an engaging personality, but he could be mean as the devil to reporters he didn't like, and those he didn't trust. In that respect, he shares a common bond with his godson, who in July will turn 40 years of age. This season, Barry is sitting on 10 homeruns, 28 runs scored, 27 hits, 22 RBI and an .818 slugging percentage - tops in all of baseball. In 33 games, he's had 77 batting attempts, 56 of them walks. Absolutely every manager in baseball has taken the bat out of his hand. He's a patient one at the plate, so he's not going fishing. Let's go back to the Mark McGwire year of 1998 when Mark hit a MLB record-busting 70 homeruns. If you dissect that season you will discover a raw number of pitchers who threw batting practice pitches to Mark as he surged towards the record. It was like, here comes a fast one down the middle. It was almost the same with Sammy Sosa, one of baseball's most popular players. No such thing for Bonds, however. Hardly anyone wants to see him past Babe. And another thing, virtually every time there is talk of Barry and the record, it's always, "Will he pass Ruth" The hell with Ruth; Bonds is chasing Aaron. The Babe is only in the way. In one game earlier this season, Barry drew four intentional walks to first base. He's without question the greatest player of his time, and arguably the greatest player of all time. A six-time MVP, no one

Beyond the Multi-Ethnic Metropolis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Beyond the Multi-Ethnic Metropolis - Assignment Example Minority ethnic people in the district are more likely to be living in overcrowded accommodation than white British residents. Overcrowding was a particularly common problem among the Bangladeshi, Chinese and Pakistani population. Commonly reported problems included damp and condensation, ineffective heating systems, poor insulation around doors and windows, hazardous environments such as broken doors and windows, inadequate or malfunctioning amenities and poor quality repairs and maintenance (p556.) Identifying the purpose of the research: In the United States, substantial consideration has been given to the association of place of residence with economic disadvantage. This fact has added to understand polarization there. More recently, de Souza Briggs (2007) has pointed out that changes in settlements reflect the changing geography of race and opportunity (550). With this view, the study is conducted basically to explore the neglected housing experiences of minority ethnic people in small-town England. To discuss this aspect two key points are asserted. First, that minority ethnic people living in small towns bump into many of the same housing inequalities as their counterparts in metropolitan England. Second, that small town England presents a series of unique challenges demanding distinct responses not answered by the existing evidence base. This paper emphasizes that place plays an important role in deciding minority settlement patterns but very few studies have made effort to these to the place (549). Research and policy look for multiethnic metropolis for the specific social, cultural, political, economic and material situation while the rural and small-town England is overlooked.T hough such a need arises as Countryside Agency reported that by 2001 nearly 600 000 minority ethnic people were recorded as living in the 184 rural districts of England accounting for 4.3 percent of the total population in these areas (551).

Starbucks Coffee Essay Example for Free

Starbucks Coffee Essay

Violence in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: essays research papers

Violence in Literature Mohandas Gandhi once stated these words, "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary, the evil it does is permanent." The same can be said about many things in life. However, when thought about, few people may consider the violence brought up in literature. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are many scenes that illustrate the blind, violent nature that most humans tend to share. Mark Twain has used violence throughout his novel to enhance his beliefs on the injustices of slavery and any other form of senseless violence known to mankind. From the beginning with Pap's continuous abuse towards Huck, till the end with Emmiline Grangerfords poetry, is filled with violent sections that magnify the hypocrisy and stupidity of people. Almost immediately we are introduced to the drunken, deranged man who is Huck?s father, Pap. Pap is an alcoholic who roams from place to place buying up booze and sleeping wherever he can. Huck has never viewed him as a real father figure because Pap has almost never been there for Huck, except when he is ?disciplining? him. Pap is uneducated and disapproves of Huck attending school. Pap tells Huck, "you're educated...You think your're better'n your father, now, don't you, because he can't?" (14) Huck puts up with Pap?s numerous beatings because he does not want to be the cause of any more controversies between himself and Pap. Huck explains, "If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way" (95). Pap?s addiction to alcohol is how Twain views the affect that alcohol can have on a person. He believes that alcohol is a money waster, can affect the sanity of people, and how it can turn even de cent men into complete scoundrels. Subsequently, Huck continues his journey down the river to another town where he suddenly finds himself staying with the Grangerfords. Huck soon befriends a boy named Buck who tells him all about the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. Both have been fighting for over 30 years but neither of them know exactly why they are battling each other. Buck explains, ??but they don?t know now what the row was about in the first place?(180). The tribal ware fare of the families is suppressed with religion.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics †F-16 Modular Mission Computer Application Software

About the Company: Although they are a global security and information technology company, the majority of Lockheed Martin’s business comes from U. S Department of Defense and Federal Agencies. In fact, they are the largest provider of IT services, systems integration, and training to the U. S Government. The remaining portion of Lockheed Martin’s business is comprised of international government and some commercial sales of products, services and platforms. Lockheed Martin’s operating units are organized into broad business areas – Aeronautics: $11. billion in 2008 sales includes tactical aircraft, airlift, and aeronautical research and development lines of business. Electronic Systems: $11. 6 billion in 2008 sales includes missiles and fire control, naval systems, platform integration, simulation and training and energy programs lines of business. Information Systems & Global Services: $11. 6 billion in 2008 sales includes C4I (stands for â€Å"Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence†), federal services, government and commercial IT solutions. Space Systems: $8 billion in 2008 sales includes space launch, commercial satellites, government satellites, and strategic missiles lines of business. Something about the F-16 – The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight, daytime fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft. Over 4400 aircraft have been built since production was approved in 1976 and it currently serves in the air forces of 25 nations. About the Software: The Aeronautics division of LM’s, based in Fort Worth, Texas has used the OMG’s MDA to develop Application Software for the F-16 Modular Mission Computer. This software is cross-platform compatible and has highly increased productivity and quality. Just as the highly demanding environment of avionics software development and the MMC (Modular Mission Computer) itself. What is the MMC? The Modular Mission Computer is a cost-effective MLU (Mid – Life Update) for the F-16, which combines advanced computing capabilities for both weapons and avionics in a single high performance system. Developed by Raytheon (Lockheed Martin’s F-16 team), it replaces three computers with one superior system, reducing weight by 55%, volume by 42% and power by 32%. What is OMG’s MDA? OMG (Object Management Group) – since 1989 – is a non – profit computer industry consortium. Their board of directors represents most of the organizations that shape, enterprise and internet computing today. Their membership includes hundreds of organizations, most of them representing virtually every large organization in the computer industry and many smaller ones. MDA (Model Driven Architecture) is a modeling standard, which along with UML (Unified Modeling Language), enable powerful visual design, execution and maintenance of software and other processes, including IT Systems Modeling and Business Process Management. When and why was this software developed? The MMC upgrade was a part of the MLU process of the F-16. When plans of replacing the F-16 (in operation since 1979) with its successor in 1999 stalled, they decided to modernize the aircraft, which became the MLU (Mid –Life Update). Part of this modernization process was developing software with cross – platform compatibility. The goal should be to provide cross-platform compatibility of Application Software despite any Implementation, or platform specific, changes: that is, changes to the Hardware Platform, the Software Execution Platform, or the Application Software Interface {draw:frame} The development Process – The F-16 MMC team originally used traditional CASE tools with an OO modeling notation to specify the software before manually coding it in Ada (Language extended from Pascal). When they migrated their development to Kennedy Carter’s iUML tool, they gained the ability to use a UML action language which made their UML models executable. They could then test their UML models to verify their intended behavior before hand-coding the implementation. More recently they have used Kennedy Carter’s iCCG product to specify, in eXecutable UML, an Ada code generator which can automatically generate 100% of the Ada implementation. By this means they guarantee that their UML models are entirely platform independent and portable across any future platform. {draw:frame} eXecutable UML Modeling: Overview xUML models are a complete representation of the problem space (not a top-level or preliminary design) Modeling is performed using a Unified Modeling Language (UML) representation Modeling makes use of a precise Action Specification Language (ASL) and is therefore executable (providing early validation of the models) Each xUML model is a Platform Independent Model (PIM), that is, completely implementation-independent (i. e. independent of the hardware platform, the software execution platform, and the application software interface) _Design Tagging: _Overview Whereas xUML modeling is platform- independent, Design Tagging is platform-specific (i. e. pecific to a particular Application Software Interface) Platform-specific design decisions (only those needed to support code generation) are made during Design Tagging, and are represented with design tag values that are applied to the xUML models The most standard implementation is always assumed by the code generator, such that only exceptions must be tagged Design Tagging is overlaid on (not embedded in) the xUML models, such that it may be included or excluded Desi gn Tagging: Specifying the PIM to PSM Mapping {draw:frame} Automatic Code Generation: Overview Automatic code generation is simply an extension of the code generation technique used for simulation of the eXecutable UML models on the development platform, this extension being for the target (embedded) platform The code generator is developed within the same environment as the application software using the same eXecutable MDA strategy {text:list-item} Nearly all implementation-specific design tasks (all but the design decisions represented by design tag values) are performed by the code generator, not the software developers Advantages of the eXecutable MDA Approach Increased Quality The majority of software developers are isolated from implementation details, allowing them to focus on a thorough analysis of the application space Maintenance of the application source code is eliminated, while maintenance of the xUML models is ensured Defect injection (and the resulting rework) is reduced by automating the software phase in which most defects are injected {text:list-item} Increased Productivity Rework is reduced Early validation through simulation reduces rework {text:list-item} Higher quality implementation (due to automation) reduces rework Software development span time is reduced by automating the implementation phase Application Software development schedule is reduced by at least 20% The code generator, not each software developer, performs the majority of implementation-specific design tasks 40-60% of physical source code Cross-Platform Compatibility One Application Software xUML Model database may be reused (as is) on any platform for which a mapping is defined (i. e. a code generator is developed) xUML models are compatible with any hardware platform, any Software Execution Platform, and any Application Software Interface xUML models are compatible with any implementation language References: Dr P. J. Wright, Lockheed Martin Success Story: 2002, http://www. omg. org/mda Lauren E. Clark, Power point presentation, F-16 Modular Mission Computer Application Software: 2001, Lockheed Martin Corporation. Lisa Hsu, Paper – F-16 Modular Mission Comput er (MMC), 2006, Raytheon Company

Being a Man: Rhetorical Analysis

Being a Man, by Paul Theroux, delineates the negative effects of being a man According to himself. Theroux, in his piece, argues that a man is oppressed by gender expectations, despite living in a society where women are belittled in comparison to men. Theroux attempts to explain the gap between genders which cause bad marriages, social misfits, moral degenerates, sadists, and latent rapists. Theroux proposes that the idea of manhood in America has caused some men to feel like they dislike being a men, and caused them to reject part of their own identity deep down inside.His overall purpose it to bring awareness to both genders that an oppression is happening to American society due to gender. Theroux tries to create understanding between the two opposing genders and find common ground against the same type of oppression both genders face, â€Å"This version of masculinity is a little like having to wear an ill-fitting coat for one’s entire life (by contrast, I imagine femini nity to be an oppressive sense of nakedness)†.Theroux uses parenthetical comments in order to widen the range of theme to his essay. He not only writes about man, but about women to and how they both have become affected by the gender constructs put in place from living in an American society. This allows his target audience (both men and women) to become understanding of his purpose in the essay. Not only are men able to relate, but women to as they are remembered in the fact that they face the same oppression as the one described by Theroux.This rhetorical effect is repeated to reemphasize Theroux’s purpose, â€Å"(The paradox in American letters is that it has always been easier for a woman to write and for a man to be published)† Theroux is able to not only give the message that the gender constructs oppresses only men, but also women, gender in general for that matter. Theroux is able to successfully convey his message (to both genders) that this society is harmful to both genders. Theroux appeals to the audience’s sense of emotion as he applies his arguments soundly to gender oppression, an emotion felt with both members to his target audience.His argument is that gender constructs lead to an oppression that leaves one feeling a displeasure with their own identity. This feeling of self-loathing appeals to people’s sense of emotion. This appeal allows the readers to engage and relate, which captivates them into realizing Theroux’s message. Theroux is effective in his proper use of pathos without having to consult much with the author branches of persuasion, credibility and logic. Personally I am not able to relate much with the American gender construct. Seeing as I was raised in a more Mexican household, I was raised to believe in a stricter gender construct.One that doesn’t apply much to Theroux’s description of the male gender construct setup by American society. Mine has roots in a one that emphas izes absolute respect for women and realizing that her body is nothing less than sacred. You’d think that this would be a better way of thinking, but this kind of thinking still implies that a woman is in need of more respect, which creates a kind of sexual inequality. Although making sense and persuading me in his argument, I was not able to relate to his argument, which was part of his purpose.

The eNotes Blog Stay Woke 8 Award-Winning Books About Race, Feminism, andImmigration

Stay Woke 8 Award-Winning Books About Race, Feminism, andImmigration Read more books by diverse authors was a friends New Years resolution which, in my humblest opinion, is an important evolution from the common and, dare I say, vanilla Read more! resolution. While challenging because of  the low levels of publishing industry representation, reading diverse  books is a rewarding and crucial task in confronting your perspectives, privileges, and preconceptions. It helps us  not only practice empathy but also  intersectional empathy- a multi-dimensional way for us to hear, understand, and feel the varied experiences of other humans to the best of our ability. Complex topics like race, gender, immigration, class, and income inequality are at our socio-political forefront (now, seemingly more than ever). Poetry, essays, and fiction on these themes, penned by those with unique perspectives and experiences, are a crucial tool to listen to underrepresented voices. At , weve been working to highlight some of these important authors and texts with the intent to bring our readers more eye-opening, enriching literary experiences. Weve listed eight of our new, thematic favorites here and welcome your beloved recommendations in the comments below. 1. Between the World and Me Central Themes: Race and Racism â€Å"It is not necessary that you believe that the officer who choked Eric Garner set out that day to destroy a body. All you need to understand is that the officer carries with him the power of the American state and the weight of an American legacy, and they necessitate that of the bodies destroyed every year, some wild and disproportionate number of them will be black.† Between the World and Me  is a book-length letter by Ta-Nehisi Coates, written the year Tamir Rice and Eric Garner were killed and the year the world learned that Michael Browns killers would go free. Its written to Coatess fifteen-year-old son Samori to explain to him what it means to be a black man in America. Race and the black body are some of the central themes in  Between the World and Me- historically explaining how black bodies have been brutally used and imprisoned by their oppressors. Coates has learned how to bear this weighty burden, a burden shared by all African Americans, and he hopes to teach Samori to do the same. The American Dream, fatherhood, and death are other prevalent themes. 2. Bad Feminist Central Theme: Feminism â€Å"I embrace the label of bad feminist because I am human. I am messy. I’m not trying to be an example. I am not trying to be perfect. I am not trying to say I have all the answers. I am not trying to say I’m right. I am just trying- trying to support what I believe in, trying to do some good in this world, trying to make some noise with my writing while also being myself.† Roxane Gay writes about race, gender, sex, politics, and popular culture in this collection of thirty-seven essays.  Bad Feminists prevailing theme is, of course, feminism: a complicated word, Gay acknowledges, loaded with social misconceptions. To Gay, feminism is simply the belief that women should be treated as equals instead of second-class citizens (radical, I know). In her opinion, a bad feminist is someone who doesnt always fit the traditional, and often misguided, mold of a feminist- she likes the color pink and rap music. As an African American, Gay is an important intersectional voice contributing to the conversation on what it means to be a feminist, even if the core concept is a simple one. 3. Homegoing Central Themes: Race and Racism, Slavery â€Å"We believe the one who has power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.† Homegoing  by Yaa Gyasi is a novel about two half-sisters who never meet, Effia and Esi, with radically different lives. Effia married a slave trader, and Esi was sold into slavery (by Effias husband).  The novel is broken into two parts, seven chapters each, with alternating chapters between Effias and Esis descendants. As is evident, race, racism, and slavery are central themes of the novel. Family is another important theme  as its essentially the story of two families with very different histories. Effias and Esis different family lines came to ultimately represent two different African experiences of being sold into slavery and being spared from it. 4. The Refugees Central Theme: Immigration He repeated his story so often even she allowed herself to believe it, until the afternoon of the seventh day, when they saw, in the distance, the rocky landing strip of a foreign coast. Nesting upon it were the huts of a fashing village, seemingly composed of twigs and grass, brooded over by a fringe of mangroves. At the sight of land, she had thrown herself into the professors arms, knocking his glasses askew, and sobbed openly for the first time in front of her startled children. The Refugees is a collection of eight short stories by Viet Thanh Nguyen, a professor from Vietnam- his debut novel, The Sympathizer,  was a  recipient of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The characters in The Refugees  are Vietnamese immigrants and their children, many whom fled Vietnam after the communist regime came into power. The central theme is, of course, immigration.  While the journies of the characters arent always safe, easy, or even attainable, its a complex but critical process to escape the communist regime in Vietnam. That said, communism is another theme of these short stories, as well as death and economic status- two haunting and fate-determining issues hanging over the various characters narratives. 5. We Should All Be Feminists Central Theme: Feminism â€Å"My own definition is a feminist is a man or a woman who says, yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better. All of us, women and men, must do better.† Chimamanda Ngozi Adichies We Should All Be Feminists was adapted from her wildly popular TEDx Talk. According to Adichie, being a feminist means understanding and acknowledging the foundational fact that sexism exists. She draws upon her early experiences growing up in Nigeria and, from there, her anecdotal experience and insight on feminism, economic power, and gender roles.  We Should All Be Feminists  is more-than-worth the read (and the watch!). 6. Americanah Central Themes: Race and Racism, Americanization â€Å"If you dont understand, ask questions. If youre uncomfortable about asking questions, say you are uncomfortable about asking questions and then ask anyway. Its easy to tell when a question is coming from a good place. Then listen some more. Sometimes people just want to feel heard. Heres to possibilities of friendship and connection and understanding.† Another work by  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  Americanah  is novel about a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who lives in Princeton, New Jersey, and decides to move back to Nigeria- shortly after going through a romantic break-up.  Ifemelu reconnects with her first love, Obinze, whom she first met and fell in love with immediately while in Nigeria. Though the prevailing themes are race, racism, and Americanization (Ifemelu manages a blog where she explores the issues of being a non-American black woman in America), the novel is also a powerful story about immigration and, ultimately, love. 7. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Central Themes: Race and Racism, Mass Incarceration In every state across our nation, African Americans- particularly in the poorest neighborhoods- are subjected to tactics and practices that would result in public outrage and scandal if committed in middle-class white neighborhoods. Michelle Alexander, civil rights lawyer and Ohio State associate professor of law, argues that Jim Crow never died, but that it simply took a new form in the shape of mass incarceration. Loaded with historical and current facts  and court cases,   The New Jim Crow underlines how  convicts have effectively become slaves- stripped of their freedom, voting rights, and access to government programs. Loaded with historical backdrop, statistics, and recent court cases, this book effectively shows how the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, and Supreme Court rulings justifying racial profiling have contributed to systematic racism and oppression. 8. milk and honey Central Themes: Gender, Abuse, Sex and Love my father shoves the word hush between [my mothers] lips and tells her to never speak with her mouth full this is how the women in my family learned to live with their mouths closed Rupi Kaurs inaugural book,  milk and honey,  is a best-selling collection of poetry, primarily written from the point of view of a woman whos experienced sexual and emotional abuse from men. Its broken into four parts that form a loose narrative arc: The Hurting, The Loving, The Breaking, The Healing. Kaur is an immigrant from India (currently based in Canada) who was unable to speak English with the other children at school. Her feminist poetry is primarily about abuse (and overcoming it, the healing), sex, and love- which she identifies as not necessarily always going hand in hand.

Heat of Formation Worked Example Problem

Heat of Formation Worked Example Problem Heat of formation is the enthalpy change that occurs when a pure substance forms from its elements under conditions of constant pressure. These are worked example problems calculating the heat of formation. Review The symbol for the standard heat of formation (also known as the standard enthalpy of formation) is ΔHf or ΔHf ° where: Δ indicates a change H indicates enthalpy, which is only measured as a change, not as an instantaneous value  ° indicates a thermal energy (heat or temperature) f means formed or that a compound is being formed from its component elements You may wish to review the Laws of Thermochemistry and endothermic and exothermic reactions before you begin. Tables are available for heats of formation of common compounds and ions in aqueous solution. Remember, heat of formation will tell you whether heat was absorbed or released and the quantity of heat. Problem 1 Calculate ΔH for the following reaction: 8 Al(s) 3 Fe3O4(s) → 4 Al2O3(s) 9 Fe(s) Solution ΔH for a reaction is equal to the sum of the heats of formation of the product compounds minus the sum of the heats of formation of the reactant compounds: ΔH ÃŽ £ ΔHf products - ÃŽ £ ΔHf reactants Omitting terms for the elements, the equation becomes: ΔH 4 ΔHf Al2O3(s) - 3 ΔHf Fe3O4(s) The values for ΔHf may be found in the Heats of Formation of Compounds table. Plugging in these numbers: ΔH 4(-1669.8 kJ) - 3(-1120.9 kJ) ΔH -3316.5 kJ Answer ΔH -3316.5 kJ Problem 2 Calculate ΔH for the ionization of hydrogen bromide: HBr(g) → H(aq) Br-(aq) Solution ΔH for a reaction is equal to the sum of the heats of formation of the product compounds minus the sum of the heats of formation of the reactant compounds: ΔH ÃŽ £ ΔHf  products - ÃŽ £ ΔHf  reactants Remember, the heat of formation of H  is zero. The equation becomes: ΔH ΔHf  Br-(aq) - ΔHf  HBr(g) The values for ΔHf  may be found in the Heats of Formation of Compounds of Ions  table. Plugging in these numbers: ΔH -120.9 kJ - (-36.2 kJ) ΔH -120.9 kJ 36.2 kJ ΔH -84.7 kJ Answer ΔH -84.7 kJ

Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter - Essay Example I completely agree with your observation that the California public education in the 20th century was at its ‘peaks of excellence’ and that the public elementary, secondary and higher education institutes in the state showed immense commitment and dedication in offering quality education to many. However, I am also shocked to see the decline of the standard of education in the state towards the end of the 20th century. I also feel that the decline in the educational system is evident in terms of the ‘overcrowded classrooms, insufficient books and supplies, inadequate compensation and lay-offs’. It was quite shocking to me when you rightly pointed out that it is not due to any financial problems or recession (because California still owns one sixth of U.S GDP) that the public education sector has suffered so much setbacks. I strongly agree with your argument that even though the state has all the resources and talents to afford quality education, it is becaus e of the political system, anti-tax political culture, wrong configuration of higher education system, and undue budget priorities that it lags behind in the realms of higher education.

Branding - Lexus Car Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Branding - Lexus Car Company - Essay Example Therefore, the re-branding process constitutes the development of a new ‘‘name, term, symbol, design or a combination of them’’ with an aim of reaching a new position in the stakeholders’ and competitors’ minds. Therefore, re-branding is measured by the level of changes in marketing aesthetics and brand position. Re-branding is either evolutionary where it involves minor, gradual and hardly perceptible changes in the aesthetics and positioning, or revolutionary where it involves major and identifiable changes in aesthetics and positioning that lead to fundamental re-definition of a company. This is a proposal on how to re-brand Lexus. Therefore, I shall examine the brand’s background and determine its position in the automobile industry. I shall then establish the reasons why the company would require to undergo a re-branding process. I shall then proceed with the formulation of the re-branding plan by taking advantage of underlying oppo rtunities and establish measures to counteract the challenges that might arise. The process shall culminate in the selection of an appropriate branding agency that will carry out the re-branding process. ... Although Lexus is fully owned by Toyota, it has developed its distinctive luxury image in the consumers’ minds. This image is entirely different from Toyota’s image that provide feisty and reliable cars and not flashy cars. In this case, Lexus was provided with its own brand values. The launch of a Japanese luxury car to compete with the likes of Cadillac, BMW and Mercedes Benz would have seemed preposterous some decades ago. However, the introduction of the Lexus LS 400 after the investment of colossal amounts and production of numerous prototypes broke this notion. Over the years, Lexus has evolved from an improbable outsider to a formidable force in the luxury automobiles industry. The competition among the leading luxury vehicle manufacturers has been heating up over the last few years. This race involves pushing sales, leading in profitability, admiration for its models and incorporating innovative technologies. Furthermore, to lead in this industry a company has t o offer better service and quality besides selling more units than the competitors. Although Europe has been experiencing an economic slump, the luxury automobile producers have been increasing their investments and production capacity. These efforts aim at increasing sales in growing markets such as the United States and China. This is because the luxury industry demands players to continuously raise the bar. Therefore, making counter-cyclical decisions, although not easy, can determine the level of progress that a company will achieve (Ciferri, 2013). Rationale for Re-branding The automobile industry is facing new challenges in controlling carbon dioxide emissions and in reducing fuel consumption. Manufacturers are focusing on developing ‘green’ concept vehicles that can be mass-produced.