CreationStories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

CreationStories - Essay Example It thus becomes of importance to recognize the different creation stories in the world and accept them as they are without bias. It thus becomes a fundamental issue for creation stories to be studied thoroughly and they can be compared and contrasted, and similarly be respected. The purpose of this study is to elaborate, compare and contrast the creation stories of Islam and creativity (Bramsen 2009). The Muslim creation story begins with a god and that if the god wants to create something, all he was to say was let it be and it became. He created the world and the heavens. He even created all forms of creatures to walk, crawl and fly all over the world. He also made the sun, moon, angels and stars to dwell in the universe in peace. The Quran continues and states that god poured down torrents of rain to break down the soil so that it could bring forth plants and the entire vegetation on the face of the earth. God commanded the angels to visit the earth so that they could pick up some types of soil so that man could be modeled. Then it was so and the first man was made and God named him Adam. God further went on and created the first woman and named her Eve so that they could live in paradise. Eve was made from the side of man. Adam was taught by God to give and name all creatures of the universe and the angel was ordered to bow down before Adam. However, Iblis one of God’s refused to follow the order and disobeyed God (Wolde 1997). Adam and eve were placed in a very beautiful garden which looked like a paradise and they were allowed to eat anything they wanted other than the fruits on the trees. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s direct commands and ate the fruit. When God found out, Adam and Eve were sent to earth because of their disobedience. Therefore, the purpose of the earth was to provide food and shelter to all mankind. Light was provided by the moon and the sun. Furthermore, the human race was to serve God by obeying him and his will as the Quran

How Do “an Unearthly Child” and “Rose” Introduce the Doctor Who Concept Essay Example for Free

How Do â€Å"an Unearthly Child† and â€Å"Rose† Introduce the Doctor Who Concept Essay Doctor Who was designed by Sydney Newman, the director of the BBC in 1963, who was faced with a dilemma. He was to produce a program for the family audience, which could be played between a sports programme, Grandstand, and a teen pop music programme, Jukebox Jury. Newman wanted the programme to entertain and educate people at the same time, in the ways of science and history. Newman, himself an adamant science-fiction fan, came up with the idea of a man, whom the people know little of, who travels around the cosmos in his 1960’s blue police box, his TARDIS. However, he needed some way to get the information from the Doctor to the public. Thus he created the companion, a normal person who accompanies the Doctor on his travels. He would introduce them in the first episodes, such as â€Å"Rose† and â€Å"An Unearthly Child†. 60’s audiences needed a programme that was not only entertaining, but also educational, since the whole family was to watch it. It also had to be appropriate for children to watch. Many families complained that the show was too frightening and gory. In fact, interest declined greatly if the Daleks did not feature in an episode. However, towards the late 1980s, interest bottomed out completely. The director of the programme at the time decided to take it off air. In 2005, we wanted shows that could make us ask questions, gave us an adrenaline rush or related to real life. Our expectations of television shows, especially in science-fiction and film, have risen with the new technology and special effects that can be used in a programme or film. Therefore, â€Å"Rose† uses special effects One of the show’s producer’s commented that she thought that the show may be too gory or frightening for the younger generation. The theme music was also a cause of complaint, as one mother said, â€Å"The theme music alone frightens my son†. A report showed that 3% of a surveyed audience found the show unsuitable for â€Å"family viewing†, because of the violent and frightening content. The show Doctor Who was a programme designed to educate families about space, science and history. However, nowadays, a typical family would not watch this together unless most or all of the children were teenage or grown up. We expect that a science-fiction programme should be dynamic, violent and exciting, because we want to have something to be scared of. It has, in recent times, leant over to the special effects and entertainment side of programmes in general, we do not expect a science-fiction programme to be educational as well as entertaining, and we feel that we only need documentaries for educating people. Doctor Who has merely become a source of entertainment. Rose, in â€Å"Rose†, is a blonde savvy East Londoner, speaks with a typical East-London accent and is a tough, here-and-now girl. Susan, in â€Å"An Unearthly Child† is a strange girl, seems to be the age of a secondary school girl, but with a much higher IQ and much more intelligent. We need the companions to ask questions, to help the public learn about the Doctor. There have always been no more than 3 companions at one time who travel with the Doctor. In â€Å"An Unearthly Child†, the first aired episode of Doctor Who, the Doctor traps 2 teachers in the TARDIS and takes them to the planet of the Daleks with his â€Å"grand-daughter†, Susan. Susan is around 16 years old. She seems to be the perfect student, according to the conversation which science teacher, Ian, who is worried that she may be too intelligent, and who is worried about his own intelligence has with Barbara, Susan’s history teacher, who is worried about her home life. The conversation is mixed with flashbacks of Susan in class, showing a more superior knowledge than her classmates. She has a high breathy voice, as was expected in actresses in the 1960s, and a 60s-style haircut, although it is very severely cut. These are the first clues that Susan is truly and â€Å"unearthly child†. When Barbara voices her worries, we are told that Susan has explained that she lives at a certain address. However, when Barbara visits to drop off a book that Susan has requested, there seems to be no legitimate address; it is a dump site, and when Barbara asks about Susan’s grandfather, Susan says that he prefers not to see people, although she mentions that he is a doctor. This plants the first seeds of doubt in the viewers’ minds, because although the flashbacks were strange, they could have just been referring to Susan as an overly intelligent child who doesn’t quite fit in with school life. We think that surely such an intelligent girl cannot live in a dump with only her grandfather. It also brings the viewers to worries such as, Is the grandfather a criminal, hiding away like that? and Is Susan really safe, living with such an old man?. We begin to think with the history teacher. When the teachers decide to go see Susan in a classroom, we have already learnt many of her qualities. The scene cuts to a shot of Susan in a classroom by herself. She is holding a small handheld music device to her ear and she is dancing to it. However, her dancing is not the typical 1960s dancing you would expect – it is very smooth and flowing, not something the audiences would expect from a teenager in 1963. The dancing makes her seem as if she has never heard the music before. This is another sign to show she is not really â€Å"from this world†. When the teachers ask her whether she would like a lift home (for it is dark), she declines the offer, saying that she likes the dark, â€Å"it’s mysterious†. She is also lent a book by Barbara, which appears to be one she has asked for. It is about the French Revolution. When scene ends, the shot is of Susan sitting on the table, holding the book and saying, â€Å"That’s not right! †. This almost seems as if she knows better, that she may have been there. This is the first proper hint of the fact that Susan is a time traveller. The previous hints may have shown that Susan was an odd child, that she had an active imagination. In â€Å"Rose†, we are introduced to Rose when she is finishing her shift at a department store. This shows that she is short of money, and implies that she did not receive a good education, because of the simple idea that uneducated people get jobs in Boots and Tescos. We cut to several shots from different angles within the space of a few seconds, as if to show the hectic speed that her life is played out at. This effect has been used because today, we are all familiar with Music has always played a key feature in television programmes, especially in dynamic and exciting shows like Doctor Who. For example, in â€Å"An Unearthly Child†, not much music is played, because much of the programme is conversation. The music that was played was spooky music, designed to scare the listener. It was mostly orchestrated, although some was edited with the â€Å"latest† 1960s equipment and technology. If the modern audience heard it today, they would think it is old-fashioned and outdated, because the music we hear today has a stronger beat and is we use more electronics to edit it. The props used in both â€Å"Rose† and â€Å"An Unearthly Child† have been synonymous to their times. The props used in the school scene of â€Å"An Unearthly Child† are only normal school desks and chairs. In the dump scene, outside the TARDIS, the dump is filled with typical things you would expect to find in a dump then. These props were well within budget, and because there were no stunts involving those scenes, the producers did not have to continuously pay money to have replacements built. This therefore, was cost effective. However, in â€Å"Rose†, to get the shots right when the department store blows up, the BBC had to pay for various things including safety screens for the cameras, insurance if the pyrotechnics went wrong, explosives and models for repeated shots. This however, was not too much of a problem, as the more modern episode had a bigger budget to account for the modern audience’s tastes – action, adrenaline, mystery and adventure. The camera shots also had to be cost effective, meaning that the ways in which both episodes were filmed both had to be appropriate and as accurate as possible. In â€Å"An Unearthly Child†, people were not used to people getting hurt on screen or otherwise. The budget and the technology could not stretch to the limits that we possibly might expect today. For example, the only major â€Å"stunt† scene is when the TARDIS starts up and Ian falls over. This effect was achieved by shaking the camera about while the actors fell about on set. This effect is laughable when watched today, but the 1960’s audience will have been filled with concern. Nowadays, the effect is achieved with a moving floor and a shaking camera. The shots in â€Å"An Unearthly Child† were produced by a camera which could not be zoomed in. This meant that between close-ups, the camera had to be moved. This was obviously time-consuming. The shot where the camera is moving around the TARDIS is achieved by placing the camera on a moving platform on rails or wheels. This is then moved while the camera is filming. Nowadays, we can pre-set the movements of the camera with a computer. In â€Å"Rose†, many computer generated effects were used to bring a sense of something that could not be created by man. For example, the Nestene Consciousness was a CGI effect. The effect had to be backed up by sound. The sounds that were needed were computer generated also, because the effect could not be achieved through instrumental music. . The actor Christopher Eccleston actually had to talk to a blank area on the ground while filming. Today the effects have moved on even more, and we can simply use greenscreen to solve the problem. The older episode, â€Å"An Unearthly Child† obviously could not have achieved these effects, as the technology to design them had not been created yet. As a viewer, I prefer the episode â€Å"Rose†, because the effects used in it created a sense of what the modern viewer wants – action, adrenaline, mystery and adventure. It is also longer, providing more entertainment for a longer period of time. This meant that the producer could cram a lot of information and adventure into one episode. The plot is more intriguing because the effects can be created by computer and other technology, not just physical objects.

Prove the Correct Order of Reactivity of Metals :: Metal Reactivity Science Experiments Essays

Prove the Correct Order of Reactivity of Metals Aim The aim of this experiment is to find a method of mathematically analysing the order of metal reactivity. This involved finding a safe, dependant variable which is numerically measurable. After testing all the metals and measuring such a variable, is my hope to set all of the metals into a proven, accurate order of activity. Plan Every element of the periodic table is made up of atoms. Each of the atoms consists of subatomic particles which make up a nucleus and outer orbits. The nucleus contains positively charged protons, and neutrally charged neutrons. These make up the relative mass of the atom. Orbiting the nucleus, attracted by the positive charge of the protons, are the electrons. This are arranged in layers, called energy levels, and have no mass. Only a certain number of electrons fit on each energy level, and it is this which affects the reactivity of certain materials and is also the way that the periodic table is arranged. The number of electrons in the outer energy level is the group in which the element is placed. The first level (nearest the nucleus) will only hold 2 electrons, the second holds 8, and the third also seems to be full when it has 8 electrons. If all of the energy levels in the atom are full populated with electrons, it is said to be stable, and in most cases, is therefore unreactive. Examples of this include the noble (or inert) gases such as neon or argon. However if the outer energy level of the atom is not stable, it will automatically try to either gain or lose electrons to become stable. This is achieved by an ionic reaction. Ionic bonding occurs when the outer atoms of on material changes orbit and joins another material for example: Sodium chloride As you can see, sodium is a group one metal (it has one electron on its outer energy level) so is therefore unstable. Chlorine on the other hand is a group 7 element. It is much easier for sodium to lose its outer electron to become stable, than it is for it to gain 7. The same is true for the chlorine gaining 1 as opposed to losing seven. Therefore the outer electron of the sodium switches orbits to the chlorine. This creates a Na+ ion and a Cl- ion. Because opposites attract, it means that the two substances create an ionic bond and form sodium chloride! Group one metals are the most reactive as they only have one, easily removed, electron. However if you view the periodic table:

Censorship in Libraries and Schools Essay -- Censoring Literature Essa

Censorship in Libraries and Schools What would you do if you went to your child's school and saw that they were looking at inappropriate material on the internet? Would you react the same way if they were in a public library? Who decides what is okay for your children to view? Who decides where they can view it? What can you do about them being able to view these things? Are there any laws that can prevent this from happening? What are some schools and libraries doing to help prevent children form looking at such material? These are all issues that will be discussed in the next few paragraphs, along with my opinions on the matter. Body In 1998 there was a law passed, called the Child Online Protection Act, which "made it a federal crime for commercial Web sites to make available to minors materials that are harmful to minors, as judged by community standards". The sites that were considered harmful to minors had to get proof of age from the visitor of the site. This law, like the rest, caused uproar with the First Amendment supporters. The supporters "argued that the law was too broad and would threaten are, news, and health sites". The federal court agreed with the supporters and declared that this law was unconstitutional, because the "Web is accessible everywhere, the community-standards would restrict the entire country to the standards of the most conservative community". This ruling was made in 2000, in 2001 the Supreme Court heard an appeal from the government, but has not yet ruled. In my opinion, I think that this would be a good idea. Yeah, it would take away some of the people's privacy, but that is a sm all price to pay to keep the children in our nation from seeing things that can be harmful to them. I know... ...lusion As a parent you really cannot do anything about what your child views while at the library or while at school. You could tell them that they are not allowed to look at those sites, but sometimes those sites just pop up, or we all know that when we tell a child that they cannot so something it makes them want to do it even more. You can keep them from viewing certain things at home but other than that there is not much that you can do. Sorry, but it is true. There are people out there that are trying to change this, and we see this by the laws that are continuing to be made and changing. As I said earlier filters cannot be perfect, there will always be problems with them, but we just have to deal with them the way that they are. That is just life. Works Cited: Baase, Sara (2003). A Gift of Fire (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.

Responsive writing: “A Lesson Before Dying”

The movie â€Å"A Lesson Before Dying,† a prize winning novel by Ernest Gaines, is a story about racial injustice against African-Americans. Set in the south, in the late 1940's, this story is another example of how oppression against a race of people leads to psychological defects, inferiority complexes, and feelings of self degradation. Jefferson, played by Mekhi Phifer, finds himself the witness of a murderous crime between the owner of a liquor store and two black men. Hearing the shots, local residents enter the store while Jefferson is stealing money from the register. He's assumed to be the shooter and is apprehended and put on trial by a racist society of white people. His own lawyer tells the jury that Jefferson didn't have enough sense to know better, and that executing him would be the same as killing a hog. Nevertheless, Jefferson is sentenced to be executed. Miss Emma, Jefferson's mother, is angry by the lawyer's comments. She contacts a African-American teacher; Grant Wiggins, to go to the jail cell and convince Jefferson that he isn't a dumb hog, but that he's a man. Reluctantly, Grant visits Jefferson daily, and the two men build a bond and new sense of self identity. Reverend Ambrose, played by Brent Jennings; wants Jefferson to trust in Jesus, but he's unable to get through to him, so he asks Grant Wiggins to speak to Jefferson. Grant is already struggling with his own belief in God. Whether it's Miss Emma, Jefferson's aunt, or Reverend Ambrose, Grant resists everyone's attempt to remind him of Jesus. Ultimately, Grant and Jefferson find some understanding about religion within themselves. Jefferson prepares himself to die with a new sense of dignity. One of the most heart felt scenes is when the school children take a trip to the jail to say goodbye to Jefferson. Each child gives Jefferson a gift as they say goodbye to him. With tears in his eyes, and a new sense of appreciation for the people that care about him, Jefferson says â€Å"thank you.† In addition, Lisa Arrindell Anderson; playing the part of Vivian Baptiste, delivers a magnificent performance. Lighting up the screen with her beauty, and strong conviction, she becomes the support mechanism for Grant Wiggins. Grant is in love with Vivian and intends to marry her, therefore, he confides in her about his struggles with Jefferson, as well as, the pressure everyone is putting on him. As a result, they strengthen their relationship with each other, and find new direction in their lives. In the end, this story reminds us that; despite the insurmountable odds that we face in life, we can overcome self degradation; due to the oppression of others, with self dignity, spirituality, and an appreciation for the people who love us.

The Iron Heel Study Guide

The Iron Heel Study Guide The Iron Heel  is an early dystopian novel published in 1908 by Jack London. London is best known for his man-against-nature novels like  The Call of the Wild  and  White Fang, so  The Iron Heel  is often  considered a departure from his usual output.   The Iron Heel  is written from the first-person perspective of a female protagonist, and  it includes a  presentation of London’s socialist political ideals, both of which were unusual for its time. The book addresses Londons belief that unionized labor and socialist political movements would rise to challenge the traditional capitalist power base. Later writers such as George Orwell often explicitly mention The Iron Heel as an influence on their own works. Plot The novel begins with a foreword written by Anthony Meredith in the 419 BOM (Brotherhood of Man), approximately the 27th century. Meredith discusses the Everhard Manuscript as a historical document, composed by Avis Everhard and describing the events of 1912 through 1932. Meredith warns that the manuscript is riddled with errors of fact, but insists on its value as a firsthand account of those â€Å"terrible times.† Meredith notes that the manuscript, written by Avis Everhard, cannot be considered objective because she is writing about her own husband and was herself too close to the events to have objectivity. In the Everhard Manuscript proper, Avis describes meeting her future husband, socialist activist Ernest Everhard. She finds him poorly groomed, self-righteous, and irritating. Ernest argues that the American system of economics is based on the abuse and poor treatment (in other words, the exploitation) of labor, and that the ordinary workers who keep everything going suffer terribly. Avis initially does not agree, but later she conducts her own investigation of Ernest’s claims and is shocked to discover she   concurs with his assessment. As Avis becomes close to Ernest, her father and a family friend (Dr. John Cunningham and Bishop Moorehouse) also begin to agree with his ideas. All four key characters begin to work for the socialist causes. As a result, the oligarchs who own and run the country under the guise of capitalism and democracy move to ruin them all. Dr. Cunningham loses his teaching job and his home. Bishop Moorehouse is found to be clinically insane and is committed to an asylum. Ernest wins election as a Representative in Congress, but is framed as a conspirator in a terrorist plot and is sent to prison, along with Avis. Avis is released some months later, followed by Ernest. The two flee into hiding and begin plotting a revolution. Before action can be taken, the government and oligarchs- which Ernest collectively calls The Iron Heel- form a private army, legitimized by the weak government. This private army sets in motion a false-flag riot in Chicago. The private army, called the Mercenaries, violently crushes the riot, killing many and using brutal tactics. Bishop Moorehouse, escaped from captivity, is killed in the riot. At the end of the novel, Avis writes optimistically about the plans for a second uprising that Ernest is certain will succeed. However, as the reader knows from Meredith’s forward, this second uprising will fail, and The Iron Heel will rule the country for centuries until the final revolution that forms the Brotherhood of Man. The manuscript ends suddenly, and Meredith explains that Avis Everhard hid the book because she knew she was about to be arrested. Major Characters Anthony Meredith. A historian from the far future, reading and making notes on the so-called Everhard Manuscript. He is condescending and chauvinistic towards Avis and often corrects her; however, his remarks reveal his limited understanding of the early 20th  century era that he studies. The reader  gets to know Meredith mainly through his marginalia, which adds detail and context to the novel. Avis Everhard. Born  into wealth, Avis is initially dismissive of the plight of the working class. Over the course of her manuscript, however, she begins to see her younger self as naive and childish, and she becomes a fierce proponent of revolution. There is evidence that Avis is not entirely reliable and that her core attitudes have not entirely changed; she often uses disrespectful language to describe the working classes even as she is speaking the language of revolution. Ernest Everhard. A passionate believer in socialism, Ernest is shown to be intelligent, physically powerful, and a courageous public speaker. Meredith implies that Ernest Everhard was merely one of many key people in the early days of the revolution, suggesting that Avis may  be romanticizing Ernest throughout her manuscript. Most critics believe Ernest represents London himself and his core beliefs. Dr. John Cunningham. Avis’ father, a celebrated academic and scientist. He is initially a supporter of the status quo, but slowly becomes convinced of  Ernest’s cause. He loses his status in society as a result and later disappears; Avis suspects he is kidnapped by the government. Bishop Moorehouse. A minister who undergoes a similar change in views  as Dr. Cunningham, eventually giving his life in the effort to resist the oligarchy. Literary Style The Iron Heel is a work of dystopian fiction. Dystopian fiction  presents a universe that is at odds with the author’s beliefs and attitudes; in this case, the dystopian aspect comes from a world run by capitalist oligarchs who exploit the working class, abuse the poor, and ruthlessly destroy critics. The novel is also considered a work of soft science fiction, because although it makes no mention of advanced technology, it is centered around a setting 700 years ahead of the date of its composition. London used a series of nested points-of-view in the novel, each with a different degree of  reliability. On the surface is the frame story of Dr. Meredith, who writes from the future and examines a work of historical importance. He presents himself as a trusted authority, but some of his commentary includes factual errors about 20th century history that would be obvious to the reader, which undermines his reliability. The next point of view is that of Avis Everhard, the narrator of the manuscript that makes up the bulk of the text of the novel. Her reliability comes into question when she implies that her statements about her husband are subjective, as well as when she makes seemingly contemptuous comments about the political cause she professes to support. Finally, the perspective of Ernest Everhard is provided when his speeches are included in the text. These speeches seem reliable due to their word-for-word nature, but Avis unreliability makes the reader less certain.   London also employs a technique known as a false document: a  fictional work that is presented to the reader as a factual one. This conceit allows London to add complexity to a novel that might otherwise be a straightforward political tract.  The Iron Heel  contains two intertwined, multilayered false documents  (Avis’ manuscript and Meredith’s gloss on that manuscript). This combination a complex mystery concerning whose perspective is closest to the truth. Jack London was charged several times over the course of his career with plagiarism. Chapter 7 of The Iron Heel, The Bishop’s Vision, is an essay written by Frank Harris. London did not deny that he  copied the speech verbatim, but he claimed that he believed it was a speech delivered by an actual bishop. Key Quotes â€Å"It is far easier to see brave men die than to hear a coward beg for life.† - Avis Everhardâ€Å"No man can be intellectually insulted. Insult, in its very nature, is emotional.† - Ernest Everhardâ€Å"Times have changed since Christs day. A rich man to-day who gives all he has to the poor is crazy. There is no discussion. Society has spoken.† - Ernest Everhard Iron Heel Fast Facts Title: Iron HeelAuthor: Jack LondonDate Published: 1908Publisher: MacmillanLiterary Genre: Dystopian Science FictionLanguage: EnglishThemes: Socialism and social revolution.Characters: Anthony Meredith, Avis Everhard, Ernest Everhard, John Cunningham, Bishop Moorehouse.

Pronouncing the N in Spanish

Pronouncing the N in Spanish The n of Spanish has three sounds, which are determined by the sound that follows. Two of the sounds of n commonly appear in English in much the same way, and the third one does occasionally. The most common sound for the n is similar to the n in words such as nice and dance. For Spanish speakers, the tongue may be a bit farther forward than what it is for many English speakers, at the top of the teeth rather than on the ridge between the teeth and the roof of the mouth. When the n is followed by an m or p, it has the same sound as the m. This phenomenon occurs in a few English words during casual speech. One of them is input, which is often pronounced the way that imput would be. Since the n is pronounced as an m when an m follows it, in effect the n becomes silent. Thus, for example, inmigracià ³n is pronounced the same as if the word were imigracià ³n. You might observe that many English cognates of Spanish words where the n has the m use the m in the English version. For example, à ©nfasis is the equivalent of emphasis and inmenso is the equivalent of immense. Note that the following sound doesnt have to be in the same word as the n, only pronounced immediately afterward. So con permiso is pronounced the same as compermiso would be. This running of words together, where the sounds of one word affect those of another, is known as elision. The third sound of the n occurs when it is followed by the k or hard  g sounds. Note that the k sound can be spelled using qu or with a c that is not followed by an i or e. The sound in these cases is much the same as in English when the n is followed by the same sounds, in words such as single or sink. Note that in these words the tongue doesnt touch the front of the mouth, and the sound comes from the back of the mouth as it prepares to pronounce the following sound. Thus the n of bank and the n of banco are similar. In our brief ​audio lesson on the n sound you can hear the phrases buenos dà ­as (good morning), lo siento mucho (Im very sorry), con permiso (excuse me), encantado de conocerla (pleased to meet you), and the word inglà ©s (English). The sound of the n should not be confused with the sound of the à ±, which is a separate letter of the Spanish alphabet.

A Womans Choice essays

A Womans Choice essays Twenty-five years after the Supreme Courts infamous Roe v. Wade decision, the majority of the American public still favors the legislation of abortion. The latest New York Times/CBS Poll shows that there have been nearly 30 million abortions preformed in the last two decades. Personally, as a young woman living in the 21st century, I strongly disagree with women using abortion as a major form of birth control. But, I do support the reproductive rights of women, to make their own decisions concerning the issue of abortion. I believe this is a very personal moral issue and that the government should not be involved in our decision-making regarding these rights. According to Carey Goldberg and Janet Elder in the New York Times article dated, January 16, 1998, In a poll that was given in 1989, when people were asked whether a pregnant woman should be able to get a legal abortion if her pregnancy would force her to interrupt her career, 37 percent said yes and 56 percent said no; In 1998, only 25 percent said yes and 70 percent said no. Also, in 1989, 48 percent thought an interrupted education was enough to justify a teenage girls abortion; that dropped to 42 percent in 1998(A 1). Based on these statistics, it appears that the majority of Americans are still in favor of abortion but with limitations. I also believe it is important for a young teenage girl to have the right to continue her education and to make her own decisions regarding an unwanted pregnancy. Whereas, a young woman with a career facing similar circumstances, hopefully, would take a more responsible approach by practicing safe sex, following through the full-term pregnanc y, or giving the child up for adoption. Taking responsibility should be an important expectation for either age group, but especially for those young adult career women who have more life experience, maturity and means of financial support. This is definitely a very diffi...

Writing Fitness Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writing Fitness - Research Paper Example In writing, choose the active voice over the passive. As Bonnie Trenga said in her book, The Curious Case of the Misplaced Modifier: How to Solve the Mysteries of Weak Writing, the active voice is â€Å"the clearest and most direct way to present your ideas.† â€Å"In an active sentence,† she adds, â€Å"the subject performs the action, the object receives it.† Passive voice or writing, on the other hand, is â€Å"vague, wordy writing that confuses or bores readers. â€Å"It confuses them because they encounter verbs such as was and were over and over.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Writing is, above all, a form of communication. So use simple words. Do not use utilize when you can use or say masticate when you can say chew. Also, look for redundancies like ATM machine or HIV virus; the shorter the sentence the more easily understand it is. Take this for example: â€Å"What is incredible about the new processor is its speed.† This sentence has a lot of unnecessary words in it and is in the passive voice. Whereas, â€Å"The new processor’s speed is incredible,† delivers the same information as the first, but more directly and clearly. Writing is not easy. If you believe otherwise, then chances are you use a lot of clichà ©s, which nobody would like to read or say anymore. The higher the creativity of your paper, the better the chance it will get the attention you want for it. While rules in effectively writing memos do not differ from other nonfiction writing’s, here are a few more things to consider: a) Two short sentences are better than a long one. b) Use bullets — easier to see and read. c) A superior deserves the proper tone of voice even in written communication. d) Memos to the client, copy your supervisor — never the other way around. e) Initiate follow-ups. Include the details of your follow-up in the memo.   Business people have a lot less time to read than normal folk, so remember to: a) State your purpose at the very start of the letter. b) Be concise but strike the proper tone — courteous and diplomatic. c) It sells your company. So be sure to follow your company’s presentation style and that the paper is error-free.

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin - Research Paper Example taying on her plantation, he learned about the production of cotton, and the difficulty farmers faced making a living.Cotton was a very important crop, it was easy to grow and its fibers could be stored for a long time. The problem was that cotton plants contained seeds that were very hard to separate from the fibers. Another type of cotton called long staple was very easy to clean but grew along the coast.Most of the farmers had to grow the short staple cotton, which required a lot of labor. It had to be cleaned by hand, which was a very difficult and very time consuming. A cotton picket could pick the seeds from one pound of short staple cotton a day. In the process; Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. This significantly revolutionized the cotton industry amid of creating a very profitable business in the cotton industry1. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to look into how the invention and production of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin created a very profitable business in the cotton industry. Secondly, whether this ultimately lead to the increase amount of slavery and in the end caused the Civil War. The researcher used various arguments both for and against the position that the invention of the cotton gin created more profitable cotton industry and it triggered slavery and civil war. The invention of the Eli Whitney’s cotton gin (Engine) created a very profitable business in the cotton industry. The cotton gin is one of the mechanical devices invented to remove the seeds of cotton from the husks. Previously, the process was very labor-intensive and hence low output experienced. The cotton gin was wooden drum with some hooks stuck all over and pulled by some wire mesh. The invention of the cotton gin led to an increased productivity level that inturn promoted high profitability level. This is because the cotton gin could generate over 55 pounds of cotton per day which is equivalent to 25 kilograms. As a result,this led to continuous economic growth in

The Grand Tour and British Masculinity Term Paper

The Grand Tour and British Masculinity - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, most of the young men could go to the various nations to increase their knowledge and, as a result, it led to many benefits to the countries. The peak of the grand tour appeared when they were sending young men abroad, the French fashions and the aspect of gender of connoisseurship influenced most of them and the view of masculinity associated them. Most of the men had developed the aspect of genders and sexuality, and their manliness had been reflected in their conduct, advising and education, and this was associated with men from the upper and middle class (Hilton & Shefrin 2009, p. 12). The grand tour was one of the memorable moments in Europe, where many transformations were made. The grand tour was done by the wealthy young men and the royal families of Europe more so England, then the Americans, who could go to various nations and stay for years. Most of these men were writers, artists, architects, and thinkers who influenced the current European country. They came up with many ideas of trade, architecture and culture, which motivated more men to be sent abroad for exploration. The places they toured include France, Italy and Rome among others, where each nation had its benefit that they brought home. They were attracted by the landscapes, cities, and a warm climate (Verstraete 2010, p. 34). They were able to travel to various archeological sites, and they influenced the places they went with western civilization. Rome attracted them with the classical heritage that ran through the museums and towns with attractive cosmopolitan centers. At first, they traveled to add knowledge to their education. However, with time, they realized that apart from adding knowledge to education, they also had other benefits that they brought back home such as the new culture, architecture and ideas (Savage 2008, p. 12). The grand tour influenced the social, cultural, economic, architectural,

Personal Impact Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal Impact Reflection - Essay Example Given that I come from a different culture from the dominant Western culture, this course has influenced how I perceive issues surrounding sex and sexuality and how I may enlighten my society about sex and sexuality. Specifically, the course has offered me an information and knowledge that I can utilize in making connections to my culture’s beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions about human sexuality and gender. Through this course I have gained insights that I could apply in enlightening members from my culture/society in understanding why different genders are perceived differently across cultures, and the effects of such perceptions on issues such as family life, marriage, gender roles, and relationships and intimacy. Additionally, the course has influenced my perceptions towards issues such as underlying physiological, psychological, and social dynamics of Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender people and relationships, and the influence of differences in cultural backgrounds on society’s attitudes towards LGBT people and relationships. Overall, the course has offered valuable insights into how sex and gender issues are interpreted differently across cultures, and why social expectations about issues surrounding human sexuality vary across different cultures and

Critical Review on experiment by S.Robinson, S. M. Sandstrom Essay

Critical Review on experiment by S.Robinson, S. M. Sandstrom - Essay Example L-dihydroxyphenylalanine that was restored under the influence of endogenous dopamine in DD mice changed mice behavior. They became hypoactive and hypophagic and could carry out complicated tasks that are impossible to implement without both activation and plasticity. "Additional goal of this study was to separate performance factors from cognitive processes as described by Denenberg, Kim and Palmiter (2004)2 It was rather difficult to design the experiments in a proper way because of some things. First, learning, liking and wanting are not alternative behaviors. Second, animals tend to be hypoactive and hyperphagic under the influence of dopamine. Some hypotheses were posited. The one concerning hedonia assumes that "dopamine mediates the sensory pleasure of rewards, such as food"3 (Wise, 2004). The evidence was caused by the observation that dopamine leads to the growing reward consumption. The hypothesis about learning presumes that if we want to make animals associate rewards with special clues we must intake them dopamine. The last hypothesis in respect to wanting supposes that dopamine does not influence the interconnection liking-reward and learning- reward. But it's responsible for "recognition of motivational conditions" (Salamone, 1996) "converting a neutral stimulus into an attractive wanted stimulus. Two experiments were conducted. The object of the experiments is genetically engineered dopamine-deficient (DD) mice. Authors tested influence of endogenous dopamine signaling on mice ability for acquisition of an appetitive T-maze. On the basis of two experiments authors came to the conclusion that dopamine had only an impact on the fact whether the mice want reward in the process of goal-directed behavior. However, mice are absolutely indifferent to dopamine influence in regard to liking and learning about rewards. For the experimental design the doze of endogenous dopamine was very important. Too little as well as too much dopamine interferes with reversal learning. Methods: first experiment had lasted for twenty-three days, the second one - for twenty days with two groups of mice: controlled and under the LD-treated mice. They had to perform their learning, liking and wanting skills by finding rewards in a T-maze, reaching the intersection, making right arm entries, latency to begin consumption and the number of rewards consumed. All these data were thoroughly recorded. At the experiment one which consisted of two phases at first controlled and DD mice under the LD-influence had to find rewards and remember the way to rewards, then rewards were changed and mice had to find a new way to rewards, studying in such a way their learning ability. The number of pieces consumed in the second phase after switching rewards evidence the degree of liking and the speed with which they began consumption showed the degree of wanting. Experiment two was conducted on two mice groups that tested saline-LD or caffeine-LD (caffeine was used as a stimulant) and LD-LD 10 times per day for 20 days. In the first part of the experiment mice received one of substances SAL (saline), CAF (caffeine) or LD. During the second half all mice were injected with LD. Some alternatives were for the assumption that if dopamine did not influence learning ability the mice must behave as LD-treated mice in Phase 1. However, if impact exists

Personal Impact Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal Impact Reflection - Essay Example Given that I come from a different culture from the dominant Western culture, this course has influenced how I perceive issues surrounding sex and sexuality and how I may enlighten my society about sex and sexuality. Specifically, the course has offered me an information and knowledge that I can utilize in making connections to my culture’s beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions about human sexuality and gender. Through this course I have gained insights that I could apply in enlightening members from my culture/society in understanding why different genders are perceived differently across cultures, and the effects of such perceptions on issues such as family life, marriage, gender roles, and relationships and intimacy. Additionally, the course has influenced my perceptions towards issues such as underlying physiological, psychological, and social dynamics of Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender people and relationships, and the influence of differences in cultural backgrounds on society’s attitudes towards LGBT people and relationships. Overall, the course has offered valuable insights into how sex and gender issues are interpreted differently across cultures, and why social expectations about issues surrounding human sexuality vary across different cultures and

Experiential Exercise Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Experiential Exercise - Case Study Example This happened due to several reasons. The most important reason behind this was the switch of female employees to other organizations. When Metropolitan Hospital founded Task Force on Retention and Advancement of Female Executive Positions, it identified three main causes for leaving by female workers: Answer: Duncan Green (2014) has highlighted many benefits of addressing the underlying problems of organizational diversity issues. The changes addressed the underlying problems in a very effective and professional way. Among the three main causes for leaving of Metropolitan Hospital by female workers, the first two were so much important for Metropolitan Hospital and these problems were directly linked with the operations of Metropolitan Hospital. So they ran a retooling program to address these top two concerns. They provided proper guidance, attention and growth prospects to both males and females. In addition to addressing the first two problems, Metropolitan Hospital also tried to solve the third problem that was more linked with the personal lives of the women rather than the professional lives. Metropolitan Hospital offered flexible work time, reduced workloads, and flexible work arrangements to address the family issues and engagements of women. All these restructuring of di versity program delivered good results after some time. Answer: There are certain attributes and functions that are required by managers to successfully implement a diversity program. Department of the Interior Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan (2012) highlights the following priorities and actions required by managers to successfully implement a diversity program: Mangers should run a competitive recruitment process comprising on qualified and experienced group of potential candidates. This principle is important to get high performing workforce drawn from all segments of society Cultivate the seed of an organizational culture in which

Weintraub Essay Essay Example for Free

Weintraub Essay Essay Daniel Weintraub, in â€Å"The Battle against Fast Food Begins in the Home,† states that parents are responsible for the increasing epidemic of child obesity. In our world today, children sit around play video games all day, if they are allowed to. Weintraub argues that parents need to â€Å"step up to the plate† and get children involved in some type of exercise. I agree with Weintraub’s opinion that parents are responsible. If parents would start teaching kids early on, they could use that impressionable quality to their advantage. Parents have a lot of influences on their children from the day they are born. Weather they feed them healthy or unhealthy. Children learn how to talk respectfully, and how to respect their elders from parents. Not only should they learn that but parents should encourage them healthy eating habits. A parent should take the time of day to cook them healthy things instead of junk. They could make sure that a child receives a serving of fruits or vegetables at lunch and dinner to eliminate soda and all junk food from the house. At a young age, parents need to teach kids that there is more to life than just sitting around watching television or being on their electronics every day. Parents could introduce their children to different sports until the child finds one that he or she is interested in. For example my mother’s boss is teaching her daughter healthy eating habits. She comes home to make lunch so she can make sure that she is eating healthy. She always tells me that when you have well eating habits nothing can stop you from being healthy Conclusion to this is that the truth is that no child can grow up to be an intelligent human being without a proper education, whether it is in mathematics or eating habits. Fast food companies are always going to compete for customers and try to make money, but they cannot control our decisions. The only people that can make choices for us are ourselves, and we cannot make the right choices without proper education from our parents.

The Contrasts Of The Pillowman Drama English Literature Essay

The Contrasts Of The Pillowman Drama English Literature Essay The justification for the existence of late 20th century drama being one of shocking an audience out of their complacency is quite a generalisation, bearing in mind that the two productions in question were almost a 40 years apart. The interim period certainly saw stage productions with developing themes of violence, sex, drugs and rock n roll as with the latest trend of In Yer Face theatre which are not only shocking in their content but also fly in the face of common decency and political correctness. By the end of World War II in 1945, the world had suffered many years of aggression and the violence that goes with it. The lives of everyone involved were affected. It affected the way people lived, the way people worked and even how theatre plays were written. Pinters The Homecoming (1963) and McDonaghs The Pillowman (2003) provide an arena where hostility and aggression can no longer be ignored as a social issue. Whether or not there is good reason to say that late 20th Century theatre set out to purposefully shock audiences out of their comfortable nests is debatable when one takes into account the relaxation of censorship in 1968 replaced by a form of self-censorship which gave individual playwrights the opportunity to express a more realistic and dramatic approach to everyday issues and concerns that had been festering away underneath societys complacency such as poverty, morality, family values etc. There was a progression of theatre productions rather than a rebellion against accepted standards. The content of plays may have been shocking to audiences but to some extent were not unexpected given the way the theatre productions and indeed the audiences were developing. Pre-war critics and theatre audiences had previously been used to seeing plays, which were mostly London based and provided a sense of occasion offering the upper and middle classes a chance to dress formally and sit in splendid surroundings to see and be seen. The content of plays delivered an uncomplicated message whether educational or humorous such as a Shakespearean comedy or J.M. Barries Peter Pan, the main theme being one of entertainment rather than a thought provoking spectacle and many playwrights complied with this condition. This is not to say that no contentious issues were placed in the theatrical arena, for example, George Bernard Shaw wrote a series of plays that amused and challenged his audiences with his Plays Unpleasant (1898) relating to prostitution and philandering. Shaw was an entertainer and viewed the theatre as a means to make people think and that it had a serious purpose rather than offering the audience a more radical approach to his subject matter. His plays tended to show the accepted attitude, and then demolished that attitude while showing his own solutions. Shaw used familiar forms of melodrama, romance and history with unexpected twists, he shocked his audiences but in more of a surprising way as opposed to a more emotionally disturbing, offensive or indecent approach. Eric Bentley said If you wish to attract the audiences attention, be violent; if you wish to hold it, be violent again.  [1]   This may be interpreted and approached in two ways, either physical violence or verbal violence as a means of not only shocking an audience with either the content of conversations or the stage actions but also to keep their interest in what is going to happen next. A case of more of the same if the audience responds. As a reaction to World War II Absurdist theatre evolved, depicting the absurdity of the modern human state and related to a new genre of drama that could not be interpreted in a logical way. What do I know about mans destiny? I could tell you more about radishes.  [2]  (Beckett). Absurdist theatre openly rebelled against conventional theatre. One of the most important aspects of absurd drama is its scepticism of language as a means of communication. Dr. Culik explains that the Theatre of the Absurd tries to make people aware of the possibility of going beyond everyday speech conventions and communicating more authentically  [3]  . In Pinters The Homecoming and McDonaghs The Pillowman we are faced with two different dimensions of absurdist theatre in that, both playwrights have created milieus which are difficult for audiences to come to terms with. In Pinters The Homecoming we have a setting within one room in a comfortable domestic household in which the use of crude languag e with violent undertones is at the forefront. The torrent of vulgar and repugnant language shocked audiences to the extent that it could not be rationalised. Hints of violence are demonstrated when Max tells the audience that he was once one of the toughest men in East London and that all men moved out of his way in the street. There is also the direct and brutal threat when Max says to his son Lenny Listen! Ill chop your spine off if you talk to me like that Pinter exploits claustrophobic power of everyday language in enclosed theatrical space. There is certainly a lack of harmony throughout the play based on the disjointed conversations, lack of continuity and the constant non- sensical verbiage, compounded by the unexpected, e.g. Ruth becoming a whore and Sam dropping dead etc. There is a disjunctive split between how the actors react to situations in the play and what the audience expect and perceive. Apart from the offensive language, for example, when Max refers to Ruth in a derogatory way, Weve had a smelly scrubber in my house all night. Weve had a stinking pox-ridden slut in my house all night, one of the most disconcerting elements of the Homecoming to the audience would have been the constant long pauses Pinter used; thus raising the anxiety of the audience by not knowing what was coming next. One of the most referred to of Pinters comments on his own plays was made during a lecture to students in 1962,  [4]  concerning his stage direction trademark in the adoption of the two silences, the use of what became known as the Pinter Pause, when on the one hand, no actor is speaking and secondly, when there is a torrent of non-sensical abuse which has no relevance as to what has just been said and is technically a pause in the proceedings until the return of the topic of conversation. These silences proved perturbing and uncomfortable, even edgy to some audiences. The Homecoming appears to move from naturalism to absurdism, which is profoundly unsettling. Instead of finding a situation which emphasizes the role of the environment upon the characters we are drawn into a state where the characters existence becomes irrational and meaningless. Whilst the circumstances are naturalistic the dialogue is absurd, employing disjointed, repetitious, and meaningless dialogue, purposeless and confusing situations and plots that lack realistic or logical development. This was not so much a shocking concept but more of a bewildering set of circumstances designed to be thought provoking and perplexing to an audience. McDonaghs The Pillowman on the other hand provides theatre goers with a more subtle approach to absurdist theatre with the actual setting and circumstances being absurd and not necessarily the dialogue. The horrific stories within the play with their explicitly violent subject matter helped to push the boundaries of what was acceptable to a new level and more in the form of brutalist or In Yer Face  [5]  theatre as exemplified by Sarah Kanes in Blasted (1995) which exhibits abject horror and atrocities, for example Ian being raped, having his eyes bitten out and being compelled to consume a dead baby as he starves, alone, in the dark., was shocking and seemed unreal, as Kieron Quirke of the Evening Standard said It moves beyond shock theatre to become a powerful reminder that people are capable of anything. I rate it, but I hope it never becomes heresy to dislike it.  [6]  The Daily Mail denounced the play as this disgusting feast of filth, the Sunday Telegraph spoke scathing ly against its gratuitous welter of carnage  [7]  and the Spectator called it a sordid little travesty of a play  [8]  . McDonagh, having been influenced by Pinter and indeed the film director Quentin Tarantino presents a twisted psychological horror and dark examination of a storytellers (Katurian) hold over an audience by the use of on-stage narrative to explore the power of the stories themselves to shock. The Pillowman is not just an apparent political play it is a play with the artist sacrificing his life in order to protect his art for the future. Artistic freedom was at the core of this play and the responsibility that goes with it. Set in an unknown totalitarian state, this was an opportunity for a playwright to decry the evil and unjust way that dictatorships subdued freedom of speech which we were anticipating; however McDonagh turns this presumption on its head. Katurian is actually being interrogated by a couple of comical, brutal cops not because his stories are subversive to the totalitarian regime, but because they are almost entirely about the brutal torture and murder of children. Kà Ã‚ °turià Ã‚ °ns stories read like exact plans for some recent murders of children. Katurian is questioned about the gruesome subject matter of his short stories and their similarities to a number of strange child murders that have recently occurred. Kà Ã‚ °turià Ã‚ °ns short stories are haunting and horrific eg. 101 ways to skewer à Ã‚ ° 5-yeà Ã‚ °r-old. Michael Billington, of the Guardian said in the end, you sense that McDonagh is playing with big issues to do with literatures power to outlast tyranny rather than writing from any kind of experience.  [9]  Robert Isenberg commented that The Pillowman is a test of will, suitable only for the gutsiest theatregoer  [10]  . The Pillowman is more of discomforting experience, shocking in its content but one containing wonderfully dark humour almost akin to the fairy tales of our youth with lurid and fantastical themes, the Brothers Grimm springs to mind. The Pillowman is a very unsettling and thought-provoking play, a review in the Financial Times referred to the play as A complex tale about life and art, about fact and illusion, about politics, society, cruelty and creativity.  [11]  Whether or not McDonaghs intention was to set out to shock audiences rather than provide intriguing subjects for debate is open to conjecture. Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.  [12]  (Brecht Was the raison detre of late twentieth century drama to shock audiences out of their complacency? Did Pinters The Homecoming and McDonaghs The Pillowman set out to shock audiences? Or was the relaxation of censorship in 1968 to prove the catalyst for more adventurous playwrights to buck the system and take on the more established theatrical styles? Was the avant garde approach by Pinter in 1963 just a starter for things to come? Richard Drain remarked once again the actor stands out as the main transmitter of the invigorating shock. But what must we do to make this shock effective, to help the actor transmit to the audience?  [13]  The Mail on Sunday referred to The Pillowman as an extraordinary play, Kafkaesque, Pinteresque, but more then anything absolutely McDonaghesque  [14]  It would appear that anything unusual, out of the ordinary or quirky in its theatrical content obtained a name associated with the playwright. McDonagh even parodied this in The Pillowman when one of the interrogators paraphrases one of Kà Ã‚ °turià Ã‚ °ns stories to him, to which the writer replies, Thats a good story. Thats something-esque. What kind of esque is it? I cant remember. I dont really go in for that esque sort of stuff anyway, but theres nothing wrong with the story. I believe that rather than trying to shock people out of their complacent sense of security about how the world and other people work that late 20th Century drama was more of an evolution than a revolution. As aptly put by Brian Cliff. Grotesque excess reduces shock value.  [15]   2,087 words

Tibetan Thanka Paintings :: Buddhism Religion Art Creative Papers

Tibetan Thanka Paintings Tibet, with its isolated, harsh geographical location and history of political and social remoteness would seem an unlikely place to provide a â€Å"cradle for creative art† (Bailey 22). Yet it is in this desolate section of the world that one of the most intriguing artistic cultures has been cultivating over hundreds of centuries. One facet of what makes Tibetan art so unique and interesting is its interdependency on its religious beliefs. In Tibet one might use the words â€Å"religion† and â€Å"culture† almost as synonyms, especially for the arts—literature, drama, painting, and sculpture. Not only were they inspired by religion, but religion was their very raison d’à ªtre (Pal 18). Tibetan thanka[1] paintings are a wonderful example of the interconnectedness of religion and art. These images are â€Å"not meant to be the object of simple idolatry† (Jackson 11), but rather take on a more interactive role, which can be applied to nearly every facet of traditional Tibetan life. Tibetan Buddhism pervades all aspects of the creation and use of thanka paintings—in the training and requirements of the artists who create the paintings, in the physical creative process itself, in the iconography used, and in all the painting’s multiple functions. Tibetan thanka paintings, throughout their entire lifespan—from concept to consecrated image—help devotional religious activity for Tibetan Buddhism[2]. Thanka Artists Types of Artists Tibetan thanka artists, of which there were two types, monks and professionals, work within the confines of religious tradition. Trained professionals made up the majority of thanka artists, all of whom studied for years under strict instruction. Lamas were also involved in the creation of many paintings, mainly in a supervisory capacity (Pal 25). The chief centers of Tibetan art were the monasteries that often supplied artists with work (Pal 24). Usually, professional artists either had their own studios or were attached to individual monasteries for the duration of specific jobs. Being an artist was not automatically hereditary and any talented adolescent boy could join a studio as an apprentice. The training period each child underwent was usually extensive and demanding: The apprentice was expected to study drawing for about sixteen months, simple coloring for ten months, and mixed coloring for at least a year. Only then was he allowed to paint under his teacher’s strict vigilance. This he did for many years before he was qualified to set up his own workshop (Pal 25).

David Henry Hwangs M Butterfly Essay example -- David Henry Hwang M B

David Henry Hwang's M Butterfly "I've played out the events of my life night after night, always searching for a new ending to my story, one where I will leave this cell and return forever to my Butterfly's arms." (Hwang 3.3.1-4) With these words of David Henry Hwang's play M Butterfly, we realize that we have just been staring directly into the memories of Rene Gallimard. The fact that Rene Gallimard serves as the narrator of his memories in the play M Butterfly delivers an impression of the character behind Gallimard than could ever be achieved by the viewing of the screenplay. The existence of Marc in the play as seen from Gallimard's perspective, the fact that Gallimard serves as the main organizer of ideas in the play, and the differing roles of Helga in the two works all lead to very different impressions and interpretations by the reader or viewer. Gallimard's narration seems to be the most obvious difference between the movie and the play. While reading the play, the audience has an opportunity to get to know the personality of Rene Gallimard, as well as his feelings about certain topics. Such insight can be very crucial in the impression that a character makes on an audience. Gallimard's persona is very evident in the opening lines of the play. He remarks initially about the dimensions of the cell, the atmosphere, and the living conditions. Immediately, this paints a picture for the reader that is very accurate physically, and the reader sees that Gallimard is straightforward, and says what he means without very much preamble. As the opening scenes develop, we also see the side of Gallimard that is the dreamer. Rene definitely has visions of perfection, and they are demonstrated when he remarks RAlone in this cell, I sit night after night, watching our story play through my head, always searching for a new ending, one which redeems my honor , where she returns at last to my arms.S (1.3.7-11) Gallimard can be classified as a dreamer, and not only because he is confined to a prison cell for many years. He has a vision of how life is supposed to be, and feels rewarded when he conforms to a stereotype. For example, he says RI knew this little flower was waiting for me to call, and, as I wickedly refused to do so, I felt the first time that rush of power -- the absolute power of a man.... ... creation necessary to construct the story of the play while the movie simply feeds the audience with information. In conclusion, the audienceUs perception of Rene Gallimard is much different in the play M Butterfly than in the movie of the same title. Although David Henry Hwang wrote both the play and the screenplay, the character development is far greater in the play. The reader must create a picture of Gallimard by his impressions, reactions, and interactions with characters from his past that simply do not exist in the movie. Marc, Gallimard's best friend from school, does not exist in the movie, but is the voice inside GallimardUs head throughout the play. Helga, who exists in both works, has much more bearing in the book, again shaping the readerUs impression of the kind of man that Gallimard really is. The fact that the play employs a narrator and the movie does not leads the reader down a different path, especially when the narrator is Rene Gallimard himself. The human mind is one that is capable of creating its own world. When viewing the movie, one sees a sense of Rene GallimardUs world. When reading the play, one understands his world.

What is a school and what is it for?

1. Distinguish between education and schooling. Answer: Education is a process of human growth by which one gains greater understanding and control over oneself and one’s world. It involves our minds, our bodies, and our relations with the people and the world around us. Education is also characterized by continuous development and change. The end product of the process of education is learning. Schooling is a specific, formalized process, usually focused on the young, and whose general pattern traditionally has varied little from one setting to the next. Describe how school function as transmitter and re-creators of culture. Answer: Teachers design the classroom so that the Americans and Hispanic cultures are honored and children learn to operate effectively in both languages. American cultures have always embraced many cultures. Nevertheless a primary responsibility of the school is to assist foreign born students in the acquisition. 3. Describe how schools can operate as vehicle for social, democratic, and economic reconstruction. Answer: Social deconstructionists – proponent of the theory of education that schools and teachers need to engage in the reconstructing and reforming of society to eradicate its ills and shortcomings. Economic reconstructionists- subscribers to an educational perspective or motivational that focuses on developing students who take critical stances toward the dominant social and economic status quo. 4. Identify the four basic purpose of school. A. Intellectual purpose- promote academic learning, B. Political and civic- purposes help the students to learn how to govern themselves wisely and justly. C. Economic purpose – schools will prepare students for the future. D. Social purpose- adapt to social expectations. 5. Explain why students in elementary classrooms learn to deny desire, delay gratification, cope with interruptions and work through social distractions. Answer: because they are surrounded by so many other students who want the same thing they want. 6. Describe the range of educational experiences for middle-grade students, based on the grade configuration of the school, the size of the school, the administration’s and teacher’s orientations, the goals of the school and the staffing patterns. Answer: the goals that schools set for students influence middle-school education in other ways as well, including the curriculum offered and the instructional method used. It was found that classroom structure for students in the middle grades varied from completely self-contained classrooms, in which one teacher taught one from of students all major subject areas, to completely departmentalized schools in which each teacher specialized in a single subject area and taught several different classes of students. The middle schools showed a greater percentage of departmentalized staffing. Teachers also differed by the type of licensure held. Teachers with secondary licensure were more likely to be subject matter oriented, and middle-grade students were taught by subject matter experts showed higher level pf achievement. 7. Explain how the greater variety of choices secondary students have can result in different high school experiences, based on tracking, the courses in which they enroll, the feedback they receive from teachers, and the tacit agreement they make with their teachers, Answer: early adolescences are characterized by a variety of developmental needs and dramatic evaluation in the maturation rate. . Identify four areas suggested to improve the quality of high schools. A. pressure on the teacher B. influence on tracking C. classroom treaties D. specialty shops 9. List and explain some of the characteristics of schools that are effective with respect to academic. Answer: the teacher’s expectation – high can do expectation Communication among te achers – high degree of colleagueship Task orientation – serious attitude Academic engaged time- keep students working Part II 1. Raise your hand before you speak 2. No chewing gum 3. No talking in class 4. Do your homework or they will contact your parents 5. If you are late for class you will have to go to the principal office. 6. The principal said it was okay for him to whoop me. ** I felt #6 was unfair because other people shall not be able to whoop you.

Memory Organization

Memory Basics Memory is the workspace for the computers processor. It is a temporary storage area where the programs and data being operated on by the processor must reside. Memory storage is considered temporary because the data and programs will remain there only as long as the computer has electrical power or is not reset. Before being shut down or reset, any data that has been changed should be saved to a more permanent storage device of some type (usually a hard disk) so it can be reloaded into memory again in the future. We often call memory RAM, for Random Access Memory.Main memory is called RAM because you can randomly (and quickly) access any location in memory. When we talk about a computers memory, we usually mean the RAM in the system, meaning primarily the memory chips or modules that make up the primary active program and data storage used by the processor. This is often confused with the term storage, which should be used when referring to things such as disk and tape drives (although some people do consider them a form of memory). 2Types of Memory To better understand physical memory in a system, it is necessary to see where and how it fits into the system.Three main types of physical memory used in modern PCs are †¢ ROM: Read Only Memory †¢ DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory †¢ SRAM: Static RAM 2. 1ROM Read Only Memory, or ROM, is a type of memory that can permanently or semipermanently hold data. It is called read-only because it is either impossible or difficult to write to. ROM is also often referred to as non-volatile memory because any data stored in ROM will remain, even if the power is turned off. As such, ROM is an ideal place to put the PCs startup instructionsthat is, the software that boots the system.Note that ROM and RAM are not opposites, as some people seem to believe. In fact, ROM is technically a subset of the systems RAM. In other words, a portion of the systems Random Access Memory address space is mapped into one or more ROM chips. This is necessary to contain the software that enables the PC to boot up; otherwise, the proces- sor would have no program in memory to execute when it was powered on. For example, when a PC is turned on, the processor automatically jumps to address FFFF0h, expecting to find instructions to tell the processor what to do.This location is exactly 16 bytes from the end of the first megabyte of RAM space, and the end of the ROM. If this location was mapped into regular memory 1 chips, any data stored there would have disappeared when the power was turned off previously, and the processor would subsequently find no instructions to run the next time power was turned on. By placing a ROM chip at this address, a system startup program can be permanently loaded into the ROM and will be available every time the system is turned on. The motherboard ROM normally contains four main programs, including the following in most systems: †¢ POST: Power-On Self Test.A series of test routines that ensure the system components are operating properly. †¢ CMOS Setup: A menu-driven application that allows the user to set sys- tem configuration parameters, options, security settings, and preferences. †¢ Bootstrap Loader: The routine that first scans the floppy drive and then the hard disk, looking for an operating system to load. †¢ BIOS: Basic Input/Output System. A series of device driver programs designed to present a standard interface to the basic system hardware, especially hardware that must be active during the boot process. Four different types of ROM chips are ROM. Read Only Memory †¢ PROM. Programmable ROM †¢ EPROM. Erasable PROM †¢ EEPROM. Electrically Erasable PROM, also called a flash ROM No matter which type of ROM you use, the data stored in a ROM chip is non- volatile and will remain indefinitely unless intentionally erased or overwritten. 2. 1. 1PROM PROMs are a type of ROM that is blank when new and must be pr ogrammed with whatever data you want 2. 1. 2EPROM One variation of the PROM that has been very popular is the EPROM. An EPROM is a PROM that is erasable. EPROM is erased by exposure to intense UV light. 2. 1. 3 EEPROM/Flash ROMA newer type of ROM is the EEPROM, which stands for Electrically Erasable PROM. These chips are also called flash ROMs, and are characterized by their capability to be erased and reprogrammed directly in the circuit board in which they are installed, with no special equipment required. 2 2. 2DRAM Dynamic RAM is the type of memory chip used for most of the main memory in a modern PC. The main advantages of DRAM is that it is very dense, meaning you can pack a lot of bits into a very small chip, and it is very inexpensive, which makes it affordable for large amounts of memory.The memory cells in a DRAM chip are tiny capacitors that retain a charge to indicate a bit. The problem with DRAM is that it is dynamic, and because of the design must be constantly refresh ed or the electrical charges in the individual memory capacitors will drain and the data will be lost. Refresh occurs when the system memory controller takes a tiny break and accesses all the rows of data in the memory chips. DRAMs use only one transistor and capacitor pair per bit, which makes them very dense, offering a lot of memory capacity per chip than other types of memory. 2. 3 Cache MemorySRAMThere is another distinctly different type of memory that is significantly faster than most types of DRAM. SRAM stands for Static RAM, which is so named because it does not need the periodic refresh rates like DRAM (Dynamic RAM). Due to the design of SRAM, not only are refresh rates unnecessary, but SRAM is much faster than DRAM and is fully able to keep pace with modern processors. SRAM memory is available in access times of 2ns or less, which means it can keep pace with processors running 500MHz or faster! This is due to the SRAM design, which calls for a cluster of six transistors f or each bit of storage.The use of transistors but no capacitors means that refresh rates are not necessary because there are no capacitors to lose their charges over time. As long as there is power, SRAM will remember what is stored. Compared to DRAM, SRAM is much faster, but also much lower in density and much more expensive. The lower density means that SRAM chips are physically larger and store many less bits overall. The high number of transistors and the clustered design means that SRAM chips are both physically larger and much more expensive to produce than DRAM chips.Even though SRAM is too expensive for PC use as main memory, PC designers have found a way to use SRAM to dramatically improve PC performance. Rather than spend the money for all RAM to be SRAM memory, which can run fast enough to match the CPU, it is much more cost-effective to design in a small amount of high-speed SRAM memory, called cache memory. The cache runs at speeds close to or even equal to the processo r, and is the memory from which the processor normally directly reads from and writes to. During read operations, the data in the high-speed cache memory is resupplied from the lower-speed main memory or DRAM in advance. 3Memory Packaging Memory is made from tiny semiconductor chips and must be packaged into something less fragile and tiny in order to be integrated with the rest of the system Different types of memory paclages are †¢ Dual Inline Packages (DIPs) and Memory Modules †¢ Single Inline Memory Modules (SIMMs) †¢ Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMMs) 3. 1DIPS Most memory chips are packaged into small plastic or ceramic packages called dual inline packages or DIPs. A DIP is a rectangular package with rows of pins running along its two longer edges These are the small black boxes you see on SIMMs, DIMMs or other larger packaging styles . 2SIMMs SIMMs are available in two flavors: 30 pin and 72 pin. 30-pin SIMMs are the older standard, and were popular on third and fourth generation motherboards. 72-pin SIMMs are used on fourth, fifth and sixth generation PCs. SIMMs are placed into special sockets on the motherboard created to hold them. The sockets are specifically designed to ensure that once inserted, the SIMM will be held in place tightly 3. 3DIMMs DIMMs are 168 pins in size, and provide memory 64 bits in width. They are a newer form factor and are becoming the de facto standard for new PCs; they are not used on older motherboards motherboards.SIMMs have contacts on either side of the circuit board but they are tied together. So a 30-pin SIMM has 30 contacts on each side of the circuit board, but each pair is connected. DIMMs however have different connections on each side of the circuit board 4Memory Banks Memory chips (DIPs, SIMMs, SIPPs, and DIMMs) are organized in banks on motherboards and memory cards. The banks usually correspond to the data bus capacity of the system’s microprocessor. The number of bits for each bank can be made up of single chips, SIMMs, or DIMMs. 4 5Memory ReliabilityA part of the nature of memory is that it will inevitably fail. These failures are usually classified as two basic types: hard fails and soft errors. The most well understood are hard fails, in which the chip is working and then, due to some flaw, physical damage, or other event, becomes damaged and experiences a permanent failure. Fixing this type of failure normally requires replacement of some part of the memory hardware, such as the chip, SIMM, or DIMM. Hard error rates are known as HERs. The other more insidious type of failure is the soft error.A soft error is a nonpermanent failure that may never reoccur, or occur at infrequent intervals. (Soft fails are effectively â€Å"fixed† by powering the system off and back on. ) Soft error rates are known as SERs. There are basically three levels and techniques for fault tolerance used in modern PCs: †¢ Non-parity †¢ Parity †¢ ECC (Error Correcting Co de) Non-parity systems have no fault tolerance at all. The reason they are even used is because they have the lowest inherent cost. No additional memory is necessary as is the case with parity or ECC techniques. 6ParityTne standard IBM set for the industry is that the memory chips in a bank of nine each handle one bit of data: eight bits per character plus one extra bit called the parity bit. As the eight individual bits in a byte are stored in memory, a parity genera- tor/checker, which is either part of the CPU or located in a special chip on the motherboard, evaluates the data bits by counting the number of 1s in the byte. If an even number of 1s is in the byte, the parity generator/checker creates a 1 and stores it as the ninth bit (parity bit) in the parity memory chip.That makes the total sum for all nine bits an odd number. If the original sum of the eight data bits is an odd number, the parity bit created is 0, keeping the 9-bit sum an odd number. The value of the parity bit is always chosen so that the sum of all nine bits (eight data bits plus one parity bit) is an odd number. The following examples may make it easier to understand: Data bit number: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Data bit value:10110011 Parity bit:0 5 In this example, because the total number of data bits with a value of 1 is an odd number (5), the parity bit must have a value of 0 to ensure an odd sum for all nine bits.The following is another example: Data bit number: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Data bit value :00110011 Parity bit: 1 In this example, because the total number of data bits with a value of 1 is an even number (4), the parity bit must have a value of 1 to create an odd sum for all nine bits. When the system reads memory back from storage, it checks the parity information. If a (9-bit) byte has an even number of bits with a parity bit value of 1, that byte must have an error. The system cannot tell which bit has changed, or if only a single bit has changed.If three bits changed, for example, the byte still flags a parity-check error; if two bits changed, however, the bad byte may pass unnoticed. The following examples show parity-check messages for three types of systems: For the IBM PC: PARITY CHECK x For the IBM XT: PARITY CHECK x yyyyy (z) For the IBM AT and late model XT: PARITY CHECK x yyyyy Where x is 1 or 2: 1=Erroroccurredonthemotherboard 2=Erroroccurredinanexpansionslot yyyyy represents a number from 00000 through FFFFF that indicates, in hexadecimal notation, the byte in which the error has occurred. Where (z) is (S) or (E ): S) = Parity error occurred in the system unit (E ) = Parity error occurred in the expansion chassis When a parity-check error is detected, the motherboard parity-checking cir- cuits generate a non-maskable interrupt (NMI), which halts processing and di- 6 verts the systems attention to the error. The NMI causes a routine in the ROM to be executed. The routine clears the screen and then displays a message in the upper-left corner of the screen . The message differs depending on the type of computer system. 7 ECC (Error Correcting Code) ECC goes a big step beyond simple parity error detection.Rather than just detecting an error, ECC allows a single bit error to be corrected, which means the system can continue on without interruption and without corrupting data. ECC as implemented in most PCs can only detect and not correct double-bit errors. Because studies have indicated that approximately 98 percent of memory errors are single- bit variety, the most commonly used type of ECC is one in which the attendant memory controller detects and corrects single-bit errors in an accessed data word (double-bit errors can be detected, but not corrected).This type of ECC is known as SEC-DED and requires an additional seven check bits over 32 bits in a 4-byte system and eight check bits in an 8-byte system. ECC in a 4-byte system obviously costs more than non-parity or parity, but in an 8-byte system, ECC and parity costs are equal. ECC entails the memory controller calculating the check bits on a memory- write operation, performing a compare between the read and calculated check- bits on a read operation and, if necessary, correcting bad bit(s).The additional ECC logic in the memory controller is not very significant in this age of inex- pensive, high-performance VLSI logic, but ECC actually affects memory perfor- mance on writes. This is because the operation must be timed to wait for the calculation of check bits and, when the system waits for corrected data, reads. On a partial-word write, the entire word must first be read, the affected byte(s) rewritten, and then new check bits calculated. This turns partial-word write operations into slower read-modify writes. Most memory errors are of a single-bit nature, which are correctable by ECC.Incorporating this fault-tolerant technique provides high system reliability and attendant availability. An ECC-based system is a good choice for servers, workstations, or mis sion-critical applications in which the cost of a potential memory error outweighs the additional memory and system cost to correct it, along with ensuring that it does not detract from system reliability. 8 The System Logical Memory Layout The original PC had a total of 1M of addressable memory, and the top 384K of that was reserved for use by the system.Placing this reserved space at the top (between 640K and 1024K instead of at the bottom, between 0K and 640K) led to what today is often called the conventional memory barrier. The constant pressures on system and peripheral manufacturers to maintain compatibility by never breaking from the original memory scheme of the first PC has resulted in 7 a system memory structure that is (to put it kindly) a mess. Logical memory sections are given below †¢ Conventional (Base) memory †¢ Upper Memory Area (UMA) †¢ High Memory Area (HMA) †¢ Extended memory (XMS) †¢ Expanded memory (obsolete) Video RAM memory (part of UMA) †¢ Adapter ROM and Special Purpose RAM (part of UMA) †¢ Motherboard ROM BIOS (part of UMA) 8. 1 Conventional (Base) Memory The original PC/XT-type system was designed to use 1M of memory workspace, sometimes called RAM (random access memory). This 1M of RAM is divided into several sections, some of which have special uses. DOS can read and write to the entire megabyte, but can manage the loading of programs only in the portion of RAM space called conventional memory, which was 512K at the time the first PC was introduced.The other 512K was reserved for use by the system, including the motherboard and adapter boards plugged into the system slots. After introducing the system, IBM decided that only 384K was needed for these reserved uses, and the company began marketing PCs with 640K of user memory. Thus, 640K became the standard for memory that can be used by DOS for running programs, and is often termed the 640K memory barrier. The remaining memory after 640K was rese rved for use by the graphics boards, other adapters, and the motherboard ROM BIOS.This barrier largely affects 16-bit software such as DOS and Windows 3. 1, and is much less of a factor with 32-bit software and operating systems such as Windows 95/98, NT, and so on. 8. 2 Upper Memory Area (UMA) The term Upper Memory Area (UMA) describes the reserved 384K at the top of the first megabyte of system memory on a PC/XT and the first megabyte on an AT-type system. This memory has the addresses from A0000 through FFFFF. The way the 384K of upper memory is used breaks down as follows: †¢ The first 128K after conventional memory is called video RAM.It is re- served for use by video adapters. When text and graphics are displayed onscreen, the electronic impulses that contain their images reside in this space. Video RAM is allotted the address range from A0000-BFFFF. 8 †¢ The next 128K is reserved for the adapter BIOS that resides in read-only memory chips on some adapter boards plug ged into the bus slots. Most VGA-compatible video adapters use the first 32K of this area for their onboard BIOS. The rest can be used by any other adapters installed. Many network adapters also use this area for special-purpose RAM called Shared Memory.Adapter ROM and special-purpose RAM is allotted the address range from C0000-DFFFF. †¢ The last 128K of memory is reserved for motherboard BIOS (the basic input/output system, which is stored in read-only RAM chips or ROM). The POST (Power-On Self Test) and bootstrap loader, which handles your system at bootup until the operating system takes over, also reside in this space. Most systems only use the last 64K (or less) of this space, leaving the first 64K or more free for remapping with memory managers. Some systems also include the CMOS Setup program in this area.The motherboard BIOS is allotted the address range from E0000-FFFFF. 8. 3Extended Memory The memory map on a system based on the 286 or higher processor can extend bey ond the 1M boundary that exists when the processor is in real mode. On a 286 or 386SX system, the extended memory limit is 16M; on a 386DX, 486, Pentium, Pentium MMX, or Pentium Pro system, the extended memory limit is 4G (4,096M). Systems based on the Pentium II processor have a limit of 64G (65,536M). For a system to address memory beyond the first megabyte, the processor must be in protected modethe native mode of 286 and higher processors.On a 286, only programs designed to run in protected mode can take advantage of extended memory. 386 and higher processors offer another mode, called virtual real mode, which enables extended memory to be, in effect, chopped into 1M pieces (each its own real-mode session). Virtual real mode also allows for several of these sessions to be running simultaneously in protected areas of memory. The extended memory specification (XMS) was developed in 1987 by Mi- crosoft, Intel, AST Corp. , and Lotus Development to specify how programs would use exte nded memory.The XMS specification functions on systems based on the 286 or higher and allows real-mode programs (those designed to run in DOS) to use extended memory and another block of memory usually out of the reach of DOS. Before XMS, there was no way to ensure cooperation between programs that switched the processor into protected mode and used extended memory. There was also no way for one program to know what another had been doing with the extended memory because none of them could see that memory while in real mode. HIMEM.SYS becomes an arbitrator of sorts that first grabs all the extended memory for itself and then doles it out to programs that know the XMS protocols. In this manner, several programs that use XMS memory can operate together under DOS on the same system, switching the pro- cessor into 9 and out of protected mode to access the memory. Extended memory can be made to conform to the XMS specification by installing a de- vice driver in the CONFIG. SYS file. The most common XMS driver is HIMEM. SYS, which is included with Windows 3. x and later versions of DOS, starting with 4. and up. 8. 4 High Memory Area (HMA) The High Memory Area (HMA) is an area of memory 16 bytes short of 64K in size, starting at the beginning of the first megabyte of extended memory. It can be used to load device drivers and memory-resident programs to free up conventional memory for use by real-mode programs. Only one device driver or memory-resident program can be loaded into HMA at one time, no matter what its size. Originally, this could be any program, but Microsoft decided that DOS could get there first, and built capability into DOS 5 and newer versions.The HMA area is extremely important to those who use DOS 5 or higher because these DOS versions can move their own kernel (about 45K of program instructions) into this area. This is accomplished simply by first loading an XMS driver (such as HIMEM. SYS) and adding the line DOS=HIGH to your CONFIG. SYS file. Tak ing advantage of this DOS capability frees another 45K or so of conventional memory for use by real-mode programs by essentially mov- ing 45K of program code into the first segment of extended memory.Although this memory was supposed to be accessible in protected mode only, it turns out that a defect in the design of the original 286 (which, fortunately, has been propagated forward to the more recent processors as a feature) accidentally al- lows access to most of the first segment of extended memory while still in real mode. The use of the HMA is controlled by the HIMEM. SYS or equivalent driver. The origins of this memory usage are interesting because they are based on a bug in the original 286 processor carried forward through even the Pentium II. 8. 5 Expanded MemorySome older programs can use a type of memory called Expanded Memory Spec- ification or EMS memory. Unlike conventional (the first megabyte) or extended (the second through 16th or 4,096th megabytes) memory, expanded memory is not directly addressable by the processor. Instead, it can only be accessed through a 64K window and small 16K pages established in the UMA. Expanded memory is a segment or bank-switching scheme in which a custom memory adapter has a large number of 64K segments onboard, com- bined with special switching and mapping hardware. The system uses a free segment in the UMA as the home address for the EMS board.After this 64K is filled with data, the board rotates the filled segment out and a new, empty segment appears to take its place. In this fashion, you have a board that can keep on rotating in new segments to be filled with data. Because only one segment can be seen or oper- ated on at one time, EMS is very inefficient for program code and is normally 10 only used for data. 9Video Memory The video memory is such an important component of the video card, and indirectly the entire PC, that several new memory technologies have been created specifically for it.The goal: to impr ove the speed with which information can be pumped into and out of the video memory, to keep system performance high as the video system tries to do more and more. Various memory technologies now being used on video cards are explained below. 9. 1 Standard (Fast Page Mode) DRAM The oldest technology used in video card memory, fast page mode (FPM) memory is now considered â€Å"standard† DRAM as it has the fewest performanceenhancing capabilities of the different types of memory on the market. FPM DRAM is a technology used primarily for main system memories (even there, it is now considered a poor performer) and is not really ell-suited for highperformance video applications. 11 FPM is the least expensive type of memory available for video, and is used today mostly on low-end or generic cards (as well as older cards of course). For many applications they can be quite satisfactory; however, they reach their limits quickly when trying to use high resolution modes, especially in true color. The limitations of standard DRAM are due to two primary effects: it is single ported (which means it can only do one access at a time) and it runs at a relatively low speed and access width. 9. 2 Extended Data Out (EDO) DRAMEDO DRAM is the same as standard FPM DRAM except for a slight modification in the access cycle that gives it a small performance boost. With EDO DRAM, one read to memory can begin before the last one has completely finished; this yields a raw speed improvement of between 5 and 20 percent, depending on whom you ask. Originally used only for main system memory, EDO DRAM is becoming more popular on video cards because it provides slightly improved performance over standard DRAM at the same cost. (At one time EDO was more expensive than FPM but due to supply and demand effects now, EDO is actually the same cost or lower).EDO is still, however, a low-cost and low-performance solution compared to other types of video memory, and is not used on high-end card s. 9. 3 Video RAM (VRAM) The traditional, standard DRAM used for video cards typically does not have enough bandwidth to handle the demands of running a card at high resolution and color depths, with acceptable refresh rates. The main reason why is the two competing access factors for the video memory: the processor writing new information to the memory, and the RAMDAC reading it many times per second in order to send video signals to the monitor.To address this fundamental limitation, a new type of memory was created called video RAM or VRAM. As the name implies, this memory is specifically tailored for use in video systems. The fundamental difference between VRAM and standard DRAM is that VRAM is dual-ported. This means that it has two access paths, and can be written to and read from simultaneously. The advantages of this are of course enormous given what the video card does: many times per second a new screen image is calculated and written to the memory, and many times per seco nd this memory is read and sent to the monitor.Dual- porting allows these operations to occur without bumping into each other. VRAM provides substantially more bandwidth than either standard DRAM or EDO DRAM; double in many cases. It is more suited for use in systems requiring high resolution and color depth displays. The only reason that it hasn’t replaced standard DRAM entirely is of course: cost. VRAM is more complex and requires more silicon per bit than standard DRAM, which makes it cost more. 12 9. 4Window RAM (WRAM)Window RAM or WRAM is a modification of regular VRAM that both improves performance and reduces cost on a bit-for-bit basis. Designed specifically for use in graphics cards, WRAM is also dual-ported but has about 25% more bandwidth than VRAM, and also incorporates additional features to allow for higher performance memory transfers for commonly used graphical operations such as text drawing and block fills. Furthermore, WRAM is less expensive than VRAM to ma nufacture (although still more expensive than DRAM). 9. 5 Synchronous Graphics RAM (SGRAM)A relatively newer RAM technology, Synchronous Graphics RAM or SGRAM tackles the poor performance of regular DRAM by increasing greatly the speed at which memory transfers take place. SGRAM also incorporates specific per- formance enhancing features designed to work with acceleration features built into video cards, to greatly improve overall video processing speed. SGRAM is still single-ported, unlike VRAM or WRAM, but offers performance that is much closer to VRAM than DRAM due to its advanced design. 10 Flash Memory DevicesFlash memory has been around for several years as a main or an auxiliary storage medium for notebook computers. However, the rise of devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players and the presence of USB ports on practically all recent systems have transformed this technology from a niche product into a mainstream must-have storage technology. Flash memory is a type of no nvolatile memory that is divided into blocks rather than bytes, as with normal RAM memory modules. Flash memory, which also is used in most recent computers for BIOS chips, is changed by a process known as Fowler-Nordheim tunneling.This process removes the charge from the floating gate associated with each memory cell. Flash memory then must be erased before it can be charged with new data. The speed, low reprogramming current requirements, and compact size of recent flash memory devices have made flash memory a perfect counterpart for portable devices such as notebook computers and digital cameras, which often refer to flash memory devices as so-called â€Å"digital film†. Unlike real film, digital film can be erased and reshot.Ultra-compact, USB-based keychain drives that use flash memory are replacing both traditional floppy drives and Zip/SuperDisk drives for transporting data between systems. Diiferent types of flash memory devices are expained below. 10. 1Compact Flash CompactFlash was developed by SanDisk Corporation in 1994 and uses ATA architecture to emulate a disk drive; a CompactFlash device attached to a com- 13 puter has a disk drive letter just like your other drives. Later types of flash memory also use ATA architecture, either implemented in the device itself or in its controller. 0. 2MultiMedia Card The MultiMediaCard (MMC) was codeveloped by SanDisk and Infineon Tech- nologies AG (formerly Siemens AG) in November 1997 for use with smart phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, and camcorders. The MMC uses a simple 7-pin serial interface to devices and contains low-voltage flash memory. 10. 3Secure Digital (SD) A SecureDigital (SD) storage device is about the same size as MMC , but it’s a more sophisticated product. SD, which was codeveloped by Toshiba, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), and SanDisk in 1999, gets its name from two special features.The first is encrypted storage of data for additional security, meeting current and fut ure Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) standards for portable devices. The second is a mechanical write-protection switch. 10. 4Pen Drive As an alternative to floppy and Zip/SuperDisk-class removable-media drives, USB-based flash memory devices are rapidly becoming the preferred way to move data between systems. The first successful drive of this type – Trek’s ThumbDrivewas – introduced in 2000 and has spawned many imitators, in- cluding many that incorporate a keychain or pocket clip to emphasize their portability.Unlike other types of flash memory, USB keychain drives don’t require a separate card reader; they can be plugged in to any USB port or hub. Al- though a driver is usually required for Windows 98 and Windows 98SE, most USB keychain drives can be read immediately by newer versions of Windows, particularly Windows XP. As with other types of flash memory, USB keychain drives are assigned a drive letter when connected to the computer. Most have capacities ranging from 128MB to 1GB, with some capacities as high as 2GB or more.However, typical read/write performance of USB 1. 1-compatible drives is about 1MBps. Hi-Speed USB keychain drives are much faster, providing read speeds ranging from 5MBps to 15MBps and write speeds ranging from 5MBps to 13MBps. 11Advanced Memory Technologies 11. 1RDRAM RDRAM is a proprietary technology made by Rambus Inc. for use exclusively in certain Intel compatible motherboards 14 RDRAM stands for Rambus Dynamic Random Access Memory. It can access data anywhere on the chip; It requires power to hold its data; and it transfers data twice per clock signal.However, it uses a smaller pathway, or â€Å"system bus,† to send information. The Rambus system bus is 16-bits wide. Rambus transfers data at 800 megahertz (MHz) and faster. Rambus is the more expensive type of memory since its proprietary, royalty costs that manufacturers must pay to produce it tend to result in higher retail prices. Add itionally, Rambus compatible motherboards require that all of their RAM slots be occupied. Traditionally, a computer may contain anywhere from one to four ram slots. If a slot is unoccupied, the system still operates.Rambus requires that either a Rambus memory module or a kind of place holder known as a continuity module be in place to complete the memory path to the bus. 11. 2 DDR SDRAM (DDR) Double data rate (DDR) SDRAM memory is a JEDEC-created standard that is an evolutionary upgrade of standard SDRAM in which data is transferred twice as quickly. Instead of doubling the actual clock rate, DDR memory achieves the doubling in performance by transferring twice per transfer cycle: once at the leading (falling) edge and once at the trailing (rising) edge of the cycle.This effectively doubles the transfer rate, even though the same overall clock and timing signals are used. Since its inception, manufacturers have release new and faster versions of DDR. These are based on the use of p refetch buffers that access not only the memory, or â€Å"dataword,† requested by the processor but also the datawords adjacent to it on the chip. Thus DDR2 â€Å"fetches† four datawords per memory access, double the amount of DDR. DDR3, a more recent update, obtains eight datawords per access. 15