Why Lithium Batteries Catch Fire

Why Lithium Batteries Catch Fire Lithium batteries are compact, lightweight batteries that hold considerable charge and fare well under constant discharge-recharge conditions. The batteries are found everywhere  -   in laptop computers, cameras, cell phones, and electric cars. Although accidents are rare, those that do occur may be spectacular, resulting in an explosion or fire. In order to understand why these batteries catch fire and how to minimize the risk of an accident, it helps to understand how the batteries function. How Lithium Batteries Work A lithium battery consists of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte. Typically, the batteries  transfer electrical charge from a lithium metal cathode  through an electrolyte consisting of an organic solvent containing lithium salts over to a carbon anode. The specifics depend on the battery, but lithium-ion batteries usually contain a metal coil and a flammable lithium-ion fluid. Tiny metal fragments float in the liquid. The contents of the battery are under pressure, so if a metal fragment punctures a partition that keeps the components separate or the battery is punctured, the lithium reacts with water in the air vigorously, generating high heat and sometimes producing a fire. Why Lithium Batteries Catch Fire or Explode Lithium batteries are made to deliver high output with minimal weight. Battery components are designed to be lightweight, which translates into thin partitions between cells and a thin outer covering. The partitions or coating are fairly fragile, so they can be punctured. If the battery is damaged, a short occurs. This spark can ignite the highly reactive lithium. Another possibility is that the battery can heat to the point of thermal runaway. Here, the heat of the contents exerts pressure on the battery, potentially producing an explosion. Minimize the Risk of Lithium Battery Fire The risk of fire or explosion increases if the battery is exposed to hot conditions or the battery or internal component is compromised. You can lessen the risk of an accident in several ways: Avoid storing at high temperatures. Dont keep batteries in hot vehicles. Dont allow a blanket to cover your laptop. Dont keep your cell phone in a warm pocket.  You get the idea.Avoid keeping all your items containing lithium-ion batteries together. When you travel, especially on a plane, youll have all your electronic items in one bag. This is unavoidable because the batteries have to be in your carry-on but usually, you can keep some space between battery-containing items. Although having lithium-ion batteries in close proximity does not increase the risk of a fire, if there is an accident, the other batteries can catch fire and make the situation worse.Avoid overcharging your batteries. These batteries do not suffer memory effect as badly as other types of rechargeable batteries, so they can be discharged and recharged many times nearly back to their original charge. However, they do not fare well if they are completely drained before recharging or are over-charged. Car chargers are notorious for overcharging batteries. Using any charger other than the one intended for the battery can increase the risk of damage.

Leanpub Serial and Continuous Publishing, by Len Epp

Leanpub Serial and Continuous Publishing, by Len Epp Serial and continuous publishing, an interview with Len Epp of Leanpub Last updated: 07/31/2017Serial publishing is not new. Many of Dickens books were published serially. This and Eric Ries' Lean Startup approach is what drove co-founders Len Epp, Peter Armstrong and Scott Patten to create Leanpub. This fascinating (and successful) startup has built  a lean publishing model where you "publish early, publish often" in order to build an audience.Our co-founder and CEO Emmanuel decided to have a chat with their co-founder Len Epp. Press "play" below if you want to hear a passionate discussion about publishing, Dickens, serializing, book marketing, and new forms of writing. Basically, they're imagining the future of publishing, and their vision might be quite accurate. Alternatively, we have supplied, as always, the transcript right below! Welcome to a new Reedsy podcast. So today I'm very happy to talk with Len Epp, Lead Customer Development and Co-Founder of Leanpub. So well Sir, good morning or good afternoon - depending on wherever you are. Yes, it’s morning here on the West Coast of America.Yeah, it's evening now in London, so dark! So I'm pretty excited to have you today. I've been a big Leanpub fan for a while actually and think the model is super interesting. You guys created a concept where authors can continuously publish their books – and even if they’ve only written the first chapters, people can already buy it. We also decided to do this interview to announce that Reedsy and Leanpub will start working together to help Leanpub users create beautiful covers for their books - since it's one of the main things to discover books on Leanpub. So just for our listeners, who may not know about Leanpub, can you tell us a bit about yourself, and then about the vision for the company and the team? So Leanpub has 3 co-founders - Peter Armstrong, Scott Patten and myself. Peter and Scott actually had the idea back in 2010, when Peter had written a programming book.He’d realized that he didn't want to wait until the book was completed before he started getting it out to readers. And there were a number of reasons for that, one of which was motivation and another one was community copy editing. And so he creatively added a link to a special chat room that you could access if you bought the book. He built this community of avid followers of his computer program – they would help him if they found errors and make suggestions. And it was a feedback loop of motivation. People were asking for the next chapters, and he wanted to give it to them - and that worked really well.So how would it work for fiction? Isn’t it harder to work with your readers to release new chapters based on their feedback?Fiction is a really interesting application. Serial fiction is a really old idea. Many of Dickens books were published serially: "The Brothers Karamazov", "Crime and Punishment", "'War and Peace", and "Middlemarch" all started out being published serially. And serial publishing was more or less the norm. "Many of Dickens books were published serially: serial publishing was more or less the norm." @leanpub That opens up really interesting ideas. For example, a novel is not a book, right? Like we say, "I wrote the book", but you actually wrote a text. It's only a book if it's published in that particular format. For example, if I had all of the copies of all the magazines in which one of Mary Elizabeth Braden’s novels were published, I've got the novel but I don't have the book. I also have the pamphlets that â€Å"Middlemarch† was published as: I don't have a book, but I have a novel. So Leanpub enables serial publishing so you would publish chapters as separate books serially.Now, I think what you're getting at, which is really good, is the idea of â€Å"in-progress publishing†, which is different from serial publishing (serial publishing is publishing finished works in serial).Exactly.I think the only person working on a novel that way is me. But that's kind of like performance art in a way, right? I think most people would find it frustrating to read the first c hapter of a novel and have the author go, "I changed it."You came up with that continuous publishing concept and now you're coming up with this idea: a book is only a book if you decide to make your text a book. But in fact maybe people don't want to read a book, they want to read a series of novels or something that's constantly evolving.I’d like to come back to the fact that Leanpub is mainly for technical writers at the moment. And for it to work well, you've integrated Leanpub with many services such as GitHub, Dropbox and a few others. What's the proportion of the authors using them and how does it change the way they write their books?Most of our authors use Dropbox, fewer use GitHub. We've got an option on Leanpub to download what you've been working in the e-pub, PDF or mobi formats - or all 3 if you want.All authors say that working with Dropbox is kind of magic because when you're working through Dropbox, you've got a file on your computer, and you just press "save" when want to. And you work on whatever text editor you like. And then, because you're sharing that file with Leanpub through Dropbox, when you want to publish a new version - you just go to Leanpub and hit the publish button, and it's done! There's no emailing back and forth, nothing. It just takes away a huge amount of complication from the conventional process.You have also built the Leanpub editor where authors write using Markdown. How popular is it?For anyone who isn't familiar with Markdown, Markdown is a mark-up language or syntax that was developed to make it easier to write webpages. And so Leanpub books are written in what we call â€Å"Leanpub flavored Markdown†, which is essentially plain text: you don't see the bold thing turn bold in the text that you're writing - any more than you would if you were writing on a typewriter, and it's very very simple.And do you think this tool could be adopted more broadly, outside of the tech community?I do, but I know from exp erience that for a lot of people, as soon as you tell them they have to learn something new and you use a technical word they're not exactly running to the hills. But the analogy for that is the typewriter, right? When the typewriter came out, you had to buy and object and learn how to use it, which was time-consuming.I think that people are going to learn Markdown, in the same way that they learned to use the typewriter. The 5 minutes it will take you to learn this new way of typing out books is way better. It will catch on. It will become a convention. People will understand that it's better but it's going to take time. "People are going to learn Markdown, in the same way that they learned to use the typewriter." @leanpub So let's say, so I've written my manuscript and I'm publishing it with Leanpub, now what happens?You would create a landing page for your book with information like â€Å"about the book†, â€Å"about the author†, maybe a bit of a teaser and then you would hit one button: "publish". If you've used our writing workflow, from one source text you get all those ePub, PDF and mobi versions magically created, then your book is up for sale on Leanpub.You can also set up variable pricing: you set a minimum and a suggested price for your book and as soon as you hit "publish" it's available for sale at those prices. Readers will see a slider at the suggested price, but they can slide it down to the minimum price that you've set, or they can slide it up and pay more.Since Leanpub pays such a high royalty rate compared to other publishing platforms, 90% minus 50 cents per sale, how much we pay authors is a feature. So underneath the slider that shows how much you pay, it shows how m uch the author is getting. This is why we'd see people paying strange prices like $11.67 and we'd be like. In fact, that corresponds to $10 to the author. So they were taking the author slider, "How much do I want to give the author for this book?" 10 bucks.So this variable pricing totally changes the relationship with readers: if you go into a conventional bookstore, you're automatically in consumer mode, "I want to pay as little as I can for as much as I can get." "If you go into a conventional bookstore, you're automatically in consumer mode." @leanpub But with Leanpub and with variable pricing, because it gives you a choice, all of a sudden you're making a decision about how much you can afford to pay and how much you think it's worth. "With Leanpub and variable pricing, you make a decision about how much you think a book is worth." @leanpub There are tons of people setting up a crowdfunding campaign for their publishing projects. And they're like, "Okay, I'm going to raise some money so that I can keep on writing my book, and then produce it at some point." What you're doing with Leanpub is you say, "Okay, I'm going to write the first chapter and I'm going to find readers who are really interested in what I'm writing and start making money out of my book so I can potentially invest more for the coming chapters." Do you feel like crowdfunding for books should work this way, and not the way Kickstarter works - where you wait for months before you can actually read the book?I would say that when it comes to writing, for most projects, the best thing to do is to make a little bit first and get it out there, and see if you are getting attention before you ask people to start giving you money for it.At Leanpub there's a page where you can ask people if they'd be interested in reading a book if you wrote it. It's possible at s ome point we'll do pre-sales, because pre-sales are becoming quite big in publishing land. Personally, I don't think I would want to personally give a writer an advance on a book they hadn't started writing yet though.My co-founder Ricardo has interviewed quite a few publishing startups and that concept of customer validation before you actually invest everything into your book keeps coming back.So let’s say I've decided to put my book out there on Leanpub, then what happens? How do you help authors find their readers?We’ve got a bookstore that has various categories, sellers. But mostly, right now, it's up to Leanpub authors to go outside the Leanpub ecosystem. It's up to them to bring readers.So how many books have been published through Leanpub so far?Nearly 2,000 authors, and we've had nearly 3,000 books published.You talked about that mailing list that authors can build on Leanpub. Is it mainly for people coming from the Leanpub community, or just anyone coming to the book’s page and thinking, "I'm interested, I'm going to sign up." And then, the author can use this mailing list the way they want?The way the mailing list works is that if you express interest in a book that hasn't been published, you can subscribe to get notified when it gets published. You choose whether or not you want to share your email address with the author. If you do, we have integration with MailChimp.So let's talk about when the book is ready. Peter, your co-founder was telling me about Leanpub authors who were looking to get a finished product to distribute on different ebookstores or even a physical version of their book. And that’s why there is now a referral program in place for Leanpub authors who can get a Reedsy coupon of $20 towards editing or design services on Reedsy. Awesome. It's really exciting. We've had our most successful Leanpub authors make a print version and also try other channels like putting their book up on Amazon or the iBookst ore.People say "don't judge a book by its cover". In the 20th century romantic modernism, the publishing house made the cover with very little input given to the author. So my joke is that you can't judge a book by its cover†¦ if a traditional publisher publishes it. Traditional publishers have this whole apparatus for selling that has nothing to do with writing. "  You can't judge a book by its cover†¦ if a traditional publisher publishes it." @leanpub But with a self-published book you can often judge a book by its cover: if the author took the time and care and chose a good designer to make a good cover, it means that they probably wrote a good book too. Having a cover that shows care is profoundly important. "Traditional publishers have this whole apparatus for selling that has nothing to do with writing." @leanpub It's also a form of art. There’s a deep relation between that cover and what you've been writing. It's going to be interesting in the coming months to see if there are great covers coming from this collaboration. I look forward to it. So thanks a lot I think that was really interesting for our readers to learn more about Leanpub.Okay, thanks very much and I look forward to interviewing you next week for the Leanpub podcast!Follow Leanpub and Reedsy on Twitter:  @leanpub  and  @ReedsyHQWhat do you think of Leanpub's publishing model? Would you be ready publish early in order to build an audience? Leave us your thoughts, or any questions for Len, in the comments below!

American Government and Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Government and Constitution - Essay Example They had wanted the government to disperse its operations. America comprises of people of different diversities; different religions, Catholics, Anglicans, Jews, Quakers and Calvinists, people from different origin, Sweden, Canada, England, France and many other parts of the world. They therefore, had and still have differing opinions on how the government should be run. In the past years, the number of immigrants into the United States has grown; therefore, diversity has augmented, making the nation grow stronger in unity. The constitution defends the rights of people without considering their backgrounds and by limiting the powers of both the state and national governments. In the bill of rights, amendment I states that, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and the government for a redress of grievance † (Schultz, p 273). This amendment does not include that a certain race is not represented; it includes all the American people. Many of the features of the constitution are meant to ensure that not any department of the state achieves control over the others and anything that can oppress its citizens. However, the constitution did not resolve the crisis of majorities imposing oppressive rules on the minority groups. The problem of tyranny until today has not been determined and needs to be addressed appreciably. This is an area that the federal government has been unsuccessful Race, ethnicity and color are the key characteristics of the minority groups in the United States of America, and although the government is trying to phase out the problem, it is extremely hard because people have it all in their minds. For example, some private schools cannot admit students from some ethnic groups or some races. In the earlier days of slavery, slave trade was operational in the south because the economic and communal status of the southerners was remorseful, and was justified to depend on the trade to make a living. The white homes in the south had been depending on slavery, ending the vice would have been a significant blow for them and the north still needed them for supply of raw materials. The blacks did not have any other option other than to be slaves, without education, socialization and a majority of whites living in the south. It is no surprise that the southerners felt that they were not being properly represented in the government. Their representatives’ were not heard whenever they tabled a problem in the congress. In my judgment, the idea of phasing out the majority rule by the federal government does not seem to be happening soon. Firstly, the federal government is composed of two houses, the House of Representatives and a senate with the representatives being more than the senators (Edwards, Wattenberg and Lineberry, p 34) If the government would have been aware of the rule of majority, it could have established one ‘major house’ whereby they cold have voted out the tyrannical rule. Senators alone, being 100 cannot vote out the majority rule since the majority vote wins. Liberal governments do not value the rule of minority; this means that a small number of the elected council will make rules and verdicts that govern the country as a whole. According to the constitution, democracies must apply majority rule and safeguard minority rights; many Americans consider that it is very

Brain Drain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Brain Drain - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that brain drain is an issue that is of a great concern to the various countries of the world. Brain drain is also referred to as human capital flight, and it depicts the emigration of educated or talented people. This movement of educated or talented people has the capability of destroying or sabotaging the economic system of a state. Â  This is mainly because the country under consideration will lack professionals who are skilled enough to transform their domestic economies. Zweig and Chen argue that this term is on most occasions used to refer to the departure of skilled professionals such as financial experts, doctors, engineers, and scientists. When these people emigrate from the country, the country is vulnerable in two major ways. At first, the country will lose a supply of skilled labor. The second method is that there will be a reduction in spending within an economy. This is because these professionals normally earn a large sum o f money, and they use this money within an economy. This ensures that there is a circulation of money within an economy. When they move outside the country, there will be a limited circulation of money, and this may cause inflation or negative economic growth within a country. The United States is one of the leading countries that normally attract professionals of all calibers. This is because the country has one of the best education systems, and it has a stable economy that would guarantee employment opportunities to these professionals.

The Federalist Papers, John Jay Essay Example for Free

The Federalist Papers, John Jay Essay John Jay remarks in Federalist Number 3 that â€Å"[t]he safety of the people doubtless has relation to a great variety of circumstances and considerations, and consequently affords great latitude to those who wish to define it precisely and comprehensively   (Jay, 1787).†Ã‚   By this he means that the new government has the ability to define and defend the people against all threats.   Jay also discusses wars.   He says that â€Å"[t]he number of wars which have happened or will happen in the world will always be found to be n proportion to the number and weight of the causes, whether real or pretend (Jay, 1787). † His solution against the threat of war from foreign powers is to have a United America versus a disunited America.   He also feels that it is in the best interests of all concerned to have a national government that will collectively â€Å"observe the laws of nations towards all these powers (Jay 1787).†Ã‚   Under a national government, treaties would be created and observed, because states can be arbitrary and capricious.   Jay carries over his logic for a federal government because he states that â€Å"such violences are more frequently caused by the passions and interests of a part than of the whole; of one or two States than of the Union. Not a single Indian war has yet been occasioned by aggressions of the present federal government (Jay, 1787).†Ã‚   Jay says in Federalist Number 4 that we should not invite hostilities, but in order to assure that hostilities are not invited, we should stand together as a nation.   As he puts it, [a]s the safety of the whole is the interest of the whole, and cannot be provided for without government, either one or more or many, let us inquire whether one good government is not, relative to the object in question, more competent than any other given number whenever (Jay, 1787). Jay also intimates that a strong central government will be able to stand up to the long-established powers of Britain, Spain and France.   He also says in Federalist Number 5 that as a united nation, we would be free of all â€Å"jealousies† and we would be â€Å"joined in affection (Jay, 1787). It is at this point that Alexander Hamilton takes over the argument to discuss â€Å"dangers and dissentions between the states (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   The first problem he sees is the problem of possible territorial disputes.   By having a   strong national government, the prospect of having this kind of dissention is diminished. Another source of dissention would be commerce.   According to Hamilton, â€Å"[t]he states less favorably circumstanced would be desirous of escaping from the disadvantages of local situation, and of sharing in the advantages of their more fortunate neighbors (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   With independent states, there lies the threat of some states holding power over others that have less means.   There would be various duties that would have to be paid among the different states, and would negatively affect the buying power of the receiving state.   By having a unified national government, he argues, these fears would be allayed. Next, Hamilton discusses the public debt of the union.   He discusses the reapportionment of the debt, and how, under a weak federal government it would be impossible to determine each state’s individual liability.   By having a national government, would allow the debt to be paid collectively or discharged collectively, with no one or two states bearing the burden of repayment. Hamilton next addresses the â€Å"union as a safeguard against domestic faction and insurrection (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He starts out in Federalist Number 9 with a strong statement—â€Å"a firm union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection (Hamilton 1787).† By having a strong union, there is less likely to be internal strife or problems.   This is not a new idea, according to Hamilton.   This goes back to the days of Montesquieu, and his theories, however, Montesquieu recommended a small republic rather than an expanded one such as the United States.   If we were to go by his theory, according to Hamilton, we would â€Å"be driven to the alternative either of taking refuge at once in the arms of monarchy, or of splitting ourselves into an infinity of little, jealous, clashing, tumultuous commonwealths (Hamilton 1787).†Ã‚   He also says that a larger body of smaller states â€Å"arrive to such a degree of power as to be able to provide for the security of the united body (Hamilton, 1787).† He also states that â€Å"[s]hould a popular insurrection happen in one of the confederate states the others are able to quell it.   Should abuses creep into one part, they are reformed by those that remain sound.   The state may be destroyed on one side, and not on the other; the confederacy may be dissolved, and the confederates preserve their sovereignty (Hamilton, 1787).† In Federalist Number 10, James Madison takes up the fight.   He argues that factions are bad for the country because the majority forces its will on the minority with no consideration for their ideas or thoughts.   He argues affectively that a national government can control factions because the effects can be controlled. The administration of democracy effectively deals with the effects from factions and quells minority dissent.   In a republic, Madison says, â€Å"the public voice, pronounced by the representatives of the people, will be more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves, convened for the purpose (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He also notes that in a smaller society, there are fewer factions than in a larger society.   That makes it more probable that fewer people will dominate the society and the will of a few will rule the many.   In a larger society, there   is more of a chance that the will of all the parties will be heard and at some level be represented. Hamilton takes over at this point to talk about state connections and common ties that motivate the adoption of the new United States Constitution.   In Federalist Number 11, Hamilton talks about the â€Å"utility of the union in respect to commercial relations and a Navy (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He notes that the government is best able to handle the large amount of farming and beginning manufacturing interests.   Additionally, the union will benefit from a navy, and having a national navy will perpetuate the idea of the United States as a player on the world stage.   He also takes on revenue.   He notes that â€Å"[t]he ability of a country to pay taxes must always be proportioned, in great degree, to the quantity of money in circulation (Hamilton, 1787).† Hamilton takes on economy in government next.   This has to do with saving money and spending it wisely.   He talks of territory, stating that â€Å"at the natural limit of a democracy is that distance from the central point which will just permit the most remote citizens to assemble as often as their public functions demand (Hamilton, 1787).†Ã‚   He notes finally that â€Å"nothing can be more evident that the thirteen States will be able to support a national government (Hamilton, 1787).† In many ways, there is a dichotomy in what the Framers had to say about the new constitution.   They discuss many issues, from foreign and domestic threats to the threat of faction to how the new government will help facilitate the fledgling democracy.   The union is also meant to safeguard against domestic faction, help form a Navy, facilitate commerce and trade, and help maintain that democracy over the vast territory of the country.   The Framers had it right, that is, the new form of government was destined to be more complete and beneficial to the new country than the old Articles of Confederation. The Federalist Papers give us a new way to look at our Constitution and see it as a living document and not as a static display of old values and charm.   We must do our part to understand not only the document, but the fundamental readings that surround it, so that we are better able to make this Constitution OUR Constitution, and forever see it as an amazingly crafted document that will live in perpetuity. Works Cited Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist Number 6. The Federalist Papers. 2007. Founding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fathers.org. 10 Mar 2009 http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/. Hamilton, Alexander. Federalist Number 7. The Federalist Papers. 2007. Founding

Essays --

It is important to expose children to many social situations. These different social experiences help children learn how they should behave in certain situations. As they grow and start to socialize with other children more often, they will learn how to communicate, share, and cooperate. Relationships with other children provide an opportunity for children to practice and advance their social skills and their relationship skills. These relationships also help children learn how to join groups of children already playing together, form/maintain friendships, share personal info, avoid the bully, take turns, resolve conflicts, help others. Interaction provides companionship and important life skills. A child starts interacting with others at a very young age. When the child is still an infant, they are beginning to learn the social skills that they will need throughout life. A baby knows that there are other people besides them existing, but they don’t understand that they have feelings that are not the same as theirs. Because the child is so young, they believe that everyone thinks the same way. They are not aware of socializing and it is meaningless to them at such a young age. Even when they’re not old enough to play, it’s good for infants to be with other infants. Interaction with other children begins in the early toddler years. A child between 12 and 24 months will start to realize that they are separate from others and that their feelings may be different than other people around them. At this age, their interaction limited to complementary and reciprocal play. For example, you may witness children chasing each other, playing simple games of hide and seek, and sharing toys with each other. At this point, children’s’ friendshi... ...ing into legal trouble. The lack of social skills can affect safety in schools. Children with poor social skills are likely to be aggressive or violent and are less likely to be able to control their bad behavior. Academics are also affected. These children are likely to be rejected by peers and develop self-esteem problems and depression, which makes it hard to focus their mind on their school work. Children who are not exposed to social interaction are hurt in the long run. The consequences are negative and they usually stick with the child throughout their life. However, if an isolated child is still young, there are several things you can do to help them. These include: figuring out why the child is isolated, helping to teach the child social skills, arranging for the child to be in groups with peers, and showing other children the child’s strengths and talents.

Res Sisters Essay

* Zain Mehdi Prof: Mary Nordick English – 110. 07 Thursday, March 7th What have you learned about life on the reservation from Highway’s play? Has the play changed any of your opinions or perceptions? The play The Rez Sisters was written by Tomson Highway, a Cree from the Brochet reserve in north-western Manitoba, at the end of the twentieth century. Through a group of seven native women, Tomson Highway’s The Rez Sisters reveals the lives of aboriginal people and their community on an Indian Reservation. The play shows the harsh realities of Indian reservations of joblessness, prejudice and alcoholism.The old Aboriginal rituals have slowly been forgotten and replaced by the cliches of consumerism. While the people of the community don’t lack the attitude of get–up-and-go, they really have no place to go to. The inhabitants of the Wasy Rez are part of a community that is falling apart. Most of the people are stuck on the welfare, and just getting by on the dirt roads of the Rez. Moreover, they don’t have any control over their lives. Throughout the play, the main characters state, â€Å"Everyone here’s crazy† (Highway, 518). Since there is no work on the Rez, it makes most of the people on welfare go crazy.Some of the men have to go hundred miles to find work while the young boys have to go all the way to Toronto because it is â€Å"the only place educated Indian boys can find decent jobs these days† (Highway, 518). There is constant drinking, fighting and adultery. There is â€Å"nothing to do but drink and screw each other’s wives and husbands†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Highway, 518). Infidelity is so common on the Rez that some of the families have â€Å"†¦fourteen of them (children)†¦Imagine†¦and all from one father† (Highway, 522). * * After reading The Rez Sisters, I was a little surprised by the life on a reserve.I was raised in Toronto, where I did not personally know any Na tive Americans and everything I knew about them was from the books. In the books it describes the Native Americans as being very religious, so when I heard about a big Pow Wow (a native gathering) and I decided to go. I learned a little about the traditional beliefs so when I moved from Toronto to Saskatoon, and it was a complete shock. You see a lot of Native Americans but you rarely see ones who actually follow the traditional beliefs. Most of them have cut their long hair, or never even grew it out.The Rez Sisters focuses on such undervalued lives and brings them up to size. * * Highway’s play is trying to deliver a social massage that if the Native Americans had enough job opportunities and freedom to live wherever they wanted, they would succeed in rebuilding their falling community. I agree with that one hundred percent because they are put down so much, that they have decided to stay in that one spot and not bother trying to work up to something much better. In The Rez sisters Philomena says that: â€Å"the place gets in your blood, you can’t get rid of it and it can’t get rid of you† (Highway, 517).I was really impressed by this statement because it shows that they really do honor their heritage a lot, but it’s difficult for them to leave the only thing they have always known. * * The story of The Rez Sisters dictates the life is tough, but poses the question: What else they are going to do? Well they can always go play bingo. Which is humorous because Highway uses bingo as a form of escape from the life on a reserve. I gained more respect for Native Americans because I never really had an idea of the life on reserves. I figured the people on the reserve followed the traditional beliefs and kept to themselves.I realized they don’t get much help from the government and are left on their own to manage, and with the people not having enough jobs, all they have left to do is kill time, and that is where the alcohol and adultery comes in. * * * * * * * * | Works Cited | * â€Å"Pride and Prejudice (1813 Novel):A  Why Was Caroline Bingley so Desperate for Social Advancement and Wealth? † Quora. N. p. , n. d. Web. < http://www. quora. com/Pride-and-Prejudice-1813-novel/Why-was-Caroline-Bingley-so-desperate-for-social-advancement-and-wealth/answer/Ashley-Knight-1> â€Å"Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice. N. p. , n. d. Web. â€Å"Pride and Prejudice. † Google Books. N. p. , n. d. Web. http://books. google. ca/books? id=s1gVAAAAYAAJ â€Å"Pride and Prejudice. † SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n. d. Web. http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/pride/themes. html â€Å"Pride and Prejudice Study Guide & Essays. † Pride and Prejudice Study Guide & Literature Essays. N. p. , n. d. Web. < http://www. gradesaver. com/pride-and-prejudice/> * â€Å"Styles and Themes of Jane Austen. † Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation *

Positive and Negative Impact of Genetically Modified Food Essay

Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM animals are likely to be introduced on the market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides. In the future, genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of food, reducing its allergenic potential, or improving the efficiency of food production systems. All GM foods should be assessed before being allowed on the market. FAO/WHO Codex guidelines exist for risk analysis of GM food. Positive and Negative Impacts Genetically Modified Food Has on the World The term ‘genetically modified food’, also known as ‘genetically modified organisms’, is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. The reason these plants are being modified today is to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides (pesticides used to kill unwanted plants) or improved nutritional content. In order to create these genetically modified foods, scientists must introduce specific changes to their DNA by using extremely precise genetic engineering techniques. While there are some benefits that genetically modified foods may offer, there are also some risks and negative affects that these foods can cause as well. Genetically modified foods have been helpful in many aspects of the world. Firstly, they have the ability to help meet the growing demands for food supply as the world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years or so. Ensuring enough food supply for this booming population is going to be a major struggle in years to come, and genetically modified foods will help do this in a number of ways. For example, crop losses from insect pests can be shocking, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. By growing genetically modified foods such as B.T. corn, farmers can help eliminate the production of chemical pesticides that cause potential health hazards, and there will be higher crop yields that many experts argue can help to feed people in these countries. In addition to this, plants can be genetically modified to be resistant to bacterial, fungal or viral infestation. For example, sweet potatoes have been modified to improve viral resistance, and bananas have been modified to resist the Black Sigatoka fungus. Growing genetically modified foods will therefore lead to less†¦ [continues] Harmful Effects of the Agent Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) are a broad group of plants, animals, and bacteria that are engineered for a wide variety of applications ranging from agricultural production to scientific research. The types of potential hazards posed by GMO’s vary according to the type of organism being modified and its intended application. Most of the concern surrounding GMO’s relates to their potential for negative effects on the environment and human health. Because GMO’s that could directly effect human health are primarily products that can enter the human food supply, this website focuses on genetically modified food. To date, the only types of products that have been approved for human consumption in the U.S. are genetically modified plants (FDA website). All genetically modified foods that have been approved are considered by the government to be as safe as their traditional counterparts and are generally unregulated (FDA website). However, there are seve ral types of potential health effects that could result from the insertion of a novel gene into an organism. Health effects of primary concern to safety assessors are production of new allergens, increased toxicity, decreased nutrition, and antibiotic resistance (Bernstein et al., 2003). Food Allergy Food Allergy affects approximately 5% of children and 2% of adults in the U.S. and is a significant public health threat (Bakshi, 2003). Allergic reactions in humans occur when a normally harmless protein enters the body and stimulates an immune response (Bernstein et al., 2003). If the novel protein in a GM food comes from a source that is know to cause allergies in humans or a source that has never been consumed as human food, the concern that the protein could elicit an immune response in humans increases. Although no allergic reactions to GM food by consumers have been confirmed, in vitro evidence suggesting that some GM products could cause an allergic reaction has motivated biotechnology companies to discontinue their development (Bakshi, 2003). Increased Toxicity Most plants produce substances that are toxic to humans. Most of the plants that humans consume produce toxins at levels low enough that they do not produce any adverse health effects. There is concern that inserting an exotic gene into a plant could cause it to produce toxins at higher levels that could be dangerous to humans. This could happen through the process of inserting the gene into the plant. If other genes in the plant become damaged during the insertion process it could cause the plant to alter its production of toxins. Alternatively, the new gene could interfere with a metabolic pathway causing a stressed plant to produce more toxins in response. Although these effects have not been observed in GM plants, they have been observed through conventional breeding methods creating a safety concern for GM plants. For example, potatoes conventionally bred for increased diseased resistance have produced higher levels of glycoalkaloids (GEO-PIE website). Decreased Nutritional Value A genetically modified plant could theoretically have lower nutritional quality than its traditional counterpart by making nutrients unavailable or indigestible to humans. For example, phytate is a compound common in seeds and grains that binds with minerals and makes them unavailable to humans. An inserted gene could cause a plant to produce higher levels of phytate decreasing the mineral nutritional value of the plant (GEO-PIE). Another example comes from a study showing that a strain of genetically modified soybean produced lower levels of phytoestrogen compounds, believed to protect against heart disease and cancer, than traditional soybeans (Bakshi, 2003). Antibiotic resistance In recent years health professionals have become alarmed by the increasing number of bacterial strains that are showing resistance to antibiotics. Bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics by creating antibiotic resistance genes through natural mutation. Biotechnologists use antibiotic resistance genes as selectable markers when inserting new genes into plants. In the early stages of the process scientists do not know if the target plant will incorporate the new gene into its genome. By attaching the desired gene to an antibiotic resistance gene the new GM plant can be tested by growing it in a solution containing the corresponding antibiotic. If the plant survives scientists know that it has taken up the antibiotic resistance gene along with the desired gene. There is concern that bacteria living in the guts of humans and animals could pick up an antibiotic resistance gene from a GM plant before the DNA becomes completely digested (GEO-PIE website). It is not clear what sort of ris k the possibility of conferring antibiotic resistance to bacteria presents. No one has ever observed bacteria incorporating new DNA from the digestive system under controlled laboratory conditions. The two types of antibiotic resistance genes used by biotechnologists are ones that already exist in bacteria in nature so the process would not introduce new antibiotic resistance to bacteria. Never the less it is a concern and the FDA is encouraging biotechnologists to phase out the practice of using antibiotic resistance genes (GEO-PIE website).

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The So essays

Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The So essays Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The Social Contract Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva in 1712. One Sunday evening in March 1728, when he was not yet sixteen, Rousseau found himself shut out of Geneva after a walk in the country. He had forgotten the time, and the city gates were closed when he reached them. This had happened to him twice before, and his master had beaten him for staying out all night. This time he decided he would not go back at all. So his life of wandering began. Rousseau was never able to adjust to life in any country. How much of his trouble was of social or psychological origin, and how much of it was due to his physical malady, a urological disorder that caused him discomfort and embarrasement throughout his life, cannot be known. He had tried to do what a young man making his way in the world was supposed to do. He had various love affairs. He had given up his ancestral Protestantism and entered the catholic Church. He had enjjoyed the patrinage of the high born. He hah used influence to be appointed secretary ti the French embassy at Venice. He had written operas that were well received,and he had also been accepted by Diderot and other enlightenment thinkers, and was affected by their views. Enlightenment thinkers felt that they were leading a mission of liberation, that by striking th ematch of reason the darkness of the past would be dispelled and humanity woul quickly and easily liberate itself. They attacked war and the military values of the traditional aristocracy. Tjey rejected artificial social distictions. They lauded most forms of freedom, including freedom of the press, speech, and of religious belief. They supported the application of science to economic activity, a view appealing to the middle class and liberal aristocracy. They believed that hteir eighteenth century civilization eas ready for enlightenment and the great progress that wuld result. Yet, the optimism of...

Grant Writing Tips

Grant Writing Tips Grant Writing Tips Grant Writing Tips By Guest Author This is a guest post by Cristy Rodriguez. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. A grant is a simple request for funds that entails a description of a specific need and the proposed program that will fill that need. It is the applicant’s responsibility and goal to present a strong enough case to convince a possible funder that they are worthy of receiving a grant. There is a basic format that can be followed and used as an outline when putting a grant together. Many funding organizations and foundations have different sets of guidelines that should be followed. It is important that you carefully research each foundation’s mission, area of interests and grant guidelines. Look to answer these questions and any others that seem relevant to your search. What is their sole basis for setting funds aside for this call for proposals? What program areas are they looking to fund? Are they only considering awarding funds to certain entities (non-profits, schools, churches, etc.), certain geographic areas or populations? Do not overlook their funding restrictions, some foundations list what they do not accept and or fund. Make sure your program and needs match with the foundations scope. You must also gather information from the organization (who you are writing for) to help put the grant together. Meet with the organization’s key contacts to plan out a program design. Find out what kind of grant they are looking for, what important needs need to be met. What do they hope to accomplish through this proposed program? Discuss what their plans for sustainability are. The feedback you receive is quite vital to the grant layout and presentation. Gather materials on the organization’s background, mission and list of past and former programs and activities. Once you have chosen a foundation and have gathered all your research materials, you are now ready to begin writing a grant. Most of what is detailed here is what foundations are looking for in a grant. The following can be used as a guide to get you started on the grant writing process. 1. Executive Summary- Usually one page Proposed program summary Solution- What the program will accomplish Program cost Organization experience and capacity- Brief statements to establish credibility with similar programs 2. Statement of Need- Two pages Reason(s) proposed program is needed, supported with statistical information Reasons the organization is the right candidate to fulfill those need(s) 3. Program Description- Three pages Program design and implementation Goals and Objectives Methods- Steps taken to accomplish program objectives Program Evaluation- The methods for reporting program results, by whom and when. How will you measure success? What are your plans for improvement? Plan for sustainability- How will the program continue once funding is gone? Program staff 4. Organizational Information- One page Mission and History Summary of past and former programs Accomplishments 5. Program Budget- One page Provide an outline of all program costs and expenses. Be sure to review their guidelines on what they do not fund. 6. Attachments- Varies 501 Â © 3- Tax exemption letter Organization Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation List of Board members Financial Statements Letters of support When you have compiled all these elements you will now have a basic draft or model to use for future grant writing projects. Of course, this is to give you an idea of what most foundations ask for. You should always follow their grant guidelines and instructions. About the author: Cristy Rodriguez, former grant writer and a regular contributor to Associated Content. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymeComma Before ButStarting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

Methods of marketing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Methods of marketing research - Essay Example This differentiate it from Quantitative Research in which a large group of respondents provide data that are statistically analyzed. Qualitative research methods are used primarily as a prelude to quantitative research. They are used to define a problem, generate hypotheses, identify determinants, and develop quantitative research designs. They are expensive and slow. Because of the low number of respondents involved, these exploratory research methods cannot be used to generalize to the whole population. They are however, very valuable for exploring an issue and are used by almost all researchers. Quantitative research is an overall presentation of a research. It defines the problem, the research design and the method of data collection and most of all the data is interpreted using the various statistical tools like The data collected is interpreted and presented using charts, graphs and diagrams to be easily understood. The quantitative technique is more accurate because it involves a large number of sample compared to the qualitative technique. As qualitative technique is a proceeding event to the quantitative technique, it is used to define a problem, generate hypothesis identify determinants, and devel... They are expensive and slow. Because of the low number of respondents involved, these exploratory research methods cannot be used to generalize to the whole population. They are however, very valuable for exploring an issue and are used by almost all researchers. Examples: include focus groups, in-depth interviews, and projective techniques. Why Quantitative is more important in marketing research Quantitative research is an overall presentation of a research. It defines the problem, the research design and the method of data collection and most of all the data is interpreted using the various statistical tools like Parametric tests of a single sample: t test, z test. Parametric tests of two independent samples: two-group t test, z test. Parametric tests of two independent samples: two-group t test, z test Nominal/ordinal level test of a single sample: chi-square, Kolmogorov-Smirnov one sample test, runs test, binomial test and many more The data collected is interpreted and presented using charts, graphs and diagrams to be easily understood. The quantitative technique is more accurate because it involves a large number of sample compared to the qualitative technique. As qualitative technique is a proceeding event to the quantitative technique, it is used to define a problem, generate hypothesis identify determinants, and develop quantitative research designs, and qualitative research design cannot be used to generalize the whole population as it involves a less number of respondents. Example : If pepsi wants to launch its soft drink in a country and the manager wants to research that whether his soft drink (pepsi) would be suitable and profitable to launch in that country, then

EC 313 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

EC 313 - Essay Example Firstly, the ASF (Aggregate Supply of Funding) will remain constant with respect to any interest rate changes therefore we will depict it as a vertical line as shown in the above graph. Suppose that due to certain shocks in the economy, the APE line shifts to the right. The increase in APE will require funding to support it but the ASF will remain unresponsive to the change. As consumers move to gain funding, the lenders will drive up the interest rates. Increase in interest rates will crowd out the demand and the output and price levels will remain unchanged. What if the amount of gold in an economy increased or decreased. Based on the quantity of gold the ASF line would shift to either left or right. If ASF had a rightward shift than it implies that there will be an excess of funding in the economy. Thus the lenders will be willing to provide their money at lower level of interest rates. This lower level of interest rates will induce the consumers to spend more therefore increasing ADF. Now ADF will cross ASF at a decreased interest rate level and both will exceed the GDP level. Increase in a funded demand will cause the firms to increase their prices. This increase in Price Level brings a fall in ASF which will also decrease APE. Prices will continue to move in upward direction until & unless interest rate, APE & ASF return to their original level. Prior to the Great Depression of 1929, the classical macroeconomics functioned as it was required. There were no economic slumps and employment and GDP’s were stable throughout the period. The assumption of classical macroeconomists regarding the invisible hand was proved to be almost true. There was no need for government policies or intervention to control the economy and macroeconomics was taking care of itself. Suddenly, the Great Depression of 1929 made its way in the economy and plunged economies in state of chaos. Some faltering economies almost experienced a decline of 30% in their GDP and as much