Language Instinctive Or Learned Essays - American Atheists

Language: Instinctive Or Learned? Language: Instinctive or Learned? Over the course of time the topic of language has been a catalyst for many discussions and debates as to if it is learned throughout ones life, or is it a hard copy instinct the one is born with. Many scientists and writers in the humanities field have their own opinions as to what they believe about language and its plight in human society. One writer challenges many of our educators and scholars today by expressing his thoughts on the instinct to understand, learn, and speak language. In The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language, Steven Pinker maintains that language is not something that we learn like the way we learn how to tell time or learn about the presidents. Rather, Pinker suggests that the essence of language is already with us when we are brought into the world. You see this when Pinker argues, Instead, it is a distinct piece of the biological makeup of our brain(4). He uses metaphors and similes to further qualify his arguments. Pinker compares the idea that people know how to talk in the same sense that spiders know how to spin webs. The activity or practice of spinning webs was not invented by any one spider, but rather is an instinctive quality that spiders have much like humans and language. Pinker goes on to comment that a young childs knowledge of language and grammar is more refined than any artificial language system used by any advanced technology computer aided programs. Pinkers views that he establishes about language are in accordance with other notable figures in the humanities field. A man by the name of Noam Chomsky has views that are representative of the point Pinker is trying to convey: language is a biological makeup of the brain. As a professor of linguistics at MIT, Chomsky imparted sound arguments as to the nature of language. Chomsky has suggested the fact that every sentence that a human speaks or comprehends is an original combination of words that has not been voiced before. Therefore, language is not a learned trait that has an extensive gamut of expressions, but rather the brain must contain a hard drive that can fabricate an unlimited set of sentences from a limited amount of words. He also strongly feels that children are inherently equipped with the ability to cull the syntactic patterns of speech from their parents. We can see this when a young infant begins to babble at the youngest of ages. This furthermore qualifies and repre sents Pinkers views on the idea that language is instinctive. On the other side of the coin, there are those educated people that have different views and opinions about language than Pinker suggests, most of these being elementary and secondary English and grammar teachers. It is their obligation to teach young children and adolescence the proper syntax structure, pronunciation, and spelling of words. So it is only the nature of their profession for these teachers to firmly believe that language, of course, is a learned capacity. Just the way they learn that 2+2=4 and George Washington was the first President of the United States. But Pinker is trying to convince the ignorant that these opinions are wrong and language is not math problem or a history fact that we learn, but a rather an instinctive knowledge. The different views and opinions of the nature language will be discussed for time to come. Can there be some duality to language? Can it be both instinctive and learned, or does it have to be one or the other? It will be interesting to see if these questions can be answered. Maybe then will we see what is the origin of language. Personally, I still do not surely or firmly have a view or a belief to this topic, but I am leaning a certain way. So I leave you with a quote from Oscar Wilde that I read which also appears in Pinkers book. Oscar Wilde comments, Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught. English Essays

Ap Lang quotes Essays

Ap Lang quotes Essays Ap Lang quotes Paper Ap Lang quotes Paper â€Å"By telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You pin down certain truths. You make up others. You start sometimes with an incident that truly happened, like the night in the shit field, and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain. † (p. 158) â€Å"War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead. The truths are contradictory. It can be argued, for instance, that war is grotesque. But in truth war is also beauty. For all its horror, you can’t help but gape at the awful majesty of combat. † (p. 80) â€Å"Mary Anne made you think about all those girls back home, how clean and innocent they are, how they’ll never understand any of this, not in a billion years. Try to tell them about it, they’ll just stare at you with those big round candy eyes. They won’t understand zip. It’s like trying to tell someone what chocolate tastes like. † (Pg. 113) â€Å"They moved like mules. By daylight they took sniper fire, at night they were mortared, but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost. They marched for the sake of the march. † (pg . 15) When you tell stories it is from your perspective and own experience. You do tell the truth but also you sometimes make up a few lies to make the story more interesting. Sometimes the people you’re telling it to do believe what you tell them. But honestly no one will know unless they were there. This quote is significant because it is telling the truth. War is a contradiction. War can be good and war can be bad. But it is all different in people’s eyes. Since the soldiers barely got to see their lovers and spouses, Mary Anne made it visible to how their family will see it. How their spouses will just sit there and listen to your stories not knowing how hard you fought and all the struggles you went through. Mary Anne was one of the first women to experience war and actually fall in love with it. This quote is significant because it describes the soldiers’ motion throughout the day and night. How they marched for no reason, just because they felt like marching. The thing is, he wrote, theres no place to go. Not just in this lousy town. In general. My life, I mean. Its almost like I got killed over in Nam Hard to describe. That night when Kiowa got wasted, I sort of sank down into sewage with him Feels like Im still in deep shit' (156). â€Å"After a firefight, there is always the immense pleasure of aliveness. The trees are alive. The grass, the soil-everything You feel an intense, out-of-the-skin awareness of your living self- your truest self, the human being you want to be In the midst of evil you want to be a good man. You want decency things you never knew you wanted Though it’s odd, youre never more alive than when youre almost dead. You recognize whats valuable(81) Later, I remember, Kiowa tried to tell me that the man wouldve died anyway. He told me that it was a good kill, that I was a soldier and this was a war, and that I should shape up and stop staring and ask myself what the dead man wouldve done if things were reversed(133). â€Å"At one point, I remember, we paused over a snapshot of Ted Lavender, and after a while Jimmy rubbed his eyes and said hed never forgiven himself for Lavenders death. It was something that would never go away, he said quietly, and I nodded and told him I felt the same about certain things. 27) â€Å"He was a slim, dead, almost dainty young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye was shut. The other was a star-shaped hole†. (124) â€Å"They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not toâ₠¬  (21). This quote is significant because it gives his perspective of after the war. Basically it’s impossible to forget and it has caused his lack of life. In this quote, Tim is describing the things they felt that we wouldn’t ever understand. He is also creating imagery for us to imagine. Kiowa was trying to convince the soldier that it wasn’t his fault the other man died. Kiowa made him realize at a different point of view to show him, that this is a war, they aren’t saving any soles that look suspect because anything can happen IN this quote it is reflecting on Lavenders death. It is also showing how Jimmy took it, that he couldn’t believe it was true. That he blames himself for his death cause if he was looking out for him he would still be there. This quote is describing the soldier that was blown up by a grenade when a grenade was thrown randomly and the soldier This quote is significant because this shows peer pressure in war times. It shows that men had to prove a point. â€Å"Curt Lemom was dead. Rat Kiley lost his best friend in the world. † (page 79) â€Å"We kept the dead alive with stories. When Ted Lavender was shot in the head, the men talked about how they’d never seen him so mellow, how tranquil he was, how it wasn’t the bullet but the tranquilizers that blew his mind. † (p. 226) â€Å"It doesn’t matter,† he finally said. â€Å"I love her† (29) â€Å"But the thing about remembering is that you don’t forget. You take your material where you find it, which is in your life, at the intersection of past and present. (34) My conscience told me to run, but some irrational and powerful force was resisting, like a weight pushing me toward the war. What it came down to, stupidly, was a sense of shame. (pg. 52) Youre a shadow. You slip out of your own skin, like molting, shedding your own history and your own future, leaving behind everything you ever were or wanted or believed in. (pg. 211) Forty-three years old, and the war occurred half a life-time ago, and yet the remembering makes it now. And sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you cant remember how you got from where you were to where you are. (38 This quote shows that Rat lost his only truly best friends. He even wrote a letter to his sister and talked about all the good times they had together, but she didn’t write him back. This is saying that by telling the dead stories they still keep them alive in their eyes. They will always remember them. He’s realizing that distance or anything couldn’t stop him from loving that girl. Basically, you’ll always take what you remember and apply it somewhere else in your life. He had a feeling that he should’ve ran away from the war but later he realizes that it was just a sense of being apprehensive. He’s saying how you could easily do this and leave everything you’ve ever dreamed behind. Which wasn’t good. Tim’s just explain what remembering the war stories mean. He tells us that the stories are for late at when you can’t remember where you were. Also, â€Å"Azar shrugged. After a second he reached out and clapped me on the shoulder, not roughly but not gently either. ‘What’s real? ’ he said. ‘Eight months in fantasyland, it tends to blur the line. Honest to God, I sometimes can’t remember what real is. † (Page 204) â€Å"Twenty years. A lot like yesterday, a lot like never. In a way, maybe, I’d gone under with Kiowa, and now after two decades I’d finally worked myself out. A hot afternoon, a bright August sun, and the war was over. † (Page 187) â€Å"He wished he could’ve explained some of this. How he had been braver than he ever thought possible, but how he had not been so brave as he wanted to be. The distinction was important. † (Page 153) Then he squatted down. I’ll tell you the straight truth, he said. The guy was dead the second he stepped on the trail. Understand me? We all had him zeroed. (page 123) Rat pours his heart out. He says he loved the guy. He says the guy was his best friend in the world. They were like soul mates, he says, like twins or something, they had a whole lot in common. (page 68) Later we heard that Strunk died somewhere over Chu Lai, which s eemed to relieve David Jensen of an enormous weight. (page 66) This is significant because it shows how the war had changed him and he can barely remember things. It shows a lot of things go on around there and we never know about it. He had finally gone with himself. He was all by himself without anybodies help and it felt good. He was doubting himself and beating himself up because of how the situation went. After it was all over, he knew that he could’ve handled that. He was trying to tell the boy that even before all the commotion had happened, the man was already dead. So honestly he didn’t really kill him from his point. Rat writes his best friend’s sister a letter after he dies and he tell her all the good times with him and how good of a person he was. And in return she doesn’t reply. This is significant because they both had made a deal that they would take each other out of their misery if they saw them suffering but in this situation, David didn’t want to be the one to do that. So as of Chu dying on his own it relieve. He got into his car and rolled down the window. Make me out to be a good guy, okay? Brave and handsome, all that stuff. Best platoon leader ever. He hesitated for a second. And do me a favor. Dont mention anything about-No, I said, I wont. (pg 30) In this quote we can see how Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carried a doleful secret with him. Also, he still feels the guilt of Lavenders death.

The Worlds Most Popular Languages

The Worlds Most Popular Languages There are 6,909 languages actively  being spoken in the world today, although only about six percent of them have more than a million speakers each. As globalization becomes more common so does the learning of languages. People in many different countries see the value of learning a foreign language to improve their international business relations. Because of this, the number of people who speak certain languages will continue to rise. There are 10 languages that currently dominate the globe. Heres a list of the 10 most popular languages spoken worldwide, along with the number of countries where the language is established, and the approximate number of primary or first language speakers for that language: Chinese/Mandarin- 37 countries, 13 dialects, 1,284 million speakersSpanish- 31 countries, 437 millionEnglish- 106 countries, 372 millionArabic- 57 countries, 19 dialects, 295 millionHindi- 5 countries, 260 millionBengali- 4 countries, 242 millionPortuguese- 13 countries, 219 millionRussian- 19 countries, 154 millionJapanese- 2 countries, 128 millionLahnda- 6 countries, 119 million The Languages of China With more than 1.3 billion people living in China today, it is no surprise that Chinese is the most commonly spoken language. Due to the size of Chinas area and population, the country is able to sustain many unique and interesting languages. When speaking of languages, the term Chinese encompasses at least 15 dialects spoken in the country and elsewhere. Because Mandarin is the most commonly spoken dialect, many people use the word Chinese to refer to it. While roughly 70 percent of the country speaks Mandarin, many other dialects are spoken as well. The languages are mutually intelligible to a varying degree, depending on how close the languages are to one another. The four most popular Chinese dialects are Mandarin (898 million speakers), Wu (also known as Shanghainese dialect, 80 million speakers), Yue (Cantonese, 73 million), and Min Nan (Taiwanese, 48 million). Why Are There So Many Spanish Speakers? While Spanish is not a commonly heard language in most parts of Africa, Asia, and the majority of Europe, that hasnt stopped it from becoming the second most commonly spoken language. The spread of the Spanish  language is rooted in colonization. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, Spain colonized much of South, Central, and large parts of North America as well. Before being incorporated into the United States, places like Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona were all part of Mexico, a former Spanish colony. While Spanish is not a common language to hear in most of Asia, it is very common in the Philippines because it too was once a colony of Spain. Like Chinese, there are many dialects of Spanish. The vocabulary between these dialects varies greatly depending on what country one is in. Accents and pronunciation also change between regions. While these dialectical differences can sometimes cause confusion, they do not block cross-communication between speakers. English, a Global Language English too, was a colonial language: British colonial efforts began in the 15th century and lasted until the early 20th century, including places as far flung as North America, India and Pakistan, Africa, and Australia. As with Spains colonial efforts, each country colonized by Great Britain retains some English speakers. After World War II, the United States led the world in both technological and medical innovation. Because of this, it was considered beneficial for students pursuing work in these fields to learn English. As globalization occurred, English became a shared common language. This caused many parents to push their children to study English as a second language in the hopes of better preparing them for the business world. English is also a useful language for travelers to learn because it is spoken in so many parts of the globe. A Global Language Network Since the popularity of social media, the development of a Global Language Network can be mapped using book translations, Twitter, and Wikipedia. These social networks are only available to elites, people with access to both traditional and new media. Statistics of use from these social networks indicate that while English is definitely the central hub in the Global Language Network, other intermediate hubs used by elites to communicate business and science information include German, French, and Spanish. Currently, languages such as Chinese, Arabic, and Hindi are vastly more popular than German or French, and it is likely that those languages will grow in use of traditional and new media. Sources Simons, Gary F., and Charles D. Fennig. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. SIL International 2017. Web. Accessed January 30, 2018Population, Total. World Bank 2017. Web. Accessed January 30, 2018.Ronen, Shahar, et al. Links That Speak: The Global Language Network and Its Association with Global Fame. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.52 (2014): E5616-22. Print.Tang, Chaoju, and Vincent J. van Heuven. Mutual Intelligibility of Chinese Dialects Experimentally Tested. Lingua 119.5 (2009): 709-32. Print.Ushioda, E. M. A. The Impact of Global English on Motivation to Learn Other Languages: Toward an Ideal Multilingual Self. The Modern Language Journal 101.3 (2017): 469-82. Print.

Speech Analysis. First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt Essay

Speech Analysis. First Inaugural Address of Franklin D. Roosevelt - Essay Example Winning his first election campaign and outrunning his opponent Herbert Hoover Roosevelt has given a traditional oath to office after which the famous speech was performed. Above the traditional live audience consisted from something about 15 thousands of people newly president’s speech was heard on the radio by supposedly 10 million people all across the United States of America. It was crafted by Raymond Moley who was Roosevelt’s ally during the New Deal reforms. Speech lasted 20 minutes and itself is one of the best examples of spoken word in the 20th century. The incredible resemblance and significance of this speech depends greatly on the historical circumstances and general situation of the America which was deeply disintegrated and collapsed by The Great Depression. It is a classic example of how the times of historical, political or economic crisis bring the uprising of a strong, powerful and great leader. It was Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, Founding Fathers during the Revolution and it was Franklin Roosevelt, the only president so honorable to rule America for 13 years. Thirteen trouble years during which Mr. Roosevelt has defeated Depression and fought Nazi Third Reich, Fascist Italians and Japanese all for the prosperity of his own compatriots and the freedom of other countries suffering from tyranny and oppression (Coker 35). Being one of the most spectacular and influent presidents and not only a great politician but also a man of justice Mr. Roosevelt also made it worth to give a significant speech which preceded all hi s further noble achievements.

Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Information Technology - Essay Example Online shopping is the phenomenon that customers go through to buy products, goods or services over the internet. An online store removes the condition of physical presence of the buyer in the store. It enables the transaction to be more attractive to the customers as they can conveniently buy goods at their comfort. Mostly, online shopping deals with exchange of goods and products from business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) (UC Berkeley, n.d.) Online shopping is the modern way of hassle free shopping. When it comes to online shopping there are a lot of advantages. One of the biggest advantages is that it allows consumers to easily compare the prices, and it also helps the customers to get the item, which one wishes to buy that to at a discounted rate. But one has to be very patient as to decide on which product to buy and the relevant platform (website). For this, consumers first need to visit all the different sites to know the best deals. Today, with the advance technologies it is very simple to get the list of the websites which offer the relevant services. All a consumer need to do is sit in front of the computer and make the right choice. Sometimes people get so busy in their lives that they just don’t have the time to go shopping. For such situations, online shopping is the best method. Consumers will never face problems like heavy traffic jams or long queues for billing, and above all they need not go places in search of things, they need not have to leave their home or office to go shopping. As long as From the point of view of an online retailer, the advantage it would have over the physical retail stores is that the online stores do not have to maintain high cost compared to the physical retail stores. The most important cost of owning a shop or renting it in a suitable location need not be incurred. Even the expenses relating to

Bouncing balls Essay Example for Free

Bouncing balls Essay To investigate the effect on the bounce of a squash ball if its dropped when, the temperature of the ball is changed. Prediction: I predict that the hotter the squash balls are the more it will bounce. When the ball is heated the air particles inside the ball move faster so they are more likely to hit the walls (the ball is given thermal energy). This means that there is a greater pressure inside the ball, so it will squash less. When it hits the floor, after being dropped, less energy will be transferred to heat and more will be used to make the ball bounce higher. Method: Firstly I will find three squash balls that have the same dot on them so I know that the bounce will be roughly the same on each ball. Next I will fill one beaker with ice and another with boiling water. Then place one ball in each beaker leaving the third ball. This balls will all be bounced at different temperatures, from below 0i C TO 100i C.the test will be done 3 time for each temperature to get more accurate results. Then I will drop the three balls from equal heights (1M) to see how far they will bounce up again. The balls will have to be dropped from an equal height so the test is fair. This is a list of the equipment I will need:   Water   ice 2X beakers, squash ball stop watch meter ruler Key factors: There are some controls that I need to take into mind. The balls will need to be the same dot, so the bounce is roughly the same at the start of the test. The two balls that are going into the ice and boiling water will need to be in the beakers for the same amount of time. The surface that we bounce the balls on will need to stay the same and the height we drop that balls from will also need to stay the same, so we get a fair and constant result. Results table: Temperature (i C) Drop 1 Drop 2 Drop 3 Average Efficiency (%) 0i0. Evaluation: I think that my experiment went well, there were on odd results as my line of best-fit matches most of the points on the graph. If I did the experiment again I would use a web cam to look at how the ball bounces. A web cam would take pictures frame by frame so I could see exactly where the ball bounces. This would give better more accurate results. If I did any extinction work maybe I could look at different surfaces for bouncing the ball. E. g. on carpet you may get different results, more or less bounce.

A Brief History of the Hybrid Vehicle Essay -- essays research papers

Brief History of Hybrid Vehicle Development First built in the early 1900s by inventors tinkering with combinations of the electric motor and the gasoline engine, hybrid vehicles were dropped when gasoline-fueled vehicles became more reliable and easier to start, and gasoline fuel more readily available. Research and development of hybrid vehicles was revived by concern about oil dependency in the1970s and about air pollution in the late 1980s. A number of hybrid vehicles have been built and tested since 1980. Some of these vehicles have impressed analysts with their performance and low levels of exhaust and petroleum consumption. Interest in hybrid vehicles jumped in late 1993 with the announcement of funding for two major collaborations. The US Department of Energy signed a five-year, $138 million development agreement with General Motors and a $122 million agreement with Ford to design and build preproduction hybrid prototypes that could be marketed in less than 10 years.[1] All these were done because hybrid electric vehicles are expected to be the future of vehicles worldwide. Definition One considers a vehicle to be a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. For example, a mo-ped (a motorized pedal bike) is a hybrid because it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of its rider. Similarly, the gasoline-electric hybrid car is a combination of both an electric car and a gasoline-powered one. That is, it makes use of both electricity and gasoline to provide the energy to turn the wheels of the car. Figure 1 shows a gas-powered car. [2] Components Of A Gasoline Powered Car The 4-cylinder engine converts gasoline into motion so that the car can move. The easiest way it does this is to burn the gasoline inside the engine. Therefore is acts as an internal combustion engine i.e. combustion takes place internally. Gasoline powered car engines typically have over 100 horsepower and operate at speeds up to 8000 RPM. The fuel tank stores and supplies gasoline to the engine. It can typically store enough fuel to provide the engine with energy capable of moving the car through a distance of 300 miles or more. Figure 2 below shows an electric car, which has a set of batteries that provides electricity to an electric motor. The motor turns a transmission, and the transmission turns the wheels. [3]... .......................How I found my references........................... Send me your comments...........................Homepage...........................Comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Daniel Sperling; Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation, pg 101 [2] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car1.htm [3] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car1.htm [4] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car2.htm [5] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car3.htm [6]http://web1.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/155/298/52759225w1/purl=rc1_ITOF_0_A122672547&dyn=5!xrn_15_0_A122672547?sw_aep=swar94187, Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Today, Sept 30, 2004 p0 , Article A122672547 [7] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car4.htm [8] http://www.morphizm.com/observations/borah/borah_corner1.html [9] Daniel Sperling; Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation, pg 100 [10] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car8.htm [11] Daniel Sperling; Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation, pg 2 [12] Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Today, Oct. 7, 2004, p0; Article A122947647 A Brief History of the Hybrid Vehicle Essay -- essays research papers Brief History of Hybrid Vehicle Development First built in the early 1900s by inventors tinkering with combinations of the electric motor and the gasoline engine, hybrid vehicles were dropped when gasoline-fueled vehicles became more reliable and easier to start, and gasoline fuel more readily available. Research and development of hybrid vehicles was revived by concern about oil dependency in the1970s and about air pollution in the late 1980s. A number of hybrid vehicles have been built and tested since 1980. Some of these vehicles have impressed analysts with their performance and low levels of exhaust and petroleum consumption. Interest in hybrid vehicles jumped in late 1993 with the announcement of funding for two major collaborations. The US Department of Energy signed a five-year, $138 million development agreement with General Motors and a $122 million agreement with Ford to design and build preproduction hybrid prototypes that could be marketed in less than 10 years.[1] All these were done because hybrid electric vehicles are expected to be the future of vehicles worldwide. Definition One considers a vehicle to be a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. For example, a mo-ped (a motorized pedal bike) is a hybrid because it combines the power of a gasoline engine with the pedal power of its rider. Similarly, the gasoline-electric hybrid car is a combination of both an electric car and a gasoline-powered one. That is, it makes use of both electricity and gasoline to provide the energy to turn the wheels of the car. Figure 1 shows a gas-powered car. [2] Components Of A Gasoline Powered Car The 4-cylinder engine converts gasoline into motion so that the car can move. The easiest way it does this is to burn the gasoline inside the engine. Therefore is acts as an internal combustion engine i.e. combustion takes place internally. Gasoline powered car engines typically have over 100 horsepower and operate at speeds up to 8000 RPM. The fuel tank stores and supplies gasoline to the engine. It can typically store enough fuel to provide the engine with energy capable of moving the car through a distance of 300 miles or more. Figure 2 below shows an electric car, which has a set of batteries that provides electricity to an electric motor. The motor turns a transmission, and the transmission turns the wheels. [3]... .......................How I found my references........................... Send me your comments...........................Homepage...........................Comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Daniel Sperling; Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation, pg 101 [2] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car1.htm [3] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car1.htm [4] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car2.htm [5] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car3.htm [6]http://web1.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/155/298/52759225w1/purl=rc1_ITOF_0_A122672547&dyn=5!xrn_15_0_A122672547?sw_aep=swar94187, Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Today, Sept 30, 2004 p0 , Article A122672547 [7] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car4.htm [8] http://www.morphizm.com/observations/borah/borah_corner1.html [9] Daniel Sperling; Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation, pg 100 [10] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hybrid-car8.htm [11] Daniel Sperling; Future Drive: Electric Vehicles and Sustainable Transportation, pg 2 [12] Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Today, Oct. 7, 2004, p0; Article A122947647

Disability Discrimination Law

In the recent news about Disability Discrimination Law, a particular employee named Kevin Tobin achieved justice after almost a decade of his case (Mulvany, n. p. ). Tobin was employed at Liberty Mutual and had been good in carrying out his tasks (Mulvany, n. p. ). However, he was suffering from bipolar disorder. On Tonbin’s part, he exerted effort to compensate his lost hours of work. But then, his employer still perceived him as high maintenance (Mulvany, n. p. ). Eventually, he was fired. Just recently, the CA affirmed the reinstatement of $1. 3 million to Tobin. The article proves that discrimination in workplace still exists.This is brought by conflicting interest between the state, employee, and employer. As to the state, it enacts laws to protect the general welfare, especially the disabled persons. On one hand, the disable person exerts effort to disregard his disabilities by showing that he can be normal. On the other hand, the employer protects its interest from prof iting and having disable employees only adds them loses. In this scenario, the law tries to equalize the conflicting interests. On the part of employers, they should not forget their moral responsibility to the society.Helping the disabled person can be part of fulfilling such duty. Besides, among many disabled people, there are always special are where they are capable of doing and even surpassing the expectations of employers. Instead of discriminating, the employers should help in eradicating the gaps that continued to detach people living in one country. Giving chance to disabled people is one. The case of Tobin also proves that the Disability Discrimination Law is being upheld in the country. Furthermore, Tobin’s case brings hope to other disabled people who are still suffering discrimination due to their special qualities.

A Reflection Upon My Childhood Upbringing

Parenting styles can have a large influence on adult lives. In this paper, I will discuss the parenting style applied to me by my mother, and the effect it has had upon me in later years. My mother’s parenting style would fall under the â€Å"permissive† category.The permissive parenting type is characterized by warm feelings toward the child that lean towards over indulgement. The parent exercises little control over the child, and also grants high autonomy. The child is allowed to make their own decisions from a very young age.The permissive parenting style that my mother used with me can be clearly seen throughout my childhood. For example, I never can remember a time when my mother said â€Å"no.†Ã‚   We could go to a local store, and I would always emerge with a new toy. I only had to mention what I wanted once, and it was mine.Anything I put on my Christmas list was bound to be under the tree. My mother always wanted me to have the best of everything. I nev er had to commit to anything. If I wanted to play ball, my mother signed me up and bought the best equipment. If I wanted to quit the next week, that was fine. She never questioned my decisions. I was made to think that I could do no wrong.I believe that my mother chose this parenting style because it was the exact opposite of how she was raised. My grandparents were extremely hard on her. She was made to feel that she had to earn their love.She was never given the greatest new toy or the best clothes. When she did convince them that she wanted to play softball, there was no mention of quitting. They never would have allowed it, because that would have been a waste of money. It also would have meant to my grandparents that she did not follow through on an â€Å"obligation.† They never would have stood for that.They allowed her to be friends with children they approved, and they picked out the college she attended. It was only when she met my dad that she was able to break fre e. My grandparents forbid her to see him, but they ran away and were married. Because of the pressure and control my grandparents exerted upon her, I think my mother always had it in her mind to be as different from them as possible. She was miserable growing up, so she wanted the easiest life possible for me.My mother’s permissive style did not prepare me for life very well. It took a while for me to learn that I could not have everything I wanted once I was on my own. When I did not have the money for the latest gadget on the market, I felt deprived. Granted, I could have just asked mom for it, but I somehow had a sense that I should provide for myself. I just really did not know how to go about it.I would get a job, and I would quit if someone made me mad. Of course, mom is proud of everything I do. I guess that explains why I was so surprised when the â€Å"real world† did not love my every deed. I felt let down when I did not receive praise, and angry when improve ment was suggested. While my mom had the best of intentions, I often wish that she had pushed me a bit more and not have been so permissive. That would have prepared me much more for real life.

Character Analysis of the Four Wives and the Maid Yaner in the Film Raise the Red Lantern

Character Analysis of the Four Wives and the Maid Yaner in the Film Raise the Red Lantern A Question to Answer In his film Raise the Red Lantern, Zhang Yimou explores various issues which have existed in the Chinese society. The film dwells upon social and political peculiarities of the Chinese society of the 1920s. It also focuses on gender roles and the roles played by women. It is possible to raise a variety of questions concerning ethics and morality, spirituality and sexuality.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Character Analysis of the Four Wives and the Maid Yan’er in the Film Raise the Red Lantern specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it can be also interesting to look into female behavioral patterns in certain circumstances. Admittedly, women in the courtyard have to endure loads of constraints. They are locked in the small area where they have to confront each other. They are forced to play a game with really cruel rules. The five female characters develop different behavioral patt erns, i.e. alienation, rebel and acceptance. The Setting In the first place, it is important to consider the circumstances that shape the females’ behavior. The Chinese society is based on the principles of ethics and morality. Thus, the family is the core of the Chinese society as it has been stipulated that a good family is the basis of a strong society (Neo 3). Notably, it was believed that females were to be protected from the hardships of the world within their families in the 1920s (Neo 3). Therefore, women were shut in courtyards to be protected from the cruel world. The courtyard depicted by Yimou appears to be much more dangerous.  It is also necessary to pay some attention to the concept of masculinity in the society of the first part of the twentieth century. Neo stresses that men were seen as masters of the courtyard and their masculinity was often ‘measured’ by the number of their mistresses (4). Hence, the more mistresses a men had, the more mascu line he was seen. Admittedly, women were rather objects than human beings. Therefore, women could be treated as objects, i.e. they could be sold, they could be punished and they could be even killed. Obviously, the society like that was shaping females’ behavior. Behavioral Patterns The First Type of Alienation The first behavioral pattern to be discussed is alienation. Yuru is the first mistress of Master Chen. She is as old as her husband and she has a child. She has spent too much time shut in the courtyard and she seems completely alienated. She is almost unseen in the film and she does not participate in the struggle for the Master’s attention. She pertains to the past. It seems she simply stopped fighting a long time ago. The reason why she develops such a behavioral pattern is unclear. Though, at the end of the film, it becomes apparent that immorality and vice which have always reigned in the courtyard made Yuru distance herself from the reality. Yuru seems cal m as if she accepts her being neglected. More so, she is likely to be grateful for this neglect as she can enjoy peace and certain happiness. This is her way to escape from the doom of the courtyard.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Acceptance Another behavioral pattern is acceptance of the rules and development of skills to play the ‘game’ properly. The second wife, Zhuoyun, is younger than the first mistress. She has a daughter who is the same age with the third wife’s son (McFarlane 112). This woman seems supportive and kind-hearted at first. She comforts the fourth and the youngest mistress, Songlian, and tells her all about the courtyard. However, this kindness and compassionate attitude should be seen as the tools to be the winner in the struggle for the Master’s attention. Though Zhuoyun is not young (or as beautiful as she used to be), she is still trying to win his attention. Notably, she is quite successful in her attempts. She is constantly engaging in intrigues. She is really resourceful and cunning. She rarely confronts other mistresses overtly. For instance, she does not simply go to the Master and she does not tell him about Songlian’s fraud pregnancy. She pretends to be concerned about the young mistress’ health. Thus, Zhuoyun never shows her true colors and tries to keep her image of a kind-hearted woman. Such a behavioral pattern can be regarded as certain kind of acceptance of the rules. In other words, Zhuoyun understands that intrigues, immorality and being a good toy for the Master are the necessary rules that help her survive in the closed world of the courtyard. This woman accepts the rules and she is capable of surviving in this cruel little world. Rebel The third mistress, Meishan, used to be an opera singer. She has a son and she is quite hostile to Songlian as the latter stea ls the status of the youngest wife (McFarlane 112). Meishan is depicted as a spoiled woman who is rather immoral. For instance, she is cheating on her husband with another man (the doctor). However, this is not a result of her immorality or spoiled nature. This is rather a result of her life in the shut courtyard. Her being immoral is her way to stand up to the wrongs of the courtyard life and the entire society. Meishan despises her humiliating position.  This rebellious nature can be explained by the woman’s background. She was used to a free life. She was a singer and she was adored by many people. It was her who played with men.   However, she has to be a toy in her Master’s hands. At present, she has to play a game with much stricter rules. Moreover, the rules are created by men.  Meishan tries to revolt against the game, but she has a few tools for that.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Character Analysis of the Four Wives and the Maid Yan’er in the Film Raise the Red Lantern specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She cannot leave the courtyard, so she develops her own type of escape. She cheats on her husband and this is her way to escape from the cruel reality. Notably, the rebel costs too much. Meishan is killed by the Master’s servants. He destroys the toy he does not like. Another Rebel There is another type of rebel in the story. Yaner, Songlian’s servant, does not want to accept the reality (McFarlane 112). Yan’er is dreaming about becoming the Master’s mistress. She hates being a mere servant to a spoiled girl who humiliates her all the time. Yan’er tries to enter the world which is shut for her. She tries to behave like a successful mistress does, i.e. she is trying to carry on intrigues. However, her position in the society is even worse than that of the mistress. She is punished by Songlian and, eventually, dies. This rebel costs Yan’er her life. Another Alienation Songlian, the protagonist of the film, is the fourth and the youngest mistress. She does not understand what it feels like to be a mistress. However, she is told this is the only (more or less successful) way for a woman (McFarlane 111). Songlian has a desire to develop as she is a college student. She is also accustomed to certain degree of freedom. Clearly, the courtyard atmosphere is corrupting the young girl. It is necessary to note that the young mistress is not ill-natured (like the second wife). She is cruel to her servant, but this is a weak way to rebel. Importantly, Songlian is too weak to stand up to the existing world. She is not like Meishan or Yan’er. Her rebel ends up in severe psychological traumas. Songlian feels guilty for Yan’er’s death and she witnesses Meishan’s murder. These two deaths lead to Songlian’s alienation. The young woman cannot accept the cruel reality and goes out of her mind. This alienation is stronger than that of the first wife. Songlian is wondering in her college uniform around different places of the courtyard. Apparently, she has escaped from the cruelty of the courtyard. Four Ways to Adjust to the World In conclusion, it is possible to state that the film depicts certain behavioral patterns used by women to adjust to certain societal norms that existed in China in the 1920s. In a nutshell, women had to strive for being an adorable toy for their Master. Three major ways to escape from this little and suffocating world left for women are revealed.Advertising Looking for term paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, women could distance themselves from the struggle for their master’s love and be forgotten and left alone. Of course, they had to forget about comforts associated with the privileged position of the favorite toy. Women could also try to stand up to the societal norms. However, this was always severely punished and rebellious females were often killed. Finally, women could develop the necessary skills to be able to carry on intrigues. Only cruel, purposeful and cunning females could exist in the world of the courtyard. Therefore, the film reveals the wrongs of the society which was believed to be built on the principles of morality and ethics. McFarlane, Brian. Women Beware Women: Zhang Yimou’s Raise the Red Lantern. Screen Education 42.1 (2006): 111-115. Print. Neo, David. The â€Å"Confusion Ethics† of Raise the Red Lantern. Cinematheque Annotations on Film 33.1 (2004): 1-6. Print.

Abuse of the Innocent Essays - Animal Welfare, Cruelty To Animals

Abuse of the Innocent Is it right to force a mouse to live it's live in a laboratory cage to test anti-cancer drug? How would you like to be squeezed in a cage with many other animals, not being able to touch the grass, run around and play, smell the flowers, or go for a walk in the warmth of the sunshine? Animal cruelty is wrong because we are hurting the Innocent. Animals experience and feel pain, fear , anxiety, stress, depression, boredom, joy and happiness. Animals are very intelligent, some ever learn our own language. Most people experience their first bond with an animal. Not only do they bring a companion and a friend into our lives, but also unconditional love and comfort. Pet shops and puppy mills mass produce, kennels are overcrowded and dirty, with very little nutrition. Cats/dogs are held in metal cages and lead miserable lives breeding continuously. Animals suffer and are neglected, some are sold to research laboratories. A large number of animals are raised for slaughter each year. A cow "has a natural life span of twenty- five to thirty years, but only survives for an average of five".1 An estimated "seventeen million raccoons, beavers, bobcats, lynx, coyotes, muskrats, nutria, and other animals are trapped each year in the United States for fur".2 They suffer from unbearable pain for several hours before their lives are ended by the trapper's club. Is the price of live worth the price of fur? Psalm 104, 27-30. All creatures depend on you to feed them throughout the year: you provide the food they eat, with generous hands you satisfy their hunger. You turn your face away, they suffer. You stop their breath, they die and revert to dust. You give breath, fresh life begins, you keep renewing the world. Disections have been practiced in biology classes for many years. Critics accuse some teachers of killing and argue that disection teaches nothing but cruelty. Nothing is learned by cutting up an animal that cannot be learned from photographs or drawings. Children do not learn about the human body by killing and disecting a person, they learn from diagrams and textbooks. Vivisection means "cutting alive". It is a worldwide practice involving millions of animals. Scientists say that vivisections may not necessarily be painful. Every living being with a brain, spinal column, and central nervous system feels pain. Animals were not created for entertainment. What do zoos really teach children? The animals are stolen from their natural habitats and are brutally transferred. They suffer from boredom and have natural needs such as running, climbing, flying, and natural mating. All of the magic and glitter of the circus hides the true animal cruelty. Several animals are confined to small cages, muzzled, and repeatedly whipped in training. They are declawed, have their teeth removed, and drugged to be obedient. Military research on animals include monkeys, baboons, rats, guinea pigs, sheep, dogs, cats, rabbits, and mice. "... when I see my closest relative locked in a restraining box, his head filled with electrodes, and all he has got to reach out to you is with his eyes, then how can we respond to that if we close ours?".3 Weapons are tested on innocent animals, nerve gas, bullets, and bombs are all used. "One sad insight is gleaned from this statement, made by a Porton workman who lost his bearings: 'I thought I was ill, I thought I was seeing things. It was a little monkey enclosed In a glass cage. Its eyes seemed to be falling out and it couldn't breathe. It was in dreadful, dreadful distress. I forgot everything and went near it and said something to it, and it buried its head in it's arms and sobbed like a child. I never slept that night, and the next day managed to go back to the same room, but it was nearly finished by then. It had sunk to a little heap at the bottom of the glass cage.'."4 Animal cruelty is wrong, we are hurting the innocent. Cruelty of animals can be stopped, not only do we have to open our eyes, but open our mouths as well. Read a book, write a letter, join a group or start a group, either way, an animal will be grateful for the chance of a happy life. 656 End Notes 1. Loraine Kay, Living Without Cruelty, (London: Sidwick & Jackson, 1990), p.15. 2. Laura Fraser, The Animal

Procopius secret history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Procopius secret history - Essay Example He was also on the Gothic campaign, in Italy, until 540. He finally lived in Constantinople after describing the immense plague of 542 in the capital. This paper will analyze the source and determine the author’s reliability (Arbor 1). The contemporary history reader should characteristically depend on the investigation of similar contemporary historians. Contemporary historians can access a large number of sources and frequently aim to give an impartial notion of the past life. Nonetheless, past historians did not appreciate objectivity in creating their stories on what would have been for contemporary figures and events (Arbor 1). There should be a balanced method to history and occurrences of the past life. Moreover, Procopius was the best placed historian to give information on the existence of Belisarius, Theodora, and Justinian of the eastern Roman Empire. This is because he published eight works on one of the most popular emperors, Justinian. He not only sets aside panegyrics, in the Secret History, but Procopius looks keenly into the revolt he experienced at his mighty empress and emperor (Arbor 1). Procopius illustrates the cruelty and greed of his emperor, in addition to the lasciviousness and malice of Theodora, his wife. The Secret History is under-supported and overstated, despite being an interesting resource. Early writers did not have the will to cite their resources. One cannot simply presume that because the author, Procopius, was Justinian’s contemporary, he was a witness of everything he documents. This raises a lot of concern on his reliability. Readers cannot ascertain what composition of his work is hearsay, or if it is rumor found in rumor, and the component of the resource that can be advanced. Nevertheless, the resource depicts both Justinian and Theodora as largely suspicious individuals (Arbor 1). Also, when Procopius asserts that Justinian was the most terrible ruler of all time, we are not sure how much