Thursday, October 31, 2019

Using The Communist Manifesto, explain how this argument could be true Essay

Using The Communist Manifesto, explain how this argument could be true - Essay Example It was in such a scenario that the Communist Manifesto evolved and took shape. The Communist Manifesto (1848) is one of the most read and debated piece of writing of the 20th century that portrays the struggle of the weaker classes against the backdrop of a sagging economy. Marx’ ideals are echoed in the Communist Manifesto encouraging realism to take the place of idealism preached by earlier socialists. Karl Marx greatly believed that ‘Capitalism’ in the right sense was absolutely necessary and would serve to bring about a revolutionary transformation of the world by providing a strong foundation for Communism. Marx believed that idealism that condoned various class structures was an illusion that had to be got rid of by society. Marx and Engels fully well understood that industrialization was the answer for the positive development of the country. Competition was an accepted fact among the individuals of a capitalistic society and Marx contributed towards these influential concepts that paved the way for an Industrial revolution. The chief goals that lay behind Marx’ concept of capitalism were that all citizens should enjoy equality, private production and ownership should be abolished and a changed market economy where people could get whatever they needed in exchange for their labor. Marx was of the opinion that if states and governments were done away with, then wars would come to an end. According to Marx, the world markets were a potent and important tool to remove the differences between nations and as they incorporated capitalism into their lives, they would not only improve international trade but also pave a new path where the world could be united in communism. Marx believed that that an Industrial Revolution was both necessary and inevitable if a capitalistic nation had to be achieved because without it, it was not possible. He was sure that differences between countries and nations

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

United States in the 1960s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

United States in the 1960s - Essay Example The Civil rights act was meant to solve discriminatory issues and practices in segregated areas of the USA. The act enabled the term extension of the Civil rights Commission (which was previously a two year fixed term), to ensure proper oversight of the registration and voting practices (DeKoven, 2004). President Dwight Eisenhower signed the act into law, and it eliminated legal loopholes found in the 1957 Civil Rights Act. Post modernism during the late 20th century entailed movements in the criticism, arts and architecture that departed from modernism. Postmodernism entails skeptical interpretations or analysis of architecture, literary criticism, culture, philosophy, history, arts, economics and fiction. Postmodernism is at times associated with several movements that acted against tendencies of modernism, and are generally marked by historical elements (Palmer, 2009). For example; Jane Jacob’s book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities published in 1961, represented a critique of urban planning. This is because the book was written within modernism, and illustrated change form modernity to postmodernism in urban planning issues. Part of the cold war phase was experienced in the 1960s in the USA; for example the duration after the Cuban Missile crisis towards the end of 1962, and the beginning of the dà ©tente duration in 1969. The USA engages in cold war with the Soviet Union in the 1960s, despite internal issues like John Kennedy’s assassination, anti-Vietnam war movements, and the civil rights movements. In 1968, Czechoslovakia started reforms; however, the reforms halted when the Soviet Union invaded the country. The cold war led to division in the third world. Governments like Libya supported the soviets; on the contrary, governments like Saudi Arabia supported the west were USA is represented (Heale, 2005). The USA economy started the 1960s with a recession. In 1961, the unemployment

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Engineering Systems and Components of Centrifuge

Engineering Systems and Components of Centrifuge Description The main job of the horizontal decanter centrifuge is to separate materials of different densities. In this system, the centrifuge is required to separate the olive oil from water and any other solids such as stones. The decanter centrifuge (Figure 1) is part of the olive pressers assembly line made up of four main machines: de-leafing washing, olive crushing mill, horizontal malaxer, and the centrifuge. Figure 1 shows briefly what the assembly line consists of. The inputs into the centrifuge are olives which have undergone a number of processes through the other main machines of the olive presser assembly line. These processed olives are referred to as cake. This cake is the input of the decanter centrifuge and contains stone, water, other chemical additives, and oil. The centrifuge uses the concept of sedimentation to separate the cake into heavy liquid and light liquid, the lighter liquid being the olive oil, which is the output required from the system. Basically, due to the difference in densities the cake and oil will separate naturally given enough time (the oil floats on top of the cake). The centrifuge speeds up this process using high rotational speeds, exerting up to 4000G on the cake. This is useful since a process that would take hours to achieve could happen in a matter of seconds. The centrifuge rotates at high speeds, resulting in the separation of the contents inside the centrifuge according to their density, allowing the olive oil to be retrieved from the system [1]. ADD SCREENSHOT OF CENTRIFUGE Overview of OperationThe cake is input to the system through a small inlet tube encased in a wider shaft. This shaft has an Archimedean spiral, i.e. the scroll, welded to it. The shaft together with the scroll is called the conveyor, and it is encased in a drum. The shaft, and thus also the scroll is turned by a motor pulley system. The cake flows into the scroll area where separation of the olive oil from the cake occurs due to the high Gs generated by rotation and the angle at one end of the scroll. The olive oil and waste are output through nozzles at opposite ends of the centrifuge drum.The centrifuge is attached to the frame using a pillow block bearing. The frame supports the entirety of the system. Basic Sizing Requirements By comparing to existing centrifuges, the optimal drum diameter and rotational speed are 425 mm, and 3800 RPM respectively. A 1:4 design ratio (drum diameter compared to the drum length) is adopted, resulting in a centrifuge length of 1700 mm [2]. A beach angle of 200 is taken, as explained in Appendix 1. Specification Sheet Centrifuge Specifications Centrifuge Type Two-phase; Horizontal Maximum Overall Length 3 m Maximum Overall Width 1.5 m Maximum Overall Height 1.5 m Input Rate 450 kg/h Centrifuge RPM 3800 Centrifuge Beach Angle 200 Centrifuge drum diameter 425 mm Centrifuge diameter to length ratio 1:4 Centrifuge Length 1700 mm Centrifuge shaft outer diameter 120 mm Tree Diagram The following tree diagram is a graphical representation of the centrifuge and its sub-systems. Please turn over to find the above mentioned tree diagram. Block Diagram The following block diagram is a graphical representation of how the centrifuge works in order to extract the oil from the olives. This graphical representation will provide a better understanding of how the sub-systems interact with one another. Please turn over for the above mentioned block diagram. Brief explanation of the chosen components Drive Frame (Figure 2): A tray to which the motor is bolted down to stay in position. It is attached to the legs of the centrifuge lower casing. It determines the distance between the shaft of the motor and shaft of the centrifuge. Figure 2: Drive Frame Centrifuge Frame (Figure 3): The overall frame of the decanter, this supports the entire structure of the centrifuge. Figure 3: Centrifuge Frame Upper Casing (Figure 4): The Upper casing covers the drum of the centrifuge. It blocks contaminants from making contact with the drum and restricts the user of the machine from making contact with moving parts, providing better safety. Figure 4: Upper Casing Lower Casing (Figure 5): The lower casing acts as a collector for the products discharged from the rotating assembly and transports them to receivers for onward handling. The casing has to keep these separated entities apart. So it can be concluded that the casing as an oil collector at one end and a cake discharge collector at the conical side. Figure 5: Lower Casing Feed Tube (Figure 6): A tube that the cake is transported to the centrifuge from the malaxer. This is also the input of the centrifuge. Its inner diameter is determined by its required input flow rate. Figure 6: Feed Tube 3-phase Motor (Figure 7): The motor provides the initial torque required to rotate the belt. The motor chosen is the AEG AM 132M ZA4*[3], a 3-phase motor which provides 7.5kW of power, with the possibility of increasing the power up to 9.2kW through a small modification, making this a flexible choice. Figure 7: 3-Phase Motor Belt (Figure 8): The Flat belt connects the pulley of the 3-phase motor and the centrifuge drum together, transferring power. The chosen Flat-belt is a Polyamide A-3c belt since it provides the appropriate thickness, allowable tension, and coefficient of friction, while also being appropriate for the minimum pulley diameter. Pulley (Figure 8): The pulley is used to modify the speed of the drum and is connected to the motor. Key: A 8 x 10 mm rectangular key 70 mm long is added to the motor pulley in order to make sure that the pulley spins together with the motor shaft in such a way that there is no relative motion between the two. Figure 8: Belt and Pulley Belt Guard (Figure 9): The purpose of the belt guard is to protect the belt and pulley system from any accidents. It prevents contact of the belt with any foreign objects by stopping them from entering the belt area without removing the guard first. This may prevent injuries and breakages. The guard also keeps the belt area clean from any residual debris generated during the process. It can be easily removed for maintenance and cleaning. Figure 9: Belt Guard Figure 10: Drum shell with Archimedes screw inside Drum: The drum (Figure 10) is a cylindrical tube with flanges at both ends. At one end, the liquid discharge drum hub, this is where liquids are discharged from the centrifuge, while on the other side the cake discharge hub is connected, this is where solids are discharged from the centrifuge. The separation medium reaches its maximum speed in the decanter drum. This causes the solids to settle on the wall of the drums inner diameter. This is all a result of the high centrifugal force, which acts on the particles. One distinctive feature of the drum is its tapered shape. This tapered shape is referred to as the beach. The beach is a conical section at the end of drum. It has this conical shape to exert additional force on the solids, hence squeezing out the last drops of liquid. In this part of the process the centrifugal force push the solids uphill. This design helps to elevate the solids above the waterline in the discharge chamber. Figure 11: Bearing Setup [2] Front hub bearings: This horizontal setup (Figure 11) is supported by the use of bearings which are cased in a pillow block. Bearings are used to reduce friction and the effects brought on the component through wear and tear. This bearing used in this assembly is a roller bearing. The roller bearing is a bearing in which the main load is transferred through elements in rolling contact. Pillow Block: The fundamental application of the pillow block is to mount the bearing safely, which enables the bearings outer ring to be stationary, while the bearing inner ring to rotate. The bearing is supported in a housing and sealed with a non-contacting flinger. This non-contacting flinger is a seal, as the name implies it does not come into contact with the shaft. Its main application is to keep lubricants and grease from escaping, while at the same time it helps keep water, dust and other contaminants that could be harmful, out of the bearing assembly. It does this with the help of the centrifugal force. Rear hub Bearings: The rear hub bearing assembly is similar to that of the front hub. Its main job is to support one side of the conveyer. This bearing also resists the axial thrust of the scroll. Figure 12: Generated 3D Representation of Conveyor. Conveyer: The conveyer (Figure 12) is a central hub with a continuous helix welded to it. The conveyer is in the shape of an Archimedes screw fitting inside the drum, between the 2 end hubs. This conveyer will have a small clearance in relation to the drum. It main job is to carry solids which have settled against the walls of the drum, then pushing these solids towards the beach where they can be discharged. Its main functions are to convey the solids after they form a cake, accept the feed and accelerates it up to the drum speed. The material used is EN 1.4571 which is a form of high speed steel (HSS). The conveyer is the transport tool in a decanter centrifuge. The conveyer rotates with a different speed in relation to the drum, subsequently transporting the settled solids towards the conical shape of the drum. Also, the speed at which the conveyer rotates in relation to the drum defines how long a solid spends in the drum. The pitch of the conveyer is related to the transport pe rformance of the centrifuge [2]. This conveyor is comprised of two main sub-components; the scroll, and the shaft. The scroll is welded to the shaft, which rotates. While the two obviously need to be machined separately and welded together for economic reasons, they will be considered as a single part; the conveyor. Calculations Nomenclature Variable (Motor) Description P Power T Torque à Ã¢â‚¬ ° Angular velocity Variable (Flow) Description V Volume A Cross-Sectional Area of segment L Length of segment à Ã‚ Ã‚ ­cake Density of cake Variable (Belt) Description D Driver/Motor pulley diameter d Driven/Shaft diameter n1 RPM of shaft n ­Ã‚ ­2 RPM of motor pulley d Angle of contact for shaft D Angle of contact for motor pulley C Distance between centres t Thickness of belt b Wirth of belt l Length of belt ÃŽÂ · Specific weight of belt à Ã‚  Density of belt V Volume of belt m Mass per unit length of belt r Radius of pulley à Ã¢â‚¬ ° Rotational Velocity FC Centrifugal force on belt F1 Tension in tight side of belt F2 Tension in loose side of belt Fi Initial force required to overcome friction ÃŽÂ ¼ Coefficient of friction FR Resultant force of belt on shaft Variable (Deflection) Description E Youngs modulus of material I Moment of Inertia of shaft y Deflection in shaft Variable (Bearings) Description P1 Weight of conveyor P2 Force exerted on shaft by belt RA Reaction at bearing A RB Reaction at bearing B Variable (Shaft) Description Bending Stress Shear Stress M Maximum Bending Moment c Outer radius of shaft I Moment of Inertia of shat T Torque applied J Polar Moment of Inertia router Outer radius of shaft rinner Inner radius of shaft Calculations and Sizing Material Selection Since the machine will make contact with biological materials, certain characteristics and requirements have to be met in order to ensure that the parts making up the centrifuge will not chemically alter or affect the product in anyway. A list of materials suitable for food processing has been compiled by the FDA, based in the US. The 6th iteration of this code, released in 2013, gives specific requirements with regards to materials used in food-contact surfaces of equipment in chapter 4, subpart 4-101.11. Among these requirements are corrosion resistance and durability. Considering this, the material chosen for all the parts that will come into contact with the product; namely the centrifuge and its casing; the chosen material is EN 1.4571 Stainless Steel, which suitably fits all relevant requirements. [4] REF FDA? Calculations to find motor required Aim: To find the torque required to turn the shaft at a speed of 3800 RPM, which has been determined to be optimal for this machine (Figure 13) and thus find the power needed and an appropriate motor. Diagram: Figure 13: 3D diagram of power transmission system Due to the complex effects of fluid flow on the resistance to turning, the required torque for operation will be found by reverse engineering a similar system. HAUS Centrifuge Technologies produce a horizontal decanter centrifuge that has a maximum RPM of 5400, and utilizes a motor with a power output of 11 kW that can process up to around 1 m3/hr of material [5]. This is sufficiently similar to the system being discussed in this report and can thus be used to reverse engineer the torque requirements during steady state. Using the equation Pdrum = Tdrumà Ã¢â‚¬ °, the required torque may be found. Thus, the required power for the system will be: Since the reverse engineered system accounts for power losses due to inefficiencies and other factors, as well as the fact that that system has an overall larger processing capacity, the required power value obtained can be assumed to slightly larger than the true minimum requirement. However, this will account for any power losses during transmission as well as any potential extra power demands. Conclusions: The chosen motor is the AEG AM 132M ZA4*. This has a maximum of 1440 RPM and 9.2 kW of power, with an efficiency of 87% when operating at 100% RPM, and a weight of 56kg. This is a modification of the AM 132M ZA4 motor, which only produces 7.5 kW of power [3]. The AM 132M ZA4* is a 4-pole, 3-phase motor, single-speed drive. The motor has a single drive and is an asynchronous type motor with an Aluminium frame. It also has an IP 55 rating, making it somewhat resistant to dirt, debris, and water; a useful property for this use case, where spillages and leakages may occur. The motor manufacturer also specifies that the chosen motor has a shaft diameter of 38 mm, and a key of 10 x 8 mm should be used for any pulleys, with the keyway being 5 mm deep and 10 mm wide. The key should have a length of 70 mm [3]. Calculations for the sizing of the inlet tube Aim: To find the required dimension of the inlet tube so that an appropriate amount of material will be input at an appropriate speed. Diagram: Figure 14: Diagram of flow in inlet pipe It must first be ensured that the flow rate in the inlet tube (Figure 14) will be sufficient to allow for the design specifications. In this case, the design is specified as having an input rate of 450 kg/hr. It is assumed that the cake will have a density, à Ã‚ Ã‚ ­cake of approximately 2000 kg m-3. Thus, the appropriate inner radius may be found. Converting the input rate to m3/hr: m3/hr. This results in 6.22510-5 m3 s-1 flow rate. For a system of this kind, the flow velocity is generally in the range of 0.5 to 2 ms-1. For the sake of calculations, it will be assumed that an appropriate velocity for this specific system will be 1ms-1. Thus: Cross Sectional Pipe Area = Area = à Ã¢â€š ¬r2, therefore = 4.46 x 10-3 m. Thus, an inner radius of 5mm can be chosen. This will result in a slight decrease in flow velocity, (down to 0.8 ms-1), however this is well within the ideal range. Seeing as this pipe will undergo no torque and very little forces, a standard 2mm thickness can be taken. Power Transmission  ­The centrifuge shaft is required to be turned at a constant speed. The load is determined mainly by flow and amount of cake in the system, which are controlled through a process done by another system. Thus, the load on the system may be assumed to be largely unchanging. The torque required is also relatively low. As such, a belt and pulley system is an appropriate choice for drive transmission. This is cheaper than a gear train, and is also easier to maintain and replace if required. This also reduces the size of the entire assembly, as the motor may be placed laterally, with the shafts being parallel to each other. A flat belt is chosen over a V-belt. While the wedging action of a V-belt means that more power can be transmitted, flat belts are more efficient, having a 98% efficiency. Flat belts also generally have a longer work life. Most importantly, flat belts may be used across large centre distances, unlike V-belts. Thus, due to the nature of the setup a flat belt system is more appropriate. [6] The larger pulley must also be crowned (curved slightly) so the belt may be kept tracking centred on the pulley [7]. Flat-Belt Calculations Aim: To analyse the forces acting upon the belt, determining friction and tension due to transmitted torque, in order to find forces and stresses on the shafts. Assumption: A polyamide A-3à ¡Ã‚ ¶Ã…“ flat belt with thickness 3.3mm is used to calculate the forces present [8]. Figure 15: Diagram of belt and pulley system The outer diameter of the centrifuge shaft has been chosen to be 120 mm. To find the corresponding motor pulley diameter, D (Figure 15) required in order to spin the centrifuge at the required 3800 RPM, assuming the motor will turn at its rated speed of 1440 RPM, the following relationship is used.dn1 = Dn2 Where n ­1  ­Ã‚ ­and n2 are the RPMs of the respective shaft 0.123800 = D1440 D = 315.57 mm This will be approximated to 0.316 m (or 12.5 inches), the closest standard pulley size. For this size, the crown of the pulley should be 1 mm high [9]. Determining the angles indicated [8]: = sin-1() = 0.197à ¡Ã‚ ¶Ã…“where C = 500mm d = à Ã¢â€š ¬ 2sin-1() = 2.747à ¡Ã‚ ¶Ã…“ D = à Ã¢â€š ¬ + 2sin-1() = 3.536à ¡Ã‚ ¶Ã…“ Length of belt, L = = 1.704m Thickness and width of belt, t = 3.3mm b = 75mm (standard belt width chosen arbitrarily) specific weight of belt, ÃŽÂ · = 0.042lbf/in3 = 1162.56kg/m3 Volume of belt = t x b x l = 75 x 3.3 x 1704 = 421.74 x 103 mm3 Mass of belt = à Ã‚ V = 1162.56 x 4.2174 x 10-4m3 = 0.49kg Mass per unit length of belt, m = = 0.2877kgm-1 It can be shown that: From dS = mr2à Ã¢â‚¬ ° dÃŽÂ ¸ where dS, is the force due to centrifugal force = FC dÃŽÂ ¸ This implies FC = mr2à Ã¢â‚¬ °2 = = 163.34N The difference in tension between the 2 sides of the belt is given by: ΆF = F1 F2 = = 109.3N For initial tension Fi, Equating Fi with the force required to overcome friction Fi = T2 eÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ from friction equation T1 = T2 eÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ The negative sign indicates that this is the force that must be overcome. To find F1 and F2 , Tension in the belt where T1 is the largest tension, to be FI ÃŽÂ ¼ = 0.8 ÃŽÂ ¸D = 3.536C T2 = F2 Since, F2 = Fi + FC F2 = -F2 e0.8 x 3.356 + FC F2 = F2 e0.8 x 3.356 + 163.34 1 e0.8 x 3.356 F2 = 163.34 Therefore, F2 = ΆF = F1 F2 109.3 = F1 6.06 Therefore, F1 = 115.36N Finding the radial resultant force on the shaft, It can be assumed that the force will act approximately radially for the sake of calculations. By geometry ÃŽÂ ¸ = sin-1 = 0.197c = 11.3o Figure 16: Diagram showing forces acting on driver pulley Solving horizontally (Figure 16): (115.36 cos 11.3) + (163.34) + (6.06 cos 11.3) = 282.40N Solving vertically: (6.06 sin 11.3) (115.3 sin 11.3) = -21.42N FR = = 283.45N ÃŽÂ ± = tan-1 = 4.34o Calculating FC for the smaller pulley using the equation FC = mr2à Ã¢â‚¬ °2 => FC = = 164N Since FC for the bigger pulley = 163.3N, the resultant force FR will be approximately the same as previously found for bigger pulley. The chosen belt has an allowable tension per unit width of ~ 31 N/mm, thus the chosen belt may withstand a tension up to 2325 N. Thus, the chosen belt is appropriately sized to

Friday, October 25, 2019

Dell Ad Campaign Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Dell Ad Campaign The biggest area of expansion for Dell is the consumer market. In order to develop more sales in this market Dell needs to focus more advertising on the needs and wants of the consumer. Currently Dell promotes its direct model, which is a key factor Dell needs to create a better position for itself in the consumer market. With all of the PCs in the market being more or less equal, Dell needs to focus on what differentiates its products from the competition, namely service and support. The advertising campaign need to focus on the emotions of the PC users as oppose to merely their logical side. With a strong emotional ad campaign focusing on the anxieties and fears of the consumers when it comes to making the decision for a computer purchase Dell can reassure the consumers that we are there for them. The direct model and more importantly the virtual integration should be the focus of the campaign as oppose to a â€Å"teen-age† part-time employee at your local mall. Why would anyone want to go into a super store where the salesperson pitches everything under the sun to you before you finish telling them what it is you need. With the build-to-order direct way Dell operates â€Å"you tell us what you want, we don’t tell you what you want.† The advertisement campaign will need to be coordinated in print, television, radio and obviously the Internet. Dell can also integrate the direct mail pieces and catalogs with the new pitch to further expand its reach and frequency. Dell can also continue to work towards the small and medium businesses through this strategy using a similar â€Å"mirror† campaign in the trade publications and in trade show displays. The idea will be to have the campaign as recognizable and incorporating the â€Å"Be Direct† slogan that made Dell what it is. According to the Boston Consulting Matrix a â€Å"Star† is in a high growth market such as the PC market and the company has a high market share as in Dell’s case. With a â€Å"Star† the recommended strategy is to build. In this case the all of Dell’s products, desktops, notebooks, workstations, and servers fall into the â€Å"Star† scenario and as such Dell needs to utilize strategies that will build the market. By building the market a company can realize the maximum potential of the product line, if a â€Å"Star† is left alone its true potential may never be realized. With the PC marke... ...are being discussed and investigated. Given the failure Dell had in the retail channel these experiences could be shown to bring more customers to the direct model which would be informative for the consumer. With Dell’s â€Å"Be Direct† position already commonplace, Dell will be associated with the direct model to cut off the competitors trying to â€Å"be like Dell†. Advertising Schedule As stated in our recommendations we will be beginning an advertising campaign to increase Dell’s share of mind and share of heart in the market. The campaign will be primarily focused on the consumer and small business segments. A pulsing strategy is recommended, built around our existing sales trends. The campaign will run for nine months from April to December, with three different but related messages. Below is our corresponding sales trend that will allow us to best choose the pulsing strategy. As you can see from the trend line between April and December our peak sales times are April, July and August, and December. We will schedule our strongest reach and frequencies to correspond to these peaks. By increasing our total GRP during peak months Dell can best use its advertising resources.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Different Types of Workers’ Compensation Plans

The four types of Workers’ Compensation plans are: Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, Federal Employees’ Compensation Program, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Program, and the Black Lung Benefits Program. Each of these programs helps serve the employees of these specific groups when they are injured during a workplace accident. Each of these programs provide medical care, cash benefits for lost wages, rehabilitation, and other benefits to those who are injured as a result of an on the job injury. The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program went into effect on July 31, 2001. It provides benefits to those who have developed cancer or other serious illness due to exposure to radioactive materials while working. The Federal Employees’ Compensation Program provides benefits to employees that are employed by the federal government. The Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Program provides benefits for those employed in the maritime field. The Black Lung Benefits Program provides benefits to those that work in coal mines under the Black Lung Benefits Act. There are also two types of State Workers’ Compensation Plans. Each state has its own Workers’ Compensation plans. Coverage varies from state to state. All the states however, provide two types of Workers’ Compensation benefits. One of the benefits covers the employees’ medical expenses that resulted from an on the job injury. The other benefit compensates the employee for the wages he or she lost during the time he or she was unable to work. They will pay these wages until they are able to return to work. It is necessary to have federal and state compensation plans to make sure the employees are covered. It is against the law to have employees without offering Workers’ Compensation. It is best to have both because each state has different regulations. An employer needs to make sure they are covered 100%.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Gps Based Train Tracking

GPS/GSM based train tracking system – utilizing mobile networks to support public transportation. Dileepa Jayakody, Mananu Gunawardana, Nipuna Wicrama Surendra, Dayan Gayasri Jayasekara, Chanaka Upendra, Supervisor, Rangana De Silva Abstract : The paper presents a solution implemented at Sri Lanka, to provide an intelligent train tracking and management system to improve the existing railway transport service.The solution is based on powerful combination of mobile computing, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies and software. The in-built GPS module identifies the train location with a highest accuracy and transfers the information to the central system via GSM. The availability of this information allows the Train Controller to take accurate decisions as for the train location. Location data can be further processed to provide visual positioning using maps granting a wholesome view on train location.Positioning data along with train speed helps the administration to identify the possible safety issues and react to them effectively using the communication methods provided by the system. Additionally, the location information can be used to facilitate accurate scheduling with regard to train arrival and departure on each station. Introduction Rapid growth in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a worldwide phenomenon experienced today. Emergence of wireless and mobile technologies plays a key role in the global ICT boost, unfolding a new era of communication technology.Global private sector was the first to explore the endless opportunities and potential of wireless technologies, by redesigning the business processes with the integration of latest wireless and mobile technologies to have the competitive advantage in the business world. Today, the ability to achieve organization’s goals depends purely on the availability, accuracy an d reliability of the information. Governments worldwide have also recognized the high potential in the ICT sector and are using it as a core instrument to facilitate government processes and functions with the goal of uplifting the current standards of living of the society.Governments today are inspired by the concepts like eGovernment and mGoverment where governments are driven by the innovative and intelligent use of ICT as a service provider for government activities and distribution of public information. ICT combined with latest mobile and wireless technologies can be used effectively to streamline government activities and public service delivery process to improve productivity and drastically reduce capital expenditure, time and effort. Many governments have identified potential areas to be developed via the effective implementation of ICT based solutions that will meet the demands of the future world.The transportation infrastructure is one such area, which can be improved to provide an efficient, dependable and safe service to the general public with the integration of advanced communication technology. Appropriate adoption of technology would assist seamless administration of resources that would positively impact the country’s economy. The railway services in Sri Lanka are rendered by the Sri Lanka railways Department, which is wholly owned by the public sector of the country. The government is seeking methods to improve the efficiency of this service with the main objective of providing a better service to the train commuters.However, the effort of the government is constrained by the lack of funding and inappropriateness of the current solutions. But the development of ICT has revealed many options to uplift the railway service at a lower cost. Accurate train positioning has been a fundamental requirement to improve the efficiency of the service. The current switch based train-tracking system used by Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) supports the t rain controllers to manage the train operation by providing the train’s location. The location data provided by this system lacks in dependability.Furthermore, the maintenance of the system accounts to a large portion of total cost incurred on the railway service. Majority of these systems (especially outside the Colombo Suburban Area) offers low accuracy in terms of indicating the location of a train to the Train Controllers. Installing the systems, which can accurately provide such readings are really expensive and the total cost of ownership is unbearable for SLR. The train safety has been an issue with the increasing number of incidents being reported that has caused death and injury.Majority of deaths on the railway involve third parties with the incursion onto the level crossings. Average train accident would cost millions of Sri Lankan rupees and these can be avoided if there is a mechanism to track the train location and speed and warn the locomotive drivers about pos sible safety issues. Additionally, the train commuters also face difficulties due to frequent train delays, as the administration is unable to provide accurate schedules based on train’s location and speed.The solution is a comprehensive GPS/GSM based train tracking system, which provides accurate, dependable and timely information to the controller. The inbuilt GPS module identifies the train location with a highest accuracy and transfers the information to the central system via GSM. The availability of this information allows the Train Controller to take accurate decisions as for the train location. Location data can be further processed to provide visual positioning using maps granting a wholesome view on train location.Positioning data along with train speed helps the administration to identify the possible safety issues and react to them effectively using the communication methods provided by the system. Additionally, the location information can be used to facilitate a ccurate scheduling with regard to train arrival and departure on each station. This information can also be made available for the commuters to identify any train delay in advance making this service more reliable. Railway services in Sri Lanka The Sri express, Lanka Railways Department provides long distance and intercity Colombo commuter, parcel and mail, freight and provision of special harter trains. This accounts to a provision of services to 105 million passengers and transfer of 1. 6 Million metric tonnes of freight per annum. The railways are a vital part of the country's transport infrastructure. As the economy grows, demand for efficient transport services increases, which the rail industry has an important role to play in meeting. The rail industry is making progress in increasing the number of passengers carried, as well as its share of the freight market, and in improving its customer focus and its levels of performance and safety.Railway Today In 2008, railway losses a mounted to LKR 4,553 million and state bus transport losses amounted to LKR 3,554 million, giving a total of LKR 8,107 million losses on state transport. This is not just a one- time phenomenon, but has been the trend for the last few decades. The total losses from the railway alone since 1999 have been LKR 28,052 million. That means, on average, the railway lost LKR 234 million every month over the past ten years; or, to make it even more graphic, LKR 7. 79 million every single day for the last ten years [1].This depicts the current state of the railways system in Sri Lanka as for the efficiency and general acceptance of the service. Reliability matters to the railway’s customers and to the economy at large. Train delay, a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka is considered to be inevitable and an acceptable scenario. A train delay might wary from 15mins to many hours. There are occasions where this has caused disputes among the commuters and the administration but the problem stil l remains unresolved. Railways department maintains a fixed schedule on train arrival and departure but does not pre-update based on potential delays.As a result the commuters face many problems and waste time and energy that can be used more productively. The provision of safe and reliable services is a fundamental requirement of the railway as thousands rely on this service as their prime mode of transportation. The railway accidents accounts to death, injury and a large cost to the government. Most of the accidents are in form of derailments, which occur infrequently but have the potential to result in a large number of casualties. The most significant contributors of these accidents involve track and signaling faults.Lack of communication between the controllers and the drivers might prevent the preliminary precautionary actions being taken to avoid such accidents. Additionally, the danger relies on the fact that there would be no mechanism to identify the potential safety issue s as for the unawareness of trains speed and location. The railways department has set itself several objectives to address this situation through a quantitative improvement of its services. It is planned to increase railway share of passenger transport from percent 5% to 10% and Modal share of freight transport from 2% to 10% by 2010[2].Additionally, the department has identified the importance of improving the safety and efficiency of the service and has set the following objectives in its strategic plan; †¢ Improve cleanliness & quality of coachers / stations †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Reduce train delays by 25 % and accidents/ derailment by 50% Remove all speed restrictions less than 8 Km Ph Establish management structure based on performance evaluation and monitoring process Enhance the percentage of efficiency Put in place a methodology for utilization of public funds corresponding to specific services to make the present negative contribution in to a positiv e oneThere’re several constraints that needs to be addressed in order to achieve these objectives as this might even require complete reengineering of certain technological aspects of the current system. The main constraint of course is the lack of funding. Railways are suffering from historic under-investment stretching back for decades that could be assumed to be so for the foreseeable future as well. However, it’s possible to develop effective solution that is economically feasible to the government. This would only be possible with the appropriate introduction of new technological solutions that achieve both performance and cost goals.Provisions for the future Setting objectives won’t be adequate for the development of the railway service in Sri Lanka. There should be effective and appropriate steps taken with a vision on addressing future demands and expansion. These steps should involve further planning, extensive designing, implementation of solutions and maintaining such systems in order to sustain the service. There are several potential steps that can be taken in order to address most of the aforementioned issues associated with the railway service that in turn would assist the Railways department in achieving its strategic goals.Improving Safety The Railway department of Sri Lanka carries about 150 million passengers per annum and the safety of such service can never be taken for granted. Passengers are entitled to expect to travel in safety throughout their journey and the government should be committed to protect the passengers and employers form any safety issue that might rise during the journey. Effective safety planning requires a detailed understanding of key risk areas; the activities or circumstances where the safety risk to passengers, the workforce and the public is greatest.This allows resources and effort to be concentrated where they will have the greatest impact. Following are the main security issues identified i n Sri Lanka; †¢ †¢ Infrastructure engineering issues – derailment, signaling, points and crossings Public behavior – Assault, objects on line, objects thrown at trains, accidents at level crossings †¢ †¢ Passenger behavior – Struck against fixed objects, falling from train in running Workforce issues – maintenance error, control errors The main safety issues are in the form of accidents that mostly involve third parties other than the passengers and the employers.However, infrastructure safety threats and workforce issues accounts to a considerable amount identified in Sri Lanka. Most of the infrastructure issues are associated with signaling and accident. This can be addressed by developing a communication channel between the train and the control center. The control center should be able to identify the train’s location and speed to recognize possible safety threats; such as collision domains, speeding and noncompliance to sig nals. The control center should also be able to notify the locomotive drivers of the security threat.This will allow the drivers to avoid or at least minimize the harmful consequences. New system-management technology combined with accurate knowledge of train position will give the opportunity to present drivers with advisory speeds as well as safety-critical speeds, aimed at maintaining the flow of traffic by regulating trains in advance of points of conflict so as to avoid or minimize the need to stop trains to await paths. Human intervention at control centers can lead to accidents due to human error or negligence.For an instance if the cross point calculation is done manually it can lead to accidents if an erroneous value is communicated. These problems can only be solved via an automated system, which will handle these tasks and would consequently avoid human error. Improving Reliability & Availability The trust on the railway as a reliable service has degraded over the last fe w decades due to poor provision of services to the general public. This is mainly due to the frequent delays experienced specially in long distance services. A reliable railway is the single most important requirement of passengers.Delays are an unproductive use of people’s time, and serious delays might disrupt their travel plans. The initial cause of a delay can be: †¢ †¢ †¢ An infrastructure problem for which railway department is responsible (for example, a signaling problem or a speed restriction imposed in response to a track defect); An operational problem for which a train operator is responsible (for example, the breakdown of a train); and An incident that is largely beyond the railway’s control (for example, an accident involving a third party)The signaling problems and accidents involving third parties can be minimized using a communication channel between the drivers and the control centers. The control center should be informed of the trainà ¢â‚¬â„¢s current position and speed that should be based on an accurate, dependable source of data. Delays can be minimized with driver advisory speeds, improved platform departure times, backed by predictive routing algorithms and supporting regulation of train movements through junctions, can ensure presentation of trains just in time to utilize a free path, rather than stopping and starting from rest when a path becomes available.None of these solutions will be possible unless the current tracking system is replaced by a dependable and a more informative system that is capable of providing accurate train position and speeds of the entire network. The cost of train control should fall rapidly once real-time train location systems that are suitable to the local context is identified and are implemented.It is likely that operations on most regional lines will be controlled from an operations centre, through low-cost wireless technology such as GSM, the future development of which wi ll allow increased capacity for train control systems, regulation, and improved passenger safety services. Improving Communication and Public Awareness Lack of information regarding train schedules, delays, and low accuracy of the schedules are to become worse within the context of expansions and would only result in more time spent on the platform, consequently resulting in public dissatisfaction and frustration.There are several constraints identified that would prevent the railways from providing accurate schedules and other information. †¢ †¢ The static nature of the information sources (ex: static web pages and notifications at stations) Deficiencies of the current tracking system General public is made aware of the train schedules using notifications at train stations and via the official web site of the railways department.However, none of these methods will provide accurate data as for the static nature of the web site and the notifications at the station. Addition ally, the deficiencies of the current tracking system impose constraints on providing accurate, dependable and timely information to the user. The switched based tracking system used by the railways department is yet to cover the entire network but would cost a considerable amount for expansion and maintenance thus, emphasizes the need of an alternative that would be more accurate and cost effective.This limits effective decision-making due to inaccuracy and would also lead to accidents. Additional train capacity and better service performance will be the key for success, but the coherent use of technology to deliver information on train status in real time will not only improve utilization, but also offer seamless planning as well as accurate information on availability of passenger services.Further enhancements of such system would even grant passengers capabilities such as text messages informing accurate arrival and departure times and even the seating capacity of the train. GPS /GSM Based Train Tracking System We strongly believe that the correct combination of latest information and communication technologies can provide an effective and feasible solution for the requirement of a reliable and accurate train tracking system to improve the efficiency and productivity of Sri Lanka Railways.The solution we propose encompasses a powerful combination of mobile computing, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies and software to provide an intelligent train tracking and management system to improve the existing railway transport service. All these technologies are seamlessly integrated to build a robust, scalable architecture as illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. : High Level Architecture The fundamental process in our system is obtaining train location using GPS technology and transmitting the data via GSM network to the central control unit for data processing and information anal ysis. Real- time positioning information received by the server is made meaningful and extremely useful for the end user through integration of GIS technology where the end user can better organize and utilize information from a graphical view point. Our system consists of 3 main modules. †¢ †¢ †¢ The portable hardware unit (GPS/GSM train locator unit) Central server which andles receiving information from train locators and concurrent user requests Graphical User Interface (GUI) to provide services to our stakeholders The train locator unit planted in the train is designed and implemented, considering the cost factor, size of the module, durability and low power consumption. The power supply unit of the module is a main factor which decides the feasibility of the unit, as it should sustain a seamless supply of electricity at a low voltage for the locator module to function properly.The GPS receiver of the unit is capable of identifying the latitudinal and longitudina l position and ground speed of the specific train by receiving information from the GPS satellites. The position data is periodically sent to the central server through the GSM transmitter of the module. The device is capable of storing data in a buffer at a time of GSM connectivity failure, and can synchronize with the remote server when GSM is back online. The device can also respond to commands and data calls from the remote server as per administrative requirements of the train controllers.We have chosen GSM as the communication medium between the train locator and the central server to improve availability of our system by utilizing the existing GSM network which covers the whole country. The use of GSM over GPRS significantly improves the feasibility and availability of our system. Despite the high mobile penetration and number of mobile telecom service providers (GSM) covering the island, GPRS usage and the coverage is poor in many rural parts of Sri Lanka. Thus, selection of GSM over GPRS data communication is feasible and enables island wide service provisioning.The competition between the GSM service providers has also lead to high quality GSM services at fair rates. The central control system includes a server for handling and processing all the position information received from train locators via the GSM network. The server automatically updates the database with latest position, speed and direction information of each train. The server carries out information processing and analyzing in order to cater for different requirements of the users of our system.The main stakeholders of our system are the railway Department), locomotive drivers and the train administrators (Railway commuters. Our main objective is to be instrumental in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Sri Lanka Railway services by fulfilling the fundamental requirement of reliable and real time information of train positioning for monitoring and administration purposes by th e Railway Department. The end user of our system is offered with an easy to use graphical user interface for information analysis and administration tasks.The web based access and extensible mobile access to our software is designed to be intuitive for the end user to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of our system. We have incorporated GIS techniques to provide location specific data organized in layers so the end user can better apprehend the information provided by the system. a very good Satellite images providing visual positioning can serve as background when used in conjunction with map data specifying the location.Our system essentially provides functionality for the railway administrator to monitor the progress of a particular train or a group of trains operating in a geographical area. The user can search and locate trains by the train ID, train name, current location or nearest station etc. Information such as train speed, direction can also be given along with re al time train positioning data. The train control and management process includes management of heavy traffic of passenger and freight trains, which operates in complex running patterns on the railway network.The train controller needs to ensure that passenger trains are adhering to the schedules as well to find efficient routes for unscheduled freight trains. Recording the train movements, arrival/departure at railway stations, fuel status, railway track conditions, and passenger information is a tedious task for the train controllers and would be time consuming if done manually. The accuracy of this information is very important to ensure smooth functioning of the railway service as well as to optimize resource planning.For example at a point of a railway-track failure or an accident, train controller should be able to decide on how to utilize existing resources and efficient alternative routes to ensure system availability of the railway service in that region. Thus our train tra cking system can be enhanced to automate the train control and management process of the Railway Department in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the railway services provided. Following is a list of facilities that can be offered by our system to automate the train control and management process. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Automatic record keeping of train operations and events Functionality to generate time-distance graph for trains which can be used to control and plan the train movements Facility to generate user defined reports and graphs on train movements, arrival-departure at each station, schedule adherence etc. Facility to playback the progress of each train and events for review purposes Automated schedule regulation Forecasting functionality on train arrival-departure at different stations Automatic detection of over speeding, non-adherence r egulations, rail-track failures, train delays etc. o traffic Facilit y to send alerts/warnings to particular train drivers on possible collisions, derailment through the system Automatic rail crossing control By automating the process of record keeping of train traveling, the load of paper work on the train controller is dramatically reduced. This would also ensure accuracy and integrity of the data eliminating human error when documentation is done manually. A single entry point of data ensures there’s no ambiguity of the data recorded in the system.The logged data on arrival-departure time at different stations, number of passengers onboard, freight details, signaling and fuel status at different stations, are instrumental for railway administration when evaluating performance of trains and locomotive drivers. Graphical representation of these data with ability to compare with historical data will be instrumental for the administration to take effective decisions. Various user defined reports on train activities, driver performance, passenge r and freight information also support timely and accurate decision making by the administration.Time-distance graph is vital for the train traffic regulation process. The graph gives the user a wholesome view of the train circulation, railway infrastructure state in different regions and enables the user to detect abnormal conditions and conflicts. The graph is useful for the train operator to identify traffic problems in advance and take precautions to resolve the problems. Data mining is a method of extracting patterns from data [3].The use of advance data mining techniques combined with complex algorithms such as neural networks, genetic algorithms and rule induction can be instrumental in identifying hidden patterns from enormous amount of data. Spatial data mining technique combines data mining with GIS to find patterns in spatial data, which could be a powerful tool for applications using geographical information such as our system. With the huge amount of data pertaining to train operations collected daily, process of information analysis using conventional methods would be a difficult task.Hence, the use of spatial data mining techniques would drastically improve the productivity and effectiveness of the train control and management process carried out through our system. Facility to playback past activities on the railway, enables the user to review and analyze operational situations in the past. Data mining operations can be used effectively in combination with the playback function to identify sequential patterns of particular activities and their impact on the railway traffic.For example, at an unfortunate incident of a train collision, train controllers can use the playback feature combined with the data mining techniques to analyze and identify the sequence of activities which resulted in that accident. With that knowledge, railway administrators can take necessary precautions and trigger alerting mechanisms to avoid such unfortunate accidents i n future, making the railway transportation much safer. Improving safety and availability of railway transport service requires detection and triggering of alerting mechanisms to avoid possible train collisions and other forms of adverse incidents.Constant monitoring of train location, speed, traffic conditions, rail-track conditions and adherence to traffic regulations helps the train controllers to detect potential collisions and derailments. A proper alerting framework is vital in order to avoid such adverse incidents by alerting the locomotive drivers in advance. Our system facilitates a comprehensive alerting mechanism by enabling the train controllers to send alerts/ notifications to locomotive drivers via GSM connection.The hardware unit planted in the train can be enhanced to prompt the alerts to the driver in graphical and audible forms. A LED display unit and an alarm bell to signal adverse conditions can be integrated with the hardware unit to provide a complete alerting framework. The unit can be further enhanced to support voice communication between train controllers and locomotive drivers in order to provide guidance and important messages to the particular driver. This would also enable locomotive drivers to contact the control unit at a state of emergency.Furthermore the system can be incorporated to significantly improve safety at railway and road intersection points. Over the years, many road accidents have occurred at railway crossings imposing a critical safety threat to both train commuters and passengers in vehicles. Such accidents are caused mainly by the unreliability of the safety mechanisms such as blocking arms and signal lights used at the crossing point. Thus our system can be extended to improve the reliability of such safety mechanisms by synchronizing the railway crossing control process with the incoming train’s position.We can provide accurate real time information on train position, speed and length of the train to sy nchronize the functions of rail crossing with the train movements. The productivity of the service can be significantly improved by providing accurate predictions on approaching train at the rail-road crossing and displaying amount of remaining time to clear the crossing from train traffic. Alarm triggers to alert road vehicles approaching too close to the rail-road crossing at a point of train approaching, can also be incorporated to improve the effectiveness of our solution.Thus the system is instrumental in improving safety of both railway passengers and people crossing rail-road cross points. Integrating an intelligent forecasting mechanism on arrival-departure time at different railway stations can further enhance the efficiency and productivity of our system. Train schedule is inevitably subject to train delays which can occur due to various reasons such as excessive train load, rail track failures, train traffic, adverse weather conditions etc.A number of operational paramete rs such as railway traffic, train priority, efficient routes, and railway infrastructure conditions have to be taken into consideration to accurately forecast train arrival time at various stations. Here also data mining with other complex algorithms can be instrumental to provide accurate forecasting on train arrival-departure at stations. The train schedule regulations are automatically updated and stakeholders can be notified. One of the main purposes of our system is to facilitate accurate public information istribution with regard to railway services and operations. Thus, our system can be incorporated to design and implement innovative Passenger Information Systems (PIS) based on real time information of train positions. LED-Display panels put up at railway stations can display arrivaldeparture time of each train enabling the public user to make informed decisions on their journeys. Route number, destination of the arriving vehicle and waiting time can be displayed with real t ime information.With accurate forecasting of train arrival-departure at stations, Railway Department can improve the loyal customer base and also attract new passengers to railway transport service by winning their trust and reducing user uncertainty of using public transport facilities. The user experience can be further enhanced by introducing information Kiosks which can provide information to travelers in an intuitive and interactive manner to make informed decisions on selecting train routes and departure time.The interactive kiosk can be used to obtain travel information such as alternate routes to specified destination, route details on the railway map and latest information on train schedules etc. As a marketing strategy, information regarding the particular city, culture and commercial activities can also be provided to the user through the kiosk. Another extension of the PIS system is delivering real time train information to handheld devices such as mobile phones and PDAs .With the increasing interest on mobile applications, access to latest train schedule information via mobile connection can be influential for improving customer base of the railway service. Easy to use mobile applications can be designed and implemented to enable train commuters to easily subscribe to our service and obtain latest train schedule information via mobile devices. Reliability and customer loyalty of the railway services can be significantly improved by taking such action to improve accurate public information distribution of the current status of railway services.Conclusion After seeing many advancements and changes in the location tracking technology, Sri Lanka Railways now has the ability to pin point the location and other attributes of an operational train in an economical accurate manner. Thus it is visible that to keep up with the today’s demand for information and to comply with the citizen centric governance, technological advancements is essential for a 3rd world country, as after all the deciding factors of a country’s success would be on the how ollaborative and duplex the governance framework in terms of seamless information flow of accurate and timely information between governance ecosystem. Reference [1] Rohan Samarajiva, May 2009, Ideas to win the war: Sri Lanka's main line railway, http://www. lankabusinessonline. com/print. php? nid=1238565096 [2] Sri Lanka Railway Department 2007, n. d. , Future Plans, http://www. railway. gov. lk/future_plan. html

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Analysis Of Recipe For Murder Essay Example

Analysis Of Recipe For Murder Essay Example Analysis Of Recipe For Murder Paper Analysis Of Recipe For Murder Paper So, the title says that the story may be connected with murder of someone step by step. The text presents a blend of detective story with elements of a story of characters. The text embraces two themes: 1) investigation of murder; 2) relationship between men and women. The text touches upon eternal concepts Of collisions between characters, men-women relations. Compositionally the text falls into three logical parts. The scene is laid in the middle of the 20th century (deceased January 1939 and deceased May 1946). The writer sets the action in France, because: 1) name of the characters ( Madame Callahan, Lucrative and so on); 2) name of the dishes (French cuisine); ) the name of the town ( Avalanche); 4) the phrase of main character: Murderess I may be, Inspector, but also a French woman; As said I am from Paris. The general atmosphere is breathtaking. After a chain of actions everything clarifies and the general atmosphere changes to promising and gripping. There are TV0 main characters: Inspector Minor and Madam Callahan And two main characters: husbands of Madam Callahan M. Wiser and M. Callahan. Inspector Minor pays a visit to Madame Callahan, a beautiful and alluring forty-year-old woman, who is suspected of murdering her two husbands. The inspector interviews Madame Callahan in the hopes of understanding how a woman who does not seem like a murderess could have killed her husbands without leaving a trace on their bodies. The climax lies in the silence between main characters when Madame Callahan finished to confess to murder of her husbands by cooking. We dont know how Inspector Minor will react to her confession. He will bring her to police station or he understands why she did it. Its followed by the denouement when inspector invites Madam Callahan to the casino. To the casino, Madame Callahan. For champagne and music. We shall talk some more. The ending is half-opened and needless to say, the writer gained by ending the story where he does. The story is narrated from the third person. The story is filtered and reflected through the prism of his mind and eye, we can easily trace where his sympathy lies with the help of his interpretation suggest and judges. The text brims with the idea that womens charm and sophisticated mind can easily win over mens conceit and arrogance. This story presents the idea that women plays on mens vice and greediness so well that most man even couldnt notice that. Madame Callahan As the story goes it is broken by some description. I found the most convincing and detailed description of Madam Salons appearance. Her appearance is a clue to her character. Inspector Minor compares her with the Roman goddess of wisdom( A Minerva of a woman, he told himself instantly). The author uses antinomian to show common things between these two women: sharp and shrewd mind in combination with astonishing beauty. Moreover, the author resorts to bright epithets (liquid eyes, full lips, soft profile, the grand line of her bosom.. ) and similes ( Eyes were but a hade lighter than the cobalt blue of the Med-iterance.. ,. Air brought him the scent of her. Or was it the scent of the garden, )to create an image of soft and ageless women.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Growth of Austin, TX essays

Growth of Austin, TX essays Throughout the past 20 years, the city population of Austin has nearly doubled causing an increasing demand in the needs of its residents. Due to incredible growth rate that this city endures, it is important to realize the horrific effects that can occur when a population reaches its ultimate peak. The way of living has already been threatened and may meet its untimely death in the near future if action is not taken immediately. Like the various other highly growing cities in America, Austin is seeing the expected effects of its growth. Of these are the increased numbers in crimes committed and reported throughout the city. Situations such as this are reminiscent of other larger Texas cities such as Houston and Dallas. Thanks to the urban growth in Houston, it is now recognized as one of the leading crime related cities in the country. The crimes that will be more often seen in Austin are theft, assault, and murder. No one wants to see these numbers rise in anyway. Austins beauty and uniqueness cant save it from the rising criminal action and drug traffic that would take place if the city grew too large. One reason why Austin is growing so rapidly is the availability of high-tech jobs and the diversity of cultures this city consumes. This presents itself as a highly desired place to work and live. But even the vast number of jobs cannot protect its inhabitants from unexpected hazards. The beginning of 2000 started off poorly for the city of Austin and even more poorly for the Dell Computer Company. Due to the fear of computer related failure of Y2K issues and earthquakes in foreign manufacturing countries that destroyed numerous of quantities of highly demanded hardware, the Dell Company was forced to lay off between 1000 2000 employees to compensate for their losses. This and the layoff of employees from other computer companies resulted in an increase of unemployment for Austin. When a sligh...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Applications Of Holographic Memory Computer Science Essay

Applications Of Holographic Memory Computer Science Essay From the beginning generation of computer, speed of the processors has been increasing tremendously approximately twice the capacity for every 3 years. Today, we can access large amount of data with in few seconds using CPU and data storage. While the computer evolves many applications for large binary files like sound or image data for high capacity storage and data access. But, there is no high capacity form of data storage to handle these large files quickly and efficiently. So, Holographic memory is a hopeful technology in the next generation over conventional storage system because it is a three-dimensional data storage system that can store information at high density inside the crystal or photopolymer which has a capacity to Storage system, the data of entire page can be accessed at a time instead of sequential method and there are very few moving parts so the limitations of the mechanical motion can be minimized. To trace interference patterns it uses a photosensitive materi al of a reference beam and a signal beam of coherent light, while the signal beam is reflected off and an object or which contains information in the variety of light and dark areas. The natural history of the photosensitive material is to record the interference pattern which reproduce a beam of light to the material which matches to the reference beam. The resultant light that is transmitted through the medium will take on the recorded interference pattern and will be collected on a laser detector array that encompasses the entire surface of the holographic medium. Lots of holograms are recorded in the similar space by changing the wavelength of the incident light or angle. The whole page of data can be accessed in this way. Hence holographic storage system has the potential to became the next storage generation over conventional storage 2. Definition of Holographic Memory It is a storage device which records binary information into one of holograms, then produces (as interfering patterns) on photographic or photo chromic media by the way of laser beams, which can be read by low-power laser beams. It is a technique that can store information at high density inside the crystals or photopolymers. The main advantage of a hologram is that which has an image to be dispersed over the recording surface. So, there is no chance of dust or scratches that totally obscures information though they may deduce the contrast. There are many attempts done on many projects to apply this technology but none of them been commercially successful. 3. What is HVD? HVD known as Holographic Versatile Disc which is an optical technology still in the development stage which holds up to 4 terabyte of information. It has an technique called as collinear holography, which contains two lasers, first red laser and another is known as blue-green laser which collimated in a single beam. The second laser i.e. blue-green laser reads the data programmed as on laser interference outer reaches fro m a holographic layer near to the top of the disc where the reference beam uses the red laser and to study the information of servo from a usual CD-style aluminium layer close to the bottom.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Strategics management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategics management - Essay Example The ten schools of thought model from Mintzberg et. al. (1998) is a framework that can be used to categorize the field of Strategic Management. These schools are classified as: Design, Planning, Positioning, entrepreneurial, cognitive, learning, power, cultural, environmental and configuration. The Sony Scenario presents a management overhaul problem and re-structuring of the organization to meet the cultural environment needed for the future. For these the following schools of strategic thought will be directly related (Aguilar, 1967): The Design School: This school sees strategy formation as a process of conception. The approach used by this school is clear and unique, where strategies are formulated in a deliberate process. In this process, the internal situation of the organization is matched to the external situation of the environment. The Positioning School: This school sees strategy formation as an analytical process. The approach used by this strategic thought is that it places the business within the context its industry, and looks at how the organization can improve its strategic positioning within that industry. The Entrepreneurial School: This school sees strategy formation as a visionary process. The visionary process takes place within the mind of the charismatic founder or leader of an organization. The school stresses the most innate of mental states and processes- intuition, judgment, wisdom, experience, and insight.

How does someone learn to be racist or prejudiced Essay

How does someone learn to be racist or prejudiced - Essay Example They begin to believe that they have a right to feel as they do. The most common way that a person learns racism and prejudice is through their parents or other close relatives. When a child grows up in a household that openly promotes being racist or prejudice, that child usually grows up to become racist or prejudiced. They are subjected to these ideas from a young age and they grow up thinking that these thoughts, ideas, and behaviors are right. Children are easily influenced by their parents and other authoritative figures in their lives and they end up taking on a lot of their personality traits. If a child’s parents raise that child into thinking that a certain race is bad or lower than their own, that child will hold onto that concept throughout the childhood and into adulthood. Sometimes the passing on of racist views is unintended, but, more often than not, a child raised in a situation like this is not corrected when they begin to display some of the same ideals. In many cases, some children are even praised when they first make it known that they have prejudice views towards someone else simply because of their skin color, religion, or sexual orientation.

Biography Of Benjamin Franklin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Biography Of Benjamin Franklin - Essay Example Despite his achievements at school, he was removed from school at the age of 10 to work at candle making with his Dad. At the age of 12, Benjamin was apprenticed to his brother James at his printing shop by his father. Benjamin took on the fake name Mrs. Silence when James refused to publish any of his writings. With this, his imaginative and amusing letters were in print in his brother’s news paper. When the letters were discovered to be Benjamin’s, James was very angry. After that, Benjamin escaped to New York, although he settled in Philadelphia, this is the place he settled for the rest of his life (Sherrow 7). During the 1730s, Franklin’s prominence and success grew very much at the end of the 1732 with the publication of Poor Richard’s Almanack. He established a lending library for people to share his zeal for reading, and he chosen the Grand Master of Pennsylvania Mason, postmaster of Philadelphia and clerk of the state assembly. In the 1740s, Franklin went up into entrepreneurship with his invention of the Franklin stove; he also rose into scientific pursuit. In 1750, he conducted the kite-and-key experiment and some of his electricity theories were published in England the preceding year. He was tapped as an ambassador to represent the Pennsylvania Assembly, Georgia, Massachusetts and New Jersey, in England. He went on working towards colonial union and in 1766 he hold up the repeal of the Stamp Act (Dubourcq 10). Having mapped the postal routes in 1762, Franklin was designated the second Continental Congress and as a postmaster general in 1775. Moreover, in 1776, he was among the five men who drafted the Declaration of Independence. Also he was one of the men who planned the Article of Confederation. In 1785, Franklin returned to America from France. He was chosen to stand for Pennsylvania at the constitutional convention that planned and ratified the new U.S constitution. He took part in electing

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Writing for journalists(feature story- Valentines Day) Article

Writing for journalists(feature story- Valentines Day) - Article Example People in the fashion industry have the tendency of maximizing their profits by raising the prices of the products needed by their regular customers. In relation to the more awaited day, a study by the industrys trade group has approximated that about 150 million love and valentines cards are sold in the USA during this period. The coming season is characterized by lots of people going for outs in open parks where they express their affections to one another and some even go an extent of proposing to their loved ones. The activities of the day will have an impact on the environment in several ways, the small pleasures that the people will engage themselves into will have some environmental impacts. The day should, therefore, have no reason for the match of emotions; therefore, it will not be a new thing for the dead tree greeting card to boost in its operations during this day. The pains that lover have had in the past vanish quickly and the circulation of the valentines cards usually goes on as nothing much has ever happened with lots of negligence of what happens to the environment through the celebration. It becomes very difficult for an environmentalist to understand the reason lots of people and especially in the Americas risk paying a lot in terms of carbon tax by using the shiny cardboards in sending love notes to their lovers. The most annoying thing is that, lots of customers know the impacts of their activities and trying to tell them to stop the practices is as good as not telling them. In most of the advanced countries, the card manufacturing companies have made advances in designing carbon friendly valentine cards, the companies have insisted that they have come up with carbon- neutral cards because they have paid for enough carbon credits. Having known the effects brought about by the events of the day to the environment, there are several things that I will advise those curious for the day to avoid doing, one of the

Moral and Ethical Dilemma in the ase of Spaulding v Zimmerman Case Study

Moral and Ethical Dilemma in the ase of Spaulding v Zimmerman - Case Study Example The Law Council of Australia has established rules for model conduct of lawyers, however, these tend to revolve around a client-centered approach which is inimical to the practice of law in an ethical manner, rather it tends to be centered around better earning and protecting the client at any cost. Such a client-centered approach makes lawyers amoral and indifferent to maintain ethical standards or morality in the practice of law, thereby engaging in role-differentiated behavior that ignores moral considerations in the case of clients, which would be relevant and applicable in the lawyer’s own life.  Wasserstrom argues that while such an approach may be useful in criminal cases in ensuring that all clients get a fair chance in court, irrespective of the lawyer’s personal convictions in that relevant area, it is not applicable on a wider basis to all cases. Positivist philosophy also separates law and morals, so that a lawyer is not necessarily required to make a mora l decision, rather he/she is expected to ensure that the client’s best interests are served as far as possible within the framework of the law. In the instant case of Spaulding v Zimmerman, the issue that arises is the need to disclose potentially damaging information mandated from an ethical standpoint. Lawyers are to work in the best interests of their clients, yet they are also considered officers of the Court who must serve the cause of fairness, equity and justice. A lawyer has a paramount duty to the Court to pursue the course of justice, which shapes the kind of society that we live in. Allowing individuals to escape with wrongdoing is not in the interests of justice or fairness to all men. Therefore, in the instant case, the professional responsibility of the lawyer would have mandated the disclosure of knowledge that could be inimical to the Plaintiff in the long run, especially since the Defendants were morally in the wrong, to have caused bodily harm to the Plainti ff.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Muslim Uighurs under Religious Discrimination in China Essay

Muslim Uighurs under Religious Discrimination in China - Essay Example According to the report findings  alongside clear efforts to improve indoctrination of religious leader and clerics, since 2001, Chinese’s authorities have stepped up the suspicion and inspection of many of mosques to the extent of sending people to supervise Uighurs’ mosques. Moreover, in 2001, the government inspected around 23,000 mosques in Xinjiang whereby, it ruled forty-one mosques as non-conforming to regulations of Xinjiang. That led to clashes between Muslims and Chinese police who destroyed mosques intentionally. The Chinese authorities were careful not to appear as targeting Muslims specifically by closing down their mosques. Since late 2001, authorities in Xinjiang imposed even more restrictions on mosques; for example, they banned any new construction work on mosques in Xinjiang. According to media reports, an official of Hetian Nationalities and Religious Affairs Bureau declared that about five people had opposed the conversion of a mosque into a carpet factory by appealing to Beijing authorities when the project begun.  As the paper declares  Muslims around the world fast during month of Ramadan until sunset. The harassment of Muslims in China often occurs during Ramadan month. The communist party members have discouraged Muslims from fastning during Ramadan, as they posit that it results in adverse health concerns for those who engage in the practice. A regional spokesperson Hou Hanmin, said that the authorities encouraged people to â€Å"eat properly for study and work†; however, she admitted they did not force them to eat.

Moral and Ethical Dilemma in the ase of Spaulding v Zimmerman Case Study

Moral and Ethical Dilemma in the ase of Spaulding v Zimmerman - Case Study Example The Law Council of Australia has established rules for model conduct of lawyers, however, these tend to revolve around a client-centered approach which is inimical to the practice of law in an ethical manner, rather it tends to be centered around better earning and protecting the client at any cost. Such a client-centered approach makes lawyers amoral and indifferent to maintain ethical standards or morality in the practice of law, thereby engaging in role-differentiated behavior that ignores moral considerations in the case of clients, which would be relevant and applicable in the lawyer’s own life.  Wasserstrom argues that while such an approach may be useful in criminal cases in ensuring that all clients get a fair chance in court, irrespective of the lawyer’s personal convictions in that relevant area, it is not applicable on a wider basis to all cases. Positivist philosophy also separates law and morals, so that a lawyer is not necessarily required to make a mora l decision, rather he/she is expected to ensure that the client’s best interests are served as far as possible within the framework of the law. In the instant case of Spaulding v Zimmerman, the issue that arises is the need to disclose potentially damaging information mandated from an ethical standpoint. Lawyers are to work in the best interests of their clients, yet they are also considered officers of the Court who must serve the cause of fairness, equity and justice. A lawyer has a paramount duty to the Court to pursue the course of justice, which shapes the kind of society that we live in. Allowing individuals to escape with wrongdoing is not in the interests of justice or fairness to all men. Therefore, in the instant case, the professional responsibility of the lawyer would have mandated the disclosure of knowledge that could be inimical to the Plaintiff in the long run, especially since the Defendants were morally in the wrong, to have caused bodily harm to the Plainti ff.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Statement of purpose for undergrad in business studies Essay Example for Free

Statement of purpose for undergrad in business studies Essay â€Å"Take up one idea. Make that idea your life- think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success†. I read this quote by Swami Vivekananda in 2011 when I was deciding my career choice in 2011 when I was in Grade 11. Initially I was inclined towards science as that’s the preferred career option for most in India. However a deeper analysis, introspection and influence of my parents made me realize my strengths and interests make me more suited for Economics and Business Studies. My family has been a major influence – my father and maternal uncle are both engineers with an MBA from top business schools and have made a great career for themselves. My father is into international business development and marketing and has made a successful career. After deciding on Commerce and Business Studies, I scored 91. 2 % (top 10 % in the CBSE across in grade 12 and made it to the top 10 % of candidates who took the board exam nationwide. After 12th grade, I took an entrance exam and qualified for the interview and group discussion round by securing a national rank of 143. I made it to the top 80 students to get admission to the coveted College of business studies, Delhi University (voted as Asias best undergraduate management college by the Commonwealth of Nations). Good academic performance in my school and college, active participation in academic as well as extra-curricular activities in several marketing activity groups and several part time and full time internships during college have helped me to develop analytical, communication and social interaction skills. I now feel strongly that I would like to pursue this career further. During the one and a half years of my undergraduate studies, I interacted with students from different cultural and social backgrounds. The college has a strong culture of developing practical skills and nurturing entrepreneurship. Most students got campus placements and more than 60 % students chose management consulting and marketing as career options. I used to visit NGO’s and teach students on weekends but I wanted to do something bigger. I got through Kartavya ( The social service club of my college) and here, I organized blood donation camps and collection drives in college, visited slums , organized movie screenings and talent shows for the unprivileged children living in orphanages and the happiness I got by seeing them happy is inexpressible. I was a part of MIC (The Management Interaction Cell) wherein my team co-hosted an event with FICCI ( Federation of Indian chambers of commerce and Industry ). I was given the role of Director, Human resources at DUMUN (Delhi University Model United Nations) where my key roles involved raising funds for our national level event, managing and ensuring co-ordination in the team and representing my team to the college authorities. While organizing and hosting these events, I led teams and was appreciated for my leadership skills and dedication towards my clubs. I started enjoying the whole process of recruiting new members, leading them, pitching to prospective sponsors to raise funds and managing the working of the team . This was the time I realized that I enjoy leading people and it is something I can do well. Academically, I balanced my studies well with my co-curriculars and always scored 80% and above in my semesters. I enjoyed every bit of my course and thoroughly researched on all my projects. Business Research, Organizational Behavior and Marketing management have been my favorite subjects in college. The project I enjoyed the most was a live project in Public Relations for which I studied the Cadbury worm crisis and took interviews of employees there to gain first hand knowledge over their crisis. CBS has made me confident about my choice of stream and made me realize my ambitions in life. To quench my thirst for practical management knowledge, I went on to join Vodafone as an HR intern where my assignment was to check employee satisfaction by conducting surveys, suggest better schemes and analyze the areas where improvement was required. Later, I also joined Brand Hawkers as a Marketing trainee. My job assignment involved creating a prospect list of advertising partners for our ‘SmartBooks’ product, qualifying and pitching to them and facilitating their engagement with Brand Hawkers. During this assignment I realized that marketing was the forte I wanted to excel in since this is what I enjoyed the most. It didn’t seem like work to me but it was simply fun. I am confident of my abilities to carve a niche for myself in this field of Business Management. I am ready to take the desired steps to achieve my ultimate goal.

Monday, October 14, 2019

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning English Literature Essay

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning English Literature Essay John Donnes poem A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning uses many metaphors and allusions to show the love between the author and his significant other. Although the narrator is leaving, he believes their love is strong enough to withstand the separation. He then begins to compare their love to various symbolic things. In John Donnes A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, his many metaphors and allusions show the power of love and how strong it actually is. In the beginning of Donnes poem, the speaker is explaining that he is soon going to be separated from his lover. Before he leaves, he tells her his leaving should not be a time for mourning and sadness. He then tries to make things better by comparing their love to various things such as a noble mans death, a drawing compass, and the planets. He implies that death should not be feared but be accepted with little sadness. The narrator wants his love to wait for him until his return, and he states their love is too strong not to endure the separation. He explains that their love goes beyond physical love, and that they have a spiritual love that goes beyond the material world and what their bodies can endure. He believes although he is leaving, their souls are still one, and the couple will now experience expansion. Expansion can be defined as the act of increasing in size or volume. The narrator compares this to the way gold can be stretched by beating. He believes the one soul they have will stretch, and it will take the place of the distance between the two. The narrator also uses another example such as the compass. A compass shows a fixed point and one that moves in relation to the north pole. The compass is used to show that when the two are separated his love is the fixed foot on the compass, and he is the foot that moves. The narrator then says, Thy firmness makes my circle just, and makes me end, where I began. He compares his soul and the soul of his love to a twin-compass. Compasses assist sailors in navigating the ocean, and metaphorically they help the two lovers remain linked no matter what the distance. On the compass, no matter how many times the moving foot goes around the circle, the two legs are eventually joined again. The first four lines of the poem suggest that ones soul is only part of the body until death when it goes. The author using the word whisper, indicates that the soul and the body can communicate with each other. One of the most important parts of the poem is the separation of the body and soul. The narrator believes that even death cannot separate his lover and himself because they share the same soul. This needs to be accepted for Donnes point to be proven and by the line Whilst some of their sad friends do say. The breath goes now, and some say, No. This shows that not all friends agree with the narrators point of view. The metaphor of an earthquake in line nine and the celestial spheres in line eleven contribute to the understanding of his loving relationship. Donne uses the lines Moving of thi Earth and trepidation of the spheres to explain how two different huge events can bring harm and fear or innocence. He uses these two events to show the contrast between two bodies and two souls of those who are in love. Donne concludes with two souls cannot be separated like two bodies can. Therefore, if the two lovers bodies are separated by great distance they will be like the compass mentioned earlier in the poem. The points on the compass are wide, but the handle always joins the two together. Throughout the poem Donne argues that although the couple is physically separated they are connected by the soul. Therefore, the distance between the two lovers is insignificant. Although they are spread apart they are not broken. The two still share a strong connection. John Donne uses the whole poem to make his point. He first says that when one passes, the soul separated from the body. He then asserts that two souls mix when two people are in love. They become one, and even death cannot break this bond. He uses the compass to demonstrate this point. By making these points, the narrator is showing his love not to be upset about his leaving. He states he is the moving foot on the compass and has no choice but to leave. However, the compass always makes a circle and he will always find a way back to his love. Even though the separation is temporary, it is very emotional and Donne feels the pain of the separation.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

To what extent is Lord of the flies a pessimistic book? Essay -- Engli

To what extent is Lord of the flies a pessimistic book? Lord of the Flies highlights the flaws in human nature and shows how they affect the societies we create. Lord of the flies has a pessimistic atmosphere throughout. Although to begin with the book seems to be quite positive, (the boys have fun and are optimistic about being rescued) the atmosphere is slowly transformed into one of savagery, fear and betrayal. The ending of the book leaves the reader feeling pessimistic about human nature and sorry for Ralph. The first time the boys meet together there is a positive atmosphere, the boys are excited and their progress towards constructing a civilized society makes us hopeful. They vote for a leader and Ralph is chosen,' This toy of voting was almost as pleasing as the conch.' The way both the conch and voting are expressed as 'Toys' reminds us that these are small children. They need toys to keep them busy. It is almost as if they are playing a game and this is Golding; first ominous hint that there is trouble ahead- the language suggests that the boys do not see the seriousness of the situation. In chapter 1 Ralph Jack and Simon search the island. It seems beautiful, 'every coign of the mountain held up trees-flowers and trees'. This optimistic atmosphere is increased by the description of the island and the mood of the boys, 'this time Ralph expressed the intensity of his emotion by pretending to knock down Simon; and soon they were a happy, heaving pile in the under-dusk.' However this is a great contrast to later in the book, the violence becomes real rather than playful when, 'Roger sharpened the stick at both ends.' The last time this had been done was to stick a pig's head, which Jack and h... ...ere is evil within man. I think Golding's point is quite a realistic one, society around us is shaped on the natures of the people with in it and how easily they are swayed or how manipulative they are. If they can manipulate many people they can do what they want and take control, however if a person is easily swayed they would make a weak leader. I found this book very interesting as it put forward many interesting views and questions. I found it quite pessimistic. I think this is because Golding concentrated on the flaws in mans nature rather that the positive aspects. Maybe this is because Golding thought that it is easier for man to do wrong than to do right and that the brutality within can come out with less effort then it takes to do good. Ralph certainly reflects my feelings when he 'wept for the end of innocence and the darkness of man's heart.'

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Dinner with Father :: Example Personal Narratives

Dinner with Father I wonder what it would be like to go to dinner with my father. One of the chief words my uncle uses to describe my father is "classy," so I'm sure that he would take me to a fancy restaurant. We would sit across the table from each other, both decked out in dark suits. My hair would fall into my eyes and I would brush it out of the way, looking to see the expression on his face. He was a large man, both in my memories and in photographs I've seen. I'm sure that he would dominate the conversation, both physically and mentally. His absence from my life has resulted in my sort of revering him, and so I think that the evening would be unevenly balanced toward my listening to him speak. And what better questions to ask than his opinions of me and my habits? It would be strange, seeking acceptance from someone who has had such a powerful effect on my life, influencing me more through his absence than through his presence. My early years with my father have become harder and harder to recall. From what I can remember, and what I have gleaned from my brother and mother, I was on the verge of spending "quality time" with my father. My brother, who is four years older than I, spent the last few years with Dad talking and reading and walking, all things I yearn to have done with him. The dinner would be a chance for me to bond with my father, and to get a sense of the man he was. This is what my brother and my mother know, but cannot convey to me. I would show him some of the poems I've written about him and me. I would question him to see whether or not the image of him I had forged in my mind, in my writing, is true. In my philosophy class this year, we are reading Plato's Republic, which my mother has told me was my father's favourite book. I am fortunate enough to have his copy of the Republic, a tattered, red-leather bound copy from long ago. I want to know what he gleaned from this book that made it so important to him. I would use the dinner (which I know would be too short) to fill in the gaps in my perception of my father.