The Last Lecture: Dr Randy Pausch

The Last Lecture: Dr Randy Pausch Carnegie Mellon University asked a set of Professors to give a message of a lifetime as if it was their last lecture before their death. Ironically for Dr. Randy Pausch, it was his last lecture because he had learned that he is going to die soon due to Pancreatic Cancer that has spread to his liver. That is what it is we cannot change that, we just have to deal with it. Dr. Pauschs inspirational speech was not about death; it was about life and how to achieve your childhood dreams. His sense of humor and enthusiasm is what triggered the audience to become inspired with his life lessons. Randy Pausch started off his speech by introducing the elephant in the room which he told the audience that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and will die soon because of it. He chose to tell them about the cancer at the beginning because he believes that if there are issues distracting your audience, address them sooner rather than later. He says that we have to deal with what we are facing because it is not in our hands to change the future. Therefore, instead of feeling depressed, we should try to enjoy the time that we have left. If I do not seem depressed as I should be, sorry to disappoint you. He makes it clear that he is not in denial of whats going on, he is just dealing with the situation in a positive way. Randy knows that he has ten tumors in his stomach and that he only has six months to live; he chooses to spend them with his family rather than worrying about the future. Pausch uses a couple of techniques in his lecture to inspire the audience with his talk. He knows that the audience might get emotional when they learn that he is doing to die soon due to sickness so he creates a sense of humor throughout his lecture as much as possible. For example, he told the audience that even though he is dying soon, I am in much better shape than most of you, and he starts to make push ups to show that them that he is physically strong; the audience respond with laughter and applause. Pausch laughs, smiles and tells a lot of jokes throughout the lecture instead of feeling depressed and sad. Throughout his speech he gives away his stuffed animals, wears an Alice in Wonderland hat, and wears a football jacket because he believes that audience is more likely to have fun and cherish life if they see you doing so in your speeches. Moreover, he could have used a serious tone for this speech. He could have stressed every word as if it were a matter of life or death; however, that would have drawn more attention to his condition instead of his main messag e and the point of the talk was to learn something out of it instead of feeling sorry for him. Due to these reasons, Pausch told the audience at the beginning of the speech that he will not talk about the cancer, wife, or children because the audience is going to get emotional including himself as they are very sensitive topics to discuss. Randy Pausch introduces the main points of the lecture and what he will exactly talk about. Even though Pausch tries to give the impression that the speech is not personal, to some extent it is as the content of the speech are on the personal lessons Randy Pausch has learned through life, and he illuminates these through personal stories. The first topic he addressed is his own childhood dreams and shows the audience pictures of him as a child smiling and looking happy all the time to reveal that he had a great childhood. He also stated that one of the many great things that his parents allowed him to do is paint his own room as he had the chance to express his creativity. As a child he believed that if a man can land on the moon, anything is possible. As a child he always wanted to become an astronaut but he never did; however, NASA created a competition for college students to design a certain project and the winners would go up in to the air in Vomit Comet, (a plane used by astron auts to practice before traveling to the moon) and experience weightlessness as if they are on the moon. Pausch was so excited that his students won until he learns that faculty members are not allowed to join. He makes this point by explaining that this was like a brick wall in his life and Brick walls are there for a reason, they let us prove how badly we want things. Moreover, he didnt give up and he had to fake as a journalist as they were allowed on the plane. Another dream that Pausch shared is the dream of becoming a professional football player and play for the national team which he never did. I got more out of that dream that I didnt accomplish, more than any other dream that I did accomplish. Also, his coach in school would make him do extra push ups, laps, and practice so Randy thought he was making him practice extra just because he didnt think he was good enough until someone told him when you are screwing up and no one is bothering to tell you anything , thats when they give up on you. Moreover, the critiques in our lives are the ones who basically love you and care about you. Also, Randy tells the audience that even though he never got to play as a professional football player, football is still a part of him and while talking, he wears his football jacket and ball and starts playing with it. Another point that Pausch makes that I personally thought it was important is that almost every thing we learn, we learn indirectly. He e xplains that by saying that when we send our children to play football, we dont actually send them to play football but we actually send them to learn skills like teamwork and sportsmanship. Another dream that Pausch shared is the dream of sharing knowledge with other and he did when he was selected to write an article in Wikipedia. Pausch believes that one of the most significant things in life is to share knowledge and pass it on to others. He expresses his humor by saying that being selected to be an author of Wikipedia, now I know that it is a reliable source that you can use. The next dream he introduced is Being like/ meeting captain Kirk which he intended to write it that way to amuse the audience and make them laugh. It was his childhood dream to be like Captain Kirk because it was a show that taught leadership skills. Even though he wanted to be like Captain Kirk he got to meet the actor. Another dream that Randy talked about is being an imagineer at Disney Land. The first time he went to Disney Land as a kid, instead of saying I want to experience this he said, I want to make stuff like that. One thing Randy learned during his experience that I thought was important is When you are pissed off at somebody, you just have to give them time and they will impress you. I believe that he is right because there is no real reason to be upset at anyone as we are all human beings who make mistakes. Also, life is too short to be upset with loved ones and you never know when your life will end. Moreover, Pausch became one of the imagineers who designed the game of Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland. This experience forever changed him as he learned that artists and engineers can invent great things together. Another important thing that he learned which I also thought was important was that all good things come to an end and you should try to enjoy it as much as you can. Later on, Dr. Pausch taught a course at Carnie Mellon University for ten years about building virtual worlds. When Pausch stopped teaching the course he gave handed it someone better to run this course. When you have something so precious, you should hand it to someone better than you. There are many lessons with certain techniques that he used to persuade the audiences with, which were about life that I thought, are important to mention. Its important to have parents and mentors in your life. In this part of the speech, Pausch showed pictures of his parents on rollercoaster to once more create a sense of humor. Also, he said that it is very important to give up the time to help others as we are blessed to have what weve got and others need our help. Moreover, dont complain, just work harder. He gave an example of a baseball player Jackie Robinson who swore he would not complain if people spat on him. I think he gave this example to imply that people complain too much; he is dying and he chooses not to complain. Also, when he was in school and complaining to his mother, she said I know how you feel, remember when your father was your age he was fighting the Germans. Once again she uses this example to create a sense of positive energy in the atmosphere. Another imp ortant message is Have fun I am dying and I choose to have fun. He believes that he cannot tell other how to have fun; it is like telling a fish how to swim in the sea. Finally, apologize when you screw up. I am sorry, I am wrong, and what can I do to make things better. Pausch believes that many people apologize but they are too egocentric to ask What can I do to make things better? In my opinion one of the most memorable moments in the lecture is when Pausch said focus on others, not you and as an example, he got out a huge birthday cake as its his wifes birthday and the audience started to sing Happy Birthday to his wife. In this moment, Randy reveals his emotional side when he hugged his wife. It is very emotional because although throughout the talk he tried to be as enthusiastic and energetic as possible, when it came to his wife he couldnt resist but give a sad face. Also, showing emotions is one of the best ways for a speaker to connect with an audience. Moreover, throughout the lecture he reveals the dreams that he had as a child and how he fulfilled each dream; but in my opinion, I think he the most important dream of all that he wants to fulfill but cannot is the dream of: to live longer and see his children grow up; unfortunately, he cannot fulfill that dream. Dr. Randy Pausch concluded his lecture in a very strong way by summarizing his key points to get his audience to think about what he said. In addition, he reaches back to one of the concepts introduced earlier which was the head fake and reveals that his entire speech has been a pair of head fakes; which makes the audience rethink the whole speech in their heads. Finally, at the very end he reveals that the whole speech was not for the audience but for his wife and children. As a viewer, I realized that at the end of the lecture that Pausch was seizing every opportunity to make speeches and write a book for his children as they are too young to have memories of their father. Moreover, all the childhood dreams and life lessons he has taught throughout the lecture were talks that he wants his children to one day know about them and follow those life lessons he has talked about. In my opinion, even though Dr. Randy Pausch tried to hide his emotional side throughout the lecture, the lecture was to some extent touching to the audience. The fact that hes dying in a couple of months ,yet giving a lecture on how to achieve your dreams and live your life is somewhat emotional to the audience. In addition, his situation makes the audience feel sorry for him even though if its not his intention to this speech. I believe that the speech wouldnt have been that successful if another person who was not ill would have given the same speech. Besides the skillful techniques Pausch used, the audience wouldnt have been as persuaded as they were by a different person preaching the exact same words because they psychologically feel like the need to listen to him because he is dying and in a way they feel sorry for him. Moreover, I believe this reason is one of the several motives to why Dr. Randy Pausch was listed as one of the hundred most influential people in the world.

Comparing Keynesian Economics and Supply Side Economic Theories :: Economy

Comparing Keynesian Economics and Supply Side Economic Theories Two controversial economic policies are Keynesian economics and Supply Side economics. They represent opposite sides of the economic policy spectrum and were introduced at opposite ends of the 20th century, yet still are the most famous for their effects on the economy of the United States when they were used. The founder of Keynesian economic theory was John Maynard Keynes. He made many great accomplishments during his time and probably his greatest was what he did for America in its hour of need. During the 1920's, the U.S. experienced a stock market crash of enormous proportions which crippled the economy for years. Keynes knew that to recover as soon as possible, the government had to intervene and put a decrease on taxes along with an increase in spending. By putting more money into the economy and allowing more Americans to keep what they earned, the economy soon recovered and once again became prosperous. Keynes ideas were very radical at the time, and Keynes was called a socialist in disguise. Keynes was not a socialist, he just wanted to make sure that the people had enough money to invest and help the economy along. As far as stressing extremes, Keynesian economics pushed for a â€Å"happy medium† where output and prices are constant, and there is no surplus in supply, but also no deficit. Supply Side economics emphasized the supply of goods and services. Supply Side economics supports higher taxes and less government spending to help economy. Unfortunately, the Supply Side theory was applied in excess during a period in which it was not completely necessary. The Supply Side theory, also known as Reganomics, was initiated during the Regan administration.

70-640 Lesson 11

Lesson 11 Active Directory Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Disaster Recovery Knowledge Assessment Matching a. authoritative restoref. LDP b. checkpoint fileg. system volume c. Directory Services Restore Modeh. tombstone d. fragmentationi. transaction buffer e. garbage collectionj. Windows PowerShell __h__ 1. This object is created when an object is deleted within Active Directory. __i__ 2. Active Directory changes are written here before they are committed to disk. __j__ 3. This is a new advanced command-line and scripting interface included in Windows Server 2008. __g__ 4.This volume houses the boot files for a Windows Server 2008 computer. __e__ 5. This describes the process of removing tombstoned objects from the NTDS. DIT file. __a__ 6. You will need to perform this operation if you have inadvertently deleted one or more Active Directory objects. __f__ 7. This is a graphical user interface that will allow you to query Active Directory as part of the troubleshooting process. __b __ 8. This is used as a reference file in case the Active Directory database needs to be recovered from a system failure to ensure that no transactions are lost. _c__ 9. To perform many Active Directory maintenance operations, you will need to restart your domain controller in this startup mode. __d__ 10. This can decrease database performance because updates are made to the Active Directory over time. Multiple Choice 1. Which of the following backup types can be initiated by a member of the local Administrators group or a member of the local Backup Operators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer? a. Manual backup b. Scheduled backup c. Full backup d. Differential backupA manual backup can be rescheduled by a local administrator or member of the local Backup Operators group. Scheduled backups can only be created by members of the local Administrators group. 2. The NTDS. DIT file is based on which database technology? a. Structured Query Language (SQL) b. Oracle c. Extensible Stora ge Engine (ESE) d. My*SQL The NTDS. DIT file is based on the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) data storage format, not Microsoft SQL as some people believe. 3. Which of the following commands can be used to configure Active Directory permissions from the command line? . LDP b. Dsacls c. Dcdiag d. ADSI Edit The dsacls. exe command-line utility can be used to list and modify Active Directory permissions for a particular object or container. 4. What runs automatically on a domain controller every 12 hours by default during the garbage collection process? a. Offline defragmentation b. Authoritative restore c. Nonauthoritative restore d. Online defragmentation Online defragmentation on an Active Directory domain controller is also known as the garbage collection process. 5.Which tool can you use to force a domain controller to start in Directory Services Restore Mode on its next reboot? a. cmd. exe b. bootmgr. exe c. bcdedit. exe d. dcpromo. exe Apart from pressing F8 during the system bo ot, you can configure a Windows Server 2008 computer to automatically boot into Directory Services Restore Mode by using the bcdedit. exe command-line utility before rebooting the server. 6. Which operation requires the Active Directory Domain Service to be taken offline? a. Offline defragmentation b. Online defragmentation c. Garbage Collection d. Transaction BufferingOf the operations listed, only an offline defragmentation requires you to take the Active Directory database offline, whether through rebooting into DSRM or by using the new restartable Active Directory feature. 7. Which of the following backup types can be initiated only by a member of the local Administrators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer? a. Manual backup b. Scheduled backup c. Full backup d. Differential backup Unlike manual backups, scheduled backups can only be created by members of the local Administrators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer. 8.Which backup type will empty the Application log on t he server that is being backed up? a. Copy backup b. Differential backup c. Normal backup d. VSS full backup VSS full backup will update each file’s backup history and clear the Application Log files. 9. Which of the following volumes hosts the Windows operating system? a. Boot volume b. Shared volume c. System volume d. Host volume The boot volume holds the Windows operating system and the Registry. 10. When performing an authoritative restore of a user object that belongs to multiple Active Directory groups, what is restored by the LDF file that is generated by Ntdsutil? . Optional attributes b. Mandatory attributes c. Back-links d. Security Identifier (SID) In a multi-domain environment, back-links need to be manually re-created after an authoritative restore by using the LDIF files generated automatically by ntdsutil. CASE SCENARIOS Scenario 11-1: Consulting for Margie’s Travel You are a computer consultant for Margie Shoop, the owner of Margie’s Travel. Mar gie has a single Active Directory domain structure with the domain margiestravel. com. Margie has travel agencies worldwide, at 50 locations in 7 countries. All locations are connected to a satellite array.Margie has signed a 10-year contract to provide satellite access to her 50 locations. Connectivity to the satellite array varies from 57 Kbps to 128 Kbps. Although her locations vary greatly in the number of computer and user accounts, each location with more than 15 users has its own domain controller, global catalog server, and DNS server, all typically configured on the same computer. The margiestravel. com Active Directory infrastructure has nine sites. Given this information about Margie’s Travel, answer the following questions: 1. You discuss performance monitoring with Margie.During your conversation, you learn no one has ever used Replication and Performance Monitor to check the performance of her domain controllers. Margie wants to know why anyone would even bother . What do you say to her? Replication and Performance Monitor is used to provide one-time and ongoing reports of Active Directory performance counters, which can be used to proactively monitor Active Directory for potential hardware and software issues that might impact client authentication. 2. Margie tells you that some of her domain controllers have multiple hard disks. She tells you that the additional physical hard disks are not being used.She wants to know if they can be used to improve the performance of Active Directory. What would you tell her? The Active Directory database and log files can be moved to different hard disks within a server to improve performance. 3. Margie sends you to Cairo, Egypt, to troubleshoot a few domain controllers in her Egypt location. You find some event messages concerning replication events, but you would like to see more detailed information than the data in the log now. What can you do? Modify the debugging levels in the Registry to increase the number of events that are logged to the Event Viewer.

The Importance of Marriage in Pride and Prejudice

Set in late 18th Century England, Pride and Prejudice depicts the search of women for the ‘inevitable' husband and of a male dominant society, within which no woman can be considered truly successful without the assistance of a man of ‘good fortune'. Austen addresses the common ideals of society throughout Pride and Prejudice, such as the monetary values of marriage and the need of a woman to find security for herself and her future children. The opening line of the novel reads ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Austen not only uses this line to introduce a key theme of the novel, but also hints at the underlining themes of the novel and at the irony and satire due to follow. This is also a use of proleptic irony, Elizabeth is considered as a woman who seeks true love, rather than a marriage based on the fortune of the male; however, upon seeing Pemberley Austen presents Elizabeth as considering money for the first time, the sheer size of the house impresses her and thus she cannot disregard its appeal. During both the 18th and 19th centuries marriage was regarded both a social and biological destiny for woman across all the classes. Austen portrays this belief through Charlotte Lucas whom after gaining some composure considers â€Å"Without thinking highly either of men or of matrimony, marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for a well-educated young woman of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want† (Austen,J. 1853: 22). This amplifies the importance of the rejection of marriage by Elizabeth to Mr Collins, whom by the opinions of society at the time, the natural reaction for a woman in her situation would have been to accept. For she cannot afford to be overly choosy when it comes to marriage – earlier on in the novel Austen describes Mr Bennett cautiously going through the accounts of the estate, in which we are indirectly informed that the accounts are not looking positive. This marriage rejection is also relevant to the life of Austen, who we have learnt rejected a marriage proposal after overnight mentation. Marriage during the 18th and 19th centuries would be a whole family affair, and thus the effects of a marriage proposal or rejection would be felt throughout the generations. Families would look to ally themselves with other families of similar rank, hence marriage between cousins was common practice. This would ensure that both wealth and property would remain within the same family for generations via entailment, thus explaining the disappointment of Mrs Bennett upon finding out of the rejection of marriage between Elizabeth and Mr Collins. Moving to their husbands' establishment would often be the only possible freedom available to girls, though not to be confused in any way with independence, which girls at the time would be lacking. This was another reason that leading families would ally with one another, or often marry within – a family would never wish for their daughter(s) to be associated with a family of lower social value, and thus a smaller estate, or require any future financial support from them – this dependence would grow increasingly expensive and as Austen presents the Bennetts as a family with some financial troubles there is no question as to why she identifies the need for the daughters to be married off. With marriage being the ultimate goal for any young girl within Pride and Prejudice, events leading up to any such event are considered significant. For example, any balls or dances and the partnerships which develop within these; any ‘chance' encounters, such as meetings within town. Marriage would be a key theme of conversation within social circles of girls beyond puberty, the legal age for marriage was 16 (or the age of ‘coming out'), it was much desired by the age of 18 and would threaten to be beyond availability for girls of 20 or older. Girls would worry about being considered an ‘old maid' beyond the age of 20 which explains the desire that Austen presents Charlotte to have in ‘catching' Mr Collins and the warning that Mr Collins gives Elizabeth, who upon rejection of Mr Collins' proposal is already 21. Though the legal age of marriage in England was 16, due to the Marriage Act of 1853, it is assumed that Lydia and Wickham elope to Gretna Green in order to complete their marriage, rather than be living in sin and thus have society look down on them as an unlawfully acquainted couple – in Scotland was not necessary to live in each others' company for a minimum of 3 weeks prior to marriage like it was in England, thus allowing for an instant marriage. Much like the partnership between Darcy and Elizabeth we are made to wait for them to be partners in dance, it is a recurring theme throughout the novel that the longer the time period before the first dance between a couple the longer the time period will also be before they are romantically interested in one another. â€Å"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love† (Austen, J. 1853: 6), thus the reluctance of Darcy to participate in dancing earlier on in the novel marks his limited social availability. However he becomes more available to Elizabeth later on in the novel as Austen presents him as someone whom is interested in being acquainted with Elizabeth and thus he asks her to dance, though even the act of doing this is portrayed as being difficult for him to achieve. The partnership between Elizabeth and Darcy is a stark contrast to that of Jane and Bingley, which Austen develops from the introduction of the two parties – they dance at the first meeting of one another and are thus romantically involved with one another from this point. Mr Bennett is presented by Austen as a man who is interested in the happiness of his daughters, though namely Lizzy, he is rarely phased by the actions of Lydia, Jane or Mrs Bennett however upon learning of Mr Collins' proposal states â€Å"Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins†¦ And I will never see you again if you do. † (Austen, J. 853: 64) Austen uses this conversation as a means of demonstrating the understanding and respect that exists between both Lizzy and her father, with Mrs Bennett already having come to the conclusion that Mr Bennett would insist on Lizzy marrying Mr Collins, however in this scene Austen also manages to portray a subtle humour – we read earlier on in the novel of Mrs Bennett's ‘nerves' and this is just another example of Mr Bennett knowing how to vex her, with the reader remembering earlier on in the book when Mr Bennett states â€Å"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least. † (Austen, J. 1853: 4). With Lizzy being truly her father's daughter she knows that she will have the support of the parent who means the most to her, or at least the parent whom she is more interested in pleasing. Mr Bennett plays a pivotal role in the marriage of Lizzy, he has the final say on whether or not she marries Darcy, throughout the novel Austen doesn't portray any form of interaction between Mr Bennett and any of his other daughters or their respective partners regarding the issue of marriage. Though this may be due to Elizabeth's importance to the novel, we assume that this is also due to the value of her partnership with Darcy and how this is used to show her romantic development throughout the novel. Austen presents Elizabeth as a character who goes through the typically romantic process of falling in love with someone – both Elizabeth and Darcy must overcome a variety of obstacles in order for their love to Blossom, their story starts with bad first impressions of one another, with Lizzy assuming Darcy to be a pompous, arrogant man and Darcy being blinded by Lizzy's social inferiority. Austen wrote this novel based in an era within which girls being forced in to marriages for financial reasons was coming to an end and though monetary reasons were still considered a valid reason for marriage, or at least one for which marriage would be considered acceptable by one's family, people were also marrying due to love for one another. Lizzy represents the new era within which love is the main reason for marriage or courtship, we recognise this as Lizzy is aware of Darcy's fortune from an early stage of the novel, however she dismisses him due to his arrogant behaviour – if Lizzy was only interested in his wealth, or if this were the reason of her interest in Darcy then Austen would have ensured that she, like her other sisters, flaunted herself in front of a male of such high social value. Austen represents marriage for the ‘wrong' reasons with the marriage between Mr and Mrs Bennett. With Mr Bennett having previously married Mrs Bennett for her youth and good looks, with Mrs Bennett declaring â€Å"I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. â€Å", he now finds his only happiness through private study or mocking his wife, referring to her ‘nerves' as his ‘old friends', with his witty humour being too complex for her to understand and thus not being able to tell when he is using sarcasm. This sarcasm is a trait which Lizzy shares, for example in Chapter 28 when describing Miss De Bourgh, Lizzy states â€Å"She looks sickly and cross. Yes, she will do for him very well. She will make him a very proper wife. † This use of juxtaposition is rife in Austen's work and is often used for comic effect. Austen uses the juxtaposed relationship between Lizzy and Darcy to present us with an example of marrying for love, rather than superficial reasons which are evident throughout the novel. Examples such as Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas, or Lydia and Wickham are doomed to fail, or at least to result in the severe unhappiness of the parties involved due to the basis of the relationships being built on financial security or social status. Lizzy and Darcy represent a marriage which ignores the superficial values and focuses on true love, Austen shows us as the reader that this is the only way to have a truly successful and happy marriage to one another and she manages to gain our agreement by portraying the other possible choices throughout the novel.

Free Essays on Prohibitioin

From the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, Prohibition was a part of everyone’s life. Political candidates were won and lost by either promoting or demoting the right to consume alcohol. The Prohibition movement focused on completely removing alcohol from our society and bettering family life. Alcohol was to be used only for sacramental and medicinal purposes. Men and boys were being turned by alcohol into drunken wife beaters and thieving vandals. Prohibitionists tried to persuade Americans to join the bandwagon and stop the sale and production of alcohol. In the story â€Å"Bessie’s Mother,† by Mary Waddell, Bessie was a young girl who was being put up for adoption by her mother. Although the young girl’s mother loved her dearly, she could not afford to take care of herself, let alone Bessie. Bessie’s mother had been left widowed by her drunken husband. With no coal to keep warm, not enough food for breakfast, and no money for rent, there was nothing else for Bessie’s mother to do. She was forced to give her daughter up for adoption. Alcohol ruined this family long before Bessie’s father died. In the last years of her father’s drunken life, he had wasted all of the family’s money of booze. He was most likely ever able to even work due to being hung-over or still drunk. He didn’t care for his family like a man should. Instead he drank himself to death, occasionally beating his wife and daughter. In this story, if it wasn’t for a kind hearted woman named Mrs. Brown, Bessie, and her mother would have perished in the bitter winter. Mrs. Brown was a woman without children that wanted children and decided to adopt Bessie. The fact that Bessie would never see her mother again tore her up and she refused to go live with Mrs. Brown, until Mrs. Brown offered Bessie’s mother a job as a cook so they could all live together, alcohol and worry free. The story of Bessie’s Mother was a compelling tal... Free Essays on Prohibitioin Free Essays on Prohibitioin From the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s, Prohibition was a part of everyone’s life. Political candidates were won and lost by either promoting or demoting the right to consume alcohol. The Prohibition movement focused on completely removing alcohol from our society and bettering family life. Alcohol was to be used only for sacramental and medicinal purposes. Men and boys were being turned by alcohol into drunken wife beaters and thieving vandals. Prohibitionists tried to persuade Americans to join the bandwagon and stop the sale and production of alcohol. In the story â€Å"Bessie’s Mother,† by Mary Waddell, Bessie was a young girl who was being put up for adoption by her mother. Although the young girl’s mother loved her dearly, she could not afford to take care of herself, let alone Bessie. Bessie’s mother had been left widowed by her drunken husband. With no coal to keep warm, not enough food for breakfast, and no money for rent, there was nothing else for Bessie’s mother to do. She was forced to give her daughter up for adoption. Alcohol ruined this family long before Bessie’s father died. In the last years of her father’s drunken life, he had wasted all of the family’s money of booze. He was most likely ever able to even work due to being hung-over or still drunk. He didn’t care for his family like a man should. Instead he drank himself to death, occasionally beating his wife and daughter. In this story, if it wasn’t for a kind hearted woman named Mrs. Brown, Bessie, and her mother would have perished in the bitter winter. Mrs. Brown was a woman without children that wanted children and decided to adopt Bessie. The fact that Bessie would never see her mother again tore her up and she refused to go live with Mrs. Brown, until Mrs. Brown offered Bessie’s mother a job as a cook so they could all live together, alcohol and worry free. The story of Bessie’s Mother was a compelling tal...

How near are university researchers in resolving the cancer puzzle

How near are university researchers in resolving the cancer puzzle Hashtag: #DiaMundialcontraelCancer (World Day Against Cancer) Complete Cure for Cancer Multiple Diseases in One Along with 14 million cancer patients and in memory of 8.2 million people who died from the disease, humanity observed the 2015 #DiaMundialcontraelCancer or World Day Against Cancer asking the same unanswered question. Is there a complete cure for cancer? While the number of new cases according to WHO will rise to about 70% in the next few years, a complete cure for cancer remains an elusive dream. The reason is that cancer, unlike other diseases, is actually a large group of diseases that rapidly spread from the affected part to other organs of the human body. Knowledge about the causes and prevention of cancer is wide but still, after so many years of exhaustive study, researchers are still all at sea and cannot offer a complete cure for cancer. Early detection and treatment according to WHO increased the possibility of the cure, but with 8 million cancer-related deaths and estimated 70% rise in the number of new cancer cases over the next 2 years, these methods seems inadequate. The most probable reason is the fact that not all people, due to behavioral, economic, and other factors, is health conscious or be able to avail of cancer diagnostic services. Alternatively, cancer prevention or avoidance of physical (ultraviolet and ionizing radiation), chemical (asbestos, smoke from tobacco, etc), and biological (viruses, bacteria, etc.) carcinogens has more potential, but modification and avoidance of risk factors is another problem because it depends on age, individual lifestyle or status in life. A cure for cancer, therefore, is the most appropriate solution in reducing fatalities of this dreadful and life-damaging disease. Cancer Research Developments The institution of higher education such as universities and colleges around the world has cancer research facilities that consistently attempt to develop anti-cancer drugs. In particular, the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center or UCCCC and University of Edinburgh UK Cancer Research Centre are very active in developing a treatment for cancer. UCCCC in 2014 finally tested OTS964, an anti-cancer drug developed in almost a decade, in rats. Anti-cancer drugs developed by UCCC before can only suppress the growth of cancer cells but OTS964 effectively killed or eradicated T-lymphokine-activated killer cell, cancer cells believed responsible for tumor growth. UCCC is now preparing for phase 1 clinical trial for OTS964 and working to crack the code behind abnormal DNA sequence responsible for the reproduction of cancer cells and develop a drug for altered DNA. Researchers in University of Edinburgh UK Cancer Research Center are now ready to begin clinical trials of panRAF inhibitors, a new class of drugs targeting Src family kinases in melanoma ( the deadliest form of skin cancer) patients with BRAF inhibitors-resistant tumors. The drug is capable of halting the growth of faulty protein responsible for boosting the growth of melanomas. By targeting multiple signaling biological pathways simultaneously, panRAF inhibitors can eliminate drug-resistant cancer cells and restore the effectiveness of other cancer treatments. The development of these promising anti-cancer drugs and implementation of pioneering techniques in cancer treatment research suggest that academic researchers are years away from discovering the ultimate cure for cancer. However, since researchers already discovered the weak points of killer cancer cells and technology is rapidly advancing, it will be sooner than expected.

Yemen Nation Profile - Geography, Climate, and History

Yemen Nation Profile - Geography, Climate, and History The ancient nation of Yemen lies at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen has one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, with ties to the Semitic lands to its north, and to the cultures of the Horn of Africa, just across the Red Sea. According to legend, the Biblical Queen of Sheba, consort of King Solomon, was Yemeni. Yemen has been colonized at various times by other Arabs, Ethiopians, Persians, Ottoman Turks, and most recently, the British. Through 1989, North and South Yemen were separate nations. Today, however, they are united into the Republic of Yemen - Arabias only democratic republic. Capital and Major Cities of Yemen Capital: Sanaa, population 2.4 million Major Cities: Taizz, population 600,000 Al Hudaydah, 550,000 Aden, 510,000 Ibb, 225,000 Yemeni Government Yemen is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula; its neighbors are kingdoms or emirates. The Yemeni executive branch consists of a president, a prime minister and a cabinet. The president is directly elected; he appoints the prime minister, with legislative approval. Yemen has a two-part legislature, with a 301-seat lower house, the House of Representatives, and a 111-seat upper house  called the Shura Council. Prior to 1990, North and South Yemen had separate legal codes. The highest court is the Supreme Court in Sanaa. The current President (since 1990) is Ali Abdullah Saleh. Ali Muhammad Mujawar is Prime Minister. Population of Yemen Yemen is home to 23,833,000 people (2011 estimate). The overwhelming majority are ethnic Arabs, but 35% have some African blood as well. There are small minorities of Somalis, Ethiopians, Roma (Gypsies) and Europeans, as well as South Asians. Yemen has the highest birthrate in Arabia, at about 4.45 children per woman. This is probably attributable to early marriages (the marriageable age for girls under Yemeni law is 9), and lack of education for women. The literacy rate among women is only 30%, while 70% of men can read and write. Infant mortality is almost 60 per 1,000 live births. Languages of Yemen Yemens national language is standard Arabic, but there are several different regional dialects in common use. Southern variants of Arabic spoken in Yemen include Mehri, with about 70,000 speakers; Soqotri, spoken by 43,000 island residents; and Bathari, which has only about 200 surviving speakers in Yemen. In addition to the Arabic languages, some Yemeni tribes still speak other ancient Semitic languages closely related to the Ethiopian Amharic and Tigrinya languages. These languages are a remnant of the Sabean Empire (9th century BCE to 1st century BCE) and the Axumite Empire (4th century BCE to 1st century CE). Religion in Yemen The Constitution of Yemen states that Islam is the official state religion of the country, but it also guarantees freedom of religion. The majority by far of Yemenis are Muslim, with some 42-45% Zaydi Shias, and about 52-55% Shafi Sunnis. A tiny minority, some 3,000 people, are Ismaili Muslims. Yemen is also home to an indigenous population of Jews, now numbering only about 500. In the mid-20th century, thousands of Yemenite Jews moved to the new state of Israel. A handful each of Christians and Hindus also live in Yemen, although most are foreign ex-patriots or refugees. Geography of Yemen:Yemen has an area of 527,970 square kilometers, or 203,796 square miles, at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Eastern, central and northern Yemen are desert areas, part of the Arabian Desert and Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter). Western Yemen is rugged and mountainous. The coast is fringed with sandy lowlands. Yemen also possesses a number of islands, many of which are actively volcanic. The highest point is the Jabal an Nabi Shuayb, at 3,760 m, or 12,336 feet. The lowest point is sea level. Climate of Yemen Despite its relatively small size, Yemen includes several different climate zones due to its coastal location and variety of elevations. Yearly average rainfall ranges from essentially none in the inland desert to 20-30 inches in the southern mountains. Temperatures also range widely. Winter lows in the mountains can approach freezing, while summer in the tropical western coastal areas can see temperatures as high as 129 ° F (54 °C). To make matters worse, the coast is also humid. Yemen has little arable land; only roughly 3% is suitable for crops. Less than 0.3% is under permanent crops. Yemen's Economy Yemen is the poorest nation in Arabia. As of 2003, 45% of the population was living below the poverty line. In part, this poverty stems from gender inequality; 30% of teenage girls between 15 and 19 are married with children, and most are undereducated. Another key is unemployment, which stands at 35%. The per capita GDP is only about $600 (2006 World Bank estimate). Yemen imports food, livestock, and machinery. It exports crude oil, qat, coffee, and seafood. The current spike in oil prices may help alleviate Yemens economic distress. The currency is the Yemeni rial. The exchange rate is $1 US 199.3 rials (July 2008). History of Yemen Ancient Yemen was a prosperous place; the Romans called it Arabia Felix, Happy Arabia. Yemens wealth was based on its trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices. Many sought to control this rich land over the years. The earliest known rulers were the descendants of Qahtan (Joktan from the Bible and Koran). The Qahtanis (23rd c. to 8th c. BCE) established the crucial trade routes and built dams to control flash-flooding. The late Qahtani period also witnessed the emergence of written Arabic, and the reign of the legendary Queen Bilqis, sometimes identified as the Queen of Sheba, in the 9th c. BCE. The height of ancient Yemeni power and wealth came between the 8th c. BCE and 275 CE, when a number of small kingdoms coexisted within the countrys modern borders. These included the following: the western Kingdom of Saba, the southeastern Hadramaut Kingdom, the city-state of Awsan,  the central trading hub of Qataban, the southwestern Kingdom of Himyar, and the northwestern Kingdom of Main. All of these kingdoms grew prosperous selling spices and incense all around the Mediterranean, to Abyssinia, and as far away as India. They also regularly launched wars against one another. This squabbling left Yemen vulnerable to manipulation and occupation by a foreign power: Ethiopias Aksumite Empire. Christian Aksum ruled Yemen from 520 to 570 A.D. Aksum was then pushed out by the Sassanids from Persia. Sassanid rule of Yemen lasted from 570 to 630 CE. In 628, the Persian satrap of Yemen, Badhan, converted to Islam. The Prophet Muhammad was still living when Yemen converted and became an Islamic province. Yemen followed the Four Rightly-guided Caliphs, the Umayyads, and the Abbasids. In the 9th century, many Yemenis accepted the teachings of Zayd ibn Ali, who founded a splinter Shia group. Others became Sunni, particularly in south and west Yemen. Yemen became known in the 14th century for a new crop, coffee. Yemeni Coffee arabica was exported all over the Mediterranean world. The Ottoman Turks ruled Yemen from 1538 to 1635  and returned to North Yemen between 1872 and 1918. Meanwhile, Britain ruled South Yemen as a protectorate from 1832 on. In the modern era, North Yemen was ruled by local kings until 1962, when a coup established the Yemen Arab Republic. Britain finally pulled out of South Yemen after a bloody struggle in 1967, and the Marxist Peoples Republic of South Yemen was founded. In May of 1990, Yemen reunified after relatively little strife.