Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Slovenias History essays

Slovenia's History essays Slovenia gained its independence in 1991 and since 2004 it has been a member of the European Union. The country lies at the heart of Europe, where the Alps and the Mediterranean meet the Pannonian plains and the mysterious Karst. To the north is Austria; to the east, Hungary; to the south, Croatia; and to the west, Italy (MatKurja). The countrys people are warm and welcoming and they place high values on their cultural and historical heritage. The economic indicators point out to an economic status above the average of the EU and a tendency for continued and sustained growth. Slovenia is currently the 84th largest economy of the globe with an estimated gross domestic product for 2007 of $57.67 billion (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008). The total population of Slovenia as estimated in 2007 was of 2,007,711 individuals. Almost all inhabitants know how to read and write and the literacy rate has been estimated around 99.7 percent in 2007. The male to female ratios is of 0.95 as according to the 2008 estimates (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008). In 2001, the birth rate was estimated at 9.32 per 1,000 population, while the death rate stood at 9.98 per 1,000, giving Slovenia a negative rate of natural increase. In 2001, however, a positive population growth rate was estimated, partly due to immigration from other former Yugoslav republics (Nations Encyclopedia, 2007). In 2008, the negative rate of population growth remains still obvious and has a value of -0.088. The birth rate is of 8.99 births per 1,000 individuals and the death rate is of 10.51 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008). The 2 million individuals in Slovenia are structured in the following age categories: 0 to 14 years 13.6 percent of the entire population; out of these, 140,686 are male and ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

10 Ways to Use Smartphones to Teach English

10 Ways to Use Smartphones to Teach English Smartphones are here to stay. For English teachers, that means we need to either ban iPhones, Androids, Blackberries, and whatever next flavor arrives, or we have to learn how to incorporate the use of smartphones into our routine. Students who sit in class and use their iPhone or Android are missing out; however, its also true that students are going to use their smartphones if they havent been taken away. Here are ten tips on how to constructively allow the use of smartphones in class. Some of the exercises are just variations on traditional classroom activities. However, encouraging students to use smartphones to complete these activities will help them learn to use their devices to actively improve their English skills. Finally, its important to insist that smartphone or tablet use in the classroom is approved only as a tool during a specific activity. In this way, they may not be tempted to use their smartphones for other reasons during class.   Vocabulary Exercises Using Google Image Search A picture is worth a thousand words. Have students use their smartphone to look up specific nouns on Google images or another search engine. Youve all seen how a visual dictionary can greatly improve vocabulary retention. With smartphones, we have visual dictionaries on steroids. Translation Activities Encourage students to read using three phases. Only allow smartphone use in the third phase. Students are pleased because they can look up words. However, theyre developing good reading skills by not immediately translating every word they do not understand. Read for gist: no stopping!Read for context: How can the words surrounding unknown words help with understanding?Read for precision: explore new vocabulary using a smartphone or dictionary. Use Apps for Communication Activities We all communicate with our smartphones in different ways depending on different apps. In other words, texting with a messaging app is bound to be different than writing an email on your computer. Take advantage of this and promote activities that are specific to a given context. One example might be to have students text each other to complete a given task.   Practice Pronunciation You can use smartphones to record audio as you model pronunciation for your students. For example, gather suggestions, then ask students to open a recording app. Read five different ways to make a suggestion aloud. Pause between each suggestion. Have students go home and practice mimicking your pronunciation in the pause between each suggestion. There are many, many variations on this theme.   Another great use for pronunciation is to have students change the language to English and try to dictate an email. Theyll have to work really hard at word level pronunciation in order to get the desired results. Thesaurus Activities Have students search on the phrase words like... and a host of online offerings will appear. Encourage students to use their smart phones during writing class in this manner while focusing on developing a wider range of vocabulary. For example, take a simple sentence such as The people spoke about politics. Ask students to come up with a number of versions using their smartphones to find substitutes for the verb speak. Play Games This is something we normally shouldnt encourage in class; however, you might encourage students to write down phrases they experience while playing games to bring into class to discuss in more detail. There are also a number of word games such as Scrabble or word search puzzles that are actually instructive as well as fun. You can make room for this in your class as a reward for completing a task, just make sure to tie it to some sort of report back to the class. Track Vocabulary There are a wide variety of MindMapping apps available, as well as a myriad of flash card apps. You can even create your own flash cards and have students download your set of cards to practice in class.   Practice Writing Have students write emails to each other in order to complete a specific task. Change up the tasks to practice different types of register. For example, one student might write a product inquiry with another student replying to the inquiry with a follow-up email. This is nothing new. However, just using their smartphones can help motivate the students to complete the task. Create Narration This is a variation on writing emails. Have students choose photos they have taken and write a short story describing the photos they have chosen. By making the activity personal in this manner, students engage more deeply with the task. Keep a Journal One more writing exercise for the smartphone. Have students keep a journal and share it with the class. Students can take photos, write descriptions in English, as well as describe their day.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The State of Mexico's International Trade Essay

The State of Mexico's International Trade - Essay Example Some of these prominent FTA's are the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with the United States and Canada (1994), Colombia and Venezuela (G-3, 1995), the European Union (2000), Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland (EFTA, 2001) and Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador (North Triangle, 2001). FTA's have helped Mexico increase its international trade with countries around the world. They have also aided in reducing the effects of the untimely and unpredictable economic crisis such as crashing prices of oil, recession in the global economies and so on. Today Mexico stands at the seventh position in the list of leading trading nations in the world owing to its free trade policies. Mexico contributes to 46 percent of the Latin America's exports and 47 percent of its imports. NAFTA proved to be a major step in attracting foreign direct investments in the country. Foreign capital has increased the employment rates and the output in the country. Earlier Mexico relied on oil for its exports while at present times the manufactured goods compose the major section of export. All these steps have lead to the significant overall economic development of all the parts of the country (Derbez ""Beyond NAFTA -- Mexico and the Free Trade Area of the Americas," by Luis Ernesto Derbez, Secretary of the Economy, Mexico -- "The Free Trade Area of the Americas" -- U.S. Department of State, October 2002"). The biggest trading partners of Mexico are USA and Canada. Table 1 (Davy and Meyers, "United States-Canada-Mexico Fact Sheet on Trade and Migration"). Table 1 shows the export and import statistics of different NAFTA partners in 2003. The major trade partners of Mexico are US and Canada. USA holds a major share in Mexican export sector. Mexico sends 88% of its exports to US. Chart 1 demonstrates the trade among the three countries: US, Mexico and Canada. Mexico-US trade accounted for $286 billion in 2004. Canada and US are the most important contributors to the Foreign Direct investment in Mexico. 40% of the total FDI to Mexico comes from USA. In 2004 this amount was around $7.3 billion from USA. Canada comes at fourth place in the major FDI contributors to Mexico listing. Canada accounted for $379.2 million FDI in 2004 (Davy and Meyers, "United States-Canada-Mexico Fact Sheet on Trade and Migration"). On the other hand Mexico serves as third largest source of oil imports to US as shown in Fig.1 ("Mexico Energy Data, Statistics and Analysis - Oil, Gas, Electricity, Coal"). Chart 1 (Davy and Meyers, "United States-Canada-Mexico Fact Sheet on Trade and Migration"). Fig.1 ("Mexico Energy Data, Statistics and Analysis - Oil, Gas, Electricity, Coal"). Mexico has a strong existence in the international agro-food market owing to its different products like agriculture, forestry, livestock, hunting, fishing, foods, beverages and tobacco. Mexico exported worth $11.8 billion in 2005 and imported worth $14.3 billion in the same year. 65% of Mexico's imports come from USA ("RS/USDA Briefing Room - Mexico: Trade"). Chart 2 ("RS/USDA Briefing Room - Mexico: Trade"). Mexico recorded an annual GDP growth rate of 4.8% in 2006. It increased from 0.8% to 2.8% in three years from 2002 from 2005. The total trade of Mexico showed a significant increase to 60.3 per cent of GDP from earlier

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

LAW CASE (sheapard v. united states) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LAW (sheapard v. united states) - Case Study Example In 1933 Major Shepard files a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari. A Writ of Certiorari is a document in which the losing party files with the Supreme Court asking them to review the case from a lower court (Techlaw Journal, 2008). This can be done when the petitioner is dissatisfied with the decisions of the lower courts including the US Court of Appeals. A Writ can be granted at the discretion of the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court being the highest Court in the Nation has the right to not accept the petition and there has to be some kind of compelling reason for acceptance. In Shepards Case the Writ of Certiorari was granted. US Supreme Court Judge Cardozo reveals to the court that circumstantial evidence was used to prove to the jury the Major Shepard was guilty. According to the judge a conversation with Mrs. Shepards nurse Clara Brown, Mrs. Shepard asked the nurse to find her a bottle of whiskey. She then asked the nurse if there was enough left to prove the existence of poison. The nurse then states that the Mrs. Shepard accuses her husband of poisoning her. The Judge then states "The admission of this declaration, if erroneous, was more than unsubstantial error. As to that the parties are agreed. The voice of the dead wife was heard in accusation of her husband, and the accusation was accepted as evidence of guilt.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

The Islamic Wills Essay Example for Free

The Islamic Wills Essay This article is a very brief overview of the traditional Sunni Islamic law pertaining to the Islamic will. The aim of this article is to arouse awareness amongst Muslims particularly those living in the West regarding this important aspect of Islamic law. It should be stressed that when writing a will one should consult an Islamic scholar/legal expert to ensure that the will complies with Islamic law as well as the law of the country of residence. When a Muslim dies there are four duties which need to be performed. These are: 1.payment of funeral expenses 2.payment of his/her debts 3.execution his/her will 4.distribution of the remaining estate amongst the heirs according to Sharia The Islamic will is called al-wasiyya. a will is a transaction which comes into operation after the testator’s death. The will is executed after payment of funeral expenses and any outstanding debts. The one who makes a will (wasiyya) is called a testator (al-musi). the one on whose behalf a will is made is generally referred to as a legatee (al-musa lahu). Technically speaking the term testatee is perhaps a more accurate translation of al-musa lahu. The importance of the Islamic will The importance of the Islamic will (wasiyya) is clear from the following two hadith: It is the duty of a Muslim who has anything to bequest not to let two nights pass without writing a will about it. (Sahih al-Bukhari) A man may do good deeds for seventy years but if he acts unjustly when he leaves his last testament, the wickedness of his deed will be sealed upon him, and he will enter the Fire. If, (on the other hand), a man acts wickedly for seventy years but is just in his last will and testament, the goodness of his deed will be sealed upon him, and he will enter the Garden. (Ahmad and Ibn Majah) the will gives the testator an opportunity to help someone (e.g. a relative need such as an orphaned grandchild or a Christian widow) who is not entitled to inherit from him. The will can be used to clarify the nature of joint accounts, those living in commensality, appointment of guardian for one’s children and so on. In countries where the intestate succession law is different from Islamic law it becomes absolutely necessary to write a will. The Will (Al-wasiyya) The Islamic will includes both bequests and legacies, instructions and admonishments, and assignments of rights. no specific wording is necessary for making a will. In Islamic law the will (wasiyya) can be oral or written, and the intention of the testator must be clear that the wasiyya is to be executed after his death. any expression which signifies the intention of the testator is sufficient for the purpose of constituting a bequest. there should be two witnesses to the declaration of the wasiyya. A written wasiyya where there are no witnesses to an oral declaration is valid if it written in the known handwriting/signature of the testator according to Maliki and Hanbali fiqh. the wasiyya is executed after payment of debts and funeral expenses. the majority view is that debts to Allah (SWT) such as zakh, obligatory expiation etc. should be paid whether mentioned in the will or not. However, there is difference of opinion on this matter amongst the Muslim jurists. The Testator (Al-musi) every adult Muslim with reasoning ability has the legal capacity to make a will. An adult for this purpose is someone who has reached puberty. Evidence of puberty is menstruation in girls and night pollution (wet dreams) in boys. In the absence of evidence, puberty is presumed at the completion of the age of fifteen years. The Maliki and Hanbali fiqh also consider the will of a discerning (tamyiz) child as valid. Under English Law you must be at least 18 years of age to make a valid will (similarly in most of the United States of America) unless you are a military personnel in which case you may make a valid will at the age of 17. the testator must have the legal capacity to dispose of whatever he bequests in his will. When making a will the testator must be of sane mind, he must not be under any compulsion and he must understand the nature and effect of his testamentary act. The testator must of course own whatever he bequests. the testator has the right to revoke his will by a subsequent will, actually or by implication. In traditional Sunni Islamic law the power of the testator is limited in two ways: 1.firstly, he cannot bequest more than 1/3 of his net estate unless the other heirs consent to the bequest or there are no legal heirs at all or the only legal heir is the spouse who gets his/her legal share and the residue can be bequeathed. Narrated Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas (RA): I was stricken by an ailment that led me to the verge of death. The Prophet came to pay me a visit. I said, O Allahs Apostle! I have much property and no heir except my single daughter. Shall I give two-thirds of my property in charity? He said, No. I said, Half of it? He said, No. I said, One-third of it? He said, You may do so, though one-third is also too much, for it is better for you to leave your offspring wealthy than to leave them poor, asking others for help (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahah Muslim, Muwatta, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.) 1.secondly, the testator cannot make a bequest in favour of a legal heir under traditional Sunni Muslim law. However, some Islamic countries do allow a bequest in favour of a legal heir providing the bequest does not exceed the bequeathable one-third. Legal heir in this context is one who is a legal heir at the time of death of the testator. Narrated Abu Hurayrah (RA): Allah’s Prophet (SAWS) said, Allah has appointed for everyone who has a right what is due to him, and no bequest must be made to an heir. (Abu Dawud). Similar hadith narrated by Abu Umamah (RA) and reported by Ibn Majah, Ahmad and others. The Legatee (Al-musa lahu) generally speaking, for a bequest to be valid, a legatee must be in existence at the time of death of the testator except in the case of a general and continuing legatee such as the poor, orphans etc. the legatee must be capable of owning the bequest. any bequest made in favour of any legal heir already entitled to a share is invalid under traditional Sunni Muslim law unless consented to by other legal heirs. an acknowledgement of debt in favour of a legal heir is valid. acceptance or rejection of a bequest by the legatee is only relevant after the death of the testator and not before. generally speaking once a legatee has accepted or rejected a bequest he cannot change his mind subsequently. if the legatee dies without accepting or rejecting the bequest, the bequest becomes part of the legatee’s estate according to the Hanafi fiqh because non-rejection is regarded as acceptance. According to the other three main Sunni madhahib, the right to accept or reject the bequest passes onto the heirs of the legatee. there is difference of opinion as to the time at which ownership of a bequest is transferred from the testator (or his heirs) to the legatee. According to the Hanafi and Shafii fiqh the transfer of ownership is at the time of death of the testator, according to the Maliki and Hanbali fiqh the transfer of ownership is at the time of accepting the bequest. all the Sunni madhahib agree that if the legatee dies before the testator, the bequest is invalid since a bequest can only be accepted after the death of the testator. if there is uncertainty as to whether or not the legatee survived the testator, such as a missing legatee, the bequest is invalid because the legatee must be alive at the time of death of the testator for the will to be valid. if the testator and legatee die together, such as in an air crash, and it is not certain who died first, the bequest is invalid according to the Hanafi, Maliki and Shafii fiqh. But according to the Hanbali fiqh, the bequest devolves upon the legatee’s heirs who may accept or reject it. Executor of the will (Al-wasi Al- mukhtar) the executor (al-wasi) of the will is the manager of the estate appointed by the testator. the executor has to carry out the wishes of the testator according to Islamic law, to watch the interests of the children and of the estate. The authority of the executor should be specified. Hanafi and Maliki fiqh state that the executor should be trustworthy and truthful; the Shafii fiqh state that the executor must be just. the Hanafi fiqh considers the appointment of a non-Muslim executor to be valid. the testator may appoint more than one executor, male or female. the testator should state if each executor can act independently of the other executor(s). if one starts acting as an executor, one will be regarded as having accepted the appointment, both in Islamic and in English law. Dr. Abid Hussain

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Frankenstien All Behavior Is L Essay -- essays research papers

The monster’s behavior was directly related to, his experiences with society and its treatment of him. All behavior is learned, therefore if the monster was to be good or evil depended on societies reaction to him. Even though the monster had a fully matured body, he was like a child because he had no memories or experiences of his own. When the monster was given life he had no concept of good or evil. Everything that he did or experienced was something new to him. All of the monster’s behaviors would have to be learned   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The monster’s first encounter with another being occurred the night that he was born. Shortly after the monster was given life, he was feared and hated. From the moment of the monster’s birth Victor hated and despised it, rather than embracing and loving it. In the monster’s crucial moments of development, he got his first experience of hate and fear. The monster had the same needs that a child would. Like a child at birth, the monster should have received love and care. Instead Victor, his father, hated the monster and ran from it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The monster later encountered a poor farming family. The monster watched the way that the different family members interacted with one another. In his observation of them he learned the lessons that his father had neglected to teach him. The monster learned the concepts of love and affection. When the monster watched th...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Diesel Engines: United States and Europe

Diesel engines are routinely sold in European automobiles, with an estimated 6. 5 million vehicles on the road as of 2003 (DeGaspari 28). In both Europe and the United States, diesel engines are used in industrial and commercial applications like generators and commercial vehicles. However, the United States has historically been slow to embrace the concept of a diesel-powered personal automobile, and diesel automobile engines are only recently beginning to gain any traction in the US auto market. What are the reasons for this reluctance, and how can diesel engines gain more of a market share?The reasons for US market slowness in adopting diesel engines are varied. First, the diesel engine suffers from a perception problem which dates to the engines of the 1960s and 1970s – Americans believe that diesel engines are dirty, inefficient and noisy, making for an uncomforta-ble passenger ride, higher emissions and an insufficiently powerful engine. Second, diesel engines cost more than traditional gasoline-powered engines; with American gas prices being historically much lower than European gas prices, there has been no financial incentive in the past for the adoption of diesel engines in the United States.Third, the availability of diesel fuel is not con-sistent across the United States and it is often more expensive than gasoline. These issues are being addressed in a number of ways. The availability of biodiesel (diesel fuel produced from non-petroleum sources, including plant matter, byproducts from meat pro-cessing such as rendered fat and discarded cooking oil) has been increasing steadily, bringing down the price of diesel and offering an environmentally friendly alternative, while the price of gasoline has been increasing.Newer engine designs are quiet and clean thanks to the develop-ment of fuel injection systems, with emissions as low or lower than gasoline engines. The diesel engine offers a higher mileage per gallon and a longer range (distance tr avelled on a tank of fuel), along with a higher torque with a smaller engine, making them attractive choices for American sport utility vehicles and light trucks, as well as the compact car market, where consumers tend to be more conscious of energy efficiency. Historically, American vehicles with diesel engines were dirty and noisy (Siuru 52).The high level of emissions and uncomfortable, noisy ride made a diesel engine an unattractive pro-spect, and relegated the diesel engine to commercial vehicles and applications like generators. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, however, European car manufacturers began to engage in serious research aimed at improving the technical design of the diesel engine used in passenger vehicles. At that time, the market share of the diesel engine in Europe ranged from 10% in Germany up to 35% in France, significantly higher than America, where most diesel vehicles were imported by European automobile enthusiasts (Siuru 52).The first major improvement was introduction of an electronic fuel injection control system (Siuru 52). This system maintains an even fuel supply, reducing the loud banging noise associated with a diesel engine; it also reduces the fuel supply variation, eliminating the vibration and â€Å"hum† of a diesel automobile (Siuru 52). The first electronic fuel injection systems were indirect injec-tion systems (IDI), which mixed the fuel with air in a turbulence chamber before injecting it into the engine’s combustion chamber (Siuru 52). These engines were efficient and produced low emissions.However, direct injection (DI), which injects the fuel directly into the engine’s combustion chamber, bypassing the admixture with air, offered even greater fuel efficiency, albeit with high-er emissions levels (Siuru 56). The direct injection system was developed by Fiat in the mid-1990s and quickly became popular (Siuru 56), The most common implementation of the direct injection system is the common rail direct injection system (Ashley 58). This system, implement-ed by most European car manufacturers in the 1998 model year, offered a way to decrease fuel consumption and emissions by about 30% from the previous designs (Ashley 58).The common rail system uses a manifold to pre-load fuel as a buffer between the injectors and the engine, of-fering greater control of fuel usage according to driving conditions (Ashley 59). While electronic fuel injection systems improved the regularity and smoothness of the die-sel engine’s operation, particulate and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions were still a problem, and continue to be a problem as emissions controls for passenger vehicles become more and more tight.While an indirect injection engine offered lower emissions due to more efficient use of fuel, direct injection engines offered markedly better performance (Ashley 57). A further challenge is that while European emissions standards are primarily concerned with carbon monoxide and carbo n dioxide, American emissions standards are mostly concerned with nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions (Marshall 27). An engine which will be used in both American and European vehicles must control both adequately to meet emissions standards. Emissions are controlled in a variety of ways in the diesel-powered vehicle.The catalytic con-verters typically used in gasoline engines don’t work with diesel engines, due to a difference in the amount of oxygen present in the engine’s combustion chamber(DeGaspari 30 ). One approach to reducing nitrogen oxide emissions in a diesel engine is to use a chemical reaction called selec-tive catalytic reaction, which uses urea (ammonia) to remove the available oxygen (DeGaspari 30). A second method, called a lean NOx trap, causes the engine to cycle between an oxygen-lean and an oxygen rich environment on a regular basis in order to â€Å"break up† the nitrogen oxide molecules (DeGaspari, 30).These traps are often mounted to the tailpipe rather than directly in the engine (DeGaspari 30). The most common solution for particulate emissions is a filter on the tailpipe which traps particulate matter in the exhaust rather than releasing it (DeGaspari 30). The most recent advance in emissions, called homogenous charge compression ignition or HCCI, is a whole-vehicle solution to the mileage-emissions tradeoff with both gasoline and die-sel engines. HCCI, still in development, is being viewed by automobile manufacturers as a boon for the future for both gasoline and diesel engines.HCCI uses a combination of gasoline and die-sel engine design aspects for a high-efficiency, clean-burning engine which is designed to pass emissions standards testing in both the United States and Europe (Marshall 27). The HCCI en-gine premixes air and fuel before feeding it to the engine (a gasoline engine trait), but it uses compression ignition rather than spark-plug ignition (a diesel engine trait) (Marshall 27). This en-gine ha s the additional advantage of being dual-fuel – it can be used with either diesel or gaso-line, reducing the pressure of fuel availability for owners of vehicles (Marshall 28).The HCCI engine design also has the potential to be used with other forms of liquid fuel, such as hydrogen, ethanol or other forms of fatty-acid fuels like diesel and gasoline, widening the possi-bilities for alternative fuels of the future (Marshall 28). The final improvement in diesel emissions is not in the engine itself, but in the chemical makeup of the fuel. Ultra-low sulfur fuels, which were mandated by the FDA in 2006, both reduce emissions and allow for more advanced emis-sions control systems, which can be unusable with higher-sulfur fuels because the sulfur interferes with the necessary chemical reactions.(DeGaspari 30). Engine power is another significant beneficiary of European manufacturer’s research over the last 20 years. American diesel engines have had the reputation of not bein g very powerful; however, the modern diesel engine has greater torque and a greater range (number of miles trav-elled on a single tank of fuel), as well as higher mileage, in a smaller, lighter-weight engine than the equivalent gas engine (DeGaspari 28). A diesel engine in a sport utility vehicle can offer forty to fifty percent greater fuel efficiency over a gasoline engine (DeGaspari 28).The diesel version of the 2006 Jeep Liberty, which was designed with a 2. 8 liter engine, offered 27 MPG high-way/21 MPG city. Compared to its gasoline powered sibling (21 MPG highway/17 MPG city) this was a 24-30% increase in engine efficiency (DeGaspari 28). Because American cars tend to be larger than European cars, engine redesign for greater torque has been popular with American automobile manufacturers (DeGaspari 28). Diesel engines can cost significantly more than traditional gasoline engines.The engine it-self is more expensive, as it is heavier and more precisely controlled; diesel emissi ons devices are also more expensive than their gasoline counterparts. A diesel engine can add one to two thou-sand dollars to the overall consumer price of a vehicle, making it unattractive if fuel efficiency is not a concern (DeGaspari 30). This problem has been self-correcting with a persistent rise in fuel costs and operational cost of automobile ownership in the United States.In 1992, with fuel costs two to four times higher in Europe than in America, diesel engines already held a significant por-tion of the automobile market share; however, doubt was expressed that they would be accepted in America (Siuru 58). With a significant rise in fuel costs over the last 15 years, diesel has be-come more and more attractive to Americans concerned with the mileage of their vehicles. By 1997, experts acknowledged that there is an American market for diesel SUVs (Ashley 62) and currently, both European and American automobile manufacturers now offer passenger vehicles for sale in America (D eGaspari 28).The availability and continued supply of diesel fuel is a serious concern in the United States. Europe, where as much as half the vehicles on the road at any one time are powered by diesel, took the approach of producing its own biodiesel rather than relying on imported petro-diesel (Schmidt 86). Europe has a significant percentage of arable land devoted to rapeseed (can-ola) which is primarily used in the production of biodiesel (Schmidt 86).Biodiesel is diesel oil produced using plants or animal remains rather than petrochemicals; there are many common sources of biodiesel, including virgin plant material (canola, soy, wheat, barley, palm, pine trees, corn and algae have all been used to produce biodiesel), and used cook-ing oil from restaurants, known as yellow grease (Schmidt 86). Most United States biodiesel is derived from soybeans, which offer an 18-20% oil yield. The remaining mass can be used to pro-duce animal feed. Soybean based biodiesel releases about 3.2 t imes the amount of energy used to produce it, making it an extremely efficient energy source (Schmidt 87). Biodiesel is not only good as an alternate fuel source to petroleum-based diesel, it is a cleaner fuel. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), B20 biodiesel (a mixture of 20% biodiesel and 80% petrodiesel) releases l0% less carbon monoxide, particulates and total hydrocarbon, and is carbon dioxide-neutral (Schmidt 89). There are some concerns about the lev-el of nitrogen oxide emissions with biodiesel.A 2006 FDA literature review concluded that B20 biodiesel nitrogen oxide emissions are about 2% higher than the equivalent petrodiesel (Schmidt 90). However, Scott Gordon, founder of Green Technologies, points out that catalytic convert-ers can be used with ultra-low sulfur fuels in addition to traditional emissions controls, which has the potential to greatly decrease nitrogen oxide emissions (Schmidt 90). There are a number of problems with biodiesel which are being addressed by manufactur-ers.The first is that of agricultural resource allocation to biodiesel production. Currently, most United States production of biodiesel uses surplus soybean crops (Schmidt 86). Soybeans have a relatively low yield of only 18-20% oil, however, making soybean cultivation to meet expanded biodiesel requirements problematic (Schmidt 91). In order to expand biodiesel production, dif-ferent crops are required. Two alternatives are rapeseed (canola) and algae. Rapeseed is common-ly grown in Europe as a biodiesel source.It has a 40% yield of oil and is easily cultivated (Schmidt 91). Algae has a remarkably high 50% yield and a production of 8,000 gallons per acre per year, making it the most productive crop found so far. However, problems with designing a large-scale agricultural system for algae have held back use of this material so far (Schmidt 91). In order to grow algae for commercial biodiesel use, indoor systems would need to be designed to precise ly control growing conditions and species in tanks.As Schmidt notes, there is the pos-sibility of creating a large supply of algae by feeding with wastewater treatment plants. Solving the technical problems of cultivating algae is essential for the continued growth of biodiesel. It is estimated that 15,000 square miles of algae cultivation (approximately 9. 5 million acres, a frac-tion of a percent of current American land given over to agricultural usage) could be enough to replace the entire stock of petroleum used in American transportation (Schmidt 91).Unfortunate-ly, not all countries have the availability of arable land that the United States does, and environ-mental degradation can result from planting what is seen as a cash crop at the expense of sub-sistence crops or native habitat. Rain forest clearing in order to plant palm trees, a common source of imported biodiesel, has had a bad effect on Indonesian forests (Schmidt 92). A second problem with biodiesel is inconsistent low-temperature operation. All diesel fuels will gel with extreme cold, but biodiesel gels more quickly at higher temperatures.To operate a diesel engine in colder conditions, a mixture of petrodiesel and biodiesel is required (Schmidt 89). The most common blend of petrodiesel and biodiesel is called B20 (20% biodiesel and 80% petrodiesel); however, even lower blends of biodiesel, such as B2 and B5, are beginning to gain traction in the market (Schmidt 89). A third problem with biodiesel is inconsistent quality. Federal and state tax credits for bio-diesel production make it attractive to companies large and small (Schmidt 90).A biodiesel blend made from virgin vegetable oil is eligible for a 1-cent per gallon discount on federal fuel excise tax for each percent of biodiesel in the blend; a blend made from yellow grease, or recycled cooking oil, is eligible for half that (Schmidt 90). This is a powerful incentive for biodiesel pro-duction. Unfortunately, quality sometimes is lackin g in the production controls. High levels of glycerin, a byproduct of biodiesel production which can clog filters and reduce engine perfor-mance, making it difficult to start the engine when cold, were found in one third of the samples tested by NREL in 2006 (Schmidt 90).These samples came from blending facilities where the biodiesel fuels were mixed and then sent to distributers. The NREL attributes these problems to a sudden increase in demand leading to some plants starting production without quality control procedures in place (Schmidt 90). As gasoline prices continue to rise and the American public gives serious attention to the energy efficiency and mileage per gallon of their personal automobiles, diesel engines become more attractive to car buyers.With fuel efficiency 30% or more higher than gasoline engines, electronic fuel injection offering a smoother, quieter ride, as well as greater torque in a smaller engine allowing for lighter-weight and higher-mileage sport utility vehicles, and the availability of biodiesel offering an environmentally friendly, renewable fuel source, the performance prob-lems of past generations of American diesel vehicles have been largely solved.Rapid develop-ment and improvement of diesel technology to keep up with tightening emissions control re-quirements has led to extraordinarily clean vehicles. American and European automobile manu-facturers have begun to produce diesel automobiles for the American market, and have expecta-tions of solid sales. The question remains, however: will American consumers follow the lead of Europe and embrace diesel engine technology?

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Images in Lord of the Flies by William Golding

An image is a representation of something that is portrayed to make the reader visualize a different impression in its place. Images can be seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt. There are many images used in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Simply put, fire is a major image that has multiple meanings in the novel. The object that gives the title to the novel is also one of the most important image. The pigs head/Lord of the Flies is full of relevance towards the book . Finally, the image of the conch is quite important. These images have crucial meanings that are necessary to the plot of the novel. Fire is something that is normally used for cooking and as a light, however in the novel its main purpose is as a signal fire to attract the attention of any passing ships so the boys can be rescued. The Fire is the boys connection with civilization, as long as it is burning there is a hope that they would be rescued. The fire, or lack of fire, is first major tension between Ralph and Jack. The fire is let out when all the hunters go off with Jack to spear a pig. Meanwhile, Ralph watches a ship go by the island without stopping because there is no smoke visible. You let the fire out† (73) was all that Ralph had to say to Jack to tell him that he blew a chance to get rescued and that only way they will ever get saved is if there is a fire burning on the island. Ironically, it is a fire that solves both problems started by Jack letting the signal fire die. â€Å"Smoke was seeping through the branches in white and yellow wisps†. (216) The smoke was from the fire started by Jack to flush Ralph out of the thicket he was hiding in so he could kill Ralph and put his head on the stick sharpened at both ends. Ralph managed to evade Jack's trap and run into the forest while the fire continued to grow in size. The hunters entered the forest and forced Ralph back to the beach where he runs into the only adult in the novel. â€Å" We saw your smoke†(223) said the navy officer who is saying that the fire is the reason that they found the boys. When asked who is the boss, Ralph confidently says â€Å" I am† (224) officially ending the feud between him and Jack. Without fire the boys would not have been rescued and Ralph would have never gotten any of his previous power back. The pigs head was left as an offering to the beast by Jack and the savages. It is described as â€Å" †¦. grinning amusedly†¦ † (151) with â€Å" †¦ white teeth and dim eyes†¦ † (152). The pigs head is most likely the most important image in the novel. When Simon has his one way conversation with the Lord of the Flies, it took the place of the pigs head and it implemented two important things. â€Å" I'm part of you †¦ why things are what they are†¦ † (158). When the Lord of the Flies says this, he is telling Simon that the beast is inside of everyone and it is the evil in their hearts that is making them savages. The pigs head also tells Simon as â€Å" a schoolmaster† (158) that he is going to have some â€Å"fun† with Simon. This simply foreshadows Simon death in the next chapter. The Lord of the Flies represents the beast and all the evil in the boys stranded on the island. Found on the beach near the start of the novel, the conch shell is an image that represents many concepts. The conch represents structure and democracy. â€Å"We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They'll come when they hear it. (12) When the conch is blown it allows the boys to come together in a civilized manner to decide what they should do. â€Å" Then I'll give him the conch †¦ he can hold it when he's speaking† (31). This idea by Ralph created a way to govern meetings in a democratic way where everyone could speak their mind. Throughout the novel the conch slowly begins to lose its power over the group of boys as they become more like savages. Once Jack starts breaking the rules, chaos starts to occur as the boys disregard the conch. This shows that without the boys giving the conch power, structure and discipline will soon be no more. Eventually, when the boys split into different tribes, the conch has no importance because most of the boys have now become savages. â€Å"†¦ the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist† (200). When Roger pushed the rock down the hill to murder Piggy, the conch was in his hands. When it blew apart it signified the end of democratic power ever coming back to the island and represented when government does not always work. Without the conch, structure might not have been established and instead of being civil the boys might have turned into savages very early in their stay on the island. In the Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the images are necessary to the plot of the novel. Without fire, the pigs head, and the conch; the boys might have not got rescued. Jack and Ralph may have not had the same bad blood between them. They may have not been as evil or savage-like, and possibly they may have turned into savages very soon after their plane crashed. Think of all the different endings possible if some of these key images were changed.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

History of the Nib Bank Essay Example

History of the Nib Bank Essay Example History of the Nib Bank Essay History of the Nib Bank Essay HISTORY OF THE NIB BANK: NIB Bank Limited started as NDLC-IFIC Bank Ltd. which was incorporated in March 2003 as a public limited company. It started operations in October 2003 when all assets, liabilities, rights and obligations of the former National Development Leasing Corporation (NDLC) and Pakistan operations of IFIC were amalgamated with and into the bank with a paid up capital of Rs. 1. 2bn. In April 2004 the Pakistan operations of Credit Agricole Indosuez were also amalgamated with and into NIB. In March 2005 Temasek Holdings of Singapore acquired 25% shareholding in NIB Bank, through Bugis Investments. This shareholding was further enhanced to over 70% in June 05 following an increase in NIBs paid up capital to Rs. 3. 4bn. NIB Bank has since grown rapidly from a base of 2 branches in 2003 to 45 in the 4th quarter of 2007. Total assets have grown from Rs. 9bn in December 2003 to Rs. 87bn (excluding acquisition of PICIC through rights) as of September 30 2007, a CAGR of 85%. Loan growth has been equally rapid, increasing from Rs. 7bn to Rs. 43bn in the same period (a CAGR of 64%), resulting from successes in both the commercial and consumer business. Deposits for the same period have grown at a CAGR of 95%, reaching Rs. 45. 3bn. The overall client base of NIB has also witnessed a tremendous growth in the same period as of September 2007; from a few thousand to over one hundred thousand. NIB Banks vision is to rank amongst the top 5 banks in the country. Therefore towards end of June 2007 it acquired majority shares of PICIC with the aim of merging PICIC and its commercial banking subsidiary PICIC Commercial Bank Limited into NIB . The acquisition was financed through the countrys largest private sector rights issue, with resultant increase in NIBs paid up capital to Rs. 21. 4bn. The PICIC acquisition has bought with it another subsidiary PICIC AMC and an affiliate PICIC Insurance. NIB already has a shareholding in NAFA, an Asset Management Company (AMC); thus its asset management business will now also be increased, with diversification in the insurance business.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Unlock your ideas and write that document

Unlock your ideas and write that document The best way to unlock the information in your head So, you’ve got something you need to write. It might be a report you’ve had to do mountains of research on, until the facts and ideas are crowded and jostling against each other in your head. Or maybe it’s a document for which you have all the necessary facts in your mind already. Either way, now you need a way to get all that knowledge out of your head and onto the paper before you can go any further. But what’s the best way to do this? How can you easily unlock all the information you need? Enter, the mind map. Now, you may have tried using mind maps in the past and felt they didnt really work for you. But dont dismiss them just yet. In this video, Rob reveals how you can use them in different way: to tap into all the knowledge you already have (and realise the gaps in what you know that youll have to fill). Watch the video to see us demonstrate how to quickly put this simple but powerful tool to work, and hear Rob explain: the limitations of lists for planning a document, and a better way [0:27] why even using the better technique is not ideal [2:01] the tool you need to use instead of any kind of list [2:16] the important approach you need to take in setting up your mind map (and what you must avoid doing) [2:51] how you can use mind maps as part of your research process and to get past blocks [05:43]. This post is taken from a lesson in our online-training programme Emphasis 360, which improves your writing in practical, bite-sized weekly lessons. You can find out more about Emphasis 360 and preview more lessons for free here. Image credit: retrorocket / Shutterstock

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Post traumatic architecture Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Post traumatic architecture - Dissertation Example The end of the whole process is going to be quite tempting to discover if the purpose of healing was achieved or not. Main dissertation body National September 11 Memorial & Museum A World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition was setup in order to welcome designs on how the World Trade Center site could be reconstructed as a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. This competition was won by Michael Arad, an Israeli-American architect of Handel Architects. His design was called â€Å"Reflecting Absence† and its main feature included a reflecting pool and a tree-filled plaza which was blended into the city’s landscape (Meehan, 2011). With the collaboration of other architects, including landscape architects, the design was perfected. Families of the victims were also consulted in relation to the placement of the names of about 3000 victims killed that day (Dunlap, 2011). Landscape architects also helped to tweak the design especially in term s of the forest of trees which would surround the reflecting pools. Ten years following the disaster, on September 11, 2011, a dedication ceremony was held at the memorial and following the ceremony, the plaza was opened to the public. The design included two pools with manmade waterfalls cascading over the sides; the pools were placed at the sites where the Twin Towers used to stand. Each pool measures about an acre. Both pools were meant to symbolize the loss of life and the emptiness caused by the terrorist attacks on September 11. The sound of the water falls were also meant to reduce the sound of the city, creating a place which was to be a source of comfort and sanctuary to the visitors. Close to 400 sweet gum and swamp white oak trees took up the other 6 acres left of the memorial plaza. This further gave the area a sense of isolation from the city bustle. The names of the victims were then written into 76 bronze plates and attached to the walls at the edges of the pools (Bla is, 2011). The names included the victims of the September 11 attacks from the Twin Towers, as well as the victims from Arlington Virginia, and those from Pennsylvania. The names of the rescuers were also included in the bronze plates along with the six victims from the February 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The arrangement of the names was also very much important to the design as the groupings and adjacencies were based on family relations as well as company or organization affiliations. In effect, the names of families were set alongside each other; the names of first responders were grouped alongside the names of their units; and the names of co-workers were also written alongside each other. The design for the memorial site also included a Survivor Tree. The tree is a callery pear tree which was previously recovered from the rubbles of ground zero World Trade Center site in October of 2001 while retrieval workers were trying to look for survivors. The tree was about 8 feet t all and severely burned, but it had one living branch (Sudol, 2011). It was a tree which has long been at the site for decades before the attack, planted originally in the 1970s. It was later cared for by Arthur Ross from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The tree was not expected to