Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With the Letter S

Chemistry Abbreviations Starting With the Letter S Chemistry abbreviations and acronyms are common in all fields of science. This collection offers common abbreviations and acronyms beginning with the letter S used in chemistry and chemical engineering. S - Entropys - secondsS - Sulfurs - solids - spin quantum numberSA - Salicylic AcidSA - Surface AreaSAC - S-Allyl CysteineSAC - Strong Acid Cationsal - salt (Latin)SAM - S-Adenosyl MethionineSAM - Spin Angular MomentumSAN - Styrene-AcryloNitrileSAP - Super Absorbant PolymerSAQ - Soluble AnthraQunoneSAS - Small Angle ScatteringSATP - Standard Ambient Temperature and PressureSb - AntimonySB - Solvent BasedSBA - Strong Base AnionSBC - Styrene Butadiene CopolymerSBR - Sequencing Batch ReactorSBS - Styrene Butadiene StyreneSc - ScandiumSC - Silicon CarbideSCBA - Specific Chemical and Biologic AgentsSCC - Stress Corrosion CrackingSci - ScienceSCO - Super Charged OxygenSCS - Single Crystal SiliconSCU - Scoville UnitsSCVF - Single Chamber Vacuum FurnaceSCW - Super Critical WaterSCX - Strong Cation eXchangerSDMS - Scientific Data Management SystemSDV - Shut Down ValveSDW - Spin Density WaveSE - Sample ErrorSe - SeleniumSec - SecondsSCN - ThiocyanateSEP - SeparateSEU - Slightly Enriched Uraniu mSF - Safety FactorSF - Significant FiguresSFC - Supercritical Fluid ChromatographySFPM - Suspended Fine Particulate MatterSg - SeaborgiumSG - Specific GravitySG - Spheroidal GraphiteSH - Thiol functional groupSHE - Standard Hydrogen ElectrodeSHF - Super High FrequencySHC - Synthetic HydroCarbonSi - SiliconSI units - Systà ¨me international dunità ©s (International System of Units)SL - Sea LevelSL - Short-LivedSLI - Solid-Liquid InterfaceSLP - Sea Level PressureSm - SamariumSM - Semi-MetalSM - Standard ModelSMILES - Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry SystemSN - Sodium NitrateSn - TinSNAP S-Nitroso-N-AcetylPenicillamineSNP - Single-Nucleotide Polymorphismsp - hybrid orbital between s and p orbitalsSP - Solubility ProductSp - SpecialSP - Starting PointSPDF - atomic electron orbital namesSQ - squaredSr - StrontiumSS - Solid SolutionSS - Stainless SteelSSP - Steady-State PlasmaSTEL - Short Term Exposure LimitSTP - Standard Temperature and PressureSTM - Scanning Tunneling Microscop eSUS - SUSpension

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Invention of the Crossbow in Asian History

Invention of the Crossbow in Asian History Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of the trigger. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War, c. 5th century BCE. The invention of the crossbow revolutionized warfare, and the technology would spread from Asia through the Middle East and into Europe by the medieval period. In a sense, the crossbow democratized warfare - an archer did not need as much strength or skill to deliver a deadly bolt from a crossbow as he or she would have with a traditional compound bow and an arrow. Who Invented the Crossbow? The first crossbows were likely invented either in one of the states of early China  or in neighboring areas of Central Asia, some time before 400 BCE. Its not clear exactly when the invention of this new, powerful weapon took place, or who first thought of it. Linguistic evidence points to a Central Asian origin, with the technology then spreading to China, but records from such an early period are too scanty to determine the origins of the crossbow beyond a doubt. Certainly, the famed military strategist Sun Tzu knew about crossbows. He attributed them to an inventor named Qin from the 7th century BCE. However, the dates of Sun Tzus life  and the first publication of his Art of War  are also subject to controversy, so they cannot be used to establish the early existence of the crossbow beyond a doubt. Chinese archaeologists Yang Hong and Zhu Fenghan believe that the crossbow may have been invented as early as 2000 BCE, based on artifacts in bone, stone, and shell that may be crossbow triggers. The first known hand-held crossbows with bronze triggers were found in a grave in Qufu, China, dating from c. 600 BCE. That burial was from the State of Lu, in what is now Shandong Province, during Chinas Spring and Autumn Period (771-476 BCE). Archaeological Evidence Additional archaeological evidence shows that crossbow technology was widespread in China during the late Spring and Autumn Period. For example, a mid-5th century BCE grave from the State of Chu (Hubei Province) yielded bronze crossbow bolts, and a tomb burial in Saobatang, Hunan Province from the mid-4th century BCE also contained a bronze crossbow. Some of the Terracotta Warriors buried along with Qin Shi Huangdi (260-210 BCE) carry crossbows. The first known repeating crossbow was discovered in another 4th century BCE tomb in Qinjiazui, Hubei Province. Importance in History Repeating crossbows, called zhuge nu in Chinese, could shoot multiple bolts before needing to be reloaded. Traditional sources attributed this invention to a Three Kingdoms period tactician named Zhuge Liang (181-234 CE), but the discovery of the Qinjiazui repeating crossbow from 500 years before Zhuges lifetime proves that he was not the original inventor. It seems likely that he improved significantly on the design, however. Later crossbows could fire as many as 10 bolts in 15 seconds before being reloaded. Standard crossbows were well-established across China by the second century CE. Many contemporary historians cited the repeating crossbow as a key element in Han Chinas Pyrrhic victory over the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu and many other nomadic peoples of the Central Asian steppes used ordinary compound bows with great skill  but could be defeated by legions of crossbow-wielding infantry, particularly in sieges and set-piece battles. Koreas King Sejong (1418-1450) of the Joseon Dynasty introduced the repeating crossbow to his army after seeing the weapon in action during a visit to China. Chinese troops continued to use the weapon through the late Qing Dynasty era, including the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. Unfortunately, crossbows were no match for modern Japanese weaponry, and Qing China lost that war. It was the last major world conflict to feature crossbows. Sources Landrus, Matthew. Leonardos Giant Crossbow, New York: Springer, 2010.Lorge, Peter A. Chinese Martial Arts: From Antiquity to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, 2011.Selby, Stephen. Chinese Archery, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2000.Sun Tzu. The Art of War, Mundus Publishing, 2000.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Hypocrisy in The Scarlett Letter and The Adventures of Huckleberry Essay

Hypocrisy in The Scarlett Letter and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Essay Example The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, on the other hand, is a critique of the lack of consistency in the moral and spiritual standards of the people of the southern states of America before the abolition of slavery. painting a realistic picture of the antebellum south, Mark Twain manages to bring to the notice of the reader the evils of the practice of slavery and the contradictions inherent in this system. The awareness regarding this social ill among the southerners is a testimony to the remarkable hypocrisy that they demonstrated when it came to issues regarding African Americans who were discriminated against and ill-treated because of the color of their skin. This was used against them and they were required to do a lot of unpaid work for the whites who considered themselves to be the repository of a great many beliefs that they considered noble and elegant. The coexistence of these beliefs with the practice of slavery is contradictory and hypocritical; this is precisely what the author seeks to say through his novel. The theme of hypocrisy in The Scarlet Letter is explored primarily through the critique of the Puritan establishment of New England. In the very beginning of the novel, Hawthorne introduces the hypocritical attitudes of the people who live in the nineteenth centuries and profess to be owners of great virtues but are interested in the same sensual activities as the others. In the chapter titled â€Å"The Custom-house†, Hawthorne uses irony as a tool to criticize the shallowness of the Puritan establishment of nineteenth century America (Subbu, 300). He thus seeks to establish a connection between the renegacy of the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter and himself in their acts of defiance towards the hypocritical attitudes of the Puritans, who failed to employ the same standards of virtue to everybody. The gluttony and the sloth of the members of the custom-house are remarkable since they are the very people who are against this in other pe ople, at least in theory (Basu). However, it is this very discrepancy between theory and practice that is critiqued constantly in The Scarlet Letter. This discrepancy characterizes the relationship between Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale who is a priest in the Puritan establishment. Neither Hester nor Dimmesdale chooses to expose the secret behind the birth of Pearl and the puritan emblem of virtue, Dimmesdale, is fine with letting Hester bear the brunt of the punishment that is given by the society for the ‘crime’ of adultery. This exposes the hypocrisy that even people who were apparently of great moral rectitude could fall prey to in a puritan society where the appearance of virtue was more important than the actual presence of it in a person. This theme is something that Hawthorne explores even in the short stories that he has written. One such story would be Young Goodman Brown which reveals the presence of vice in the best of hearts in a puritan society that s ought to repress even the basic human desires that a person was likely to have. The

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Marketing paper on brand equity, brand positioning and brand strategy Essay

Marketing paper on brand equity, brand positioning and brand strategy on Victoria Secrets - Essay Example dentity helps the company to remain one of the top competitors on a global level while continuing to expand the product line and amount of revenue that is available on a yearly basis. Victoria’s Secret is one of five companies under the name of Limited Brands. The other stores that follow this include Bath and Body Works, Pink, La Senza and Henri Bendel. The initial store began in 1963 in Ohio as a specialty realtor focused on lingerie, personal care and beauty products that are specific to women’s needs. The founder of the company is Leslie W. Wexner, a Russian immigrant that began to build a portfolio of fashion soon after graduating from high school. He grew the company from the founding store of his parents to lead into a segmented corporation. The mission of Limited Brands is to offer the world’s best fashion brands by providing high quality materials. This is followed by Limited Brands offering customer experiences that are unmatched in the industry followed by a focus on loyalty from customers and growth from both potential customers and stakeholders. There are four core principles that follow this, including the focus on the customer, passion that leads to success from the excellence of products, inclusion of new and innovative products for success and the belief to be fair in all business dealings. There are over 2900 stores in the U.S. and Canada and over 40 La Senza stores that are located across the globe. There is an average of $8.6 billion revenue in 2009 and 90,000 employees that are in the US (Limited Brands, 2010). The brand equity that is defined by Victoria’s Secret begins with the firm level that has been created. In 2009, the net sales of this branch were at $1,388,000 with a sales change increase of 9%. The comparable store sales are at 6% with an average of 6,063,000 square feet for sales. The stability of the store continues to remain the same, with potential for growth not only within the US and Canada, but also on a

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Decisions together to make our performance stronger Essay Example for Free

Decisions together to make our performance stronger Essay The development process in drama is where as an actor or director a person looks, in depth, at the meaning of the plot, the feelings created by this and the stage directions and uses or implements these in his or her own dictation of the scene to his or her own taste and liking. Development can also be achieved in groups where, as diplomacy, we can decide on which aspects of the script we wish to implement and which stage directions we also wish to implement or create so as to better perform a section, or whole, of a play in the surroundings and set provided. In this case I developed my section of the script (pages 70-71) in a group of two, where we made choices and decisions together to make our performance stronger and to make the performance work and flow more easily. Shortly after we began to rehearse, we decided that it would be better if the actor playing Mickey in the section, which was myself, began the scene sitting, so that we could add levels into the performance and so that the mood of Mickey and the entire scene came across as a contrast between the joy of Edward and the depression of Mickey. Another reason we chose to add levels to the performance (from the beginning) was so that we could show the difference in class between Mickey and Edward. We had no costumes so we were forced to show the upset and depression of Mickey purely with expressions and in posture and position. Where as, we had to show the happiness and excitement from Edward, which was far more easy to procure, in the way he moved around the stage quickly and also in happy expressions and in innocence (e. g. when Edward asked questions he needed to not understand Mickey, to not realise how he was feeling and so he needed to be very upbeat and confused). Another factor which came into our minds when rehearsing the section was the time of day we believed the section to have been set in and in this our opinions differed. My partner believed that the section happened in the day, with snow falling from the trees, creating a beautiful picture in the viewers mind which would have been spoiled by the upset of Mickey. However, I believed that the section would have taken place at night. The air would have been dark and smelt of gas and the area around Mickey would have been run-down and worn-out so to speak. This would have, in my opinion, made Mickeys story of unwork seem more plausible to the audience as they would have been able to feel the depression and coldness in the atmosphere. Unfortunately, being limited to the use of only lighting and minimal props we had to settle with the idea of dimmed lighting to show the depression, darkness and resentment in the atmosphere. As I mentioned before we decided to show the difference in moods between the characters in the section (Edward and Mickey) by their movements and actions and the speed of these. We chose to portray Mickey as a slow and upset figure, and this was because we saw that he was upset and depressed by not being in work and also, was jealous of Edwards life at university and the money he had. We hoped that, by making Mickey slow and angry we could show how he felt inside to the audience without having to describe what had happened to him beforehand. On the other hand, we needed to show the excitement and happiness of Edward so as to give a full portrayal of the section. We decided that large amounts of fast movement was the best way to show how happy Edward was, when entering the scene, to see Mickey. Movement on stage (from one side to the other), coupled with various hand motions was also the way we decided to portray the excitement of Edward in the section. This said we had to remember that Edward didnt need to move too much because this would make him look nervous or as if the actor playing him was his or herself nervous. Bearing this in mind we decided to make Edward move in his lines from one side of Mickey to the other, at the beginning of the section. As the section progressed we needed to show how the atmosphere and moods of the characters changed as they confronted one another and we decided to do this by slowing the movements of Edward and changing his actions and expressions to a more uneasy mood and also to change the mood of Mickey so that he was even more angry as Edward revealed the wonderful time he had been enjoying whilst he was away. For example, when Edward says the line: Mickey, its fantastic. I havent been to so many parties in my life. And theres just so many tremendous people, but youll meet them Mick, some of them, Baz, Ronnie and Clare and oh, lots of them. Theyre coming over to stay for the New Year, for the party. Ooh its just . . . its great, Mickey. we decided that he should become happier and more excited and move more as the line goes on but that Mickey shouldnt look at him but that he should become more and more angry in his expressions. Climaxing in perhaps hitting his leg or some other action to show frustration. Also, we decided that as Edward asks more and more questions Mickey should become more and more annoyed and that his speech should become more and more strained as if he is trying to withhold his anger but still remain seated. This is until the line: You. Youre a dick head! where we believe that Mickey should stand and shout the line to contrast from the rest of his speech and to show his anger at Edward in full, for the first time. We decided that, in Edwards next speech he should still sound innocent and speak as if he knows everything about being poor and face the audience, sounding proud and sure of himself. Whilst this happens Mickey would become more and more annoyed at him but now speak more calmly, as if he has regained control of his rage. As the section concludes I think that Mickey should perhaps mock Edward for still being a kid etc. And this would show how he has changed, to contrast from how he was Edwards best friend. Mickey should talk as if disgusted at Edward but remaining calm and envious of him. Oppositely, Edward, as the scene concludes, should turn from being innocent and confused to turn and be on the verge of anger. The line: Im exactly the same age as you, Mickey should be portrayed with a slight hint of anger towards Mickey from Edward. However, after this, Edward should become calm again and then change, as Mickey announces his last line, so that he seems upset and on the verge of tears. In the last line, Mickey should begin facing Edward but as the line moves on he should turn to face away from him, half to the audience, half to the other side of the stage and Edward should stare at his back so that we can see the expressions they expose. Both should be upset, Mickey should sound harsh but actually be upset about what he is saying and Edward should just be upset so the audience can see the brothers, separated and see them upset. In the pause, both of the characters should remain still, Edward staring at Mickey and Mickey staring at the audience. Then, as the pause ends, Mickey should turn to face Edward and shout the final line: Go on . . . beat it before I hit y and, at this point, there should be another pause. After this Edward would slowly back away and Mickey should turn again to face the audience. Both characters should have expressions of upset on their faces to show how the mood of the scene has changed. So that the audience can feel the upset and the separation of the brothers, the lights should fade so that a spot is left on each brother. This would not only portray the mood but would show how the brothers feel inside without each other.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Power for Women in Alcestis and Hippolytus Essay -- Greece Greek Play

Is it feasible that through the loss of one’s life and being, one would be able to gain influence and power? Does this fatal gain of power show a previous lack of it? Does forgoing one’s life for an honorable cause improve a woman’s reputation in turn giving her more power? Through our studies, we have discovered that typically women exhibit a limited amount of agency in ancient Greece. Women occasionally assert dominance in the household; although, even within the home they posses limited influence over their husbands. An interesting theme runs though Euripides theatrical tragedies Alcestis and Hippolytus. In each play the lead female character forgoes her life for the sake of love. In Alcestis, Alcestis willingly gives her life to prevent her husband Admentus' death. In Hipplytus, Phaedra chooses to commits suicide as a result of falling in love with her husband’s son and refusing to be deceitful to her husband. Consequently, is self -professed death a venue for the women to assert authority and gain status and agency? How do their reputations and the reputations of their households affect this increase of power? In ancient Greece, women, through sacrifice of their lives, uphold and improve their reputation through which they increase their influence and power in society, yet although they are praised by society because of these valiant deeds, they are unable to actively reap the benefits of this powerful reputation. Numerous sources including Euripides’ tragedies show that reputations are held with the highest regard in ancient Greece. It is through people's perceptions that one is judged; therefore, reputation should be upheld at the greatest of costs. Laws of Greek society allow for a ma... ... Phaedra preserves her reputation and altered her husband’s behavior through her suicide. Yet, there was a trade off: each woman acquired a greater amount of power, yet lost her life in the process. However, because Greek society praised honorable death, this was an appropriate societal action and a proper way for the women to acquire power. Women did assert power in choosing to take their own lives and improve their reputations. Small summary: Greek tragedies show that women, through sacrifice of their lives, uphold and improve their reputation through which they increase their influence and power in society. Yet, there was a trade off: each woman acquired a greater amount of power, yet lost her life in the process. However, because Greek society praised honorable death, this was an appropriate societal action and a proper way that women acquired power.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Personal Response to Dear Daddy Essay

The short story Dear Daddy by Lee Maracle brought me back the tears that I, too, had as a child. I felt pitiful for the main character’s experience and deeply impressed by the thirteen-year-old girl’s courage of getting over her negative feelings for the past and going on with her life. The story, written in the form of a letter, shows the process of a thirteen-year-old girl becoming more mature as she expresses her grievances from her tragic childhood. At the beginning of the story, she described both the emotional and physical difficulties her family suffered through because of the absence of her father. She felt lonely, insecure and confused as she hoped that her father would come back. â€Å"Sometimes I had bad dreams. I would dream the welfare took us away and no one missed us, not even mommy. Daddy where were you?† (Page 163) At the end of the letter, however, the girl started to understand that her view of the world before was unbalanced and incomplete, â €Å"through a thin veil full of small holes†. (Page 165) She felt more released and started to notice â€Å"the greatness of the world†. (Page 165) She began to treasure all the memories she had with her family instead of thinking about her misery all the time, â€Å"we carried on living.† (Page 165) There was a great transition of her character from the beginning to the end of the letter. The girl’s story reminded me of myself. Although I did not have a childhood filled with misery, I did have similar feelings as her when I first came to Canada at the age of thirteen. Unlike a lot of people, I did not have enough time to get ready for a new environment. My parents told me that we were immigrating to Canada exactly one week before we left China. It almost felt like my feet were already on the Canadian land before I knew it. For a long time I felt extremely lonely, unsecure, and uncertain about my future. I missed my friends, my old teachers, and the nice big house we had in China. For the thirteen years of my life in China, I had have depressions, but never as hard as this one because I always had a best friend that could support me and comfort me. This time, I had no one. Like the mother in Dear Daddy, my parents had to work, so it was almost impossible to express my feelings to anyone. â€Å"It was hard, now that mommy was working.† One midnight when I woke up from a bad dream, I saw two tiny mice climbing on my bedroom window. I was horrified as I had never seen a real wild mouse before. Because of my parents’ hard work during the day,  they were in deep sleeps. Like the girl in the story, I did not make a noise when I cried. â€Å"It took me such long time to stop crying and finally fall asleep. I knew better than making noise—just tears trailing down my cheeks.† (Page 163) For the same purpose as the girl’s letter in the story, to express myself, I started to write journals every day. I gradually thought about my past less and less. Instead, I started to study hard and try to make new friends and â€Å"carried on living† like the thirteen-year-old girl. I greatly admire the girl for her courage of moving on with her life instead of thinking about the past all the time. I have done the same before and I knew that it was very hard especially when her life was such a misery. I believe that the lesson the story tries to teach people is that sinking in the past can only bring more misery, while life is wonderful if we view it with tolerate and tranquil eyes.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

How I Learned to Drive Analysis Essay

In Paula Vogel’s â€Å"How I Learned to Drive†, we follow our protagonist nicknamed â€Å"Lil Bit† on a gut wrenching, and downright disturbing journey through her adolescence, told as a series of narrations, monologues, and flashbacks with the occasional interjection of a PSA like voice over. The play recounts the physical and emotional abuse Lil Bit encountered from the ages of eleven to eighteen at the hands of her uncle Peck, while he teaches her to drive. The main flaw I saw in Lil Bit was that she is too smart for her own good. You see this characteristic throughout the play as she manipulates Peck. For example, it was most obvious for me when their roles of adult and child are reversed, and Peck is explaining to Lil Bit what a good boy he has been for not drinking. Knowing how much Peck lusts after her she offers him a reward for his good behavior in the form of undoing her bra. Another great example is when prior to her and peck going on a road trip and Lil Bit’s mother indicates that she has a sense of what Peck has on his mind, she responds by saying â€Å"I can take care of myself. And I can certainly handle uncle Peck.† At this point in the story she is only eleven. It’s hard to imagine a child of that age so grown up emotionally. Overall, most of the characters had likeable qualities, with the exception of the grandmother. I didn’t really like the way she meddled in the Parenting of Lil Bit. I liked â€Å"Big Papa† the best. He’s a crabby old timer who speaks anything that comes into his head with reckless abandon. It brought me some levity in an otherwise melancholy play. The climax of the play occurs on Lil Bit’s eighteenth birthday. She and Peck are in a hotel room, and she’s been ignoring peck for some time leading up to this meeting as he’s been sending her cards counting down to her birthday. Lil Bit is obviously conflicted about their relationship now that she has gotten older, but Peck is looking forward to a time when it’s not illegal for them to be together. This is creepy enough on its own, but when Peck drops the marriage bomb, the creep factor skyrockets. I was honestly disgusted at the idea of a man leaving his wife to be with his niece whom he  has known since birth, blood related or not. Prior to the climax, one major event occurs and that is in the monologue that Aunt Mary delivers indicating that she knows what’s going on between Peck and Lil bit. The words used during this monologue, indicate to me a couple of key points about this character. First of all she is very intelligent. Her thoughts are well put together and the words she uses indicates to me that she has some sort of education. She is also very intuitive, she picks up on the subtle, non-verbal signals that peck gives off when he’s got something on his mind and presumably when he’s around Lil Bit. Also, the words used by Lil Bit in her different flashbacks have a direct correlation to her age. It’s obvious as you read them, that during the later ones she is forming more complex thoughts and emotions, which is indicative of growth. For the music in this play, Paula Vogel suggested period correct music spanning two generations. She mentions Motown several times, as well as Roy Orbison and the Beach Boys. Most of this music is romantic and happy with little hints of sexuality and sometimes-pedophilic references. For some weird reason the voice of the announcer in my head was played by the Moviephone guy. The car in the play was described as a Buick Riviera, but in my mind it was more like a Camaro or GTO. The main reason for this is the obvious relationship between Peck and his car. The way he describes the way the aggressive way men are taught to drive and the feeling of a cars’ response to your touch, just makes me think of those fast nimble sports cars. Taking place in the 1960’s, the costumes in my mind were bell-bottoms and flowered shirts, polyester leisure suits, and fringes all over the place. This was your typical 1960’s attire. I believe the overall theme of this play is about the effect of time on relationships. The relationship between Peck and Lil Bit starts out strong, for her and fragile for him. She has a strong male figure giving her attention while he is nurturing a relationship that he knows is illegal and  immoral. As time progresses, the roles ultimately reverse leaving Peck with much confidence in the relationship while Lil Bit comes to realize the truth about it which leads to its demise. It just goes to show that time will always change relationships, jus not always in the way you imagined.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

St Aubin and The Railway Essay Example

St Aubin and The Railway Essay Example St Aubin and The Railway Essay St Aubin and The Railway Essay A visit to the site at St Aubin is helpful to explain why there is no longer a railway at St Aubin because when you are there you can see that the rails have been taken up. Also the tunnel that was used to run the train through to avoid the train running around the sharp corner had now been blocked off by a blast wall so that a train could no longer go through there. It was built during the German Occupation so that a train couldnt be run through into the tunnel, this is because the Germans used it for storage of a variety of things and they would not want anyone else to be able to get in. The visit however is not useful to answer a few questions, such as how much destruction the fire caused. Also it doesnt show the difference in the railways used, between the JR T tracks and the German tracks.Source A shows me the building that used to be used as the terminus and other things such as a hotel and a place to stay for people travelling. From Source A you can see that the building used to have things such as signs on it saying Venus Soap, Billiard Room, Reading Room and Terminus Hotel. These were all things to draw attention to the building and for people to use the services it provided. Looking at the building today however, you can see that all those signs are gone and it is now used as a police station. Now it has signs such as Police and Saille Paroissiale De Saint Brelade. This straight away tells us that the building now has a new use, but even it was no longer used as a police station it would be difficult to turn it back into a terminus due to the fact that the outside of the building has been pedestrianised. It now has seats and boulders outside of it, which would not be suitable for outside a railway terminus. Another thing we can see is that part of the original building has been extended.Source B shows us the inside of the station, before the removal of the old station roof in 1921. Looking at Source B I can see railway tracks on either side of the inside of the building, and platforms either side for passengers to wait for boarding the train. Also inside this area there were shops for people to purchase things while they were waiting. Looking at the same area today, you can see that it has now been tarmacced over and part of it turned into a car park.Source C shows us tables showing the revenue of the Jersey Railways Company, Limited and the Jersey Railways Tramways Limited. These tables show us that from 1925 which was the most successful year for them the profit began declining until 1935 where it went up slightly again. The reason for making a bit of a comeback was because after October 1931, the St Aubin to Corbiere section was closed between October and April inclusive. Also the company was receiving sums of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1,700 and à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2,100 in 1935 and 1936 respectively due to interchangeable tickets from the J.M.T. In addition to these factors, the entire railway was closed from 1st December 1932 to 30th April 1933, and also in extra winters between October and April (inclusive).Source D is an extract from German Occupation Railways in Jersey by N.R.P.Bonsor. It tells us that there was a blast wall built at the eastern end of the old JR T tunnel at St Aubin as protection for the extensive galleries that were being excavated. It tells us that due to the blast wall being there, it was impossible for a line to go through the tunnel, so the railway then led up to the opening of the tunnel in 1898. This gives us a reason as to why the railway no longer exists, because of the blast wall being in the way. If the German railways, and the existing J.R. T. Railways have different sized tracks, then that would be another reason why the railway no longer exists. In addition, after a visit to the site, we can see that the lines are still laid inside the tunnel, this is because they were embedded in concrete and therefore never removed. This could be a reason why the railway could be reopened, because since the line still exists within the tunnel, after the blast wall was removed, there would be line already laid to continue with.Immediately after the station fire in October 1936, the chief fire officer, J.Remphrey said, Theories as to the cause? I have none. It is very difficult to arrive at the cause of the fire, especially when the stating point is so completely destroyed as in this case. J Remphrey was the chief fire officer when the fire broke out at St Aubin, destroying the station. We arent told much about him, but because he is a fire officer, he is probably quite a reliable source of information. However he could have been lying for the owner of the station, to avoid the owner going to prison.Source 1 (Extract from the J.E.P. for Monday 19th October 1936.)A scene of desolation greeted me when I visited the spot yesterday morning, writes an E.P. reporter. The firemen, weary and smoke stained, were still on duty, and a curious crowd of sightseers stood around. Smoke and blackened shop fronts with the windows smashed and heaps of rubble where the rooms used to be, stared back at them. Inside the station, charred timbers, heaps of broken glass and ashes, the gaunt metal skeletons of railway carriages and twisted iron girders bore mute testimony to the fierceness of the blaze We walked along the new wing and open doors revealed how tongues of flame had licked in and charred the contents; a few feet away the corridor came to an abrupt end, the floor boards sagged dejectedly into nothingness, the gable had collapsed into the railway siding below. Seven rooms had also completely disappeared and a couple more were gutted of their contentsSource 1 describes the scene of the morning after the fire at the station. The source can be trusted, as it was in the JEP, which would be trying to bring news to people. However, the story would almost certainly have been exaggerated to make it more of an interesting read, for this reason this source is more likely to be untrustworthy than not.Source 2 (Interview with Mr C.Chapman, taken from the J.E.P. for Monday 19th October 1936. Mr Chapman raised the alarm about the fire.)I would like you to emphasis the fact that the public telephone was not available, as it was locked up in the station; had I been able to get to the phone I could have got the brigade at least 15-20 minutes earlier.When the brigade arrived I did my best to help and was there until 5 Oclock in the morning.Source 2 shows us an extract from an interview with the person who raised the alarm, the interview was published in the JEP. This source is possibly reliable, as Mr Chapman could have been shocked from the experience, and therefore not in a suitable state for glorifying his story. However, this person was obviously right there at the scene, at the time of the fire, and took up to 20 minutes to raise the alarm. The reasoning for the delay was a lack of public telephone available, however this could have been purely a cover story, as he may have wanted the fire to burn for a bit before alerting anyone, to reduce the chances of the fire being extinguished before enough destruction was caused.Source 3 (Extract from the J.E.P. for Monday 19th October 1936)There was a rumour that the fire was caused by the electric supply. This can be defiantly ruled out, for I happen to know that the refrigerator was cut off from Mr Walters shop twelve months ago, and in any case the fire was on the opposite side of the shop from the electric wires. Officials of the Jersey Electricity Company confirmed that the current had been cut off for twelve months.Source 3 is an extract from the JEP ruling out that the fire was caused by the electric supply. This can probably be trusted as it was claimed to have been confirmed by the JEC, this wouldnt have been made up, as it would have been checked with the company. It still could have been made up however, as the person that confirmed the power cut off, could have been covering for someone within the JR T.Source 4 (Extract from the J.E.P. for Monday 19th October 1936)Mr E.G.Walters, in whose shop the fire started, told the E.P. man everything was safe when he locked up at 10:30 on Saturday night. I am at a complete loss to imagine how the fire originated, he said He left thirty-eight shillings in change in the shop and all that was found yesterday were a couple of coppers.Source 4 is written by a man who owned a shop near the station. He locked up at 10.30 and everything was safe, and he fails to see how the fire can have started. He has also lost some money due to the fire. This evidence is probably reliable, as it is someone who seems to have been away from the scene at the time, and has actually lost something because of the fire.Source 5 (Extract from the J.E.P. for Tuesday 20th October 1936)Was the disastrous fire which destroyed St Aubins railway station, 5 lock-up shops, 15 railway coaches, a wing of the Terminus hotel, caused inadvertently by a burglar who had broken into the butchers shop tenanted by Mr Walters, between 11:30 PM on Saturday and 1:30 AM on Sunday? (The time when the fire was discovered)Such is the somewhat startling question which St Brelades police are asking themselves.Enquiries made by an E.P. reporter today show that certain facts have come into the possession of the police which lend colour to the theory that the shop was entered at some time during the period stated, and that the fire was started, probably accidentally, by the intruder.The police are, we understand, in possession of at least one clue which may lead to very sensational developments in the near future. Investigations along these lines are now proceeding.Source 5 tells us what the police think happened to cause the fire. It is written two days after the night of the fire. If is almost certain that, if unreliable, it is unintentionally so. It is a police statement, therefore is probably true as they know it. It is still however possibly unreliable since it is just the polices theory.Source 6 Extract from an interview with Mr Walter Rowe, published in The Islander magazine in October 1982. Mr Rowe had worked on the railway as a platelayer, responsible along with a number of others for the maintenance of the track.It was started deliberately. You could see where they poured the petrol. Even the sleepers were all burntwe all knew about it, we had to clean it up ourselvesThat night all wentIt was put to light. Nobody took any notice of it, he told us, because they wanted the railways closed. Mr Rowe was convinced that Jersey Railways and Tram ways knew that the fire was arson.Source 6 is what Mr Rowe says about how the fire was caused. Mr Rowe worked on the railway laying plates. He says that he saw where whoever caused it poured the petrol onto the tracks. He is also with the belief that JR T knew the fire was arson. This source could be reliable because he wouldnt be lying for the company, as he would have lost his job over it. However he could be making the company look worse, because he is annoyed at losing his job.Source 7 (extract from a letter written by Mr R.W.Le Sueur to the Humanities Department of Les Quennevais school on March 7 1987 after the Humanities Department had put a notice in the Evening Post asking for information about the fire)Whilst I never heard any suggestion of arson there can be no doubt that the directors must have felt that the gods had been kind to them when the fire broke out on a Saturday night which destroyed, not only most of the building but virtually the entire rolling stock, long l ines of ancient wooden carriages as well as more modern steel railcarsThe company collected the insurance money, sold off one or two steam locomotives which had survived and the rails would also have fetched something for scrapSource 7 is from a letter written by Mr R.W.Le Sueur after requesting information about the fire. It tells that there was no suggestion of arson, however there are factors involve which make arson seem likely. There is nothing really to suggest that this source is unreliable, as it is written so long after the events in question.Source 8 (extract from the St Helier Fire Brigades Annual Report for 1937. the Fire Brigades annual reports were all rewritten in the 1980s by Dennis Holmes as the original reports were destroyed in a fire at the Fire Station)The cause of the outbreak has not been established with any certainty except for the certainty that it started within the butchers shop.Source 8 is from a fire brigade report, and it tells us how it is not certain how it started, except for that it is confidently believed to have started in the butchers shop. It would seem to be reliable, as it is a fire brigade report, however since it has been rewritten due to a fire, it is not so reliable as the full content of the report may have been forgotten.In conclusion, I cannot reach a definitive answer as to why the JR T no longer exist, however I could suggest that by visiting the site, I can see that the station was quite large. This suggests that the amount of damage caused by the fire must have been quite large as well. Huge destruction would also reduce the will to want to rebuild the railway. People may be afraid that something similar could happen again, if it had been a small station that got destroyed, it could have easily have been replaced, and the Jersey Railways and Tramways could still have been around today. Then again the problem of the blast wall covering the tunnel is another reason why not to reopen the railway. The fact that the rails were different sizes could have been a factor back at the time of the fire, but now that most the rails have been taken up, this would no longer be much of a problem.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Silk Production and Trade in Medieval Times

Silk Production and Trade in Medieval Times Silk was the most luxurious fabric available to medieval Europeans, and it was so costly that only the upper classes- and the Church- could attain it. While its beauty made it a highly-prized status symbol, silk has practical aspects that made it much sought-after (then and now): its lightweight yet strong, resists soil, has excellent dyeing properties and is cool and comfortable in warmer weather. The Lucrative Secret of Silk For millennia, the secret of how silk was made was jealously guarded by the Chinese. Silk was an important part of Chinas economy; entire villages would engage in the production of silk, or sericulture, and they could live off the profits of their labors for much of the year. Some of the luxurious fabric they produced would find its way along the Silk Road to Europe, where only the wealthiest could afford it. Eventually, the secret of silk leaked out of China. By the second century C.E., silk was being produced in India, and a few centuries later, in Japan. By the fifth century, silk production had found its way to the middle east. Still, it remained a mystery in the west, where artisans learned to dye it and weave it, but still didnt know how to make it. By the sixth century, the demand for silk was so strong in the Byzantine Empire that the emperor, Justinian, decided they should be privy to the secret, as well. According to Procopius, Justinian questioned a pair of monks from India who claimed to know the secret of sericulture. They promised the emperor they could acquire silk for him without having to procure it from the Persians, with whom the Byzantines were at war. When pressed, they, at last, shared the secret of how silk was made: worms spun it.1 Moreover, these worms fed primarily on the leaves of the mulberry tree. The worms themselves could not be transported away from India . . . but their eggs could be. As unlikely as the monks explanation may have sounded, Justinian was willing to take a chance. He sponsored them on a return trip to India with the objective of bringing back silkworm eggs. This they did by hiding the eggs in the hollow centers of their bamboo canes. The silkworms born from these eggs were the progenitors of all the silkworms used to produce silk in the west for the next 1,300 years. Medieval European Silk Producers Thanks to Justinians wily monk friends, Byzantines were the first to establish a silk production industry in the medieval west, and they maintained a monopoly on it for several hundred years. They set up silk factories, which were known as gynaecea because the workers were all women. Like serfs, silk workers were bound to these factories by law and could not leave to work or live elsewhere without the permission of the owners. Western Europeans imported silks from Byzantium, but they continued to import them from India and the Far East, as well. Wherever it came from, the fabric was so costly that its use was reserved for the church ceremony and cathedral decorations. The Byzantine monopoly was broken when Muslims, who had conquered Persia and acquired the secret of silk, brought the knowledge to Sicily and Spain; from there, it spread to Italy. In these European regions, workshops were established by local rulers, who retained control over the lucrative industry. Like the gynaecea, they employed mainly women who were bound to the workshops. By the 13th century, European silk was competing successfully with Byzantine products. For most of the Middle Ages, silk production spread no further in Europe, until a few factories were set up in France in the 15th century. Note 1The silkworm isnt really a worm but the pupa of the Bombyx mori moth. Sources Netherton, Robin, and Gale R. Owen-Crocker, Medieval Clothing and Textiles. Boydell Press, 2007, 221 pp. Compare prices Jenkins, D.T., editor, The Cambridge History of Western Textiles , vols. I and II. Cambridge University Press, 2003, 1191 pp. Compare prices Piponnier, Francoise, and Perrine Mane, Dress in the Middle Ages. Yale University Press, 1997, 167 pp. Compare Prices Burns, E. Jane, Sea of silk: a textile geography of womens work in medieval French literature. University of Pennsylvania Press. 2009, 272 pp. Compare Prices Amt, Emilie, Womens lives in medieval Europe: a sourcebook. Routledge, 1992, 360 pp. Compare prices Wigelsworth, Jeffrey R., Science and technology in medieval European life. Greenwood Press, 2006, 200 pp. Compare prices

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Advanced HealthCare Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Advanced HealthCare Management - Assignment Example Quality improvement in healthcare organizations is faced by a number of controversies. This emanates from the fact that there tends to be certain challenges associated with the implementation of QI and CQI in healthcare (Burns et. al, 2012). The first notable challenge in the implementation of QI and CQI in healthcare encompasses the inability to measure the quality with a lot of accuracy. There may be some management, as well technical issues that may create a barrier to the use of quality measures in a healthcare setting. For example, managers in a healthcare organization may not have the necessary knowledge on what they should do with the measures of quality in an organization. Most managers tend to lack the skills needed for the implementation and use of quality measures in an organization. This is despite the fact they may be having some knowledge on how to handle issues such as those related to finance (McLaughlin & Kaluzny, 2006). Managers lack knowledge on how to implement quality measures in a healthcare setting because they do not have the adequate training needed to implement the measures. In most cases, managers in healthcare organizations do not go for training that would enable them implement quality measures with a lot of ease. As a result, the improvement of quality in an organization may become problematic. Managers may also lack knowledge of implementation because they have limited knowledge about the actual delivery of healthcare services to patients. This is compounded by the fact that managers in a healthcare organization do not have a direct link to patients. The second challenge to the implementation of QI and QCI includes the nature of the quality measures, which the organization wishes to implement. This is because most measures of quality in an organization tend to be based on the validity, as well as the reliability that can be placed on such measures. In most cases, it becomes challenging to evaluate the