Foundation and Empire 1. Search For Magicians

BEL RIOSE†¦ In his relatively short career, Riose earned the title of â€Å"The Last of the Imperials† and earned it well. A study of his campaigns reveals him to be the equal of Peurifoy in strategic ability and his superior perhaps in his ability to handle men. That he was born in the days of the decline of Empire made it all but impossible for him to equal Peurifoy's record as a conqueror. Yet he had his chance when, the first of the Empire's generals to do so, he faced the Foundation squarely†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica *All quotations from the Encyclopedia Galactica here reproduced are taken from the 116th Edition published in 1020 F.E. by the Encyclopedia Galactica Publishing Co., Terminus, with permission of the publishers. Bel Riose traveled without escort, which is not what court etiquette prescribes for the head of a fleet stationed in a yet-sullen stellar system on the Marches of the Galactic Empire. But Bel Riose was young and energetic – energetic enough to be sent as near the end of the universe as possible by an unemotional and calculating court – and curious besides. Strange and improbable tales fancifully-repeated by hundreds and murkily-known to thousands intrigued the last faculty; the possibility of a military venture engaged the other two. The combination was overpowering. He was out of the dowdy ground-car he had appropriated and at the door of the fading mansion that was his destination. He waited. The photonic eye that spanned the doorway was alive, but when the door opened it was by hand. Bel Riose smiled at the old man. â€Å"I am Riose-â€Å" â€Å"I recognize you.† The old man remained stiffly and unsurprised in his place. â€Å"Your business?† Riose withdrew a step in a gesture of submission. â€Å"One of peace. If you are Ducem Barr, I ask the favor of conversation.† Ducem Barr stepped aside and in the interior of the house the walls glowed into life, The general entered into daylight. He touched the wall of the study, then stared at his fingertips. â€Å"You have this on Siwenna?† Barr smiled thinly. â€Å"Not elsewhere, I believe. I keep this in repair myself as well as I can. I must apologize for your wait at the door. The automatic device registers the presence of a visitor but will no longer open the door.† â€Å"Your repairs fall short?† The general's voice was faintly mocking. â€Å"Parts are no longer available. If you will sit, sir. You drink tea?† â€Å"On Siwenna? My good sir, it is socially impossible not to drink it here.† The old patrician retreated noiselessly with a slow bow that was part of the ceremonious legacy left by the aristocracy of the last century's better days. Riose looked after his host's departing figure, and his studied urbanity grew a bit uncertain at the edges. His education had been purely military; his experience likewise. He had, as the cliche‚ has it, faced death many times; but always death of a very familiar and tangible nature, Consequently, there is no inconsistency in the fact that the idolized lion of the Twentieth Fleet felt chilled in the suddenly musty atmosphere of an ancient room. The general recognized the small black-ivroid boxes that lined the shelves to be books. Their titles were unfamiliar. He guessed that the large structure at one end of the room was the receiver that transmuted the books into sight-and-sound on demand. He had never seen one in operation; but he had heard of them. Once he had been told that long before, during the golden ages when the Empire had been co-extensive with the entire Galaxy, nine houses out of every ten had such receivers – and such rows of books. But there were borders to watch now; books were for old men. And half the stories told about the old days were mythical anyway. More than half. The tea arrived, and Riose seated himself. Ducem Barr lifted his cup. â€Å"To your honor.† â€Å"Thank you. To yours.† Ducem Barr said deliberately, â€Å"You are said to be young. Thirty-five?† â€Å"Near enough. Thirty-four.† â€Å"In that case,† said Barr, with soft emphasis, â€Å"I could not begin better than by informing you regretfully that I am not in the possession of love charms, potions, or philtres. Nor am I in the least capable of influencing the favors of any young lady as may appeal to you.† â€Å"I have no need of artificial aids in that respect, sir.† The complacency undeniably present in the general's voice was stirred with amusement. â€Å"Do you receive many requests for such commodities?† â€Å"Enough. Unfortunately, an uninformed public tends to confuse scholarship with magicianry, and love life seems to be that factor which requires the largest quantity of magical tinkering.† â€Å"And so would seem most natural. But I differ. I connect scholarship with nothing but the means of answering difficult questions.† The Siwennian considered somberly, â€Å"You may be as wrong as they!† â€Å"That may turn out or not.† The young general set down his cup in its flaring sheath and it refilled. He dropped the offered flavor-capsule into it with a small splash. â€Å"Tell me then, patrician, who are the magicians? The real ones.† Barr seemed startled at a title long-unused. He said, â€Å"There are no magicians.† â€Å"But people speak of them. Siwenna crawls with the tales of them. There are cults being built about them. There is some strange connection between it and those groups among your countrymen who dream and drivel of ancient days and what they call liberty and autonomy. Eventually the matter might become a danger to the State.† The old man shook his head. â€Å"Why ask me? Do you smell rebellion, with myself at the head?† Riose shrugged, â€Å"Never. Never. Oh, it is not a thought completely ridiculous. Your father was an exile in his day; you yourself a patriot and a chauvinist in yours. It is indelicate in me as a guest to mention it, but my business here requires it. And yet a conspiracy now? I doubt it. Siwenna has had the spirit beat out of it these three generations.† The old man replied with difficulty, â€Å"I shall be as indelicate a host as you a guest. I shall remind you that once a viceroy thought as you did of the spiritless Siwennians. By the orders of that viceroy my father became a fugitive pauper, my brothers martyrs, and my sister a suicide. Yet that viceroy died a death sufficiently horrible at the hands of these same slavish Siwennians.† â€Å"Ah, yes, and there you touch nearly on something I could wish to say. For three years the mysterious death of that viceroy has been no mystery to me. There was a young soldier of his personal guard whose actions were of interest. You were that soldier, but there is no need of details, I think.† Barr was quiet. â€Å"None. What do you propose?† â€Å"That you answer my questions.† â€Å"Not under threats. I am old enough for life not to mean particularly overmuch.† â€Å"My good sir, these are hard times,† said Riose, with meaning, â€Å"and you have children and friends. You have a country for which you have mouthed phrases of love and folly in the past. Come, if I should decide to use force, my aim would not be so poor as to strike you.† Barr said coldly, â€Å"What do you want?† Riose held the empty cup as he spoke. â€Å"Patrician, listen to me. These are days when the most successful soldiers are those whose function is to lead the dress parades that wind through the imperial palace grounds on feast days and to escort the sparkling pleasure ships that carry His Imperial Splendor to the summer planets. I†¦ I am a failure. I am a failure at thirty-four, and I shall stay a failure. Because, you see, I like to fight. â€Å"That's why they sent me here. I'm too troublesome at court. I don't fit in with the etiquette. I offend the dandies and the lord admirals, but I'm too good a leader of ships and men to be disposed of shortly be being marooned in space. So Siwenna is the substitute. It's a frontier world; a rebellious and a barren province. It is far away, far enough away to satisfy all. â€Å"And so I moulder. There are no rebellions to stamp down, and the border viceroys do not revolt lately, at least, not since His Imperial Majesty's late father of glorious memory made an example of Mountel of Paramay.† â€Å"A strong Emperor,† muttered Barr. â€Å"Yes, and we need more of them. He is my master; remember that. These are his interests I guard.† Barr shrugged unconcernedly. â€Å"How does all this relate to the subject?† â€Å"I'll show you in two words. The magicians I've mentioned come from beyond-out there beyond the frontier guards, where the stars are scattered thinly-â€Å" â€Å"‘Where the stars are scattered thinly,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ quoted Barr, â€Å"‘And the cold of space seeps in.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ â€Å"Is that poetry?† Riose frowned. Verse seemed frivolous at the moment. â€Å"In any case, they're from the Periphery – from the only quarter where I am free to fight for the glory of the Emperor.† â€Å"And thus serve His Imperial Majesty's interests and satisfy your own love of a good fight.† â€Å"Exactly. But I must know what I fight; and there you can help.† â€Å"How do you know?† Riose nibbled casually at a cakelet. â€Å"Because for three years I have traced every rumor, every myth, every breath concerning the magicians – and of all the library of information I have gathered, only two isolated facts are unanimously agreed upon, and are hence certainly true. The first is that the magicians come from the edge of the Galaxy opposite Siwenna; the second is that your father once met a magician, alive and actual, and spoke with him.† The aged Siwennian stared unblinkingly, and Riose continued, â€Å"You had better tell me what you know-â€Å" Barr said thoughtfully, â€Å"It would be interesting to tell you certain things. It would be a psychohistoric experiment of my own.† â€Å"What kind of experiment?† â€Å"Psychohistoric.† The old man had an unpleasant edge to his smile. Then, crisply, â€Å"You'd better have more tea. I'm going to make a bit of a speech.† He leaned far back into the soft cushions of his chair. The wall-lights had softened to a pink-ivory glow, which mellowed even the soldier's hard profile. Ducem Barr began, â€Å"My own knowledge is the result of two accidents; the accidents of being born the son of my father, and of being born the native of my country. It begins over forty years ago, shortly after the great Massacre, when my father was a fugitive in the forests of the South, while I was a gunner in the viceroy's personal fleet. This same viceroy, by the way, who had ordered the Massacre, and who died such a cruel death thereafter.† Barr smiled grimly, and continued, â€Å"My father was a Patrician of the Empire and a Senator of Siwenna. His name was Onum Barr.† Riose interrupted impatiently, â€Å"I know the circumstances of his exile very well. You needn't elaborate upon it.† The Siwennian ignored him and proceeded without deflection. â€Å"During his exile a wanderer came upon him; a merchant from the edge of the Galaxy; a young man who spoke a strange accent, knew nothing of recent Imperial history, and who was protected by an individual force-shield.† â€Å"An individual force-shield?† Riose glared. â€Å"You speak extravagance. What generator could be powerful enough to condense a shield to the size of a single man? By the Great Galaxy, did he carry five thousand myria-tons of nuclear power-source about with him on a little wheeled gocart?† Barr said quietly, â€Å"This is the magician of whom you hear whispers, stories and myths. The name ‘magician' is not lightly earned. He carried no generator large enough to be seen, but not the heaviest weapon you can carry in your hand would have as much as creased the shield he bore.† â€Å"Is this all the story there is? Are the magicians born of maunderings of an old man broken by suffering and exile?† â€Å"The story of the magicians antedated even my father, sir. And the proof is more concrete. After leaving my father, this merchant that men call a magician visited a Tech-man at the city to which my father had guided him, and there he left a shield-generator of the type he wore. That generator was retrieved by my father after his return from exile upon the execution of the bloody viceroy. It took a long time to find- â€Å"The generator hangs on the wall behind you, sir. It does not work. It never worked but for the first two days; but if you'll look at it, you will see that no one in the Empire ever designed it.† Bel Riose reached for the belt of linked metal that clung to the curved wall. It came away with a little sucking noise as the tiny adhesion-field broke at the touch of his hand. The ellipsoid at the apex of the belt held his attention. It was the size of a walnut. â€Å"This-† he said. â€Å"Was the generator,† nodded Barr. â€Å"But it was the generator. The secret of its workings are beyond discovery now. Sub-electronic investigations have shown it to be fused into a single lump of metal and not all the most careful study of the diffraction patterns have sufficed to distinguish the discrete parts that had existed before fusion.† â€Å"Then your ‘proof' still lingers on the frothy border of words backed by no concrete evidence.† Barr shrugged. â€Å"You have demanded my knowledge of me and threatened its extortion by force. If you choose to meet it with skepticism, what is that to me? Do you want me to stop?† â€Å"Go on!† said the general, harshly. â€Å"I continued my father's researches after he died, and then the second accident I mentioned came to help me, for Siwenna was well known to Hari Seldon.† â€Å"And who is Hari Seldon?† â€Å"Hari Seldon was a scientist of the reign of the Emperor, Daluben IV. He was a psychohistorian; the last and greatest of them all. He once visited Siwenna, when Siwenna was a great commercial center, rich in the arts and sciences.† â€Å"Hmph,† muttered Riose, sourly, â€Å"where is the stagnant planet that does not claim to have been a land of overflowing wealth in older days?† â€Å"The days I speak of are the days of two centuries ago, when the Emperor yet ruled to the uttermost star; when Siwenna was a world of the interior and not a semi-barbarian border province. In those days, Hari Seldon foresaw the decline of Imperial power and the eventual barbarization of the entire Galaxy.† Riose laughed suddenly. â€Å"He foresaw that? Then he foresaw wrong, my good scientist. I suppose you call yourself that. Why, the Empire is more powerful now than it has been in a millennium. Your old eyes are blinded by the cold bleakness of the border. Come to the inner worlds some day; come to the warmth and the wealth of the center.† The old man shook his head somberly. â€Å"Circulation ceases first at the outer edges. It will take a while yet for the decay to reach the heart. That is, the apparent, obvious-to-all decay, as distinct from the inner decay that is an old story of some fifteen centuries.† â€Å"And so this Hari Seldon foresaw a Galaxy of uniform barbarism,† said Riose, good-humoredly. â€Å"And what then, eh?† â€Å"So he established two foundations at the extreme opposing ends of the Galaxy – Foundations of the best, and the youngest, and the strongest, there to breed, grow, and develop. The worlds on which they were placed were chosen carefully; as were the times and the surroundings. All was arranged in such a way that the future as foreseen by the unalterable mathematics of psychohistory would involve their early isolation from the main body of Imperial civilization and their gradual growth into the germs of the Second Galactic Empire – cutting an inevitable barbarian interregnum from thirty thousand years to scarcely a single thousand.† â€Å"And where did you find out all this? You seem to know it in detail.† â€Å"I don't and never did,† said the patrician with composure. â€Å"It is the painful result of the piecing together of certain evidence discovered by my father and a little more found by myself. The basis is flimsy and the superstructure has been romanticized into existence to fill the huge gaps. But I am convinced that it is essentially true.† â€Å"You are easily convinced.† â€Å"Am I? It has taken forty years of research.† â€Å"Hmph. Forty years! I could settle the question in forty days. In fact, I believe I ought to. It would be – different.† â€Å"And how would you do that?† â€Å"In the obvious way. I could become an explorer. I could find this Foundation you speak of and observe with my eyes. You say there are two?† â€Å"The records speak of two. Supporting evidence has been found only for one, which is understandable, for the other is at the extreme end of the long axis of the Galaxy.† â€Å"Well, we'll visit the near one.† The general was on his feet, adjusting his belt. â€Å"You know where to go?† asked Barr. â€Å"In a way. In the records of the last viceroy but one, he whom you murdered so effectively, there are suspicious tales of outer barbarians. In fact, one of his daughters was given in marriage to a barbarian prince. I'll find my way.† He held out a hand. â€Å"I thank you for your hospitality.† Ducem Barr touched the hand with his fingers and bowed formally. â€Å"Your visit was a great honor.† â€Å"As for the information you gave me,† continued Bel Riose, â€Å"I'll know how to thank you for that when I return.† Ducem Barr followed his guest submissively to the outer door and said quietly to the disappearing ground-car, â€Å"And if you return.†

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My Critical Views On Global Climate Change Essay Example for Free

My Critical Views On Global Climate Change Essay It is clear that even despite actions with regards to using measures and activities that are environmentally friendly, much more work is needed in order to address the problem of global climate change. The implementation of international protocols and requiring countries to meet certain environmental standards is certainly a big step towards addressing this issue. More intergovernmental cooperation is also another prospective answer to this problem. The more developed countries should also take the lead in encouraging the shift away from more traditional methods of production towards more environmentally friendly methods through the award of grants and exchange of technology (Torn and Harte, 2006). The creation of a body that is designed to not only specifically develop policies regarding this issue but also be given the power to enforce these policies will allow for the more efficient reduction of these greenhouse gases (Torn and Harte, 2006). It is unclear just how effective these policies may be but the fact that is clear is that in order to address this issue, each and every person in the world must take part in reducing the emission of these greenhouse gases which is the main cause of this problem (Gore, 2006). Simple steps such as taking the public transport or walking instead of taking carbon monoxide emitting vehicles will go a long way. There are many things that people can do in order to contribute to the improvement of the current environmental condition. It does not take a lot and it all starts with the awareness of the gravity of the situation. While the general scientific consensus is that global warming is real and its overall effects are detrimental, there are still some prominent scientists who feel that the severe effects of global warming have been sensationalized. Certain members of society take the idea of global warming with the normal temperature and that the temperature of the surface of the Earth has not severely increased over the last one hundred years. They claim that the temperature data collected in the 1970’s were taken in urbanized areas using different kinds of thermometers, hence the temperature readings were influenced by human error and do not precisely show drastic temperature changes in the surface of the Earth as well as in the oceans. It is therefore important the satellite data be acquired for the coming next decades in order to generate robust and reliable temperature readings that society and the scientific world will acceptable without any doubts on its credibility and efficiency. It is also of prime importance that scientific and legislative bodies prove that global warming does actually occur as a result of carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere. Geological scientists have gather substantial fossil evidence that prove that carbon dioxide concentrations have increased on the surface of the Earth, which thus results in a warmer surface, but the direct connection between the increase in carbon dioxide and the temperature increase at the actual in situ settings should still be observed. Most of the information and generalizations that scientists have collected were based on laboratory conditions where most of the components of the setup were easily regulated and controlled, such as humidity and temperature. There are currently a number of models that may be used in forecasting average surface temperatures on the Earth, but there is still a need to also design a model that could predict the amount of human-made emissions that could trigger the same features that cause global warming. There is quite a huge number of people in society that still do not understand the climate changes and what triggers such disturbances in our current weather. In the United States, there has been some restriction with regards to releasing information and disseminating information with regards to global warming. The Union of Concerned Scientists to the Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the senate has reported that the current administration has instructed research scientists to filter any information that they release to the public and that only issues that fit the current administration should be reported. The phrases of global warming and climate change have thus been identified as taboo in any type of communication that is delivered to the American society. Such restriction has resulted in the resignation of a number of scientists who have a personal belief that the truth with regards to any discovery should be released to the public as soon as possible (Andrew, 2007). Every country is now aware of the causes and effects of global warming on the ecosystem. There has been great speculation that global warming is both a natural and a man-made phenomenon. Whatever the cause is, it is imperative that every citizen understands what global warming is and what measures can be taken in order to minimize, avoid or prevent the increase in accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. References Andrew B (2007): Scientific bodies must take own action on emissions. Nature 448(7155):749 Choi O and Fisher A (2003): The impacts of socioeconomic development and climate change on severe weather catastrophe losses: Mid-Atlantic region (MAR) and the U. S. Climate Change Vol. 58, pp. 149. Gore A (2006): An inconvenient truth: The planetary emergency of global warming and what we can do about it. Rodale Books. Gregory JM, Stouffer RJ and Raper SCG (2002): An observationally based estimate of the climate sensitivity. J. Climate 15(22):3117-21. Haigh JD (2003): The effects of solar variability on the Earths climate. Philos. Trans. Roy. Soc. A: Math. Phys. Eng. Sci. 361(1802):91-111.

High Bypass Ratio Turbofan

High Bypass Ratio Turbofan INTRODUCTION Turbofan engines are basically turbojet engines which are provided with a large fan. These were developed to combine some of the best features of both turbojet and turboprop engines. The major advantage of turbofan engines are that it provides a better fuel efficiency. Most of the airliners today use turbofan engines. (Aviation History online museum c. 2008) Bypass ratio: It is defined as the mass flow rate of air bypassing the combustion chamber to the mass flow rate of air passing through the core of the engine. Figure I: Schematic diagram of Low and High Bypass Turbo fan (Yoon J. 2001) Turbo fan engines may be sub-categorized based on the bypass ratio as:- Low-bypass ratio turbofan A small amount of air bypasses the combustion chamber, through the fan ducts and the fan is of very small diameter. These are compact in nature. High-bypass ratio turbofan The fan in a high-bypass turbofan is much larger to force a large volume of air through the ducts. These can generate more thrust, are better in fuel efficiency and are less noisy than the other engines. (Yoon J. 2001) The three major companies to introduce turbofan engines were General Electric, Rolls Royce and Pratt Whitney. All of these companies introduced there version of turbofan engine one after the other. The first high bypass turbofan engine was developed by general electric the GE-T39 in 1964; this was developed in response to the desire of the United States Air Force. (General Electric Co. 2008) Figure III: Pratt Whitney Turbofan engine (Serra 2008) Currently the turbofan engine market is dominated by General Electric, Rolls-Royce plc and Pratt Whitney. GE Aircraft Engines, a part of General Electric, has the largest share of turbofan engine market. (Opentia n.d.) The major disadvantages of these engines is its complexity to manufacture as it contains a multiple shaft system, the large diameter of the engine and a requirement to contain such heavy front fan blades which make it a bulky machine. (WordIQ n.d.) FUNCTIONS OF THE FRONT FAN The front fan or the inlet cowl plays a multi-functional role in the running of a turbofan engine. These are comparatively larger in size than the other parts of the engine. This variation in size facilitates in the creation of a bypass air flow. The bypass air flow is defined as the air entering the engine but not flowing through the compression stages, it flows out of the engine as a bypass to the engine core. This bypass air flow is designed to develop an additional thrust as it passes from the outer surface of the engine core. This bypass air not only generates the additional thrust but helps in lowering the surface temperature of various parts in the engine as it acts as coolant acting on the external surface engine body. It also helps in reducing the noise created by the engine as it suppresses the exhaust noise. Apart from the above functions, the fan blades play a major role in reducing the speed of the air entering the engine. For better fuel efficiency, the air entering the combustion chamber must be highly compressed (Compression ratio around 15). For this the air must pass through the compression stages at sub sonic speeds. The front fan blades act as an obstruction to the incoming air and reduce its speed. Also, the curvature provided on each fan blade direct the air evenly across the inlet of the engine, increasing efficiency. The air is guided in a manner to provide a radial inlet to the compressor. (Benson Jul 29 2008) IN SERVICE CONDITIONS The front fan blades are subjected to various conditions which they should be able to sustain in order for proper functioning of the engine. The may be classified as:- Temperature: The fan blades are subjected to a temperature range of  ± 60oC. The blade material should remain stable in this range of temperature. Figure III: Turbofan engine temperature and pressure distribution by NASA Pressure: The pressure range for fan blades can be classified between 0.192atm (@40,000ft) to 1atm (@sea level). Stresses: The maximum stress concentration can be observed at the root of the blade. Maximum tensile stresses and laminar shear stress occur at the root of the blade. Maximum tensile stress concentrations, under steady state conditions, are concentrated about the undercut radius on either side of the shear slot key. This is due to the centrifugal loads incurred while the blades are rotating. Icing: Ice may accumulate on the fan blades and on the fan rotor when flying under high humidity and temperature around freezing point. The ice on the surface of the fan blades disturbs the airflow and generates vortices. These vortices can lead to an unstable compressor operation. They facilitate stall and surge. This ice also induces an imbalance which leads to vibrations. Detached ice pieces from this can even create a risk for foreign object damage when they hit the fan rotor and components behind the fan. (Diesinger 2008: 179) OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS The various operational requirements of the material for the front fan blades of a turbofan engines can be summarized as a material with:- Fatigue Resistance Front fan blades undergo cyclic fatigue loads. It has been observed that the fatigue failure has often been a reason for initiation of fatigue crack on the blade surface. Fatigue failure (No. of cycles) à ¢Ãƒâ€¹Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚  1/ Level of Stress Corrosion Resistant In rainy or overcast conditions, the fan blades must be corrosion resistant to avoid rusting on the blades. The rusting can cause abrasions on its surface which may result as an obstruction in the motion of flowing air. Light in Weight As discussed earlier, the turbofans are one of the heaviest turbine engines and the front fan blades add quite a lot to the weight of the engine due to its size. Hence, it is desirable to have a material which is effectively light in weight. Vibrations The material should be able to withstand vibrations produced in the engine due to the high speed incoming air. High frequency vibrations can cause de-stabilization to the aircraft. Blades The front fan blades must undergo super plastic forming at the tip to retain a blade angle. The blades are provided with a double circular arc blade profile for subsonic compression of the incoming air. After casting the blades should undergo annealing at recrystallization temperature for the removal of residual stresses that may have induced during the forming process. (Babu 2009:110-111) Blades should have sharp edges to be able to crush any particle that comes in way of its operation. This is to avoid any foreign body from entering the turbine and damaging the engine. High stiffness The blade material should have a high stiffness so as to avoid any deformation on its surface in case an object strikes it while in operation. Resistance to cracks The materials of the blades should be resistant to cracks as even on crack initiation the material should resist the developing of the crack. In case if the material is not crack resistant then it might result in quick developing of crack resulting into failure of the fan blades, which can lead to further engine trouble. MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS Various material characteristics that need to be considered while selecting the material for the front fan blades of a turbofan engine are:- High tensile strength and fatigue strength. Low density. Resistance to corrosion. Sustain temperature range  ±60 oC. High fracture toughness. Damping capability. Hardness: 327-339 HV. (ATSB 2001:15) Avoid any residual stresses as they can lead to cracks. Avoid ice formation by providing sleek surface to the fan blades. (centrifugal action) SUMMARY From the above information we can summarize that the front fan blade plays a very crucial role in turbofan engines. These help in achieving better fuel consumption and hence are of great importance to the turbofan engine. Material selection for the blades should be done carefully considering the requirements such as High endurance Limit, Low density, removal of residual stresses, High fracture toughness, High damping Capability and resistance to corrosion.

Julius Caesar Essay: Gender Transformation of Caesar -- Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar: Gender Transformation of Caesar  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare's Julius Caesar opens with the concurrent celebrations of Caesar's defeat of Pompey and the annual fertility festival of Lupercal. The coupling of the two historically separate events each celebrating distinct gender roles dramatically highlights the importance of gender characterization. Rome's patriarchal society demands a leader who embodies the virile spirit of the state with leadership marked by strength, courage, and constancy. Caesar quite fittingly assumes this role as he returns valiant and victorious from the battlefields; thus, in order to remove him the strong ruler of Rome, Caesar's enemies must retrench his masculinity. Roman society considers women as the embodiment of weaknesses, thinking that their physical, mental, and political inferiority make them of little use beyond reproductive purposes, explaining why aspirants to the throne feminize the identity of the masculine warrior figure to position him as unfit for the crown. The portrayal of the two female characters of the novel, Portia and Calphurnia, captures the prevailing stereotypical perceptions of women. Caesar's wife, Calphurnia, demonstrates women's predisposition towards fearfulness and superstition when she pleads with Caesar to remain at home after dreaming that a statue made in the likeness was Cesar pouring forth blood. Calphurnia establishes the sentiment that fear is a feminine trait with her entreaty to Caesar asking him to use her anxiety as an alibi, saying, "Do not go forth today. Call it my fear." (2.2.50). Caesar agrees to this arrangement temporarily with a veiled acknowledgment of the reality- a rhetorical question relating to the fact that he is "afeard to tell th... ... and Brutus. Cassius proclaims in his death "Guide thou the sword- Caesar, thou art revenged, /Eve with the sword that killed thee" (5.3.45-46). This conclusion of ultimate victory of the masculine spirit seems the only fitting outcome for Shakespeare to engineer if his play is to be a true reflection of Roman culture. Women hold value only in terms of the services that the provide which advance the interests of the masculine community, and in this case, the conspirators needed grounds to render Caesar inadequate for his position and feminizing him provides a useful mechanism in doing so. The retransformation of Caesar solidifies itself in Octavious' declaration to the world that "This was a man!," (5.5.75) reinforcing the notion that the masculine spirit will prevail in Roman society. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York: Simon, 1975.

Illustration Essay: Why We Drink -- Sociology Alcohol

It was a Monday morning and the topic of everyone's conversation was the past weekend. Usually explaining how drunk they were and the uncontrollable mishaps that we didn't even remember until the next day. For example, they tell their friends "Man, I was soooo wasted last night, I must have drank like 10 beers and like half a bottle of vodka", all told with smile of excitement hoping to do it again the next weekend. This regular occurrence got me thinking, why do we brag ourselves and praise others for accomplishing something that requires absolutely no skill? In short, why do we get drunk? I feel that some people drink in order to knock down or at least lower the wall of insecurities they have built up inside them even for just an instant. For example, my friend Mike attempts to be "...

Cloning and Genetical Enginering - If it Aint Broke, Why Fix it? :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Cloning and Genetical Enginering - If it Ain't Broke, Why Fix it? Taking a Pro or Con stand on cloning is difficult, because we know very little about genes, and there are different genetic sciences involved. We must, as Socrates so sagaciously points out, define the subject. Only then can we debate it. There is obviously the full-bore version of cloning, being the complete duplication of an existing life-form, be it plant, animal, or human. (I separate animal and human purely for logistics.) We copy Sheep A's genes, strand by strand, and produce an exact duplicate. Meet Sheep B, C and D. Then, there is gene therapy, which is not cloning proper, but genetics nevertheless, and therefore, worth mentioning. Gene therapy is the process of splicing out malevolent genes, like cerebral palsy, schizophrenia, and physical deformations. There is also the dangerous gene mutation: Rearranging D.N.A. in the hopes of discovering how genes work, and hopefully, producing new wonders of plant, animal, and human life. Essentially playing cards with God, vainly hoping He'll fold. All these possibilities are difficult to discuss, for they are fledgling sciences. We know very little of genes or D.N.A., which was only discovered in1951 by Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins using X-ray diffraction. Realizing my relative lack of knowledge concerning this subject, and realizing there are probably numerous, and very wise, arguments refuting mine, I shall, nevertheless, make my stand: The pseudo-science of gene mutation is, at best, a risky experiment. To casually rearrange a thousand genes, as if building a new house of Legos, is exceedingly dangerous. We have only cataloged a few genes. We do not know if the order is important. And just as the child attempts a castle with his Legos, and ends up with a blue house with two chimneys, we end up with an abomination. Let us stick to Tinker-toys, shall we? Besides, mutations, by definition, are mistakes in the architectural blue-prints of life. Although evolution is made possible by mutations, these mutations are slight and minor ones. One gene is dropped, tweaked, or duplicated. But the thousand remaining genes are untouched, in the same intangible, enigmatic, but important, order. This, combined with natural selection, relieves the gene pool of any dangerous or extraordinary change, and only allows the subtle, positive changes to take hold.

Deterrence theory requires punishment

The birth of criminology ended discussions on legal philosophy in the 18th century. Bentham and Beccaria claimed that actions were the result of free will. Deterrence theory requires punishment to outweigh the pleasures derived from the criminal act. This is the underlying rationale by which our present criminal justice system operates. Consideration for biological factors as origin of criminal behavior was proven to be insignificant. Environment was said to play a vital role in such behavior.Heredity accepts it as unavoidable and a consequence of a bad seed most likely making it like a matter of destiny. The major contenders of crime were observed to be both environmental and psychosocial like greed, desire for power, poverty, education and parenting, and population statistics. These factors most likely raised Cain and produced crime. If biological factors were not eminent in the defects of brain waves and genetics consideration for criminology, the prime consideration of crime then is not centered on the person itself but with the sociological factors that have molded character and trait.Human behavioral genetics assumes that all phenomena have a scientific causal explanation exploring the relationship between behavioral genetics and concept of criminal responsibility. It argues that it has little utility in assessing criminal responsibility as a matter of criminal law theory. Behavioral genetics do not support the idea that human actions were caused by genes. Behavioral differences between individuals were brought about by a complex interaction of biology and environment.Heritability as a statistical approximation of genetic differences against environmental differences varies by age, culture, and environment and do not translate behavioral variation into causal explanation. It does not explain the causes of any specific act done by a person. Behavioral genetics studies revealed failure to account 38% to 88% of the observed behavioral variation of the group being studied. These observations will alone limit the introduction and participation of behavioral genetics evidence in criminal cases. Instead it tends to provide an open excuse for criminal responsibility when mitigating criminal liability.Criminal responsibility determines whether and to what extent is the judgement for corrective punishment. It allegedly shifts responsibility to individual characteristics of the defendant and not of the act itself. This is but a part only of a strategic defense in criminal law proceedings. (Coleman & Farahany 2006). Many criminals have relinquished social responsibility. Their lives projects trajectory paths from the inception of their early life. They were an absolute product of misguided conscience of parental abuse and child rearing who lacks caring and education.Intimate face-to-face interactions in early life are crucial in molding a child’s personality and character. Witnessing and experiencing emotionally traumatic events within t he domain of their warring families develops their perpetuation and formation of attitudes towards the world. The experience itself created a platform for determination of self control, discipline, and modes for socially accepted behavior. (Fleisher 1997). These factors are purely social-psychological effects of the economic and environment situation of an individual.Socioeconomic variables account the consequence of the act and of the blame. Crime inevitably involves human action and subjects itself for moral evaluation. Compromising rationality on a behavior’s moral evaluation is entirely not related to the genes of the individual but of the context of the individual’s social environment and values formation. References Coleman, J. & Farahany, N. (2006). Genetics and responsibility: To know the criminal from the crime. Law and contemporary problems. 69 (1-2), 115+. Fleisher, M. (1997). Can we break the pattern of the criminal lifestyle. USA Today. 125(2624), 30+.

The Process of Growing Up

â€Å"The process of growing up is when you discover the strength within you survives all the hurt†. It was that last hot summer day of sixth grade, walking home from school as usual being so excited to finally move on and become a seventh grader. While walking home I still remember I had that feeling of joy and happiness to think wow moving up to seventh grade next school year and the enjoyment of growing up a little bit more. Seeing how it was going to be summer break. It was a normal and more than perfect day to actually go home from school without a care in the world. When walking up to my house, I saw the green Ford truck all packed up with our belongings; I thought well, â€Å"when we decided to move†? I was analyzing and questioning all the possibilities of why that truck was loaded up with things that both belonged to my mom and stepdad. As soon as I stepped in the house I knew there was something terribly wrong. I walked throughout my house seeing everything turned upside down, smashed, thrown around everywhere and destroyed all to pieces. As a sixth grade little girl I didn’t know how to react or even know what to think. All I really knew was someone obviously wasn’t happy and that same person was moving out. At this point my mom was basically the â€Å"house wife† that cooked, cleaned and did all the motherly things. While my stepdad worked and made the money. They both had their hands full with four kids and still being able to maintain their marriage and relationship. But as you can see their marriage wasn’t at all perfect, everything down fell from there. My stepdad left us with nothing; took just about everything that was in our house. The only thing we had left was our toys and rooms. Coming home and seeing my house destroyed in every way is when I knew at that point nothing is going to be the same and knowing my stepdad was moving out was not one of the best things for any of my family’s lives. Since my mom didn’t work she had to get a job in order to support four kids including a roof over our heads, food and clothing on our backs. This was the turning point of many emotions, anger, disgust and hatred but at the same time this one thing helped me grow in strength, maturity and even responsibility towards myself, making me who I am today. Devastated as I was, my mom had to work nights as a bartender meaning she was never home with me at night and me being the oldest resulted in me having to watch my brothers and sister. Emotions were running high in my family, but from then on watching my little brothers and sister was my job, didn’t really have a huge social life, I found my world spiraling. All of these effects that took place when my stepdad decided to move out really had this huge impact on my life. While trying to take care of my brother and sister, I found myself having to grow up more and more every day. The responsibilities that were involved were more than I could ever handle at that time. Working hard to help out my mom and getting through the emotions of my stepdad leaving was the most life learned experience I’ve ever had to go through. The hardest time in my life by far. As a result of that time, I can say now it really made me a better person in every way imaginable. As time went on it eventually resolved itself, making me more responsible than ever; my maturity enlarged immensely and just that experience alone makes me a grateful person now. Seeing how people can destruct something they once loved including their family really made me realize how lucky our family was without him. Although this experience was at rock bottom at the beginning it ended up working out for the better. In a way that I got a chance to realize something’s on my own and not to only depend on my parents. Just of the simple fact that I learned to have responsibilities. Which in the end really helps me now and for in my future. Having to grow up too fast was the most challenging thing in my life. My family and I survived all the heartbreak that came from my stepdad leaving but now actually being eighteen, I can say it was really worth him leaving. With that being said; â€Å"The process of growing up is when you discover the strength within you survives all the hurt†.

Facebook Brings More Good Than Harm

Stress is the body natural response to the changes which occurs in live. Stress is the combination of psychological,physiological and behavioral reaction. Stresss can be good or bad. Stress can affect both your body and your mind. Stress occurs when an individual is confronted by a situation that they perceive as overwhelming and cannot cope up with. The effect of stress is health problem,impact on students academic performance and changes in personal behavior. Firstly,effect of stress can lead to health problem. It can cause headaches, nausea, rise in blood pressure, pains in the chest, and insomnia.When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength . People under large amounts of stress can become tired, sick, and unable to concentrate or think clearly. Sometimes, they even suffer mental breakdowns. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health,Moreover,stress can give impact on students academic performance. The pressure to perform well in the examination or test and time allocated makes academic environment very stressful. However, academic work is never without stressful activities. Stress is defined as the physical pressure, pull, or other force exerted on one thing by another; strainIn conclusion, stress could cause depression, hopelessness, psychiatric disorders, behavioral changes and the weakening of the immune system. These effects are not all inclusive but these are the ones that most commonly effect people. Finally,stress can lead to changes in personal behavior.Students will become irriatable. His relationship between college mates and lecturers could be damag ed. Futhermore,this changes could make him depressed and leads him to violent behavior. Students are the future leaders of tomorrow and anything that interferes with their well being should be termed as denying the society their future leaders. University should conduct stress reduction sessions to the students, and lecturers too should be encouraged to advise their students where necessary. Students in Universities and colleges should control their stress and hence minimize the possibilities of psychiatric disorders and suicides. (379 words)

The arguments put forth by Camille Pecastaing

The arguments put forth by Camille Pecastaing, in her article named â€Å"A Brief History of the Next War,† are mainly based on the international system. While analyzing the book ‘Iran, The Choice of Arms?’ an international security analysis by Franà §ois Heisbourg, she exposes the major chinks in the author’s arguments. She draws a clear distinction between fact and speculation.Franà §ois Heisbourg, in his theory which is in fact speculation interlaced with facts, argues that a nuclear Iran will be the most serious threat to the world peace. Camille Pecastaing has rightly called his bluff when she points out that such a scenario simply does not exist.Instead she emphasizes on the unforeseen economical fallout on the world economy in the wake of any unilateral strike by the US. Iran’s capability to block the straits of Hormuz is real and if the tactics employed by Iran in the Afghanistan and Iraq are any indication, the strike will only damage Amer ica’s own economy and the international standing than that of Iran. So she stresses that it is in America’s interest not to think of such a misadventure.The arguments of Camille Pecastaing in this article reflect a realist thought process. It examines the international security scenario analysis and possible remedial actions proposed by another author who takes inferences from the actions and imaginary intentions of certain countries.Ambition of Iran to acquire nuclear deterrent is seen by the West as a threat to world peace, fearing regional proliferation and irresponsible posturing. But she sees no imminent danger to the world peace by the actions of Iran and on the contrary, as she understands it, will lead only to a more mature behavior on the part of Iran and Israel as in the case of India and Pakistan.The question of proliferation does not arise as the neighboring countries are too dependent on US military know how and support that they cannot think of acquiring a nuclear weapon.I am in complete agreement with the arguments of Camille Pecastaing. In order to prove Heisbourg’s arguments wrong in saying that the Iranian bomb is ‘apocalyptic’, and it needs to be stopped at any cost, she depicts the futility of strike without a ground invasion, the prospect of failure similar to the one America now faces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the possible negative fallout on America’s already troubled economy and the weakening clout of the dollar. Iran is in a position to cause more damage to the world economy in general and the US economy in specific than the damage the US action can cause to the Iranian economy.The argument of Heisbourg that Iran will slip into anarchy and the nuclear arsenal will fall into the hands of Hezbollahis is only a wishful thinking. As she rightly points out, in all probability, an Iranian nuclear weapon will make both Iran and the nuclear Israel more responsible and the chances of further confrontation s between these two countries and the related chaos that may ensue, will only decline.It is evident from the above paragraph that I am in complete agreement with Camille Pecastaing and it is needless to say that my opinions belong to the realist school of thoughts. To further my arguments in that favor, I can point out some of the past events that led to the invasion of Iraq.American intelligence and spy agencies had manufactured false evidences to strengthen their claim that Iraq is in the process of building weapons of mass destruction which will threaten the world peace and this was believed by the other countries without any doubt who in turn lend their support for an American invasion.Later, when it was found out that it was only a fear psychosis created by the US, it was too late to rectify the damage and the difficulties it caused in Iraq. Moreover, the monumental expenditure for the Iraq war has only put the US economy in undue trouble.

The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 is misleadingly named. It only Essay

The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 is misleadingly named. It only deals with a tiny subset of terms, and does nothing to make sure that contracts are fair - Essay Example Every member in the contract is expected to play his or her relevant obligation in ensuring that the contractual terms and conditions are not breached. The contracts also define the consequences associated with breaching of the terms and conditions that sustains the contract. This act is always deployed in conjunction with the unfair terms in consumer contacts regulation (UTCCR) 1999, the Sales Goods Act 1979 and the supply of goods and services Act 1982. The three enactments are inseparable .However; the enactment has manifested a lot of weaknesses that makes it unfair to the individual members of the contract. This includes the following. Negligence, which is one of the factors in the enactment, has given freedom the insurance companies to deny the liability in case of a tragedy subscribed for in the insurance contract (Eaglestone,2004). Insurance companies are expected to compensate individual or company in case ofan accident. Always individuals subscribe to the service periodically in order to be protected during the times of crisis. Inmost cases these companies take an excuse of reckless nesses to evade the liability. This is common in vehicles indulged in accidents. It is unfair todeny responsibility in which somebody is paying for. Under such a situation, the client is fixed falsely for falling into tragedy. The act does not give consumers the right to take part in solving problems arising from their contracts (Kidner,2005). The business is the only party mandated to provide the solutions based on its own interest. For instances, in case a customer defaults to clear the loans, the institution itself is the only party that sets the penalties without involving the customers in such decisions. Also, the kind of penalties sometimes imposed on the consumers are very heavy to be cleared easily. In most cases the states force people, especially the government workers to join such contracts. In facts several nations have made it one of the

American experience of Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American experience of Democracy - Essay Example However, the path to success and development has not been exactly smooth. The concept of democracy is so deeply-rooted in every bit of the American way-of- life that it is almost taken for granted. This has led some to question if indeed constitutional democracy is a better political system, suitable for the United States of America. This essay shall briefly address the question of the suitability of democracy as a form of government in the United States and, analyze the ways in which it works. The essay shall also try to understand the kind of challenges that the US had to overcome, some of the issues of debate that have helped redefine the American experience of Democracy. In the process, it shall explore the terms 1) government power 2) tyranny 3) equality 4 liberty 5) rights and freedoms, in the context of the American struggle. Years of living and thriving in freedom has made it almost invisible. Few people in the modern day United States realize the modes and manner in which democracy and freedom has nurtured their individual rights and paved the way for their progress and enterprise. Going back into history, the very birth of the American nation took place due the suffocation and repression of basic human rights in the then prevalent in the British colonies of North America. It would be difficult for any student studying the st... It would be difficult for any student studying the struggle for American independence, to miss the feeling of suppression and victimization suffered at the hands of the British colonialism. The parochial manner in which the British had pursued its own interest at the cost of the welfare of it North American colony is evident in the document Declaration of Independence (pp. 2-4). The document accuses the then British Crown explicitly of tyranny, and absolute despotism (p.2). It clearly explicates the extent to which the basic rights of citizens in the British colony of North America were usurped by the British powers. It is pertinent to study this document in some detail because the founding fathers of the constitutional democracy have based their statements of declaration of independence and thus forming a union of thirteen states under the common cause of revolt against the British colonialism. The seeds of American democracy can be found in this document, and would help to obtain better understanding with this context is held in the background. The American system of democracy aimed to fortify its own constitution wherever it perceived injustice in the parent British monarchy. For example, the King had dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly and invaded into the rights of the individuals time and again, which was perceived as not only unjust and undemocratic; it also made the American democratic system stronger through a series of amendments that refined and plugged the weaknesses in the system constantly as can be understood from the document the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10 of the Constitution). Amendment VI of the said document, specifically deals with crime and how crime shall be dealt with under the democratic law.

Marketing and brand Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing and brand Management - Essay Example The report recommends what Wii must do in order to sustain its current market share of 45% with Sony and Microsoft catching up. Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 2 Introduction 3 Nintendo Wii: Marketing Analysis 3 Conclusion and Recommendations 7 References 7 Introduction Nintendo’s Wii was once the market leader in the gaming industry of the United States. Positioned as a sole gaming console for the whole family, Wii held a market share of massive 75% (Matthews 2011). Unlike its competitors Sony’s Play Station and Microsoft’s Xbox which were positioned as a game console for only hardcore gamers aged from 19 to 35 predominantly males; Nintendo went down in the mass markets of families and realized that there was no such thing as a casual gamer. It brought the ex-gamers and casual gamers on the same platform of Wii with low prices and a tagline of â€Å"Wii like to play!† (O'Gorman, 2008; Anthony, 2008). In the short-run, Wii did experience a boost in i ts sales. So much that it outsold its competitors with huge margins. Especially during Christmas, where more importance was placed to family values, Wii managed to attract families and hence, won the 75% market share of the industry (Matthews, 2011). Nintendo Wii: Marketing Analysis In order to analyze the branding strategies of Wii, it is compulsory to understand the concept of the ‘Blue Ocean Strategy†. This concept entails the brand to keep a pulse check on the market as to where in the market are the competitors positioned as. This concept rightly depicts that it is not advisable for a brand to be in direct and head on competition with other players but a better option would be to search for space and gaps in the market and position the brand in that space which is untargeted by the competitors (Anthony, 2008). Likewise, when all the players in the market (Xbox and Play Station including Wii) were focusing on the hardcore gamers’ market, Wii repositioned itsel f to the wider market of families. With this move, Wii was able to build a sounder customer base as compared to its competitors as Xbox and Play Station were still stuck on the hardcore gamers’ market. Now, even those who did not give preference to game consoles as such, were buying Wii consoles either because at their own pleasure or as a gift for the family (O’Gorman, 2008). Provided that Nintendo kept Wii’s design user friendly and simpler to use, its unique make was found to be easily used and controlled by both beginners and expert and adept players (Nintendo, Inc. 2007). Other brands namely Sony Play Station and Xbox have complex controls with non-intuitive or illogical buttons that are shapes and require time for the players to get used to them. Nintendo’s Wii on the other hand is uniquely designed to cater to the needs of non-gamers and soft-core players who find it more user-friendly (Nintendo, Inc. 2007). As far as the pricing is concerned, Wii was targeted to the wider household markets in the game console industry. This meant that Nintendo had to push the prices down in order to attract more consumers. Its advertising and promotional strategies helped Wii to become the most selling brand during Christmas time and especially amongst families who preferred to own only one of all

Critical Issue Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Critical Issue Analysis - Essay Example Followers of the second are equally steadfast in their opinion that to equate abortion to murder rests on a wafer thin foundation of religious beliefs and that embryo neither has life not is an individual with rights. The choice to or not to abort should vest with the pregnant woman. The debate arouses virulent passions2. To being forth the intensity of emotions aroused by the contentious issue of abortion and some semblance of objectivity, viewpoints of a male and female author have been considered. The female is a staunch anti-abortionist, and the male an ‘enlightened’ believer in freedom of choice. In the interest of simplification, the adherents of divergent viewpoints have been placed in two categories, namely, pro and anti abortionists. In an article titled, â€Å"Abortion rights are pro-life,† Dr. Leonard Peikoff3 takes an aggressive stance, and wonders why the pro-abortion rights forces are on the defensive. He willingly provides the answer: because nobody is any longer defending the right to abortion on moral grounds. He exhorts the pro-abortionists not to be apologetic and fight tooth and nail. He believes that â€Å"the embryo is clearly pre-human; only the mystical notions of religious dogma treat this clump of cells as constituting a person,† and â€Å"is not an independently existing, biologically formed organism, let alone a person.† Diane S. Dew, a mother and an anti-abortionist campaigner, in an article titled, â€Å"Its a child, not a choice,† argues that society’s penchant for defense of rights of an individual smacks of the diabolical and pro-abortionists have blown it out of proportion. She contends that the pro-abortion lobby is backed by vested interests, notably, doctors, for whom â€Å"abortion is big business.† Since the legalization of abortion in 1973, our nation has lost an entire generation to abortion. We

Country essay 6 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Country 6 - Essay Example exico, other sources of pollution that affect Mexico due to the activities of US includes pollution generated through automotive vehicles and pollution generated by residences. According to Chow, the pollution that is created and transferred by US onto Mexico is more than the amount of cross border pollution created by Mexico (Chow 1840). United States has shown rigidity towards export of waste to other nations, but the cost of dumping the waste produced within US is very high, due to this US based companies export their waste to developing nations. For example Intercon Solutions was held responsible for transporting electronic waste to other nations which results in pollution of heavy metal (BAN, 2011). United States have implemented strict rules and regulations regarding the issue of pollution, for example: the Pollution Prevention Act which states that the producers of pollutions are liable to seize the creation of pollution at their factories and organizations (US EPA, 2012). US believe that if pollution is controlled at the source, the organizations can enjoy several benefits such as low cost of dumping of waste. Basel Action Network (BAN) : Toxic E-Waste Exports by Chicago Electronics Recycler Uncovered." Basel Action Network (BAN). N.p., 5 July 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2012.

How far is it true that representations of ethnic groups have no Essay

How far is it true that representations of ethnic groups have no alternative but to draw upon stereotypes because all language and concepts have to use previous - Essay Example Socialization provides individuals with resources necessary for acting and participating within their society. For the society, inducting all individuals and members into its social norms, attitudes, values, motives, social roles, language and symbols is the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained. Socialization on one hand prepares the individual for the roles the is to play, providing him with the necessary repertoire of habits., beliefs and values, the appropriate patterns of emotional response and the modes of perception, the requisite skills and knowledge. On the other hand, by communicating the contents of culture from one generation to the other, it provides for its persistence and continuity. Socialization is important in the process of personality formation. Much of the human components are the result of genes, the socialization process can influence particular formation by encouraging specific attitudes and behavior. Socialization practices vary markedly from society to society and the socialization practices are generally similar among people of the same society. People of the same society; with the same culture and of the same community are likely to share core values and perceptions. People generally socialize their children in remarkably similar ways to the way they themselves were socialized by their parents. Ethnicity comes as a result of a subjective belief on a common descent of similarities of physical type or customs or of both. It may also be as a result of memories of colonization and migration; this belief is important for group formation and it does not matter whether an objective blood relationship exists. Members of an ethnic group on the whole, claim cultural continuities over time – same values, practices and norms. Ethnicity and race are related concepts in that both are usually defined in terms of shared genealogy. Ethnicity often

Analysis of Steve Jobs as an entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Steve Jobs as an entrepreneur - Essay Example This study will look to analyse Steve Jobs as an entrepreneur by evaluating him with Saras D. Sarasvathy’s work on ‘Effectuation: Elements of Entrepreneurial Expertise’. The study by Saras D. Sarasvathy (2003) was done with an endeavour to seek an answer to question related to the fact that ‘what makes a successful entrepreneur’s brain different from the average person’ (Young Money, LLC, 2011). The main findings of the study were related to ‘process elements of entrepreneurial expertise’, ‘principles of entrepreneurial expertise’, and ‘effectuation: the logic of entrepreneurial expertise’ (Sarasvathy, 2003). The conclusion that Saras D. Sarasvathy derived from her research was that most successful entrepreneurs generally rely on the factor of ‘effectual reasoning’. It means that they primarily define their goals based on the choices as well as the means they are provided with. Successful entr epreneurs are observed to be brilliant improvisers. They generally do not start their business venture with tangible goals, but they look to constantly assess situation to find ways to make most effective utilisation of the available resources. They look to use their personal strengths in order to develop different goals extemporaneously.

Communications Essay Example for Free

Communications Essay 1. What is an implication, in general, and what are specific implications of the presence of the U.S. flag, Constitution, and Bill Of Rights in all the classrooms at the University of Arizona? a. A general definition of an implication is an assumption that can be inferred from a given scenario that is not obviously specified. The US flag, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are all important symbols of freedom in the United States. The Bill of Rights contains the first ten amendments to the Constitution that preserve the liberties and freedoms prevalent in the United States. The Constitution sets forth the structure of the government we created after rebelling against the British monarchy. The US flag contains a representation of the original 13 colonies that rebelled against the British monarchy as the stripes and the current 50 states as the stars, this representation holds a strong symbol of Americanism. A specific implication of having the U.S. flag, Constitution and Bill of Rights in all University of Arizona classrooms is to help remind students of the freedoms that are available to them in the United States. These symbols of personal freedom promote one’s ability to be an outspoken individual, go against the grain in everything they do, and maintain an individual spirit. 2. Problems in business, government, and relationships are frequently blamed on a lack of communication or a failure to communicate properly. Use the Tubbs communication model on page 9 of your Human Communication textbook to diagnose a communication problem and suggest a recommendation for fixing the problem. a. Tubbs’ communication model involves two communicators and contains three main components of communication: the messages, interference, and the channel. Communication problems can exist across all three components of Tubbs’ communication model. Messages can be intentional and unintentional, when we send an unintentional message we give a message that we didn’t intend to and will usually not find out about the error until we receive feedback from the receiver. Communication problems in channels can occur when sending a message through the wrong channel, each channel serves a primary purpose and sending the wrong message through a channel can lead to a breakdown in communication. Interference is what causes a sent message to become misunderstood or missed completely, usually due to a distortion in the message or the receiver becoming distracted. A fairly common problem that has become more prominent in communication since the rise in popularity of electronic messaging is the inability to relate sarcasm, irony, or other emotions effectively. Usually when someone says something sarcastic it can be taken as a serious statement and the receiver can view the sender as ignorant or senseless. To fix this the person either has to relate the message through a more emotionally efficient channel, such as a telephone call, or include a signifier that allows the person to realize the text should be taken as sarcasm, such as including the tag /sarcasm afterwards. 3. What subject matter is at the heart of the field of communication? To answer this question, imagine that a friend or family member asked you what ‘communication’ as an academic subject was about. How would you respond to that person so that they had a clear understanding? a. Communication has changed a great deal over the last 2400 years but has always maintained a primary center to its study while adding more and more elements. In ancient Greece, Socrates and Plato used communication (then called Rhetoric) as a means to discover the truth and draw it out of their students. Aristotle took Plato’s view and expanded onto it that truth is not always absolute and humans must therefore ascertain the â€Å"probable† truth. These early understandings still hold relevant today and create a framework for the contemporary study of human communication. At the heart of communication is the need for understanding, the need for people to be able to help others understand what they’re saying and understand what others are saying. With this need for understanding Plato stated that rhetoric would be used to promote falsehood over truth while Aristotle saw that either falsehood or truth could be promoted and it is the duty of the citizen to use rhetoric to defend the truth. Communication covers the central topic of providing information to other people through multiple channels in an efficient and effective manner. As communication progresses it will continue to hold its central subject matter while adding more and more relevant areas of interpretation. 4. How was the ancient Greek city-state of Athens involved in the history of communication? What connections exist between communication in ancient Athens and communication in the world today? a. Athens was home to the three scholars who created the two primary views to what we currently know as communication. Socrates, Aristotle and Plato provided a strong foundation for the study of communication while coming from two different views of rhetoric. Socrates and Plato were credited to creating the view of â€Å"Divine Truth† which sought to use reasoning and dialogue to â€Å"draw out† knowledge and understanding. Where as, Aristotle viewed that truth is all around in the environment and must be taken in through the senses. Much of what Socrates, Aristotle and Plato put into communication (rhetoric) is still valid today; Aristotle stated communication is â€Å"purposive† and can be evaluated on whether they accomplish their purpose. Socrates demonstrated a strong relationship between communication that would result in the discovery and appreciation of truth and beauty; this gave a precedent to the value of ethics in communication. Each view puts value into a different way of viewing the truth that surrounds us every day; one sees that there is truth in everything and it’s up to the individual to find that truth while the other views that truth is dependent on the person and can change depending on a persons view. These two views from ancient Athens will continue to lead the study of communication and help shape the continued understanding of the field.

Kim Fuller Essay Example for Free

Kim Fuller Essay In the early fall of 2002, Kim Fuller was employed as a district sales engineer for a large chemical firm. During a routine discussion with plant chemists, Fuller learned that the company had developed a use for the recycled material, in pulverized form, made from plastic soda pop bottles. Because the state had mandatory deposits all beverage bottles. Fuller realized that a ready supply of this material was available. All that was needed was an organization to tap that bottle supply, grind the bottles, and deliver the pulverized plastic to the chemical company. It was an opportunity Fuller had long awaited—a chance to start a business. In November 2002 Fuller began checking into the costs involved in setting up a plastic bottle grinding business. A used truck and three trailers were acquired to pick up the empty bottles. Fuller purchased one used grinding machine but had to buy a second one newï ¼â€ºSupplies and pans necessary to run and maintain the machines were also purchased. Fuller also purchased a personal computer with the intention of using it to keep company records. These items used $65,000 of the $75,000 Fuller had saved and invested in the company. A warehouse costing $162,000 was found in an excellent location for the business. Fuller was able to interest family members enough in this project that three of them, two sisters and a brother, invested $30, 000 each. These funds gave Fuller the$50,000 down payment on the warehouse. The bank approved a mortgage for the balance on the building. In granting the mortgage, however, the bank 0fficial suggested that Fuller start from the beginning with proper accounting records. He said these records would help not only with future bank dealings but also with tax returns and general management of the company. He suggested Fuller find a good accountant to provide assistance from the start, to get things going on the right foot. Fullers neighbor, Marion Zimmer, was an accountant with a local firm. When they sat down to talk about the new business, Fuller explained, â€Å"I know little about keeping proper records.† Zimmer suggested Fuller should buy an â€Å"off-the-shelf† accounting system software package from a local office supply retailer. Zimmer promised to help Fuller select and install the package as well as learn how to use it. In order to select the fight package for Fullers needs, Zimmer asked Fuller to list all of the items purchased for the business, a11 of the debts incurred, and the information Fuller  would need to manage the business. Zimmer explained that not al l of this information would be captured by the accounting records and displayed in financial statements. Based on what Fuller told Zimmer, Zimmer promised to create files to accommodate accounting and non-accounting information that Fuller could access through the companys personal computer. As Fullers first lesson in accounting, Zimmer gave Fuller a brief lecture on the nature of the balance sheet and income statement and suggested Fuller draw up an opening balance sheet for the company. Confident now that the venture was starting on solid ground, Kim Fuller opened the warehouse, signed contracts with two local bottling companies, and hired two grinding machine workers and a truck driver. By February 2003 the new firm was making regular deliveries to Fullers former employer. Questions 1. What information will Fuller need to manage the business? Classify this information in two categories: accounting information and non-accounting information. 2. See what you can do to draw up a beginning of business list of the assets and 1iabilities of Fullers company making any assumptions you consider useful. How should Fuller go about putting a value on the companys assets? Using your values, what is the company’s opening owners’ equity? 3. Now that Fuller has started to make sales, what information is needed to determine â€Å"profit and loss†? What should be the general construction of a profit and loss analysis for Fullers business? How frequently should Fuller do such all analysis? 4. What other kinds of changes in assets, 1iabilities, and owners’ claims will need careful recording and reporting if Fuller is to keep in control of the business?

Role of Technology for English Language Learners

Role of Technology for English Language Learners Introduction The role of technology as an alternative tool for instruction of English foreign language learners increases as educators recognize its possibilities to create both independent and collaborative learning environments in which students can acquire, immerse and practice a new language (Butler-Pascoe, 1997). Through the use of the Internet, word processors, video games multimedia, and practice programs, students can engage in individualized instruction designed to meet their specific needs and participate in cooperative projects that will foster communication with peers in their classrooms and throughout the global community. This research focuses on the potential of video games as a powerful tool for foreign language instruction and acquisition. This is a very important topic for many reasons, the least of which is that so many people do not really understand this medium and regard it in the worst possible manner. What many outsiders of the video game culture do not understand is that video games can be an expressive and interesting medium that can easily compete with the best that other mediums have to offer, and, like any type of expressive medium before them, video games have gone through a harsh trial by those who are bigoted, uninformed and prejudiced against this medium. This paper provides a great opportunity to explain why computers and video games can take an important part in language learning, and why therein we have an extraordinary opportunity to educate, not only our children but the population at large through video games. Video games can provide the ability to shape events, environments and positions in a way which is not feasible through any other medium. According to Larson (1999) and Li (1999), â€Å"the transactional nature and the pedagogical relevance of some state-of-the-art videogame-based interactive technologies make videogames a viable vehicle for foreign language learning†. This thesis aims to reach the following objectives: to make the reader aware of new learning strategies and possibilities for all types of learners; to discover students views on the feasibility of videogames for language learning and instruction; to suggest a new range of activities that can be performed in a classroom using videogames. This thesis firstly discusses findings from various research studies, as well as current language teaching methodologies, in order to explain how video games can contribute to language acquisition by evaluating several video game genres and emphasizing that â€Å"virtual pet†, simulation and â€Å"RPG† (Role playing games) are beneficial for language acquisition. It also provides various sample activities that can be performed in the ESL classroom using video games in their own right. Secondly, the context and participants are presented as well as a research instrument, after which the data is analyzed and given an interpretation and finally pedagogical implications are presented. Chapter 1: Literature review This chapter firstly attempts to explain why videogames can be suitable for learning a language based on several studies that are described next. Secondly, it also outlines how videogames are slowly being incorporated into the field of education. Thirdly, it provides the readers with an overview on videogames and modding and finally how teachers can benefit their lessons from modding and how it can be used in the ESL/EFL classroom. 1. Videogames and Research Using video games to educate has long been a much thought-of goal, yet rarely an achieved one. Although video games may not yetbe able to educate users in a content area effectively, language learners may benefit from video games. Educational software developers have struggled to present a substantial amount of content and context without sacrificing the degree of control game players expect. Very little research has specifically targeted language acquisition through video games; however, various studies carried out over the years in several universities of the U.S, England and Sweden with students of different majors, as well as current language teaching methodologies support the use of video games to learn language. Interestingly, in one study Hulstijn Laufer (2001) found that language acquisition may hinge on the â€Å"level of involvementin a task†, and video game players are often quite immersed in game play, a trait that may enable them to acquire language, since video games often contain simultaneously presented aural and textual language. Another study done by Prensky (2006) suggests that â€Å"videogames allow learners to analyze and decode language at their own pace†. During game play learners may use one input channel to decode the other because videogame players have a great deal of controlover the game play (various in-game choices can be made, games can be paused, actions can be repeated, and conversations can sometimes be initiated at the players own beck and call. â€Å"Dornyei Clement (2001, p.399) claimed that â€Å"one of the main premises for using video games to educate has been to harness learners motivation†. Although, motivation is a crucial element in language learning, motivation alone does not guarantee the acquisition of a language. This was stated in another study performed by Prensky (2004) who found out that one of the most difficult things teachers had to do was to aim for a balance between video game interaction and learning its language which may result too strenuous for some players cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, Brett (2001) emphasizes in his research that the natural repetition which is presentin video games, such as the constant set-up of mini-battles in role-playing games and the frequent use of interactive menus in virtual pet and simulation games, allows a language learner to be continuously exposed to the target language and creates more opportunities for acquisition to occur as opposed to other media, such as movies or books, which often do not reuse the same vocabulary or grammar, making acquisition more difficult and slow-paced. Interestingly enough, the repetition in video games allows a language learner to use their own initiative to use known language (semantic context, vocabulary or grammar) to decode unknown elements through constant exposure. Furthermore, Crawford (2003, p.261) made a stunning discovery in his research when he stated that â€Å"a videogame provides players with a useful kinesthetic link to its language† resulting in players having to give a total physical response to actions prompted. Total Physical Response (TPR)activities are used in order to connect the language item whether, vocabulary or grammar, to a physical action, hopefully making thelanguage easier to grasp, which is quite similar in videogames where players perform on-screenactions that may serve to link the language they learn to their native language. 2. Video Games and Education Video games evoke different emotions in people. Some might perceive them as nothing more than a tool of entertainment, while others might consider them useless and tools of bad influence. Academics, such as Gee (2005, p.13), will say that â€Å"video games are a new form of interactive media worthy of academic multidisciplinary study† regardless of what videogames may be, it is a well-known fact that they are a distinct yet entertaining way for youngsters to spend their time. It comes as no surprise that many educators and teachers are trying to add video games to their lessons and curricula design both to catch and retain the attention of students, not to mention to enhance the course content and likability. Many business, medicine, and law schools in northern Europe are implementing video games such as Kristens Cookies, Dexter and Objection as part of their curricula, whilst other schools introduce more commercially known titles, for example Brain Age and Trauma Center to their science and math courses. According to Hoggs research (2006) carried out in some European universities, students motivation and therefore grades, have soared exponentially as opposed to slump since the implementation of video games in their curricula. Video games have become increasingly widespread in their use, both as a hobby and as an educational tool. ESL teachers should be no exception and be able to make use of this technology to help students in teaching grammar points as much as in developing students speaking ability. 3. Video Games and Modding For over twenty years there have been many attempts at designing educational software with all of them resulting in failure and thus a sense of hopelessness prevailed through much of the educational software community. Fortunately, the emergence of new models have made education and entertainment games stop competing with one another. If we look at todays entertainment video games, many will be nothing like the games prevalent in the late 90s when educators and game developers first teamed up in an attempt to insert artificial learning moments inside games. Back then, in-game worlds were relatively fixed and did not have much depth whatsoever, enabling the player only to play out the action of a pre-programmed story. Today, nonetheless, according to Hansson (2005) games are presumably more open-ended, with many of them encouraging players to take an active role in the construction of the game itself through the use of various mod tools. The term ‘mod means modification, in videogame terms ‘mod refers to a user made add-on to an already existing game. For example, one of 2007s best selling video games, â€Å"The Sims 2† does not determine any explicit goal or winning outcome. Rather, the game presents itself as an open-ended virtual doll house in which users play out and share stories with one another should they choose to. As a result of the enormous flexibility of this game, thousands of players created content add-ons or game modifications now available for free on the web. â€Å"Surprisingly enough, so far, little has been attempted by educators to use the extensive mod tools available for The Sims 2 to implement learning content in a way that naturally integrates with the in-game experience† (Goldfayn, 2006). However, mod tools provide full access to all the language data used in all the different international versions of a game. This allows curriculum designers to easily manipulate popular video games to create opportunities for foreign language learning. Johnson,( 2005, p.191) claims that for most educational disciplines, â€Å"the main rule when choosing a video game to be modded is that the closer the original contents of the game are to the educational discipline involved, the smoother the process will be†. Most people play video games nowadays and everyone seems to work on a computer, so learning a foreign language through video games can be as viable as learning it through traditional classroom instruction. For example, in order to make a game like â€Å"Civilization III† relevant to a history classroom, one simply needs to edit a few maps, scenarios and variables; while a game like The Sims 2 actually does have a distinct similarity between the contents of the game and the contents of an introductory language textbook (parts of the body, furnishing the house, finding a job/professions, emotions, etc), the fact that almost all games use language in one way or another allows a far wider range of games to be modded for usage in foreign language learning than other educational disciplines. 4. Modding in ESL There has been a recent increase in the number of game environments or engines that allow users to customize their gaming experiences by building and expanding game behavior. What is described here is the use of modifying, or modding, existing games as a means to learn English. A case of game modding in classroom settings is described to illustrate skills learned by students as a result of modding existing games, in this case the game which was modded is â€Å"The Sims 2†. Below are some examples of how you can mod a videogame to suit your needs as a teacher as well as your students. These are two sample activities that have been put into practice by teachers such as Mylene Catel, (http://www.mylenejcatel.com/)whohave put an enormous amount of effort into this. Simply by playing the modded version of the game (The Sims 2), students are gradually exposed to heavy amounts of reading practice in the foreign language. However, designing specific reading comprehension tasks helps the teacher assess learning better. Next, I describe an activity which can be performed using the previously mentioned game: Step 1. – Students write a description of their favorite imaginary landscape in the foreign language including any number of specific details (There is a pristine water creek, there are many leafy trees in which birds gather to chirp, There is a family having a picnic nestled under the trees , etc). Step 1.5. The teacher helps correct any mistakes in the students descriptions. Step 2. Students randomly exchange their descriptions with one another via the game. Step 3. Use the cheat mode to give students unlimited money. Step 4. Students avail themselves of a mod tool given by the teacher and create the landscape outlined in their description. Step 4.5. The teacher assesses how many of the specific details students correctly incorporated into their creations. Step 5. Students once again exchange their finished descriptions. Step 6. Students verbally describe to one another their creation. Students try to discern which landscape is the one they originally designed. Chapter 2: Methodology This research was conducted in order to determine whether playing videogames plays a significant role in the personal development and learning of a second language. It weighs the pros and cons of using this medium for learning and expresses what videogames are suitable for learning English and what videogames can enhance students reading, listening and speaking skills. I opted to obtain the view of language students from different schools. Specifically, students aged 18-25 from 2 schools within Xalapa were selected for this task, 10th semester students of the teaching area from the English B.A of the Universidad Veracruzana and advanced level students from Bristol Institute as informants from December 2007 to April 2008. Selected participants answered a questionnaire about the role of videogames in ESL/EFL learning. In order to determine whether videogames play an important role in learning English more efficiently, a total of 20 respondents were asked to participate, 10 of them were from the Universidad Veracruzana and the other 10 were Bristol students. Instrument. A questionnaire was administered to collect as much data as possible. The questionnaire consisted of 10 open-ended questions of which five questions had to do with the participants learning English through videogames and the other five questions had to do with the participants views on whether or not videogames have enhanced their learning and comprehension of a foreign language. To achieve pertinent information, certain inclusion criteria were imposed. The participants chosen had to be students who had been studying English for at least 4 years. This qualification ensured the participants understanding the nature of this questionnaire and its use for teaching English, making the questionnaire items easy for them to understand. My questionnaire which was administered to both populations was based on the following criteria: How much English and how well these students had learnt it by using videogames. The types of games they preferred in their learning process and how such games had helped acquiring their skills in English. Procedure. The administration of the questionnaire to the U.V student population was done when I was studying 10th semester of the English B.A. Therefore, the questionnaire was administered to my classmates at that time. However, to administer my questionnaire to the Bristol student population I had to ask for permission to the school principal, and after granting such, I was able to administer it, all in all both populations seemed to have no problems or questions at the time they answered it. Chapter 3: Results and Discussion In this chapter, I will present all data gathered from the questionnaire related to my research questions I administered to several students as well as charts representing the analysis of what was said in each question. The questions will be divided in two sections according to my research questions How do students learn English through videogames? What type of games do students play in their learning process and how they help? Analysis of questions 1, 2,3,4,5 of the questionnaire – refer to section one. 1. Is vocabulary, rather than syntax, more easily and consistently acquired from video games? Out of the 20 students who answered this question 16 students said that vocabulary was best learned through this medium while 4 thought that syntax was the one best acquired. From these answers it can be inferred that these students mostly learn vocabulary, and syntactical patterns from games. Nonetheless, the focus of what is to be learned will fall into what the students needs are. From my perspective students also benefit from learning pronunciation subconsciously because speech is present in most games. 2. What grammatical patterns or chunks of language do you usually learn from videogames? Out of the twenty students who answered this question, eleven answered that they usually learn phrasal verbs and idioms from videogames while the other nine students said they revise through videogames grammatical patterns such as reported speech and conditionals. From these answers it can be inferred that for these students videogames help best as an aid to learn phrasal verbs and fixed expressions while others use them as revising materials. 3. Do video games help language learners actually acquirelanguage, or do they serve more as a linguistic priming or practicing device? Out of the twenty students who answered this question twelve believed that videogames help language acquisition whereas the remaining eight believed they just serve as a practicing device From these answers it can be assumed that videogames can serve as both a learning tool and a practicing device for these students. However, as a teacher you should have in mind the reason why you will employ them. 4. Can language be acquired more effectively (more quickly and be retained longer) through video games than through other media? From twenty students who answered this question seventeen agreed on their learning being quicker, more effective and easier to retain through videogames. However, another three said videogames had no benefit for them. From these answers it can be assumed that for these students videogames are the perfect medium that can enable them to learn faster by learning the language subconsciously through something they might find entertaining because videogames lower their affective filter. 5. Do students retain lexical or syntactic language studied through video games longer than identical language studied through traditional classroom and self-study activities? Out of the 20 students who were asked this question, 14 answered that they thought retention was easier and lasted longer for them through videogames whilst other 6 claimed they benefitted more from traditional classroom instruction. From these answers it can be inferred that even though for these students retention is generally easier through videogames due to their interaction capabilities with players, how well students retain language patterns through either way will depend on what type of memory they possess. Analysis of questions 6, 7, 8,9,10 of the questionnaire – refer to section two 6. Which genres of games are the most useful for language learners? The answer to this question was a bit variant since out of the twenty students fourteen considered themselves to be advanced learners while six considered themselves to be upper-intermediate learners. Therefore the advanced students claimed that the most useful game genres for them were Role playing games (RPGs) and action/adventure games as they can employ various decoding strategies. While the remaining six said that in their view the most useful game genres were sports videogames because they can benefit from the repetition patterns present in these games From these answers it can be inferred that videogames can cater for every mood and personality and can certainly aid these students in their learning process. However, which game genre is most useful to them depends on their language level. Bristol students often resort to playing RPGs because of their language level while some teaching area students of the English B.A in the Universidad Veracruzana opted for sports games as their games of choice because they feel they benefit more from the language patterns present in such games. 7. Does the learners language level make a difference? Out of the 20 students who answered this question 19 believed that the language level of a learner made a difference in understanding while just 1 student believed that the level did not matter From these answers it can be assumed that the level of a learner will play a crucial part in taking full advantage of the videogame approach toward language learning. For example advanced students are always eager to play RPGs which are more complicated than other game genres while intermediate or basic students try to look for games in which actions can be describe more than once. 8. Do voice recognition games force native and non-native speakers to modify their pronunciation in unnatural ways? From twenty students who answered the question thirteen said that voice recognition games were a valuable tool to help their pronunciation subconsciously while the remaining seven said their pronunciation could only be improved through direct interaction with an English native environment which leads to demonstrate that these few students have a conservative way of thinking. From the answers of these students it can be inferred that voice recognition games are just as good as interacting within an English speaking environment since the pronunciation used in such games is usually done by native English speakers. 9. Do language learners benefit from having their actions described by a sports video game? All twenty students who answered this question said they did benefit from this approach because it was quite practical. From these answers it can be assumed that videogames can come as a new refreshing approach toward language instruction that students would really appreciate since both males and females showed much interest in sports videogames 10. How long would it take a learner to acquire a language through a video game rather than through classroom instruction or self-study textbook? All students had different views on this particular question. Eleven believed you could learn English through this medium in one year while another four believed you could learn it in six months time, two more students said in a few weeks and yet another three claimed the time you learn it was entirely up to the learner. From the answers given by these students it can be inferred that theres no agreement on a learning curve. According to these students how fast students learn the language depends on other factors such as motivation and what kind of learners they are. Conclusion: In these data most of these students claim that they can learn a language using videogame classroom instruction. According to them not only is it a refreshing new approach but it is also quite beneficial for vocabulary acquisition and the subconscious learning of pronunciation. However, a teacher should always keep in mind the objective as to why they will use videogames. Chapter 4: Pedagogical Implications In this chapter, I provide some examples of how videogames can be exploited to design many immersion activities for the ESL/EFL classroom. This chapter is organized into the following sections: RPGs, RPGs and the ESL classroom, elements of literature, debates on cultures, portfolios, character analysis, oral presentations, quizzes/tests and suggested games for classroom use. 1. Role Playing Games Not all video games can be considered classroom-safe. Many video games, while being visually stunning games in their own right, may either be too violent or too devoid of content to be used in an ESL classroom. There is, however, one genre of video games that is ideal for the ESL classroom: Role Playing Games (RPGs) (Goldfayn, 2006). Traditionally, role plays are associated with a person pretending to be someone else. This is exactly what a RPG is. In RPGs, players take control of a character and embark on chilling journeys similar to those told in Edgar Allan Poes horror novels or heart-pounding adventures like those told in Jules Verne stories. According to Din (2002) â€Å"students become exposed to long hours of in-game dialogue, as well as substantial amounts of written text† while being immersed in a quest, perhaps one to save a kingdom, slay a demon or vampire, or save the world. As players retrieve information by interacting with other characters, they advance through the game with the purpose of reaching a final goal and objective just like in any lesson plan. 2. RPGs in the ESL Classroom If there were to be any kind of video games in an ESL classroom, it would be RPGs. In a video game ESL classroom session, the students will play through the game. During this play time the students become exposed to English language dialogue with various accents, which undoubtedly helps students develop their aural skills. RPGs also help them develop their reading skills, as the game will not continue unless the players, in this case students, meet certain requirements which are communicated to them through either spoken communication or written dialogue. Truly, exposure to a language or text does not create bilingual students; it is just not enough. That is why the teacher should plan certain activities to encourage students to share the experiences they just had playing the game and some other complementary activities to reinforce what they learned in the game. 3. Elements of Literature (writing activity) Every story, just like every game, has an introduction, action development, a climax, descending action, and an ending. Many stories, just like many games, have flashbacks, foreshadowing, and personification. It is always advisable to give students a brief introduction regarding these elements, so that they may be familiar with them when they run into them while playing through a game. 4. – Cultural Debates (oral activity) The majority of RPGs have good stories, and all good stories have a setting. Before students get round to playing a game, the teacher should survey students knowledge of other cultures. Getting the students to start a debate on the similarities and differences in their culture or on different cultures in general is always a good way to start. You may begin the class by asking the students what they know about other cultures, a discussion on the Mayan culture, Feudal Japan or the American civil war usually get the students in a talkative and lively mood, as they can bring forth experiences they have had throughout their lives whether these be by watching movies, reading books or personal experiences. After the discussion, the teacher explains to students they are about to play a video game that has elements of different cultures in its world. The teacher should then provide a little information on the game and its characters, so that the students do not feel completely lost when they begin. 5. The Portfolios A portfolio is a collection of evidence that represents achievement and learning within a module/course or programme of study. The portfolio is a tool that can be used once a week, after playing the game. The student would have to write a short summary of what happened in the game as well as comment on the events from the game that they liked or disliked most. If students are at an advanced level they could be asked to comment on some of the more abstract concepts that appear in the game, such as love, friendship, and parenthood. Once the students have finished the game, they could be asked to write an entry regarding the elements of literature in the video game they played. Their writings would have to include short summaries of the events that happened in the game, so they would sort those events into the introduction, the rising action, the climax, the descending action, and the resolution of the game. Some games have open endings and require the players to fill in the gaps with t heir imagination. In case of such games, a good entry to ask the students for would be one in which they will have to account for what they think happened after the game ended. 6. Character Analysis (oral activity) Students can be asked to analyze their favorite character from the game. Starting with a drawing of the character, intermediate or beginner students could discuss how the character looks, speaks, and acts, while higher level students could discuss their characters behavior, thoughts, and purposes. The student should always say what their chosen characters stand for (for example, Alex from â€Å"Lunar: the Silver Star† for the â€Å"Playstation† could be seen as someone who represents friendship, love, and heroism). This would be a great opportunity to teach students to empathize by asking them questions like how would you have felt during this specific event in the game, had you been the character? 7. Oral Presentations Another course of action is having students make short oral presentations on characters, themes, or plot segments of the game. If there is enough time and resources, the whole class could put together a play about an event or events from the game. 8. Quizzes / Tests A quiz or a test about a video game would be conducted in the same way a quiz or test about a short story or novel would be done. Questions could range from reading comprehension (Example: Who does Tidus fight against at the end of Final Fantasy X?) to essay type questions (Example: In Final Fantasy X, do you think Tidus resents his father? Why / Why not?) 8. Suggested Games for Classroom Use The following list contains several classroom-safe video games that can be used to teach English. This compilation is best aimed at being used with students between the ages of eighteen and twenty five in mind. They have cartoon-like visuals, an excellent score, funny characters and interesting plots. Atelier Iris 2 (Sony Playstation 2): A RPG about an alchemist out to prove himself and make use of his awesome skills. Atelier Iris 2 focuses on two main characters whom you can assume at will. One character embarks on adventures in distant worlds, facing off against enemies via a turn-based battle system. The other character stays behind at home and creates items and weapons. Arc the Lad (Sony Playstation): The first game in the series that really redefined what a Strategy/RPG could be, introduces players to a magical world teetering on the edge of destruction. Only the young Arc possesses the power to stop the impending destruction, a