Conformity Vs individuality Essay

Though many struggle to be there own person. Many struggle to decide things on there own.We are all different, but most of us are the same, because of conformity. Conformity is the easy way of things. Following the leader is the natural way of humans. For an example take Germany during World War II. There was little hate towards Jew or Jipsys or the mentally disabled but because one man was such a persuasive and strong leader a whole country conformed to killing millions. We see the nonconformity in Thoreau, the strive to conform in Gatsby and the struggle to do become an individual in a place of discor in Fahrenheit 451. Thoreau wanted to be his own man and live his own life without, the influence of government or society. He did not want to follow in the american dream of a white picket fence, instead he wanted to create his own dream. A dream that was his and his alone. To accomplish this unorthodox dream he cut his life off from society and from the government. He strove to creat e his own person, to be different from the average. To be unique. Thoreau isolated himself in the woods, did not pay taxes, and lived off the wild so he would be without influence from the government. Thoreau did not feel a part of america. He saw how the american people were conforming and thinking more about self image than which was truly important. So he decided instead of conforming to the american way he would create his own little society. Thoreau tried which most would not even considered he tried to be an individual. Gatsby on the other hand tried to conform to impress his loved one. Is conformity attractive? To most they would say yes. Few want someone who thinks differently . Few want a unique person. People want safeness and people find that in the norm. Gatsby tried to reach the white picket fence not because he wanted it forsay but because he wanted to attract his loved one, Daisy. Daisy was attracted to the american dream. Though because of her situation she was not able to achieve the dream for herself she wanted to marry and be with someone who had achieved it. So Gatsby tried his best to get to the White picket fence. Though the ways he ended up getting to the white picket fence was a little unorthodox . He did conform to the american dream and the american way. We see the struggle of doing what one wants to do even when it is against the norm in fahrenheit 451 by the character Guy Montag. Montag feels the emptiness of conformity and wants to read which is illegal. Instead of  listening to those around him or to his wife or even the government he starts to read. And in doing this he becomes an individual. Becoming an individual causes him to lose his wife lose his job and makes him a fugitive but his emptiness vanishes. The government had become tyranny controlling what each individual did. We see throughout the book people conforming like they conformed in War World II to this tyranny. The outcome was the same as in WWII the government fell and the ones who had not conformed were regarded as heroes. To be unique is a great thing but society continues to look down its nose at those who want something different. When you start to think for yourself you are no longer â€Å"Part of any country.† Most people when they think of a country they think of the leaders or the people who control the things. But in itself that its wrong. A country is a mass of people that follows the laws and and silent laws dictated by the people. Inside the Unite d States of America there are thousands of countries each of them have slightly different silent laws. To become an individual you obey the laws but you create your own silent laws. When Thoreau made that choice to leave the masses and make his own country, a country of one then he became a individual. A country of one is infinitely better than a country of two for one reason, freedom. When you create your own country you are granted more freedom than ever before. No longer do you have to follow the normality or silent laws of the other countries The difference between a Non-conformist and a criminal is silent laws verses laws. Thoreau gave up on all the silent laws so he is no longer a part of â€Å"America.† Gatsby gave up on the enforced laws but kept the silent laws so he is part of america. Guy montag gave up on the silent laws which were enforced so he became a individual.

Thw Winter Holiday Homework

EICHER SCHOOL HOLIDAY HOMEWORK CLASS – VIII ENGLISH Q1Read the newspaper article and answer the questions that follow: Ban is the correct move 10 Feb 2009, Vikram Sinha The move by the central government to finally introduce an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving, has materialized. It also ensures that there are no loopholes left in the law by including hands-free sets in the ban . Doubtless, there will be those who claim that such devices are safe since they free both hands for driving. It is a false claim. There is an assumption that it is the physical hindrance caused by conversing on the phone while driving that is the main safety hazard. Rather, the issue is the mental distraction of the driver. The US is pushing all its states to implement a similar ban. For evidence, it cites several studies, such as one by the university of Utah, which prove that using hands-free devices is as dangerous as speaking on cell phone without them. Another study cited by the report establishes why this so. It states that conversing with a fellow passenger is not dangerous and many instead lead to greater safety. The reason for this is simple enough . a co-passenger is likely to keep an eye on the road, adjust or stop danger. A person at the other end of a phone connection cannot do this. The conservation will remain unchanged, demanding the driver’s attention and lessening his focus on the road at the moment when he might need it the most. The introduction of such a specific law in India is long overdue. And now that one is finally being introduced, the Ministry of Road Transport and highways is taking the correct step by being thorough. [ source: TOI 10 Feb,2009] 2. 1 ‘It is a false claim’ ( para 1). What is the false claim? The claim that A. the amendment is finally being introduced B. co-drivers can help a driver avoid accidents C. all cell phones can create distractions for drivers D. hand- free phones can be safely used when driving 2. 2. What is the usual assumption of people? A. Conversing on a cellphone causes maximum accidents. B. Using a phone while driving does not cause any difficulty C. Mental distractions are more harmful than physical distractions. D. These bans should only be implemented in US. and 2. 3 According to the passage, in what way is the driver talking to a co-passenger less risky as compared to talking on phone? A. Talking to a co-passenger increases the concentration of the driver. B. Talking to a co-passenger keeps a driver awake in long drives. C. Co- passengers will stop the conversation and warn the driver of danger. D. Co-passengers can answer the phone calls 2. 4 ‘The US is pushing all its states to implement a similar ban’ Here ‘similar ban’ refers to A. Use of cell phones while driving B. Talking to co- passengers while driving C. Use of both cell-phones and hands- free devices while driving D. None of the above 2. 5. Choose the word from the passage that means the same as â€Å" strictly not allowed† A. rohibited B. implemented C. hindrance D. loopholes Q2 Prepare a book review on the class library / school library book you have read based on the following points: 1) Name of the book 2) About the author 3) Judgement 4) Summary G. SC Bio Q1. State the importance of water. Q2. Why is the frequency of irrigation higher in summer? Q3. What is irrigati on? Describe two methods of irrigation which conserve water. Q4. Write a paragraph in your own words on each of the following a) Preparation of soil. b) Sowing Q5. Why weeds should be removed before they produce flowers and seeds? Q6. Why is weeding necessary? Chem Q1. State the different ways to stop fire. Q2. Why a gas burner does has holes surrounding it (on outside)? Q3. Cooking utensils acquire the coating of a black powdery substance if kept on yellow flame of the burner. Why? Q4. Draw a well labeled diagram to show the different regions of flame. Phy Q1. What is the purpose of L. H. C? (Large Hadron Collider) Q2. How are charges developed here? Q3. Write two areas where problems are coming LHC? Q4. What discovery it will make once it becomes successful? Q5. Write a short note on LHC. [READ CHAPTER NATURAL PHENOMENA TO UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT] S. ST ? Collect information on Durban ,South Africa Earth Summit held this year. ? The information has to be pasted in the class note books. ? Students will be graded on the work submitted. S. kt Do pg . 77 to 81 in Assignment. Hindi (Do page num 117 and 135 from assignment) MATHS 1. Express the following as the product of two factors:- i) 18Ãâ€"2 + 24x + 8 ii) 25t2 + 10t + 1 iii) 9u2 – 6u + 1 2. Evaluate (48Ãâ€"2 + 30x + 3) ? 16x + 3) 3. Divide :- i) a6 + 2a3b3 – 3b6 by a3 – b3 ii) 4Ãâ€"4 + 1 by 2Ãâ€"2 + 2x + 1 4. Check whether x -2 is a factor of x3 – 8 5. A certain sum of simple interest becomes double in 20 years. In how many years will it become four times? 6. If the C. P of 8 articles is equal to S. P of 6 articles, find the gain %. 7. What sum of money will amount to 45582. 25 at 6[pic] p. a in 2 years, interest being compounded annually? 8. A cubical container is 15 cm long. The volume of container is 5. 4 cm3. Find the area of its end. 9. Due to rainfall, a square terrace of length 9m is filled with water up to a height of 6 cm. How many litres of water has accumulated on the terrace? 10. Find the value of x, if i) 2x = (6)2 – (4)2 ii) 6x = (23)2 – (17)2 11. If the area of rectangular field is 21 x2 – 7x and one of its sides is 7 x,what is its other side ? 12. Find the greatest no. of seven digits which is perfect square. What is the square root of this number? 13. A decimal fraction is multiplied by itself. If the product is 251953. 8025, find the fraction. 14. Find the volume of a cube whose total surface is 486 cm2 ? 15. Multiply – 3x2y by (7x3y – 5xy2). Verify the product by taking x = -2, y = -1.

Story-Writing Masterclass 10 Tips for the Perfect Piece of Fiction - Freewrite Store

Story-Writing Masterclass 10 Tips for the Perfect Piece of Fiction - Freewrite Store With the rise of self-publishing on platforms like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and Lulu.com, it’s never been easier to realize your dreams of becoming a published author. You can publish with Amazon - both paperback and Kindle editions - for zero cost. There’s nothing holding you back from seeing your name in print. But the availability of self-publishing for all isn’t an entirely positive thing. With no quality checks, no requirements for your books to be edited, and no painstaking procedure of submitting to publishing companies (and waiting for the inevitable rejections), there’s much less pressure on would-be authors to spend time really honing their craft. That is a travesty. Don’t be one of those writers who, just because you don’t have to worry about publishers rejecting your novel, cut corners in the writing process. Your (potential) readers deserve so much more. That’s why, in this masterclass article, I’m going to share with you my ten top tips for the perfect piece of fiction - drawing on the wisdom of some of the greatest bestselling authors of all time. 1.The Glint of Light on Broken Glass The great 19th-century Russian story-teller, Anton Chekhov famously advised: â€Å"Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.† You will, of course, recognize the cornerstone piece of advice that every fiction writer reads in every single book on writing: show, don’t tell.  Ã‚  It’s not a secret, it’s not new or revolutionary, so why is it still at the top of my list? Because it’s the single most important piece of advice a writer needs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting your first short story or you’ve got twenty novels under your belt, if you forget this rule, you’ll let your readers down. And even the most seasoned writers have off-days (or, more commonly, off-books) where their writing becomes more tell than show and loses its impact.    So, how do you ensure that you’re showing and not telling? For me, the magic happens when I’m editing, so I don’t worry too much about the first draft. No one is going to see that but me, so it doesn’t really matter how bad it is. When I’m editing, I’m ruthless. In fact, the more books I publish, the more ruthless I get - because, seriously, I cringe when I read back my first (traditionally) published novels and wonder how on earth they managed to get published in the first place. When I’m editing, I distance myself from the writing and imagine I’m a reader, not a writer. I get bored easily, which is a good thing when I’m looking for too much tell and not enough show. If I’m bored, there’s too much tell. What works for me may not work for you (so I’m not promising anything here). You need to find what works for you. However, when you’re editing, think of Chekhov’s words. Are you writing sentences like â€Å"the moon was shining brightly†? Bo-ring! Isn’t â€Å"the glint of light on broken glass† so much more evocative? That’s what takes you from a regular writer to a masterful writer. 2. Storm Through the First Draft - and Don’t Look Back Do you know what one of the biggest stumbling blocks for would-be authors is? The fear of the blank page. I’ve worked with hundreds of writers in my years as a writing coach, and it seems to be a universal fact that the black page (or the blinking cursor) keeps a lot of people from ever realizing their writing dreams. Don’t let that happen to you! Fearing the blank page is a totally irrational fear, but it can be crippling. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about - sitting at the computer or with a notebook in front of you for hours, worrying about somehow starting your story wrong. Here’s a secret I learned from bestselling author James Patterson: There’s no such thing as starting your story wrong. The only way you can start your story wrong is if you quit and never start it at all. Beating that fear of the blank page has one simple solution: start writing. It doesn’t matter how bad it is. It doesn’t matter whether you scrap scenes later when you’re editing. The most important thing is to get words - any words - on the page. Never edit while your writing your first draft. The moment you start editing, you start questioning yourself, and that can stall the writing process all over again. So, start writing, get words on that page, and don’t you dare look back until you get to the end. 3. To Plan or Not to Plan, That is the Question This is one thing that can divide authors into two different camps - and the debates can be ferocious. I don’t want to start an all-out war, so I’m not going to tell you which camp I sit in. Instead, let’s look at both sides of the debate - and you can decide which you prefer. Just don’t make the mistake of discussing it with your writing buddies - it can get real ugly, real fast. First, let’s tackle the dedicated planners. Bestselling authors like James Ellroy and James Patterson are firmly entrenched in this camp. Ellroy, for example, writes a synopsis for his books that can be over 200 pages long. Likewise, Patterson, who writes several books a year, puts every plot detail into an outline before he starts writing his first draft. He reckons that makes it easier to start writing the first draft. What about the non-planners, or, the write-by-the-seat-of-their-pants camp of authors. British author Ian Rankin is one of these. For him, not having a plan for his novels means that writing is much more of an adventure. It’s a bit like the novel has a mind of its own and will control its own destiny - which is a pretty cool way of looking at it. Rankin’s first draft is an opportunity to get to know the characters, and that wouldn’t work if everything was planned in advance. 4. Building Your Writing Muscles You know how if you miss a week (or six) of your gym routine, getting back into the swing of it is a real struggle? The same goes for writing. Your writing ability is, in fact, a muscle, that, if not regularly exercised, will quickly atrophy. When you’ve missed a couple of gym sessions, have you ever noticed that it’s much harder to convince yourself to go back? Are you, perhaps, like me, who, once I’ve missed a couple of weeks, then there’s virtually no chance of me going back? The same can happen with writing. You can so easily get out of practice, out of the habit of daily writing, so when you do schedule time to write, you almost have to force yourself to do something that you love to do. It’s not just about keeping up a routine, either. When you’re writing fiction, writing every day keeps your relationship with your characters fresh and the plot tight. For horror-writer extraordinaire Stephen King, a daily writing habit is essential for the successful completion of a manuscript. 5. Disconnect From Distractions The internet is amazing. It connects us to like-minded people on the other side of the world, makes researching facts for your fiction an absolute breeze, and allows you to easily communicate with your fans. But for writers, the internet is also the biggest enemy of creativity and productivity. Smartphones have made the situation even worse. There are so many distractions. Social media notifications, email notifications, websites that steal our time and give us nothing in return. The number of hours I’ve lost to aimless internet browsing is embarrassing. I’m easily distracted, and since I can’t get back the hours that I’ve lost, I now resolve to disconnect from all potential distractions. When I’m working on a novel, I deliberately turn off the WiFi. Not on my computer - it’s much too easy to turn that back on. I turn off the router, because I’m less likely to give in to temptation if I have to go downstairs to reconnect to the internet. If turning off your WiFi isn’t practical, or you have other family members to think about, a distraction-free device like Freewrite may be the perfect solution for you. With no browser to distract you, you can focus on the craft of writing - and see your productivity levels soar! 6. Creating Complex Characters One of the major keys to quality fiction is characters that your readers can really care about. Creating three-dimensional characters that seem as if they could walk right off the page is a skill that can be difficult to develop. I love to read - but there’s nothing so disappointing as a book full of flat, cardboard-cutout characters. Even the best, most riveting plotline can’t save those books for me. You’ve probably noticed that human beings can be unpredictable. For your characters to be believable, then, they also need to be unpredictable. It’s important that you’re able to show different sides to your characters because that’s how your readers get to know them. For example, beginner writers often make the mistake of having villainous characters that only ever show their menacing side. However, that kind of predictability makes villains too easy to forget - and you want your characters to stick in the minds of your readers long after they’re finished reading the book. Think about it - what’s more memorable: the villain who only ever does nasty things, or the villain who’s nasty 90% of the time but spends every Sunday afternoon teaching his kid brother self-defense? 7. The Movie Reel in Your Mind Screenwriters are usually able to make the switch to writing fantastic fiction quite easily, but fiction writers don’t find it so easy to write scripts. That’s not always the case, and there are always exceptions to the rule, but there is a really good reason why that’s the case. Writing for the screen means having a kind of birds’ eye view of your story, picturing every detail as if the movie is already made and running on a reel in your mind’s eye. When I coach writers who are struggling with mastering story elements like point of view (POV) and bringing their stories to life on the page, I often recommend a short course in scriptwriting. Having to constantly think about whose point of view each scene is from and focus on the details of the setting, what characters are doing as they speak, and even what’s visible at the edge of the shot is great practice for writing realistic fiction that really draws your readers in. There are short courses in screenwriting that you can find online - such as courses on Udemy - and it’s worth trying these out to see for yourself how your writing can improve when you’re running every scene through the movie reel in your mind. 8. Follow Your Characters Wherever They Lead If you fall into the camp of painstaking planners we discussed earlier, this one may make you feel a bit uncomfortable. Planners don’t like to take diversions. But if you’ve never had the joyful pleasure of allowing your characters to take your story in a different direction, then you’re missing something really quite exhilarating. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, and you have to go back, but other times your characters take you on an adventure of discovery that allows you to share the same sense of excitement and anticipation that your readers get to experience. To be able to follow your characters, though, you have to bring them to life on the page. It’s the larger-than-life characters that take you on the best adventures - and help you to discover the true depths of your own imagination. I love to read books that suddenly head off in an unexpected direction because I know that the author has been on one of those wonderful adventures - and their writing is so much richer for it. Never be afraid to see where your characters want to take you - what’s the worst that could happen? 9. Live Your Character’s Life Has your character eaten today? I’m serious. Have they? Did they shower this morning? You might be thinking that I’ve lost the plot (pardon the pun) but the details of your characters lives matter to your readers. Or, at least, they should. I’ve lost count of the number of manuscripts I’ve reviewed for coaching clients where I’ve started to get seriously concerned about the characters. No, I don’t need to know each time a character takes a bathroom break, but your characters need to have some level of humdrum in their lives to be believable. A really effective tool you can use to see how believable your characters’ everyday lives are is to try to live your character’s life for a day. If you get to the end of the day and you’re exhausted and grumpy because you’ve been dashing around all over the place without eating a single meal, then you might be able to see the cracks in the believability. Regular things have to happen as well as the exciting things that keep the plot moving forward - or your readers might start losing interest. 10. If You Don’t Read Regularly You’ve No Business Being a Writer That may sound a little controversial - and I am aware that there are some bestselling authors who insist that they cannot possibly read anyone else’s fiction while they’re working on their own novels. If I’m honest, I used to worry about how reading novels would affect my writing - until I realized that not reading was worse for my craft than reading ever could be. Not only does immersing yourself in another author’s creation offer the opportunity to relax and unwind, but it helps you hone your craft. Even if the book you’re reading is terrible, there’s something you can learn from it (like how not to write a novel). Reading books that bestselling authors have written is an excellent way of developing your own skills. You can enjoy a book and learn from it at the same time. Recognize the techniques that have the most power. Discover ways of using language that you haven’t considered before. Examine the pacing and the plot twists and all the myriad ways that authors show instead of telling - and pillage and plunder those same techniques for your own writing. Bonus Tip - Write For Yourself One of the biggest mistakes you can make as an author is to start to worry about what other people are going to think about your masterpiece. The moment you start staring into that particular black hole, you’re setting up a whole load of trip-wires for yourself. Don’t worry about who might - or might not - read your novel. Don’t give them a second thought - not while you’re writing. Write your novel for you. Enjoy it. Savor it. When you get too focused on the mysterious ‘potential reader’ you start questioning and second-guessing yourself, until your creativity gives a big sigh and stomps off in frustration - leaving you staring hopelessly at that flashing cursor on the blank page - right back where you started.

How to Get a Job in Public Relations with Expert Jeff Domansky

How to Get a Job in Public Relations with Expert Jeff Domansky Ed Domansky started The PR Coach as a collection of links useful to PR pros. But as it grew, it became a central resource for public relations thoughts, tips and, of course, jobs. Ed, a PR professional with more than a quarter-century of experience, talked with us about public relations, what we can learn from the industry, and job hunting tips. What are some unique challenges in finding a job in public relations?The range of skills necessary and expected of PR pros has dramatically increased to include social media, technology, and some specialized skills such as video, content marketing, curation, and community relations.Competition for PR jobs is no longer just local, but national and sometimes international. In addition, journalists, technology and social media experts now compete for PR job opportunities because the skill sets are converging. This can create challenges for both employers and job hunters.It’s also very important to note that there are many more jobs availa ble for people with PR skills in marketing, advertising, social media, and other related industries where â€Å"PR† may not be in the job title.What lessons from public relations can anybody apply to the job search?PR pros must have super research, writing, social media, and communication skills. That should mean PR people know how to research and where to look for jobs, how to prepare their resumes at a high level, and pitch themselves better than most other job hunters. These expectations are similar for all job hunters, but even higher standards are set for PR.What are a few misconceptions about public relations that are still out there?It’s surprising that some employers, clients, and young PR pros still think getting media coverage and organizing special events will be your primary job. Nothing could be further from the truth today. While media relations and event management are valuable skills, the PR profession requires a full range of other skills.Be the best w riter you can be and have evidence of it in your portfolio. You do have an online portfolio, don’t you?For example, content marketing is a unique skill set and is in demand. Journalists have the news and writing experience that many PR pros have, in addition to a wider community perspective that is often  needed  in PR.If you could give your younger self some advice about searching for a job, what would it be?Be the best writer you can be and have evidence of it in your portfolio. You do have an online portfolio, don’t you? Excel at social media and make certain all of your social media profiles stand out from the crowd, yet don’t contain any faux pas. Increase your knowledge of technology. Be incredibly well-researched about your prospective employers, their issues, industry challenges, and market opportunities.What trends should we be keeping an eye on when it comes to hiring in the public relations industry, and why?PR pros need to stay ahead of changes a nd developments in social media. In the past five years, the PR profession has been totally disrupted. The PR toolbox now contains a sometimes overwhelming number of social media tools. The learning curve is constant, and yet we still need to retain knowledge of traditional PR.Because of the impact of technology and social media, PR is no longer a 9-to-5 job. We now work in a 24/7 environment just like news media and global organizations.

Stories about Great Thinkers and Inventors

Stories about Great Thinkers and Inventors The following stories about great thinkers and inventors will help to motivate your students and enhance their appreciation of the contributions of inventors. As students read these stories, they will also realize the inventors are male, female, old, young, minority, and majority. They are ordinary people who follow through with their creative ideas to make their dreams a reality. FRISBEE  ® The term FRISBEE did not always refer to the familiar plastic disks we visualize flying through the air. Over 100 years ago, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, William Russell Frisbie owned the Frisbie Pie Company and delivered his pies locally. All of his pies were baked in the same type of 10 round tin with a raised edge, wide brim, six small holes in the bottom, and Frisbie Pies on the bottom. Playing catch with the  tins  soon became a popular local sport. However, the tins were slightly dangerous when a  toss  was missed. It became the Yale custom to yell Frisbie when throwing a pie tin. In the 40s when plastic emerged, the pie-tin game was recognized as a manufacturable and marketable product. Note:  FRISBEE  Ã‚ ® is a registered trademark of Wham-O Mfg. Co. Earmuffs Baby, Its Cold Outside Baby, Its Cold Outside may have been the song running through 13-year-old Chester Greenwoods head one cold December day in 1873. To protect his ears while ice skating, he found a piece of wire, and with his grandmothers help, padded the ends. In the beginning, his friends laughed at him. However, when they realized that he was able to stay outside skating long after they had gone inside freezing, they stopped laughing. Instead, they began to ask Chester to make ear covers for them, too. At age 17 Chester applied for a patent. For the next 60 years, Chesters factory made earmuffs, and earmuffs made Chester rich. BAND-AID  ® At the turn of the century, Mrs. Earl Dickson, an inexperienced cook, often burned and cut herself. Mr. Dickson, a Johnson and Johnson employee, got plenty of practice in hand bandaging. Out of concern for his wifes safety, he began to prepare bandages ahead of time so that his wife could apply them by herself. By combining a piece of surgical tape and a piece of gauze, he fashioned the first crude adhesive strip bandage. LIFE-SAVERS  ® Candy During the hot summer of 1913, Clarence Crane, a chocolate candy manufacturer, found himself facing a dilemma. When he tried to ship his chocolates to candy shops in other cities they melted into gooey blobs. To avoid dealing with the mess, his customers were deferring their orders until cool weather. In order to retain his customers, Mr. Crane needed to find a substitute for the melted chocolates. He experimented with hard candy which wouldnt melt during shipment. Using a machine designed for making medicine pills, Crane produced small, circular candies with a hole in the middle. The birth of LIFE SAVERS! Note on Trademarks  ® is the symbol for a registered trademark. The trademarks on this page are words used to name the inventions. Thomas Alva Edison If I were to tell you that  Thomas Alva Edison  had shown signs of inventive genius at an early age, you probably would not be surprised. Mr. Edison achieved enormous fame with his lifelong contributions of volumes of inventive technology. He received the first of his 1,093 U.S. patents by age 22. In the book, Fire of Genius, Ernest Heyn reported on a remarkable resourceful young Edison, though some of his earliest  tinkering  clearly lacked merit. Age 6 By the age of six, Thomas Edisons experiments with fire were said to have cost his father a barn. Soon after that, it is reported that young Edison tried to launch the first human balloon by persuading another youth to swallow large quantities of effervescing powders to inflate himself with gas. Of course, the experiments brought quite unexpected results! Chemistry and electricity held great fascination for this child,  Thomas Edison. By his early teens, he had designed and perfected his first real invention, an electrical cockroach control system. He glued parallel strips of tinfoil to a wall and wired the strips to the poles of a powerful battery, a deadly shock for the unsuspecting insect. As a dynamo of  creativity, Mr. Edison stood as decidedly unique; but as a child with a curious, problem-solving nature, he was not alone. Here are some more inventive children to know and appreciate. Age 14 At age 14, one schoolboy invented a rotary brush device to remove husks from wheat in the flour mill run by his friends father. The young inventors name?  Alexander Graham Bell. Age 16 At 16, another of our junior achievers saved pennies to buy materials for his chemistry experiments. While still a teenager, he set his mind on developing a commercially viable aluminum refining process. By age 25,  Charles Hall  received a patent on his revolutionary electrolytic process. Age 19 While only 19 years old, another imaginative young person designed and built his first  helicopter. In the summer of 1909, it very nearly flew. Years later,  Igor Sikorsky  perfected his design and saw his early dreams change aviation history.  Silorsky  was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1987. The are more childhood problem-solvers that we can mention. Perhaps youve heard about: Samuel Colts  childhood experience with underwater explosives;Fourteen-year-old Robert Fultons manually operated paddlewheel; andGuglielmo Marconis early mechanical/electrical tinkering.Even television tinker,  Philo T. Farnsworth, conceived his optical scanning idea at the tender age of 14. Inventions Inventions tell something about the inventors place in the society in which they live, a closeness to certain kinds of problems, and possession of certain skills. It is not surprising that up until the mid 20th Century, womens inventions were often related to childcare, housework, and healthcare, all traditional female occupations. In recent years, with access to specialized training and broader job opportunities, women are applying their creativity to many new kinds of problems, including those requiring high technology. While women have frequently come up with new ways to make their work easier, they have not always received credit for their ideas. Some stories about early women inventors show that women often recognized that they were entering a mans world, and shielded their work from the public eye by allowing men to patent their inventions. Catherine Greene Although  Eli Whitney  received a  patent for a cotton gin, Catherine Greene is said to have posed both the problem and the basic idea to Whitney. Furthermore, according to Matilda Gage, (, 1883), his first model, fitted with wooden teeth, did not do the work well, and Whitney was about to throw the work aside when Mrs. Greene proposed the substitution of wire to catch the cotton seeds. Margaret Knight Margaret Knight, remembered as the female Edison, received some 26 patents for such diverse items as a window frame and sash, machinery for cutting shoe soles, and improvements to internal combustion engines. Her most significant patent was for machinery that would automatically fold and glue paper bags to create square bottoms, an invention which dramatically changed shopping habits. Workmen reportedly refused her advice when first installing the equipment because, after all, what does a woman know about machines? More about  Margaret Knight Sarah Breedlove Walker Sarah Breedlove Walker, the daughter of former slaves, was orphaned at seven and widowed by 20.  Madame Walker  is credited with inventing hair lotions, creams, and an improved hair styling hot comb. But her greatest achievement may be the development of the Walker System, which included a broad offering of cosmetics, licensed Walker Agents, and Walker Schools, which offered meaningful employment and personal growth to thousands of Walker Agents, mostly Black women. Sarah Walker was the first American woman  self-made millionaire. More about  Sarah Breedlove Walker Bette Graham Bette Graham hoped to be an artist, but circumstances led her into secretarial work. Bette, however, was not an accurate typist. Fortunately, she recalled that artists could correct their mistakes by painting over them with gesso, so she invented a quick drying paint to cover her typing mistakes. Bette first prepared the secret formula in her kitchen using a hand mixer, and her young son helped to pour the mixture into little bottles. In 1980, the Liquid Paper Corporation, which Bette Graham built, was sold for over $47 million. More about   Bette  GRaham Ann Moore Ann Moore, a Peace Corps volunteer, saw how African women carried babies on their backs by tying cloth around their bodies, leaving both hands free for other work. When she returned to the United States, she designed a carrier which became the popular SNUGLI. Recently Ms. Moore received another patent for a carrier to conveniently transport oxygen cylinders. People needing oxygen for breathing assistance, who were previously confined to stationary oxygen tanks, can now move about more freely. Her company now sells several versions including lightweight backpacks, handbags, shoulder bags, and wheelchair/walker carriers for portable cylinders. Stephanie Kwolek Stephanie Kwolek, one of Duponts leading chemists, discovered the miracle fiber, Kevlar, which has five times the strength of steel by weight. Uses for Kevlar are seemingly endless, including ropes and cables for oil drilling rigs, canoe hulls, boat sails, automobile bodies and tires, and military and motorcycle helmets. Many Viet Nam veterans and police officers are alive today because of protection provided by bullet-proof vests made from Kevlar. Because of its strength and lightness, Kevlar was chosen as the material for the Gossamer Albatross, a pedal airplane flown across the English Channel. Kwolek was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995. More on  Stephanie Kwolek Gertrude B. Elion Gertrude B. Elion, 1988 Nobel laureate in Medicine, and Scientist Emeritus with Burroughs Wellcome Company, is credited with the synthesis of two of the first successful drugs for Leukemia, as well as Imuron, an agent to prevent the rejection of kidney transplants, and Zovirax, the first selective antiviral agent against herpes virus infections. Researchers who discovered AZT, a breakthrough treatment for AIDS, used Elions protocols. Elion was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1991, the first woman inductee. More on Gertrude B. Elion Did you Know That.. windshield wipers were patented by  Mary Anderson  in 1903?dandruff shampoo was patented by Josie Stuart in 1903?a dishwasher was patented by  Josephine Cochrane  in 1914?the first disposable diaper was patented by Marion Donovan in 1951?a compact portable hair dryer was patented by Harriet J. Stern in 1962?a dough product for frozen pizza was patented by Rose Totino in 1979?the Melitta Automatic Drip Coffee Maker was patented by Melitta Benz in Germany in 1908? Between 1863 and 1913, approximately 1,200 inventions were patented by minority  inventors.  Many  more were unidentified because they hid their race to avoid discrimination or sold their inventions to others. The following stories are about a few of the  great minority  inventors. Elijah McCoy Elijah McCoy  earned  about 50 patents, however, his most  famous one  was for a metal or glass cup that fed oil to bearings through a small-bore tube. Elijah McCoy was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1843, the son of slaves who had fled Kentucky. He died in Michigan in 1929. More about  Elijah McCoy Benjamin Banneker Benjamin Banneker created the first striking clock made of wood in America. He became known as the Afro-American Astronomer. He published an almanac and with his knowledge of mathematics and astronomy, he assisted in the surveying and planning of the new city of Washington, D.C. More about  Benjamin Banneker Granville Woods Granville Woods  had more than 60  patents. Known as the Black Edison, he improved Bells telegraph and created an electrical motor that made the underground subway possible. He also improved the airbrake. More about  Granville Woods Garrett Morgan Garrett Morgan  invented an improved  traffic signal. He also invented a safety hood for firefighters. More about  Garrett Morgan George Washington Carver George Washington Carver aided the Southern states with his  many inventions. He discovered over 300 different products made from the peanut which, until Carver, was considered a lowly food fit for hogs. He dedicated himself to teaching others, learning and working with nature. He created over 125 new products with the sweet potato and taught poor farmers how to rotate crops to  improve  their soil and their cotton.  George Washington Carver  was a great scientist and inventor who learned to be a careful observer and who was honored throughout the world for his creation of new things. More about  George Washington Carver

Love in Red Azalea by Anchee Min and Stone Butch Bluesby Leslie Essay

Love in Red Azalea by Anchee Min and Stone Butch Bluesby Leslie Feinberg - Essay Example The authors patterned the two novels in this way, to intensify the difficult struggle that the two main characters had to go through, just to have a chance to freely define who they really are. The farm where the Red Azalea's lead character, Anchee Min worked left her feeling suffocated, which was why she wanted to try her luck in theater. Moreover, the stigma of the Communist Revolution drove Min to feel more repressed, as the ideals of communism to dampen the individual's desire for self-actualization for the benefit of the collectivist society. Stone Butch Blues is set in upstate New York, during a time of political turmoil in the 1960s. The lead character, Jess, was constantly asked whether she was a girl or a boy, and was thus being forced to fit into a society that only tolerated masculine behavior for men, and feminine behavior for women. The settings of the two novels both provided a backdrop by which tension could occur, since it was made clear on both novels that the two lead characters wanted to define themselves in settings where they were trapped - physically, politically, emotionally and sexually. The places, the times, the surrounding people, as well as the prevalent ideas and culture defined the repressive environment in which the two main characters lived in. The settings and surroundings definitely took their toll on the psyche of the lead characters, and the authors used strong language to show how the stifling effects of the ideological suppression were to the main characters. Compared to Jess, Min kept more to herself, but the author portrayed the latter as having humorous and insulting images of the surrounding people that oppressed her. Jess, on the other hand, was a more active social rebel, in the sense that she showed everyone that she wanted to be her own person, despite the dictates of society. Noticeably, Stone Butch Blues was written in the first person, such that the author did not have to use the pronouns "he" or "she" to refer to the novel's main character. This, in itself, is a bold statement implied by the author through her narrative style, in the sense that she did not want her main character to be defined by stifling sexual conventions and norms. Through the plot of both the novels, Min and Jess both had unique encounters that gave them glimpses of the life experiences that their respective surroundings had tried to hide from them. These experiences moved and invigorated them in very deep ways. These further roused their curiosities, as if to make them feel that the things that they had been longing for all their lives, actually do exist and are in fact in front of them. These encounters provided an opposition against the ennui and stigma that the respective settings provided. For Min, she met Yan, who was a charismatic woman who happened to be affiliated with the revolutionary movement. Min developed a strong and deep friendship with Yan, as latter's character provided warmth against the desolation that the former experienced. Jess, on the other hand, was introduced to the thrilling world of lesbian bars - where strong butch women would fight for the admiration of their feminine lovers. Here, Jess finally fulfills her long-time yearning for love and companionship, while getting the chance to be the masculine female that she had always wanted to be. These encounters both gave Min and Jess a window of escape from the stifling

The Importance of Telecommunication in Today's Business Environment Research Paper

The Importance of Telecommunication in Today's Business Environment - Research Paper Example In this context, the advancement of different communication tools and internet has facilitated businesses in performing their business activities succinctly in the worldwide markets segments (Ndukwe, 2003). In this respect, the research paper is based on the study of the importance of telecommunication in the present business environment. The proposed research study is conducted with the aim of determining the importance of telecommunication for the development of business sector. Currently, the development of ICT infrastructure on a global context has been witnessed to expand at a breakneck pace. In this context, the rapid progress in the field of ICT has increased the implication of ICT for both business and people to a large extent. The expansion of ICT has also diversified the variety of applications as well as services in the area of communication, entertainment and information. Subsequently, the development of the aforementioned aspects of ICT has motivated in conducting the proposed research with the intention of ascertaining the implications of ICT for the present business environment (ITU, 2013). The contemporary business environment has intensified with competition owing to different factors that include globalization and advancement in technology. In this regard, businesses are required to conduct their operation with better competitiveness in the segments of products and services for better sustainable business performances. The rapid changes in the field of technology have been accountable for the development of telecommunication services to produces contemporary products and services at a reasonable price in accordance with the preferences of global customers. Contextually, the development of the telecommunication industry is important for the enhanced economic performance of an economy and development of business sector in worldwide market segments