Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Dystopian Short Story- Year 11

He stood looking down, staring. Like every other morning there was a paper crane lying on the ground. He picked it up and looked around hoping to catch the person who put it there, but there was no one else on the street. The paper crane was on his mind all day. The next morning he left early. He planned on waiting for the person who leaves the paper cranes. He hid at the corner of the street, three houses down from where the paper cranes always were. He had been standing then for twenty minutes and so far nothing had happened, so he stood to leave, but he stopped when he saw a girl emerge from the house that the paper cranes were always in front of. The girl looked around, then she lifted her hand and in her hand she held a paper crane. She lightly threw the paper crane and it landed in the exact same spot I find the cranes everyday. She smiled and retreated back into the house. He watched the girl retreat back inside the house, then he walked over and picked up the paper crane. Girl The next morning she got out of bed and got dressed. She went over to her desk and selected a piece of paper with hearts all over it. She was halfway through making a paper crane when she heard music outside. She stood and walked out onto her balcony and looked down over the edge. The boy who took her paper cranes everyday stood on the sidewalk surrounded by all the paper cranes she had made. He was playing a soft melodic song on a guitar. He looked up and smiled. He handed the girl a rose. â€Å"How was it did you like it? † He asked. She smiled at him and replied â€Å"Yes†. The girl started coughing, he frowned â€Å"Are you sick? † She looked down â€Å"Yes just a little.. † she said quietly. She said later that she was so sick she couldn’t go to school for six months. â€Å"I was wondering, why did you leave a paper crane out there every morning? † He asked. â€Å"Because I saw you walking by every morning†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The smiled â€Å"You did that because you missed me, didn’t you? † . He smiled. â€Å"This popularity of mine† he laughed. â€Å"By the way, I’m Max. What’s your name? † . â€Å"Summer† she replied. Summer? That’s so pretty† He grinned â€Å"Hmm†¦Then you sibling’s names would be Spring, Autumn and Winter? † She smiled â€Å"No I’m an only child† He looked thoughtful â€Å"How old are you? † â€Å"Seventeen† she replied. â€Å"What month birthday? â⠂¬  He asked â€Å"June†. â€Å"Since I am an April birthday, I guess that makes you the oldest† He smiled. Sunny began to cough badly. â€Å"Sunny† she continued to cough â€Å"Sunny? † he said again â€Å"Sunny! † Max was worried now â€Å" What’s wrong sunny? † he put his arms on her shoulders. â€Å"Are you okay Sunny? Sunny?! † The doctor walked out into the waiting room, and Max rushed to him. â€Å"What happened? † He asked. †Her condition has gotten worse†¦there’s no more hope† . Summer’s parent, who were seated in the waiting room, got up from their seats. â€Å"What? † Summer’s mother said. The doctor turned to the parents, â€Å"Didn’t I say she should have gotten hospital treatment earlier? † Summer’s father looked sad, â€Å"Our daughter, she wanted to stay home so badly. † Summers mother was crying, â€Å"What are we going to do? What are we going to do about our Summer? The doctor looked at them, â€Å"I think it’s time for you to prepare yourselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Max grabbed the doctor, â€Å"What does that mean?! † â€Å"There’s no month† He said. Tears rolled down Max’s cheeks, â€Å"Excuse me? Doctor. Save her, pease? Doctor, Doctor! † He fell to the floor and cried. †Å"Please save her he cried, please†. Max walked into the room where sunny lay in a bed within an enclosed glass area, he put his hand against the glass and looked down. Summer opens her eyes, and looks at him, â€Å"I didn’t want to show myself like this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Max smiled kindly at her, â€Å"There’s nothing wrong with it. You’ll get better soon anyway. They said in about two weeks you’ll be fine. † Max pulled out his ipod, â€Å" I brought this so that you wouldn’t be bored. † He went to enter into the little room, â€Å"You can’t, You can’t come in† Summer said. Max pulled back â€Å" Then†¦what should I do? I really wanted you to hear this song, it’s my favourite lately. â€Å" He looked at Summer’s sad face and thought for a moment, then he put his ipod down, â€Å"Listen carefully it’s called I just want you† Max began to sing †¦ â€Å"There's something I gotta say to you, but I'm so afraid of what you'll do. Ooh ooh ooh ooh. I'll just admit this to you now, that I'm stuck on you like glue somehow. Ooh ooh ooh ooh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  As he sang tears rolled down Summer’s cheeks. And that’s how Max’s love hurt as soon as it started†¦ Max pushed Summer around the hospital garden in a wheelchair, â€Å"Man, it’s already spring. Summer, is there anywhere you want to go visit? † Summer looked sad â€Å"There is, but remember, I can’t go† Max looks down, â€Å"Hey, what do you mean you can’t go? Where is it? Tell me. I’ll bring a private jet and take you wherever you want to go† Summer smiles â€Å"Really? â€Å"Yes, really. So where is it? † â€Å"In my hometown there’s a hill with a tree. It’s the tree my dad planted the day I was born† Max looked down in surprise, â€Å"A tree? † â€Å"Yeah. I want to see how big it’s gotten†¦before I die† Max stopped pushing â€Å"Hey , why would you die?! If you say that one more time, I’m just going to kiss you. † Summer smiles. â€Å"In any case, don’t worry. I promise to take you there† That night, Max wraps a blanket around Summer and they sneak out of the hospital. They get on a bus, and Summer sits with her head against Max and rests. After a while Sunny opens her eyes and without looking up she says â€Å"I want to hear that song†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Max looks down at her â€Å" I just want you† she whispers. â€Å"Really? Hold on. â€Å" Max grabs his ipod and places the headphones in her ears, and presses play. He smiles and slides his hand through her hair†¦ lock of hair comes away with his hand, and he looks at. Max leans his head against the window of the bus†¦and silently cries. Max is carrying Summer on his back as they walk down a tree lined road. â€Å"Aren’t I heavy? † She asks. â€Å"No† he smiles, â€Å"Wow, my Summer is so light. You need to gain some weight. I’m going to feed you chicken, hamburgers, and lots of vegetables† Summer hates vegetables â€Å"I can’t eat vegetables† she says. â€Å"Fine, Then I’ll eat them and get strong, so I can piggy back you every day. † â€Å"What if I get so fat you can’t carry me? † she asks. Max stops â€Å"Hmm†¦then I can get just as fat, and we can roll around together† Summer laughs â€Å"You’re crazy† she stops laughing and begins to cough. She puts a handkerchief against her mouth so she doesn’t cough on Max and when she pulls it away its covered in blood. Max sees it and his eyes widen in shock.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Albert Gallatin Inspired the Age of Canals in America

Albert Gallatin Inspired the Age of Canals in America An era of canal building in the United States began in the early 1800s, helped along to a considerable degree by a report written by Thomas Jefferson’s secretary of the treasury, Albert Gallatin. The young country was hobbled by a horrendous transportation system which made it difficult, or even impossible, for farmers and small manufacturers to move goods to market. American roads at the time were rough and unreliable, often little more than obstacle courses hacked out of the wilderness. And reliable transportation by water was often out of the question due to rivers that were impassable at points of waterfalls and rapids. In 1807 the U.S. Senate passed a resolution calling upon the treasury department to compile a report proposing ways that the federal government could address the transportation problems in the nation. The report by Gallatin drew upon the experience of Europeans, and helped inspire Americans to begin building canals. Ultimately the railroads made canals less useful, if not entirely obsolete. But Americans canals were successful enough that when the Marquis de Lafayette returned to America  in 1824, one of the sights Americans wanted to show him were new canals that made commerce possible. Gallatin Was Assigned to Study Transportation Albert Gallatin, a brilliant man serving in Thomas Jefferson’s cabinet, was thus handed a task he apparently approached with great eagerness. Gallatin, who was born in Switzerland in 1761, had held a variety of governmental posts. And before entering the political world, he had a varied career, at one point running a rural trading post and later teaching French at Harvard. With his experience in commerce, not to mention his European background, Gallatin fully understood that for the United States to become a major nation, it needed to have efficient transportation arteries. Gallatin was familiar with the canal systems which had been built in Europe in the late 1600s and 1700s. France had built canals which made it possible to transport wine, lumber, farm goods, lumber, and other essential products throughout the country. The British had followed Frances lead, and by 1800 English entrepreneurs were busy constructing what would become a thriving network of canals. Gallatins Report Was Startling His 1808 landmark Report on Roads, Canals, Harbors, and Rivers was astounding in its scope. In more than 100 pages, Gallatin detailed a vast array of what today would be called infrastructure projects. Some of the projects Gallatin proposed were: A series of canals parallel to the Atlantic coast from New York City to South CarolinaA major turnpike from Maine to GeorgiaA series of inland canals heading to OhioA canal crossing New York stateImprovements to make rivers, including the Potomac, Susquehanna, James, and Santee, passable to major river navigation The entire projected expense for all the construction work proposed by Gallatin was $20 million, an astronomical sum at the time. Gallatin suggested spending $2 million a year for ten years, and also selling stock in the various turnpikes and canals to finance their eventual upkeep and improvements. Gallatins Report Was Far Ahead of Its Time Gallatin’s plan was a marvel, but very little of it was actually implemented. In fact, Gallatins plan was widely criticized as folly, as it would require a vast outlay of government funds. Thomas Jefferson, although an admirer of Gallatins intellect, thought his treasury secretarys plan might be unconstitutional. In Jeffersons view, such vast spending by the federal government on public works would only be possible after amending the Constitution to allow for it. While Gallatins plan was seen as wildly impractical when it was submitted in 1808, it became the inspiration for many later projects. For instance, the Erie Canal was eventually built across New York state and opened in 1825, but it was built with state, not federal funds. Gallatins idea of a series of canals running along the Atlantic coast was never implemented, but the eventual creation of the intra-coastal waterway essentially made Gallatins idea a reality. The Father of The National Road Albert Gallatin’s vision of a great national turnpike running from Maine to Georgia may have seem utopian in 1808, but it was an early vision of the interstate highway system. And Gallatin did get to implement one major road building project, the National Road which was started in 1811. Work began in western Maryland, at the town of Cumberland, with construction crews moving both eastward, toward Washington, DC, and westward, toward Indiana. The National Road, which was also called the Cumberland Road, was finished, and became a major artery. Wagons of farm products could be brought east. And many settlers and emigrants headed west along its route. The National Road lives on today. It is now the route of US 40 (which was eventually extended to reach the west coast). Later Career and Legacy of Albert Gallatin After serving as treasury secretary for Thomas Jefferson, Gallatin held ambassadorial posts under presidents Madison and Monroe. He was instrumental in negotiating the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. Following decades of government service, Gallatin moved to New York City where he became a banker and also served as president of the the New York Historical Society. He died in 1849, having lived long enough to see some of his visionary ideas become reality. Albert Gallatin is regarded as one of the most influential treasury secretaries in American history. A statue of Gallatin stands today in Washington, D.C., before the U.S. Treasury building.

Monday, October 21, 2019

How to Create Great Images for Your Blog Posts

How to Create Great Images for Your Blog Posts Images for your blog posts  are important for many reasons. They illustrate important points to your readers, make social shares of your posts stand out in the newsfeed, break up text to make the content easier to read, and encourage people to share your post for no other reason than they like the main image. While there are many sources of ready to use images available, you should consider creating unique images on your own. In this post, were going to look at the reasons why you should create your own great images for content and the ways you can do it. Why You Need to Create Your Own Images You might be wondering, since I mentioned that there are many sources of ready to use images already available, why you would want to spend the time creating your own. Here are just a few good reasons. Stock photos are generic and widely used. Anyone can buy and use a stock photo for less than a dollar, which means many images appear on the Internet hundreds, or even thousands of times. If youre goal is to create unique content, why top it off with a generic image? Creative Commons image use can backfire. Many Creative Commons images are licensed specifically for non-commercial use. Non-commercial is open to interpretation by the owner of the image, therefore, if you use their image on a blog owned by a business or a blog that generates revenue, it may be considered commercial usage. People are more like to share images theyve never seen. People who love sharing images on sites like Pinterest are more likely to share yours if its something theyve never seen before that is either useful or simply visually appealing. People are more like to share images theyve never seen. #visualcontent #contentmarketing @kikolaniNow that you know why you should create your own images, lets take a look at how to create them. How to Create Effective Screenshots For those who enjoy creating how-to and tutorial content, screenshots are essential. Free tools like Jing will allow you to not only capture screenshots, but also easily annotate them. Annotations help make your points or instructions crystal clear to readers who need a little visual supplementation. People will not only appreciate your ability to illustrate your points clearly, but youll also get requests from others who want to share your annotated screenshots. Use those requests to get your name in front of new audiences without any additional work. Another great tool for screenshots is FooCapture. You install the extension on Google Chrome and use it to capture screenshots, annotate them, and have them automatically added to your WordPress (WordPress.com or WordPress.org) media library. Premium service plans for this tool is only $6 per month for unlimited connections / WordPress connections. How to Customize Images on Canva For graphically challenged individuals like myself, Canva is a tool that helps you quickly create graphics for your blog content, social media, and presentations. They have templates with built-in images and overlay text that you customize to fit your content. All of the work is done online, and what you create is free, unless you pick a template that uses a stock photo in the background. If youve browsed the blog graphic templates, you might have noticed they all come in one size (800px x 1200px). The key to using Canva is to not limit yourself to the blog graphic templates, even if thats what you are using them for. There is a total of twenty categories of template types, with square and rectangular designs. You might find that the Facebook cover templates are better suited to your posts than the actual blog graphic templates. To further customize your images, use your own background photos, or find stock imagery from other sources. This will easily differentiate your blog graphics from someone elses. When you do choose your own background photo, aim for a similar color pattern and blurring effect, the latter of which you can do using tools mentioned in the upcoming section about using your own photographs. This will ensure the text overlay provided in the template still stands out. How to Generate Infographics Infographics have gotten a bad reputation in the last year due to the influx of low-quality infographics created in order to build links for SEO purposes. They are still some of the most popular types of images to share. So how do you create infographics? First, youll need to start with some interesting data that relates to your products, services, or industry. ShareThis, a popular social sharing plugin, regularly publishes infographics about the social sharing statistics around music festivals, sporting events, holidays, and other trending topics. If you dont have data from your products, you can use public data sources or conduct surveys on your own. Once you have your data, you will want to share it in a visually appealing image, aka the infographic. Tools like Piktochart allow you to create infographics based on pre-built templates or using their drag and drop editor, removing the need for you to be a graphic designer. Similar tools include Infogr.am, Visual.ly, and Easel.ly. How to Use Your Own Photographs If you enjoy photography, then creating your own photos for content is a great way to incorporate your hobby into your marketing. Take your camera everywhere you go to capture images that could be used for future pieces of content. For example, if you write about local marketing, then photos of local businesses would be great literal options. If you like to inject some humor into your content, take photos of things that would be funny. Any opportunity to photograph a scene with words can also come in handy for content. The best part about using your own photography is that you dont have to be a professional photographer with expensive equipment and software to create great photos. You can simply use your smartphone and free apps like Aviary to edit the photos you create, right on your device. You dont have to be a professional photographer to create great photos. @kikolaniFor those who do have a digital camera, you can do simple editing work (such as cropping your images) in free programs like Gimp. For those who want to do more advanced editing, such as adjusting brightness, contrast, color balance, saturation, clarity, and built-in presets, there is Adobe Lightroom. It has lots of great features for photo editing without the complexity of Photoshop. Best of all, thanks to the Adobe Creative Cloud, if you do want Photoshop, you pay a monthly access fee as opposed to hundreds of dollars up front. For example, you can take Photoshop and Lightroom for a 30-day free trial, and then pay for $9.99 per month. How to Create Memes Speaking of using your own photography, if youre a fan of memes, you can create your own with your photographs. Start by going to the all famous Cheezburger site and click on the Create link at the top right. To add a simple caption, choose the Add a caption option. Upload your photo, and then select it to add some captions. The result? Your own meme! Captions can help you turn almost any image into one that is relevant to the piece of content you are writing. The best part is people love them! I created one for a post a while back using a photo of my newest adopted family member a sweet little black and white kitten. It resulted in a lot of pins.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

pH, pKa, and the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation

pH, pKa, and the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation The  pH  is  a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution. pKa (acid dissociation constant) is related, but more specific, in that it helps you predict what a molecule will do at a specific pH. Essentially, pKa tells you what the pH needs to be in order for a chemical species to donate or accept a proton. The  Henderson-Hasselbalch equation describes the relationship between pH and pKa. pH and pKa Once you have pH or pKa values, you know certain things about a solution and how it compares with other solutions: The lower the pH, the higher the concentration of hydrogen ions, [H]. The lower the pKa, the stronger the acid and the greater its ability to donate protons.pH depends on the concentration of the solution. This is important because it means a weak acid could actually have a lower pH than a diluted strong acid. For example, concentrated vinegar (acetic acid, which is a weak acid) could have a lower pH than a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid (a strong acid). On the other hand, the pKa value is a constant for each type of molecule. It is unaffected by concentration.Even a chemical ordinarily considered a base can have a pKa value because the terms acids and bases simply refer to whether a species will give up protons (acid) or remove them (base). For example, if you have a base Y with a pKa of 13, it will accept protons and form YH, but when the pH exceeds 13, YH will be deprotonated and become Y. Because Y removes protons at a pH greater than the pH of neutral water (7), it is cons idered a base. Relating pH and pKa With the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation If you know either pH or pKa you can solve for the other value using an approximation called the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation: pH pKa   log ([conjugate base]/[weak acid])pH pkalog ([A-]/[HA]) pH is the sum of the pKa value and the log of the concentration of the conjugate base divided by the concentration of the weak acid. At half the equivalence point: pH pKa Its worth noting sometimes this equation is written for the Ka value rather than pKa, so you should know the relationship:   pKa -logKa Assumptions That Are Made for the Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation The reason the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation is an approximation is because it takes water chemistry out of the equation. This works when water is the solvent and is present in a very large proportion to the [H] and acid/conjugate base. You shouldnt try to apply the approximation for concentrated solutions. Use the approximation only when the following conditions are met: −1  Ã‚  log ([A−]/[HA])  Ã‚  1Molarity of buffers should be 100x greater than that of the acid ionization constant Ka.Only use strong acids or strong bases if the pKa values fall between 5 and 9. Example pKa and pH Problem Find [H] for a solution of 0.225 M NaNO2 and 1.0 M HNO2. The Ka value (from a table) of HNO2 is 5.6 x 10-4. pKa  Ã‚  Ã¢Ë†â€™log  Ka  Ã‚  Ã¢Ë†â€™log(7.4Ãâ€"10−4)  Ã‚  3.14 pH pka log ([A-]/[HA]) pH  Ã‚  pKa  Ã‚  log([NO2-]/[HNO2]) pH  Ã‚  3.14  Ã‚  log(1/0.225) pH  Ã‚  3.14  Ã‚  0.648  Ã‚  3.788 [H]  Ã‚  10−pH  Ã‚  10−3.788  Ã‚  1.6Ãâ€"10−4 pH, pKa, and Henderson-Hasselbalch Equation Key Takeaways The pka is the pH value at which a chemical species will accept or donate a proton.The lower the pKa, the stronger the acid and the greater the ability to donate a proton in aqueous solution.The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation relates pKa and pH. However, it is only an approximation and should not be used for concentrated solutions or for extremely low pH acids or high pH bases. Sources de Levie, Robert. (2003). The Henderson–Hasselbalch Equation: Its History and Limitations. J. Chem. Educ. 80 (2): 146. doi:10.1021/ed080p146Hasselbalch, K. A. (1917). Die Berechnung der Wasserstoffzahl des Blutes aus der freien und gebundenen Kohlensure desselben, und die Sauerstoffbindung des Blutes als Funktion der Wasserstoffzahl. Biochemische Zeitschrift. 78: 112–144.Lawrence J. Henderson (1 May 1908). Concerning the relationship between the strength of acids and their capacity to preserve neutrality (Abstract). Am. J. Physiol. 21 (4): 173–179.Po, Henry N.; Senozan, N. M. (2001). Henderson–Hasselbalch Equation: Its History and Limitations. J. Chem. Educ. 78 (11): 1499–1503. doi:10.1021/ed078p1499

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The Propper Sexual Relationship Between Members of the Hebrew Society Essay

The Propper Sexual Relationship Between Members of the Hebrew Society - Essay Example The Shulamite woman goes out into the city to look for her lover and it is not indicated anywhere that the two of them could be married. There is openness about sexual relations that are in the Song of Songs that seem to be forbidden in the Deuteronomy (International Version, 2011). First, in Deuteronomy, the man is given so much importance rather than the female. The female expresses her desires openly while this is almost forbidden in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy advocates for sexual modesty. Deuteronomy 25;11-12 says that "if two men fight and a wife belonging to one party come to the rescue her beloved husband from the wrath of his assailant. She then reaches out and, unfortunately, seizes him by his private parts then her hand should be cut off and be shown no pity. In songs of songs, the stalagmite expresses her desires openly without any shame. The man is of more importance while sexual encounters in Deuterostome and the woman is considered as an object who must obey the man and do as he wishes without any regard for her feelings or desires. Avoiding mentioning the woman opinion is made. In the Song of Songs, however, the woman is very open about her feelings and might be considered very wild and probably unsuitable for marriage in the traditional Hebrew comm unity. The Shula mite goes in search of her lover when he disappears.

Strategic finance and accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic finance and accounting - Essay Example For one reason, mergers are undertaken so as to increase the growth rate of the organization. For this case, the chairman’s statement means that, through the merger, a stronger organization with a stronger financial base to acquire more and better assets and improve the management condition will be formed. In this light, with good management, when a new team of management personnel will be put in place, the chairman is visionary that the newly formed organization will be able to provide better services to the passengers at affordable prices as well as make better profits. Through the merger, there is reduction in competition that was there before between the two firms, and this can make the shareholders now run a more profitable business. The staff will also enjoy since new management comes with new management systems so that, the former problems that were being experienced earlier, must be sorted before the merger takes place. For instance, there has been a cabin crew dispute and strike in the airlines, which will be solved by the merger (TheGuardian, 2010). Therefore, the merger is compelling since it has several advantages, strategic in terms of tax benefits and reduction of competition and financial logic as it brings finances together for investing and improving the face of the new organization to result to better management, customer service and good profits. Considering a recent example of a merger between two cement companies; Lafarge and Holcim, the two companies had an intention of coming together to create the world’s biggest cement maker with combined sales of 32 billion pounds. The merger was aimed also at reducing competition which has made the two firms become the biggest rivals in the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Project Scope Management , Individual Assignment

Project Scope Management , Individual - Assignment Example More importantly, the significance of following an incorporated change control procedure on projects lays in making effective decisions and also dealing with project constraints in an effective manner. The team roles of Belbin and the conception of team role mapping facilitate in making better interaction with the individuals, resulting in better utilisation of available resources and attain predetermined project targets among others. These notions are deemed to play an indispensable role in the phase of project execution. Burj Khalifa within Dubai, UAE is acknowledged as the tallest sky scraper in this contemporary world. The building has a height of approximately 829.8 meters and is used for commercial business purpose. The staring phase of this skyscraper began during the end of the year 2004 and continued until the year 2009 (Baker, 2009). The engineering structure of this building has been designed in a sophistic manner with the prime intention of encompassing the surrounding gulf locality of Dubai, which itself gets categorised as an attractive sightseeing. Apart from just being concentrated on its design and niceness, Burj Khalifa also projects itself as a reference model of Islamic architecture, which is highly tended towards environmental safeguard and sustainability aspects (Baker, 2009). The scope planning of Burj Khalifa specifically focuses upon the project deliverables that can be achieved from smooth completion of the project. However, the project witnessed high level of distortion within the Project Scope planning phase that eventually destabilized the overall accomplishment of this massive project. For instance, specific amount of deviation occurred within the project scope planning stage such as ‘project cost planning’, ‘risk management planning’, ‘clear problem description’, ‘project milestone planning’ and ‘root cause components’ that eventually caused a huge increase in the cost factor associated with