Comparison Paper between Don Quixote from Cervantes and Bouvard and Essay

Comparison Paper between Don Quixote from Cervantes and Bouvard and Pecucher by Flaubert - Essay Example The importance of failure in both books is used to show this human attribute and the beliefs which many have surrounding their own lives and with the failure that is achieved. With this approach by both authors, one is able to create a different understanding of what it means to succeed or fail at different tasks. Structure of the Book The first technique which is used in Don Quixote and Bouvard and Pecucher is the use of failure that is acquired through the structure of the book. Both of the books have a main focus of providing comedy in the book while creating a specific relationship to the book through the continuous quest in which the characters are on. In Don Quixote, the individual quests never amount to anything. Either the character leaves the area, loses the battle or decides not to complete the mission. This is combined with the structure leading to the understanding that the plot line does not exist. These different components show the idea of failure specifically from the viewpoint of the character and with the structure of the book, which continuously diverts from any type of success on the journey. A similar path is taken with Bouvard and Pecucher. The structure focuses on both of the characters not being able to achieve anything throughout the book. ... This creates the understanding of failure based on the actions which they take as well as the perceptions which they hold. The character of Don Quixote shows this with the viewpoints that he holds and the intellectual relationship which he holds to the adventures which he goes on. The failure of the character occurs first through the difficulties with the quests that are never achieved and which don’t reach the end goal. For instance, the knight’s ailments and mishaps continue to remain a theme after dealing with others, such as youth and peasants, during his travels. â€Å"Nor was Don Quixote less so, for what with blows and bruises he could not sit upright on the ass, and from time to time he sent up sighs to heaven, so that once more he drove the peasant to ask what ailed him. And it could have been only the devil himself that put his head tales to match his own adventures† (Cervantes, 53). This passage shows the reality of Don Quixote, specifically which shou ld have the character of a knight who is able to overcome the difficulties and problems with the missions which he has been given. However, he is instead approached with ailments and the inability to win different battles while recognizing that the adventures which he has taken are not realistic to what he has heard. The continuation of failure is one that is also noted in the characters of Bouvard and Pecucher, specifically through their decision to take an intellectual quest to determine their righteousness in different situations. The different situations which they become a part of do not lead to any answers. More important, they always fail at winning the arguments or conversations that are a part of the

Preventing accidents to children Essay Example for Free

Preventing accidents to children Essay One of the hazards in the nursery is wires. To minimize the risk of children tripping over wires, wires should be tidied away out of the areas where the children are to prevent them from tripping up over them. Also, cable management systems such as cord covers could be used to cover the wires which make it less likely that the children could trip over them. The Healthy Working Lives website advises to ‘try to place equipment to avoid cables crossing pedestrian routes and use cable guards to cover cables where required’ (Healthy Working Lives, 2013). Slips/ Trips and fall is another hazard in a nursery and to minimise it so that service users are not at risk you can make sure that such hazards are put onto a side where it is not in the way of children. For e.g. if toys are in the walkway then tidy them away to a side. The Safety and Health website says that to prevent slips trips and falls you should ‘clean up spills immediately. If a spill can’t be cleaned up right away, place â€Å"wet floor† warning signs for workers. Keeps walkways and hallways free of debris, clutter and obstacles. Keep filing cabinets and desk drawers shut when not in use. Cover cables or cords in walkways. Replace burnt-out light bulbs promptly. Consider installing abrasive floor mats or replacing worn flooring. Encourage workers to wear comfortable, properly fitted shoes’. (Safety and Health, 2016) Another hazard in a nursery Weather/ Room temperature. To minimise the risk of children professionals and other in the setting suffering from hyper/hypothermia the nursery should ensure that the setting is suitable for service users to be in. This can be done by nursery staff making sure that the setting has an appropriate temperature for e.g. if its cold outside then they should ensure that the nursery is nice and warm for the service users’ and others who work or maybe visiting the nursery. If the temperature outside is too hot then The Nursery World advises to ‘avoid physical activities on very hot days to minimise the risks of heat stress, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.’ (Nursery World, 2015) Hazardous substances – cleaning products, beach etc. is one of the major hazards in a nursery as the harms and severity are very critical. In order to minimise the risk of this hazard substances and cleaning products should be placed out of children’s reach or placed in a locked cleaning cupboard. The Health and Safety Executive website advises to ‘Use good work techniques that avoid or minimise contact with harmful substances and minimise leaks and spills. Store cleaning products safely.’ (The Health and Safety Executive, No Date) In a nursery Doors/ stairs is also another hazard. In order to ensure that no service users are harmed by this hazard and the risk of potentially being harmed to be reduced the nursery should place some control measure to prevent them and they could be things such as door-slam stoppers or jammer. The Safe Kid website advises to fit hinges with protection strips ‘these devices cover the hinge where the door is joined to the wall. They are a long strip of plastic, easily fitted, that bend with the door when it opens, preventing children from slotting their fingers in.’ (Safe Kids, 2015) Open windows can be hazardous for service users as well as other people in the setting. The risk can also be very severe for this the nursery should try to minimise the risk of children being harmed. This can be done by placing some barriers such as gates around the window so children can jump out, this can also help safeguarding as no intruders will be able to enter. The Baby Centre website advises to ‘fit locks to prevent your child from opening them from the bottom. Fix low windows so that they don\t open more than 12.5cm.’ (Baby Centre, 2017) Faulty electrical equipment’s are another hazard in a nursery. This hazards has an overall rating of 12 but it can severely affect service users, professionals and others in the setting. In order to minimise this risk all electrical equipment’s should be regularly tested, any electric’s that are broken or can be hazardous to people should be disposed of or put out of use. This is supported by The Nursery World website that says ‘All electrical and gas equipment to be maintained and subject to annual inspections. The service histories of appliances should be recorded in a log book.’ (Nursery World, 2017) Medication or drugs lying around in the nursery is another hazard. To minimise professionals should keep an eye on service users to ensure that they don’t do anything that could place them in harm. This can be done by professionals making sure that the setting is safe for the children. Any medication that are in the premises should be authorised by the nursery nurse or it should be a prescribed by doctors. These medication should be kept by professionals and given to service users as prescribed. The Kids Health website advises to ‘Store all medicines, prescription and non-prescription, out of sight and out of reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet. Even items that seem harmless, such as mouthwash, can be extremely dangerous if ingested in large quantities by children. Just because cabinets are up high doesn\t mean kids can\t get their hands on what\s in them, they\ll climb up (using the toilet and countertops) to get to items in the medicine cabinet.’ ( The kids Health, 2017) Climbing frames/ broken toys can also be hazard in a nursery as service users can be harmed during playtime or when doing activities. To minimise this risk the nursery should make sure that all their equipment’s have a risk assessment done, make sure that the toys in the nursery aren’t harmful to the children, broken toys can be a hazard as service users may fall of them and gets hurt or it may drop on them depending on what toy it is. When children are playing on the climbing frames a professional should keep an eye on them or help them on this activity as they may fall from it and get injured. Toys with sharp edges should be avoided and the nursery should have age-appropriate toys. The safe Kids website says that ‘Useful points to consider include what to look for when buying toys, understanding safety marks and labelling, ensure that the right safety checks have been carried out, and considerations when giving and receiving used toys.’ (Safe Kids, 2011) Another potential hazard in a nursery is the event of a fire. If the nursery have control measures in place then the likelihood of a fire can be reduced. Control measure could be equipment’s that may cause a fire being checked and tested regularly, cookers and gas check should also be up to date and recorded on a logbook. The Kids Health website supports this by saying that making sure all electrical appliances are tested, making sure that wires are in good condition and sockets are safe to use. Fire alarms, fire doors etc. should be installed in the case of a fire and the Safety website says that the three P’s are recommended, they are: †¢ ‘PREPARE – Reduce the risk of fires by eliminating hazards. †¢ PRACTICE – Practice a fire evacuation plan and general fire safety practices. †¢ PREVENT – The Unthinkable’

Online Shopping Software Systems Information Technology Essay

Online Shopping Software Systems Information Technology Essay Nowadays everyone is busy with their works; they dont have much time to do shopping in the (busy) big super markets. In the stores we have to search in the each shelf to find our product so it takes more time and no guarantee of every product available in every store. Moreover, weather conditions are too bad so we cannot get our required products. Payment is also a big problem because we should stand in the queue for payment. Stores are not always opened (24/7). Why It Has Come: To solve above mentioned problems, we can use Online Shopping method.   For customers it is not only because of the high level of convenience, but also because of the broader selection; competitive pricing and greater access to information.  For organizations it increases their customer value and the building of sustainable capabilities, next to the increased profits. One advantage of shopping online is being able to quickly seek out deals for items or services with many different vendors (though some  local search engines do exist to help consumers locate products for sale in nearby stores). Search engines, online  price comparison services  and  discovery shopping  engines can be used to look up sellers of a particular product or service. A majority of consumers choose online shopping for a faster and more efficient shopping experience. Many researchers notify that the uniqueness of the web has dissolved and the need for the design, which will be user centered, is very important.  Companies should always remember that there are certain things, such as understanding the customers wants and needs, living up to promises, never go out of style, because they give reason to come back. Online stores must describe products for sale with text, photos, and multimedia files, whereas in a physical retail store, the actual product and the manufacturers packaging will be available for direct inspection (which might involve a test drive, fitting, or other experimentation). Some online stores provide or link to supplemental product information, such as instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications. Some provide background information, advice, or how-to guides designed to help consumers decide which product to buy. Some stores even allow customers to comment or rate their items Current Project Requirement: Responsibilities/ Current Position: We are responsible to create an Online Shopping Software System for our client Metro Super Stores. The main idea of online  shopping  is not just in having a good looking  website  that could be listed in a lot of search engines or the art behind the site.  Its not only just about disseminating information, because it is also about building relationships and making money.   Organizations that want to keep their customers or gain new ones should try to get rid of all mistakes and be more appealing to be more desirable for online shoppers. 2. Project Objectives The main objective behind the project is to enable Metro superstore to expand their business by enabling customers to buy their products online via a safe and secured online payment method. This will help Metro superstore to attract more customers and increase their market. Also, Metro superstore will be able to make it efficient and convenient for its customers to purchase products and review them. Customers can avail numerous offers on products online and make their payment with the click of a button. Times are changing and it is becoming increasingly difficult for customers to find time to visit a shopping mall and go through a wide range of products. The online shopping cart system will make it easier for the customer to browse through this wide range of products and also compare them with similar products in the market. The project will also aim at receiving and then analyzing the feedback obtained from the customers to help maintain or uplift the quality of products and to buil d a better service for the customers. Metro superstore will aim to thus gain market monopoly and attract a wider range of customers. It will also enable Metro superstore to build a relationship with international customers from around the world. The project aims at bridging the gap between Metro superstore and its customers. Customers will be able to purchase their desired products online from the comfort of their homes without having to go through the trouble of visiting the store physically. The customers will be able to create their account, browse through the products and add them to their virtual shopping cart. They can then check out having the options to pay online via safe and secured online transaction or pay as cash on delivery of the products. An additional objective of this project is to make Metro super-stores products available to customers 247 online. The online website will also contain all the products instructions, safety procedures, demonstrations, or manufacturer specifications and how-to guides. Customers will be able to post reviews after they have used the product which will enable other potential buyers to make decisions. Thus, the most crucial objective of this project is users convenience. 3. Project Scope 3.1 Project Brief The project involves eight technical people working together, including a project manager. This Project has been handled by eight members and it is a big project, which is modularized into small parts and assigned to each member of the project. Moreover because of this, the project has been managed very well by the project manager. We are going to work for four months to develop an online-shopping for existing super stores called METRO. The main aim of the project is to deliver the software for online shopping with in the elapsed time. Metro initially contacted our software solutions with their requirements and their need in having a website for their superstore. The website should give the information about the products and can facilitate the online shopping. The basic requirements of the website has been clearly mentioned by them so, that no future faults or misunderstandings. They also showed us the survey they conducted in the store from their customers. This survey proves that superstore needs an online shopping facility to their customers. It also states online shopping is the only alternative method to help customers in busy queues, parking area, shopping time and extra range of products available only in online. Based on the above things we agreed to make a website for the metro super stores. 3.2 Project Approach Deliverables: This project delivers a user-friendly software (or) flat form for online shopping to the METRO superstore. The software provides a website having all the facilities for the customers starting from price enquiries, offers, availability of stock, quality, store details, contacts and ordering the goods. 3.3 Exclusions. Every project has its boundaries and it can only delivers outcomes and specifications within that boundary. The exclusions in our project are delivery department, managing the software after term time (6 months) and further upgrading (or) developing new products. Delivery department: Delivering the goods in time and enquiries about the delivery will not be supported by the project team. All the shipping and delivery process is being deal by the super store. Managing the software after term time: The project team will not be dealing with the software term time. Though it gives an assurance of guarantee for lifelong but managing the website is wholly controlled by the superstore management. We will be taking care of the site for the term time which is 6 months duration. In this period we will be teaching and sorting out any minor problems for the super store staff. Upgrading the software: Upgrading the software and developing the new products is personally responsible by the superstore. The lightening software solutions will not be supporting any further upgrades for the website as a commitment of this project. The above products have been clearly mentioned that they will not include as a part in the project and which is solely agreed by the management of the super store. 4. Project Deliverables The products of the project will be: Management Quality: M1 Project Brief M2 Project Initiation Document M3 Highlight Reports M4 End of Project Report Business: B1 Communications plan B2 Questionnaire (to support information gathering ensure consistency) B3 Report for Project Board on current requirements/arrangements, and areas identified for further investigation/potential change B4 Report for Executive Board with recommendations for change B5 Implementation proposals Actual Product of the project: An user-friendly Online Shopping Software System The major deliverables are broken down in the project plan into smaller deliverables and activities.   User documentation User training 5. Project Organization 5.1 Project Board Project Sponsor: Metro Super stores Senior Responsible Owner: Vishal Sharma Project Management Board: Johnson- Executive Srikanth Nair Rohit Singh Suresh Peter Sundar Raghavan 5.2 Project Team Project Manager: Prasnnaa Nachimuthu Project Team Members: Abid Ali Baig Hari Vommi Kalyan Kondapally Mahitha Kolli Rakesh Thatiparthy Ronak Muchhala Vijay Chekuri 5.3 The Project Organization Structure Communication and Engagement team Policy Team Technical and procurement team Legal Team Project Board Project Manager Prasnnaa Nachimuthu Project SRO Vishal Sharma 5.4 Roles and Responsibilities Project Board: Approve Project Initiation Document, component plans and any subsequent changes Ensure the business case remains sound throughout the project Provide direction and determine priorities Commit resources and resolve conflicts Approve initiation and completion of stages Responsibility for quality of deliverables/end-products Senior Responsible Officer: Responsible for ensuring that the project meets its objectives and delivers the projected benefits Owner of the business changes, which will flow from the projects recommendations. Project Manager: Responsible for providing support to Project Board and Team, monitoring progress and resource usage, maintaining project plan, establishing and operating arrangements for document version control, establishing and operating arrangements for handling project issues, and maintaining the Quality Log. Project Team Members: The Project Team, together with the Project Manager, will be responsible for researching and developing the business products of the project To provide skills across work packages as required 6. Communication Plan Communication Purpose Audience Author Mode Of Communication Frequency Monthly status report to project sponsor To keep project sponsor informed of the projects progress and key upcoming activities Project sponsor Executive Committee Project Manager Email Posting on project website Video conference Monthly Weekly schedule metrics Monitor and report progress on scheduled tasks. Troubleshoot problem areas and solve issues as appropriate. Project management Others, as appropriate Project Manager Email Posting on website Group meetings Weekly Project team calendar Keep project participants aware of key project dates and to help them manage their schedules. Maintain training calendars. Project management team Project Coordinator Post in project folders in Intranet Daily 7. Quality Plan The Software Product must includes the following qualities Good enough product: The product is good enough which enables the Metro Super store to solve all critical problems which they encountered. The product should able to solve 70 to 80 % of the most common customer needs. Cost: The cost of the software product is reasonable that comes under the budget of the client and meets the quality and standards which the client expects. Easy to implement: The product is simple enough which makes Metro Super store to implement it easily without facing any problem. The product can be installed in several minutes instead of taking hours for installation. Association of steady users: Staff of Metro Super store contributes their time to test our product, report about the error if they find any, request us for new features and develop new product functionality. Standard Technology: The product should utilize the technologies which are widely in use such as Java, AJAX. Upgrades: The product will be updated time to time which encourage the clients ton use our product more often and in an interactive manner. Scalability: The product has the ability to handle the large amount of work. It can help to increase the work. Correctness: It indicates the correctness of algorithm which the product includes. Deficiency of bugs: The product does not include any bug and produce the accurate result or output to the client. Fault Tolerance: Continue to operate properly even if some of its component does not work. Extensibility: Ability to extend the work. Extension can be done in 2 ways Modifying the existing functionality. Adding new functionality to the existing functionality. Maintainability: It refers to the maintenance of the product in order to Correct the defects. Meeting the new requirements. Endure related to the change in Environment Responsible for the Quality of the product: Project Manager is responsible for the quality of the product. He must make sure that the product meets all requirements which are specified by the client and the standards are met. Acceptance Criteria: Project Manager is responsible in identifying the acceptance criteria. Acceptance is defined as acquiring the acknowledgement from the client that the product which is delivered to them meets all the requirements according to their specification. Milestones List the project milestones and deliverables for which customer acceptance will be sought: Milestone Deliverable Name Description Name Description Online Shopping Software System Implementing the project management software package on new hardware .Providing access to the internet Software Package installed Implementation of General Ledger (GL), Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) software Acceptance Milestones Table: Criteria Identify the criteria and standards to be met to achieve final customer acceptance for each deliverable. Deliverable Criteria Standards Software Package installed System functionality: · GL tested installed · AP tested installed · AR tested installed System Performance : System up-time · System response-time · Data transferred System functionality: · GL operational with no errors · AP operational with no errors · AR operational with no errors System Performance : 99.9% system uptime · Acceptance Criteria Table 8. Project Plan Number Tasks Resource Start Date End Date Duration Milestone 1 Initiation Everyone 06/09/2010 25/09/2010 20 days 1.1 Collect project ideas Prasnnaa 06/09/2010 07/09/2010 2 days 1.2 Prioritize project ideas Prasnnaa 08/09/2010 09/09/2010 2 days 1.3 Gather customer requirements Prasnnaa 10/09/2010 10/09/2010 1 day 1.4 Submit the request and get approval for the proposal Prasnnaa 11/09/2010 13/09/2010 3 days Yes 1.5 Prepare the requirement document Rakesh 13/09/2010 18/09/2010 6 days 1.6 Meeting for project kickoff Everyone 19/09/2010 21/09/2010 2 days 1.7 Outline project plan Rakesh 22/09/2010 23/09/2010 2 days 1.8 Assign resources to project plan tasks Prasnnaa 24/09/2010 25/09/2010 2 days 2 Analysis Kalyan, Mahitha 26/09/2010 05/10/2010 10 days 2.1 Create entity relationship diagram Kalyan 26/09/2010 28/09/2010 3 days 2.2 Create Data Flow Diagram Mahitha 29/09/2010 30/09/2010 2 days 2.3 Define data dictionary Kalyan 01/10/2010 02/10/2010 2 days 2.4 Perform object-oriented analysis Mahitha 03/10/2010 05/10/2010 3 days 3 Design Rakesh, Vijay, Hari 06/10/2010 27/10/2010 22 days 3.1 Design data model Rakesh 06/10/2010 09/10/2010 4 days 3.2 Write functional specifications Vijay 10/10/2010 11/10/2010 2 days 3.3 Design storyboards and/or prototypes Rakesh, Vijay 12/10/2010 12/10/2010 1 day 3.4 Write detailed design specifications Rakesh, Vijay 13/10/2010 15/10/2010 3 days 3.5 Write documentation plan Vijay 16/10/2010 17/10/2010 2 days 3.6 Write beta test plan Hari 18/10/2010 19/10/2010 2 days 3.7 Write SQA test plan Hari 20/10/2010 20/10/2010 1 day 3.8 Write SQA test cases Hari 21/10/2010 21/10/2010 1 day 3.9 Write customer support plan Rakesh 22/10/2010 23/10/2010 2 days 3.10 Write training plan Hari 24/10/2010 25/10/2010 2 days 3.11 Write risk management plan Vijay 26/10/2010 27/10/2010 2 days 4 Development Ronak, Ali 28/10/2010 26/11/2010 30 days 4.1 Code application components Ronak 28/10/2010 06/11/2010 10 days 4.2 Unit test Ali 07/11/2010 10/11/2010 4 days 4.3 Integration test Ali 11/11/2010 14/11/2010 4 days 4.4 Write documentation Ronak, Ali 15/11/2010 21/11/2010 7 days 4.5 Write training courseware Ronak 22/11/2010 26/11/2010 5 days 5 Software Quality Assurance (SQA) Hari, Ali 27/11/2010 11/12/2010 15 days 5.1 System test Hari 27/11/2010 01/12/2010 5 days 5.2 Track defects Ali 02/12/2010 05/12/2010 4 days 5.3 Regression test Hari, Ali 06/12/2010 11/12/2010 6 days 6 Manage Release and Change Prasnnaa, Ronak 12/12/2010 16/12/2010 5 days 6.1 Configuration management Prasnnaa 12/12/2010 13/12/2010 2 days 6.2 New full releases Ronak 14/12/2010 14/12/2010 1 day 6.3 Maintenance releases Ronak 15/12/2010 15/12/2010 1 day 6.4 Defect and enhancement tracking Prasnnaa 16/12/2010 16/12/2010 1 day 7 Implementation Everyone 17/12/2010 05/01/2011 20 days 7.1 Implement the website in beta test system Ali, Rakesh 17/12/2010 18/12/2010 2 days 7.2 Conduct beta tests Hari 19/12/2010 20/12/2010 2 days 7.3 Track defects and report to customer support Ronak, Vijay 21/12/2010 21/12/2010 1 day 7.4 Gather requirements for customizations Prasnnaa 22/12/2010 23/12/2010 2 days 7.5 Analysis (gap between customizations) Mahitha 24/12/2010 25/12/2010 2 days 7.6 Design Kalyan 26/12/2010 27/12/2010 2 days 7.7 Implement the customized website Ali 28/12/2010 28/12/2010 1 day 7.8 Unit test adaptations Rakesh 29/12/2010 30/12/2010 2 days 7.9 Integration test (Implementation) Hari 31/12/2010 01/01/2011 2 days 7.10 Execute customer acceptance test procedure Kalyan 02/01/2011 03/01/2011 2 days 7.11 Cutover testing to production Everyone 04/01/2011 05/01/2011 2 days Yes

John Brown: Violent Abolitionist :: essays research papers fc

John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut. When he was about five years old, his father moved the family to Hudson, Ohio. There, John was filled with the heavy anti-slavery sentiment that was present in that area. This, combined with personal observations of the maltreatment of blacks and the influence of Calvinism, started John Brown on his crusade to abolish slavery. In 1855, Brown and several of his sons moved to Kansas, a territory deeply divided over the slavery issue. Brown was captured after the raid, sentenced to death, and was hung on December 2, 1859 in a field near town. On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and several followers seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The actions of Brown's men brought national attention to the emotional divisions relating to slavery On Pottawotamie Creek, on the night of May 24, 1856, Brown and his sons murdered three men who supported slavery, although none actually owned slaves. Brown and his sons escaped. Brown spent the next three years collecting money from wealthy abolitionists in order to establish a colony for runaway slaves. To accomplish this, Brown needed weapons and so decided to capture the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. In 1794, President George Washington had selected Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as the sites of the new national armories. In choosing Harpers Ferry, he noted the benefit of great waterpower provided by both the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Producing of weapons began in 1796. In 1817, the federal government contracted with John H. Hall to manufacture his patented rifles at Harpers Ferry. The armory and arsenal continued producing weapons until its destruction at the outbreak of the Civil War. In the summer of 1859, John Brown, using the alias Isaac Smith, too k up residence near Harpers Ferry on a farm in Maryland. He trained a group of twenty-two men, including his sons Oliver, Owen, and Watson, in military training. On the night of Sunday, October 16, Brown and all but three of the men marched into Harpers Ferry, capturing several watchmen. The first victim of the raid was an African-American railroad baggage handler named Hayward Shepherd, who was shot and killed after confronting the raiders. During the night, Brown captured several other prisoners, including Lewis Washington, the great-grand-nephew of George Washington. There were two keys to the success of the raid. John Brown: Violent Abolitionist :: essays research papers fc John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in Torrington, Connecticut. When he was about five years old, his father moved the family to Hudson, Ohio. There, John was filled with the heavy anti-slavery sentiment that was present in that area. This, combined with personal observations of the maltreatment of blacks and the influence of Calvinism, started John Brown on his crusade to abolish slavery. In 1855, Brown and several of his sons moved to Kansas, a territory deeply divided over the slavery issue. Brown was captured after the raid, sentenced to death, and was hung on December 2, 1859 in a field near town. On October 16, 1859, abolitionist John Brown and several followers seized the United States Armory and Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The actions of Brown's men brought national attention to the emotional divisions relating to slavery On Pottawotamie Creek, on the night of May 24, 1856, Brown and his sons murdered three men who supported slavery, although none actually owned slaves. Brown and his sons escaped. Brown spent the next three years collecting money from wealthy abolitionists in order to establish a colony for runaway slaves. To accomplish this, Brown needed weapons and so decided to capture the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. In 1794, President George Washington had selected Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and Springfield, Massachusetts, as the sites of the new national armories. In choosing Harpers Ferry, he noted the benefit of great waterpower provided by both the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Producing of weapons began in 1796. In 1817, the federal government contracted with John H. Hall to manufacture his patented rifles at Harpers Ferry. The armory and arsenal continued producing weapons until its destruction at the outbreak of the Civil War. In the summer of 1859, John Brown, using the alias Isaac Smith, too k up residence near Harpers Ferry on a farm in Maryland. He trained a group of twenty-two men, including his sons Oliver, Owen, and Watson, in military training. On the night of Sunday, October 16, Brown and all but three of the men marched into Harpers Ferry, capturing several watchmen. The first victim of the raid was an African-American railroad baggage handler named Hayward Shepherd, who was shot and killed after confronting the raiders. During the night, Brown captured several other prisoners, including Lewis Washington, the great-grand-nephew of George Washington. There were two keys to the success of the raid.

Political philosophy Essay

Among the many substantial contributions to the field of modern philosophy made by John Rawls, there is one particular aspect of his most memorable work that has been a subject of notable controversy among feminists and other critics of gender-based injustices. Rawls is widely regarded as having revolutionized the modern field of political philosophy by â€Å"breaking the intuitionism-utilitarianism deadlock† (Kymlicka, 2002, p. 55). However, according to critics like Susan Moller Okin, while Rawls has accounted for most institutions of society when elaborating his theory of justice, his categorization of family as a basic institution has led to an exclusion of those not qualifying as a â€Å"head of household† from the original position, creating the potential for significant gender-based injustices within his theory. This discrepancy has been extended by other critics including Eva Kittay, who demonstrates Rawls’ lack of attention to the issue of dependency. Throughout the course of this essay, we will examine these criticisms and others in determining the susceptibility to gender-based injustices present in John Rawls’ theory and principles of justice. An outstanding explanation and brief overview of certain key aspects of a philosophical perspective advocated by Rawls comes from Samuel Sheffler (2001, p. 20), stating: In summary, then, Rawls agrees with utilitarianism about the desirability of providing a systematic account of justice that reduces the scope for intuitionistic balancing and offers a clear and constructive solution to the priority problem; about the need to subordinate common? sense precepts of justice to a higher criterion; and about the holistic character of distributive justice. Rawls’ views may be regarded as revolutionary in that he was among the first to present a systematic alternative to utilitarianism that would account for intuitions that might be held as a necessity, and one of the first to attempt developing a systematic political theory to structure our different intuitions. Because of this, Rawls’ work has become a philosophical standard that has served as a basis for comparison of justice theory throughout recent generations (Kymlicka, 2002, p.54). It is for this reason that the theory of justice presented by Rawls has apparently drawn so much criticism. While containing a number of uncertainties, particularly pertaining to gender-based injustices and dependency, the intellectual contributions of Rawls have been invaluable to the development of the field of political philosophy, in general. Issues of justice pertaining to gender in Rawls’ theory would, upon reading most of his work, appear to be favorable toward equality for all classes of citizens. For example (Rawls, 1971, p.11): My aim is to present a conception of justice which generalizes and carries to a higher level of abstraction the familiar theory of the social contract as found, say, in Locke, Rousseau, and Kant. The issue to be examined is whether or not Rawls’ social contract theory applies a superior standard of justice to all members and classes within a given society. In A Theory of Justice, Rawls explains that â€Å"laws and institutions no matter how efficient and well-arranged must be reformed or abolished if they are unjust† (1971, p. 3). He devises a method, a thought experiment, to evaluate the conditions that might exist under a â€Å"veil of ignorance† where â€Å"parties do not know their conceptions of the good or their special psychological propensities† (p. 11). These circumstances are what define the original position, as defined by Rawls, who then develops his theory on two principles that he believes would be agreed upon by those parties in the original position. The first principle suggests that â€Å"each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive scheme of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar scheme of liberties for others†. The second principle states: â€Å"social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone’s advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all† (p. 53). It is the ambiguity of the phrases â€Å"to everyone’s advantage† and â€Å"open to all† that has received the most scrutiny from feminists and other critics of gender based inadequacies in Rawls’ theory of justice. A feminism advocate and noteworthy critic of Rawls has been Susan Moller Okin, who has said, â€Å"[a]n ambiguity runs throughout John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice, continually noticeable to anyone reading it from a feminist perspective† (Okin, 1987, p. 44). While Okin concedes that Rawls’ â€Å"liberal principles can lead us to challenge fundamentally the gender system of our society†, she goes on to say that â€Å"this challenge is barely hinted at, much less developed†, referring to the evident lack of material presented by Rawls that might clarify, among other things, the outcome of wives and other women who are regarded as subordinates in the social institution of family. Okin criticises the predominantly-masculine terms of references used by Rawls to describe any individuals or persons mentioned in his theory, suggesting that the equal inclusion of women may not have been a foremost concern when Rawls developed the foundations for these principles of justice (p. 45). While it remains true, in A Theory of Justice, that Rawls uses masculine terms most frequently, it is unclear whether or not he does so in order to more effectively communicate his ideas to a contemporary philosophical audience, in which these predominantly masculine terms of references had been applied, almost exclusively, for generations. Okin’s next concern is with regard to Rawls’ assumption that family is a just institution. Based on the most relevant context in A Theory of Justice, pertaining to family as the first school of moral development, Rawls inadequately asserts that â€Å"family institutions are just† (Rawls cited by Okin, 1987, p. 48). Since it is Rawls’ intent and burden to demonstrate that both principles of justice as fairness are hypothetically agreeable between individuals in the original position, Okin makes a valid point with the following statement (p.49): †¦ [S]ince those in the original position are the heads or representatives of families, they are not in a position to determine questions of justice within families. This argument is sustained and further clarified by Kittay (1997, p. 229): If parties to the OP already have a determined social position relative to the family, they will not choose the principles of justice in ignorance of their social position. And in the framework of Rawlsian constructivism, only principles that we choose in ignorance of our social position will issue in fair principles with respect to the basic institutions. Since Rawls does want to say that the family is a basic institution, and since justice should then pertain to the family, the parties cannot be heads of households. With this in mind, it would appear Okin is correct when outlining this apparent flaw in the â€Å"veil of ignorance† envisioned by Rawls. Despite noting that Rawls does, on at least two occasions, seem to acknowledge that women may be equally likely to be regarded as a â€Å"head of family† or to be included in the original position, Okin challenges the ongoing assumptions present throughout Part II of A Theory of Justice and contends again that Rawls’ consistent employment of supposedly male terms of reference â€Å"has the effect of banishing a large sphere of human life — and a particularly large sphere of most women’s lives — from the scope of the theory† (Okin, 1987, p.50). Rawls discusses the issue of wealth distribution in A Theory of Justice and, in accordance with his frequent omission of wives and many other women from the original position, does not account for certain factors that may influence a woman’s success in the paid labor force. Okin states that, in all contemporary societies, â€Å"a much larger proportion of women’s than men’s labor is unpaid, and is often not acknowledged to be labor† (1987, p. 50). While this condition may not necessarily prevail under Rawls’ theory of justice, at least not when women are represented as a â€Å"head of household†, for any discussion of justice within the family, these issues would have to be carefully considered. An interesting example of a woman’s role in the public sphere, or lack thereof, in Rawls’ arguments aimed to support his theory of justice is that of a military draft. Despite his statement that there should be â€Å"no avoidable class bias in selecting those who are called for duty† (Rawls cited by Okin, 1987, p.50), Rawls had failed to include any mention of the exemption of women from this aspect of equal citizenship and civil duty (Okin, 1987, p. 50). Such exclusions are in stark contrast to the notion of â€Å"equality of opportunity† in a Rawlsian society as depicted by Kymlicka (p. 58): Why does the ideology of equal opportunity seem fair to many people in our society? Because it ensures that people’s fate is determined by their choices, rather than their circumstances. If I am pursuing some personal ambition in a society that has equality of opportunity, then my success or failure will be determined by my performance, not by my race or class or sex. Equality of opportunity is one of the challenges faced by Rawls when developing his theory of justice. As part of an adequate conception of social cooperation, political justice must account for dependency concerns. Rawls admits to the mostly unsupported assumption â€Å"that everyone has physical needs and psychological capacities within some normal range† (Rawls cited by Kittay, 1997, p.225). This is, of course, mostly untrue as a large percentage of the population will consist of people who are seriously ill, children, and elderly. Not only is dependency a factor for these individuals; it also applies to the caretakers whose overall functioning capacity in society would be reduced by their obligation to care for those who are in need of constant attention. Kittay outlines some of the reasons dependency concerns are relevant to social cooperation and political justice (1997, p.232): [F]irst, because they are rational and reasonable considerations in choosing a conception of justice; second, because a society that does not care for its dependents or that cares for them only by unfairly exploiting the labor of those who do the caring cannot be said to be well-ordered [†¦ ]; and, third, because when we reorient our political insights to see the centrality of human relationships to our happiness and well-being, we recognize dependency needs as basic motivations for creating a social order. The argument that issues related to dependency should be an important foundation for any theory of justice has been well-supported by Kittay and other critics. According to Kittay (p. 239), if we all â€Å"took turns being dependent and dependency workers, we would repay the debt, incurred during periods of dependency, of benefits-received-without-burdens-assumed†. Of course, such a circumstance does not reasonably exist and, therefore, the burdens and responsibilities of the dependency worker are drastically different than those of a fully-functioning citizen. The worker will simply not have the resources to maintain â€Å"an equal right to the most extensive scheme of equal basic liberties† as allocated by Rawls’ first principle of justice (Rawls, 1971, p. 53). In conclusion, Okin’s claim that Rawls’ theory of justice fails to address gender-based injustice both within the family and the public sphere is sustained with legitimate arguments and reasonable inquiry. Rawls’ theory of justice, at its current stage, does not appear to apply equally to all classes of citizens, namely women. The parties in the original position would have an inadequate â€Å"veil of ignorance† if their association to family was known, preventing an impartial assignment of ‘principles’. Kittay’s extension of the argument pertaining to gender-based injustices to dependency relations carries the significance of Rawls’ discrepancies even further when demonstrating the full extent by which dependency workers, which are predominantly female, are further constricted by Rawls’ failure to account for existing inequalities pertaining to dependency and dependency work. In essence, the lack of sufficient acknowledgement of gender-based injustice on behalf of Rawls may very well be the greatest weakness of his theory. With the passage of time, however, new developments in the field of political philosophy may give rise to a system that will account for these important variables. REFERENCES Kymlicka, Will. (2002), Contemporary Political Philosophy. Oxford University Press, New York. Okin, Susan Moller. (1987), â€Å"Justice and gender†. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 16: Kittay, Eva Feder. (1997), â€Å"Human dependency and Rawlsian Equality† in Feminists Rethink the Self, Meyers, Diana Tietjens Rawls, John. (1971), A Theory of Justice. Harvard University Press. Sheffler, Samuel. (2001), ‘Rawls and Utilitarianism’, Boundaries and Allegiances: Problems of Justice and Responsibility in Liberal Thought. Oxford University Press, New York.

Based On vs. Based Around

Based On vs. Based Around Based On vs. Based Around Based On vs. Based Around By Maeve Maddox In a previous post, I wrote about the strange but trendy expression â€Å"to be based out of,† a phrase inexplicably used to mean â€Å"based in,† or â€Å"lives in.† Now I’ve noticed another expression that uses base in a nonstandard way: â€Å"to be based around.† The first time I noticed this odd usage was in a caption under a photo taken at a school event: the event was based around The Sisters Grimm [a play]. I couldn’t understand why it didn’t say, â€Å"based on.† A Google search indicates that the expression â€Å"to base something around something† is widespread. Here are a few examples in which the intended meanings seem to vary among derived from, modeled on, set in, having to do with, and plain old based on. Some are headlines. Writing fanfiction based around a story you hate How to make a story based around a character The story is based around Maine. Classic comedy based around shop in Doncaster Worksheets and tasks based around the Shakespeare play. This is a common problem with lesson plans based around websites I want to write a book based around Monopoly What are some books about based around being alone? Dutch Artist Starting Religion Based Around Facebook Likes Kids cartoon book based around a vegetable garden. Used as a noun, â€Å"a base† is a foundation. Building on this meaning, the verb â€Å"to base† can have the following meanings: to make or form a foundation for something to serve as a base for something to establish or maintain a base for something to use as a base or basis for something Something can be based on something, but to say that something is based around something makes no sense. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Congratulations on or for?50 Idioms About Roads and PathsMood vs. Tense

Converting Text to Numbers Using VBA in Excel

Converting Text to Numbers Using VBA in Excel Question: How do I convert cells filled with character numbers to numeric values so I can use the values in Excel math formulas. I recently had to add a column of numbers in Excel that were copied and pasted from a table in a web page. Because the numbers are represented by text in the web page (that is, the number 10 is actually Hex 3130), a Sum function for the column simply results in a zero value. You can find a lot of web pages (including Microsoft pages) that simply give you advice that doesnt work. For example, this page ... http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291047 ... gives you seven methods. The only one that actually works is to retype the value manually. (Gee, thanks, Microsoft. I never would have thought of that.) The most common solution I found on other pages is to Copy the cells and then use Paste Special to paste the Value. That doesnt work either. (Tested on Excel 2003 and Excel 2007.) The Microsoft page provides a VBA Macro to do the job (Method 6): Sub Enter_Values()   Ã‚  Ã‚  For Each xCell In Selection   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  xCell.Value xCell.Value   Ã‚  Ã‚  Next xCell End Sub It doesnt work either, but all you have to do is make one change and it does work: For Each xCell In Selection   Ã‚  Ã‚  xCell.Value CDec(xCell.Value) Next xCell Its not rocket science. I cant understand why so many pages have it wrong.