Book Analysis Time Machine by Wells

Overview of O. Henrys Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen

Overview of O. Henry's 'Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen' Two Thanksgiving Day  Gentlemen by O. Henry is a short story that appears in his 1907 collection, The Trimmed Lamp. The story, which features another classic O. Henry twist at the end, raises questions about the importance of tradition, particularly in a relatively new country like the United States. Plot An indigent character named Stuffy Pete waits on a bench in Union Square in New York City, just as he has on every Thanksgiving Day for the past nine years. He has just come from an unexpected feast provided for him by two old ladies as an act of charity and he has eaten to the point of feeling sick. But every year on Thanksgiving, a character named the Old Gentleman always treats Stuffy Pete to a bountiful restaurant meal, so even though Stuffy Pete has already eaten, he feels obligated to meet the Old Gentleman, as usual, and uphold the tradition. After the meal, Stuffy Pete thanks the Old Gentleman and the two of them walk in opposite directions. Then Stuffy Pete turns the corner, collapses to the sidewalk, and has to be taken to the hospital. Shortly after, the Old Gentleman is also brought to the hospital, suffering from a case of almost starvation because he hasnt eaten in three days. Tradition and National Identity The Old Gentleman seems self-consciously obsessed with establishing and preserving a Thanksgiving tradition. The narrator points out that feeding Stuffy Pete once a year is a thing that the Old Gentleman was trying to make a tradition of. The man considers himself a pioneer in American tradition, and every year he offers the same overly formal speech to Stuffy Pete: I am glad to perceive that the vicissitudes of another year have spared you to move in health about the beautiful world. For that blessing along this day of thanksgiving is well proclaimed to each of us. If you will come with me, my man, I will provide you with a dinner that should make your physical being accord with the mental. With this speech, the tradition becomes almost ceremonial. The purpose of the speech seems less to converse with Stuffy than to perform a ritual and, through elevated language, to give that ritual some kind of authority. The narrator links this desire for tradition with national pride. He portrays the United States as a country self-conscious about its own youth and striving to keep pace with England. In his usual style, O. Henry presents all of this with a touch of humor. Of the Old Gentlemans speech, he writes hyperbolically: The words themselves formed almost an Institution. Nothing could be compared with them except the Declaration of Independence. And in reference to the longevity of the Old Gentlemans gesture, he writes, But this is a young country, and nine years is not so bad. The comedy arises from the mismatch between the characters desire for tradition and their ability to establish it. Selfish Charity? In many ways, the story appears critical of its characters and their ambitions. For example, the narrator refers to the yearly hunger which, as the philanthropists seem to think, afflicts the poor at such extended intervals. That is, rather than commending the Old Gentleman and the two old ladies for their generosity in feeding Stuffy Pete, the narrator mocks them for making grand annual gestures but then, presumably, ignoring Stuffy Pete and others like him throughout the year. Admittedly, the Old Gentleman seems much more concerned with creating a tradition (an Institution) than with actually helping Stuffy. He deeply regrets not having a son who could maintain the tradition in future years with some subsequent Stuffy. So, he is essentially fostering a tradition that requires someone to be impoverished and hungry. It could be argued that a more beneficial tradition would be aimed at wiping out hunger altogether. And of course, the Old Gentleman seems much more concerned about inspiring thankfulness in others than about being thankful himself. The same might be said of the two old ladies who feed Stuffy his first meal of the day. Exclusively American Though the story doesnt shy away from pointing out the humor in the characters aspirations and predicaments, its overall attitude toward the characters seems largely affectionate. O. Henry takes a similar position in The Gift of the Magi, in which he seems to laugh good-naturedly at the characters mistakes, but not to judge them. After all, its hard to fault people for charitable impulses, even they come only once a year. And the way the characters all work so hard to establish a tradition is charming. Stuffys gastronomic suffering, in particular, suggests (however comically) a dedication to the greater national good than to his own well-being. Establishing a tradition is important to him, too. Throughout the story, the narrator makes several jokes about the self-centeredness of New York City. According to the story, Thanksgiving is the only time that New Yorkers make an effort to consider the rest of the country because it is the one day that is purely American [†¦] a day of celebration, exclusively American. Perhaps whats so American about it is that the characters remain so optimistic and undaunted as they bumble their way toward traditions for their still-young country.

Health and safety Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Health and safety - Assignment Example To enhance these laws and oversee the protection of the workers, health and safety commission is held responsible for enforcement of the law and its executive arm. The European Union has as well been influential in the adoption of the health and safety regulations for its member states. These health and safety laws create the rights and obligations of the employees and employers. The UK health and safety act 1974 clearly identifies the duties that employers have towards their employees, themselves and members of the community. According to the legislation, the employers have the responsibility to ascertain that the health standards and safety of its employees provide written policies on how to implement this and protect their contractors and suppliers. The employees as well have the duty to be safe and ensure that their colleagues are not at risk and cooperate with their employers on health and safety. Additionally the safety representatives and safety committees regulations 1977 allows the unions and worker group to appoint their heads who represent them on the health and safety issues. It is required that the appointed representatives are familiar with this legislation (Stranks, 2005). Some of the additional regulations that protect the employees in the health and safety act include; management of health and safety at work regulations, manual handling operation regulation, provision of work equipment regulation, noise at work regulations and electricity at work regulations among others. The unions are involved in health and safety leadership, risk assessment, dedicating resources for health and safety, training the staff and consulting them before making any major decisions. The health and safety commission is assigned the duties of monitoring the activities of different employers and ensuring that they are in line with the health and safety regulations. To enhance this, the health and safety commission carries out assessments to

One nation under Wal-Mart Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

One nation under Wal-Mart - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that as a retailer, Wal-Mart can be characterized as quite successful. As noted in the case study, currently, the stores of Wal-Mart are estimated to, at least, 4,750, a figure that it is quite high if taking into consideration the level of growth of other retailers globally. The rapid and impressive expansion of Wal-Mart has resulted in strong conflicts, in regard to the role of the firm in the society. For many people, Wal-Mart has helped towards the increase of equality in society; people of different financial status have the potential to visit one of the firm’s stores and buy products of various prices. In other words, Wal-Mart eliminates barriers related to buying, as a critical human experience; such barriers are common in societies of non-developed countries which are characterized by extreme gaps between rich and poor. This means that Wal-Mart helps towards the reduction of social inequality, a fact that promotes peace at al l levels of social and private life. At the same time, the stores of Wal-Mart are structures in such way so that they can offer to customers the chance to make their choice among products of different quality/ characteristics. In this way, customers are given the freedom to develop their decision-making skills. The above positive influence of Wal-Mart in regard to a person’s social and private life is highly appreciated by consumers; as noted in the case study ‘about 138 million shoppers visit the firm’s stores every week’.... capitalism and globalization are promoted. Such view could not be accepted for the following reasons: a) Wal-Mart cannot be blamed for the changes in the life of style, including the development of new modes of retailing, similar to that promoting by Wal-Mart. Large retailers exist in all developed countries, being part of daily social life; b) Capitalism and globalization, as concepts, are not related solely to retail; they rather reflect a radical change on traditional views of life and priorities. In fact, retail is just an aspect of capitalism and globalization; existing political systems worldwide are the key supporters of these concepts. According to the above, it would be not fair to claim that Wal-Mart has promoted capitalism and globalization. Still, the success of Wal-Mart proves that people worldwide tend to support capitalism and globalization, at the level that products of well known brands, that are popular worldwide, are highly preferred by consumers. As a result, work ers have become willing to spend on products that meet the standards of fashion, even if these products are going to cover the workers’ primary needs. In any case, these trends cannot be considered as based on Wal-Mart’s strategies. Rather, Wal-Mart has aligned its objectives with the principles of capitalism and globalization which are, in any case, indispensable part of modern life. 2. Can a retailer ever become too large and too powerful? In the context of modern market, a firm can increase its size and its power by following specific rules. For the retail industry a similar rule exists. Primarily, emphasis needs to be given to consumers’ preferences, as influenced by local ethics and culture. At the next level, it is necessary for the firm to identify brands that

International business management and strategy Essay

International business management and strategy - Essay Example The car industry is buoyant. Recent data from Centro Studi Promotor (CSP) notes that the sale of new cars in Italy in 2005 totaled 2,234,174.This reflects the general buoyancy considering the increased gasoline prices, the weak economic situation and the fiscal burden on car ownership. This is the ninth consecutive year that new car sales in Italy have exceeded 2,230,000 which proves that the market is relatively stable. Italian brands lost 1.46% while foreign brands lost 1.30%.Italian brands (the dominant Fiat Auto Spa) claimed 28.04% of the market share and manufactured four out of every ten best selling cars. The main international brands included-GM (Opel and Chevrolet), Ford (Ford+Mazda+Land Rover+ Volvo), Volkswagen (Volkswagen+Audi+Skoda). The fiscal burden on the ownership of cars is a stark reality. In 2003, the Government hiked taxes on luxury cars and sports utility vehicles in a bid to reduce the deficit budget and control pollution. Vehicles weighing more than 2600 kilos were subject to higher taxes. The chief components of the generic strategy are-cost leadership, differentiation and market segmentation.

Light Microscope to Determine Scale of Object

Light Microscope to Determine Scale of Object Light Microscope Syed Ibrahim Introduction The development of the microscope has been vital to much scientific advancement in biology (Kriss Kriss 1998). Microscopes allow humans to see objects that would otherwise be unseen by the naked eye. The light microscope uses a series of three lenses to magnify an object. The condenser lens align and focus the light from the illumination source through the stage, onto the specimen. (Murphy, 2001) After passing through the specimen, the light goes to the objective lens which collect diffracted light and magnify the image of the specimen, typically 4X, 10X, 40X, or 100X (Murphy, 2001). The light finally reaches the ocular lens. The ocular lens also focus and magnify the image, but this is typically 10X or 15X (Murphy, 2001). After passing through the ocular lens, the light reaches the observer’s eyes. Microscopes do not just magnify the image of an object, but also increase its resolution (Heidcamp et al., 2014). Magnification is the increase in the dimensions of an image, while resolution is the ability to distinguish two components of the image (Alberts et al., 2008). In other words, the magnification is the size of the image while the resolution is the clarity or quality of the image (Heidcamp et al., 2014). There is no limit of magnification because the size of an image can be increased indefinitely, but there is a limit of resolution because of the properties of light (Alberts et al., 2008). Due to diffraction, the limit of resolution for light microscopes is close to half the wavelength of light divided by the numerical aperture. (Hell, 2007). The numerical aperture is a measure of the number of light rays collected by the objective lens of a microscope, and it is dependent on the refractive index and the sine of half of the cone angle (Heidcamp et al., 2014). These can be c ombined to give the following equation (Heidcamp et al., 2014): Where: = wavelength of light = refractive index = half of the cone angle Based on the above equation, decreasing the wavelength of light, increasing the refractive index, or increasing the cone angle will decrease the limit of resolution, thus increasing the resolution of an image. The smallest limit of resolution of a light microscope is 0.2ÃŽ ¼m (Alberts et al., 2008). Microscopes can be used to examine microorganisms. In this lab Spirogyra, Paramecium and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were examined. Spirogyra are filamentous algae that are typically 10 µm-100 µm wide and their filaments may be a few centimeters long (Parmentier, 1999). Spirogyra are often found in freshwater are distinguishable by their spiral chloroplasts (Fathima et al., 2007). Paramecium are unicellular protists with cilia that are typically found in aquatic habitats and are usually 100 µm-3500 µm (Morgan, 1999; Wichterman, 1986). Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeasts) are unicellular fungi that are typically 3 µm-6 µm in size (Schneiter, 2004). Since the naked eyes limit of resolution is 100 µm, these organisms are too small to be observed by the human eye alone (Heidcamp et al., 2014). Light microscopy was used to increase magnification and resolution so that the individual organism as well as their internal structures may be clearly observed. The purpose of this lab was to use a bright field microscope to determine the scale of each objective, to examine Spirogyra, Paramecium, wild-type yeasts and fab1Δ mutant yeasts under a microscope, as well as to learn the essentials of micropipetting. Results Part A: Lab 1 Report Sheets Please refer to attached sheets. Part B: Answers to Assigned Questions When the dimensions for the letter â€Å"e† using 4X, 10X or the naked eye were compared in Exercise 1.2, they were all approximately the same, as seen below. Using the light microscope gave more precise dimensions as compared to the naked eye. When comparing the different magnifications of the light microscope, they had percentage differences of 4% and 8% in the length and width respectively. Overall, it makes sense that all three measurements gave roughly the same dimensions as they were all measuring the same specimen. Dimensions of the letter â€Å"e† Naked Eye: Light Microscope (4X): Light Microscope (10X): Percentage difference between 4X and 10X Based on the observations from Exercise 1.3, it was apparent that Spirogyra have cell walls while Paramecium do not. As well, Paramecium have cilia while Spirogyra do not. After pipetting as required for Exercise 1.4, a minute amount of water remained in the Eppendorf tube, and there was no air gap in the tip of the pipette. This means that slightly more than 50ÃŽ ¼L of water was pipetted into the Eppendorf tube. For this reason we practiced again, and this time no liquid remained. For future labs, we must ensure that we are extra attentive to ensure we pipette the correct amount of liquid. During Exercise 1.5, it was observed that fab1Δ mutant yeasts appeared to have a thicker cell membrane than the wild-type yeasts. This thicker cell membrane may have been an enlarged vacuole within the cell that was pressing up against the cell membrane. Part C: Research There are many types of light microscopes, including bright-field microscopes, dark-field microscopes and phase-contrast microscopes (Alberts et al., 2008). Phase contrast microscopes rely on the phase-shifting of light as it passes through parts of the specimen of different relative thickness and density (Zernike, 1942). Search Engine: Web of Science Search Terms: phase contrast microscopic [filtered by date from 1900 to 1950] Reference: Zernike, F. (1942). Phase contrast, a new method for the microscopic observation of transparent objects.Physica,9(7), 686-698. After researching, a microscope was found with the following specifications and price (Cole-Parmer, 2014): Microscope: Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera (3 megapixels), Binocular, 115 VAC, 60 Hz Distributer: Cole-Parmer Model Number: RK-48925-04 Approximate Price: $2,932.46CND/EACH Search Engine: Google Search Terms: Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera Reference: Cole-Parmer. (2014). Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera.Cole-Parmer. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.coleparmer.ca/Product/Phase_Contrast_Microscope_with_Digital_Camera_Binocular_115_VAC_60_Hz/RK-48925-04 References Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K., Walter, P. (2008).Molecular Biology of the Cell(5th ed.). New York: Garland Science. Cole-Parmer. (2014). Phase Contrast Microscope with Digital Camera.Cole-Parmer. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.coleparmer.ca/Product/Phase_Contrast_Microscope_with_Digital_Camera_Binocular_115_VAC_60_Hz/RK-48925-04 Fathima, M., Shantha, N., Rajagovindan, N. (2007).Botany(Revised ed.). Chennai: Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation. Heidcamp, W., Antonescu, C., Botelho, R., Victorio-Walz, L. (2014).Laboratory Manual: Cell Biology BLG311(Fall 2014 ed.). Toronto: Ryerson University. Hell, S. W. (2007). Far-Field Optical Nanoscopy.Science,316(5828), 1153-1158. Kriss, T. C., Kriss, V. M. (1998). History of the Operating Microscope: From Magnifying Glass to Microneurosurgery. Neurosurgery,42(4), 899-907. Morgan, M. (1999). Paramecium. Microscopy-UK. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ponddip/paramecium.html Murphy, D. B. (2001).Fundamentals of light microscopy and electronic imaging. New York: Wiley-Liss. Parmentier, J. (1999). Spirogyra. Microscopy-UK. Retrieved September 15, 2014, from http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/ponddip/spirogyra.html Schneiter, R. (2004).Genetics, Molecular and Cell Biology of Yeast. Fribourg : University of Fribourg Switzerland. Wichterman, R. (1986).The Biology of Paramecium(2nd ed.). New York: Plenum Press. Zernike, F. (1942). Phase contrast, a new method for the microscopic observation of transparent objects.Physica,9(7), 686-698.

Gloria Estefans Successful Life :: essays research papers

"There's no growth with out a lot of hard work and little risk." (<a href="http://members.xcom.com./_xmcm/troycities/gebio.htm">http://members.xcom.com./_xmcm/troycities/gebio.htm) This statement is a reflection of what Gloria stands for. However there is more to Gloria, than concerts and videos, her personal life. Which would consist of family and marriage. Then of course there is her fabulous career. Gloria was born in 1959, in Havana, Cuba, her father, was a cuban solder. Gloria left cuba when she was two years old. Gloria wanted to become a psychologist. In 1975 Gloria was singing at a weeding with a local band called "The Miami Latin Boys." the band leader Emilio Estefan was impressed. Eventhough Gloria was a shy person, Emilio enjoyed her smooth voice, and asked her to joined the band. Gloria agreed but only on weekends as a front singer. In September 2, 1977 Gloria married Emilio Estefan. In 1984, Emilio convinced record to release an English only album in the United States and European markets. In 1989 Gloria released her first solo album was released in English and Spanish. In March 20,1990 Gloria was sleeping on her tour bus when a speeding semitrailer smashed into it, Gloria was almost killed. Gloria was in a four hour surgery, and it took a year of physical therapy. Gloria received 4,000 floral arrangements, 11,000 telegrams, and 50,000 postcards and letters, from her fans. In 1993 Gloria had a star on Hollywood walk of fame. In cuba she is known as "nuestra Gloria". Gloria sold four million copies worldwide of "Mi Tierra" which earn Gloria's first Grammy Award. Gloria has a son was born in September 2, 1980, she recently had a baby girl in December 5,1994. Gloria lives in a mansion in Miami's star island. Gloria is now planning a tour, she is also thinking of transition into acting.