Julius Caesar And Superstitions Essays - , Term Papers

Julius Caesar And Superstitions Superstitions are thought to be irrational, and resulting from either ignorance, or fear of the unknown. Some believe that superstitions can take control of their life, for instance, if a black cat crosses you're path, you will have bad luck. Most regard this as folklore and witchcraft. In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, superstitions took hold and played an important part of many people's lives. The characters believed that they were getting a vision into their future. Each character dealt with the superstition differently, some feared them, and some disbelieved them. These superstitions not only gave the characters, but also the audience quick looks at what is to come. They are important, and help shape the way the play was performed, and interpreted. The first superstition, which was clearly visible, is the soothsayer, who in the first act tells Caesar beware the ides of March. This is a superstition, because it is irrational, and it comes from a situation of high risk, and involves influences, which are unseen. This also shows Caesar's arrogance, its not just that he is not superstitious, but he also does not even let the soothsayer explain himself. He laughs at the soothsayer, and says "he is a dreamer, let us leave him, pass." The soothsayer is warning him of his own death date, and he laughs at him. He does not believe in superstition, and this is clear by his reaction, many others in his situation would be fearful of the ides of March, from the warning and omen, he got. Caesar believes he is more powerful then destiny, and that he will have nothing to worry about. Caesar's arrogance cost him his life, and showed that superstitions sometimes do come true. The next superstition occurred the day of his death. Calpurina urges Caesar not to go to senate today. She tells Caesar of the horrible dream she had, the night before the ides of March. Caesar recalls the dream to the other men. "The cause is in my will. I will not come. That is enough to satisfy the senate. But for you're private satisfaction, because I love you, I will let you know. Calpurnia here, my wife stays me out home. She dreamt tonite she saw my statue, which like a fountain with an hundred spouts, did run pure blood; and many lust Romans came smiling and did bathe their hands in it. And these does she apply for warnings and portents and evils imminent, and on her knee hath begged that I stay at home today"(Shakespeare, 79-81) Caesar just recalled and foreshadowed his own death, and yet he still leaves for the senate. Caesar's arrogance is again showed. He does not believe in fortune telling, or superstitions, although everything is warning him of the upcoming danger he is about to face. His wife however, is the opposite of him, in that she is very superstitious, she fears her dream, and fears for her husband. There was also another warning Caesar received. When several men killed a beast, in the streets, they slaughtered him, and found no heart. This slaughtering of the beast was also a superstition, for the men believed they could use the beast to determine, if there would be danger today. This is an excellent example of a superstition, since it something to us that seems irrational, but to superstitious people, they would believe that a beast could foretell the future. Everyone, other then Caesar, and in the audience, could clearly see that he should have not left his home that day, but Caesar believed he was smarter then any omen, or superstition. This was his ultimate down fall. The other superstition that played part in this play, was when Brutus was confronted with the ghost of Caesar, before he entered battle. This superstition foretells of his own down fall. The ghost comes to him, as he is sitting up reading in his tent. "Ha, who comes here- I think it is the weakness of mine eyes that shapes this monstrous apparition. It comes upon me-Art thou any thing? Art thou some god, some angel or some devil, that makest my blood cold and my hair to stare? Speak to what thou art." "Thy, evil spirit, Brutus" "why com'st thou?" "To tell the thou shall see me at Phillippi" " Well, then I shall see thee again?" "Ay, at Philippi"(171-173) This is Brutus's superstition, about going into battle. He is fearful of death, and of Caesar. He knew that the ghost

Letters of a Wonam Homesteader essays

Letters of a Wonam Homesteader essays In Letters of a Woman Homesteader, there are several ideas and themes that are present. Mixed among them are conflict, geography and gender roles but deep within the letters and a word of Elinore Pruitt Stewart, no other theme is more prevalent than that of community. Community can be defined as people living together closely, socially as well as physically. And in my opinion, community often involves sharing, which we see in this book quite often. First off, I would just like to discuss some of the other themes that took place in the book. Geography was actually a huge element as Elinore described unique environments throughout. In her first letter she talk about how she cant plant because of 15 feet of snow and how they only have three seasons, winter, July and August. Even as the letters continued, she claimed that snow was yet too deep. One time sticks out in my head when Elinore could see that the snow was so great that it had pressed the branches of threes down so low that she was hitting her head. Her response was quite simply, Such a snowstorm I never saw. Her descriptions of the land were extremely vivid, especially when she talked of leaving the snow-capped mountains for the desolate buttes. Although I didnt see it was being a much as a part of the book as other things, I did see conflict in certain spots. Two that stick in my mind are the death and aftermath of Benny Louderer and the other being the letter about horse thievery. Like I stated, I didnt really find this to be as huge as the geography, community or even gender roles but they presented a sort of conflict in their own little way. Benny Louderer especially because the mother was to never know how her dear son died. Briefly, I would like to mention gender because I had some interesting thoughts about it as I read. First of all, I found it unique that Elinore was skilled as she was. ...

The 300 Million Year History of Amphibian Evolution

The 300 Million Year History of Amphibian Evolution Heres the strange thing about amphibian evolution: You wouldnt know it from the small and rapidly dwindling population of frogs, toads, and salamanders alive today, but for tens of millions of years spanning the late Carboniferous and early Permian periods, amphibians were the dominant land animals on Earth. Some of these ancient creatures achieved crocodile-like sizes, up to 15 feet long (which may not seem so big today but was positively huge 300 million years ago) and terrorized smaller animals as the apex predators of their swampy ecosystems. Before going further, its helpful to define what the word amphibian means. Amphibians differ from other vertebrates in three main ways: First, newborn hatchlings live underwater and breathe via gills, which then disappear as the juvenile undergoes a metamorphosis into its adult, air-breathing form. Juveniles and adults can look very different, as in the case of tadpoles and full-grown frogs. Second, adult amphibians lay their eggs in water, which significantly limits their mobility when colonizing the land. And third, the skin of modern amphibians tends to be slimy rather than reptile-scaly, which allows for the additional transport of oxygen for respiration. The First Amphibians As is often the case in evolutionary history, its impossible to pinpoint the exact moment when the first tetrapods, the four-legged fish that crawled out of the shallow seas 400 million years ago and swallowed gulps of air with primitive lungs, turned into the first true amphibians. In fact, until recently, it was fashionable to describe these tetrapods as amphibians, until it occurred to experts that most tetrapods didnt share the full spectrum of amphibian characteristics. For example, three important genera of the early Carboniferous period- Eucritta, Crassigyrinus, and Greererpeton- can be variously described as either tetrapods or amphibians, depending on which features are being considered. Its only in the late Carboniferous period, from about 310 to 300 million years ago, that we can comfortably refer to the first true amphibians. By this time, some genera had attained relatively monstrous sizes- a good example being Eogyrinus (dawn tadpole), a slender, crocodile-like creature that measured 15 feet from head to tail. Interestingly, the skin of Eogyrinus was scaly rather than moist, evidence that the earliest amphibians needed to protect themselves from dehydration. Another late Carboniferous/early Permian genus, Eryops, was much shorter than Eogyrinus but more sturdily built, with massive, tooth-studded jaws and strong legs. At this point, its worth noting a rather frustrating fact about amphibian evolution: Modern amphibians, which are technically known as lissamphibians, are only remotely related to these early monsters. Lissamphibians, which include frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and rare earthworm-like amphibians called caecilians, are believed to have radiated from a common ancestor that lived in the middle Permian or early Triassic periods, and its unclear what relationship this common ancestor may have had to late Carboniferous amphibians like Eryops and Eogyrinus. Its possible that modern lissamphibians branched off from the late Carboniferous Amphibamus, but not everyone subscribes to this theory. Prehistoric Amphibians: Lepospondyls and Temnospondyls As a general rule, the amphibians of the Carboniferous and Permian periods can be divided into two camps: small and weird-looking (lepospondyls), and big and reptilelike (temnospondyls). The lepospondyls were mostly aquatic or semiaquatic, and more likely to have the slimy skin characteristic of modern amphibians. Some of these creatures (such as Ophiderpeton and Phlegethontia) resembled small snakes; others, like Microbrachis, were reminiscent of salamanders, and some were simply unclassifiable. A good example of the last is Diplocaulus: This three-foot-long lepospondyl had a huge, boomerang-shaped skull, which might have functioned as an undersea rudder. Dinosaur enthusiasts should find the temnospondyls easier to swallow. These amphibians anticipated the classic reptilian body plan of the Mesozoic Era: long trunks, stubby legs, big heads, and in some cases scaly skin, and many of them (like Metoposaurus and Prionosuchus) resembled large crocodiles. Probably the most infamous of the temnospondyl amphibians was the impressively named Mastodonsaurus; the name means nipple-toothed lizard and has nothing to do with the elephant ancestor. Mastodonsaurus had an almost comically oversized head that accounted for nearly a third of its 20-foot-long body. For a good portion of the Permian period, the temnospondyl amphibians were the top predators of the Earths landmasses. That all changed with the evolution of the therapsids (mammal-like reptiles) toward the end of the Permian period. These large, nimble carnivores chased the temnospondyls back into the swamps, where most of them slowly died out by the beginning of the Triassic period. There were a few scattered survivors, though: For example, the 15-foot-long Koolasuchus thrived in Australia in the middle Cretaceous period, about a hundred million years after its temnospondyl cousins of the northern hemisphere had gone extinct. Introducing Frogs and Salamanders As stated above, modern amphibians (lissamphibians) branched off from a common ancestor that lived anywhere from the middle Permian to the early Triassic periods. Since the evolution of this group is a matter of continuing study and debate, the best we can do is to identify the earliest true frogs and salamanders, with the caveat that future fossil discoveries may push the clock back even further. Some experts claim that the late Permian Gerobatrachus, also known as the frogamander, was ancestral to these two groups, but the verdict is mixed. As far as prehistoric frogs are concerned, the best current candidate is Triadobatrachus, or triple frog, which lived about 250 million years ago, during the early Triassic period. Triadobatrachus differed from modern frogs in some important ways: For example, it had a tail, the better to accommodate its unusually large number of vertebrae, and it could only flail its hind legs rather than use them to execute long-distance jumps. But its resemblance to modern frogs is unmistakable. The earliest known true frog was the tiny Vieraella of early Jurassic South America, while the first true salamander is believed to have been Karaurus, a tiny, slimy, big-headed amphibian that lived in late Jurassic central Asia. Ironically- considering that they evolved over 300 million years ago and have survived, with various waxings and wanings, into modern times- amphibians are among the most threatened creatures on the Earth today. Over the last few decades, a startling number of frog, toad, and salamander species have spiraled toward extinction, though no one knows exactly why. The culprits may include pollution, global warming, deforestation, disease, or a combination of these and other factors. If current trends persist, amphibians may be the first major classification of vertebrates to disappear off the face of the Earth.

The impact of celebrity endorsement Coursework

The impact of celebrity endorsement - Coursework Example Marketing has always been a challenge and more so for products that are costlier as the customers for the same are restricted in numbers due to need for higher purchasing power. The common products of daily use are a must for all, and although the marketers need to push these products too, due to high competition by similar products, the real test for marketing lies in pushing the highly priced premium products like watches that can only attract discerning buyers who wish to be seen as a class apart from the ordinary buyer. Brands like Rolex, Omega and Breitling fall under this category of products. The rationale of a watch is to show accurate time and almost any watch can serve the purpose. However their class, premium features, speciality materials, extraordinary quality and their aura command certain respect from both the customer and the onlooker. They exude an aura for the user and awe of the observer. What motivates the customer to buy them? How are these marketed? Is value created through normal advertising or does it need special advertising support in form of celebrity endorsement? 2.0 Advertisement Companies need to advertise in order to spearhead their marketing efforts. Earlier advertisements were informative in nature and were used to convey the properties of the products and their general usefulness. Price information became a part of advertisement in order to bring home the point about it being affordable and competitive. The homogeneity of many products needed some distinguishing factors and for this branding of products was the new method of distinctiveness. A company could have different brands for a variety of products. Later even the branding of the company became an identifying factor for excellence of products or service. 2.1 Medium of Advertisements The first medium was the print media as this was the prevalent mass method and targeted consumers could read about the products. Rival companies made campaigns out of such advertisements and from positive advertisements portraying the

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Marketing - Essay Example CLASS NUMBER: †¦4†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. TITLE/TOPIC OF ASSIGNMENT: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Marketing 100 Situational Analysis†¦/Target Market Identification Report and Collage †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.. Please read the following and sign where indicated DECLARATION: I/We declare the attached assignment is my/our own work and has not previously been submitted for assessment. This work complies with Curtin College rules concerning plagiarism and academic misconduct. [Refer to the Policy library on www.curtincollege.edu.au for full details on our Plagiarism and Student Misconduct polices.] I/We have retained a copy of this assignment for my own records. Signed: ____Wang Jue__________________________________________ Date___10 December 2010___________ This document is current at 31/08/2010. Page 1 of 1 1.0 Situation Analysis 1.1 Current Marketing Mix 1.1.1 Current Product Sunsilk Co-Creations-Addictive Brill iant Shine Shampoo is one of new Sunsilk’s Co-creations hair care line products. It consists of chemical as well as natural ingredients. The ingredients of the shampoo were chosen to achieve healthy shine, to co-create Sunsilk’s most advanced Addictive Brilliant Shine formulation for healthy hair that dazzles with shine (Unilever in Australia, 2011). Therefore, consumers benefit from buying a product in the form of healthy hair and â€Å"brilliant shine†. The company has teamed up with Jamal Hammadi from LA hair dresser to Hollywood stars and famous for his natural approach to achieve healthy shine (Unilever in Australia, 2011). It has inherent to all Sunsilk products cambered package, so customers can easily identify the shampoo as Sunsilk’s product. The bottle has red color and a big symbolic sign â€Å"!† on the front. The package developed by Brown Inc. (Brown Inc. 2011) makes product look modern and even hi-tech. This features distinct the pro duct from other shampoos and attract customers at the same time. Sunsilk Co-Creations-Addictive Brilliant Shine Shampoo is a part of hair care complex consisting of the shampoo and conditioner. Therefore, customers are given reason to by the shampoo together with the conditioner. The main targeted groups of customers are females between 16 to 40 with middle and high income level. Other groups of customers also might buy the product. Sunsilk Shampoo might be classified as staple goods because customers can use it regularly although they easily switch to another similar shampoo if the one is absent. Therefore, the shampoo is a star product of Unilever’s new product line. Its modern, professional and high-tech. It has original features that attract customers however; people can easily identify one of Sunsilk’s products. Customers can use it regularly although they easily switch to another similar shampoo if the one is absent. 1.1.2 Current Pricing The shampoo market is hi gh-competitive. There are many brands but in fact the most of them are owned by a few corporations such as Unilever, Procter&Gamble and Schwarzkopf. Sunsilk brand belongs to Unilever, the second biggest shampoo market company in the world. Unilever (2011) claims to practice value-based pricing. This means that the price is set based on the value a customer receives using the product. The primary importance of this kind of pricing is to encourage demand through setting the price according to customers feeling of the real value of the

Analyse the suns newspaper leading article Essay Example for Free

Analyse the suns newspaper leading article Essay The Sun is a tabloid newspaper, which is generally short and easy to read. The word spirit adds evidence that The Sun targets a simple audience, which dont have to be highly educated. The Sun is aimed at the middle class market (red top). As well as being strictly right-wing politics, the paper also has an untrustworthy reputation, they can also have tendency to exaggerate the truth and even print lies. Papers often exaggerate to make the situation sound more devastating and to have a more dramatic effect on the reader. The Sun gives a graphical view into what happened on September the 11th. The article on the 12th September 2001 is presented quite visually. The paper uses headlines to attract the readers attention and to summarise the facts of the article. The main title for the article is The Sun Says. The title is printed in large capital letters, is bold and has white letters printed on a black background. White letters on a black background are used to focus people attention on the title. Bold text is also used to make certain text stand out from the rest. The heading is to summarise the article, which is what The sun says This short unfinished sentence makes the reader want read on and this creates suspense as well as getting reader interest. This heading is also influencing the readers point of view. The main Sub heading is All the world must unite to defeat these evil cowards. This heading is printed in large letters, is bold, underlined, has white letters on a black background and in the centre of the article. The heading is in the centre of the article this is to break up the text and grab peoples attention. The heading is used to give a message, which in this case is everyone, must join together to find out who committed this unprovoked attack. This heading is also exaggerated to creating drama and excitement to stimulate the interest of the reader. Below the sub heading in a picture of some of the people caught up in the accident. This is eye catching and is reinforcing what is being said in the text. The picture is followed by the caption Terror victims. New York workers flee the devastation covered in dust yesterday This caption is to get a certain response from the reader. The writer varies the sentence lengths to make short sentences punchy and hard-hitting on the audience. This simple short sentences They must is the first sentence of the article after the subheading. Short sentences are to emphasise a certain point. The point for this sentence is really the answer to the sub heading before it. This has a dramatic effect on its audience to unite in the wake of yesterdays horrors. An additional short sentence is Not after yesterday. This is due to the amount of lives that were lost and threat of another attack. This is playing on the audiences emotions. The writer uses a variety of techniques to help write a powerful article. Emotive language is used to provoke a certain response this can be demonstrated by the phrase But the world will never be the same again. This phrase is used to provoke an emotional response from the audience because the towers will never be rebuilt or be the same again. In order to create emotions, The Sun had to be biased and argue their point in order to get a certain emotion, among the audience. The writer uses the single word exactly which is written in Italic writing. This is to emphasise the word and make it stand out from the rest of the paragraph. The word is also to persuade the audience to adopt their point of view. Bold text stand is used several times throughout the article. Various examples of the bold text are It is our duty to support them, both morally and if necessary practically and They must be hunted down and killed. These quote are both subtitles. These subtitles are bold to catch the readers attention and make you want to read more. The bold also makes the text stand out from the rest of the paragraph. Both of these sentences give the read a feeling that if there is a war then we should back America. A rhetorical question is often asked for effect, this is to get a reader interested in what is happening. Were his words treated as bravado rather that a dire threat? By asking a question the reader is leaving the answer up to the readers imagination and for them to draw their own opinion. In addition, the writer also uses questions from famous people in order to support their view. By quoting the prime minister the writer helps to support this view and it gets the paper politically involved. Tony Blair quoted, The terrorists were in human Journalists often exaggerate the truth to have a greater impact on the reader. For example The world will NEVER be the same again. By exaggerating the story the writer is trying to create a more devastating story. By developing and twisting the story the writer is assuming what has happened, but cant prove what actually took place. This is called suppression and is created by saying an example of this is If they had a nuclear bomb, they would use it. Exaggeration is also being used to influence the readers point of view like in the phrase describing the disaster similar to Armageddon, Death Wish and the Towering Inferno. Writers some times use rhyming phrases in order to create phrases or slogans to keep the suspense of the article. Examples of rhyming phrases in the article include George W. Bush will not shirk from using might in the cause of right. And we have won before. We will win again. By playing on words, using Rhyming phrases and repetition the writer is focusing on a certain point or word. In this case the word is we which is at the end of the article to get across the point that we can win. The Language used in the Sun is informative, angry and sad. The language is a key tool in making a newspaper as affective as possible as it keeps the audience interested. A great example of this is the phrase New York workers flee the devastation of yesterday. This example of sad language is to provoke angry response from the audience. The language is also dramatic an example of this is he must be bold. This is to provoke the response that George Bush must be brave and daring. At the time of the disaster I was at school so I didnt find out until I got home. When I saw the pictures on the television I felt a great lose for the families and could not belief something like this could happen, it affects everyone. The bottom lines of the article are trying to get people to unite and get everyone to pray for America and for us all. This powerful phrase is supposed to have a lasting affect on the reader and to influence their opinion. The leading article is a story expressing the newspapers point of view they are normally hard hitting, powerful and personnel. Some times they are actually written by the editor and they are much more opinionated than other reports. This type newspaper tries to make up peoples minds for them as it is mainly biased.

Business :: essays research papers

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This study will examine the overall affect on society, as well as the historical aspect of the integration of African-Americans, into sports in the United States of America. This study is also designed to discuss and or break down any racial stereotypes involving African-American athletes. Most importantly, this study will also examine the progression that African-Americans have made on the field as athletes and in corporate America as well. The overall affect that integration had on society will be discussed first. The acceptance and the scrutiny of the African-American athlete will be examined. Secondly, the researcher will discuss some of the many racial stereotypes that African-American athletes have to live up to or even hold their heads in shame because of. The third and final area of research is to discuss the progression that African-Americans have made in the world of sports during the years after integration.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The majority of the literature for this study was obtained from various websites and written material discussing the aforementioned topics. This study will not be the first of kind, however the information that was discovered is different than previous studies that have been done on this topic. Since the birth of the United States, this society has been capitalistic in nature. The basis of capitalism is competition. The business that is the best will win or make the most money. This is also the true nature of sports as well. Even though sports took on this mentality, it is still leaps and bounds ahead of society when it comes to equality. After- all Jackie Robison was a Brooklyn Dodger five years prior to the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954. In many ways sports in America have become a microcosm of what society should be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Jackie Robinson’s barrier breaking entrance into the Major Leagues was probably the most important event to take place in sport history, it is not the first time African-Americans were involved in sports. Early records have shown that African Americans were involved in these sports whenever given the opportunity to participate. On the other hand, American sports are filled with records of African American athletes capable of participating in the broad sports arena but not given the chance due to their race. Therefore, as sports grew into an American popular pastime, it also grew along on separate fields with race as a dividing line.

Organization within its environment Essay

Organization exist as part of a wider environment Or part of society and as such their influence by the environment in which their operate. It is usual to consider the environment through form of analysis known as pest analysis which has 4 main categories ; political this looks at the government involvement through legislation that they provide outlining the legal frame work within which every business must exist and taxation policy which are dependent on company success and therefore their profit ECONOMIC Factors affecting the financial functioning of the organization and value of money in the economy which will affect the ability to purchase as well as produce goods n services . It looks at the potential growth in a economy and how the value of money changes as well as trade SOCIAL This refers to factors affecting the population and supply of labour by looking at the influences on individuals whether their are employees or customers . It will look at the taste n preferences of plp in society, culture of plp the profile of the workin population nn the number of plp in the job market which influences expectations and behaviour at work TECHNOLOGICAL Factors affecting the processes of production such as changes in computer technology and communication and new manufacturing processes MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS Management involves creating and internal environment in a business which makes use of the inputs or factors of production to be transformed tp create outputs of goods and services .it is therefore the responsibility of management to create conditions that allows people to perform to their best ability to be efficient and effective. MANAGEMENT is able to do this through their basic functions of planning organising directing amd controlling the organizations resources in order to achieve the goals of the company MANAGEMENT THEORY Organisations considered to be employee oriented so they are likely to be  more productive and as a result become more profitable. Similarly employees who are mistreated are more likely to reject the policies of the organization. Based on this o.b helps to analyze how and why employees behave in a particular way and the schools of management thought provide different theory used for the of management. Each school of thought IS based on different assumptions about people and the organization for which they work and understanding of the developments of management thinking will help to understand the process of management that offer good employee benefits and have proper working conditions.

Elopement Essay

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Free Essays on Kevin Mitnick

Kevin Mitnick Although, arguably the most dangerous computer hacker, Kevin Mitnick has turned his life around for the better. Kevin Mitnick’s early life helped shape his future dealing with computers and led him to a life of crime. The life he was leading was going to have to stop because he started hacking and breaking into computer systems. Finally, the law caught up to him, forcing him to serve many years in jail and never to touch a computer or modem again. His life now is a great one; he started his own computer security business and is on the right side of the law. Kevin Mitnick’s early life was mischievous and full of trouble. His parents were divorced when he was the age of three. He lived with his mom, who worked as a waitress (Macnee 197). Also he lived in San Fernando Valley (L.A), where he had very few friends as a child. Kevin rarely saw his father, and his mother worked long hours and double shifts. That left Kevin with a lonely childhood. During his teenage years he started his life of crime. He began phone phreaking which uses electronics to illegally access phone services. While phreaking phones he became friends with other phone phreakers and often met with these friends at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Los Angeles to plot ways to break into local computer and communications systems (Macnee 197). Kevin’s criminal life started when he was in his teen years while attending Monroe High School in North Hills California. He had access to the network where he could change students grades. He also reportedly hacked his way into the North American Air Defense Command computers in Colorado just for fun. When he was seventeen, he was caught stealing valuable technical manuals from Pacific Bell Telephone Company. A judge sentenced him to probation (Macnee 198). In spite of his brush with the law Mitnick returned to hacking. After he was caught breaking into computers at a local university, he was sentenced to si... Free Essays on Kevin Mitnick Free Essays on Kevin Mitnick Kevin Mitnick Although, arguably the most dangerous computer hacker, Kevin Mitnick has turned his life around for the better. Kevin Mitnick’s early life helped shape his future dealing with computers and led him to a life of crime. The life he was leading was going to have to stop because he started hacking and breaking into computer systems. Finally, the law caught up to him, forcing him to serve many years in jail and never to touch a computer or modem again. His life now is a great one; he started his own computer security business and is on the right side of the law. Kevin Mitnick’s early life was mischievous and full of trouble. His parents were divorced when he was the age of three. He lived with his mom, who worked as a waitress (Macnee 197). Also he lived in San Fernando Valley (L.A), where he had very few friends as a child. Kevin rarely saw his father, and his mother worked long hours and double shifts. That left Kevin with a lonely childhood. During his teenage years he started his life of crime. He began phone phreaking which uses electronics to illegally access phone services. While phreaking phones he became friends with other phone phreakers and often met with these friends at Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Los Angeles to plot ways to break into local computer and communications systems (Macnee 197). Kevin’s criminal life started when he was in his teen years while attending Monroe High School in North Hills California. He had access to the network where he could change students grades. He also reportedly hacked his way into the North American Air Defense Command computers in Colorado just for fun. When he was seventeen, he was caught stealing valuable technical manuals from Pacific Bell Telephone Company. A judge sentenced him to probation (Macnee 198). In spite of his brush with the law Mitnick returned to hacking. After he was caught breaking into computers at a local university, he was sentenced to si...

Bell Curve and Normal Distribution Definition

Bell Curve and Normal Distribution Definition The term bell curve is used to describe the mathematical concept called normal distribution, sometimes referred to as Gaussian distribution. Bell curve refers to the shape that is created when a line is plotted using the data points for an item that meets the criteria of normal distribution. The center contains the greatest number of a value and, therefore, would be the highest point on the arc of the line. This point is referred to the mean, but in simple terms, it is the highest number of occurrences of an element (in statistical terms, the mode). Normal Distribution The important thing to note about a normal distribution is the curve is concentrated in the center and decreases on either side. This is significant in that the data has less of a tendency to produce unusually extreme values, called outliers, as compared to other distributions. Also, the bell curve signifies that the data is symmetrical. This means that you can create reasonable expectations as to the possibility that an outcome will lie within a range to the left or right of the center, once you have measured the amount of deviation contained in the data.This is measured in terms of standard deviations. A bell curve graph depends on two factors: the mean and the standard deviation. The mean identifies the position of the center and the standard deviation determines the height and width of the bell. For example, a large standard deviation creates a bell that is short and wide while a small standard deviation creates a tall and narrow curve. Bell Curve Probability and Standard Deviation To understand the probability factors of a normal distribution, you need to understand the following rules: The total area under the curve is equal to 1 (100 percent)About 68 percent of the area under the curve falls within one standard deviation.About 95 percent of the area under the curve falls within two standard deviations.About 99.7 percent of the area under the curve falls within three standard deviations. Item Nos. 2,3 and 4 are sometimes referred to as the empirical rule or the 68-95-99.7 rule. Once you determine that the data is normally distributed (bell curved) and calculate the mean and standard deviation, you can determine the probability that a single data point will fall within a given range of possibilities. Bell Curve Example A good example of a bell curve or normal distribution is the roll of two dice. The distribution is centered around the number seven and the probability decreases as you move away from the center. Here is the percent chance of the various outcomes when you roll two dice. Two: 2.78 percentThree: percentFour: 8.33 percentFive: 11.11 percentSix: 13.89 percentSeven: 16.67 percentEight: 13.89 percentNine: 11.11 percentTen: 8.33 percentEleven: 5.56 percentTwelve: 2.78 percent Normal distributions have many convenient properties, so in many cases, especially in physics and astronomy, random variations with unknown distributions are often assumed to be normal to allow for probability calculations. Although this can be a dangerous assumption, it is often a good approximation due to a surprising result known as the central limit theorem. This theorem states that the mean of any set of variants with any distribution having a finite mean and variance tends to the normal distribution. Many common attributes such as test scores or height follow roughly normal distributions, with few members at the high and low ends and many in the middle. When You Shouldn't Use the Bell Curve There are some types of data that dont follow a normal distribution pattern. These data sets shouldnt be forced to try to fit a bell curve. A classic example would be student grades, which often have two modes. Other types of data that dont follow the curve include income, population growth, and mechanical failures.

Environmental chemical threat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Environmental chemical threat - Essay Example Environmental chemical threat Methylmercury can be highly toxic to both human and animals. It is concerned hazardous since it can irritate or damage organs if ingested in amounts that can be considered to be dangerous for the human body. The main source of mercury is air emissions from power generation and other industrial and waste disposal activities, during its movement among the atmosphere , land, and water mercury undergoes a serious of complex chemical transformations. Thus methylmercury is an organic form that is derived from this transformation. As a result sea animals are readily in an environment conducive to ingesting or being exposed to methylmercury. It poses a grave environmental threat since it is not considered to be particularly harmful if ingested in low amounts, however several cases have begged to differ with this notion. Regardless of the ingestion amount found in food consumed that has toxic levels of methylmercury, it cannot be sufficiently be ruled out as a threat that without the needed a ttention could cause undue harm. Methylmercury builds up in the tissues of fish, larger and older fish tend to have the highest levels of mercury. One can gain exposure by eating fish or shellfish that has levels of methylmercury. This is important to note since as of the year 2005, the seafood consumption in America was 16.2 lbs. Some natural and synthetic chemicals in the environment can harm the human nervous system such as the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. (Miller 243). Methylmercury is known to have caused adverse effects that later on proved to be permanent and this is within proven actual cases. To protect the population against a threat that can be so silent for a long period of time, yet so deadly is the duty of each and every environmentalist. Mercury emissions continue to rise in the environment and this can only mean that it is a growing real threat that should be dealt with accordingly. Women and children are the most vulnerable to methylmercury effects. A recent study by the National Academy of Science concluded that the population at highest risk is the children of women who consume large amounts of fish and seafood during pregnancy, and that the risk to that population is likely to be sufficient to result in an increase in the number of children who have struggle to keep up in school and who might require remedial classes or special education (EPA).Mackerel, sharks, swordfish, and tilefish have high levels of methylmercury. Thus this is a fact that every pregnant woman should be made aware of by their attending obstetrician. Developmental effects caused due to intake of methylmercury can cause cognitive development problems that would result in inadequate development of a child's brain. Methylmercury and metallic mercury vapors are more harmful than other forms, because mercury in these forms reaches the brain (ATSDR). This undoubtedly puts pregnant women at a higher risk of harming their children, and it is possible that seafood is the reason for the increasing number of children born with cognitive development problems. Exposure to high levels of metallic, inorganic or organic mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys and developing fetus (ATSDR). Thus the goal is not only to avoid these adverse effects , but to inform pregnant women of the potential risks involved if they ingest seafood. It is highly unlikely