Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Kashmir essays

Kashmir essays The Muslim and Hindu peoples of Kashmir have lived in relative harmony and friendliness since the 13th century when Islam first became the majority religion in Kashmir. The Sufi-Islamic way of life that ordinary Muslims followed in Kashmir complemented the rishi tradition of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus), leading to a syncretic culture where Hindus and Muslims revered the same local saints and prayed at the same shrines. Periodically however, there have been rulers and leaders who have had a narrow view of Islam, and have subjected Hindu minorities to great cruelties and discrimination. The current armed secessionist movement in Kashmir mostly derives its inspiration from these people. A canard is now being spread past few years by the secessionist-terrorists and their sympathizers that in 1990 Kashmiri Pandits left Kashmir willingly, having been "tricked" by then Jammu and Kashmir.. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fact is that Kashmiri Pandits were driven from their homeland after a campaign of intimidation and harassment was launched against them by the military-wing of the secessionists. Kashmiri Pandits were forced from their hearths and homes at the point of gun. The objective of this ethnic cleansing was to create a minority free Kashmir valley where the goal of Islamization could be easily forced on the ordinary people. The books and articles below will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the genesis of the current political situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The religious philosophy of Kashmiri Hindus is rooted in Kashmiri Shaivism, a school of Shiva philosophy that originated near Kailasha in Himalayas around 400 AD. The first teacher of this school was Tryambakaditya, a disciple of sage Durvasas. Sangamaditya, the sixteenth descendent in the line of Tryambakaditya, later settled in Kashmir valley around 800 AD. His fourth descendent, Somananda, extracted the principles of monistic Shiva philosoph ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Primitive Data Types in Java Programming

Primitive Data Types in Java Programming In almost every Java program you will find primitive data types being used. They provide a way to store the simple values the program is dealing with. For example, consider a calculator program that allows the user to perform mathematical calculations. In order for the program to achieve its goal, it has to be capable of storing the values the user enters. This can be done using variables. A variable is a container for a specific kind of value that is known as a data type. Primitive Data Types Java comes with eight primitive data types to handle simple data values. They can be split into four categories by the kind of value they hold: Integers: these are positive and negative whole numbers.Floating Point Numbers: any number that has a fractional part.Characters: a single character.Truth Values: either true or false. Integers Integers hold number values that cannot have a fractional part. There are four different types: byte: uses one byte to store values from -128 to 127short: uses two bytes to store values from -32,768 to 32,767int: uses four bytes to store values from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647long: uses eight bytes to store values from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 As you can see from above the only difference between the types are the range of values they can hold. Their ranges directly correlate to the amount of space the data type needs to store its values. In most cases when you want to represent a whole number use the int data type. Its ability to hold numbers from just under -2 billion to a little over 2 billion will be suitable for most integer values. However, if for some reason you need to write a program that uses as little memory as possible, consider the values you need to represent and see if the byte or short is a better choice. Likewise, if you know the numbers you need to store are higher than 2 billion then use the long data type. Floating Point Numbers Unlike integers, floating point numbers like fractional parts. There are two different types: float: uses four bytes to store values from -3.4028235E38 to 3.4028235E38double: uses eight bytes to store values from -1.7976931348623157E308 to 1.7976931348623157E308 The difference between the two is simply the range of fractional numbers they can hold. Like integers the range directly correlates to the amount of space they need to store the number. Unless you have memory concerns its best to use the double data type in your programs. It will handle fractional numbers to the precision needed in most applications. The main exception will be in financial software where rounding errors cannot be tolerated. Characters There is only one primitive data type that deals with individual characters – the char. The char can hold the value of one character and is based on 16-bit Unicode encoding. The character might be a letter, digit, punctuation, a symbol or a control character (e.g., a character value that represents a newline or a tab). Truth Values As Java programs deal in logic there needs to be a way to determine when a condition is true and when it is false. The boolean data type can hold those two values; it can only be true or false.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Financial analysis and management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words - 1

Financial analysis and management - Assignment Example ion was to become a pioneer in global airways, and to achieve this target British Airlines has focused on making alliances with carefully selected companies (Rao & Krishna, 2004, p.75). During the 1990s, the airlines company emphasized on enhancing its corporate appeal, creativity, business efficiency, competitive position, and training facilities for employees. In the year 2004, the British Airways initiated â€Å"a new set of vision, values and goals†. The business strategy of this airlines company along with its values and goals were represented by a new mission which was entitled â€Å"The BA Way†, and it was made known to every individual associated with the company. The purpose of this mission was to fulfill non-financial objectives like focusing on safety and satisfaction of customers as well as motivation of employees. This mission was mainly dependent on complete cooperation and support from all the company’s stakeholders (McDonald et al., 2011, pp.91-92 ). British Airways which has always been a financially successfully company however experiences a severe decline under an inefficient and insensitive leadership. The period between 1996 and 2000 in which Robert Ayling was the Chief Executive of British Airways, the company’s financial performance went through a extremely. Ayling’s policy of undermining customer service and quality was the major reason behind the underperformance of the company’s shares by 40 percent. During his first year, Ayling was almost faced with a pilot’s strike which was narrowly avoided. In his second year, there was strike called by the cabin crew which lasted for three days which resulted in a loss of  £ 125 million. During this time, motivation level of the employees of British Airways dropped and a negative environment prevailed among the staff due to Ayling’s tactless approach. It was argued that Ayling’s leadership to a large extent destroyed the brand image and service quality of the British Airways which was

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Catawba County, NC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Catawba County, NC - Essay Example With regards to law and governance, Catawba County is a member of the Western Piedmont Council of Governments. The 2010 census noted that there were 154,356 people living within the county. Similarly, the 2000 census noted that 146,515 people inhabited the county; representing around a 5.1% increase in total population over a ten year period (Basso 29). As opposed to the earlier representations of the economy which have been noted, the current economy of Catawba county relies heavily upon industrial manufacturing. This has partly been born out of the fact that the transportation hub of rail and highway as it developed helped the region to become highly competitive with skilled labor and ease of access to markets along the eastern seaboard as well as the rest of the United States. As a function of a high number of skilled labor jobs, the economy of the region has fared relatively well in comparison to other less industrialized regions within the United States during the economic downtown which has been experienced (Employment and Earnings 216). One of the main bragging points that the county has is with regards to the high number of famous individuals that hail from Catawba. These include a grand total of 12 NASCAR drivers (on of these of course being Dale Jarett, a pair of actors (James Best and Matthew Settle), a litany of singers/songwriters (inclusive of a member of the Grateful Dead and Tori Amos), a beauty queen, and a host of well renowned sportsmen in almost every discipline. This wide variety of talent that the county itself has produced over the past few years helps to flavor its culture and underscore the fact that even though it could be understood as a solid core of manufacturing, mass transit, and industry, it nonetheless has a solid base of culture that it has developed and continues to export

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Types of Risk Essay Example for Free

Types of Risk Essay Additional useful information on types of risk Market or price risk relates to the uncertainty in markets and prices for both inputs (purchased for the production process), and outputs (products and services for sale by the firm). Market/price risk has always been a major problem in most businesses and results from the economic forces of supply and demand. Outcome of these forces are fluctuations in the price for a commodity and/or inputs in the production of that commodity. These fluctuations may be short-term and long-term. The degree of fluctuation and the length of time are critical to their effects on the business. Managers generally anticipate some degree of fluctuation in prices and plan accordingly. These plans may include spreading production and sales over time to average the effect of peaks and troughs in the market, establishing contracts to obtain a fixed price, and pooling sales with other producers to obtain a better market or an averaging of returns from the larger organisation. Low prices in the short term may be tolerated by a business if it has sufficient cash reserves to meet negative financial returns from lower prices. Low commodity prices in the longer term pose serious threats to the viability of the enterprise, and the business, should that enterprise form a major source of income. The growing impact of globalisation and opening of most world economics is also increasing the variability of market and price risk. Remember that this includes both opportunity and potential loss. Production risk is the variability inherent in the firms production processes. This is predominantly the variability of product yield, both in yield quantity and quality. Often quantity is considered but quality is also an important consideration – particularly for products where warranty and service support are provided. Variances in labour, weather, transport and inventory can all reduce (or increase) expected output, or cause delay in the production cycle of any business. Quality reduction, or delay in the production cycle, can further reduce the expected market or price returns for the unit of production. A delay in the production cycle can result in an inferior product or additional time and costs to finish the product, thus reducing the margin of returns from the enterprise. Technological risks: these relate to the uncertainty caused by rapid technological change. A production or investment decision made today may be affected by technical improvements in the future. This is particularly important for structures and high cost, long-life plant. A change in technology may place the business in a less efficient and less competitive situation against its competitors and the marketplace. Similarly not keeping up with technology can also make the business less efficient and less competitive. A business not utilising EFTPOS would find business quite difficult. Some investments can take upward of ten years for the planned commodity to settle into full production (e. g. horticultural products such as fruit or nuts. Agro forestry is a particularly long-term investment, as is mining). Human risks: humans are a key source of risk. Humans are prone to mistakes, misinterpretation, and health problems. The goals and objectives of management form the long- and short-term business plans for the firm. The fact that humans tend to change their goals and objectives often adds to the uncertainties facing the firm. Humans have skills limitations. The introduction of a new process or new technology may require new and sophisticated skills. Humans interpret, learn and respond to situations in different ways. Examples of human risk situations include: health and injury problems, particularly with key personnel. mistakes made in the production process. breakdown in interpersonal relationships within the workforce. misinterpretation in communication. esistance to change. An inability to learn. the existence of vices such as greed and selfishness. fraud, dishonesty, theft. there is also a growing value to a business of the intellectual property/knowledge of its workforce. Legal and social risks: these risks increase in developed society. Laws created to protect people, property and the environment can alter the business playing field. Decisions made and techniques used today may result in l itigation at some future date. There may be a close correlation between human, legal and social risks. For example: the duty of care in respect of others within our legal system. This is important from two management aspects: firstly a business has a responsibility to a persons physical well-being. There is the risk that a person or that persons property may be injured or damaged as the result of the business activities (public liability). Secondly there is a duty of care in respect to business advice that may be given to another. This is important in advice where You know, or should have known, that they might rely on that advice. Consider recent litigation against James Hardie as an example of such risks. The growing importance of OH;S obligations is another example. Some production processes often alter the physical environment, creating the risk of downstream detrimental effects on others (for example chemical spills, effluent disposal). The risk manager must consider environmental risks not only in relation to their direct effect on the business, but also for the potential damage to others property rights and the subsequent potential litigation which may ensue. Government policy risks: government policies help to define both the external and internal environments for the agricultural business. In addition to the monetary, fiscal and trade policies, Commonwealth and State governments have various policies—both general and industry specific. These risks can be particularly stressful on businesses as policy can be quickly introduced and are often unexpected. There can be a considerable production and time lag for the business to respond to the new or altered policy. Financial risks Financial risks result from the uncertainty in the finances of the business. The commercial manager has two sources of finance (capital): their own equity capital, or someone elses capital. Someone elses capital can be acquired through borrowing, leasing, and, in the larger firm, the issuing of shares. The use of non-equity capital creates opportunities for growth in the business. This will occur where additional finance can be used to increase productivity and subsequent income through the purchase of additional assets (resources). For example, funds may be borrowed to purchase additional stock, plant and machinery, or to expand production capacity. Leasing is another form of non-equity capital. In this situation the business acquires the use of additional productive assets, and pays a nominal rent for this usage. Non-equity capital also creates financial costs (liabilities such as rent, interest and capital repayments) which may place the business in financial difficulty. The business may not be able to meet its financial commitments (this is liquidity risk), or indeed become insolvent (where liabilities exceed assets). The use of non-equity capital involves the concept of leverage.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley :: Papers

An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley I am going to explore how J.B Priestley expresses his ideas and concerns about society through the characters Mr. Birling and Inspector Goole in "An Inspector Calls". Priestley's Ideas and concerns were similar to Dickens's in "A Christmas Carol", they both had concerns that the rich were not looking after the poor and that they were not taking responsibilities for their own effect on those less fortunate. They both stress the idea that the poor should be given a helping hand to get their own money, not just be punished for being poor because that doesn't help. J.B Priestley set the play in 1912 because so much had happen between the period he had set the play and written it (1945), which meant that the audience would be knowledgeable about the time and he could then use dramatic irony very effectively. Dramatic irony is where the audience has knowledge that gives additional meaning to a characters words, Priestley uses this technique with the character Mr Birling to show that he didn't have a clue about what he was talking about like other rich people of the time. Mr Birling says "the Titanicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable" the Titanic sunk on its maiden voyage. As the audience knew this fact, and as the audience will know they realized Mr Birling was wrong so this causes dramatic irony. He also talks about WW1 "just because the Kaiser makes a speech or two, or a few German officers have too much to drink and begin to talk nonsense, you'll hear some people say that war is inevitable. And to that I say - fiddlesticks!" and of cause the war did happened, well two wars happened between 1912 and 1945. Birling also says the workers won't revolt and the labour party will never grow and again he is wrong. The effect of using dramatic irony to make Mr Birling look ignorant even though he is financially successful is to show that even thought some people maybe be rich doesn't mean they now more about

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Continuity and Change over Time Essay Essay

Things that stayed the same in India from 300 CE to 600 CE were the Gupta rule, the caste system, Hinduism, scientific advances, and trade. Things that changed during this period were the fall in popularity of Buddhism, the decline in Silk Road trade, and the fall of the Gupta. Things that stayed the same in India from 300 CE to 600 CE were the Gupta rule, the social structure, the most popular religion, and the wealth generated by trade. Hinduism will continue to be the popular religion in India. The caste system was the main social structure. The Brahmins were the highest class in India. Because they were priests, who showed their support for the caste system, they were kept in high political standing. During this period, there were continuous advancements. This included astronomy, mathematics, literature, and medicine. They created a number system and identified pi; they also had doctors that were able to perform operations. India had been connected to trade routes since the time of Cyrus the Great (around 550 BCE). They had also mastered the monsoon winds which allowed them to trade in the Indian Ocean basin. The Silk Roads allowed for traders to sell all the way from the Chinese Empires to the Western Roman Empires. They traded spices such as pepper, cosmetics, gems and pearls. Other empires saw India’s wealth and clambered to trade with them. This allowed the spread of Buddhism to China, and Hinduism to Southeast Asia. Things that changed in India from 300 CE to 600 CE were the fall in popularity of Buddhism, the decline in Silk Road trade, and the fall of the Gupta. Once Ashoka was no longer in power, there was no one high up in the political structure that was encouraging the masses to convert to Buddhism, so they turned back to Hinduism. All along the Silk Road, illness was spreading. Rome was afflicted by the bubonic plague and small pox. To try and stop these diseases from afflicting the people of the empire, they moved to a more regional, self-sufficient form of trade. This, however, caused an economic slowdown. The end to the Gupta dynasty was because of the invasion of the White Huns. This ended in the splitting of India into smaller, regional kingdoms. Things that stayed the same in India from 300 CE to 600 CE were the social structure, the most popular religion, and the wealth generated by trade. Hinduism will continue to be the popular religion in India. Things that changed during this period included the decrease in converts to Buddhism, the epidemics plaguing the Silk Roads slowing trade, and the eventual overthrow of the reigning dynasty. Continuity and Change over Time Essay: Rome from 100 CE to 600 CE Things that stayed the same in Rome from 100 CE to 600 CE were slavery, trade, latafundias, technological advances, and family roles. Things that changed during this period were the influences of Christianity, social changes, the splitting of the Empire, and the Fall of Rome. Things that stayed the same in Rome from 100 CE to 600 CE were slavery, latafundias, trade, technological advances, and family roles. In the 2nd c. CE, over 1/3 of the Roman population was slaves. This made it hard to find work in the middle and lower class. This was mainly because of the monopoly latafundia owners had over the agricultural business. Latafundias were similar to plantations in that they were large in scale, and run on slave labor. This allowed the owners to sell their products for cheap, and cause smaller farms to have to sell their land. Trade was mainly continuous throughout the Roman Empire. They imported goods from all along the Silk Roads, from India the traded spices, from Egypt and Persia carpets and grain, from parts of the Mediterranean wine and oil, and from China silk. One of the major advances they made was the development of concrete. They created advanced sewage systems, and continued the construction of the Roman road and bridge projects. Throughout Roman history, society was run by the male head of the family, called the pater family. Women were subservient to men (except for in Sparta) but they did have a few rights. Wealthy women often wielded power behind-the-scenes. Things that changed during this period were the influences of Christianity, social changes, the splitting of the Empire, and the Fall of Rome. Social  changes within the empire became more and more apparent because the newly rich began challenging the aristocratic class. The poor class began to grow rapidly. The Roman Empire wasn’t accepting of Christianity, because of its refusal to worship any of their gods. Christianity began to spread through the Roman Empire, and Constantine created the Edict of Milan to accept Christianity within the Empire, because he converted to Christianity. Diocletian negotiated with Persia and was able to successfully divide the Roman Empire in two. Constantine ordered the construction of Constantinople. The fall of the Roman Empire was caused by several internal factors. The Barracks Emperors or the 26 claimants to the throne resulted in a power struggle. The diseases that were spreading over the Silk Roads caused Rome to begin trading regionally, eventually collapsing its imperial economy. When the Chinese continued building the Great Wall, it pushed the Huns westward towards the Visigoths. The Visigoths then pushed west, trying to escape the Huns, forcing the Germanic tribes into Rome. The Germanic tribes wreaked havoc in Rome, and eventually seized power, ending the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE. So the saying â€Å"Rome Fell when China Built a Wall† has some truth to it. Things that stayed the same in Rome from 100 CE to 600 CE were social standings of slaves, Silk Road trading, large aristocratically owned plantations, advances within the empire, and roles within the family structure. Things that changed during this period were the reigning religion, changes to social standing, the division of Rome, and the eventual end of the empire.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Cause and Effect of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a cause that haves numerous effects on people in the United States today. It’s defined as a condition that resulted in the continued consumptions of alcoholic’s beverages, despite health problems and negative social consequences. The symptoms of alcoholism vary from person to person, but the most common symptoms seen are changes in emotional state, behavior, or personality. Alcoholics may become angry and argumentative, and withdrawn or depressed. They may also feel more anxious, sad, tense, and confused. Alcoholism is a treatable disease and many treatment programs and approaches are available to support alcoholics who have decided to get help, but no medical cure is available. Regardless of how someone is diagnosed as alcohol dependent or how they came to realize they have a serious drinking problem, the first step to treatment is a sincere desire to get help. Alcoholics who are pressured into treatment by social pressure or forced to quit by circumstances rarely succeed in the long run. Next, I will like to discuss the causes, effects and consequences of Alcoholics. There are several possible causes of alcoholism and risk factors for the disease. Alcoholic liver disease usually occurs after years of excessive drinking. The longer you use alcohol and the more alcohol consumed, the greater the likelihood of developing liver disease. Acute alcoholic hepatitis can result from binge drinking. It may be life-threatening if severe. People who drink excessively can become malnourished because of the empty calories from alcohol, reduced appetite, and poor absorption of nutrients in the intestines. Malnutrition contributes to liver disease. These are many causes that come from drinking a constant amount of Alcohol. The effects that alcohol has on the human body range from short to long term symptoms. As a person consumes alcoholic drinks the stomach immediately absorbs the alcohol and it enters into the bloodstream. Depending on the features such as the age, weight, sex, and body size of an individual the alcohol will affect people in many different ways. Some of the lighter effects of the intake of alcohol comprise lightheadedness, while other effects with an increased amount of alcohol consumed include queasiness, vomiting, slurred speech and vision, and an increased amount of dizziness. There are many consequences of drinking that can lead to an addiction commonly known as alcoholism. Permanent long term effects of consumption can lead to severe damage to essential organs as the liver and brain. If a sustained period of no consumption happens, many effects such as anxiety, delusion, and shuddering may occur. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy may lead to birth defects in infants commonly known as fetal alcohol syndrome. Retardation and permanent physical deformities are common in many cases, and investigative studies have shown that offspring of alcoholic parents are at a great deal higher possibility of becoming alcoholics themselves. In conclusion, there are several causes, effects, and consequences of Alcoholism that I have mentioned. Many people that use alcohol do not understand how harmful it is to their body. After reading my essay I hope you have a better understanding of why drinking to much alcohol is bad for you.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

York, the Slave Who Traveled With Lewis and Clark

York, the Slave Who Traveled With Lewis and Clark One member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was not a volunteer, and according to the law at the time, he was the property of another member of the expedition. He was York, an African-American slave who belonged to William Clark, the expeditions co-leader. York was born in Virginia in about 1770, apparently to slaves who were owned by the family of William Clark. York and Clark were roughly the same age, and it seems likely they had known each other since childhood. In the Virginia society in which Clark grew up, it would not have been uncommon for a Caucasian boy to have a slave boy as a personal servant. And it appears that York fulfilled that role, and remained Clarks servant into adulthood. Another example of this situation would be that of Thomas Jefferson, who had a lifelong slave and body servant named Jupiter. While York was owned by Clarks family, and later Clark himself, it seems that he married and had a family before 1804, when he was compelled to leave Virginia with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A Skilled Man on the Expedition On the expedition, York fulfilled a number of roles, and its apparent that he must have possessed considerable skills as a backwoodsman. He nursed Charles Floyd, the only member of the Corps of Discovery to have died on the expedition. So it seems York may have been knowledgeable in frontier herbal medicine. Some men on the expedition were designated as hunters, killing animals for the others to eat, and at times York functioned as a hunter, shooting game such as buffalo. So its obvious that he was entrusted with a musket, though back in Virginia a slave would not have been allowed to carry a weapon. In the expedition journals, there are mentions of York being a fascinating sight to the Native Americans, who had apparently never seen an African American before. Some Indians would paint themselves black before going into battle, and they were amazed by someone who was black by birth. Clark, in his journal, recorded instances of Indians inspecting York, and trying to scrub his skin to see if his blackness was natural. There are other instances in the journals of York performing for the Indians, at one point growling like a bear. The Arikara people were impressed by York and referred to him as the great medicine. Freedom for York? When the expedition reached the west coast, Lewis and Clark held a vote to decide where the men would stay for the winter. York was allowed to vote along with all the others, though the concept of a slave voting would have been preposterous back in Virginia. The incident of the vote has often been cited by admirers of Lewis and Clark, as well as some historians, as proof of the enlightened attitudes on the expedition. Yet when the expedition ended, York was still a slave. A tradition developed that Clark had freed York at the end of the expedition, but that is not accurate. Letters written by Clark to his brother after the expedition still refer to York being a slave, and it seems that he was not freed for many years. Clarks grandson, in a memoir, mentioned that York was Clarks servant as late as 1819, some 13 years after the expedition returned. William Clark, in his letters, complained about Yorks behavior, and it appears that he may have punished him by hiring him out to perform menial labor. At one point he was even considering selling York into slavery in the deep south, a much harsher form of slavery than that practiced in Kentucky or Virginia. Historians have noted that there are no documents establishing that York had ever been freed. Clark, however, in a conversation with the writer Washington Irving in 1832, did claim to have freed York. There is no clear record of what happened to York. Some accounts have him dead before 1830, but there are also stories of a black man, said to be York, living among Indians in the early 1830s. Portrayals of York When Meriwether Lewis listed the expedition participants, he wrote that York was, A black man by the name of York, servant to Capt. Clark. To Virginians at that time, servant would have been a common euphemism for slave. While Yorks status as a slave was taken for granted by the other participants in the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the view of York has changed over the course of future generations. In the early 20th century, at the time of the centennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, writers referred to York as a slave, but often incorporated the inaccurate narrative that he had been freed as a reward for his hard work during the expedition. Later in the 20th century, York was portrayed as a symbol of black pride. Statues of York have been erected, and he is perhaps one of the better known members of the Corps of Discovery, after Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who accompanied the expedition.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Otto Bayer and the History of Polyurethane

Otto Bayer and the History of Polyurethane Polyurethane is an organic polymer  composed of  organic  units joined by  carbamate (urethane) links. While most polyurethanes are  thermosetting polymers  that do not melt when heated,  thermoplastic polyurethanes  are also available. According to the Alliance of The Polyurethane Industry,  Polyurethanes are formed by reacting a polyol (an alcohol with more than two reactive hydroxyl groups per molecule) with a diisocyanate or a polymeric isocyanate in the presence of suitable catalysts and additives. Polyurethanes are best known to the public in the form of flexible foams: upholstery, mattresses,  earplugs, chemical-resistant coatings, specialty adhesives and  sealants, and packaging. It also comes to the rigid forms of insulation for buildings, water heaters, refrigerated transport, and commercial and residential refrigeration. Polyurethane products often are simply called â€Å"urethanes†, but should not be confused with  ethyl carbamate, which is also called urethane. Polyurethanes neither contain nor are produced from ethyl carbamate. Otto Bayer Otto Bayer and co-workers at IG Farben  in Leverkusen, Germany,  discovered and patented the chemistry of polyurethanes in 1937.  Bayer (1902 - 1982) developed the novel polyisocyanate-polyaddition process. The basic idea which he documents from March 26, 1937, relates to spinnable products made of hexane-1,6-diisocyanate (HDI) and hexa-1,6-diamine (HDA). Publication of German Patent DRP 728981 on November 13, 1937: A process for the production of polyurethanes and polyureas. The team of inventors consisted of  Otto Bayer, Werner Siefken, Heinrich Rinke, L. Orthner and H. Schild. Heinrich Rinke   Octamethylene diisocyanate and butanediol-1,4 are the units of a polymer produced by Heinrich Rinke. He called this area of polymers polyurethanes, a name which was soon to become known worldwide for an extremely versatile class of materials.   Right from the start, trade names were given to polyurethane products. Igamid ® for plastics materials, Perlon ® for fibers.   William Hanford  and  Donald Holmes   William Edward Hanford and Donald Fletcher Holmes invented a process for making the multipurpose material polyurethane. Other Uses In 1969, Bayer exhibited an all-plastic car in  Dà ¼sseldorf, Germany. Parts of this car, including the body panels, were made using a new process called  reaction injection molding  (RIM), in which the reactants were mixed and then injected into a mold. The addition of fillers produced reinforced RIM (RRIM), which provided improvements in  flexural modulus  (stiffness), reduction in coefficient of thermal expansion  and better thermal stability. By using this technology, the first plastic-body automobile was introduced in the United States in 1983. It was called the  Pontiac Fiero. Further increases in stiffness were obtained by incorporating pre-placed glass mats into the RIM mold cavity, called resin injection molding, or structural RIM. Polyurethane foam (including foam rubber) is sometimes made using small amounts of  blowing agents  to give less dense foam, better cushioning/energy absorption or thermal insulation. In the early 1990s, because of their impact on  ozone depletion, the  Montreal Protocol  restricted the use of many  chlorine-containing blowing agents. By the late 1990s, blowing agents such as  carbon dioxide and pentane were widely used in North America and the EU.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Blackfish Movie Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Blackfish Movie Review - Essay Example If ignorance is bliss, then not seeing this film is perhaps best for those who wish to preserve their memories of SeaWorld’s orcas as majestic creatures; but if one would prefer to see the reality behind the shadows, there is much to be gained by seeing Blackfish, which is a critical look at SeaWorld’s animal acquisition and caretaking practices. In several ways, the film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite exemplifies the purpose of investigative journalism: connecting the dots, asking the tough questions, telling a story, and making an impact on society – and, in that sense, deserves to be seen. As a reader of film reviews, I am always looking for advice on which films to see and which films not to see. After all, time and attention is a valuable asset, and no one wants to waste it on a movie that is not worth the time it takes to queue it up. What I look for in a documentary film is not determined by the type of documentary it is – but rather that the film itself has a story. That story may be narrated or it may be told just through the events and happenings of the film but at the end of the day – there must be a story present. The same is true for any piece of investigative journalist because, at the end of the day, an investigation will have a beginning, a middle, and an end: all of which combine to present a narrative to the reader or viewer. Blackfish is a documentary film directed by Gabriela Cowperwaithe, who built the project with Manny O. Productions. The story is about the captivity of Tilikum, which is an orca implicated in the deaths of three individuals – but it attempts to make a broader point about keeping killer whales in captivity. The narrative the film follows is from Tilikum’s capture off the coast of Iceland, to its violent behavior at other sea parks, to its training and performances at SeaWorld. The film was released on January 19, 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival before it was picked up