Feedstock in Chemistry and Engineering

Feedstock in Chemistry and Engineering A feedstock refers to any unprocessed material used to supply a manufacturing process. Feedstocks are bottleneck assets because their availability determines the ability to make products. In its most general sense, a feedstock is a natural material (e.g., ore, wood, seawater, coal) that has been transformed for marketing in large volumes. In engineering, particularly as it relates to energy, a feedstock refers specifically to a renewable, biological material that can be converted into energy or fuel. In chemistry, a feedstock is a chemical used to support a large-scale chemical reaction. The term usually refers to an organic substance. Also Known As: A feedstock may also be called a  raw material or unprocessed material. Sometimes feedstock is a synonym for biomass. Examples of Feedstocks Using the broad definition of a feedstock, any natural resource might be considered an example, including any mineral, vegetation, or air or water. If it can be mined, grown, caught, or collected and isnt produced by man, its a raw material. When a feedstock is a renewable biological substance, examples include crops, woody plants, algae, petroleum, and natural gas.  Specifically, crude oil is a feedstock for the production of gasoline. In the chemical industry, petroleum is a feedstock for a host of chemicals, including methane, propylene, and butane. Algae is a feedstock for hydrocarbon fuels, Corn is a feedstock for ethanol.

The Influence of Supply and Demand on Inflation

The Influence of Supply and Demand on Inflation Inflation is an increase in the price of a basket of goods and services that is representative of the economy as a whole. In other words, inflation is an upward movement in the average level of prices, as defined in Economics by Parkin and Bade. Its opposite is deflation, a downward movement in the average level of prices. The boundary between inflation and deflation is price stability. The Link Between Inflation and Money An old adage holds that inflation is too many dollars chasing too few goods. Because inflation is a rise in the general level of prices, it is intrinsically linked to  money.   To understand how inflation works, imagine a world that only has two  commodities: oranges picked from orange trees and paper money printed by the government. In a drought year when oranges are scarce, one would expect to see the price of oranges rise, because quite a few dollars would be chasing very few oranges. Conversely, if there was a record orange crop, one would expect to see the price of oranges fall because orange sellers would need to reduce their prices in order to clear their inventory. These scenarios represent inflation and deflation, respectively. However, in the real world, inflation and deflation are changes in the average price of all goods and services, not just one. Altering the Money Supply Inflation and deflation can also result when the amount of  money in the system  changes. If the government decides to print a lot of money, then dollars will become plentiful relative to oranges, as in the earlier drought example.   Thus, inflation is caused by the number of dollars rising relative to the number of oranges (goods and services). Similarly, deflation is caused by the number of dollars falling relative to the number of ​oranges (goods and services). Therefore, inflation is caused by a combination of four factors: the supply of money goes up, the supply of other goods goes down, demand for money goes down and demand for other goods goes up. These four factors are thus linked to the basics of supply and demand. Different Types of Inflation Now that we have covered the basics of inflation, it is important to note that there are many types of inflation. These types of inflation are differentiated from each other by the cause that drives the price increase. To give you a taste, lets briefly go over ​cost-push inflation and demand-pull inflation.   Cost-push inflation is a result of a decrease in aggregate supply. Aggregate supply is the supply of goods, and a decrease in aggregate supply is mainly caused by an increase in wage rate or an increase in the price of raw materials. Essentially,  prices for consumers are pushed up  by increases in the cost of production. Demand-pull inflation occurs when there is an increase in aggregate demand. Simply put, consider how when demand increases, prices are pulled higher.

Liberal Democracy. Why are elections so important for liberal Essay

Liberal Democracy. Why are elections so important for liberal democracy - Essay Example Elections and democracy are complementary to each other. Free and fair elections are central to promoting liberal democracy. The cosmopolitan nature of the United Kingdom society has made people devise means of having organized electoral systems that are fully representative. The intention of the electorate is to consolidate their civil rights and freedoms. These electoral systems are established through either direct or indirect means of picking representatives into the House of Commons. The electoral system must avoid irregularities and guarantee the wishes of the majority while respecting the rights and the voice of the minority. The strength of the electoral process guards against unnecessary tensions (Robinson 2010). This is the essence of reviewing the parliamentary electoral system in the United Kingdom to make them representative and free. A liberal democracy like the United Kingdom thrives through democratic elections. A general election is a vital decision making process in which the people decide whom to entrust with power. Modern liberal democracies like the United Kingdom use elections to fill vacancies in the executive, parliament and the judiciary. The word election comes from a Latin word Legere meaning-choose. The essence of general elections is to change leadership and express the wishes of the citizens on key matters. Modern liberal democracies like the United Kingdom have the electoral systems which yield the best results. The most popular democratic systems are both presidential and parliamentary systems. The United Kingdom used the parliamentary system. The liberties include the freedom of speech, religion, right to private property and privacy. Liberal democracy has safeguard against majoritarianism which hurts the minority. In a liberal democracy, elections must be free and fair (Johnson 2001). The electorate must have a choice of political parties, which differ in policies and views. In a liberal democracy, voting is by secret ballot. T his ensures that voters do not feel pressured (Robinson 2010). Elections are crucial in liberal democracies because the parliament and the government are chosen by and accountable to the voters. Liberal democracies demand that elections be regular (Dunleavy & O'Leary 2000). This gives the electorate a chance to review their leaders and make changes during the election year. The government must call for a referendum on key issues that affect the lives of people directly (Williams 1998). In liberal democracies, election results must be respected since they represent the demands of the people (Diamond & Platter 2006). As a result, the power transitions must be peaceful, and this ensures economic stability. In the United Kingdom, the European court of human rights ensures that civil rights are enforced. Democratic elections guarantee equal opportunities and a fair justice system in liberal democracies (Williams 1998). The government must be limited and open to the public (Dunleavy & O'L eary 2000). Democratic elections give the people power to securitize the government in liberal democracies. The constitution gives the citizens the right to access state information if it does not compromise the security situation of the country (Robinson 2010). Democratic electoral process guarantees free media, which is not controlled by the state. This means that the media must give neutral coverage to all the political activities in the country, and at the same time criticize any the government freely (Diamond & Platter 2006). In the United Kingdom, the electoral system is free and fair. The law demands that balloting in the UK be secret, in addition to universal suffrage of, eighteen and over. The country has a number of political

Films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Films - Essay Example a result, some people who experienced only the earliest days of independent film, such as grandparents, have a view that these productions run hand-in-hand with grainy film images, bad sound, and convoluted storylines and production values. However, these misconceptions do not encapsulate the reality of modern independent film. Though financial interests do have an impact on the final product, it is the unwillingness to conform to traditional plot forms, a sense of aesthetic and artistic freedom, and a willingness to step outside of established film-making strategies and methods that truly characterizes the best films within the genre. Engaging in independent film means more than the product of willingness to work on a limited budget. It requires a brave, artistic soul and focused attention and dedication to creativity and innovation. How often would you consider the decision of a playwright to enter independent film rather than utilizing a large studio a result of artistic integrity versus an all-encompassing need to control the film produced? Or alternatively, at what point would it be better to compromise in terms of content or delivery in return for budgetary enhancement rather than attempt to create the film according to the writer’s vision

Restaurant satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Restaurant satisfaction Essay Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys Can Keep Your Customers Coming Back Keep your customers coming back and recommending your restaurant to others with help from restaurant customer satisfaction surveys. Restaurant customer satisfaction surveys give you quantitative insight into the opinions and attitudes of your customers. You’ll obtain facts about what they want, what they expect, and if they plan to return to your restaurant again. If results show that your restaurant does not meet your customers’ expectations, you’ll know exactly what areas to target for improvement. Whether you own a fast-food restaurant, a dine-in establishment, or a chain of restaurants, Infosurv’s restaurant survey measuring customer satisfaction can provide you with valuable data you can use to make better business decisions. Gauging satisfaction with a restaurant customer survey can tell you about the demographics of your customers as well as give you insight into what they really think about: Food quality Menu selection Menu pricing and value Waiting times Promptness of service Professionalism and friendliness of server(s) Server’s knowledge of menu Decor Restaurant location Overall restaurant experience By assessing the wants and needs of customers – and then acting upon them – restaurants have continually found that satisfaction surveys encourage: Repeat business Positive feelings towards the restaurant because they showed that they cared about customer opinions Increased recommendations by current customers Increased spending within the restaurant Whether you need a restaurant satisfaction survey designed from scratch exclusively for your customers, or have an existing survey that needs to be administered, Infosurv takes extraordinary measures to ensure validity, reliability and bias reduction. Our goal is to help you compose a highly relevant survey instrument that will yield sound and valid conclusions while achieving the maximum survey response rate possible. Learn More About Restaurant Customer Satisfaction Surveys From Infosurv To learn more about restaurant customer satisfaction surveys and the Infosurv Experienceâ„ ¢ please download our brochure. What Makes Customer Satisfaction Research Useful? Capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Mar. 25, 2008By Marian Singer, partner, FiveTwelve Group Ltd. Much has been written in the last couple of years about the promise of customer satisfaction research (CSR) to improve performance or shorten development cycles for businesses and organizations. This work is particularly germane in North America, where growth in many industrial and commercial markets is peaking and companies are scrambling for competitive advantage. The concept is simple: capture customer feedback and use the data to set business priorities. Customer satisfaction data is routinely gathered to support continuous improvement programs like TQM, ISO and Six Sigma. The answers to the questions How are we doing? and What should we do better? are the building blocks of a customer relationship based on measurable value. Answered correctly, they track improvements in the business relationship and identify areas for improvement. However, translating the answers into meaningful actions is difficult. The issue is not whether or not you are getting information about customer satisfaction; it is whether or not you are using information about customer satisfaction to act differently. Generally, two factors cause weak CSR: uninvolved stakeholders and useless data. Lets explore what makes CSR useful. An engineered products manufacturer had recently been purchased by investors seeing promise in their technological leadership. Research was commissioned to help the new team understand current satisfaction and long term business durability. They were shocked to find that more than 90% of the business was at risk. While sales teams showcased and closed many initial orders, lengthy start-ups, late shipments and poor quality pushed customers away once they had adopted the technology. The manufacturer was, in essence, training customers to prefer the technology on behalf of their competition. Employees were frustrated too. They had heard complaints but hadnt digested the consequences. Out of necessity, they assumed ample supply of new customers to replace the disgruntled ones. The costs associated with lost business hadn? t been clear. The team dove into the research, put answers into context, mined new feedback, and made survey adjustments even while they collected more information. They isolated common themes, asked why, and tested actions steps to recover the business. In the end, improved communication systems solved internal conflicts and kept customers in the loop. Investments in new secondary operations simplified customers processes and improved predictability. With these changes, the manufacturer was able to recover tenuous relationships, improve its pipeline and the satisfaction of its customers and employees in about a year. Today, the company monitors satisfaction routinely, taking care to not only benchmark against previous years performance but to test new ideas and gain a clearer understanding of the feedback it receives informally. So, how to ask the question How are we doing and what should we do better? When a business process like the collection of satisfaction data hardens into concrete steps, it loses flexibility, become sterile and impractical and as a result, can erode value. When data collection is exercise in scoring, ranking, and polling, it blocks inspiration, the creative process, decision-making, relationship-building and new learning that comes from effective listening. Weak CSR: Is a static process: A survey of customer satisfaction done once is a popularity contest. Done over time it can be a tool for decision-making, because it can show progress or setbacks. However, if you ask the same customers the same questions, year after year, eventually they are going to ask you to stop. It is very important to evaluate customer satisfaction routinely, to expose changes, but it is equally important to change it up to test new ideas, show responsiveness and build better relationships over time. Customer satisfaction is dynamic. The CSR process should be too. Ignores Context: Most CSR surveys assign a subjective value to tasks or functions like delivery, development, sales management, or customer service. If, however, the satisfaction score isnt understood in terms of its relative importance to the customer, it is difficult to see impact on business health. For example, a customer might state that their satisfaction with pricing levels is relatively low say a 3 on a 7 point scale. Without context, a natural reaction might be to re-examine pricing policies and those of competitors to look for guidance. If, however, pricing scored low in terms of importance in comparison to lead-time, a supplier would know that improvements in delivery could dampen the need for reactionary discounting. By knowing the context in which attributes are evaluated, suppliers can better allocate efforts, grow sales and save margin. Before asking How we are doing? CSR should first establish the importance of an attribute in order to provide context. Is Quantitatively Biased: CSR surveys are often biased by the preponderance of closed questions like force ranked lists and 1-7 scoring. Learning about low satisfaction with service may be informative, but investing the time to uncover ideas for improvement is what is crucial to improving a customer relationship. To illustrate, a customer with little tolerance for late deliveries may score delivery as important but add that a simple call to reschedule would satisfy. Without this background, a manufacturer might have invested to retool, having overestimated the hazard. Always ask Why? Keys to Success Treat customer satisfaction as philosophy Its counter to think that something as fundamental as listening to customers should be institutionalized, but in these days of consolidation and distant markets, it is absolutely necessary. As the knowledge economy continues to evolve, we see that high performers are distinguished by continuously improving CSR processes that get as much attention from process experts as LEAN or Six Sigma. A good first step is to view CSR not as a project thrown over the wall to the new MBA intern, but instead, as a philosophy of listening and interacting with customers. Design CSR that can flex and learn, like people do Its also counter to think that CSR should be designed to flex with what is known at the moment, but this is actually a sign of effective learning and communication, which are the key ingredients to usefulness. The ability of a research team to make changes along the way depends on whether they see and understand the trends early enough. The important factors determining CSR success are not sample size or repetition, but research transparency and the volume of critical thinking done during the project. Act Small CSR exists because companies are big. The complexities that are introduced when groups enlarge encumber simple activities like listening, thinking and doing. But these are the activities that create value and wealth. To make them simple again, build a great CSR process to do the basic, smart things that entrepreneurs are forced to do. Its Never the Data If you ask How are we doing and what should we do better? tomorrow, the answers that you get will be different than the answers you got yesterday. The most important ingredient to CSR is the action that you take with what you learn, and the ability of the customer to see and feel value from those actions. Marian Singer is a partner at FiveTwelve Group, Ltd. , a research and consulting firm that works to improve way that businesses, investors and member organizations listen to their customers and markets and how they act on what they learn. www. fivetwelvegroup. com http://www. industryweek. com/companies-amp-executives/what-makes-customer-satisfaction-research-useful Customer Satisfaction Survey By F. John Reh We all know customer satisfaction is essential to the survival of our businesses. How do we find out whether our customers are satisfied? The best way to find out whether your customers are satisfied is to ask them. When you conduct a customer satisfaction survey, what you ask the customers is important. How, when , and how often you ask these questions are also important. However, the most important thing about conducting a customer satisfaction survey is what you do with their answers. How You Ask Whether Customers Are Satisfied There are many ways to ask your customers whether or not they are satisfied with your company, your products, and the service they received. You can ask them: Face-to-face As they are about to walk out of your store or office, ask them. Call them on the phone If you have their phone number, and their permission, you can call them after their visit and ask how satisfied they are. Mail them a questionnaire This technique has been used for a long time. The results are predictable. Email them a customer satisfaction survey Be careful to not violate Spam laws Email them an invitation to take a customer satisfaction survey When To Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best time to conduct a customer satisfaction survey is when the experience is fresh in their minds. If you wait to conduct a survey, the customers response may be less accurate. He may have forgotten some of the details. She may answer about a later event. He may color his answers because of confusion with other visits. She may confuse you with some other company. What To Ask In A Customer Satisfaction Survey There is a school of thought that you only need to ask a single question in a customer satisfaction survey. That question is, will you buy from me again? While it is tempting to reduce your customer satisfaction survey to this supposed essence, you miss a lot of valuable information and you can be easily misled. It is too easy for a customer to answer yes to the will you buy from me again? , whether they mean it or not. You want to ask other questions in a customer satisfaction survey to get closer to the expected behavior and to collect information about what to change and what to keep doing. By all means ask the basic customer satisfaction questions: How satisfied are you with the purchase you made (of a product or service) How satisfied are you with the service you received? How satisfied are you with our company overall? And ask the customer loyalty questions How likely are you to buy from us again? How likely are you to recommend our product/service to others How likely are you to recommend our company to others. Also ask what the customer liked and didnt like about the product, your service, and your company. How Often Should You Conduct A Customer Satisfaction Survey The best answer is often enough to get the most information, but not so often as to upset the customer. In real terms, the frequency with which you conduct a customer satisfaction survey depends on the frequency with which you interact with your customers. My state renews drivers licenses for five-year periods. It would be silly for them to ask me each year what I thought of my last renewal experience. Conversely, if I survey the commuters on my rapid transit system once a year, I will miss important changes in their attitudes that may be driven by seasonal events. What To Do With Answers From A Customer Satisfaction Survey Regardless of how I ask my customers for their feedback, what I ask them in the customer satisfaction survey, and when I survey them, the most important part of the customer satisfaction survey is what I do with their answers. Yes, I need to compile the answers from different customers. I need to look for trends. I should look for differences by region and/or product. However, I most need to act on the information I get from my customers though the survey. I need to fix the things the customers have complained about. I need to investigate their suggestions. I need to improve my company and product in those areas the mean the most to the most of my customers. I need to not change those things that they like. Most importantly I need to give them feedback that their answers were appreciated and are being acted upon. That feedback can be individual responses to the customers if appropriate, or it can simply be fixing the things that they tell you need to be fixed. Whats Next in Customer Satisfaction Surveys?

Proportions Of Numbers And Magnitudes :: essays research papers

Proportions of Numbers and Magnitudes In the Elements, Euclid devotes a book to magnitudes (Five), and he devotes a book to numbers (Seven). Both magnitudes and numbers represent quantity, however; magnitude is continuous while number is discrete. That is, numbers are composed of units which can be used to divide the whole, while magnitudes can not be distinguished as parts from a whole, therefore; numbers can be more accurately compared because there is a standard unit representing one of something. Numbers allow for measurement and degrees of ordinal position through which one can better compare quantity. In short, magnitudes tell you how much there is, and numbers tell you how many there are. This is cause for differences in comparison among them. Euclid's definition five in Book Five of the Elements states that " Magnitudes are said to be in the same ratio, the first to the second and the third to the fourth, when, if any equimultiples whatever be taken of the first and third, and any equimultiples whatever of the second and fourth, the former equimultiples alike exceed, are alike equal to, or alike fall short of, the latter equimultiples respectively taken in corresponding order." From this it follows that magnitudes in the same ratio are proportional. Thus, we can use the following algebraic proportion to represent definition 5.5: (m)a : (n)b :: (m)c : (n)d. However, it is necessary to be more specific because of the way in which the definition was worded with the phrase "the former equimultiples alike exceed, are alike equal to, or alike fall short of†¦.". Thus, if we take any four magnitudes a, b, c, d, it is defined that if equimultiple m is taken of a and c, and equimultiple n is taken of c and d, then a and b are in same ratio with c and d, that is, a : b :: c : d, only if: (m)a > (n)b and (m)c > (n)d, or (m)a = (n)b and (m)c = (n)d, or (m)a < (n)b and (m)c < (n)d. Though, because magnitudes are continuous quantities, and an exact measurement of magnitudes is impossible, it is not possible to say by how much one exceeds the other, nor is it possible to determine if a > b by the same amount that c > d. Now, it is important to realize that taking equimultiples is not a test to see if magnitudes are in the same ratio, but rather it is a condition that defines it. And because of the phrase "any equimultiples whatever," it would be correct to say that if a and b are in same ratio with c and d, then any one of the three

Case: Siemens AG †Global Development Strategy Essay

Siemens is a huge 155 year old international $77 billion German based companionship operating from side to side 16 big business units by means of one of the world’s main infrastructure, electronic and engineering corporation and 1200 fully merges supplementaries in additional than 190 countries, which are sprint by 484,000 workers. All Siemens businesses are part of a medium organization that combines a central strategic compass reading with decentralized business and local responsibilities. As worldwide entrepreneurs, Siemens’ Operating Groups are independently accountable for their universal businesses. Each Group has its own Executive Management, which is accountable for organization Group commerce in accordance with corporation policies distinct by the Managing Board of Siemens AG. The Operating Groups decide how their resources will be second-hand. They develop their possess strategies, manage their possess assets and generate pay in their respective marketplace segments. Siemens: Vision, Strategy & Principles. According to the expert analysis a company likes siemens with so a group of people, production sites, products and associates all over the world – needs a solid base of lawful and ethical principles. Siemens: Corporate Principle†Siemens is a productive innovator and a strong actor in the global commerce stadium. The information, skills and dedication of our populace are crucial to our sustained achievement as a corporation.†Source: Siemens Corporate Responsibility Report 20021.We strengthen our CUSTOMERS – to keep them spirited. 2.We push INNOVATION – to form the prospect. 3.We enhance corporation VALUE – to open new opportunities. 4.We empower our PEOPLE – to achieve world-class performance. Our workers are the key to our success. We work jointly as a global network of knowledge and knowledge. Our corporate civilization is defined by variety, by open  conversation and mutual admiration, and by clear goals and important leadership. 5.We embrace business RESPONSIBILITY- to advance civilization. Although every Group of Siemens determines their possess strategies base on these principles. Siemens One is novel company-wide strategy to improve marketplace diffusion and drive enlargement in new fields by ornamental cooperation across the whole association. â€Å"Excellent Employees Guarantee Success†Siemens needs the most excellent and the brightest populace in order to attain outstanding business consequences. Siemens want to be the company of option for extremely capable applicants and offer them exceptional long-term possible by emphasising on staffing, training, sustained education, incentive and development opportunity by means of in the business. Key strategies. 1.Service Provision: To give staffing programmes responsiveness to the require of the department in some business unit of any collection of siemens and transports to the highest probable standards of superiority. 2.Employee as entrepreneur within the organisation. Employee is conscious of the overall objective. Agreed and loyal and responsible for the human being/group goal location. 3.Employee Orientation/ Developing employees and leaders: has a long tradition at siemens. It includes advanced preparation at all levels of association and Life-long knowledge. Systematic development of youthful high-potentials. 4.Diversity. Diverse teams transport them significant benefits. Teams are able of considering difficulty from dissimilar perspectives throughout the corporation. Diversity in siemens is on the foundation of age, gender,  civilization, faith and people. 5.Employment Oriented Policies. Cooperation in the siemens-one strategy is extremely well applied with the guidelines for HR distinct in the Corporate Citizenship account 2001. Best Practice/Harvard model of HRMSituational Factors:-1.Work Force CharacteristicsSiemens had 430000 employees(in 2004) universal. Employees World wide Worker QualificationThis research focused on this truth that the above diagrams demonstrate the Employees worldwide and worker requirement respectively in the year 2004. Siemens has in a job employees as of all over the globe and populace with different experience. The proportion of women workforce is 27% of total worldwide labor forceSiemens HR Planning Model uses â€Å"SYSTEMS† approach. The process of corresponding prospect organisational requirements with the provide of properly capable, committed and knowledgeable staff in the right put at the right occasion. These staff can be haggard from both the interior and outside labour markets. Recruitment & SelectionSiemens recruitment/selection procedure is based on a number of principles similar to the potential of the applicant has to be senior than the requirements of admission job, No cooperation in assortment and Professional Selection skills. Human Resource DevelopmentHuman resource growth is the main key achievement of the siemens association. Siemens is a knowledge and innovation base corporation so constant HRD is having to for siemens. Siemens has a put of strategy and principles for innovation, excellence, customer armed forces and compass reading and preparation. Siemens’ Distributed Organizational Structure And Offshore Project Development Strategy†¢Siemens exhausted more than Euros 500 million in economic year 2004. â€Å"Siemens- a worldwide network of novelty comprising more than 400000 people-offers ground-breaking crop, solutions and armed forces spanning the whole field of electronics and electrical manufacturing. Our success is based on a well-focused commerce collection, a truthfully global attendance and an international labor force of highly qualified and extremely aggravated managers and workers.† Source: Siemens annual account Reference http://www.siemens.com.br/responsabilidade_2003_template3.asp?canal=5459&parent=5434&CanalParent=5434&Grupo=2http://www.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?cid=101&sortby=comp&docid=53022http://www.br.siemens.com.br/siemens/po/empresa/citizenship/download/pdf/corp_cit_report_2001_en.pdfhttp://www.siemens.com.br/responsabilidade_2003_template1.asp?canal=5438&parent=5387&CanalParent=5387&Grupo=2

Christmas Eve Essay

Many holidays are linked to faiths and religions. There are many holidays such as Tet holiday, Easter holiday, Labor Day†¦that being celebrate around the world. Among all those holiday, I think the most meaningful holiday is Christmas holiday. Christmas is an annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and it’s celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non- Christian. People celebrate Christmas Day in many ways. In the days or even weeks before Christmas Day, many people decorate their homes and gardens with lights, Christmas trees and much more. It is common to organize a special meal, often consisting of turkey and a lot of other festive foods, for family or friends and exchange gifts with them. Children, in particular, often receive a lot of gifts from their parents and other relatives and the mythical figure Santa Claus. This has led to Christmas Day becoming an increasingly commercialized holiday, with a lot of families spending a large part of their income on gifts and food. The Bible does not give an exact date for the birth of Jesus. It is also unclear when December 25 became associated with the birth of Jesus, although it may have been around two hundred years after his birth. Church leaders selected December 25 for the Feast of the Nativity when the church decided that Christians needed a December holiday rival solstice celebrations. For Christians, it is the time to renew one’s faith, give generously and consider the past. Christmas tradition: Christmas traditions have a way of feeling timeless — you may have seen the same ornaments, sung the same songs and eaten the same foods for your whole life. Some Christmas traditions are, in fact, ancient. They have pre-Christian roots and originate from pagan winter-solstice celebrations or Roman festivals. Other traditions are relatively modern. Some significant holiday traditions include decorations, activities and food. Many traditions that are around today have their roots in pre-Christian winter festivals. These include the importance of candles and decorations made from evergreen bushes and tree, symbolizing everlasting light and life. Other traditional decorations include bells, candles, candy canes, stockings, wreaths, and angels. The traditional color of Christmas are red symbolizes the blood of Jesus, which was shed in his crucifixion, while green symbolizes eternal life. On the Christmas day, people gather in the church to offer prayer to god. Different parts of the world have different traditions for celebrating Christmas. In some parts of the world, Christmas is celebrated for a week, whereas in other parts of the world, it starts with the Sunday next to November 26 and concludes on January 6 with the feast of Nativity. Christmas decorations activities: Outdoor light displays and other decorating traditions have created Christmas activities of their own. Lights and banners maybe hung along the streets, music played from speakers, and Christmas trees placed in prominent places. Many Sunday schools, churches and communities organize special events. These can include decorating the neighborhood or a shopping mall, putting up a Christmas tree and planning a Nativity display, concert or performance. Some groups arrange meals, shelter or charitable projects for homeless and poor people. Christmas food: many culinary traditions are dependent on location. For instance in the South United States many families tend to have either ham or turkey for their main dish. Other families save the turkey for Thanksgiving and the ham for Easter, while eating a delicious prime rib for Christmas. Whatever you choose for your main course, potatoes, corns, beefs, dinner rolls, and fruit usually accompany the meal. Christmas gifts: for many people- whether they care to admit it or not-Christmas is about presents. Christmas’s gift- giving tradition has its roots in the three kings offering to the infant Jesus. Gifts were ostensibly meant to remind people of the magi’s offerings to Jesus and of God’s gift of Christ to humankind. Christmas carol: A lot of plays and songs have an aspect of Christmas as a theme. Eight hundred years ago, Christmas songs were performed for people in towns and villages. These songs were stories put to music and most people enjoy them. The leaders of the church, however, did not. They said the song were unsuitable, but about 180 years ago, the songs became popular again. Symbols: wide range of people and objects represent Christmas. These include baby Jesus, the Nativity and the Three Kings, but also Santa Claus, reindeer and elves. Common objects at this time of year are pine trees, holly, decorations, fairy lights, candles and presents. Christmas Day is now truly a mix of religious celebration and commercial interests. Christmas is a time for us to spent time with family and friends. It is also the time where we tend to eat some of the most delicious home cooked meals. Whatever you choose to serves on Christmas day, don’t forget through that relaxing and spending time with loved ones should be your first priority.

Roots of the Tragedy in Salem Essay

Roots of the Tragedy in Salem Essay Roots of the Tragedy in Salem Essay Ali Pendev Ms. Hodde 10AA English, 4th Hour 15 October 2011 Roots of the Tragedy in Salem Abigail Williams started and continued the tragedy of Salem. First Abigail threatens the girls to not tell the whole truth about what they were doing in the woods (Miller 20). If she had never threatened them to only say they danced, the girls would have told the whole story and get beaten instead of lie and start this tragedy. Another way Abigail starts and continues the tragedy is by blaming Tituba for being a witch. (Miller 45) Tituba has no power as a slave and Abigail knows they will believe her over Tituba so she accuses Tituba for making her drink blood and hurting her in other ways because she has compacted with the devil. Also, Abigail leads the rest of the girls to start blaming innocent, lower class people of witchery. (Miller 50-1) Abigail sets an example when she blames Tituba and then starts blaming random people after so the girls just go along with the pretending and start accusing random lower class people of being witches. Abigail Williams lead the girls to accuse m any innocent people and therefore she is responsible for starting and continuing the tragedy of Salem. Another person responsible for continuing the tragedy is Judge Danforth. One reason he is responsible for continuing it is he arrested 400 people and signed the death warrants of 72 of those people.(Miller 91) If he had not arrested all those people with the little and even no proof against them, the tragedy would not have been continued. Also, Judge Danforth denies people of getting lawers and therefore lowers their chances of proving that they were not bewitched. (Miller 105) If he had allowed lawers to come in and eveluate the proof and try to debate against it they could have proven the accusations false. Lasty, Judge Danforth believed the girls with no proof because he believed that witchery was spirits sent to hurt others and therfore cannot be seen. (Miller 105) Judge Danforth was not very smart in thinking that there was no proof because the spirits were invisible and if he would have listened to Hale, the expert, he could have denied the accusations and not continued the tr agedy. Danforth is accountable for continuing the tragedy because was fooled by the pretends of the girls and led to believing in invisible proof since the spirits of witches were invisible. Third and finally most accountable of all things was the Puritan society for starting and continuing the tragedy of Salem. The Puritan society is responsible for starting

Essential Element Facts in Chemistry

Essential Element Facts in Chemistry What Is an Element? A chemical element is  the simplest form of matter that cannot be broken down using any chemical means. Any substance made up of one type of atom is an example of that element. All atoms of an element contain the same number of protons. For example, helium is an element all helium atoms have 2 protons. Other examples of elements include hydrogen, oxygen, iron, and uranium. Here are some essential facts to know about elements: Essential Element Facts While every atom of an element has the same number of protons, the number of electrons and neutrons can vary. Changing the number of electrons forms ions, while changing the number of neutrons forms isotopes of an element.The same elements occur everywhere in the universe. Matter on Mars or in the Andromeda Galaxy consists of the same elements found on Earth.The elements were formed by nuclear reactions inside stars. Initially, scientists thought only 92 elements occurred in nature, but now we know many of the shorts of allotropes of carbon include diamond, graphite, buckminsterfullerene, and amorphous carbon. Although they all consists of carbon atoms, these allotropes have different properties from each other.Elements are listed in order of increasing atomic number (number of protons) on the periodic table. The periodic table arranged elements according to periodic properties or recurring trends in the characteristics of the elements. The only two liquid elements at room temperature and pressure are mercury and bromine.The periodic table lists 118 elements, but when this article was written (August 2015), the existence of only 114 of these elements had been verified. There are new elements yet to be discovered.Many elements occur naturally, but some are man-made or synthetic. The first man-made element was technetium.Over three-quarters of the known elements are metals. There are also a small number of nonmetals and elements with properties in between those of metals and nonmetals, known as metalloids or semimetals.The most common element in the universe is hydrogen. The second most abundant element is helium. Although helium is found throughout the universe, it is very rare on Earth because it does not form chemical compounds and its atoms are light enough to escape Earths gravity and bleed out into space. Your body contains more hydrogen atoms than atoms of any other element, but the most common element, by mass , is oxygen. Ancient man was exposed to several pure elements that occur in nature, including carbon, gold, and copper, but people did not recognize these substances as elements. The earliest elements were considered to be earth, air, fire, and water substances we now know consist of multiple elements.While some elements exist in pure form, most bond together with other elements to form compounds. In a chemical bond, atoms of one element share electrons with atoms of another element. If its a relatively equal sharing, the atoms have a covalent bond. If one atom basically donates electrons to an atom of another element, the atoms have an ionic bond. Organization of Elements in the Periodic Table The modern periodic table is similar to the periodic table developed by Mendeleev, but his table ordered elements by increasing atomic weight. The modern table lists the elements in order by increasing atomic number (not Mendeleevs fault, since he did not know about protons back then). Like Mendeleevs table, the modern table groups elements according to common properties. Element groups are the columns in the periodic table. They include alkali metals, alkaline earths, transition metals, basic metals, metalloids, halogens, and noble gases. The two rows of elements located below the main body of the periodic table are a special group of transition metals called the rare earth elements. The lanthanides are the elements in the top row of the rare earths. The actinides are elements in the bottom row.

Art of Benin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Art of Benin - Essay Example This was also accompanied by increased interest in African people and their cultures. Africans were therefore described as savages and as people who openly practiced witchcraft. For instance, ‘The Golgotha, Benin’ is a portrait produce in the London News paper that describe Benin as a cannibalistic place with brutal practices. Prior to the emergence of the British, they were backward and less civilized. However, things changed once the British brought sanity to the place. The Benin great arts like the bronze sculptures brought forth a debate on the notion of inferiority of the African race. Experts formulated theories and explanations to downplay their doubters. For instance, Justus Brinekmann argued that the beautiful sculptures were as a result of interaction between Benin and ancient civilizations like the Egyptians or the Portuguese (pg.52). Henry Ling Roth who once insinuated that the bronze artifacts had European influence retracted his statements and conceded that the artifacts predated back before the Portuguese arrival. Failure to prove African inferiority, experts in British museums had to come up with reasonable explanations in order to maintain scientific superiority over other Europeans nations especially Germany. Ethnographic experts argued that indeed the artifacts were African; however, they dated them to coincide with the arrival of the Portuguese into their land. The evidence they brought forth was the absence of skilled artisans at the time. Therefore, after the Portuguese had gone, Africans re-evolved back to savages and degenerates. The concept of African inferiority art was further instilled into the global art form by the avant-garde artisans who were very popular in the early 1900s. They affirmed what the Europeans believed/or thought to be true of a simple and timeless art, that was free from ‘civilizing decorum’ (pg. 63). Ironically, these avant-garde artisans derived their inspirations from the same art