Microphase Separation of Miktoarm Star Copolymers

Microphase Separation of Miktoarm Star Copolymers Abstract: Miktoarm star shaped copolymers have attracted much attention due to their unique shape and intriguing properties compared to the linear block copolymers, including compact structure, higher critical micelle concentration, lower viscosity, efficient synthetic routes and wide range of morphologies. The different synthetic routes such as anionic polymerization and controlled radical polymerization have made it possible to synthesis diverse molecular architecture of copolymer and these diverse architectured copolymers give numerous morphologies. For example, Archimedean tiling patterns and cylindrical microdomains at symmetric volume fraction for miktoarm star copolymers, which have not been reported for linear block copolymers. This paper summarizes the morphology and microphase separation of miktoarm star copolymers with nonlinear architecture. Introduction: Block copolymers have attracted considerable attention because of their morphologies and nanophase structures such as spheres, cylinders, bicontinuous, and lamellae. These morphologies show due to the interacting repulsive force between the components, which particularly affected by the phase separation, which strongly depends on volume fraction of the blocks, the degree of polymerization, entropy variation with molecular weight, the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, and the molecular architecture of the block copolymers.1–4 All of these nanostructure have been widely used in various field such as optoelectronics, microelectronics, and nanotechnology for various applications such as templates, nanoreactors, membranes, optical materials, and data storage media.5–15 6–8 In particular, in the field of pharmaceutical, vesicles of miktoarm star shaped copolymer have been used as drug delivery vehicles. In comparison to any other linear block copolymers, star shaped or miktoarm star shaped copolymers show diverse morphology and physical properties due to their different molecular architecture. For instance, unimolecular micelles of star copolymers displayed much higher stablility than the micelles of linear block copolymers because in the star shaped copolymer the arms are covalently connected to the central core. These highly stable micelles of star shaped copolymer have been using to synthesis monodisperse colloidal nanocrystal. 19-22 In the linear diblock copolymers (AB) and linear triblock terpolymers (ABC), the morphologies or microphase structure are mostly governed by the volume fraction of one of the blocks (fA, fB = 1- fA) and one interaction parameter (χAB), and two volume fraction parameters (fA, fB, fC = 1- fA fB) and three interaction parameters (χAB, χBC, χCA), respectively. For example, spherical or cylindrical microdomains are only observed at asymmetric volume fractions, while lamellar microdomains are shown at symmetric volume fractions in diblock copolymers. However, nonlinear or mitoarm star shaped copolymers showed cylindrical microdomains even at symmetric volume fraction due to the molecular architecture. Miktoarm star copolymers (sometimes called asymmetric star copolymers, heteroarm star copolymer or simply miktoarm copolymer) are star shaped copolymer, consist of heteroarms covalently joined to a central core with different chemical compositions or molecular weights For example, AmBn miktoarm star copolymer where, m arms of A homopolymer and n arms of B homopolymer are linked to a central core, while in the star-shaped copolymers homoarms with identical chemical compositions are covalently joined to a central core. For instance, (A-b-B)n star-shaped copolymer where, n arms of A-b-B diblock copolymer are connected to a central core. Here the first written A block represents the inner block (core) and B block is the outer block (shell) of star shaped copolymer, as shown in Fig: 1. Fig: 1 Schematic architectures of (a) miktoarm star copolymers (AmBn) and (b) star-shaped copolymers ((A-b-B)n). Miktoarm star shaped copolymers morphologies and their characterization: The effect of molecular architecture on miktoarm star shaped copolymers morphologies has been extensively investigated theoretically and experimentally. Theoretical investigation: In 1996, Milner 36 first reported theoretical phase diagram of AnBn miktoarm star shaped copolymers at the strong segregation limit. The morphology and microphase separation are determined by the competition between reduction of interfacial tension and the increase in stretching free energy as the copolymer blocks stretch away from the interface. Fig 2: Phase diagram of AnBn miktoarm star shaped copolymers at the strong segregation limit as a function of volume fraction of the B monomer (φB), with increasing asymmetric parameter ÃŽ µ = (nA/nB)(lA/lB)1/2, where nA, nB are the numbers of A and B blocks, and lA, lB are characteristic lengths of A and B, respectively. In 1997, Floudas 37 calculated spinodal curves for the series of ABn miktoarm star shaped copolymers based on mean field theory. The results of the lower number of the series are plotted in Fig 3. The plot indicates that the critical value of the χNt (Nt = Na + nNb) of ABn miktoarm star copolymers is higher than that of diblock copolymers. Therefore, the microphase separation for ABn miktoarm copolymers becomes more difficult. It also indicates that the maximum critical value of χNt appears at n=3 (for AB3 miktoarm copolymers). Fig 3: (a) The spinodal curves (χNt vs. fA) for diblock and ABn miktoarm star copolymers with three different values of n (2, 3, and 4). (b) Critical values of χNt plotted as a function of the number of arms of the B block. In 2004, Grason and Kamien38 have calculated phase diagrams of AmBn miktoarm star copolymers for m = 1 with n = 2, 3, 4, and 5 using self consistent field theory (SCFT), but they did not consider the perforated lamellar (PL) and Fddd (O70, orthorhombic and single-network structure) phases. Later, in 2012, Matsen39 calculated the phase diagram for AB2 miktoarm star copolymer and found perforated lamellae (PL) and Fddd (O70), phases near gyroid phase (Fig 4). Fig 4: Theoretical phase diagram of AB2 miktoarm star copolymers with PL and Fddd phases. Experimental investigation: ABC Miktoarm Star Terpolymer: Matsushita and coworkers74–76 have investigated microphase separation of AxByCz miktoarm star terpolymers. For that they classified the molecular architecture into different series like I1.0S1.0Px1, I1.0SyP2.0, and I1.0S1.8Px2 where I = polyisoprene, S = polystyrene and P = poly (2-vinylpyridine) and 0.2≠¤ x ≠¤ 10, 1.1≠¤ x ≠¤ 2.7 and 3.2≠¤ x2 ≠¤ 53. In all the TEM images and morphologies, I domain represented by black, S domain by white and P domain by gray color. Fig. 5 compares TEM images for the series, I1.0S1.0Px1. In figure 2(a) for the sample, I1.0S1.0P0.2, spheres of the highly minor component P are sandwiched with lamellae of two major components, I and S, which is called spheres sandwiched with lamellae. Figure 2(b) is a tiling structure as a cross-sectional view of a cylindrical structure from the sample, I1.0S1.0P0.7. This is one of the 12 Archimedean tiling structures. Figure 2(c) is a lamellar structure for the sample I1.0S1.0P3.0, where one of the lamellae is composed of other lamellae, which is called lamellae-in-lamella structure. Figure 2(d) for the sample I1.0S1.0P10 shows cylinders composed of alternating columnar I and S discs, the cylinders being packed hexagonally in a P matrix: this pattern is called a lamellae-in-cylinder structure. Fig 5: Various morphologies of the type I1.0S1.0Px1. X1 values are (a) 0.2, (b) 0.7, (c) 3 and (d) 10. Fig. 6 compares the TEM images of structures series, I1.0SyP2.0, where two Archimedean tilings, (4.6.12) and (4.8.8) can be recognized easily in figure 6(a) for I1.0S1.3P2.0 and in figure 6(c) for I1.0S2.3P2.0 while another (3.3.4.3.4) tiling is seen in figure 6(b) for (I1.0S2.7P2.0) where the I (dark) and S (bright) domains are opposite to Fig 5(a) because of the composition difference. Fig 6: Tiling structures for I1.0SyP2.0. (a) I1.0S1.3P2.0 (b) I1.0S2.3P2.0 and (c) I1.0S2.7P2.0 Fig 7(a) is the SAXS diffraction image for I1.0S2.3P2.0, in this pattern there are 12 diffraction spots in the lower q region, four of which belong to {20} and the other eight to {21}. From careful data analyses, it shows that this pattern is corresponded to the Archimedean tiling (3.3.4.3.4) (Fig 7(b)). Fig 7: (a) SAXS diffraction image for I1.0S2.3P2.0. and (b) the corresponding real-space image. The TEM images for the series, I1.0S1.8Px2 are reported in Fig 8, where Fig 8(a) for the sample, I1.0S1.8P3.2, shows I and S domains form gyroid membrane in the P domain. Figure 8(b) for I1.0S1.8P6.4 and 8(c) for I1.0S1.8P53 show cylinder-in-lamella and hierarchical structure, respectively. Fig 8: TEM images for (a) I1.0S1.8P3.2 (b) I1.0S1.8P3.2 and (c) I1.0S1.8P3.2 Fig 9 summarizes microphase separation observed for IxSyPz miktoarm star terpolymers with different volume ratios between the arms. Fig 9: Kaleidoscopic morphologies from the IxSyPz miktoarm star shaped block terpolymer system. (a) Lamellae-in-sphere, (b) lamellae-in-cylinder, (c) cylinder-in-lamella, (d) hyperbolic tiling, (e) zinc blende, (f) sphere-sandwiched-with-lamella, (g) Archimedean tiling and (h) lamellae-in-lamella.

Pest Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Tourism Essay

Pest Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Tourism Essay Ocean Park is considered as a major attraction in Hong Kong, the luminous pearl of the Orient and known as the financial center of Southeast China. It is located on the south end of Hong Kong Island. The larger two sections are located on the headlands of Mount Nanlang, while the smaller section is located in the Huang Zhu Keng Valley lowlands. It is considered as one of the largest ocean in the world, having an area of 170 miles (2008). Organizations change and organizations compete for the same resource, competencies as well as customers. It is the cruel reality that must not be neglected by any management, thus the strategy as well as strategic management must not be neglected as a vital integral part of what managers do ( 2002,). This paper will focus on the strategic management process of the Ocean Park of Hong Kong towards their foreigner or tourists customers, particularly those mainland Chinese. It will first tackle the details about the Ocean Park. Second, it will analyze the external environment such as the economic and culture aspect that can affect the relationship of the organization to their possible foreign customers or tourists. Furthermore, it will focus on the internal environment of the organization such as its core competency, together with its strengths and weaknesses. Ocean Park Hong Kong Ocean Park Hong Kong is considered as one of the most important amusement park in Hong Kong, and even in the world. Opened in January 1977 as the countrys unique local park with the heritage of delivering family, fun and fond memories, it was chosen by the citizens of the country as their number 1 favorite scenic spot in the country in 2005 ( 2007). It was also ranked by on June 1, 2006 as the 7th among the top ten most popular amusement parks in the world (China Travel Golden Route 2007). Ocean Park combines the elements of entertainment, education and conservation in their services. It is consists of six main areas which are: Lowland Gardens, Kids World, Marine Land, Headland Rides, Adventure Land and Bird Paradise ( 2007). Furthermore, provides all of its guests with memorable education, while inspiring life long learning and conservation involvement. It also focuses on maintaining a healthy financial status, while offering the guests a diverse range of activities at competitive prices. It exists for the benefits of the public and strives in order to deliver the highest standard of safety, animal care, products as well as guest service (Ocean Park Hong Kong 2008). The Ocean Park of Hong Kong is part of the growing global industry of amusement park in the world, as well as part of the tourism industry. The organization is focuses in global market, and taking advantage of the improving tourism industry of the country, targeting their tourists, regardless of their age. The main goal of Hong Kong Ocean Park is to be the world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment that connects people with the nature (Ocean Park Hong Kong 2008). The park is currently undergoing a massive expansion to be finished in 2010. However, there will no rides to be closed during the said period (2008). External Environments of Ocean Park PEST Analysis Figure 1 PEST Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Political Analysis Political factors have a direct impact on the relationship of Ocean Park Hong Kong, to their foreign customers or visitors. One of the most important factors that are associated with amusement park industry of the country is the easiness of the restrictions and promotion of the free travel of China in 2003 that helped to inject a new life to the tourism industry of Hong Kong (2004). The said improving relationship between China and Hong Kong, can impact the relationship of Ocean Park to their foreign customers, particularly the Chinese tourists, largest portion of the countrys visitors ( 2007). The growing economic clout, as well as the success of the Individual Visit Scheme results to the increase focus of the entire industry towards China and most of the players will focus on catering to the greater range of budget types but throughout the entire tourism industry ( 2008). Economic Analysis Locally and globally, different businesses are being affected by the different economic factors. In terms of the country, the development and growth of the entire tourism industry influence the performance of the entire amusement park industry. The number of Chinese visitors of the country increased from 13.1% in 1998 to 27.1% in 1999 in 2007, of all visitors ( 1999). There are total of 12.9 million tourists that came to the country, and more than 50% of it arrived from mainland China ( 2006). Find statistic before 2005 !!!! cant use new one Ocean Park Hong Kong showed an increase in tourists coming from mainland China in the last few years. The mainlanders make up the 45% of all the visitors of Ocean Park, having a high attendance of 2.2 million, showing an increase of 70% from 2003 ( 2008). find statistics about mainlanders!!! Social Analysis The entire tourism industry, particularly the industry of amusement park of the country is being affected by major events and influences. This can be observed during the peak season such as Chinese New Year and School holidays that enables each and every player of the industry to gain more than 50% of total attendance ( 2008). statistics about attendance in this peak-times before 2005!!! It is also important to consider different media views. This is due to the fact that it can affect or influence of the foreign customers regarding visiting the place. Furthermore the advertisement and publicity is important, that is the reason why it is important for different amusement parks to take part in different events what kind of major events were of the country in order to showcase the culture and history of Hong Kong to their visitors. Technological Analysis The Internet has increasingly become a popular medium for marketing and customer relationship . This is due to the fact that the Internet can offer a great connection with huge and immeasurable possible market. This is important because the industry, primarily Ocean Park Hong Kong is focusing on its relationship to its global market. Furthermore, it is also important to consider the improvement and development of the amusement machinery industry. Industry Analysis Five Forces Analysis Figure 2 Five Forces Analysis of Ocean Park (Hong Kong Amusement Park) Threat of New Entry The threat of new entrants refers the possibility that the profits of established firms in the respective industry may be eroded by new competitors. In terms of the amusement park industry, the entry barrier is high due to the need to invest large amount of financial resources ( 2004). Typically it ranges from $50 million to $3 billion, depending on the real state market. In addition to that amusement park required over 50 acres of land for a full scale development; other can utilize 10,000 to 30,000 acres ( 2006). The said factor is important because Hong Kong has a high land price real state market This is also connected to the fact that the location of the amusement park is a very important factor. Threat of Rivalry Rivalry among the existing competitors takes the form of process of jockeying for the position. Firms usually implement different tactics like price competition, advertising battles, product introductions as well as increased customer services ( 2004 ). It is important to consider the lack of differentiation, that is why the customers choice based greatly over the price and service, thus causes pressure for the intense price and service competition ( 2004). This can be observe in the amusement park industry of the country, due to high threat of rivalry, different players are implementing different plans and activities such as renovation and introduction of new attractions in order to catch the attention of the customers. Threat of Substitution All firms within a given industry compete with an industry that produces the substitute products and services. Substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by the process of placing a ceiling on the prices of the firms in the given industry can profitably charge ( 2004). In the industry, the threat of substitution is relatively low because the main substitute for the product is other aspects of leisure and tourism industry such as sport and casino industry. On the other hand, because of the popularity of the amusement park industry as well as the growing number of Chinese tourists, the industry is not that affected. Threat of Suppliers Suppliers can exert a bargaining power over participants in an industry by threatening to raise prices or even reduce the quality of purchased goods and services ( 2004,). In the case of the industry, the suppliers doesnt have that much power because of the improving and growing industry of the amusement equipment industry, that enables the technology exchange between the different local and international players particularly in China ( 2007). In addition to that, the airline industry, which is considered as the primary supplier of visitors for the company is also facing impact of competition as well as the growing demand for cheap travel packages. Buyer Power The buyer or the visitors and tourists have a medium or mediocre influence over the industry because the product and service of the industry is important for the customers. This is due to the fact that amusement is considered as part of necessity of every family in Hong Kong, as well as the mainland China market. Furthermore, the said industry cannot be replaced by other substitute. Competitor Analysis Disneyland Disneyland opened in September 2005 and had helped to reposition the country as a premier destination for families. On its opening day, it had set a record of 16,000 visitors, and 1/3 of it are from the mainland China. It had maintained its 13,000 to 14,000 average visitors (cited in 2006). The main advantage of the company is that it holds the name of the Disney which is well known in the world in terms of entertainment. Furthermore, it targets the children, thus the whole family because of the different rides and attractions that focuses on different well-known Disney characters. This can help the company to attract more visitors or tourists from different part of the globe, particularly those who are from the US and Europe. On the other hand, the main disadvantage is that most of the mainland Chinese doesnt have those strong attachments with Mickey and friends and other Disney characters ( 2006). The said aspects are important for the company because most of the visitors of the co untry come from mainland China. !!!!!!!!!!!! Wetland Park Wetland Park is a conservation, education and tourism facility that is located at the northern part of in Yuen Long. It is compromises of 10,000 square meter large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve. The main advantage of Wetland Park is that it offers a different type of service compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park. The main mission of the organization is to foster public awareness and understanding regarding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region. The visitors will be given a chance to experience the wildlife with different animals that will help them to be close with nature and observe different animals in the natural environment (cited in 200). On the other hand, the organization will not be able to meet experienced the demand of those visitors or tourists that are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure that can be in different rides and parts in Disneyland and Ocean Park. Internal Environments of Ocean Park SWOT Analysis Figure 3 SWOT Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Strength The main strengths of Hong Kong Ocean Park focuses on their offering of hybrid of thrills, animals, fun and education to their foreign visitors, more specifically those mainland Chinese visitors (2007). The main advantage or strength of the company is that it enables to meet the cultural aspects of different people from different part of the globe, particularly the mainland Chinese visitors that are not that familiar with different Disney characters. This can be seen in the different services and features of the company that incorporated education with thrill. Above all, the main advantage of Hong Kong is that it is considered as the oldest amusement park in the country; therefore, it can be considered as experienced and knows the demands and behavior of the mainland Chinese visitors. Furthermore, it had become successful because of its connection to the local government that helped them to have a subway line for the visitors ( 2007). This enables the organization to give the foreign visitors, particularly those from mainland, who are price sensitive, to save their money for other luxury, thus helping them to save time in traveling. Weaknesses On the other hand, the main disadvantage of Hong Kong Ocean Park is their structure of geographic location. This is due to the fact that they have the limitation regarding the land development because the location is hilly. Furthermore, the organization is facing lack of strong financial support and backup, that is why the organization is responsible for their own income and operation cost. Furthermore, because of the fact that Ocean Park is considered as oldest amusement park in Hong Kong, there are different facilities that are old and un-attractive, although the organization is already starting their innovation process, it would take some time and it will be completed after 6 years. Opportunities The main opportunity of the company focuses on the Individual Traveling scheme of China, as well as the improving relationship of the country to the mainland China, that had helped to improve the number of the visitors in the country. In addition, the strong economy in Mainland as well as the improving middle class with the purchasing power helped to increase the demand for the outbound travel. Furthermore, the organization also has a strong marketing support from the local government that recommends the Ocean Park to the foreign visitors. It is also important to consider the development of new transportation South Island Line that would cause convenience and fast access direct to the Park for the foreign and local visitors. The Internet is also another factor; this is due to the fact that it can help the organization to connect to a vast range of possible customers or visitors. Above all, the development and improvement of the amusement machinery industry can also impact the services and features of the organization, thus their relationship to their foreign visitors. Threat One of the threats that must be considered by the company is the renovation plan of the Disneyland Hong Kong that can help the said organization to regain their past position in the market. Particularly, it will also cause popularity of the organization from other foreigners, particularly those from America and Europe. On the other hand, it is also important to focus on the global financial crisis that is going on, that can affect the visiting behavior and buying behavior of the tourists. Competitive Advantage Figure 4 Competitive Advantage Model of Hong Kong Ocean Park Core Competency (à Ã‚ ¾Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ²Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ Ã‚ µ à Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã‚ »Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸ Ñ Ãƒ Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ °Ãƒ Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ·Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸) better definition on p.97 The core competency of the organization is the length of its operation and service both to the locals and foreign visitors of the country that give the organization the knowledge regarding the likes, dislikes as well as the flow and trends in the behavior of the customers. Furthermore, cultural aspect is also an important factor, primarily to their growing mainland Chinese visitors. Furthermore, it also helps the organization to capture the attention of other visitors from different part of the globe, primarily those from the US and Europe, that are looking for new and local experience about the country. Competitive Advantage When a given firms maintain its profit that exceed the average for its industry, the firm is said to have a competitive advantage against its rival. This can be seen in the current position of Hong Kong Ocean Park, over its direct competitor, which is the Hong Kong Disneyland. Hong Kong Ocean Park is using the cost advantage, where in it offers cheaper ticket that costs HK$208 for adult and HK$103 for children, compare to HK$295 for adult and HK$210 per child of Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition to that, Hong Kong Ocean Park acquired a good location compare to Disneyland, because it is nearer o the main urban districts. In addition to that, Hong Kong Ocean Park also offers a differentiation advantage because it is considered as bigger than the Hong Kong Disneyland, thus enabling the first organization to offer more and new features and shows than the second organization. It also offer different features and services compare to its competitors primarily the Disneyland, because it focuses on showing the reality regarding the nature, while Disneyland focuses on fantasy. Tangible Resources p.95 The reputation of the organization is its most important tangible resource. Ultimately, reputations have economic value to the company because it will be difficult to imitate. Rivals cannot simply replicate the unique features and intricate process that produced those reputations ( 1996). The fact that the company features educational aspects regarding the environment, gives it a reputation that is close to nature. This is important because of the growing awareness of the world regarding the different natural and environmental problem, primarily global warming. Value Creation The core competency of the organization gives it both advantage and disadvantage. Advantage, because it helped them to know more about the behavior and culture of their different local and foreign visitors. Furthermore, it also enables the company to create an image that is considered as one of the most important aspect in gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. On the other hand, it gives the organization the disadvantage because some part of the facilities and features of the organization are considered as old, and in great need for renovation, however, due to financial aspect as well as effort that must be exerted, it will take some time in order to come up with the ever changing demand of the foreign visitors for entertainment and leisure. On the other hand, the competitive advantage of the company which focuses on the cost advantage and differentiation advantage is the result of the continuous effort of the organization in their relationship with the customers as well as their continuous effort in process of research and development. Conclusion As of now, Hong Kong Ocean Park is experiencing a comfortable position in the entire amusement industry, as well as the entire tourism industry of the country. It is important to consider that the said organization is considered as number 1 or most loved amusement park by local and foreign visitors, despite of the fact that it has the Disneyland, a very prominent and successful player in the global industry of amusement park. Primarily, the main reason behind the success of the organization is because of the support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China that can be seen in the different public facilities that are being implemented for easy access of the said place, as well as the implementation of the Individual Tourist of China. The company had been able to use the issue of culture in order to attract more locals as well as foreign visitors, as well as its usage of the current spread of the environmental awareness, which enables the organization to incorporate educatio n and thrill in their features and services. That is the reason why it is frequently visited by families from different part of the globe. Furthermore, the organization had been able to create two important competitive advantage which focuses on the cost and differentiation. It had been able to offer cheap but fun-packed experience. But it is also important for the company to continue its innovation and strategic management in order to make sure that it will continue its competitive edge against its competitor. This is due to the fact that Disneyland is currently into renovation process, in order to regain their competitive position in the market.

Joe Conrad :: essays research papers fc

Joseph Conrad was a very talented author. He started writing at the age of thirty-two, and began telling many tales of his life on the sea. In his youth he was a sailor and traveled to many places such as the Orient, and the Congo. It are his experiences on the Congo that serves as his primary source for his story The Heart of Darkness. This book was actually a story of a man, Charles Marlow, telling the story of his experience in Africa. While in Africa, Marlow's attitude towards life changes as can be seen in the following excerpts from the book. "We live in the flicker-may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!" (68). When Marlow gives that quote, he has not yet started his story. He is on a ship after a bad storm, and is about to begin. This particular quote has a zest to it. It tells one to live every moment to the fullest because life is but a flicker. This quote also tells the reader that Marlow wants to live a long life. After finishing the book, his statement seemed a bit strange because Marlow's tone became less enthusiastic at the end. However, Marlow survived through the experiences he told in his story. If he is still able to look back at his life and say, "may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling!," then he must make the most out of it, and not let a few bad experiences change his attitude towards it. I couldn't help asking him once what he meant by coming there at all. 'To make money of course. what do you think?' he said, scornfully. Then he got fever, and had to be carried in a hammock slung under a pole...(86) This quote tells the reader much about the type of men that went to Africa. Most went only for the money-not giving a second thought to their health and safety. This particular man got deathly ill, and still was concerned only for money. Conrad was making a statement in this quote that too many people today do things only for money. Nobody works because they have a passion for what they do. People are too willing to put their lives on the line just to make a little money. Marlow was disgusted when the man snapped at him. Marlow he went to Africa because he had desired to do so since he was a little boy. He was an explorer at heart, and did not risk his

John Locke :: Empiricists, Empiricism

Property cannot be made secure by natural right alone, and for the better securing of their properties men have entered into civil society. The will of the body politic, when formed, is determined by the will of the majority, and of a bare majority if there be no different express agreement. For this Locke does not give any reason but the necessity of the case; it is certain that much worse ones have been given. As a matter of fact, we now know that a majority vote has not been generally recognized in archaic societies; the difficulty of obtaining nominal unanimity was overcome (as in special cases it still has to be) by various methods, including varying elements of force and fiction. This does not apply to the original agreement to form a society, which is assumed to be unanimous, and includes only the actual parties to it. Any one who stands out may go his ways and provide for himself elsewhere. It would seem that the community is entitled to enforce his departure; it is certain, on Locke's principles, that it has not the right to detain him against his will. Could he agree to stay in an inferior capacity like that of a resident alien? But it is needless to pursue the auxiliary fictions which might be devised. A body politic, then, is formed by consent; the essential term of the agreement is that every member gives up his natural judicial and executive power to the community (not, as Hobbes maintains, to an irresponsible sovereign); and this consent is renewed, tacitly if not expressly, in the person of every new member; for one cannot accept the benefit of a settled government except on those terms on which it is offered. Locke is bold to assert that 'a child is born a subject of no country or government,' and may choose his allegiance for himself at the age of discretion: this is another opinion which no modern lawyer

The Web’s Compass Essay -- Websites Internet Computers Technology Essa

The Web’s Compass When designing a web page, many features and characteristics must be considered. Three important features for navigational tools are text, icons, and photographs. The use of these elements must consider benefits to the user and navigation throughout the site. I will discuss text, icons, and photographs and why each feature can help or hinder the navigation of a site. Text When deciding whether to use text as a navigational button we must remember to effectively use color, type, and text to help readers maneuver within the site. When choosing to use text, consider â€Å"production: arranging text and visuals on pages or screens, plus choosing type and color† (Hilligoss and Howard 164). When using text as a navigational tool, use your text effectively. Killingsworth and Gilbertson Signs, Genres, and Communities in Technical Communication explain what happens when text is misused: â€Å"Overuse fancy typographical features, thereby creating semiotic â€Å"noise† in the text—bothersome distractions to good reading† (44). If the text is not useful and informative for the reader then a different style tool should be used. The text navigational tool should help â€Å"readers find their way around in a text† (Killingsworth and Gilbertson 49). Killingsworth and Gilbertson define effective text as that which â€Å"draws atten tion to the object without re-determining its meaning† (48). An example of text used as a useful navigational tool is Texas A&M University’s homepage. The web page uses all text links to navigate within the site. All of the texts are one to two words specific to their links and all capitalized. This helps the reader easily find information. The links are set up in uniform columns so as not to be distracting, as Killing... ...r site an edge over other text-intensive pages. I find this topic personally relevant because I could be writing for the web one day. Knowing which navigational tools work best for my site is invaluable information. Understanding how to write efficiently on the web and design a user-friendly page gives me an extra edge when I enter the work force. Works Cited Faigley, Lester, Diana George, Anna Palchik, and Cynthia Selfe. Picturing Texts. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004. Hilligoss, Susan and Tharon Howard. Visual Communication. New York: Longman Publishing Company, 2002. Killingsworth, M. Jimmie and Michael K. Gilbertson. "Representation in Document Design." In Signs, Genres, and Communities in Technical Communication. Amityville, NY: Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. 1992. Texas A&M University. 2002-04. 12 February 2004 <http://www.tamu.edu>

Essay on Plants on Earth

Plants and humans are perhaps the most important organisms, however, us humans, have caused the death of thousands of plants by starting fires and by cutting down trees for things such as paper and furniture. Plants make oxygen which is very important for our survival; we can't live without it. In the year 2003 alone, 774500 acres of land, that contained not only threes but animals too, were burned in California (Jane Strong, 2003). Some of this land was burned due to natural fires but some of it was probably cause by humans that weren't careful enough.These fires do only kill threes and animals sometimes even other people are harmed. People also cut down threes to make furniture and other things needed for construction. As I look around my house I can see that a lot of the things I have, are made of wood. The chair I'm sitting on, the pencils I use to write, the dining table, and even the house is made of wood. It was then that I thought about how many threes had to be cut down just to make my house. How many threes had to be cut down to make all of the houses in Arlington.People also waste a lot of paper without thinking that they are killing threes; people should recycle and think twice when they waste paper. As the number of people in the world increases, the need for wood increases too. Food companies as well as the companies who cut down threes need to look for ways to make plants grown faster in order to satisfy the need for wood. People have to grow a higher number of plants than the number they cut down. This is necessary because if they number of plants in the world is too low there would be too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; this would be harmful to us because they air would be contaminated.Many food companies use chemicals to make their plants grow faster; they also use chemicals to make their plants stronger against insects and some diseases. Some people do not want to buy these products because they think that they do not have as many nutr ients and vitamins as they would have if they would have been water with normal water. Plants have to be watered with water that has no chemicals. This is good because it ensures that the water doesn't have any chemicals that could harm the consumers and that they would be natural.These chemicals sometimes change the taste of the vegetables or fruits. Plants need water so they can grow. It's very possible that the type of water that is used to water the plant may affect the growth rate of the plants. Finding the appropriate type of water would be a great help for farmers who want their plants to grow as fast as possible. The type of water that is used to water a plant is an important factor. This may be what the companies that make vegetables and the companies that cut down threes might want to change, in order to make all of the plants grow faster.This would be a great help for them because it would give them the opportunity to produce more threes without harming the environment. F inding a way to make plants grow faster without using chemicals is something people should be concerned about, because its plants that give us the air we breathe. Plants are also a very important source of food. If the right type of water is be found the plant growth would be increased, therefore the number of plants would increase and the food as well as the wood companies wouldn't have to worry bout the number of threes.

IPL Ruining Cricket Stars

Indian Premier League destroying International Cricket Money, fame, and power are the liberties that cricket players have nowadays. In India where cricket is consider a religion and cricket players are considered Gods. Mohammed Azharuddin was the captain of Indian cricket team in 1985 and he is now an Indian politician. He is the member of the Indian National Congress, which is the major political party in India. He is also the member of parliament of house in India. In India cricket was first played in 1932, but it wasn't until 1983 when cricket drew approximately million fans.India won its first World Cup in 1983, beating West Indies, a team who was considered favorites to win the tournament. India's proudest captain Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time in front of thousands of people at one of the historic Cricket ground at Lords in England. This was Just the beginning of new cricket era in India. After almost two decades, Indian cricket was in threat of losing its fame due to few players and the captain itself was involved in match-fixing.This made entire nation angry and it drew fewer crowds, however when â€Å"Saurav Ganguly took the captaincy for the team in 2000 he changed the face of Cricket in India† (Empire of Cricket-India). He made everyone believe that no one should take Indian team lightly in international cricket; soon cricket began to take its peak by producing some of the finest players for India such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. When India won its first inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, it created a new taste in Indian Cricket.People began to like twenty20 cricket, because it was quick and results were faster. The BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) created IPL known as Indian Premier League, but they ignored the fact that by oing so they are destroying the international cricket. Lots of cricket is being played around the world such as test, one-day, twenty20, and domestic cricket. Cricket matches is affecting players' performances and encouraging them to retire from one or more format of the game due to their tight schedule.Indian Premier League is consider as one of the prestigious domestic league in cricket and it attracts players from international cricket by offering mouthwatering salary of million dollars to the players to play in their league. India stuns the world in 1983 by winning the World Cup. No one had expected or even dreamed about India qualifying for finals and that too facing West Indies who won consecutive World Cup in 1975 and 1979. When India qualified for the semi-final many people were satisfy by India's performance, but India wasn't so they went onto the final by beating England.During early 1970's and 1980's West Indies was the toughest opponent to face and most batsman from other country feared to face West Indies bowlers. â€Å"West Indies possessed the most fearsome bowling attack and possibly the most brutal batting line-up that anybody h ad ever witnessed† (Abbasi 1). Facing West Indies was the nightmare for any team in early 1970's and 1980's. There was a big hand of Kapil Dev in India's win over West Indies in World Cup. Kapil Dev became hero in minutes after taking a stunning match winning catch of Viv Richards, the catch gave â€Å"India belief.And West Indies panicked† (Bal 1). Viv Richards was the only player who would have help West Indies to make it hat-trick tor the number ot wins in World Cup. W n him gone West Indies dream faded away to put their hands on third World Cup title. â€Å"In hindsight it can also be said that the catch changed the way cricket would be played, for it awoke India to the possibilities to win the World Cup† (Bal 1). The catch from Kapil Dev brought India closer to the victory and with that 1983 World Cup belongs to India. It all came out in 1999 when cricket in India was in threat.India went through dark days in 1999 and it wasn't the great year for the cricket players and especially for the cricket fans. Leading cricketers were accused of match-fixing and then a police report proved that there was a direct link between cricketers and illegal book makers. Former Indian Cricketer Bishan Bedi once said, â€Å"Sickening absolutely sickening and hen some of the players were found to be indulging in that kind of nonsense, cricket died for many days† (Empire of Cricket-India). People lost faith in everything they had seen and they no longer trusted the results.India's cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin was involved in match-fixing with many other players such as Ajay Sharma, Ajay JadeJa, Manoj Prabhakar, and Dr. Ali Iran', a physiotherapist. â€Å"The Indian government orders the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe the match-fixing allegations and to find out whether any Indian cricketer or official was involved† (Ravindran 2). This event was eye opening for many fans and the government itself felt that they need to take act ion to provide Justice for the millions of cricket fans in India.When CBI released the report on match-fixing in November it accused those players of having links with bookies and of under-performing in return for huge sums of money. â€Å"Manoj Prabhakar told CBI that he was offered 2. 5 million rupees ($53,000) by a teammate to underperform in a match against Pakistan in 1994† (Magazine 2). â€Å"Titan Cup in 1996 between India and South Africa was fixed, Pepsi Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in 1997 was fixed, and Pepsi Cup between India and Pakistan in 1999 was also fixed† (Ganapathy 1). Mohammed Azharuddin and Alay Sharma were involved in the following fixed matches.Based on the evidence each time the match was fixed players received from â€Å"$19,000 to $400,000†³ (Ganapathy 1). People were in shock for years when they realized their cricket God cheated on them. These led to a public outcry demanding punishment for the players. Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay JadeJa we re banned from the cricket for life time and few players took retirement from cricket due to their shameful act. To take Indian cricket out of darkness and into the light India needed a new leader. Saurav Ganguly known as Bengal Tiger of Kolkata was named captain of the Indian cricket team in 2000. Now, under Saurav Ganguly, Indians always such bad travelers, had begun to win abroad† (Bose 242). He made every Indians proud and made cricket more loveable. He began well as a captain leading India to the final of ICC Knockout Trophy in 2000 and ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003. Unfortunately India lost both these finals; one against New Zealand in 2000 and Australia in 2003. When India toured England during the summer of 2002 there were big expectations on the shoulder of the young kipper with India not able to secure a series win in England since 1990.During the final match of the 2002 Natwest Trophy between India and England held in Lords, Ganguly took off his shirt in public and brandished it in the air to celebrate India's stunning win of the series. Harsha Bhogle a cricket commentator said, â€Å"India was a great talking nation, but wasn't great doing nation and they found that when Saurav came along and ne actually took that shirt ott, people said an nn someone's nas actually done it. Someone has done what we wanted to do and there wasn't any script written he Just did it† (Empire of Cricket-India). Ganguly had the vision that we can do it.And that's what it made a difference. Former Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja once said â€Å"India vs. Pakistan this is what cricket is all about. It's the contest that people look forward to. † Cricket played between India and Pakistan is often considered war than a match. There is always pressure on 11 players from both the nation when they face off. The reason why a match between India and Pakistan makes so much exciting and thrilling is because India's independence from Britain in 1947, both countries have fought three wars and they are still in disputes over Kashmir.During India's tour of Pakistan in 2004 the tension across the border was enormous. When India beat Pakistan in test series after 50 years it was a great gift for the people in India and people serving in Indian Army. This was by far the greatest achievement for team India under the captaincy of Ganguly. Intikhab Alam Pakistan team manager said, â€Å"Both teams cannot win, and somebody has to lose. Let it remain a cricket match and don't make us feel like we are standing on a warfront† (Doherty 3). The word defeat is not accepted to the fans from both the countries.Defeat to the ans means that they have been slapped on their face. India Pakistan cricket is considered as one of the prestigious cricket rivalry. It is the competition that even different international team such as Australia and England look forward to. During the 1996 World Cup India and Pakistan played in quarter-final match for the spot in sem i-final, two Pakistani fans died. â€Å"One had a heart attack and the other reportedly turned his gun on himself after shooting his TV in disgust at Pakistan's 39-run loss to India† (Doherty 2). Cricket played between India and Pakistan is the battle of do or die.India is a cricket crazy country where cricket runs in the blood of every Indian on the planet. There is an old saying that â€Å"Cricket is an Indian game accidentally discovered by the English† (Gopalan et al. 1). This is so true, because cricket in Indian culture is so popular that every child that is born in India wants to play cricket. It is the sport that unite entire nation together. Cricket has the unique ability to unite all of India over and above its diversities. â€Å"Inspiration, Passion, Obsession, Devotion, cricket evokes myriad responses across India.India rejoices every time team India ins and despairs at every loss† (Gopalan et al. 1). During the 1996 World Cup when India lost to Sri Lanka for the spot in final, fans erupted in Kolkata cricket stadium. At the scent of a defeat Indian fans started â€Å"throwing empty bottles; burning newspaper which is symptomatic of the growing intolerance and fanaticism of the Indian crowds† (Gopalan et al. 2). Indians fans react to the team lose very quickly and they want their team to win every single game which is impossible. â€Å"Perhaps the problem is that Indians expect too much from their cricketer† (Bose 240).Indians fans are Just aiting for the opportunity to show their anger towards their team when India loses. â€Å"For the large numbers of urban middle class Indians who embraced the game, it was a case of encountering a new and exciting sport, one that was far more interesting than the Indian options that existed at the time such as gilli danda, hockey' (Kasbekar 269). Cricket is more popular in India, because India doesn't have too many sports unlike the United States where they have hockey, basket ball, baseball, soccer, and football.The fans are evenly distributed when they have more choice available in ports while in India there is only one way ot tan tollowing which is Cricket. During the high profile match or tournaments Indian crowds are like ants and the cricket match is like sugar. Crowds are so glued to their seats or television set that they forget their problems in their life. The recent World Cup held in India, was big success for team India as they won their second title after 28 years. â€Å"India vs. Pakistan World Cup 2011 semi-final was watched by 67. 3 million people, India vs.Sri Lanka World Cup Final was watched by 68 million people† (Dhawan et al. 1). Cricket is ery popular and it draws more fans when India is performing at its best during bigger tournament. â€Å"There is no doubt that what made cricket so popular in India was nationalism. Cricket had become a reflection, a focus, and an instrument of Indian nationalism† (Kasbekar 269). Cric ket is the only sport that gives fans a chance to show their love and support towards their nation. When India plays against England or Pakistan it is the great atmosphere for the fans to support their team.The other reason cricket is so popular is because there is no caste system in India when it omes to cricket. People from any caste can play cricket for his national team. Indian cricket team is a big example of diversity there are players from different religions such as Guajarati, Muslim, Marathi, South Indian, and Punjabi. A person from different religions unites team India and it makes cricket more lovable. India's current cricket captain M. S. Dhoni comes from the lower caste. Now comes the new generation of cricket. The Indian Primer League also known as Indian Paisa League. Paisa in India means money.IPL's power is taking over the world. â€Å"The survey ndicated that 54 percent of the players would retire from one or more formats of the game because of too much internatio nal cricket† (Magotra 2). Sri Lankan player Lasith Malinga retires from test cricket to focus on IPL and Australia Player Adam Gilchrist retires from all the format of the cricket such as test, one-day, and twenty20 to play in ‘PL. â€Å"The money has made many international cricketers choose IPL over their countries† (Magotra 1). Virender Sehwag from India decided not to tour the West Indies series, because he wanted to play in ‘PL.Few Indian players decided not to tart their treatment on their injuries, because they did not wanted to miss out from ‘PL. According to the DNA: Daily News &Analysis former Sri Lankan cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga said, â€Å"IPL is the monster that will go on to destroy international cricket. † I agree with the former captain of Sri Lanka, because if the youngsters gets the chance to play in IPL and if he starts to make millions of dollar than why would he want to play for his national team if he can make a good livin g out of ‘PL. Bishan Bedi once said, â€Å"l find it suffocating honestly. I find it the most vulgar expression of cricket.It's not cricket, No† (Empire of Cricket-India). Few former cricketers find IPL as one of the destructive tournament that will affect the real cricket and its taste. But IPL is so much popular in India that even women are interested in watching IPL games. â€Å"Inspired by the English Premier League city based franchises has been created and sold for over 500 million pound. Players from all over the world are auction for sums beyond one million pound† (Empire of Cricket-India). Harsha Bhogle a cricket commentator said, â€Å"History will record 20 years from now as IPL as the greatest urning point ever in history of the game† (Empire of Cricket-India).The way IPL is going it will affect the international cricket by having few players retiring from their national team; this affects the fans that are true cricket lover towards their nati on. From the success ot I PL other countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka are considering to create their own twenty20 domestic league such as Sri Lankan Premier League, Pakistan Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League. With all this domestic cricket being played it will go on to destroy the real meat of cricket which is ne-day and test cricket.People have to remember that Indian Premier League is dessert and people cannot live on dessert forever they have to respect the real meat of cricket by banning the domestic twenty20 league. India is very rich cricketing nation where lot of people looking to make investment in cricket. â€Å"But there are fears that this big hitting twenty20 cricket will end up destroying traditions of ancient and modern in India and wider empire of cricket† (Empire of Cricket-India). All eyes are on India as they became the superior governing cricket nation. International Cricket Council should intervene in domestic cricket by banning twenty20 cricket league.The way there is demand for the players in IPL I think it is going to be very difficult to put restriction on the international players to not allow them to play in IPL, but for the sake of cricket and preserving the ancient culture ICC and BCCI should take this action and stop IPL from further destruction. International players have earned fame and popularity by playing for their national team not by the ‘PL. IPL is playing with fans emotion by encouraging players to play in their team and the downside of this is hat those players are taking retirement from other format of the cricket due to too much cricket matches.