The Negro Speaks of Rivers by (Langston Hughes) Essay

The Negro Speaks of Rivers by (Langston Hughes) - Essay Example 7) and who "heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans," (l. 8) represents all Black people. Their presence and contributions to the development of civilization is ancient and timeless, like the rivers. I found this poem to be powerful and moving, and it made me feel joyous and uplifted, yet humbled by what it portrayed. I felt that Hughes was rightfully proud of his race, that he understood the importance of his ancestors and that for him, history was a testament to the strength of his people. The opening line "I've known rivers", is so simple, but when repeated and added to in the words that follow, gathers and sends a powerful message. Rivers are the lifeblood of the planet, and he links that idea to humanity with "flow of blood in human veins" (l. 3). By joining body and soul: "My soul has grown deep like the rivers" ( l. 5 and 13), he expressed the truth about all of us. We are all body and soul. But he is stating that the Black soul has withstood much and held fast to wisdom and strength. With the repetition of the words "I've known rivers/Ancient, dusky rivers, (l. 11-12) he brings to life the dark skin of his people and there is pride in the depth of his and their souls at the end of the poem.

Pinnacle Airlines Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pinnacle Airlines - Research Paper Example A brief history of Pinnacle Airlines would be useful. As mentioned earlier, it was founded in 1985, and was initially named Express Airways I. By the next year, the airline had increased its fleet to 27 Saab turboprops, and had signed a partnership with Northwest Airlines and thus carrying its passengers too (Pinnacle Airlines Corp, n.d). By 1997, Northwest Airlines purchased Express Airways I, and the new CEO set about to retrain Express Airways I’s employees (Pinnacle Airlines Corp, n.d). Throughout this period, Express Airways I had been using turboprops, and only in 2000 did it shift to using small jets when it purchased a Canadair Regional Jet (Pinnacle Airlines Corp, n.d). These CRJs are beneficial in the sense that they are smaller in size than the Saab turboprops that Express Airway I was using, and offered satisfactory â€Å"jet speed, economy and comfort,† and could â€Å"serve cities that cant support the big jets,† (Warren, 1995). In 2002, Express Air ways I changed its named to Pinnacle Airlines, and embarked on a project to change everything about the airline’s public image, culture and so on (Pinnacle Airlines Corp, n.d). By 2004, Pinnacle Airlines was making revenues of more than $630 million, had more than a thousand pilots, and a hundred CRJs; it was also recognized as one of fastest growing regional airline in the US (Pinnacle Airlines Corp, n.d). Additionally, in 2003, Pinnacle Airlines was â€Å"incorporated as a Delaware corporation,† and by 2010 it came to control Mesaba, Pinnacle and Colgan airlines (Pinnacle Airlines Corp 10k, 2010). Pinnacle also signed capacity purchase agreements with Delta, and provided flights to Delta’s main airports in New York City, Atlanta and so on, and by 2010 it was using 126 CRJs to be used as â€Å"connection carriers,† to numerous states in the US as well as cities in Mexico and Canada (Pinnacle Airlines

Symbolic Debate in AI versus Connectionist - Competing or Complementar Essay

Symbolic Debate in AI versus Connectionist - Competing or Complementary - Essay Example If the aim of human-oriented Artificial Intelligence is to develop common sense, an extreme example of the purely symbolic approach is to be seen in the Cyc project. Here, common-sense rules inferred from the everyday world are hard-coded into the system such that it will be able to handle any type of situation. And it is in this â€Å"extremely symbolic† approach that the worst failures of that approach will probably be seen: forget one fact, and the system crashes, with nothing to lean back on.On the other hand, best-suited to the connectionist approach are models of the brain at the micro-level. The brain is, after all, a neural network—literally. The problem here is that we get a working model, but with a very little description of what is actually going on inside, and the question begs to be asked (by connectionists, of course): why model it if it cannot be explained?The natural thought is that there must be some way the two systems can â€Å"co-operate.† Co nsider an interesting problem, one that may seem far-fetched but which is good enough to serve as an example: that of nonsense translation, as in â€Å"English French German Suite,† quoted in Gà ¶del, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid (Douglas Hofstadter, 1979, page 366). Here, a translation into German by Robert Scott of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky is presented. The English stanza’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves†¦All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.†Gets translated into the German asâ€Å"Es Brillig war. Die schlichten Toven†¦Und aller-mà ¼msige BurggovenDie Mà ¶hmen Rà ¤th’ ausgraben.†Consider â€Å"outgrabe†: how would one â€Å"translate† it into German? It turns out that â€Å"out† is â€Å"aus† in German, and â€Å"grab† sounds perfectly German; add to that the common German â€Å"-en† suffix and one gets â€Å"ausgraben.† Similar principles apply to the translation of all the nonsense words here.

Dance - Girl Essay Example for Free

Dance Girl Essay Dance, Girl, Dance is a film from the Classical Hollywood period that presents a complicated reading when viewed through a feminist lens. The 1940 film was directed by Dorothy Arzner, one of the most notable female directors and the only prominent woman in Hollywood at that time. Arzner presents her audience with an array of female characters, the main characters being Judy O’brien and Bubbles/Tiger Lily White. Judy is a dedicated dancer, honing her talents as a ballerina. Bubbles, on the other hand, uses her looks and sexuality to land jobs as a burlesque dancer. Dance, Girl, Dance reveals these characters’ experience in a dance troupe with several other girls. When the troupe disbands, Bubbles comes to offer Judy a humiliating job as her stooge. As tensions rise, the two eventually come to blows, quite literally, when both fall for the same man, Jimmy Harris. Through their relationship with each other and with men, a dynamic is defined that gives insight into the power of the male gaze and sexual politics, not only in the film but also in society at large in the context of 1930s America. This can be seen in the analysis of a particular scene near the beginning of the film. Judy and one of her roommates, Sally, are preparing for bed after their performance at the nightclub in the opening scene. Bubbles, their third roommate, arrives at home after a disappointing outing with Jimmy. This scene specifically highlights the contrast between the personalities of Judy and Bubbles, and speaks to the many ways female characters are coded based on their sexuality and appearance. The analysis of the scene begins at the moment Bubbles enters the room. She comes into the frame through the doorway in a medium shot. It is important to note her costume, as it speaks to her character. She is wearing makeup, jewelry, a fox fur stole around her shoulders and a feathered hat. One may get the impression that she is trying to look as glamorous or ostentatious as possible on her limited budget. At this point, Bubbles has already been partly established as a brash woman who does not shy away from her ability to attract men. This can be contrasted with Judy’s costume during this scene, modest button-up pajamas. The scene continues as Bubbles enters the tiny apartment. She turns on the light, when Judy whispers that Sally is asleep from off camera. Bubbles leaves the light on, looks down at Sally in the bed, and proceeds to loudly close the door while muttering â€Å"So, what? † As she delivers her dialogue, the camera follows her as she walks to her bed, panning over to include Judy in a two shot. One key element in this simple interaction is the difference of attitude toward female solidarity between Bubbles and Judy. Judy obviously cares to not disturb Sally, while Bubbles seems disappointed and only concerned with her own problems at this point. Then, the camera cuts to a close shot of Sally lying in bed, smiling and clearly awake. She then closes her eyes and continues to try and sleep, rendering her unimportant to the rest of the scene. The next cut brings us back to a long, two shot of Bubbles and Judy as they discuss what happened to Bubbles that evening. Bubbles is explaining how she had gone out with Jimmy, but he suddenly left her at the bar after giving her a little stuffed bull. In this shot, Bubbles is in the foreground, a little closer to the camera than Judy, making her appear slightly larger. This could be interpreted as signifying her social dominance over Judy, and the fact that she â€Å"stole† Jimmy from Judy earlier that evening. Bubbles dismissively tosses the bull onto a chair in front of Judy. Judy picks it up, stating â€Å"It’s cute. † Bubbles tells her that she can have it. The audience is clearly meant to get the impression that the token of the night has no significance to Bubbles, and she is merely disappointed that she could not add Jimmy to her list of men to dote on her occasionally. The camera stays stationary as Bubble walks to the background of the shot and sits on her bed. Judy gently places the bull back on the chair, already showing signs of her eventual fetishization of the bull and Jimmy. Then, she continues to bend and stretch her legs, as Bubbles pouts behind her. It is interesting to point out that as Judy resumes her exercises, she has gained the â€Å"high ground† of the shot. The reminder of her status as a dancer, a more artful and talented dancer than Bubbles, means she is the larger, more significant character in the frame now. The focus has moved from Bubbles proficiency as a female spectacle, completely at home under the male gaze, to Judy’s proficiency as a ballerina, with no real concern for superficial male attention. Then, this is reinforced when there is a cut to a medium shot of Bubbles, looking at Judy. The camera follows Bubbles line of sight and there is a quick cut to a medium shot of Judy, then it reverses back to the shot of Bubbles on her bed, shaking her head. She says, â€Å"I’ll say one thing for you, Pavlova. You’ve certainly got ambition, even if it’s dumb. † As she says this, Judy’s foot briefly enters from the side of the frame as she kicks her leg. Once again, Bubbles is coded as having no passion for her craft as a dancer, seeing it as a means to an end of attracting men and/or making money, while Judy genuinely loves to dance. One way of reading the film is through the suggestion that Judy’s ballet is high art, while Bubbles’ burlesque is low art. In the world of the Dance, Girl, Dance, women utilizing their sexuality for physical and financial gratification given by men is deemed less valuable than artistic expression. What follows is a short series of counter shots between the two, as Bubbles ponders how she will get back to New York, going through her list of male suitors to find a solution to her dilemma. On a surface level, this shows that Bubbles needs men to get where she is going, whether it is for a trip to New York or a trip to stardom as they buy tickets to her shows later in the film. The scene comes to a close as Bubbles decides on Sam, the traveling salesman that is â€Å"sweet on her. † As this line is delivered, there is a quick cut to Judy whipping her head around to look back at Bubbles. Judy has an expression on her face that is hard to describe, but it gets across the fact that her reality is very different from that of Bubbles’. Judy goes on to ask if there will be room for Sally, as the camera tracks Bubbles while she walks to the bathroom. As the camera stops tracking, it stops in a medium shot of Bubbles as she eventually replies, â€Å"†¦ All right, she can go, but don’t blame me. That guy’s got more arms than an octopus. † There is a cut to a close shot of Sally in bed with a wide-eyed, nervous expression as she quickly lifts up her head and plops back down. Like Judy, her reality is very different from the reality of the dynamic Bubbles, and the possibility of encountering a man from that reality seems to frighten her. After the last cut of the scene, it ends on a medium shot of Judy picking up the stuffed bull once again and smiling at it fondly. This emphasizes the fact Judy is not asexual and clearly is developing feelings for Jimmy. Although, Judy seems to have a more deep, emotional connection to Jimmy than Bubbles has for her various men. Judy only became interested in Jimmy after he helped the girls at the nightclub and talked with her earlier in the film. Her interest is not based solely on what he can provide to her. The differences in costume, behavior and motivation between Bubbles and Judy are relevant to a larger scope of the film involving sex and gender politics. For all of the above reasons found in the formal elements of the film’s visual and narrative composition, Bubbles is coded as superficial, purely physical and vapid. On the other hand, Judy is given much more value and depth. While Bubbles goes on to find success by exploiting her good looks, Judy is the winner in the end, when she lands her position in the ballet company and achieves her dreams. In this way, the film is sending a message that female self-worth is not derived from male approval or reaffirming of beauty, but from accomplishment of what are considered to be more substantial goals.

Alexander The Great Essay -- essays research papers

Alexander the Great Alexander the Great was king of the Macedonians and one of the greatest generals in history. As a student of the Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was embedded with lasting interests in philosophy, politics and warfare. As king, he settled problems by immediate action, making quick decisions and taking great risks. His armies overcame these risks by sheer force and by the ingenious tactics instilled in them by Alexander. He and his armies conquered the Persian Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to India and formed much of what was then considered the civilized world. Through his conquests, Alexander helped spread Greek ideas, customs and laws throughout Asia and Egypt and adopted a uniform currency system to promote trade and commerce. He thus spread the rich Hellenistic culture enjoyed by the Greeks throughout the world. Alexander had a dream of the brotherhood of mankind where every person shared a common language, currency and loyalty, but he was unable to see his dream through due to an illness that claimed his life at the young age of 33.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Alexander was born in 356 B.C. He was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was the son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, and of Olympias, a princess of Epirus. At the age of 13, Aristotle was hired to be Alexander’s private tutor. Aristotle inspired interests of politics, other races of people and countries, plants and animals, and a great love for literature in Alexander (“Overview of Alexander the Great.'; 1). He was an outstanding athlete and excelled in every sport of his time (Durant 538). In 338 B.C., at the age of 18, Alexander led the cavalry of his father’s army in the Battle of Chaeronea, which brought Greece under Macedonian control. At the age of 20, Alexander’s father was murdered by one of his bodyguards, and Alexander succeeded the throne as king of Macedonia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After Alexander’s father died, some Greek cities under Macedonian rule revolted. In 335 B.C. Alexander attacked the city of Thebes, storming its walls and destroying every building, except the temples and the house of the poet Pindar. His army sold the 30,000 inhabitants of Thebes into slavery or killed them. Alexander’s actions against Thebes discouraged rebellion by the o... ...me seriously ill again. This time, the disease plus the effects of several battle wounds would be enough to claim his life at the age of 32 on June 10. Alexander and his armies conquered the Persian Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to India and formed much of what was then considered the civilized world. Through his conquests, Alexander helped spread Greek ideas, customs and laws throughout Asia and Egypt and adopted a uniform currency system to promote trade and commerce. He established cities like Alexandria everywhere he went to help maintain rule and reduce corruption, as well as to promote learning and to encourage commerce and trade throughout the world. He established Greek as the uniform language and brought different cultures together through marriages of his own and others just like his. He brought the world together to promote his idea of the brotherhood of mankind and had plans to reorganize his government and explore the seas around his empire. Alexander the Great accomplished all of this in just 33 years. After his death, the cities of his empire were split between his leading generals who mostly foug ht amongst themselves for control of the empire.

Aspects & Impacts of Porous Pavements Essay -- Pavement Driving Surfac

Short Memo: Aspects & Impacts of Porous Pavements The purpose of this short memo is to discuss aspects of use, applicability, and environmental impacts of porous pavements as gleaned from practical findings and pertinent examples. A porous pavement is one with high enough porosity and permeability to allow rain and snowmelt to pass through it, thereby reducing the runoff from a site and surrounding areas. In intensely built up areas, pavements account for more than half of all the land, and for about two-thirds of total built cover (Ferguson, 2005, 2-3). Parking lots, in particular, account for the majority of paved areas. Pervious paving materials have the capability of providing a dual purpose in parking and other areas with low to moderate traffic; they serve both as a parking/traffic area and to manage stormwater. Components & Function There are several types of porous pavements, namely porous asphalt, porous concrete, and numerous modular paver systems. Both a construction material and a design technique, systems may be used individually or enhanced through a combination of types. Porous asphalt consists of an open-graded coarse aggregate bonded together by asphalt cement. The mixture contains fewer fines than traditional asphalt and sufficient void space between aggregate particles allows water to drain through quickly. Porous concrete also consists of an open-graded coarse aggregate, formulated with Portland cement and water. Modular porous pavers are structural units, such as concrete blocks or reinforced plastic mats, with void areas that are filled with pervious materials, to achieve a load-bearing permeable surface. The pervious fill materials include sand, grass turf, and gravel. Each of these surfaces is typical... ...rent purposes. Residential streets and interstate shoulders have been constructed of porous systems, and more extensive weight-bearing roads are functioning in Europe. More research and site study of porous paving techniques and specifications are needed to continue to increase knowledge and implementation of these systems, and to further their capacity for use. Works Cited Adams, Michele (May/June 2003). â€Å"Porous Asphalt Pavement With Recharge Beds,† Stormwater Magazine. www.forester.net/sw_0305_porous.html Ferguson, Bruce (2005). Porous Pavements. FL: CRC Press. Georgia Stormwater Management Manual (2001). â€Å"Porous Concrete.† Vol. 2, 3.3-33 - 3.3-40. Georgia Stormwater Management Manual (2001). â€Å"Modular Porous Paver Systems.† Vol. 2, 3.3-41 – 3.3-46. U.S. EPA (September 1999). Stormwater Technology Factsheet: Porous Pavement. Washington, DC: EPA 832-F-99-023.

Thailand and Hong Kong Religious Differences

Compare the religion in Thai and Hong Kong Introduction Religion is a way to review the cultural system of a country, it relates humanity to spirituality. Hong Kong and Thailand have a distinct history background, which interpret the big difference in daily cultural practices. This essay aims to provide a brief introduction of the religion in Thailand and Hong Kong and compares their differences and similarities. It will start from the history background and general information to the details of religious activities. General In Hong Kong, people are protected by the Basic Law, they have the religious freedom.There is a wide variety of religious groups such as Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam and so on. With 150 years of rule as a separate British colony, although most Hong Kong people are ethnically Chinese, Hong Kong has a unique local identity. Elements of traditional Chinese culture combining western in? uences have shaped Hong Kong as a city with mixed culture. Apart from th e Chinese and British cultural in? uences, Hong Kong is a free trade port with people from different countries staying there which have a large variety of religion beliefs and ways of thought.According to a Gullup poll in 2010, 64% of Hong Kong residents are either agnostic or indifferent towards religion. Buddhism and Taoism are the major religious with more than 1 million Buddhists and about 1 million Taoists. The second large religious group is Christianity, it has been in Hong Kong since 1841. There are about 843,000 Christians in Hong Kong, most of them are Protestant or Roman Catholic. Temples and churches are omnipresent and ubiquitous on the streets, few of them have been there for more than 700 years ago.Although Hong Kong is literally no religion background, there are some public holidays related to religious festivals such as Christmas, Easter and Buddha’s Birthday. Adherents hold special celebration or ceremonies on these occasions. Those major religious bodies ha ve established schools, hospitals and provides social welfare facilities. Theomania is rare in Hong Kong, religion con? ict has never occurred so far. In Thailand, Buddhism has long been it national religion, about 95% of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. In fact, there is no of? ial state religion in the Thai constitution, people are guaranteed to have religious freedom. However, Buddhism has spread widely in Thailand since 3rd century BC, it led the Buddha’s teachings becoming very famous. There is no of? cial state religion in the Thai constitution, which guarantees religious freedom for all Thai citizens, though the king is required by law to be Buddhist. According to the last census (2000) 94. 6% of Thais are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition. Muslims are the second largest religious group in Thailand at 4. 6%.There are more than 600 temples in the HKSAR. [5] The history of some of these temples can be traced back to more than 700 years ago, while some o thers have been built in recent years. Notable temples include the Wong Tai Sin Temple located in the Wong Tai Sin District in Kowloon. This popular temple is dedicated to the Taoist deity, Wong Tai Sin. Besides that, the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill is a group of temple structures in the Tang Dynasty's architectural style. It is now open to the public following the completion of its redevelopment in 2000.