What does the Rule of Benedict have to say about Humility, Reverence of Prayer, Silence, Obedience and Daily Work?

The Rule of Benedictine is very specific in the issues of
humility, silence, obedience and daily work.  The issue of prayer is so significant and
deliberate that it is discussed in eight chapters.  The Benedictine monks cannot hold
any property, cannot go beyond the monastery walls and cannot even get letters from home
without the consent of the abbot.

Humility is an enduring
patience without complaint.  An example is regarding the clothing of the monks. They
should be “content with what can be found…and purchased cheaply”.  Specifically as to
humility the rule states:

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The fourth degree of humility
is that
he holds fast to patience with a silent mind
when in this obedience he meets
with difficulties
and contradictions
and even any kind of
injustice,
enduring all without growing weary or running away. Chapter
7:35

Prayers are specifically
defined by the rule.  Given the time of year and the number of prayers or psalms to be
stated are specific.  The rules for prayer are enumerated in Chapters 9 through 17. 
Chapter 9 states:

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In winter time as defined above,

there is first this verse to be said three times:
"O Lord, open my
lips,
and my mouth shall declare your praise."
To it is added
Psalm 3 and the "Glory be to the Father,"
and after that Psalm 94 to be
chanted with an antiphon
or even chanted
simply.

A disciple is to be
silent and listen.  Only the mistress/abbot can speak and teach.  If anything has to be
asked it must be done with ‘humility and submission inspired by
reverence”.

Daily work is approximately six hours daily. 
Work is described as “diligently executing all these tasks in the enclosure of the
monastery and stability in the community”.

Chapter 5 refers
to obedience and that “humility is obedience without delay... and this is a vurtue of
those who hold nothing dearer to them than Christ...”  If a superior makes a request it
is seen as “divine” and must be executed without delay.

Why, in Guns, Germs and Steel, is Madagascar referred to as the single most astonishing fact of human geography?Is it because the Borneo's ended up...

Diamond refers to Madagascar as an “anomaly” due to its
diversity of peoples and its unusual language.  Madagascar is inhabited by two peoples –
African blacks and Southeast Asians.  What is significant is that Madagascar is only 250
miles of the African coast but completely across the Indian Ocean from Asia and
Australia.

Similarly, an unusual language is spoken on the
island. The language spoken by all the people of Madagascar is Austronesian and is very
similar to that spoken on the island of Borneo.   Borneo is over 4,000 miles across the
Indian Ocean.  Diamond states:

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“No other people remotely resembling Borneans
live within thousands of miles of Madagascar…. It’s as if Columbus, on reaching Cuba,
had found it occupied by blue-eyed, blond-haired Scandinavians speaking a language close
to Swedish, even though the nearby North American continent was inhabited by Native
Americans and speaking Amerindian languages. ” p.
381

Archeologists have
revealed that the early settlers on Madagascar had iron tools, livestock and crops. 
Based upon this Diamond believes the “…colonists were not just a small canoe load of
fishermen blown off course; they formed a full-fledged expedition.”  Somehow these
prehistoric peoples sailed 4,000 miles without advanced tools or
knowledge.

In a basket are 80 bananas, oranges and apples. The number of oranges is 5 more than 1/3 the number of apples.The number of bananas is 1less than...

The total number of fruits in the basket is 80. Let the
number of bananas be B, the number of oranges O and the number of apples
A.

The number of oranges is 5 more than (1/3) the number of
apples.

This gives O = (1/3)*A +
5

The number of bananas is 1 less than (1/4) the number of
apples

This gives B = (1/4)*A -
1

As the total number of fruits is
80

=> A + (1/3)*A + 5 + (1/4)*A - 1 =
80

=> A(1 + 1/3 + 1/4) =
76

=> A(19/12) =
76

=> A = 4*12 = 48

B =
11

O = 21

There
are 48 apples, 11 bananas and 21 oranges in the
basket.

Discuss the animals who are skeptical of the actions of Napoleon and Snowball actions after Major dies in Animal Farm.

I had to pare down the question, but I tried to retain
some of its original qualities.  This is the essence of Orwell's work.  I think that
Orwell is trying to point out that it is the precise lack of significant and dissenting
skepticism that causes the pigs to possess total power over the farm and its animals. 
Orwell is not suggesting that individuals negate their government, but he is arguing
that governments are not as effective or receptive unless there is a significant dose of
skepticism and element of challenge from the body politic.  Napoleon and the pigs are
able to use the loyalty to Clover and Boxer to their own benefit, to consolidate their
own power over all.  The fact that there are not any animals who are willing to
challenge the authority of the pigs in a way to ensure that government is honest and
responsive to the needs of the farm is exactly why Orwell feels that the animals, to a
certain extent, are responsible for their own predicament.

In "Hunters in the Snow," what is the theme suggested by Tub and Kenny's relationship?

While Kenny and Tub are nominally friends, Kenny
constantly insults Tub, plays jokes on him, and uses Frank as a wedge (always looking to
Frank for validation of his "humor," showing that he has insecurities). One theme
suggested by this is domestic abuse: Tub seemingly has no reason to be friends with
Kenny, but continues to hand around him even when he is verbally
abused.

"You
still on that diet?" He winked at Frank.

"What do you think? You think
I like hard-boiled eggs?"

"All I can say is, it's the first diet I
ever heard of where you gained weight from it."
(Wolff, "Hunters in the Snow,"
classicshorts.com)

This
speaks to Tub's personal insecurities; he is willing to put up with the abuse as long as
he believes it validates him. By the same token, Kenny believes that Tub wants to be
insulted; bullies often think that their attention is in itself something to be
treasured. The two play off each other, each validating the other's insecurities, until
one of Kenny's jokes goes terribly wrong.

What do the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg symbolize to George Wilson in The Great Gatsby, and what is this symbol's significance?

Many critics agree that the billboard advertising the
occular practice of Dr. T.J. Eckleberg symbolizes the eyes of God looking down on the
immoral world of the 1920's and finding it wanting. Others believe since the billboard
was old and faded that it is a continued reference to the death of another American
dream (the Doctor opened the practice hoping it would succeed but it obviously closed
and he didn't reach his dream).

Either way, it is
significant because George Wilson's dreams are going down the drain (he is losing his
wife to Tom Wilson, and his garage is not doing well). He feels a moral outrage toward
those around him who live much better than he does, but lie, cheat and steal to get what
they want in life.

What is inflation? Compare its role with money and the real earning of the Industrial workers.

The term inflation is used for an overall increase in the
price of goods and services in the economy. Inflation is most commonly estimated by
looking at the change in certain price indices. These indices are created to estimate
inflation and contain all goods and services generally used by consumers with an
appropriate weightage given to each item that reflects the quantity consumed. Inflation
over a year can be calculated by looking at the percent change in the present value of
the index from the value it had a year back.

A positive
inflation indicates that the average price of things in the economy is rising. It means
that a person with the same amount of money can now buy less than what could have been
bought a year back. High rates of inflation rapidly decrease the buying capacity of
money. In such a case an industrial workers' capacity to buy products would rapidly
decrease and even an increase in wages would only allow them to buy what they could
earlier, nothing more.

Government policies should always be
such that the rate of inflation is positive though at a fairly low
level.

In Macbeth, what evidence suggests that Lady Macbeth is a woman, not a super woman.

Despite the coldness of her resolve, her devious scheming,
and her very effective emotional manipulation of her husband, Lady Macbeth, in the final
analysis, is merely a woman, not a super woman. The first suggestion that she is not
invincible is her reaction to the sleeping King Duncan. She would have killed him
herself, she says, except he reminded her of her own father. This suggests that Lady
Macbeth, beneath the steel will of her ambition, is not impervious to feeling softer
human emotions; it suggests she had loved her father.

This
glimpse into her humanity foreshadows her emotional unraveling in Act V when she walks
in her sleep, reliving the murders for which she and Macbeth bear responsibility and
expressing horror over the blood that has been shed. Despite her earlier displays of
emotional strength and control, she has imploded under the weight of fear and guilt. She
is a pitiful sight, walking alone in the dark carrying her candle, sighing from the
depths of her soul. Unable to bear her pain, Lady Macbeth commits
suicide.

Prior to her destruction, she exhibits other
traits to suggest that she is no super woman in dealing with her life and circumstances.
Although she strives to relieve Macbeth's guilt and fear after Duncan's murder,
struggling to keep him sane and functional, she underestimates the depth of his despair
and cannot deal with it successfully. Macbeth spins out of control; one murderous action
follows another, with Macbeth acting on his own. Lady Macbeth loses control of her
husband and her own fate. A super woman might have been able to manage the events she
set into motion through planning and manipulating the murder of the king, but Lady
Macbeth is not a super woman. She is instead a human being, subject to human weakness,
who brings about her own destruction.

Explain the following quote from "The Gift of the Magi": "I buy hair," said Madame. "Take your hat off and let

In O. Henry's poignant story, "The Gift of the Magi,"
after Della whirls from the window and stands before the pier glass in hers and Jim's
flat, she makes the rather rash decision to sell her hair so that she can purchase a
Christmas present for her dear husband.  Throwing on her old brown jacket and hat, with
eyes sparkling, she scurries out to the street.  Once there, she spots a sign that
reads,

Madame
Sofronie. Hair Goods of All
Kinds.

Della runs up the one
flight to the shop where she encounters the owner. This woman hardly looks like she
should be Madame Sofronie as she is too white, too large, and is unprofessional.  When
Della asks her if she will buy her hair, the woman matter-of-factly replies, "I buy
hair...Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."  Her words and
dialect clearly indicate a total lack of sophistication in the woman.  When Della takes
off her hat and her luxurious hair cascades down, the banal woman simply and
impersonally says, "Twenty dollars" as she holds up the thick hair with a "practiced
hand." 

Perhaps it is better for Della that this cheap
woman buys her hair without complimenting it, for parting from her beautiful locks would
be all the harder if she were to praise Della's hair.  Mme. Sofronie--so phony?--is in
sharp contrast to Della and Jim who are passionate and warm and loving to one another. 
She represents the material world, a world in which Jim and Della have no
part.

What are the political prisoners afraid of in 1984?

There are at least a couple different ways to answer this
question.  (I assume you are asking about what we are told in Part 3, Chapter
1.)

The simplest answer is to say that the political
prisoners are afraid of Room 101.  It is clear that something completely terrible
happens in that room.  We see many examples in this chapter of how afraid the political
prisoners are of that room.

At a deeper level, though, this
question could be asking why the political prisoners are afraid while the common
criminals are not.  I would argue that this is because the political prisoners are more
of a threat to the Party and therefore they are treated much more harshly.  The
political prisoners were members of the Party (and are also referred to as "Party
prisoners").  They have committed the more serious (to the Party) offense of
thoughtcrime.  The Party sees the politicals as "adults" who have openly rebelled
against the Party.  By contrast, the common criminals are more like children who simply
don't know any better.  Because of this, the political prisoners are a bigger threat and
must be punished more harshly.  This is why the political prisoners are
afraid.

In Homer's The Odyssey, why is the final battle ended so abruptly?

I don't know if there is a definitive answer for this
question. I can only surmise that the method of the story's delivery (recitation) might
make the battle scene with the suitors end abruptly with good
reason.

The Odyssey was written long
ago, by Homer (who is believed to have been "a blind bard or singer of tales"). Critics
consider this epic adventure, in general, to present a wide variety of adventures and
themes, and...

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the Odyssey is...famous for
its use of symbolism and for the pace and variety of its
action.

It is difficult to be
sure when Homer wrote The Odyssey, a sequel to The
Iliad, but both are believed to have been
recited in their entirety during a religious festival for Athena,
an event called the Great Panathenaia.

With this in mind,
remember the length of The Odyssey. It would have taken a
well-rehearsed bard (storyteller) to recite the entire poem. Tales told from memory were
shared in what is referred to as "the oral tradition." It was in this way that stories
and histories of entire cultures were passed down to succeeding generations. Because it
was recited, the timing of the delivery of the details may be
responsible for ending a rousing portion of the story so
abruptly.

In the interest of timing, an
effective pacing of the each element
of The Odyssey would only add to the overall excitement and
satisfaction enjoyed by the audience as it would have
listened enrapt, mesmerized, by such a
heroic and glorious collection of tales. For example, to create suspense a storyteller
would lower his voice and speak slowly. To create excitement, the voice would be loud,
words clipped, and the action of the story would move along briskly, leading to a
startling climax. An abrupt ending of this segment of the tale could also heighten a
sense of anticipation by the audience.

A sudden end to a
greatly anticipated act of vengeance delivered by Odysseus (as well as Telemachus and
Eumaeus) against the suitors might have been a storytelling tactic on Homer's part to
quickly bring his already roused audience swiftly along to Odysseus' reunion with
Penelope. Our hero has been gone for twenty-years, feared dead by many, including his
wife— though she refuses the attention of suitors on the slim chance that Odysseus may
return. The swift ending of the battle scene might startle and surprise the listener as
the conclusion of the story comes closer. For all of the different human emotions and
behaviors exemplified by our hero by Homer, returning him to a woman he still
passionately loves, who returns his feelings, provides yet another side of this
larger-than-life hero, providing the character with a well-rounded
persona.

In Homer's time, there were no televisions, no
computers, no novels, and no movies. The day began with the dawning of the sun and
continued only after dark if candles or oil lamps were available.
Entertainment would have been rare after dark—except for storytelling, and
this would have been entertainment at its
best.

How might Roger's life have been different if Mrs. Jones had called the police in "Thank You, M'am"?

We don't really know if Roger continued on his path toward
a life of crime or not in the short story "Thank You, M'am." It would be nice to think
that Mrs. Jones' act of kindness set him straight, and he never considered such an act
of foolishness again. Assuming this is true, his life would certainly have been
different if she had called the police instead of giving him a meal and money and
sending him on his way. He would have had a police record, may have spent some time in
jail or prison, and he would have had trouble gaining meaningful employment or
continuing his education afterward. Her act may have hardened him, and he may have never
had the second chance necessary to put his life in order. The dignity she showed him may
have never been "paid forward" by Roger, and he may have never trusted anyone--black or
white--again. 

How did the travelers get back to the Emerald City in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?

The answer to this can be found at the beginning of
Chapter 14.  The chapter is entitled "The Winged Monkeys," which is appropriate, because
that is how Dorothy and her friends get back to the Emerald
City.

The Winged Monkeys had been controlled by the Wicked
Witch of the West.  She controlled them by using the Golden Cap.  After Dorothy killed
the Wicked Witch, she took the Cap.  As she and her friends were walking towards the
Emerald City, the Queen of the field mice reminded her that she had the Cap and
suggested that she use it to get the monkeys to carry her and her friends back to the
Emerald City.  Dorothy followed the Cap's instructions, summoned the monkeys, and had
them bring the travelers back to the Emerald City.

Public law information dates are confusing, which is the accurate year of Elementary & Secondary Education Act, 1965 or 1967?

The actual bill was attached to another law in 1950,
however, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was signed into law by
President Johnson in April 11,1965.  The original statute contained six sections and was
established to provide federal monies for "professional development, instructional
materials, resources to support educational programs, and parental involvement
promotion."  The original law forbid the development or implementation of a national
curriculum and left most of the power with individual states.  The federal statute was
enacted April 11, 1965.  The law must be reauthorized on a periodic bias.  The most
controversial re-authorization was No Child Left Behind; signed into law by George
Bush.  ESEA was written so that it not only had to be reauthorized but it could be
amended.  This is why so many dates are attached to this specific law.  As each
re-authorization cycles around legislators want to "improve" or just change the
original.  One of the positive impacts of these amendments was Title IX which opened up
sports for young women and created scholarships for women to go to
college.

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"President Johnson signed the Elementary and
Secondary Act [ESEA] (PL 89-10) at the former Junction Elementary School in Stonewall,
Texas.  This was the first general aid-to-education program ever adopted by Congress and
it provided programs to help educate disadvantaged children in city slums and rural
areas.  (ESEA was technically an amendment to a 1950 “impacted area” act and was amended
in 1965, ‘66, ‘67, and ‘70.)"

How can The Intended be characterized as ridiculous in Heart of Darkness?

I think that The Intended can be seen as ridiculous in a
couple of ways.  The first is that she claims to know "everything" about Kurtz.  The
fact is that she has no idea about Kurtz, what he does, and how he acts.  Her "love" of
Kurtz is based purely on an illusion, one that she believes and refuses to see anything
else.  At the same time, I think that the Intended can be seen as ridiculous because she
seems to be more content with a facade rather than the truth.  However, I am not
entirely certain that this is her creation.  Part of the strength of Conrad's work is
that he is asserting that individuals must not capitulate to what society indicates is
the truth, but rather individuals must establish and fight for discovery of this on
their own.  The fact that the Victorian society of the time period emphasized
"illusions," to a great extent, is the "ridiculous element" and the Intended is only a
part of this, and not the source.  At the same time, the fact that women in the
Victorian time period were driven and compelled to accept the male dominated reality of
how history and reality is composed is an element that the novel also critiques.  In
this, Conrad might be asserting that Victorian conceptions of the truth is more
"ridiculous" than anything else.

Describe the Hill-Fort Defences construction.

A "hill fort" is a strategically built structure built for
refuge. The structure is built to follow the contours of a hill, with giant rings of
ditches going around it, so that the fort itself, when looked at from an aerial view,
kind of looks like a bullseye.

There are different types of
hill forts, and here are some of them:

The hilltop contour
-the classic hill fort; an inland location with a hilltop defensive position surrounded
by artificial ramparts or steep natural slopes.

Inland
promontory -an inland defensive position on a ridge or spur with steep slopes on 2 or 3
sides, and artificial ramparts on the level
approaches.

Interfluvial -a promontory above the confluence
of two rivers, or in the bend of a meander.

What famous case was decided by the Warren Supreme Court?

It would be very hard to decide which of the Warren
Court's cases was the most famous.  The Supreme Court, under Earl Warren, handed down
many decisions that had a huge impact on the US.  Here are a few of these
cases:

• Miranda v. Arizona.  This one said that
  police had to read suspects their rights before questioning
  them.


• Gideon v. Wainwright.  This one said that poor
  defendants had to have a lawyer appointed for them if they could not afford to pay for
  one themselves.


• Griswold v. Connecticut.  This one said
  that people have a right to privacy and that, because of this, states could not ban the
  use of contraceptives.

However, if you have to
pick one case that is the most famous, I would say that it was the Brown v. Board of
Education case from 1954.  This case made racial segregation in schools illegal and
helped the Civil Rights Movement get started.

Solve for x the equation 289^x - 17^(x+1) + 16 = 0?

We have to solve the equation 289^x - 17^(x+1) + 16 = 0.
Notice that 289 = 17^2.

Rewrite the equation that is given
in the following way to arrive at a quadratic
equation.

289^x - 17^(x+1) + 16 =
0

(17^2)^x - 17^(x+1) + 16 =
0

(17^x)^2 - 17^x*17 + 16 =
0

Let 17^x = y

y^2 - 17y + 16
= 0

y^2 - 16y - y + 16 = 0

y(y
- 16) - 1(y - 16) = 0

(y - 1)(y - 16) =
0

y = 1 and y = 16

As y =
17^x

17^x = 1 and 17^x = 16

x
= 0 and x =

The equation has two
solutions x = 0 and x =

How is the final scene in Romeo and Juliet triumphant?

After Romeo and Juliet die, it makes both Capulet and
Montague relize that there fighting is pointless... they both lost the ones they love
due to some old family rivalry. This makes them relize that there was no point in
fighting and so they both become "friends" after the huge fued. For example, they both
build statues of each families lost one ( made in gold)

How does Rocket Boys connect the importance of both science and mathematics in the constructing rockets?

I think that the book does a great job in linking up the
need for math and science to rocket development and space exploration.  The fact that
the book takes place during the Sputnik launch is extremely
important.  The launch of the Russian satellite was shown to capture the imagination of
young American students, who were driven and motivated to examine the issue of space
exploration and rocket launches because of Cold War fears, but also out of pure
curiosity and interest.  Science and mathematics are shown to be fields of inquiry in
which students can engage in trial and error, and can also satiate their curiosity and
intellectual interest.  Science and mathematics are also shown as ways in which one can
appropriate domains that were previously thought unreachable.  It is science and math
that allows the boys to dream and to escape the life of Coalwood.  It does not seem that
the Rocket Boys narrative is something that would have been as possible had the boys
been passionate about seventeenth century English Literature.  Finally, I think that
science and math are essential in the construction of rockets because it allows Homer to
forge a relationship with Isaac Bygovski, demonstrating that math and science are
universal languages that can be understood by anyone and can also help with the ends of
pursuing the construction of rockets.

Is the murder in Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" the direct result of Montresor's pride, Fortunato's pride, or some combination of the two?

I believe that the murder in Edgar Allan Poe's short
story, "The Cask of Amontillado" is a combination of the pride of both
men.

We quickly suspect that Montresor is insane. He has
decided he must kill Fortunato for some unnamed reason. And we never find out, even by
the end of the story, what insult (real or imagined) Fortunato has paid
Montresor.

Montresor makes it very clear in the story
that his pride is at the root of the perceived insult, as well as
his motivation to murder Fortunato.

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The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as
I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed
revenge.

Our understanding of
Fortunato's pride comes first from an observation by
Montresor.

He
had a weak point—this Fortunato—although in other regards he was a man to be respected
and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in
wine.

Montresor, knowing the
personal pride (and enormous ego) Fortunato has regarding his knowledge of wines, uses
the imaginary "cask of Amontillado" to lure Fortunato into the catacombs. His offer to
call upon another "expert" (Luchesi) because of Fortunato's limited free time and his
cold only whets Fortunato's appetite all the more to see Montresor'
treasure.

“My
friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive you have an engagement.
Luchesi—”

“I have no
engagement;—come.”

“My friend, no. It is not the
engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are
insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre.”

“Let us
go, nevertheless. The cold is merely
nothing...

Montresor's
accurate appraisal of Fortunato's pride makes it all the easier to guarantee that the
other man will insist upon accompanying him underground where the imaginary wine is
supposed to be stored. It is also the season of Carnival, and as Fortunato has been
drinking already, Montresor has no difficulty in getting the other man even more
inebriated as they walk so that Fortunato suspects
nothing.

Montresor's injured pride—whatever the
cause—remains his focus for the entire story. When Montresor's
family crest and motto are discussed by the two men, it is easy to see that Montresor's
pride is something he was "fed" as he was growing up. His family's motto
is: “Nemo me impune lacessit” which means "no one attacks me with
impunity." With this piece of information, we can well understand that as long as
Montresor imagines his pride has been injured, he will not forgive and
forget.

In that Fortunato is so easy to manipulate by
playing to his ego indicates what an overblown pride he has. That, and his drinking,
make it impossible for him to think clearly, and he is unable to protect
himself.

Montresor is as predatory as a fox in the company
of chickens: Fortunato is lost as soon as he agrees to go with Montresor. Because each
man has an enormous pride, the murder assuages Montresor's injured pride, and
Fortunato's pride leads him to his doom.

do all rivers have fish??im curoious there's a stream at the bottom of my field that in some parts is about 2-3 meters wide and at the bottom of...

No, all rivers do not have fish.  Like any animal, fish
have certain requirements for their habitats.  There are many different types of fish
and each type has it's own needs.  My guess would be that there aren't any large fish in
your stream.  I doubt a small stream could have enough space to meet the habitat
requirements of most river fish.  However, there could certainly be minnows.  These fish
are very tiny, but they make great bait for catching larger fish.  There are certainly
other types of animals in your stream as well.  Depending on where you live, there might
be small crayfish or sculpins.  The mbgnet link below has lots of great information on
animals found in rivers and streams.

How is the theme of misanthropy relevant to Melville's Moby-Dick?

Misanthropy – the hatred of other people – is a major
theme in Melville’s Moby-Dick and seems particularly associated
with Captain Ahab and his dark, shadowy harpooners. The theme is even touched on in the
opening paragraph of the novel, although here the treatment of it is mainly comic. Thus,
Ishmael describes some of his motives for heading to
sea:

Whenever
I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in
my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and
bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such
an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from
deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off --
then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I
can.

The reference to
“methodically knocking people's hats off” suggests that Ishmael does have a temper, but
it also implies his ability to make fun of himself, and therefore it implies the
humility and good humor that are so much in evidence in so much of the rest of the
presentation of his character. One of the most lovable things about Ishmael is that he
never takes himself too seriously, and, because he doesn’t, he is incapable of the kind
of misanthropy that afflicts Captain Ahab.

Ahab’s coldness,
his sternness, his willingness to risk the lives of his crew in the pursuit of his
obsession, all suggest that he is misanthropic to a significant degree.  He is brimming
with pride, the root of all other sins, and pride by definition raises the possibility
of misanthropy. Yet it is not so much other people whom Ahab hates as it is Moby Dick,
and it is not so much Moby Dick whom he hates as it is what Moby Dick represents: fate,
bad fortune, an indifferent or malevolent universe, and/or even an unloving
God.

Throughout the novel, Melville juxtaposes the
misanthropy of Ahab with the benevolence and charity of such characters as Ishmael and
Queequeg. Ironically (or perhaps not so ironically), Ahab’s hatred leads to his
self-destruction. By the end of the novel, his bitterness and anger lead not only to the
loss of his life but even, to some extent, to the loss of his soul. In pursuing his
effort to destroy Moby Dick, he ultimately destroys himself (and, unfortunately, also
most of his crew).

Why should improvements be made to the working conditions for low wage employees?

There are any number of reasons why there should be
improved working conditions for low wage employees.  One reason that comes to my mind is
that better working conditions create more productive employees, a benefit to
employers.  Another is that better working conditions lead to less employee turnover,
which is good for employers and employees.  A third reason is that better working
conditions tend to prevent unionization, which employers tend to think is a good thing. 
I should also add that in many instances, improved working conditions are a matter of
state and/or federal law, for example, laws that require a safe working environment for
most employees.  Additionally, in a country that says it values human rights and
decency, should not all employees have good working conditions, no matter what their
wage level?

As you work on your essay, no matter what
reasons you give to support your thesis, I want to offer you some advice.  First, it
will help you to keep your focus if you are able to define what you mean by "improved
working conditions."  This term could cover so many different areas, and I am not sure
you will want to leave it to your reader to decide what you mean when you use this
term.  Second, as you develop your ideas to support your thesis, work on using
examples.  If you want to show that productivity increases, explain what kinds of
improvements might allow this to happen.  You might do research on this, or you might
create hypothetical examples that rely on common sense or on your knowledge of various
work environments.  If you define your idea and use good examples, you will keep on
course much better and persuade your reader more effectively.

Why does Nick think that Gatsby “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream”?chapter 8 & 9 in The Great Gatsby

Nick narrates The Great Gatsby in
Minnesota at the age of 32, two years after Gatsby's death, and at the same age at which
Gatsby died.  So, he's had time to reflect on Gatsby's dream and death--both of which
were intensely focused on Daisy.

Daisy was the sole purpose
of Gatsby's desires.  Gatsby reinvented himself for her.  He changed his name for her.
 He amassed wealth for her.  He built a house next to her.  He worshiped her green
light.  Her voice to him was full of money.  He threw lavish parties for her.  He tried
to stop time for her.  And, in the end, he risked his life for her: taking the blame for
Myrtle's death.  In a perverted sense, he was a kind of false Christ-figure for her:
dying for her sin (or crime).

But, Nick has another view of
Daisy.  Nick casts Daisy in a different light because he obviously never loved and lost
her.  To Nick, Daisy is a kind of temptress, a "red herring," a "little fool."  To Nick,
she is characterized as a bad mother, a bad wife, a bad lover, a bad driver, and an
irresponsible materialist who hides behind money.

So it is
no wonder that Nick says that Gatsby "paid too high a price" (his life) for "a single
dream" (Daisy).  If, indeed, Daisy's voice was full of money, she wouldn't have been
worth much more than one of those poorly bred puppies that Tom buys in Chapter
2.

What is an important current event that happened in Latin America in 2011?

One major event that has happened in Latin America this
year is the announcement by Cuba's leader, Raul Castro, of major changes in the way that
country will be run (if the reforms go forward as
announced).

Since the revolution in 1959, Cuba has suffered
economically and it has been run essentially as a dictatorship.  Castro says that steps
will be taken to fix these problems.  Specifically, Castro says that there will be much
more room for private enterprise in Cuba in the future.  Cubans will be able to own and
operate some small businesses on their own.  Castro also says that future leaders will
only be able to serve two terms in office.  This will prevent future instances of
long-term one man rule such as that of Fidel Castro.

If
these reforms are actually put into action, this will be an important change in
Cuba.

In William Congreve's "The Way of the World”, what about Mirabell’s behavior suggests that he is reformed?

In William Congreve's The Way of the World
the aspect of Mirabell's behavior that suggests that he is "reformed" is that
he seems to be finally able to have feelings, true feelings, for only one woman. His
feelings for Millamant are new to him. He was once a rake who would fool around, sleep
around, be treacherous to his servants, two-faced to his peers and certainly the biggest
of the ladies' men.

However, his choice to love Millamant
results in that he now has a broken heart. No rake ever bothers being heart-broken. They
just go with the flow and live for the moment. Yet, the fact that Mirabell even thinks
of Millamant as a future wife and the fact that she is obviously the focus of his
affection is one of the biggest factors that could lead us to believe that he has,
indeed, changed.

In Gathering Blue, why might Kira's village remain in ruin, never regaining the glory and sophistication it once seemed to enjoy?

I think there are two answers to this question, one of
which is stated directly in the book and the other which is hinted at. Firstly, Kira's
world and in particular her village is set in a dystopian future, after a massive,
cataclysmic event, the Ruin, destroyed the earth that we know. It is clear that the
poverty and dangerous conditions in which Kira's people live are part of the response to
this, as we see a remnant of humanity trying desperately to hack itself out a life in
the wilderness and being returned to almost stone-age levels of
development.

However, at the same time, I think that as the
novel goes on there are hints that the Council of Guardians actually use their power to
control and manipulate and keep certain groups of people in their poor and desperate
state. It is highly interesting that before Kira is selected to work for the Guardians,
every carrot and tuber is precious to her as she struggles to survive. When she begins
to work, she has plenty of food and enjoys luxurious living conditions. There is
definitely a disparity of wealth in this society, as is made painfully clear when Kira
and Thomas visit the Fens:

readability="15">

On the other side of the stream, beyond the
thick poisonous oleander bushes that were such a danger to tykes, lay the area known as
the Fen. In some ways it was similar to the place that Kira had called home: the small
cotts, close together; the incessant wailing of infants; the stench of smoky fires,
rotting food, and unwashed humans. But it was darker here, with the trees thick
overhead, and festering with dampness and an odour of ill
health.

Comparing the two
realities--that of Kira and Thomas with their wealth and those that live in the
Fens--seems to indicate that this new society is just as bad as creating the haves and
the have nots as we have been.

Who is discriminated against in To Kill a Mockingbird?Obviously Tom Robinson, but besides him. Discrimination having to do with reputation and...

Aside from Tom Robinson, the one character who suffers the
most discrimination is undoubtedly Atticus Finch, the main character of the novel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Nell Harper
Lee.

There is a lot of discrimination in the novel, though.
Atticus is just an example of how people discriminate against those that opt to go
against the status quo and fight for what they believe in, no matter how much they
oppose the majority. In his case, Atticus is discriminated for defending a black man.
Yet, more characters also suffer from prejudice as
well.

The moment Atticus takes the case, his children are
direct targets of the people. Notice how Lula gets upset when Cal takes the children to
her church. However, they are nowhere near more detested as is the lowest ranking white
family in Macomb, the notorious Ewells.

Although the Ewells
were the black hole of Macomb, they still were thought to be victims of Tom Robinson
simply because they were white. However, even the white folk at Macomb secretly detested
the Ewells because of their nasty lifestyles, their dinginess, and their horrid social
behavior.

Additionally, we see discrimination from the
children towards other children. We know that Scout discriminated against her fellow
schoolmate because he was too poor and did not have table manners. She also
discriminated against Boo Radley because he is reclusive and has a weird reputation. All
that changes, but it is evidence of how discrimination can surpass the racial realm,
extending itself to social status, and financial
stability.

In all, To Kill a
Mockingbirdteaches a lesson on ignorance and how it can bring an entire town
into chaos. It is a novel that depicts how people view each other even though they do
not know each other. It is a wonderful illustration of the mentality of those who refuse
to accept change, and those who are too narrow minded to see beyond the superficiality
of appearances.

What are some effective guidelines for preparing an oral presentation of a research proposal?

You don't indicate which field of study the research
proposal is intended to cover, and that can make a difference.  But in general, you are
trying to sell the topic idea itself, which, no matter which field it is, should include
presentation of the following points:

1)  The
research is necessary - That is to say, it hasn't been overdone, or
hasn't been debated and presented to death, as it were and thus is worth whatever
resources would need to be dedicated to it.

2) 
Topic is interesting and intriguing -  Any good research
proposal should intrigue your intended audience.  Ask yourself, at the end of this
presentation, would they want to research this topic?  So try to include a few "hooks"
that will get the wheels turning in the heads of your
audience.

3)  Is it feasible?
Your audience should feel very reassured that this is in fact a researchable topic,
within a budget if there is one, with known means of research or
experimentation.

4)  What is the timeline for
completion? Open-ended research is often hard to buy in to.  Present at
least a rough timeline for the research goals you intent to
accomplish.

The link included below has a few more
suggestions for scientific and literary proposals.  Good luck.

If f(x)=e^squ root of x ln squ root of x, find F'(x)

If your function is f(x) = e^sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)], then it's
first derivative will be calculated using the chain rule and the product
rule.

f'(x) = e^sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)]*[x*ln(sqrt
x)]'/2*sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)]

f'(x) = e^sqrt[x*ln(sqrt
x)]*[x'*ln(sqrt x) + x*[ln(sqrt x)]']'/2*sqrt[x*ln(sqrt
x)]

f'(x) = e^sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)]*[ln(sqrt x) +
x/2x)]/2*sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)]

f'(x) = e^sqrt[x*ln(sqrt
x)]*[ln(sqrt x) + 1/2)]/2*sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)]

The requested
1st derivative of the function is:

f'(x) =
{e^sqrt[x*ln(sqrt x)]}*[ln(sqrt x) + 1/2)]/2*sqrt[x*ln(sqrt
x)]

How can we compare and constrast Sonnet 130 by William Shakespeare and "Delight in disorder" by Robert Herrick?

These are two excellent poems to compare and contrast, and
both in a way address the theme of appearance vs. reality. Sonnet 130 is a satirical
attack on the fashionable, exaggerated metaphors that were very popular at the time that
describes the women they loved as if they were idealised goddesses who were perfect in
every way. These conceits had become very tiresome and outmoded by the time Shakespeare
wrote this sonnet. Thus Shakespeare's sonnet sets out to prove that his "mistress" is
all too mortal by comparing her unfavourably to these
conceits:

I
love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a
far more pleasing sound.

I grant I never saw a goddess
go,

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the
ground.

Again and again
Shakespeare stresses the human characteristics of his mistress. She is not some kind of
divine demi-god gracing earth, but a normal human being, with bad breath and normal eyes
that do not resemble the sun. However, in spite of her normal beauty, Shakespeare still
loves her just as much, if not more, because of her normal
appearance:

readability="9">

And yet, by Heaven, I think my love as
rare

As any she belied with false
compare.

Shakespeare's love
for this woman is just as fervent, if not more so, because he has an accurate impression
of her.

In "Delight in disorder," the speaker takes great
joy in "the wild civility" of his mistress. Although it is obvious that her appearance
is far from perfect, as the references to "the tempestuous petticoat" and the "sweet
disorder" in her dress makes clear, yet the poem ends, just like Sonnet 130, with an
affirmation of the speaker's love for this woman in spite of her
appearance:

Do
more bewitch me than when art

Is too precise in every
part.

Both poems stress that
reality is far more attractive and alluring than perfection, and suggest that the love
that the speakers have for their mistresses is actually purer and better because of the
very real impression and image they have of their mistresses.

Can you correct this paragraph for me, please?Four years ago, my sister who is younger than me was born. On that day,...

This is subjective, of course, but here is how I would
rewrite this:

Four years ago, my younger sister was born.
On that day, our lives changed. In fact, it is still hard to believe that she became
four years old just a short while ago. Before that, when my mother visited her doctor,
he said to her, "You should abort your baby because you have diabetes, and since you are
older than 45, it will be difficult for you and possibly put your life at risk." "I will
not do that," my mother said. "Everything that will come from God is good." To be
honest, I have been worrying about her, and there were a lot of nights I could not
sleep. I kept thinking, "What will happen to my mother when she goes to the hospital?"
The day the baby was due was the most difficult day I have faced in my life. I have not
forgotten those moments. We did not calm down until my father came and said to us, "Your
mother is OK now, and the baby is, too." That was the most wonderful news I have
heard of all.

In The Outsiders, why is it important to Ponyboy that he fights in the rumble if he doesn't like to fight?

Unlike his brothers, Ponyboy does not like to fight. Soda
likes it for the "action. It's a contest." Darry likes fighting because he enjoys all
tests of strength. Soda's pal, Steve, likes to fight, too. Pony wasn't afraid of
fighting:

readability="6">

"I'll fight anyone anytime, but I don't like
to."

But this rumble is
different. As Dally told Pony and Johnny before the fire, the Socs had agreed to stay
out of greaser territory if they lost the fight. For Pony, it meant a way to pay the
Socs back for all the trouble they had instigated: For making Johnny kill Bob, for
forcing Pony and Johnny to leave town, and for causing Johnny's injuries. The greasers
were also short-handed, with Dally and Johnny in the hospital. But most of all, it was a
way to show that the greasers--the boys from the wrong side of the tracks--were better
than the privileged Socs at something.

readability="6">

Right then the most important thing in my life
was helping us whip the Socs. Don't let him make me stay home now. I've got to be in
it.

In Chapter 7 of Things Fall Apart, what do the stories told by mothers and fathers show about the villagers' belief system?

It is evident from the passage that you are refering to
that the tribal belief system is one that is not sophisticated scientifically, and still
uses parables, fables and myths to explain the world around them. However, it is also
clear that these stories have a valuable role in the socialisation of the young, or the
way that they learn the received culture of their tribe. Note what we are told about
Okonkwo's son and how he regards the stories that his father and mother tell
him:

So
Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi, and he told them stories of the
land--masculine stories of violence and bloodshed. Nwoye knew that it was right to be
masculine and to be violent, but somehow he still preferred the stories that his mother
used to tell, and which she no doubt still told to her younger
children...

These stories are
fables about animals, and seek to explain the natural world in which they live. Thus we
can see that both sets of stories have their purpose in terms of socialising the young
of this tribe and also indicating the primitive belief system that the tribe
have.

What is a "facility-based" service, and what is a "field-based" service?

To put it as simply as possible, a facility based service
means the client comes to your office (or facility) and a field based service means the
professional goes to the client (or out in the field). One example of this in the health
care industry might be physical therapy. A facility based physical therapy company would
have an office or medical facility where the patient would attend therapy sessions. A
field based physical therapy company would come to a patients home to conduct the
physical therapy session. Below is a link to an example in the information technologies
field. In these links, field based service is referred to as non-facility
service.

Describe how improvements in transportation contributed to the tremendous growth of urban centers.

Improvements in transportation led to a boom in the size
of American cities in the mid-1800s.  These improvements led to increased urbanization
because they allowed greater amounts of food to be brought to the cities and because
they allowed goods from the cities to be taken away and sold
elsewhere.

These improvements in transportation went
hand-in-hand with things like industrialization and immigration to increase the size of
American cities.  Immigrants came to the cities to work in the new factories.  The
immigrants could be fed because the transportation networks brought food to the cities. 
The products they made were valuable because they could go out on the transportation
networks to be sold elsewhere.

In this way, transportation
improvements made urban growth possible in the US in the
mid-1800s.

Discuss Gatsby's character as Nick percieves him throughout the novel. What makes Gatsby "great"?

Fitzgerald submitted several titles to his publisher
(among them Under The Red White and Blue and Trimalchio
in West Egg) before settling on the simple and alliterative The
Great Gatsby.

The title of the book is very much
like Nick's presentation of the man: it is initially built up, then dismantled, and then
built up again.  In other words, Gatsby is first "great" to Nick, then not so "great,"
and then "great" again by the end after his death.

So, what
made Gatsby "great" to Nick?  His dreams.  Whereas Nick has no clear desires in the
novel, Gatsby has only one: Daisy.  Nick idolizes Gatsby's megalomania, his romanticism,
and his ability to reinvent himself.  In other words, Gatsby is the embodiment of "The
American Dream," which says that anyone (especially a poor farmer boy like James Gatz)
can go from "rags to riches" and move up the social class ladder (from the Midwest to
West Egg) almost overnight.  Nick wishes these dreams for himself and all Midwesterners
too.

But, Nick also realizes that there is "great" risk in
a single-minded dream centered around wealth and women.  Gatsby's "greatness," like his
name, party guests, and library books is all a facade.  It was a myth invented to give
the illusion of greatness.  Really, Gatsby is an opportunist who used Prohibition and
his connections (Dan Cody and Meyer Wolfsheim) to amass wealth by illegitimate means
(bootlegging, gambling, racketeering).  In the end, Gatsby is murdered, with no friends,
family, or lasting legacy (no one, except his father and Nick, attend his
funeral).

Gatsby's greatness parallels his dreams.  As it
pertains to the American dream, Gatsby is great: he achieved all that he set out to.
 But, in a closer examination, he used underhanded means to achieve greatness.  So, the
title is a kind of paradox which shows the levels of contradictions (between wealth and
success) in Gatsby, Nick, and America.

What is the missing coordinate y of the midpoint (2,y )of segment that passes through the points (x,3) and (-1,5)?

To calculate the coordinates x and y, we'll write the
equation of the segment whose endpoints are the given
points.

(xB - xA)/(x-xA) =
(yB-yA)/(y-yA)

We'll substitute the coordinates for A and
B:

(-1-x1)/(x-x1) =
(5-3)/(y-3)

(-1-x1)/(x-x1) =
2/(y-3)

We'll cross multiply and we'll
get:

2x - 2x1 = -y  + 3 - y*x1 +
3x1

We'll move all terms to the left
side:

2x - 2x1 + y - 3 + y*x1 - 3x1 =
0

We'll combine like terms:

2x
+ y(1 + x1) - 5x1 - 3 = 0

We know that (2,y) is
the midpoint of the segment:

xM =
(x1-1)/2

2= (x1-1)/2 => x1 - 1 = 4 => x1 =
5

yM = (3+5)/2

yM =
(8)/2

yM = y =
4

The missing coordinate of the midpoint of
the segment that is passing through the given points is y =
4.

What was Amon Goeth's inner conflict in the movie, Schindler's List?

This is probably one of the most intriguing aspects of the
film.  Some have criticized the film as being one- sided in its depiction of Goeth.  I
tend to see Goeth as a fairly intricate character.  No doubt, his cruelty and his evil
are undeniable.  However, there is an ethical or a moral dimension that is brought out
in his depiction.  He is shown to be struggling between embracing the better angels of
his nature and the dark forces which so easily take hold and guide him.  There is a
moment in the film where he and Schindler discuss what justice is and how the ability to
pardon is what defines it.  In the very next scene, when one of his servants commits a
transgression, Goeth "pardons" him instead of berating him.  Goeth then stands in front
of the mirror, studying what it means to pardon someone, how his face contorts with an
act of benevolence, and for a moment, both Goeth and the viewer fully grasp this moment,
an instant where there is clarity and when Goeth might be able to embrace the good that
is so needed amidst a world of evil.  However, this is temporary as he notices a
hangnail or something on his figure and the very next moment is seen with him shooting
at the boy he "pardoned."  There is a complexity to Goeth in his relationship with Helen
Hirsch, his servant and the woman towards which he shows any possible notion of love. 
In no way can Goeth be seen as a sympathetic figure.  However, where the film excels is
that it probes into the nature of evil and what psychological dimensions are brought out
within it.  I don't see the depiction of Goeth as simplistically reductive, but rather
one where there is a level of conflict and complexity, as evil and the darker aspects of
human nature usually are.

How far do you think that marriage is a private affair?

I think that there are a couple of points here to make. 
The first would be that globalization has had a far reaching impact to help make
marriage and the discussion of marriage a more public affair.  In some respects, this is
actually fairly beneficial, in that people are able to experience and understand
different dimensions about marriage in more ways than before.  At the same time, when we
define "public," one has to qualify "whose public?"  I still think that there are
reactions and beliefs like Okeke's around the world.  There are some places where
marriage is not a "private" affair between two people in love.  Rather, it is quite a
public affair where individuals from far and wide either have input or are a part the
marriage process.  Nene's attitude is critical in this process.  She understands that
her marriage is going to remain a "private affair" from Okeke's wrath and his emotions. 
Yet, she is willing to allow the public nature of it be explored with her children
visiting their grandfather.  It is interesting to see how Achebe's ending reflects the
whole notion of "public" and "private" in terms of marriage.  He cannot sleep, yet not
out of excitement or jubilation.  He cannot sleep out of fear and "remorse—and a vague
fear that he might die without making it up to them."  In this, one sees how marriage's
public state, in terms of showing and saving face with villagers and people in one's
community, ends up surrendering to the private one, whereby a father fears that he will
not be able to make amends with his son, his grandson, and, to an extent, his daughter
in law.  In this light, there is an element of age and mortality that undercuts
everything.  Whether or not marriage is a public or private issue might not be the
primary concern for Achebe.  Rather, he seeks to make the argument that marriage where
there is love between two people and a commitment to make their world and our world a
better place, cannot be looked at with scorn.  Whatever needs to be done in both the
public and private realm should be done in order to ensure that little disdain is
offered in such a relationship.  It is this need to educate the drives Achebe's primary
motivation in the short story.

What is the antiderivative of the function cos^2(ln x)?

use t = ln(x) so dt = 1/x dx    x = e^t, so e^t dt = dx
so

integral(cos^2(ln x) dx) = integral(cos^2(t) e^t
dt)

and cos^2(t) = 1/2cos(2t) +
1/2

integral(cos^2(ln(x)) dx) = 1/2 integral((cos(2t) +
1)e^t dt)

= 1/2 integral(e^t cos(2t) dt) + 1/2 integral(e^t
dt)

Integrate(e^t cos(2t) dt) by parts
using

u = e^t,  du = e^t dt

dv
=cos(2t) dt, v = sin(2t)/2

integral(cos(2t) e^t dt) = e^t
sin(2t)/2 - integral(e^t sin(2t)/2  dt) =

= e^t sin(2t)/2 -
1/2 integrate(e^t sin(2t) dt)

integrate by parts
again,

u = e^t,  du = e^t dt 
and

dv = sin(2t) dt,  v = -1/2
cos(2t)

to get

= e^t sin(2t)/2
- 1/2 (-1/2 e^t cos(2t) - integral(-1/2 cos(2t) e^t
dt))

integral(cos(2t) e^t dt) = e^t sin(2t)/2 + 1/4 e^t
cos(2t) - 1/4 integral(cos(2t) e^t) dt) so

Add 1/4
integral(cos(2t) e^t) dt) to both sides

5/4
integral(cos(2t) e^t dt) = e^t sin(2t)/2 + 1/4 e^t
cos(2t))

Multiply both sides by 4/5 to
get

integral(cos(2t) e^t dt) = 1/5e^t(2 sin(2t) +
cos(2t))

integral(cos^2(ln(x)) dx) = 1/2 integral(e^t
cos(2t) dt) + 1/2 integral(e^t dt)

= 1/2 (1/5 e^t(2 sin(2t)
+ cos(2t))) + 1/2 e^t + C

Substituting t = ln(x) we
get

integral(cos^2(ln(x) dx) = 1/10 x (2 sin(2 ln(x)) +
cos(2 ln(x)) + 1/2x + C

= 1/10  x (2 sin(2 ln(x)) + cos(2
ln(x)) + x/2) + C

In Lord of the Flies, what choices do the boys have, once they confirm with their own eyes that there is a beast?In Chapter 8

After Jack and Ralph see the "beast," they call an
assembly. Jack thinks the hunters should protect the group from the beast, and Simon
suggests they climb the mountain to investigate
further.

The hunters then go about killing a pig and
leaving the head on a stick as an offering to the beast so it won't harm
them.

Those four things (calling an assembly to talk about
options, hunting the beast, climbing to investigate, and leaving an offering for the
beast) are all possible choices to handle the beast.

Other
things they could do are: leave it alone, hide, or try to befriend it I guess. However,
since the beast is not a live entity, the possibilities to the question are
endless.

How do I solve the equation 5x^2=8x+2 using the quadratic formula?

To solve an equation means to determine it's roots. Since
it is a quadratic equation, it will have 2 roots.

The
quadratic formula is used to determine the roots:

x1 =
[-b+sqrt(delta)]/2a and x2 =
[-b-sqrt(delta)]/2a

discriminant = delta = b^2 -
4ac

We'll identify the coefficient of the quadratic:
a,b,c.

a = 5, b = -8 and c =
-2

delta = (-8)^2 -
4*5*(-2)

delta = 64 + 40

delta
= 104

We'll take square root both
sides:

sqrt delta = sqrt
104

sqrt delta = 2sqrt 26

x1 =
(8 + 2sqrt 26)/2*5

x1 = (4 +
sqrt26)/5

x2 = (4 -
sqrt26)/5

The roots of the quadratic are: x1
= (4 + sqrt26)/5 and x2 = (4 - sqrt26)/5.

Differentiate the function f(x)= (2x-3)/(x^2-5)

Given that f(x)= (
2x-3)/(x^2-5)

We need to find the first derivative
f'(x)

We will use the porduct rule
.

Let f(x)= u/v such that:L

u=
2x-3  ==> u' = 2

v= x^2 -5 ==> v' =
2x

Then we know that:

f'(x)= (
u'v - uv')/v^2

==> f'(x)= ( 2(x^2-5) - 2x(2x-3) /
(x^2-5)^2

==> f'(x)= ( 2x^2 -10 - 4x^2 +
6x)/(x^2-5)^2

==> f'(x)= ( -2x^2 + 6x
-10)/(x^2-5)^2

==> f'(x)= -2(x^2 -3x
+5)/ (x^2-5)^2

Who else is (are) the outsider(s) of society other than Othello?

Roderigo, Iago's pawn in Othello, is
clearly an outsider in the main characters' society.  At the start of the play, we learn
that Desdemona and her father, Brabantio, have both decided that Roderigo would not be a
suitable match for Desdemona.  For the rest of the action of the play, Roderigo tries
desperately to win Desdemona's love.  But because he is such an outsider in Cyprus (that
is, no one really knows him or acknowledges his presence), he is able to carry out
Iago's dirty work.  Iago views Roderigo as expendable, and since he doesn't exist in the
main characters' inner circle, he ultimately--and
unfortunately--is. 

More importantly, Iago is an outsider
of sorts--even though other characters view him as a trusted friend.  Iago, as evidenced
through his soliloquies, is unable to function as a member of the society in which he
lives.  His hatred for Othello, his willingness to destroy the lives of other characters
to get back at Othello, and his over-inflated sense of self-importance make him the
ultimate outsider. 

Who is Susan in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,
you would need to pay close attention to the words of the Nurse in order to understand
who Susan is. Although the Nurse has been with Juliet since Juliet was a baby, the Nurse
also speaks of Susan, the daughter the Nurse lost when the child was very young. Susan
and Juliet were the same age. The Nurse recalls:

readability="7">

Susan and she (God rest all Christian souls!)

Were of an age. Well, Susan is with God;
She was too good for me.
(I.iii.22-24)

The Nurse
provides a long speech in Act One, scene three, where we learn not only that she had a
daughter named Susan who has died, but that the Nurse was Juliet's nursemaid,
breastfeeding her until the time came for her to be weaned. We can also understand from
reading between the lines that here is the basis for the Nurse's connection to Juliet,
and why she is so dedicated to her. In many ways, Juliet may have taken up a place in
the Nurse's heart when she lost her own daughter.

Please analyze the quote below from ArabyWhat is the significance/importance of the quote? What did the author want us to understand from it? What...

In the narrator of "Araby" by James Joyce, there is a
conflict between romantic idealism and religious fervor.  In this particular passage,
the boy confuses religious and the secular worlds in his mind.  Symbolic of this
confusion is his entering the back room in which the Catholic priest died, the priest
who read secular material such as The Memoirs of Vidocq by Francois
Eugene Vidocq, known for his rather prurient works--a most incongruous combination. In
contrast, also is the rain that "impinge[s] upon the earth" while the lights, almost
spiritual, shine below him. 

Further, religious words are
used as the narrator describes his burgeoning sexual feelings being "veiled," suggesting
the veils that women wore in church.  In addition, the narrator puts together his hands
with the palms touching as in prayer as he "murmurs," as one reciting the rosary,
"O love! O love!" repeatedly. This line, reminiscent of Romeo's
speech when he meets Juliet, suggests infatuation and romance, rather than religious
feelings.

The conflict of the romantic crush with his
religious fervor is what leads the narrator to his epiphany, the recognition of the
mundaneness and triviality of the bazaar with the disillusionment of his idealized
romanticism.

How has the relationship between Brutus and Cassius, in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar changed since the beginning of the play?

In Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar,
Cassius and Brutus have shown different motivations in killing Caesar. They have argued
with one another while each tries to follow his own
vision.

First, the relationship between Brutus and Cassius
is based on a lie. Brutus was concerned that if Caesar became king, it would change him
which would harm Rome. Brutus, with all his faults, put the good of Rome before all
else.

Cassius, on the other hand, approaches
Brutus to join the conspirators in assassinating Caesar. Brutus is
not sure, but Cassius plans to falsify papers that will prove Caesar has committed
crimes against the state of Rome. Ultimately, Brutus joins. Cassius, however, does not
share the noble reasoning that governs Brutus' actions: Cassius
hates Caesar because he once saved Caesar's life and believes he has not been rewarded
enough—that he is treated the same as every other citizen of Rome. His reasons for
killing Caesar are completely selfish.

It is, therefore,
not surprising that the two would fight. At one point, the two fight because Cassius
believes that Brutus has mistakenly judged one of Cassius' men for
"taking bribes." What sits at the center of their fighting, though, is the level of
"love and honesty" the men have for each other—at least from Cassius' perspective. Even
as they make plans to got into battle, they cannot agree upon their
strategy.

Cassius is the one behind the plot to kill
Caesar. He is an excellent judge of men, their strengths, weaknesses, etc. However his
is not completely honest with Brutus, and he also fails to take a stand against Brutus
when he does not agree with him, something he would probably not do with another man.
(Cassius might resent this.) Cassius tricks Brutus into joining the plot, though he
cannot prove any of the criticisms he has of Caesar. The best
Cassius can do is criticize Caesar's physical shortcomings; he cannot admit that
Caesar's leadership and superior military strategies have allowed him to be so
successful as Rome's leader. Cassius agrees with some of Brutus' decisions, though his
heart does not agree. For instance, Cassius wants to kill Mark
Antony and Caesar, but Brutus disagrees, wanting them to be guilty
only of "sacrifice" with Caesar, but not "butchery" which Brutus believes would be the
case if they kill Antony.

Later the two men have a terrible
fight, where Cassius accuses Brutus of no longer loving him; Brutus says he does not
like Cassius' faults. Cassius says that if Brutus no longer loves him, he would prefer
Brutus to kill him there. Cassius says:

readability="26">

There is my
dagger,

And here my naked breast; within, a heart
(110)

Dearer than Pluto's mine, richer than
gold.

If that thou best a Roman, take it
forth;

I, that denied thee gold, will give my
heart.

Strike, as thou didst at Caesar, for I
know,

When thou didst hate him worst, thou lovedst him
better (115)

Than ever thou lovedst
Cassius.

In some ways Cassius
seems rather pitiful in his approach to Brutus; Brutus comments that Cassius too quickly
becomes angry and then becomes calm again. The men brush aside their differences and
they are of one mind again. Brutus then admits that his wife, Portia, has killed
herself.

Perhaps the murder of Caesar begins to take its
toll. Cassius will never truly be able to battle his sense of insecurity, as he felt
with Caesar, and Brutus is an honorable man who killed the leader he loved. Now his wife
is dead. It is no wonder the two have grown apart.

What are some ways to open a paper about the culture I represent other than the standard, "I represent so and so culture"?

I think that there are many ways you can approach this. 
The most basic would be to define the notion of "culture."  What does the idea of
"culture" mean?  What are the elements that comprise its definition?  Defining or
explicating the term so that the audience can understand it might help in your
explanation.  Along these lines, you can work the definition into your own understanding
of culture.  The idea of a "culture" does not have to be strictly read along the lines
of ethnicity or racial composition.  One can be part of a youth culture, a political
culture, a culture of ideas, and these can converge and interact with one another.  It
might be interesting to discuss what are some "higher" and "lower" notions in your
culture.  What is a value in which your culture places a strong and zealous faith? What
are the elements that define your culture in terms of values and core beliefs?  Opening
with this might be interesting.  For example, a nice topic sentence to this paper might
be to simply put out there, "________ is a value for which my culture would fight to
uphold or preserve."  That is a very unique way of opening the paper and topic and it
would compel the reader to continue examining it.  I think that these ways are
interesting and unique approaches to the standard writing topic of defining
culture.

What is the drug that is called "bubble?"

The drug that is called "bubble" (at least in parts of the
UK) is properly known as mephedrone.  It is a drug that was quite popular for a while
because it was not covered by anti-drug laws.  This drug was being sold openly online as
a plant fertilizer.  It was made illegal in many European countries starting in the
early 2000s.  England, for example, banned it in 2010.

The
drug has been responsible for a number of deaths, which is a major reason why it has
been made illegal in many countries.  Its legal status in the United States is somewhat
inconsistent as it is still legal to sell it (as bath salts) in some parts of the
US.

George Herbert's poem "Avarice" discusses a number of themes. What do you think is the main theme?

Clearly the way in which the title of this poem is
"Avarice" suggests that greed is going to have some bearing upon the poem. However, as
the poem addresses "Money" from the beginning, and in quite unflattering terms, it is
clear that this poem is a sustained attack on the effect that money has on us as human
beings, and how, above all, when we pursue money, we only damage and hurt ourselves in
the process. The poem is full of irony as it focuses on how we have made money, but
through making money have made ourselves less as
humans:

Then
forcing thee by fire he made thee bright:

Nay, thou hast
got the face of man; for we

Have with our stamp and seal
tranferr'd our right:

Thou art the man, and man but drosse
to thee.

The act of creating
and stamping money therefore in some way, according to Herbert, has made us less and
money more, as we become "drosse" and money becomes "the man," our rightful position.
However, if you are looking for one quote that seems to express the theme of this poem,
look no further than the final couplet:

readability="9">

Man calleth thee his wealth, who made thee
rich;

And while he diggs out thee, falls into the
ditch.

Here you have it in a
nutshell: the way we treat money makes money rather than ourselves rich. In the pursuit
of wealth, as we metaphorically try to dig it out of the ground, we only serve to make
ourselves fall into the "ditch" as avarice takes over.

In "The Road Not Taken," how did the traveller choose between the two roads in the forest?

If we read this wonderful poem carefully, it is clear that
the way that the speaker makes his decision between the two roads is that he opts to
follow the road that loooks as if it was less travelled upon than the other. Note how
this second road is described in the second stanza:

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Then took the other, as just as
fair,

And having perhaps the better
claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;

Though as for that the passing
there

Had worn them really about the
same.

Note how the road is
described as being more "grassy" and how it "wanted wear," pointing towards the way that
this road looked like it had not been used or travelled upon much. However, having said
this, the third stanza suggests that both roads are pretty much the same, so the speaker
opts for the road that, to his eye, looks less travelled, though we as readers could
suggest that there is little to choose between them.

Did Ronald Reagan have Alzheimer's while he was president?

I have always wondered about this myself, and it would
certainly explain Reagan's standard remark, "I do not recall," during his
testimony concerning the Iran-contra affair. Reagan had used a similar answer, "I don't
recall" when he gave testimony during a federal trial in 1962 concerning anti-trust
violations while he was president of the Screen Actors Guild. (MCA and the SAG were
charged; Reagan was not. The two organizations settled out-of-court and records were
sealed.)

Obviously, Reagan could not have been suffering
from the disease as early as 1962, but other people noticed a distinct change in his
mental abilities while he was President.

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Former CBS White House correspondent Lesley Stahl
recalls an interview when he was president where "a vacant Reagan barely seemed to
realize anyone else was in the room," and that before he "reemerged into alertness" she
recalls that "I had come that close to reporting that Reagan was
senile."

His memory was
failing him while he was still President.

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Once, while meeting with Japanese Prime Minister
Yasuhiro Nakasone, he repeatedly referred to Vice President Bush as "Prime Minister
Bush".

But, his White House
doctors--all four of them--claim they saw no evidence of the disease while he was
President. He first showed symptoms of the disease in 1992 or 1993, so it is possible
that the disease had first taken hold during the latter stages of his Presidency, which
ended in 1989. 

What is the genre of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao?

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a
post-modern novel and, as such, a conscious blending of many styles and media, including
the following:

• Coming-of-age story
  (Bildungsroman)


• Immigrant
  fiction


• Historical
  fiction


• Quest
  literature


• Comedy


• Tragedy


• Epic


• Science
  fiction: e.g., Isaac Asimov


• Fantasy: e.g., Lord
  of the Rings


• Comic book: e.g.,
  Spider Man


• Intertextual literature:
  e.g., Oscar Wilde


• Picaresque: e.g.,
  Invisible Man


• Pop Culture Homage:
  e.g., Dr. No, Land of the
  Lost


• Dominican History: e.g.,
  Trajillo

As a whole, Postmodernism
rejects Western values and beliefs as only a small part of the human experience and
often rejects such ideas, beliefs, culture, and norms.

So, it can
best be described as a mosaic, or a a collage – a volatile and combustible mash-up – a
mix tape of real, unreal, past, present, comedy, and tragedy, just like the de Leon
family.

How does the nervous system and endocrine work together when adrenaline is released?I don't quite understand that!..I know endocrine system...

In a fight or flight response, there is a coordination of
both the nervous and endocrine systems. The nervous system detects stimuli, either
inside or out, for example, danger like an oncoming car about to run someone over,  and
that in turn sends an impulse to the endocrine system where a response is carried out.
The response in this case is the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, by the
endocrine glands called adrenal glands. Once in the bloodstream, this hormone can cause
the heart rate to increase, the muscles to become ready to either react to an emergency
situation by fighting or by flight.

How do the events in To Kill a Mockingbird involving Boo Radley develop the same themes as the events which involve Bob Ewell?Please help! I'm so...

Boo Radley is a badly misunderstood neighbor of the
Finches. He is blamed for every unexplained event in Maycomb, from killing cats and
poisoning pecans to peeping in windows at night. Jem and Scout eventually learn that he
is not a grim reaper, but a kindly, giving man who badly wants to become their friend.
Tom Robinson has also been accused of a terrible thing--beating and raping a white
woman--of which he is almost certainly innocent. Both Boo and Tom fit several of Harper
Lee's primary themes: prejudice and
intolerance is one, while another is that concerning the appearance
of guilt and innocence, and how things are not
always as they first seem.

Bob Ewell is connected in this
manner to Tom. Bob is believed by the jury because of the age-old rule that a white
man's word trumps that of a black man. Bob and Boo are reflected in another theme, that
of courage and cowardice. The secretive,
mysterious Boo--believed to be a reclusive coward who only comes out at night--becomes
the hero in the end, confronting the real coward, Ewell, when he attempts to harm Jem
and Scout. The two seemingly unconnected plots--that of Jem and Scout's interest in Boo
in Part One, and the Robinson trial in Part Two--come together on that fateful Halloween
night in the final chapters.

In Chapter Six of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, why are Jem and Scout separated at the end of the chapter?

In Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird, at the end of Chapter Six, Jem and Scout are separated for a
short time.

After Mr. Radley shoots at the "intruder" on
his property, the children casually and innocently return to find the adults outside
investigating the shotgun blast. The children have to make up a story as to why Jem lost
his pants—Dill is quick enough to explain that they were playing "strip poker"—with
matches, not cards—and Jem lost his pants to Dill in this way. The
adults are not thrilled with what the three have been doing, but are obviously relieved
that they had nothing to do with the shooting incident. Atticus tells his son to get his
pants and the children split up.

When Jem and Scout return
home, Jem says he must go back to the fence and get is pants or Mr. Radley will find
them in the morning and Atticus will find out what they have done. Scout is fearful that
Jem might get shot by Mr. Radley, but Jem does not want to face Atticus' wrath and
convinces Scout not to say anything.

So Scout nervously
waits while Jem returns to the fence to retrieve his pants. He comes home, enters the
room silently with his pants, and climbs into bed—still shivering, Scout notices—and
finally falls asleep. This is why the children were separated at the end of the
chapter.

In Flannery O'Conner's "Good Country People" how are the characters names significant?

"Good Country People" is a short story by Flannery
O'Connor about a bible salesman, Manley Pointer, who deceives people about his
intentions and who likes to steal artificial body parts, including artificial
legs.

Hulga, who changed her name from "Joy", is obviously
significant.  "Joy" is a name associated with happiness; however, "Joy" hates the name
and changes it to "Hulga" in part to spite her
mother.

Manley Pointer is the bible salesman who comes to
call at Hulga's house.   Manley is significant because he is anything but a real "man."
He is a liar and a thief.

Also, there can be significance
in the name "Hopewell", which is the last name of Hulga and her mother.  "Hope" and
"well" both have positive meanings as separate words, but what happens in the story is
far from hopeful and good.  If anything, it shakes Hulga's sense of self-importance and
superiority.

How much 2 M HBr is needed to neutralize 380 mL of 0.1 M NH4OH?

This is an acid-base neutralization reaction as well as a
titration problem.

The key to problems of this type is to
first write a balanced chemical equation showing the reactants and
products.

HBr + NH4OH --> NH4Br +
HOH

Note that in this reaction it takes one mole of HBr to
react with one mole of NH4OH producing one mole of NH4Br and one mole of water
(HOH)

The second key is to recognize that if you multiply
the volume times the molarity the product is the number of moles of that
material.

In short, mL * M of HBr = mL x M of
NH4OH

Use this equation, substitute in what you know and
solve for the missing variable.

You
know:

M of HBr = 2.0

M of
NH4OH = 0.1

mL of NH4OH =
380

Unknown is mL of
HBr

Solve:

2.0 * mL HBr = 0.1
* 380

mL HBr = 38/2 = 19 mL of HBr

Why is it ironic that Phoebe asks Holden not to “swear so much” in The Catcher in the Rye?

You are refering to Chapter 22 in which Holden speaks to
Phoebe having gone into his parents' home and waking her up to talk to her. I suppose
the irony of this quote from Phoebe when she tells her brother off for swearing so much
lies in the fact that Holden has spent the entire novel up until this stage engaged in
swearing repeatedly. Clearly, Phoebe is unaware of this, but we know as readers that
Holden is not somebody who feels that there is any problem with swearing, and so the
irony lies in the way that Phoebe tells her brother to do something that he is clearly
incapable of doing or that he obviously sees no reason to do. Of course, the irony is
shown when in a matter of a few paragraphs Holden is back to swearing with his customary
panache, though he does choose to swear more in his own internal thoughts than openly so
that Phoebe can hear him.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, describe how the violent clash between the feuding families is introduced Act One.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,
the Prologue first introduces the long-standing feud, where
fighting has recently been renewed. The Chorus tells the audience that the families are
very similar, yet they are causing unrest throughout Verona with their
warfare.

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CHOR:

Two
households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we
lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to
new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands
unclean. (Prologue, lines
1-4)

In Act One, scene one,
there is mayhem and bloodshed taking place in the streets of Verona. First the audience
meets Sampson and Gregory, servants in the Capulet household. As they walk, they discuss
how they might get around the law that forbids fighting. A law has been established not
just to stop the fighting between the Montagues and the Capulets, but to keep the peace
for other members of the town, while also protecting
them.

Enter Abram and Balthasar, servingmen of the
Montagues. The Capulet servants want to incite violence, and make sure the blame falls
on the Montagues. Benvolio arrives and tries to stop them. Tybalt,
always ready for a fight, starts to blame Benvolio for starting the
battle because his sword is already out.

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TYB:

What,
art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?

Turn thee,
Benvolio! look upon thy
death.

BEN:

I
do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword,

Or manage it to
part these men with
me.

TYB:

What,
drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word

As I hate hell,
all Montagues, and thee.

Have at thee, coward!
 (I.i.61-67)

They
fight.

An officer
of Verona enters and armed citizens. The citizens are so disgusted with the constant
violence that they join the fray, shouting for the destruction of both Montagues and
Capulets. Old Capulet enters, calling for a sword—while his wife says he
really needs a crutch. Capulet wants to go after the Montagues.
Then the Montagues enter and Montague also wants to fight, but his
wife holds her husband back.

At this
point, Prince Escalus enters, and he stops the fighting. First he calls the brawling men
"beasts," and tells them to stop fighting. When they don't listen, he tells them to
throw down their weapons or they will be tortured—that they had better listen to him as
he is very angry.

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On pain of torture, from those bloody hands

Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground
And hear the sentence
of your moved Prince. (lines
82-84)

The Prince says that
three recent fights have broken out and disturbed the piece because of the Capulets and
the Montagues:

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Three civil brawls, bred of an airy* word

By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,
Have thrice disturb'd the
quiet of our streets...
(85-87)

("...Bred of an airy
word" means "started by meaningless comment.")

Escalus says
that if fighting breaks out again, those involved will pay with their lives. (This is
foreshadowing.)

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If ever you disturb our streets again,

Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.
(92-93)

The Prince is clear
that the fighting has been going on for some time—too long; he clearly blames the
Capulets and Montagues who have stirred up the town: even the elderly are fighting with
rusted swords. In no uncertain terms, the Prince expects to be obeyed, by threat of
death for disobeying him.

This is only the beginning of
scene one, but it is clear between the Prologue and the first part of this scene that
the fighting between the families has been going on for sometime: this unrest will
greatly impact Romeo and Juliet.