Lee De Forest Essay -- essays research papers

Lee De Forest Lee De Forest was born Aug. 26, 1873, Council Bluffs, Iowa. De Forest was the son of a Congregational minister. His father moved the family to Alabama and there assumed the presidency of the nearly bankrupt Talladega College for Negroes. Excluded by citizens of the white community who resented his father's efforts to educate blacks, Lee and his brother and sister made friends from among the black children of the town and spent a happy although sternly disciplined childhood in this rural community. (Kraeuter, 74). As a child he was fascinated with machinery and was often excited when hearing of the many technological advances during the late 19th century. He began tinkering and inventing things even in high school, often trying to build things that he could sell for money. By the age of 13 he was an enthusiastic inventor of mechanical gadgets such as a miniature blast furnace and locomotive, and a working silverplating apparatus. (A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries). His father had planned for him to follow him in a career in the clergy, but Lee wanted to go to school for science and, in 1893, enrolled at the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, one of the few institutions in the United States then offering a first-class scientific education. (Kraeuter, 74). De Forest went on to earn the Ph.D. in physics in 1899, with the help of scholarships, and money his parents made by working odd jobs. By this time he had become interested in electricit...

Gandhi National Movement

Mahatma Gandhi was the fore front eminent political and ideological leader during the Indian independence movement. He pioneered satyagraha, resistance to tyranny through mass civil resistance. His philosophy was firmly founded upon truth and ahimsa (nonviolence). His philosophy and leadership helped India gain independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi first employed civil disobedience while working as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa.He fought for the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he organised protests by peasants, farmers, and urban labourers concerning excessive land-tax and discrimination. After assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic amity, end untouchability, and increase economic self-reliance. Above all, he aimed to achieve Swaraj or the independen ce of India from foreign domination.Gandhi famously led his followers in the Non-cooperation movement that protested the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (240 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930. He launched the Quit India Movement in 1942, demanding immediate independence for India. Gandhi spent a number of years in jail in both South Africa and India. The nationalist movement grew into a wide spread mass anti-imperialist movement at the end of the First World War. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi came into prominence at this time and became the undisputed leader of the nationalist movement.Powerful mass movements were launched under his leadership. These involved defiance of laws, peaceful demonstrations, boycott of educational institutions, boycott of courts, picketing of shops selling liquor and foreign goods, nonpayment of taxes and the closing of vital business. These non-violent but revolutionary methods influenced millions of people belonging to all sections of society and infuse d in them bravery and self-confidence. Millions now braved the repression resorted by the govt boldly courted imprisonment and faced lathicharges and firings.Gandhiji lived the simple life of an ascetic and talked to the people in a language they could understand. He came to be known to the people as Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji made social report a part of the programme of the nationalist movement. His greatest achievement in the field of social reform was the campaign against inhuman institution of untouchability which had degraded millions of Indians. His other achievement was in the field of cottage industries. He saw in the charkha, the spinning wheel, the salvation of the village people and its promotion became part of the congress programme.In addition to infusing people with the spirit of nationalism it provided employment to millions and created a large group of people who were ready to throw themselves into the struggle and court imprisonment. The charkha became so important t hat it eventually became a part of the flag of the Indian National Congress. Gandhiji devoted himself to the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity . He regarded communalism as anti-national and inhuman. Under his leadership the unity of the nationalist movement was secured and the people worked hard for independence.As a practitioner of ahimsa, Gandhi swore to speak the truth and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven from yarn that he had spun by hand himself. He ate simple vegetarian food, experimented for a time with a fruitarian diet, and undertook long fasts as a means of both self-purification and social protest. He inspired many prominent Leaders across the World, who applied his principles in their own countries, in fight against tyranny and for gaining Independence.Gandhiji is referred to as Mahatma or â€Å"Great Soul† (magnanimous), an honorific first applied to hi m by Rabindranath Tagore). In India, he is also called Bapu and officially honored in India as the Father of the Nation. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence. Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948 by Nathuram Godse of RSS. He was really a Mahatma born in the disguise of a Man. ————————————————-

Percy Julian

pj Mike Reszkowski Percy Julian Percy Julian, the forgotten genius, was one of the greatest chemists in the United States. He became a very successful and wealthy person despite his poor family and childhood. His discoveries and works are huge contributions to American lives even still today. His ability to overcome difficulties and work hard in the toughest situations is what makes him a person we should all aspire to be. Julian was one of very few African American chemists, which made it even harder for him to succeed.Born in Montgomery, Alabama on April 11th, 1899, race negatively affected him every step of the way. As a young adult he had to attend high school at night while in college to keep up with his white classmates because public high school wasn’t available for blacks at the time. After graduating from DePauw University he tried desperately to find a job professing or in a chemistry lab but was constantly refused because of his skin color. Finally his luck started to change. After professing at an all black college, he landed a job in a small, underprivileged laboratory at DePauw.From here, the lost list of accomplishments begins. What really kick started his career as a chemist was his work at DePauw. There he synthesized Physostigmine, a drug still used to treat glaucoma, skin and kidney disease, and leukemia. But the school wouldn’t offer him a professing job because of his race. Next, his work was continued at Glidden Paint factory, Here him and his research crew began studies on the soybean plant. His quick discoveries improving paint for the company were soon overcome by his ambition to achieve greater so he began that research on his own time.Still fascinated with the soy bean plant he further studied into the uses of it and made an even more important discovery, the protein extracted from the soy bean plant could be used to make hormones for the body. Such uses include the drug to prevent miscarriages, a major issue in at the t ime. Of his next achievements were discovering an easier and more efficient way to synthesize cortisone using yam which was used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a crippling disease that many people suffer from. These were made at his own laboratory which later he sold and became one of the first black millionaires in the U.S. The list can go on for a long time, but that’s not the point. The point is that he worked up from nothing and struggled through the racism of America. He continued on when the world around him said to quit, and he wasn’t good enough. His diligence and determination is the two things that made him successful, and two things all of us should have in us. They are the two things necessary to succeed, the hard work has to be put in and you have refuse to quit. This is why Percy Julian did all that he did, and it’s why he became one of the most famous and successful chemists of our time.

English as a Second Language in Thailand Education

The importance of English as a world language, the advance of technology and education reform envisaged by the new Thai Constitution are key determinants for new developments for English language teaching and learning in Thailand in this decade. This paper will first focus on the role of English and the problems of English language teaching in Thailand. It will also touch on the part of education reform which is related to English language teaching. Then, it will state what has been planned or already done to improve the English language teaching and learning situation in Thailand, now and in the future. The role of English in Thailand is quite important as it is in many other developing countries. New technology and the adoption of the internet have resulted in a major transition in terms of business, education, science, and technological progress, all of which demand high proficiency in English. With the economic downturn in Thailand a few years ago, a large number of Thai companies have embraced cooperation regionally and internationally. Mergers, associations, and takeovers are common and English is used as the means to communicate, negotiate and execute transactions by participants where one partner can be a native speaker of English or none of the partners are native speakers of English. However, Thailand has always been a country with one official language, Thai. We are proud that we have never been colonized. Another reason for having been a country with one language is the concept of national stability. There have been proposals to make Thailand a country with two languages, Thai and English, but this has never materialized due to the abovementioned reasons. English can, therefore, be at most the first foreign language that students must study in schools. Hence, Thais’ level of English proficiency is low in comparison with many countries in Asia (e. g. Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore). According to the speech given by the Minister of the Ministry of University Affairs on March 6, 2000, the average TOEFL scores of Thais are the same as for Mongolians but higher than for North Koreans and Japanese. Researchers on the topics of needs and wants of English in workplaces have also suggested that the English curriculum in Thai universities cannot meet the demands for English used in the workplace. The skills used most at this level are listening and speaking which are not the focus skills in the Thai tertiary education English curriculum. It can be said that up to now English language teaching in Thailand has not prepared Thais for the changing world. Thailand will lag behind in the competitive world of business, education, science and technology if the teaching and learning of English is not improved. Here are some comments concerning the importance of English and the problems of English language teaching in Thailand. Dr. Rom Hiranyapruek, director of Thai Software Park, stated that English is as important to the domain of information technology as other infrastructures. Thais have high proficiency in technology but because of our below average English competence, we cannot make much progress in terms of science and technology. Mrs. Arunsi Sastramitri, director of the Academic Training Section of the Tourist Authority of Thailand, stated that tourism is the main source of inc ome in our country. However, Thai graduates who are in the tourism industry have a poor command of English. This has contributed to misunderstanding and a negative attitude towards Thailand. 2 What has caused the difficulties in English language teaching and learning in Thailand especially in the primary and secondary schools? According to Biyaem, 1997, the teachers and learners face the following difficulties: For teachers, there are many obstacles such as : – heavy teaching loads. – too many students in a class (45 – 60) – insufficient English language skills and native speaker cultural knowledge. – inadequately equipped classrooms and educational technology. university entrance examinations which demand a tutorial teaching and learning style. As for the learners, they wish they could speak English fluently but most of them think that English is too challenging for them to be competent because of these difficulties: – interference from the mother tongue (Thai) particularly in pronunciation, syntax, and idiomatic usage. – lack of opportunit y to use English in their daily lives. – unchallenging English lessons. – being passive learners. – being too shy to speak English with classmates. – lack of responsibility for their own learning. However, it is not only the level of English competence that inhibits Thailand from being able to keep pace with the rapid changes that are taking place everywhere around us, Thai education, as a whole, does not enable Thais to cope with this fast changing world. Thailand’s new constitution, adopted in 1997 has, therefore, established the National Education Act which creates the most radical education reform in Thai history. This education reform to be implemented between 1996 and 2007 involves four main areas: school, curriculum, teacher and administrative reform. Its main concern is that learners have the ability to learn and develop. Learners are the most important component and lifelong learning must be encouraged. A twelve-year basic education will be provided free to all Thai students. In 2005, there will be an Office of Quality Assurance, whose task is to oversee the quality control of education at every level and in every aspect. Schools are to be given more autonomy. There will be greater involvement by families and local communities in school policy and administration. An independent and learner–centered approach is a must, and analytical learning instead of rote learning will be incorporated. Teacher education will also be a focus. Teachers will have to undertake research and develop teaching abilities as well. With the importance of English as a world language and the changes that come with the National Education Act, plus the challenges of new technology, what follows will discuss the English language teaching and learning scenario in Thailand in this decade. 1. More international programs As of last year, there were 56 international schools around the country. There were three foreign colleges and universities in Thailand. In private Thai universities, there were 77 undergraduate, 30 graduate and five Ph. D curricula using English as the language of instruction. In governmental higher education institutions, there were 143 undergraduate, 205 graduate and 77 doctoral international programs in English which have been established either independently by Thai institutes or have links with overseas institutes. It is expected that most new programs to be opened in universities in the future will be international programs.

Lord of the flies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Lord of the flies - Essay Example Towards the end, the shell is crushed and this is used to show the lack of order. Piggy’s glasses are another important symbol in the story. Clearly, he is one of the most intelligent and rational boys in the novel. His glasses represent his intelligence and the important role that science plays in our lives. It is used to start the fire at the beginning of the novel that is meant to draw attention to them (Golding, 76). Later on, Jack’s group attacks Ralph’s group and they steal these glasses. This leaves the group fragile as they can no longer light a fire. The boys believe that there is a beast on the island. This imaginary beast shows the savage nature that is deep within all humans. Everybody is scared and the only person who realizes that the fear of the beast is within each of us and in reality it does not exist. As their level of animosity increase, so does their belief in the beast. Their behavior is what makes the beast a reality among

State of women's equality in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

State of women's equality in Canada - Essay Example Do factors like ethnicity and economic status determine the establishment of equality of women in Canada along with policymaking? Women’s interests were a part of policy making since the seventies. In the 80s the issue of representation of women in state legislations came into play. A comparison can be made in terms of the policy process between Canada’s Royal Commission and Commission for Gender Equality between Men and Women of Switzerland. In fact in case of women of Sweden and Canada, commitment to equality encompasses gender bias to some extent. In fact the effectiveness of government policies also depends upon how far women are able to organize and discipline themselves to face the resistance of men towards policies which endanger their conventional role of dominance. In Sweden women defended their position as â€Å"insiders† within political parties in order to have equal position with men in both private and public fields. In Canada however, the campaign of women’s equality moved slowly beyond communities of women who had hardly any effect on the men’s dominant position in political groups. In order to defend their status as outsiders they used the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in 1960. They presented their interests at the hearings of the Commission (Briskin& Eliasson, 1999, p.120). However the recommendations of the commission regarding women’s position were limited. The commissioner pressed the government for raising the funding for women’s groups and thus they rather established the outsider’s role of women legally than challenging the system of representation. Also the hearings and procedures favoured the elite groups of women from conservative households rather than the poor and working class or immigrant and ethically inferior women. Most of the representations came from the well known established groups (Briskin& Eliasson, 1999, p. 126). Canadian government introduced the Equal Op portunity Act as a tool against sexual discrimination. The act encouraged formation of unions by women activists. This emphasised an innovative structure of leadership and emphasis is led on accountability, participation (not representation) and bringing in more democracy in decision making amongst women (Briskin & Eliasson, 1999, pp.128-129). The book The Jade Peony discusses distinct women characters who reflect strength and determination in the form of decision making. Poh-Poh, the grandma, symbolizes respect and order. She teaches everyone in the family with the help of superstitions and encourages the younger generation to speak Chinese instead of following the Canadian culture. She is superstitious and always talks of superstitions and ghosts to teach the family members. The story represents immigration and the low economic status of the immigrants whose jobs were unstable. Women had no power within family and in decision-making roles as per the Western values but Grandma is m ore inclined towards Chinese customs according to which women played dominating roles in the family. Grandma’s adherence to superstitions is another escape from the poor conditions of livelihood. Her hands symbolize knowledge, creativity skills that are earned in the difficult way. Chinese people were brought in to do the hard manual jobs like railway building and then passed the law to freeze immigration from China. The old

HistoryEconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HistoryEconomics - Essay Example In order to ensure economic development of the region and employment, the state governor should support local manufacturers and mines investing in new technological development and innovative methods of environmental protection. It is possible to reduce taxes for developing companies and stipulate that the saved costs are spent on new environmentally-friendly technologies. The state can help local organizations to develop effective methods of pollution reduction and provide local companies with specialists and researchers able to develop state-of-the-art solutions for them. The local government should ensure that the standards and regulations allow local companies to work effectively (Pothey and Savins 46). In the case of each market sector of the region, the state should examine the specific economic, institutional, and technical incentives and barriers that have encouraged and discouraged recycling.