What Ive Been Up To

What I’ve Been Up To Hey all! I havent been around this site in months, and rather than giving you a large, apologetic explanation which would do nothing to redeem myself to you applicants and prefroshers and even preapplicants out there, Im going to go right in and cover everything interesting Ive seen here. Since like November. Well, fine, one sentence: I ended up failing the physics test which I took the day after my last post, and then averaged 2-4 hours of sleep after that until finals week. Then I ran away and could not bring myself to do anything that would require thought over break. But I ended up passing all of my classes, went on an IAP trip to Death Valley and Southern California for eight days for CREDIT, took a class called the Nuts and Bolts of Engineering in case I, yknow, decide to start a business now Im ready to WRITE!!!! (If you want to see the rather long list of things I did rather, watched instead of writing this over IAP, Ive shamelessly put them at the end of this post. Mostly in the anime/asian drama category. Seriously, I wrote this post half a month ago, and I couldnt get myself to edit it. But now Im switching from IAP mode to work mode!) Let me start with the fun stuff then lessons learned at IAP. #1 Cambridge and Boston are meant to be explored. #2 Exercise and sleep are corequisites to sanity. #3 It is possible to go from doing everything to doing what feels like almost absolutely nothing almost immediately. Maybe not for everyone. Some people never stop working. Or they work and party at the same time. But at least for yours truly this holds. So 1 and 2 I biked to this cafe in Central Square called the Clear Conscience Cafe, which is right in front of this supermarket called the Harvest Market. Theyre like the same place! You can get your groceries and sit down to have lunch at like the same place! I could spend all day there using their free wifi and eating their hummus sandwiches! And Oh, and when I had to go home for a weekend I walked from MIT to the South Station bus terminal. Went through Newbury Street. It was FREEZING. I finally got a chance to warm up and get food when I went through Chinatown and found this Vegan Thai Place. Vegan fried rice! With vegan chicken and shrimp too! Vegan BUBBLE TEA! Sorry I couldnt have taken one of the whole thing I was, um, thirsty ;) Its made with coconut milk! (Taro flavored =D) Yumm And just this weekend (post-IAP) I biked all the way to Allston (about 40-50 minutes away by bike) to go to a Vegan Bake Sale for Haiti. Best idea EVER! And best vegan cookies and biscotti EVER! They disappeared before I could charge my camera! Now Im biking to Harvard for this class (non-credit) called Reading and Study Strategies, which meets from 8-9 AM at the Harvard Science Center. Speaking of which, its today and its 1 AM now ANYWAY. I forgot to include pictures from 12.120, Environmental Earth Science Field Course, where we saw Hoover Dam, petroglyphs, signs of ancient volcanic and tectonic activity including this HUGE landslide that took us like 15 minutes to drive from the start to the end and 20 to drive through its width Yay red sandstone! This is on our way to the Valley of Fire, named as such because of rocks like these, where we saw petroglyphs! If I find a pic Ill put it up A petrified log! Because Im too lazy to explain what it is. On the edge of the Ubihibi crater in Death Valley. Guy in the sign: WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! At the lowest point on land in North America, Lake Badwater. Mostly salt. Thats the way to MIT? Or near there? Ready, set, go! So here are some of the other things Ive done (read: watched) when I had free time: Anime/manga: Ergo Proxy, didnt really finish many but tried some more serious/dark ones like Saikano, also Clannad which isnt really dark, but Clannad 2 looked wayyy too sad for me oh and a pretty good death note fanfic! Dramas: Watched Youre Beautiful and rewatched the first half with my cousin from Puerto Rico =D Actually ended up not liking it so much by the end, perhaps because I didnt really like the main guy obnoxious guys usually change by the end of a series but for this one he was still obnoxious Love Contract I thought with Ariel Lin and Mike He in it this would be a surefire hit, but while the middle was amazing the beginning and end were not so much. But geez, compare Mike in this more serious one to a lighter show like Devil Beside You or Why Why Love hes quite versatile! Autumns Concerto (a taiwanese drama which is frustratingly long, annoying, nothing surprising except the fact that it takes like 20 EPISODES for something that should have happened on episode 6 to happen but the first five eps were good =D) Hi My Sweetheart (I prefer more serious dramas, but many dramas have some form of ridiculousness meh, maybe I just wanted the guy to keep his cool hairdo at the end) Btw if youve seen Hi My Sweetheart, or even if you havent want to know what who this guy is? Hes the guy from THIS music video! All right, stay posted for spring-term adventures (and perhaps some academic stuff) next week!

The Progressive Era And The New Deal - 1103 Words

Despite existing during two different times in the history of the United States, it can be argued that the New Deal reforms reflected the reform traditions of the Progressive Era. When examining the New Deal, Progressive influence is evident based first off of the social and political issues addressed by reforms. Second, the reforms from the two times themselves are uncannily similar, again due to the focus on the same problems existing in the United States. In addition to this, the icing on the cake is found when examining President Roosevelt’s administration during the New Deal, a majority of which were intelligent Progressive reformers during the Progressive Era. Because of this, the New Deal reflected the reform traditions of the†¦show more content†¦Despite having differentiating reasons behind their reforms, the New Deal and the Progressive Era focused on the same issues, which is evident in the similarity of their reforms. As we already know from the aforementi oned information, both the Progressive Era and New Deal had a focus on similar issues, specifically the rights of laborers, the improvement and expansion of public facilities, and the limitations of corporate power. Reforms during the Progressive era reflected these values, as seen in the work accomplished by Samuel Jones, President Taft, and President Wilson. Jones, a Progressive mayor in Toledo, Ohio â€Å"†¦founded night schools and free kindergartens, built new parks, and supported the right of workers to unionize† (Give Me Liberty 699) in an effort to improve public resources. President Taft - one of the presidents during the Progressive era - implemented antitrust laws which attacked corporations’ influence by limiting the power of the wealthy, either through taxation or prosecution of antitrust violators. In addition to this, President Wilson reinforced antitrust laws while passing legislation which empowered laborers through exempting labor unions from ant itrust laws, banning child labor in certain labor markets, and enforcing an eight-hour work day on the nation’s railroads. Coincidentally, the NewShow MoreRelatedProgressive Era and the New Deal857 Words   |  4 PagesProgressive Era and the New Deal (Question 5) During the Progressive Era, the reformers were stricter and did not provide direct help, while the reformers in the New Deal were a little more direct in helping Americans. The progressive era policies were more concerned with correcting the society. All three presidents during this time period, including Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson, implemented some progressive reforms. It was the government’s policy to correct social and economicRead MoreThe Progressive Era And New Deal Era2021 Words   |  9 PagesThe Progressive Era and the New Deal Era had a significant amount of similarities with policies and programs to reform the American society, improve lives and fight poverty in America. Although the Progressive and New Deal Era had many similarities, there were still differences between them that included the views of what needed to be done. Both the Progressive and the New Deal Era’s main goals were to improve the American society. Both the Progressive and New Deal’s accomplishments were rootedRead MoreEssay on The Progressive Era?s influence on the New Deal1349 Words   |  6 Pagesthe many New Deal legislations owe much to the seeds implanted and unknowingly disseminated by the pre-WWI Progressive movement. Sparked by the new image as a world power, industrialization, and immigration at the dawn of the new century, a new found reform movement gripped the nation. With the new found image of the nation and world as a whole, the reforms advanced the position of the previously ignored people of the nation, as did its reincarnation and rebirth apparent in the New Deal. AlthoughRead MoreProgressive Era vs New Deal Essay examples981 Words   |  4 PagesNew Deal vs. Progressive Era During both the Progressive era and the New Deal era, policies as well as programs were being created in an effort to assist the American public, specifically those living in poverty. Throughout the early 1900’s Roosevelt had strayed away from the typical laissez-faire policy and decided that the people would need to be guided by the government. â€Å"Wilsonian Progressivism† had also aimed at assisting the public with his â€Å"New Freedom Program† which consisted of antitrustRead MoreDealing with the Class Gap During the Progressive Era830 Words   |  3 Pagespolitics and society as a whole. While there were a plethora of issues to be dealt with within the Progressive Era, one of the most noteworthy issues to discuss would be that of the working class and the businessmen of the first quarter of the 1900s. The reason why these two portions of society within the Progressive Era are the most relevant to discuss stems from the fact that during the Progressive Er a there was a great gap between the upper-class (businessmen) and the lower-class (working class)Read MoreFranklin D. Roosevelt s President Of The United States1546 Words   |  7 PagesFranklin Roosevelt had passed many new laws that became part of the New Deal. Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies included the Federal Government’s involvement in the economy and the Federal Government helping the citizens of the United States directly. The ideas of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal encompassed many ideas that were expressed during the Progressive Era in the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries. Specifically, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal policies in labor, economicsRead MoreProgressive Era Essay889 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Progressive Era and the New Deal. Rapid changes after the Civil War brought on a need for economic, social and political reforms. Before the Progressive Era and the New Deal, the federal government took a very hands -off approach and had little involvement in, and little care for the welfare of the American people. With the Progressive Era and the New Deal, the federal government became more involved and responsive to the public and implemented many revisions and reforms. The Progressive Era wasRead MoreWar I And World War II1264 Words   |  6 Pagesdramatically, due to the amount of factory jobs and amounts of production for the war. But Japan’s economy plummeted due to the loss of their land in china and many of the islands in the Pacific Ocean and the effects of getting two cities destroyed due to the new found nuclear bombs. All these reactions influenced our foreign policy and caused us to be where we are now. Both wars caused great shifts in this world and molded it to be where it is now. WWI and WWII both had many of the same post-war effects andRead More Change in Life from Antebellum to the New Deal Essay1361 Words   |  6 Pagesculture and the work ethic of American people all helped to push this country forward. From antebellum America in the 19th century, to the Progressive Era in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and finally to the New Deal period in the 20th century, many changes occurred as millions of people lives were affected greatly during this time. Throughout these eras in U.S. history, there was a general improvement in the lives of most Americans from the progression of economic life. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;DuringRead MoreReform in the United States813 Words   |  4 PagesThe Progressive and New Deal Eras are two of the most important and defining periods in American history. Through initiatives and reform passed during these times, America was changed politically, socially and economically. These changes affected all Americans in some way or another, but had significant impact on specific groups of American citizens. Whatever their impact, these eras jumpstarted and continued reform initiatives for our country that provided a model for tackling current issues in

The Universal Truths on the Epic of Gilgamesh and the...

Christopher Gilchrist Professor Ms. Alyse W. Jones World Literature I - English 2111 October 7, 2012 The Universal Truths on ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh amp; The Hebrew Bible’ The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible are considered by their audiences’ as two of the greatest literary works of ancient literature. The universal truths on The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible, are most fundamental when viewed from both the contemporary and traditional audiences. Fundamentally, both audiences develop their own universal truths during the time in which the events transpired or by reading the scenic events from an anthology or other literary works. Most importantly, both literary works have sought the attention of their†¦show more content†¦For example, in The Epic of Gilgamesh, â€Å"A snake caught the scent of the plant, Stealthily it came up and carried the plant away, On its way back it shed its skin†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.For myself I have obtained no benefit, I have done a good deed for a reptile (Sec. 11, 307 – 317).† This excerpt conveys to its audience Gilgamesh’s thought process at the pinnacle of the story. We, as the audience, now realize that Gilgamesh has finally accepted that death is inevitable. The inevitability of death also played a major role in The Hebrew Bible. For example, â€Å"And the woman said, ‘The serpent beguiled me and I ate, etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.And to the human He said, for dust you are and to dust shall you return’ (Genesis – Sec. 3, pg. 160 – 161).† As a result of mankind’s disobedience to God’s authority, the human population was cursed with the inevitability of death for all generations. There will always be philosophical interpretations that will create universal truths for many generations to come. In addition, these literary works enriches the audiences’ understanding of these texts as supremely important cultural and historical documents, for audiences who embrace their universal truths. Both generational audiences’ spiritual interpretations seemed to have, collectively, developed a text of extraordinary literary works that are overflowing with philosophical and truth-seeking richness. Work Cited â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh.† The Norton Anthology WorldShow MoreRelatedThe Birth of Civilization18947 Words   |  76 Pagesand agricultural land led to incessant warfare, and in time, stronger towns and leagues formed kingdoms. The people who occupied northern Mesopotamia and Syria spoke mostly Semitic languages (that is, languages in the same family as Arabic and Hebrew). Many of these Semitic peoples absorbed aspects of Sumerian culture, especially writing. The Mesopotamians believed that the large city of Kish, in northern Babylonia, had history’s first kings. In the east, a people known as the Akkadians established

The Kite Runner Chapter Review (Narrative Aspects) Chapter 1 Free Essays

The Kite Runner Chapter Review of Narrative Aspects Chapter 1; It is December 2001, and our narrator, recalls an event that occurred in 1975, when he was twelve years old and growing up in Afghanistan. He doesn’t say what happened, but says it made him who he is. He follows this recollection by telling us about a call he received last summer from a friend in Pakistan, Rahim Khan. We will write a custom essay sample on The Kite Runner Chapter Review (Narrative Aspects) Chapter 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Rahim Khan asks Amir, to come to Pakistan to see him. When Amir gets off the phone, he takes a walk through San Francisco, where he lives now. He notices kites flying, and thinks of his past, including his friend Hassan. Narrative aspects: Narrative voice: 1st person narrative, ‘I became what I am today’ – Amir tells us a story about his past, and what he remembers, from his point of view. Indirect speech, ‘I thought about something Rahim Khan said†¦. There is a way to be good again. ’ – it doesn’t let the reader make a relationship with the other character, as this chapter is all about Amir. Setting: Introduces the alley almost straight away, ‘I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years’ – it gives us a mysterious setting, and the alley becomes a key symbol of misdeeds in the novel. Talks about where he is while telling the story, ‘like a pair of eyes looking down on San Francisco. ’ – gives us a brief idea of where he is and wants us to find out why he is there, as it also talks about Afghanistan and Pakistan. Structure: the repetition of kites, ‘saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring in the sky. ’ ‘twin kites. ’ – significant because it sticks in a reader’s brain as they try to work out how the kites may be significant in the rest of the novel. Which they find out they are. Also ‘twin kites’ can refer to Hassan and Amir, as they are brothers and the last kite they ran together made their friendship fall apart. Non- linear, it talks about different points of his life in a very short amount of time, because he is ooking back on his life as well as telling the reader what is happening in his life while he is telling the story. Form: Monologue, speaks in broken language, almost like in his thoughts he can’t put in words what he is thinking and what he remembers, ‘I looked up at those twin kites. I thought about Hassan. Thought about Baba. Ali. Kabul. ’- it gives the reader an impression that there is a lo t to find out about Amir. Retrospective Narrative, he is looking back on his past, and the opening chapter makes us curious about what will happen next. How to cite The Kite Runner Chapter Review (Narrative Aspects) Chapter 1, Essays

Polypropylene Fibers Essays - Building Materials,

Polypropylene Fibers According to major supplies, "Use of synthetic fibers for reinforcing concrete is continuously, increasing. The increase has been considerable since 1980, but slowed somewhat in 1990, a year of substantial construction cutbacks. Apparently the construction community believes there are advantages in the use of synthetic fibers in concrete." (Schupack) Synthetic fibers are used to improve crack control in concrete. Some reports say that synthetic fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) would replace welded wire fabric in many slab-on-grade applications. But in reality if the welded wire fabric is placed properly it controls crack width better than the synthetic fiber reinforced concrete. In a case study of the use of synthetic fibers in reinforced concrete, the following conclusions were obtained. No matter what concrete placing job is being done, there is no substitute for good concrete practices. The use of a low fiber volume mix will help control plastic shrinkage cracks and bleeding, but not give good cracking control once the crack forms. The synthetic fibers running through a crack have a poor bond providing no shear friction. Impact and toughness tests on synthetic fiber reinforced concrete imply less edge spalling will occur. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) conducted two studies on polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete, one dealing with plastic shrinkage cracking and the other on permeability characteristics. Plastic shrinkage cracking occurs when the surface water on the concrete evaporates faster than the bleed water reaches the surface of the concrete. It was determined by the plastic shrinking cracking study that polypropylene fibers helped reduce the total plastic shrinkage crack area on test panels. Also determined is that the screeding rate affects the total crack area in polypropylene reinforced concrete, while finishing operations showed no significant effects. This study also suggests the use of longer fibers (about 0.75in.) will produce less crack area. "Permeability plays an important role in long-term durability of concrete materials. Permeability of concrete generally refers to the rate at which particular aggressive substances (water, sulfates, chloride ions, etc.) can flow through the concrete." (Soroushian) As discussed in the plastic shrinkage study that polypropylene fibers reduce cracking. Less cracking in the concrete surface that surface would be less permeable. In the permeability study, they concentrated on the effects of chloride and the permeability of the concrete. The results of this study concluded polypropylene fibers had little effects on chloride permeability of concrete. The polypropylene fibers only help reduce plastic shrinkage cracks. In residential construction, polypropylene fibers have been in use since the mid-to-late 1970s. Polypropylene fibers are used for their high tensile strength and low cost. These fibers fit into two categories, for early plastic shrinkage and for improved long-term crack control. One of the first residential applications of polypropylene fibers was in western Pennsylvania, in March of 1979. Fibers were used in all the flat work of the residence. Polypropylene fibers have gained acceptance by residential home builders due to its flexibility and its ability to conform to forms. Home builders say polypropylene fibers help them sell more concrete by reducing the potential risks of cracking. The use of polypropylene does not compensate for the lack of good design, water/cement ratios, temperature and wind conditions. One important thing to remember is nothing replaces good concrete practices. Bibliography Schupack, Morris, and William R. Stanley. "Seven Case Studies of Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Slabs." Concrete International Feb. 1992:50-56. Soroushian, Parviz., Faiz Mirza, and Abdulraman Alhozaimy. "Permeability Characteristics of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete." ACI Materials Journal 92(1995):291-295. Mirza, Faiz., Parviz Soroushian, and Abdulraman Alhozaimy. "Plastic Shrinkage Cracking of Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete." ACI Materials Journal 92(1995):553-560. Biddle, Daniel T. "Fiber Reinforcement in Residential Concrete." Concrete International Feb. 1991:46-47.

Ivanhoe essays

Ivanhoe essays In the book Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott, a knight named Ivanhoe devotes his life to keeping to the codes of chivalry. The general setting is in England, where the way of life is medieval. Respect and loyalty are two of the character traits that Ivanhoe has. These are two very important traits because without them, what kind of person would he be? For example, in the beginning of the book Ivanhoe is known as the Disinherited Knight because his father, Cedric of Saxon, disinherits him; however, even though he is abandoned, he still respects his father and is loyal to him. His respect is shown in the book when the castle burns and his father is very disrespectful toward his son. But Ivanhoe does not get upset. Ivanhoe is not only loyal to his real father but to King Richard the Lion Heart as well. When his father disowns Ivanhoe, King Richard steps in and adopts him. Ivanhoe attaches himself to the King and follows him into battle for the Crusades. When the King is captured, Ivanhoe has loyalty and sets his eye on freeing him. Glory is also something that Ivanhoe uses to lead him on. Austrians imprisoned his stepfather, King Richard the Lion Heart, on his way back from the crusades. Ivanhoe put his effort towards freeing him and glorifying his country of England. He courageously goes to battle to fight for England in the Crusades. Because of his bravery England is saved. Besides glory, bravery is used throughout the novel also. An example of this is when Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert dies for Rebecca. Ivanhoe demonstrates bravery when he fights Brian to repay Rebecca for her care when he is hurt. He is also very brave when he fights for his Saxon image. Glory and Bravery are not the only things Ivanhoe is demonstrating by fighting for England. He is also showing a fear of disgrace. If his home country of England were to lose the battles, he and his country would be disgraced. His fear of disgrace helps lead him on...

How to Write the Nuclear Symbol of an Element

How to Write the Nuclear Symbol of an Element This worked problem demonstrates how to write nuclear symbols for isotopes of a given element. The nuclear symbol of an isotope indicates the number of protons and neutrons in an atom of the element. It does not indicate the number of electrons. The number of neutrons is not stated. Instead, you have to figure it out based on the number of protons or atomic number. Nuclear Symbol Example: Oxygen Write the nuclear symbols for three isotopes of oxygen in which there are 8, 9, and 10  neutrons, respectively. Solution Use a periodic table to look up the atomic number of oxygen. The atomic number indicates how many protons are in an element. The nuclear symbol indicates the composition of the nucleus. The atomic number ( the  number of protons) is a subscript at the lower left of the symbol of the element. The mass number (the sum of protons and neutrons) is a superscript at the upper left of the element symbol. For example, the nuclear symbols of the element hydrogen are: 11H, 21H, 31H Pretend that the superscripts and subscripts line up on top of each other: They should do it this way in your homework problems, even though its not printed that way in this example.  Since its redundant to specify the number of protons in an element if you know its identity, its also correct to write: 1H, 2H, 3H Answer The element symbol for oxygen is O and its atomic number is 8. The mass numbers for oxygen must be 8 8 16; 8 9 17; 8 10 18. The nuclear symbols are written this way (again, pretend the superscript and subscript are sitting right on top of each other beside the element symbol):168O, 178O, 188O Or, you could write: 16O, 17O, 18O Nuclear Symbol Shorthand While its common to write nuclear symbols with the atomic mass- the sum of the number of protons and neutrons- as a superscript and atomic number (the number of protons) as a subscript, theres an easier way to indicate nuclear symbols. Instead, write the element name or symbol, followed by the number of protons plus neutrons. For example, helium-3 or He-3 is the same as writing 3He or 31He, the most common isotope of helium, which has two protons and one neutron. Example nuclear symbols for oxygen  would be oxygen-16, oxygen-17, and oxygen-18, which have 8, 9, and 10 neutrons, respectively. Uranium Notation   Uranium is an element often described using this shorthand notation. Uranium-235 and uranium-238 are isotopes of uranium. Each uranium atom has 92 atoms (which you can verify using a periodic table), so these isotopes contain 143 and 146 neutrons, respectively. Over 99 percent of natural uranium is the isotope uranium-238, so you can see that the most common isotope isnt always one with equal numbers of protons and neutrons.