Multiprocessing Essay -- essays research papers

Multiprocessing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Multiprocessing refers to a computer system’s ability to support more than one process or program at the same time. Multiprocessing operating systems enable several programs to run concurrently. UNIX is one of the most widely used multiprocessing systems, but there are many others, including OS/2 for high-end personal computers and Windows NT for work groups. Multiprocessing systems are much more complicated than single-process systems because the operating system must allocate resources to competing processes in the most efficient manner. (IBM Dictionary of Computing, Tenth Edition, McGraw-Hill, (1994)). Types of Multiprocessing Symmetric multiprocessing refers to the processing of programs by multiple processors that share a common operating system, memory and data path. A single copy of the operating system controls all processors. Symmetric multiprocessing units of this type are also referred to as â€Å"shared everything† systems. These systems usually do not exceed 16 processors. (Image courtesy of Sequent Manufacturing) The most common uses of these types of systems are commercial servers of web applications such used in on line commerce. The advantages of this particular configuration are that they can be easily upgraded by the addition of more processors. These processors are available to execute any of the given processes as soon as the operating system recognizes and configures the new hardware. However, the limitations of such a configuration are that with shared memory, there is a strong emphasis on data manipulation. As each processor competes for a limited amount of shared memory, this limits the speed and up-gradability of such a system. Manufacturers must rely on the development of faster, higher capacity memory to overcome this disadvantage. Currently symmetric multiprocessing computers can address up to 14 gigabytes of physical memory and approximately 2 terabytes of storage. (Sequent Manufacturing Inc., white papers 1998) Parallel Processing Parallel processing is a form of information processing that emphasizes the concurrent manipulation of data elements belonging to one or more process solving a single problem. It is also referred to as a â€Å"shared nothing† system. These systems are composed of many loosely connected nodes or P/M ... ...to produce a result from a device. C.The number of results a device produces over a unit of time. D.The time it takes a device to retrieve the next instruction. E.None of the above 6.Which of the following operating systems does not support multiprocessing? A.Microsoft Windows NT B.UNIX C.OS/2 D.LINUX E.All of the above support multiprocessing. 7.Which of the following applications would benefit most by multiprocessing? A.A large Word document. B.A large Excel spreadsheet. C.A video game D.A large Multi-user Database. E.None of the above. 8.LINUX is an off shoot of which multiprocessing operating system? A.UNIX B.Windows 98 C.OS/2 D.Windows NT E.MS DOS 9.Which Pittsburgh University is currently developing new multiprocessing operating systems? A.University of Pittsburgh. B.Carnegie-Mellon University C.Robert Morris College D.Point Park College E.None of the above 10.Linus Torvalds is: A.The inventor of UNIX operating system B.The chairman of the board of Microsoft Corp. C.The inventor of LINUX operating system D.The guy that cuts Packy’s grass. 1. (C) 2. (A) 3.(A) 4.(A) 5.(C) 6.(E) 7.(D) 8.(A) 9.(B) 10.(C)

To His Coy Mistress Essay: Imagery, Symbolism, and Descriptions

Imagery, Symbolism, and Descriptions in To His Coy Mistress Andrew Marvell in his poem describes a young man convincing his fair mistress to release herself to living in the here and now.   He does this by splitting the poem up into three radically different stanzas.   The first takes ample time to describe great feelings of love for a young lady, and how he wishes he could show it.   The idea of time is developed early but not fully.   The second stanza is then used to show how time is rapidly progressing in ways such as the fading of beauty and death.   The third stanza presses the question to the young mistress; will she give herself to the young man and to life?   Although each stanza uses different images, they all convey the same theme of living life to the fullest and not letting time pass is seen throughout. Marvell uses imagery, symbolism, and wonderful descriptions throughout the poem.   Each stanza is effective and flows easily.   Rhyming couplets are seen at the ends of every line, which helps the poem r ead smoothly.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marvell uses many images that work as tools to express how he wishes to love his mistress in the first stanza of the poem.   From line 1 to 20 Marvell tells his mistress how he wishes he had all the time in the world to love her.   In the very first line Marvell brings up the focus of time, â€Å"Had we but world enough and time/This coyness, lady, were no crime†.   The second line shows the conflict that the author is facing in the poem, her coyness.   Marvell continues from these initial lines to tell his mistress what he would do if he had enough time.   In lines, three and four Marvell talks of â€Å"sitting down† to â€Å"think† where they will walk on their â€Å"long love’s day†.   All of these word... ... before their â€Å"quaint honor turns to dust†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Andrew Marvell successfully writes about a delicate subject without coming off as dirty or disrespectful to the subject of sexuality.   Each stanza carries a different way of looking at the same subject.   The way Marvell speaks in the first stanza shows that he is not being impetuous, that he does love his mistress.   He creates a sense of timelessness and then in the second stanza he sweeps that away and introduces death as frightening but unavoidable.   He realizes how precious time is and is very effective in convincing his mistress of this fact as well.   The last lines leave the reader with the image of this couple conquering and taking advantage of time by making the sun run.   This poem would not be what it is without the detailed imagery, symbolism, and metaphors that Marvell applied to each stanza.  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Agrana Essay

The Austria-based company, Agrana was founded in 1988 with operations consisting of the production of sugar and starch. While relatively small, the company only operated two starch factories and three sugar factories. As the years passed, the company has also focused on the production of fruit preparation, fruit juice concentrate, and ethanol. The new business strategy has enabled the company to not only grow, but expand across multinational borders while increasing the number of buyers to whom they supply their goods and services to. In this paper, an analysis on Agrana’s emergence will be discussed from an industry-, resource-, and institutional-based view. The challenges in which AGRANA might face as it continues its expansion into other regions, such as East Asia will also be a topic of discussion. Since Agrana’s beginning, the industry has been quite challenging and competitive. Prior to European integration in 1989, the company had to operate on small economies of scale. Many markets in other countries were not open to outsiders, therefore limiting the scope of customers to only local buyers. When applying Porter’s Five Forces Framework, the industry consisted of fierce rivalry from larger competitors, threat of substitution, little to no differentiation which increased the threat of potential entrants, high bargaining power of its buyers, and low bargaining power from suppliers. However, with the integrations of the European Union (EU) and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) in 1989, Agrana was able to compete with larger rivals and expand to markets in other countries. The regional and global integration allowed Agrana to aggressively expand its foreign direct investment (FDI) throughout CEE (Peng, p. 82). This move increased their economies of scale. With their new profound strategy, the company was able to improve the quality of its products as they pursued and formed partnerships with larger buyers like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle, and Danone. As they have continued to grow, Agrana added to their production by focusing on fruit processing and through the acquisitions of other companies. The growth of Agrana is quite impressive as you consider how small the company was, their limitations, and how little they had in order to compete with their rivals. Despite these disadvantages, Agrana capitalized on its resources and capabilities through the improved manufacturing of high-grade products at competitive prices and by a strategy that promotes expansion. Prior to their emergence, the company had little value in its resources, no rarity in its industry, wide-spread imitability and no competitive advantage. The VRIO Framework for Agrana was in need of help. Through restructuring, and increased profits, Agrana diversified by adding a fruit processing division. With fruit being a complementary good to sugar and starch, this move fell in line with the business strategy and production already established. To further their diversification, the company turned to acquisitions of companies in the fruit industry. Between 2003 and 2007, the company acquired Denmark’s Vall Saft Group (fruit juice concentrate), Austria’s Steirerobst (fruit preparation and fruit juice concentrates), Belgium’s Dirafrost (fruit concentrate) Germany’s Wink Group (fruit juice concentrate), and acquired a 50% stake in a joint venture with Xianyang Andre Juice Co. Ltd (fruit juice concentrate) [p. 384-385]. The numerous acquisitions have not only added to its growth but its value as well as the company had gained access to numerous markets in various countries. The competitive advantage of Agrana is a result of the value added by its acquisitions and their integration, market knowledge, global growth, and their means of finding new ways to develop other products such as biofuel. An institution-based view is a perspective that argues that in addition to industry- and firm-level conditions, firms also need to take into account wider influences from sources such as the state and society when crafting strategy (p. 3). This includes formal and informal institutions surrounding laws, regulations, cultures and ethics. Early in Agrana’s existence, much of its challenges were a result of the restrictions placed on Western European companies to enter CEE markets and the EU. The opening of the CEE markets, in 1989, presented new opportunities for Agrana and others to expand regionally and i nternationally. FDI proved to be effective in CEE countries as it lead to be increased profits, production and growth. As stated earlier, Agrana was able to produce goods for major companies; allowing them to better cater to the expanding needs of its corporate buyers (p. 382). As the company reduced its challenges, the EU encouraged the company to diversify its operations in order to grow. Though the EU imposed challenges for Agrana prior to its integration, many of the CEE countries have become members which have helped the company increase its opportunities. However, with a strong EU presence in sugar reforms, regulating prices, and tariffs on imports and exports, Agrana has encountered new challenges and looks for new opportunities. Currently, Agrana has a huge presence in most European countries as well as plants in Mexico, China, South Korea, and China. Though China and South Korea are countries of East Asia, further expansion into other regions may present challenges surrounding culture. A presence in North Korea is far from foreseeable and while business in the CEE is similar to Vienna, Austria, the culture in East Asia are hugely different. There will also be challenges when you consider how Agrana plans to duplicate its European working environment in countries where employees and management operate on more of a hierarchical management style that stems of culture and tradition. More importantly, the biggest challenges that Agrana will face will be linked to the laws and regulations of the local government. Each country has different laws and regulations regarding imports/exports, employee relations, production, working conditions and acquisitions. Agrana will also face challenges in competition presented by local companies operating in similar industries. Agrana’s rise to dominance starting a small company is similar to the story of Google, Inc. With strict limitations and an overwhelmingly grounded industry, the company chose to remain and capitalize on the opportunities presented. Through FDI, restructure, innovation and expansion; Agrana has gained a competitive advantage in its industry. Their business strategy of this company is one to marvel over and imitate.

Macbet Act II Scene II Essay

This scene was one of the most significant, as it the scene where Macbeth murders Duncan, but feels remorse and guilt afterwards. The murder is not shown so that it is left to the audience’s imagination. Also, to signify that the murder has taken place, an owl shrieks. This was thought to be a sign of a bad omen, and it suggests that it is upsetting the natural balance of things (at that time people believed that everything had a natural order and to change this would change other things), as even the natural world knows that Duncan has been murdered. Shakespeare creates tension by setting the scene at night so that when Macbeth returned, Lady Macbeth did not know who it was at first and for a moment she thinks that Macbeth had not succeeded in killing Duncan and the attendants had woken up, and she says; â€Å"†¦th’attempt and not the deed confounds us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  meaning that if Macbeth only tried to murder Duncan and did not succeed then they would be ruined. Macbeth’s character so far is shown as noble and loyal, as in act 1 scene 2 Macbeth is talked about as being; â€Å"A good and hardy soldier† (line 4). In reward for his greatness, Duncan awards Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor (as the witches predicted). Macbeth does have some ambition, because when the witches tell him he is going to be king, he wants to speak more to Banquo about it. However, in his letter to Lady Macbeth, he says; â€Å"Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it† meaning that he would like to be king but not attain it by bad deeds. Lady Macbeth’s thoughts are that she wants Duncan to be killed. She calls on evil spirits to give her the strength to do it; â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to toe topfull of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, stop th’access and passage to remorse† (Act 1 scene 5, lines 39-43) which means ‘evil spirits- make me as strong willed as a man and fill me with cruelty, and make me have no remorse’. The setting of act 2 scene 2 is Macbeth’s castle. This is shown as quit an eerie setting, as you can hear noises from the outside, and it very dark. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are on stage. In lines 1-8, Lady Macbeth is feeling bold, from line 1; â€Å"That which hath made them drunk, hath made me bold†. She comments on how she had drugged the attendants, and she says in lines 7-8; â€Å"That death and nature do contend about them, whether they live, or die†. This shows that she is not really concerned whether they live or die. However, in line 9 she begins to worry that they have been caught, and also says; â€Å"Had he [Duncan] not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t†, showing that she is not completely evil, as she could not murder Duncan as he resembled her father. At the end of the scene she becomes strong, as she takes the daggers from Macbeth (as he brought them back) and goes and puts them back. Macbeth’s mood is that of distress and remorse. This is shown by the fact that he accidentally brings back the daggers when he was supposed to place the by the attendants. This creates dramatic tension, as this would incriminate Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At he end of the scene, Macbeth feels he can’t live with himself, and says in line 76; â€Å"To know my deed, ’twere best not know my self† meaning that if he is to acknowledge what he has done, he must assume a new identity, as a murderer, and forget who he really is. Dialogue on and off the stage is that of death. Lady Macbeth tries to reassure Macbeth that he has he has done the right thing, as he is very disturbed about what he has done. The dialogue also shows how the outside and natural world is reacting to what has been done; the owl hooting, the crickets crying, the knocking and also when someone laughed in their sleep and one cried â€Å"Murder!† (Line 25) The effect of these noises reflects the beliefs of that time that to change the natural order of things (how things naturally turn out) is to affect everything. It creates tension by suggesting that the outside world will find out and Macbeth will be punished. The audience’s response is that they feel that something supernatural is happening, due to the noises, and to the images Macbeth sees and sounds he hears, like the voice he hears (lines 44-46) saying he will sleep no more. When Macbeth first appears on the scene, his first words are (line 14); â€Å"I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?† The words ‘I have done the deed’ suggest that he cannot bring himself to admit what he has done. The words ‘didst thou not hear a noise?’ suggest that he expected to be caught, and that someone would have heard and come after him. His conversation with Lady Macbeth is that he is in some way shocked about what has happened. He says what he heard, and in lines 38-39, and 33-34, Lady Macbeth talks to him but he doesn’t hear her as he is too deep in his own thoughts. Macbeth uses short, sharp sentences; like â€Å"†¦ when?†¦As I descended?†¦Hark, who lies i’th’second chamber?†¦This is a sorry sight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (lines 17, 19, 21 and 23), because he is repeating what happened, and he is very distraught about what he has done. This effects the audience by creating tension, as Macbeth see ms to have gone mad. In lines 29-36 Macbeth says how he could not pronounce ‘Amen’ after someone cried ‘God bless us’. This shows that Macbeth does not feel he deserves God’s blessings, as he is too evil. In lines 38-46, Macbeth says that he heard a voice saying that he had murdered sleep. This shows his guilt that he will never be able to sleep again, and his remorse, as he shall never have peace from what he has done. Lady Macbeth’s reaction is to tell him not to keep thinking about these thoughts, and to reassure him. She is aware that they must put the daggers back, so at this point she has no guilt or remorse. When Macbeth comes back after murdering Duncan, he is carrying the daggers he used. This suggests to the audience that he is not in a proper frame of mind, and is still shocked by what he has done. It also suggests that he is not in control. Lady Macbeth had told him to leave them by the attendants to incriminate them. When he comes back, Lady Macbeth tells him to go and put them, back, but when he won’t, she does it. This shows that she does not mind blaming innocent people. The audience’s reaction is that she is very much in control, and knows what both of them must do. Macbeth will not go back because he says; â€Å"I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done; look on’t again, I dare not.† This reveals his guilt because he can hardly comprehend that he has done something so awful. This also shows his conscience, as he says ‘I dare not’, showing he does not know what his reaction would be, so knows he is not in control of h imself. When Macbeth returns, his hands are red with Duncan’s blood. Once Lady Macbeth puts the daggers back, her hands are also red. Macbeth says in lines 63-65; â€Å"Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No: this my hand will rather the multitudinous sea incarnadine†. This means that he feels that all the seas in the world could not ash the blood off his hands, and that instead his hands would turn all the oceans red, and also that it will never wash off the blood stain on his conscience, so he feels that he will never be as innocent as he was before the murder. Lady Macbeth says in lines 67-68; â€Å"My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white.† The words ‘my hands are of your colour’ mean that her hands are red, but also that she is now as guilty of the murder as Macbeth is. The words ‘but I shame to wear a heart so white’ means that she is criticising her husband, by saying that she would not want to be so cold and heartless. The washing of the hands is significant later because Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and washes her hands in her sleep. Macbeth’s feeling’s are of extreme guilt and in line 62 he says; â€Å"What hands are here? Ha: they pluck out mine eyes.† This means that he wishes he did not have any eyes so he did not have to see the blood of the man he murdered. At the end of the scene, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hear knocking. Lady Macbeth does not show any guilt or conscience, as she is only concerned with them getting back to their rooms to not seem suspicious and to get rid of the blood on their hands. Macbeth says how he cannot carry on if he does not forget who he is as he has a bas conscience, and in line 77 he says; â€Å"Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou couldst.† This shows that he wishes Duncan was still alive, so feels guilty about him being dead. The audience’s reaction is that they feel slightly sorry for Macbeth, as he was pressured into the murder by Lady Macbeth and know has to live with his guilt. This scene is the turning point of the play, because it is the point of no return; after Duncan is murdered there is no way Macbeth can go back. It is also the start of Macbeth’s journey from good to evil. At this point his guilt is at its highest, and later he is a bloody tyrant. This is because Lady Macbeth reassures him that once this is done everything will be fine, so he kills because he feels he has to, but later he kills because he is angry (act 4 scene 2). Lady Macbeth also changes. In the beginning, she is in control and has no conscience, but in the end, she is so out of control and so guilty that she kills herself. Her change is also shown by her speech, as in act 2, scene 2, line 70, she says; â€Å"a little water clears us of this deed†, whereas in act 5, scene 1, lines 44-45, she says:† all the perfumes in Arabia will not sweeten this little hand†. Also, she begins to sleepwalk and acts out washing her hands. Finally, in act 5, scene 9, lines 37-38, Malcolm says about Lady Macbeth; â€Å"by self and violent hands took off her life†. This has a double meaning for the audience, as it means Lady Macbeth killed herself, but it could also be interpreted and by her violence and her guilt (of her ‘blood-stained’ hands) she killed her soul. The ending of act 2 scene 2 creates dramatic tension by ending with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both in different frames of mind; Lady Macbeth making sure they don’t get caught and Macbeth lost in thought and guilty over what he has done.

Thorn Queen Chapter Seven

There were five of them, to be precise, each standing about seven feet tall. Their skin reminded me of a salamander's, smooth with a slightly moist appearance. It was mottled red and black, like marble. They had fangs like saber-toothed tigers, and flames glowed in the hollows of their eyes. â€Å"Fire demons,† I amended. Not that the type mattered too much. I'd fought other creatures from the Underworld, but full-fledged demons? Those were bad. The type was irrelevant. These guys made last night's fight with Rocky Raccoon seem like a warm-up stretch. Immediately, those bandits that weren't actively engaged with us began retreating behind the demons. Those we were fighting struggled to break away, knowing the demons would cover them. One of my men bravely charged a demon. The demon put its hands together, and a huge orb of fire appeared. The demon then threw it at the guy, instantly turning him into a screaming, living torch. â€Å"Shit!† I yelled. Without even thinking, I pulled all the moisture from the air and hurled it toward the guard. Water materialized around him, drenching him in a tidal wave. It turned the rest of the air oppressively dry, and a few trees withered and collapsed. I'd sucked out their water to make the wave as well. Nonetheless, the flames dissipated, and the guy dropped into wet, smoldering unconsciousness. At least, I hoped he was unconscious and not dead. My guards attacked in groups and fared a little better that way, able to distract the demons' attention. Volusian fought well too, but it was quickly becoming apparent that this was not going to end well for us. Picking the demon who appeared to be putting up the best fight, I took out my wand and focused my energy. I sent my will out toward the demon, grabbing hold of him with my mind and letting my senses spread beyond me and this world. The black and white butterfly tattoo on my arm began to burn. It was the symbol of Persephone, goddess of the Underworld, and I used its power to open the gates to that domain. Down the slope, the demon suddenly looked in my direction, sensing the binding wrap around it. He was powerful, and banishing him from this world into the next was taking more of my strength and power than I expected. Ignoring the attacking guards, he hurled a huge ball of fire at me. Immediately, I dropped my connection to the Underworld and pulled as much water as I could to me. Aside from my companions-whom I was careful to avoid-only the vegetation provided a quick source of water. Plants and cacti crumpled and died in a wide arc around us, but it was what I needed. A wall of water appeared before me, blocking the fireball. â€Å"Damn it, Eugenie,† cried Kiyo. â€Å"You can't keep doing that.† â€Å"I can banish them,† I said. â€Å"Just distract them.† Kiyo grimaced and then transformed into that â€Å"superfox† form, a huge beast of primordial strength and power, the Otherworldly ancestor of all foxes. He leapt on the demon who'd attacked me, and I once more attempted my binding. Volusian joined him. Between those two and the guards, the demon couldn't block me this time. Speaking words of banishment, I pushed him out of this world and into the next, careful to keep myself from getting sucked in along the way. The demon exploded in sparks that quickly dimmed and disappeared. I nearly fell over. The exertion to do that had been excruciating, and I was pretty sure I couldn't do it again. We had to get out of there and pray the demons didn't follow us. â€Å"Rurik,† I yelled, hoping the big warrior would hear me. â€Å"We need to retreat!† He gave a quick nod, eyes on the demon he attacked. Between magic and swords, his group was doing a good job of fighting it, but the battle was far from over. He barked out some orders. My group began falling back, fighting our way through the retreat. To my relief, two men picked up the guy who had been burned earlier and helped drag him out. Kiyo and Volusian stayed to cover our retreat, and I tried once again to banish a demon. No luck. So, relying on an old standby, I took out the Glock and began firing silver bullets. They hit the mark, weakening some of the demons and allowing our escape. When we'd reached a certain point, I saw that they were no longer following us. They were based around the camp, as I'd suspected. Demons like those had to be summoned, and they would stay close to their summoner. We eventually cleared the area and made it back to our horses. Not long afterward, Kiyo-still as a fox-and Volusian joined us. I glanced at Kiyo with a sigh, relieved he was okay and frustrated that it would be awhile now before he could become human again. I wanted to discuss this with him. Instead, I turned to Rurik as we rode away. â€Å"What the hell was that?† â€Å"Fire demons,† he replied. â€Å"I know that! What were they doing here?† â€Å"They were summoned.† He frowned. â€Å"Which is unexpected for ruffians like that. Someone who can wield that sort of magic would have no need to live that kind of life.† My adrenaline-charged heart rate had slowed down, allowing me to get a good look at our group now. We'd managed to cart off two prisoners-a few of the others had been freed by their friends in the demon chaos-which meant we could do some questioning later. For now, they weren't my chief concern. The guards were. Many of them were burned and wounded, though none as badly as the guy I'd saved. Some of the injured rode on their own; others required help. â€Å"They need healers,† I told Rurik anxiously. He was singed and cut but had emerged unscathed for the most part. It had taken almost an hour to get to the spot we had tethered the horses, and I didn't want the injured waiting that long. Rurik didn't answer right away. He annoyed me and wasn't as socially graceful as he could be, but he knew military matters and was a good strategist. At last he said, â€Å"If we veer west, we can be in Westoria in fifteen minutes.† â€Å"Westoria?† â€Å"The village we passed through yesterday.† â€Å"How is that-† I didn't finish the question. I would never understand how the Otherworld folded upon itself, how yesterday Westoria had been an hour and a half from the castle and now it was right around the corner. I also didn't understand how everyone but me seemed to always know what direction to go. Rurik assured me they'd have healers in the village, so I followed his lead. As soon as we turned, we found ourselves in the Rowan Land. Ten minutes later, we were back in the Thorn Land, and another five brought us to Westoria. â€Å"Un-fucking-believable,† I muttered. I really never would learn this land's layout. Only Kiyo the fox was close enough to hear my profanity, and I didn't know if he understood or not. Our approach was noticed just like before, and I paused before entering the village in order to say the words that would send Volusian away for now. I didn't want to terrify the townspeople more than I already did. Of course, when we'd left last time, their terror had been replaced by hope and faith. Today, once we told our tale, that optimism faded to disappointment and fear of a different kind-fear that their queen couldn't defend them. If they couldn't look to their wonderful new monarch for protection, what hope did they have? I tried to ignore those disillusioned faces as best I could. Otherwise, I thought I might snap back that fire demons were hardly an everyday occurrence for a king or queen. I doubted Dorian or Maiwenn would have done much better. Instead, I directed my attention to those who had fought for me and been injured for it. The burned man was still alive but in very bad shape. Davros, the mayor, assured me they had a healer who could bring the guard back to a stable condition. The healing took awhile, so I accepted Davros' invitation to sit and have a drink in his home once again. They'd already gotten my well up and working, and he seemed very pleased to be able to offer me water. â€Å"There were no girls there,† I told him. I sat in a plain wooden chair. Kiyo lay on the floor at my feet, his furry body pressed up to my leg. Davros snorted. â€Å"Of course not, your majesty. I told you that girl ran off. It's easier on her parents to believe otherwise. We certainly appreciate your, uh, efforts to clean out those villains, however.† I grimaced. â€Å"Yeah, well, the fire demons were kind of unexpected.† â€Å"There have been rumors for some time, your majesty, that there were some very strong fire users among them. It's part of what's made their raiding so problematic.† I widened my eyes. â€Å"Oh? That might have been useful information earlier.† He cowered at the tone in my voice. â€Å"Begging your pardon, your majesty. None of us could have imagined their power was that great.† I questioned him further on where the bandits might go now and if he'd heard any other stories about their magic users. If we faced these guys again, I didn't want any more surprises. We spoke until Rurik came to get me, telling me that most of the wounded were in traveling shape but that the severely injured man would stay behind for further recovery. There seemed no point in remaining after that, so we set out for the castle. The ride back wasn't too different from our last ride from Westoria. There was a dark mood over the group, and I was probably the worst. We'd set off counting on an easy victory and had more or less gotten our asses kicked. It was late when we finally arrived, the sun having set and cooled the weather to a comfortable eighty degrees. Time in Tucson tended to run a little later than here, which meant it was well into the night back home. So much for the date with Kiyo. That saddened me further, and I wandered out to a stretch of garden-by which I meant rocks and cacti-that extended beyond the castle. I settled down on a patch of grass that Shaya had been painstakingly trying to grow. As someone who controlled and spoke to plant life, I think this barren landscape killed her sometimes. I'd been sitting there and ruminating for about an hour when Kiyo joined me. His fox form had finally lifted. â€Å"Don't take it so hard,† he said, putting an arm around me and guessing what had me worried. â€Å"There was nothing you could have done differently.† â€Å"I suppose. I just feel bad now. Like, I still don't want this place. Not at all. But here it is, and then I feel horrible and guilty because even if I try, I can't do anything for it. I pushed the thinking off on Shaya, and then I failed at the fighting part-the one thing I can usually do. Argh.† I buried my face in my hands. â€Å"It's so confusing. I never wanted to deal with this.† Kiyo pulled me close, and I rested my head against his chest. â€Å"It's okay,† he said. â€Å"We'll get through this.† â€Å"We? You've got enough to worry about without this.† I was in one of those glum moods where everything seemed hopeless. How could he possibly have time for me with a new baby on the way? â€Å"We,† he said firmly. â€Å"And as much as I hate to say it†¦you just being here is going to help the land.† â€Å"How?† â€Å"It's tied to your life, right? You affect it, strengthen it just with your presence. It's why that meditation you do soothes it.† â€Å"Maybe. But I've been meditating for months, and there have still been droughts and famines.† â€Å"You're still helping it, whether you know it or not. Your thoughts, moods†¦it's all connected.† â€Å"Wonderful. It must be doing just great tonight then,† I muttered. In the moonlight, I saw him gesture around us. The sky was clear, and there was no breeze. There was a dry, stagnant feel to the air. It seemed unhealthy. Like you could feel the energy being sapped from everything. I sighed and lay back on the grass. â€Å"If I stay the night, will it help?† â€Å"Probably.† He lay beside me. â€Å"No Red Pepper Bistro then.† â€Å"Yeah. And I was so looking forward to their Salmonella Burrito Special. I guess there's always tomorrow.† â€Å"Mmm, well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned toward him. â€Å"Oh, I don't like that.† â€Å"I promised Maiwenn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He couldn't finish. â€Å"It's fine. I understand.† I did. I just didn't like it. Were we ever going to have some semblance of a normal dating life? â€Å"Oh, Eugenie.† Kiyo wrapped himself against me and brushed the hair from my face. â€Å"You're the only one. You know that, right? The only one I want in this world.† He paused. â€Å"Or any other world.† I laughed, but it was smothered when he pressed his lips to mine. There was almost never warm-up with Kiyo's passion. He always came on hungry and strong, and to my surprise, I always responded right away with equal intensity. I opened my mouth to his, feeling the thrust of his tongue and brush of his teeth against my lips. He slid a hand up my T-shirt, squeezing my breast through the thin lace of my bra. His other hand slid along my hip and down the back of my ass, shoving me closer to him, so that we were pressed hip to hip as we lay on our sides. My own hands were tangled in his hair, keeping our faces close as we kissed. Then, growing impatient, I reached down to the edge of his shirt and tugged it up over his head. It broke our kiss momentarily, but it was worth it to have the warm, wonderful skin of his chest exposed. I ran my hands over it, wanting to kiss every part of it, but he had other ideas and took off my shirt in return. I saw it land on a prickly pear when he tossed it away. His hands moved just as quickly to my jeans, and I leaned back, extending my legs straight out while he pulled them and my underwear off in one motion. I was grateful then for the grass beneath me that Shaya had grown. Gravelly sand would have been a bit harsh on bare skin. Nonetheless, he was the one I pushed down, forcing him to keep his back flat on the ground. Straddling him and still wearing my lace bra, I undid his belt and tugged his jeans and boxers halfway down, just enough to expose what I needed. I leaned over him, pressing us and our naked skin together, rubbing my hips provocatively without taking him into me. I kissed him as I did, and his hands reached around to unfasten my bra and remove the last of my clothing, leaving me completely naked. In that unforgiving heat, though, I barely noticed. He was hard underneath me, and I continued writhing my hips, taunting and teasing him more while I grew wetter. The lust in his eyes burned into me, laced with the remnants of the animal he'd been earlier. His hands were still all over my breasts, rubbing and squeezing them. Each touch sent shockwaves through my body. Occasionally, he'd draw me forward so that he could take one breast into his mouth, suckling and stroking the nipple with his tongue. As he did, I moved one of my own hands down between my thighs and began touching myself, wanting to reach my own climax before he took me-and I knew he would soon. I could see the desire and impatience all over him. Drawing sex out was not in his nature. I much preferred it when a man touched my clit-there was nothing like it in the world-but I had a feeling I'd have to literally take matters into my own hands with the way he looked tonight. Besides, I knew my body well enough to know I could get myself off pretty quickly. Not quickly enough. Kiyo's hands gripped my hips, sitting me up slightly and then roughly pulling my body down. I got my hand out of the way just as he shoved into me, penetrating with a strength I hadn't expected since I was the one on top. I tried to pull off, but his grip on me was firm as he began bucking his hips upward. â€Å"Too soon,† I said, even as my body reveled in the feel of his inside me. â€Å"Never too soon,† he growled back. I managed to shift myself away, and he slipped out of me. I grinned triumphantly, loving how I could prolong this and torment him. His erection was harder and bigger after being inside me, wet and slick from my body as my hand gripped him hard and began stroking back and forth. He groaned, arching his body up to reclaim what I'd taken away. He seized me again, this time rolling me over onto my back so that I'd now have to fight the full strength of him. â€Å"You are so sexy,† he gasped, lowering his body to mine. The rough ground scratched my skin. â€Å"All day, I just think about fucking you.† He thrust into me again, and I cried out so loudly, I wondered if someone from the castle would hear me and come running. If so, it probably wouldn't be a big deal to them. With nothing to hold him back, Kiyo gave me his full force, pumping into me and driving deeper and deeper with each thrust. I was still burning and wet from where I'd touched myself, and with each stroke, he managed to heighten that pleasure, driving me increasingly wild. The muscles in his body were strong and hard, working without rest as he moved furiously, his eyes burning into mine as he took me deeply and forcefully, letting the animal in him do what it wanted. I cried out again, exulting in the harshness mixed with ecstasy as I felt myself grow closer and closer to orgasm. I could see the clench of his jaw and tension within him as he tried to hold back. â€Å"God, I want to come†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he managed through labored breathing. â€Å"Want to come in you so badly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was waiting, trying to hold out for me to come first. I clenched my hands against his back, digging my nails into his skin. â€Å"Do it,† I hissed. â€Å"Come in me. Now†¦let me feel it†¦.† It was all he needed to tip him over. His mouth opened in something that was half-moan and half-roar. He still managed to keep moving in and out of me, but the movements were slower, more punctuated as he came and his body found release. At last, he shuddered and pulled out, only to then collapse on top of me. I wrapped my arms around him. Even without an orgasm, my body felt renewed and alive, burning with pleasure at the intensity of what we had just put our bodies through. He rested his head on my chest, and I continued holding him, neither of us saying a word. At some point, I drifted to sleep like that, only to be woken up about an hour later. It took me a moment to figure out what had happened, until I felt a wet drop hit my face. Then another. Then another. I squirmed and sat up, wiping water out of my eyes. â€Å"What's wrong?† murmured Kiyo drowsily, stirring slightly. I looked up into the sky, scattered with both stars and much-needed clouds. â€Å"It's raining.†

Natural sciences Essay

Knowledge involves acquaintance with truth, principles or facts as with a certain subject or a branch of learning. People have various perceptive of knowledge. There are those who belief that knowledge is found in many forms which must be proven with evidence. It is possible to doubt everything that exist because it is a misconception or it may be seen as an illusion. Doubt is important in knowledge because learning through from the senses or through the senses can be deceptive. For example, senses can deceive because one may smell something sweet and senses deceive that it is going to have sweet taste. However, this is wrong because not everything that smells sweet taste sweet. Dreams are also deceptive as they are just false delusions because occasionally when one is asleep one is deceived by the illusions in dreams. These are just ways that knowledge through the senses can deceive. Therefore, it becomes necessary to doubt everything so that one can get the true knowledge. So as the proverb hold doubt is key to knowledge. Knowledge creates doubt and doubt pave way for gaining more knowledge. If its is not for doubt then there would be no knowledge or the knowledge that would be available would be one that is not complete knowledge (Urdahl, pg 27-29). In natural sciences, scientists have a lot of experience with doubt and uncertainty. This is experience that is very necessary in gaining knowledge in natural sciences. When one does not know the answer to a problem then this can be termed as ignorance. Then one has a hunch as to what the results are, for example, of an experiment, then it means that one has uncertainty. When one is darned sure of what the result would be then it means that one has some doubt. Therefore, it is paramount important that in order to have progress it is important to recognize the ignorance we have in natural sciences and leave room for doubt. This is because scientific knowledge is a body of statements, which have varying degrees of certainty. The degrees vary from being unsure, nearly sure and none absolutely certain. Doubt is a good thing in natural science because if one knows the answer or thinks that one knows the answer then it becomes easy to fail to seek more knowledge about that particular subject. Doubt helps to come out of that emotional attachment that people have in certain beliefs or from the theory of determinism. Example of areas where doubt has assisted in gaining and verifying knowledge is in the assumptions in relativity that inertial mass and gravitational mass are equal. In order to show that they are not the model has to be revised. Scientists have engaged in refining their ability to measure the two. It is the doubt that has developed in this area that has made the scientist revise this model until they have realized that inertial mass and gravitational mass are different at finer degrees. Therefore, they doubt has made it known that the two are not equivalent as has been held in the past. In this case, it is not that the same experiment is repeated but the real key to this is to look at the statements and test if they have been examined to the extent that they should. Doubt allow the use of new tools in scientific experiments which allow new discoveries which do away with the old ideas or theories. Science in this case becomes a process of doubt. Natural scientists are always nor sure and this is the reason as to why they repeat the steps in experiments in order to make sure that it is right. Another area where doubt has necessitated growth of knowledge is in the evolution theory. At the beginning people had strong belief that creation theory was the one that provided call the knowledge about the evolution of human being. However, as knowledge grew people started to doubt some aspects of the evolution theory and developed other theories such as the Darwinian theory of evolution. This is a theory which resulted out f the doubts about some of the aspects of the former theory. This is not the end theory because doubts in some aspects of the evolutions theory have also led to development of some other theories (Axtell pg 87-88). Doubt has also contributed to increased knowledge in other areas, for example, in social science and history. There are two areas that information collected or knowledge gained depends on research or theories which were constructed in the past by various scholars. However it becomes tricky to use such kind of theories to their full because history and social sciences are dynamic. For example, the society change as time moves. Therefore, this is also in the same way that the theories are supposed to change. For example, if theories that were constructed in the fourteenth century are used in the twenty first century then there is no doubt that the theory would contain a lot of faults because of the changes that have occurred in the society. People have developed in their way of reasoning as in these days there are more sources of information than in the past. Reason is one part of gaining knowledge that enhances the development of doubt. This is because it is after deductive reasoning that a person is able to develop hypothesis that proves some knowledge as relevant or irrelevant (Gotschl, pg179-180). Historians do their research and base most of their research on the researches that were conducted in the past. The information in the research where they base their research would be biased or exaggerated. This is what cause doubt and enhance new research to be conducted regarding some issues. Despite the fact that some people are emotionally attached to some believes doubt has made them to relent some of their believes. For example, different ethnic groups have their own myths about where they originated or who is their god or where their god lived. In traditional society people had strong emotional attachment to these beliefs (Chang pg 581). However, as time has passed people have developed doubt about these believes to develop other believes. This is because most of the beliefs in the traditions are not well reasoned and are also biased to particular ethnic people. People have developed other believes that are more inclusive of other ethnic groups all over the world. This has risen out of the doubt that people have some of the things that happened in the past (Lamm Norman pg 11-12). Despite that knowledge plays a key role in knowledge I think that knowledge or truth is a fixed situation because truth is not questionable. So if true knowledge is out there to be discovered or to be learned then it means that when we know or acquire knowledge then there should be no room for doubt. I also think that knowledge depends mostly on human perception. Natural sciences have more upper hands in investigating the truth. However these sciences are still subjected tout human brains. Curiosity is also key to knowledge rather than doubt. Human beings are always curious to know more about their nature. The curiosity allows them to make discoveries and also strive to find the truth. Looking critically at the discoveries that have been made in the past it is out of curiosity that this has happened. This curiosity leads to knowledge, which then leads to wisdom. Doubts make us to know hat our knowledge is correct instead on believing in something blindly. However I do not feel that doubt makes us to make any discovery or learn anything that is new to us. It is curiosity that allows us to acquire new knowledge more quickly. Work cited Axtell Guy. Knowledge, belief, and character: readings in virtue epistemology, 1st edition, Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Chang Larry. Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing, Gnosophia Publishers, 2006. Gotschl Johann. Erwin Schrodinger’s world view: the dynamics of knowledge and reality Vol 16, New York, Springer, 1992. Lamm Norman. Faith and doubt: studies in traditional Jewish thought, 3rd edition, KTAV Publishing House, Inc. , 2007. Urdahl Halvor. Key of Knowledge, New York, Kessinger Publishing, 1998.

Franz Joseph Haydn Classical Composers Speech or Presentation

Franz Joseph Haydn Classical Composers - Speech or Presentation Example At the age of 8, Haydn moved away from his parents to live with Johann, his uncle, in Hainburg. His parents wanted Haydn to become a priest. In addition, his father knew that Haydn would acquire exceptional musical skills through Hainburg’s education system. Hainburg was a society which embraced music talent and had established systems of learning music. The society had well established choirs in churches and academic institutions. Entrance of Haydn met the introduction of Reutter, a music director who lectured music concepts at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Hainburg. Reutter recommended Haydn for the community choir, and later to the Vienna’s St Stephen’s Cathedral (Michael, 2009). At the Cathedral, Haydn demonstrated exceptional talent and was promoted to become the lead soloist in the teenage choir. The instrumental skills he acquired during the period in the choir bolstered his confidence in pursuing the career. However, Haydn’s stay at the Cathedr al was aborted when his voiced broke at puberty. Upon dismissal from the church, Haydn started employing the instrumental skills to earn a living in the streets (Greene, 2010). He started giving street lessons on musical instruments like keyboard and violin. Apart from the street lessons, Haydn worked as a freelance performer in many social and cultural functions around the social places of Vienna. Haydn used his time in the street to learn composing skills. He was hired by Pietro, a composer, to train a certain young girl on instruments. Haydn approached Porpora, a composer, with a request to serve in the composer’s factotum. In return, Propora was supposed to give Haydn composing instructions. Haydn took advantage of this opportunity to learn concrete composing skills (Greene, 2010). Haydn’s association with Propora lasted for three months. After this period, Haydn had acquired substantial composing skills. He started writing his own works and administering instrumen t lessons to the interested parties. Haydn’s written works started spreading in Vienna and around other influential parts of Austria. It was during this time when the classical composer met the Esterhazy family. The countess, Aloysia, liked some of his works and adopted him as her own trainer in instruments. Provision of music lesson services to the royal family member made the composer famous (Michael, 2009). Demonstration of professionalism and competence as an instrumental instructor and a composer earned him high status in the society. This is when Haydn was integrated into the music house owned by Karl von Morzin. Haydn was made the director of music at the house. He was charged with the responsibility of composing all the music writings for the musicians in the house. All the music performed by the musicians under his directorship was his original works (Greene, 2010). In Karl’s music house, the musicians were occupied with regular performance in count occasions for the royal family and other highly esteemed persons in Vienna society. Presence of Haydn in the house resulted on credible demonstration of musical and instrumental prowess by the musicians. Karl recommended regular practice of music lessons by his students. Therefore, the musicians did regular exercises on music instruments, composition and performance. At this time, Karl recognized the significance of Haydn in the practice programs of the subordinate musicians. This is when Hay