Stephen Edwin King - Terror Ink Essays - Danse Macabre, Stephen King

Stephen Edwin King - Terror Ink Stephen Edwin King is one of today's most popular and best selling writers. King combines the elements of psychological thrillers, science fiction, the paranormal, and detective themes into his stories. In addition to these themes, King sticks to using great and vivid detail that is set in a realistic everyday place. Stephen King who is mainly known for his novels, has broadened his horizons to different types of writings such as movie scripts, nonfiction, autobiographies, children's books, and short stories. King's works are so powerful because he uses his experience and observations from his everyday life gives them his unique twist Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine, on September 21, 1947, at the Maine General Hospital. Stephen, his mother Nellie, and his adopted brother David were left to fend for themselves when Stephen's father Donald, a Merchant Marine captain, left one day, to go the store to buy a pack of cigarettes, and never returned. His fathers leaving had a big indirect impact on King's life. In the autobiographical work Danse Macabre, Stephen King recalls how his family life was altered: After my father took off, my mother, struggled, and then landed on her feet. My brother and I didn't see a great deal of her over the next nine years. She worked a succession of continuous low paying jobs. While young, Stephen King and his family moved around the North Eastern and Central United States. When he was seven years old, they moved to Stratford, Connecticut. Here is where King got his first exposure to horror. One evening he listened to the radio adaptation of Ray Bradbury's story Mars Is Heaven! That night King recalls he slept in the doorway, where the real and rational light of the bathroom bulb could shine on my face (Beaham 16). Stephen King's exposure to oral storytelling on the radio had a large impact on his later writings. King tells his stories in visual terms so that the reader would be able to see what was happening in their own mind, somewhat in the same fashion the way it was done on the radio. King's fascination with horror early on continued and was pushed along only a couple weeks after Bradbury's story. One day little Stephen was looking through his mother's books and came across one named The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After his mother finished reading the book to him, Stephen was hooked. He immediately asked her to read it again. King recalls that summer when I was seven, [my mother] must have read it to me half a dozen times(Beaham 17). Ironically that sa me year, while Stephen was still seven years old, he went to go see his first horror movie, The Creature from the Black Lagoon. This is important because Stephen says, Since [the movie], I still see things cinematically. I write down everything I see. What I see, it seems like a movie to me(Beaham 17). It was during this year the biggest event that probably had the biggest impact on Stephen King's writing style was the discovery of the author H. P. Lovecraft. King would later write of Lovecraft, He struck with the most force, and I still think, for all his shortcomings, he is the best writer of horror fiction that America has yet produced(Beaham 22). In many of Lovecraft's writings, he always used his present surroundings as the back drop of his stories. King has followed in his footsteps with the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Castle Rock is a combination of several towns that King moved to and from with his family in his childhood. The main town that it resembles is that of Durham, Maine. It was after the exposure to H. P. Lovecraft's stories that King first began to write. While growing up and moving around the way his family did, King had never been able to ?feel comfortable and settle down in one place and make friends they way other kids his age did? (Underwood 77). Around the age of twelve, the King family finally settled in the town of Durham, Maine. For King, Durham was the place where his imagination began

The Mongol Catastrophe essays

The Mongol Catastrophe essays The Mongol Catastrophe In my opinion this is definitely a neutral description of the Mongols. The document even says itself that the arrival of the Mongols is the greatest catastrophe and the most dire calamity that has ever been afflicted on a society. While reading the article one goes through a number of different feelings. At first glance it seems as if the Mongols are being portrayed as powerful and as a society with no other equal. It says the Tartars conquered the most habitable part of the globe and the most populous part of it where the inhabitants were the most advanced in character and conduct. It also says that no country was able to escape their devastations and conquest. But the article also gives me the impression that the Mongols were somewhat savages and they kind of even reminded me of the Vikings. The Vikings were the most feared of the invaders that began mounting raids in northern France. It talks about how the Mongols have no supplies and how they ride these beast. It also talks ab out how they eat all the beastly animals from dogs to pigs. It also suggest that they regarded nothing as unlawful and dont even recognize the marriage-tie. It even says that their children that were born often dont even know their own father. So in my opinion the primary document depicts the Mongols in both a positive and a negative light. In one sense you get the feeling that they were just a overpowering society that dominated local civilizations but on the other hand they are just simply portrayed as un-mannered savages. The Mongols might be compared to Alexander for a number of different reasons. Similar to the Mongols Alexander the Great gained his power by using military force. Just like the Mongols invaded the eastern lands, Alexander invaded Persia with its 48,000 strong army of Macedonians. They were also similar to the Huns in the sense that they both invaded civilization...

Family and Medical Leave Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Family and Medical Leave Act - Research Paper Example A1. Addressing the Question of whether it matters that a parent literally had nothing to do with a biological child in order for the child to take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for that parent FMLA provides that every eligible employee is entitled to take up to 12 weeks of work leave to take care of a parent suffering from a medical condition. This leave is usually unpaid and the employee’s job is protected during this period1. A parent is defined by the FMLA as a foster, step, biological or adoptive parent, including any individual who represented loco parentis to the employee while he or she was a child2. Loco parentis, means where an individual takes the responsibility of caring for the child with which he has no legal or biological connection. However, the FMLA does not cover leave for parents- in- law, whereas the military has its own provisions as pertains to the definition of a family3. With reference to the case scenario illustrated, the employe e qualifies to take a FMLA leave to take care of his or her biological parent even if the parent did not take care of him as a child (United States Department of Labor, 2010). However, in the cases of a loco parentis the FMLA outlines other individuals whom an employee is allowed by law to go and see in case of illness or accident. These are individuals who acted as proxy for the child in the absentia of his parents and, thus, qualify to be their parents more than their biological parents. In this case scenario, if the loco parentis and the biological parent to the employee happen to be ill, the law provides for the cover of loco parentis unlike the unavailable parent because this is the person who took care of the employee. However, the employee needs to provide documented evidence that ascertains that the loco parentis actually took care of him or her during childhood (United States Department of Labor, 2010). A2. A Discussion as to Whether the size of the business can have any ef fect on whether employee is eligible for family leave under the FMLA A company that has 50 or more employees is required by the FMLA regulations whether the company is non- profit or profit making; private or public. This is since small businesses have been documented to have employees who are less than 50 during a specific period of time. However, in case the company has had 50 employees in the past 20 weeks prior to the current slope in employee number, FMLA requires that the company complies with the FMLA regulation. In case the company has not had 50 employees, the 20 week factor of having a continuous 50 employee is the consideration factor (United States Department of Labor, 2001). Consequently, whether a company has full time or part time workers determines the application of the FMLA. A company that has part time workers is required by the FMLA to provide 12 weeks unpaid leave for an employee either for medical or family reasons on condition that the employee has worked for at least 1250 hours. This excludes time off and the part time employee needs to have worked for more than 12 months to qualify for this recommendation. Though the leave of part time workers is unpaid, FMLA expects that the company will continue providing health care benefits for the employee on leave, and consequently restore him or her to his original position once their leave is over (United States De

The Religion of Rastafarianism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The Religion of Rastafarianism - Term Paper Example The ideology of Rastafarianism emerged from the black peasants and the working classes. The ideology evolved from the interpretation of the prophecy in the bible as Garvey proclaimed that a Black King would be born and crowned the Redeemer (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). The crowning of Ras Tafari Makonnen as the king of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930, was a strengthened the movement. When he was crowned the king, Tafari claimed the title of Emperor Haile Selassie I, which meant the power of the Trinity. Other titles accorded to Selassie included King of Kings and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. The Rastafari movement gained prominence and immense following during the 1930s. This precipitated the spread of the movement from Jamaica to the rest of the Caribbean. Apart from Marcus Garvey, some of the movements’ early leaders included Leonard Howell who was arrested because of spreading a doctrine that was perceived as revolutionary. The arrest of Howell strengthened the movement in Jamaica and other Caribbean nations (MacFarlane, Nathaniel, and William 1-50). Garveyism and the doctrines of Marcus Garvey contributed to the Rastafarian movement in numerous ways. Garveyism was instrumental to the spread of Rastafarianism as it advocated for the freedom of blacks from social, economic, as well as political oppression by the whites. Garveysim advocated for the unity of blacks both in Africa and abroad. Marcus Garvey enlightened both the peasants and bourgeoisie in Jamaica by instilling in them the hope that the future will be bright. Garvey prophesied that Africa and Africans would unite and rise against the powers of the west.  Ã‚  

Missouri Compromise Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Missouri Compromise - Term Paper Example Missouri Compromise The period 1813 to 1820, an Era in which good things were just beginning to trickle down; an oftentimes referred to as the â€Å"Era of Good Feelings†; the Missouri compromise, an event that is believed to have had a major role in shaping the course of American history struck. As a matter of fact, even the colonists before the birth of the nation had been listening to their consciences, and knew in their minds that slavery was indeed, wrong. Thus, it was time to take note and recognize how cruel the vice actually was. Finally, in 1820, a minority of congressmen rose up and took an expressive stand. However small, important steps had to be made toward attainment of equal rights. The events preceding the compromise came at a time when James Monroe had taken office as the president of the new Republic with only one political faction inexistence, that being the Democratic-Republicans. Although there were a number of diverse issues to be tackled ranging from Taxation dilemmas to particular internal improvements that sprung from the Federalists ideals; a precise balance within the Senate of Congress equating the number of representative for free and slave states was regarded important in terms of house voting, and was to be upheld no matter the prevailing circumstances. Holding other factors such as the supply of cheap land constant, because freedom had to be sought anyway, Missouri soon applied for recognition as full fledged member of the union as a slave state.

Energy Meter Reading Using Bluetooth Technology

Energy Meter Reading Using Bluetooth Technology This project is designed with microcontroller, Bluetooth transmitter Receiver, and data cable with PC. Bluetooth is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs).Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices such as mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers, digital cameras, and video game consoles over a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency. In microcontroller we can program the cost per unit. So it receives the pulse from signal conditioning unit and increments the count value. Corresponding unit and cost are displayed on the LCD display. In this project the energy meter will send the meter reading to the Bluetooth device via the microcontroller. The Bluetooth thus transmits the data and sends it to the receiving side which will be indicated on the computer screen. The reading can be sent back after sufficient calculation to the energy meter display via Bluetooth devices. Introduction: A huge manpower is arranged by electric power company to collect the electricity meter reading. It is a costly job and easily getting wrong readings. In some cases, the staff of electric power company is not able to enter the private house and hence needed to estimate the power usage. An innovative solution is created to simplify the job by using Bluetooth technology. Meter reading can be taken easily and efficiently by using a Bluetooth device connected to the electric power meters with Bluetooth module installed. By using this solution, it eliminates the human error and does not need to estimate the electricity usage anymore. As a result, electric power company can reduce the operation time dramatically. This project basically aims to provide a new wireless design for Energy Meter Reading using Bluetooth Technology. Traditional system: During a research at the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, a questionnaire was conducted about the traditional methods of Assessment of Meter Reading followed in Tamil Nadu and was found that few years ago there were readings taken manually and costs generated by manual calculation which has now been replaced by the project called BEST (Billing for Essential Services in TNEB) scheme which has two phases of implementation. With this project TNEB plans to computerize all their collection centers spread across Tamil Nadu. A handheld device is used by the assessor to generate the bill of the consumer based on the observed reading. The remote rural office of TNEB is being connected to a circle office and the circle office is being connected to the Regional office. Gemini Communication Ltd (GCL), a Chennai based leader in Communication Networking solutions did the first phase for about 456 Collection centers spread across 9 regions and deployed the servers and storage products for this network and hence the data that is being typed in at the remote rural office will automatically be saved in the server of the Regional office. In the second phase TNEB would implement the system in 8 regions catering to 1725 collection centers. This is the second phase of the project and will be used by 8 Chief Engineers and expected to benefit over 1.5 crore consumers. Proposed system: However in the existing system there is no solution provided for the misread meters and manual errors by the assessors. Also it does not provide a solution to reduce the manpower required as assessors. The proposed method is that of a wireless meter reading system. A mobile van or motorbike can be used by the staff to visit a street and it is required to enter only the building code to access all the meter readings of the building. The proposed design involves a microcontroller block that read up to 16 energy meters per building. Then the bill of the individual meter will be generated and displayed on the LCD screen of the microcontroller at the consumer end. This system will provide the readings of each and every meter in a building even if the staff is unable to enter the building. There are further uses of this system which are mentioned in the advantages section. Originality/value: This system has many significant excellences, such as wireless networking, low-workload, great quantity of data transmission, time- saving, security. It is an integrated system with complete hardware, software, and database implementation. Block diagram: Devices used and working: 1. Electricity meter The first block is an electric meter that is to be read. An Electric meter or energy meter is a device that measures the amount of electrical energy supplied to a residence or business. These are customers of an electric company. The most common type is more properly known as a (kilo) watt-hour meter or a joule meter. Utilities record the values measured by these meters to generate an invoice for the electricity. They may also record other variables including the time when the electricity was used. Fig.1: Energy Meter Typical Energy meter data 5-10 v 240 v 50 Hz 1200 revs/kwh 2. IR Transmitter and receiver For the microcontroller to understand the meter reading, we need an IR setup which consists of an IR transmitter and receiver. The transmitter transmits an IR ray via a hole made in the meter disc, and the receiver receives it whenever the hole comes right in straight line with the IR ray. This happens on completion of each revolution of the disc. So this ensures that the microcontroller has track of each revolution and the counter works accordingly. A typical Infrared diode emits a beam of light that reaches the device. A 940 nm wavelength LED is typical. This infrared light is invisible to the human eye but carries signals that are detected by the appliance, as well as by the sensor of a digital camera. The presence of a carrier signal can be used to trigger a function. After the demodulation of the received signal, the appropriate frequency filters are applied to separate the respective signals. Nowadays digital procedures are more commonly used. Fig.2: IR transmitter and receiver 3. Digital comparator The comparator shown in the block diagram is used to sense a high pulse each time the IR receiver receives an IR light. And the comparator compares the coming signal to previous signal. If they are different the output is given as high and if they are same the output is zero. This ensures that when the meter stops on one reading the microcontroller stops counting. A digital comparator is a hardware electronic device that compares two numbers in binary form and generates a one or a zero at its output depending on whether they are the same or not. A comparator can be simulated by subtracting the two values (A B) in question and checking if the result is zero. This works because if A = B then A B = 0. Comparator Operation Input Vs. Output Results Current WILL flow through the open collector when the voltage at the PLUS input is lower than the voltage at the MINUS input of the opamp. Current WILL NOT flow through the open collector when the voltage at the PLUS input is higher than the voltage at the MINUS input of the opamp. 4. 8051 Microcontroller The microcontroller is used to count the pulses coming from the comparator output and to interface it to the Bluetooth device for Transmission and reception. It also interfaces to the LCD display so that the incoming Bill details can be displayed. The microcontroller consists of following sections: 4 Kb program memory. 128Kb RAM (including SFR(special function registers) as well) satisfies basic needs. 4 ports having in total of 32 input/output lines exist. Fig.3: 8051 Pinout and Basic Architecture The diagram above shows the 8051 pinout. The chip is a 40-pin package. Port 0 pins 32 to 39 make up the 8-bit I/O port 0. However, if external memory is used, these lines are used as a multiplexed address and data bus. Port 1 pins 1 to 8 make up the 8-bit I/O port 1. Port 2 pins 21 to 28 make up the 8-bit I/O port 2. However, if external memory is used, these lines make up the high-byte of the external address (A8 to A15). Port 3 pins 10 to 17 make up the 8-bit I/O port 3. However, each of these eight pins also has an alternate function, as detailed in the table below: External data memory read strobe RST the reset input is on pin 9. This pin is used for resetting the 8051 (i.e.; loading the PC with the correct startup value). EA-bar the external access, on pin 31, is used for enabling or disabling the on-chip ROM. When tied high (5V), the 8051 executes instructions in internal ROM when executing in the lower 4K (8K for the 8052) of memory. If tied low the 8051 will always execute instructions in external memory. The 8031 and 8032 should always have pin 31 tied low as there is no internal code memory. ALE the address latch enable is on pin 30. The ALE is used for latching the low byte of the address into an external register. PSEN-bar the program store enable is an output signal on pin 29. This signal is used for fetching instructions from external code memory. The microcontroller memory is divided into Program Memory and Data Memory. Program Memory (ROM) is used for permanent saving program being executed, while Data Memory (RAM) is used for temporarily storing and keeping intermediate results and variables. All 8051 microcontrollers have 16-bit addressing bus and can address 64 kb memory. 5. Bluetooth The Bluetooth device is used create the contact between the Consumerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s meter and the Assessorà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s laptop or any Bluetooth enabled device which has the Billing Software in it. Bluetooth is the term used to describe the protocol of a short range (10 meter) frequency-hopping radio link between devices. Bluetooth is acceptable for situations when two or more devices are in proximity to each other and dont require high bandwidth. Bluetooth networking transmits data via low-power radio waves at frequency of 2.45 gigahertz (actually between 2.402 GHz and 2.480 GHz, to be exact). This frequency band has been set aside by international agreement for the use of industrial, scientific and medical devices (ISM). A personal computer must have a Bluetooth adapter in order to be able to communicate with other Bluetooth devices (such as mobile phones, mice and keyboards). 6. Visual Basic The software used to enter the received readings and generate the billing cost details is Visual Basic as the front-end software and SQL as the back-end software where the database of each consumer gets stored. Visual Basic is a Graphics User Interface (GUI). The main object in Visual Basic is called a form. Controls are things like text boxes, check boxes and command buttons. Controls are chosen from the Visual Basic à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"tool boxà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ . Once forms/controls are created, you can change the properties (appearance, structure etc.) related to those objects in that particular objects properties window. From this window, you choose the property you want to change from the list and change its corresponding setting. Once all your objects are created, you can combine them to form a single executable program that can be run outside of the Visual Basic environment, in Microsoft Windows as shown: Advantages: Issues with Stand-alone meter reading Highly Person dependant. Human errors cannot be avoided. Accessibility of meters in rural/ Agricultural zones. Energy Audits performed based on bill collection which is highly inaccurate. Billing done mainly on estimated/ monthly average basis Inability to monitor and control discrete loads Billing cycle requires excessive time. Electric company benefits Smart automated processes instead of manual work Accurate information from the network load to optimise maintenance and investments Customized rates and billing dates. Streamlined high bill investigations. Better network performance and cost efficiency. Demand and distribution management. More intelligence to business planning. Better company credibility. Customer benefits Precise consumption information Clear and accurate billing Better and faster customer service Disadvantages: Applying the system in large area with multiple subscribers is not a straightforward task; the system may need some modifications. Bluetooth device costs are affordable only by Apartment residents or residents of colonies but not independents. Future developments: In our project we have used the old fashion mechanically operating meters but they are easy to tamper with. In future digital meters can be used for this project once they become cheaper. The other proposed advancement that can be made is the use of other wireless communication devices. Bluetooth model was used by us essentially for lab testing purposes. The more favourable options could be Modems and Zigbee devices that provide both range and better security. They were not chosen for this project due to budget restrictions.

George Elton Mayo Essay -- essays research papers fc

Elton Mayo was born in Adelaide, South Australia on 26 December 1880 and died in Guildford, Surrey on 1 September 1949. He was the second child of a respected colonial family; his father was a civil engineer, and his mother Henrietta Mary neà © Donaldson was devoted to her children’s education and success. Elton was expected to follow his grandfather into medicine, but failed at university studies and was sent to Britain. Here he turned to writing, wrote on Australian politics for the Pall Mall Gazette and taught at the Working Men’s College in London. He then returned to Australia to work in an Adelaide publishing business where his radical management practices were not appreciated. He returned to university and became the most brilliant student of the philosopher Sir William Mitchell, won prizes for scholarship and in 1912 was appointed a foundation lecturer in philosophy and education at the newly established university in Queensland. Here he married Dorothea McCon nel, who had been educated in landscape art at the Sorbonne and frequently visited Europe. They had two daughters, Patricia Elton Mayo, who would follow her father’s management thinking and had an interesting sociological career, and Ruth, who became a British artist and novelist and took the name Gael Elton Mayo. Mayo taught philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, economics, education and the new psychology of Freud, Jung and especially Pierre Janet. From the beginning he trained himself in public speaking, and became an outstanding lecturer. He spoke at Worker’s Education Association classes and tutorials, and addressed unions and professional bodies. He much impressed Bronislaw Malinowski when they met in 1914, and they became good friends. During the First World War he served on government bodies, advised on the organization of work for the war effort, wrote and lectured on industrial and political psychology and psychoanalysis, and contributed a lively piece (Mayo and Booth 1916) to Lady Galway’s Belgium Book. He was made a professor of philosophy in his university’s reorganization after the war. With a young Brisbane doctor, Thomas R.H. Matthewson, who had sought advice on the management of patients suffering war neurosis, Mayo refined his clinical skills in psychotherapy. He began to apply his observations on Matthewson’s patients, and the ideas of the new psychology to political and industria... ...ridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Mayo, E. and Booth, A. (1916) ‘Ring Down the Curtain’, in M.C. Galway (ed.), Lady Galway’s Belgium Book, Adelaide: Hussey and Gillingham, 40–48. Roethlisberger, F.J. (1977) The Elusive Phenomena, Boston: Division of Research, Harvard School of Business Administration. Roethlisberger, F.J. and Dickson, W.J. (1939) Management and the Worker, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Trahair, R.C.S. (1981) ‘Early Contributions to the Political Psychology of Elton Mayo’, in J. Walter (ed.), Reading Life Histories: Griffith Papers on Biography, Canberra: Australian University Press, 56–69. ——— (1982) ‘Elton Mayo and the Political Psychology of Harold D. Lasswell’, Political Psychology 3: 170–88. ——— (1984a) The Humanist Temper: The Life and Work of Elton Mayo, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction. ——— (1984b) ‘The Life and Work of Elton Mayo’, in B.J. Fallon, H.P. Pfister and J. Brebner (eds), Advances in Industrial Organizational Psychology, Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1–9. Whitehead, T.N. (1938) The Industrial Worker: A Statistical Study of Human Relations in a Group of Manual Workers, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2 vols.