Purpose Of Human Life Essays - Theatre Of The Absurd,

Purpose Of Human Life The purpose of human life is an unanswerable question. It seems impossible to find an answer because we don't know where to begin looking or whom to ask. Existence, to us, seems to be something imposed upon us by an unknown force. There is no apparent meaning to it, and yet we suffer as a result of it. The world seems utterly chaotic. We therefore try to impose meaning on it through pattern and fabricated purposes to distract ourselves from the fact that our situation is hopelessly unfathomable. Waiting for Godot is a play that captures this feeling and view of the world, and characterizes it with archetypes that symbolize humanity and its behaviour when faced with this knowledge. According to the play, a human being's life is totally dependant on chance, and, by extension, time is meaningless; therefore, a human+s life is also meaningless, and the realization of this drives humans to rely on nebulous, outside forces, which may be real or not, for order and direction. The basic premise of the play is that chance is the underlying factor behind existence. Therefore human life is determined by chance. This is established very early on, when Vladimir mentions the parable of the two thieves from the Bible. One of the thieves was saved. It's a reasonable percentage (Beckett, 8). The idea of percentage is important because this represents how the fate of humanity is determined; it is random, and there is a percentage chance that a person will be saved or damned. Vladimir continues by citing the disconcordance of the Gospels on the story of the two thieves. And yet...how is it - this is not boring you I hope - how is it that of the four Evangelists only one speaks of a thief being saved. The four of them were there - or thereabouts - and only one speaks of a thief being saved (Beckett, 9). Beckett makes an important point with this example of how chance is woven into even the most sacred of texts that is supposed to hold ultimate truth for humanity. All four disciples of Chirst are supposed to have been present during his crucifixion and witnessed the two thieves, crucified with Jesus, being saved or damned depending on their treatment of him in these final hours. Of the four, only two report anything peculiar happening with the thieves. Of the two that report it, only one says that a thief was saved while the other says that both were damned. Thus, the percentages go from 100%, to 50%, to a 25% chance for salvation. This whole matter of percentages symbolizes how chance is the determining factor of existence, and Beckett used the Bible to prove this because that is the text that humanity has looked to for meaning for millenia. Even the Bible reduces human life to a matter of chance. On any given day there is a certain percent chance that one will be saved as opposed to damned, and that person is powerless to affect the decision. The fate of the thieves, one of whom was saved and the other damned according to the one of the four accounts that everybody believes, becomes as the play progresses a symbol of the condition of man in an unpredictable and arbitrary universe (Webb, 32). God, if he exists, contributes to the chaos by his silence. The very fact that God allows such an arbitrary system to continue makes him an accomplice. The French philosopher Pascal noted the arbitrariness of life and that the universe worked on the basis of percentages. He advocated using such arbitrariness to one's advantage, including believing in God because, if he doesn't exist, nobody would care in the end, but if he does, one was on the safe side all along, so one can't lose. It is the same reasoning that Vladimir uses in his remark quoted above, It's a reasonable percentage. But it is God's silence throughout all this that causes the real hopelessness, and this is what makes Waiting for Godot a tragedy amidst all the comical actions of its characters: the silent plea to God for meaning, for answers, which symbolizes the plea of all humanity, and God's silence in response. The recourse to bookkeeping by the philosopher [Pascal] no less than the clownish tramp shows how helpless we are with respect to God+s silence (Astro, 121). Either God does not exist, or he does not care. Whichever is the case, chance and arbitrariness determine human life in the absence of

Lab report for sheep facility Essay

Lab report for sheep facility Essay Lab report for sheep facility Essay ANS 41L Long Report about Sheep Industry The sheep facility we visited was started in 1880. It is a commercial sheep farm, which only has no purebred sheep. There are about 1300 ewes and 37 rams. Most of the sheep are crossbred with Rambouillet and Dorset genetic. All of them are white face sheep. The crossbred they have is to improve meat quality. Also, the way to choose ram is according to EPD value. Comparing the data we collect from the producer to the America Sheep Industry Association Survey 2010 data, we can find that some values are quit similar. For example, ASI 2010 survey shows that percentage of lamb born per ewe is 158.65%ï ¼Å'and percentage of lamb wean is 145.80%. This sheep farm we visited have a 140% lambing and weaning percentage. There are still many differences. The breed this sheep farm has are only white face breeds. According to ASI 2010 survey, it show that producer on average keep 13.3% Suffolk and 9.5% Rambouillet in their flock. Suffolk is black face sheep. However, this producer keeps none of black face sheep. The producer gives reasons for why they have white face sheep instead of black face sheep. White face breed have longer longevity and better wool. They have relative less problems. So it is easier for them to keep white face sheep on the farm. The farm also does better in some aspects compare to the average data collect by ASI (ASI, 2010). For example, their culling percentage is 10%, which is much lower than 19.42% from the ASI survey. Their lambing season is different from common sheep industry. They have spring and fall two lambing seasons. The breeding times matched to these two laming time are May and October. The advantage for having these two lambing seasons is that there will be more and better forage after the lamb coming out. Most of the sheep are fall lambing. According to Cruces’s article, there are three different seasonal breeding: spring, fall and winter (Cruces, 2001). However, spring may be a bette r season for lambing than fall because it follows the sheep’s breeding and lambing time. Higher lamb crop will be expected in spring than fall (Cruces, 2001). Also, fall lambing will have more heat stress to deal with. However, this producer did not mention how he solves this problem. This farm did not use AI for breeding. AI is not common used by sheep industry. Although, AI can use frozen ram semen, which may benefic in reproduction, it is still too costly because the producer said that AI in sheep needs surgical procedure (Cruces, 2001). Castration and tail docking time are similar to common sheep industry. This farm does these procures early on one to two days age. Cruces stated that these procedures should be done by 7 to 10 day of age, the early the better (Cruces, 2001). The producer sated that it is less painful and faster recovery if the procedures are done at very early age. There are two aspects impressing me very much: grain-growing work with sheep rising and elec trical recording system. One third of the total area is used to grow grain, depending on the seasons. The rest of the acres are pastures for sheep. The producer use sheep to clean up the field after the grain harvest. Sheep can clean up the left over, as well as the weeds. It is a very clever system because the sheep and grain production benefit each other. They can spend less time, money and energy. Also, the electronic microchip recording system amazed me. The ear tagging not only contains the number to show the identification of the sheep but also records the data of the sheep. When the producer scans the ear tagging, it will show the information of that sheep. It is a very convenient way to track each sheep, and the data is very easy to assess. However, the operation is still facing many challenging. As the

Printable Chemistry Quiz - Lab Safety Quiz

Printable Chemistry Quiz - Lab Safety Quiz You can take this printable chemistry quiz online or print it out to try later. This multiple choice test covers basic lab safety concepts. You may wish to review lab safety before you get started. You should pipette by mouth:(a) Always. Its a fast and efficient method of measuring liquids.(b) Only when you cant find a pipette bulb or think it might be dirty.(c) Only when you are sure your instructor, lab assistant, or co-worker isnt looking.(d) Never. And if you thought about answering yes to any other the other choices, should be expelled.When you are finished using a Bunsen burner you should:(a) Leave it on for the next person to use. Its the only considerate choice.(b) Cover the burner with an inverted beaker to suffocate the flame. It works well for candles, too.(c) Pull off the hose connecting the burner to the gas. The burner wont have gas, so it wont be on fire.(d) Turn off the gas. Duh!If you feel dizzy or sick while working near the fume hood you should:(a) Head out to grab a cola or a snack. Maybe its low blood sugar. Dont tell anyone - why bother them.(b) Meh, no big deal. Do nothing. Fume hoods always protect you from harmful chemicals. The sooner you get finished the sooner you can leave.(c) Report your symptoms to whoever is responsible for that fume hood. It might be nothing, but on the other hand, maybe the hood wasnt functioning properly and you were exposed to something. Look up the MSDS for whatever was in the hood, too. Leave the lab, after contacting the proper person. If you catch on fire you should:(a) Panic. Yelling FIRE at the top of your lungs to let others know about the danger is good. Be sure to run as quickly as possible to blow out the flame.(b) Water fixes everything. Head for the nearest safety shower and drown the flame.(c) Pull the fire alarm and look for help. Hope the fire doesnt burn you too badly before you can take some form of action.(d) Smother the flame. Those blankets in the lab are there for a reason. Some fire doesnt really care about water, but all flames need oxygen. Get help, too. You werent working alone in the lab though, right?Your glassware is clean enough to eat off of, which is why you poured yourself a refreshing glass of water into a beaker to quench your thirst. Too bad you didnt label it. You should:(a) Go on with your business. Are you saying there is some safety issue here? I scoff at you!(b) Just be really careful about keeping it separate from other beakers filled with clear liquid.Hydrochloric acid.. water .. there is a difference, but I can smell the acid before I drink it.(c) Label it before you forget which beaker it is. Youre sure there are no residual chemicals in the glassware and positive nothing could accidentally splash into your drink.(d) Look back to an earlier answer about how you should be slapped for stupidity. Food and drinks dont belong in the lab. Period. You really want to impress a certain person in your lab. You should:(a) Be sure to wear contacts, not glasses, and just be really careful about chemical fumes. Got long hair? Dont tie it back, flaunt it. Nice legs? Wear something short, with sandals to show off those toes. Also, impress him or her by doing something daring in the lab. Choose something involving fire.(b) Ditch the lab coat and goggles. Dress to impress. Theres no way the person can tell your fashion sense when you cover it with safety gear.(c) Hey.. lab coats are cool! Only ditch the goggles.(d) Impress him or her with how incredibly competent you are in the lab. That includes your ability to follow safe lab procedures.You are really curious about chemistry and chemical reactions. You wonder what would happen if you mixed chemicals in a different way or introduced something new into a procedure. You should:(a) Stomp that curiosity down. Chemists do what they are told. Nothing more, nothing less.(b) Run with it. Mix an d match chemicals to your hearts desire. Whats the worst that could happen? Explosion? You laugh. Toxic fumes? As if.(c) Get the Nobel prize for your brilliance. But first.. lets try things and see how they work. But as for the scientific method and making predictions? Thats for sissies.(d) Be applauded for your curiosity, imagination, and quest for innovation, but be very, very careful about altering procedures. If its a lab experiment for a grade, dont deviate from the procedure. Otherwise, make a prediction about what could happen based on your observations. Research possible reactions and consequences before playing mix-and-match in the lab. There is a container on the lab bench containing some unknown chemical. You should:(a) Dump it, wash the glassware. Some people are slobs.(b) Move it out of the way in case it is dangerous. Otherwise, not your problem.(c) Leave it. The rightful owner will claim it eventually.(d) Find your lab supervisor and ask what to do. If you are the lab supervisor, remove the container (noting its location), hunt down the offender, and try to get some idea what could be in the beaker so you know how to dispose of it.If you break a mercury thermometer, or otherwise spill mercury, you should:(a) Leave it for others to find. Accidents happen. Its pretty obvious it was mercury. No big deal.(b) Grab some paper towels, clean it up, and throw it away. Problem solved.(c) Clean it up, being sure to throw away the mercury-contaminated items where heavy metals go. Dont bother anyone about the spill though. What they dont know cant hurt them.(d) Leave it alone, but call your instructor or lab assistant over immediately to deal with the spill. Youre alone? Call whoever is responsible for lab accidents. Only clean up the spill if you have been trained to deal with mercury. Dont pretend like it didnt happen. You see someone in your lab engaged in an unsafe lab practice. You should:(a) Point and laugh. They will clue in and change their behavior from the humiliation.(b) Point and laugh and tell the person what an idiot he or she is being, and why the lab practice is unsafe.(c) Ignore them. Not your problem.(d) Nicely, politely point out the possible danger and how to avoid it. Youre non-confrontational? Find someone with more courage who can tactfully correct the problem. (Okay, maybe if its pipetting by mouth or thwacking the cap on an ether bottle with a screwdriver the second answer is worth considering.) Answers:1 d, 2 d, 3 c, 4 d, 5 d, 6 d, 7 d, 8 d, 9 d, 10 d This quiz is available in an online format that is scored automatically. Lab Safety Quiz Key Takeaways Know the location and proper operation of safety equipment.Follow proper procedures in the lab.If you see something, say something. Dont ignore safety issues.If an accident occurs, immediately report it.

History and Culture of Medieval Italy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History and Culture of Medieval Italy - Essay Example For more than four centuries Italians were struggling to preserve their identity. Italy cannot be referred to it as merely the geographic unity, it is the national identity shaped and modified by culture of Medieval Italy which evolved into the nation known as "Italians" to the world today. From the early medieval ages, Italians were different from their neighbours. They preferred to live on the tops of the hills, while the Romans lived in the valleys (Hodges 47). Based on the interpretation of the medieval monastic sources, hilltop villages evolved along with the Italian life out of the introduction of the monetary economy in the 9th century. This transformation has led to the process of incastellamento - the foundation of castelli on the top of the hills. Notably, Italian cities had the tendency not to grow, but to reduce as well. Unlike many other Italian urban centres, Florence's growth has declined in the 7th and 8th centuries, while Rome and Milan became the centres occupied only by aristocracy. Rural estates and houses of aristocracy were built in the distinct towns. Hodges continues that "the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 6th century led to the rural communities of the peasants reshaping the landscape and defining their own rules" (48). The economy activity in rural regions was insignificant and there is the evidence that town and country were truly separated in economic, social and political life. Even though Italy was the distinct community with common heritage, culture was embraced by only a handful of intellectuals – Dante, Petrarch, historian Guicciardini, and few others. ... Their works were the bonds of material and emotional importance which linked together the peninsular inhabitants and counterbalanced its fragmented structure. "While the Latin language had been replaced by a cluster of regional dialects, it remained the standard mode of discourse of university education and of the professions of law, medicine, and theology" (Brucker 1). In addition to common language, Italians shared the same administration of justice - it was based on the principles of Roman law and applied in every Italian court. The power of Roman papacy in Italy was due to its wealth, administrative structure, and regulation of religious practices and beliefs. Despite of the great influence of Roman Empire over the Italy, Italian cities and towns managed to retain the physical features of those ancient sites. A native of Naples could travel to any other city and feel at home: the buildings, the streets, the social structure and culture were all the same (Brucker 1). Traders were the most cosmopolitan segment of the medieval Italy and travelled along with the pilgrims, soldiers seeking employment and workers. Such unity with the citizens without permanent place of living and similarity of all towns, helped to create the feeling of belonging to the community larger than their native village. The Roman papacy was the only Italian institution that provided the focus on the Italian history in the early medieval ages. The papacy had the direct influence on the every region and medieval popes were so preoccupied with the concerns for their security as well as with the expanding authority over the whole society, that they unwillingly shaped the Italian national identity.

Tranexamic Acid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tranexamic Acid - Essay Example The researchers indicate that tranexamic acid is an effective antifibrinolytic agent. Tranexamic acid competes with lysine for the binding sites on the plasminogen molecules. Thus, it effectively inhibits the formation of plasmin. The binding of tranexamic acid on lysine binding sites located on plasminogen molecules is reversible. Other studies have shown that a good number of orthopedics use tranexamic acid because of its safety, efficacy and affordability. The researchers conducted a double blind study involving 40 patients who had to undergo a unilateral TNR for osteoarthritis. The study occurred in a tertiary health care facility after obtaining approval from the hospital’s ethics committee. The procedure was conducted by three experienced orthopedic surgeons. The study aimed at determining whether tranexamic acid significantly reduces post operative blood loss and the need for blood transfusion in Indian patients undergoing TKR. One half of the group was given 10mg/kg of tranexamic acid prior to the surgery. The placebo group was given normal saline without tranexamic acid. The study found out that tranexamic acid significantly reduces post operative blood loss and the need for blood transfusions in patients undergoing TKR. However, the study lacked sufficient clinical evidence and literature to support the findings. The usefulness of the study to my research is that it illustrated the significance of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss during surgical procedures. Furthermore, same results were posted in the study carried out by Dunn and Goa. The researchers’ study methodology relied on meta-analysis of previous studies. One study reported that the need for transfusion was reduced by 60% in patients administered with aprotinin (1005). On the other hand, the study indicated that administration of tranexamic acid reduced the need for transfusion by 43% (1005). In order to validate this information, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis of previous studies. The researchers utilized literatures that have been in the journals since 1966. The researchers used Adibase to locate literatures. In addition, the researchers found references from the list of published journals resourceful. The study endeavored to explore the use of tranexamic acid in surgery and other indications in order to recommend its usefulness and effects associated with its use. The researchers revealed that tranexamic acid can be used in various hemorrhagic conditions. They reported the acid can significantly reduce post operative blood lose and the need for blood transfusion. They noted that the acid is affordable and tolerable when compared to aprotinin. In addition, the researchers found out that tranexamic acid reduces mortality and urgent surgery in patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The acid can also be use as an alternative to surgery in menorrhagia, reduces menstrual blood loss and, has been effectively used in reducing bleeding during child birth. The research seems to have been limited to literature that could be accessed via the search engine. The researchers also concentrated on past literature in evaluating their objective.

History-failure of Italian Revolutionaries Essay Example for Free

History-failure of Italian Revolutionaries Essay There were several factors affecting the failure of the Italian revolutionaries in the years 1820-49. Although the lack of popular support was a contributing factor, it is far less significant when compared to other aspects of the failure such as the intervention and military strength of Austria, the lack of unity between various revolutionary factions and the lack of outside help from other countries. One of the key factors of the revolutionary’s failures was due to the repeated involvement by Austria and its imposing army, who were a major force in Europe and the world at the time. Led by Metternich, the Austrian’s quashed revolution after revolution. For example, in 1821, where King Ferdinand had granted his state, Naples, a constitution out of ‘fear’, he appealed to Metternich for help, who duly obliged as he opposed the revolutionaries because they ‘disturbed the peace’ in the whole region. Therefore, in March 1821, Austrian troops marched into Naples and easily overran the rebel forces with a superior army in strength, training and weaponry. This made it almost impossible for any revolutionary group, whether united or separate, to outmatch the Austrians, whose military strength was far greater than the revolutionaries. This also occurred in 1848, when Charles Albert, revolutionary king of the most powerful state, Piedmont was twice devastated by the Austrian’s. First, in June, he was defeated in Custoza and forced to sign an armistice withdrawing from Lombardy and again in March 1849 where he was heavily defeated in Novaro. This was a theme throughout the entire time period of 1820-49, with Metternich crushing revolutions in Piedmont, Lombardy and Sicily among others, with this trend only declining when revolutions arose in Vienna, forcing Metternich to focus on events closer to home. Therefore Austrian military might was an overwhelmingly strong factor in the failure of every revolution in this time period. Another reason for the failures was a distinct lack of unity in almost all of the revolution, with the groups from different states and areas refusing to cooperate with each other as they were in the main more concerned with local affairs than the bigger picture of a united Italy. For example, in 1832, Modena appealed for help from the  revolutionary government of Bologna for no particular reason other than they didn’t want to communicate or cooperate with one another. Another example is the Sicilian revolutions. They started a revolution in their capital city of Palermo and had soon ousted the previous regime to replace it with a revolutionary provisional government. However, when revolutions spread to the mainland of Naples a few days later, they had no plans of assisting them; instead making their policies clear by breaking away from Naples and becoming an independent state. Instead of national or regional unity, they instead, from the entire period of 1820-1848, wanted a free and sovereign country of their own. The fact that the different groups didn’t cooperate with one another, and in some cases, such as this, had entirely dissimilar aims for having a revolution, meant that they could easily be overridden one by one because individually they were very weak. A lack of outside help from other countries that were meant to be enemies with Austria did not help the revolutionaries cause. At the beginning of the revolutions in 1820, fresh off the back of the establishment of the new republic in France after the French revolutions, there was the hope that they would support the Italian revolutionaries in overthrowing their reactionary rulers, just as the French had done to their own monarchs less than 30 years before. In 1831 as well, despite appeals for French help, their pleas were ignored and Austria swept the isolated revolutions aside. In fact, instead of assisting the revolutionaries, in 1848 they instead intervened seemingly on the other side of the revolutions in order to assist the Pope, but in doing so they overpowered the Roman Republic, a revolutionary area headed by Giuseppe Mazzini. The French military brought hardship upon the people of the Rome after defeating Mazzini, seemingly in a hypocritical way as they themselves had fought to rid themselves of an iron grip previously but were instead now the iron grip rulers. On the Popes return, the repressive regime present before the Roman Republic returned. This shows that the French were far more against the revolutions than for them. They would’ve been the natural protector of the revolutions due to their recent history and their hatred of Austria, but it wasn’t to be and this was a key reason in why the uprisings ultimately all failed. Despite these reasons, the lack of popular support was no doubt a contributing  factor into the revolutions failure. The fact that in most states, around 90% of the population were peasants, but were not included in any decisions or contributed to the fighting effort meant that there was never likely to be popular support, because peasants views were not heard so their living conditions wouldn’t necessarily change no matter who was in charge. They would most likely have very little idea of what was even happening in their state. For example, in 1831 the peasants were deliberately excluded from taking part in any form of the revolutions, except for in Sicily where peasants were involved. This was due to the fact that the middle class professionals believed that the poorly educated peasants would end up being detrimental to the cause and would spark their own revolution fighting for their rights and eventually leading to the rule of the mob. Overall, there were several key factors in the failure of the revolutions between 1820 and 1849, such as the might of Austria, the distinct lack of unity between revolutionary divisions and the lack of allies from the international community. Despite the importance of these factors, the lack of popular support cannot be ignored as a factor, but the middle classes had a steadfast fear that if they permitted peasant help, they would turn the cause into riots. This was seen in Sicily where peasant assistance was encouraged, but ended in the masses destroying property, freeing prisoners and burning tax collection papers, as they had the sole intention of causing anarchy. Therefore, the lack of popular support was not a crucial factor but merely a side point in the revolutions failures.

Dr. Abdus Salam :: biographies biography bio

Dr. Salam was born in the small village of Jhang, present day Pakistan in 1926 where he attended the first few years of school. His father was an official in the Department of Education for the poor farming district. A fast learner Dr. Salam attended the University of the Punjab at the age of 13 and at the age of 14 he received the highest numbers ever recorder for the Matriculation Examination at the university. Due to his outstanding grades he received a full scholarship to the Government College, University of Punjab. In 1946 he obtained his MA in physics and then that very same year he was awarded with a scholarship to St. John's College, Cambridge where he got a double BA with honors in mathematics and physics in 1949 and then a Ph. D in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge in 1952. At this point in his he had already received the Smith's Prize by the University of Cambridge for the most outstanding pre-doctoral contribution to physics (1950). Then in 1951 Dr. Salam returned to his roots to teach mathematics at the Government College, Lahore, Pakistan. Since Dr. Salam was a man who was very devoted to his religion and because he belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect, considered heretical by many Muslims, he decided to leave his beloved Pakistan when the stigma of being a part of the Ahmadiyya sect became too much and the realization that he would not be able to continue his research in physics in such conditions. So in 1954 Dr. Salam left Pakistan for a lectureship at Cambridge. After many years of contributions to the world of physics at many different schools and institutions, including, Cambridge, London University, Imperial College of London, Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, and many others, in 1979 Dr. Salam received a Nobel Prize in physics for the work he had done in the electroweak theory, "which is the mathematical and conceptual synthesis of the electromagnetic and weak interactions-the latest stage reached until now on the path towards the unification of the fundamental forces of nature. Salam, Sheldon Glashow, and Steven Weinberg arrived at the theory independently and shared the prize." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdus_Salam). At this point he finally felt he had gotten the love of his beloved Pakistan and served on many Pakistani comities. Quantum Electrodynamics or QED is the quantum field theory which describes the properties of the electromagnetic forces. All forces or interactions of nature are thought to be comprised of 4 basic forces, Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong nuclear force, and the Weak nuclear force.