Using Ruby Environmental Variables

Using Ruby Environmental Variables Environment variables are variables passed to programs by the command line or the graphical shell. When an environment variable is referred to, its value (whatever the variable is defined as) is then referenced. Though there are a number of environment variables that only affect the command line or graphical shell itself (such as PATH or HOME), there are also several that directly affect how Ruby scripts execute. Tip:  Ruby environment variables are similar to ones found in the Windows OS. For example, Windows users may be familiar with a TMP  user variable to define the location of the temporary folder the for the currently logged in user. Accessing Environment Variables from Ruby Ruby has direct access to environment variables via the ENV hash. Environment variables can be directly read or written to by using the index operator with a string argument. Note that writing to environment variables will only have an effect on child processes of the Ruby script. Other invocations of the script will not see the changes in environment variables. #!/usr/bin/env ruby# Print some variablesputs ENV[PATH]puts ENV[EDITOR]# Change a variable then launch a new programENV[EDITOR] geditcheat environment_variables add Passing Environment Variables to Ruby To pass environment variables to Ruby, simply set that environment variable in the shell. This varies slightly between operating systems, but the concepts remain the same. To set an environment variable on the Windows command prompt, use the set command. set TESTvalue To set an environment variable on Linux  or OS X, use the export command. Though  environment variables are a normal part of the Bash shell, only variables that have been exported will be available in programs launched by the Bash shell. $ export TESTvalue Alternatively, if the environment variable will only be used by the program about to be run, you can define any environment variables before the name of the command. The environment variable will be passed onto the program as its run, but not saved. Any further invocations of the program will not have this environment variable set. $ EDITORgedit cheat environment_variables add Environment Variables Used by Ruby There are a number of environment variables that affect how the Ruby interpreter acts. RUBYOPT - Any command-line switches here will be added to any switches specified on the command line.RUBYPATH - When used with the -S switch on the command line, the paths listed in RUBYPATH will be added to the paths searched when looking for Ruby scripts. The paths in RUBYPATH precede the paths listed in PATH.RUBYLIB - The list of paths here will be added to the list of paths Ruby uses to search for libraries included in the program with the require method. The paths in RUBYLIB will be searched before other directories.

Powerful Plots 3 Expert Tricks for Building a Story Arc - Freewrite Store

Powerful Plots 3 Expert Tricks for Building a Story Arc - Freewrite Store The Ingredients of a Story Arc Authors are often divided over the issue of whether to plan out a whole novel in detail or just start writing - but one thing that all writers agree on is the need for a powerful story arc. Your story arc is what gives your novel structure and makes it satisfying for your readers. Without it, you have a story that meanders around, getting nowhere, and it doesn’t matter how beautiful your prose is - without a story arc, you’ll leave your readers woefully dissatisfied. The Ingredients of a Story Arc If you consult a dictionary for a definition of a story arc, you’ll see something like this: â€Å"(in a novel, play or movie) the development or resolution of the narrative or principal theme† (Oxford English Dictionary). As something that develops and then resolves, the story arc has a shape to it - and the things that give it its shape are rising and falling emotion and tension, and character development. When these ingredients are used effectively, you have a powerful story arc that keeps your readers hooked - which is what every author (should) want. As far back as Aristotle (4th Century BCE), the great writers have understood that the formula for an effective story arc involves a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning sets the scene and introduces the characters and theme of the novel. The middle builds the tension and increases the emotional investment from the reader. Finally, the end provides a resolution. It doesn’t have to be a complete resolution (although some readers prefer that), but there does need to be some kind of resolution. Expert Advice on Creating a Powerful Story Arc 1. Build Your Story Arc with the ‘5 Ws’ Every writer should be familiar with the 5 Ws - Who, What, Where, When and Why - but you may not have realized how much power they can wield when you’re building your story arc. To get the most out of the 5 Ws, you need to ask yourself a set of questions that will guide the way that your plot develops: Who Questions: Who are your protagonists and how might they grow or diminish to create tension Who are your antagonists and how will their development impact on the narrative and your protagonists? Who in your cast of characters do you want your readers to sympathize with most - and how might subverting this create tension in your story arc? What Questions: What motivates your characters, and how might these motivations be challenged in the course of your story? What impact might misguided motivations have on your character - and how can this be used to create tension? Where Questions: Where does your story take place, and how might unexpected changes in setting cause difficulties for your characters and build the tension in your story? When Questions: When in your story’s timeline would it be most effective to raise the tension? When might your readers be least likely to expect something to occur that can build emotion and tension? Why Questions: Why will your readers be emotionally invested in your story - and how can you subvert this as part of your story arc? 2. Don’t Be Afraid to Break from Tradition There are, of course, different types of story arc - and while the rise-then-fall formula is one of the most popular formulas in use, there are also a number of archetypal plot arcs that have been successfully used by writers over the centuries. In fact, using an archetypal story arc can give your novel’s plot a lot more power since it breaks from what many readers come to expect. If you want to try using an archetypal story arc, you have five different options to choose from - according to researchers from the University of Vermont and the University of Adelaide. These have been classified into types of narrative: Rags to riches (rise) Riches to rags (fall) Man in a hole (fall then rise) Cinderella (rise then fall then rise) Oedipus (fall then rise then fall) A lot of these story arcs are based on taking your readers on an emotional journey. Rags to riches stories, for example, gain reader investment by creating a character that can be sympathized with and create a positive emotional journey of escaping hardship, which resolves with a typical happy ending. These types of stories are really popular - because they create a sense of hope and fairness. However, rags to riches stories have been so overused that readers are now demanding more, and the Oedipus type of story arc is the one that readers seem to reach for the most, closely followed by Man in a Hole story arcs. It can be helpful to create a visual representation of the different types of archetypal story arcs to help you plan these developments into your plot. For example, a visual representation story arcs in the study mentioned above looks like this: (Top Row, left to right: Rags to riches; Man in a hole; Cinderella Bottom Row, left to right: Riches to rags; (Icarus - the traditional rise-then-fall); Oedipus (Credit: Reagan et. al/ University of Vermont) With a visual representation of your story arc, it’s easy to plot on the main events in your story and uncover more opportunities for creating high emotional stakes. If you’re not one for detailed plot outlines, a visual story arc allows you to keep your writing following the story arc without having to plan out every chapter or scene. 3. Exploit the Power of Sub-Arcs Depending on the length of your story or novel, building sub-arcs, or lesser arcs into your story can be really effective. These sub-arcs can be in addition to, or as part of, your main story arc. For example, if you’re opting for a traditional rise-then-fall story arc, you could have a sub-arc that is based around a different theme in your story that follows more of a rise-then-fall-then-rise or fall-then-rise-then-fall format. Using sub-arcs helps you to build a stronger dramatic structure into your story and is really effective in keeping your readers on the edge of their seats as they read. There are a lot of benefits to using sub-arcs in your stories, too. For example: You can create different types of tension at different points in the story - for example when the tension is lessening in your main story arc, you could build tension in a sub-arc to maintain your readers’ engagement. You have more opportunities to develop your characters and make your readers more invested in them. You can create multiple situations where it seems like your characters have everything to lose - which creates even more dramatic tension. When you’re using sub-arcs, creating a visual outline of your novel is pretty crucial. Building sub-arcs into your story can be complex, so it’s important that you’re able to see where you are in both the main story arc and your sub arcs - or you could end up with a mess instead of a defined arc. It’s these kinds of muddled middles that put readers off and leave them frustrated - so don’t skip creating a visual outline of your arc and sub-arcs. Plotting your arcs and sub-arcs on graph paper or using an app on your computer or phone can be done relatively quickly - and as your story develops it’s easy to make adjustments and add more details onto your diagram as you go along. This way, you’ll avoid the problem of adding too many sub-arcs or too many points of tension and keep a clear dramatic structure in your story. There are plenty of story arc templates you can download online, like this one:    Wielding the Power of Story Arcs Whatever type of fiction you write, whether it’s science fiction, literary fiction, crime and thrillers, horror or anything else, you need to start plotting using story arcs. Your readers will thank you for it - and your readership will grow, too. Story arcs are a simple tool that can make the difference between a good story and a great story. Many authors who don’t like to plot their novels in advance see story arcs as restricting their creativity - but in fact, story arcs can fuel your creativity, allowing you to visually see more opportunities for developing characters and building tension. You don’t have to do a detailed outline to use story arcs, and you’re sure to find that rather than being restrictive, story arcs give you the structure that you need to unleash your creative juices onto the page.       About the author: Ariella is an experienced copywriter, editor, and digital marketing consultant. Driven by a passion for writing and content creation she takes pride in producing articles that deliver the latest information in an engaging manner and marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results. Ariella has a BA (Hons) in English Language and Creative Writing (First), an MA in Theology and Ministry, and is a published author of three novels and a bestselling non-fiction book. A creative at heart, Ariella has 14 years’ industry experience and always aims to keep abreast of current trends and developments. She lives in the UK with her three beagles Zeke, Hope, and Sandy, who always make life interesting.

Specialized academy to teach writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Specialized academy to teach writing - Essay Example Moreover, others have gone to an extent of seeking these services from various research bureaus. It is as a result of this challenge that I came up with an idea of this specialized academy. This academy will teach and help students acquire basic writing skills. This will assist students in carrying out their research, organizing and presenting their papers that are free from grammatical errors. This will in turn help students save that money they have been spending in seeking services of research bureau. The academy is set to be operating twice a week; that is, every Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 am to 5 pm. Students will not only learn writing skills but also will be at a position to carry out research independently and report on their findings. The academy will also establish a website though which students can interact and assist each other especially when not attending lectures at the academy. The project is a way of giving back to the community by producing knowledgeable students who can carry out various researches for the society. I request for funds from this committee to help me put this project to reality and together we shall reap benefits. Proper accountability shall be done to ensure that these funds are utilized properly. Specialized academy proposes to teach students on various writing skills. The academy seeks to support students and other parties willing to join the academy develop, improve and nurture their writing skills. Proposed services to be provided by the academy include writing skills, grammar, and spelling in research writing and presentation. The academy will operate on a weekly base where students are required to attend classes only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Classes will run from 9 am in the morning till 5 pm in the evening. The academy is society based and is set to benefit the FDU society at large. Moreover, there are future plans of expansion on its success. The specialized academy is a training

The Legality of Risk Management in Healthcare (United States) Essay

The Legality of Risk Management in Healthcare (United States) - Essay Example Dr. Harris diagnosed the patient with pneumonia and impending respiratory failure. She thought of intubating the patient herself on the floor, but then decided against it and handed over the patient to a pulmonologist and intensivist. The patient suffered intense and seemingly irreversible brain damage. After a few months had elapsed, the relatives of the patient consulted a legal counselor and came to the conclusion that the patient had suffered due to malpractice. Dr. Harris was held accountable. The case was settled by giving compensatory damages to the plaintiff. The end of the paper has an executive summary analyzing the case. The history of risk management in health care goes as far as four thousand years. The Babylonians were famous for punishing their medical practitioners if they were involved in any malpractice or if their negligence had incurred any physical or metal harm to the ill. The increased incidence of malpractice during the 1970s had a seminal effect on how the legislations that were made regarding health care. Health care providers found themselves in a quandary. The money-intensive lawsuits that had been filed against them was not only a huge financial burden, but also compromised their reputation. They were also faced with the possibility of losing their license. Therefore risk management became all the more important, with agencies using both financial resources and specialized risk management staff to ensure patient safety and higher standard of professional conduct for health care practitioners. Risk management in health care is defined as the systematic management of administrative and clinical processes to prevent uncertainties and potential dangers and to mitigate the risk of the institution’s exposure to liability if loss occurs. Risk management can come into play in case of mal practice. The Joint Commission (2010) defines mal practice as the â€Å"improper or unethical

The Galapagos Island in Ecuador Essay Example for Free

The Galapagos Island in Ecuador Essay Nineteen breathtaking islands stunningly situated in the Pacific Ocean comprise the Galapagos Islands. Aside from the wonderful corporeal attributes of the island, it is also well-known for its â€Å"showcase of evolution. † The island houses different species of sea animals, which were believed to have evolved due to the volcanic activities affecting marine life. In fact, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on his observations in the Galapagos Island. (UNESCO, 2007) Unique creatures living in the island including land iguanas, giant tortoises, seal colonies, cormorants, bats, rats, and such presents the importance of supporting advocacies to protect and preserve this world heritage site. These animals, also including penguins and other kinds of birds who frequent the island coexist for a balanced marine ecosystem. (The Galapagos Island) Overall, the island boasts of over 1,600 species of various insects, over 800 species of shells, 200 starfishes, 120 crabs, and many more worthy of efforts and support for their conservation and sustained existence. (Explore Galapagos) Animal seclusion in the island was identified to cause nonchalant behavior of animal life in the area. (The Galapagos Island) Imbalance in the existing animal life community in the island is said to be caused by human interference. Human practices that threat the harmony in the Galapagos Island dates for more than two decades ago when explorers hunted animals in the area for personal provisions. Aside from this, people who inhabit the island alter the physical environment affecting the balance in the island’s ecosystem. For instance, some foreign plants set in the area have been identified to damage the life of native plants in the island. To protect the area from further damage brought about by human actions and practices, majority of the area in the Galapagos was transformed into a National Park. Ongoing scientific investigation to sustain preservation is also conducted in the area by the Charles Darwin Station. (Galapagos Conservation) Although the government of Ecuador and other international organizations such as UNESCO are working very hard to continue the protection and preservation of the island, conditions that threaten the unspoiled nature of the Galapagos still exist. Therefore, continuous and intensified support is needed to prevent the destruction of this immaculate heritage site. Primarily, what should be worked on is the growing economy and population in the area, increasing the presence of insidious species of plant and animal life, as well as man-made products that disturb the balanced and harmonious community in the island. Funding and efficient management skills should be a primary concern of everyone involved. To air the call for protection and preservation of the Galapagos, efforts should also be made to educate all people in order to determine the significance of the diverse community existing within the Galapagos and look out for ways on how the advocacy can be supported by all means possible. References Explore Galapagos. (2008). Retrieved October 1, 2008, from Galapagos Conservation Trust.Website: http://www. gct. org/intro. html Galapagos Conservation. (2008). Retrieved October 1, 2008, from Big Five Tours Expedition. Website: http://www. galapagos. com/conservation. php The Galapagos Island. (2006). Retrieved October 1, 2008, from interKnowledge Corp. Website: http://www. geographia. com/ecuador/galislands. htm UNESCO. (2007). Galapagos Island. Retrieved October 1, 2008, from UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Website: http://whc. unesco. org/en/list/1

Marketing External Environments :: essays research papers

I ¡Ã‚ ¦m not sure if I am taking the right definition of  ¡Ã‚ §external environments ¡Ã‚ ¨ in my answer, but I will talk about them in the way I have learned about them before. There are always a number of external factors that affect customers, and if a marketing team is good they will take all of them into consideration. Demographics: Defined as: The characteristics of human populations and population segments, especially when used to identify consumer markets. I think this is one of the most important factors to look at because in take into account many things about the population including, but not limited to:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Race Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gender Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Average Income Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Location Æ’Ã ¦Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Population This makes a huge difference in marketing because marketing to middle aged Hispanic females may need a totally different campaign then elderly white males, although they may both be interested in the product. This is generally used in the initial stages of planning to decide if a certain area will even be profitable to market in. Political Factors: Depending on the political group of the area there may be bans on certain advertising or activities. Certain businesses may be supported more by specific political groups. For example a gun shop may flop in a more democratic area but be a huge success in a primary republican area. You could compare say, Texas and Massachusetts. In Republican Texas the gun ownership percentage is much, much higher then in Democratic Massachusetts. Economic Factors: This includes things like interest rates, exchange rates, government policies on taxation and spending, among other things. One of the most common examples of this is car dealerships advertising  ¡Ã‚ §Lowest Interest Rates Ever! ¡Ã‚ ¨ It may be much more successful to push a product more when interest rates are lower, and more appealing to consumers. Technological Factors: The technological world is booming, products are moving from Version 1.5 to Version 6.7 in a matter of months. With so much new technology being introduced it ¡Ã‚ ¦s important to remain user friendly, cost conscious, and efficient. Competitors: This one is huge. Companies and consumers alike need to be aware of the competing business in the area. Cost conscious consumers will look in flyers to see if Big Y or Stop and Shop has cheaper grapes, and the businesses need to be aware of this so they can appeal to the customer in a way the other business is not. If there are competing businesses in a specific area, you will RARELY see one advertise and the other abstain, for the simple fact that you need to do everything your competitor is doing and then some.

Cricket History

Cricket, also called the Gentleman's game, is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. The sport's earliest definite mention was in a 1598 court case which referred to a sport called cricket being played by boys at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford around 1550. It is believed that it was originally a children's game but references around 1610, indicate that adults had started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or village cricket occurs soon afterwards.In 1624, a player called Jasper Vinall was killed when he was struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex. During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England and it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years following the Restoration in 1660. A newspaper report survives of ‘a great cricket match' with eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of such importance.The game was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. The single wicket form of the sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old ‘hockey stick' shape.The Hambledon Club was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until the formation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the opening of Lord's Old Ground in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the rules of the game known as the Laws of Cricket. These are maintained by the Internati onal Cricket Council (ICC) and the MCC, which holds the copyright. New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw).By the end of the 18th century, cricket had become the national sport of England. The 19th century saw underarm bowling replaced by first round-arm and then overarm bowling. Organisation of the game at county level led to the creation of the county clubs, starting with Sussex CCC in 1839, which ultimately formed the official County Championship in 1890. The expansion of the British Empire had been instrumental in spreading the game overseas and by the middle of the 19th century it had become well established in India, North America, the Caribbean, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.In 1844, the first international cricket match took place between the United States and Canada, although neither has ever been ranked as a Test-playing nation). Today, the game's governing body, the ICC, has 104 membe r countries. With its greatest popularity in the Test playing countries, cricket is the world's second most popular sport after Association football. A cricket match is played on a cricket field at the centre of which is a pitch. The match is contested between two teams of eleven players each.One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible without being dismissed or getting ‘out' while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the other team's batsmen and limit the runs being scored. When the batting team has used all its available overs or has no remaining batsmen, the roles become reversed and it is now the fielding team's turn to bat and try to outscore the opposition. There are several variations in the length of a game of cricket. In professional cricket this ranges from a limit of 20 overs per side (Twenty20) to a game played over 5 days (Test cricket).Depending on the form of the match being played, there are different rules that govern how a game is wo n, lost, drawn or tied. Generally, cricket can be divided between matches in which the teams have two innings apiece and those in which they have a single innings each. The former, known as first- class cricket, has a duration of three to five days while the latter, known as limited overs cricket because each team bowls a limit of typically 50 overs, has a planned duration of one day only. Typically, two-innings matches have at least six hours of playing time each day.Limited overs match often last six hours or more. There are usually formal intervals on each day for lunch and tea with brief informal breaks for drinks. There is also a short interval between innings. Test cricket is the highest standard of first-class cricket. A Test match is an international fixture between teams representing those countries that are Full Members of the ICC. Teams in Test cricket, first- class cricket and club cricket wear traditional white uniforms and use red cricket balls.Test matches between two teams are usually played in a group of matches called a â€Å"series†. Matches last up to five days and a series normally consists of three to five matches. Test matches that are not finished within the allotted time are drawn. Test cricket is deemed to have begun with two matches between Australia and England in the 1876-77 Australian season. Subsequently, eight other national teams have achieved Test status: South Africa (1889), West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1929), India (1932), Pakistan (1952), Sri Lanka (1982), Zimbabwe (1992) and Bangladesh (2000).Zimbabwe subsequently suspended its Test status in 2006 due to its inability to compete against other Test teams and has yet to resume playing Test cricket. Welsh players are eligible to play for England, which is in effect an England and Wales team. The West Indies team comprises players from numerous states in the Caribbean, most notably Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, the Leeward Islands and the Windward Is lands. In a one day match, each match is scheduled for completion in a single day.It is the most common form of limited overs cricket played on an international level. Each team plays one innings only and faces a limited number of overs, usually a maximum of 50. Standard limited overs cricket was introduced in England in the 1963 season in the form of a knockout cup contested by the first-class county clubs. The concept was gradually introduced to the other major cricket countries and the first limited overs international was played in 1971. In 1975, the first Cricket World Cup took place in England.Limited overs cricket has seen various innovations including the use of multi-coloured kit and floodlit matches using a white ball. Twenty20 is a new variant of limited overs itself with the purpose being to complete the match within about three hours, usually in an evening session. The original idea, when the concept was introduced in England in 2003, was to provide workers with an even ing entertainment. It has been commercially successful and has been adopted internationally. The inaugural Twenty20 World Championship was held in 2007 and won by India.Subsequently, many domestic Twenty20 leagues were born which include the Indian Cricket League, the Indian Premier League and the Twenty20 Champions League. The International Cricket Council (ICC), which has its headquarters in Dubai, is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The ICC has 104 members: 10 Full Members that play official Test matches, 34 Associate Members, and 60 Affiliate Members. The Full Members are the governing bodies for cricket in a country or associated countries. All Full Member nations are automatically qualified to play ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals. They are Australia, Banglad esh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe. The associate and affiliate teams who currently hold ODI and T20I status are Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, and Scotland.

No pain, No gain Essay

The proverb, no pain no gain means no effort, no success. Parents make their children pursue education since childhood, aiming to lead a better life. With peerless parental love, they want their children to be educated people. They often tell us to work hard at our lessons. They beat or scold us if we do not study well because their life experience proves that â€Å"No pain, no gain.† We cannot succeed in life without taking pains. To pass examination, students must attend classes regularly and learn their lessons daily. If we do not work hard, we will meet failure no merely in examinations but also in life. Similarly, a continuous training is necessary for soldiers to defend themselves and to defeat the enemies in the battlefield. Not an athlete will win over games without serious training. Likewise, a healthy person possesses his sound health by doing physical exercise, taking nutritious food, drinking clean water and living a healthy lifestyle. Here I would like to say teachers take great pains in teaching so that their students can learn more lessons and pass the examination with high marks. All these examples tell us that there is no effortless success in life. There is nothing we can get easily and readily. To sum up, we cannot gain any success without pain or effort.

Tomorrow Is Another Country essays

Tomorrow Is Another Country essays South Africas transition from apartheid to a multicultural government was a great achievement, one due to those who worked very hard to promote understanding between the white population and the black population. Over a period of five years, the black African National Congress and the white Afrikaners secretly met and discussed the future of South Africa. These meetings created an understanding between the two races that had never previously existed through South Africas long history. With this understanding between them, a multicultural government was created in South Africa, one that included everyone and excluded no one. However, this was not an easy task at all. It took the willingness of both sides to sit down and discuss the issues they were facing and how they needed to be addressed. There had been key players on both sides, behind-the-scene people who were working to end apartheid and establish equality. In his novel, Tomorrow is Another Country, Allister Sparks takes us into the important events that happened in this time that made it possible for apartheid to end and who had had a hand in creating the new government in place today. In writing his novel, Sparks had interviewed those who had played an important role in ending apartheid in the country and creating a new system. The novel started with a meeting between Kobie Coetsee, the minister of justice, and Nelson Mandela in 1985. Soon, these meetings involved government officials, intelligence officials, and the African National Congress by 1986. Over the next four years, they met in places such as Lucerne, Switzerland, and even a hospital room. These characters included those who had been in contact with Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment on Robbens Island and also those who had helped to establish contact between the Afrikaners and the exiled African National Congress. In this novel, Sparks explains how apartheid...

Bisect and Dissect

Bisect and Dissect Bisect and Dissect Bisect and Dissect By Simon Kewin Its tempting to think that dissect and bisect mean the same thing : to cut something in two. After all, the bi- and di- prefixes both convey the meaning of â€Å"two† or â€Å"twice†. So we have bicycle (with two wheels) and dioxide (with two oxygen atoms). In fact only bisect means to cut in two. A line cutting through a circle would be said to bisect it. A river might bisect a city. The prefix of dissect is not di-, however, but dis- meaning â€Å"apart†. Its the same prefix as in words such as disintegrate (to break up into small parts) and dismember (to cut the limbs from something). Dissect means to methodically cut something into pieces rather than to merely cut it in two. So, for example, organs might be dissected in order to find out how they work. Dissect has also acquired the more figurative meaning of studying something in great detail without any literal cutting taking place. Thus a statement or report might be â€Å"dissected† to see if it contains any inconsistencies or inaccuracies. When the two words are mixed up, generally it’s the case that dissect is used when bisect is meant. Sometimes dissect is misspelled â€Å"disect† to add to the confusion. Only bisect means to cut something into two parts. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?Social vs. SocietalComma After Introductory Phrases

GENETICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

GENETICS - Essay Example Myra was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 48, indicating that it is likely that her cancer was sporadic rather than inherited, however this does not rule out the possibility of the cancer being heritable. In contrast, her mother died from cancer at a ‘young’ age, which suggests the possibility that this was an inherited susceptibility. The fact that there is a chance that the susceptibility may have been inherited means that I would have raised the possibility of a referral with Myra on the basis of her family history alone. The presence of a defective gene, which can be passed from parent to child, results in the child having up to an 80% probability of getting cancer at some point in their lifetime . There are many benefits to genetic counselling, including an increased understanding of whether the disease is inherited and what the chances that offspring will inherit it are . Many different things are inherited genetically; a child may inherit his mother’s bl ue eyes, or his father’s nose shape as well as the susceptibility to a particular disease that is present on his father’s side of the family. ... Many people consider that a child is ‘more like his mother’ or ‘more like his father’ based on their physical appearance. However, while this is a common belief it is not true, children inherit approximately half of their DNA from their mother and half from their father (only approximately due to the presence of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA) . Consequently, while the gene for breast cancer susceptibility (such as BRCA1 or BRCA2) may have an increased likelihood of being inherited with a feature of appearance such as hair colour, there is no basis for believing that a child has an increased likelihood to inherit susceptibility because of the presence of particular physical characteristics. Individuals have a wide range of beliefs about the origins of disease, many of which do not agree with the known scientific basis. These beliefs are based on factors such as prejudice, tradition and ignorance of the scientific basis for inheritance. Some factors t hat are often considered to be causative of disease include education, economic class, and weight . Consequently, Myra attributing the similarity in physical characteristics to a similarity in disease susceptibility does not have strong scientific basis, however, matches trends that are seen in the population, especially among lay people. Scenario Two Being able to work with colleagues and patients who have different cultural beliefs is an important part of nursing, especially in modern society. It is not enough to promote our own, predominantly Westernised, views on the rest of the world without considering their viewpoints and different expectations . In recent years, there has been a trend towards increasing cultural awareness and the development of cultural