Irony In OConnor Essays - Good Country People, Rhetorical Techniques

Irony in O'Connor Flannery O'Connor uses irony in "Good Country People" to give the reader a better sense of what she is trying to communicate to the reader, and show the meaning of her characters and their actions. There are several ironies in the story that the reader can see in there first reading, but there are several that need more attention. The first is Hulga's mother and people around them. The second example is the Bible salesman, and the way he fools everyone but Mrs. Hopewell. The last is the main character Hulga whose personality is an irony in itself. All three of these give different examples of irony, that leaves the reader wondering about O'Connor's cleverness in thinking. The first ironies involves Hulgas mother and the people she talks about. Mrs. Hopewell says that Mrs. Freeman is a person who never admits she was wrong and that she is into everyone's business. She then says Mrs. Freeman is a lady. Another example is when she describes Mrs. Freeman's daughters Glynese and Carramae, "as the finest girls she ever knew"(393) immediately after the reader learns that Carramae is only fifteen and already pregnant and married, and Glynese was eighteen but already had many admirers. The second source of irony is in the Bible salesman and the fact that he turns out to not be such a good country person. He appears to be a simple boy spreading the word of God through the world with the little time he has, due to the ailment suspiciously similar to the what Hulga is supposedly dying of. His whole character is an irony. He says he is a Bible salesman but, in fact, is not even a Christian. The bible he carries around, has two sides like its owner. On its outside, it seems to be a good old bible, but when it is opened the reader finds alcohol, playing cards, and other objects that show the salesman's true character. Another irony is the way the salesman fools Hulga into thinking he is not very bright and then he turns around and tricks her into giving him her false leg. The last example is the main character Hulga. The first irony in Hulga is the fact that she has an exceptional education, but she is still fooled by the simple Bible salesman. She also has an irony similar to the Bible-Salesman. Hulga is a tough, educated, invulnerable woman with her leg on, but as soon as she takes it off, she reverts to Joy who is still a vulnerable little girl. Another irony is that she is mean to all who are nice to her and she is nice to the one person who is cruel to her, and shows her no compassion. All of these examples of irony show O'Connor's cleverness. They also show the different aspects, which makes the reader think and contemplate deeper into the meaning of O'Connor's words. "Good Country People" is just one example of how irony is used by one author, after someone reads a story like this, one should be more aware of ironies in Literature

Proper Word Order to Enable Parallel Structure

Proper Word Order to Enable Parallel Structure Proper Word Order to Enable Parallel Structure Proper Word Order to Enable Parallel Structure By Mark Nichol Sometimes, word order in a sentence does not interfere significantly with comprehension of the sentence, but it does produce an awkward obstacle to clean reading. Here are several flawed sentences that require only a simple transposition of words to become syntactically valid. Each is followed by a discussion and a revision. 1. Foods on the list below should either go into the compost bin or the trash. When either precedes the operative verb go, the implication is that the counterpoint will lead from a second, distinct verb or verb phrase, such as in the version â€Å"Foods on the list below should either go into either the compost bin or be tossed into the trash.† (At the least, the original sentence should repeat into before â€Å"the trash.†) But if go is to apply to both choices, either should follow the verb: â€Å"Foods on the list below should go into either the compost bin or the trash.† 2. This publication is neither intended to be a legal analysis nor a detailed cookbook of steps to take in every situation. The same idea applies to use of either’s antonym, neither, which should follow, not precede, the verb â€Å"to be†: â€Å"This publication is intended to be neither a legal analysis nor a detailed cookbook of steps to take in every situation.† An alternative is to revise as follows, in which case not can come before â€Å"to be†: â€Å"This publication is not intended to be a legal analysis or a detailed cookbook of steps to take in every situation.† 3. They may not only give insight into what to expect, but also how to handle situations that may arise. Because give applies to both the point and the counterpoint, it should precede both components of the sentence, and into should be repeated: â€Å"They may give insight not only into what to expect but also into how to handle situations that may arise.† (Note, too, that the comma between the components is extraneous.) 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 Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.Telling a Good Poem from a Bad One55 "House" Idioms

Eighteenth President Ulysses S Grant Fast Facts

Eighteenth President Ulysses S Grant Fast Facts Ulysses S Grant attended West Point but was not impressive as a student. After graduating, he fought in the Mexican-American War as a Lieutenant. However, after the war he retired to become a farmer. As in a lot of his personal life, he did not have much luck. He didnt rejoin the military until the start of the Civil War. He started as a colonel but quickly rose through the ranks until President Abraham Lincoln named him as the Commander of all Union forces. He would then move on to become Americas eighteenth president.   Here is a quick list of fast facts for Ulysses S Grant. For more in depth information, you can also read the Ulysses S Grant Biography. Birth: April 27, 1822 Death: July 23, 1885 Term of Office: March 4, 1869-March 3, 1877 Number of Terms Elected: 2 Terms First Lady: Julia Boggs Dent Nickname: Unconditional Surrender Ulysses S Grant Quote: My failures have been errors of judgment, not of intent. Major Events While in Office: ReconstructionTranscontinental Railroad Completed (1869)Black Friday Scandal involving James Fisk and Jay Gould (1869)Fifteenth Amendment Ratified (1870)Credit Mobilier Scandal (1872)Panic of 1873Whiskey Ring Scandal (1875)Belknap Bribery Scandal (1876)Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) States Entering Union While in Office: Colorado (1876) Related Ulysses S Grant Resources: These additional resources on Ulysses S Grant can provide you with further information about the president and his times. Ulysses S Grant BiographyTake a more in depth look at the eighteenth president of the United States through this biography. Youll learn about his childhood, family, early career, and the major events of his administration. Civil WarUlysses S Grant was the commander of Union forces during the Civil War. Learn more about the war, its battles, and more with this overview. Top 10 Presidential ScandalsUlysses S Grant was president during three of these top ten presidential scandals that occurred throughout the years. In fact, his presidency was marred by one scandal after another. Reconstruction EraAs the Civil War ended, the government was left with the job of mending the horrendous rift that had torn the nation apart. The programs of reconstruction were efforts to help achieve this goal. Chinese-Americans and the Transcontinental RailroadChinese immigrants had a huge impact on the history of the west in America. They were instrumental in the completion of the railroads, despite intense discrimination from fellow workers and bosses. Chart of Presidents and Vice PresidentsThis informative chart gives quick reference information on the presidents, vice-presidents, their terms of office and their political parties. Other Presidential Fast Facts: Andrew JohnsonRutherford B. HayesList of American Presidents

Globalization and the Youth Culture of Dakar as Related in a study by Essay

Globalization and the Youth Culture of Dakar as Related in a study by Scheld and Examined against Writing by Ong and Writing by Inda and Rosaldo - Essay Example In comparing her writing with that of Aihwa Ong, an emerging pattern of the influences of media on the nature of capitalism can be observed. When gauging that against the ideas of globalization as they are discussed by Inda and Rosaldo, the influences of cultures as they collide can be seen for how they are changing existing cultures, and reinventing through filters as they influence life across the world. The emergence of globalization has created a youth driven culture as the ways of the old are being shadowed by the influences of new cultures through media, consumerism, and the emergence of a capitalistic based world economy. According to Scheld, † In Dakar, youth are increasingly entrepreneurial individuals who base the authenticity of their cosmopolitan identity on an ability to buy and sell (trade) in the urban/global informal economy† (232). This might be seen as a Westernization of thought and identity that has embraced the nature of consumerism and shaped the way in which the youth are supporting their feelings of participation in a world that has grown large through globalization. The creation of clothing lines within the Dakar cosmopolitan has emerged through a sense of community; those involved using social terms of interaction in order to support what they are creating. While there is an undercurrent of dishonest behaviors, they are framed by social rules which include creative and competitive structures of behavior. Sheld states that â€Å"youth steer the economic cultural life of the city and keep it hooked in to the global economy† (232). Sheld’s research is based u pon a belief that â€Å"Dakarois youth use dress to shape the city and urban identity† (232). Sheld’s work examines â€Å"how clothing use and exchange shape cosmopolitan identities, the city, and global flows of people and goods in a West African metropolis† (232). The region of Dakar is economically depressed, the city a wash of deterioration and decay, but the young people of the region dress in ways that are both provocative and colorful, injecting into the economy a relationship between cultural expression and economic stimulation. Where most aspects of the economy are failing, the behaviors of the youth culture in creating their own sub-economy for the purpose of fashion creates an underbelly of motion in which the an informal economy is the basis of the emergence of culture within the city landscape. It seems to be a common element within a culture to see its youth as a driving force in creating economic flows based upon fashion and social identity. The w ays in which these â€Å"marginalized populations make sense of modernity, express their identities and shape their lifeworlds† (Sheld 233) is often through externalized expressions of their emotions, their choices placing them within a framework of social position that makes sense to them and to their peers. In creating â€Å"imagined memberships† within a specified world, the individual becomes a part of a world through mimicry and recreation of the world to form and identify with the ways in which they associate themselves in congruence with the ways in which the structure services their need for identity (Sheld 235). Globalization has become a driving force of youth culture, allowing for identification with groups from around the world where something of those social groups becomes an identifiable structure from which looks and behaviors are adapted. According

Basic Social Sciences Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Basic Social Sciences Research Methods - Essay Example Usually, your research depends upon what information you need to collect in order to make further decisions or to validate a previously taken decision. Obviously, in conducting research there are shortfalls too. The depth and breadth of the information are important variables. The more you get into the breadth of the information, the lesser you are able to penetrate into the depth. This might not happen if you have numerous resources to carry out the research. For those who are starting on research and are relatively new on these horizons, they can use a combination of research methods to help themselves in getting the right mix of breadth and depth of information that they require. There are five basic types of research methods used in the contemporary world today. They are primarily qualitative, descriptive, co-relational, casual-competitive and experimental research. Qualitative research is sometimes called ‘ethnographic’ research. It involves the collection of data a nd information in a natural setting so that valuable insight is gained on the variables of interest and how these variables affect the outcome. This research studies numerous variables over a vast period of time. Time and resources are spent to understand how and why things are the way they are, how and why they became the way they are, and what is the underlying meaning of all of them. The basic advantage is that qualitative researchers don’t want to control or lead anything. Instead, they focus on understanding the impact of the variables on the outcomes in the natural environment.

Mechanisms of Motor Development Essay Example for Free

Mechanisms of Motor Development Essay The mechanisms involved in motor development involve some genetic components that determine the physical size of body parts at a given age, as well as aspects of muscle and bone strength. The main areas of the brain involved in motor skills are the frontal cortex, parietal cortex and basal ganglia. The dorsolateral frontal cortex is responsible for strategic processing. The parietal cortex is important in controlling perceptual-motor integration and the basal ganglia and supplementary motor cortex are responsible for motor sequences. Nutrition and exercise also determine strength and therefore the ease and accuracy with which a body part can be moved. Flexibility is also impacted by nutrition and exercise as well. It has also been shown that the frontal lobe develops posterio-anteriorally (from back to front). This is significant in motor development because the hind portion of the frontal lobe is known to control motor functions. This form of development is known as Portional Development and explains why motor functions develop relatively quickly during normal childhood development, while logic, which is controlled by the middle and front portions of the frontal lobe, usually will not develop until late childhood and early adolescence. Opportunities to carry out movements help establish the abilities to flex (move toward the trunk) and extend body parts, both capacities are necessary for good motor ability. Skilled voluntary movements such as passing objects from hand to hand develop as a result of practice and learning. Mastery Climate is a suggested successful learning environment for children to promote motor skills by their own motivation. This promotes participation and active learning in children, which according to Piagets developmental theory is extremely important in early childhood rule.

How We Spend New Years Eve in Japan :: Essays Papers

How We Spend New Year's Eve in Japan What do you usually do on New Year's Eve? Does your family have something special to do for the New Year? Maybe you have a party at the bar or your friend's house, or you may spend time with your family. In Japan, the way of spending time on New Year's Eve is pretty different from the American way. In the morning, we Japanese people clean the whole house. This process is called Ousouji in Japan. This doesn't mean that Japanese people clean the house only once a year. There is a special meaning for this cleaning. Its purpose is to welcome the New Year and to wish a better life than the former year. Cleaning the house, which is covered with annual dust, is a really important way to start a new year. After finishing Ousouji, women start cooking Osechi. This is a traditional Japanese dish which is eaten a few days after the New Year. The dish is based on fish, beans, and egg. We eat Osechi because there is an old story saying one shouldn't use a cooking knife within three days from the New Year. This gives a break to the mother who cooks every day. While women are cooking Osechi, men are hanging Shimenawa, which is a kind of decoration made from rice stems. It is hung on the front door. This custom comes from the farmer's wish to have a good harvest next year. Today, we wish for good fortune and a good year. Evening time, after we finish preparing for New Year's, we normally watch a TV program called Singing Battle Between the Red and the White Team. It has been on the air for about 50 years and keeps over 50 percent of the audience's ratings every year. We think about this program as a part of a closing moment of the year. While, or after watching singing battle, we eat Toshikoshi Soba, which means "New Year's Eve Noodle" in English. As you know, the noodle is long, so we wish longer life, including healthy body, by eating Toshikoshi Soba. Finally, the last thing to do for New Year's Eve is to listen to Juya No Kane, which means "the watch-night bell" in English. This bell is like a countdown in America. But we ring it 108 times.

The Mexican Peso Crisis of December 1994

There are three different types of foreign exchange regimes that can be used by developing countries once their currency has stabilized. The first one is called the managed float. Also called the dirty float, the managed float is a system when exchange rates are able to change due to the nature of the market, but leaves the option for the government to intervene if the fluctuation is not desired. It is the regime that has been used by the monetary system since 1973. The second regime is called the crawling band. The crawling band, in this case, would combine Mexico’s crawling peg with a wider band. The crawling band is a compromise between a system of entirely fluctuating exchange rates and those that are inflexible. The parity levels would be adjusted either up or down as a moving average of the actual exchange rates that would fluctuate on a wider band. The exchange rate would be only allowed to move a maximum percentage. The amount of the percentage is called the annual crawling peg. The wider band that would cover the crawling peg would allow for the actual exchange rate to fluctuate. The third regime is called the floating exchange rate system. Also called the flexible exchange rate system, the exchange rate fluctuates based solely on market forces in this regime. A floating system allows countries to have independent monetary and fiscal policies. Also, central banks would not have to hold onto a large international reserve to back a fixed exchange rate system. Capital flight was one of the main reasons for Mexico’s financial collapse of the peso. Capital flight is when assets and money flow out of a country due to an economic event that doesn’t assure investors things are okay. Capital flight differs from capital flow because capital flight occurs when investors feel that prices are about to fall and it becomes a race to get your money out before the prices fall. The assassination of presidential candidate Luis Colosio definitely played a factor in the capital flight out of Mexico. In 1994, the United States, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and a few others created a rescue package for Mexico. The United States put up $20 billion of the $50 billion for Mexico. The IMF guaranteed a credit agreement with Mexico for about $17. 7 billion. The Bank of International Settlements offered $10 to Mexico and The Bank of Canada offered about $1 billion. It was not just Mexico mismanagement that caused this crisis. The assassination of the presidential candidate was something that could not have been avoided and it caused to crisis to worsen even more. It seems like that event was the â€Å"last straw on the camel’s back†, so to say. In order to prevent this crisis from happening in the future, Mexico should pay closer attention to its current account balance. Now that this has happened once, Mexico should know what to look for in order to stop it before it gets even worse. Overall, the aid package was risky on the United States to do. No one was certain that Mexico would be able to pay back the money. The United States could just not do anything though. We have close ties with Mexico through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). We weren’t just going to let Mexico fail. Just like the IMF helped Mexico back in 1994, they are currently lending to countries in need today. Countries with emerging markets such as Belarus, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sri Lanka, and Ukraine are receiving capital from the IMF. Almost always, low-income countries are also receiving money from the IMF.

Online Dating sites Essay

You’ve heard of tinder, POF, christianmingle.com, and match.com. These websites claim to find you perfect matches. They say love is right around the corner with their website. These websites make it so you, the searcher, has the opportunity to meet tens of hundreds of women in search for that special person that will steal your heart. These dating sites have become huge in today’s society in meeting new people. Dating sites were a good idea back in the day. However, if you go to google and search the word online personals you will find the online dating scene has evolved. There are roughly 15 million so called dating sites today and that number rises daily. A law suit was filed against Yahoo a few years ago stating the web site deliberately and intentionally created false or non-existing profiles to make matches for their clients to keep them interested in the dating scene. Customers would pay a monthly fee to try and find their match or women of their dreams. Meanwhile, yahoo was making false profiles to make people believe they had finally found that special person or had a potential match and paying a fortune to keep them around. In 1996 Yahoo tried to get the courts to dismiss the complaint on grounds that it was barred by the CDA or Communications Decency Act. This act was the first notable attempt by the United States Congress to regulate pornographic material on the Internet. The courts rejected the argument and stated that yahoo would have to become an information content provider. (Miller, 2014) Another dating site by the name of Match.com had a similar lawsuit filed against them. This company however took it to the next level. The have hired employees who would do something called a date bait. These employees would send bogus emails back and forth with customers and would even go on actual dates with these people. An employee stated, â€Å"They had gone on as many as 300 dates a month.† The employees would do this to keep customers paying for the use of their website. (Miller, 2014) This lawsuit has yet to be resolved and Match.com remains the leading online matchmaker to this day. I had a friend who had just gotten out of a very long relationship and wanted to get back out there  and start dating. Her problem was she had been out of the dating scene for so long she honestly did not know where to even start. She decided she would try out one of these so called dating sites and see if they actually worked. She told me that she did the site for about two weeks. During these two weeks she received hundreds of messages from creepy guys looking to hook up. She told me, â€Å"Half of the guys I messaged weren’t even real people.† What she meant by this was that the people she messaged were automated, not real, and responded to every request they received to try and get money out of you. An article in the Huffington Post stated, â€Å"A model is suing Match.com for 1.5 million dollars.† The model is suing Match.com because the website allowed ove r 200 fake profiles be made using her pictures. The people creating these profiles with her pictures are talking to people and actually getting to know them and then asking them for money for multiple reasons. Some people are actually sending the money and being scammed as the person they are talking to is never heard from again. Online dating has evolved immensely since the 1990’s. It used to be a credible source to meet people and go on actual dates. Now a days, in the 2010’s, any mention of online dating is usually mentioned because someone tried scamming you out of money from Nigeria or some other country. Lawsuits are being filed all of the time on the websites because people are being scammed but the websites are winning because you agree to terms and agreements. What this does is make you, the customer, liable for any actions that partake after signing up for the website. In closing, the world of online dating is a scary one. It is quickly evolving into a large scam. Lawsuits are being filed daily against these sites but there is nothing that can be done as we, the customers, are at fault. People are never who they appear to be online. References Communications Decency Act. (n.d.). Retrieved November 16, 2014, from http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Communications_Decency_Act.html Miller, R., & Miller, R. (2014). 12. In Business law today: Text & summarized cases : Diverse, ethical, online, and global environment (10th ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Scherker, A. (2013, November 25). This Model Is Suing Match.com For $1.5 Billion. Retrieved November 16, 2014, from

About Daniel Libeskind, New Yorks Master Planner

About Daniel Libeskind, New York's Master Planner Architects design more than buildings. An architects job is to design space, including the spaces around buildings and in cities. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many architects submitted plans for reconstruction on Ground Zero in New York City. After heated discussion, judges selected the proposal submitted by Daniel Libeskinds firm, Studio Libeskind. Background: Born: May 12, 1946 in Là ³d’z, Poland Early Life: Daniel Libeskinds parents survived the Holocaust and met while in exile. As a child growing up in Poland, Daniel became a gifted player of the accordionan instrument his parents had chosen because it was small enough to fit in their apartment. The family moved to Tel Aviv, Israel when Daniel was 11. He began playing piano and in 1959 won an America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship. The award made it possible for the family to move to the USA. Living with his family in a small apartment in the Bronx borough of New York City, Daniel continued to study music. He didnt want to become a performer, however, so he enrolled in Bronx High School of Science. In 1965, Daniel Libeskind became a naturalized citizen of the USA and decided to study architecture in college. Married: Nina Lewis, 1969 Education: 1970: Architecture degree, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, NYC1972: Postgraduate degree, History and Theory of Architecture, Essex University, England Professional: 1970s: Various architectural firms, including Richard Meier, and various teaching appointments1978-1985: Head of School of Architecture, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan1985: Founded Architecture Intermundium, Milan, Italy1989: Established Studio Daniel Libeskind, Berlin, Germany, with Nina Libeskind Selected Buildings Structures: 1989-1999: Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany2001: Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Kensington Gardens, London2002 (selected in February 2003): Ground Zero Master Plan2003: Studio Weil, Mallorca, Spain2005: The Wohl Centre, Ramat-Gan, Israel1998-2008: Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA2000-2006: Frederic C. Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO2007: The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Toronto, Canada2008: Westside Shopping and Leisure Centre, Bern, Switzerland2008: The Ascent at Roeblings Bridge, Covington, Kentucky (near Cincinnati, Ohio)2009: The Villa, Libeskind Signature Series, prefabricated house available Worldwide2009: Crystals at CityCenter, Las Vegas , Nevada2010: 18.36.54 House, Connecticut2010: The Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre, Hong Kong, China2010: Bord Gis Energy Theatre and Grand Canal Commercial Development, Dublin, Ireland2011: Reflections at Keppel Bay, Keppel Bay, Singapore2011: CABINN Metro Hotel, Copenhagen, D enmark 2013: Haeundae Udong Hyundai IPark, Busan, South Korea2014: Ohio Statehouse Holocaust Memorial, Columbus, Ohio2014: Beyond the Wall, Almeria, Spain2015: Sapphire, Berlin, Germany2015: Centre De Congrà ¨s Mons, Mons, Belgium2015: Zhang ZhiDong And Modern Industrial Museum, Wuhan, China2015: CityLife Master Plan, Central Tower C, and Residences, Milan, Italy Winning the Competition: The NY World Trade Center: Libeskinds original plan called for a 1,776-foot (541m) spindle-shaped Freedom Tower with 7.5 million square feet of office space and room for indoor gardens above the 70th floor. At the center of the World Trade Center complex, a 70-foot pit would expose the concrete foundation walls of the former Twin Tower buildings. During the years that followed, Daniel Libeskinds plan underwent many changes. His dream of a Vertical World Gardens skyscraper became one of the buildings you wont see at Ground Zero. Another architect, David Childs, became the lead designer for Freedom Tower, which was later renamed 1 World Trade Center. Daniel Libeskind became the Master Planner for the entire World Trade Center complex, coordinating the overall design and reconstruction. See pictures: What Happened to the 2002 Plan for Ground Zero?One WTC, Evolution of Design, 2002 to 2014 In 2012 the American Institute of Architects (AIA) honored Libeskind with a Gold Medallion for his contributions as an Architect of Healing. In the Words of Daniel Libeskind: But to create a space that never existed is what interests me; to create something that has never been, a space that we have never entered except in our minds and our spirits. And I think thats really what architecture is based on. Architecture is not based on concrete and steel and the elements of the soil. Its based on wonder. And that wonder is really what has created the greatest cities, the greatest spaces that we have had. And I think that is indeed what architecture is. It is a story.- TED2009 But when I stopped teaching I realized you have a captive audience in an institution. People are stuck listening to you. It is easy to stand up and talk to students at Harvard, but try doing it in the marketplace. If you only speak to people who understand you, you get nowhere, you learn nothing.- 2003, The New Yorker There is no reason that architecture should shy away and present this illusory world of the simple. It is complex. Space is complex. Space is something that folds out of itself into completely new worlds. And as wondrous as it is, it cannot be reduced to a kind of simplification that we have often come to be admired.- TED2009 More About Daniel Libeskind: Counterpoint: Daniel Libeskind in Conversation with Paul Goldberger, Monacelli Press, 2008Breaking Ground: An Immigrants Journey from Poland to Ground Zero by Daniel Libeskind Sources: 17 words of architectural inspiration, TED Talk, February 2009; Daniel Libeskind: Architect at Ground Zero by Stanley Meisler, Smithsonian Magazine, March 2003; Urban Warriors by Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker,, September 15, 2003 [accessed August 22, 2015]

Brain Computer Interface

Modifying the human body or enhancing our cognitive abilities using technology has been a long-time dream for many people. An increasing amount of research tries to link the human brain with machines allowing humans to control their environment through their thoughts. Research on BCIs began in the 1970s, but it wasnt until the mid-1990s that the first working experimental implants in humans appeared. Following years of animal experimentation, early working implants in humans now exist, designed to restore damaged hearing, sight and movement. The common thread throughout the research is the remarkable cortical plasticity of the brain, which often adapts to BCIs, treating prostheses controlled by implants as natural limbs. With recent advances in technology and knowledge, pioneering researchers could now conceivably attempt to produce BCIs that augment human functions rather than simply restoring them, previously only the realm of science fiction. 2. Brain Machine Interface (Brain Computer Interface): In this definition, the word â€Å"brain† means the brain or nervous system of an organic life form rather than the mind. Computer† means any processing or computational device, from simple circuits to silicon chips (including hypothetical future technologies such as quantum computing). A Brain Machine Interface (BMI), sometimes called a Direct Neural Interface or a Brain Computer Interface, is a direct communication pathway between a human or animal brain (or brain cell culture) and an external device. In one-way BCIs, computers either accept commands from the brain or send signals to it (for example, to restore vision) but not both. Two-way BCIs would allow brains and external devices to exchange information in both directions but have yet to be successfully implanted in animals or human. Brain-computer interface (BCI) is collaboration between a brain and a device that enables signals from the brain to direct some external activity, such as control of a cursor or a prosthetic limb. The interface enables a direct communications pathway between the brain and the object to be controlled. In the case of cursor control, for example, the signal is transmitted directly from the brain to the mechanism directing the cursor, rather than taking the normal route through the bodys neuromuscular system from the brain to the finger on a mouse. By reading signals from an array of neurons and using computer chips and programs to translate the signals into action, BCI can enable a person suffering from paralysis to write a book or control a motorized wheelchair or prosthetic limb through thought alone. Current brain-interface devices require deliberate conscious thought; some future applications, such as prosthetic control, are likely to work effortlessly. One of the biggest challenges in developing BCI technology has been the development of electrode devices and/or surgical methods that are minimally invasive. In the traditional BCI model, the brain accepts an implanted mechanical device and controls the device as a natural part of its representation of the body. Much current research is focused on the potential on non-invasive BCI. At the European Research and Innovation Exhibition in Paris in June 2006, American scientist Peter Brunner composed a message simply by concentrating on a display. Brunner wore a close-fitting (but completely external) cap fitted with a number of electrodes as shown in fig. Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity from Brunners brain was picked up by the caps electrodes and the information used, along with software, to identify specific letters or characters for the message. The BCI Brunner demonstrated is based on a method called the Wadsworth system. Like other EEG-based BCI technologies, the Wadsworth system uses adaptive algorithms and Pattern-matching techniques to facilitate communication. Both user and software are expected to adapt and learn, making the process more efficient with practice. During the presentation, a message was displayed from an American neurobiologist who uses the system to continue working, despite suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrigs disease). He was able to send the following e-mail message: I am a neuroscientist who (sic) couldnt work without BCI. I am writing this with my EEG courtesy of the Wadsworth Center Brain-Computer Interface Research Program. EEG Pattern Recognition This project aims to improve performance of NASA missions by developing brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies for augmented human-system interaction. BCI technologies will add completely new modes of interaction, which operate in parallel with keyboards, speech, or other manual controls, thereby increasing the bandwidth of human-system interaction. The research will extend recent feasibility demonstrations of electromyographic (EMG) methods for neurocontrol to the domain of electroencephalographic (EEG) methods of neurocontrol. These methods will bypass muscle activity and draw control signals directly from the human brain. BCI technologies will provide powerful and intuitive modes of interaction with 2-D and 3-D data, particularly for visualization and searching in complex data structures, such as geographical maps, satellite images, and terrain databases. . Model train control via brain interface machine: Hitachi has successfully tested a brain-machine interface that allows users to turn power switches on and off with their mind. Relying on optical topography, a neuroimaging technique that uses near-infrared light to map blood concentration in the brain, the system can recognize the changes in brain blood flow associated with mental activity and translate those changes into voltage signals for controlling external devices. In the experiments, test subjects were able to activate the power switch of a model train by performing mental arithmetic and reciting items from memory. The prototype brain-machine interface allows only simple control of switches, but with a better understanding of the subtle variations in blood concentrations associated with various brain activities, the signals can be refined and used to control more complex mechanical operations. In the long term, brain-machine interface technology may help paralyzed patients become independent by empowering them to carry out actions with their minds. In the short term, Hitachi sees potential applications for this brain-machine interface in the field of cognitive rehabilitation, where it can be used as an entertaining tool for demonstrating a patient’s progress. NOTE: The earliest interfaces developed in this breakthrough field of research require scientists to insert electrodes into the skull in order to physically tap directly into the brain, and researchers are currently trying to develop technologies that will enable them to access neurological activity through minimally invasive techniques. It is hoped that some day brain machine interfaces will be able to read neural signals non-invasively, from outside the skull, and that devices will be operated involuntarily, without deliberate conscious thought. Thus, for example, fighter pilots wearing specialized helmets may be able to operate some controls automatically, just by thinking. 4. Neuroprosthetics: Neuroprosthetics (also called Neural Prosthetics) is a discipline related to neuroscience and biomedical engineering concerned with developing neural prostheses, artificial devices to replace or improve the function of an impaired nervous system. The neuroprosthetic seeing the most widespread use is the cochlear implant, with approximately 100,000 in use worldwide as of 2006. There are several types of neuroprosthetic as follows: I. Sensory Prosthetics: i. Visual prosthetics: One of the prominent goals in neuroprosthetics is a visual supplement, noting roughly 95% of all people considered blind suffer significant impairment but have some capability (for example, seeing some sort of blur) only about 5% of blind people are totally blind. By the 1940s, researchers had established the concept of artificial electrical stimulation of the visual cortex, and in the late 1960s, British scientist Giles Brindley produced breakthrough findings with a system for placing electrodes on the brains surface. When specific areas of the brain were stimulated in blind volunteers, all reported seeing phosphenes that corresponded to where they would have appeared in space. However, experiments were discontinued because of the uncomfortably high currents required for stimulation on the surface of the brain. Encouraged by this work, the National Institutes of Health undertook a project to develop and deploy an interface based on ultra fine wire (25 to 50 micrometers) densely populated with electrode sites that could be implanted deep into the visual cortex, thus requiring less current than Brindleys original design. This work led to new electrode technology—finer than the width of human hair—that could be safely implanted in animals to electrically stimulate, and passively record, electrical activity in the brain. The efforts produced significant advances in neurophysiology, with publication of hundreds of papers in which researchers attempted to develop an electronic interface to the brain. ii. Auditory prosthetics (cochlear implant): A cochlear implant (or bionic ear) is a surgically implanted device that can help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Unlike hearing aids, the cochlear implant does not amplify sound, but works by directly stimulating any functioning auditory nerves inside the cochlea with electrical impulses. External components of the cochlear implant include a microphone, speech processor and transmitter. iii. Prosthetics for pain relief (Spinal Cord Stimulator): The Spinal Cord Stimulator or (Dorsal Column Stimulator) is used to treat chronic neurological pain. It is implanted near the dorsal surface of the spinal cord and an electric impulse generated by the device provides a tingling sensation that alters the perception of pain by the patient. A pulse generator or RF receiver is implanted in the abdomen or buttocks. A wire harness connects the lead to the pulse generator. II. Motor prosthetics: . Bladder control implants (Sacral anterior root stimulator): Where a spinal cord lesion leads to paraplegia, patients have difficulty emptying their bladders and this can cause infection. From 1969 onwards Brindley developed the sacral anterior root stimulator, with successful human trials from the early 1980s onwards. This device is implanted over the sacral anterior root ganglia of the spin al cord; controlled by an external transmitter, it delivers intermittent stimulation which improves bladder emptying. It also assists in defecation and enables male patients to have a sustained full erection. The related procedure of sacral nerve stimulation is for the control of incontinence in able-bodied patients. ii. Sensory/Motor prosthetics: In 2002 an implant was interfaced directly into the median nerve fibres of the scientist Kevin Warwick. The electrode array inserted contained 100 electrodes, of which 25 could be accessed at any one time. The signals produced were detailed enough that a robot arm developed by Warwicks colleague, Peter Kyberd, was able to mimic the actions of Warwicks own arm and provide a form of touch feedback via the implant. Fig: Electrode array Fig: Robot arm iii. Cognitive prosthetics: Sensory and motor prostheses deliver input to and output from the nervous system respectively. Theodore Berger at the University of Southern California defines a third class of prostheses aimed at restoring cognitive function by replacing circuits within the brain damaged by stroke, trauma or disease. Work has begun on a proof-of-concept device a hippocampal prosthesis which can mimic the function of a region of the hippocampus a part of the brain responsible for the formation of memories. . BMI versus Neuroprosthetics: Neuroprosthetics is an area of neuroscience concerned with neural prostheses — using artificial devices to replace the function of impaired nervous systems or sensory organs. The most widely used neuroprosthetic device is the cochlear implant, which was implanted in approximately 100,000 people worldwide as of 2006. [2] There are also several neuroprosthetic devices that aim to restore vision, in cluding retinal implants, although this article only discusses implants directly into the brain. The differences between BCIs and neuroprosthetics are mostly in the ways the terms are used: neuroprosthetics typically connect the nervous system, to a device, whereas the term â€Å"BCIs† usually connects the brain (or nervous system) with a computer system. Practical neuroprosthetics can be linked to any part of the nervous system, for example peripheral nerves, while the term BCI usually designates a narrower class of systems which interface with the central nervous system. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably and for good reason. Neuroprosthetics and BCI seek to achieve the same aims, such as restoring sight, hearing, movement, ability to communicate, and even cognitive function. Both use similar experimental methods and surgical techniques. 6. Future Trends and Scopes: Recent advances in cortically controlled brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have demonstrated that goal-directed movement of external devices is possible in real-time using multi-electrode recordings from cortex. A number of challenges are currently being confronted to further advance BMI research to the next level. These include choosing the optimal decoding algorithm for the type of control to be performed, localizing the optimal cortical site for reliable control, and focusing on the most suitable electrophysiological signal for practical use in a BMI. We present results that attempt to address these challenges based on multi-electrode recording from multiple motor cortical areas in behaving monkeys. . Conclusion: Although brain–machine interfaces are often talked about in relation to disabled people, we can expect they will also be used by the non-disabled as a means to control their environment especially if the devices are non-invasive and no implants are needed. To date there has not been much public discussion of the implications of brain machine interfaces, the amount of public RD funding they receive, and control, distribution and access to these devices.

Profession of arms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Profession of arms - Essay Example This profession requires years of study and practice. Military Officers need to constantly upgrade their knowledge and use of weaponry in view of advancement of technology. They are responsible for the security to the society, as society has no means to provide for itself, from external aggressions and serious internal threats. From the ethical perspective, a military officer has to win the confidence from many ends. They are the American people, civilian (political) leaders and the junior professionals under their command. Army values are taught but they are also cultivated. It is an important personal as well as the professional issue. Profession of arms is a revered profession. Salary, perquisites and promotions are taken care of well. This is a service of honor and privileges. The ambience in the army cantonments is good and atmosphere of camaraderie prevails which is the hallmark of army life. This profession is hailed as the calling, not a routine job. Keith E. Bonn writers, â€Å"Life in army is colorful, interesting, and rich with friends and experiences. The customs and courtesies help to establish these patterns. The glory of the Army is its fine people and the rewarding associations that may flow in abundance from its work and its life.†(10) Without doubt, the army professionals are prepared to kill; but it is not the killing comparable to the heinous act of a criminal. It is the call of the nation and protection for the society. An army officer remains always ready for the ultimate commitment—one’s life itself! They have a cause for such sacrifices and the hearts for such sacrifices! Therefore, this profession is