Essay about The making of modern Africa - 1393 Words

The Making of Modern Africa: Colonialism Take a look at the past, our history; although there is only one factual outcome, there are an infinite number of opinions, perspectives and almost always more than one side to a story. I will be taking a look in to the novel, Colonial Africa, written by Dennis Laumann, as well as, African Perspectives on Colonialism, by A. Adu Boahen, and hopefully through this, we can gain a stronger understanding of Colonialism in Africa and how Boahen and Laumann compare and differ. On (p.1), Boahen states, â€Å"The most surprising aspects of the imposition of colonialism on Africa were its suddenness and its unpredictability.† When I began reading I lacked an understanding of what this could really mean. I†¦show more content†¦Boahen compares the native religions and the cultural aspect of Christian missionaries, and in the end describes the negative impact of European Colonization on Africa. While Boahen shares his words through the African perspective, Laumann presents a more straightforward, balanced overview of the colonial take over. In Colonial Africa, Laumann presents the colonization of African through what I feel to be a less bias perspective. Laumen shares information from Africa as a whole as well as the regional perspectives, touching on many of the same complications such as the understanding African people had of the world during this time. By the end of the 19th century we begin to see an end to the African slave trade. By 1880 the British naval squadron had successfully suppressed the trade of slaves across the Atlantic as well as the other major trade routs such as the Trans-Saharan. As many African leaders and kings objected to this change in trade Britain refused to drop the new trade restrictions. This eventually made way for equality of rights as well as a created a more equitable distribution of wealth through out the African people. From this, the African economy shifted and began to thrive on the trade of natural resources and in turn became a â€Å"gathering-based economy,† as Boahen states on (p.6). The trade of cocoa, peanuts, ivory, and rubber emerged and quickly replacedShow MoreRelatedEvolution Of Culture Midterm Essay1307 Words   |  6 Pagesin Africa and the Middle East, Homo erectus inhabited Asia, and Homo neanderthalensis flourished throughout Europe. These species however, all lacked a co gnitive flexibility which would destroy the blinding walls that blocked any connection between their multiple intelligences. All of science agrees that Homo erectus originated in Africa and expanded to Eurasia one million years ago. However, around 30,000 years ago, taxonomic diversity suddenly disappears and humans evolved into their modern formRead MoreWho Were th Neanderthals?1223 Words   |  5 PagesNeanderthals are modern humans closest extinct relative. 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These events are largely significant to historians and the people of Africa, such as the first genocide of the 20th century, committed by the German powers in now what is modern day Namibia, against the Herero people. This report willRead MoreAfrica Shaped By Technology And Atmosphere Before The 1800s956 Words   |  4 PagesAfrica Shaped by Technology and Atmosphere Before the 1800s Hieroglyphs can be considered one of the oldest forms of literature; Egyptians developed this technology at around 4,000 BC. Reasons for creating hieroglyphs are art, and communication (Mattessich). Parallel to that, farming was another type of technology that was being developed along the north of Africa and the river Nile, by the upcoming kingdom of Africa. Nubia (modern day Sudan) also gave rise to another kind of technology in term ofRead MoreModern Human Behavior : Clues Gathered From Shellfish, Game, And Tool Remains1193 Words   |  5 Pages Modern Human Behavior: Clues Gathered From Shellfish, Game, and Tool Remains Anthropology 8 - Archeology: Introduction Dr. Acabado Andy Huang 27 October 2014 Abstract This paper compares two articles that talk about archeological findings in southern Africa and how they can be used to research and discover how anatomically modern humans might have behaved one hundred thousand years ago. The artifacts recovered, which included animal fossils and old tools, can help us infer about their dietsRead MoreA People Not Of The Modern World : A Look At The Andaman Culture1232 Words   |  5 PagesA People Not of the Modern World: A Look at the Andaman Culture There are still people in this world who have no idea that civilization exists.On the remote islands in the Bay of Bengal live mysterious tribes. The five-foot high black skinned Andaman islanders are rumoured by sailors to be cannibals. Their origins are mysterious, but this film, â€Å"First Out of Africa† directed by Peter Getzels, reveals how modern DNA analysis suggests that these ancient people have close links to being the explanationRead MoreThe Human Nature Of Human Beings1119 Words   |  5 Pagesnaturalistic explanation for the diversity of species, including human beings that inhabit the Earth. Divergent reactions to Darwin’s theory of evolution helped to splinter many Protestant denominations, with modernists accommodating the creation story to modern scientific findings and fundamentalists insisting upon the original meaning. The study of the historical reconstruction of the appearance and development of human beings on Earth through paleoanthropology, biology, ethnology, and the various disciplinesRead MoreColonialism has plagued indigenous people worldwide and has spelled disaster for countless800 Words   |  4 Pagescultures, languages, and traditions. Over the past 500 years there have been different phases of colonization in Africa as well as other various parts of earth. There were many reasons behind exploration and colonization including economic and tactical reasons, religion, and prestige. Colonialism has shaped the contemporary understanding of individuals from Niger as well as other parts of Africa and other places too, like the Chambri and Tlingit people; mainly in economics. Because of the colonial past

The Mixtec An Ancient Culture of Southern Mexico

The Mixtecs are a modern indigenous group in Mexico, with a rich ancient history. In pre-Hispanic times, they lived in the western region of the state of Oaxaca and part of the states of Puebla and Guerrero and they were one of the most important groups of Mesoamerica. During the Postclassic period (AD 800-1521), they were famous for their mastery of artworks such as metalworking, jewelry, and decorated vessels. Information about Mixtec history comes from archaeology, Spanish accounts during the Conquest period, and Pre-Columbian codices, screen-folded books with heroic narratives about Mixtec kings and nobles. The Mixtec Region The region where this culture first developed is called the Mixteca. It is characterized by high mountains and narrow valleys with small streams. Three zones form the Mixtec region: Mixteca Alta (High Mixteca) with an elevation ranging between 2500 and 2000 meters (8200-6500 feet).Mixteca Baja (Low Mixteca), between 1700 and 1500 m (5600-5000 ft).Mixteca de la Costa (Mixtec Coast) along the Pacific coast. This rugged geography didnt allow for easy communication across the culture, and probably explains the great differentiation of dialects within the modern Mixtec language today. It has been estimated that at least a dozen different Mixtec languages exist. Agriculture, which was practiced by the Mixtec peoples at least as early as 1500 BC, was also affected by this difficult topography. The best lands were limited to the narrow valleys in the highlands and few areas on the coast. Archaeological sites like Etlatongo and Jucuita, in the Mixteca Alta, are some examples of early settled life in the region. In later periods, the three sub-regions (Mixteca Alta, Mixteca Baja, and Mixteca de la Costa) were producing and exchanging different products. Cocoa, cotton, salt, and other imported items including exotic animals came from the coast, while maize, beans, and  chiles, as well as metals and precious stones, came from the mountainous regions. Mixtec Society In pre-Columbian times, the Mixtec region was densely populated. It has been estimated that in 1522 when the Spanish conquistador, Pedro de Alvarado—a soldier in Hernan Cortà ©ss army—traveled among the Mixteca, the population was over a million. This highly populated area was politically organized into independent polities or kingdoms, each ruled by a powerful king. The king was the supreme governor and leader of the army, assisted by a group of noble officials and counselors. The majority of the population, however, was made up of farmers, artisans, merchants, serfs, and slaves. Mixtec artisans are famous for their mastery as smiths, potters, gold-workers, and carvers of precious stones. A codex (plural codices) is a pre-Columbian screen-fold book usually written on bark paper or deerskin. The majority of the few Pre-Columbian codices that survived the Spanish conquest come from the Mixtec region. Some famous codices from this region are  the Codex Bodley, the Zouche-Nuttall, and the Codex Vindobonensis (Codex Vienna). The first two are historical in content, whereas the last one records Mixtec beliefs about the origin of the universe, their gods, and their mythology. Mixtec Political Organization Mixtec society was organized in kingdoms or city-states ruled by the king who collected tribute and services from the people with the help of his administrators who were part of the nobility. This political system reached its height during the Early Postclassic period (AD 800-1200). These kingdoms were interconnected with each other through alliances and marriages, but they were also involved in wars against each other as well as against common enemies. Two of the most powerful kingdoms of this period were Tututepec on the coast and Tilantongo in the Mixteca Alta. The most famous Mixtec king was Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw, ruler of Tilantongo, whose heroic actions are part history, part legend. According to Mixtec history, in the 11th century, he managed to bring together the kingdoms of Tilantongo and Tututepec under his power. The events that led to the unification of the Mixteca region under Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw are recorded in two of the most famous Mixtec codices: the Codex Bodley, and the Codex Zouche-Nuttall. Mixtec Sites and Capitals Early Mixtec centers were small villages located close to productive agricultural lands. The construction during the Classic Period (300-600 CE) of sites like Yucuà ±udahui, Cerro de Las Minas, and Monte Negro on defensible positions within the high hills has been explained by some archaeologists as a period of conflict among these centers. About a century after Lord Eight Deer Jaguar Claw united Tilantongo and Tututepec, the Mixtec expanded their power to the Valley of Oaxaca, a region historically occupied by Zapotec people. In 1932, the Mexican archaeologist Alfonso Caso discovered in the site of Monte Albà ¡n—the ancient capital of the Zapotecs—a tomb of Mixtec nobles dating to the 14th-15th century. This famous tomb (Tomb 7) contained an amazing offering of gold and silver jewelry, elaborately decorated vessels, corals, skulls with turquoise decorations, and carved jaguar bones. This offering is an example of the skill of Mixtec artisans. At the end of the pre-Hispanic period, the Mixtec region was conquered by the Aztecs. The region became part of the Aztec empire and the Mixtecs had to pay tribute to the Aztec emperor with gold and metal works, precious stones, and the turquoise decorations for which they were so famous. Centuries later, some of these artworks were found by archaeologists digging in the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs. Sources Joyce, AA 2010, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and Chatinos: Ancient peoples of Southern Mexico. Wiley Blackwell.Manzanilla, Linda and L Lopez Lujan, eds. 2000, Histà ³ria Antigua de Mà ©xico. Porrua, Mexico City.

Gender Discrimination A Woman s Opinion And Voice

In a male dominated society, it is challenging for a woman’s opinion and voice to be heard, and easy for gender inequality to thrive. Women have succeeded a great amount when it comes to comparison of how they were treated in the past, both in society and under the law, but the discrimination is still significant globally, even in areas such as Canada. Under the law, all individuals are the equivalent, regardless of one’s gender, race, or background, but in society women are still not treated with the same respect as males. Regardless, of what the law or the Supreme Court of Canada states, women are still accustomed to gender discrimination in the places they work and must deal with it against their coworkers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t†¦show more content†¦In 2012, an employee experienced extreme discrimination due to her gender while working under International Clothiers. Ms. Kohli had been working for International Clothiers and had â€Å"twice been passed over for promotion to Assistant Manager position because she was a woman† (Laird, HRLSC Cases). Ms. Kohli questioned her manager as to why men are considered as more fit for the job rather than women, but this only resulted in Mr.Bajwa reducing her work hours drastically and treating her unfairly. The victim chose to take further action and report it to the district manager in hopes of seeking help, but was left disappointed when he did not look into this matter further, but rather dismissed it. The fact that the managers at this store did not give Ms. Kohli the opportunity to become a manager simply based on her gender, is not only discriminating to her as a woman, but also devaluing her capability and worth. Stating that a woman is not fit for a job of a higher ranking, compared to men before even giving her the opportunity -simply because of her gender- is a clear violation of the law. Another way that women face discrimination in Canada is the significant wage gap b etween men and women. A 2-year long study that was conducted by the students of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario proved that â€Å"the average annual salary difference is

Biography Of William Edward Burghart Dubois Essay

Intro/Education/Work: William Edward Burghart DuBois, more commonly known as W.E.B. DuBois, was born February 23, 1868. Raised in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, he grew up in what was considered to be a moderately well integrated and tolerant community. His mother’s family was included in the miniscule population of free black people— because of this, he was certainly considered privileged as opposed to people of color who were much less fortunate or who lived in highly segregated communities. DuBois attended the town’s local public school, both elementary and high school levels, and excelled. His teachers recognized his abilities and often encouraged him in his academic pursuits. DuBois graduated at the top of his class in 1884, and he was determined to attend college as well. DuBois was set on attending Harvard, however, he didn’t have the funds available to do so. With receiving donations of twenty five dollars a year from from four different congrega tional churches in his hometown of Great Barrington, DuBois was able to attend Fisk University instead. Fisk University is a historically black college, located in Nashville, Tennessee. DuBois attended Fisk from 1885 to 1888. Having traveled south to attend Fisk, DuBois had his first experience with southern racism, which, at that time, included lynchings and intense bigotry, and many states in the south were governed by Jim Crow laws. During the summer, he taught in community schools and learned more

The Vampire Diaries Dark Reunion Chapter Two Free Essays

â€Å"And that’s all I remember,† Bonnie concluded as she and Meredith walked down Sunflower Street between the rows of tall Victorian houses. â€Å"But it was definitely Elena?† â€Å"Yes, and she was trying to tell me something at the end. But that’s the part that wasn’t clear, except that it was important, terribly important. We will write a custom essay sample on The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Two or any similar topic only for you Order Now What do you think?† â€Å"Mouse sandwiches and open graves?† Meredith arched an elegant eyebrow. â€Å"I think you’re getting Stephen King mixed up with Lewis Carroll.† Bonnie thought she was probably right. But the dream still bothered her; it had bothered her all day, enough to put her earlier worries out of her mind. Now, as she and Meredith approached Caroline’s house, the old worries returned with a vengeance. She really should have told Meredith about this, she thought, casting an uneasy sideways glance at the taller girl. She shouldn’t let Meredith just walk in there unprepared†¦ Meredith looked up at the lighted windows of the Queen Anne House with a sigh. â€Å"Do you really need those earrings tonight?† â€Å"Yes, I do; yes, absolutely.† Too late now. Might as well make the best of it. â€Å"You’ll love them when you see them,† she added, hearing the note of hopeful desperation in her own voice. Meredith paused and her keen dark eyes searched Bonnie’s face curiously. Then she knocked on the door. â€Å"I just hope Caroline’s not staying home tonight. We could end up stuck with her.† â€Å"Caroline staying home on a Saturday night? Don’t be ridiculous.† Bonnie had been holding her breath too long; she was starting to feel lightheaded. Her tinkling laughter came out brittle and false. â€Å"What a concept,† she continued somewhat hysterically as Meredith said, â€Å"I don’t think anybody’s home,† and tried the knob. Possessed by some crazy impulse Bonnie added, â€Å"Fiddle-dee-dee.† Hand on doorknob, Meredith stopped dead and turned to look at her. â€Å"Bonnie,† she said quietly, â€Å"have you gone completely through the ozone?† â€Å"No.† Deflated, Bonnie grabbed Meredith’s arm and sought her eyes urgently. The door was opening on its own. â€Å"Oh, God, Meredith, please don’t kill me†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Surprise!† shouted three voices. â€Å"Smile,† Bonnie hissed, shoving the suddenly resistant body of her friend through the door and into the bright room full of noise and showers of foil confetti. She beamed wildly herself and spoke through clenched teeth. â€Å"Kill me later-I deserve it -but for now just smile.† There were balloons, the expensive Mylar kind, and a cluster of presents on the coffee table. There was even a flower arrangement, although Bonnie noticed the orchids in it matched Caroline’s pale green scarf exactly. It was a Hermes silk with a design of vines and leaves. She’ll end up wearing one of those orchids in her hair, I’ll bet, Bonnie thought. There were balloons, the expensive Mylar kind, and a cluster of presents on the coffee table. There was even a flower arrangement, although Bonnie noticed the orchids in it matched Caroline’s pale green scarf exactly. It was a Hermes silk with a design of vines and leaves. She’ll end up wearing one of those orchids in her hair, I’ll bet, Bonnie thought. â€Å"Nothing I can’t break with an iron crowbar,† Meredith replied. But she smiled back with wry warmth and Bonnie relaxed. Sue had been a Homecoming Princess on Elena’s court, along with Bonnie, Meredith, and Caroline. She was the only girl at school besides Bonnie and Meredith who’d stood by Elena when everyone else had turned against her. At Elena’s funeral she’d said that Elena would always be the real queen of Robert E. Lee, and she’d given up her own nomination for Snow Queen in Elena’s memory. Nobody could hate Sue. The worst was over now, Bonnie thought. â€Å"I want to get a picture of us all on the couch,† Caroline said, positioning them behind the flower arrangement. â€Å"Vickie, take it, will you?† Vickie Bennett had been standing by quietly, unnoticed. Now she said, â€Å"Oh, sure,† and nervously flicked long, light brown hair out of her eyes as she picked up the camera. Just like she’s some kind of servant, Bonnie thought, and then the flashbulb blinded her. As the Polaroid developed and Sue and Caroline laughed and talked around Meredith’s dry politeness, Bonnie noticed something else. It was a good picture; Caroline looked stunning as ever with her auburn hair gleaming and the pale green orchids in front of her. And there was Meredith, looking resigned and ironic and darkly beautiful without even trying, and there she was herself, a head shorter than the others, with her red curls tousled and a sheepish expression on her face. But the strange thing was the figure beside her on the couch. It was Sue, of course it was Sue, but for a moment the blond hair and blue eyes seemed to belong to someone else. Someone looking at her urgently, on the verge of saying something important. Bonnie frowned at the photo, blinking rapidly. The image swam in front of her, and a chilling uneasiness ran up her spine. No, it was just Sue in the picture. She must’ve gone crazy for a minute, or else she was letting Caroline’s desire for them â€Å"all to be together again† affect her. â€Å"I’ll take the next one,† she said, springing up. â€Å"Sit down, Vickie, and lean in. No, farther, farther-there!† All of Vickie’s movements were quick and light and nervous. When the flashbulb went off, she started like a scared animal ready to bolt. Caroline scarcely glanced at this picture, getting up and heading for the kitchen instead. â€Å"Guess what we’re having instead of cake?† she said. â€Å"I’m making my own version of Death by Chocolate. Come on, you’ve got to help me melt the fudge.† Sue followed her, and after an uncertain pause, so did Vickie. The last traces of Meredith’s pleasant expression evaporated and she turned to Bonnie. â€Å"You should have told me.† â€Å"And that makes it all worthwhile?† â€Å"Well, it helps,† Bonnie said, with an air of being reasonable. â€Å"And really, it probably won’t be so bad. Caroline’s actually trying to be nice, and it’s good for Vickie to get out of the house for once†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It doesn’t look like it’s good for her,† Meredith said bluntly. â€Å"It looks like she’s going to have a heart attack.† â€Å"Well, she’s probably just nervous.† In Bonnie’s opinion, Vickie had good reason to be nervous. She’d spent most of the previous fall in a trance, being slowly driven out of her mind by a power she didn’t understand. Nobody had expected her to come out of it as well as she had. Meredith was still looking bleak. â€Å"At least,† Bonnie said consolingly, â€Å"it isn’t your real birthday.† Meredith picked up the camera and turned it over and over. Still looking down at her hands, she said, â€Å"But it is.† â€Å"What?† Bonnie stared and then said louder, â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"I said, it is my real birthday. Caroline’s mom must have told her; she and my mom used to be friends a long time ago.† â€Å"Meredith, what are you talking about? Your birthday was last week, May 30.† â€Å"No, it wasn’t. It’s today, June 6. It’s true; it’s on my driver’s license and everything. My parents started celebrating it a week early because June 6 was too upsetting for them. It was the day my grandfather was attacked and went crazy.† As Bonnie gasped, unable to speak, she added calmly, â€Å"He tried to kill my grandmother, you know. He tried to kill me, too.† Meredith put the camera down carefully in the exact center of the coffee table. â€Å"We really should go in the kitchen,† she said quietly. â€Å"I smell chocolate.† Bonnie was still paralyzed, but her mind was beginning to work again. Vaguely, she remembered Meredith speaking about this before, but she hadn’t told her the full truth then. And she hadn’t said when it had happened. â€Å"Attacked-you mean like Vickie was attacked,† Bonnie got out. She couldn’t say the word vampire, but she knew Meredith understood. â€Å"Like Vickie was attacked,† Meredith confirmed. â€Å"Come on,† she added, even more quietly. â€Å"They’re waiting for us. I didn’t mean to upset you.† Meredith doesn’t want me to be upset, so I won’t be upset, Bonnie thought, pouring hot fudge over the chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. Even though we’ve been friends since first grade and she never told me this secret before. pouring hot fudge over the chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream. Even though we’ve been friends since first grade and she never told me this secret before. Then Bonnie shook her head determinedly. She couldn’t think about this right now; she had a party to think about. And I’ll make sure it’s a good party and we all get along somehow, she thought. Strangely, it wasn’t even that hard. Meredith and Vickie didn’t talk much at first, but Bonnie went out of her way to be nice to Vickie, and even Meredith couldn’t resist the pile of brightly wrapped presents on the coffee table. By the time she’d opened the last one they were all talking and laughing. The mood of truce and toleration continued as they moved up into Caroline’s bedroom to examine her clothes and CDs and photo albums. As it got near midnight they flopped on sleeping bags, still talking. â€Å"What’s going on with Alaric these days?† Sue asked Meredith. Alaric Saltzman was Meredith’s boyfriend-sort of. He was a graduate student from Duke University who’d majored in parapsychology and had been called to Fell’s Church last year when the vampire attacks began. Though he’d started out an enemy, he’d ended up an ally-and a friend. â€Å"He’s in Russia,† Meredith said. â€Å"Perestroika, you know? He’s over there finding out what they were doing with psychics during the Cold War.† â€Å"What are you going to tell him when he gets back?† asked Caroline. It was a question Bonnie would have liked to ask Meredith herself. Because Alaric was almost four years older, Meredith had told him to wait until after she graduated to talk about their future. But now Meredith was eighteen-today, Bonnie reminded herself-and graduation was in two weeks. What was going to happen after that? â€Å"I haven’t decided,† Meredith said. â€Å"Alaric wants me to go to Duke, and I’ve been accepted there, but I’m not sure. I have to think.† Bonnie was just as glad. She wanted Meredith to go to Boone Junior College with her, not go off and get married, or even engaged. It was stupid to decide on one guy so young. Bonnie herself was notorious for playing the field, going from boy to boy as she pleased. She got crushes easily, and got over them just as easily. â€Å"I haven’t seen the guy so far worth remaining faithful to,† she said now. Everyone looked at her quickly. Sue’s chin was resting on her fists as she asked, â€Å"Not even Stefan?† Bonnie should have known. With the only light the dim bedside lamp and the only sound the rustle of new leaves on the weeping willows outside, it was inevitable that the conversation would turn to Stefan-and to Elena. Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were already a sort of legend in the town, like Romeo and Juliet. When Stefan had first come to Fell’s Church, every girl had wanted him. And Elena, the most beautiful, most popular, most unapproachable girl at school, had wanted him too. It was only after she’d gotten him that she realized the danger. Stefan wasn’t what he seemed-he had a secret far darker than anyone could have guessed. And he had a brother, Damon, even more mysterious and dangerous than himself. Elena had been caught between the two brothers, loving Stefan but drawn irresistibly to Damon’s wildness. In the end she had died to save them both, and to redeem their love. Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert were already a sort of legend in the town, like Romeo and Juliet. When Stefan had first come to Fell’s Church, every girl had wanted him. And Elena, the most beautiful, most popular, most unapproachable girl at school, had wanted him too. It was only after she’d gotten him that she realized the danger. Stefan wasn’t what he seemed-he had a secret far darker than anyone could have guessed. And he had a brother, Damon, even more mysterious and dangerous than himself. Elena had been caught between the two brothers, loving Stefan but drawn irresistibly to Damon’s wildness. In the end she had died to save them both, and to redeem their love. â€Å"I still can’t believe she’s gone,† Sue said quietly, shaking her head and shutting her eyes. â€Å"She was so much more alive than other people.† â€Å"Her flame burned brighter,† said Meredith, gazing at the patterns the rose-and-gold lamp made on the ceiling. Her voice was soft but intense, and it seemed to Bonnie that those words described Elena better than anything she’d ever heard. â€Å"There were times when I hated her, but I could never ignore her,† Caroline admitted, her green eyes narrowed in memory. â€Å"She wasn’t a person you could ignore.† â€Å"One thing I learned from her death,† Sue said, â€Å"is that it could happen to any of us. You can’t waste any of life because you never know how long you’ve got.† â€Å"It could be sixty years or sixty minutes,† Vickie agreed in a low voice. â€Å"Any of us could die tonight.† Bonnie wriggled, disturbed. But before she could say anything, Sue repeated, â€Å"I still can’t believe she’s really gone. Sometimes I feel as if she’s somewhere near.† â€Å"Oh, so do I,† said Bonnie, distracted. An image of Warm Springs flashed through her mind, and for a moment it seemed more vivid than Caroline’s dim room. â€Å"Last night I dreamed about her, and I had the feeling it really was her and that she was trying to tell me something. I still have that feeling,† she said to Meredith. The others gazed at her silently. Once, they would all have laughed if Bonnie hinted at any-thing supernatural, but not now. Her psychic powers were undisputed, awesome, and a little scary. â€Å"Do you really?† breathed Vickie. â€Å"What do you think she was trying to say?† asked Sue. â€Å"I don’t know. At the end she was trying so hard to stay in contact with me, but she couldn’t.† There was another silence. At last Sue said hesitantly, with the faintest catch in her voice, â€Å"Do you think†¦ do you think you could contact her?† It was what they’d all been wondering. Bonnie looked toward Meredith. Earlier, Meredith had dismissed the dream, but now she met Bonnie’s eyes seriously. â€Å"Is that the only way to communicate with dead people? What about a Ouija board or something?† Sue asked. â€Å"My parents have a Ouija board,† Caroline said a little too loudly. Suddenly the hushed, low-key mood was broken and an indefinable tension filled the air. Everyone sat up straighter and looked at each other with speculation. Even Vickie looked intrigued on top of her scaredness. â€Å"Would it work?† Meredith said to Bonnie. â€Å"Should we?† Sue wondered aloud. â€Å"Do we dare? That’s really the question,† Meredith said. Once again Bonnie found everyone looking at her. She hesitated a final instant, and then shrugged. Excitement was stirring in her stomach. â€Å"Why not?† she said. â€Å"What have we got to lose?† Caroline turned to Vickie. â€Å"Vickie, there’s a closet at the bottom of the stairs. The Ouija board should be inside, on the top shelf with a bunch of other games.† She didn’t even say, â€Å"Please, will you get it?† Bonnie frowned and opened her mouth, but Vickie was already out the door. â€Å"You could be a little more gracious,† Bonnie told Caroline. â€Å"What is this, your impression of Cinderella’s evil stepmother?† â€Å"Oh, come on, Bonnie,† Caroline said impatiently. â€Å"She’s lucky just to be invited. She knows that.† â€Å"And here I thought she was just overcome by our collective splendor,† Meredith said dryly. â€Å"And besides-† Bonnie started when she was interrupted. The noise was thin and shrill and it fell off weakly at the end, but there was no mistaking it. It was a scream. It was followed by dead silence and then suddenly peal after peal of piercing shrieks. For an instant the girls in the bedroom stood transfixed. Then they were all running out into the hallway and down the stairs. â€Å"Vickie!† Meredith, with her long legs, reached the bottom first. Vickie was standing in front of the closet, arms outstretched as if to protect her face. She clutched at Meredith, still screaming. â€Å"Vickie, what is it?† Caroline demanded, sounding more angry than afraid. There were game boxes scattered across the floor and Monopoly markers and Trivial Pursuit cards strewn everywhere. â€Å"What are you yelling about?† â€Å"It grabbed me! I was reaching up to the top shelf and something grabbed me around the waist!† â€Å"No! From inside the closet.† Startled, Bonnie looked inside the open closet. Winter coats hung in an impenetrable layer, some of them reaching the floor. Gently disengaging herself from Vickie, Meredith picked up an umbrella and began poking the coats. â€Å"Oh, don’t-† Bonnie began involuntarily, but the umbrella encountered only the resistance of cloth. Meredith used it to push the coats aside and reveal the bare cedarwood of the closet wall. â€Å"You see? Nobody there,† she said lightly. â€Å"But you know what is there are these coat sleeves. If you leaned in far enough between them, I’ll bet it could feel like somebody’s arms closing around you.† Vickie stepped forward, touched a dangling sleeve, then looked up at the shelf. She put her face in her hands, long silky hair falling forward to screen it. For an awful moment Bonnie thought she was crying, then she heard the giggles. â€Å"Oh, God! I really thought-oh, I’m so stupid! I’ll clean it up,† Vickie said. â€Å"Later,† said Meredith firmly. â€Å"Let’s go in the living room.† Bonnie threw one last look at the closet as they went. When they were all gathered around the coffee table, with several lights turned off for effect, Bonnie put her fingers lightly on the small plastic planchette. She’d never actually used a Ouija board, but she knew how it was done. The planchette moved to point at letters and spell out a message-if the spirits were willing to talk, that is. â€Å"We all have to be touching it,† she said, and then watched as the others obeyed. Meredith’s fingers were long and slender, Sue’s slim and tapering with oval nails. Caroline’s nails were painted burnished copper. Vickie’s were bitten. â€Å"Now we close our eyes and concentrate,† Bonnie said softly. There were little hisses of anticipation as the girls obeyed; the atmosphere was getting to all of them. â€Å"Think of Elena. Picture her. If she’s out there, we want to draw her here.† The big room was silent. In the dark behind her closed lids Bonnie saw pale gold hair and eyes like lapis lazuli. â€Å"Come on, Elena,† she whispered. â€Å"Talk to me.† The planchette began to move. None of them could be guiding it; they were all applying pressure from different points. Nevertheless, the little triangle of plastic was sliding smoothly, confidently. Bonnie kept her eyes shut until it stopped and then looked. The planchette was pointing to the word Yes. Vickie gave something like a soft sob. Bonnie looked at the others. Caroline was breathing fast, green eyes narrowed. Sue, the only one of all of them, still had her eyes resolutely closed. Meredith looked pale. â€Å"Keep concentrating,† Bonnie told them. She felt unready and a little stupid addressing the empty air directly. But she was the expert; she had to do it. â€Å"Is that you, Elena?† she said. The planchette made a little circle and returned to Yes. Suddenly Bonnie’s heart was beating so hard she was afraid it would shake her fingers. The plastic underneath her fingertips felt different, electrified almost, as if some supernatural energy was flowing through it. She no longer felt stupid. Tears came to her eyes, and she could see that Meredith’s eyes were glistening too. Meredith nodded at her. â€Å"How can we be sure?† Caroline was saying, loudly, suspiciously. Caroline doesn’t feel it, Bonnie realized; she doesn’t sense anything I do. Psychically speaking, she’s a dud. The planchette was moving again, touching letters now, so quickly that Meredith barely had time to spell out the message. Even without punctuation it was clear. CAROLINE DONT BE A JERK, it said. YOURE LUCKY IM TALKING TO YOU AT ALL â€Å"That’s Elena, all right,† Meredith said dryly. â€Å"It sounds like her, but-† â€Å"Oh, shut up, Caroline,† Bonnie said. â€Å"Elena, I’m just so glad†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her throat locked up and she tried again. BONNIE THERES NO TIME STOP SNIVELING AND GET DOWN TO BUSINESS And that was Elena too. Bonnie sniffed and went on. â€Å"I had a dream about you last night.† TEA â€Å"Yes.† Bonnie’s heart was thudding faster than ever. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you, but things got weird and then we kept losing contact-â€Å" BONNIE DONT TRANCE NO TRANCE NO TRANCE â€Å"All right.† That answered her question, and she was relieved to hear it. CORRUPTING INFLUENCES DISTORTING OUR COMMUNICATION THERE ARE BAD THINGS VERY BAD THINGS OUT HERE â€Å"Like what?† Bonnie leaned closer to the board. â€Å"Like what?† NO TIME! The planchette seemed to add the exclamation point. It was jerking violently from letter to letter as if Elena could barely contain her impatience. â€Å"Danger?† Vickie repeated, looking as if she might jump off the chair and run. WAIT LISTEN FIRST THE WHOLE TOWN IS IN DANGER â€Å"What do we do?† said Meredith instantly. YOU NEED HELP HES OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE UNBELIEVABLY STRONG NOW LISTEN AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS YOU HAVE TO DO A SUMMONING SPELL AND THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS H- Without warning, the planchette jerked away from the letters and flew around the board wildly. It pointed at the stylized picture of the moon, then at the sun, then at the words Parker Brothers, Inc. â€Å"Elena!† The planchette bobbed back to the letters. ANOTHER MOUSE ANOTHER MOUSE ANOTHER MOUSE â€Å"What’s happening?† Sue cried, eyes wide open now. Bonnie was frightened. The planchette was pulsing with energy, a dark and ugly energy like boiling black tar that stung her fingers. But she could also feel the quivering silver thread that was Elena’s presence fighting it. â€Å"Don’t let go!† she cried desperately. â€Å"Don’t take your hands off it!† MOUSMUDKILLYOU, the board reeled off. BLOODBLOODBLOOD. And then†¦ BONNIE GET OUT RUN HES HERE RUN RUN RU- The planchette jerked furiously, whipping out from under Bonnie’s fingers and beyond her reach, flying across the board and through the air as if someone had thrown it. Vickie screamed. Meredith started to her feet. And then all the lights went out, plunging the house into darkness. How to cite The Vampire Diaries: Dark Reunion Chapter Two, Essay examples

History Of The Computer Industry In America (2573 words) Essay Example For Students

History Of The Computer Industry In America (2573 words) Essay History of the Computer Industry in AmericaOnly once in a lifetime will a new invention come about to touch every aspect of our lives. Such a device that changes the way we work, live, and play is a special one, indeed. A machine that has done all this and more now exists in nearly every business in the U.S. and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). This incredible invention is the computer. The electronic computer has been around for over a half-century, but its ancestors have been around for 2000 years. However, only in the last 40 years has it changed the American society. From the first wooden abacus to the latest high-speed microprocessor, the computer has changed nearly every aspect of peoples lives for the better.The very earliest existence of the modern day computers ancestor is the abacus. These date back to almost 2000 years ago. It is simply a wooden rack holding parallel wires on which beads are strung. When these beads are moved along the wire according to program ming rules that the user must me! morize, all ordinary arithmetic operations can be performed (Soma, 14). The next innovation in computers took place in 1694 when Blaise Pascal invented the first digital calculating machine. It could only add numbers and they had to be entered by turning dials. It was designed to help Pascals father who was a tax collector (Soma, 32). In the early 1800Os, a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage designed an automatic calculation machine. It was steam powered and could store up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Built in to his machine were operations that included everything a modern general-purpose computer would need. It was programmed byand stored data oncards with holes punched in them, appropriately called punch cards. His inventions were failures for the most part because of the lack of precision machining techniques used at the time and the lack of demand for such a device (Soma, 46).After Babbage, people began to lose interest in computers. However, between 1850 and 1900 there were great advances! in mathematics and physics that began to rekindle the interest (Osborne, 45). Many of these new advances involved complex calculations and formulas that were very time consuming for human calculation. The first major use for a computer in the U.S. was during the 1890 census. Two men, Herman Hollerith and James Powers , developed a new punched-card system that could automatically read information on cards without human intervention (Gulliver, 82). Since the population of the U.S. was increasing so fast, the computer was an essential tool in tabulating the totals.These advantages were noted by commercial industries and soon led to the development of improved punch-card business-machine systems by International Business Machines (IBM), Remington-Rand, Burroughs, and other corporations. By modern standards the punched-card machines were slow, typically processing from 50 to 250 cards per minute, with each card holding up to 80 digits. At the time, however, punched cards were an enormous step forward; they provided a means of input, output, and memory storage on a massive scale. For more than 50 years following their first use, punched-card machines did the bulk of the worlds business computing and a good portion of the computing work in science (Chposky, 73). By the late 1930s punched-card machine techniques had become so well established and reliable that Howard Hathaway Aiken, in collaboration with engineers at IBM, undertook construction of a large automatic digital computer based on standard IBM electromechanical parts. Aikens machine, called the Harvard Mark I, handled 23-digit numbers and could perform all four arithmetic operations. Also, it had special built-in programs to handled logarithms and trigonometric functions. The Mark I was controlled from prepunched paper tape. Output was by card punch and electric typewriter. It was slow, requiring 3 to 5 seconds for a multiplication, but it was fully automatic and could complete long computations without human intervention (Chposky, 103). The outbreak of World War II produced a desperate need for computing capability, especially for the military. New weapons systems were produced which needed trajectory tables and other essential data. In 1942, John P. Eckert, John W. Mauchley, and their associates at the University of Pennsylvania decided to build a high-speed electronic computer to do the job. This machine became known as ENIAC, for Electrical Numerical Integrator And Calculator. It could multiply two numbers at the rate of 300 products per second, by finding the value of each product from a multiplication table stored in its memory. ENIAC was thus about 1,000 times faster than the previous generation of computers (Dolotta, 47).ENIAC used 18,000 standard vacuum tubes, occupied 1800 square feet of floor space, and used about 180,000 watts of electricity. It used punched-card input and output. The ENIAC was very difficult to program because one had to essentially re-wire it to perform whatever task he wanted the compu ter to do. It was, however, efficient in handling the particular programs for which it had been designed. ENIAC is generally accepted as the first successful high-speed electronic digital computer and was used in many applications from 1946 to 1955 (Dolotta, 50). Mathematician John von Neumann was very interested in the ENIAC. In 1945 he undertook a theoretical study of computation that demonstrated that a computer could have a very simple and yet be able to execute any kind of computation effectively by means of proper programmed control without the need for any changes in hardware. Von Neumann came up with incredible ideas for methods of building and organizing practical, fast computers. These ideas, which came to be referred to as the stored-program technique, became fundamental for future generations of high-speed digital computers and were universally adopted (Hall, 73).The first wave of modern programmed electronic computers to take advantage of these improvements appeared in 1947. This group included computers using random access memory (RAM), which is a memory designed to give almost constant access to any particular piece of information (Hall, 75). These machines had punched-card or punched-tape input and output devices and RAMs of 1000-word capacity. Physically, they were much more compact than ENIAC: some were about the size of a grand piano and required 2500 small electron tubes. Loyalty definition paper EssayA new revolution in computer hardware was now well under way, involving miniaturization of computer-logic circuitry and of component manufacture by what are called large-scale integration techniques. In the 1950s it was realized that scaling down the size of electronic digital computer circuits and parts would increase speed and efficiency and improve performance. However, at that time the manufacturing methods were not good enough to accomplish such a task. About 1960 photoprinting of conductive circuit boards to eliminate wiring became highly developed. Then it became possible to build resistors and capacitors into the circuitry by photographic means (Rogers, 142). In the 1970s entire assemblies, such as adders, shifting registers, and counters, became available on tiny chips of silicon. In the 1980s very large scale integration (VLSI), in which hundreds of thousands of transistors are placed on a single chip, became increasingly common. Many compani es, some new to the computer field, introduced in the 1970s programmable minicomputers supplied with software packages. The size-reduction trend continued with the introduction of personal computers, which are programmable machines small enough and inexpensive enough to be purchased and used by individuals (Rogers, 153). One of the first of such machines was introduced in January 1975. Popular Electronics magazine provided plans that would allow any electronics wizard to build his own small, programmable computer for about $380 (Rose, 32). The computer was called the Altair 8800O. Its programming involved pushing buttons and flipping switches on the front of the box. It didnt include a monitor or keyboard, and its applications were very limited (Jacobs, 53). Even though, many orders came in for it and several famous owners of computer and software manufacturing companies got their start in computing through the Altair. For example, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, founders of Apple Computer, built a much cheaper, yet more productive version of the Altair and turned their hobby into a business (Fluegelman, 16).After the introduction of the Altair 8800, the personal computer industry became a fierce battleground of competition. IBM had been the computer industry standard for well over a half-century. They held their position as the standard when they introduced their first personal computer, the IBM Model 60 in 1975 (Chposky, 156). However, the newly formed Apple Computer company was releasing its own personal computer, the Apple II (The Apple I was the first computer designed by Jobs and Wozniak in Wozniaks garage, which was not produced on a wide scale). Software was needed to run the computers as well. Microsoft developed a Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) for the IBM computer while Apple developed its own software system (Rose, 37). Because Microsoft had now set the software standard for IBMs, every software manufacturer had to make their software compatible with Microsofts. This would lead to huge profits for Microsoft (Cringley, 163). The main goal of the computer manufacturers was to make the computer as affordable as possible while increasing speed, reliability, and capacity. Nearly every computer manufacturer accomplished this and computers popped up everywhere. Computers were in businesses keeping track of inventories. Computers were in colleges aiding students in research. Computers were in laboratories making complex calculations at high speeds for scientists and physicists. The computer had made its mark everywhere in society and built up a huge industry (Cringley, 174). The future is promising for the computer industry and its technology. The speed of processors is expected to double every year and a half in the coming years. As manufacturing techniques are further perfected the prices of computer systems are expected to steadily fall. However, since the microprocessor technology will be increasing, its higher costs will offset the drop in price of older processors. In other words, the price of a new computer will stay about the same from year to year, but technology will steadily increase (Zachary, 42). Since the end of World War II, the computer industry has grown from a standing start into one of the biggest and most profitable industries in the United States. It now comprises thousands of companies, making everything from multi-million dollar high-speed supercomputers to printout paper and floppy disks. It employs millions of people and generates tens of billions of dollars in sales each year (Malone, 192). Surely, the computer has impacted every aspect of peoples lives. It has affected the way people work and play. It has made everyones life easier by doing difficult work for people. The computer truly is one of the most incredible inventions in history.