Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood

Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood Sex and Existence: A Third Choice of Human Existence in Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood In Norwegian Wood, Murakami Haruki experiments to challenge the mainstream conceptions of sex, love and human existence, that he believes these three elements do not always coordinate with each other; and part of the reason why this novel is so celebrated even today is because it breaks what the media, the society, and the human instinct of being normal. Death exists, not as the opposite but as a part of life (25) is a famous quote from Norwegian Wood, and it provides a third perception of understanding life and death; similarly, a significant part of the novel discusses the relationship between love and sex, which Murakami sets different characters to perform a third way of human existence with different perspectives. To begin with, the best way to understand Norwegian Wood, is to not consider it as a romantic or teen novel, which normally conveys the idea that love conquers all (Hall Mar.16th); instead, treat it as an analytical novel which discusses the relationship among love, sex and human existence. The biggest reason that Murakami sets the main characters at young ages, such as sets Kizuki at his seventeen (and forever remains seventeen), Naoko at her twenty (and forever remains twenty), and Toru together with Midori at their twenties, is because that for post-pubertal young people, their bodies are mature enough to explore sexual world, but their minds are still not fully corrupted by the harshness outside school life, so that they have the ability to learn how to love by their bodies, yet appreciate love by their pure hearts. Naoko and Midori are two intriguing female characters in Norwegian Wood. Both characters are somehow abnormal, such as Naokos psychological anxiety towards sex, and Midoris unusual behaviour of standing naked in front of her fathers portrait. These behaviours are certainly not seen as standard code of conduct. In order to understand Naoko and Midoris abnormalities, it is important to analyze these two girls contrary views towards sex, life and human existence. In traditional romantic literature, the common plot is that the hero and heroine together overcome many obstacles, and live happily ever after. Since after so many difficulties they have been through, the ending usually ends with them having a blessed life to death for sure, and it is assumed that their sex life will be harmonious as well. However, it is not the case in Norwegian Wood. Naoko has difficulties to have a penetrative sex with her lover Kizuki, but she succeeds in doing it with Toru, though it is the first and the o nly time she gets sexually aroused. Moreover, the reason for Naokos suicide also needs to be noticed, although the reason is made implicit in the novel. However, it is certain that Naoko does not die for love. During the twenty years of Naokos life, she encounters two deaths of her loved ones. The first one is her sisters death. Naokos sister commits suicide at the age of seventeen, and Naoko as an eleven years old child witnesses her sisters dead body. Then six years later, Naokos beloved Kizuki ends his life in the same way, by committing suicide. These two deaths strike Naoko drastically, but not fatally. She manages to get into the college, although avoiding talking about the past when she meets Toru a year after Kizukis death, it is too assertive to conclude Naokos suicide as to either follow her true love, or merely disappointed with the world. There are not many evidences of which event triggers Naoko to commit suicide, but it is for sure that her only climax gives her both t he hope to carry on life, yet in the same time destructs this hope to live. The biggest fear of Naoko is her inability to perform sex with her lover as normal people do. Naoko constantly talks about that night on her twentieth birthday, and keeps question her inability to sex. This once in life sexual experience to Naoko is not only a natural physiological behaviour, but also contains the meaning of life, and this meaning is not merely limited to physiological needs, but being elevated to the meaning of continuing life. The first time Toru visits Naoko at the sanatorium, she speaks of her version of viewing the sexual intercourse with Toru: I [Naoko] was wet from the minute you [Toru] walked into my apartment the night of my twentieth birthday. I wanted you to hold me. I wanted you to take my clothes off and touch me all over and to get inside me. I had never felt like that before. Why is that? Why do things happen that way? I mean, I really loved him [Kizuki]. (112) It makes Naoko so confused that why she and Kizuki never succeed in having a penetrative sex, but why she can have one with Toru; if she loves Kizuki, why her body does not let him in; or is that if she loves Toru, why is she unable to let Toru in for a second time? Naoko keeps pondering over these questions, and the second time Toru visits her, she was less talkative than she had been in the fall (237). When Toru tries to have sex with her again, he discovers that Naoko is still unable to get aroused, and she once again questions her inability to have sex: Why dont I get wet? Naoko murmured. That one time was the only time it ever happened. The day of my twentieth birthday, that April. The night you [Toru] held me in your arms. What is wrong with me? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ What if I never get better? What if I can never have sex for the rest of my life? Can you keep loving me just the same? (239) By shaping a character like Naoko, Murakami raises a hypothesis that what if sexual impulse does not occur coincidentally with love, does it prove that there is a third choice of performing sexless affection or affectionless sex? Whether or not this hypothesis works, Murakami offers a possibility that there could be a third kind of human existence in life, other than having impulsive sex, romantic sex, or no sex life at all. Midori is in the contrary of Naoko. She is described both by herself and by Toru as a real, live girl with blood in her veins (267), and she always seems to be happy and relaxed; however, she is not born to be this optimistic, but rather she chooses to be this way. Similar to Naoko, Midori has a tragic life of losing her loved ones: her grandfather, grandmother, mother and father. Midoris mother dies of cancer, and before her death, she lives in the hospital for almost two years while Midori takes care of her everyday therefore has to delay school. Midoris father loves his wife so deeply, that he says to Midori and her sister, I [Midoris father] would much rather have lost the two of you [Midori and her sister] than her [Midoris mother] (71). Then two years later, her father dies of the same cancer as her mother. Unlike Naoko, Midori is not defeated by so many deaths, instead, she manages to live her life bravely. Every time Midori appears in the story, her activities are not limited to talking: she and Toru often eat together, drink together, she cooks, smokes, and does all kinds of things; whereas for Naoko and Toru, what they mostly do is writing letters and walking. These vigorous activities save Toru from drowning himself with Naokos pain, and Midoris strong vitality symblizes the only oasis in this novel of boundless depressed desert. Midoris vitality puts her in a somewhat awkward position in society, considering the novels setting is in the 1960s Japan; she does not cry at her fathers funeral, she unreservedly discusses sexual fantasies with Toru: asking him to think of her while masturbating, she invites Toru to watch pornography at an adult theatre, and she is never shy of telling Toru her true feelings, of how much she desires him. Midoris independent, modernized characteristics and her value of existence of careless to the normalcy contradicts to Naokos belief of perfect union of sex and love. To conclude these two girls, Naoko stands for the possib ility of a third way of existence between sex and love, and Midori exhibits the possibility of a third existence of living without confinements. Naoko and Midori are like the two opposites of a scale, and Toru is the one to decide which side weighs more. In the first chapter, Toru already makes it clear that what happens in the book are all memories: I [Toru] was thirty-seven then, strapped in my seat as the huge 747 plunged through dense cloud cover on approach to the Hamburg airport (3), and this chapter ends with the monologue of Naoko never loved me (10). By reading this monologue, it is obvious that even twenty years pass by, Toru is still stuck in the memory of Naokos suicide. Toru tries to save Naoko, by having sex with her, by loving her, but both the efforts of love and sex can not solve Naokos psychological problems, and Toru never gets to understand the world of Naokos. On the other hand, Toru is drawn to Midoris vitality, and Midori always saves him, even at the end of the novel, Toru still seeks help from Midori: again and again, I [Toru] called out for Midori from the dead center of this place that was no place (293). There are four stages of Torus sexual development: to desire sex, to understand sex, to control sex, and to enjoy sex. The first stage of desiring sex, is reflected by the first half of the novel, when Toru starts to have sexual relationships with his first girlfriend in high school, with Naoko, and with other strange girls. Toru starts this relationship without envisaging it because of Kizukis death, since he was unable to find a place for myself [Toru] in the world around me (24), and immediately after graduation, he is devoted to leave Kobe without considering this girls feeling. The desiring of sex happens after Toru having sex with Naoko. As Toru recalls in his letter to Naoko, he honestly writes that the warmth and closeness I [Toru] felt for you [Naoko] at the moment was something I had never experienced before (41). To Toru, this is an extraordinary experience, because the other girls he has sex with are not the ones he has feelings with. Previously, when Toru has sex with st range girls, he always feels empty the next morning after; however, after his sexual intercourse with Naoko, he gets to taste the glamour of reaching climax both physically and mentally, he thereby feels hunger for women bodies: My [Toru] body was hungering for women. All the time I was sleeping with those girls, I though about Naoko, about the white shape of her naked body in the darkness, her sighs, the sound of the rain. The more I thought about these things, the hungrier my body grew (43). The first time when Toru goes to visit Naoko at the sanatorium, Naoko shows him her naked body at night, and it triggers Toru to recall their first night: A sense of imperfection had been what Naokos body had give me [Toru] that night as I tenderly undressed her [Naoko] while she cried à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I [Toru] am having intercourse with you [Naoko] now. I am inside you. But really this is nothing. It doesnt matter. It is nothing but the joining of two bodies. All we are doing is telling each other things that can only be told by the rubbing together of two imperfect lumps of flesh. By doing this, we are sharing our imperfection. (131) This whole passage of imperfection that Toru speaks forms a contrast to Naokos perfection theory, Naoko insists that if she is going to see Toru again, she wants her body to be clean of all this when I [Naoko] meet him [Toru] (246), and this hints Torus incomprehension of Naokos world. The second stage of Torus sexual development is to understand sex. Since Toru experiences several sexual activities with strange girls, he tastes the loneliness and emptiness that come after climax; at the same time, he knows that Naoko is getting further away from him after them having sex. Toru gets hurt by sex, and therefore, he chooses to not to have sex with Midori, because he realizes that youre [Midori] the best friend Ive [Toru] got now à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I dont want to lose you (250). The third stage of Torus sexual development is to control sex. Toru passes the first two stages, he becomes more familiar with sex, just like tobacco, and he does not want to be controlled by it. As he says to Midori, I [Toru] dont like having something [smoke] control me that way (70), and same for sex, he does not wish to let sexual impulses to overtake his love towards both Naoko and Midori; instead, he wants to remember that momentary experience he has with Naoko, and his commitment to Midori, so he does not let him have sex with other girls.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   The second time Toru and Midori lie down in the same bed, he still suppresses his thought of having sex with Midori, because he finds out that he falls in love with Midori: I [Toru] loved Midori, and I was happy that she had come back to me. The two of us could make it [having sex], that was certain à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It had been all I could do to suppress the intense desire I had to strip her [Midori] naked, throw open her body, and sink myself in her warmth à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I loved Midori. And I had probably known as much for a while. I had just been avoiding the conclusion for a very long time. (267) The fourth stage of Torus sexual development is to enjoy sex. In the last chapter of Norwegian Wood, Toru has sex with Reiko. This time, their sex is relaxed, enjoyable, and meaningful. As Murakamis hypothesis of sex could be based on love, and it could also be independent without love, the sex between Toru and Reiko is the best proof to make this hypothesis established. To conclude Torus character as a whole, he represents Murakamis perception that sex is the basic element that exists in life, and it can be independent without love. Only with this view implanted to Torus character, he can love Naoko and Midori without the disturbance of sexual desire, and gives both Reiko and himself a new start with sex. The traditional treatment of sex in literature is to either blur or eliminate its description, in order to weaken its influence on love; whereas in Murakami Harukis Norwegian Wood, his descriptions of sex is simple but explicit, which declares his perception to sex as modernized and positive. Norwegian Wood starts with an end, and ends with a start, this paradoxical beginning and ending fits the life death opposite theory proposed in the book perfectly. By offering these paradoxes, Murakami offers a third choice of human existence, that his ideal lifestyle is never a two-point and one-line dynamic; instead, by examining and combining the extreme commonness and abnormality, a third choice of living is formed. No matter what this third existence is, it is a lifestyle that is unique, as Reiko says What makes us most normal, is knowing that were not normal (148). Word count: 2599 Works Cited Hall, Nick. ASIA 364 Modern Japanese Literature 1868 the Present. University of British Columbia. 16 March 2017. Class notes. Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. Trans. Jay Rubin. New York: Vintage International, 2000. Print.

Australia: A Happy Place! Essay example -- Australia Essays

Australia conjures up thoughts in one’s head of a country, and a continent, where kangaroos and koalas roam freely, and where people are generally laid-back. This assumption of happiness of the Australian people is even supported by the World Database of Happiness Rank Report 2014, which ranks Australia’s happiness at a 7.3 out of 10, an extremely high number. One can only wonder, then, what does make Australia one of the happiest countries on Earth? Many factors can go into deciding what exactly makes the citizens of a country the happiest. In Australia’s case, however, location, size, and other various points help to create a country that is almost perfectly content. Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere in the Pacific Ocean. Although Australia is near Indonesia and New Zealand, this continent is basically stranded in the middle of the ocean, with no other continents close. This large amount of space in between Australia and the other countries can lead one to believe that the location has a large amount to do with Australia’s happiness rating. Countries that are extremely close together, such as Zimbabwe, Ukraine, and Jordan, have a much lower happiness rating, according to the World Database of Happiness. Australia is not landlocked, which always has a great deal to do with the citizens’ happiness, seeing as though the majority of the population lives on the eastern and southeastern coast of Australia (â€Å"Australia,† n.d.). Weather is another factor that can greatly affect the moods of people all around the world. Australia’s weather varies greatly around the country, from tropical to Mediterranean an d even desert-like climates (â€Å"Australia-Geography and Climate,† n.d.). In the southeastern part, though, ... .... Retrieved October 9, 2011, from http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States List of United States cities by population. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population Peen J., Schoevers R.A., Beekman A.T., Dekker J. (2009, July 13). The current status of urban-rural differences in psychiatric disorders. Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information website: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19624573 Still healthy, wealthy and wise – but dropping in productivity. (2011). Retrieved from the Australian Bureau of Statistics website: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyCatalogue/5BD0CF73B112325CCA25792000141D51?Opendocument Tiffen, R., & Gittins, R. (2009). How Australia compares (2nd edition). Cambridge, GBR: Cambridge University Press.

A Reflection On Modern Medicine Essay

The Hippocratic Oath is a promise in essence â€Å"to do no harm† made by a new doctor before becoming a practicing physician. The oath has been a standard of the medical community for several centuries. It remains just as meaningful and valid today as when Hippocrates wrote it in 400 BC. Medical ethics in today’s modern society has become very blurry and hard to understand (Price 1). It is not the oath that has acquired a more complicated meaning. It is the practice of medicine that has become more complex. Presently, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for doctors to discern good medicine from bad medicine. In our current society political correctness, policy, and politics have come to define good medicine as opposed to what is best for the patient. Over a century ago, H. G. Wells was criticized for his novel The Island of Doctor Moreau written in 1896. Literary critics and the general public were appalled by the atrocities depicted in the text. Contemporary authors, physicians, and scientists could not fathom the cruel behavior of Doctor Moreau. And it was easy to see that Dr. Moreau was practicing bad medicine and had broken his vow ‘to do now harm. ’ The Island of Doctor Moreau was a novel written late in 1896 by H. G. Wells. The plot seems relatively simple and typical of a science fiction novel. A young civil servant is the sole survivor of shipwreck. He is found floating along side the island of Doctor Moreau who rescues him. The young man has no knowledge that Doctor Moreau has fled from his home nation fearing charges of animal cruelty. Upon first impressions, the young man falls in love with the island. Slowly he remembers stories about Dr. Moreau and the horrors he created. The lush fauna and sandy beaches are exciting and new to him. To paraphrase John S. Partington, in The Death of the Static: H. G. Wells and the Kinetic Utopia, Dr. Moreau’s island was like Eden, Dr. Moreau was God, and Prendick was like Adam. When curiosity gets the best of him he wanders deep into the overgrowth and what he finds there is deeply shocking. Doctor Moreau is using a process called vivisection to create a hybrid of animal and human. His research goal is to make man be absent of evil. In the end Moreau is killed and the young man, Prendick, escapes and lives to tell the tale. To gain a better understanding of the novel and the beliefs of H. G. Wells it is important to look at the prevailing scientific knowledge of the time in which the novel was written. The late 19th century was when Darwin first made known his theories of evolution and survival of the fittest. Darwin believed that all species including humans, change with time. In time when God was the creator of all, the idea of evolution and our link to other species was very disturbing to the general public. H. G. Wells was a contemporary writer of this time. In two of his most famous novels, The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau, he investigates the conflict between nature and God. In summary, H. G. Wells was not just an author but also a trained biologist. What could be more frightening than an island of beasts butchered by a mad scientist. Dr. Moreau does not just alter the bodies but using plastic surgery to make them appear human but also their minds (Mclean). He has them recite the laws he created. The gather together and chant â€Å"Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men? † But that is not the worst of it. After the chanting of the Law comes the hymn of praise to their Creator: His is the House of Pain. His is the Hand that makes. His is the Hand that wounds. His is the Hand that heals. His is the lightning-flash. His is the deep salt sea. His are the stars in the sky†¦. To summarize Freeman Dyson point in his book titled Disturbing the Universe, a biologist like Wells has had to confront the idea, can the scientific community play god and if so, can they stay sane (Dyson 111). Can the scientific community remain objected and no let the power of life, death, and creation which is left in their hands go to their heads. If the answer is no, than the lesson is learned, and Dr. Moreau is what will be produced. A man who knows no ethical boundaries, who believes he is more powerful than God. Much of H. G. Wells writing explores the idea of what are the implications of modern biology gone wrong. By allowing people and animals to be altered, even if it is treatment for their â€Å"own good† the human race will loose two important anchors- our sense of identity, and the brotherhood of mankind. These two things keep us sane and of course any visitor to The Island of Dr. Moreau looses these completely. Certainly, Prendick does, he must fight for his life and kill, an activity he would never do had he not wandered upon the Doctor’s Island. The scientific community has come a long way since 1896. The knowledge of DNA, we know in detail how life is produced and reproduced. Whoever can read the DNA language can also learn to write it. Whoever learns to write the language will in time learn to design living creatures according to his whim. Presently, the public should fear not the crude Dr. Moreau’s with knives but the young, bright zoologist sitting at his computer cloning an extinct animal, or splicing genes in and out the human genome to create a superior human. Though it was science-fiction in 1896, Wells’ novel is frighteningly close to science today. The issues he pressed in this novel are still current. Even more so because the lines of what constitutes harm are very blurry. What Doctor Moreau did was wrong but aren’t plastic surgeons modern versions of Doctor Moreau? Except clients actually pay them to slice them up and make them more perfect humans. In 2003 there were 8. 7 million cosmetic plastic surgeries. This number is up 32% from 2002 (Hill). What Doctor Moreau did was wrong but aren’t therapists taking advantage of a nation’s worth of people who are â€Å"emotionally underdeveloped, psychically frail, and requiring the ministrations of mental health professionals to cope with life’s vicissitudes. Being â€Å"in touch with one’s feelings† and freely expressing them have become paramount personal virtues. Today-with a book for every ailment, a counselor for every crisis, a lawsuit for every grievance, and a TV show for every conceivable problem-we are at risk of degrading our native ability to cope with life’s challenges. † (Sommers). Is that any worse then Doctor Moreau solution of having his pseudo humans chant the rules of being human? Sally Satel who wrote Victimizing the ‘Victims’, which is the commentary exploring how political correctness in the medical profession is hindering the quality of patient care people receive. In summary Satel says, the goals of the public health sector have changed from using science to improve people’s lives to a â€Å"global ideology to manipulate the way people think about disease and its remedies. † The change is not for the better. Today, she argues, victimology is one of the biggest trends in medicine. There is a trend in the medical world to look at connection as the cause and make diagnoses accordingly. For example, it’s true that wealthier people tend to be healthier. But can you assume that poverty is responsible for higher levels of disease among the poor? Are the poor incapable of helping themselves? Well, yes, argue leading â€Å"indoctrinologists,† as Satel calls the backers of poltically correct medicine. Which is why two health experts could write in the American Journal for Public Health, â€Å"we must address the social inequalities that so reliably produce† these inequalities in health (Satel). HMO’s offer a similar problem. To paraphrase Sarah Cay Bradley viewpoint with the increase of HMO’s there has been a drastic decrease in how much Americans spend on healthcare, also decreasing is the quality of healthcare people are receiving. Doctors are forced to follow the rules of their demanding HMO partners. Even if what is in the best interest of the patient does not follow those rules. There are several cost effective policies that physicians are required to follow today. One concept is time is money, the quicker a doctor gets a patient out the more money that is saved. Doctors always seem to be in a hurry spending very little time actually speaking to their patients. Which can lead to misdiagnosis or overlooked health problems. Political correctness, policy, and politics drive the current scientific and medical communities. Instead of producing healthcare professionals who are compassionate and reflective, they produce professionals can simply follow instructions. Just because doctors today are following the rules set forth for them by insurance companies, and the government does not mean they are practicing good medicine. Perhaps they too, like Doctor Moreau, have forgotten their oath ‘to do no harm’ and replaced it with the creed ‘make more money. ’ In 1896 H. G. Wells, pondered in text, the â€Å"what ifs† of what could go wrong with modern medicine and science. The public rebuked his rather blunt commentary as foolishness and vulgarity. A hundred years later, Dr. Moreau has become the norm. Works Cited Dyson, Freeman. Disturbing the Universe. New York: Basic Books, 1979. Questia. 10 Dec. 2005 . Hill, Theresa. â€Å"More Than 8. 7M Cosmetic Plastic Surgeries in 2003, Up 32 Pct. Over 2002; For 12th Year, American Society of Plastic Surgeons Reports Statistics. † US New Wire Service. 8 March 2004. 09 Dec. 2005 . Mclean, Steven. â€Å"W. Warren Mclean. H. G. Wells: Traversing Time. † Utopian Studies 16. 2 (2005): 320+. Questia. 10 Dec. 2005 .

10 Silicon Facts (Element Number 14 or Si)

10 Silicon Facts (Element Number 14 or Si) Silicon is element number 14 on the periodic table, with the element symbol Si. Here is a collection of facts about this interesting and useful element: Silicon Fact Sheet Credit for discovering silicon is given to  Swedish chemist Jà ¶ns Jakob Berzelius, who reacted potassium fluorosilicate with potassium to produce amorphous silicon, which he named silicium, a name first proposed by Sir Humphry Davy in 1808. The name derives from the Latin words silex or silicis, which mean flint. Its probable English scientist Humphry Davy may have isolated impure silicon in 1808 and  French chemists Joseph L. Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thà ©nard may have produced impure amorphous silicon in 1811. Berzelius is credited for the elements discovery because his sample was purified by repeatedly washing it, while earlier samples were impure.Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson named the element silicon in 1831, keeping part of the name Berzelius had given, but changing the ending of the name to -on because the element showed more similarities to boron and carbon than to the metals that had -ium names.Silicon is a metalloid, which means it has properties of both metals and nonmetals. Like other metalloids, silicon has different forms or allotropes. Amorphous silicon is usually seen as a gray powder, while crystalline silicon is a gray solid with a shiny, metallic appearance. Silicon conducts electricity better than nonmetals, yet not as well as metals. In other words, its a semiconductor. Silicon has a high thermal conductivity and conducts heat well.  Unlike metals, its brittle, and not malleable or ductile. Like carbon, it usually has a valence of 4 (tetravalent), but unlike carbon, silicon can also form five or six bonds.   Silicon is the second most abundant element on Earth by mass, making up over 27% of the crust. Its commonly encountered in silicate minerals, such as quartz and sand, but only rarely occurs as a free element. Its the 8th most abundant element in the universe, found at levels of about 650 parts per million. Its the principal element in a type of meteorite called aerolites.Silicon is needed for plant and animal life. Some aquatic organisms, such as diatoms, use the element to construct their skeletons. Humans need silicon for healthy skin, hair, nails, and bones, and to synthesize the proteins collagen and elastin. Dietary supplementation with silicon may increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.Most silicon is used to produce the alloy ferrosilicon. Its used to produce steel. The element is purified to make semiconductors and other electronics. The compound silicon carbide is an important abrasive. Silicon dioxide is used to make glass. Because silicate minerals are c ommon, silicon oxides form rocks and are used to make glass and ceramics. Like water (and unlike most chemicals), silicon has a higher density as a liquid than as a solid.Natural silicon consists of three stable isotopes: silicon-28, silicon-29, and silicon-30. Silicon-28 is the most abundant, accounting for 92.23% of the natural element. At least twenty radioisotopes are also known, with the most stable being silicon-32, which has a half-life of 170 years.Miners, stone cutters, and people who live in sandy regions may inhale large quantities of silicon compounds and develop a lung disease called silicosis. Exposure to silicon may occur by inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, and eye contact. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets the legal limit for workplace exposure to silicon to  15  mg/m3  total exposure and 5  mg/m3  respiratory exposure for an 8-hour workday.Silicon is available at extremely high purity. Molten salt electrolysis of silica (silicon dioxide) or other silicon compounds can be used to obtain the element at 99.9% purity for use in semiconductors. The Siemens process is another method used to produce high purity silicon. This is a form of chemical vapor deposition where gaseous trichlorosilane is blown across a pure silicon rod to grow polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) with a purity of 99.9999%.   Silicon Atomic Data Element Name: Silicon Element Symbol: Si Atomic Number: 14 Classification: metalloid (semimetal) Appearance: Hard gray  solid with a silver metallic luster. Atomic Weight: 28.0855 Melting Point:  1414  oC, 1687 K Boiling Point:  3265  oC, 3538 K Electron Configuration:  1s2  2s2  2p6  3s2  3p2 Density: 2.33  g/cm3 (as a solid near room temperature); 2.57 g/cm3 (as a liquid at the melting point) Oxidation States: 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2, -3, -4 Electronegativity: 1.90 on the Pauling scale Atomic Radius: 111 pm Crystal Structure: face-centered diamond cubic Heat of Fusion: 50.21 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 383 kJ/mol Reference Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Presidential Retirement Benefits

Presidential Retirement Benefits Presidential retirement benefits were non-existent until the enactment of the Former Presidents Act (FPA) in 1958. Since then, presidential retirement benefits have included a lifetime annual pension, staff and office allowances, travel expenses, Secret Service protection, and more. The FPA was inspired by former President Harry Trumans life of modest means after leaving office. Though Truman lived well more than a decade after the acts passage, it didnt apply him. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower became its first beneficiary. Pension Former presidents are offered a taxable lifetime pension equal to the annual rate of basic pay for the heads of executive branch departments, like the Cabinet Secretaries. This amount is set annually by Congress and is currently  $210,700  per year. The pension starts the minute the president officially leaves office at noon on Inauguration Day. Widows of former presidents are provided with a $20,000 annual lifetime pension and mailing privileges  unless they choose to waive their right to the pension. In 1974, the Justice Department ruled that presidents who resign from office before their official terms of office expire are entitled to the same lifetime pension and benefits extended to other former presidents. However, presidents who are removed from office due to impeachment forfeit all benefits. Transition Expenses For the first seven months, beginning one month before the January 20 inauguration, former presidents get transition funding to help them transition back into private life. Granted under the Presidential Transition Act, the funds can be used for office space, staff compensation, communications services, and printing and postage associated with the transition. The amount provided is determined by Congress. Staff and Office Allowances Six months after a president leaves office, they get funds for an office staff. During the first 30 months after leaving office, the former president gets a maximum of $150,000 per year for this purpose. Thereafter, the Former Presidents Act stipulates that the aggregate rates of staff compensation for a former president cannot exceed $96,000 annually. Any additional staff costs must be paid for personally by the former president. Former presidents are compensated for office space and office supplies at any location in the United States. Funds for former presidents office space and equipment are authorized annually by Congress as part of the budget for the General Services Administration (GSA). Travel Expenses Under a law enacted in 1968, the GSA makes funds available to former presidents and no more than two of their staff members for travel and related expenses. To be compensated, the travel must be related to the former presidents status as an official representative of the United States government. Travel for pleasure is not compensated. The GSA determines all appropriate costs for travel. Secret Service Protection With the enactment of the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 (H.R. 6620), on Jan. 10, 2013, former presidents and their spouses receive Secret Service protection for their lifetimes. Under the Act, protection for the spouses of former presidents terminates in the event of remarriage. Children of former presidents receive protection until they reach age 16. The Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012 reversed a law enacted in 1994 that terminated Secret Service protection for former presidents 10 years after they left office. Richard Nixon is the only former president to have given up his Secret Service protection. He did so in 1985 and paid for his own security, saying his reason was to save the government money. (The savings were estimated to be about $3 million a year.) Medical Expenses Former presidents and their spouses, widows, and minor children are entitled to treatment in military hospitals. Former presidents and their dependents also have the option of enrolling in private health insurance plans at their own expense. State Funerals Former presidents are traditionally granted state funerals with military honors. Details of the funeral are based on the wishes of the former presidents family. Failed Attempt to Cut Retirement In April 2015, Congress passed a bill titled The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act, which would have capped the pensions of all former and future former presidents at $200,000 and removed the current provision in the Former Presidents Act linking presidential pensions to the annual salaries of cabinet secretaries. The bill would have also reduced the other allowances paid to former presidents. Annual pensions and allowances would have been limited to a total of no more than $400,000. But on July 22, 2016, President Barack Obama vetoed the bill stating it â€Å"would impose onerous and unreasonable burdens on the offices of former presidents.† In a press release, the White House added that Obama also objected to provisions of the bill that would â€Å"immediately terminate salaries and all benefits to staffers carrying out the official duties of former presidents- leaving no time or mechanism for them to transition to another payroll.†Ã¢â‚¬â€¹

Intl management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intl management - Assignment Example This leads to a cultural diversity within the company, which requires proper organizational management as well as cultural accommodation among all stakeholders. As a manager who has great knowledge about diversity of cultures as well as cross-cultural integration, I am able to bring all these diverse cultures together in order to achieve a cultural integration within the organization that leads to proper productivity. Furthermore, my skills in cross-cultural management will also enable me to influence other employees within the company to accommodate cultural differences of their fellow employees. This would lead to a religious and cultural accommodation of all members of staff whereby no one would look down upon the cultural background of others, or despise their religion. In fact, this would closely integrate the company in such a way that there would be no conflicts arising from ill opinion of workers expressed against the cultures or religious backgrounds of their fellow workers, or based on any other feature. As such, this would lead to increased cooperation and enhanced productivity within the company, hence profitability maximization. ... b.  What impact do you want to have? On whom?    I want to influence the entire company as a whole by enabling all members of the organization to be able to accommodate all people from different cultural backgrounds and settings. For instance, I want all employees to integrate properly with one another despite their different backgrounds and incorporate the virtues from their select groups in order to create a formidable production team at the company. c.  Whom do you want to know you benefited? In what ways? Apart from the general success that the organization will record as a whole due to the integration of different cultures, I would particularly want to influence the management team. This is because the management or leadership of a given company is what determines whether a company stays united as one or splits down into two or more pieces basing on cultural differences and other factors. As such, being part of the management team, I would use my position to work at integr ating different cultures within the organization and prove to the executive team that all cultures have the same output. d.  What do you want to learn? I want to learn how to mix different cultures and still have the same people without facing cultural discriminations, or breakages along any differential lines. This is because all persons carry the same equality despite their backgrounds or cultural affiliations. e.  How do you define your impact as a/n: employee, leader, manager, executive, etc.? As an executive, I define my influence in the company as monumental since cultural differences sometimes bring about serious conflicts and destruction of property and lives. For instance, in

Report on the analysis of the workplace behavior of Western Sydney Essay

Report on the analysis of the workplace behavior of Western Sydney - Essay Example Therefore the promotion of Carlene is appropriate. This therefore means that Carlene has a duty of meeting the requirements of Western Sydney, which is something she has proven to be capable of right from her position at the middle rank. Although Western Sydney is the main revenue generator for the group, it is worthwhile for them to put Carlene there as the CEO since she has the qualities necessary to steer the company to meet the requirements they have. Her one-month work at Western Sydney was a good point to get her to familiarize herself with the work environment and make changes as and when necessary. Carlene's identification of the stagnation and the traditionalist approach used by the Western Sydney was her justification for the alteration of the subsidiary's strategy from a conservative one to a more profitable business model that will generate profits. This is therefore the impetus for the need to change certain structures in different departments of Western Sydney, includin g the Operations Department where it can be logically inferred that the Operations Manager is maintaining a very traditionalist and authoritative structure which supports the stagnation identified by Carlene. There is therefore the need for the MD to give Carlene all the necessary support to attain this to ensure that Western Sydney, the cash cow of the group remains productive into the future. In the confrontation between the Operations Manager and the junior staff member, Carlene was using the mild form of disciplinary action in organizations, counseling to try to assert the fact that the Operations Manager went too far by physically assaulting the junior staff member. Assertive behavior is where an individual tries to justify,... The Operations Manager is undoubtedly a very experienced individual in what he does. He seem to have the competencies necessary to move the company to its strategic destination. All other individuals working at the company this therefore makes him a rare individual and a vital part of any progressive activity that they would be involved in. Such an individual needs to be included in the strategy of the organization even if he has some excesses as this operations manager seem to have. The Operations Manager seem to be in independent minded individual who always wants to do things according to a given plan or target. This is evident in the fact that the previous CEO stated that he is able to work within budget and meet targets. This presents the OM as a traditionalist who always works according to laid down principles and procedures. He appears to be a disciplined person and a disciplinarian who treasures authoritative systems and structures.