Book Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Book Review - Essay Example African Muslims that were enslaved and shipped to the land constituted a significant number and they were educated, civilized and had a strong moral foundation in the tenets of Islamic Religion. Because of their distinction as educated and capable of analyzing their own predicament their resistance to slavery was somewhat fiercer. Apart from this central theme that runs through the length and breadth of the Diouf’s work the book gives us the story of the slaves in their homeland, the astonishing struggles of the Muslim slaves to keep their faith and their rich contribution to the fabric of American life. According to the author the Islamic faith of the African slaves gave mooring to their harsh life, away from the home land and motivated them to resist forcefully the tyranny of slavery. Diouf draws convincing evidence of the heroic struggle of the enslaved Muslims by strewing her works from revealing quotes that the reader is brought to admire the faith of the Muslim Africans in their Diaspora. Spanish royal edict of 1543 ordained, â€Å"in a new land like this one where (the Catholic) faith is only recently being sowed, it is necessary not to allow to spread there the sect of Mahomet or any other.† The royal command is motivated more by military consideration than by reasons of faith. The Spanish feared that the native Indian might learn the horsemanship from the Muslim Africans and this would destroy the Spanish military advantage. In spite of these attempts the Muslim religion took root in the Americas and as Diouf notices Islam is the second taste of monotheism of the Native Americans. The author asserts that Islam was functioning in hostile conditions in the new land .According to her slavery,†far from making the Africans’ religious fervor disappear, deepened it.† â€Å"Servants of Allah†, contains a comprehensive account of the Muslim slave attempts to hold on to the Islamic way of life, their unwillingness to accept Christianity, their attempts to

Travel journals vs. travel blogs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Travel journals vs. travel blogs - Essay Example Travel journal can be made from composition books through redesigning and the change of the cover presentation. However, the major issues in the design are the information in the journal and not the design (Beverly and Thomson 67). To develop the travel journal, the writer must be a traveler with a passion to travel around the world. The success of the whole journal depends on the experience of the writer during the journal. The journal is used to record the significant events and issues that occur during the travel. As stated earlier journals are not the daily recording of the actions of the traveler, but focusses on the significant events or the crucial issue that the writer want to put across to the audience. The success of the travel journal depends on the encounters and the level of fascination connected to the writings. This paper is going to cover the Palmer’s journal of travels over the Rock Mountains, 1845-1846. Palmers Journal of travels over the Rock Mountain 1845-1 846 The Early Western travels authored by Palmer cover a journey through the rocky mountains of the western world slightly after the resettlement that occurred in the era. The journal addresses various issues that the traveller met in the society. Among the vital issues addressed are the social issues affecting the society after the resettlement? The volume focussed is volume 30 of the travel journal. The focus on the volume is the travel in the western part of the US, and the content involves the travel to Columbia among other issues (Berry). The travel indicates the value of technology and other related issues in the travel. During the time of palmer travel, technological advancement in the sectors of transport and navigation was not clear. The social... This essay â€Å"Travel journal vs travel blogs† demonstrates the difference between them. The distinction between the two made on the basis of the medium of presentation. Travel journal employs the use of print format while the blog uses online services. The success of the whole blogging process depends on access to internet services. According to Beverly and Malaval, online presentation offers the opportunity to present issues in an open and clear way. It is easy to update a travel blog compared to travel journal. However, travel journal offers a hard copy of the document and can be kept for reference and blogs may be lost with the changes in the online platform. However, travel blogs are the current issues used in recording the experience of travelling and adventure. Blogs are easier to manage due to the ease of accessibility and the simplicity in setting up. The first travel blog was initiated in 1995 and since then, the use has been on the rise. To succeed in the entire p rocess of blogging the blogger must develop interest and develop the necessary skills for the whole process (Benioff). Travel blogs are increasingly being used to spread the information on the success of the travellers and other relevant information. Information sharing by use of blogs has increased significantly and the travel blogs are becoming one of the most successful platforms for the sharing information. The success of the blog process will depend on the writer’s creativity and the magnitude of the travel.

Viable Cell Counting In Yeast Suspension Biology Essay

Viable Cell Counting In Yeast Suspension Biology Essay The aim of this experiment was to estimate the number of viable cells in a yeast suspension that was already provided. Estimations of the viable yeast cells were taken via two methods of plating; pour plating and spread plating, of which hot agar was used with the pour plate technique. The results that were obtained for this experiment show that overall; the spread plate method gives a higher yield of viable yeast cells compared to the total count value of 2.8 x 10^7. This experiment was conducted to estimate the number of viable cells in a yeast suspension, already provided. The definition of a viable cell, as stated in the Collins English Dictionary, 2008, p991 is capable of growth. Therefore, the definition of a viable yeast cell is a yeast cell capable of living and being able to grow. In industrial and research settings, there is a need to quantify the microbe content of microbial products. The method for doing this varies for different types of microbes. Traditionally, the first microbes to be used commercially were bacteria and yeasts. These are typically single-celled species that can be grown in natural and artificial media, and are well-suited to growth in agar gels on Petri plates. Using this method, individual cells or clumps of cells will form discrete colonies, which become visible to the naked eye as the colony grows. Counting the number of colonies provides a direct way to track the original number of discrete microbial units. A count determined this way been dubbed the number of Colony-Forming Units or CFU for short. CFUs are only applicable to single-celled microbes that can be grown on nutrient media, such as bacteria, yeasts, or spore-forming moulds. As the total count for the number of yeast cells was so vast (2.8 x 10^7) dilutions were made in order for a characteristic estimate of the total count of yeast cells to be made. Having diluted the sample enabled the human eye to count an estimate of the yeast cells. If dilutions had not been carried out, the sample of yeast cells would have been far too large and it would have been extremely time consuming and impossible to count the number of yeast cells. A haemocytometer enables for an estimate of the total number of yeast cells present. It has a known volume of chamber and area which is etched on the glass. A cell suspension is able to be above the known area. The chamber is then filled with a yeast suspension then covered with a cover slip. An average number of microbes can then be counted in the ruled area to give the number of yeast cells per cm ³. The aim of this experiment was essentially, to estimate the total number of yeast cells in a culture and to estimate the number of living (viable) yeast cells. Materials and Methods The total count of the yeast cells originally estimated by the haemocytometer was 3.8 x 10^7, however, it was later concluded that this was incorrect due to a mix up from another class. The new result for the estimated total count of the yeast cells was 2.8 x 10^7. This number was clearly too large and a series of ten fold dilutions were carried out in order to make it easier to estimate and investigate the viable yeast cells. A series of ten fold dilutions were needed as this is an important technique in identifying the viable cells. As a figure of 2.8 x 10^7 was established and it is vital that the number of colonies attained remains within the range of 30-300. So the dilution for a range of 30 300 is 1/100 (10^-2), however, it is essential that further dilutions, both above and below 1/100 are used; 1/10 (10^-1) and 1/1000 (10^-3). To make the estimation more accurate, dilutions of 10^-4, 10^-5 and 10^-6 were also used for both pour and spread plates. For full method, please refer to introduction to biology, microbiology and pharmacology practical booklet, pp 13-14. Results The results obtained for the pour plate and spread plate methods were as follow: 10^-1 10^-2 10^-3 10^-4 10^-5 10^-6 Pour plate (ml) TNTC TNTC TNTC TNTC 83 8 Spread plate (ml) TNTC TNTC TNTC 100 10 1 Key: TNTC Too numerous to count To determine the number of colony forming units (CFU) cm^-3 this calculation was used: Counts on plate x (1/dilution) x (1/volume inoculated (ml)) The calculations that were carried in order to determine the number of colony forming units (CFU) cm^-3 of the original culture for the pour plate and spread plate are shown below: Calculations for pour plate method: 83 x 1/10^-5 a 1/1 = 8.3 x 10^6 CFU, ml Calculations for spread plate method: 100 x 1/10^-4 x 1/0.1 = 1.0 x 10^7 CFU, ml The volumes inoculated for the pour and spread plate were different, the pour plate was inoculated with 1.0cm^-3 and the spread plate with 0.1micrometer. Discussion The table in the results sections shows that the values of the colonies that were counted for each of the plating techniques show good continuation, especially with the spread plate as the figures are increasing by a factor of ten each time. The figure obtained for the total count was 2.8 x 10^7, comparing this to the figure calculated for the pour plate method, 8.3 x 10^6 CFU, ml there has been a loss in the number of viable cells using this method, there has been a decrease of 1.97 x 10^7 of viable yeast cells. Comparing the total count value to the spread plate figure of 1.0 x 10^7 there was also a loss of viable yeast cells, with a loss of 1.8 x 10^7. This decrease in viable yeast cells compared to the pour plate loss is lower. The hot agar used in the pour plate technique may injure or kill sensitive cells; thus spread plates sometimes give higher counts than pour plates.(p 130, Microbiology, Seventh Edition, Joanne M. Willey et al) The above statement backs up the results of the experiment, as the spread plate technique has given a considerable higher count of viable yeast cells. Other factors that may have resulted in the smaller number of viable yeast cells in the pour plate method could have been that there is a much higher likelihood that clumps of the colonies may have formed together in portions of the plate, making it much more difficult to count. This occurs less in spread plating, as the clumps are broken up, and therefore there is a better distribution of the cells. Other factors that may have affected the results obtained for this experiment were the techniques used for the serial dilutions. With each sequential serial dilution step, there may have been transfer inaccuracies that lead to less accurate and less precise dispensing. This meant that the highest dilutions had the highest number of inaccuracies. Also, after every inoculation, the dilution must be thoroughly mixed; this was not carried during any of the dilutions, so this may have also affected the number of viable yeast cells. Finally, when doing viable counts, the higher dilution is, the more error is found in estimating the count of the original volume. For example, there were 10 colonies growing on the 10^-5 spread plate, and it was estimated that there were approximately 500000 colonies in the original suspension, but this was only an estimation to the closest hundred thousand. Likewise, with higher dilutions, such as the 10^6 on the pour plate, it was only estimated to the closest million. There were some limitations to the experiment, which may have altered the results slightly. Not having much experience in using the Gilson pipettes may have had an impact on the accuracy of the pipetting that was done during the serial dilutions.

Visiting Mountain City :: Descriptive Essay About A Place

Visiting Mountain City Mountain City, Tennessee, is my hometown. I have lived in this small town located in East Tennessee all my life. It has many attractions, shopping places, and great places to eat. Most people don’t realize what the town has to offer--everything from shopping in the downtown area to relaxing in one of the numerous parks. There are also several creeks and camping facilities for the outdoor man. This makes Mountain City a great place to go and forget about all your troubles. Mountain City was established in 1885; the town was first called Talyorsville. The town has grown tremendously since its establishment. Located about 45 miles from Johnson City, it’s a perfect place to visit for a day. The drive is only about an hour from E.T.S.U. Mountain City is also located about 30 miles from Boone, North Carolina, where skiing’s a major attraction. Since I have lived in Mountain City all my life, in my opinion, the fall season is the best time to go. The trees all around are full of color. This time of year is a perfect time to hike on one of the various trails, which will lead you deep into the Appalachian Mountains. Some of the trails lead to spectacular views of the town. The Deer Run Trail is a wonderful trail to hike in order to view the small town. The trail is about a mile long and very challenging. During the fall season, the weather seems warm during the day and cool throughout the night. I’d suggest taking some short sleeve shirts for the day and some long sleeved shirts for the chilly nights. If the outdoors does not interest you, then Mountain City offers several stores to shop at. Downtown Mountain City is packed full of little stores filled with all kinds of treasures. There’s a variety of stores and wide selection of items to choose from. Some stores located in the downtown area are the City Shoe Store, Cornet Furniture, Auto Zone, Downtown Antiques, Hidden Treasures Antiques, and for the young people, Corner Pocket Arcade. The downtown area is not the only place to shop. I learned from my visit that there is a Dollar Store, Family Dollar, Tumbleweed Western Wear, Family Book and Card, and a Stanley Knitting Mill Outlet store. Some of my favorite places to shop are the little booths set up along side of the road, that feature crafts and different selections of souvenirs.

Bottled Water Essay

Bottled water is one of the easiest ways for getting â€Å"good† water. Bottled water is every where in offices, airplanes, stores, homes and restaurants across the country. People think that bottled water is the best option for their health instead of drinking tap water because they say tap water is not completely pure. What they don’t know is that tap water is the same as drinking bottled water because industries like Nestle gives us tap water in plastic bottles. Plastic bottles contain many chemicals that damage our system by giving us different diseases. This increases the risk of people getting diseases while years pass. People don’t research enough about how is bottled water is made and how they are just taking away our money in this type of products. Before watching the video about bottled water, I realized how bottled water affects our system like a person and how it affects our environment. After watching the video I really didn’t drank bottled water because I am an ecologic person. I have always recycled bottles and in my old school I promoted ways to recycle bottles, and why to recycle. I realized all the pollution is going on in the earth and I like to keep it clean. Even if I am the only person who is recycling one person makes some how some difference for the planet to breath at least a little bit. It makes me sad how people don’t care about our planet knowing all the struggles and the lack of resources we now have. I have my personal plastic bottled to refill to drink water. This is some how good for the planet because we can use one water bottled and drink tap water and recycle. If industries like Nestle are giving us tap water in their fancy plastic bottles to make us believe that they are giving us pure water, why not drink tap water if it is the same. In reality, bottled water is just water. Bottle water means garbage, plastic bottles just makes more garbage in the planet and not all of them are recycled as the recycled industries say they are. Most of them end in the Pacific Ocean, rivers, lakes, etc. Plastic bottles besides killing us with their chemicals they also kill animals. This plastic bottles end up in lakes and in natural environments. Fish, birds, and other animals end up eating some how plastic because it is in their environment, this increases the percentage of animals dying in our natural environment; causing endangered animals. It makes me sad how people knowing how plastic bottles or even in my Earth Science class know how tap water is the same as bottled water are the same and they keep buying them. Why not buy your own plastic water and drink tap water if it is going to be the same kind of product and this way we can recycle by using the same water bottle many times, and drinking the same product that industries like Nestle are providing us in bottled water. I hope that with this critical analysis some of my classmates realize how bottled water is bad for their health and how bottled water damage not only us but also our environment. There are many things going on besides bottled water polluting our environment and damage other living animals. Lets no be selfish and take in consideration all of this information. http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/faq/pdfs/fs_healthseries_bottlewater.pdf http://www.rd.com/health/rethink-what-you-drink/ http://www.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/water/wattap.html http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/tapped/

The Ethical Theories Of Duty Ethics And Virtue Ethics Essay

â€Å"I would rather be a good man than a great king† said the character Thor in Thor: The Dark World. In these words we find a frightening tension. Almost everyone agrees that it is good to be ethical; this is an easy affirmation. It is much more difficult, though, when ethics is in direct opposition to success. This dichotomy- between ethics and success- will no doubt confront an engineer during a professional career of any substantial length. Can you say that you would rather be a good man than rich? Or popular? Or a successful engineer? What should happen when an engineer faces this question? One real world example that can shed some light on this problem is what is known as bid shopping. This essay will provide a thorough definition of the problem of bid shopping and the ethical dilemma surrounding it. It will then apply the ethical theories of Duty Ethics and Virtue Ethics to the question. And seek to show that bid shopping is unethical according to both ethical theories . First, the ethical dilemma itself will be outlined. In the construction industry, it is often necessary for an owner or a construction company to enlist the help of other smaller or more specialized companies in the completion of a project. This practice is known as contracting. When an owner or company, referred to as the contractor, wants to contract out for a job, they will list the job and interested companies will bid for the contract. When arriving at a bid amount, interested companies will estimateShow MoreRelatedEssay on Deontologial Theory1295 Words   |  6 PagesETHICS Deontological Theory Historically ethics was studied from a philosophical aspect and viewed as the science of morals. Ethics had been defined as the principles of moral conduct that govern our behavior. Our ethical behavior is developed from various factors, to include our environment, family and beliefs. The origins of ethics can be traced back to the fifth century, BC ( Banner, 1968, pg.67). 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The Archaeology and History of Bitumen

Bitumen—also known as asphaltum or tar—is a black, oily, viscous form of petroleum, a naturally-occurring organic byproduct of decomposed plants. It is waterproof and flammable, and this remarkable natural substance has been used by humans for a wide variety of tasks and tools for at least the past 40,000 years. There are a number of processed types of bitumen used in the modern world, designed for paving streets and roofing houses, as well as additives to diesel or other gas oils. The pronunciation of bitumen is BICH-eh-men in British English and by-TOO-men in North America. What Bitumen Is Natural bitumen is the thickest form of petroleum there is, made up of 83% carbon, 10% hydrogen and lesser amounts of oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and other elements. It is a natural polymer of low molecular weight with a remarkable ability to change with temperature variations: at lower temperatures, it is rigid and brittle, at room temperature it is flexible, at higher temperatures bitumen flows. Bitumen deposits occur naturally throughout the world--the best known are Trinidads Pitch Lake and the La Brea Tar Pit in California, but significant deposits are found in the Dead Sea, Venezuela, Switzerland, and northeastern Alberta, Canada. The chemical composition and consistency of these deposits vary significantly. In some places, bitumen extrudes naturally from terrestrial sources, in others it appears in liquid pools which can harden into mounds, and in still others it oozes from underwater seeps, washing up as tarballs along sandy beaches and rocky shorelines. Uses and Processing In ancient times, bitumen was used for a huge number of things: as a sealant or adhesive, as building mortar, as incense, and as decorative pigment and texture on pots, buildings or human skin. The material was also useful in waterproofing canoes and other water transport, and in the mummification process toward the end of the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. The method of processing bitumen was nearly universal: heat it until the gasses condense and it melts, then add tempering materials to tweak the recipe to the proper consistency. Adding minerals such as ochre makes bitumen thicker; grasses and other vegetable matter add stability; waxy/oily elements such as pine resin or beeswax make it more viscous. Processed bitumen was more expensive as a trade item than unprocessed, because of the cost of the fuel consumption. The earliest known use of bitumen was by Middle Paleolithic Neanderthals some 40,000 years ago. At Neanderthal sites such as Gura Cheii Cave (Romania) and Hummal and Umm El Tlel in Syria, bitumen was found adhering to stone tools, probably to fasten a wooden or ivory haft to the sharp-edged tools. In Mesopotamia, during the late Uruk and Chalcolithic periods at sites such as Hacinebi Tepe in Syria, bitumen was used for the construction of buildings and water-proofing of reed boats, with among other uses. Evidence of Uruk Expansionist Trade Research into bitumen sources has illuminated the history of the expansionist period of Mesopotamian Uruk. An intercontinental trading system was established by Mesopotamia during the Uruk period (3600-3100 BC), with the creation of trading colonies in what is today southeastern Turkey, Syria, and Iran. According to seals and other evidence, the trade network involved textiles from southern Mesopotamia and copper, stone, and timber from Anatolia, but the presence of sourced bitumen has enabled scholars to map out the trade. For example, much of the bitumen in Bronze age Syrian sites has been found to have originated from the Hit seepage on the Euphrates River in southern Iraq. Using historical references and geological survey, scholars have identified several sources of bitumen in Mesopotamia and the Near East. By performing analyses using a number of different spectroscopy, spectrometry, and elemental analytical techniques, these scholars have defined the chemical signatures for many of the seeps and deposits. Chemical analysis of archaeological samples has been somewhat successful in identifying the provenance of the artifacts. Bitumen and Reed Boats Schwartz and colleagues (2016) suggest that the onset of bitumen as a trade good began first because it was used as waterproofing on the reed boats that were used to ferry people and goods across the Euphrates. By the Ubaid period of the early 4th millennium BC, bitumen from northern Mesopotamian sources reached the Persian Gulf. The earliest reed boat discovered to date was coated with bitumen, at the site of H3 at As-Sabiyah in Kuwait, dated about 5000 BC; its bitumen was found to have come from the Ubaid site of Mesopotamia. Asphaltum samples from the slightly later site of Dosariyah in Saudi Arabia, were from bitumen seepages in Iraq, part of the wider Mesopotamian trade networks of Ubaid Period 3. The Bronze Age Mummies of Egypt The use of bitumen in embalming techniques on Egyptian mummies was important beginning at the end of the New Kingdom (after 1100 BC)--in fact, the word from which mummy is derived mumiyyah means bitumen in Arabic. Bitumen was a major constituent for Third Intermediate period and Roman period Egyptian embalming techniques, in addition to traditional blends of pine resins, animal fats, and beeswax. Several Roman writers such as Diodorus Siculus (first century BC) and Pliny (first century AD) mention bitumen as being sold to Egyptians for embalming processes. Until advanced chemical analysis was available, black balms used throughout the Egyptian dynasties were assumed to have been treated with bitumen, mixed with fat/oil, beeswax, and resin. However, in a recent study Clark and colleagues (2016) found that none of the balms on mummies created prior to the New Kingdom contained bitumen, but the custom began in the Third Intermediate (ca 1064-525 BC) and Late (ca 525-332 BC) periods and became most prevalent after 332, during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Bitumen trade in Mesopotamia continued well after the end of the Bronze Age. Russian archaeologists recently discovered a Greek amphora full of bitumen on the Taman peninsula on the northern shore of the Black Sea. Several samples including numerous large jars and other objects were recovered from the Roman-era port of Dibba in the United Arab Emirates, containing or treated with bitumen from the Hit seepage in Iraq or other unidentified Iranian sources. Mesoamerica and Sutton Hoo Recent studies in pre-Classic and post-classic period Mesoamerica have found bitumen was used to stain human remains, perhaps as a ritual pigment. But more likely, say researchers Argà ¡ez and associates, the staining may have resulted from using heated bitumen applied to stone tools which were used to dismember those bodies. Fragments of shiny black lumps of bitumen were found scattered throughout the 7th-century ship burial at Sutton Hoo, England, in particular within the burial deposits near remains of a helmet. When excavated and first analyzed in 1939, the pieces were interpreted as Stockholm tar, a substance creating by burning pine wood, but recent reanalysis (Burger and colleagues 2016) has identified the shards as bitumen having come from a Dead Sea source: very rare but clear evidence of a continuing trade network between Europe and the Mediterranean during the early Medieval period. Chumash of California In Californias Channel Islands, the prehistoric period Chumash used bitumen as body paint during curing, mourning and burial ceremonies. They also used it to attach shell beads onto objects such as mortars and pestles and steatite pipes, and they used it for hafting projectile points to shafts and fishhooks to cordage. Asphaltum was also used for waterproofing basketry and caulking sea-going canoes. The earliest identified bitumen in the Channel Islands so far is in deposits dated between 10,000-7,000 cal BP at Cave of the Chimneys on San Miguel island. The presence of bitumen increases during the Middle Holocene (7000-3500 cal BP and basketry impressions and clusters of tarred pebbles show up as early as 5,000 years ago. The fluorescence of bitumen may be associated with the invention of the plank canoe (tomol) in the late Holocene (3500-200 cal BP). Native Californians traded asphaltum in liquid form and hand-shaped pads wrapped in grass and rabbit skin to keep it from sticking together. Terrestrial seeps were believed to produce a better quality adhesive and caulking for the tomol canoe, while tarballs were considered inferior. Sources Argà ¡ez C, Batta E, Mansilla J, Pijoan C, and Bosch P. 2011. The origin of black pigmentation in a sample of Mexican prehispanic human bones. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(11):2979-2988.Brown KM. 2016. Asphaltum (bitumen) production in everyday life on the California Channel Islands. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 41:74-87.Brown KM, Connan J, Poister NW, Vellanoweth RL, Zumberge J, and Engel MH. 2014. Sourcing archaeological asphaltum (bitumen) from the California Channel Islands to submarine seeps. Journal of Archaeological Science 43:66-76.Burger P, Stacey RJ, Bowden SA, Hacke M, and Parnell J. 2016. Identification, Geochemical Characterisation and Significance of Bitumen among the Grave Goods of the 7th Century Mound 1 Ship-Burial at Sutton Hoo (Suffolk, UK). 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