The Donner Party Essays (1219 words) - Donner Party, Donner

The Donner Party Winter of Entrapment A New Look At The Donner Party Joseph A. King King, Joseph. Winter of Entrapment: A New Look at the Donner Party. P.D Meany Publishers, 1992 Winter of Entrapment tells the story of the Donner Party in a way that it has never been told before. Unlike many other books written on this story of hardships, cannibalism, and survival, it is written mostly in regards to the experiences of the Breens, a large family that was part of the Donner Party. The author of this book, Joseph A. King, wanted to write the story as accurately as possible without bias or fictitious legends. Many of the books written previously on the events of the Donner Party have been heavily biased and had unreliable sources. Many people associated with the Donner Party have been harshly judged in articles and books, of which were largely based on testimonies of one survivor who had a reputation for boasting and lying. The book begins with a history of the Breen family and their journey from Ireland to Canada, and eventually to Independence, Missouri. From there they decided it best to move their family to California, for what reasons have not or cannot be v erified--only speculated. Winter of Entrapment then goes on to tell the ordeals of the journey from Missouri to California in great detail. The journey began on April 5, 1846 in Missouri. The story of the Donner Party has many geographic locations, including: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Utah, Nevada, and finally California. The bulk of the story took place in the Sierra Nevada, where the Donner Party was trapped with little food and supplies. The Breen family, along with the Graves children and Mary Donner were rescued on March 12, 1847. Relief parties rescued other members of the Donner Party before that date, but the Breen family was not yet capable of surviving the last leg of the journey at that time. Winter of Entrapment tells the story of the Donner Party in chronological order. A few times in the book, King will forewarn to indicate what happens next, but will wait to tell the incident in its entirety until it fits into the story in chronological order. For example, when James Reed is banished from the Donner Party for murdering John Snyder, King went on to say, Reeds wife and four children remained with the company. Reed caught up with the Donners, where his teamsters, Walter Herron joined him. They went on to reach the California settlements, and that story will be told in its place. To assist illuminate the story of the Donner Party, many illustrations have been used in this book. There are maps of specific locations the Donner Party traveled through, photocopies of journal entries, illustrations and pictures of many of the key players in the Donner Party. Also, there are recent photographs of where the Donner Party camped in the Sierra Nevada. The thesis of Winter of Entrapment was difficult to determine for the reason that it tells a story of the Donner Party as it happened through chronological order using as much fact as possible. It is obvious though that King was trying to indicate the bravery and commitment the Breen family had to endure to survive. Using Patrick Breens diary and interviews, King tells the story of the Breens involvement with the Donner Party. In almost all other books written of the Donner Party the Breens, mostly Patrick and Margaret, were regarded unkindly as is suggested by William Eddy, one of the members of the search party. He stated that when he found the campsite where the Breens were located what he saw was shocking indeed. And yet Patrick Brinn [sic] and his wife seemed not in any degree to realize the extent of their peril, or that they were in peril at all. Eddy went on to say that they were found sunning themselves with the bodies of two of the Donners children and Mrs. Graves. He said that the child of Graves was a helpless and innocent lamb among the wolves of the wilderness. And the child was seen sitting next to her mangled mother. King went on to disprove the statements Eddy made by

The Shang Dynasty - History of Ancient China

The Shang Dynasty - History of Ancient China The Shang dynasty is thought to have lasted from c. 1600 to c.1100 BCE. It is also called the Yin Dynasty (or Shang-Yin). Tang the Great founded the dynasty. King Zhou was its final ruler. The Shang kings were linked to the rulers of the areas around who paid tribute and provided soldiers for military operations. The Shang kings had some bureaucracy with the highest offices presumed filled by close friends and family of the king. Records of major events were kept. Shang Population The Shang probably had about 13.5 million people, according to Duan Chang-Qun et al. It was centered on the North China Plain northward to modern Shangdong and Hebei provinces and westward through the modern Henan province. Population pressures led to multiple migrations and the capitals moved, too, until settling in Yin (Anyang, Henan) in the 14th century. Relocation of Civilization Centers in Ancient China: Environmental Factors, by Duan Chang-Qun, Gan Xue-Chun, Jeanny Wang and Paul K. Chien. Ambio, Vol. 27, No. 7 (Nov., 1998), pp. 572-575.Shang dynasty. (2009). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved March 25, 2009, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: search.eb.com/eb/article-9067119China KnowledgeThe Shang of Ancient China, by L. M. Young. Current Anthropology, Vol. 23, No. 3 (Jun., 1982), pp. 311-314. Start of the Shang Dynasty Tang the Great defeated the last, evil king of the Xia Dynasty, sending him into exile. The Shang changed their capital numerous times because of environmental problems, hostile neighbors, or because they were a semi-nomadic people used to moving. Shang Dynasty Kings Da Yi (Tang the Great)Tai DingWai BingZhong RenTai JiaWo DingTai GengXiao JiaYong JiTai WuLà ¼ JiZhong DingWai RenHedan JiaZu YiZu XinWo JiaZu DingNan GengYang JiaPan GengXiao XinXiao YiWu DingZu JiZu GengZu JiaLin XinGeng DingWu YiWen DingDi YiDi Xin (Zhou) Shang Accomplishments Earliest glazed pottery, evidence of a potters wheel, industrialized bronze casting used for rituals, wine, and food, as well as weapons and tools, advanced jade carving, determined the year was 365 1/4 days, made reports on diseases, first appearance of Chinese script, oracle bones, Steppe-like war chariots. Remains have been found of palace foundations, burials, and rammed earth fortifications. Fall of the Shang Dynasty The cycle of the founding of a dynasty by a great king and ending a dynasty with the ousting of an evil king continued with the Shang Dynasty. The final, tyrannical king of the Shang is commonly called King Zhou. He killed his own son, tortured and murdered his ministers and was overly influenced by his concubine. The Zhou army defeated the last king of the Shang, whom they called the Yin, at the Battle of Muye. The Yin King immolated himself. Sources The Shang-Yin Dynasty and the An-Yang Finds W. Perceval Yetts  The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland No. 3 (Jul., 1933), pp. 657-685Urbanism and the King in Ancient China K. C. Chang  World Archaeology Vol. 6, No. 1, Political Systems (Jun., 1974), pp. 1-14China. (2009). In Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. Retrieved March 25, 2009, from Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online: search.eb.com/eb/article-71625.Shang Divination and Metaphysics, by David N. Keightley.  Philosophy East and West, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct., 1988), pp. 367-397.

Definition and Examples of Senders in Communication

Definition and Examples of Senders in Communication In the  communication process, the sender is the individual who initiates a message  and is also called the  communicator or source of communication. The sender might be a  speaker, a writer, or someone who merely gestures. The individual or the group of individuals who responds to the sender is called the receiver  or audience. In communication and speech theory, the reputation of the sender is important in providing credibility and validation to his or her statements and speech, but attractiveness and friendliness, too, play roles in a receivers interpretation of a senders message. From the  ethos  of the senders rhetoric to the  persona  he or she portrays, the senders role in communication sets not only the tone but the expectation of the conversation between the sender and the audience. In writing, though, the response is delayed and relies more on the senders reputation than image. Communication Process Every communication involves two key elements: the sender and the receiver, wherein the sender conveys an idea or concept, seeks information, or expresses a thought or emotion, and the receiver gets that message. In Understanding Management, Richard Daft and Dorothy Marcic explain how the sender can communicate by selecting symbols with which to compose a message. Then this tangible formulation of the idea is sent to the receiver, where it is decoded to interpret the meaning. As a result, being clear and concise as a sender is important to start the communication well, especially in written correspondence. Unclear messages carry with them a higher risk of being misinterpreted and eliciting a response from the audience that the sender did not intend. A.C. Buddy Krizan defines a senders key role in the communication process in Business Communication as including (a) selecting the type of message, (b) analyzing the receiver, (c) using the you-viewpoint, (d) encouraging feedback, and (e) removing communication barriers. Senders Credibility and Attractiveness A thorough analysis by the receiver of a senders message is imperative in conveying the right message and eliciting the desired results because the audiences evaluation of the speaker largely determines their reception of a given form of communication. Daniel J. Levi describes in Group Dynamics for Teams the idea of a good persuasive speaker as a  highly credible communicator, whereas a communicator with low credibility may cause the audience to believe the opposite of the message (sometimes called the boomerang effect). A college professor, he posits, may be an expert in his or her field, but the students might not consider him or her an expert in social or political topics. This idea of a speakers credibility based on perceived competence and character, sometimes called an ethos, was developed more than 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece, according to Deanna Sellnows Confident Public Speaking. Sellnow goes on to say that because listeners often have a difficult time separating the message from the sender, good ideas can easily be discounted if the sender does not establish ethos via content, delivery, and structure.

Unit 1 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Unit 1 - Coursework Example Cisco is no longer supporting IGRP because further improvements on the RIP platform were needed thus Enhanced IGRP was developed. IGRP was replaced by the EIGRP protocol. This is because there are fewer IPv4 addresses left, and IGRP assumes all element of a class belong to same subnet while EIGRP uses VLSM to maximize the IPv4 addresses left. Change of algorithm to Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL) used by EIGRP is also a contributing factor to the phasing out of |IGRP (Lammle, 2014). EIGRP takes features of both link-state, and a distance vector protocol thus is a hybrid dynamic routing protocol. EIGRP is event driven and routing information are sent in case of change in network or during startup. This is a link state characteristic. EIGRP also sends routing table information to its immediate neighbors, which is a distance vector characteristic (Donahue, 2011). OSPF has many advantages over EIGRP namely: OSPF is usable on a multi-vendor platform while EIGRP is a CISCO only solution which is limiting. As written by Southwick et al. (2011), SPF supports hierarchical networks while EIGRP is mostly used in flat networks and does not support scalability (p.

Columbian Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Columbian Foreign Policy - Essay Example Colombian drug cartels successfully organize the manufacture and export of cocaine. Much of the spread of this business can be attributed to the consumers’ interest in cocaine. Colombia would not produce cocaine if other countries would not consume it. Colombia’s came to terms with US under the influence of the previous Pastrana administration and the relations between the two improved considerably. This can be estimated from the fact that US promised a lot of funding to Colombia for programs directed at the assistance of Colombian police as well as military for the purpose of increasing counter-narcotics abilities. This aid of net worth equal to $400 million opened several projects for establishing numerous judicial and economic reforms, alternative development, ensuring humanitarian assistance and achieving human rights. The 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in the US led Colombia to play its significant role in the War against Terrorism. One reason for this was the fac t that Colombians had themselves been dealing with terrorism for quite a lot of years before the 2001 attacks happened. Colombia has largely provided the central stage for planning, preparing and practicing all antiterrorist activities in US against terrorists ass well as all agencies and countries supporting them. The Columbian government has denounced the left-wing guerrillas that are generally responsible for the trafficking of cocaine in Columbia as terrorist agencies. The Columbian government was able to achieve this with the help of US. Former President Uribe pledged that he would give all it takes to eradicate terrorism from his country, though he needs to be watchful about the possibility of surfacing of right-wing militias that are able to make a Civil War out of the War against Terrorism. Columbia is really exposed to great threat of breakout of a Civil War because similar incidents have happened in the history of Columbia as well as of the Central America. Therefore, Form er President Uribe needed to provide an objective record of human rights for his military in order to be able to retrieve their support for the War against Terrorism. Violation of human rights would increase the hindrances in Former President Uribe’s way of presenting his contributions for the War against Terrorism to the international community. Former President Uribe understood the importance of promoting relations with US, US being the primary consumer of Columbian drugs. Colombia is waging a war on two fronts: against guerrillas and against drugs. The former cannot be won on the battlefield alone. If the current peace talks fail, the country will plunge into all-out chaos. So the United States needs to take Colombia off the back burner and work with its government to help tamp down the violence, limit the drug lords' clout, lower the demand for drugs abroad, and prod the peace process along. Without these steps, even billions in U.S. aid will not be enough. (Pardo). Besid es, Former President Uribe ought to ensure that the US government did not indulge its military in the War against Terrorism in Columbia. In order to fight successfully in the War against Terrorism, Former President Uribe had to base his plan on the foundations of support for the peasants of coca leaf to raise alternative plants, consolidation and solidarity of democratic organizations, and financial aid for development. International front might be the only area in which Columbia could acquire effective

Principles of Physical Security Essay Example for Free

Principles of Physical Security Essay Physical security is the wide phenomena that are taken for the prevention or determent of attackers from a possible access of a resource, information that is stored within physical media and facilities. Physical security is viewed under three fundamental aspects. These are; †¢ Responding adequately to the measures of security that would repel or catch the possible attackers in the event of detection. †¢ Using gadgets and implements that are forthwith important in the control of secure atmosphere. This could include cameras, security lighting and use of alarms, patrols by security guards that provide easy noticing of attacks. †¢ Facilitation of obstacles that are aimed at frustrating any possible attackers and delaying the serious security cases. A proper set of security designs has the compliment of all these structures that work cohesively with one another. A good physical security design is a compliment of four important factors which are intrusion detection, electronic and mechanical access controls, environmental design and video monitoring. Physical security is based on various principles that are applied to solve various security concerns at varied depths. (Walter, 1997). These include; Building security:   Buildings are the source of residence for human beings. However, their structural planning and establishments is compromised by various security threat factors that make the life of those living in them unsafe. Building security therefore implies all the fundamental components of architectural and construction concerns that make buildings safe places for living and hostage. It is the compound of all structures that provide authenticity in the physical structures that provides the safest levels for the habitation. The guarantee for this security is well accorded during the designing phase of the building. The aspect of this security is inclusive of both the internal and the external environments that are occupied by the building. The physical structure of the building should be designed in the most appropriate manner that provides the highest levels of security measures for its inhabitants. It should include a coordinated design in the roofs, walls outlet such as doors, windows and locks (Donald, 1997) Ground security: This is the protective aspect that is attached to airports and its surrounding environment. It includes all aspects that are attached to the physical structure of an airport that makes it a safe place for the various activities that goes on within their contemporaries. It incorporates adequate placement of the structures such as runways, surveillance services, communication systems and all aspects that are endowed within the structures of an airport. Due to the delicacy of the airport operations, high importance should be attached in the highest levels of security for the activities and processes of the airport (Azari, 2003) Access control systems: These are systems of control that are applied in securing adequate security towards information and other facets of information systems. This is the provisions of providing the legitimate users with the principles with which they should apply in assessing stored data. Information is deemed as an essential aspect and a resource aspect within any organization. Access control systems should therefore address the fundamentals with which the information should be mined, shared and made into use. Improper and illegitimate use of data and information may lead to comparative disadvantages for the organization. Improper and inappropriate use of information is subject to huge loses to an organization through misuse of the data and information that leaves the organization at a competitive disadvantage when its information is used by its competitors to develop business strengths. Importantly, the aspects of corporate intelligence as well as industrial espionage are two important aspects that define the rationality for data security. The current business environment and the expanding technological advancement have seen this process fully acknowledged. Various tools have been used to safeguard the organization information and their respective systems. Substantially therefore, physical security on information and their systems remains implicit for the success of the organization (Harold, 2003) Perimeter security: This is the broad components of techniques and methods that are used in providing an outer bounder security of premises. This is essential in preventing possible access of unauthorized persons within the premises. These may keep off trespassers, thieves, unauthorized persons and others persons. It can be secured using physically constructed walls and fences. Perimeter security is made to advance the most optimal security prospects that would help to safeguard the internal structures that are endowed within premises. Perimeter security should be advanced therefore as protective measures that safeguard the internal prospects of the premises. Technological advances security: This is the security protection for innovations, technological advancements, designs and process improvements. This should be protected to avoid losses through comparative disadvantages occurring form business competitors. It includes intellectual property security that can be provided through trademarks. Innovations come as the process of advancement in specific lines of production and manufacturing or personal production of his/her intellectual work. Security on these productions providing the environment with which the producer or the copyright owners can be safeguarded form any possible activities of misuse of the product that may make the profit motive of the technology to be unmet. (Peter, 2000)

The Principal Characters of Shakespeares Sonnets :: William Shakespeare, Sonnets

One of the many intriguing aspects of Shakespeare's Sonnets is the identity of the principal characters within them, of which there are three: - The Young Man - The Dark Lady - The Rival Poet Nowhere in the Sonnets are these people explicitly identified and their anonymity has spawned much debate as to who these people could have been. The content of the Sonnets that refer to these people however, undoubtedly show that these were indeed real, living people and not imaginary inventions by the author for the sake of literary exercise. Many poets of the Elizabethan and Jacobean age wrote verse to others and did not refrain from identifying who they were addressing. Some poems were clearly dedicated to the addressees, such as Spenser's Prothalamion which is dedicated "in honovr of the dovble marriage of the two Honorable & vertuous Ladies, the Ladie Elizabeth and the Ladie Katherine Somerset, Daughters to the Right Honourable the Earle of Worcester and espoused to the two worthie Gentlemen M. Henry Gilford, and M. William Peter Esquyers". And Spenser makes clear that the poem is about the Somerset ladies within the poem itself by punning on their names in the 4th. stanza: "But rather Angels or of Angels breede: Yet were they bred of Somers-heat they say". Where poems were not explicitly dedicated to the addressee their identity could still be found in the poem's verse, such as in Sidney's Astrophel and Stella: "Doth euen grow rich, meaning my Stellaes name" and "Rich in all beauties which mans eye can see; Beauties so farre from reach of words that we Abase her praise saying she doth excell; Rich in the treasure of deseru'd renowne, Rich in the riches of a royall heart, Rich in those gifts which giue th'eternall crowne; Who, though most rich in these and eu'ry part

Breaking Up with Someone You Love Essay

During my first year in college, I fell in love with a co-freshman. We went steady after a two-month courtship. However, only after a few months of seeing the movies together, eating at our favorite restaurants, visiting the most exciting bars in the locality, staying up late together to study, and just even staring into blank space together, we finally broke up. Allow me to share with you the details of our break up: On a Sunday morning, while I was jogging around our neighborhood as part of my daily routine, somebody called me on my cellular phone. The caller, who is actually someone that I go to English class with first asked how I am doing, which I answered with the typical response, â€Å"Hi, fine I guess, thank you, and how about you? † She actually did not pay attention to my question, which I found very odd since she is the type who would always politely respond to anything an individual asks. After that she asked if I was already done with our project/homework that is due the following day. Again, I thought that was really bizarre, she is very independent as a student and does not engage herself with such. I felt really weird and so I eventually had the courage to ask her why she really bothered to call me. After a lot of â€Å"uhmms†, â€Å"errs†, and other speech impediments, she finally said it. She saw my boyfriend being exceedingly intimate with another girl. I believe I heard her say goodbye after saying â€Å"take it easy, girl, leave him and get on with life; there are too many guys out there who deserves to be with you far better than him†. I was not able to respond though. Right then and there, I felt extreme weakness; I could no longer go on with my jogging, in fact, I could barely walk. Then I told myself, â€Å"I have not seen him do that† or â€Å"Maybe that was a cousin whom he is extremely close with† or â€Å"Maybe my classmate in English just wanted to make fun of me†. Those lines did not help to make me feel better though, in fact, it became worse. I felt excruciating pain, like a cold knife that cut through my heart. I felt absolutely terrible. When I arrived home, I decided to weigh things over again. I told myself, â€Å"My classmate may be telling the truth, but I actually haven’t seen it for myself†. So with that, I felt a little better. I decided to change from my sporty attire to a casual one since I needed to go to the bookstore and buy a few things required by the school. Upon arriving at the bookstore, I first went to the books section to check on the new releases, as well as, the best sellers for the week. To my dismay, I saw my boyfriend there at the fiction section getting intimate with another lady. With what I saw, I already forgot what I was going to do or buy there, what I did was: I immediately rushed out the door and went home. I stayed in my room, just sat in my bed, and stared into blank space. Then I went down to the kitchen to prepare a few dishes, just like what I always do when I am terribly pressured, stressed or in a lot of pain. I also cleaned the refrigerator, took out the veggies that seem to be no longer edible, and then reorganized everything inside it. I also cleaned my room. Then I called him up and asked if we could meet. He excitedly and gleefully said yes and decided on the meeting place. When I arrived at the coffee shop we agreed to stay in, I sat for a few minutes, composed myself, making sure I would not cry or get mad before I told him this, â€Å"I was told about what you did†¦I did not believe it at first, however, when I saw you earlier today at the bookstore, I realized, my classmate was not at all making fun of me†¦I am sorry but this is goodbye†. I even asked him if there was anything he wanted to say but he simply nodded so I smiled at him to show him I wasn’t bitter and that I am happy I discovered his dishonesty early then I left the premises. Works Cited * Since this is an essay which entails a personal experience, no reference has been utilized for this.

Divorce and remarriage Essay

1. Some people believe that the best way to decrease divorce rates would be to make divorce more difficult to obtain. Others think it would be better to make marriage more difficult to obtain (i.e., require counseling). What do you think? What are the pros and cons of each approach? Based on what you learned from reading the textbook, how would you go about developing a comprehensive program or social policy to reduce divorce? Learn more about current divorce laws at: http://www.divorcesource.com/info/divorcelaws/states.shtml and about marriage laws at: http://usmarriagelaws.com/search/united_states/. 2. What advantages does the initiator have in the divorce process? How is the divorce process different for the initiator, compared to the person who is left? 3. Explain why a woman’s standard of living declines after divorce while her husband’s increases. 4. What are some of the individual risk factors that increase the likelihood of divorce? 5. How is remarriage an â€Å"incomplete institution†? 6. Why is it riskier today than in previous generations for women to choose to be homemakers? 7. Which is more likely to end in divorce, a first marriage or a remarriage? Why? Be sure to use information from the textbook to help you answer these questions. 1.Some pros of making marriage more difficult to obtain would be that there would most likely be a lower divorce rate. But I think that a con that would come out of making marriage harder to obtain would be the fact that people  might not want to get married as often. People usually don’t like waiting that long for something they want so I doubt that we would have that many marriages anymore. Being that said, I think that would be a pro of having divorce harder to obtain. People wouldn’t want to wait that long for the process, so they might try to work out things with each other and try to fix their marriages more often than they do now. A con of this though would be that there is so many people being married, that I think the divorce rate would be even higher. Maybe people might even get married while they’re drunk if the marriage process was easier and then we would still have divorce rate high. 2.The initiator in the divorce would know that the divorce was coming and they would have time to prepare for it. For an example, they would have time to stock up on their money for a few months in advance to telling their partner that they want to split, so when they do, the initiator can move out and find an apartment. The person who is being told about the divorce does not have time to prepare for anything and may become financially unstable if they have to move out of the house too soon. The initiator also has the advantage of controlling their emotions while they are telling the person they want a divorce. They have already done through the emotions because they knew they were going to divorce their spouse and when they tell their partner, their partner still has to grieve and go through the process, which the initiator already has done. 3.In today’s world, women are still getting paid less than men and if women are going through a divorce, they are having to pay for everything themselves now and are looking for the cheap things to buy instead of expensive things. Men on the other hand do not think of the potential loss of money that will come from the divorce and continue buying what they were buying before, plus more, which will raise their standard of living and drop the womens’ standard of living. 4.One risk that I think of right away is that if you were raised in a single parent household growing up, you will most likely stick to that routine you have had all of your life and once you get married, you’ll think that it’s  not for you. You will want to get divorced because you were used to not having that other person around. Another factor would be if you and your partner disagree of having children. People who disagree on big life decisions are likely to get divorced. You are also more likely to get divorced if you have no children, because you are not staying in the relationship for anyone but yourself and you don’t have your children’s feelings to worry about.

Access Restrictions to Social Security Death Index

Access Restrictions to Social Security Death Index The Social Security Death Master File, maintained by the US Social Security Administration (SSA), is a database of death records collected from a variety of sources used by the SSA to administer their programs. This includes death information collected from family members, funeral homes, financial institutions, postal authorities, States and other Federal agencies. The Social Security Death Master File is not a comprehensive record of all deaths in the United States- just a record of those deaths reported to the Social Security Administration. The SSA maintains two versions of the Death Master File (DMF): The  full file  contains all death records extracted from the SSA database, including death data received from the States, and is shared only with certain Federal and State agencies pursuant to section 205(r) of the Social Security Act.The  public file  (commonly referred to as the Social Security Death Index, or SSDI), as of 1 November 2011, does  not  include protected death records received from the States.   According to the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), which disseminates the Death Master File, â€Å"Section 205(r) of the Act prohibits SSA from disclosing state death records SSA receives through its contracts with the states, except in limited circumstances.† This change removed approximately  4.2 million of the 89 million deaths at that time contained in the public Death Master File (Social Security Death Index), and approximately 1 million fewer deaths are now added each year.  At the same time, the Social Security Agency also stopped including the decedent’s residential state and Zip code in the public file (SSDI). Why the Changes to the Public Social Security Death Index? The 2011 changes to the Social Security Death Index began with a  Scripps Howard News Service investigation in July 2011, that complained about individuals using Social Security Numbers for deceased individuals found online to commit tax and credit fraud. Large genealogy services which offered access to the Social Security Death Index were targeted as helping to perpetuate the fraud related to use of social security numbers for deceased individuals. In November 2011, GenealogyBank removed social security numbers from their free U.S. Social Security Death Index database, after two customers complained their privacy was violated when the Social Security Administration falsely listed them as deceased. In December 2011, following a petition sent to the five largest genealogy services who provided online access to the SSDI, by  U.S. Senators  Sherrod Brown  (D-Ohio),  Richard Blumenthal  (D-Connecticut),  Bill Nelson  (D-Florida) and  Richard J. Durbin  (D-Illinois), A ncestry.com removed all access to the popular, free version of the SSDI that had been hosted on RootsWeb.com for over a decade. They also removed social security numbers for individuals who died within the past 10 years  from the SSDI database hosted behind their membership wall on Ancestry.com,  due to sensitivities around the information in this database. The Senators December 2011 petition urged companies to remove and no longer post on your website deceased individuals Social Security numbers because they believe that the benefits provided by making the Death Master File readily available online are greatly outweighed by the costs of disclosing such personal information, and that ...given the other information available on your website full names, birth dates, death dates   Social Security numbers provide little benefit to individuals undertaking to learn about their familial history.  While the letter conceded that posting the Social Security numbers is not illegal under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), it also went on to point out that legality and propriety are not the same thing. Unfortunately, these 2011 restrictions werent the end of the changes to public access to the Social Security Death Index. Pursuant to law passed in December 2013 (Section 203 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013), access to information contained in the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) is now limited for a three year period beginning on the date of an individual’s death to authorized users and recipients who qualify for certification. Genealogists and other individuals can no longer request copies of social security applications (SS-5) for individuals who have died within the past three years under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. Recent deaths are also not included in the SSDI until three years after the date of death. Where You Can Still Access the Social Security Death Index Online

Homemade Biodiesel Titration Test Procedure

Homemade Biodiesel Titration Test Procedure One hundred percent virgin or lightly used waste vegetable oil (WVO) requires 3.5 grams of lye per liter of oil to cause a biodiesel reaction. Heavily used oil can require significantly more, and must be tested to evaluate its acidity. Titration is a common method used to determine the appropriate amount of lye (base) needed for a particular batch of WVO. Titration Equipment: an electronic scale or beam balance2 beakers or jarsa graduated dropperlitmus test strips or electronic pH meterlyeisopropyl alcoholdistilled water Following are the steps to complete a titration test: Measure 1 gram of lye on a scale.Measure 1 liter of distilled water into a beaker.Thoroughly mix the gram of lye with the liter of water until it’s dissolved.Measure 10 milliliters of isopropyl alcohol into a separate beaker.Thoroughly mix 1 milliliter of used vegetable oil into the alcohol.With a graduated eyedropper, put a 1 milliliter drop of the lye/water mix into the oil/alcohol mix.Immediately check the pH level of the oil/alcohol mix with a piece of litmus paper or an electronic pH meter.Repeat step 7, keeping track of the number of drops used, until the oil/alcohol mix has reached a pH level of between 8 and 9normally no more than 4 drops.Calculate the amount of lye needed for the biodiesel reaction by adding 3.5 (amount of lye used for virgin oil) to the number of drops from step 7. For example: suppose a titration uses 3 drops of lye/water. Adding 3.0 plus 3.5 6.5. This hypothetical batch of oil requires 6.5 grams of lye per liter of oil.

Characters of Dexter and Missie May Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Characters of Dexter and Missie May - Essay Example The characters Dexter and Missie May Banks have been presented with memorable roles in developing the stories in Winter Dreams, and The Gilded Six-Bite respectively to achieve the themes within the stories. Winter Dreams as written by Scott Fitzgerald has been based on the events that affect the leading character Dexter Green as presented by the girl in his life. Although his background fails to meet the standards presented in the story, Dexter depicts the desire to meet satisfaction from material wealth. His definition of a perfect life had been inhabited by wealth, money and comfort in the arms of Judy Jones. Judy becomes the key to reveal Dexter’s potential as she advocates for him to be successful. The leading themes in power, beauty and success are represented through the leading character when Dexter desires the luxurious lifestyle. Dexter’s Character Dexter is hardworking, and we are told of the role that he features to be a caddie in the search for money (Fitzge rald). He had further sough to gain success ad wealth when he had declined his position as a caddie to join the ranks of the wealthy class. Dexter strives to lead a more flourishing lifestyle and he demonstrates the fete through joining the Eastern University. The more enthusiastic Dexter proves to be enterprising and ambitious. This is more evident when he borrows money to invest in the laundry hustle that made him borrow $1,000. Dexter’s ability to seek the determination needed to acquire wealth saw him become a leading entrepreneur at the young age of 27. Dexter presents the image required to reflect him as a hard worker and an individual who requires progress. He rises from his neighborhood in Keeble to become a prominent personality within the community. Dexter toils to rise the ranks into a group that holds more wealth within the society and differentiates from the class that had been created by the failure within the society to offer a counter measure. The winter dream s theme had been created to be based on the expectations needed by the young Dexter who works as a caddie and dreams of playing with the established personalities. He further improves his relationship with Judy after acquiring the wealth required to accord a complete life. However, the satisfaction that he presents in Judy is not fully presented because he loses interest as her beauty fades. He is depicted as an inconsiderate character after leaving her first wife Irene for Judy. Dexter places most effort on the image he relays towards the society as he values the wealth and power that he had worked hard to acquire. â€Å"The Gilded Six-Bite† by Zora Neal Hurston is written to delve on the theme of love betrayal and the desire to reconcile with those that share love. The story set in Eatonville depicts Missie May who is eager to impress her new husband Joe. However, their relationship is threatened by, the new wealthy, personality in Otis Slemmons. Joe brags of the wealth tha t Slemmons holds and acknowledges the power presented in the wealth realized in Slemmons but acknowledges that the power he holds is in his beautiful Missie. These fantasies push Missie to the arms of Slemmons who seizes the opportunity to lay with her in exchange for a gold coin. Although these events lead to tension between the couple, Joe forgives his wife, and they reconcile their differences (Hurston 53). Missie May’