Why does Sherrena attend the RING meeting?

Sherrena, the inner-city landlord, attends a meeting of RING, which stands for Real Estate Investors' Networking Group. This is a group of lawyers, investors, assessors and other people involved in the real estate business. It's a chance for various interested parties to get together and explore opportunities for making money out of real estate. Sherrena attends the meeting for just such a reason. She's making a lot of money off of property on the North Side and wants to make even more. She hopes that by attending the meeting she'll gain additional contacts to help take her business to the next level.
But Sherrena can also be of assistance to others—for a price. Many white landlords and real estate investors know how much money can be made in the black ghetto neighborhoods, but they're scared off at the thought of collecting rents or issuing eviction notices in such notoriously rough areas. That's where Sherrena comes in. For the right price she can offer a full property management service and advise them of the best locations in the ghetto for buying property. She will be their broker to black Milwaukee.
Sherrena has made a fortune out of owning property in the ghetto and she's keen to make even more money by sharing her expertise with other landlords who might otherwise get cold feet about owning property on the North Side. For Sherrena, the 'hood has been good, and she hopes that other investors will come to realize this.

x=2t^2 , y=t^4+1 Sketch the curve represented by the parametric equations (indicate the orientation of the curve), and write the corresponding rectangular equation by eliminating the parameter.

Draw a table for different values of t and plot the corresponding points (x,y) obtained from the table. Connect the points to a smooth curve.(Refer the attached image).
The direction in which the graph of a pair of parametric equations is traced as the parameter increases is called the orientation imposed on the curve by the equation.
Note:Not all parametric equations produce curve with definite orientation. The point tracing the curve may leap around sporadically or move back and forth failing to determine a definite direction.
Given parametric equations are:
x=2t^2  ------------------(1)
y=t^4+1  ----------------(2)
Now let's eliminate the parameter t,
From equation 1,
t=(x/2)^(1/2)
Substitute t in equation 2,
y=((x/2)^(1/2))^4+1
y=(x/2)^(4/2)+1
y=(x/2)^2+1
y=x^2/4+1
 

Why did Modernists use the omniscient narrator less often than their predecessors in world literature?

Narrative style changed significantly after World War I, which is considered the peak of Modernism, particularly in literature.
Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century literature is very often characterized by the presence of a third-person omniscient narrator who knows the characters' thoughts and motivations, not unlike God hovering over the narrative. When characters spoke for themselves, the print would be italicized to mark the shift from the third-person to first-person perspective. This motif tells us that, before the postwar period, readers were, perhaps, not attuned to sudden shifts in perspective when reading prose. The italicized print let them know that a character was sharing his or her thoughts.
Due to the pervasive influence of psychoanalysis after the First World War, stream of consciousness became a common narrative tool. The works of Virginia Woolf, James Joyce (particularly Ulysses), and William Faulkner are marked by stream of consciousness. This narrative device allows the author to shift suddenly from a third-person voice (if that is what the author has employed) to a first-person voice, to slip from dialogue to inner monologue, or to shift from the mind of one character into that of another. 
Free-indirect discourse, another narrative device which emerged during the Modernist period, was influenced by stream of consciousness. Free-indirect discourse is a literary device which occurs in prose narratives written in the third-person omniscient voice. In the narrative, there is a sudden merging between the narrator’s voice, which is otherwise distant and observant, and that of the character who is speaking or having a thought. The narrator suddenly takes on the voice of the person or persons speaking, instituting their dialects or speech patterns. This technique may cause a bit of confusion for an inattentive reader, for the change can occur as soon as the next paragraph while, in the following paragraph, the narrator will restore the traditional third-person voice. Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God employs free-indirect discourse so that the narrator's voice can merge with that of Janie, the novel's protagonist.
Modernist literature is very much concerned with interiority -- that is, the private lives and thoughts of characters in novels. If the Victorian era was defined by determinism, the Modernist era was defined by subjectivity. The First World War shattered previously held truths, leaving much of the world in a state of existential crisis, which was reflected in literature and art. What mattered then were not the stories people had been told which described existence, but instead, the stories each of us could tell, as we experienced them.
Individual perspectives and perceptions overruled conventions. Suddenly, people's minds were revealed, even when those minds revealed thoughts that were vulgar, ignorant, or erotic. The pace of the narrative moved at the pace of life. The narrative mimicked the rapid fire of people's thoughts, which were often disjointed. Novelists became less concerned with continuity than with portraying events, ideas, and feelings as they actually occurred.

what was the puritan ideal of women

The ideal Puritan woman was what has sometimes been called a "helpmeet" or a "goodwife." Women were expected to marry and serve as a godly mother to the children that were born into their households. Women were generally expected not to play a public role in Puritan communities but rather to maintain the household. As some historians have observed, this entailed a great deal of responsibility. It meant that Puritan women sometimes had to manage financial affairs, conduct family business, and fill other roles that we would generally associate with masculinity in early America. Women were believed to be crucial to the process of raising godly children, and, while Puritan children were often educated outside the home (unlike most children anywhere in early America), women were ultimately responsible for their moral upbringing. This somewhat contradicted the belief that women were weak, easily tempted, and themselves the source of temptation that led to sinful behavior. Still, women were essential to the spiritual (and therefore political and social) life of Puritan communities. They made up a majority of church membership in most towns and were expected to be literate. But the ideal woman was viewed as subordinate to her husband and silent on most public matters. The conviction and banishment of Anne Hutchinson for preaching and criticizing Puritan ministers and their theology demonstrates this point.
http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/erelwom.htm

Is Great Britain's insularity an advantage or a disadvantage?

I will share ideas on both sides of the question so you can make an informed decision.
Great Britain’s insularity has been both an advantage and a disadvantage. One way their insularity has been helpful is that it has been hard to attack Great Britain. There have been attempts to invade Great Britain and several haven’t succeeded. The Spanish failed to conquer Great Britain with its armada. Napoleon talked about jumping across the English Channel but never did. Germany, under Hitler, had rolled through much of Europe, but the island location of Great Britain was too much for Hitler to overcome in World War II.
Because of its island location, Great Britain has remained very independent and hasn’t always felt the need to conform to European norms.  The recent rejection of the Euro is a good example of this idea.
Being an island nation also has been a disadvantage. It has helped to contribute to an image of a people who are resistant to new ideas, to other cultures, and to other ways of doing things. The image of the British being very reserved may be tied to their status as an island nation.
Being an island nation has been an advantage and a disadvantage for Great Britain.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9505711/The-British-how-insularity-and-the-weather-shaped-our-national-identity.html

How does Bakha go around asking for food?

In Mulk Raj Anand's novel Untouchable, originally published in the year 1935, the main character is a young man named Bakha who is considered an untouchable or "outcaste" in India's caste system.
While Bakha works all day long, sweeping and cleaning latrines, he still has to go around to others' houses to beg for food every day in order to feed himself and his family. His younger brother, Rakha, goes begging for food as well. Because he is an outcaste, Bakha is not allowed to go up to people's kitchen doors, because his presence there would "insult the sanctity" of their houses. Rather, he must stand near the bottom of the stairs leading up to those doors, blindly hoping that someone will hear him, and cry out begging for someone to share some food, saying:

Bread for the sweeper, mother. Bread for the sweeper.

Please summarize what Guevara and Castro each believed and hoped to gain in each of the primary source narratives. Please use the text to support your answer. https://www.marxists.org/archive/guevara/1961/04/09.htm https://www.marxists.org/history/cuba/archive/castro/1960/09/29.htm

Guevara believed the alliance between large landholders in Cuba and monopolies in the United States had created an economy that led to the underdevelopment of Cuba and the poverty of his people. He says the following:

U.S. capital arrived on the scene to exploit the virgin lands and later carried off, unnoticed, all the funds so "generously" given, plus several times the amount originally invested in the "beneficiary" country.

He believed that the alliance of Latin American landholders and American monopolies served to exploit the lands and people of Latin America, including Cuba, which created an economy that impoverished the local people.
He wanted the union of the working classes who had formerly been divided by race. He writes:

They call our miserably exploited Indians, persecuted and reduced to utter wretchedness, “little Indians” and they call blacks and mulattos, disinherited and discriminated against, “colored”—all this as a means of dividing the working masses in their struggle for a better economic future.

In other words, by dividing the people into races, imperialists broke up the alliance that could have developed among the working classes. He wanted an alliance that would unite working-class people of all races into a cohesive whole.
He also believed that the underdevelopment of Cuba resulted from monoculture—the development of one crop. He writes, "We, the 'underdeveloped,' are also those with the single crop, the single product, the single market. A single product whose uncertain sale depends on a single market imposing and fixing conditions." In Cuba, this system was based on sugar, which was raised for American monopolies. Guevara believed this system of raising only one crop kept Cuba poor and underdeveloped.
Castro also wanted to end the imperial dominance of the United States and end its hold on Cuba. He called for the nationalization of American territories in Cuba. He also spoke against the use of American military intervention and said, "For every little bomb of the imperialists, we build 500 houses." In other words, he believed the United States relied on military power, while he wanted to create better housing and living situations for people in Cuba.
He believed that he could defeat American military might with Cuban nationalist pride and development of Cuban natural resources. He writes the following:

Let them come. We will always have something to show. We will show the militia, the youth brigades, the great reforestation projects, the school cities we are building, we will show what our country is.

He believed that nationalist pride, the development of Cuban schools, and the restoration of natural resources would be a bulwark against American imperialism.

Calculus of a Single Variable, Chapter 3, 3.4, Section 3.4, Problem 13

y=2x-tanx
differentiating,
y'=2-sec^2(x)
differentiating again,
y''=-2sec(x)sec(x)tan(x)
y''=-2sec^2(x)tan(x)
y''=-2(1/(cos^2(x)))(sin(x)/cos(x))
y''=-2sin(x)/(cos^2(x))
In order to determine the concavity , determine the value of x when y''=0
(-2sinx)/(cos^2(x))=0
sinx=0 , so x=0 , pi, 2pi ,.....
Now let us test for concavity in the intervals (-pi/2,0) and (0,pi/2)
y''(-pi/4)=2*(-pi/4)- tan(-pi/4)= -pi/2+1 ( negative)
y''(pi/4)=2*(pi/4)-tan(pi/4)=pi/2-1 (positive)
So, the graph is concave upward in the interval (0,pi/2) and
concave downward in the interval (-pi/2,0)

How does the character Ivy Rowe impact the book Fair and Tender Ladies?

Lee Smith's novel Fair and Tender Ladies is epistolary, meaning that it is comprised entirely of letters. The novel's letters are written by the fictional character and protagonist Ivy Rowe. They are addressed to various recipients over the course of Ivy's life from childhood to old age. The reader experiences the novel's story through the letters, and these letters shape the narrative. Ivy's life is the subject of the letters, and so as a character, Ivy is both the narrator and the subject of her own story. Smith creates this double role for Ivy, which cultivates complexity and depth in Ivy's development as a character.
In Fair and Tender Ladies, we read Ivy's first person account of events in her life. The letters span seven decades, and Ivy's language abilities change over the course of the novel to reflect that. Her Appalachian localisms, her youthful misspellings, and her perspective on the harsh realities of rural life mature as Ivy grows older. To say that Ivy has an impact on the novel is an understatement: she is the narrator and the central character of the novel. It's also important to note that Fair and Tender Ladies consists of letters written only by Ivy. We never see letters that were received by Ivy, although presumably there were responses to many of her letters. This one-sided format ensures that Ivy is truly the centerpiece of the novel and the main character we are interested in as readers.
 
There are many ways Ivy impacts and shapes the novel. She dictates the pace of the stories told in her letters. She is the main character whose story and perspectives are shared. She chooses the details she wants to disclose and the details she wants to keep hidden. Of course, Lee Smith is truly the one making all these decisions, but she chooses to make them through Ivy Rowe, thus giving Ivy agency and full control over the development of the story.

What are the chapter summaries for How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer?

As its title implies, How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization is Franklin Foer's interpretation on the recent phenomenon of globalization through the lens of soccer, one of its main cultural agents. Foer's main argument is that, despite the globalizing force of soccer, old sectarian, nationalistic, and tribalist traditions have died hard. In Chapter One, for example, Foer explores how a Serbian warlord named Arkan mobilized Red Star Belgrade supporters into a paramilitary group that committed horrific crimes in the ethnic cleansing campaigns during the civil war in the Balkans. In Chapter Two, he describes the "pornography of sects" that characterizes the famous "Old Firm" rivalry between Glasgow's two teams, Rangers and Celtic. In the third chapter, he describes the persistence of Jewish identity (despite the loss of the neighborhood identities that provided their initial context) at clubs such as Ajax Amsterdam and Tottenham Hotspur. This is, he argues in Chapter Four, part of a response to sweeping changes that have also undercut the "hooligan" culture at some clubs--Chelsea, for example--whose environs are now rapidly changing, either through gentrification or due to immigration trends. 
Chapter Five, "How Soccer Explains the Survival of the Top Hats," Foer describes the seedy underbelly of Brazilian soccer, in which so-called cartolas manipulated clubs for their own benefit. Even the great Pele has not been immune from the rampant corruption and scandals that have continued to plague the game in Brazil. Corruption has actually worsened as more money has been pumped into the clubs. Chapter Six describes the "Black Carpathians," African footballers who ply their trade in the Ukraine. They are extreme examples of the increased mobility that accompanies globalization, and while they have managed to make a living (unlike many migrants) they are thousands from miles from home in a very different culture. Ukrainians and Russians (and other Europeans) have not always welcomed these players. Chapter Seven examines the role played by the "new oligarchs" in the global game, focusing on the Agnelli family that owns Juventus and Silvio Berlusconi, the magnate who owned AC Milan when the book was written. The clubs were as much vehicles for their own careers and ego-boosters as they were competitive sports ventures.
In Chapter Eight, Foer takes a look at what he perceives as a benign form of nationalism (albeit one that has emerged as very divisive in recent weeks): Catalan nationalism. FC Barcelona is the showpiece of Catalonia, and the club and its fans argue that it is "more than a club." But the localism it represents is a "bourgeois nationalism," liberal by nature and set against the power of Real Madrid, awash with wealth and having uncomfortable historical associations with the Franco dictatorship. In Chapter Nine, soccer's liberalizing possibilities are examined in the example of a Tehranian club that was forced through local activism to provide women with access to home games. Celebrations of the national team's success always threaten to turn into political demonstrations. Finally, in Chapter Ten, Foer turns his lens inward to look at the game in the United States, where, unlike in many countries, it is associated with bourgeois "yuppie" status, even as it is also very popular among the country's millions of immigrants. Soccer (at least in previous decades) was also largely embraced by social liberals, as conservatives saw it as essentially un-American. So Foer titles this chapter "How Soccer Explains America's Culture Wars."
https://books.google.com/books/about/How_Soccer_Explains_the_World.html?id=xEGR0sSfJacC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button

In the Prologue of How Soccer Explains the World, Franklin Foer--a Washington D.C. journalist writing for New Republic, the brainchild of founder William F. Buckley--explains how his compelling interest in soccer (i.e., obsession with soccer) drove his interest in examining how globalization and the flaws of globalization were manifest and furthered by the attitudes, organization and actions of the range of international soccer clubs and soccer fan clubs.
Foer explains that the early promise of globalization to override national borders and identities and to build a harmoniously interdependent world was reflected in the composition of soccer rosters that had multinational line-ups of players. After the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center (resulting in an international death toll), the promises of globalization took on a new visage: "the consensus on globalization changed considerably ... [it being] no longer possible to speak so breathlessly ... of the political promise of economic interdependence." Foer then explains his thesis by saying that globalization's promise had "failed to diminish the game's local cultures, local blood feuds, and even local corruption. ... globalization had actually increased the power of these local entities." Foer states his intent that his book present the value of nationalism to blunt the re-merging tribalism directly represented on the soccer field.Chapter 1 begins to prove Foer's assertion that "local entities" of ethnic culture, feuds and corruption were increased by globalization, and "not always in such a good way," by describing his interview with the Serb soccer organization: the Red Star Belgrade team and the Red Star Ultra Bad Boys fan club. The organization is comprised of team members, team management and fan club over-site of management--over-site gained by "intimidation" exerted with "bats, bars, and other bludgeons." During the interview, the "three-fingered salute of Serb nationalism" (forcibly present during the Balkan War Serb attacks on Croat civilians) was a dominating influence. The salute is a critical symbol to the nationalism exerted by the Bad Boys, who enjoy telling their victory stories, such as of when they attacked fans and police at a match against their arch-rivals, the Partzan team. The stadium-wide attacks produced "lines of casualties" as the Bad Boys "'made it around the stadium in five minutes.'"
Foer then presents the examples of Milosevic and Tudjman--the former an elected Serbian national leader and the latter an elected Croatian national leader (representative of World War II Croatian attacks against Serbs)--to illustrate the connection between ethnic hostilities, national policy and soccer. These two men illustrate Foer's intent: "the book uses soccer to defend the virtues of old-fashioned nationalism--[as] a way to blunt the return of tribalism" (Prologue).
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/does-globalization-promote-democracy-an-early-assessment/

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/winners-and-losers-perspectives-on-globalization-from-the-emerging-market-economies/

What happens to Rainsford while he is smoking?

Shortly after Whitney heads below deck to go to bed, Rainsford remains above deck and continues to smoke his pipe as he looks off into the night. Suddenly, Rainsford hears the sound of a gun being fired three times coming from the direction of Ship-Trap island. The noise startles Rainsford, and he moves quickly to the rail of the yacht. Rainsford proceeds to strain his eyes but cannot see through the darkness. He then climbs on top of the rail and accidentally hits his pipe against a rope, knocking it out of his mouth. In an attempt to catch the pipe, Rainsford lunges and ends up falling into the Caribbean Sea. Unfortunately for Rainsford, none of the passengers or sailors on the yacht can hear his cries, and he ends up swimming to the ominous Ship-Trap Island, where danger awaits him.

While Rainsford is smoking on the afterdeck, he hears gunshots in the darkness of the night. The sound of the gunshots surprises him so that he walks over to the yacht rails and peers into the distance, perhaps to see the source of the shots. However, because the night is pitch black, he does not see anything. He then climbs one of the yacht rails in order to gain a better height to look into the distance. Unfortunately, as he does this, a rope knocks his pipe from his mouth and he loses his balance as he tries to catch his pipe in midair. He falls into the Caribbean Sea.
Since the yacht is speeding through the waters, the wash resulting from its movement pushes him away from the vessel. Also, nobody can hear his cries for help as it is late in the night and the yacht is moving at a very fast speed. He remembers the gunshots he had heard and swims in their direction. After swimming for quite a long time, he reaches a rocky shore upon which he falls asleep. What he does not know is that he has just reached the shores of the dreaded Ship Trap Island that his friend Whitney had talked to him about moments before.

In the essay "Shooting an Elephant," one of Orwell's purposes in telling his story is to show how it gave him a glimpse of "the real nature of imperialism." What does he mean? How does his essay illustrate this purpose?

During his time as a policeman in Burma, which was then a British colony, the story's narrator learns to hate imperialism. As he puts it:

 In a job like that you see the dirty work of Empire at close quarters.

When has to shoot an elephant, the episode exemplifies the irrationality, cruelty, and dehumanizing effects of the system. The event shows him, he says, "the real nature of imperialism," and "the real motives for which despotic governments act."  
When an elephant goes on a rampage and kills a man, the Burmese villagers turn to the narrator to shoot the elephant, as only the British are allowed weapons. By the time the narrator arrives, however, the elephant is calm. There is no need to kill it. In fact, killing it would be a mistake, a waste. However, because of the irrationality of imperialism, the narrator feels he has no choice. He realizes that imperialism robs the rulers as well as the ruled of their freedom.

I was only an absurd puppet pushed to and fro by the will of those yellow faces behind. I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. He becomes a sort of hollow, posing dummy.

Shooting the elephant is cruel because elephants are huge, with thick hides, and it takes a long time for them to die. It takes this elephant half an hour to die.
From the start, the narrator shows how imperialism has dehumanized him:

I thought that the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest's guts.

The narrator realizes as he shoots the elephant that imperialism has stripped his humanity away, making him little more than a "dummy." Saving face and not being laughed at—playing the role of the strong, resolute sahib—has become more important than reason or compassion. Saving face has become the rationale for acting in a despotic regime. The narrator recognizes that imperialism does not work well for anyone. 

When Orwell talks about getting a "glimpse" into the true nature of imperialism, what he means can be summed up in the following line:

A sahib has got to act like a sahib; he has got to appear resolute, to know his own mind and do definite things.

In other words, imperialism forces people to take on very specific roles. Agents of the empire, like Orwell, for example, must act in an authoritarian way no matter what the situation because this is what the native people expect of them. More importantly, this is what imperialism itself expects of them. They must do whatever it takes to maintain their authority and the integrity of the empire.
To illustrate this, Orwell gives a very open and honest account of the dilemma over whether or not to shoot the elephant. Orwell makes it very clear that he has no desire to shoot it. He knows, for instance, that the animal will eventually calm down. However, as Orwell shows through this description of the crowd, they expect him to shoot it:

The people expected it of me and I had got to do it; I could feel their two thousand wills pressing me forward, irresistibly.

This description of the crowd illustrates the essay's purpose because it shows that Orwell must shoot the elephant because the people expect him to do it. If he backs down, he will not only be humiliated, the entire authority of the British empire will be brought into question.

Orwell writes this essay about his service as a policeman for the British Empire in Lower Burma. In this position, he witnesses how the local people resent him as an emissary of the empire, and this helps turn him against imperialism, the system that enables Great Britain to control distant territories and administer them. He sees that the people do not accept the British system, and he also sees that the system pushes people who work for it to act in accordance with its ridiculous principles. For example, Orwell is called to take care of an elephant who is destroying the local bazaar. Though he knows the elephant is harmless, he feels that the crowd of people following him push him to destroy the elephant. He winds up killing the beast to avoid looking foolish in front of the local people. This incident makes him realize that the system of imperialism forces people to take foolish and thoughtless actions because the system implies that Europeans must be in control in the areas in which the empire reigns. 

Can you summarize the poem, "The Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou's "Phenomenal Woman" describes a woman who has a certain je ne sais quoi. This is a French expression used to convey a quality that one senses about another without being able to exactly describe it.
In Angelou's poem, the speaker initially states that prettier women than she "wonder where my secret lies" because they do not know how to define it. Indeed, the speaker possesses a quality that attracts men without objective explanation because she is not "cute or built to suit a fashion model's size." Yet, while others may not be able to define her feminine magnetism, the speaker feels that she can. Put simply, she defines herself:

I'm a womanPhenomenally.Phenomenal woman,That's me.

In the second stanza, the speaker expands upon her definition of herself as a "Phenomenal woman" who causes men to stand or even kneel in awe of her when she enters a room. Some even "swarm" around her as bees to a hive. This occurs because she has a "fire" in her eyes, a "flash" of her teeth, a "swing" in her waistline, and a "joy" to her feet as she enters. All of these movements catch the eyes of men; nevertheless, she cannot be defined by these men who watch her because she is "a woman/Phenomenally."
In the brief third stanza, the speaker confirms her description of herself:

Phenomenal woman,That's me.

Finally, in the fourth stanza, the speaker notes that men themselves are puzzled by what it is about her that they perceive when they see her. For, they cannot solve her "inner mystery" even when she tries to "show them." Truly, then, it is just that je ne sais quoi --that certain something--that makes her all woman:

It's in the arch of my back,The sun of my smile,The ride of my breasts,The grace of my style.I'm a womanPhenomenally.

Not just one who possesses certain very seductive womanly qualities, the speaker is entirely a woman because of her self-confidence and comfort in her appearance. She knows that she does not have perfect features, but she uses every part of her womanly self to her advantage. For this reason, she is a "Phenomenal woman"--a woman whose summation of qualities creates the "phenomenon" of beguiling men.

Based on David Laskin’s book The Long Way Home, answer the following questions. Discuss how World War I started in 1914 and then how the United States entered the war in 1917. Then select one of the 12 featured soldiers from The Long Way Home and answer the following: What was the war experience like for this soldier, and how did it transform him? In what ways did this soldier hold on to his immigrant culture? In what ways did he become American? Finally, if you had had the chance to meet him during or after the war, what question would you ask him?

World War I started in 1914, when a nineteen-year-old Serbian nationalist killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Hapsburg empire. The eventual result was that the Austro-Hungarian empire declared war on Serbia, Serbia sought and achieved an alliance with Russia, and Germany joined with Austria-Hungary. Most of the major countries of Europe were drawn into the war.
Woodrow Wilson, the American President, had tried to keep the U.S. out of World War I, and he had campaigned on that promise during his re-election bid in 1916. However, events in 1917 made it hard for him to keep his promise, including unrestricted submarine warfare conducted by the Germans (Laskin, 118) and the Zimmermann telegram, sent by Germay's foreign secretary to the German ambassador stationed in Mexico with the proposal to start an alliance with Mexico against the U.S.
One soldier who Laskin portrays in Max Cieminski, who was born in Wisconsin and grew up speaking Kaszubian and German. His family was from an ethnic group in Poland, and he barely spoke English when he was abducted into the army in 1917. He was sent to different training camps, along them a camp in Mississippi. Max was processed into the army even though he was missing his trigger finger, the result of a childhood injury. He felt mistreated by his German American drill sergeant in training camp, and was seen as different because he did not speak English as his first language.
Fighting in France as part of the French-American attack on the Marne salient, Max's platoon came under German fire during an advance on Trugny. German shells likely caused his death, though the exact cause of his death is unknown. While Max fought alongside other Americans, he was still treated as an outsider to some degree. His captain, Haggerty, considered Max "criminally unprepared" (Laskin, 207) for the army. Though it was not his fault that he was accepted by mistake into the army without a trigger finger, his captain made Max suffer for it before Max died in battle. Therefore, Max was in many ways not accepted as an equal to the other soldiers and likely still felt more like someone whose family was from Kaszub than someone who was fully American. If I could meet Max, I would ask him how it felt to be somewhat ostracized in the army, even though he was born in the U.S. 

I have to analyze The Speech at the Red Army Parade on the Red Square (written and presented by Joseph Stalin on November 7, 1941 in Moscow, Russia) for rhetoric devices. Any help would be appreciated.

Stalin delivered this speech to an audience of soldiers who, immediately afterwards, were going to fight against the Nazis in the Battle of Moscow. The primary purpose of the speech was to inflame his audience and to send them to battle determined and proud.
At the beginning of the speech, Stalin reminds his audience that some of their compatriots have "temporarily fallen under the yoke of the German brigands." This is a metaphor. A yoke is a device fitted around the neck of an animal, usually a horse, ox or mule. The yoke is then attached, with ropes, to a cart which the animal is forced to pull along. Thus, when Stalin says that their are Russians metaphorically "under the yoke of German brigands," he is implying that the Germans are treating those Russians like slaves, and, worse, like animals. The intended effect is to rile up the audience, and make them hate the Germans that they are about to fight.
Another rhetorical device that Stalin uses throughout the speech is the rhetorical question. A rhetorical question always has an implied answer, which the speaker hopes to make the audience think as if they have thought of it themselves. One such rhetorical question that Stalin asks is, "Can there be any doubt that we can, and are bound to, defeat the German invaders?" The implied answer here is, "no, there cannot be any doubt." Stalin also asks, "Who can deny that our Red Army has more than once put the vaunted German troops to panic flight?" The implied answer here is that nobody can deny this, and the logical inference is that if the Red Army has repelled the German army so many times before, then they can certainly do so again.
Stalin also uses personification to suggest that the German army is mortal and weak. He tells his audience that "Germany is bleeding," and that "her reserves of man-power are giving out." The German army at this stage in World War II had acquired a fearful reputation as a powerful and relentless force. By personifying Germany as a "bleeding woman," Stalin tries to puncture this reputation. He tries to make the German army mortal and weak in the minds of the Russians who must soon confront them in battle.

Joseph Stalin was a Soviet political leader when he delivered his speech at the Red Army parade. He used rhetorical devices like anaphora, metaphor, allusion, and hypophora to connect with his crowd and influence it to his way of thinking. 
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase multiple times in close phrases. It helps emphasize a point or drive it home to the audience. Stalin uses this when he repeats the word Germany or German multiple times in one statement. He says:
If one judges, not by the boastful assertions of the German propagandists, but by the actual position of Germany, it will not be difficult to understand that the German-fascist invaders are facing disaster. Hunger and impoverishment reign in Germany to-day; in four months of war Germany has lost four and a half million men; Germany is bleeding, her reserves of man-power are giving out, the spirit of indignation is spreading not only among the peoples of Europe who have fallen under the yoke of the German invaders but also among the German people themselves, who see no end to war. The German invaders are straining their last efforts. There is no doubt that Germany cannot sustain such a strain for long. Another few months, another half-year, perhaps another year, and Hitlerite Germany must burst under the pressure of her crimes.
Like most rhetorical devices, it calls a listener to identify with his position and also makes it a more eloquent statement. He also uses the phrase "German invaders" many times throughout his speech.
Metaphor is a comparison made between two things. Stalin uses this to equate the enemy of Russia to the devil, saying:
The enemy is not so strong as some frightened little intellectuals picture him. The devil is not so terrible as he is painted.
Metaphors—like similies—can help a person contextualize an idea. We know the devil is bad. The enemy is like the devil: bad and necessary to fight against.
Allusion is an indirect reference, often to an event, a book, or a human being. Stalin makes several throughout his speech. For example:
In the fire of war we forged the Red Army and converted our country into a military camp. The spirit of the great Lenin animated us at that time for the war against the interventionists. 
This references the past in Russia and refers in a broad sense to the Red Army created by Lenin during his time in office. It could have been used to help inflame patriotism in the listeners who were proud of their country's past. Stalin also makes reference to the "spirit of the great Lenin" two other times in his speech.
Hypophora occurs when a speaker asks a question and then immediately answers it. Stalin does this a couple times:
And what happened? We routed the interventionists, recovered all our lost territory, and achieved victory.
Who can deny that our Red Army has more than once put the vaunted German troops to panic flight? If one judges, not by the boastful assertions of the German propagandists, but by the actual position of Germany, it will not be difficult to understand that the German-fascist invaders are facing disaster.
Hypophoras lead a listener to feel that they have had their own question answered. A person hears the question, has the thought, and before they can evaluate the evidence and answer—the speaker provides a response.
Stalin used these rhetorical devices to help inflame and further control his listeners. Many dictators throughout history use the same rhetorical devices to deliver strong speeches that electrify crowds.

How do "civilizations" develop and to what degree was the code of Hammurabi fair and just?

The first question is extremely broad. On that very general level, one can say that some civilizations subsist by hunting and gathering. These migratory groups tend to stay in small bands rather than forming large groups because hunting and gathering can only support low population densities. Due to their migratory nature, they develop little in the way of technology. Other peoples undergo the "neolithic transition", learning how to domesticate plants and animals. This more efficient food production is the precondition for urbanization. Agriculture produces a food surplus, meaning that classes of artisans develop who improve technology. Large urbanized cultures require laws and complex political organization.
The Code of Hammurabi strove towards justice as it would have been understood in ancient Mesopotamia. It emphasized the duty of the king to protect the weak, the poor, and widows and orphans, and to act fairly. It created fixed punishments for various sorts of crimes. As is typical of its period, it treated people differently depending on their gender, whether they were slaves or free, and whether they were commoners or nobles. However, despite this, its emphasis that the wealthy and powerful should not be allowed to act with impunity is evidence that the code was striving towards a sense that at least within a given social class all people were equal before the law. 

In what way is Henry built like a brick outhouse?

Readers don't get much of an explanation as to why Henry is described as a "brick outhouse." We actually get more narration about his nose than we do his build. The description is a slightly comical and good way to let us know that Henry is big and strong. He's also probably quite square-looking. He's broad-shouldered, and his body doesn't have many curves as it descends toward his feet. His big, strong frame is one of the reasons that the military is happy to have him. He is the kind of soldier who can be given some of the heaviest weapons and ammunition. Readers do get a little piece of information about Henry that tells us he knows he's big and strong. He and Lyman are posing for a picture, and we are told that Henry put his arm around Lyman "very carefully, as though it was heavy for him to lift and he didn't want to bring the weight down all at once." At a different point in the story, we are told of something that illustrates Henry's strength quite nicely. Susy lets down her hair, and Henry easily hoists her up on top of his shoulders so that her hair's full length can be shown.

Precalculus, Chapter 1, Review Exercises, Section Review Exercises, Problem 16

Find the intercepts of the equation $x^2 + 4x + y^2 - 2y = 0$ and test for symmetry with respect to the $x$-axis, the $y$-axis and the origin.

$x$-intercepts


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& x^2 + 4x + y^2 - 2y = 0
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
& x^2 + 4x + (0)^2 - 2(0) = 0
&& \text{To find the $x$-intercept, we let $y = 0$ and solve for $x$}
\\
& x^2 + 4x = 0
&&
\\
& x (x + 4) = 0
&&
\\
& x = 0 \text{ and } x + 4 = 0
&&
\\
& x = 0 \text{ and } x = -4
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The $x$-intercepts are $(0,0)$ and $(-4,0)$

$y$-intercepts


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& x^2 + 4x + y^2 - 2y = 0
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
& (0)^2 + 4(0) + y^2 - 2y = 0
&& \text{To find the $y$-intercept, we let $x = 0$ and solve for $y$}
\\
& y^2 - 2y = 0
&&
\\
& y(y-2) = 0
&&
\\
& y = 0 \text{ and } y - 2 = 0
&&
\\
& y = 0 \text{ and } y = 2

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The $y$-intercepts are $(0,0)$ and $(0,2)$.

Test for symmetry

$x$-axis


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

x^2 + 4x + y^2 - 2y =& 0
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
x^2 + 4x + (-y)^2 - 2(-y) =& 0
&& \text{To test for $x$-axis symmetry, replace $y$ by $-y$ and see if the equation is still the same}
\\
x^2 + 4x + y^2 + 2y =& 0
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The equation changes so the equation is not symmetric to $x$-axis.

$y$-axis


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

x^2 + 4x + y^2 - 2y =& 0
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
(-x)^2 + 4(-x) + y^2 - 2y =& 0
&& \text{To test for $y$-axis symmetry, replace$ x$ by $-x$ and see if the equation is still the same}
\\
x^2 - 4x + y^2 - 2y =& 0
&&

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The equation changes so the equation is not symmetric to $y$-axis.

Origin


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& x^2 + 4x + y^2 - 2y = 0
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
& (-x)^2 + 4(-x) + (-y)^2 - 2(-y) = 0
&& \text{To test for origin symmetry, replace both $x$ by $-x$ and y by $-y$ and see if the equation is still the same}
\\
& x^2 - 4x + y^2 + 2y = 0
&&


\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


The equation changes so the equation is not symmetric to the origin.

What artifact from "Everyday Use" becomes a focal point for the family members' different views of their heritage?

The family quilts become this focal point. Wangero (Dee) has already claimed several items that Mama and Maggie still use regularly so that she can "do something artistic" with them. She is treating heritage like something that is past and, moreover, like something that she can hang on the wall and show off. However, for her family, heritage is something that they put to "everyday use." Such a notion is horrifying to Wangero, and she exclaims,

"Maggie can't appreciate these quilts! . . . She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use."

And Mama replies that this is exactly what Maggie ought to do with the quilts. She's been saving them for a long time with no one using them, and they were made to be used—not to be decoration. Mama doesn't understand why Wangero would hang them on the wall and why that is any better than Maggie actually using the blankets, even if they fall apart. For Wangero, the blankets are important because of what they represent to her: a heritage with which she is trying to reconnect (although in a somewhat misguided way). For Maggie and Mama, the quilts are important because of the family stories that go with them and because they can be used to keep warm. Their "everyday use" combined with the way they keep the family's heritage so near is precisely what makes them valuable.

What is a summary of each chapter of "A Jar of Dreams" by Yoshiko Uchida?

Chapters 11–12
After the incident with Wilbur Starr, Rinko notices that her father has become more confident in his manner. One Sunday at dinner, Papa announces that he is planning to start his own garage and repair shop at home. Mama worries about the risk of such a venture, but Uncle Kanda surprisingly saves the day: he offers to become a partner in Papa's mechanic business. The family is thrilled and grateful when Uncle Kanda gives Papa five hundred dollars to start his new business. Papa then announces that the shop will be called the Kanda-Tsujimura Garage and Repair Shop.
The family eventually decides to take Aunt Waka to see the sights in San Francisco. Uncle Kanda is invited as well, but he does not show up for church on Sunday. Eventually, the family learns that Uncle Kanda has been hit by a car and is in the hospital. Aunt Waka confesses that Uncle Kanda may have gone to Stockton to talk to Cal; she tells everyone that he is especially concerned about Cal giving up on college.
Chapters 13–14
Rinko goes to visit Uncle Kanda in the hospital. She is happy that he is still alive. It turns out that Uncle Kanda has managed to convince Cal to continue his college education. He also tells Rinko that Cal has a message for her: that he will study hard to be an engineer if she will work hard to fulfill her own dreams of becoming a teacher. Encouraged by her brother's determination, Rinko agrees. 
Rinko soon discovers that Aunt Waka is returning to Japan. She is sad but understands why her aunt must leave. Rinko also realizes how much her aunt has taught her. Through Aunt Waka, Rinko has learned to appreciate her unique heritage. She is American but also Japanese. As the novel ends, Rinko finally understands that she never needs to feel ashamed of her background. All she needs to do is believe in her own worth and be the best person she can be. Most of all, Rinko learns why Aunt Waka is so special: she embodies courage, humility, and honor. She is proud of who she is and has never stopped believing in herself.

Chapters 9–10
One night, Rinko is sleeping when she wakes up to Maxwell's barking. The barking eventually stops, however, and the family discovers that Maxwell has been shot. The dog dies from its wounds, and the grief-stricken family is forced to bury the beloved dog. Everyone suspects that Wilbur Starr is behind the atrocious act, but no one can confirm his part in it. Eventually, Aunt Waka suggests that someone should confront Wilbur Starr. Papa agrees with Aunt Waka and says that he will discuss the matter with Uncle Kanda.
Two days later, Papa and Uncle Kanda make their way to Wilbur Starr's shop. They confront Mr. Starr about his shameful behavior and declare that Tsujimura Laundry will continue to operate. To cover up his embarrassment, Wilbur tries to bully the two men. However, he fails to intimidate them. Rinko and Joji watch the entire exchange, but their presence is eventually discovered. Mr. Starr proceeds to abuse the children verbally and tries to use physical force against them. However, Papa stops Mr. Starr in time.

Chapters 7–8
The family receives a threatening note and suspects that the owner of the Starr Laundry is behind it. Rinko is worried about what the note could mean, but Papa tells her not to worry. Soon, the family discovers that the threat is serious. Papa has his tires slashed, and laundry bundles that belong to Mama's customers are picked up before Papa can get to each house. Again, the family suspects that Starr Laundry is trying to run them out of business. To outsmart Wilbur Starr, Papa tells Tsujimura Laundry customers not to put out their laundry until Starr Laundry closes at 5:30 pm.
Meanwhile, the Tsujimuras lose some of their customers to Starr Laundry. There is a bright spot, however, when Cal comes home for a visit. Mama makes a special dinner, and even Uncle Kanda attends. The happy mood is soon destroyed when Cal, anxious to help his parents, declares that he will quit college to work for a while. An argument ensues, and Cal is forced to rethink his offer. Rinko's parents want Cal to finish his education and are committed to helping him. Meanwhile, Joji announces that he will put Maxwell outside to guard the house.
 

Chapters 5–6
Rinko's brother, Cal, finally leaves for Stockton. We learn that he will be picking fruit all summer. Rinko is sad that her brother won't be home for a while, so she decides to call her friend, Tami. We learn that Rinko feels more comfortable talking to friends than speaking up in class. In school, she feels self-conscious and inadequate. To prepare for Aunt Waka's visit, Papa kills two chickens for the welcome dinner, and Mama prepares some Japanese delicacies.
The family eventually drives to the pier to pick Aunt Waka up. She arrives in a blue kimono, and Rinko is surprised to see that her mother's younger sister already has graying hair. The family celebrates Aunt Waka's arrival by enjoying the special dinner Mama made. Mrs. Sugar arrives with a spice cake but does not stay long. Tami and her mother also make an appearance. Later, Uncle Kanda, Papa's friend, comes to meet Aunt Waka. Tami tells Rinko that her mother plans to arrange a marriage between Aunt Waka and Uncle Kanda. Meanwhile, Rinko learns to her surprise that her aunt is a devout Buddhist; she wonders how Aunt Waka will adjust to attending church with Mama.

Chapters 1–2
In these two chapters, we are introduced to Rinko Tsujimura and her family, which consists of her father (Papa, Shintaro), mother (Mama), older brother (Cal), younger brother (Joji), mother's sister (Aunt Waka), and Joji's dog (Maxwell). The story begins with Rinko coming home to a messy kitchen one summer's day. Her mother, a maid, is out cleaning Mrs. Phillip's house. Rinko is shocked because her mother never leaves the kitchen dirty. In the midst of the mess, Rinko discovers a letter from her Aunt Waka. 
Because it is written in Japanese characters, Rinko cannot read it. She takes the letter to her father. Her father, a barber, hopes to be a mechanic someday. He translates the letter for her and tells her that her Aunt Waka is coming to stay with them for the summer. Aunt Waka is a widow; her husband died of tuberculosis and her young son of dysentery. To make room for Aunt Waka, Rinko learns that she will probably move into her brother's room as soon as Cal leaves for his summer job in Stockton. In these chapters, we are also briefly introduced to Mrs. Sugar, Rinko's favorite neighbor, and Wilbur Starr, the owner of Starr Laundry. Rinko does not like Mr. Starr because he is racist.
Chapters 3–4
Rinko discovers that Papa is more than five months late on his barber shop rent payments. He risks eviction if he doesn't pay up. The family is distressed, and Cal offers to send home all the money from his summer job in Stockton. Rinko's father rejects the idea, stating that Cal needs the money for college. Mama suggests starting a home laundry. Although the rest of the family is initially less than enthusiastic, they eventually decide to give her idea a try.
When Rinko mentions Mama's idea to Mrs. Sugar, the elderly lady offers the family her old washing machine for the project. The washer doesn't work, but Papa is able to fix it up. He also builds a counter for sorting the clothes and a chute to facilitate the delivery of the laundry bundles down to the basement.

What are Jig’s wishes?

Although Jig appears to be unaware of her own wishes, she is grappling with a very pivotal decision and reveals, through gestures and words, that she is conflicted. Her constantly asking her American companion whether he wants her to get the abortion could be seen as a way to get response out of him, to test his love or care for her, and perhaps to test whether they really are a team. Her frequent looking at the landscape, while his focus on his drinks at the bar indicate that she, while a "girl," and he a "man," has a wider sense of the possibilities of the future. She also "knows things." As he insists on what he feels is "the best thing to do," she is interested in happiness. Perhaps, as she has seen with other people who have had the procedure, they could be happy afterwards. But she is not sure they would; she can sense something withering with the denial of the life that could be, if they had "everything."
It can be inferred that, contrary to being simply unsure, the girl wants happiness above all. She says, "We can have the whole world," and characteristic of his tone which is rather closed compared to hers, he says, "no, we can't." She only considers the abortion if it would, overall, grant a certain kind of happiness, in which he would treat her the same as before.
While it appears that she is getting convinced, or convincing herself, to go through with the procedure, though, her inner conflict is illustrated in her last defiant gesture: "Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?" and after they are interrupted by the waitress informing them that the train will arrive, the girl seems to have sealed her resolve, putting on a bright smile for the waitress and for the man as well, telling him (though we do not believe her entirely), that she "feel[s] fine."

Jig's wishes are unclear in this story. She constantly asks her male companion what he wants to do in regard to her pregnancy, and she says, "I don't care about me." Later, however, she seems to want her male companion to care about her pregnancy and to want her baby. She asks him whether her pregnancy means anything to him, and she does not seem satisfied with his explanation that an abortion is a "perfectly simple" operation. She then begs him to be quiet, which implies that she is not satisfied with his answers to her questions. She seems to want to believe him to the effect that she can go through with the operation and return to the way things were between them, but she also seems to doubt his facile assurance that this is the case. In the end, she feels conflicted and seems to have more invested in her decision about what to do with her pregnancy than her companion does.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 7, 7.1, Section 7.1, Problem 15

int (ln x)^2dx
To evaluate, apply integration by parts int udv= uv - vdu .
So let
u = (lnx)^2
and
dv = dx
Then, differentiate u and integrate dv.
du = 2lnx * 1/x dx = (2lnx)/x dx
and
v = intdx = x
Plug-in them to the formula. So the integral becomes:
int (ln x)^2dx
= (lnx)^2 *x - int x * (2lnx)/x dx
= x(lnx)^2 -2int lnx dx
To take integral of ln x, apply integration by parts again.
So let
u_2 = ln x
and
dv_2 = dx
Then, differentiate u and integrate dv.
du_2 = 1/x dx
and
v_2= int dx = x
So the integral becomes:
=x(lnx)^2 - 2( lnx * x - int x * 1/x dx)
= x(lnx)^2 - 2(xlnx - int dx)
=x(lnx)^2 - 2(xlnx - x)
=x(lnx)^2 - 2xlnx + 2x

Therefore, int (lnx)^2dx = x(lnx)^2 - 2xlnx + 2x .

College Algebra, Chapter 4, 4.5, Section 4.5, Problem 40

Find a polynomial $P(x)$ of degree 3 with interger coefficients and zeros $-3$ and $1 + i$.
Recall that if the polynomial function $P$ has real coefficient and if a $a + bi$ is a zero of $P$, then $a - bi$ is also a zero of $P$. In our case, we have zeros of $-3,1+i$ and $1-i$. Thus

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
P(x) &= [x-(-3)][x-(1+i)][x-(1-i)] && \text{Model}\\
\\
P(x) &= (x+3)[(x-1)-i][(x-1)+i] && \text{Regroup}\\
\\
P(x) &= (x+3) \left[ (x-1)^2 - i^2 \right] && \text{Difference of group}\\
\\
P(x) &= (x+3) \left[ x^2 - 2x +1 + 1\right] && \text{Expand, recall that } i^2 = -1\\
\\
P(x) &= (x+3) (x^2 - 2x + 2) && \text{Simplify}\\
\\
P(x) &= x^3 - 2x^2 + 2x + 3x^2 - 6x + 6 && \text{Expand}\\
\\
P(x) &= x^3 + x^2 - 4x + 6 && \text{Combine like terms}
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

How is Agamemnon is a violent story of a primitive family feud?

Agamemnon, the first play in Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy, tells the story of the murder of Agamemnon. Prior to leaving Argos to wage the Trojan War, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter, Iphigenia, to placate the wrath of Artemis. This infuriated Clytaemnestra, Agamemnon's wife. She spent the next decade plotting her revenge. Upon his return, she murdered Agamemnon, along with Cassandra, his new concubine. The cycle of revenge continued throughout the remaining to plays in the trilogy, as the son of Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra--Orestes--killed his mother and then the furies sought to exact vengeance on Orestes.
Agamemnon and the Oresteia in general represents a primitive family feud because the stakes of the feud--the life and death of its participants--were much higher than those in more contemporary family feuds. Both Clytaemnestra and Orestes took the law into their own hands, and Apollo even commanded Orestes to exact vengeance on his mother.

How did the Progressive reformers of the late 19th-early 20th century respond to the abuses and extravagances of the so-called Gilded Age?

Progressive reformers used writing and photography to expose the abuses and excesses of the Gilded Age. For example, journalist Ida Tarbell wrote a book called The History of the Standard Oil Company. This book led to laws that broke up monopolies, including Standard Oil Company's monopoly.
Likewise, photographer Jacob Riis was able to use advances in technology in photography to take pictures inside dark tenement dwellings, revealing the horrible conditions in which many lived. He too advocated for legal reforms, such as required regular inspections of tenements. Other progressives, such as Jane Addams, used their considerable wealth to try to implement small-scale solutions, such as Settlement Houses, to the many problems created by unbridled capitalism.
Progressives came up with a dizzying number of answers to the abuses they saw, most revolving around creating laws to curb the suffering of exploited people. Much of what they proposed did not become implemented until the New Deal in the 1930s. The Progressives proposed changes in society that we take for granted today, such as a forty-hour work week, minimum wage, the end to child labor, social security, unemployment compensation, and workplaces with safety measures in place so that workers were not subjected to unnecessary dangers.

What might be the link between Nora’s “contraband” macaroons and her “huge desire to say - to hell and be damned?”

In Ibsen's play, A Doll's House, the protagonist undergoes substantial character development as she transforms from a somewhat childish mother and wife into an independent, single woman. For this reason, the play, with its feminist message, was unprecedented in its time.
As the curtain opens, Nora is in the process of enjoying her "contraband." While the term is played off humorously between husband and wife, it is strongly indicative of Torvald's attitude toward Nora. Although she is his wife, he treats her as another of the children, doting upon her without taking her seriously. Just as an indulgent parent would playfully lecture his daughter for sneaking cookies from the jar, Torvald teases his wife for her purchase.
Likewise, Nora's desire to swear reflects childishness: a childishness which is likely a response to Torvald's patronizing behavior. Again, as a child would be restricted from using this phrase, Nora feels inhibited. She is not free to express herself, as she is only Torvald's "doll."
Of course, Nora leaves at the end of the play. No longer content to live in "a doll's house," she walks away from Torvald and the children.

What approaches can be used in measuring productivity?

The category of this question is quite important; "productivity" means somewhat different things in business versus economics.Whereas economists might be interested in the overall efficiency of an entire economy, treating "productivity" as a macroeconomic concept (such as "total factor productivity"), businesses are generally concerned with their own productivity as a firm: How efficiently are expensive inputs being used to produce revenue-generating outputs?A few different approaches can be taken for answering that basic question.The simplest way is to divide the amount produced by the amount consumed, which can be done for each input separately. We can speak of labor productivity, how many units of goods are produced per worker hour, and capital productivity, how many units of goods are produced per machine hour. You can also assess each of these in financial terms: How many units of good are produced per dollar spent on labor versus capital. We can compare both total productivity and marginal productivity, where total is simply output divided by input, while marginal is the amount of output that would be generated if we added one more unit of input. If we are spending optimally, the marginal productivity of each dollar spent on each input should be the same; if they are not the same, we may be overspending on one input versus another.Probably the most useful measure of productivity for business purposes is value added, which considers the total revenue generated by selling products in each period, minus the total expenditure paid to produce those same products. Adjustments need to be made to ensure the right things are being compared; if you are depleting inventory from past purchases, you need to either include those purchases or exclude those sales. You can also calculated value added another way, by adding up all the places that net revenue ends up going: Profit, dividends, retained earnings, depreciation, labor expenditure (sometimes called "labor cost"; this is actually economically erroneous but I've even seen economists make the mistake), interest, and taxes---essentially, all forms of profit plus all expenditures that weren't for inputs other than labor.

On what did Renaissance philosophers focus their criticism?

A pretty broad array of thinkers can be categorized as "Renaissance philosophers," and their targets of criticism were varied. But in general, Renaissance philosophers in Europe embraced the concept of humanism, an intellectual orientation that emphasized the study of classical texts as a means of studying man himself. From this, they argued that medieval philosophy (this was, above all, the focus of their criticism) was dogmatic and limited. According to Renaissance writers like Pico della Mirandola, whose Oration on the Dignity of Man set the agenda in some ways for Renaissance philosophers, man was to be glorified, not degraded. "[M]an," according to Mirandola, "is rightfully named a magnificent miracle and a wondrous creation." Where medieval scholars supposedly had emphasized the debased nature of man versus the perfection of God, Renaissance humanists celebrated the notion that God had made man in his image, and that man was to be celebrated and even perfected. We can see this idea in very different ways in Renaissance art, literature, and even in the works of humanists like Machiavelli, who pioneered the idea of republican government.

How can I justify that the play Merchant of Venice ends in tragedy for Shylock?

Events in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice ultimately become tragic for Shylock the father, Shylock the usurer, and Shylock the Jew.
--Shylock the father
Shylock's tragic losses, which are due mostly to his selfishness, begin with the betrayal of his daughter Jessica. She steals much of the family jewels, runs off with a Christian who is a close friend of his enemy Antonio, and even converts to Christianity because she hates her father's conduct and associates much of his behavior and attitudes to his being a Jew:

Alack, what heinous sin is it in meTo be ashamed to be my father's child?But though I am a daughter to his blood,I am not to his manners. O Lorenzo,If thou keep promise, I shall end this strife,Become a Christian and thy loving wife. (2.3.16-21)

Further, Jessica squanders the family heirlooms on frivolous things, such as trading her mother's turquoise ring for a monkey, an act which adds "insult to injury" for her father when he is informed of his daughter's betrayal and actions.
--Shylock the usurer
During the time of the setting of the drama, the Catholic Church forbids usury, so none of the Venetian merchants or moneylenders are allowed to practice this form of lending. On the other hand, Shylock's greed for money motivates his usury, and, as a Jew, he can charge interest. Therefore, in his avarice, he loans his mortal enemy money with the diabolical scheme of extracting flesh in payment, a scheme which backfires on him. For, Portia, who is disguised as a doctor of law, points out that the agreement between Antonio and Shylock does not allow for the spilling of blood in the extraction of payment if the loan is not met. Therefore, Shylock cannot collect on the debt, and is later punished for his usury.
--Shylock the Jew
Considered a heathen by the Venetians, Shylock is reviled and when the opportunity presents itself, the Duke punishes him severely, according to the Venetian law:
If Shylock takes a drop of Christian blood from Antonio, then the law of Venice states that the Republic of Venice can confiscate his land and goods because he is a foreign national. According to another Venetian law, if a foreign national such as Shylock seeks the life of a Venetian citizen, whether directly or indirectly, and is found guilty, he then forfeits half of his wealth to his intended victim, with the other half going to the state (4.1.344-359). The personal fate of the guilty national then is up to the ruler.
If Shylock were a Venetian and not a Jew and a foreign national, the tragic results of the trial would not have occurred as they do.
 

How does the resistance of a conductor change when the temperature is increased?

.The Resistance of the conductor change with the size of conductor.The resistance also change with changing temperature.when the temperature increase the nucleus of the atom start vibrating and hence abstruct the flow of electrons already in the free space .so with increase in temperature conductivity of the conductors decrease and risitanxe increase.

One of the factors that affects the resistivity of a metallic conductor is the temperature. As the temperature increases, the ions vibrate with greater amplitude. Because of this, the ions and the electrons are more likely to collide and the electron finds it more difficult to move through the conductor. Since there is an impede  in the electron flow as the temperature increases, the resistivity of metallic conductor increases. This relationship is shown in the formula of temperature dependence of resistivity which is:
rho = rho_o[1+alpha(T-T_o)]
where 
rho  is the resistivity at some temperature T (in Celsius degrees),
rho_o  is the resistivity at some reference temperature T0 (usually taken to be 20°C) and
alpha  is a parameter called the temperature coefficient of resistivity.
Moreover, resistivity of a conductor is directly proportional to its resistance as shown in the formula:
R= rho *l/A
Isolating the resistivity of the conductor, it becomes:
rho = R * A/l
Plugging this to the formula of temperature dependence of resistivity, the equation becomes:
rho = rho_o[1+alpha(T-T_o)]
R*A/l =R_o *A/l[1+alpha (T-T_o)]
And this simplifies to:
R=R_o[1+alpha(T-T_o)]
Notice that the resistance of the conductor is proportional to the temperature change.
Therefore, as the temperature of the conductor increases, its resistance increases.

College Algebra, Chapter 4, 4.2, Section 4.2, Problem 24

Sketch the graph of polynomial function $\displaystyle P(x) = (x-1)^2 (x+2)^3 $ make sure the graph shows all intercepts and exhibits the proper end behaviour.
The function has an odd degree 5 and a positive leading coefficient. Thus, its end behaviour is $y \rightarrow -\infty \text{ as } x \rightarrow -\infty \text{ and } y \rightarrow \infty \text{ as } x \rightarrow \infty$.
To solve for the $y$-intercept, we set $y = 0$.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
y &= (0 - 1)^2 (0+2)^3\\
\\
y &= (-1)^2 (2)^3\\
\\
y &= 8
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


To solve for the $x$-intercept, we set $x = 0$
$0 = (x-1)^2(x+2)^3$

By zero product property, we have
$(x - 1)^2 \text{ and } (x + 2)^3 = 0$
$x = 1 \text{ and } x = -2$

What is the cause and effect of the Catholic Church releasing its control over European Society between 1450 and 1750?

The major causes for the Catholic Church releasing its hold over European society were the invention of the printing press, the spread of Lutheranism and other Protestant ideologies, and the public break from the Church by Henry VIII in his efforts to marry Anne Boleyn.
In 1439, German publisher Johannes Gutenberg created a movable type press, allowing for more efficient printing. I don't think I am alone in believing this single invention changed Western Civilization as much, if not more, than the Norman Conquest, French Revolution, and the American Revolution combined. Because movable type allowed for a more rapid printing process, with quicker turnaround, writers of the time could see their works spread farther and wider than previously imagined.
Just 44 years later, Martin Luther was born. When he was old enough, he was sent by his father to be educated by monks. He eventually became a priest, though was disturbed by some common practices of the Church, particularly the selling of indulgences. Indulgences enriched the Church by promising the buyer a straight ticket to heaven, bypassing purgatory. In October of 1517, spurred by a visit from a purveyor of indulgences, Martin Luther nailed his grievances with the Catholic Church to the church door. With the help of Gutenberg's invention from the previous century, Luther and other protestant thinkers, like John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingili, were able to galvanize individuals throughout all of Europe.
Henry VIII was already king of England by the time Luther published his grievances, though it would be another 20 years before Henry would begin to question the Catholic Church as sovereign. Due to their inability to produce a male heir, Henry desired to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn. Henry tried for many years to procure an annulment through the Holy See's channels, but the church found his marriage to Catherine legitimate and refused. Out of his growing frustration, Henry decided to break from Rome and made himself head of his own church, the Anglican church. He sent Catherine away and married Anne in 1532. Never before had a sitting monarch broken with the Church in such a public way.
These three seemingly disparate events were the foundation of the Age of Enlightenment, which further loosened the grip of the Catholic Church on Europeans. The Age of Enlightenment led to scientific discovery that flew in the face of church teachings, and fostered the philosophers whose writings spurred the French and American Revolutions.

In the short story "The Lady or the Tiger?" how does the princess feel about the young man?

In Frank Stockton's short story "The Lady or the Tiger?" the third person narrator indicates the princess, the daughter of a semi-barbaric king, was very much in love with the young man:

This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong.

The "love affair" between the princess and the young man proceeded for "many months" before it was eventually discovered by the King who immediately imprisoned the young man and sentenced him to be judged in the arena. Considered a vehicle of impartial justice, the arena was the king's way of judging the accused. A prisoner would enter the arena, where he would have the choice of two doors. Behind one door was a lady, to whom the prisoner was promptly married, and behind the other door was a tiger which killed the man. The prisoner did not know the secret of which door was which. When the princess's lover was sentenced to the arena, the princess discovered from which door would emerge the lady and from which the tiger. The resolution to the story is never revealed and so it is uncertain as to whether the princess saved the young man by letting him marry another woman, or whether her jealousy caused her to point in the direction of the tiger.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 7, 7.4, Section 7.4, Problem 29

Integrate int(x+4)/(x^2+2x+5)dx
int(x+4)/(x^2+2x+5)dx=int(x+1)/(x^2+2x+5)dx+int3/(x^2+2x+5)dx

Integrate the first integral on the left side of the equation using the u-substitution method.
Let u=x^2+2x+5
(du)/(dx)=2x+2
dx=(du)/(2(x+1))
int(x+1)/(x^2+2x+5)dx
=int(x+1)/u*(du)/(2(x+1))
=1/2ln|u|+C
1/2ln|x^2+2x+5|+C

The second integral on the left side will match the form
intdx/(x^2+a^2)=1/atan^-1(x/a)+C after you complete the square in the denominator.

int3/(x^2+2x+5)dx
=3intdx/[(x^2+2x+1)+5-1]
=3intdx/[(x+1)^2+2^2]
=3(1/2)tan^-1((x+1)/2)+C
=(3/2)tan^-1[(x+1)/2]+C

The final answer is:
1/2ln|x^2+2x+5|+(3/2)tan^-1[(x+1)/2]+C

What did Daisy do to try to solve the problems? Why didn’t it work?

In “Teenage Wasteland” by Anne Tyler, the main character, Daisy, struggles with her son’s lack of academic motivation and his increasingly significant at-risk behaviors. The author portrays Daisy as a good parent who does all of the traditional things a parent does to help a struggling child. Daisy “doesn’t let her son Donny watch TV on school nights or talk on the phone until he is finished with his homework.” She checks his assignments every day and sits next to him while he is working. Daisy even blames herself at times, worrying that she didn’t give Donny enough attention when he was younger. When none of these strategies improve Donny’s behavior, the principal suggests a visit with the school psychologist, who recommends Donny work with a tutor experienced with at-risk students. Although Daisy has reservations about the new tutor, Cal, she sees that Donny connects with him, and she allows their sessions to continue. However, Donny continues to spiral into more significant academic and behavioral problems. Eventually, Daisy ends Donny’s sessions with Cal. Instead of protesting, Cal labels Donny as emotionally disturbed and states that he couldn’t help him anyway. Donny later vanishes.
Daisy’s attempts to help Donny are unsuccessful. Cal suggests to Daisy that Donny feels that she and her husband hover over him and give him no autonomy. As Daisy speaks about Donny’s issues, she never mentions talking to Donny about the problem or having true conversations with him, supporting Cal’s assessment. Although Cal does appear to make Donny feel heard, he later labels him as a problem. Cal accuses Daisy of controlling Donny, yet does the same thing with his rules and expectations. At no point is Donny given the support or tools to fix his own problems. When Donny gets expelled and Cal blames the school, it is evident that Donny has never been held accountable for his own actions.

What is Chinua Achebe's core critique of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness? In what ways does Things Fall Apart offer a response to the dominant image of western imagination?

Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart addresses colonization and its negative effects on the indigenous people who are colonized. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe tells the story of a Nigerian village that is wracked with problems when European settlers impose western customs on the local people.Like Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Achebe's novel is interwoven with themes of imperialism, race, and human nature. Unlike Conrad, Achebe tells the tale of European colonization from the perspective of the culture being colonized. Achebe addresses themes such as the violence of imperialism and the devaluation of indigenous cultures by white-dominant colonists. Heart of Darkness presents the destructive effects of colonization on the colonizers. Things Fall Apart tells the opposite story: one in which colonized cultures suffer as a result of imperialism. Achebe's novel is powerful in its telling of the other side of the story. In this way, Things Fall Apart is a rebuttal to Conrad's Euro-centric version of the story of imperialism and the dominant image of western imagination.In Things Fall Apart, Achebe develops themes related to colonization through the characters in the novel, and much of his criticism of the ideas in Heart of Darkness is evident. Achebe made his opinion even clearer in 1975 when he delivered a lecture entitled "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness." The lecture (later published) sparked much debate regarding Conrad's beloved work. In this lecture, Achebe flatly describes many of the things he finds problematic about Heart of Darkness. Achebe's central argument is one against the dehumanization and racism with which Heart of Darkness is fraught.
Can nobody see the preposterous and perverse arrogance in thus reducing Africa to the role of props for the break-up of one petty European mind? But that is not even the point. The real question is the dehumanization of Africa and Africans which this age-long attitude has fostered and continues to foster in the world (Achebe, An Image of Africa).
In both Things Fall Apart and later in An Image of Africa, Achebe's core criticism of Heart of Darkness is that it dehumanizes indigenous people and glorifies colonization. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad calls Africa "the other world." Conrad describes African people as "savages" and distances them from the white visitors, writing that
They howled and leaped and spun and made horrid faces, but what thrilled you, was just the thought of their humanity -- like yours -- the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough, but if you were man enough you would admit to yourself that there was in you just the faintest trace of a response to the terrible frankness of that noise, a dim suspicion of there being a meaning in it which you -- you so remote from the night of first ages -- could comprehend (Conrad, Heart of Darkness).
In fact, one of the central themes of Conrad's work revolves around the idea that Marlow and other European travelers might at their core be related to these so-called savages. To equate evilness to blackness is a highly problematic theme, and one for which Achebe derides Conrad. Achebe turns an examining eye to the racist ideology behind these passages and argues that Conrad's depiction of black people both dehumanizes and distances one human group from another.

Who were Buck's owners and which was the best?

Buck has quite many owners before he finally surrenders to the wild. His first owner is Judge Miller. He and his family treat Buck well. Buck spends his days playing around the home, “hunting with the Judge’s sons," or going for long walks with the Judge’s daughters. Manuel, an assistant gardener to the Judge, then steals and sells Buck to some dog traders, who finally sell him to Francois and Perrault, who work as mail couriers. These two are generally good owners who, however, do not hesitate to make use of the club or whip to “demand instant obedience” and service from their dogs. While with the two, Buck is transformed from a “civilized” dog to a dog that understands the “law of club and fang.” He learns how to pull a sled, keep warm in the night by burying himself in the snow, and how to protect himself from other dogs.
Next, Buck is passed over to a Scotch half-breed who keeps him for a short time before selling him to Hal, Charles, and Mercedes who are, by far, Buck’s worst owners. The trio has little experience using dog sleds on the trail, and end up losing almost half of their dogs due to this. They are cruel dog handlers, especially Hal who continuously whips the dogs. Buck is rescued from the trio by John Thorton, who is the last of his owners.
Buck adores John Thorton who is a loving owner and excellent dog handler. Even his dogs are described as “having the kindliness and largeness” of their master. John takes care of his dogs as if “they are his own children.” In fact, Buck so adores John that he cannot stand being away from him. Thus, John Thorton is the best of Buck’s owners.
When John Thorton dies at the hands of the Yeehats, Buck finally surrenders to the “call of the wild.”

What are three character traits of Romeo that prove his love for Juliet was real or superficial?

I don't think that it is possible to prove or disprove that Romeo was truly in love with Juliet or not. Different readers will feel differently, and they will be able to support their opinion with evidence. Personally, I don't think that Romeo's love is genuine. I think it is very much a superficial love. I think Romeo is in love with the idea of being in love with a beautiful girl/woman.
When we are first introduced to Romeo, he is sorrowful and whining about the fact that the beautiful Rosaline doesn't love him back. He's so bent out of shape that Rosaline would rather live a life of chastity than love him back that he's practically physically ill.

Well, in that hit you miss: she'll not be hitWith Cupid's arrow; she hath Dian's wit;And, in strong proof of chastity well arm'd,From love's weak childish bow she lives unharm'd.She will not stay the siege of loving terms,Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold:O, she is rich in beauty, only poor,That when she dies with beauty dies her store.

Of course, later that night, Romeo meets Juliet, and his feelings for Rosaline are completely gone. He has transferred all of his loving energies to a new target. This makes Romeo fickle, in my opinion. He's also very superficial, in my opinion. For example, he sees Juliet and within 14 lines of spoken dialogue they are kissing and deeply in love. I see him as being superficial because it is Juliet's physical appearance that he is attracted to and in love with at this point.

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!It seems she hangs upon the cheek of nightLike a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

If Romeo can so easily throw off a previous "love" for another love, then I see Romeo as impulsive, immature, and indecisive. None of those things are character traits that I would associate with a person who is truly in love with another person.

What sort of attitude towards man does God have in the play Everyman?

God sees man as simply borrowing the goods of the earth, which belong to God, for a short time. God expects men to be good stewards of his (God's) possessions. God likewise puts no weight on a person's outward characteristics, such as friends, family, physical strength, looks, wits, or the other attributes the world values. God values man for the good he does on earth while he is alive.
The God in this play might be called the great accountant. He is going to take an accounting of what every person does in his or her life (this comes from Jesus's parable of the talents) that God deems good.
This play, a morality play, warns people that God's ways are not our ways, and that God will judge after death according to a standard of values that is based on good deeds of compassion and mercy, a person's humility, and an honest confession of sins. It warns people that God is not going to be impressed with bragging, bluster, family, fame or fortune, but the state of our hearts.

According to Aunt Polly in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, what does Tom hate the most?

The answer to this question can be found at the very beginning of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In Chapter 1, Aunt Polly says the thing Tom hates more than anything else is work.
Tom Sawyer is a young boy of about 12 years of age. His parents are both dead and he lives with his Aunt Polly, who is his mother’s sister. At the beginning of the book, we see Aunt Polly looking for Tom. We do not know exactly what she wanted from him, but we find out that Tom has been hiding in a closet, apparently eating jam that Aunt Polly told him not to eat. She is about to whip him with a switch when he tricks her and is able to run away.
After this happens, Aunt Polly thinks to herself about how she needs to try to discipline Tom more effectively. She worries he will not learn how to be a responsible adult. She resolves to catch him the next day and make him work. As she says,

"I'll just be obleeged to make him work, to-morrow, to punish him. It's mighty hard to make him work Saturdays, when all the boys is having holiday, but he hates work more than he hates anything else, and I've got to do some of my duty by him, or I'll be the ruination of the child.”

From this passage, we can see that the thing Tom hates most (at least according to Aunt Polly) is work.
https://www.owleyes.org/text/tom-sawyer/read/chapter-i-adv-aunt-polly-decides/root-76246-17

Soda water acidic or basic ?

Q: 
Is soda water (carbonated water) acidic or basic?
A:
Soda water, also called carbonated water, is acidic. 
We know that carbonated water is acidic based of its pH, which is a way to measure how acidic or basic a given substance is, which is caused by the hydrogen ions (charged hydrogen) in the substance. The pH level of carbonated water ranges between 3 and 4, where a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH of 14 is highly basic, and a pH of 0 is highly acidic. This is relatively acidic and gives soda water a distinctive "bite" or sour taste. In fact, carbonated water is acidic enough that some studies have shown it to slightly degrade tooth enamel. 
Carbonated water is water (chemical formula H_2O) with carbon dioxide gas (chemical formula CO_2) dissolved in it through injection. Interestingly, some amount of this carbon dioxide will react with the water to form a third compound called carbonic acid (chemical formula H_2CO_3). This acid is responsible for the low pH (acidity) of soda water. 
http://mattson.creighton.edu/SodaWater/SodaWater.html

https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/carbonated+water

How does Miss Maudie respond to Scout's observation that Atticus can't do anything?

Scout, in Chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird, makes the observation that "Atticus can't do anything." Miss Maudie proceeds to enlighten Scout on some of her father's achievements. She explains to Scout that she may be surprised about what Atticus can do. For one thing, he can "make somebody's will so airtight can't anybody meddle with it." Scout is not impressed. Miss Maudie then compliments his checker-playing skills and his ability to play a Jew's harp. The latter accomplishment seems to make Scout even more disappointed in Atticus.
Later in the chapter, Scout and Jem notice that something is wrong with Tim Johnson, a dog that belongs to a man in Maycomb County. Sheriff Tate and Atticus arrive on the scene and agree that the dog needs to be killed. Sheriff Tate hands the rifle to Atticus and he aims, fires, and hits his target. Miss Maudie then says to Atticus, "I saw that, One-Shot Finch." She then tells Jem and Scout that "Atticus Finch was the deadest shot in Maycomb County in his time." Scout, excited that her father has this talent, looks forward to telling the kids at school. However, Jem seems to understand why Atticus didn't share this with them and advises her to keep it to herself.

Question 2 Part (a) Using the “Bus Maintenance.xls” file, carry out a t-test in Excel (with α = 0.05) that tests whether there is a difference in mean maintenance costs between buses with Diesel engines and those with gasoline engines. Note that the decision of which of the t-tests in Excel to use depends on your result from Question 1. You must submit your actual Excel file with the output as part of the assignment. Part (b) Based on the t-test, what is your decision (“reject” or “do not reject”) regarding the null hypothesis that the two population means are equal to each other? Indicate on which part of the Excel output you base your decision. Part (c) Explain what you answer to part (b) means at a level that can be understood by a high school senior.

(a) When you perform the t-test in excel you should get the following:
t=-0.2006236844p=.8416030944df=66.72581946bar(x_1)=448.7179487 bar(x_2)=451.7 SX1=71.8375172SX2=51.5592394n1=39n2=30
(b) Do not reject the null hypothesis as p>.05
(c) If the means of the two samples are really equal, p gives the probability that random samples from the two populations could look like the samples we obtained. Here the probability is quite high. If the probability was low enough (here less that 0.05) we would reject the null hypothesis and say that the populations probably have differing means.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Studentst-Distribution.html

In The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper, how do we reconcile Natty’s objections to the town folks actions with the spread of modernization?

Natty, who looks back at a time when the wilderness around him was more pristine and pioneers far sparser, deplores the careless, wasteful, and irresponsible ways the new influx of white settlers domesticate nature. At the end, however, having received the governor's pardon, he does reconcile himself to the changes in two ways. First, when looking with Oliver and Elizabeth at the graves of the Major and Mohegan, Natty notes that much will be reconciled in heaven after they all die. Natty says the following:

There is One greater than all, who’ll bring the just together, at His own time, and who’ll whiten the skin of a blackamoor, and place him on a footing with princes.

Then, Natty tells Elizabeth and Oliver that he is moving onward, westward:

They tell me that on the big lakes there’s the best of hunting, and a great range without a white man on it unless it may be one like myself. I’m weary of living in clearings, and where the hammer is sounding in my ears from sunrise to sundown. And though I’m much bound to ye both, children—I wouldn’t say it if It was not true—I crave to go into the woods agin—I do".

Natty realizes and accepts that he cannot do more to impact the change that has come. Though Elizabeth protests that he is too old to live in the wilderness, he argues that he "craves" it. It is what he wants, and he says that he will die at peace in nature.
Natty does not completely object to the civilizing of nature, but he has done his part and has spoken his piece in favor of moderation and conservation, promoting a balance between human need and the needs of the wilderness. He attaches moral significance to moderation. As he says to the Judge much earlier on,

It is much better to kill only such you want, without wasting your powder and lead, then to be firing into God’s creatures in such a wicked manner.

Elizabeth accepts that it is Natty's nature to wander on the edges of civilization, in the areas that are yet unspoiled, just as he accepts the inevitability that New York will be changed by white society. Natty can leave with some assurance that he will not be forgotten by Elizabeth and Oliver and that, through them, some of his wisdom retained. The novel ends with Natty heading onward:

He had gone far toward the setting sun—the foremost in that band of pioneers who are opening the way for the march of the nation across the continent.

It is worth noting that Cooper envisions white society spreading west: Natty is not so much escaping white civilization as forging the path of its destiny. Natty may have deep misgivings about settlers who are naive or who deplete the rich resources of the land, but he also accepts the inevitability of their spread.

What were the characteristic features of the Renaissance?

There were a number of characteristics of the Renaissance that set it apart from the centuries that preceded it in Europe. The period saw a renewed interest in the classical works of Greece and Rome. For this reason, humanism was an important element. Humanism placed an emphasis away from divine images and focused on the greatness of the human form. In the same vein, Renaissance artists and philosophers stressed personal and individual achievement, particularly in the areas of science and architecture. Out of this environment, scientific discovery and business enterprise flourished. Many of the Renaissance artists and thinkers pursued a number of different fields and excelled in a wide array of endeavors. This was a reflection on the importance of learning.  With the increased interest in humanism, religion, particularly Catholicism, declined in importance and influence.
 
 
 
http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/renaissance-art.htm

Is there any merit to cultivating debt in our society? It is often said that debt might enhance your consumption standard today but will compromise future consumption.

There is no question that there is a great deal of truth to that statement, for certain kinds of debt in particular.  Historically, this has not been true for the kinds of debts you use as examples, though.  That picture is changing now, so while there can still be merit to incurring these kinds of debt, I think more caution is needed when making that decision.  Let's look at different kinds of debt. 
If you want the latest television and do not have cash in hand to pay for it, purchasing it on credit means you are harming your present and future consumption.  By the time you get done paying for the television, you could probably have purchased it two times over, at the very least. This means that there is no merit to having decided to incur this debt.  When you paying at least twice as much as you need to, you are tying up your money for no purpose but to satisfy your own impatience to have a consumer good. 
However, when we incur mortgage or student loan debt, we have traditionally done so as an investment, betting what used to be a fairly sure thing on the value of the property exceeding what we are paying for it and on the value of an education doing so as well.  We are getting into debt based upon the premise that we will be able to rely upon this increase in value to increase future consumption.  A paid off house has financed retirements, second homes, travel, illnesses, and college educations, in addition to having provided shelter, stability, and significant tax advantages along the way.  A college degree has historically provided for substantially higher earnings than a high school diploma, which allows the graduate plenty of consumption in the future. 
In today's world, in which the housing bubble in the United States has burst and in which college tuition has become astronomically high, more thought and care must go into a decision whether or not to incur this kind of debt, not only for the purposes of the possibility of future consumption, but also for the purpose of taking care not to own a house the value of which becomes less than the debt and actually be losing money or taking care not to incur student loans that exceed one's ability to pay them while trying to live even modestly.  If it takes you ten years to clear your student debt and in the meantime you have a job that you didn't even need a degree for and cannot afford a house or a car, this has no merit, certainly.  Choose wisely, for example, a more modest home in a growing community or two years at a community college followed by two years at a state university.  Both can still be wonderful investments for one's future. 
Depending on one's choice in home or college, it can still be true that there is merit in incurring debt for either, but incurring debt for consumer goods such as televisions is always the path to limiting oneself financially later on. 
 
https://www.bls.gov/emp/chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm

Why do you think Orwell's voice as narrative is the only one readers hear? Is the absence of a dialogue a strength or weakness in "Shooting an Elephant"?

Orwell's essay, "Shooting an Elephant," is intended to represent the point of view of one person. It is arguable as to how far it is truly autobiographical, but the point Orwell is making relies upon the fact that we cannot know the experiences of other people, particularly if we have never ventured into the far-flung parts of the Empire. Orwell does not presume to speak for the oppressed Burmese people he witnessed when serving as a policeman in the country. In the same way, he is attempting to dissuade people at home from presuming they understand what it is like to feel like a "puppet" of an Empire which is thought so successful by people at home.
Orwell could have included a dialogue in the piece, but part of the strength of his writing is in conveying how isolated his speaker feels. The speaker does not feel able to engage in a dialogue with the Burmese people; he feels alienated, disempowered rather than powerful.

Arguably, Orwell chose to only include his own voice because he wanted to really highlight his point about the evil of imperialism. Specifically, that imperialism forces everybody, including the imperialist, to act in a certain way. Had Orwell included the voices of others, like the Burmese spectators, for example, there is a chance that the story would shift its area of focus and, therefore, detract from Orwell's central argument about imperialism.
The absence of additional dialogues is, therefore, a major strength of Orwell's story. Remember that this story isn't really a story about shooting an elephant. As Orwell himself admits, this incident is important because it taught him something about the nature of imperialism and that is why he chooses to relate it.
So the shooting of the elephant is, in fact, a metaphor for the evils of imperialism. Imperialism destroys the identities of imperialists and natives alike, just as Orwell had to literally destroy the elephant as part of his duties.
What we find, then, is that by only including his own dialogue, Orwell forces the reader to absorb his message without interference from other sources.

Orwell seems to have wanted to emphasize the internal conflict experienced by the narrator, who does not really want to shoot the elephant but feels compelled to do so to "avoid looking a fool." He wants to emphasize, at least in part, the ways in which the demands and logic of the empire forced people to act against their own moral compasses. By shooting the elephant, the narrator becomes what the Burmese people expect (and indeed demand) him to be—a violent killer. We realize, only because we view the incident through his eyes, that he does not ultimately want to act in this way, though he also freely acknowledges that he hates the Burmese people. At the same time, the narrator's perspective and lack of dialogue with the Burmese people causes us to see the colonial peoples as essentially faceless and one-dimensional. They are an angry, baying mob whom the narrator views with contempt and more than a little fear. It could be argued that the narrator's point of view fails to interrogate the complexities of empire by depriving the Burmese people of any individuality.

How might having a lot of oil affect Southwest Asia?

This answer assumes that the geographical designation "Southwest Asia" refers to the region encompassing Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. This would be consistent with the U.S. Government application of that phrase. Many reference works, however, use the designation "Southwest Asia" to refer to the portion of the Middle East that includes the Arabian Peninsula (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc.). The distinction is obviously important in terms of responding to the student's question with any degree of accuracy, but it is also important in terms of the enormous oil wealth already identified and exploited on the Arabian Peninsula and the paucity of oil wealth in the region that includes India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the other nations mentioned above.
The impact of the discovery of major oil reserves in Southwest Asia would be largely dependent upon the seriousness with which the governments across that region applied revenues from the sale of oil on international markets to legitimate projects like infrastructure and poverty alleviation. Too often, countries that should be wealthy because of their natural resources are in fact quite poor due to corruption and mismanagement. Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are both blessed with enormous natural resources including oil and minerals. Corruption and conflict, however, have precluded the levels of affluence among their respective populations that the sale of such resources should have provided. Similarly, Venezuela has huge oil resources but is experiencing a great deal of internal turbulence solely because of mismanagement on the part of the government.
In contrast, oil-rich nations like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been able to develop economically because of their use of oil revenues for domestic projects (although corruption in Saudi Arabia has limited the benefits that could have accrued from its oil industry). In the case of Southwest Asia, corruption, mismanagement, and internal strife all exist in abundance. All these countries could benefit enormously from the discovery of major oil deposits, but endemic corruption in Afghanistan and Pakistan has already taken a serious toll on those countries’ economic development. Sri Lanka profits from its exports of spices and tea but wasted tremendous wealth to a decades-old conflict between its majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil populations. Suffice to say, however, that revenue from oil could be used to develop infrastructure, especially in India, which has a large economy but millions of people living in poverty without basics like plumbing, and in the notoriously ungovernable Pakistani Northwest Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which have served as havens for terrorist groups like al Qaeda because of their central governments' inability to manage those regions. Afghanistan possesses a great deal of potential wealth courtesy of its sizable deposits of “rare earth metals,” but internal corruption and strife has prevented the efficient exploitation of those deposits.
In conclusion, oil wealth can be used in Southwest Asia to develop more efficient infrastructures and healthcare systems and to alleviate poverty. Whether such wealth would be applied to such programs, however, is unclear.