In what ways does the novel Dracula play upon fears of infection and contagion? How does it represent sexually transmitted disease? Can it be viewed as a veiled reflection on the horrors of syphilis? Can the resurgence of vampire literature and cinema since the 1980s be linked to AIDS panic?

The vampires are clearly seen as spreading the disease and infection of vampirism throughout the globe. Dracula and his vampires come to London precisely because it is a major port city from which they can fan out and create an army of vampires that will infiltrate the entire planet. The major story line is the fight to stop the vampire "contagion" from spreading.
The disease metaphor is overt: women who have been infected with the "bite" of the vampire are given blood transfusions to cure them (this is a little jarring, as there is no concept of blood types in the novel—people give blood to each other willy nilly). The vampire's bite is clearly a metaphor for diseased sex, and it does reflect a horror of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis.
It is possible that the current growth of interest in vampirism is connected to the 1980s AIDS epidemic, but as testing and treatment have alleviated fear of AIDS, it's evident that interest in vampirism transcends that particular issue. Fear of people or beings who are "not like us" transmitting "diseases" that will destroy society as we know it seems to be a universal anxiety.

Dracula can easily be read as a cautionary tale about the dangers of infection and epidemic, particularly of sexually transmitted diseases. Dracula arrives in England like the plague, transported by a plague ship, finding in London anonymity and plentiful victims. The connection to STDs is pretty plain, too—after Mina is attacked by Dracula, she calls herself “unclean”—“’Unclean, unclean! I must touch him or kiss him no more. Oh, that it should be that it is I who am now his worst enemy, and whom he may have most cause to fear.’” (There is some speculation that Stoker himself died of syphilis.) Vampire stories remain popular in part because they dwell on the forbidden intersection of sex and death.
There is, I think, a real connection between the advent of AIDS in the 1980s and the prevalence of vampire stories (both novels and films) during this time. I would point you to Susan Sontag’s book Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors (New York: Anchor Books, 1990) for a fuller discussion of the complex relationship between cinema, vampirism, sexuality, death/AIDS.

What are the main international treaties addressing the problem of water contamination?

The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) was held in 1972 and sought to establish laws and protocols to address the issue of ocean pollution. The Convention led to the establishment of the London Protocol in 1996, which prohibits the dumping of wastes from sea vessels, aircraft, and other man-made structures into the sea. The London Protocol also prohibits the dumping of the vessels at sea. Participating countries are expected to issue permits for disposing wastes at sea. Additionally, dumping of some wastes considered hazardous is completely banned by the protocol.
The International Maritime Organization has also established treaties to address the issue of ocean and sea pollution. The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships of 1973 sought to prevent and address accidental and operational pollution by ships at sea. The Protocol following the convention was adopted in 1978. The instruments cover the prevention of oil pollution by sea/ ocean vessels and the discharge of waste and effluent by the vessels.
https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/ocean-dumping-international-treaties

College Algebra, Chapter 7, 7.2, Section 7.2, Problem 26

Suppose the matrices $A, B, C, D, E, F, G$ and $H$ are defined as



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}


A =& \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
2 & -5 \\
0 & 7
\end{array}
\right]

&& B = \left[ \begin{array}{ccc}
3 & \displaystyle \frac{1}{2} & 5 \\
1 & -1 & 3
\end{array} \right]

&&& C = \left[ \begin{array}{ccc}
2 & \displaystyle \frac{-5}{2} & 0 \\
0 & 2 & -3
\end{array} \right]

&&&& D = \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
7 & 3
\end{array} \right]
\\
\\
\\
\\
E =& \left[ \begin{array}{c}
1 \\
2 \\
0
\end{array}
\right]

&& F = \left[ \begin{array}{ccc}
1 & 0 & 0 \\
0 & 1 & 0 \\
0 & 0 & 1
\end{array}
\right]

&&& G = \left[ \begin{array}{ccc}
5 & -3 & 10 \\
6 & 1 & 0 \\
-5 & 2 & 2
\end{array} \right]

&&&& H = \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
3 & 1 \\
2 & -1
\end{array} \right]


\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Carry out the indicated algebraic operation, or explain why it cannot be performed.

a.) $DH$


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

DH =& \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
7 & 3
\end{array} \right] \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
3 & 1 \\
2 & -1
\end{array} \right]

&& \text{Substitute matrices $D$ and $H$}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$



$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

& \text{Entry}
&& \text{Inner Product of}
&&& \text{Value}
&&&& \text{Matrix}
\\
\\
& C_{11}
&& \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
7 & 3
\end{array} \right]

\left[ \begin{array}{cc}
3 & 1 \\
2 & -1
\end{array} \right]

&&& 7 \cdot 3 + 3 \cdot 2 = 27
&&&& \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
27 &
\end{array} \right]
\\
\\
\\
\\
& C_{12}
&& \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
7 & 3
\end{array} \right]

\left[ \begin{array}{cc}
3 & 1 \\
2 & -1
\end{array} \right]

&&& 7 \cdot 1 + 3 \cdot (-1) = 4
&&&& \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
27 & 4
\end{array} \right]

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Thus, we have

$\displaystyle \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
7 & 3
\end{array} \right]

\left[ \begin{array}{cc}
3 & 1 \\
2 & -1
\end{array} \right]

=

\left[ \begin{array}{cc}
27 & 4
\end{array} \right]
$

b.) $HD$

$\displaystyle HD = \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
3 & 1 \\
2 & -1
\end{array} \right] \left[ \begin{array}{cc}
7 & 3
\end{array} \right]$

$HD$ is undefined because the number of columns of the first matrix must equal the number of rows of the second matrix.

What is the difference between politicians and political thinkers?

A politician is person who is professionally involved in politics. Usually, the word politician refers to someone who has been elected to a political office. Examples of United States political offices would include mayor and county commissioner on the local level; state senator and governor on the state level; and senator, president, and congressperson on the national level. President Obama, for example, is a politician since he is professionally involved in politics as an elected official.
Political thinkers, on the other hand, engage in the study of political philosophy. They consider the nature of government and answer philosophical questions such as "What makes a good government?," "What is justice?," and "What is the proper relationship between a citizen and the government?" Political thinkers may also be politicians (such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison), but they often are not (such as Plato or Thomas Aquinas).

How is Maya Angelou's poem, "Phenomenal Woman" a source of inspiration to all women?

This poem is a source of inspiration to all women because it creates an inclusive vision of womanhood. This is shown clearly in the first stanza when the speaker states that she does not adhere to society's typical view of beauty: she is not the same size as a "model," for instance, nor is she "cute." Instead, the speaker's beauty comes from the way she walks and behaves. We see this idea repeated in the next stanza when she  describes how men flock to her whenever she walks into a room, like bees around a hive. This is inspirational because it suggests that women do not have to look a particular way in order to be happy and beautiful—they are beautiful and inspirational in their own natural way.
Secondly, the speaker inspires women by using the word 'phenomenal,' a word which is defined as something extraordinary and remarkable. So, by using this word, the speaker creates an association between being a woman and being extraordinary and special. More importantly, she does not differentiate between different types of women: for the speaker, all women are special, regardless of their background. Such a positive message is both inspirational and uplifting to her female readers. Moreover, by repeating the word 'phenomenal' throughout every stanza of the poem, the speaker constantly reinforces this positive message and inspires women to believe in their inherent specialness.
Finally, the speaker uses language to create positive images of womanhood which are also inspirational. In stanza two, for example, she mentions the "swing in her waist" and the "joy in her feet," which suggests happiness while also demonstrating her confidence. Similarly, in the third and final stanzas, the speaker uses words like "grace," "sun" and "smile" to create a light and happy mood. This is inspirational because it tells women that just being a woman is enough to be happy, confident and beautiful. 

In the play The Crucible, what elevates the circumstances of the play from a melodrama to a tragedy?

A melodrama is a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated events and characters designed to appeal to the emotions. One feature of melodrama is that characters tend to be what are often called "whole" characters, that is to say wholly good or bad, weak or strong, innocent or guilty. There's no nuance or subtlety to such characterization. If we accept that The Crucible is indeed a tragedy, then we can see how it rises some way above the comforting certainties of melodrama.
In the central figure of John Proctor, a tragic hero, we have a divided character, torn between conflicting impulses and ultimately brought low by a fatal flaw. He undergoes a profound inner conflict, struggling to reconcile his religious convictions with the overriding need to speak out and do what's right. Far from being a whole character, John is sharply divided, the shards of his fractured soul mirroring an increasingly atomized society in which everyone is at each other's throats.
The Crucible deals in considerable depth with the full range of complex human emotions and human psychology. Its deft brush strokes provide us with delicate hints of gray rather than the bright primary colors of melodrama. It appeals to our emotions, yes, but it also makes us think. It gives us pause to reflect, not just on seventeenth-century Salem, nor even just 1950s America during the McCarthy witch hunts, but on ourselves, our values, and the society in which we live. Because of its subtlety, nuance, acute psychological depth, and intellectual heft, The Crucible can never seriously be described as a melodrama or anything of the kind.

How is "The Rocking-Horse Winner" a critique of the obsession with materialism in modern times?

I think this question is spot on. "The Rocking Horse Winner" is absolutely an indictment against materialism. Paul's mother is an unhappy woman. She's not happy because she can't fill her world with all of the nice things that she wants. Materialism has a few components; however, a key component to materialism is that it supports the idea that having things, getting more things, and obtaining better material possessions is the chief goal in life. Happiness is tied to possessions. Materialism basically says, "He who dies with the most toys . . . wins." Paul's mother has this attitude, and Paul knows it. Paul figures out that he can obtain a great deal of money for his family, and that allows his mother to buy all of the things that she wants. Consequently, she begins acting happier, and Paul is motivated to keep doing his work in order to keep his mother happy. The story then shows a problem with materialism. The mom's materialistic tendencies are never completely satisfied. She does express concern about Paul's health from time to time, but her concern is never enough to force Paul to stop riding the rocking horse. Eventually Paul rides himself to death trying to quench his mother's thirst that will never be satisfied. The story shows that a focus on materialism and relationships with things will ultimately destroy valuable relationships with people.

The mother in this story lives a very comfortable life in a fine house, but is never satisfied. No matter how much she gets, it is never enough. Through her, and the fate of her son, Lawrence critiques a world in which material possessions are more important than love and human relationships. We are told early on that the mother is unable to love her children. To win her love and approval, Paul begins to ride his rocking horse feverishly so he can learn, supernaturally, what horse will win the next race. No matter how much he wins, though, it is not enough. He kills himself trying to get more. Lawrence thus suggests that we can all potentially kill ourselves with overwork when we put materialism at the center of our lives, and illustrates that possessions alone will never fully satisfy us. 

What is the great river in "By the Waters of Babylon" by Stephen Vincent Benét?

The great river in the story "By the Waters of Babylon" is the Hudson River.  
The Hudson River is the river separating parts of New York from New Jersey. Most notably, the river separates Manhattan, New York from New Jersey. The great river, which John calls the "Ou-dis-sun," is one of the main clues in the story that alerts readers to which great city of the gods John is exploring.  

There was the great river below, like a giant in the sun. It is very long, very wide. It could eat all the streams we know and still be thirsty. Its name is Ou-dis-sun, the Sacred, the Long. No man of my tribe had seen it, not even my father, the priest. It was magic and I prayed.
Then I raised my eyes and looked south. It was there, the Place of the Gods.

The text quoted above is a major hint to readers that the story is not taking place in the past. The river name, when spoken aloud, sounds vaguely familiar (which is what Stephen Vincent Benét intended). The following paragraphs further cement the future setting by describing large "god-roads" that are broken and look line vines. That's probably exactly what an old and broken suspension bridge looks like, and Manhattan has a lot of suspension bridges leading into it.
As the story continues, details confirm "By the Waters of Babylon" takes place in Manhattan. Because readers know John is travelling east to the Place of the Gods, the great river that borders the Place of the Gods must be the Hudson River. 

What were the main disagreements between the Federalists (Hamiltonians) and the Jeffersonian-Republicans in the early years of the nation? Why were they so divided?

There was a lot of disagreement in the years following the American Revolution between the Federalists (Hamiltonians) and the anti-Federalists (or Jeffersonian-Republicans). Conflict arose in the wake of the Revolution, when the first attempt at forming a new government proved a failure. Hamilton argued in favor of a large central government, one that included a national bank. Hamilton envisioned a government strong enough to manage the development of an industrialized national and global superpower.
Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, argued in favor of a small federal government. Remembering the abuses of King George III, Jefferson was very much against giving power (and tax money) to a large, remote government that didn't understand, or care about, the needs of the individual citizen. Jefferson envisioned a nation of yeoman farmers, where every family could be a royal family on their own plot of land. He imagined a rural, agrarian population liberated from the constraints of an overbearing government.

How would Tom Buchanan be analyzed through a feminist lens?

Using a feminist lens to analyze literature means that readers pay special attention to gender politics. For example, we study the ways in which power is divided between the genders and whether or to what extent one gender may have an advantage over another. Usually, we are considering how women are oppressed or undervalued in a patriarchal society.
Tom Buchanan is a hypermasculine character. He does not value feminine qualities and certainly doesn't want to be associated with them. He thinks of his wife and daughter as weaker and lesser than himself. He is the primary member of the family. Tom could also be considered a misogynist based on his treatment of his mistress, Myrtle. First of all, the fact that he is having an extramarital affair exhibits his lack of respect for his wife or their marital vows. Then, he abuses and mistreats Myrtle; he even breaks her nose at one point in the novel. Tom is a brute of a man who takes full advantage of the power being a man in this society gives him. When he learns of Gatsby and Daisy's relationship, he is possessive and treats Daisy like an object of his that has been taken from him by another man.
Feminist literary criticism would view Tom Buchanan as a man who abuses his power in a patriarchal society. He mistreats and abuses both of the women in his life, treating them as though he is entitled and superior to them.

Intermediate Algebra, Chapter 2, 2.1, Section 2.1, Problem 44

Solve the equation $2 [- (x - 1) + 4] = 5 + [-(6x - 7) + 9x]$, and check your solution. If applicable, tell whether the equation is an identity or contradiction.


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

2 [- (x - 1) + 4] =& 5 + [-(6x - 7) + 9x]
&& \text{Given equation}
\\
2(-x + 1 + 4) =& 5 + (-6x + 7 + 9x)
&& \text{Distributive property}
\\
2(-x + 5) =& 5 + (3x + 7)
&& \text{Combine like terms}
\\
-2x + 10 =& 3x + 12
&& \text{Combine like terms}
\\
-2x - 3x =& 12 - 10
&& \text{Subtract $(3x + 5)$ from each side}
\\
-5x =& 2
&& \text{Combine like terms}
\\
\frac{-5x}{-5} =& \frac{2}{-5}
&& \text{Divide both sides by $-5$}
\\
x =& - \frac{2}{5}
&&


\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


Checking:


$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}

2 \left[ - \left( - \frac{2}{5} - 1 \right) + 4 \right] =& 5 + \left[ - \left( 6 \left( - \frac{2}{5} \right) - 7 \right) + 9 \left( - \frac{2}{5} \right) \right]
&& \text{Substitute } x = - \frac{2}{5}
\\
\\
2 \left[ - \left( - \frac{7}{5} \right) + 4 \right] =& 5 + \left[ - \left( - \frac{47}{5} \right) + \left( - \frac{18}{5} \right) \right]
&& \text{Work inside the parentheses first}
\\
\\
2 \left( \frac{27}{5} \right) =& 5 + \frac{29}{5}
&& \text{Add inside parentheses}
\\
\\
\frac{54}{5} =& \frac{54}{5}
&& \text{True}

\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

What is the meaning of "To be or not to be"?

When Hamlet asks this question, he is essentially asking whether it is better to be alive (to be) or to be dead (not to be). He wonders if it is better to put up with all one's bad luck or to fight one's misfortunes by ending one's own life early. He compares dying to sleeping, as though dying were only a kind of rest that allows a person to forget about all the heartaches and bad surprises that we experience during sour lives. However, when he compares one's potential afterlife to dreams--dreams that might be very good or very bad--Hamlet says that is what stops us from taking advantage of the opportunity to begin this rest (by taking our own lives in suicide). Who knows what one's "dreams" will be like? We can never know for sure, and so we hang on to our lives for fear of what may await us after death.

These words begin Hamlet's soliloquy in act III, scene I. In this soliloquy, Hamlet is wrestling with some existential questions. As in several other of his soliloquies, Hamlet is considering suicide. With the words "to be or not to be," he is asking whether it is better to live or not to live. Hamlet wonders if death is like going to sleep. If so, then death is not so bad—except that in sleep we dream. Hamlet worries that in death he might have dreams that are worse than in life. The problem, Hamlet reasons, is that death may be an escape from the problems we face in life, but it is an "undiscovered country," and we do not know if it is better than life. In the end, Hamlet reasons, people go on living, despite all the evils and pain that they live with, because death, though inevitable, remains a mystery.

How is "greed" interpreted in to Kill A Mockingbird?

Greed in To Kill a Mockingbird is best interpreted through examining the actions of the Ewell family. In chapter 3, Atticus describes the Ewells as the "disgrace of Maycomb." The Ewells receive government assistance, and Mr. Ewell spends a good portion of the money on alcohol instead of on his many children. When Mr. Ewell catches Mayella attempting to be affectionate with Tom Robinson, he beats her. To hide this, they accuse Tom of trying to rape Mayella. This exemplifies greed. They know that an African American man accused of raping a white woman will not stand a chance.
In his closing statements at the end of Tom's trial, Atticus tells the jury that he pities Mayella, but his pity for her "does not extend so far as to her putting a man’s life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt." It is greed that allows the Ewells to falsely accuse Tom, and it is greed that allows them to expect a jury to believe them because they are white.

Greed is not depicted in the traditional sense of the word regarding the desire to attain wealth or food, but it is portrayed through Bob and Mayella's selfish motives to attain prestige and gain affirmation from the prejudiced community of Maycomb. Bob and Mayella Ewell are confident that they will win their case against Tom Robinson and will earn respect from the community members of Maycomb. They selfishly neglect the fact that they are destroying Tom's life and ruining his family in order to attain elevated status throughout the community. However, Atticus reveals the truth behind the events that took place on the evening of November 21st and illuminates Mayella's taboo sexual advances towards Tom Robinson while simultaneously portraying Bob as an alcoholic, abusive father. Later on in the novel, Bob spits in Atticus's face, and Atticus explains to his children that he "destroyed his [Bob's] last shred of credibility at that trial" (Lee, 222). Essentially, the theme of greed is interpreted through Bob and Mayella's selfish desire to gain the community's respect and admiration during the Tom Robinson trial.

Do parents or teachers impact your life more?

This is a subjective question because everyone has had different experiences with parents and teachers. For me personally, I would have to say that my parents have had a greater impact on my life. Our house had plenty of books and art materials, and my parents encouraged me to study and practice anything that caught my interest. I have had a few teachers who stand out in my memory as being particularly influential, but I grew up to be a scholar, a writer, and an artist, largely because my parents taught me early on that these pursuits are rewarding and important.
However, I know many other successful people whose parents did not seem to care about what they were doing or what they wanted to do (and a few whose parents actively discouraged them from trying to do anything they loved). For them, teachers provided the inspiration and encouragement, sometimes even stepping into a parental role when the student needed advice concerning personal problems.

How is Romanticism defined in "The Mouse’s Petition" by Anna Laetitia Barbauld?

Barbauld's "The Mouse's Petition" reflects Romantic concerns in a number of ways; her poem also exhibits some key traits of Romanticism from the very beginning, given that it opens with a quotation from Virgil, in line with the tendency of Romantic literature to allude to the Classics as a basis for their philosophy. Barbauld wrote this poem and addresses it to her friend Dr. Joseph Priestley. On a surface level, then, it reflects Romantic concerns about the advancement of science leading to the exclusion of humanity and kindness in that it is, on the face of it, a petition against the use of animals in scientific experiments. The speaker in the poem, the mouse who has been caught in a trap, defines itself as "a pensive captive," and prevails upon the doctor not to use its "guiltless blood" as a "tyrant" might. The mouse here can be read as representative of nature and the world's animals and natural world in general, appealing to the doctor's "philosophic mind" as it begs for its life to be viewed as equal to others. In writing the poem in the voice of the mouse, giving it an erudite means of expression, Barbauld serves to emphasize this idea of smaller creatures as being equally capable of internal thought and deserving of compassion.
The final stanza of the poem, however, makes clear that the mouse does not simply represent mice and the other casualties of the natural world in the face of scientific advancement. Earlier, it warns the doctor against crushing "a brother's soul" in the form of what he believes to be "a worm." In the final stanza, the poem discusses "an unseen destruction... which men like mice may share," and appeals to "some kind angel" to "break the hidden snare." Evidently, then, the predicament of the mouse in this poem reflects Romantic concerns not only about animals, but also the wider Romantic preoccupation with justice for the poor and disenfranchised and support for revolutionary thinking that would bring down the "tyrant" in government.
"Nature's commoners," the poem states, should be entitled to "enjoy / The common gifts of heaven" without being crushed under "a strong oppressive force." The trapped mouse's cries for "liberty" reflect the Romantic focus upon freedom and justice, particularly for those who have suffered under the industrialization of society and become a tyrannized class. In this case, the mouse seems to embody the poor, upon whom the "tyrant's chain" of oppression often came down; the poet asks the doctor to recall the teachings of the "philosophic" ancients and alludes to "a never dying flame" that moves through every type of matter unchanged in its suggestion that a tyrannized man might turn out to be a brother.
In later years, Anna Barbauld has been studied in feminist terms, as well. Given that Barbauld had a strong interest in scientific endeavors and had long wanted to take part in a world from which she was largely excluded, it could also be argued that the mouse in this poem equally represents the oppressed class of women in society during the Enlightenment.

How did the Syrian Conflict devolve from Arab Spring to outright civil war? What role have outside countries played in the conflict?

The Syrian conflict traces its origin from the Arab Spring, which was the forceful change of governments in different Arab countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. The masses were exercising their rights by protesting against what they termed as poor leadership. The street protests escalated to violence between pro-government and anti-government forces.
In Syria, the government used force to fight the dissent expressed by the people. In turn, the people took up arms to defend themselves and fight the government forces. Rebel groups were formed, and the situation deteriorated into a full-blown civil war, claiming hundreds of thousands.
Intervention by the international community has also contributed to fueling the civil war. The United States and its coalition partners have been accused of backing the rebels against the Syrian government under Assad. On the other hand, Russia and Iran have been accused of targeting western-backed rebels and supporting government troops.
http://en.asaninst.org/contents/issue-brief-no-44-syria-and-the-arab-spring-unraveling-the-road-to-syrias-protracted-conflict/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868

What is the significance of the two deformed babies that come from beneath the ghost of Christmas presents skirts

In stave 4 of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens brings the Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows him many scenes of Christmas.  Scrooge notices something moving under the Ghost’s robes, and when he opens it, two ragged and deformed children are huddled inside. The Ghost tells him the boy is Ignorance and the girl is Want, symbolizing the dire effects when society discounts the needs of the poor.  However, the ghost tells him that Ignorance holds a greater doom as it continues the insidious cycle of poverty. When he asks if there is no refuge, the ghost mocks him with his earlier words when asked for donations, if there were no prisons or workhouses.  Scrooge’s transformation is based on opening his heart beyond his miserly desire for money to care for poor and destitute of society.

The second spirit to visit Scrooge, the Ghost of Christmas Present, closely resembles a Santa Claus figure. It is he who shows Scrooge the pitiful sight of Tiny Tim and the shocking level of squalor in which the Cratchit family lives. Scrooge is so enclosed in his money-obsessed, miserly little bubble that he has no understanding of the world outside. The Ghost is going to open his eyes and show him a side of life which he's steadfastly ignored for so long.
As well as scenes of appalling poverty and deprivation, the Ghost also shows Scrooge that other people actually enjoy the holidays, people such as his nephew, Fred, laughing heartily at old Ebenezer's condemnation of Christmas as so much humbug. Scrooge even joins in the frivolity, though no one can see him.
But it's the utter destitution in which so many Victorians live that is the main focus of the Ghost of Christmas Present's message. Out from under his flowing green gown emerge two ragged, emaciated children, a boy and a girl. The girl represents Want, the boy Ignorance. Ignorance and Want are among the evils of humankind. Want leads to hunger, disease and death, and ignorance leads to the perpetuation of want.
This is a particularly pertinent lesson for Scrooge as he's always shown such complete indifference to the sufferings of the destitute. It is the willful ignorance of Scrooge and others like him which is directly responsible for the heartbreaking condition of poor, starving children such as those beneath the Ghost of Christmas Present's robe.

What is population policy?

Population policy is any kind of government policy that is designed to somehow regulate or control the rate of population growth. It includes attempts to control birth rates, death rates, and immigration rates---the three major factors that affect population growth. It can also include policies designed to regulate the demographics of population, such as the age distribution or the proportion of different ethnic groups. Many countries have such a policy, but its precise form varies substantially.First of all, some countries are trying to decrease population growth, while others are trying to increase it. This is because it is generally believed that a rate of population growth between about 0% and 2% is most desirable, while less than 0% or greater than 2% is harmful. Many European countries are trying to increase their population growth, while many Asian and African countries are trying to reduce it.But more importantly, population policy varies dramatically in its strength, from very mild, benign policies like subsidized sex education and public healthcare to severe, draconian policies like mass deportation or mandated abortion. China's "One Child" policy is an example of the more strict end of the scale, while at the more benign end, Jordan's population policy is mainly focused around improving healthcare to reduce infant and maternal mortality.At the most extreme, even genocide could be considered a radical and violent form of population policy, as despite its horrific means, its goal is the same as much population policy: to remove certain demographics from the national population. The term "population policy" refers only to the goal---regulating population growth---rather than the methods by which that goal is achieved.

What does Queenie symbolize in "A Christmas Memory"?

Queenie is an "outsider" to the dominant society of the unnamed grownup relatives in whose house Sook and Buddy live. With them, this little dog forms an alternative society. She represents being different or "other," because, of course, she is non-human.
Buddy is other, too, because he is a little boy; Sook is different because she is a single older woman who is considered slow (not-all-there) mentally. None of these three really belong to the central family: all are, in a sense, strays that have landed as dependents in this household.
Sook shows her openness in the way that she fully welcomes Queenie into her activities. Queenie participates in the quest to celebrate Christmas that Sook pursues with Buddy. Sook even gives Queenie some of the whiskey left over after the fruitcakes are finished:

Queenie has a spoonful in a bowl of coffee (she likes her coffee chicory-flavored and strong).

We learn from this that Sook gives Queenie coffee, too, as if she were a human. When Sook and Buddy dance, Queenie participates as well:

Queenie rolls on her back, her paws plow the air, something like a grin stretches her black lips.

Sook also gives Queenie a Christmas gift of a bone every year.
Queenie shows how inclusive and accepting Sook is. Sook will share her joy with any creature who wishes to join her. Small, tough, happy, a survivor of hurts, and an outsider, Queenie to some extent symbolizes Sook herself.

In the short story "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote, Queenie, the orange and white rat terrier, symbolizes the relationship between Buddy and his friend.
Queenie is small and tough. In fact, she has survived "distemper" and "two rattlesnake bites." Buddy, named so by his friend, his distant cousin who is in her sixties, is also small. His friend is described as "small and spritely" just like Queenie. The dog Buddy and his friend form a close knit family who appear outsiders to the others who live in the house.
Also, Queenie's burying her traditional Christmas bone foreshadows her death, his friend's decline, and the forced separation that occurs between Buddy and his cousin. Buddy is sent to military school; Queenie dies. His friend finally slips away, never again being able to say, "It's fruitcake weather!"

In “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote, the rat terrier named Queenie symbolizes a number of ideas.
The story is set in the poverty-stricken South, where Buddy and his cousin live in a house with extended family. This was a common practice at the time. Queenie functions as a third friend to Buddy and his cousin. The dog has a royal name but does not live a royal life. Queenie rides around in a dilapidated baby buggy instead of a fancy carriage and begs for table scraps. The dog can be found lounging in front of the fire in a royal fashion while Buddy and his cousin work on their fruitcakes.
Queenie has also sometimes been interpreted as a symbol of Truman Capote's connection to the people of different sexual orientations. Capote uses subtle symbolism with his use of the dog's name and the "fruitcakes" (see this argument). There was a lack of acceptance for gay people in the 1940s and 1950s; some think Capote subtly addresses this in his short story.

What circumstances in the South led to the struggle of African Americans for equal rights?

The road to the 1950s and 60s civil rights struggle was a long one. After African Americans began to lose rights in the latter nineteenth century, they turned to accommodation, a policy particularly associated with black leader Booker T. Washington. He advocated for African American to accept second-class political status in return for (limited) economic opportunities, on the assumption that once they had an economic base, they would earn political power. This did not work, and Supreme Court decisions (most notoriously Plessy v. Ferguson) legalized segregation. After World War II, black activists like Rosa Parks began to train at places like the Highlander School in Tennessee, and by the 1950s, black leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr, were rising up to protest the injustices against Southern African Americans that never seemed to change.
King and other leaders realized that asking for change or going along with white people in the hope they might be "nice" was a failed strategy. They adopted the non-violent protest methods of Mahatma Gandhi and began openly agitating for change. An impetus in the early 1960s was the 100 year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. African Americans, who were continuously segregated, denied the vote, and discriminated against, particularly in the South, felt that now was the time: they had waited long enough for promised equality.
World War II and the racist atrocities of the Nazis helped create an environment in which the white public was receptive to black equality. African Americans in the South were tired of riding in the back seats of buses, not being able to use the same water fountains as white people, not being able to sit at the same lunch counters, and in many, everyday ways being constantly humiliated and treated as second-class citizens. They began to protest in earnest at a time when the dominant society was open to hearing their voices.

Following the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the era of Reconstruction and emancipation brought initial freedoms to black Americans. However, following the end of Reconstruction in 1877, the lives of blacks were again negatively affected by southern state governments as restrictive legislature and political violence swept over the south. One such set of laws were Jim Crow laws that allowed for "separate but equal" treatment of blacks and forced segregation of southern society.
Although institutions were separate, they were never equal. Southern state governments allocated funds disproportionately to white and black institutions and continued to hamper the ability of black people to enjoy equal treatment. This was accomplished through policies including laws against interracial marriages, curfews, literacy tests at voting booths, laws against having black jurors, and discriminatory hiring practices.
After the arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to move to the back of a public bus to make room for a white passenger, a boycott of the city’s buses ensued. One of the leaders of the boycott, Martin Luther King Jr., would rise to prominence and become a key figure in the civil rights movement.
But the fight for equal rights did not begin in 1955. Many black Americans had already enjoyed greater freedoms after serving in the military during WWI and II, while many more migrated north to work in factories such as those for the automotive industry in Detroit. This disparity in freedoms and living conditions began resonating among many people in the country who had, up until then, worked behind the scenes for equal treatment of black Americans.
After the scenes from Birmingham, Alabama, played out on national television, where police dogs attacked innocent protesters, things changed dramatically. The civil rights movement gained national momentum and widespread support, forcing political action at the federal level. This culminated in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, guaranteeing equal rights for all Americans.
https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/federal/civil-rights-movement/

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/reconstruction

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott

What is the central conceit of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18?

A conceit is basically an extended metaphor. After Shakespeare's time (the Renaissance/Elizabethan period), the metaphysical poets like John Donne became famous for using conceits, but theirs were often especially unusual. Metaphors always compare two unlike things, but in the conceits of metaphysical poems, the analogies are especially strange and/or complex (like when Donne compares a potential sexual encounter with a flea bite in "The Flea").
In Sonnet 18, one of his most famous sonnets, Shakespeare's conceit isn't so unusual, but it is carried throughout the entire length of the sonnet. The first two lines of the poem clearly identify what Shakespeare parallels in the poem:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

He asks whether he should compare the beloved "to a summer's day." We already know the central conceit of the poem will show how the beloved is like the summer's day; however, Shakespeare gives this idea a bit of a twist by instead using the comparison or contrast to show how the beloved is actually superior to the summer's day. Line 2 already sets this up by saying the beloved is "more lovely and more temperate" than the summer. The colon at the end of line 2 suggests that the speaker will now go on to expound upon his comparison to prove how the beloved is better than a beautiful, warm day.

To complete the first quatrain, Shakespeare writes,


Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;



Here, the speaker explains that the beloved is "more temperate" because the winds can be "Rough" and summer does not last very long. The next quatrain continues the conceit:


Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;



The speaker builds his case by admitting that summer can be too hot. The seasons change, and nature moves on. Summer simply cannot and does not last.

In the third quatrain, the speaker changes course a bit to more explicitly discuss the beloved's superiority to summer. He writes,


But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:



The speaker refers the beloved's "eternal summer," giving his impact, his beauty, and the speaker's love for him the advantage of having no end point. The beloved will never lose his "fair[ness]" as summer does. The speaker even says the beloved will best death, since he will live on in his poetry. Again, while summer lasts only a short time, as does mortal life, the beloved will live on, immortalized in Shakespeare's verse.

The couplet at the end of the sonnet wraps up the poem by emphasizing this long-lasting nature of the beloved when compared to the summer's day:


So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.



The speaker claims that as long as humankind exists, as long as eyes can see to read, the beloved will live on in his poetry. The sonnet itself "gives life to thee." The central conceit comparing the beloved to the summer's day rests on this thesis: summer is brief, but the beloved will live forever in the sonnet.

A conceit is a type of metaphor which is often extended throughout several lines, or even an entire poem. In this poem, the central conceit which ties the poem together is the presentation of the beloved's youth as his "eternal summer."
A conceit often makes a comparison between two things in an unusual or unexpected way, and that is indeed the case here. Shakespeare asks whether he should compare his love "to a summer's day," but determines that the comparison is not entirely apt, because his lover is "more lovely and more temperate." As the conceit progresses, the speaker also muses that "summer's lease hath all too short a date"—summer itself is characterized by its brevity, as well as by its other sometimes unpleasant features, such as a "too hot" sun. The idea of an "eternal summer," then, is almost an oxymoron. Summer cannot last forever. However, the beloved's youth, unlike the natural summer to which it is compared in this poem, will indeed last forever because the poet's words will immortalize it. Unlike summer, which "declines" from its fair heights, the beloved's beauty will not "lose possession" of its fairness, so long as there are still people reading the poet's words about his lover.

What are your thoughts on the imagery of the Italian Renaissance and the philosophy of reawakening the “man [who] is the measure of all things” once again to art?

The idea of reawakening the artistry and culture of the past and giving new energy to the creative and inquisitive spirit of people is, indeed, one that inspires many. The Renaissance imagery and philosophy of cultivating man's interest and talents as a viable measure of culture and scientific advancement brought human beings out of the stagnation of the Middle Ages and revived the creative spirit, a spirit that is intrinsic to progress.
A representative of the new thinking of the Renaissance, Giovanni Pica della Mirandola declared that God made man and woman to know the laws of the universe, to appreciate its beauty, and to be in awe of its greatness. In addition, God gave human beings the freedom of will and the ability to love. Mirandola further declared,

...the Creator [said] "I created thee a being neither heavenly nor earthly, neither mortal nor immortal only that thou mightest be free to shape and to overcome thyself. Thou mayest sink into a beast or be born anew to the divine likeness....To thee alone is given a growth and a development depending on thine own free will. 

Thus, the emphasis on the development of man's mind and spirit fell to man rather than to the Creator; blind religious devotion to the spiritual end of heaven characteristic of the Middle Ages moved to a new interest in human beings' place on earth with the Renaissance.
In order to "shape and overcome" their lower nature, those in the Renaissance sought to elevate the spirit and develop the mind with new knowledge of the world and science and art. To begin with, the classical arts and learning of Greece and Rome were revived. Artists such as Michelangelo and da Vinci inspired people. Then, too, there was a rebirth of intellectual energy. When the printing press was invented by Johann Gutenberg and books were printed, scholars as well as others were able to read books and expand their knowledge. Great men such as Galileo and Leonardo da Vinci designed inventions which improved scientific knowledge. Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci also left the world with inspiring art. For instance, the Sistine Chapel, whose ceilings hold the story of creation, has inspired many with its magnificent depictions of creation as Adam's finger touches his Maker's, and, then, Adam and Eve as they are expelled from the Garden of Eden.
After the Renaissance that began in Florence, Italy generated such art, innovation, and intellectual energy, other parts of Europe were influenced by this awakening, and they, too, markedly changed the path of many people's lives with remarkable achievements in art, science, and exploration.
Certainly, if Europe had continued to exist in the manner prior to the Renaissance, the world would be a far different and duller place. The art, learning, and discoveries of the Renaissance hold a beauty, inspiration, and significance that have truly changed humanity, as well as the course of history. Indeed, with its inspiring art and its reawakening of man's intellectual power, the Italian Renaissance produced a profound effect upon the civilized world.
http://history-world.org/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

https://www.britannica.com/event/Renaissance

https://www.history.com/topics/renaissance/renaissance-art

Would Kozol argue that black people today experience more discrimination than they did when they were enslaved?

In his book, Kozol wrote about life in the Bronx; his narrative predominantly centered on the plight of impoverished Black and Hispanic inhabitants in the borough. Through his interviews with many of the children of Mott Haven, Kozol was able to conceptualize for the reader the deep problems that afflicted the disenfranchised and forgotten poor of the city.
Kozol correctly linked the widespread and established neglect in the Bronx to race. In 1990s, most of the inhabitants in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx were Black or Hispanic. Remember that Kozol wrote his book in 1995; based on his writing, it is conceivable that his focus today would remain the same as it was in 1995. Through his interviews, Kozol demonstrated that the neglect of Black and Hispanic residents resulted from an entrenched but misplaced ideology about the poor, rather than a strictly discriminatory attitude towards Blacks or Hispanics. It is true that many of Mott Haven's residents in 1995 believed, as sixteen-year-old Maria did, that white people looked at impoverished Blacks and Hispanics as "obstacles to moving forward." However, the larger issue remained the firmly established belief that the poor were largely to be blamed for their own predicament. 
From Kozol's viewpoint, this is an inhumane assessment of the systemic problems faced by Black and Hispanic residents in Mott Haven. Kozol may well argue that Black people in the Bronx continue to experience widespread poverty, but he may not necessarily conflate that argument with the rationale that Black people today experience more discrimination than they did when they were enslaved.
This is not to ignore the issue of race discrimination in the form of hyper-segregation in Mott Haven, however. Rather, the larger issue remains the established belief that impoverished residents were largely to be blamed for their own suffering. Kozol clearly showed that many of the same residents of Mott Haven were well aware of the prevailing social sentiment about "welfare queens," and he documented their distress at such sweeping generalizations about their plight. More than anything, many were discouraged by their own sense of powerlessness. 

"When we talk about the people who are making these decisions, we keep saying 'they' and most of the time we think of 'they' as being white. We don't even know who 'they' might really be, yet we keep saying 'they.' This is because we have no power to decide these things. Something's always happening where the last and final vote was not the one we made. So we say 'they did this' and 'they' seems extremely powerful, but we do not know who 'they' are."

The above words were spoken by Isabel, who voices the frustration many of the residents at Mott Haven felt. White people fled Mott Haven because they feared living in an area rife with crime. Their actions led to what Kozol calls hyper-segregation. However, Kozol's narrative reveals that many Black residents were equally apprehensive about the crime, poverty, and degradation in their neighborhoods. For example, David recounts his fears about his neighborhood:

"Some of these men...would burn their own house with their mother in it if they didn't like something she said...I don't know why...but that's the way it is. I feel afraid of my own people, my own race, black people, students my own age. You step on someone's foot or look at somebody the wrong way--if he doesn't like your attitude, he might pull out a gun and kill you."

Kozol also revealed that residents and law enforcement nursed similar sentiments of distrust toward each other. A resident named Kimberly described her frustration about the unreliable policing in her neighborhood. Kozol felt that in his zeal to demonstrate fiscal prudence, Mayor Giuliani (at the time mayor of New York City) failed to take into account the perspectives and experiences of all Black residents. Mott Haven's poorest residents blamed him for cutting social services many of them depended on and for being tone deaf on matters of social importance. Yet others argued that the mayor's tough policies on crime were to be lauded for lowering crime in the city's poorest neighborhoods. 
Perhaps, rather than comparing the level of racial discrimination between different historical periods, Kozol may well argue against a uniform interpretation of social issues within the Bronx community today.

How did Ms. Sullivan manage to teach Helen despite her inability to see and hear?

In March of 1887, Miss Anne Sullivan visits Hellen for the first time to begin her training and proceeds to make letters with her fingers into Hellen's hands using what is known in sign language as the manual alphabet. After spelling words like "doll," Miss Sullivan gives the item to Hellen in hopes that she will make the connection. Hellen experiences her first breakthrough in learning when Miss Sullivan places her hands underneath a running spout and spells the word "water" using sign language. Hellen finally understands the key to language by realizing that the letters and words spelled into her hands have meaning. After Hellen's breakthrough, Miss Sullivan proceeds to teach Helen about abstract concepts like love and eventually teaches her how to speak by allowing Hellen to feel her tongue and mouth when she talks. Miss Sullivan successfully taught Hellen how to communicate by constantly spelling words into her hands and allowing her to experience life by describing Hellen's atmosphere nearly everywhere she visited.

Miss Sullivan had been trained at the Perkins Institute for the Blind, where she had gone because a bacterial infection had left her almost blind. At the institute, eye operations improved her sight a good deal. She also learned the manual alphabet, a way of writing into another person's palm.
The key to Miss Sullivan's ability to teach Helen despite her pupil's blindness and deafness was the manual writing. Miss Sullivan could write in Helen's hand, and Helen could comprehend what her teacher was communicating through touch.
The biggest obstacle Miss Sullivan faced was getting her young charge to understand that what she was writing in her hand had meaning. She needed Helen to connect the writing to objects in her world. Once this was accomplished, Miss Sullivan had a reliable method to teach her student.

Did American involvement in China in the early 1900s constitute informal empire-building? If so, how?

American involvement in China in the early twentieth century constituted "informal" empire-building in much the same way American involvement in Cuba and the Philippines did. In both cases, the US deployed troops in order to protect American economic interests.
While never creating a “formal empire” in the same sense other nations (like Great Britain, France, and Russia) did during the early twentieth century, the US did control areas and nations across the globe. Many influential leaders—men like Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst—believed that the US needed to expand across the globe in order to increase its global influence and to strengthen its economy, all the while showing other nations its military prowess.
The US began expanding globally following its victory in the Spanish-American War (1898) by gaining control of Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, Samoa, and Puerto Rico. During this period, the US also annexed Hawaii. By controlling these areas, the US could exert its influence economically and militarily. The same thing occurred in China in 1900. Various nations had created “spheres of influence” in China; these nations controlled the trade in these areas. Basically, these nations wanted to keep trade flowing between China and the countries that controlled the various “spheres.” The US was one of many nations with a “sphere of influence” in China. When Chinese nationals tried to expel foreigners from the country in what would become the Boxer Rebellion, all countries that had an economic interest in China allied together (militarily) to crush the rebellion. The US, along with other nations, continued to manipulate and control areas of China.
The US controlled areas of China for its own economic interest and maintained that control through the use of military force. While lacking the formality of many of its contemporaries' “empires,” the US empire no doubt existed, albeit with less conventionalism.

Calculus: Early Transcendentals, Chapter 4, 4.4, Section 4.4, Problem 61

Replacing oo for x in limit equation yields the nedetermination oo^o . You need to use the logarithm technique, such that:
f(x) = (x)^(1/x)
You need to take logarithms both sides, such that:
ln f(x) = ln (x)^(1/x))
Using the property of logarithms yields:
ln f(x) = (1/x)*ln x
ln f(x) = (ln x)/x
You need to evaluate the limit:
lim_(x->oo) ln f(x) = lim_(x->oo) (ln x)/x = oo/oo
You need to use L'Hospital theorem:
lim_(x->oo) (ln x)/x = lim_(x->oo) ((ln x)')/(x')
lim_(x->oo) ((ln x)')/(x') = lim_(x->oo) (1/x)/1
lim_(x->oo) 1/x = 1/oo = 0
Hence, lim_(x->oo) ln f(x) = 0 , such that lim_(x->oo) f(x) = e^0 = 1
Hence, evaluating the given limit, using l'Hospital rule and logarithm technique yields lim_(x->oo) (x)^(1/x) = e^0 = 1 .

In To Kill A Mockingbird, what is Scout's main internal conflict and how is it resolved?

Scout has several internal conflicts throughout the novel.  One that is central and appears throughout much of the novel is her reaction to those who criticize her father.
When Atticus takes the Tom Robinson case, he earns the disapproval of many Maycomb citizens.  The case is controversial, and many white people in Maycomb already harbor negative feelings toward blacks.
Cecil Jacobs is the first one to say anything.  He speaks of Atticus in an insulting way and uses the n-word to describe Tom Robinson.  Scout is appalled and becomes angry.  Later, Scout's cousin Francis says something similar.  Both times, Scout tries to fight the boys who insult her father.
Atticus patiently explains to Scout that she needs to walk in someone else's shoes.  She needs to have empathy and compassion for others.  Gradually, Scout's heart changes.  Scout begins to see that many people in Maycomb are ignorant.  They think badly about the black residents of Maycomb because their parents had taught them so.  They do not have empathy.  When Scout frets about the reactions of people in town, Atticus reassures her:

"Scout," said Atticus, "when summer comes you'll have to keep your head about far worse things… it's not fair for you and Jem, I know that, but sometimes we have to make the best of things, and the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are down—well, all I can say is, when you and Jem are grown, maybe you'll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn’t let you down.  This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man's conscience—Scout, I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't try to help that man" (To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 11).

Atticus knows that many people in town disapproval of his defense of Tom.  He knows that temporary ridicule is worth it for doing the right thing.   Scout slowly begins to have more empathy.  She also develops more of an understanding of the black community in Maycomb.  She gets to know Calpurnia more than ever before, and she and Jem sit up in the balcony during the trial.  The resolution is when Scout comes to accept that it does not matter what everyone else says.  It is better to do the right thing than to appear proper around town.

Why do digital computers use binary numbers for their operation?

Some of the early computers that used decimal system (either exclusively or in combination with binary) include ENIAC, UNIVAC I and II, and several IBM computers. Some processors today use binary coded decimals which encode every decimal digit (or group of digits) with a fixed number of binary digits (bits). That being said, your question stands, why do modern computers almost exclusively use binary numbers?
Radix economy tells us that the most efficient base for storing information is base e approx 2.71828 and indeed ternary base (e rounded to the nearest whole number) has some advantages when used in computers e.g. ternary search trees; however, ternary computers are more difficult to manufacture, and they have been shown to have higher energy consumption. Despite to all of this, Donald Knuth conjectured that in future we will switch to ternary computers due to their efficiency and elegance, but almost 40 years has passed since then with no ternary computers in sight.
On the other hand, decimal computers are far more error prone and more difficult to produce than binary ones. The main reason is that the binary computers use only two states "on" (maximum voltage) and "off" (no voltage). If, for example, you make 1V to be your maximum voltage, then "0" would be represented by no voltage and "9" by 1V, the problem is that you still have to assign 8 different values for intermediate voltages. This means that small change in voltage could easily turn one digit into another e.g. "4" into "5". This only works with computers using relatively high voltages like those early computers mentioned at the beginning.
In conclusion, binary computers are the simplest to manufacture, use less energy and are less error prone than non-binary computers. 

Describe how the theme of sacrifice and love is developed in the text

Jim and Della are both willing to sacrifice the thing that is most important to them so that they can buy a beautiful gift worthy of being owned by the other. Della sells her beautiful hair so that she can buy Jim a watch chain to go with his prized watch. Jim sells his beautiful watch so that he can buy Della a lovely pair of hair combs that she wanted when she saw them in a store window. In the end, the narrator brings up the Biblical magi: the three kings—wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus in the manger.

And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

The narrator says that Jim and Della are actually "the wisest," wiser even than the Biblical magi, because they know something that those men did not: that sacrifices made for love are more meaningful than those gifts that don't involve sacrifice. The Biblical magi were kings and rich men who did not have to sacrifice in order to present Jesus with expensive gifts. However, Jim and Della are poor, and they have to sacrifice a great deal in order to purchase their presents. Their sacrifices made for love mean more.

The love that Della and Jim have for each other is expressed in the story through sacrifice. Each sacrifices something of value to buy the other a Christmas gift. Della sells some of her beautiful locks of hair to a fancy salon to buy Jim a chain for his watch. Jim sells his gold watch to buy Della a set of combs she's had her eye on for some time.
Although it may seem that their sacrifices are in vain—both Della and Jim end up with what are essentially useless gifts—in actual fact, they are still able to give each other the most important gift of all, the gift of love. In buying each other Christmas presents, Jim and Della may have sacrificed something precious, but they didn't sacrifice the most precious thing of all. In fact, If anything, they not only maintained their love for each other, but considerably strengthened it.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry tells the story of a couple who are willing to give up their most precious possessions in order to give a Christmas present to the other. This story shows that true love is selfless and puts the needs and desires of the other before one's own desires. 
Della is determined to buy a watch fob for her husband, Jim, for Christmas. In order to raise the money, she sells her beautiful, long hair. When Jim comes home from work, he presents a set of gorgeous combs for Della, combs she can no longer use. He admits that he sold his precious watch to buy his wife her gift. 
Even though this couple is extremely poor, the wealth of their love overcomes all material hardships they face. The gifts that they give one another are useless, and yet, it is not the gifts that make their Christmas so remarkable. The items themselves are only tokens of the sacrificial love that Della and Jim have for each other. Indeed, the sacrifice that each makes is a greater gift than the watch fob or the combs.
This incredible love is compared to the wisdom of the magi who brought gifts to the baby Jesus at Bethlehem. Henry ends the story with "let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest ... They are the magi." This sacrificial love is greater than the gold, frankincense, and myrrh that was given to baby Jesus. 

Why did totalitarian leaders like Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini encourage popular involvement in particular artistic styles?

All three dictators looked upon art as a means to an end: to enhance their power and to serve their respective regimes. They all recognized the enormous propaganda value that works of art could have for totalitarian regimes like theirs. Both Hitler and Mussolini advocated for a neoclassical aesthetic, one that drew from a heavily mythologized past. This approach complemented the Nazis and the Fascists' fanatical belief that they were recreating the greatness of glorious empires.
Stalin, for his part, used certain aspects of Socialist Realism to help further the Soviet regime's message. Socialist Realism, particularly in relation to drama and the fine arts, displayed an idealized image of the heroic working classes leading and sustaining the heritage of the Revolution, acting as the vanguard for the movement toward total Communism. Their commitment to the Communist cause was presented as being pure and unsullied, an ideal to which all must conform.
All three dictators understood that popular forms of art were more amenable to being used as vehicles for propaganda precisely because they were popular. Popular forms of art had a deep appeal to the masses the totalitarian leaders wished to control. At the same time, there was systematic state censorship: any kind of art that was deemed radical, abstract, or challenging was ruthlessly suppressed, as they could not be adequately controlled.

Explain how soap functions, making reference to its phospholipid properties.

When soap is agitated in water, structures called micelles are formed.
Soap is comprised of phospholipids, which have a polar end and a non-polar end. The polar ends, these being the phosphate heads of the phospholipid structure, are drawn to each other in a certain configuration, whereas the lipid (fat molecule) ends have a balanced non-polar structure such that they are neither drawn to nor repelled from each other.
Water, like the phosphate heads in soap molecules, consists of polar molecules that are drawn to each other. So when water (a polar substance) is agitated with lipids (which are non-polar substances) and soap particles (polar at one end and non-polar at the other), the water and phosphate heads of the soap particles are drawn together forming spherical micelle particles.
A bi-product of this action, and the key to how soap disperses fats in a water solution, is that the lipids/fats that are suspended in the agitated water solution are collected into the center of the soap micelles.
Essentially they are forced out of the way of the polar substances (the water and the phosphate heads of the soap molecules) and collect on the inside of the micelles.
They are neither drawn to nor repelled by the lipid ends of the phospholipid structure of the soap, but nevertheless end up in their vicinity (inside the micelles) because of the dominant polar environment of the solution of water they are in.  
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/lrm22/lessons/polar_nonpolar/polar_nonpolar.html

http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH/PH709_BasicCellBiology/PH709_BasicCellBIology4.html

Soap is widely used to clean all sorts of objects and it is able to do this so well because of the polar nature of phospholipids.
A polar molecule is a molecule with a net dipole moment resulting from the asymmetrical structure of its atomic bonds. A net dipole moment means that one side of the molecule is slightly positive and one side is slightly negative. This is the unique property of a polar molecule that makes soap so useful for removing dirt and grease from our hands and makes our dishes clean.
A phospholipid, as a polar molecule, has two ends due to this net dipole moment. The head of the phospholipid is attracted to water (hydrophillic) and the tail of the phospholipid is attracted to lipids (lipophillic) and repelled by water (hydrophobic). This is a useful combination for cleaning because the phospholipid's lipophillic tail grabs on to dirt and grease while the hydrophobic head sticks to water and gets washed off.
All of this wouldn't be as effective without mechanical effort, which is why it is important to vigorously scrub when washing. This not only helps mechanically remove dirt and grease from the object but also assists the phospholipid by pushing the lipophillic tail into as many lipid surfaces as possible before the hydrophillic head gets carried away by water during rinsing.

How does the poem "The Human Seasons" by Keats reflect the Romantic period?

While Enlightenment-era writers embraced reason and logic, Keats and his fellow Romantics said "Thanks, but no thanks" and got emotional.
As a meditation on life's stages, "The Human Seasons" fits this sentimental mold. In fact, it doubles down on its Romanticism by incorporating another hallmark of Romantic poems: melancholy. The speaker uses metaphor to move from the youthful lustiness of spring all the way through winter and the "pale misfeature," or death, that it brings man. Few things are more emotion-filled and melancholic than thinking about the day you'll inevitably kick the bucket.
Romantic poems are also known for their love of nature. How important is nature to "The Human Seasons"? Keats's sonnet uses the constantly evolving state of the entire natural world to represent man's progression from young and seemingly invincible to—if he's lucky (and Keats wasn't)—old and thoroughly mortal.
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/keats.html

Many critics and readers claim Fahrenheit 451's cultural relevancy has only increased as time has passed. Do you agree or disagree? Support your answer with examples from the novel.

I would agree that Fahrenheit 451's cultural relevancy has increased since its publication in 1953. Aspects of Bradbury's dystopian society are eerily familiar in modern America. Mildred's addiction to sleeping pills is relevant to America's prescription drug abuse problem that affects millions of citizens on a daily basis. Also, the dystopian society's obsession with television and violent entertainment mirror our modern society's fascination with HD TVs and sports. In today's society, corporations use religious holidays to advertise to the ever-increasing consumer culture to the point that everything sacred about the holiday is forgotten. In a discussion with Montag, Faber comments that he wonders if God would recognize His own Son.
Bradbury's portrayal of how the dystopian society is constantly at war also mimics modern America. With our ongoing War on Terror, it seems like our country will always be involved in some sort of conflict around the globe. Bradbury's critique of how the populace elects officials based on their looks instead of their policies is also relevant to American society. Politics in America have essentially turned into a popularity contest where the most entertaining or attractive politician gets the most votes.
In my opinion, the most relevant and significant criticism that Bradbury expresses throughout his novel is the individual's lack of motivation to read. With technology growing exponentially, Americans are able to view videos and play virtual games at the touch of a button. Similar to the novel, literature has gradually been replaced by television and the internet.

What are examples of figurative language from Part Three and Part Four of The Book Thief?

One example of figurative language in Part Three is "Perhaps it was her first realization that criminality spoke for itself" on page 126. This is an example of personification, or giving something that is not human, such as criminality, human qualities. The author uses this figure of speech to emphasize that Liesel's supposed criminality has taken over her personality now and that it is apparent to her father. Later on the same page (126), there is another example of figurative language: "This time, his voice was like a fist, freshly banged on the table." This is an example of a simile, a comparison using "like" or "as." In this simile, the father's voice is compared to a fist to emphasize its strength and the anger with which he expresses himself.
In Part Four, on page 175, there is the following example of personification: "Cold sweat--that malignant little friend--outstaying its welcome in the armpits and trousers." Personification makes the sweat seem as real, bitter, and permanent as a person, and it emphasizes the way in which the sweat lingered in an unwelcome way on the fighting men. On page 182, there is the following simile, "He could already taste the error, like a metal tablet in his mouth." In this example of figurative language, Hans Hubermann knows that his ethics will not allow him to join the NSDAP, or Nazi Party. He knows that this decision will be very difficult for him and that he will suffer greatly as a result of having made it. The author emphasizes the difficulty of Hans's decision by comparing it to having an acidic metal tablet in his mouth. 

What are the three ways characters commit suicide in My Antonia? Why do you think Cather includes these examples?

Part of the power of Cather’s novel is her acknowledgement that the immigrant experience could be a harsh one. Mr Shimerda’s suicide is an example. Antonia’s father is profoundly unhappy in Nebraska—he cannot speak the language, his position as head of household is usurped by his wife, his skill as a musician, a source of much prestige in Bohemia, is unvalued. Ultimately, he takes his own life, shooting himself with a shotgun.
The other death is Wick Cutter’s murder/ suicide. Cutter shoots his wife through the heart while she is sleeping, then mortally wounds himself in he neck. His plan is to foil any plan his wife might have to gain control of his money; he purposely wounds himself in a way that will allow him to explain to those who find him that since he has survived his wife, any will she might have made was null and void.
Both shootings are essentially caused by greed. Mr Shimerda finds that he has sacrificed his self respect to his wife’s greed and determination to accumulate land and good marriages for her children. Cutter’s actions are motivated by his determination to keep control of his own money. Far from romanticizing the immigrant experience, Cather shows in these two episodes how grasping after money can lead to tragedy.

What would John Rawls say about Plato's conception of social justice depicted in The Republic, and what would Plato say about John Rawls's theory of social justice depicted in A Theory of Social Justice?

Plato's sense of justice came from his desire to make Athens less corrupt and to rectify what he saw as the degeneracy of the world around him. He defined justice as "Dikaisyne," which roughly means "righteousness," and stated that it involved setting aside one's desire to achieve only selfish aims and get benefit out of every situation—instead, one should think of the greater good.
Plato believed that the human soul contained the elements of reason, spirit, and appetite, and that people were able to exercise justice when none of these elements was supreme over the others. Similarly, he saw society as divided into three classes, the philosopher (similar to the individual function of reason), the warrior (similar to spirit), and the farmer (similar to the appetite). For society to achieve justice, each group had to do its duty, or specialize, without interfering with other groups. Each individual had to follow his or her duty to pursue justice, just as each group in society had to follow its own special role to achieve justice and make society function well. 
Rawls's two principles of justice were 1) each individual should have at the least the most basic liberties that others have, and 2) social opportunities should be arranged so that those with the greatest need benefit the most. Rawls's idea of the "original position" is that everyone must determine principles of justice from behind what he calls "a veil of ignorance," not knowing if they are privileged or not privileged in status. 
Rawls and Plato might disagree on some points. For example, Plato was a defender of totalitarianism, while Rawls was a liberal democrat. However, in the Republic, Plato speaks of specialization, of each person fulfilling a responsibility in society, that is similar to what Rawls speaks of in the "original position," as it's not clear what roles people have when they agree to work together to create a just and harmonious society through specialization. In the Republic, Plato speaks of Cleinias of Knossos organizing a Pan-Hellenistic society in which people must come together, and these people occupy a form of the "original position" that Rawls writes about because they don't know the status of the other people. They all must agree to the rule of Law (713-715), and the power of the many is not above the power of the few. In this sense, Plato endorses the kind of "original position" that Rawls advocates, and they are in agreement about Rawls's two principles of justice. Rawls might say that Plato's description of this society meets his two principles and the requirements of the "original position." 
https://journals.openedition.org/etudesplatoniciennes/273

Does Lily change throughout The Giver?

Lily is the younger sister of the protagonist, Jonas. We know that they share a warm bond and that Lily loves children. She hopes to be a Birthmother initially, but her parents tell her that this is not an honorable profession. They steer her toward becoming a Nurturer, which she appreciates. Jonas comments on Lily’s casual attitude toward detail, including her braids, which are forever unkempt.
Through this, we learn that Lily is a typical young child and one in need of parental reminders regarding societal expectations. Lily’s favorite comfort object is her elephant, which her father cautions that she will soon have to relinquish to the Newchildren due to her age. A bit later in the plot, Jonas tries to give Lily the memory of actual, living elephants. Lily is unable to understand what he is trying to do and thinks the idea is silly.
Lily accepts the society around her without question and does not possess the insights of her brother, to his dismay. She is a static character in this novel and does not undergo any significant character change.

In The Giver, Lily experiences little development as a character. Throughout the text she is straightfoward, talkative, and innocent. Because she is so direct, her dialogue is often expository to the setting of the novel; for example, she provides the reader with insight into what childhood and education are like in this society when she describes her feelings about visiting another childcare center and meeting a boy who visits hers. Additionally, her parents' angry reaction to her interest in being a Birthmother and encouragement for her to be a Nurturer instead provide insight into the relative social position of different jobs. However, Lily herself is not insightful and only provides direct and literal descriptions of her experiences. Lily is uninterested when Jonas talks to her about the Giver and tries to give her a memory, and she fails to receive the memory he tries to give to her. Lily, unlike her other brother, is not a dynamic character and does not undergo any changes in the story.

Why does Polonius’s death bother Claudius so much?

Polonius's death likely bothers Claudius primarily because he can assume that Hamlet meant to kill him instead. Polonius, while he can be played as corrupt or turning a blind eye to the unethical nature of the court, is fairly harmless to Hamlet by himself. He is also Ophelia's father. Thus, it seems unlikely that a sane Hamlet would initially kill Polonius instead of Claudius. If Hamlet is mad—we don't know whether Claudius believes this or not—then he might rashly kill anyone, including Gertrude or Claudius himself. Thus, the death of Polonius proves that it's extremely risky for Claudius to allow Hamlet to remain alive. Until Hamlet is exiled, dead, or ideally both, Claudius's life and his kingdom are in danger.

Polonius's death happens at the hands of Hamlet, not long after Hamlet has staged the mousetrap play. Claudius exposes his guilt at the play by reacting with shock and recognition to the reenactment of his murder of Hamlet's father.
Claudius knows that Hamlet knows that he murdered Hamlet's father.
Polonius is hiding behind an arras, or tapestry, when Hamlet stabs him. Hamlet couldn't see it was him who was in hiding, but Claudius knows that Hamlet was trying to kill him, not Polonius. Hamlet thought it was Claudius hiding there and spying on him, and Claudius understands this. He knows he is very lucky that Hamlet made a mistake or he, Claudius, would now be dead.
Obviously, it is bothersome to have a person like Hamlet trying to kill you in revenge for killing his father. Claudius knows he has to get rid of Hamlet quickly or Hamlet really will kill him.

The sum of the first seven terms of a geometric sequence is 127 and the quotient is 2, find the terms of the sequence.

Hello!
Probably we need to find all the terms of this progression.
Recall that each next term of a geometric progression is obtained by multiplying the previous term by the quotient, denote it as q. Denote the first term as b, then the second is b*q, the third is b*q*q = b*q^2, and the k-th term is b*q^(k-1).
It is also well-known that the sum of n terms of a geometric progression with the first term b and q!=1 is S = b*(q^n-1)/(q-1).
In our case q=2, b is unknown, n = 7 and S = 127. This way we obtain a simple equation for b:
127 = b*(2^7-1)/(2-1) = b*127,  because 2^7 = 128 (check by multiplying 2*2*2*2*2*2*2).
Obviously the only solution is b=1, and the entire array is 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64.
We could solve this problem without the formula for sum, adding all 7 terms manually:
b+2b+4b+8b+16b+32b+64b = 127, the left side is (1+2+4+8+16+32+64)b = 127b = 127, and again b=1.
 

What is a summary of The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman?

Set after World War I, the novel introduces Australian soldier Tom Sherbourne as he heads home after four years on the Western Front. Disoriented and unable to cope with society, the isolation of a remote setting appeals to him and he takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on James Rock, an island off the coast. His bride, Isabel, soon joins him there. During two years together there with almost no other human contact, she endured miscarriages and a stillbirth. Serendipity brings them a baby, washed ashore in a boat with a dead man, and after much soul-searching, they decide to keep and raise Lucy, as they come to name her.
After moving to the mainland, they learn of the existence of Hannah, the mother of Lucy, whose real name is Grace. This information puts them in a quandary about revealing her origin. Efforts to do so secretly fail, and the police become involved. Isabel and Tom are at odds about how to handle the situation, and she turns on him as he is jailed for kidnapping and even murder, as she accuses him of killing Lucy’s father (the man in the boat). After Isabel suffers a mental breakdown and Tom is released from jail, they reunite and move away. Grace remains with Hannah, growing up with her and conflicted about the role that her rescuers had played in her infancy. In a final poignant touch, after Isabel’s death, the adult Grace attends her funeral.
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Light_Between_Oceans.html?id=tV7cDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button

The Light Between Oceans is a novel by author M. L. Stedman that follows Tom Sherbourne, a man returning to Australia after experiencing the ravages of war on the Western Front. The story takes place in 1926, when Tom begins working as a lighthouse keeper at Janus Rock. The island features an isolated lighthouse nearly a full day away from the nearest town on the coast. Tom's wife Isabel comes to live with him on the island, but their peaceful life is tarnished by grief when Isabel miscarries twice and has one stillbirth.
Tom and Isabel are still grieving their lost children when a boat washes up on the island. They discover a dead man and a crying baby inside the boat and Isabel immediately decides to keep the infant and raise her as her own. Tom is unsure at first and feels obligated to report the dead man and the infant to the local authorities. He is ultimately convinced by his wife, who views the baby as a "gift from God," and they pretend that she is Isabel's stillborn child. Once Lucy reaches the age of two, the small family leaves the island and moves to the mainland, but the decision is not without consequences.
When Tom and Isabel reach the island, their dreams of a family are shattered once again when they discover that Lucy's birth mother is looking for her and that her real name is Grace. The couple's marriage is tested to its limits as they must come to a decision about their daughter's future and whether to confess the secret they buried long ago. Tom is filled with guilt and sends an anonymous note to Lucy's mother, telling her that her daughter survived. This launches a police investigation, which quickly reveals Lucy to be Grace. She is removed from the island and returned to the custody of her mother, Hannah. Isabel is furious with Tom, who covers for her by telling the police that keeping Grace was his idea. Even when he is jailed on her behalf and faces the threat of hanging, Isabel refuses to help him and attempts to frame him for the murder of Grace's father.
Meanwhile, Hannah finds that her reunion with her daughter is bittersweet. Grace resents being taken from Tom and Isabel and grieves their loss endlessly. She begs to be returned to the only parents she has known. Reluctantly, Hannah agrees to return Grace to Isabel if she will testify against Tom. Isabel ultimately decides that she is not able to betray her husband and confesses. He is released from prison after six months and she is sent to a mental institution. The couple moves to a small coastal town far away and Grace grows up with Hannah. Twenty years after Grace was found, Isabel dies of cancer and Lucy-Grace shows up at her funeral to make amends. The book ends on a somewhat hopeful note with Lucy-Grace saying she hopes to visit Tom again someday.
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Light-Between-Oceans/M-L-Stedman/9781451681758

How did the time period in which the psychologist Eleanor Gibson worked influence her contributions?

Eleanor Gibson earned her Ph.D. at Yale University in 1938. After her graduation, Gibson hoped to work with Robert Yerkes, the famous psychologist who helped develop the U.S. Army's intelligence testing during World War One.
However, Gibson was turned away, as Yerkes noted that women didn't work in his labs. At the time, laboratory work was considered a masculine pursuit, so Gibson would have had difficulty persuading any male scientist to include her in his work. Prior to World War Two, most American women were homemakers. In fact, Gibson herself stayed home to raise her two children when her husband, James Gibson, commenced work for the U.S. military during World War Two. 
After the war ended, Gibson decided to work with Clark Hull, a psychologist who was a devout behaviorist. Behaviorists in Hull's time believed that all behavior was conditioned, whether through positive or negative stimuli. Behaviorists stressed the importance of external actions. On the other hand, functionalists like Gibson believed that human behavior could be understood only through the study of the mind. 
Gibson's decision to work with Hull despite their professional differences showed that she had a flexible and pragmatic character. Even though she encountered challenges during her years as a psychologist, Gibson never complained. She chose to make allowances for the time period she lived in and to look for opportunities to further her career interests. Gibson never gave up on her ambition to come into her own one day; she believed that each step she took brought her closer to her goals. As a result of her positive and creative mindset (remember that she was an avid functionalist), Gibson was able to make great strides in her career despite the limitations she encountered. 
Gibson's tenacity and perseverance paid off when Richard Walk agreed to work with her at Cornell. Together, they invented the Visual Cliff experiment in 1960 (an experiment they became famous for), and their findings were reported in the Scientific American and in the national press. In 1966, Cornell University finally made Gibson a full-fledged professor, and she was given her own lab with which to conduct her experiments. So, while the time period in which Gibson lived limited her work in certain areas, it also fueled her determination to succeed. Gibson was able to harness a positive mindset to accomplish her goals.

What quote from Lord Of The Flies depicts Ralph being complex?

Ralph is the elected leader of the group of boys and symbolically represents civilization and democracy throughout the novel. Ralph's main concern is on establishing a civil society that is focused on being rescued. His number one priority is maintaining the signal fire at all times so that passing ships will rescue the boys. Ralph openly opposes Jack and his hunters as they gradually descend into savagery. At times, Ralph is depicted as a concerned, conscientious leader, who is focused on the other boys' well-being. Other times, Ralph is portrayed as an immoral savage, who enjoys inflicting pain on the other boys. The following quotes illustrate Ralph's complex nature and depict his two contrasting personalities.
In chapter 5, Ralph holds an assembly to discuss why the boys have been neglecting their responsibilities. This quote portrays Ralph as a responsible, rational individual, who wishes to cultivate a civil environment. Ralph says,

"The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going? Is a fire too much for us to make?...Look at us! How many are we? And yet we can't keep a fire going to make smoke. Don't you understand? Can't you see we ought to—ought to die before we let the fire out?...You hunters! You can laugh! But I tell you the smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one. Do all of you see?...We've got to make smoke up there—or die" (Golding, 61).

Despite Ralph's civil, rational personality, there are times that he is depicted as an absolute bloodthirsty savage. In chapter 7, Ralph participates in his first hunting expedition and almost kills a pig. Jack and his hunters immediately begin chanting and form a circle around Robert, who acts like a pig. Golding depicts Ralph's primitive nature by writing,

"Ralph too was fighting to get near, to get a handful of that brown, vulnerable flesh. The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering" (88).

These two quotes depict Ralph's complex nature. Overall, Ralph is a civil individual who is inherently primitive at times and has a tendency to act like a savage when participating in thrilling rituals and activities.

Diamond says: "An observer transported back in time to 11000 bc could not have predicted on which continent human societies would develops most quickly, but could have made a strong case for any of the continents." Why does diamond begin his story at this point in human history why not sooner or later?

Diamond uses this date because it predates the so-called "Agricultural Revolution" that he credits with the development of global inequalities. This event led to the formation of stratified, complex societies. These fostered the so-called "guns, germs, and steel" that enabled Europeans to exert their influence around the world. His point with the quote in the question is that nothing about the peoples that lived in these regions at the mentioned time would have enabled an observer to predict whether they would have developed agriculture. This, in fact, is central to Diamond's thesis. It was not, he argues, anything inherent about Eurasians, but rather certain unique aspects of their environment that fostered the development of agriculture. In other words, Europe's global dominance, and the development of advanced technologies, was an accident of geography more than anything else. If he had begun his story after this period, we would have already been able to see these developments taking place.

What types of governments existed in North Korea and South Korea in 1950?

At the end of World War II the Korean peninsula was divided into two spheres of influence by the victorious Allies. The North of the peninsula was administered by the Soviets, and the South was administered by the Americans. In order to contain the spread of Communism, the United States announced that democratic elections would take place across the Korean peninsula under the auspices of the United Nations. The Soviet Union and its Communist clients in the North boycotted the elections, which resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Korea—or South Korea—in 1948, with Syngman Rhee as the first South Korean president.
The North carried out its own parliamentary elections, but they were far from being open or democratic. All the candidates were selected by the Workers' Party (WPK), the favored instrument of Soviet control. So it was no surprise when the elections recorded a crushing victory for the WPK. The Soviets installed Kim Il-Sung as president, creating a political dynasty that exists to this day. By 1950, then, on the eve of the Korean War, there was a democratic republic in the South and a Communist dictatorship in the North.

Who was Teddy Roosevelt?

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. At 42, he was the youngest president yet when he took over following the assassination of William McKinley. Prior to serving as Commander-in-Chief, Roosevelt was a military commander. He made a name for himself during the Spanish-American war when, as a lieutenant colonel, he led his regiment in a charge at the Battle of San Juan. He would go on to serve as Republican governor of New York state from 1898. Among his major achievements as president were playing a major role in the negotiations to begin the construction of the Panama canal, which opened up a route from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and his mediation in the Russo-Japanese war, for which he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
He saw government as an agent of reform and challenged the idea of limited government that had been prevalent during the 1800s. One way in which he did this was by expanding executive powers and strengthening the role of the president. He argued that the president was a steward accountable to the people. One notable feature of his campaign style was his personal rapport with the population. Roosevelt was seen, as noted in the Heritage Foundation article linked below, as the first president who won support from voters due to his personality, rather than as a member of the Republicans or Democrats. Roosevelt ran once again for president as a Progressive in 1912. He was shot at a campaign rally in Milwaukee but made a recovery. He died in 1919, aged 60. He is one of the presidents whose face is featured on Mount Rushmore.
https://millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/impact-and-legacy

https://www.heritage.org/political-process/report/theodore-roosevelt-progressive-crusader

In Go Ask Alice, why does Alice get sent to the insane asylum?

In Go Ask Alice, the young girl we refer to as Alice is committed to an insane asylum after hallucinating from drugs. She has a "bad trip" on acid and imagines worms oozing from her body.
In chapter 1 through five Allice's writing in her diary seems like any typical teen. She is moody and unimpressed with everything in her life. Her father's birthday comes and goes, as well as her own, but her diary entries show no excitement.
In chapter 6 her father accepts a new job in a different city and Alice is suddenly full of hope. She writes in her diary of her plans to lose weight and be more optimistic.
Alice's new healthy attitude continues and she loses 10 lbs. Her mom begins to complain although they had been getting along quite well. When even her Algebra grades improve and she gets asked out on a movie date things seem to be perfect in her life.
By chapter 12, however, we start to see a decline in Alice's mental state. Things have been going so well she is no longer sure a move is the best thing for her. She will miss her grandparents and school friends. Not to mention the new guy she's dating.
Alice's weight-loss and anxiety skyrocket and in a self-fulfilling prophecy the move is terrible. By chapter 44 she is so inundated with her emotional ups and downs she tries drugs for the first time and begins the chain of events that will lead her to the asylum.

Strictly speaking, the name of the book's protagonist isn't Alice, although that's how it's often given in publicity materials. The title is a reference to a 1960s song called "White Rabbit," in which the singer suggests going to Alice when she's "ten feet tall," the implication being that she's in a state of acute drug intoxication. This reference in turn relates to Alice in Wonderland where Alice eats mushrooms to make her bigger or smaller.
The protagonist of the story is actually unnamed, but does indeed get sent to a psychiatric hospital. This takes place after she appears to have abandoned her life of drug abuse and prostitution, and with the help of a priest, has managed to get back on her feet and return home to her family. Now that she's off drugs, she becomes the subject of abuse by her former friends, who still take narcotics on a regular basis. After a campaign of harassment and bullying at school, the author's former friends forcibly subject her to a dose of drugs. The ensuing bad trip leads to mental and physical damage, which causes her to be sent to a psychiatric facility. 

Why did the German soldiers come to the Johansens' apartment looking for the Rosens?

In Number the Stars, every aspect of life in Copenhagen has been taken over by Nazi occupation. Young Annemarie Johansen spends most of her time with her best friend Ellen, who is posing as Annemarie's recently deceased sister Else, despite being only half the age that Else was when she died. Ellen's family has already fled the country, but the opportunity to get Ellen herself out has not yet presented itself. In one terrifying instance, the German soldiers come to the Johansen's apartment in the very early hours of the morning looking for the Rosens, Ellen's family. The Nazi's know that the Johansens and the Rosens are friends and become suspicious when they see that Ellen has brown hair while the rest of the Johansens are blonde. Luckily, Mr. Johansen has a baby picture of Else in which she has brown hair and shows it to the soldiers, convincing them to leave.

In Lois Lowry's book Number the Stars, the Johansens are a family living in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen, Denmark. For a while, they have to pretend that their daughter Annemarie's young friend, Ellen Rosen, is actually their recently deceased daughter Lise in order to stop her from being captured by Nazi soldiers. Eventually, Ellen and her family, along with other Danish Jews, are safely smuggled to Sweden, which was a neutral country in World War II.
Annemarie and her family have many scary run-ins with Nazi soldiers throughout the book. Probably the scariest is when Nazi soldiers come to the Johansen's apartment in the middle of the night looking for the Rosens— they believe that the Johansens are hiding the entire Rosen family. These soldiers have begun rounding up the Jewish people of Denmark in order to "relocate" them to some unknown place, and the Rosens are on their list. Luckily, Ellen is the only one there, and Mr. Johansen is able to convince the soldiers that Ellen is his daughter, Lise.

College Algebra, Chapter 3, Review Exercises, Section Review Exercises, Problem 8

Jan works as a sales person in the electronics division of a department store. He earns a base weekly salary plus a commission based on the retail price of the goods he has sold if he sells $x$ dollars worth of goods in a week, his earnings for that week are given by the function $E(x) = 400 + 0.03x$
a.) Find $E(200)$ and $E(15,000)$

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
E(2000) &= 400 + 0.03(2000)\\
\\
&= \$ 460\\
\\
\\
E(15,000) &= 400 + 0.03(15,000)\\
\\
&= \$ 850
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$


b.) What do your answers in part(a) represent?
The answers in part(a) represent the total earnings of Jan in a week including his base weekly salary plus his commision.

c.) Find $E(0)$. What does this number represent?

$
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
E(0) &= 400 + 0.03(0)\\
\\
&= \$ 400
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}
$

This number represent Jan's base weekly salary. It shows that he wasn't able to sell any goods during this week.

d.) From the formula for $E$. Determine what percentage did Jan earns on the goods that he sells.
It shows from the formula that Jan is earning $3\% (0.03 \times 100)$ on his commision based on the price of the goods that he is selling.