“Dreamland” & Islan Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Dreamland† Islan Essay In the book, â€Å"Dreamland† (Baker, 2000), the author Kevin Baker tells about Coney Island and the lower eastside of New York City, where there are rough individuals, such as gangsters who roam the area. I liked the main character, Kid Twist is a European immigrant, and he comes to the rescue of an individual when a gangster, by the name of Gyp the Blood is prepared to kill a small boy delivering newspapers in New York City. The sad part of the story was that this gangster wanted to kill this child for fun. It was strange that the small boy wasn’t really a boy; he was a man. He was Trick the Dwarf; a small midget who only dresses up like a young boy and in behind a hotel, Trick the Dwarf hides Kid Twist and that is where he discovers another character, by the name of Esther Abramowitz who is a poor seamstress. Kid Twist falls in love with this woman This story, which was quite amusing, takes place during the turn-of-the-century and creatively introduces many fascinating characters that make this story so memorable. There are women who go on strike, which fits in nice with Esther Abramowitz, who is a labor agitator and Trick even tried to seduce Mad Carlotta, who was only three feet tall but he found her to be very attractive, when she said that she was the Empress of Mexico. Esther Abramowitz is rebelling against her Russian-Jewish ex-rabbi parent and she is set on the idea of being a union organizer. Esther Abramowitz seemed like a great leader and one that had a remarkable imagination. The author is very descriptive with words when he tells us about Freud’s trip to America and about the Triangle Factory Fire in this tale about immigration, and it was interesting to discover the hope that was available in America from many different types of personalities. The author is able to describe various traits in individuals from all sorts of backgrounds in their quest for â€Å"Dreamland† which is of course, The United States of America. Big Tim Sullivan was extremely aggressive. He was the Irish-American State Senator who was a corrupt Tammany Hall boss and he seemed very crooked when he used bribes and many other undesirable ways of gaining what he wanted in order to rule in his position, in New York City. Lazar Abramowitz is Esther’s brother and he tries to have his sister’s boyfriend, who is Kid Twist, murdered by a thug. In â€Å"Dreamland†, it seemed like a place to relax and fantasize, which is an amusement park in Coney Island and a place that symbolizes a better and happier place to be. Trick the Dwarf is in his favorite land, where he is free to be likened unto Romeo with his clever charm and personality, while he continually seeks out the love of a woman to cure his loneliness. â€Å"Dreamland† focused on many different ethnic cultures and events and talks about the Jews and the Irish in their pursuit of the all American dream, of finding wealth, success and happiness in a better land in an uncontrollable era that takes place around the year 1910. There’s a nice touch of comedy in this story that keeps it interesting, while it still is able to tell a story of tragedy. Kid Twist was quite the amusing character who is an enforcer for the gangster, Gyp the Blood and when Kid Twist leaves Gyp the Blood, his boss is wounded from a shovel that leaves him bleeding in a dark basement on the Lower East Side of New York City. Kid Twist had no other choice, I guess, but to flee the area and hide away in the city of Brooklyn, New York with his friend Trick the Dwarf. I found this story to be interesting but morbid, at times. The characters made me feel sorry for them because some of them just seemed terribly hopeless in their venture at finding the American dream. The author was successful in making me feel thankful for the American dream that I already possess and I did have to sympathize with some of the immigrants from Ireland and other countries in this story, who lived such a rough life, while trying to gain something more in life, including power, love and money, while using murder and corruption as some of their tools. The story emitted a carnival atmosphere throughout the reading, and it was impossible to determine what new kind of character possessing some kind of personality or appearance flaw, would appear. The bowery bars and opium dens were depressing and it gave me a bad outlook of New York City in that time frame. It made New York City seem like a terribly dangerous place to live. The story really did come together in the end, and although I was shocked and awed by some of the crazy events that took place in this book, it was never boring or unclear about the meaning behind the story. The author was able to entertain me with his vivid imagination and his insight on a group of diverse people, all coming together in New York City, all looking for something that they needed, like Esther Abramowitz, who fell in love with a gangster and she was able to get something important from a criminal which was someone to love her back. I feel that this story focused on many different categories, such as economic exploitation, corruption and racism in our society of a mingled mix that makes up the melting pot of our nation. I learned so much about history and Geography from this story as the author described different locations and events that took place in that era of time. I got a better impression of what gangsters were like, back then, as well. It was hard to believe that so much criminal activity took place in the year 1910. The author was very successful at describing the criminal underworld with the prostitution and gang activity that surrounded the area. This story did prove that people are capable of doing almost anything in able to survive and it was quite clear that most wanted to do live in America, the land of hope and dreams. Reference Page Baker, Kevin. (2000). â€Å"Dreamland†. Harper Perennial.

Men and Women, Perspectives on Communication Essay -- Gender Difference

Men and Women, Perspectives on Communication Throughout time it has been documented that men and women see things in the world from different perspectives. A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he wants but a woman will pay $1 for a $2 item she doesn't want. Men and women’s minds are truly wired up differently, and I’m not just talking about sex. Making love, for most women is the greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve. To most men, you can call it whatever you want just as long as they end up in bed. (Actually, I hope that is my last sexual reference.) A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears, and hopes and dreams. A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house. These are just a few crude stereotypical examples of how men and women see the world differently. Heartfelt, meaningful and truthful communication or the lack there of, is a primary culprit in accentuating the differences between men and wom en. Women long desperately for it and men don’t know how to or are unwilling to provide it. These differences, although sometimes very subtle, are also apparent in many of today’s literary classics. In the short story by John Steinbeck, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, the husband and wife do not communicate effectively and both see their particular status in life differently. Stanley Kauffmann’s â€Å"The More the Merrier† is a funny look at four people’s perspective on what marriage would mean for them and how the secrets they kept will come ‘round to bite them. But, perhaps, not all men and women are as ineffectual at communicating as those I have highlighted in the first two examples. Judith Viorst’s â€Å"True Love† is an expression of how she knows what she shares with her husband is true love. Most men would probably agree with her. There is obviously great two way communication in her relationship with her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heartfelt, meaningful and truthful communication or the lack thereof, plays a large part in John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and Judith Viorst’s â€Å"True Love† and to a smaller extent in Stanley Kauffmann’s â€Å"The More the Merrier†. The stereotypical model tells us that the man is usually the one that can not or will not communicate. In chrysanthemums, there is a bit of a twist, Elisa is the one that has a hard time com... ...unspoken message. â€Å"It is true love because†¦ When I said that playing the stock market was juvenile and irresponsible and then when the stock I wouldn’t let him buy went up twenty-six points, I understood why he hated me.† (19, 23-24) Strangely, I think that most men would agree with Ms. Viorst’s expression of their true love. Genuine, heartfelt, meaningful and truthful communication between men and women is the key that can solve any problem. Men may be from Mars and women from Venus, but every once in a while, a couple to manage to split the difference and meet her on earth. Work Cited Poem Viorst, Judith. â€Å"True Love.† Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 2nd Compact ed. Eds. Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. 471. Short Story John Steinbeck, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums.† Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 2nd Compact ed. Eds. Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. 359-66. Play Kauffmann, Stanley, â€Å"The More the Merrier.† Literature, An Introduction to Reading and Writing. 2nd Compact ed. Eds. Edgar Roberts and Henry Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. 821-30.

Cloud Computing Essay

Is cloud computing a new rage, just a fad, a nebulous idea or a far-reaching trend? Cloud computing has become a buzz word in working and learning environments around the globe. Newsstands and Internet pages everywhere are inundated with articles, whitepapers and websites dedicated to defining the many facets of cloud computing such as hosting a website on the cloud, building a cloud infrastructure, cloud security, vulnerabilities, capabilities, pros and cons and cost. IEEE.org (IEEE CLOUD COMPUTING) has dedicated pages on their website to reference nothing but articles of interest and white papers surrounding cloud computing. The barrage of information can be daunting. Jon Oltsik (Oltsik) eloquently discusses industries’ bewilderment with cloud computing when he writes: When discussing cloud computing, I often think of Joni Mitchell’s haunting lyrics from the song,Both Sides Now (jonimitchell.com). In Mitchell’s world, clouds can be wonderful â€Å"ice cream castles in the air† or annoying disturbances that â€Å"only block the sun.† This duality prompts Mitchell to declare, â€Å"It’s clouds illusions I recall, I really don’t know clouds at all.† Joni’s cloud confusion mirrors current industry bewilderment over cloud computing. Like many other industry initiatives, cloud computing has a number of meanings.   Finally, industry confusion is no more. A guideline has been prepared by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST is responsible for developing standards and guidelines, for all agency operations and assets for use by Federal agencies. In the guideline entitled, The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing, cloud computing (Mell and Grance) is defined as follows: A model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models. In the guideline, NIST goes on to define the essential characteristics of cloud computing which include: On-demand self-service – where consumers access computing capabilities automatically without interaction with the cloud provider. Broad network access – where the ability to use common computing devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and workstations over the network is easy and accessible. Resource pooling – the provider is able to dynamically meet the computing resource needs of the customers no matter the demand. Rapid elasticity – computing capabilities appear to be unlimited to the customer and can be appropriated in any quantity at any time. Measured service – metering capabilities automatically control and optimize resource use (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Monitoring, controls, and reporting are provided for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service. Microsoft offers a variety of cloud solutions for businesses and individuals. My favorite Microsoft solution is called One Drive (Microsoft), a solution to provide any user any time free online storage to share and store online pictures, video, documents in one place online. Simply create an online email account with Microsoft and through that account you can access all the tools you need to perform essential functions for work, home and play. One place for everything you need in your life. Google also offers a similar package called Google Drive (Google Drive). Google Drive’s slogan is – One safe place for all your stuff. Upload photos, videos and any documents that are important to you. Google Drive also offers free blog and wiki sites for any user, any time, any place. Use most any device with Internet access to create a place to share thoughts and ideas. Google Drive access begins just like Microsoft’s One Drive with the creation of a Google email account. Of course, one of the primary focuses is cloud computing for businesses. Hundreds upon hundreds of businesses are jumping on the band wagon to help businesses migrate from traditional networking to cloud computing. Is cloud computing here to stay? I would say, definitely, YES! Although cloud computing may not be for all businesses, it is available for both large scale and smaller businesses. I personally worked for a startup electrical business where I created cloud capabilities where technicians up and down the east coast could login remotely using a laptop or smartphone and enter time worked onto timesheets, collaborate with the home office, retrieve  technical documentation on the road and accept payment from customers on demand. Cloud computing seems to be a niche market at the moment and served well the small startup business from whom I worked. As for larger established enterprise networks, I believe they may not yet be ready to jump on the band wagon. I also worked for a lar ge corporation supporting a federal agency and they are not yet ready to migrate. It is a possibility cloud computing may be an answer in the future but as of today, the federal agency I supported, is not yet ready for cloud computing. Works Cited Google Drive. March 2014. 2 March 2014 . IEEE CLOUD COMPUTING. Cloud Computing Research Articles, Periodicals, & Technical Papers. December 2013. 28 Febraury 2014 . jonimitchell.com. Both Sides Now and The Circle Game. 21 January 1968. 2 March 2014 . Mell, Peter and Timothy Grance. The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing. September 2011. 25 February 2014 . Microsoft. One Drive. 2014. 28 February 2014 . Oltsik, Jon. Nebulous cloud computing. 17 December 2008. 28 February 2014 .

Instant Fuel Consumption Display Fuel Economy in MPG

Whereas the fuel consumption display (FCD) gauge expresses average fuel usage over a distance, the instant fuel consumption or instant fuel economy display gauge presents a vehicles fuel consumption instantly, as it is used. As the vehicle moves along, sensors continuously detect fuel flow rate, throttle position, engine speed and manifold pressure. Meanwhile, the onboard computer calculates results and displays them as miles per gallon or kilometers per liter, in real time, to the driver. The advent of the instant fuel economy gauge came in the late 1990s and was implemented into most vehicles released after 2004 (and many sooner). This gauge uses a complex system of calculations to determine meter read-outs in different parts of the engine that affect its overall miles per gallon ratio.   Fuel Economy Versus Instant Fuel Consumption Although the United States Environmental Protection Agency  issues regulations on what can be considered a vehicle with good fuel economy, the instant readout gauge determines how well the engine is using its fuel to generate power and how far that power is taking the vehicle down the road. The two terms are not the same, though, so be cautious when referring to instant fuel economy when youre talking about instant fuel consumption. This common misconception is a cornerstone of a car salesmans pitch, especially during those test drives!   Anyway, the instant fuel consumption display is able to compute exactly how many miles the vehicle is able to drive per gallon of fuel consumed based on the cars consumption at that exact moment. Sensors around the vehicle calculate the engine speed, fuel flow rate, throttle position and manifold pressure. When you are looking at the instant miles per gallon reading in your car, you will notice that when you press on the acceleration, the number decreases as you are then using more gas to go faster. What Is Considered Good Fuel Economy? When it comes to measuring fuel economy, the EPA calculates the average miles per gallon a particular vehicle is expected to use in its lifetime. However, in personal use and consideration of your cars fuel economy, you must refer to your personal average as the EPA regulations are often based on the average driver and you may be better or worse than that standard. Thats where the fuel consumption display model comes in, wherein it gauges your personal use and consumption over the course of your vehicles ownership.   In any case, the EPA determines a vehicle to be  fuel-efficient  and to effectively have a good fuel economy if it consumes less than one gallon per 39 miles driven, on average, though the standards differ for cars like the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 Giga or Toyota Prius Three which all fall under the fuel-efficient hatchback category. Some of these newly designed fuel-saving vehicles  get upwards of 100 miles per gallon, significantly reducing gas usage and waste.