Humzah Butt Essays (488 words) - Human Behavior, Rites Of Passage

Humzah Butt Today I will convince you guys that hazing in HS and college campuses should be abolished. We're all college students in here and I'm pretty sure we all have been involved in at least a club or a sports team growing up as well as we all have been in a situation where we were forced to do something that we didn't want to do. Well whether you knew it or not, you were being hazed. This topic is important to me because when I was in High School, I was hazed while I was on the basketball team. While many believe that hazing is nothing more than a harmless prank that can bring a team or group "closer", but in reality, it results in more danger than fun. Hazing has led to multiple deaths on college campuses. One example of hazing leading to a death of a student happened on September 14th, 2017 when Maxwell Gruver who was an 18-yr old pledge at LSU was taken to the hospital after an alleged drinking game hazing ritual known as "bible study". He was pronounced dead the same day. The cause of death was stated as being from "acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration". There are roughly 5,500 fraternities in the United States and about 55% of college students involved in clubs, organizations and teams experience hazing. As of 2017, there has already been 4 deaths due to hazing. Students who experience hazing tend to get future mental illnesses. Sometimes because of shame or self-blame, we do not hear about the psychological effects of hazing. These cases do not make the news or even reported the same way that physical trauma is but the negative psychological effects of hazing can be both long lasting and just as traumatic to the victim and their families. What we don't know about another individual can be the ultimate harm of hazing. Someone who joined an organization or team could have experienced something in their lives that makes them highly likely to serious repercussions if they're hazed. So now that we know that hazing can lead to more harm than good, we need to find ways to control and eventually end hazing on campuses. One way that we can prevent hazing is to reduce the power differential between members and initiatives of the fraternities. Members of frats do not have an innate desire to haze, but they are often placed in situations where they can exert power over new members. By creating a new athmospere where new members can discuss their experiences with existing members without punishment, the existing members will find fewer opportunities to haze. Other ways to prevent hazing on campuses would be to enforce the drinking age as well as having curfews for big frat parties. And most of all, the faculty and administration of the college/university should have more oversight of the fraternities. In conclusion, Hazing

How to Use the Major French Verb Vouloir

How to Use the Major French Verb Vouloir The French verb  vouloir means to want or to wish. It is one of the  10 most common French verbs  and you will use it just as much as  avoir  and à ªtre. It has several different meanings, depending on the tense and mood, and its the driving element in numerous idiomatic expressions. Vouloir  is also an irregular verb, which means that you will need to memorize the conjugation because it doesnt rely on a common pattern. Dont worry, though, well discuss everything you need to know about  vouloir. Vouloir  and Politeness The French verb vouloir is frequently used to politely ask for something in French. Je voudrais tà ©là ©phoner sil vous plaà ®t. -  I would like to make a phone call, please.Voulez-vous maider, sil vous plaà ®t? -  Will you help me, please?Veux-tu tasseoir, sil te plaà ®t  ? -  Please sit down.Voulez-vous venir avec moi?  - Do you want to come with me? Vouloir is also frequently used to politely extend an offer or invitation. Note that in French, it is used in the present indicative whereas English would use the present conditional. Est-ce que tu veux dà ®ner avec moi ? -  Would you like to have dinner with me?Voulez-vous un peu plus de pain ? -  Would you like a little more bread? When someone invites you to do something saying, Would you like to..., your response should be just as subtle. Answering Non, je ne veux pas (No, I dont want to.) is quite strong and considered too blunt. To accept, we usually say, Oui, je veux bien. (Yes, Id love to.) Here again, we use the present indicative, not the conditional. Or you can just say, Volontiers. (With pleasure.) To refuse, its common to apologize and then explain why you cannot accept, using the irregular verb devoir in the response. For example, Ah, je voudrais bien, mais je ne peux pas. Je dois travailler...  (Ah, Id love to, but I cant. I have to work...). Memorizing Conjugations of  Vouloir We will examine more meanings of  vouloir  in French expressions later in this lesson. First,  lets learn how to conjugate  vouloir. Remember that this is an irregular verb, so you will need to commit each form to memory. This lesson can seem intense and it is a lot to memorize, thats why its best to take it one step at a time. As you begin, concentrate on the most useful tenses, including  the prà ©sent, imparfait, and passà © composà © and practice  using them in context. Once youve mastered those, go ahead and move on to the rest. Its also strongly recommended to train with an audio source.  There are many liaisons, elisions. and modern glidings used  with French verbs, and the written form may mislead you into assuming an incorrect pronunciation.   Vouloir  in the  Infinitive Mood To serve as a foundation for the conjugations of  vouloir, it is important to understand the infinitive forms of the verb. Theyre rather easy and you already know the present infinitive. Present Infinitive (Infinitif Prà ©sent):  vouloir Past Infinitive (Infinitif Passà ©):  avoir voulu Vouloir  Conjugated in the  Indicative Mood The most important conjugations of any French verb are those in the indicative mood. These state the action as a fact and include the present, past, and future tenses. Make these a priority while studying  vouloir . Present (Prsent)je veuxtu veuxil veutnous voulonsvous voulezils veulent Present Perfect (Pass compos)jai voulutu as vouluil a voulunous avons vouluvous avez vouluils ont voulu Imperfect (Imparfait)je voulaistu voulaisil voulaitnous voulionsvous vouliezils voulaient Pluperfect (Plus-que-parfait)javais voulutu avais vouluil avait voulunous avions vouluvous aviez vouluils avaient voulu Future (Futur)je voudraitu voudrasil voudranous voudronsvous voudrezils voudront Future Perfect (Futur antrieur)jaurai voulutu auras vouluil aura voulunous aurons vouluvous aurez vouluils auront voulu Simple Past (Pass simple)je voulustu voulusil voulutnous voulmesvous voultesils voulurent Past Anterior (Pass antrieur)jeus voulutu eus vouluil eut voulunous emes vouluvous etes vouluils eurent voulu Vouloir  Conjugated in the  Conditional Mood The conditional mood is used when the verbs action is uncertain. It implies that the wanting will only happen if certain conditions are met. The politeness associated with  vouloir  appears again when using it in the conditional mood.   For example: Je voudrais du thà ©. -  I would like some tea.Voudriez-vous venir avec nous  ? -  Would you like to come with us?  Je voudrais ceci. -  I would like this one.Je voudrais faire un enfant. -  Id like to have a child. Present Cond. (Cond. Prsent) Past Cond. (Cond. Pass) je voudraistu voudraisil voudraitnous voudrionsvous voudriezils voudraient jaurais voulutu aurais vouluil aurait voulunous aurions vouluvous auriez vouluils auraient voulu Vouloir  Conjugated in the  Subjunctive Mood Similar to the conditional, the subjunctive mood is used when the action is questionable in some way. Present Subjunctive (Subjonctif Prsent)que je veuilleque tu veuillesquil veuilleque nous voulionsque vous vouliezquils veuillent Past Subjunctive (Subjonctif Pass)que jaie vouluque tu aies vouluquil ait vouluque nous ayons vouluque vous ayez vouluquils aient voulu Subj. Imperfect (Subj. Imparfait)que je voulusseque tu voulussesquil voultque nous voulussionsque vous voulussiezquils voulussent Subj. Pluperfect (Subj. Plus-que-parfait)que jeusse vouluque tu eusses vouluquil et vouluque nous eussions vouluque vous eussiez vouluquils eussent voulu Vouloir  Conjugated in the  Imperative Mood The present imperative of  vouloir  is also used to politely say something like, Could you please. This is little weird since in French we dont use can but instead use want. Veuillez  mexcusez. -  Would you please excuse me?  / Could you excuse me?Veuillez  mexcuser. -  Please (be so kind as to) excuse me.Veuillez vous asseoir. -  Please sit down.Veuillez  patienter. -  Please wait. Note that even though it is listed in grammar books, rarely will you hear anyone use the  tu  form in the imperative, as in: Veuille  mexcuser. We would say instead,  Est-ce  que  tu  veux  bien  mexcuser  ? Present Imperative (Impratif Prsent) Past Imperative (Impratif Pass) veux/veuillevoulonsvoulez/veuillez aie vouluayons vouluayez voulu Vouloir in the  Participle Mood As you become more fluent in French, its a good idea to study and understand how to use the particle moods for verbs. Since  vouloir  is such a common verb, youll certainly want to study its usage in these forms. Present Participle (Participe Prà ©sent):  voulant Past Participle (Participe Passà ©):  voulu / ayant voulu Perfect Participle (Participe P.C.): ayant voulu​ Vouloir-isms There are a couple of peculiarities about using  vouloir  that you should be familiar with. When  vouloir  is followed directly by an infinitive, there is no need to add a preposition.  For example: Je veux le faire. -  I want to do it.Nous voulons savoir. -  We want to know. When  vouloir  is used  in  a  main clause  and there is  another verb in a  subordinate clause, that verb should be in the  subjunctive. These are mainly  vouloir que  constructions. For example: Je veux quil le fasse. -  I want him to do it.Nous voulons que tu le saches.   We want you to know (it). The Many Meanings of  Vouloir Vouloir is used to mean many things in many constructions and it is commonly found in French phrases. Some of this derives from its propensity to play a part in versatile  idiomatic expressions. Vouloir, cest pouvoir.  (proverb) - Where theres a will, theres a way.ne pas vouloir blesser quelquun -  to not mean to hurt someonene pas vouloir quon se croie obligà © -  to not want someone to feel obliged Vouloir  may be used as a strong will or command in various contexts. Je veux danser avec toi. -   I want to dance with you.Voulez-vous parler  ? -   Do you wish to speak?Je ne veux pas le faire  ! -   I dont want to / I wont do it!Je ne veux pas de dessert. -   I dont want any dessert.Il ne veut pas venir.  -  He doesnt want to come.vouloir faire  -  to want to dovouloir que quelquun fasse quelque chose  -  to want someone to do somethingQue veux-tu que je te dise?  -  What do you want me to say to you?sans le vouloir -   without meaning to,  unintentionallyJe lai vexà © sans le vouloir. -   I upset him without meaning to. Vouloir bien  means to be willing to, to be glad to, to be good / kind enough to. Tu veux faire la vaisselle ?  -  Do you want to do the dishes?Je veux bien - Thats fine.  Je veux bien le faire.  -   Ill be happy to do it.Elle veut bien lacheter, mais il ne le vend pas.  -   Shes willing to buy it, but hes not selling it.Aidez-moi, si vous voulez bien. -   Help me, if you would be so kind. Vouloir dire  translates as to mean.   Quest-ce que à §a veut dire?  -  What does that mean?Mais enfin, quest-ce que à §a veut dire? -  Whats all this about then?Que veut dire volontiers ? -   What does  volontiers  mean?Volontiers veut dire gladly. -   Volontiers means gladly. En vouloir quelquun  means to be angry at someone, to bear someone  a grudge, to hold it against someone. Il men veut de lavoir fait. -   He holds it against me for doing that.Ne men veux pas  ! -   Dont be angry with me! Careful! When  en vouloir  is by itself with no object of scorn mentioned,  it can simply mean  to want some:   Elle en veux trois.  -  She wants three of them. Depending on the context and, again, without an indirect object pronoun,  en vouloir  can also mean to be ambitious or to want to make something of life.

Employment Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Employment Relations - Essay Example A few of the evidences such as CIPD (2011) provides a clear statement that there are very less organisations wherein the unions do not have any existence. It is also evidential that the labour unions have a high influence on the development of the business organisations. Justifiably, the trade unions have played a decisive role in the UK for developing the employment relationship with the help of introducing the procedure of collective bargaining and allowing the employers to design favourable policies for the employees (CIPD, 2011: 3-4). In an organization wherein both employers and unions are the part of work process, it can be stated that the employment relationship ensures successful running of business at large. With regards to the aforesaid subject, this essay is being prepared with an intention of gaining an insight about employment relationship, which prevails between the employers and the labour unions. The study has been conducted on this subject with reference to various literatures reviewed by different authors. In the conclusive part of the essay, a study has been made on the prevalence of employment relations in the organisations with unions and without the unions as well. Employment relationship, as mentioned in the earlier section is one of the prime aspects of every business organisation. In this similar context, it can be apparently observed that the unions have a significant role to play in building up of the employment relationship. For instance, as per the notion of Guest (2004: 542), employment relationship is considered as one of the wide framework of rights and responsibilities of both the employers and the employees towards forming a healthy relationship in order to reap significant benefits. Guest (2004: 542) also stated that in the ancient industrialization society of the UK and the USA, there was high prevalence of unionism in the majority of

Micro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Micro - Essay Example The logic is that the cost required to produce another unit of the output should be equal to the revenue generated from that additional unit. It is illustrated as follows. AR MC MR AC P P’ Q Q’ In the above diagram, the monopolist decides output at the point where MR=MC. The corresponding price from the demand curve is then set which is P > P’. P’ is the perfect competition price and Q is the corresponding output. (Chakraborty, 351-354) Monopoly and Deadweight Loss The monopolist makes a higher profit due to the single market and manages to appropriate a part of the consumer’s surplus. D P M P’ E C O Q MR AR In the above diagram the consumer surplus was DP’C under perfect competition. The monopolist appropriates PMEP’ amount of consumer surplus. Its producers’ surplus is P’EQO. Therefore loss of social welfare or the deadweight loss is EMC. This is lost from the society due to inefficiencies of monopoly. (Chakrabor ty, 351-354) Perfect Discrimination Perfect price discrimination is a special case of monopoly where the producer can extract the maximum price from each buyer. The producer in this case deals with each consumer individually. He has perfect information about the buyers. Therefore he is able to charge a price high enough from each buyer. The prices in this case differ from buyer to buyer.

Against Affirmative Action in College Admissions Essay

Against Affirmative Action in College Admissions - Essay Example According to Yeakey and Henderson the implementation of affirmative action in higher education was meant to increase the number of minority students accessing a college education (725-726). However, according to Professor John Fobanjong, the use of race preferential policies within selective schools issignificantly expanding the racial divide as opposed to narrowing it (2). As a result, in regards to higher education, affirmative action creates more detrimental effects than positive outcomes; therefore, these policies should not be incorporated into the admission process. According to Dr.Jamillah Moore, affirmative action should not be framed as a policy that is primarily geared towards discriminatory practices against whites or any other race (12). However, since our nation’s foundation is drenched in racial inequality, race often tends to come into the picture. Affirmative action was intended to provide opportunities, redress inequalities and improve access for the underrepresented minority groups. Education is widely believed to function as an important gateway to opportunity, andmany students aggressively compete to be accepted into the elite institutions each year. Due to the rapid increase in population, access to employment, resources, and education are quickly becoming limited necessities. Thus, when more and more students are being denied admission to lesser qualified candidates, these race While affirmative action was initially established to ensure that fair admission practices are conducted, in order to rectify the long period of severe racial discrimination, the policy is now grossly outdated and hypocritical. According to Tim Wise, these policies fight discrimination with discrimination. By favoring one group over another based on racial preference, instead of academic achievement, universities are generating a rather extreme form of reverse discrimination (69).

Development of Magnesium-Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell

Development of Magnesium-Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cell Performance of Carbon felt cathode for Magnesium–Hydrogen peroxide fuel cells K. Naga Mahesh, Balaji Rengarajan, K.S. Dhathathreyan* Centre for Fuel Cell Technology, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), 2nd Floor, IITM Research Park, Taramani, Chennai–600113. Abstract Carbon felt and carbon cloth are used as a cathode in Magnesium-Hydrogen peroxide fuel cell. The performance of the cathode are tested in a 30 cm2 area single cell assembly along with 0.68M NaCl as anolyte and 0.5M to 2M H2O2 + H2SO4 solution as catholyte. The cell was tested in different concentration of the reactants and at temperatures 35 to 70 °C. Carbon felt cathode was shown better performance than carbon cloth. The maximum current density achieved at cell voltage 1.11V was 80 mA cm-2. Keywords: Mg-H2O2 fuel cell, Carbon felt, Carbon cloth, hydrogen peroxide, Corresponding author* Dr. K.S. Dhathathreyan, Head and Associate Director, Centre for Fuel Cell Technology, International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), 2nd Floor, IITM Research Park, Taramani, Chennai–600113. Ph: +91–44–6663 2723 Email: [emailprotected] Introduction Electrochemical systems based on Magnesium–hydrogen peroxide fuel cells (Mg–H2O2) have high specific energy and are capable of converting chemical energy stored in magnesium and hydrogen peroxide to electrical energy [7]. Recently, much attention was focused due to its high theoretical voltage compared to existing semi fuel cells like Aluminum–silver oxide (Al–AgO) [1] or Aluminum–hydrogen peroxide (Al– H2O2) [2,3]. The Mg–H2O2 fuel cell has a theoretical voltage of 4.14V which is higher than the resources mentioned above [4]. The theoretical half cell and overall voltages for the Magnesium–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell system are as follows [5]: Anode: Mg à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Mg+2 + 2e E0 = 2.37 V (vs SHE) Cathode : H2O2 + 2H2 + 2e à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   2H2O E0 = 1.78 V (vs. SHE) Overall reaction : Mg + H2O2 + 2H+à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Mg+2 + 2H2O Ecell = 4.15 V (vs. SHE) The Mg–H2O2 fuel cells possess advantages of environmentally benign and low costs, prior to commercialization further improvement is necessary. The cathode materials used in Mg–H2O2 fuel cell are the key components, which determine the performance and stability of the cell [7]. Extensive studies were carried out and explored the substrates suitable for cathodic materials and hydrogen peroxide reduction reactions [6, 8]. Benette et al [9] has used fabricated Microfibre carbon electrode (MCE) as cathode in Al–H2O2 fuel cells, the fabricated MCE was covered by Pd/Ir clusters using a textile flocking technique. The MCE has shown a maximum power density of 90 mW cm-2 with increased loading of Pd/Ir on cathode to 10 mg cm-2. Carbon and Nickel foil substrates have been studied comparatively with Pd/Ir catalyst in Mg–H2O2 fuel cell. The cell voltages of 1.3V and 1.5V were obtained with nickel foil and carbon substrate catalyzed by Pd/Ir catalyst at 25 mA cm-2 [10] . To achieve a better performance and stability, besides a high catalytic activity of the catalyst toward the hydrogen peroxide reaction, the properties of the material for cathodic catalysts should be considered. Considering above aspects, carbon can be a good choice for its excellent corrosive resistance in different media. However, it is of challenge to prepare a carbon based substrate with both high electronic conductivity and good mechanical property [11]. In the present study, carbon felt and carbon cloth has been used as cathode. The fuel cell was operated in various concentrations of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2M hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid as catholyte and 0.68M NaCl as anolyte. The performance of the fuel cell in comparison with carbon cloth and Carbon felt was investigated at temperatures 35 to 70 °C and at flow rates 20, 50, 100 ml min-1. 2. Experimental 2.1 Materials All materials used in this study are reagent grade quality and used as received from SRL chemicals, without further purification. All solutions are prepared in deionised water. The anode used in AZ61 magnesium alloy supplied by Omega Enterprises. The cathode used in carbon cloth and Carbon felt supplied by Nickunj Eximp Ltd. Mg-H2O2 fuel cell tests The performance studies for carbon cloth and Carbon felt as cathode were performed in homemade Mg-H2O2 fuel cell of area 30 cm2 area single cell assembly. The active area of the electrode was 5.5 cm Ãâ€" 5.5 cm. Nafion 117 membrane was used as a PEM membrane. The distance between the membrane and electrodes is 1 mm for Mg–AZ61 anode as well as cathode (Carbon felt and carbon cloth). The testing of the cell was carried out by feeding different concentrations hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid at cathode and 0.6M sodium chloride solution at anode. The flow rates of the mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid and sodium chloride solution are supplied at 20, 50 and 100 ml min-1 by calibrated peristaltic pumps. The cell was tested at temperatures of 35, 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C and at 1 bar pressure. The cell temperature was controlled by plate heaters fixed to the cell. 3.0 Results and Discussion 3.1 Carbon felt as cathode The current in the cell has been increased in step wise of 0.5A and the corresponding voltages were recorded. Initially the OCV of the cell with carbon cloth as cathode is ~2.04V and with Carbon felt is ~2.14V. This is ~2.0V lower than the theoretical voltage this may be due to the resistance of the cell materials, and mixed potential at the anode and cathode from simultaneous oxidation of H2O2 to H2O and O2 [12]. 3.2 Effect of temperature Mg-H2O2 fuel cell is operated at temperatures 35, 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C. Fig. 1 represents the electrode polarization curve at different temperatures. It can be seen that the performance of the cell improved with the increase in temperatures from 35–70 °C. At current density of 60 mA cm-2 the voltage was increased from 0.86V to 1.41V with increase in temperatures from 35–70 °C. This behavior of the cell is due to reduction of hydrogen peroxide in high temperatures [6]. Even though the cell performance increased, the instability in the mass transport region at higher current densities may be attributed to formation of gas bubbles due to the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide during discharge process [7]. 3.2 Effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration The activity of the Mg-H2O2 fuel cell increases with increasing in concentration of hydrogen peroxide. However, at high concentrations the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide also occurs [6]. The effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration has been investigated in concentrations of 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 and 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4 for carbon cloth and Carbon felt. The concentrations of the catholyte have been optimized by running the fuel cell at concentrations 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2M hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid. 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 and 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4 have been chosen for the present study as they demonstrated good performance in comparison with others. Fig. 2 shows the performance of carbon cloth and Carbon felt at 70 °C with concentrations of 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 and 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4. The increase in concentration of hydrogen peroxide and sulfuric acid improved the cell performance [7]. The cathode with carbon cloth has shown maximum power density of 9.1 mW cm-2 and 6.01 mW cm-2 at 0.72V and 0.78 V and current density of 10 mA cm-2 at voltages of 0.88V and 0.55V for 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4 and 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 concentrations, while the cathode with carbon fibre felt shown maximum power density of 91 mW cm-2 and 89 mW cm-2 at 1.3V and 1.16V and current density of 70 mA cm-2 at voltages 1.3V and 1.16 for 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4 and 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 concentrations. The results imply that Carbon felt has performed 10 times better than carbon cloth. The reason for this effect can be due to less contact area for cathode to perform electrochemical reduction of hydrogen peroxide on carbon cloth. In case of Carbon felt the fibrous structure provides more surface area for cathode to electrochemically reduce hydrogen peroxide [12]. It can also be observed that the cathode with Carbon felt has shown better performance in the ohmic region with increase in concentration of hydrogen peroxide, later on same performance can be seen with 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 in mass transf er region. This can be due to the 1.5 and 2M concentration of sulfuric acid. This is reasonable because electrochemical reaction of hydrogen peroxide involves H+ as reactant, the formation of H+ is rate determining step for electrochemical reaction of hydrogen peroxide, with concentrations of 1.5 and 2M H2SO4 there is very little difference in concentrations so there is a possibility of same performance in mass transfer region. It is evident that with the increase in concentration of hydrogen peroxide the cell performance increased. However, the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide is also more significant as the concentration increases and can be observed during discharge of the cell. The same can be represented in Figure 2, the fluctuant curves in mass transport region indicate the possible decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and production of gas bubbles that hindered mass transfer for the reactants [7]. 3.3 Effect of flow rate Fig.3 shows the operation of Mg-H2O2 fuel cell in flow rates of 20, 50 and 100 ml min-1. For both anode and cathode electrodes flow rates are kept constant. 0.6M NaCl was fed at anode and 0.5M H2O2 + 1.5M H2SO4 and 2M H2O2 + 2M H2SO4 was fed at cathode during operation of the cell. The curves have been recorded at temperature 70 °C. The performance of the cell shows that as the flow rate increase from 20 to 50 ml min-1 there is an improvement in performance of the cell. The flow rate was increased further 50 to 100 ml min-1 but no significance improvement can be seen in the performance. 3.4 Constant current mode The stability test for Mg-H2O2 fuel cell with carbon felt as cathode was conducted and represented in Figure 4. The measured OCV was 2.2V and the fuel cell was operated at constant current density of 50 mA cm-2 for 300 minutes. During the constant current mode operation the voltage was 1.15V and constantly decreased to 0.8V for a period of 50 minutes, during the first cycle. This is due to the consumption of Mg AZ61 anode, and was replaced with a fresh Mg AZ61 sheet for every cycle. The humps observed in the figure 4 represents cycles. Conclusion Carbon felt cathode has shown better performance in comparison with carbon cloth. Carbon felt shown a better performance with maximum power density of 91 mW cm-2 at 1.3V for 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4 which is higher than all the cathodes used and high current density of 70 mA cm-2 at voltages 1.3V and 1.16 for 2M H2O2+2M H2SO4 and 0.5M H2O2+1.5M H2SO4 concentrations which is very high in comparison with carbon cloth. References G. Anderson, Aluminum–Silver Oxide Primary Battery, US Patent #3,953,239 (1976). E.G. Dow, R.R. Bessette, M.G. Medeiros, H. Meunier, G.L. Seebach, J. Van Zee, C. Marsh-Orndorff, Enhanced electrochemical performance in the development of the aluminum–hydrogen peroxide semi-fuel cell, J. Power Sources 65 (1997) 207–212. C. Marsh, H. Munier, R. Bessette, M.G. Medeiros, J. Van Zee, G. Seebach, US Patent #5,296,429, An Effective Method for the Reduction of H2O2. M.G. Medeiros, R. Bessette, D. Dischert, J. Cichon, US Navy Patent #6,228,527, Magnesium-Solution Phase Catholyte Seawater Electrochemical System. Maria G. Medeiros, Russell R. Bessette, Craig M. Deschenes, Charles J. Patrissi, Louis G. Carreiro, Steven P. Tucker, Delmas W. Atwater, â€Å"Magnesium-solution phase catholyte semi-fuel cell for undersea vehicles†, Journal of Power Sources 136 (2004) 226–231. Weiqian Yang, Shaohua Yang, Wei Sun, Gongquan Sun, Qin Xin, â€Å"Nanostructured silver catalyzed nickel foam cathode for an aluminum–hydrogen peroxide fuel cell†, Journal of Power Sources 160 (2006) 1420–1424. Chaozhu Shu, Erdong Wang, Luhua Jiang, Qiwen Tang, Gongquan Sun, â€Å"Studies on palladium coated titanium foams cathode for Mg–H2O2 fuel cells†, Journal of Power Sources 208 (2012) 159–164. L.M. Sun, D.X. Cao, G.L. Wang, â€Å"Pd–Ru/C as the electrocatalyst for hydrogen peroxide reduction†, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry 38 (2008) 1415–1419. C.J. Patrissi, R.R. Bessette, Y.K. Kim, C.R. Schumacher, Fabrication and Rate Performance of a Microfiber Cathode in a Mgà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ °H2O2Flowing Electrolyte Semi-Fuel Cell†, Journal of the Electrochemical Society 155 (2008) B558–B562. M.G. Medeiros, E.G. Dow, Magnesium-solution phase catholyte seawater electrochemical system, Journal of Power Sources 80 (1999) 78–82. J. Zhang, G.P. Yin, Z.B. Wang, Y.Y. Shao, â€Å"Effects of MEA preparation on the performance of a direct methanol fuel cell†, Journal of Power Sources 160 (2006) 1035–1040. C. Ponce de Le ´on, F.C. Walsh, A. Rose, J.B. Lakeman, D.J. Browning, R.W. Reeve, â€Å"A direct borohydride—Acid peroxide fuel cell†, Journal of Power Sources 164 (2007) 441–448.

Ireland and Irish Nationalism in the Poetry of William Butler Yeats Ess

Ireland and Irish Nationalism in the Poetry of William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, a dramatist, and a prose writer - one of the greatest English-language poets of the twentieth century. (Yeats 1) His early poetry and drama acquired ideas from Irish fable and arcane study. (Eiermann 1) Yeats used the themes of nationalism, freedom from oppression, social division, and unity when writing about his country. Yeats, an Irish nationalist, used the three poems, â€Å"To Ireland in the Coming Times,† â€Å"September 1913† and â€Å"Easter 1916† which revealed an expression of his feelings about the War of Irish Independence through theme, mood and figurative language. The theme of nationalism dominates in â€Å"To Ireland in the Coming times† and in â€Å"Easter 1916.† In the former poem, Yeats suggested the idea of Irish brotherhood to achieve justice for Ireland, â€Å"True brother of a company, that sang, to sweeten Ireland’s wrong† (Finneran 50). Although he wanted to fight for Ireland’s freedom, he did not participate in any military activities. Instead, he used songs and poems to reflect the situation in Ireland: I cast my heart into my rhymes, That you, in the dim coming times, May know how my heart went with them (Finneran 51) In the latter poem, he mentioned the names of the national heroes such as MacDonagh who died for the rebellion (Abrams 2308) and said, â€Å"Now and in time to be, / Whenever green is worn,† (Finneran 182). Green, being the colour of the soldiers’ uniforms and also the national colour of Ireland, alluded that the war was still going on in Ireland. The theme of freedom from oppression was introduced in â€Å"September 1913.† Although Yeats loved his country, he often criticized it. He left Ireland after he publish... ...d support the themes and moods that he used in different poems and he persuaded his readers to believe what he said was true. When comparing these three different elements in the poems, mood is the most effective technique since nationalism is based on the emotions one feels for one’s country. The mood is what links the themes and figurative language that attract readers’ attention. Bibliography: Works Cited List Abrams, M. H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 5th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1986. Eiermann, Katharena. â€Å"Katharena’s ‘The Magic of Yeats’.† Yeats: Life and Times http://members.aol.com/KatharenaE/private/Pweek/Yeats/YLife.html (17 Feb. 2001). Finneran, Richard J. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats. 2nd ed. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996. â€Å"Yeats, William Butler†. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. 1996 ed.

“How to Poison the Earth” by Linnea Saukko Essay

The two main purposes Linnea Saukko has in â€Å"How to Poison the Earth† are persuasive and referential aims. She uses examples classification and descriptions to help the reader better understand the future of the planet if humans keep on the same path of destruction. The main modes she uses in the first paragraph are cause and effect, and later classification of pollution into ground water and air methods is used Saukko starts the essay off by saying, â€Å"Poisoning the earth can be difficult because the earth is always trying to cleanse and renew itself.† She not only uses sarcasm to make reader think what she is saying is meant to taken literally, but she classifies the main methods to poison the earth. She stress the need for toxic chemicals like uranium-238, plutonium, PCB, and DDT. Along with the need to spread those chemicals around the earth, she starts to persuade the reader that if those two parts happen, we will poison the earth. The next two paragraphs she emphasizes several ways to spread the toxins into the shell of the earth. She classifies those into deep-well and shallow-well injections, and dumping. The deep-well injections are to â€Å"ensure that the earth is poisoned all the way to the core,† while the shallow-well injections are to contaminate groundwater aquifers. In paragraph two she gives the reader examples of deep-well and shallow-well injections and how these will ensure that the core is poisoned. The third paragraph ties to the second by explaining that if humans place dumps by groundwater that this method and shallow-well injections will poison the water. Saukko sarcastically states that since there are only 50,000 dumps in the United States,† they should be located in areas where they will leak to the surrounding ground and surface water.† In paragraphs four, five, and six Saukko uses cause and effect to show how to bring pesticides and other poisons to lakes, rivers, and oceans. She explains that if plants absorb the pesticides, then the poison will end up in the ground water. She again sarcastically implies that â€Å"surface water is  very important to contaminate because it will transport the poisons to places that cannot be contaminated directly.† It is important for ground water to be poisoned so that lakes will be poisoned, since lakes can hold the poisons. The problem she talks about next is the rivers. Rivers act like a natural filter before water flows into the ocean. That is a cleansing effect where the problem lies. In the sixth paragraph she explains how the oceans act as a natural buffer for the toxins. She then evaluates that the only way to stop this buffer is to dump directly into the ocean. This will not only pollute the buffer, but transport toxins to places that cannot be reached otherwise. In the seventh paragraph she continues with the transportation by going into the air transportation part. She evaluates the cause and effect of combustion and evaporation to make acid rain. The acid rain destroys very few lakes and living animals, so the pollution will stay in the lakes, oceans, and rivers. She then explains that since â€Å"the lower atmosphere can cleanse itself fairly easily, we must explode nuclear test bombs.† The effect of this is that the radiation will circle the earth for years and destroy the atmosphere. But gravity will bring pull some of the radioactive particles to earth. The only way to fight the slowly decreasing radiation is to continue to set off nuclear bombs. Linnea Saukko’s essay is very effective. She uses persuasive and referential purposes to catch the reader’s attention, with sarcasm, and bring to attention the main methods to kill the planet. At first the essay seems to be aimed at promoting what will kill the planet, but later on it is informative on what we need to be aware of so that we do not kill the planet. The author provides more in depth ways of killing the planet, but for the most part Saukko makes a basic outline on how to prevent poisoning of the earth.

Gaining Muscle

Gaining Muscle Free Online Research Papers When it comes to being an athlete, weight is a very important factor; especially football. Usually when you hear about weight problems you always hear about people being overweight, you rarely hear about people being underweight. It sounds easy but gaining weight can actually be hard for some people, especially if you’re trying to gain it the right way. One important key factor in gaining weight is your diet. If you want to gain weight you have to eat a lot. Baked foods would be your best bet if you’re trying to gain lean weight. Foods that have a lot of carbs and protein would be the best foods to eat. You should eat as much protein as you weigh. If you weigh 215 pounds then you should aim for 215 grams of protein a day. An example of a healthy dinner with a lot of calories would be baked chicken with rice, green beans, and corn with a glass of water or if you really want to pack on the muscle then a glass of milk would go great with the meal. You can’t eat foods with a lot of sugar or salt because they will cause you to gain fat. Also when it comes to gaining lean weight it is very important that you don’t skip a meal. When you skip a meal and then eat your body stores it as fat because it does not know when youre going to eat again. You should eat 3 big meals a day if you’re trying to gain mass but for more lean mass you should eat 6 smaller meals a day to keep your metabolism going fast. Sometimes eating just isn’t enough. That’s where supplements come in to play. Protein shakes are a huge help in muscle gain. Protein shakes consist of many key vitamins that the body needs and tons of extra protein in case you’re not getting enough in the foods you’re eating. The best time to drink a protein shake is right after a workout because it replenishes your muscles with key nutrients and vitamins that were just lost during the workout. It is also good to drink a protein shake before bed because your body builds muscle while youre sleeping. A few good protein shakes that you can buy are Muscle Milk, CytoGainer, AMP, Muscle Tech, Whey, or NO Xlode. Rest is also an important part of gaining weight. You should at least get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. It is also important not to work out every day. When you workout you are basically tearing your muscles down. Thats what rest is for, your muscles have to rebuild themselves and if you consistently work your muscles they will continue to wear down and you will not get bigger. Your body has to get its rest so the muscles will continue to grow and get bigger. Working out is the final important part of gaining weight. If you are trying to bulk up then you have to do heavy weight and low reps. If you are trying to tone up then you should train with low weight and do high reps. When you workout it is best to work out lower or upper body one day, then the opposite the next day followed by a day of rest. Three of the most important lifts are bench press, squats, and dead lifts. So make sure you incorporate these lifts into your workout regimen. It is also important that you do cardio in order to minimize the amount of fat that you gain. You can go for a 30 to 45 minute walk or light jog every other night but not every night because you don’t want to burn too many calories. Research Papers on Gaining MuscleGenetic EngineeringAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Honest Iagos Truth through DeceptionThe Hockey GameThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Effects of Illegal Immigration

Introduction to the Agricola by Tacitus

Introduction to the Agricola by Tacitus Introduction | The Agricola | Translation Footnotes The Agricola of Tacitus. The Oxford Translation Revised, With Notes. With An Introduction by Edward Brooks, Jr. Very little is known concerning the life of Tacitus, the historian, except that which he tells us in his own writings and those incidents which are related to him by his contemporary, Pliny. The Date of the Birth of Tacitus His full name was Caius Cornelius Tacitus. The date of his birth can only be arrived at by conjecture, and then only approximately. The younger Pliny speaks of him as prope  modum aequales, about the same age. Pliny was born in 61. Tacitus, however, occupied the office of quaestor under Vespasian in 78 A.D., at which time he must, therefore, have been at least twenty-five years of age. This would fix the date of his birth not later than 53 A.D. It is probable, therefore, that Tacitus was Plinys senior by several years. Parentage His parentage is also a matter of pure conjecture. The name Cornelius was a common one among the Romans so from the name we can draw no inference. The fact that at an early age he occupied a prominent public office indicates that he was born of good family, and it is not impossible that his father was a certain Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman knight, who was procurator in Belgic Gaul, and whom the elder Pliny speaks of in his Natural History. Tacitus Upbringing Of the early life of Tacitus and the training which he underwent preparatory to those literary efforts which afterward rendered him a conspicuous figure among Roman literateurs we know absolutely nothing. Career Of the events of his life which transpired after he attained mans estate we know but little beyond that which he himself has recorded in his writings. He occupied a position of some eminence as a pleader at the Roman bar, and in 77 A.D. married the daughter of Julius Agricola, a humane and honorable citizen, who was at that time consul and was subsequently appointed the  governor of Britain. It is quite possible that this very advantageous alliance hastened his promotion to the office of quaestor under Vespasian. Under Domitian, in 88, Tacitus was appointed one of fifteen commissioners to preside at the celebration of the secular games. In the same year, he held the office of praetor  and was a member of one of the most select of the old priestly colleges, in which a prerequisite to membership was that a man should be born of a good family. Travels The following year he appears to have left Rome, and it is possible that he visited Germany and there obtained his knowledge and information respecting the manners and customs of its people which he makes the subject of his work known as the Germany.He did not return to Rome until 93, after an absence of four years, during which time his father-in-law died. Tacitus the Senator Sometime between the years 93 and 97 he was elected to the senate, and during this time witnessed the judicial murders of many of Romes best citizens which were perpetrated under the reign of Nero. Being himself a senator, he felt that he was not entirely guiltless of the crimes which were committed, and in his Agricola we find him giving expression to this feeling in the following words: Our own hands dragged Helvidius to prison; ourselves were tortured with the spectacle of Mauricus and Rusticus, and sprinkled with the innocent blood of Senecio. In 97 he was elected to the consulship as successor to Virginius Rufus, who died during his term of office and at whose funeral Tacitus delivered an oration in such a manner to cause Pliny to say, The good fortune of Virginius was crowned by having the most eloquent of panegyrists. Tacitus and Pliny as Prosecutors In 99 Tacitus was appointed by the senate, together with Pliny, to conduct the prosecution against a great political offender, Marius Priscus, who, as proconsul of Africa, had corruptly mismanaged the affairs of his province. We have his associates testimony that Tacitus made a most eloquent and dignified reply to the arguments which were urged on the part of the defense. The prosecution was successful, and both Pliny and Tacitus were awarded a vote of thanks by the senate for their eminent and effectual efforts in the management of the case. Date of Death The exact date of Tacituss death is not known, but in his Annals he seems to hint at the successful extension of the Emperor Trajans eastern campaigns during the years 115 to 117  so that it is probable that he lived until the year 117. Renown Tacitus had a widespread reputation during his lifetime. On one occasion it is related of him that as he sat in the circus at the celebration of some games, a Roman knight asked him whether he was from Italy or the provinces. Tacitus answered, You know me from your reading, to which the knight quickly replied, Are you then Tacitus or Pliny?It is also worthy of notice that the Emperor Marcus Claudius Tacitus, who reigned during the third century, claimed to be descended from the historian, and directed that ten copies of his works should be published every year and placed in the public libraries. The Works of Tacitus The list of the extant works of Tacitus is as follows: the Germany; the Life of Agricola; the Dialogue on Orators; the Histories, and the Annals. On the Translations Germany The following pages contain translations of the first two of these works. The Germany, the full title of which is Concerning the situation, manners, and inhabitants of Germany, contains little of value from a historical standpoint. It describes with vividness the fierce and independent spirit of the German nations, with many suggestions as to the dangers in which the empire stood of these people. The Agricola is a biographical sketch of the writers father-in-law, who, as has been said, was a distinguished man and governor of Britain. It is one of the authors earliest works and was probably written shortly after the death of Domitian, in 96. This work, short as it is, has always been considered an admirable specimen of a  biography on account of its grace and dignity of expression. Whatever else it may be, it is a graceful and affectionate tribute to an upright and excellent man. Dialogue on Orators The Dialogue on Orators treats of the decay of eloquence under the empire. It is in the form of a dialogue  and represents two eminent members of the Roman bar discussing the change for the worse that had taken place in the early education of the Roman youth. Histories The Histories relate the events which transpired in Rome, beginning with the accession of Galba, in 68, and ending with the reign of Domitian, in 97. Only four books and a fragment of a fifth have been preserved to us. These books contain an account of the brief reigns of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. The portion of the fifth book which has been preserved contains an interesting, though rather biased account of the character, customs, and religion of the Jewish nation viewed from the standpoint of a cultivated citizen of Rome. Annals The Annals contain the history of the empire from the death of Augustus, in 14, to the death of Nero, in 68, and originally consisted of sixteen books. Of these, only nine have come down to us in a state of entire preservation, and of the other seven we have but fragments of three. Out of a period of fifty-four years, we have the history of about forty. The Style The style of Tacitus is, perhaps, noted principally for its conciseness. Tacitean brevity is proverbial, and many of his sentences are so brief, and leave so much for the student to read between the lines, that in order to be understood and appreciated the author must be read over and over again, lest the reader miss the point of some of his most excellent thoughts. Such an author presents grave, if not insuperable, difficulties to the translator, but notwithstanding this fact, the following pages cannot but impress the reader with the genius of Tacitus. The Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola [This work is supposed by the commentators to have been written before the treatise on the manners of the Germans, in the third consulship of the emperor Nerva, and the second of Verginius Rufus, in the year of Rome 850, and of the Christian era 97. Brotier accedes to this opinion, but the reason which he assigns does not seem to be satisfactory. He observes that Tacitus, in the third section, mentions the emperor Nerva; but as he does not call him Divus Nerva, the deified Nerva, the learned commentator infers that Nerva was still living. This reasoning might have some weight, if we did not read, in section 44, that it was the ardent wish of Agricola that he might live to behold Trajan in the imperial seat. If Nerva was then alive, the wish to see another in his room would have been an awkward compliment to the reigning prince. It is, perhaps, for this reason, that Lipsius thinks this very elegant tract was written at the same time with the Manners of the Germans, in the beginning of the emperor Trajan. The question is not very material  since conjecture alone must decide it. The piece itself is admitted to be a masterpiece in the kind. Tacitus was son-in-law to Agricola; and while filial piety breathes through his work, he never departs from the integrity of his own character. He has left a historical monument highly interesting to every Briton, who wishes to know the manners of his ancestors, and the spirit of liberty that from the earliest time distinguished the natives of Britain. Agricola, as Hume observes, was the general who finally established the dominion of the Romans on this island. He governed  it in the reigns of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. He carried his victorious arms northward: defeated the Britons in every encounter, pierced into the forests and the mountains of Caledonia, reduced every state to subjection in the southern parts of the island, and chased before him all the men of fiercer and more intractable spirits, who deemed war and death itself less int olerable than servitude under the victors. He defeated them in a decisive action, which they fought under Galgacus; and having fixed a chain of garrisons between the friths of Clyde and Forth, he cut off the ruder and more barren parts of the island, and secured the Roman province from the incursions of the barbarous inhabitants. During these military enterprises, he neglected not the arts of peace. He introduced laws and civility among the Britons; taught them to desire and raise all the conveniences of life; reconciled them to the Roman language and manners; instructed them in letters and science; and employed every expedient to render those chains, which he had forged, both easy and agreeable to them. (Humes Hist. vol. i. p. 9.) In this passage, Mr. Hume has given a summary of the Life of Agricola. It is extended by Tacitus in a style more open than the didactic form of the essay on the German Manners required, but still with the precision, both in sentiment and diction, peculiar to the author. In rich but subdued colors he gives a striking picture of Agricola, leaving to posterity a portion of history which it would be in vain to seek in the dry gazette-style of Suetonius, or on the page of any writer of that period.] Introduction | The Agricola | Translation Footnotes

To an Athlete Dying Young by A. F. Housman (Poetry) Research Paper

To an Athlete Dying Young by A. F. Housman (Poetry) - Research Paper Example speaker congratulates the young and eminent athlete for dying at a young and prime age rather than dying at old age when one and all his or her achievements are forgotten. In the first line of the poem â€Å"To an Athlete Dying Young†, the author Housman tries to illustrate the great accomplishment of the young athlete who brought proud to his people by winning a race. This great achievement of winning a race was so dear to the people of his town that they carried him shoulder high, praising him as they pass through the market to his home (Housman, 1-3). The significance of his achievement is also seen in the manner in which everybody both young and old cheered the young hero in the second, third and fourth line in the first stanza of the poem. The cheering of the hero as he passes through the crowd is also witnessed in the manner in which the former United states president JF Kennedy got cheered and applauded during his tour of campaign. Owing to what he had achieved so far, although being a young president of 46 years for the people of America, the president received accolades in both republican and democratic states. The young athlete because of the pride and accomplishment he brought to his people earned him fame and love by his people and this can also be compared to the love and fame the young John .F. Kennedy enjoyed from the people during his tenure as the president of the United States of America. President Kennedy became famous and a darling to many American families owing to the great achievements he accomplished in both domestic policies and foreign policy achievements (Jim Jarris, pg 17). For instance, with respect to domestic achievement, President Kennedy promoted domestic programs and policies that encourage the federal funding of education, economic aid to rural areas, comprehensive medical care for the elderly American in the society and federal intervention to stop the recession of the moment. The president also signed orders and policies

Theism in a Postmodern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Theism in a Postmodern World - Essay Example One, religion in ancient times was in very close relation with the secular government. For example, the pharaohs in Egypt as well as the Emperors in Rome, represented deities that had to be worshiped. They also represented high priests and performed or played a part many religious customs. The Christians' refusal to except the divine nature of the roman emperor seemed as a direct opposition to the emperor's political power, and this reason prompted the Caesars to persecute the Christian faith. The second reason is the teaching of equality and the nature of the afterlife presented through evangelism. The belief that the one omnipotent God will comfort the weak and the poor and will punish the rich and merciless aristocracy represented a social idea that quickly spread through the majority of the disenfranchised population. This was seen as a possible threat to the political power of the roman emperor and aristocracy. By the beginning of the forth century, Christianity became a widespread religion in the Roman world. This forced the roman emperor Constantine to proclaim that Christianity is a free and equal religion. Constantine himself also was baptised and became a Christian. As the empire was divided, so was the influence of the church. In the West, as the political power of the Emperor diminished, the church and the Bishop of Rome, gained larger political and cultural roles in the West Roman Empire. In the East, there was an enormous influence of the church in political matter, but nevertheless, the main secular power remained in the hands of Constantinople's rulers. During the middle Ages, the influence of the Church in state matters and in culture during the period is self-evident. Despite the Great Schism in 1054, when the church was divided in Western Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, both churches retained enormous political influence. The Pope anointed Christian secular rulers in Europe, and the anointment itself presented the ruler's of Europe as rulers chosen by God himself. It also had an influence over the European continent as a whole, being the main progenitor of the Crusades, as a result of the Turkish conquests in the Middle East. As stated previously, the church and generally Christianity had a major influence on the way of life and culture in the middle ages. Paintings and other art works were exclusively of religious nature. Most literature works were connected with doctrinal law, including the writings of St. Augustine and St. Thomas of Acquitane. Another important fact that has to be mentioned is the fact that secular laws were in close connection with canonical laws. This provided the church with means to influence the lives of everyday citizens of the European kingdoms. Practicing prostitution, homosexuality or even expressing certain scientific ideas that were opposed to the church's beliefs were punished. Most notably, the existence of the Inquisition and the witch-hunts that were performed by this church institution expressed the influence the church had over the live of ordinary people. During