Essay on Once More to the Lake

An Analysis of E. B Whites, â€Å"Once More to the Lake† In E. B Whites essay, â€Å"Once More to the Lake† he reflects on his summer outing with his son. Throughout the trip, memories of his childhood, long forgotten, resurface themselves as he experiences the same vacation with his own son. These memories create in him a feeling as if time has not changed and that he is reliving his old days. His father used to take him to the same camping spot as a boy.He was certain that there would be changes since then, but on arrival his senses are awakened and old feelings revived as he takes in the unchanged sights, sounds, and smells of the peaceful lake in Maine. The overall theme of this story is the acceptance of aging and the passing of time. The passage of time throughout the story has a relentless hold on White, he struggles throughout as reality becomes harder and harder for him to grasp. The author incorporates many literary devices which add to his overall vivid descr iptions and comparisons, a few which include: imagery, tone, and symbolism.By these techniques the narrator is able to set the reader’s imagination on fire! Throughout this literary work detailed comparisons are blended in as he remembers his own vacation to the lake as a young boy. These comparisons make it hard for him to face the fact that he has aged very much since that time. The feelings and emotions these reincarnated memories create bring about sensations of a â€Å"dual existence† (25) in White. The narrators detailed diction in describing these emotions and senses that are being brought back and relived, arouse similar feelings in the reader.It makes us empathize for the now, grown man. He remembers such things as the smell of his bedroom, â€Å"picking up a bait box, or a table fork† (25), as well as many other intricate details. Everything seems to bring him back to the cherished memories he had stored for so many years of him camping on the lake wit h his own father. The imagery used in the essay enhances the overall experience. Another important technique which adds to this story is how the author meticulously compares the past with the present. For the duration of the story White repeats the same phrase, â€Å"there has been no years† (25, 26).He feels as if time is at a standstill. The tone that the speaker incorporates, works to bring out deep emotions in the reader. We feel for him as he describes this, â€Å"utterly enchanted sea† (26). The reverence he has for the, â€Å"peace, and goodness, and jollity† (27) of this special place reveals itself in multiple occasions of the story. He upholds this seemingly sanctuary in the utmost respect as it holds the memories of him and his father. In the course of time, this dwelling place of remembrance will rebirth into future generations.Something’s that have changed about the place, bring white back to the reality of time and aging. He speaks of how he came upon an old path used by horse drawn carriages back in his day, it used to have three tracks, but now that the automobile was invented only two were seem, etched in the dirt, tire tracks from the cars passing to and from. He states that for a moment he, â€Å"missed terribly the middle alternative† (26). Although this actuality is brought up, White pushes it aside and adopts his dual existence willingly.He continues to imagine that he is his father, and his son, is in fact him, he states, â€Å"which was I, the one walking at my side, the one walking in my pants† (28). White notices another difference, in this otherwise, so familiar place, it was the sound of outboard motors, â€Å"unfamiliar nervous sound† (27). They are sounds that bring him out of his dream world; he is distraught over these changes. This makes us believe that the very thought of these dissimilarities were unbearable for him to cope with. He was in denial of the fact that time had passe d.The symbolism used in this essay is brought about in a clear manner when White describes the thunderstorm. This storm is used to represent a sort of rebirth. The rain comes and there is a sudden sense that there is a, â€Å"return of light, and hope, and spirits† (29). At this point he begins to see the trip in a whole new perspective or â€Å"light† (29). He is hit with a sudden realization that though everything seems just the same, he can make the connection that this is a new generation and new memories are soon to be fabricated, â€Å"linking the generations in a strong, indestructible chain† (29).In the end he is forced to face the absoluteness of time. As he watches his son slip into his cold, wet swimming trunks he once again imagines it is himself then he is suddenly hit with a, â€Å"chill of death† (29). He realizes that switching places with his father also means he is going to die. He is brought to the fact that much time has passed. This l eads to his concluding acceptance of his own mortality. He wanted so dearly to hold onto the memories of old and never acknowledge the fact that the times had changed, yet deep down he knew that this would be impossible.In the end White embraced the process of aging and found the good that could stem from it; but it was clear that throughout the narrative the overall theme was his struggle in the acceptance of aging and the passing of time. He concludes that eventually he can use these memories and experiences to connect with future generations of his son, and furthermore his son’s son. He did not have to hold onto the false idea that aging was a curse but he was able to let go and take it as more of a blessing.He would be able to pass these memories on for years and years to come. People should certainly accept the fact that everyone ages and time goes by quick. Every new moment counts and wonderful memories, experiences, and also wisdom can ultimately be cherished and passe d on to further generations of people through these durations of time. Abraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years†, this quote rings true in the inspirational story, â€Å"Once More to the Lake†.

Financial Accounts The Assignment Liam O’Brady

Financial Accounts The Assignment Liam O’Brady owns a business selling musical instruments. The following trial balance has been extracted from the books of account at 31 October 2012. DrCr Bank balance19281 Capital balance as at 1 November 201161489 Carriage inwards480 Carriage outwards2110 Discounts664811 Drawings28650 Fixtures and fittings – at cost62200 Fixtures and fitting – provision for depreciation27990 General expenses7436 Insurance1158 Purchases and sales129745206543 Rent and rates10926 Returns375619 Inventory at 1 November 201148560Accounts receivable and payable1128516407 Wages and salaries29551 333140333140 Additional information: W ages owing to employees at the period end amounted to ? 830. The accountants invoice for preparing the full accounts is expected to be ? 720 Liam plays drums as a hobby. During the year, he took various items from the business for his own use. The items had a cost price of ? 1760 The landlord charges a total of ? 8000 pe r annum and the local authority levies rates at ? 2400 per annum. Included in Accounts Receivable is an invoiced amount of ? 207.This has been outstanding for almost 12 months, and Liam accepts that it will not be paid. He also anticipates that 5% of the Accounts Receivable balance might not be paid. He thinks that provision should be made for this now. Liam has recently discovered a small number of invoices which he paid for with his personal credit. Card. They total ? 642 and are mostly for materials used to repair the shop counter. Depreciation is to be provided on fixtures and fittings at 20% per annum using the straight line basis. During the year, Liam purchased a light van for ? 4200.This is to be included in the business and depreciation provided at 25% per annum using the reducing balance basis. Stocks as at 31 October 2012 According to the stock records as at 7 November 2012, the stock, valued at cost, came to ? 55630. During November sales of ? 3225 were recorded, as were purchases of ? 2300. The following matters also need to be taken into consideration: Eight classical guitars costing ? 220 each need to be repaired before they can be sold. It is expected that each guitar will cost ? 35 to repair and that they can then be sold for ? 260 each. Two drum kits, costing ? 00, would normally sell for ? 1200. They have been â€Å"on sale† at ? 1175 each for several months. It is decided to drop the sale price even further to ? 975 each and to re-skin some of the drums at a total cost of ? 130. According to the stock records, there are 27 recorders, with a value of ? 4 each. The stock-take revealed that there were only 22 recorders. G hjkjhlhljhjn Liam O’BradyRequired tasks Task 1 Review the additional information items and prepare the journals that will be required. Each journal is to include a brief description indicating why it is required. Task 2Stock is to be valued in accordance with accepted accounting practice. State what the standard practice is. Prepare a memorandum note for Liam O’Brady explaining any adjustments you propose to make to the stated stock value (? 55630). State the final stock value that you propose to use. Show any workings. Task 3 Using the information given above prepare the Income Statement (Trading, profit and loss account) for the year ended 31 October 2012 and Statement of Financial Position (Balance sheet) as at 31 October 2012 Task 4 Liam O’Brady has used a manual accounting system for several years.After meeting with fellow businessmen at a local Chamber of Commerce workshop, he is now thinking about computerising the accounts and sales control aspects of his record systems. He is asking for your comments / advice about the matter. After carrying out suitable research, you are to prepare a formal report for Mr O’Brady which identifies possible advantages and disadvantages of computerising the accounts function. You are not required to identify, or be familiar with, any particular accounting software package that is in the marketplace. SUBMISSION DATE:Thursday 14 January 2013

Children education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Children education - Essay Example In terms of the findings by Bottini & Grossman (2005) all factors have implications to my teaching. Students in the traditional classroom were expected to sit and listen to the teacher and then work independently with little if any time allowed for interaction; whereas students in the center-based classroom (centers focused on science, art, mathematics, reading, writing and computers) were able to explore and experiment to create their own learning and knowledge with the teacher guiding and helping them. The inclusion of subjects such as art, music and physical education were provided within specific allotted times in the traditional class but in the center-based classroom such subjects were provided at random and more often, thus creating a more conducive environment for learning. The teacher within the traditional classroom wasted a lot of time reprimanding students on their bad behavior – bad behavior caused by having to sit for long periods of time with no interaction with peers or teacher, and the fact that some students finished a task more quickly than others and so had time to waste while those taking longer became agitated and disturbed.

Describe a balanced, integrated learning experience that would extend Essay

Describe a balanced, integrated learning experience that would extend the child(ren)'s learning in the area of interests, sicenc - Essay Example Geist (2001) contends that quantification is the basis for formal math. It synthesizes order by allowing an individual to count chronologically in a specific sequence and each object is counted only once. Babbington (2003) believes that opportunities abound to learn math and these need to be maximized by allowing children to engage in the activities themselves. Science The children’s own observations and comparisons (smooth wood vs. hard wood; sinking vs. floating) remained active throughout their play. DeBoo (2006) believes that observation is the most important skill in enquiry. Putting the wooden boats in the water, they explored how each will move by pushing it real hard. They discovered that some things float and some things sink. This shows that the children have pre-knowledge of the concepts of force and inertia and sinking and floating. While playing, their minds remain active and constantly coming up with new ideas. Paula observed that her boat does not go straight an d just goes around in circles. At this point, she may be associating her boat’s shape with the direction it goes. She thinks having a more triangular front will make it go faster. Another idea is Hone’s perception that his boat will be more stable if he adds more pieces of wood to it to balance it and make it float better. This is another example of scientific knowledge in physics although it is not explicit. Discovering a bumble bee in the water was another stimulant for scientific thinking. Paula knows that it can swim and may sting if touched. This is knowledge of biology and how living things survive. This may have been learned from previous experience or discussion about bees. It is good for children to be exposed to learning about their physical world. They are encouraged to develop an understanding of what things are made of and how other objects can associate with it (Backshall, n.d.) Technology In the beginning of the story, Hone volunteered to get hammer and nails for Paula because they wanted to build their own boats from scratch. Both children were familiar with the tools. However, since they are very young and still lacking in motor skills, they decided to collaborate in using the technology. While Hone hammers in the nail, Paula was tasked to hold on to the nail while she held it down with pliers. Not convinced that the boat will be fast enough, Paula suggested hers will have a â€Å"sharp bit at the front, like a triangle† and knew that she needed a saw to contour her boat. Howitt et al. (2007) believe that science should be hands-on and the manipulation of technology such as the tools of hammer & nails and saw is a reflection that children are allowed to explore and do science in their environment. Reference Babbington, S. (2003). The magic of early childhood mathematics. In Ministry of Education, Convention proceedings: Papers presented at the 8th Early Childhood Convention, 22-25 September 2003, Palmerston North/Manawatu, New Zealand. Backshall, B. ( ) Science for Infants and Toddlers. The First Years: New Zealand Journal of Infant and Toddler Education, Vol. 2, Issue 2. DeBoo, M. (2006) Chapter 16: Science in the Early Years Geist, E. (2001) Children are Born Mathematicians: Promoting the Construction of Early Mathematical Concepts in Children Under Five, Young Children, July, 2001 Howitt, C., Morris, M., & Colvill, M. (2007). Science teaching and learning in the early childhood years. In V. Dawson & G. Venville (Eds.), The art of teaching primary science (pp. 233-247).

Sociocultural influences on conflict resolution and post-war Research Paper

Sociocultural influences on conflict resolution and post-war reconstruction - Research Paper Example A good example is the United States election and especially the 2008 elections that pitted president Obama against senator McCain2. The nation has found itself in a reconstruction program in both Afghanistan and Iraq in the aftermath of its anti-terrorism missions in the said countries. Elsewhere, there have been various peace-building projects, national building programs, political mediations and other post war and conflict reconstruction programs that are being undertaken by international bodies like the United Nations and other regional or supranational agencies. However, such efforts have not always been smooth and have been met with a lot of challenges both of logistical and ideological nature. The ever-changing global environment that has meant that the approach for conflict resolution and reconstruction has had to be varied has further compounded this situation. A major driver of this dynamism has been the constantly shifting international relations3 in what has been summed up by many scholars and foreign policy analysts as the â€Å"clash of civilizations†4. This paper will closely examine one of the major factors that has influenced post war and conflict reconstruction in the world today – socio cultural constructs. ... However, other nation building programs in the world shall also be mentioned for the purposes of providing a clearer picture of how socio cultural factors have been a major influence on post war reconstruction and conflict resolution. Most conflicts in the world have been down to the strategies that have been involved. By looking at the socio-cultural influences on nation building efforts, this paper will enable the appropriate formulation of strategies to tackle the dynamism in the global environment that has been largely pushed by this factor. With rising clamor for democracy among nations that were formerly communist in nature, there have been numerous conflicts that have come with such adjustments and this has sometimes led to intra and international tensions that have resulted into conflicts. The Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts These two countries have seen a lot of instability that dates back to a century with Afghanistan facing a larger share of this conflict. To begin, the U.S – Iraqi conflict dates back in the year 19905 when the country’s tyrannical forces led an invasion on its neighbor, Kuwait. The United States was at the forefront of resolving this conflict by demanding an immediate withdrawal of Iraqi troops from the Kuwaiti soil. President George H Bush decided to use military intervention after diplomatic efforts from the United Nations did not bear any fruit and this worked. Regardless of the intervention, internal conditions in the Saddam Hussein led state was worsening. There were concerns by the international community that the regime was oppressing the minority, developing both biological and mechanical weapons among other violations of human rights and

Transgendered' honesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Transgendered' honesty - Essay Example Therefore, the paper establishes a discussion that seeks to determine whether transpeople are oppressed in the society, and the nature of oppression. It will also offer recommendations on how the problem of oppression to the transpeople should be solved, and respond to philosophers such as Talia Bettecher, in relation to the existence of transphobia. On the other hand, the term transsexual is a term referring to the individual using hormonal and surgical expertise to change their body in a way interpreted as chances with sex assignment of birth, and may be readily understandable in conditions of the conventional convictions of sexed bodies. This term has been conventionally related to a psychiatric conviction like gender dysphoria, and it is associated by the nature of being "trapped in the wrong body" though it is redeployed in ways that are amenable to transgender. The term transsexual relates to a deep conviction that gender identifies a match of the appearance or anatomy, which t hey desire to present to the world in a different gender to the one assigned at during birth. This is a condition that is referred to as dysphoria, whereby people undergoes hormone therapy based on the birth gender and the gender they are willing to acquire, and others undergo surgery in order to conform to their gender identity. Transsexualism has been an ancient part of the human experience, and it is not considered a medical illness or a mental disorder since it is a desire to alter the expression of gender identity (Bettcher, 46). People have the rights of expressing their gender through changes in their physical appearance, which entail hormones and reconstructive surgery. Therefore, there is significant distress experienced by those, who are denied the rights to exercise control over their body in terms of expressing their gender, through accessibility of medical services. In fact, they suffer from reduction of the social economic and sexual function capacity; thus, they healt h care providers engaged in transsexual services should charge a reasonable fee for these services. Furthermore, there is a form of discrimination associated with provision of sex reassignment services, which are based on sexual orientation, marital status and physical appearance of patients. Transphobia is a term referring to the fear of transpeople, and the negative attitudes, which relates to hatred, loathing, rage, moral indignation that is harbored towards Transpeople because of gender enactment. Nevertheless, these attitudes are attributed to violence against Transpeople, and this is evident through fourteen murders of transpeople reported during 2003 in United States and thirty eights in other places of the world; thus, there is a consistency of high degree in relation to transphobic abuse against transpeople, whereby eighty percent of reported cases, thirty percent is physical assault. Transpeople have been subjected to a form of oppression about their privacy and dignity, i n a situation where they are involved as victims of crime in a prosecution. For instance, the reports made indicate that victims of physical transphobic hate crimes avoid exposing themselves as trans through the nature of the crime. Moreover, there is fear associated with living with neighbors, employers, community, when they have permanently gained their gender role, due to the chances of being discovered as trans. In this case, the fear of being

Corporate Finance Company Profile Ebay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Finance Company Profile Ebay - Essay Example A significant boost is recorded in the year 2008 mainly due to the control on revenue expenditures and also on the fixed charges which are in the form of interest expense. The credit mainly goes to the management who has taken corrective measures like controlling fixed and operating expenses which have made a significant impression on eBay’s net income. The slight increment in cash and cash equivalent in the year 2008 with 20% as compared to the year 2007, may be a result of the fact that the company has invested in securities, paying-off liabilities, etc. It is quite obvious that management has been able to implement effective cash management techniques. The cash flow of eBay from 2006 to 2008 suggests that its operating activities are slightly high in the year 2008, amounting to $2,881,995m in comparison with the rest of the years, due to its massive business volume and operations; there has been an increase in the operating activities of the company. EBay’s management has, however, made huge investments in property plant and equipment, because of which its investing activities are higher in the year 2008, primarily, due to the principal loans receivable, in comparison with the years 2006 and 2007. eBay’s financing activities mainly consist of repurchases of common stock. The sole reason behind treasury stock is to regain the market position by increasing the value of its stock. eBay’s management has never paid cash dividends on their stocks and also there is no clear indication of it happening in the near future. And hence it is impossible to observe the dividend yield and dividend growth pattern of eBay (Annual Reports, 2008). Due to the expansion in the business company require some fixed asset for maximum use of the resources for uplifting the business operation and meets the customer demand so there is a slight variation in the year 2008 with respect to other years.

Database paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Database paper - Essay Example Prevention of unauthorized access and efficient solutions for failure recovery are also provided by a database server. For enterprise grid computing Oracle Database is the first database designed to manage information and applications in the most flexible and cost effective way. Huge pools of industry-standard, modular storage and servers are created by enterprise grid computing. Each and every new system can be quickly provisioned from the pool of components with the help of this architecture. When required capacity can be easily added or reallocated from the resource pools so there is no need for peak workloads. The database consists of two structures: logical and physical. The logical structures including table spaces, segments, and extents, dictate how the physical space of a database is used. The physical structure is determined by the operating system files that constitute the database. The physical storage of data can be controlled without affecting the access to logical storage structures due to the reason that the physical and logical structures are separate (Michele, 2005). The figure represents the components of Oracle application server 10 g. In computing, the Oracle Application Server 10g (the "g" stands for grid), consists of an integrated, standards-based software platform. Database recovery is made possible with the help of transaction management. Backup and logging are the main features that help to recover the database. Oracle makes use of techniques that are typically more superior for managing recovery than other database systems. The discretionary control over access to objects based on privileges helps to achieve authorization and security. Referential integrity between tables helps to achieve consistency and integrity. General Review of Oracle A database system helps user to transform the data into information and also gives the user access to their data. Oracle is one example of such a database system. Creating, updating and extracting of information are made possible with the help of a database system. A database system has some key advantages like speed, accuracy and accessibility. Each item is stored in its own field in Oracle. The field's name defines its contents. A field has little or no importance until it is used within the context of other fields. In Oracle a record is a complete unit of data made of a person, thing or event. A collection of fields forms a record. Each and every field in a record has a different name. The requirement analysis of a business must identify all the fields in an Oracle database design project. There are a number of characteristics of Oracle. There is a complex relationship between objects and queries are based on these complex relationships between objects. Oracle allows complicated transaction based updates and provides update tools that make use of them. It is purely centralized. Oracle can be used to handle a very wide range of problems as it is a general purpose tool. It helps to perform complex analysis on data where the relationship between elements of data is non-trivial. Making complex queries about the relations between objects is one of the major strengths of Oracle. Linking the data in multiple tables is made very easy with its help. It enables to define relationships between the tables when data is stored in two or more tables. Data is represented in tables with values in columns within rows (Craig, 2008). Oracle generally

Personal Development Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Development Plan - Essay Example It contains details recommendations with regard to introduction that should be made in order to make the positive changes come true. This is particularly important since it shows that the two ethical theories that are being discussed can be effectively applied in practice making a person a better leader. For example, the call for not treating people as means, but only as end urges a leader to respect each of the followers and never allow one to become a faceless unit that is used to achieve a certain purpose. The idea of good will is linked to the idea of perspective and the ability of a leader to outline the development of the group and facilitate it. The text also features an outline for discussion regarding integration of the two theories in question into a personal leadership plan in order to achieve a stronger presence. Thus, the Categorical imperative will contribute to the ability of a leader to choose the right option all the time and Justice as Fairness approach will ensure the appreciation of the followers. It may be particularly important to explore the values and standards that reflect the meaning of each ethical theory. The first aspect that should be remembered with regard to Categorical imperative is the need treat people as ends and never as means (Cornman & Lehrer, 1968, p. 336). This reflects the universal appreciation of one’s significance and dignity and should be maintained by all the people. Another point that should be mentioned is the notion of good will (Paton, 1971, p. 201). This means that the consequences of the action may not fully define the nature of the action, but it is good will of the subject that also should be taken into account. Indeed, if a person performs action that is largely considered to be a moral one because of the reasons that are not considered to be moral, it is obvious that on the whole the action will not be recognized as a good one. Finally, one of

Cult and Brainwashing Essay Example for Free

Cult and Brainwashing Essay Brain washing which entails coercive persuasion to eradicate former beliefs and institute in their place new beliefs, has been widely linked to the emergence of cultic groups. Concerns on the motivating factor behind an individual’s acceptance to join a cultic group have been the subject of research and controversies from numerous studies. From these studies it can be surmised that the justification of an individual’s decision to join cultic groups could either be serious family problems and non family related issues, or relational issues with both family and peers. In addition, individuals with a high predisposition to crises and those who have had put up with the absence of a father during their childhood were also found to be more susceptible to join cultic groups. In social psychology, cult development and brain washing are interrelated issues that often attract disputes. Brain washing is often used to denote the process by which individual persons are influenced through a process that is manifested intentionally and through systematically applied techniques that are not only traumatizing, but are also aimed at instilling obedience through ideological resocialization (Dawson, 2003). Through the use of coercive persuasion, former beliefs are eradicated and new beliefs instituted in their place. It may also comprise manipulation of an individual’s social influence systematically (Kaplan Hellen, 2005). Its existence in the field of social psychology is a widely disputed topic due to the fact that it is not a recognized theoretical concept, but rather a sensationalist’s explanation that is used in reference to cultists and revival preachers. Not only do parties disagree on whether social process that attempt to influence individuals coercively exist, but the existence of their social outcome, which entails that individuals become influenced contrary to their will, is also an issue that elicits concern (Taylor Taylor, 2005). Critics of the brain washing perspective argue that it presents a simplistic perspective to be employed by those intent on locating effective social weapons to counter disfavored groups. They therefore, contend that any perceived relative success on those efforts aimed at achieving social control should obscure the fact that the notion of brain washing lacks a scientific basis to support the exposed opinions. Despite the negative attributes levied on cults, they also carry intrinsic advantages. One such merit is that they are seen as channels of transition to individual members. Even though members do not always belong to cults on a permanent basis, the experience they have while in cultic groups is often an exhilarating one, as they often recount (Wilson Cresswell, 1999). Proponents of cultic movements often cite clinical studies done on the psychological effects of becoming a member of a cultic group as the basis for favoring these groups. According to these studies, becoming a member of a cultic group has a therapeutic effect rather than a harmful effect. Other studies carried on cultist practices have also shown that what may be regarded as psychopathology of religious or spiritual nature may be a means for spiritual growth and expression of religious affiliation and religious stage (Kaplan Hellen, 2005). The notion of brain washing may also be a subtle form of behavior control which entails a system of reward or punishment for action. Education is a noteworthy example of behavior control mechanism targeted at achieving a desired behavior (Dawson, 2003). When behavior modification techniques are employed in a loving, caring and consistent manner, a change of behavior often results without feelings of resentment. On the contrary, perversion of behavior control techniques results in damage to emotions and psyche. Cults use a perverted form of behavior modification that ultimately damages the emotions of the individual. Through cognitive dissonance, cultic groups are able to remain strong even in the face of a failure of their predictions (Taylor Taylor, 2005). Social psychology espouses that cult development is founded on a basic premise of cognitive dissonance which explains why some cult adherents tend to become even stronger and resolute when their predictions fail. These individuals often find ways of coping psychologically with the experienced failure and they dissociate from the failure through: control of behavior, control of thoughts, and control of emotions. These three elements are interdependent, implying that when one is eliminated the others cease to operate effectively. Moreover, when the three elements are altered, the affected individual goes through a complete change (Wilson Cresswell, 1999). Behavior control entails management of a person’s physical reality which involves such aspects as an individual’s place of residence, employment, what an individual eats and where he or she sleeps (Kaplan Hellen, 2005). It explains why most cults impose stringent schedules for its members. In extreme cases, a cult member can willfully participate in his punishment, believing that he deserve it! Thought control, on the other hand, involves thought indoctrination of its members to the extent that members manipulate their own thought processes. An ideology held by the cultists is internalized as the correct ideology and forms a set of belief system through which information received by an individual member of the cult is filtered and processed before either being rejected or accepted. Through the use of a unique and specific language member’s’ thought processes are regulated in a manner that alienates them from a non cultic groups (Wilson Cresswell, 1999). Another mechanism employed by cultic groups is the thought- stopping techniques, which involves the use of mediation, singing, chanting or concentrated praying, which harbors an individual’s ability to test the reality. The person desists from blaming the group and shifts the blame to him in the event of a problem (Taylor Taylor, 2005). On the other hand, emotional control involves manipulation of an individual’s range of feelings. Control is achieved through the propagation of guilt and anxiety. The fear of being ostracized by cult leaders if a member is not seen to be adhering to the practices of the cult is created. Moreover, use of phobia indoctrination that elicits a panic reaction in an individual, helps ensure the individual remains in the cult, every time the individual thinks of leaving the group (Dawson, 2003). Another component of cognitive dissonance is information control which involves managing of the group member’s source of information. This is founded on the basic premise that denying people information needed to make sound judgment is usually expected to render them incapable of making those changes. This notion is widely employed in cultic groups, resulting in psychological chains that lock away its adherent from realities in the society (Kaplan Hellen, 2005). Susceptible Groups Of particular concern to the field of social psychology is the motivating factor behind an individual’s acceptance to join a particular cult. Numerous studies surmised from persons who formerly belonged to cult groups have in many occasions found a link between their joining cults and serious family and non family problems (Dawson, 2003). Typical issues such as a history of poor relationships both with individual’s family and peers were characteristic of these individuals. In addition it was also noted that young individuals with a high predisposition to crises also tended to join cults (Taylor Taylor, 2005). Still other studied note that those who have had to put with the absence of a father during childhood and who face a myriad of challenges often join cults. These observations have also been found to be consistent with a study that indicated that non converts tended to hold less authoritarian values compared to new converts to cults. Cults have been discredited with fostering, regression, paralysis of thought and dislocation of reality. The negative characterization of cults may however, be a result of interviewing former cult members , who may have left due to dissatisfaction, and who are thus predisposed to give negative views (Taylor Taylor, 2005). Reference Dawson, L. L. (2003). Cults and new religious movements: a reader. New York. Wiley-Blackwell. Kaplan, J. , Hellen, L. (2002). The cultic milieu: oppositional subcultures in an age of globalization. New York. Rowman Altamira. Taylor, K. , Taylor, K. E. (2005). Brainwashing: The Dream of Mind Control. New York. Oxford UP. Wilson, B. R. , Cresswell, J. (1999). New Religious Movements: Challenge and Response. Belmont, CA. Routledge.

Shared Memory MIMD Architectures

Shared Memory MIMD Architectures Introduction to MIMD Architectures: Multiple instruction stream, multiple data stream (MIMD) machines have a number of processors that function asynchronously and independently. At any time, different processors may be executing different instructions on different pieces of data. MIMD architectures may be used in a number of application areas such as computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, simulation, modeling, and as communication switches. MIMD machines can be of either shared memory or distributed memory categories. These classifications are based on how MIMD processors access memory. Shared memory machines may be of the bus-based, extended, or hierarchical type. Distributed memory machines may have hypercube or mesh interconnection schemes. MIMD A type of multiprocessor architecture in which several instruction cycles may be active at any given time, each independently fetching instructions and operands into multiple processing units and operating on them in a concurrent fashion. Acronym for multiple-instruction-stream. Bottom of Form (Multiple Instruction stream Multiple Data stream) A computer that can process two or more independent sets of instructions simultaneously on two or more sets of data. Computers with multiple CPUs or single CPUs with dual cores are examples of MIMD architecture. Hyperthreading also results in a certain degree of MIMD performance as well. Contrast with SIMD. In computing, MIMD (Multiple Instruction stream, Multiple Data stream) is a technique employed to achieve parallelism. Machines using MIMD have a number of processors that function asynchronously and independently. At any time, different processors may be executing different instructions on different pieces of data. MIMD architectures may be used in a number of application areas such as computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, simulation, modeling, and as communication switches. MIMD machines can be of either shared memory or distributed memory categories. These classifications are based on how MIMD processors access memory. Shared memory machines may be of the bus-based, extended, or hierarchical type. Distributed memory machines may have hypercube or mesh interconnection schemes. Multiple Instruction Multiple Data MIMD architectures have multiple processors that each execute an independent stream (sequence) of machine instructions. The processors execute these instructions by using any accessible data rather than being forced to operate upon a single, shared data stream. Hence, at any given time, an MIMD system can be using as many different instruction streams and data streams as there are processors. Although software processes executing on MIMD architectures can be synchronized by passing data among processors through an interconnection network, or by having processors examine data in a shared memory, the processors autonomous execution makes MIMD architectures asynchronous machines. Shared Memory: Bus-based MIMD machines with shared memory have processors which share a common, central memory. In the simplest form, all processors are attached to a bus which connects them to memory. This setup is called bus-based shared memory. Bus-based machines may have another bus that enables them to communicate directly with one another. This additional bus is used for synchronization among the processors. When using bus-based shared memory MIMD machines, only a small number of processors can be supported. There is contention among the processors for access to shared memory, so these machines are limited for this reason. These machines may be incrementally expanded up to the point where there is too much contention on the bus. Shared Memory: Extended MIMD machines with extended shared memory attempt to avoid or reduce the contention among processors for shared memory by subdividing the memory into a number of independent memory units. These memory units are connected to the processsors by an interconnection network. The memory units are treated as a unified central memory. One type of interconnection network for this type of architecture is a crossbar switching network. In this scheme, N processors are linked to M memory units which requires N times M switches. This is not an economically feasible setup for connecting a large number of processors. Shared Memory: Hierarchical MIMD machines with hierarchical shared memory use a hierarchy of buses to give processors access to each others memory. Processors on different boards may communicate through inter nodal buses. Buses support communication between boards. We use this type of architecture, the machine may support over a thousand processors. In computing, shared memory is memory that may be simultaneously accessed by multiple programs with an intent to provide communication among them or avoid redundant copies. Depending on context, programs may run on a single processor or on multiple separate processors. Using memory for communication inside a single program, for example among its multiple threads, is generally not referred to as shared memory IN HARDWARE In computer hardware, shared memory refers to a (typically) large block of random access memory that can be accessed by several different central processing units (CPUs) in a multiple-processor computer system. A shared memory system is relatively easy to program since all processors share a single view of data and the communication between processors can be as fast as memory accesses to a same location. The issue with shared memory systems is that many CPUs need fast access to memory and will likely cache memory, which has two complications: CPU-to-memory connection becomes a bottleneck. Shared memory computers cannot scale very well. Most of them have ten or fewer processors. Cache coherence: Whenever one cache is updated with information that may be used by other processors, the change needs to be reflected to the other processors, otherwise the different processors will be working with incoherent data (see cache coherence and memory coherence). Such coherence protocols can, when they work well, provide extremely high-performance access to shared information between multiple processors. On the other hand they can sometimes become overloaded and become a bottleneck to performance. The alternatives to shared memory are distributed memory and distributed shared memory, each having a similar set of issues. See also Non-Uniform Memory Access. IN SOFTWARE: In computer software, shared memory is either A method of inter-process communication (IPC), i.e. a way of exchanging data between programs running at the same time. One process will create an area in RAM which other processes can access, or A method of conserving memory space by directing accesses to what would ordinarily be copies of a piece of data to a single instance instead, by using virtual memory mappings or with explicit support of the program in question. This is most often used for shared libraries and for Execute in Place. Shared Memory MIMD Architectures: The distinguishing feature of shared memory systems is that no matter how many memory blocks are used in them and how these memory blocks are connected to the processors and address spaces of these memory blocks are unified into a global address space which is completely visible to all processors of the shared memory system. Issuing a certain memory address by any processor will access the same memory block location. However, according to the physical organization of the logically shared memory, two main types of shared memory system could be distinguished: Physically shared memory systems Virtual (or distributed) shared memory systems In physically shared memory systems all memory blocks can be accessed uniformly by all processors. In distributed shared memory systems the memory blocks are physically distributed among the processors as local memory units. The three main design issues in increasing the scalability of shared memory systems are: Organization of memory Design of interconnection networks Design of cache coherent protocols Cache Coherence: Cache memories are introduced into computers in order to bring data closer to the processor and hence to reduce memory latency. Caches widely accepted and employed in uniprocessor systems. However, in multiprocessor machines where several processors require a copy of the same memory block. The maintenance of consistency among these copies raises the so-called cache coherence problem which has three causes: Sharing of writable data Process migration I/O activity From the point of view of cache coherence, data structures can be divided into three classes: Read-only data structures which never cause any cache coherence problem. They can be replicated and placed in any number of cache memory blocks without any problem. Shared writable data structures are the main source of cache coherence problems. Private writable data structures pose cache coherence problems only in the case of process migration. There are several techniques to maintain cache coherence for the critical case, that is, shared writable data structures. The applied methods can be divided into two classes: hardware-based protocols software-based protocols Software-based schemes usually introduce some restrictions on the cachability of data in order to prevent cache coherence problems. Hardware-based Protocols: Hardware-based protocols provide general solutions to the problems of cache coherence without any restrictions on the cachability of data. The price of this approach is that shared memory systems must be extended with sophisticated hardware mechanisms to support cache coherence. Hardware-based protocols can be classified according to their memory update policy, cache coherence policy, and interconnection scheme. Two types of memory update policy are applied in multiprocessors: write-through and write-back. Cache coherence policy is divided into write-update policy and write-invalidate policy. Hardware-based protocols can be further classified into three basic classes depending on the nature of the interconnection network applied in the shared memory system. If the network efficiently supports broadcasting, the so-called snoopy cache protocol can be advantageously exploited. This scheme is typically used in single bus-based shared memory systems where consistency commands (invalidate or update commands) are broadcast via the bus and each cache snoops on the bus for incoming consistency commands. Large interconnection networks like multistage networks cannot support broadcasting efficiently and therefore a mechanism is needed that can directly forward consistency commands to those caches that contain a copy of the updated data structure. For this purpose a directory must be maintained for each block of the shared memory to administer the actual location of blocks in the possible caches. This approach is called the directory scheme. The third approach tries to avoid the application of the costly directory scheme but still provide high scalability. It proposes multiple-bus networks with the application of hierarchical cache coherence protocols that are generalized or extended versions of the single bus-based snoopy cache protocol. In describing a cache coherence protocol the following definitions must be given: Definition of possible states of blocks in caches, memories and directories. Definition of commands to be performed at various read/write hit/miss actions. Definition of state transitions in caches, memories and directories according to the commands. Definition of transmission routes of commands among processors, caches, memories and directories. Software-based Protocols: Although hardware-based protocols offer the fastest mechanism for maintaining cache consistency, they introduce a significant extra hardware complexity, particularly in scalable multiprocessors. Software-based approaches represent a good and competitive compromise since they require nearly negligible hardware support and they can lead to the same small number of invalidation misses as the hardware-based protocols. All the software-based protocols rely on compiler assistance. The compiler analyses the program and classifies the variables into four classes: Read-only Read-only for any number of processes and read-write for one process Read-write for one process Read-write for any number of processes. Read-only variables can be cached without restrictions. Type 2 variables can be cached only for the processor where the read-write process runs. Since only one process uses type 3 variables it is sufficient to cache them only for that process. Type 4 variables must not be cached in software-based schemes. Variables demonstrate different behavior in different program sections and hence the program is usually divided into sections by the compiler and the variables are categorized independently in each section. More than that, the compiler generates instructions that control the cache or access the cache explicitly based on the classification of variables and code segmentation. Typically, at the end of each program section the caches must be invalidated to ensure that the variables are in a consistent state before starting a new section. shared memory systems can be divided into four main classes: Uniform Memory Access (UMA) Machines: Contemporary uniform memory access machines are small-size single bus multiprocessors. Large UMA machines with hundreds of processors and a switching network were typical in the early design of scalable shared memory systems. Famous representatives of that class of multiprocessors are the Denelcor HEP and the NYU Ultracomputer. They introduced many innovative features in their design, some of which even today represent a significant milestone in parallel computer architectures. However, these early systems do not contain either cache memory or local main memory which turned out to be necessary to achieve high performance in scalable shared memory systems Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) Machines: Non-uniform memory access (NUMA) machines were designed to avoid the memory access bottleneck of UMA machines. The logically shared memory is physically distributed among the processing nodes of NUMA machines, leading to distributed shared memory architectures. On one hand these parallel computers became highly scalable, but on the other hand they are very sensitive to data allocation in local memories. Accessing a local memory segment of a node is much faster than accessing a remote memory segment. Not by chance, the structure and design of these machines resemble in many ways that of distributed memory multicomputers. The main difference is in the organization of the address space. In multiprocessors, a global address space is applied that is uniformly visible from each processor; that is, all processors can transparently access all memory locations. In multicomputers, the address space is replicated in the local memories of the processing elements. This difference in the address s pace of the memory is also reflected at the software level: distributed memory multicomputers are programmed on the basis of the message-passing paradigm, while NUMA machines are programmed on the basis of the global address space (shared memory) principle. The problem of cache coherency does not appear in distributed memory multicomputers since the message-passing paradigm explicitly handles different copies of the same data structure in the form of independent messages. In the shard memory paradigm, multiple accesses to the same global data structure are possible and can be accelerated if local copies of the global data structure are maintained in local caches. However, the hardware-supported cache consistency schemes are not introduced into the NUMA machines. These systems can cache read-only code and data, as well as local data, but not shared modifiable data. This is the distinguishing feature between NUMA and CC-NUMA multiprocessors. Accordingly, NUMA machines are closer to multicomputers than to other shared memory multiprocessors, while CC-NUMA machines look like real shared memory systems. In NUMA machines, like in multicomputers, the main design issues are the organization of processor nodes, the interconnection network, and the possible techniques to reduce remote memory accesses. Two examples of NUMA machines are the Hector and the Cray T3D multiprocessor. Sources used www.wikipedia.com http://www.developers.net/tsearch?searchkeys=MIMD+architecture http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~galaghba/mimd.html http://www.docstoc.com/docs/2685241/Computer-Architecture-Introduction-to-MIMD-architectures