Abstract A look at Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Celestial Railroad". An analysis of Hawthorne's writing style and technique to convey the themes and character development.
From the Paper "What if your religious life could be shown as a journey on a train car? What would others say about you and your experiences? As a matter of fact, Nathaniel Hawthorne did that very thing. In ?The Celestial Railroad,? he shows the reader a journey taken by a person with no name. This anonymity helps bring the story closer to the reader. To also help with this, Hawthorne uses the genre of the short story. Many facets involving character development and plot glorify this literary genre."
Abstract This paper explores methods used by astronomers to measure the universe, the dual nature of light, origins of the universe and the solar system and types of stars. It also discusses planets and other celestial bodies.
From the Paper "Another way to measure the universe is using shadows. Some astronomers observe ?dark silhouettes cast by distant clusters of galaxies (Glanz,1999)? against the ?cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) (Glanz, 1999)? The glow from this radiation provides a back light that helps measure the size of the shadows. The CMBR was formed back when the cosmos were only 100,000 to 300,000 years old. Because of the CMBRs? age, ?everything in the visible universe lies in front (Glanz, 1999)? of it. When the radiation started out, it had hot temperatures due to the universe just being formed. However, as the universe expanded, the temperatures cooled. This gives astronomers additional information to aid them in their measurements."
Abstract The paper analyzes "Ode to St. Cecilia's Day", a poem written by John Dryden which celebrates the feast-day of Saint Cecilia on November 22, as well as the majesty of music. The paper shows that music is a heavenly treat that leads to celestial harmony and the mystery of music is clarified through Dryden's use of metaphor and personification. The paper discusses how in different stanzas, Dryden lends various instruments individual qualities according to their particular sounds. It shows how these instruments become metaphors for human passions and for the wonders of nature.
From the Paper "Throughout the ?Ode to St. Cecilia's Day,? John Dryden personifies music in general and instruments in particular. From the second to the sixth stanza, Dryden outlines the specific qualities of certain instruments. Stanza 2 is devoted to Jubal's corded shell. Alluding to the biblical character of Jubal, Dryden further exemplifies the divine nature of music. The corded shell ?spoke so sweetly and so well,? (line 23). The music that emanates from Jubal's shell has the power to "raise and quell" any human passion (line 24). Because the poet chooses verbs regularly delegated to the realm of human experience, music becomes anthropomorphised. Furthermore, because these verbs tend to be uplifting in nature, music becomes deified."
Abstract Traces the rise of Muslim scholarship from the 8th & 9th Centuries. Syntheses of existing astronomical traditions--Persian, Indian & Greek texts. Arab knowlededge of celestial world. Importance of Ptolemaic model for the planets. Establlishment of House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Islamic impact on development of astronomy & mathematics. Contribution of astrologers.
From the Paper "The rise of Muslim science began after the life of the
prophet Mohammed and the beginning of Islam in the seventh century. The eighth and ninth centuries involved the period of consolidation of the Muslim people, and the real rise of Muslim scholarship occurred in the ninth and tenth centuries (Al-Daffa', 1977). The Muslims integrated the astronomical traditions of the Indians, Persians, the ancient near east, and especially the Greeks into a synthesis which began to chart a new chapter in the history of astronomy from the eighth century onward (IAL). The unification of the tribes of Arabia into a powerful nation, including Persia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, the whole North Africa, Gibraltar, and Spain created a vast intellectual empire (Ead). However, the Greek legacy did not immediately dominate without a struggle with native ..."
Abstract This paper first discusses Anaximander, born in Miletus around 610 BCE, when it was the richest and most powerful Greek city in Asia Minor. This paper explains Anaximander's scientific achievements, which included the creation of the first Greek world map, the first Greek celestial globe, the vertical pointer of a sundial and a spherical model for the heavens with the earth at its center. The author reviews Anaximenes of Miletus, living in the second half of the 6th century, who was Anaximander's successor and pupil; he taught that air was the origin of all things and that the breath of life with the human soul.
From the Paper "Anaximander wrote a book, already lost in antiquity, quoted by the ancients under the title "On the Nature of Things". In it was contained a description of his map and celestial model as well as an account of the functioning of the world and its development. Beginning from a first principle called the Boundless or Infinite (to apeiron), he describes how "something capable of generating Hot and Cold was separated off ... and a sphere of fire from this source grew around the air in the region of earth like bark around a tree. When this sphere was torn off and enclosed in certain rings, the sun and moon and stars came into existence" (D-K, 12 A 10). These heavenly bodies are "wheel-like, compressed masses of air filled with fire, which exhale flames from an orifice at one point" (D-K, 12 A 17a)."
Abstract This paper examines John Donne's "The Sun Rising," an aubade poem in which the speaker berates the sun for rousing him and his lover after a night of sexual bliss. It looks at how his relationship with his mistress becomes the axis around which both the poem and his life revolve and how in his mind, the vast outer limits of the universe contract to the small space that he occupies with his lover, the only space of any importance to him: his bed. It analyzes the diction of the speaker, the external structure of the poem and the transformation of cosmic symbols and celestial imagery throughout the poem. It discusses how the use of the poem's setting as a microcosm of the world illuminates the poem's central theme of the paradoxical nature of true love.
From the Paper "The speaker's interpretation of the sun's functions evolves throughout the poem, mirroring the fluctuations of his own passions. Initially, he belittles the sun by associating it with the distasteful tasks of rousing "late schoolboys and sour prentices" (6) and calling mindless automatons, or "country ants" (8) to work. In the second stanza, he further extends his arrogant deprecation of the sun's faculties by asserting both that he could shut out its rays by merely closing his eyes and that his mistress? eyes shine so brightly that they could eclipse its light. Such hyperbolic declarations mark the culmination of his condescending remarks and the climax of his reckless passion, for in the third stanza he tempers his bold assertions by finally recognizing the sun's true duty ?[t]o warm the world? (28)."
Abstract This paper primarily takes a look at how astronomy has been revolutionized by Einstein's relativity theory. It discusses the different methods of space travel and celestial observations and looks at the three basic parts of Einstein's relativity: time dilation, relativity of mass, and length contraction, as well as dealing with the implications these ideas have had on the macroworld, namely astronomy, and the microworld, often on the submolecular level.
From the Paper "Special relativity, which is described first here, is more applicable to microscopic physics and situations that involve inertial frames of reference. Inertial frames of reference are scenarios where on object remains at rest in one frame and another object in a different frame moves at a constant velocity with respect to the first object. The three major tenets of Einstein's special relativity are time dilation, relativity of mass, and length contraction. The equations that sprung from the concepts Einstein discussed in these three topics bridged Newtonian physics, or more accurately, refined it to the modern physics that is used today. However, because the physical concepts that Newton developed are applicable in most "everyday" situations, it is still widely used in most areas of science."
Abstract This paper describes three companies in three different sectors that are pursuing a deliberate strategy and three that are pursuing an emergent strategy. The first part of the paper looks at examples of deliberate strategy, whereby the decisions are initiated from within a company and accord with the company's intrinsic goals. The paper then explores three companies that use emergent strategy, where the company continually shifts its strategy in line with the market's needs.
From the Paper "An apparel company that is currently using an emergent strategy is Vans, which is continually shifting its strategy. In the arena of youth fashion in which Vans operates, producing shoes as well a clothes for the segment of the youth market that associates itself with skateboarding, being the "in" label is the most important thing. It is the most important thing for the company but it is also the most important thing for those who wear Vans products. There is actually relatively little that a company can do to guarantee this "in" status: Such a designation as being in is made by the young men (and some very few young women) who identify with this brand."
Abstract Migratory birds face navigation and orientation challenges. This paper explains how, in order to face those challenges, they are equipped with an inherited route direction and distance information and with an ability to calibrate it with environmental cues, such as geomagnetism, celestial rotation, the sun and polarized light, wind, odors, landmarks, and visual and vocal contact with their co-species. It examines how the variability in the characteristics of these cues over time and in respect to the geographic position of the bird during the migration can result in disorientation, navigational errors, and a consequence disposition. It examines the stopover sites in the Mediterranean basin, which, besides being important refueling stations for migratory birds, have also the capacity for serving as a multi-cued reorientation sites that facilitate landmark, visual, vocal, and even olfactory navigation. These sites in general, and Eilat in particular, can study the target sites of numerous species by combining direction studies with distance studies migratory species and thus set the stage for future navigation-related studies.
From the Paper "Migratory birds seek to exploit temporal food resources in different parts of the globe in winter, and to come back to the breeding grounds in spring (Terril, 1991). In order to successfully reach that goal, birds must not only correlate their migration phenology with ecological dynamics at the destination, but must rely on an efficient, calibrated and accurate navigation system, coupled with a strong sense of orientation (Wallraff, 1991). Migration under poor navigational ability and/or orientation mistakes can result both in arriving to unsuitable habitats and in unsuitable arrival timing (Busse, 1992). Such errors force migratory birds to reorient and reroute their direction, a process that is not only time consuming, but also results in the elongation of the initial route by up to twice the original distance (Busse, 1992)."
Abstract This paper examines how "Paradise Lost", first published in 1667, proves that, as a Christian humanist, John Milton reflected the true Western mind during the middle years of the 17th century and how, as a result, he created an epic poem in English that ranks with those of Homer's "Iliad" and Virgil's "Aeneid". It looks at how Milton projected himself, his feelings, knowledge, and aspirations into the characters, both the primitive human creatures and the superhuman beings, whether celestial or infernal.
From the Paper "Milton's copious notes makes it clear that at one time he considered writing about the fall of man in dramatic form as it is related in the Holy Bible, but though he may well have begun Paradise Lost as a tragedy, he could not have worked very long at it before deciding that the epic form was the most appropriate for a great poetic work on a theme of such universal appeal. How much of Paradise Lost had been written before the English Reformation is unknown, but some parts appear to have been composed prior to 1660. The entire work seems to have been available sometime in 1665 and was divided into twelve books which represents Milton's final text."
Abstract This paper briefly traces the history of ancient China. The paper talks about the key elements of the Shang Dynasty, the Chou Dynasty, the Zhou Dynasty, the Han Dynasty, and the T'ang Dynasty. Also discussed is the historical significance placed on the family, the architectural and artistic developments, military conquests, and the Golden Age under the T'ang Dynasty.
From the Paper "The Chinese, under the Chou dynasty, were known for its use of jade, bronze, horse-drawn chariots, ancestor worship, highly organized armies, and human sacrifice. Cities were organized and built enclosed by protective walls rather than allowing the people to continue to exist as loosly knit tribes. Archeological records have found one city surrounded by a wall 30 feet high, 65 feet thick, and 4 1/2 miles long. The greatness of the architectural achievements was a drastic change for a mostly agrarian society. The feudal lifestyle of 1000 BCE china were typified by military squabbles over natural resources and land. By organizing large portions of Chinese citizens inside the walls of a city, the life in daily life in china changed significantly, and changed for the first time in many centuries. Inside the walled cities lived the rulers, priests, and warriors. Similar to the medieval societal structure which evolved in Europe almost 2000 years later, merchants and craftsmen lived in houses built up against the outside walls of the cities. Farmers lived near their fields in nearby villages which afforded them the protection of the city. During the Zhou dynasty, chopsticks were invented, which changed the way people ate their food."
Abstract This paper explains that Islam is a religion of peace, which gives the aim of life and guidance to achieve this aim; but, although many fundamentals and teachings are beautiful. they are now being misunderstood because of the current state of terror associated with Muslims. The author points out that women are well respected and cared for in Islam; the wearing of a veil by woman is not a necessity in Islam, though there are rules that enjoin women to wear respectable and modest clothes and to avoid embellishment and adornment of the body when outside the circle of family or close relative. The paper relates that the great history of Muslim scientists, especially from eighth to fifteenth century, supports the encouragement that Islam has for science; for example, the need to determine the direction of prayers, prayer times and the determination of Islamic lunar calendar led the Muslims to excel in fields like celestial mechanics, optical and atmospheric physics and spherical trigonometry.
From the Paper "In a later verse the Quran says, "O Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you as he caused your (first) parents to go forth from the Garden and tore off from them their robe (of innocence) that he might manifest their shame to them." (Quran, 7.27) The Quran gives a clear picture of the incident that as soon as Eve and Adam tasted the fruit of the forbidden tree their nakedness became manifest and brought shame to both of them. They then repented and God acknowledged by sending them to Earth with a mission. The point to be made here is that there is a stark contrast in narration of the event in the Holy books. Genesis clearly shows the character of woman as inferior to Adam and portrays her as a temptress who lured Adam too. She takes all the blame for Adam's demise and is punished more severely than Adam as can be made out from the harsh words being used. Although the punishment is imposed in Quran also, the tone is much gentler, the blame and punishment is shared equally and at no instance is Eve treated different than Adam. In fact both hold themselves equally accountable to God avoiding any accusations."
Abstract Hildegard von Bingen, born in Bockelheim, Germany in 1098, made a significant impact on the twelfth century church through leadership and writing, and yet she is perhaps best known for the amazing works of music that she produced. This paper examines influences that helped to shape von Bingen into the figure that many refer to as St. Hildegard. Through examining important events, celestial visages and important influences, the paper shows how von Bingen was inspired to create some of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music that have emerged from Christianity throughout its two thousand year history.
From the Paper "von Bingen was deeply moved to create music because of her religious beliefs about what musical expression was. From von Bingen's perspective, music was one of the ways to most appropriately worship God. Before the fall of Adam, von Bingen surmised that Adam's voice was pure and would be lifted up in worship of God and would be joined by hosts of angels. After the fall, von Bingen concluded that musical instruments were invented to enable man to worship God in an appropriate manner. These influences were reflected in her music and helped to craft a musical style that was inspiring and moving. It is precisely the element of worship as a component of music that inspired her to write the lines of the Devil without music."
Abstract This paper explains that in the universe, few elements are weirder than black holes, a celestial body made of material so dense that nothing can easily escape its gravitational field, not even light. The author points out, that for decades, theorists considered them mere mathematical constructs, unavoidable consequences of Albert Einstein's theories of relativity; but there is no reason that they cannot exist in nature and, over the last four decades, evidence has mounted that suggests they actually do exist. The paper relates that, although black holes are totally invisible and there is no way to see them directly, they can be detected indirectly (1) by observing the radiation from the bright-burning accretion disks, which radiate on all electromagnetic frequencies especially on the X-ray bands, and (2) by observing their gravitational effects on other objects.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Black Hole Anatomy 101
Surfing the Singularity
From the Paper "Another important feature possessed by many black holes is an accretion disk, a torus around the event horizon formed by infalling matter as it spirals toward the singularity. Because of the energetic nature of the infall-think of the whirlpool formed as water drains from a bathtub-accretion disks usually emit all sorts of radiation, including visible light. The only other features black holes are reliably theorized to possess are angular momentum (rotation) and occasionally the odd electric charge or magnetic polarity, a consequence of eating too many charged particles"
Abstract This paper looks at how Chaucer and the Pearl Poet before him, create and make ample use of, a type of literary paean that facilitates a figurative movement from the temporal to the celestial. Emphasis is given to Chaucer's "Parliament of Fowles", the "Duchess", et al., and to the "Pearl" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the Pearl Poet." It also looks at how this thematic construction proposes a bifurcated paradigm of the universe to mimic the heaven/earth continuum.
From the Paper "Chaucer and the Pearl Poet before him, create, and make ample use of, a type of literary paean that facilitates a figurative movement from the temporal to the celestial. This construct, typified in the prologue format, consisting of both textual introduction and, in some cases, definitive invocations, is a preamble illustrative of the dichotomy of heaven and earth, and in others, indicative of one or the other. The end result being, that Chaucer and the Pearl Poet have created, textually, metaphorically, and figuratively, a celestial model that is meant to be both didactic and entertaining. "
