Stand By Me Story Essay Example for Free

Stand By Me Story Essay Stand By Me is the story of four twelve year olds living in a small town in the year 1959, whose lives were changed by a chance adventure that they embarked on at the end of an indolent summer. The four boys were Gordie Lachance, Chris Chambers Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio. The boys had their own tree house with its special club rules, including a secret knock, and spent their time in meaningless arguments, playing games, or just hanging out. Although on the surface they are typical pre-adolescent boys, you soon find out that underneath their normal bravado and enthusiasm, each of them have problems at home to deal with. Gordies older brother Denny was recently killed in an auto accident, and his parents have not handled it well. They mope around their house and continually ask Gordie (who is an aspiring writer) why he isnt more like his brother, who was a popular athlete in town. Gordies best friend, Chris, who is intelligent, brave, and the natural leader of the group, has an alcoholic father, who constantly beats him, and an older brother who is a delinquent. Everyone in town figures that Chris will follow in their footsteps, so he is very much afraid of what his future will be. Teddy is the son of an emotionally disturbed war veteran who has abused him all his life. In his mind Teddy cannot accept his situation, so he has created a fantasy world in which his father is an All American war hero instead of an inmate in a mental hospital. Vern is on the chubby side, somewhat uncoordinated, and is constantly the butt of jokes. Verns older brother likes to push him around when he is there, and so Vern spends a fair amount of time hiding out. Yet Vern ends up being the catalyst of the story. He accidentally overhears his older brother describe the location where he is pretty sure that the dead body of a missing boy from the town that everyone had been looking for actually lies. This gives him a chance to be important in the pecking order of the club, and he brings this information to the other boys. Intrigued by the thought of seeing a real dead body and excited at the prospect of becoming heroes in the town for finding it, the boys decide to walk the twenty miles, which will take them two days to complete. They each tell their parents that they are spending the night at their friends house, but given their home situations, its not really a problem for them to take off. The journey starts off well enough, peppered with the bickering chatter  typical of twelve year olds, but soon they realize how unprepared they are. No one remembered to bring along any food and they have very little money. Read more:  Description of a fantasy city. This leads to their first adventure along the way as Gordie is elected to buy food at a store, but must sneak through the junkyard to do so. They end up being discovered by the junkyard owner who sics his dog on them for trespassing on his property. Later they out-run a train on a bridge, tell stories by the campfire, and have a traumatic experience with leeches when they take a shortcut through a swamp. Meanwhile, Ace Merrill leader of an older gang of town kids finds out about the location of the body from Verns older brother and decides to go find the body also, for basically the same reasons. The story comes to its climax point as the two groups square off at the site of the dead body. While Stand By Me seems to be another coming of age film, its meaning and interest really exists on two levels. The entire story is told in a series of flashbacks, narrated by the adult Gordie who is now a successful writer, and is lamenting a news clipping about the death of his childhood buddy Chris, who had succeeded in overcoming his self doubts and dysfunctional family situation to become a lawyer. Chris was killed because of the way he had lived, bravely intervening during an altercation in a restaurant, and suffering a knife wound for his efforts. You enter the mind of the writer throughout this film, in the way that the story is told, how the flashbacks move around in time when necessary, and especially in the hilarious story within a story told by Gordie at the campfire about Lardass Hogan and the pie eating contest. While the boys characters are quite believable, well acted, and superbly cast, the cathartic revelations of the boys innermost feelings, fears, and self-doubts almost on cue show the sure hand of writer Stephen King more than a sense of total reality.

JOB DESIGN AND JOB CHARACTERISTICS :: essays research papers

Job design and job characteristics are very interesting topics for discussion. In my opinion the modern route, that of fitting jobs to people, is the best decision a manager can make when designing jobs. It leaves employees more space to experience new challenges and take more responsibility in their job. While reading the Overview of the Job Characteristics Model each of the concepts mentioned brought several examples in my mind. I do not want to cite the concepts from the book, but I will give some examples from my own experience and that of my colleagues. The organisation where I work is undergoing several major changes, such as replacing the IT system, changing the work process and procedures, launching new products in the market, putting all the branches online, etc. This has generally lead to dissatisfaction of employees, since they are working long hours and even weekends and are not being motivated enough. Their salary has not changed and no bonuses are promised. This may lead to inefficiency and absenteeism. People may be less efficient to finish work earlier and even take sick leave from work to be more with their families. Another issue related to the change is that employees are required to learn how to use this new system and procedures in a very short period of time and this has caused increased stress, apart from the fear that this change can bring about understaffing in the near future. People are really trying hard to fit into the new system and rules, but their expectations are not always met. Since I am talking about meeting expectations, I would like to be a little more specific. When I was first interviewed for the job position I currently have, I was told that I would have a salary increase. Yet, after ten months, nothing has changed – it still remains a promise. And I have even started thinking about looking for another job, at a time when I didn’t even think about leaving my current job. Unmet expectations can lead to such situations and managers have to be really careful this does not happen, or at least they must try to find a system of prevention. Moreover, people feel they are not treated equally as regards pay and promotions. There are new employees coming in the organisation and they receive higher salaries than the existing employees, who have been working there for years and have much more experience.

Chemical Aspects of Life Paper

Chemical Aspects of life HYPOTHESIS in this section i will be discussing my thoughts of the chemical aspects of life. Explaining what my hypotheses are, for what chemicals are in which substances and what affects the reagents will have on them. Protein testing will be performed on 2 substances,egg albumin and gelatin using Biuret's solution. If biuret's solution is added to egg albumin then the egg albumin will change colors. If biuret's solution is added to gelatin then there will be only the color of the biuret's solution in there.When testing for lipids using the grease spot test three substances will be left to dry on a brown paper bag square lipids will appear in the form of a stain on the paper bag. If oil is left to dry on a paper bag then very evident stain will appear. If milk is left to dry on a paper bag then a residue will be left on top of the bag. When testing for lipids Using Sudan IV an oil and water test will be conducted, and an milk and water test will be done. If oil and water are tested using sudan IV then the oil will mix with the sudan IV. If milk and water are tested using Sudan IV then the Sudan Iv will not mix with either.When testing for carbohydrates benedict's solution will be used and Hcl will be used as an additive to alter results. If benedict's is added to glucose then the solution will change color. If benedict's solution is added to sucrose then the solution will change color. If benedict's solution is added to sucrose and Hcl there will be a more drastic color change. If benedict's solution is added to milk then there will be a slight color change. If benedict's solution is added to Hcl and milk there will be a drastic color change. If benedict's solution is added to starch then there will be a color change.If benedict's solution is added to starch and Hcl then there will be a more drastic color change. When testing for carbohydrates using iodine a porcelain spot plate will be used to better see color changes. If iodine is ad ded to a starch solution then it will change color. If iodine is added to water then the iodine will become dilute. PROCEDURE Procedure: You will be testing for the presence of the following subtances: proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. The carbohydrates will include monocaccharides (glucose), disaccharides (sucrose), and polysaccharides (starch).Protein test Background: Proteins give color reactions with certain reagents. The compounds that give rise to these colors are formed not by the whole protein molecule but by certain amino acids present in the protein. Biuret solution will be used for the test. Biuret solution is a blue solution that turns a violet color in the presence of proteins this color change occurs when the Biurets reacts with the amino groups found in the amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. add 3ml of dilute egg albumin solution to a test tube. Add biuret's solutiong drop by drop.Stop if a violet color is obtained. Do not continue until a blue c olor occurs repeat the test with gelatin. Record your results. Lipid test Background: Lipids are insoluble in water but are soluble in fat solvents such as ether, acetone, and carbon tetrachloride. The simplest lipids are composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Lipids will remain on a brown paper bag after the water in the solution has evaporated, this will make the bag somewhat transparent. Secondly, a dye test will be done. In this test, dark red sudan IV will be used.Sudan IV is not soluble in water, but is soluble in lipids. You will be observing the distribution of dye in this test. Procedure: with a medicine dropper, add a drop of salad oil to the corner of a brown paper bag. To the opposite corner, add a drop of water. To one more corner, add a drop of milk. Let the fluids evaporate and then examine each spot by holding the paper to the light look for areas of transperency. Record your results Procedure: Add 3ml of water to a test tube. Add 1ml of oil to the same test tube. DO NOT SHAKE. Now add 2 drops of sudan IV. AGAIN, DO NOT SHAKE.Observe the distribution of the dye with respect to the water and oil. Record your results. Repeat this test using milk instead of oil. Record your results. CARBOHYDRATE TESTS: Background: sugar starch and cellulose are common examples of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are made up of the base elements c, h, and o in a 1:2:1 ratio. The simplest carbohydrates are monosaccharides (simple sugars such as glucose). Monosaccharides have just one carbon ring and are the building blocks of larger sugar molecules. Disaccharides, like sucrose, have two carbon rings. They are formed when two monosaccharides join together.Examples include: Maltose (glucose + glucose); Lactose (glucose + galactose); and sucrose (glucose + fructose). Polysaccharides have three or more carbon rings. Starch is an example of a polysaccharide. Procedure: put 3ml of benedict's solution in a test tube. Add 2ml of 5% glucose solution. Carefully place the tube i n a boiling water bath for 2 minutes. Remove the tube amd allow it to cool. Record the color reoeat the test with 3ml of benedict's solution and 2ml of 5% sucrose solution. Again, place the tube in the boiling water bath for 2 minutes, remove and cool.Record the color put 2ml of the 5% sucrose solution to a test tube. This time add several drops of hydrochloric acid. Place the tube in the boiling water bath for 2 minutes. Remove and immediately add 3ml of benedict's solution return it to the water bath for an addition 2 minutes. Remove and record the color put 3ml of benedict's solution in a test tube. Add 2ml of milk. Again, place this into the boiling water bath for 2 minutes, remove and cool. Record the color. Again put 2ml of milk to a test tube. This time add several drops of hydrochloric acid.Place the tube in the boiling water bath for 2 minutes. Remove and immediately add 3ml of benedict's solution. Return it to the water bath for an additional 2 minutes. Remove and record t he color. Put 3ml of benedicts solution in a test tube. Add 2ml of starch solution. Place the tube once again into the boiling water bath for 2 minutes, remove and cool. Record the color. Again, put 2ml of starch into a test tube. This time add several drops of hydrochloric acid. Place the tube in the boiling water bath for 2 minutes. Remove and immediately add 3ml of benedicts solution return it to the water bath for an additional 2 minutes.Remove and record the color. Starch test: if a poly saccharide such as starch is present in a solution and iodine is added, the iodine ion will lodge itself in the polysaccharide chain and give it black-blue color. If iodine is added to a solution turn black-blue then starch is present. If the solution remains the color of iodine, reddish-orange, there is no starch present. Procedure: place a few drops of the starch solution into one well of a porcelain spot plate. Place a few drops of water into another well of the same plate. Add several drops of the iodine solution to both wells.Record the color of each. DATA When testing protein, the egg albumin solution turned dark violet when biuret solution was added, biuret's solution was concentrated at the bottom. When testing gelatin for protein biuret's solution turned the solution dark violet, with biuret's solution concentrated at the bottom, and faded to completely clear. 5 drops and 4 drops were added to each test respectively. When performing the lipid test, a drop of oil left a large dark stain, water didn't not leave a stain yet it left the paper warped, and milk left a faint stain and a glossy residue on top.When testing for lipids with sudan IV the oil stayed on top of the water and the sudan IV distributed evenly throughout the oil. When milk was tested, water mixed evenly with the milk, but the sudan IV only mixed into the very top portion of the mixture. When testing carbohydrates the 5% glucose solution changed to a cloudy red color. The 5% sucrose solution did not change color at all, and the sucrose Hcl changed to a greenish brown color. When milk was tested the solution changed to a yellow green color, it also looked chunky. When milk and hcl was tested it changed to a cloudy blue with chunks of white on top. he starch solution did not change color when the benedict's solution was added, and Hcl did not alter the results in the next test. ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSIONS throughout the chemical aspects of life lab i have learned a variety of things including testing methods, what reagents are, and some general information about HCL and the contents of various substances. When testing proteins i have discovered the both egg albumin and gelatin both contain protein. During testing for lipids, i've learned that milk contains lipids, although a faint amount there are some present. Oil and Milk both contain lipids. Oil as expected, and milk as expected.When testing For lipids using Sudan IV the oil sat ontop of the water and the sudan IV only mixed wit h it, but surprises came in the next test when water and milk mixed evenly, but Sudan IV only stayed to the top portion of the mixture. Testing for reducing sugars has led me to believe the HCL breaks down sugars to a simpler form, as it altered results for sucrose and milk. Glucose was already a reducing sugar as i found out after testing and sucrose was not, but after adding HCL to sucrose, the results dramatically changed so much so as from going to light blue in the first test to greenish brown in the second sucrose test.Milk seemed to have traces of reducing sugars but results were unclear, so HCL was added and the solution went from chunky yellow in the first milk test, to a chunky cloudy blue in the second test. Starch was found without any reducing sugars, if HCL was present or not. The solution was opaque blue because of benedict's solution. While testing carbohydrates with test tubes and fancy heating and a bunch of chemicals is fun and all, it can just as simply be done w ith iodine using a porcelain spot plate.Iodine turns a dark color when in the presence of carbohydrates such as it did when in a starch solution and it was good old diluted brown-orange in water. MATERIALS Dilute egg albumin solution gelatin distilled water whole milk oil 5% sucrose 5% glucose starch solution glass stirrers biuret solution sudan IV benedict's solution hydrochloric acid iodine pan of soapy water test tube clamps test tube brushes paper towels test tubes medicine droppers porcelain spot plate safety goggles test tube racks graduated cylnders beakers hot plate brown paper bag squares

Biography of Hadrian, Roman Emperor

Hadrian (January 24, 76–July 10, 138) was a Roman emperor for 21 years who unified and consolidated  Rome’s  vast empire, unlike his predecessor, who focused on expansion. He was the third of the so-called  Five Good Emperors; he presided over the glory days of the  Roman Empire and is known for many building projects, including a famous wall across Britain to keep out the barbarians. Known For: Roman Emperor, one of the five good emperorsAlso Known As: Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, Publius Aelius HadrianuBorn: January 24, 76, possibly in Rome or in Italica, in what is now SpainParents: Aelius Hadrianus Afer, Domitia PaulinaDied: July 10, 138  in Baiae, near Naples, ItalySpouse: Vibia Sabina Early Life Hadrian was born on Jan. 24, 76. He probably was not originally from Rome. The Augustan History,  a collection of biographies of the Roman emperors,  says his family was from Picenum, but more recently of Spain, and moved to Rome. His mother Domitia Paulina came from a distinguished family from Gades, which today is Cadiz, Spain. His father was Aelius Hadrianus Afer, a magistrate and cousin of future Roman Emperor Trajan. He died when Hadrian was 10, and Trajan and Acilius Attianus (Caelium Tatianum) became his guardians. In 90 Hadrian visited  Italica, a Roman city in present-day Spain, where he received military training and developed a fondness for hunting that he kept for the rest of his life. Hadrian married Vibia Sabina, grand-niece of Emperor Trajan, in 100. Rise to Power Toward the end of Emperor Domitians reign, Hadrian started out on the traditional career path of a  Roman senator. He was made a military tribune, or officer, and then became a quaestor, a low-ranking magistrate, in 101. He was later curator of the Acts of the Senate. When Trajan was consul, a higher magistrates position, Hadrian went with him to the Dacian Wars and became tribune of the plebeians, a powerful political office, in 105. Two years later he became praetor, a magistrate just below consul. He then went to Lower Pannonia as governor and  became consul, the  pinnacle  of a senator’s career, in 108. His rise from there to emperor in 117 involved some palace intrigue. After he became consul his career rise stopped, possibly triggered by the death of a previous consul, Licinius  Sura, when a faction opposed to Sura, Trajans wife Plotina and Hadrian came to dominate Trajans court. There is some evidence that during this period, Hadrian devoted himself to studying the nation and  culture  of Greece, a long-held interest of his. Somehow, Hadrian’s star rose again shortly before Trajan died, probably because Plotina and her associates had regained Trajan’s confidence. Third-century Greek historian Cassius Dio says that Hadrians former guardian, Attianus, then a powerful Roman, also was involved. Hadrian was holding a major military command under Trajan when, on  Aug. 9, 117, he learned that Trajan had adopted him, a sign of succession. Two days later, it was reported that Trajan had died, and the army proclaimed Hadrian emperor. Hadrians Rule Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire until 138. He is known for spending more time traveling throughout the empire than any other emperor. Unlike his predecessors, who had relied on reports from the provinces, Hadrian wanted to see things for himself. He was generous with the military and helped to reform it, including ordering the construction of garrisons and forts. He spent time in Britain, where in 122 he initiated the building of a protective stone wall, known as Hadrians Wall, across the country in to keep the northern barbarians out. It marked the northernmost boundary  of the Roman Empire until early in the fifth century. The wall stretches from the North Sea to the Irish Sea and is 73 miles long, eight to 10 feet wide, and 15 feet high. Along the way, the Romans built towers and small forts called milecastles, which housed up to 60 men. Sixteen larger forts were built, and south of the wall the Romans dug a wide ditch with six-foot-high earthen banks. Though many of the stones were carried away and recycled into other buildings, the wall still stands. Reforms During his reign, Hadrian was generous to citizens of the Roman empire. He awarded large sums of money to communities and individuals and allowed the children of individuals charged with major crimes to inherit part of the family estate. According to the Augustan History, he wouldnt take the bequests of people he didnt know or of people whose sons could inherit the bequests, contrary to earlier practice. Some of Hadrians reforms indicate how barbaric the times were. He outlawed the practice of masters killing their slaves and changed the law so that if a master was murdered at home, only slaves who were nearby could be tortured for evidence. He also changed laws so that bankrupt people would be flogged in the amphitheater and then released, and he made the baths separate for men and women. He restored many buildings, including the Pantheon in Rome, and moved the Colossus, the 100-foot bronze statue installed by Nero. When Hadrian traveled to other cities in the empire, he implemented public works projects. Personally, he tried in many ways to live unassumingly, like a private citizen. Friend or Lover? On a trip through Asia Minor, Hadrian met Antinoà ¼s, a young man born about 110. Hadrian made Antinoà ¼s his companion, though by some accounts he was regarded as Hadrians lover. Traveling together along the Nile in 130, the young man fell into the river and drowned, Hadrian was desolate. One report said Antinoà ¼s had jumped into the river as a sacred sacrifice, though Hadrian denied  that explanation. Whatever the reason for his death, Hadrian mourned deeply. The Greek world honored Antinoà ¼s, and cults inspired by him appeared across the empire. Hadrian named Antinopolis, a city near Hermopolis in Egypt, after him. Death Hadrian became ill, associated in the Augustan History with his refusal to cover his head in heat or cold. His illness lingered, making him long for death. When he couldnt persuade anyone to help him ​commit suicide, he took up indulgent eating and drinking, according to Dio Cassius. He died on July 10, 138.   Legacy Hadrian is remembered for his travels, his building projects, and his efforts to tie together the far-flung outposts of the Roman empire. He was aesthetic and educated and left behind several poems. Signs of his reign remain in a number of buildings, including the Temple of Rome and  Venus, and he rebuilt the  Pantheon, which had been destroyed by fire during the reign of his predecessor. His own country residence, Villa Adriana, outside Rome is considered the architectural epitome of the opulence and elegance of the Roman world. Covering seven square miles, it was more a garden city than a villa, including baths, libraries, sculpture gardens, theaters, alfresco dining halls, pavilions, and private suites, portions of which survived to modern times. It was designated a  UNESCO  World Heritage site  in 1999. Hadrians tomb, now called the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, became a burial place for succeeding emperors and was converted into a fortress  in the 5th century. Sources Birley, Anthony. Lives of the Later Caesars: The First Part of the Augustan History, with Lives of Nerva and Trajan. Classics, Reprint Edition, Kindle Edition, Penguin, February 24, 2005.Roman History by Cassius Dio. University of Chicago.Pringsheim, Fritz. The Legal Policy and Reforms of Hadrian. The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 24.Hadrian. An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors.Hadrian: Roman Emperor. Encyclopaedia Britannica.