Meditation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Meditation - Essay Example I kept asking myself what might have been wrong with her. Something within me kept telling me something was amiss. Suddenly, when I heard hoots and brakes’ screeching is when I realized that I was so engrossed in my thoughts and I was almost being ran over. I quickly grabbed my bicycle brakes and came to a sudden halt; almost falling down. It is when I realized I had gone extremely far from home without noticing. I changed my course, and decided to ride back home. Today I meditated on being grateful for my bike. I got the bike as a present from my dad for my exemplary performance in school. I had always wished to own one and every day after school, I would drop off my school bag in my room and rush to Tom’s house, my neighbor and friend, in order to ride his bike. I adore my bike so much. Apart from exercising using it, sometimes I save my parents the pressure of dropping me to school when they are running late for work. Sometimes I wonder what I would do if sometime stole it; I guess I would be sick for a week. When sent on short errands such as buying groceries from the store, my bike usually plays an integral since it enables me take shortest time possible; thus, making my parents proud of me. In case I am stressed or bothered about something, taking a ride in the woods near my home always gives me amazing refreshment. A two-hour ride and I go back home rejuvenated and feeling better. My bike is a gem to me. Today I practiced meditating when taking a shower. A warm shower in the morning is the best way to jumpstart one’s day. While enjoying the warm water hit my back, I reminded what my History teacher told us in class yesterday about respecting and appreciating our parents. I could not help thinking of what I could do without my mum and dad. My thoughts wondered how they are always there for me. They comfort and encourage me every time I am worried about something. They have always provided me with everything I need and sacrificed a lot to take

The Introduction Of Billingual Education In Educational Institutions Essay

The Introduction Of Billingual Education In Educational Institutions Around America - Essay Example In many parts of educational development, bilingual education is treated as learning for non-American students. The use of their native language along with the inculcation of English to their vocabulary is the main aim of this program. According to educators, this is more likely an ESL program that would indeed assist foreign nationals living in the American territories to adapt to the society, especially with regards to children who are born in America. This would help the non-Americans to be ‘one’ with the American community in terms of language. To the educators, this is a way by which America could be able to overcome ethnic differences in the country. However, some language experts say that this is not an easy task for early childhood educators. The fact is that at times, some students come to the American region with a fluency on their native language already and thus may not have so much interest in knowing other languages more. Aside form this, according to some ‘English Only’ advocates, â€Å"bilingualism would only lead to an ethnic line of division between the nationalistic views of the natives of America† (Internet). Many educators are indeed amiable that bilingual education is an essential part of learning especially with children who are of different ethnic society in the United States. Many professional early child education experts consider that through the utilization of bilingualism in the educational systems, children would become more concern and highly, in connection with their language. ... However, some issues need to be addressed when bilingual education is being discussed. Scope of the Problem In many parts of educational development, bilingual education is treated as learning for non-American students. The use of their native language along with the inculcation of English to their vocabulary is the main aim of this program. According to educators, this is more likely an ESL program that would indeed assist foreign nationals living in the American territories to adapt to the society, especially with regards to children who are born in America. This would help the non-Americans to be 'one' with the American community in terms of language. To the educators, this is a way by which America could be able to overcome ethnic differences in the country. However, some language experts say that this is not an easy task for early childhood educators. The fact is that at times, some students come to the American region with a fluency on their native language already and thus may not have so much interest in knowing other languages more. Aside form this, according to some 'English Onl y' advocates, "bilingualism would only lead to an ethnic line of division between the nationalistic views of the natives of America" (Internet). The Pros of the Issue on Bilingual Education Implementation Many educators are indeed amiable that bilingual education is an essential part of learning especially with children who are of different ethnic society in the United States. Many professional early child education experts consider that through the utilization of bilingualism in the educational systems, children would become more concern and highly, in connection with their environment because of their

The Power Of Shakespeares Macbeth

The Power Of Shakespeares Macbeth The world of Macbeth explores the destructive nature of power and ambition through the collapse of individual identity and the Christian emphasis on the moral hierarchy. Published in 1623, nearly twenty years after it was first performed, Macbeth was written shortly after James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, and Shakespeares play clearly supports his divine right to the throne. Shakespeare was inspired by Raphael Holinsheds Chronicle of the reigns of Duncan and Macbeth (A.D. 1034-57), but the invention of the framework of the witches who tempt both Banquo and Macbeth with prophecies of greatness are his own. A story of witchcraft, murder and vengeance, Macbeth can be read as a morality play which warns against the dangers of ambitious power. Clearly, Macbeth is a figure whose ambition and hubris result in his fall from power, echoing the biblical story of the fall from grace; however, the play also expresses a profound fear of feminine power as subversive and destructive. The very text of Macbeth itself reflects the single-minded ambition of its main character. With only 2,100 lines, Macbeth is one of Shakespeares shortest plays, and with the exception of such characters as the porter, is devoid of the subplots which characterise Shakespearean tragedies. Coleridge has noted that the play begins at an aggressive pace with Hamlets gradual ascent from the simplest forms of conversation to the language of impassioned intellect, and Bradley follows by describing the beginning of the play as one in which the action burst into wild life. Shakespeares typical tragic worldview represents a complex human world of infinite variety. Macbeth, in contrast, is sparse and single-minded because it is a symbolic play which resorts to soliloquy and symbolic locales to echo the dichotomous world of the Christian morality plays. The focus of Macbeth, like that of Shakespeares famous tragedy Richard III, is an egotistical man with measureless will power who murders his way to the crown and, in doing so, alienates himself from the very world which he wishes to rule. It is commonly said by Shakespearean critics that Macbeths tragic flaw is ambition, and he himself admits that he has no drive but vaulting ambition, but it is ambition without reason or application. He does not, like Shakespeares Tamburlaine, believe it to be passing brave to be sovereign king and ride in triumph through his kingdom, or even desire the power which he would then have over his comrades. Indeed, the sole drive behind Macbeths ambition seems to be the act of competition itself, which is clearly shown by his celebrated success on the battlefield. The audience is introduced to Macbeth through the description by the Sergeant in Act I Scene II. The description of the battle scene and Macbeths eruptive entrance into the horde of kerns and gallowglasses reveals Macbeths ambition and the violence of his power. Brave Macbeth well he deserves that name Disdaining fortune, with his brandishd steel Which smokd with bloody execution, Like valours minion, carvd out his passage Till he facd the slave; Which neer shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseamd him from the nave to th chaps, And fixd his head upon our battlements (I.ii. 16-23) Macbeths fierce interruption into The fray and his ruthless domination on the battlefield are indicative of his insatiable thirst for power and status in the political arena. The rhetoric of the soldiers description paints a picture of an epic struggle of good versus evil, with the defiant Macdonwald and the villanies of nature swarming like flies, and Macbeths interruption is both violently brutal and magnificent. This introduction to Macbeth is fitting, for he is a character of decisive action and agency, and his ruthless domination of the battlefield foreshadows his ruthless domination of the political scene as well. However, unlike Macbeth himself, his wife does not have agency of her own, and must enact her own desires and drive through the action of her husband. Her power lies in the power to persuade, and indeed it is argued that the female characters in Shakespeares play hold the real power in the action of the play itself. In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth tries to drive her husbands courage to the sticking point by questioning his manhood. She mocks him with the reminder that it was his initial idea to plan the murders, and if he fails to follow through he is weak and impotent. What beast wast then / That made you break this enterprise to me? (I.vii. 47-48), suggesting that it was Macbeths own evil mind which began the murderous plan, and the witches manipulated his ambitious nature rather than revealing him to be the victim of fate. Lady Macbeth herself describes her husband: I do fear thy nature: Thou wouldst be great; Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it; what thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holly; wouldst not play false And yet wouldst wrongly win Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crownd withal (I.v.14-28) Lady Macbeth recognises that her husband has the potential for great power, but lacks the fundamental hard nature and cunning wit to achieve the high reaches for which they both aspire. She, however, has the necessary ruthless nature and calculating wit and vows to help her husband in his ascension to power. The characterisation of the relationship between Lord and Lady Macbeth, like that of the witches and Macbeth, reveals an anxiety of female power as manipulative and subversive. Macbeth is a murderer in thought if not in action at this point, and the lady acknowledges openly that his milk of human kindness will not dissuade him from attempting regicide, but only from catching the nearest way, that, executing it himself. Lady Macbeth, coming upon her husband as he finishes his soliloquy full of cold calculation of his success rate, questions his manhood as an attempt to persuade him to action. I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none When you durst do it, then you were a man (I.vii. 46-7, 49). Lady Macbeth draws him on with the idea of decisive action, countering his doubts of the great taboos against the deed. Lacking the authority to both independently gain political and social power, and to enact the murders necessary to further their position, Lady Macbeth wields her powers of persuasion to manoeuvre her husband. According to Janet Adelman, the play strikingly constructs the fantasy of subjection to maternal malevolence in two parts, in the witches and in Lady Macbeth so that what the witches suggest about the vulnerability of men to female power on the cosmic plane, Lady Macbeth doubles on the psychological plane (Adelman 97). Critics have noted the parallel between Lady Macbeth and the witches in their attempt to subversively gain power over the male characters. In Macbeth, manhood is tied to ideals of strength and the force of will. Lady Macbeth uses the idea of manhood to manipulate her husband, knowing that in his desperate attempt to prove his manhood and advance politically he will do anything she tells him. Macbeth, under the influence of female power of both his wife and the weird sisters, murders Duncan, but his increasingly violent form of power is an attempt to escape from this manipulative feminine influence. Macbeth carries out the murderous intent which Lady Macbeth so shrewdly articulates, and despite his efforts to establish his own ambitious power, he embodies her fantasy of subversive power. And yet, Macbeth is unaware of his own manipulation and rejects the women in his life. To be dependent on a woman is to be threatened with a loss of autonomous selfhood, in essence emasculating him and stripping him of his source of masculine, martial power. Lady Macbeth, paralleled with the enigmatic power of the three witches, is representative of the cultures deepest fear of the subversive and destructive power of the feminine. Common critical opinion reduces Lady Macbeth to a fierce, cruel woman, brandishing a couple of daggers, and inciting her husband to butcher a poor old king (Jameson 369), and this sense of self-interested manipulation has shifted the culpability for the murder of the King away from Macbeth to the women whispering in his ear. Beyond the obvious concern with the problematics of political power as divinely bestowed, Macbeth is a play that explores the nature of masculine and feminine power. Lady Macbeth becomes the psychological force over her husband in order to arouse the initiative and violence for the deed, and in the act deprives Macbeth of his masculine power. Back to: Example Essays Works Cited Adelman, J. (1987) Born of Woman: Fantasies of Maternal Power in Macbeth in Cannibals, Witches, and Divorce: Estranging the Renaissance. ed. by M. Garber. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 90-121. Jameson, A. (1979) Characteristics of Women: Moral, Political and Historical, London: George Bell and Sons. Shakespeare, W. (1997) Macbeth. ed. by A. R. Braunmuller. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

THE GREAT GATSBY This novel is about the American dream or rather the dreams of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s. In the novel The Great Gastby notes on the careless and moral deteariation of the twenties. It is clear that fitzgerald has made a relation with his and Gatsby’s life. This can be seen in many different ways such as fitzgerald attended Yale college for a wile then went off to be in the army. In The Great Gatsby the character Gatsby went to Oxford then left to go to the army. Also Fitzgerald wanted to become a football player and I think that tom was another character by Fitzgerald that he wanted to be like. For tom was a big x football player who was rich. Fitzgerald as a boy dreamed of becoming a football hero. Football was also one of Fitzgerald's earliest attractions at Princeton University. Fitzgerald tried out for the Princeton freshman team but was cut within the first week. As a successful professional Fitzgerald translated his love of the game into two Saturday Evening Pos t stories. This novel is filled with multiple themes but the predominate one focuses on the death of the American Dream. This can be explained by how Gatsby came to get his fortune. Through his dealings with organized crime he didn't hold to the American Dream guidelines. Nick also suggests this with the manner in which he talks about all the rich characters in the story. The immoral people have all the money. The thought of repeating the past. Gatsby's whole being since going off to war is devoted to getting back together with Daisy and have things be the way they were before he left. That's why Gatsby got a house like the one Daisy used to live in right across the bay from where she lives. He expresses this desire by reaching towards the green light on her porch early in the book. The last paragraph, So we beat on, boats against the current, born back ceaselessly into the past reinforces this. Fitzgerald was in his twenty's when he wrote this novel and since he went to Princeton he was considered a spokesman for his generation. He wrote about the immorality that was besieging the 1920's. Organized crime ran rampant, people were partying all the time, and affairs were common play. The last of which Fitzgerald portrays well in this novel. Ernest Hemingway Fitzgerald's friend and literary rival once commented that "poor Scott Fitzgerald" was "wrecked" by his "romantic awe" of the rich.

Disability and Individual Disabled Person

* Explain the potential impact of disability on the outcomes and life chances of children and young people (CYP 3. 7 3. 1) The potential impact of disability on the outcomes and life chances of children and young people are that they get physical impairments and chronic medical conditions may compromise healthy development and disrupt their educational experiences. Adper children’s all round development, move on further into the future to have financial difficulties and restricted opportunities and career paths.All of these outcomes can destabilize families and relationships causing stress and depression. * The importance of positive attitudes towards disability and specific requirements helps a person with additional needs to feel more valued and equal to every other child or young person, it also prevents isolation of a child. A positive attitude ensures inclusive and tting. It builds positive relationships so that everyone in the setting and in the world feels respected, sa fe and happy where they live, and spend their time. Explain the social and medical models of disability and the impact of each on practice (CYP3. 7 3. 3) The medical model promotes the view of a disabled person as dependent and needing to be cured or cared for, and it justifies the way in which disabled people have been systematically excluded from society. The disabled person is the problem, not society. Control resides firmly with professionals; choices for the individual are limited to the options provided and approved by the ‘helping' expert.The medical model is sometimes known as the ‘individual model’ because it promotes the notion that it is the individual disabled person who must adapt to the way in which society is constructed and organised. By labelling a child because of their disability can prevent us from seeing the child as a whole person like their gender, culture and social background the medical models is a traditional view of disability and that through medical intervention the person can be cured where in fact in ost cases there is no cure. They expect disabled people to change to fit into society. * Explain the different types of support that are available for disabled children and young people and those with specific requirements (CYP3. 7 3. 4) Specialised services  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ in my setting we have a special educational needs coordinator and we use other services such as physio therapist, speech therapists, school nurse, social services we use these services in order to provide the right care for the children in need.

Manufacturing processes for bicycle frame and golf club

Almost every item we use in our everyday life has been manufactured in some way using a series of different techniques. The task set out in this assignment is to look at two everyday objects and discuss the ways in which they have been manufactured and what materials have been used and why these specific manufacturing techniques and materials have been used. We also have to look at other possible techniques and materials that could have been utilized instead and what effect this would have had on the final product. The two objects that I have decided to investigate are the bicycle frame and the golf club. I have chosen to investigate these two items due to their similarity in materials and manufacturing processes but also their diversity as I will demonstrate in the rest of the report. First I will look at the bicycle frame then the golf club and then finishing with a short conclusion and comparison of the two different objects. 2. BICYLE FRAME The concept of the bicycle was first conceived in the late 18th century in France where an inventor created a wooden hobby horse known as a Celerifere, which had two wheels connected with a beam [1]. From this idea there have been numerous alterations and improvements to every aspect of the design that have led to the invention of the modern bicycle. These include the materials used (wood – alloys – composites), the structural design and the techniques used to manufacture the frame. The design of the modern frame can be seen in figure 1, with the names of the tubes labelled on the picture. Figure 1 – Diagram of modern bicycle frame with all parts named [2] 2.1 Materials Modern bicycle frames can be made from a variety of different materials depending on its application. Standard bicycle frames are usually made from some form of metal alloy such as steel, titanium or aluminium. Steel and titanium alloy frames are generally more popular due to their increased strength over aluminium giving them a longer life. Aluminium alloy is an ideal material in applications where weight must be cut down and the loads placed on the frame are not excessive. The particular compositions of metals within the alloy are constantly being altered to improve weight, rigidity and strength. The strength of the material is particularly important in applications such as mountain biking and downhill racing where the frame comes under considerable loads. The structure of the frame also plays a large part in the loads it can take due to the front and rear triangles that distribute the load throughout the entire frame. In the last two decades the use of composite materials has become more popular, especially in racing bikes due to their increased strength and low weight. These frames are most commonly made with some form of structural fibre such as carbon or glass. Due to the increased strength along the axis of the fibre, single piece frames can be produced giving increased strength in the areas that require it. 2.2 Manufacturing Process Looking primarily at metal alloy frames, there are two main types of tube that can be produced. These are seamless tubes, which are drawn through several stages from a block of metal and the others are known as seamed tubes, which are made from sheet metal rolled into tubes and welded along the length of the tube. Seamless tubes are generally seen as the better alternative due to the fact that they do not have a seam running along their length, which could be a possible stress concentration area. The process for making seamless tubes is as follows: First the metal alloy to be used is annealed to soften it and then hollowed. Once it has been hollowed it is heated once again and then pickled in acid to remove any oxidation layers and then lubricated to prevent any oxidation after the pickling stage. Secondly the hollow is cut to the right dimensions and mitered, a process of shaping the ends of the hollows to fit the contours of the tube to which it is to be attached to. This process is done simply by sawing off the necessary shape of the fit and then filing it down to a smooth finish. Next the tubes go through a cold drawing process to get them to the right gauge by creating a thinner and longer tube. The tube can also be ‘butted', a process that increases the thickness of the tube at the ends due to the increased stresses located at these points and making the tube thinner near the centre as the stresses are smaller at this location. This process decreases the weight and increases the strength of the frame. The final stage in making the tubes is shaping and tapering them depending on which area of the bike they are to be used in. Once the tubes have all been made, they are joined together to form the frame using either some form of welding if the tubes are made from metal or joined using an adhesive if they are made from composite. The most coming joining method for metal frames is, by far, brazing welding. This process involves placing the tubes together and heating the joints up to create a white flux, cleaning and melting the joint. Next the brazing filler metal is added, usually brass, which melts below the temperature of the joints and flows around them creating an even seal (figure 2). This process is usually done by a machine but some specialist bike makers will still do this manually. This method of welding is preferred to others, such as MIG and TIG welding, as it can be completed at much lower temperatures and so not adversely affect the properties of the material as it may change its structure at high temperatures (i.e. steel). In some frame constructions welding is not required at all and rather a lug (figure 3) is used to fix the two frames together. This allows for easy bike maintenance and tube replacement with little effect on the rest of the frame, unlike its welded counterpart. For composite frames, rather than welding the frame together, which would be ineffective, the joints are glued together using a strong adhesive. The adhesives used are capable of sustaining the same force as effectively, if not better, than welded joints. Figure 2 – Example of braze Figure 3 – Aluminium lug connecting top tube and welding on an L-section [3] seat tube [4] While the joints are still hot enough, the frame is placed into a jig to ensure that all tubes are aligned properly and if not they are oriented to the right position before the metal cools. The frame is then pickled to remove any excess flux and brazing filler and then grinded for a smooth finish Small alignment changes can still be made once the frame has cooled. Finally the frames are taking to be painted to help protect them from oxidation. First the lubricant used to protect them after pickling is cleaned off and then an undercoat is painted onto the frames. After which, a coloured enamel is painted on either by hand or by passing the frame through an electrostatic painting room where the positively charged paint is attracted to the rotating negatively charged frame. Once the frame is finished it is ready for the rest of the bikes components to be added. 3. GOLF CLUB The origins of golf are unclear as many countries had some form of game involving hitting on object with a stick dating as far back as the Roman Empire. Golf as we know it today was popularised in Scotland in the 15th Century where players would use completely wooden clubs to hit a stuffed leather ball. It wasn't until the introduction of the modern hard rubber golf ball in 1848 [5] that the materials used in the club design were altered. First iron was introduced as a material for club heads, used to strike the ball. Wooden heads were still used for certain shot types. Wooden shafts were still used despite the head material until the early 20th century when the first steel shafts were introduced. In the following years specialised clubs were developed (i.e. sand wedge) and in 1970's the first composite shafts made from high strength materials were introduced but did not gain popularity straight away due to their apparent decrease in stiffness resulting in flexing. Developments into composite shafts have made them a popular alternative to steel shafts due to their light weight and strength. Figure 4 – Variety of different club heads [7] 3.1 Materials The materials used to manufacture a golf club vary widely depending on the part that is being made such as the grip, shaft and head. The grips can be made of either a moulded synthetic rubber or bound leather, materials with a high coefficient of friction preventing slip. The shaft material can sometimes depend on the application of the club (driver, putter etc.) and are generally made from a stainless steel, titanium or aluminium for metal frames and a carbon/boron fibre reinforced epoxy. The material used for the golf heads can depend a lot on the type of club that it is. For wood type clubs the most popular materials to use are similar to those used for the shafts; stainless steel, titanium and carbon fibre epoxy. Oversized wood heads are often filled with synthetic foam so that the weight is similar to a smaller headed club. It is still possible to purchase wooden heads for the club but these are generally more for aesthetic and traditional purposes than for performance. Irons and wedges generally have heads made from stainless steel, titanium, tungsten, beryllium nickel/copper or a combination of these materials. Putters can be made from a lighter, weaker material such as aluminium due to the low impact forces that they sustain as they travel at slower velocities. 3.2 Manufacturing Process As mentioned previously there are three components to the golf club, the grip, shaft and head. Each can be made using a variety of techniques that depend on the material being used and the preference of the manufacturer. The synthetic rubber grips are made by placing the end of the shaft into a hollow die, the required shape of the grip, and injecting the rubber into the hollow. The mould is then left to harden and the shaft is removed from the mould. Depending on the material the shafts can be created in numerous ways. If the shafts are made from steel or stainless steel then they will be made by a process known as tube drawing. There are several different methods for this process such as rod drawing, fixed mandrel drawing and tube sinking. As these methods are closely related I will only look at the situation where the shafts are made via tube sinking. This process involves pulling the tube part way through a die that has a slightly smaller inner diameter than the tube, causing the tube to neck down in diameter. This is down several times with smaller lengths of the tube. This process helps to reduce the weight of the shaft and increase its strength in the areas of greatest stress (i.e. the shaft/head connection). If the tube is made from a carbon fibre composite a different process can be used. The most common is known as pultrusion where the carbon fibres are fed through a heated die with epoxy resin being fed through at the same time (figure 5). The resin hardens under the heat and forms the shaft. The composite shaft does not need to be necked during its manufacture. The metal club heads are made by a process called investment casting. A die, often made of rubber or metal, is made in two separate halves and has a hollow in the shape of the part to be moulded to allow easy removal once the mould has hardened. Wax is injected into the mould and left to harden. The mould is removed and the process is repeated several times until a collection of moulds have been produced. These moulds are then placed on the stem of a ‘tree' known as a sprue. The sprue is then invested with liquid slurry and coated in a ceramic powder and left to dry. This process is repeated until the coat is roughly 5-10mm thick. The investment is then placed in a furnace at about 550 – 1100 oC to melt the wax, which is allowed to flow out of an opening in the bottom of the cast. The cast is then fired and preheated and then inverted to allow the molten metal to be poured into the opening of the cast. Once the metal has cooled and hardened the ceramic shell is broken apart and the heads are removed from the tree. The heads are then finished with a heat treatment to harden the surface of the material and then grinded and polished for a clean surface finish. Another possible method of creating the heads is to heat up a stock piece of metal and forge it in a die to produce the part needed (figure 6). The advantage to this method is an increase in strength as the grains follow the flow of the component rather than being broken up due to casting and machining. The disadvantages of this method can be a poor surface finish and the component will usually have to go through several finishing stages to get the finished piece. Figure 5 – Composite shaft being made Figure 6 – Club head made through the  through the process of pultrusion [6] process of forging [6] Once all the parts have been made the shaft needs to be connected to the head. This can be done by a variety of methods such as creating a thread on the end of the shaft and a thread socket in a short tubular protrusion on the head and screwing them together. Another method is to place the shaft into the head socket and drill a hole through both tubes and inserting a metal pin, set with an epoxy resin. If the shaft is made from a carbon fibre composite it is connected to the head using an adhesive, with the advancements in adhesive technologies it is now possible to use an adhesive to bond metal shafts to the heads. The final stage is to check the surface for any blemishes, removing them, and then giving the surface a final polish. 4. CONCLUSION The two most similar components of the two items are the tubes of the bike frame and the shaft of the golf club. Both these components are made from the same general materials such as steel, titanium, aluminium and carbon fibre composite but utilize different methods in their construction. While the bike frame tubes are made from hollowing out lengths of metal and then cold drawing them to achieve the right gauge, golf club shafts are made directly from another method of tube drawing known as tube sinking where the tube is drawing through a die with decreasing diameter, creating a necked tube. Although these methods could be interchanged with each other they usually stick with their own methods as they give the best properties to the components. A similarity in connecting the parts together in both examples was found with the use of an adhesive to bond the carbon fibre tubes of the bike frame and even the metal shaft of the golf club with the head. Although this method could also be implemented with the metal bike frame the common method of joining is still blaze welding as its seen as the most economic method to use.

How did Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon consolidate their thrones and pacify their kingdoms in the late fifteenth century Essays

How did Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon consolidate their thrones and pacify their kingdoms in the late fifteenth century Essays How did Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon consolidate their thrones and pacify their kingdoms in the late fifteenth century Essay How did Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon consolidate their thrones and pacify their kingdoms in the late fifteenth century Essay The achievements of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella, Queen of Castile (1474-1504) and Ferdinand, King of Aragon (1479-1516) have long been admired by historians. (www.thehistorychannel.co.uk /classroom/alevel/catholic.htm). When they married in October 1469, it resulted in the instigation of the consolidation of their thrones. The route to unification was not easy for them, they had several difficulties to overcome and it was not actually until five years after Isabella was crowned the queen of Castile that the entire kingdom finally came under her control and the couple became the joint sovereigns of Aragon and Castile. Imperial Spain was born from this Union of the Crowns.To assess how the consolidation of the thrones came about I plan to look in detail to the routes that had to be taken to unite the crowns. Also, once consolidated the way Isabella and Ferdinand managed to pacify the kingdoms.Before 1479 imperial Spain did not exist. The Iberian peninsular c onsisted of Portugal, Castile and Aragon (with three separate crowns).In 1406 Juan II became successor to the throne of Castile. However as a minor, this brought a period of much instability in the kingdom. His son Henry IV succeeded him in 1454. Chroniclers claim that he was incompetent, impotent and unfit to rule (www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/classroom /alevel/catholic.html) and the great nobles liberally exploited his power. With this strength of the nobles, they felt they could question his choice of successor.A group of nobles led by Alfonso Carillo, archbishop of Toledo, supported the rights of Isabella, the half-sister of Henry IV, as successor. Henry agreed to the nobles but only on the condition that she marry the widowed, much her elder, Alfonso V, king of Portugal. However Isabella had plans of her own, in search of allies, to strengthen her position and with the influence of the great nobles pressurising her into the decision, she chose Ferdinand, heir of Aragon, a plan h is father Juan II had been trying to initiate for some time. The matrimonial alliance was sought more eagerly by the Aragonese than by the Castilian branch, as Juan II was faced by revolution not only by Catalonia but also by the expansionist ambitions of Louis XI of France.The couple married in secret on 19 October 1469. As cousins, it became necessary to forge a papal bull which allowed them to marry within the forbidden degrees. Many people were strongly opposed to the marriage including Louis XI who had been hoping to secure Castile by a union between his brother and Isabella. There were also other nobles led by the powerful Mendoza family, who supported as heiress, Henrys infant daughter Juana (born 1463) known as La Beltraneja since it was rumoured that her real sire was Beltran de la Cueva, Duke of Albuquerque.When Henry IV heard of the event he disowned Isabella and recognised Juana as his heir. Nevertheless the kings death in 1474 eased the crisis that Isabella would have t o take to become Queen. Isabella was crowned Queen of castile in Segovia on 13th December 1474, the first step of the five year upward struggle for the throne. In May 1475, encouraged by her adherents, Juana, now married to Alfonso V of Portugal duly claimed the throne. Portuguese troops crossed the frontier into Castile, and risings broke out against Isabella and Ferdinand all through the country. What followed was a genuine civil war with Juana not only backed by Old Castile and most of Andalusia but also had the assistance of the Portuguese troops. Isabella was eventually victorious however with the assistance of Ferdinand who negotiated and used his militaristic skills giving Isabella advantage and maintaining the theory that Juana was not the true daughter of Henry IV. It was a slow process but eventually in 1479 Castile came under Isabellas control. The same year Juan II of Aragon died and Ferdinand and Isabella eventually became the joint sovereign of Castile and Aragon.The U nion of Crowns was regarded as a union of equals although each kingdom preserved its own social, political, and economic realities.. Aragon was an empire in decline while Castiles empire was just beginning to rise under its energetic young queen. Isabella was a devoted Christian and this religious conviction motivated her campaign to expel the Moors and Jews from Spain and spread Christianity to the rest of the world. Ferdinand, on the other hand, focused on Aragons Italian possessions and a series of royal marriages with the other royal houses of Europe.Even so Ferdinand and Isabella worked together to reform Spain. Until Queen Isabellas victory, politically Castile had been in turmoil. During the opening years of the fifteenth century the Castilian kings had become pawns in the hands of the Castilian aristocracy who exercised a great deal of political power as they had gained control over the majority of the land taken from the Moors. They represented only 3 per cent of the popula tion but owned almost 50 per cent of the land in Castile, leaving the remaining land divided between the Crown and the Church. Once Isabella and Ferdinand had firmly pacified the country, they planned to change this. They began restricting the power of the aristocracy by centralising their government and expanding their judicial system. Hence the monarchy was reformed and it was no longer in turmoil and firmly under the Crowns control.This stabilized the monarchys authority enough so that they could then focus on the completion of the reconquest. United, Ferdinand led the forces of Aragon and Castile to triumph thanks to his military and diplomatic skill. He and Isabella walked together in victory through the gates of Granada, the last Muslim place of defense, in Spain 1492. To Isabella this was a very important demonstration of her very strict Catholic faith and inspired the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition. The results included the expulsion of Muslims from the peninsula and t he expulsion of Jews from her kingdoms in order to create a homogeneous population of Christians. That same year, 1492, Isabella sponsored an expedition by Christopher Columbus that located America and signaled the beginning of a new era for Imperial Spain when he discovered America.Although the Monarchy had been unified in the sense of crowns it failed to emerge the kingdoms in the sense of people and in the sense of a national identity. Other than the fact that the two kingdoms would share the same monarchs, but in other respects they carried on leading the same lives. The only difference now would be that they were now partners, not rivals. Throughout their reign, the word Spain, referred to as it had done in medieval times, to the association of all the peoples in the peninsula, and had no specific political meaning and because of its imprecision they never used Spain in their official title calling themselves instead King and Queen of Castile, Leà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, Aragon, Sicily an d so on. Beyond the personal union, no attempt was made to change the complete autonomy of Castile and Aragon, and the achievement of a united Spain was never an objective of theirs. Minor improvements such as easing transport of goods between the realms, and decreeing equality between the three principal gold coins of Spain, helped economic exchange. But all the custom barriers that separated the kingdoms remained fully on force, and their institutions were kept separate.Going back to the medieval ages the crowns of Castile and Aragon had evolved in dissimilar ways, had different ideals and distinct institutions. The major differences were Castile was much larger, occupying almost four times that of Aragon and holding almost 80 per cent of the population, castile was essentially a united state with a single government; it had one Cortes, one tax structure, one language and one coinage, all this added to its size and population gave it greater political initiative than Aragon where each realm was governed independently by its own Cortes.With these major distinctions in mind it would and no attempt to change any of them, it is hard to say that Isabella and Ferdinand are the founders of an emergent Spain. It is true that they consolidated the thrones and pacified their kingdoms. But the only real unification was made by the crowns, not by the people. Also it is true that if it wasnt for them, it is likely that there would be no Spain today. If Juana had become sovereign, the world as we know it today may have been very different as it was Isabella who funded Columbus trip to America and without her Spanish America may not exist. They may not have set out to unify Spain but given time that is precisely what has happened. Along with the peace and order they brought, the emergence of Spain they can also take responsibility for.