Explain why acid rain is unevenly distributed across the world.

Acid rain is rain that has a slightly more acidic pH level than normal.  Pure water has a pH level of 7.  Rain is generally slightly acidic to begin with, so "acid rain" is rain that tends to have a pH of 5.0 - 5.5.  The acid rain itself can be created through a combination of natural and man-made sources.  For example, volcanic eruptions give off elements that help to produce acid rain.  Human sources...

Acid rain is rain that has a slightly more acidic pH level than normal.  Pure water has a pH level of 7.  Rain is generally slightly acidic to begin with, so "acid rain" is rain that tends to have a pH of 5.0 - 5.5.  The acid rain itself can be created through a combination of natural and man-made sources.  For example, volcanic eruptions give off elements that help to produce acid rain.  Human sources come from car exhausts and various fossil fuel burning activities.  


Both of the above natural and man-made sources of acid rain are not evenly distributed across the globe.  Population densities vary across continent to continent.  Additionally, natural soil compositions differ as well.  Lastly, prevailing winds can carry acid rain and its components far away from their source regions.  All of those reasons combined explain why acid rain is not evenly distributed across the globe.  In the United States for example, acid rain tends to occur most in the Northeastern United States.  This is because of the high population density, the number of large cities (with their power plants), and the winds tend to carry Midwest pollution to the Northeastern United States.  


In A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, can we consider Nora as representative of women?

Nora's predicament can be seen as representative of a situation that many women have had to experience and, perhaps, still endure.


There is a great deal in Nora's situation that can apply to many women.  For example, Torvald patronizes Nora.  He refers to her in terms such as “singing lark,”  “little squirrel,” and “little spendthrift.”  These expressions do not validate her voice.  For example, Torvald never probes into why she might be a "spendthrift." His...

Nora's predicament can be seen as representative of a situation that many women have had to experience and, perhaps, still endure.


There is a great deal in Nora's situation that can apply to many women.  For example, Torvald patronizes Nora.  He refers to her in terms such as “singing lark,”  “little squirrel,” and “little spendthrift.”  These expressions do not validate her voice.  For example, Torvald never probes into why she might be a "spendthrift." His characterizations of Nora are reductive.  They take away her intricacy as a human being by placing her in a context familiar to him. The patronizing way that Torvald perceives Nora is representative of what many women have experienced.  


The way Torvald refers to Nora places her in a situation he controls. This denial of voice is something that women have had to experience in marriage. Torvald controls Nora's identity as a wife.  In this way, marriage is shown to be a repressive institution.  Many women can relate to this condition.  The rise of feminism and the emergence of gender-based identity politics reflected a desire to change the branding of women at male discretion. The presence of feminism today reflects how many women around the world continue to experience this reality.


Nora's breaking away from Torvald is also an experience representative of women.  Many women have broken free from a situation where they were controlled or where they felt their voice was not validated. When Torvald rejects Nora, saying that she can stay for appearance, she finally gets him.  She leaves him because she knows she deserves better. Torvald is shocked that he is no longer able to control her. This experience of breaking free, asserting one's own voice, and finding a new identity are all representative of what women have done and what women continue to do today.


I think that there is always a danger in saying that a particular character represents an entire group of people.  Nora is representative of what many women have experienced.  While it is important to underscore that she does not represent every single woman, there are aspects of her experience to which many women can relate.

What is the character of Ratan like in "The Postmaster" by Tagore?

In the story, Ratan is loyal, diligent, trusting, and compassionate.


As the postmaster's helper, she is often at her employer's beck and call. Yet, Ratan never complains; she never hesitates to put aside what she's doing in order to tend to the postmaster's needs. When he becomes sick, she tends to him lovingly and faithfully.


She at once stepped into the post of mother, called in the village doctor, gave the patient his pills at...

In the story, Ratan is loyal, diligent, trusting, and compassionate.


As the postmaster's helper, she is often at her employer's beck and call. Yet, Ratan never complains; she never hesitates to put aside what she's doing in order to tend to the postmaster's needs. When he becomes sick, she tends to him lovingly and faithfully.



She at once stepped into the post of mother, called in the village doctor, gave the patient his pills at the proper intervals, sat up all night by his pillow, cooked his gruel for him, and every now and then asked: "Are you feeling a little better, Dada?"



Ratan's unselfish ministrations on behalf of her employer highlight her diligence and faithfulness. When he teaches her how to read, she is so diligent and dedicated in her efforts that she finds herself working with double consonants before long.


Additionally, Ratan's willingness to sit and to listen to the postmaster while he expounds at length about his family is a demonstration of her patience and compassion. In all his monologues, Ratan never fails to enter into the spirit of her employer's reveries. In her heart, his family has become hers.


Last, but not least, Ratan's loyal and trusting character is demonstrated when she asks the postmaster whether he will take her with him when he leaves. When the postmaster doesn't reply in the affirmative, Ratan is heartbroken. She has always trusted in his care for her, and now, she is bewildered by his cruel indifference to her plight. In grief, she summarily refuses the postmaster's offer of financial remuneration. As the story ends, we begin to understand how Ratan's trusting and naive nature has brought her immense grief.



Alas for our foolish human nature! Its fond mistakes are persistent. The dictates of reason take a long time to assert their own sway. The surest proofs meanwhile are disbelieved. False hope is clung to with all one's might and main, till a day comes when it has sucked the heart dry and it forcibly breaks through its bonds and departs. After that comes the misery of awakening, and then once again the longing to get back into the maze of the same mistakes.


In chapter 21, Holden makes a comment comparing how adults sleep to how children sleep. How does this relate to what we know about Holden's character?

In Chapter 21, Holden happens upon his little sister, Phoebe, sleeping peacefully in his brother D.B.'s room. After watching her, he decides that children always look very peaceful when they sleep, unlike adults. It makes sense that Holden would say this. He is a character who is quite thoughtful and critical about everything. He tends to see things in a more cynical light than other people his age, and it shows in his observations of...

In Chapter 21, Holden happens upon his little sister, Phoebe, sleeping peacefully in his brother D.B.'s room. After watching her, he decides that children always look very peaceful when they sleep, unlike adults. It makes sense that Holden would say this. He is a character who is quite thoughtful and critical about everything. He tends to see things in a more cynical light than other people his age, and it shows in his observations of others. In life, he experiences a feeling of discontent with everything; this contributes to his views on the adult pursuasion and his judgemental attitude toward virtually everyone else that he runs into.


Adults, he thinks, are very "phony" in general. In fact, he sees a lot of what happens in the world as their fault. We know that he has experienced some trauma in his past which makes him a troubled person and an unreliable narrator. It also gives him a unique perspective on certain situations. Where someone else might look upon Phoebe sleeping in a positive light, he marvels at how different she looks than an adult would. This negative spin that he puts on everything that he witnesses speaks to his internal anger and critical nature. 

I need to write an essay about No country for old men. I thought about the importance of the setting (a desert and desolate place where the Law is...

You have chosen an interesting and, I think, a very workable topic.  In the novel, laws are unstable, and men seem to operate without a moral code.  The desert seems to reflect this emptiness.  The men seem as hollow as T.S. Eliot's "Hollow Men," and the dryness of the desert seems to symbolize their meaningless lives and deaths.  It is significant that the money was found in the desert surrounded by dead bodies.  This becomes...

You have chosen an interesting and, I think, a very workable topic.  In the novel, laws are unstable, and men seem to operate without a moral code.  The desert seems to reflect this emptiness.  The men seem as hollow as T.S. Eliot's "Hollow Men," and the dryness of the desert seems to symbolize their meaningless lives and deaths.  It is significant that the money was found in the desert surrounded by dead bodies.  This becomes a symbol and a foreshadowing of the fact that the main characters in the novel trade their lives for this money.  Moss's decision to keep the money results in the loss of his life and that of his wife's.  Even Carson Wells ends up paying with his life for his attempt to get the money.  There's a sense of waste, futility, and desolation.  


Once the characters become guided by greed, then they make the law of the jungle their guide.  They do what they can to outsmart, out run, out maneuver others.  Of course, Chigurh is the villain here, but others, though not as cruel and ruthless, show similar tendencies. In this world, Chigurh wins, mainly because he is smarter and more vicious than his competitors.  


Much of the action of the novel is in the city.  It is in hotels and hospitals, not the desert, but I think you can use the desert as a metaphor that extends throughout the novel.  There is no real justice in this novel. We see this when Chigurh kills Carla Jean.  Even her steadfast love cannot combat Chigurh's evil or her own husband's greed.  There seems to be an absence of individual integrity.  In fact, it seems that Bell is the only one who has any remorse over his actions.  He seems to accept the fact that the world is a barren place and that evil is stronger than good. (By the way, you might include Bell's experience in the Vietnam jungle in your discussion.) So in some ways, the city becomes the desert--it's at least as empty, infertile, and harsh as the desert.  


I hope this helps.  


Find the inverse of g(x)=-2x+4

Hello!


The inverse function `g^(-1)(y)` is a function such that `g(g^(-1)(y))` = y and `g^(-1)(g(x)) = x.` To find it, we need to solve for x the equation


`g(x) = y,` in this case it is `-2x+4 = y.`


It is simple: `-2x = y-4,`  `2x = -y+4,`  `x = -1/2 y + 2.` You can check the above equalities from the definition of an inverse function.


The answer: the inverse function is `g^(-1)(y) =...

Hello!


The inverse function `g^(-1)(y)` is a function such that `g(g^(-1)(y))` = y and `g^(-1)(g(x)) = x.` To find it, we need to solve for x the equation


`g(x) = y,` in this case it is `-2x+4 = y.`


It is simple: `-2x = y-4,`  `2x = -y+4,`  `x = -1/2 y + 2.` You can check the above equalities from the definition of an inverse function.


The answer: the inverse function is `g^(-1)(y) = -1/2 y + 2.`

In Unwind, what is the significance of Risa's piano and the bracelet that Lev stole?

The piano is significant to Risa because it is symbolic of who she is.  She is a musician.  Music, especially piano music, is Risa's way to stay safely at the StaHo.  She knows that she must excel at piano to have a chance to stay in the StaHo and live until the age of 18.  Unfortunately, Risa is good pianist . . . not a great pianist.  The StaHo is being forced to reduce its...

The piano is significant to Risa because it is symbolic of who she is.  She is a musician.  Music, especially piano music, is Risa's way to stay safely at the StaHo.  She knows that she must excel at piano to have a chance to stay in the StaHo and live until the age of 18.  Unfortunately, Risa is good pianist . . . not a great pianist.  The StaHo is being forced to reduce its population, so Risa is chosen to become an Unwind.  She manages to escape her fate, but the pianist in her never dies.  When she arrives at the Graveyard, she is asked what she is or can do.  



"Tell us about yourself," says the boy on the right. Starboard Boy, she calls him, since, after all, they're in a vessel. "What do you know, and what can you do?"



Risa answers that she plays piano because it is integral to her being.  The book even ends with Risa playing piano music to the new Unwinds arriving in the Graveyard.  


Lev's stolen bracelet is less symbolic of Lev.  The bracelet is important for the character of CyFi though.  CyFi stole the bracelet and a handful of other jewelry items that are worth a lot of money.  CyFi pleads to Lev that he didn't actually steal those items.  CyFi explains that a significant amount of his brain is from an Unwind.  At times the other brain simply takes over and controls CyFi's actions.  It's a great section of the book because it is concrete evidence that unwinding isn't as safe and glorious as the government claims it is.  Lev eventually takes the bracelet to a pawn shop and swindles the owner out of $1500.  

What are the problems with Uganda's government?

Youth unemployment and corruption are two problems that face the Ugandan government. Modern governments all over the world face many problem...