Thursday, December 19, 2019

Best Bitcoin Poker Sites For 2016 - 1570 Words

Best Bitcoin Poker Sites for 2016 Have you been searching for a good poker website where you can play for real money? Have you considered using an alternative currency like Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a form of money that you can use to purchase goods and services on the internet, but with the advantage of anonymity. That makes it an ideal choice for gambling sites, especially for players who live in places where gambling is illegal. While Bitcoin poker sites are relatively new to the industry, there are several good ones available to players worldwide right now. They are perfectly legal, and may be the best alternative for many players searching for a good poker experience. Here are five of our favorite Bitcoin poker sites for 2016 in order: TonyBet Pros: Open-face Chinese Poker Great software that runs smoothly Guaranteed tournaments Great prizes Get tickets to live events Cons: Sign up process requires photo ID and proof of address In the world of Bitcoin poker, TonyBet continues to stand out among the crowd. This forward thinking website is poised to grow rapidly in the near future. In addition to poker, you can find casino, sportsbook, and live games on this full-service website. Software is excellent, customer service is top-notch, and they have platforms for every computer and mobile device. With steady growth, TonyBet continues to gather a loyal following. When it comes to Bitcoin poker, TonyBet is a proven and safe choice. When you sign up, you must provideShow MoreRelatedAmerica s Cardroom Review 20161748 Words   |  7 PagesAmerica’s Cardroom Review 2016 (https://www.americascardroom.eu/) America’s Cardroom Summary Welcome to our America’s Cardroom Review for 2016! America’s Cardroom is the premier poker site for American players, and is a member of the Winning Poker Network, or WPN. Player traffic on this site peaks at around 1500 players, and averages 850, which is very good, especially for a site that allows U.S. players. Finding a good game on this site is never an issue. The initial signup offer here is veryRead MoreBlack Chip Poker Review 20161657 Words   |  7 PagesChip Poker Review 2016 (http://www.blackchippoker.eu/) Black Chip Poker Summary Black Chip Poker is one of the few U.S. facing online poker sites that continues to provide a quality poker experience to Americans even after the infamous Poker Black Friday. In our Black Chip Poker Review for 2016, we’ll go over all of the great features that keep poker players interested and having fun on this unique poker site. Black Chip Poker was established back in 2009 as a member of the Merge Poker Network

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Evolutionary Quantitative Genetics

Questions: 1. All living organisms require energy to power their metabolic processes. How do autotrophs such as green plants obtain this energy? Describe the process in detail. After the green plants obtain this energy, how do they (and hetertrophs) use the energy to power their metabolic reactions (what process?). Describe this process. 2. What plant growth regulator(s) causes trees to become dormant in the fall? How is this dormancy broken in the spring? Describe what happens (with respect to growth regulators) as a tree becomes active in the spring after spending a dormant winter. 3. What is Mendelian genetics? How does it differ from non Mendelian genetics? How do mutations occur and what is their effect? Answers: 1. Autotrophs obtain their nutrients and energy from the sunlight, through photosynthesis process in most of the cases. However, in some rare cases they use chemical energy that is obtained from oxidation process. This energy is used to synthesize the necessary organic compounds from the inorganic substances (Tran et al., 2013). In autotrophs, the reduction of carbon dioxide to carbohydrates takes place via chemical reactions. Utilizing the energy generated during reaction ATP and NADPH are formed. The energy is stored inside ATP and used in the other metabolic reactions. In the heterotrophs, energy is generated by the oxidation of the reduced organic carbons obtained from plant source to carbon dioxide. This process also releases energy that is utilized in the metabolic reactions of heterotrophs (Tran et al., 2013). 2. Several genetic and chemical growth factors cause dormancy in plants during fall. The chemical factors include the growth hormones of plant such as abscisic acid, cytokinins, auxins, gibberellins etc. Some environmental growth factors are also there such as, level of humidity, availability of water, temperature etc. In the spring, the physiological activities of plant start to function again that had almost stopped during the winter for the adverse environment. The growth regulators start functioning normally with the change in the environmental factors (Roff, 2012). 3. Mendelian genetics deal with the mechanism of the traits and gene transfer from one to the other generation. The Mendelian genetics says that each possible allele for a trait comes from each of the parents but according to the non Mendelian genetics, the traits are related to the single genes of chromosomes. Mutation is a process of permanent alteration of the sequence of DNA of a genome of a particular organism. Mutation causes a permanent change in the phenotypes or genotypes or both. It incorporates new characteristics to the next generation (Roff, 2012). References: Roff, D. (2012).Evolutionary quantitative genetics. Springer Science Business Media. Tran, N. H., Urase, T., Ngo, H. H., Hu, J., Ong, S. L. (2013). Insight into metabolic and cometabolic activities of autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms in the biodegradation of emerging trace organic contaminants.Bioresource technology,146, 721-731.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Jazz Music Essays - Jazz Genres, African-American Music, Jazz

Jazz Music What is Jazz? According to the dictionary, jazz is defined as, "A kind of syncopated, highly rhythmic music originated by Southern blacks in the late 19th century" ("Jazz" 232). But, everyone should at least agree that jazz is the mother of all music, and is referred to as the only art form originating in the United States ("History 101" 2). America was home to immigrants from all over Europe and beyond who wished to build a new life, or just needed to escape from the old. These people, often thought of as second-class, brought their culture with them to America, expressed it musically, and changed the music world as we know it today. Most early jazz was played in small marching bands or by solo pianists. Besides ragtime and marches, the repertoire included hymns, spirituals, and blues. The bands played this music at picnics, weddings, parades, and funerals. Characteristically, the bands played hymns on the way to funerals and lively marches on the way back. Although blues and ragtime had arisen independently of jazz, and continued to exist alongside it, these genres influenced the style and forms of jazz and provided important vehicles for jazz improvisation. Around the turn of the 20th century, the earliest fully documented jazz style emerged, centered in New Orleans, Louisiana. This city is often called the "cradle of jazz" ("History 101" 3). In this style, the trumpet carried the melody, the clarinet played showy countermelodies, and the trombone played rhythmic slides and sounded the root notes of chords or simple harmony. Below this basic trio, the tuba or string bass provided a bass line and drums the rhythmic accompaniment. New Orleans jazz was just the beginning of an entire sweep across the county. The first true virtuoso soloist of jazz was Louis Armstrong. He was a dazzling improviser, technically, emotionally, and intellectually. He changed the format of jazz by bringing the soloist to the forefront, and in his recording groups, the "Hot Five" and the "Hot Seven" (Porter 2), demonstrated that jazz improvisation could go far beyond simply ornamenting the melody. He became the first well known male jazz singer, and also set standards for all later jazz singers, by creating scat singing: singing meaningless syllables instead of words, not unlike instrumental improvisation. During the 1920s, large groups of jazz musicians began to play together, forming the big bands that became so popular in the 1930s and early 1940s, (the swing era). The development of the big band can be majorly credited to the achievement of Duke Ellington and his revolutionary song, "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" ("Jazz Music" 54). This soon became the new word for music played with a happy, relaxed beat. A new style also started in the early 1940's when a group of musicians started experimenting with more complicated chord patterns and melodic ideas. This group included trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, and pianists Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. This new approach became known as bebop, or bop. Most bop musicians had exceptional techniques that enabled them to play long, dazzling phrases with many notes. In the 1940's and 1950's, jazz began to lose its reputation as a "lowdown" music, and gained acceptance among intellectuals and college students. Jazz concerts became popular. Duke Ellington and other big band leaders gave many concerts, and a group of improvising musicians made a series of nationwide tours called "Jazz at the Philharmonic" ("Jazz Music" 56). Jazz music was revolutionary and is still changing and improving, even today. The music world today would not be the same without the influence of these amazing and breathtaking musicians. Bibliography "History 101." Jazz Central: The true home of jazz. Jul. 1998. 1-4. "Jazz." Webster's New World Dictionary. Cleveland, OH: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1989. 232. "Jazz Music." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1974 ed. Porter, Lewis. "Jazz." The 1998 Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Aug. 1997. 1-12.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Directory, Consulate End of the French Revolution

The Directory, Consulate End of the French Revolution The Constitution of Year III With the Terror over, the French Revolutionary wars once again going in Frances favor and the stranglehold of the Parisians on the revolution broken, the National Convention began to devise a new constitution. Chief in their aims was the need for stability. The resulting constitution was approved on April 22nd and was once again begun with a declaration of rights, but this time a list of duties was also added. All male taxpayers over 21 were citizens who could vote, but in practice, the deputies were chosen by assemblies in which only citizens who owned or rented property and who paid a set sum of tax each year could sit. The nation would thus be governed by those who had a stake in it. This created an electorate of roughly a million, of which 30,000 could sit in the resulting assemblies. Elections would take place yearly, returning a third of the required deputies each time. The legislature was bicameral, being comprised of two councils. The lower Council of Five Hundred proposed all legislation but did not vote, while the upper Council of Elders, which was composed of married or widowed men over forty, could only pass or reject legislation, not propose it. Executive power lay with five Directors, which were chosen by the Elders from a list provided by the 500. One retired each year by lot, and none could be chosen from the Councils. The aim here was a series of checks and balances on power. However, the Convention also decided that two-thirds of the first set of council deputies had to be members of the National Convention. The Vendà ©miaire Uprising The two-thirds law disappointed many, further fuelling a public displeasure at the Convention which had been growing as food once again became scarce. Only one section in Paris was in favor of the law and this led to the planning of an insurrection. The Convention responded by summoning troops to Paris, which further inflamed support for the insurrection as people feared that the constitution would be forced onto them by the army. On October 4th, 1795 seven sections declared themselves insurrectionary and ordered their units of National Guard to gather ready for action, and on the 5th over 20,000 insurgents marched on the Convention. They were stopped by 6000 troops guarding vital bridges, who had been placed there by a deputy called Barras and a General called Napoleon Bonaparte. A standoff developed but violence soon ensued and the insurgents, who had been very effectively disarmed in the preceding months, were forced to retreat with hundreds killed. This failure marked the last time Parisians attempted to take charge, a turning point in the Revolution. Royalists and Jacobins The Councils soon took their seats and the first five Directors was Barras, who had helped save the constitution, Carnot, a military organizer who had once been on the Committee of Public Safety, Reubell, Letourneur and La Revellià ©re-Là ©peaux. Over the next few years, the Directors maintained a policy of vacillating between Jacobin and Royalist sides to try and negate both. When Jacobins were in the ascendant the Directors closed their clubs and rounded up terrorists and when the royalists were rising their newspapers were curbed, Jacobins papers funded and sans-culottes released to cause trouble. The Jacobins still tried to force their ideas through by planning uprisings, while the monarchists looked to the elections to gain power. For their part, the new government grew increasingly dependent on the army to maintain itself. Meanwhile, sectional assemblies were abolished, to be replaced with a new, centrally controlled body. The sectionally controlled National Guard also went, replaced with a new and centrally controlled Parisian Guard. During this period a journalist called Babeuf began calling for the abolition of private property, common ownership and the equal distribution of goods; this is believed to the first instance of full communism being advocated. The Fructidor Coup The first elections to take place under the new regime occurred in year V of the revolutionary calendar. The people of France voted against the former Convention deputies (few were re-elected), against the Jacobins, (almost none were returned) and against the Directory, returning new men with no experience instead of those the Directors favored. 182 of the deputies were now royalist. Meanwhile, Letourneur left the Directory and Barthà ©lemy took his place. The results worried both the Directors and the nation’s generals, both concerned that the royalists were growing greatly in power. On the night of September 3-4th the ‘Triumvirs’, as Barras, Reubell and La Revellià ©re-Là ©peaux were increasingly known, ordered troops to seize Parisian strong points and surround the council rooms. They arrested Carnot, Barthà ©lemy and 53 council deputies, plus other prominent royalists. Propaganda was sent out stating that there had been a royalist plot. The Fructidor Coup against the monarchists was this swift and bloodless. Two new Directors were appointed, but the council positions were left vacant. The Directory From this point on the Second Directory rigged and annulled elections to keep their power, which they now began to use. They signed the peace of Campo Formio with Austria, leaving France at war with just Britain, against whom an invasion was planned before Napoleon Bonaparte led a force to invade Egypt and threaten British interests in Suez and India. Tax and debts were revamped, with a two-thirds bankruptcy and the reintroduction of indirect taxes on, among other things, tobacco and windows. Laws against à ©migrà ©s returned, as did refractory laws, with refusals being deported. The elections of 1797 were rigged at every level to minimize royalist gains and support the Directory. Only 47 out of 96 departmental results were not altered by a scrutinizing process. This was the coup of Florà ©al and it tightened the Directors grip over the councils. However, they were to weaken their support when their actions, and the behavior of France in international politics, led to a renewal of war and the return of conscription. The  Coup of Prairial By  the start of 1799, with war, conscription and action against refractory priests dividing the nation, confidence in the Directory to bring about the much-desired peace and stability was gone. Now Sieyà ¨s, who had turned down the chance to be one of the original Directors, replaced Reubell, convinced he could effect change. Once again it became obvious the Directory would rig the elections, but their grip on the councils was waning and on June 6th the Five Hundred summoned the Directory and subjected them to an attack over its poor war  record. Sieyà ¨s was new and without blame, but the other Directors didnt know how to respond. The Five Hundred declared a permanent session until the Directory replied; they also declared that one Director, Treilhard, had risen to the post illegally and ousted him. Gohier replaced Treilhard and immediately sided with Sieyà ¨s, as Barras, always the opportunist, also did. This was followed by the Coup of Prairial where the Five Hundred, continuing their attack on the Directory, forced the remaining two Directors out. The councils had, for the first time, purged the Directory, not the other way round, pushing three out of their jobs. The Coup of Brumaire and the End of the Directory The Coup of Prairial had been masterfully orchestrated by Sieyà ¨s, who was now able to dominate the Directory, concentrating power almost wholly in his hands. However, he was not satisfied and when a Jacobin resurgence had been put down and confidence in the military once again grew he decided to take advantage and force a change in the government by use of military power. His first choice of general, the tame Jourdan, had recently died. His second, the Director Moreau, wasnt keen. His third,  Napoleon Bonaparte, arrived back in Paris on October 16th. Bonaparte was greeted with crowds celebrating his success: he was their undefeated and triumphant general and he met with Sieyà ¨s soon after. Neither liked the other, but they agreed on an alliance to force constitutional change. On November 9th Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother and president of the Five Hundred, managed to have the meeting place of the councils switched from Paris to the old royal palace at Saint-Cloud, under the pretext of freeing the councils from the – now absent – influence of Parisians. Napoleon was put in charge of the troops. The next stage occurred when the entire Directory, motivated by Sieyà ¨s, resigned, aiming to force the councils to create a provisional government. Things didn’t go quite as planned and the next day, Brumaire 18th, Napoleon’s demand to the council for constitutional change was greeted frostily; there were even calls to outlaw him. At one stage he was scratched, and the wound bled. Lucien announced to the troops outside that a Jacobin had tried to assassinate his brother, and they followed orders to clear the meeting halls of the council. Later that day a quorum was reassembled to vote, and now things did go as planned: the legislature was suspended for six weeks while a committee of deputies revised the constitution. The provisional government was to be three consuls: Ducos, Sieyà ©s, and Bonaparte. The era of the Directory was over. The Consulate The new constitution was hurriedly written under the eye of Napoleon. Citizens would now vote for a tenth of themselves to form a communal list, which in turn selected a tenth to form a departmental list. A further tenth was then chosen for a national list. From these a new institution, a senate whose powers were not defined, would choose the deputies. The legislature remained bicameral, with a lower hundred member Tribunate which discussed legislation and an upper three hundred member Legislative Body which could only vote. Draft laws now came from the government via a council of state, a throwback to the old monarchical system. Sieyà ©s had originally wanted a system with two consuls, one for internal and external matters, selected by a lifetime ‘Grand Elector’ with no other powers; he had wanted Bonaparte in this role. However Napoleon disagreed and the constitution reflected his wishes: three consuls, with the first having most authority. He was to be first consul. The constitution was finished on December 15th and voted in late December 1799 to early January 1800. It passed. Napoleon Bonapartes Rise to Power and the End of Revolution Bonaparte now turned his attention to the wars, beginning a campaign which ended with the defeat of the alliance ranged against him. The Treaty of Lunà ©ville was signed in France’s favor with Austria while Napoleon began creating satellite kingdoms. Even Britain came to the negotiating table for peace. Bonaparte thus brought the French Revolutionary Wars to a close with triumph for France. While this peace was not to last for long, by then the Revolution was over. Having at first sent out conciliatory signals to royalists he then declared his refusal to invite the king back, purged Jacobin  survivors and then began rebuilding the republic. He created a Bank of France to manage state debt and produced a balanced budget in 1802. Law and order were reinforced by the creations of special prefects in each department, the use of the army and special courts which cut into the crime epidemic in France. He also began the creation of a uniform series of laws, the Civil Code which although not finished until 1804 were around in a draft format in 1801. Having finished the wars which had divided so much of France he also ended the schism with the Catholic Church by re-establishing the Church of France and signing a concordat with the Pope. In 1802 Bonaparte purged – bloodlessly - the Tribunate and other bodies after they and the senate and its president – Sieyà ¨s – had begun to criticize him and refuse to pass laws. Public support for him was now overwhelming and with his position secure he made more reforms, including making himself consul for life. Within two years he would crown himself Emperor of France. The Revolution was over and empire would soon begin

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Great Railroad Strike 1877 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Great Railroad Strike 1877 - Research Paper Example strike failed to a considerable level, but it evoked labour upheaval, social change, political mainstream and organization among the American labourers. The workers at Ohio and Baltimore railroad went on strike because their wages were reduced twice over the previous year. The striking workers refused to let the trains run until all the pay cut were returned to respective employees affected.1 Following the civil war, railway industry was the leading sector in industrial growth. The development of several railway lines was fuelled by the government grants and subsidies during 1870s, making the railroad become the largest commercial sector in USA. The Chicago Tribune termed it as â€Å"the very heart and life of the modern system of commercial existence.† As the expansion of the railway continued, their economic and political power grew dramatically. In contrast, the workers in the railroad industry lacked political as well as an economic power. An increasing influx of workers from Europe and rural areas to the city meant that labour supply surpassed demand. Since an individual worker was not considered as valuable commodity, several companies rarely had a good incentive to respond to the workers needs. In addition, there were little ideologies of solidarity among workers and labour unions were being viewed as criminal gang organizations. Some existing unions were u npopular with the public and were not able to execute their duties because they feared facing legal challenges. The problem faced by some labour movement intensified in 1873 when economic panic erupted. The unemployment rate was at 25% and the value of an individual worker dropped considerably. Moreover, as the government continued cutting the wages, the unions and workers revolted and fought back. Railroad workers faced the harsh working environment and were not able to collectively respond to the persistent wage cut. As corporations suffered consistently, reduced revenues and economic depression