Hysteria elects Presidents essays

Hysteria elects Presidents essays I, using my extreme psychic powers, have figured out that Bush will win the debates. This should go against logic. Kerry is clearly the better speaker and smarter person, right? Right. However, in a post 9/11 environment, none of that really matters. What is going to win out in the mind of the American public, intellectual arguments, or two word catch phrases? What the public today really wants is Fox News-like intellectual McDonalds. On their face, the Bush motives and arguments seem to make the most simplistic sense. If your view and your world are bourne out of simplicity and stupidity, the way to fight terror is to invade the Middle East...the rationale for anything can be easily reduced to "protecting the American people". "Mr Bush, you flip-flopped on your promises to limit carbon monoxide, and you pulled us out of the Kyoto treaty, causing international outrage." "I did it to protect American businesses." "Mr. Bush, your invasion of Iraq has de-stabilized the Middle East, and possibly made the terrorism situation worse." "I did it to protect the American people" "Mr. Bush, your tax cuts have exacerbated a huge deficit, and contributed to the economic problems we now face." "I did it to put money back in the hands of the American people." "Mr. Bush, you allowed the assault weapons ban to expire, placing AK-47s and Mac-10s in the hands of anyone who can skirt the system." "We need our arms to protect the American people." Hysteria and fear dominate our time. Logic does not. Americans very much like sexy European accents, but they don't really like high-fangled European logic, or a worldview that involves other countries. The stupidity we now face is monumental. Never in the history of the world has a world superpower been so oblivious to everything going on around it. Jingoism and chauvinism reign supreme. Kerry's "flip-flops" are nothing new to politics...they ...

Oxidation and Reduction Reactions (Redox Reactions)

Oxidation and Reduction Reactions (Redox Reactions) This is an introduction to oxidation-reduction reactions, also known as redox reactions. Learn what redox reactions are, get examples of oxidation-reduction reactions, and find out why redox reactions are important. What Is an Oxidation-Reduction or Redox Reaction? Any chemical reaction in which the oxidation numbers (oxidation states) of the atoms are changed is an oxidation-reduction reaction. Such reactions are also known as redox reactions, which is shorthand for reduction-oxidation reactions. Oxidation and Reduction Oxidation involves an increase in oxidation number, while reduction involves a decrease in oxidation number. Usually,​ the change in oxidation number is associated with a gain or loss of electrons, but there are some redox reactions (e.g., covalent bonding) that do not involve electron transfer. Depending on the chemical reaction, oxidation and reduction may involve any of the following for a given atom, ion, or molecule: Oxidation involves the loss of electrons or hydrogen OR gain of oxygen OR increase in oxidation state.Reduction involves the gain of electrons or hydrogen OR loss of oxygen OR decrease in oxidation state. Example of an Oxidation-Reduction Reaction The reaction between hydrogen and fluorine is an example of an oxidation-reduction reaction: H2 F2 → 2 HF The overall reaction may be written as two half-reactions: H2 → 2 H 2 e− (the oxidation reaction) F2 2 e− → 2 F− (the reduction reaction) There is no net change in charge in a redox reaction so the excess electrons in the oxidation reaction must equal the number of electrons consumed by the reduction reaction. The ions combine to form hydrogen fluoride: H2 F2 → 2 H 2 F− → 2 HF Importance of Redox Reactions The electron transfer system in cells and oxidation of glucose in the human body are examples of redox reactions. Oxidation-reduction reactions are vital for biochemical reactions and industrial processes as well. Redox reactions are used to reduce ores to obtain metals, to produce electrochemical cells, to convert ammonia into nitric acid for fertilizers, and to coat compact discs.