Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macbeth - Essay Example This order doesn't seem to be something Duncan thought carefully about and seems to be a violation of justice in that Cawdor is denied a final defense. Macbeth's murder of the king reasserts justice for Cawdor, but it violates the justice of his society. Also, Duncan's actions are repeated by Macbeth when he orders the murder of Macduff’s family and the execution of Banquo. Because he has violated justice, Macbeth suffers mental torture that eventually leads to his own destruction. This illustrates how a king who resorts to violence as a means of asserting his power will be forced by his own nature to continue escalating his violent actions until he himself is destroyed. Macbeth’s elevation to Cawdor near the beginning of the play reinforces the witches' prediction and the idea that Macbeth is more committed to his own personal interests than he does to justice. This is a slowly developing process that begins when Macbeth writes to his wife about the prophecy and his pr omotion to Thane of Cawdor. Although he knows his only reason for moving against his king is â€Å"vaunting ambition, which o’erleaps itself† (I, vii, 25-27), Macbeth decides his commitment to Lady Macbeth and his greed is stronger than his commitment to the less tangible ideals of truth and justice that he's vowed to uphold. When Macbeth willingly participates in murder for his own welfare with no concern for the welfare of the realm, the consequences quickly escalate to massacres of perceived but often innocent enemies and the need for Macbeth to lie and deceive as a means of maintaining the perception others have of him. Because Macbeth has violated the rules of justice, he is unable to see innocence in friends and expects nothing from them but harm. His own violations force Macbeth to consider Banquo's possible schemes, leading him to order murder as a form of self-protection even though Banquo has sworn himself to secrecy after they meet with the witches: â€Å"I f you shall cleave to my consent, when ‘tis, / It shall make honor for you† (II, i, 25-26). When Banquo brings up the subject of the witches, Macbeth's betrayal causes him to assume Banquo will do the same. â€Å"Our fears in Banquo stick deep, / And in his royalty of nature reigns that / Which would be feared. ‘Tis much he dares; / And to that dauntless temper of his mind / He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor / To act in safety† (III, i, 49-54). Macbeth realizes that he has Banquo’s silence only as long as keeping silent benefits Banquo. While Macbeth wouldn't have seen Banquo as a threat had he acted in the name of justice, Macbeth's violation of justice makes him see Banquo as a threat that must be eliminated. This is highlighted by the fact that Banquo had no intention of doing anything to bring about Macbeth’s downfall since he was excited for the benefits to his own son from the prophecy. Because he can't depend on justice to give him success, Macbeth must again turn to the witches for advice. â€Å"I conjure you by that which you profess, / Howe’er you come to know it answer me †¦ Even till destruction sicken, answer me / To what I ask you† (IV, i, 50-51, 60-61). He realizes that these are creatures of evil, but he has already turned his back on justice and has no other resource to turn to. For their part, the witches drive Macbeth to further evil action in his seeking of Macduff,

How is this artefact the product of a particular historical and Essay - 1

How is this artefact the product of a particular historical and cultural environment - Essay Example In addition to that, in order to focus the analysis, the research will examine a pair of jeans that is in possession of the author. To begin with, it may be suitable to perform a preliminary analysis. Thus, one should point out that one of the main characteristic features of jeans is the peculiar kind of fabric that it is made of. The actual cloth that is used in production is called denim and is different from regular fabric in structure as feature an unusual combination of warp and weft (Chauncey 5). In addition to that there are metal rivets that are thought to reinforce the pockets so that they could carry more. Finally, there a special kind of thread that is used for the seams. The jeans that were the direct object of investigation are made by Gap. Keeping in mind that this company largely uses factories that are located on the island of Saipan, it would not be an exaggeration to point out that the pair of jeans in question was produced on that island (Bendix 5). It may be rather difficult to identity the time when this artefact was manufactured as there is no date indicated on the cloth. However, there may be a way to define the approximate time. Considering the fashion of the jeans, one might conclude that the pair in question was made in 2012. Speaking of the processes that were used in its production, one might speculate that they were made by hands of the hired workers. In order to gain a better understanding of the artefact one may also consider the reason why it was made. Leading aside different speculations about the possible cultural meaning and the shifting paradigm of clothes, one may point out that jeans have become the most popular casual clothes in the world (Cunningham 31). This means that people who come from different cultural backgrounds may be willing to buy a pair of jeans in order to wear it on a daily basis. That is why the

In theory, Parliament is sovereign in New Zealand. In practice, it is Essay

In theory, Parliament is sovereign in New Zealand. In practice, it is not - Essay Example Sovereignty and Function of New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Legislature is Sovereign. The arm of government can call parliamentarians to meet. Secondly, it can dissolve parliament and assent to bills passed in the house before they become laws. The major function of the parliament is to make laws. The parliament also provides the government with members to be appointed in various ministerial positions. This enables the government to maintain majority and confidence among parliamentarians. The parliament also serves as a watchdog for the people by controlling and scrutinizing the government. The ministers are answerable to the parliament and are often asked questions in parliament regarding their ministries. The final function of the parliament is to represent the people in parliament. It fulfils this function by airing views and wishes of the electorate in parliament (NZCU South, 2013).   The three Arms of the Government The first arm of the government is the Executive. It i s made up of the crown that is represented by Governor-General, the cabinet ministers and the civil servants. The executive is concerned with initiating, developing and implementing government policy. It also publishes and administers legislations (Salter, 2013). The legislature has a single chamber called the House of Representatives. Its main duty is to make laws by drafting, evaluating and debating bills before they become laws. The people elect the MPs after every three years (Salter, 2013). The last arm of the government is the judiciary. It is made up of the judges and courts. Its main duty is to interpret and apply law as per the constitution. Apart from this, the judiciary punishes offenders and arbitrates any conflict between the legislature and executive (Salter, 2013). Powers of Parliament Various ways can be used to increase the powers of parliament. One of them is giving parliamentarians immunity when debating. According to this provision, parliamentarians will be free to express their views without fear of imprisonment. This would enable them to check the government without fear. The parliament should also be allowed to discuss any matter before the courts or the executive. The court and executive proceedings should not hinder parliamentary proceedings. This would enable the parliament to oversee implementation of government policies that are beneficial to the public. In addition to this, parliament should have the powers to summon any one including the members of the judiciary and the executive to question them on various matters of the state. Lastly, the parliament should be allowed to scrutinize and assent to all executive appointees in order to ensure they serve the public and not the executive (New Zealand Parliament, 2013). The role of Executives The executive is made up of the Prime Minister, Governor General, cabinet ministers, civil servants and government departments. The executive draft government bills and present them in parliament f or debating. It is also charged with developing and implementing various policies that would improve the welfare of the citizens. However, the sole function of the executive is to advise the Governor-General on his duties such as appointment of ministers. The ministers head various ministries such as finance and judiciary. Civil servants are charged with implementation of the

Rise Of The Creative Class Cultural Studies Essay

Rise Of The Creative Class Cultural Studies Essay According to Richard Florida, cities must make purposive efforts to establish the right people climate for the favoured class of creatives or they will wither and die (Florida, 2002; p. 13). Critically reflect upon Floridas thesis as to the role the creative classes play in stimulating economic success in places. In 2002, Richard Florida published, The Rise of the Creative Class, the book analyses the forces reshaping our economy and how companies, communities and people can survive and prosper in a post-Fordist U.S. It provides a provocative new way of thinking about why and how places economically develop but whether there is merit in his thesis is questionable. In essence, Floridas book seeks to describe a new economy, in which Creativity has become a driving force of economic growth. The ability to compete and prosper in the global economy goes beyond trade in goods and services and flows of capital and investment, instead, it increasingly turns on the ability of [cities] to attract, retain and develop creative people (Florida 2002a, p.3). These creative people are what Florida names the creative class and it is this new socioeconomic class who he claims add economic value through their creativity and are the ultimate economic resource (Florida 2002a, p.2). It is important to understand that Floridas definition of the Creative Class is extremely broad. Florida (2002a) argues that this is because all professions entail some creativity in their execution. However, it can be broken down into three main components and each component illustrates a role that the creative class plays in stimulating economic success. The first component is the super-creative core. These are people who invent, take out patents and thus are at the centre of economic and technological development. It includes a wide range of occupations, with arts, design, and media workers as a small subset. Florida considers those belonging to this group to fully engage in the creative process (2002a, p. 69). The Super-Creative Core is believed to be innovative, creating commercial products and consumer goods and the ability to come up with new ideas and better ways of doing things is ultimately what raises productivity (Florida 2002a, p.2). The second component is the creative professionals. This group do not have as clear of a connection with technological development. They educate, manage, care take as well as develop models and thoughts and thereby facilitate the economic development. The bohemians is the last component. These are the artistically creative and their role is attracting the other two groups. The presence of such human capital in turn creates a specific people climate and attracts the first two components and therefore generates innovative, technology-based industries which bring economic prosperity (Florida 2002b). However, as will be explained later, the presence of bohemians in cities attracting the rest of the creative class and therefore promoting economic growth is a contested issue. The fact that the creative class aggregate efforts have become the primary drivers of economic development is made more understandable by the new economy that has been created. In this post-Fordist society, Hartley (2005) argues that high tech creative industries are at the core to economic development and therefore the creative class, who play a key role in these creative industries and are crucial to economic development. With this new society, Florida (2002a) argues that with more creative class presence there will be more high-tech jobs, more growth in employment and firm formation, therefore greater economic success. Florida (2002) debates that this stimulation of economic success by the creative class means that there is an inevitable need for cities to attract the creative class or they will wither and die. However, do jobs follow people or people follow jobs? The old Fordism models assumed that people move to where the jobs are, suggesting a development strategy of cutting corporate taxes, developing industrial parks and clusters. On the other hand in a Post-Fordism society, Florida (2002c) argues that jobs move to, or are made, where the skilled workers are, inferring an economic development strategy concentrated on attracting people as consumers of place and suggesting that the traditional beliefs of economic development are out of date. Florida is not the only one who comes to these conclusions, Vias (1999) and Holmberg et al. (2001) argue that jobs follow people too. However, question marks must be raised over the robustness of the research findings and the range of different population an d/or employment groups; as Hoogstra et al. (2004) suggests the nature of causality differs greatly across space as well as time due to subjectivity. Florida (2002) argues that diversity is the key to this attracting of the creative class and therefore economic success. Furthermore, places need to culturally provide and encourage the 3Ts; talent, technology and tolerance. These attributes present a people climate that Florida justifies when he writes, Creative-minded people enjoy a mix of influences. They want to hear different kinds of music and try different kinds of food. A vibrant, varied nightlife was viewed by many as another signal that a city gets it' (2002a, p.67). Florida measures this diversity by using three main indices: The Bohemian index, the gay index and the coolness index. From these indices and various others Florida devised his own ranking system with an overall creativity index for each city. It is through this method that Florida links his desired people climate to the creative class and thus economic success. This idea that urban economic success comes from having an attractive people climate for high skill people is in general an accepted view (Glaeser et al. 2001) and has certainly had an effect on urban policy, as Malanga (2004, p.36) observes, The notion that cities must become trendy, happening places in order to compete in the twenty first century is sweeping urban America [and beyond]. However, is it Floridas people climate that is needed to attract the creative class and therefore economically succeed? The idea that Floridas people climate, created by the bohemians, attract the rest of the creative class to the city and therefore fuel economic growth, as mentioned earlier, is a contested issue. Glaeser (2004) argues that the creative class want big suburban lots with easy commutes by car, safe streets, good schools and low taxes. After all, he argues, there is plenty of evidence linking low taxes, sprawl and safety with growth. He gives the example of Plano in Texas, which was the most successful skilled city in the country in the 1990s and its not exactly a Bohemian hotspot. Where Florida is also vulnerable to criticism is in his methodology and manipulation of data in the correlation between his people climate and the creative class and therefore economic growth. In his first appendix to The Rise of the Creative Class, he writes, in retrospect, I probably could have written this book using no statistics at all. Moss (2009) argues that in chapters 13 and 14 and the accompanying appendices, Florida should have done just that. Part of Floridas people climate is the 3Ts concept, and he creates measurement indicators for each. Moss (2009) argues that, predominantly, both the logic and data linking these axes together are unclear. He argues that Florida relies primarily on lists of rankings of urban areas that look similar. Though Florida documents statistically significant correlations in some cases, both Clark (2004) and Glaeser (2004) find that they have less explanatory power than other combinations. Additionally Florida does not give much information about the regressions (Markusen 2006). Moss (2009) argues that this is illustrated by the fact that it is not known that Florida uses same-sex male households reporting as partners (and thus presumably gay) in the Census as a proxy for diversity. Not only does this show lack of information about the regressions and therefore less validity to Floridas thesis, but it also shows the vague nature of Floridas work. Another flaw is that the connection between the 3Ts element to Floridas people climate and actual economic growth is weak. If Florida ran a regression on each of the 3Ts and job creation or per-capita income, the results arent given. In fact, the notes to chapter 13 record a correlation between employment growth and the Creative Class concentration that, while statistically significant, was only 0.03! (Moss 2009) Steven Malanga finds more weaknesses in Floridas correlation between Floridas people climate and economic growth. Since 1993, cities that score the best on Floridas analysis have actually shown to not have grown as fast as the overall U.S. jobs economy, increasing their employment numbers by only 17 per cent (Malanga 2004). Floridas indexes, in fact, are such weak predictors of economic performance that his top ranked cities havent even outperformed his bottom ranked ones (Malanga 2004). Led by large percentage gains in Las Vegas (the fastest-growing economy in the U.S), Floridas ten least creative cities are actually huge job generators, adding more than 19 per cent to their job totals since 1993 (faster growth than the national economy) (Malanga 2004). Malangas main argument, that Florida makes no significant effort to show how the 3Ts are related to actual economic growth, is powerful. Floridas Creativity Index is also shown to have faults and therefore illegitimizing the correlation between Floridas people climate and the creative class and therefore economic growth. The Creativity Index is centred on four equally weighted factors: the concentration of Creative Class workers in the area, a High Tech index measuring a regions share of national tech industry output, the concentration of tech industries within the region, as well as the number of patents recorded per capita and the concentration of same-sex domestic partners within the region (Moss 2009). No justification or evidence is shown that supports the notion that these factors should be equally weighted (Moss 2009). Alternatively, each of 268 metropolitan areas is ranked on each of the four factors, and the Creativity Index is calculated solely by subtracting the regions rank order in each category from 1076, which, strangely, is four times 269 (Florida 2002a). Florida does not bother to look at the distribu tion of the actual values within the ranks, which is only useful if the distribution is linear, or doesnt vary between the four factors. For example, if theres a substantial band of cities in the Creative Class index that are almost equal from rank 140 to rank 157, but the city ranked 157 in the patent index is a large drop from the city ranked 156; this system wouldnt pick such common subtleties up. This highlights the lack of rigorous scientific inquiry in which Florida operates. Much of Floridas work focuses on the U.S solely and it is questionable to whether Floridas ideas are transferrable to the rest of the world. In Europe, several researchers have tried to produce similar data and have obtained spatial correlations similar to Floridas (Boschma and Fritsch 2007). This thesis is therefore not specific to North America: it can also be applied to Europe, and Florida and his colleagues have, in fact, conducted a report backing this claim (Florida and Tinagli 2004). Although Floridas work has been said to be legitimate in Europe, more concentrated in-depth studies prove that this is not the case in the UK. Nathan (2005) examines Floridas ideas, concentrating on the evidence in British cities. He finds insufficient evidence of a creative class, and little indication that creative cities do better. He argues that companies search for the required workers when making location decisions, but skilled people also move to where the jobs are. Buzz attracts young peop le to city centres for a short time, after which most move out to suburbs; this is mainly down to the hegemony of London. Nathan (2005) concludes that the creative class model is a poor judge of UK city economic performance and decision makers should focus on the basics: creativity is the icing, not the cake (Nathan 2005, p.1). Not many studies at all have been done implying Floridas thesis on other developed countries outside Europe and therefore it is hard to say whether his thesis applies to the whole of the developed world. Not many studies have been carried out on the developing world either. Purely on the basis that most non developed countries are not entirely associated with the post-Fordist economy, one assumes that the creative class is smaller and not attracted to the cities therefore not having as significant a role in economic development. Thus, it must be said that it is hard to justify Floridas thesis as having relevance to the rest of the globe. In conclusion, Floridas claim that attracting the creative class to cities in a post-Fordist society does have substance. However, his claim that jobs follow people is tarnished by the subjective nature of this concept, with a need to collect more data. In analysing Floridas link between his people climate and economic growth one begins to cast doubt over his thesis. This is down to his poor methodology and seeming manipulation of data and the fact that Floridas correlations have less explanatory power than others. Additionally, not much information is given on the regressions decreasing their validity, Floridas link between the 3Ts and economic growth is weak and the creativity index also has flaws. Floridas thesis is said to be transferrable to Europe but is not applicable to the UK. His theory has not been applied to the rest of the developed world or the developing world in depth and therefore one cannot say if his theory is valid.

Penguins :: essays research papers

Myopic little men in tuxedos, or highly efficient land/water animals? Recent research indicates there's more to penguins than meets the eye. If you've every wondered what it would be like to be able to see as clearly under water as you can on land, just ask the nearest penguin.Most aquatic animals are short-sighted on land. Most terrestrial animals (and that includes us) are far-sighted under water. But researchers have discovered that penguins can apparently see equally well in both environments, because of the unique structure of their eyes. Penguins have to be able to see well under water because their diet consists mainly of plankton, molluscs, crustaceans, and the inevitable fish. Through a special slowing-down of their heart rate they're able, like many other diving animals, to stay submerged long enough to search out and chase whatever catches their fancy. On dry land, it's a different story-or has been up to now. Waddling along on their flat little feet, eyes fixed intently on the ground, penguins appear myopic, inefficient and generally out of place. In fact the reverse is true. During a recent stay on the Falkland Islands, a Canadian researcher discovered that penguins are able to recognize individuals and navigate the rocky terrain on which they live quite well. Long of body and short of leg, they probably poke their heads forward as an aid to balance. And as for looking at the ground, they're merely-like us-keeping an eye on where they're going. The human eye is adapted for aerial vision, which is why scuba divers-or even you and I in the local swimming pool-must wear goggles or a face mask to re-introduce air in front of our eyes in order to see clearly. Among vertebrates in general, the bird eye is frequently described as the most efficient. Its superior quality, combined with the fact that a large number of birds-cormorants, pelicans, seagulls, even ducks, as well as penguins-get their food from water, obviously

Mammon Winery

Mammon Winery, Inc is a wine company established by a man with the name Dionysus Mammon, Sr (Mann and Roberts).   He was an immigrant from Greece who came to the United States in 1930 (Mann and Roberts). Mammon Sr. founded the company on a line of non-varietal jug wines (Mann and Roberts).   Mammon Winery, Inc. found its strong hold in the market with this specialty line.   Later, having finished a degree in enology, the study of wine making, Dionysus Jr. would join his father in the company. Dionysus jr. began his wine making crusade by convincing his father to branch out and explore other options within the wine making industry (Mann and Roberts).   This new line of exploration was in the form of premium varietal wines.   However, in order to be successful in this venture, they needed a large increase of capital for purchasing the necessary vineyards (Mann and Roberts).   Reluctantly, Dionysus Sr. took the company public and secured the required funds (Mann and Roberts).   Forty percent of Mammon Winery Inc. became owned by the public (Mann and Roberts).   For the first time, â€Å"outsiders† sat in on the board of directors (Mann and Roberts). The issue most concerning Dionysus Sr. in regards to Mammon Winery, Inc. was how to present this new line of premium varietals.   To use the Mammon Winery corporate name or to not, was the big debate over the labeling of the bottles (Mann and Roberts).  Ã‚   When changing the look and scope of a particular line, using the corporate company name could be detrimental to the initial successful production of wines.   Dionysus Jr.’s want to use a different name just as Canadaigua, Gallo, and Mogen David had done, was not an out of the ordinary proposal. It offers protection to the Mammon Winery Inc. from the consumers of the other line attaching the â€Å"lower class† taste to the whole company (Mann and Roberts).   Another issue is that Dionysus Jr. wanted to change the size of the wine to a pint rather than leave it in traditional wine bottle form (Mann and Roberts).   The idea was that the easier to carry bottle would be more appealing to those in the middle to low economic class.   It would make the new line of production more marketable for the pensioners on a fixed income.   Dionysus Jr. was taking the company into a new area in which it could offer a product to the average consumer even if they were not big on drinking wine. Mammon Winery, Inc. proposed to enter a new wine market for lower-end wines, which is due to the increase in unit sales in the fortified wine market. This is an attempt to enter the cheap wine market and cash in on profits that come along with it. The proposal has a target demographic of middle-to-lower class, or pensioners on a fixed income (Mann & Roberts). In order for Mammon Winery, Inc to come from the bottom of the barrel to the crà ¨me of the crop replies heavily on several key fundamentals. The winery needs to identify and analyze the important issues of how can they capitalize on producing a cost efficient product that is entered into a market that is rising, and who is their chief demographic. Mammon Winery, Inc plans to introduce a low-end wine product that is made cheaply and sold by the pint (Mann & Roberts). It is recommended that the product to be sold by the pint to lower the cost, both for the company and consumer. It is planned to use rejected grapes from Mammon’s premium selection and the filling of their unused capacity is expected. In addition, it is noted that any grape is suitable and can insulate the company from bad grape years (Mann & Roberts). Mammon chooses to use less advertising, which will cut cost, and use wine gurus to entice consumers to their product. The chief demographic is individuals on a fixed income – middle-to-low class. On the other hand, it was reported that a competitor’s lower-end product hit it big with the â€Å"yuppie† crowd of England (Mann & Roberts). The individuals with fixed incomes will find this product appealing and convenient. Mammon Winery, Inc. will sell the cheap sugary wine at eighteen percent alcohol to retailers. They indicate that the projected audience is the perpetually intoxicated and further indicated that it is against the law to sell alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated but state it is not their problem and cannot control what the retailer chooses to do (Mann & Roberts). Mammon Winery, Inc. knowingly sold their product to a target audience of â€Å"winos† and chose to take advantage of the consumer by offering a much more affordable, cheap wine. This can be easily compared to the tobacco companies choosing a target demographic of individuals of non-smoking age by making their product appealing (Mann & Roberts). For instance, both companies are holding back valuable information from the customer. Both products by both companies are addictive and can cause serious health issue, but still these companies greatly affect the target audience one way or another. This is because it pays or at least promises to pay (Sullivan 2001). A company may gain something, or may keep from losing something by selling to their target audience or unethically holding back information that may turn away consumers. However, the profit motive holds in both cases. It is noted by Mammon Winery, Inc. that profit margins would be at least ten percent higher on the lower-end product then their other lines (Mann & Roberts). Therefore, the company’s urge to branch out in the wine industry by offering a new product is nothing beyond regular business practices.   However, their intentional marketing of the product to those suffering from alcoholism or the homeless is an underhanded technique.   They run into an ethical conflict as they must now combat their marketing techniques with significant contributions to charities. These charities though, must also be chosen for a reason.   Just as the tobacco industry chooses specific charities for good-will projects, so too will Mammon Winery, Inc.   Mammon Winery, Inc. will also have to construct both a label and bottle that will effectively promote their new line.   However, the targeted audience should not be able to be determined based upon its looks.   The price will be adjusted for the targeted consumer, but beyond that, it should not be obvious in its aim.   Therefore, the expansion of Mammon Winery Inc. is within reasonable business practices but will have to carefully combat its stated aim at a particular consumer with clever charitable contributions. Works Cited Mann, Richard A. and Roberts, Barry S. â€Å"Mammon Winery, Inc.† Sullivan, Evelin. The Concise Book of Lying. 2001   

10 Nickel Element Facts (Atomic Number 28 or Ni)

10 Nickel Element Facts (Atomic Number 28 or Ni) Nickel (Ni) is element number 28 on the  periodic table, with an atomic mass of  58.69. This metal is found in everyday life in stainless steel, magnets, coins, and batteries. Heres a collection of interesting facts about this important transition element: Nickel Facts Nickel is found in metallic meteorites, so it was used by ancient man. Artifacts dating as early as 5000 BC made from nickel-containing meteoritic metal have been found in Egyptian graves. However, nickel wasnt recognized as a new element until  Swedish mineralogist Axel Fredrik Cronstedt identified it in 1751 from a new mineral he received from a cobalt mine. He named it an abbreviated version of the word  Kupfernickel. Kupfernickel was the name of the mineral, which roughly translates as meaning goblins copper because copper miners said the ore acted as though it contained imps that prevented them from extracting copper. As it turned out, the reddish ore was nickel arsenide (NiAs), so its unsurprising copper was not extracted from it.Nickel is a hard, malleable, ductile metal. It is a shiny silver metal with a slight gold tinge that takes a high polish and resists corrosion. The element does oxidize, but the oxide layer prevents further activity via passivation  It is a fair conductor of electricity and heat. It has a high melting point (1453  ºC), readily forms alloys, may be deposited via electroplating, and is a useful catalyst. Its compounds are mainly green or blue. There are five isotopes in natural nickel, with another 23 isotopes with known half-lives. Nickel is one of three elements that are ferromagnetic at room temperature. The other two elements, iron and cobalt, are located near nickel on the periodic table. Nickel is less magnetic than iron or cobalt. Before rare earth magnets were known, Alnico magnets made from a nickel alloy were the strongest permanent magnets. Alnico magnets are unusual because they maintain magnetism even when they are heated red-hot.Nickel is the principal metal in Mu-metal, which has the unusual property of shielding magnetic fields. Mu-metal consists of approximately 80% nickel and 20% iron, with traces of molybdenum.The nickel alloy Nitinol exhibits shape memory. When this 1:1 nickel-titanium alloy is heated, bent into shape, and cooled it can be manipulated and will return to its shape.Nickel can be made in a supernova. Nickel observed in supernova 2007bi was the radioisotope nickel-56, which decayed into cobalt-56, which in turn decayed into iron-56.Nickel is the 5th most abundant element in the E arth, but only the 22nd most abundant element in the crust  (84 parts per million by weight). Scientists believe nickel is the second most abundant element in the earths core, after iron. This would make nickel 100 times more concentrated below the Earths crust than within it. The worlds largest nickel deposit is in Sudbury Basin, Ontario, Canada, which covers an area 37 miles long and 17 miles wide. Some experts believe the deposit was created by a meteorite strike. While nickel does occur free in nature, it is primarily found in the ores pentlandite, pyrrhotite, garnierite, millerite, and niccolite. Nickel and its compounds are carcinogenic. Breathing nickel compounds can cause nasal and lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Although the element is common in jewelry, 10 to 20 percent of people are sensitive to it and develop dermatitis from wearing it. While humans dont use nickel for any known biochemical reactions, its essential for plants and occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, and nuts.Most nickel is used to make corrosion-resistant alloys, including stainless steel (65%) and heat-resistant steel and non-ferrous alloys (20%). About 9% of nickel is used for plating. The other 6% is used for batteries, electronics, and coins. The element lends a greenish tint to glass. It is used as a catalyst to hydrogenate vegetable oil.The US five-cent coin called a nickel is actually more copper than nickel. The modern US nickel is 75% copper and only 25% nickel. The Canadian nickel is made primarily of steel. Nickel Element Fast Facts Element Name: Nickel Element Symbol: Ni Atomic Number: 28 Classification: D-block transition metal Appearance: Solid silver-colored metal Discovery: Axel Frederik Cronstedt (1751) Electron Configuration:  [Ar] 3d8  4s2  or  [Ar] 3d9  4s1