China and the Use of Coal An Examination - 744 Words

China and the Use of Coal: An Examination Energy and power do indeed mark the pillars of any national economy and China is no different. China, with one of the worlds largest populations has an economy which is founded on the context of high labour, great deals of labour and thus needs the relevant resources of energy to support these moves, amid a high level of competition. This is particularly exacerbated by the fact that in the last ten years, China has gone through marked industrial and urban development at record speed with the strong development of the gross domestic product (Best Levina, 2012). This created a doubled consumption of their energy demands; making China the leading energy consumer in the world (Best Levina, 2012). Thus, certain details like pricing, the mechanisms of pricing, the ability to transport and other choices mean that a range of factors come into play given the decisions connected to China selecting coals at the main means of their electric generation planning. But even so, there still needs to be the necessary level of balance when selecting any source of energy as ones primary means of support for an entire nation. This summer demonstrated a truly disturbing drop in Chinas coal output: it fell 3.7 percent in the first six months of 2013 as a slow economy raised pressure on miners who plummeted into the red as their clients couldnt pay their bills (Wong, 2013). To be clear, China is the global leader when it comes to the productionShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Environmental Non Sustainability Of The American Coal Industry1416 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Coal Industry Title of Book: Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America s Energy Future Author: James Goodell Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2006. James Goodell is a long-time contributing columnist for Rolling Stone Magazine and the New York Times Magazine. Goodell’s main contributions are writing about environmental issues, such as industrial pollution, and the problem of long-term environmental sustainability. Goodell does meticulous research through interviews with coal minersRead MoreSummary Of Kenneth Pomeranzs Political Economy And Ecology On The Eve Of Industrialization827 Words   |  4 PagesEurope, China, and the Global Conjuncture†. This was the works of Kenneth Pomeranz who provoked a distinctive question about China in relation to Great Britain around the 1800s. In his published book The Great Divergence, Pomeranz states that China and Great Britain were on similar trails leading towards the Industrial Revolution until a â€Å"Great Divergence† arose during the 1800s that sent these two emerging nations towards diverse routes. In his essay Pomeranz efficiently states how China and GreatRead Mo reNuclear Sustainability : A Necessary Step For This Country1358 Words   |  6 PagesIncreasing the use of Nuclear Power in the U.S is a necessary step for this country. The use of Nuclear power would substantially lower environmental pollution by diminishing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from popular and harmful fossil fuel energy sources such as coal, crude oil and natural gas. Some argue that the use of Nuclear power is too dangerous, but evidence shows that it is a safe way and efficient way to extract energy without disrupting our earth. Another argument against the use of NuclearRead MoreThe Effects Of Coal Mining On The Health Of The Body3187 Words   |  13 PagesCoal mining has several negative effects on the health of the body that often times go unrecognized or just simply ignored. Many people have died from mining for various reasons such as the collapse of the mines as well as respiratory diseases caused by mining. Governments across the globe continue to im plement regulations for the miners and populations surrounding the mines, but they have failed to eliminate health risks related to mining, which is nearly impossible. Mining permits used to be easyRead MoreArticle Review : The Particulate Matter 2.52400 Words   |  10 Pagesfrom household raw coal affect the life expectancy in China Article Preview/â€Å"Teaser† (10-15 words, Arial, 10 point, the teaser is NOT the same as an Abstract) Please insert a few brief sentences that will catch a reader’s attention. These words will display in the search results list. Try to include a question or statement that describes your article and the most important keywords for the article. The particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) emissions from household uncompressed raw coal linked to human healthRead MoreThe Economic Life Of Song China1136 Words   |  5 Pagesthings contributed to the urban life in Song China. However, before the Song Dynasty could flourish as whole, the first Song emperor Song Taizu defeated warlords and consolidated Song control throughout China (Pg. 219). It can also be compared to the economy in present day china. Song China improved in science with these several inventions: Gunpowder, Paper Money + Credit, Trade, Fast ripening rice, and how urban life in Song China shapes today’s economy in china. These inventions led to the growth inRead MoreWhat are the Primary Causes of Climate Change?2789 Words   |  11 Pagessignificance of the topic of the research with reference to the examination of the primary causes of climate change. It is ideal to understand the primary causes of climate change with the aim of adopting and implementing various c ritical issues in relation to minimization of the implications on the growth and development of the human beings. This research topic is necessary in evaluation of the impacts of climate changes, examination of various ways to minimize the effects, and provision of adequateRead MoreEconomic Study For Solar Panel Installing Business1338 Words   |  6 PagesInstalling Business This outline is an examination for all aspects that need to be considered before starting a business for installing solar panel. It delivers microeconomic elements such as supply and demand in the market, elasticity, estimated cost analysis and determinants of the supply and demand of solar panel market. Introduction As technological developments and scientific knowledge enhancements offer alternatives for renewable energy resources instead of coal and oil dependency which affectsRead MoreTransportation is the Backbone of the Economy in America1390 Words   |  6 Pageslinked to the types of locomotives and a low gradient is required, most especially for freight. Heavy industries majorly use rail transport systems, although containerization has improved the moldability of rail transportation by connecting it with road and maritime modes. Rail is by far the land transportation mode with the highest capacity of 23,000 tons fully loaded coal unit train being the heaviest load ever carried. Railway transportation occupies an important role in the transport systemRead MoreThe Quest Is A Carries For The Expulsion Of Iraqi Forces From Kuwait1114 Words   |  5 Pagesthe critical importance of electricity, this he characterized as the many essentials of modern society and communication, such as Ipads , smartphones, laptop computers, electronic books, all these â€Å"gadgetwatts† as he calls them, account for the bulk use of electricity. He expresses himself to be an advocate in anthropogenic climate change; he summaries the struggles in reaching any kind of international accord, but determines that the growing awareness of its impact is encouraging greater energy efficiency

Should Not Be Convicted A Crime Or Felony - 1094 Words

Felon the title that brands a life time. Most shake in their shoes when they hear this word. It describes those who are cruel and wicked that convicted a crime or felony. Here’s a case scenario: At the age of 18 you were persuaded to drive; following a group of friends to a local convenient store. At the time, you had no idea they had intentions on robbing the store at gun point. Clearly, you were at the wrong place wrong time. You re now being forced to think about claiming in court: guilty by association. Not only are you only eighteen years old but, it s exactly four weeks until senior graduation and two weeks before your schools’ prom. Whose to say you d spend these precious moments of your life behind bars in the lonely color orange. Week after week you’ll be pleading before the judge claiming that you done nothing at all wrong. After losing the case and spending 3 years in a prison you re now labeled for a life time as a felon. In every state, crimes are put into distinct categories. The categories are usually felony, misdemeanor, and infraction. Decisions on crime classification are made by state legislators; the determination focuses on the seriousness of the crime. A felony can be defined as a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death. Types of felonies include assaults that cause serious bodily injury; murder, rape, sexual abuse in theShow MoreRelatedThe United States And The Civil Right Movement1594 Words   |  7 Pagesincarcerated and seven million are under correctional supervision. There are 13 million adults that have been convicted of a felony and 47 million American have something on their record. Having a felony has attained a newfound relevance in the United States (King, 2006) . In many states begin a felon come with obstacles both informal and formal in the lives of people with a felony convicted. In the midst of the growing civil right movement, the augmented by racially disparate law enforcement and correctionsRead More Against Proposition 69 and the DNA Fingerprint Act Essay1699 Words   |  7 Pagesprosecute violent crime. DNA profiling techniques and databases have developed largely over the last fifteen years, and the recent expansions are only a part of an ongoing trend of ‘function creep’ that characterizes database expansion. Proposition 69 and the DNA Fingerprint Act expand DNA databases originally designed to house DNA samples from violent criminals to include samples from anyone arrested for a felony crime. This is unreasonable because many persons arrested for felonies are ever convictedRead MoreMisdemeanor and Felonies814 Words   |  4 PagesIndividual Project Misdemeanor and Felonies By Christopher Mincey 10/12/2014 Introduction to Criminal Law (CRJS205 -1404B-01) Many people may have a lot of concerns of what may happen when they are charged for a crime and what may happen next if they are convicted. When people get arrested it is scary due to the fact of not knowing what may happen to you or what steps to take if you are convicted. You have charges that fall under two categories which are misdemeanor or felony. With both of these categoriesRead MoreThe African American Voice1389 Words   |  6 Pagesincarcerated and seven million are under correctional supervision. There are 13 million adults that have been convicted of a felony and 47 million American have something on their record. Having a felony has attained a newfound relevance in the United States (King, 2006) . In many states begin a felon come with obstacles both informal and formal in the lives of people with a felony convicted. In the midst of the growing civil right movement, the augmented by racially disparate law enforcement and correctionsRead More Convicted Felons Should Retain The Right to Vote Essay1613 Words   |  7 PagesIndividuals convicted of a felony should not lose their right to vote. The right to vote is a birth right for citizens born in this country. This right is taken for granted by many and is exercised by far too few. As the United States prepares for its 57th presidential election over five million of its citizens will be denied their right to participate in the electoral process. Why would such a large number of people be denied a constitutional right? They have been excluded from votingRead MoreEssay about A Call to Action: Opening the Ballot for Convicted Felons1333 Words   |  6 Pageslaws that disenfranchise citizens convicted of felony offenses.† (Uggen). Varying by state, each disenfranchisement law is different. Only 2 out of 50 U.S. states; Vermont Maine, authorize voting from convicted felons incarcerated and liberated as shown in (Fig. 1). But of the 48 remaining states these rights are either prohibited or authorized in at least 5 years succeeding to liberation. This disenfranchisement needs to be retracted due to fact that convicted felons; incarcerated or liberatedRead MoreEssay about Three Strikes Law1352 Words   |  6 PagesThree Strikes Law that mandates a sentence of 25 years to life for a third felony conviction. The reality of the Three Strikes Law will lead to a significant increase in the nations already swollen prison population and will cost taxpayers enormous amounts of money. This law is one of the most popular controvers ial laws because it imposes a mandatory life sentence without parole on offenders convicted of three or more crimes. â€Å"Reporters took notes and media crews collected sound bites as RepublicanRead MoreGovernment Can Rip Away Your Citizenship All It Takes1136 Words   |  5 PagesTAKES IS AN â€Å"INFAMOUS CRIME† Indiana and some surrounding states (Michigan, Illinois, and Kentucky) revoke a convicted felon’s right to vote while incarcerated, even for misdemeanor sentences. In Indiana, the power of state government to abridge this right comes from the Indiana State Constitution, Article 2, Section 8, which reads: The General Assembly shall have power to deprive of the right of suffrage, and to render ineligible, any person convicted of an infamous crime. That’s not clear? Read MoreShould Felons Be A Crime?1391 Words   |  6 Pagesa trafficking charge or three DUI’s within five years, that person now has a felony record and is labeled a felon. As punishment the now felon are sentenced to prison for a time declared by a judge and on parole for some time. Though the time has been served a felon is still at large. One non-violent crime stays on your record forever? Some believe that just because a person committed a crime that all civil rights should be taken away. Why? The â€Å"felon† label, along with the negative social and legalRead MoreEssay On Legally Obtaining A Suspects DNA845 Words   |  4 PagesLegally Obtaining a Suspect’s DNA Introduction When a crime has been committed, it is up to investigators and the courts to determine how to obtain a DNA sample from a suspect. Problems arise when an individual feels his or her Fourth Amendment rights have been violated when it comes to reasonableness of obtaining DNA, since many individuals feel they should be protected from unreasonable search of their person, home, and personal effects. There are several factors that need to be considered

Cloze Passage Free Essays

My First Unforgettable Evening |remember |happened |cheeks |scene | It () many years ago, when I was a little girl. I can neither ( ) the beginning nor the end , but whenever I think of the (), tears flow freely down my (). |young |carried |trudged |imagine | |visiting |overcoat |flooded |held | When I was (), my family led a poor life in the country. We will write a custom essay sample on Cloze Passage or any similar topic only for you Order Now One evening we were () some relatives and the weather was very bad. It rained so hard that the roads were () with water. On our way home that evening, my Dad () me on his back. My Mom ()my elder brother’s hand, and held an umbrella for Dad and me. Dad gave his ( ) to my elder brother. As you can (), many country roads are difficult to walk on. This road was especially bad after the rain. However, we ()together through the mud and the rain for more than an hour. |hard |comfortable |decreasing |fell |achieved | Though I was on my Dad’s back, I wasn’t ()either. I was fat at that time and it may have been () for Dad to hold me for such a long time. He almost ( ) down four or five times. In hopes of ()my father’s burden, I tried to â€Å"carry† myself, through force of will alone. That may sound funny, but I was just a kid. Of course, I ()nothing. |arrived |caught |covered | |asleep |puddles |placing | When we () home, the inside of our house was ( ) with rain water. The rain had come through our leaky roof and ( ) were everywhere. Mom put bowls and tubs all around the house to try to catch the rain. Then she put me and my elder brother to bed, carefully () us on the remaining dry spots. I fell asleep ( ) soon. When I opened my eyes, I found Dad and Mom were sleeping in chairs, both having () bad colds. |realized |represent |mind | |earliest |forget |passed | This is my very ( )memory, and luckily, it () nothing but my parents’ love. I () the depth of my parents’ great love for the first time. Though the evening has long since( ), and now we live a happy life, I won’t () the rain we lived through together. The rain, that evening, and especially my parents’ love, will stay in my () forever. How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle |maintain |important |gentlemen |lead |absolutely | Good morning, ladies and (), I am here today to talk about how to () a healthy lifestyle. First of all, I am () sure that all of you will agree with me that it is indeed very () to lead a healthy lifestyle during old age. Here are some tips as to how to lead a ( ) lifestyle. |ageing |brisk |regular |exercises |promote |stamina | First of all, () exercise is very important as it slows down the () process. () walking, cycling and swimming are very good ypes of ( ). If done regularly, they can ( ) good health. Taichi and yoga are also very good for you. You may begin doing them for a few minutes a day and then slowly build up your(). |important |refrain |abstain |stroke |diseases |stand | The next most () point for healthy lifestyle is to ( ) from smoking. Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer and it can also lead to heart(). If you () from smoking, the chances of getting a () is lower. By smoking, you may also lose some of your friends because they may not be able to () the bad smell. |wisely |consume |containing |indigestion |toxin | Eating () is also important. Older people should choose food () fewer calories because they do less physical activity. They should () more fruits and vegetables. It is also important for them to drink plenty of water because it helps to reduce () and helps to flush out ( ) from the body. avoid |interests |Listening |community |active |surfing | Another important factor is to () stress by maintaining good family relationships. It is good to do () service and take up some hobbies to keep you occupied. It is also good idea to learn new skills that () you. To keep your mind (), you can read books, magazines and newspapers and discuss issues with your friends and family. () to the radio, watching television and () the Internet are also ways to be occupied and be aware of the latest news. Thank you all for listening. How to cite Cloze Passage, Papers

Various Strategic Decisions Roles and Responsibilities - Sample

Question: What are A) the roles and responsibilities AND B) The current situation and concerns/worries of the following three people? Mia Foster b) LucienLeclerc c) Louis Chen Why did the company expand from the USA to China? What are their general goals in China What plan/strategy did they use in how they entered China? The case describes several major issues that need to be decided aboutLevendaryCaf in China Decision about global standardization vs. local adaptation to the China Market Authority of who is in charge in China GAAP/Financial Reporting issues The future of Louis Chen with the company Clearly describe these problems in several detailed sentences each What were the a) Revenue and b) Profits for the companyworldwidein 2010? What about inChinaonly? Perform a basic SWOT analysis on the company's situation in China (list 3-4 for each) Mia Foster istravelingto China for a meeting with Louis Chen. What arethree different courses of action/optionsshe has for dealing with Louis Chen? Describe a new strategy that the company could follow that will deal with Louis Chen and the other issues, while still keeping the company in China and putting it into a position to grow successfully. What would you recommend that the company do to have a successful business in China?. In the mini case "Is Porsche Killing The Golden Goose" - a) what does the name "Porsche" mean to you, as far as what is the competitive advantage of the brand? b) Do you think expanding this Porsche name from sports cars intoSUVsand other vehicles helps the company or hurts it? Explain. Answer: Roles and Responsibilities Mia Foster Mia is the CEO of the company and responsible for the various strategic decisions and in general responsible for its sustained growth. Lucian Leclerc Lucian is the CCO or Chief Concept Officer and responsible for the representation of the restaurant in front of the customers. Leclerc not only managed the marketing team but also looked after the food development team. Louis Chen He is the head of the Leventhal China operations and has been given the charge of setting up China operations and also responsible for the restaurants strategy for China and execution of the same. Current Situation and Concerns Mia Foster Concerned about the comparatively lower valuations of the restaurant as compared to peer group. Also, the future growth strategy for China and managing Chen are other concerns for her. Lucian Leclerc Concerned about Chens customisation in China with plastic chairs and dumplings which may adversely impact the brand. Louis Chen Concerned about sustained growth in China and fears interference from head office in Denver could adversely impact growth. The company expanded from US to China since there was saturation in the US market and with a burgeoning upper middle class, China presented a huge opportunity for the company. The general goal of the companys operations in China was to set a base for franchising opportunities with a strong market position in that market. The growth strategy for China was dependent on Chen who was provided flexibility to enhance the presence of Levanthal in China which he did by establishing 23 restaurants in one year. In this endeavour, he deployed a high degree of flexibility depending upon the underlying location. The localisation strategy adopted by Chen could potentially hurt the global brand of the restaurant but at the same time standardisation similar to McDonalds may not be the way forward in China. Hence, a glocalisation strategy is required where there is a harmonious mix of the two. Apparently, Chen was given a lot of freedom as Howard Leventhal himself chose Chen to establish presence in China. However, Mia is the CEO of the restaurant and thus Chen owes accountability to the head office in Denver despite his successful stint. Currently, the Chinese operations report their results as per the local accounting standards which are not in conformity with GAAP. As a result, the consolidated financial statement extended to the investors of the restaurant in the US is not accurate. However, migration from non-GAAP to GAAP would entail significant costs but was necessary especially considering the growing contribution of the Chinese operations. Chen had been appointed for a period of two years to establish presence in China which he has done successfully by setting up 23 restaurants in the first year of information. But, it is very difficult to manage him as he does not consult the US office and also does not provide timely updates and information and only flaunts has success. Clearly, more professionalism is desired from Chen so as to sustain a mutually beneficial relationship. Worldwide Revenues (2010) = $ 10,797,423 Worldwide profit (2010) = $ 780,563 Sales generated from China operations (2010) = $ 3,261,598 Net loss from China operations (2010) = - $ 143,620 Strengths Localisation of menu and interiors as per the location Management of Louis Chen coupled with his knowledge of local market Widespread presence through 23 restaurants in the first year Weakness Lack of support from the US based head office Lack of professionalism in Chen which is leading to conflict Lack of communication between Chen and the head office Opportunities Growth opportunities offered by the large Chinese market. Expansion in other Asian markets such as India based on Chinese experience. Evolving in a global brand in China and South East Asia. Threats Dilution of the brand through excessive customisation which is not approved from the head office Chen may retort to arm twisting tactics so as to ensure that he has the last laugh Increasing competition from local Chinese players which is intense Three courses of options are briefly outlined below. Determine whether Chen was the right person to head the China operations. IF she could transform Chen into a professional manager and thus being a strategic asset for the company. Whether he should be provided with the current flexibility that he has been provided with minimal interference from the head office. It is imperative that Mia spends time with Chen in understanding the China market which would determine the level of customisation required. Further, Chen needs to be explained the various concerns of the head office while simultaneously assuring the requisite support from the same. The quality and standardisation issues should be discussed with Chen. Chen should be asked to submit a strategy for expansion and the same should be approved from the head office. While, the Chinese market is significant but the brand should not be diluted. Also, at the same time some flexibility needs to be provided. However, there should be a harmonious mix of the two to ensure sustained success and establishment of brand as a truly global brand. Porsches engineering and design sets it apart from its competitors and as a result form the competitive advantage of the company. This is primarily because of the RD that goes into the design and manufacturing of the car along with its superior performance that delivers a style statement. Yes, the expansion of the company from sports cars to SUV and other vehicles would hurt the image of the company and it is quite possible that the customer loyalty may be adversely affected. In the process of enhancing sales through other cars, the sports car which is the core product for the company may be adversely impacted as the brand may dilute as the company focuses on diverse customer segments.

The Construction of Brazilian Identity in Japan

The book ‘No One Home’ by Linger (2001) is a study that mainly focuses on the fieldwork data collected through interviewing a large number of people on the identity of Nikkei living and working in Japan.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Construction of Brazilian Identity in Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Nikkei are as a result of the Japanese government allowing the Japanese immigrants a bonafide existence in japan. In the study, we are introduced to a situation where the Brazilian factory workers were subjected to tough and poor working conditions characterized by hard detrimental physical activities due to their unascertained identity. This humiliation is further extended to various social institutions. For example, in Japanese schools, the Nikkei’s children are subjected to cultural, educational, and other forms of segregation that render their lives intolerable and demean th eir value as human beings. The leaders in various groups would subject the Nikkei to varying kinds of torture whenever they identified them. In this pretext, the Nikkei came back to their Japanese homes only to be faced with total rejection by the very people they once termed as their own. According to Linger (2001), it was a bit difficult for the Japanese government to recognise the original identity of the Nikkei. Their presence and uniqueness raised questions in the social and corporate sectors. This then led to a perception that the Nikkei were not of Japanese origin and are seen as imposters. However they are neither eradicated nor deported but they are rather asked to offer subsidy to those willing to return to South America (Linger, 2001).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This led to conduction of a survey with an intention of establishing facts underlying the situation togethe r with the public’s opinion on the government’s initiative. The survey was conducted on various groups of people with the Nikkei’s children included. Some of the common questioned posed to the respondent were if they aware of the existence of the Nikkei in Japan. Moreover, the respondents were supposed to elaborate how they acquired the knowledge on the existence of the Nikkei. An analysis of the data collected proved that 53 percent of the respondents knew very little of the Nikkei’s existence. The rest 47 percent of those interviewed claimed they were not aware of their existence. This failure may be attributed to the fact that most of the Nikkei lived in the unindustrialized parts of the country. It was also established that the highest registration of persons was achieved in 2007 with nearly four hundred South Americans registering their nationality in Japan (Linger, 2001). It was publicly assumed all over Japan that the Nikkei were the cause of the r ising criminal tendencies. They linked this to the results of the survey which revealed a very small percentage of Japanese that had any interactions with the Nikkei. It is noted that the National Police Agency was the major institution spearheading this misconception that the criminal activities were conducted by numerous foreigners in Japan.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Construction of Brazilian Identity in Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The data collected from the survey further indicated that a high percentage of the respondents claimed that the Nikkei had to learn the Japanese culture, language, and customs before they came to Japan. They further advocated for the Nikkei to work and earn for their daily needs and reduce their dependency levels (Linger, 2001). In an effort to establish the identity of Brazil in Japan, the government came up with certain measures that would enhance assimilation . This included fostering the children to learn the Japanese language and use of interpreters for the Nikkei at the work place. In a survey conducted in relation to this, a high percentage of the respondents were in favour of the government’s intention. However, their response was highly questioned by the Nikkei who claimed skepticism in their words and actions. The Nikkei claimed presence of evident signs of probation-like treatment. In one incident one of the Nikkei claimed to have witnessed unwelcoming habits which included the posting of threatening messages in the work place where the gaijin movement had been forewarned of being under constant watch since they are associated with criminal activities (Linger, 2001). This is a clear indication that even though there were people who had no problem with the government’s project, a vast majority of the people were not pleased with the move. This is evidenced by the kind of environment they are subjected to both at work and the society together with the messages addressed to them.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The results of the survey conducted in establishing the perception of the citizens about the Nikkei was of great significance to the government, as it was used in determining the steps to take in the Brazil identification project. The results helped the government unravel the cause of the slowed integration of the Nikkei with the rest of the Japanese society. This is because people often offer lip service but in the end contradict their words with their actions. The government’s efforts for enhancing the initiative are seen in conducting a non-biased survey which they further posted on public websites in order to obtain public opinion. Reference Linger, D. (2001). No one home: Brazilian selves remade in Japan. Web. This essay on The Construction of Brazilian Identity in Japan was written and submitted by user James Kidd to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Jump-Starts and Start-Ups

Jump-Starts and Start-Ups Jump-Starts and Start-Ups Jump-Starts and Start-Ups By Mark Nichol A reference to the name of a law called the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act pointed out to me how easily confusion is created in writers’ minds by varying treatment of hyphenated terms. The verb phrase jump-start, which originated in the 1970s as a slang term referring to the action of reenergizing the dead battery in a vehicle with a working battery in another by using cables to connect the two and create an electrical circuit, is hyphenated to distinguish it from the noun phrase â€Å"jump start†; this treatment is used in other verb phrases such as double-check, drip-dry, and hard-boil. However, many people treat both the verb phrase and the noun phrase as a closed compound: jumpstart- an understandable error, considering that style guides and writing manuals are curiously unhelpful about the topic. Dictionaries have an entry for the verb phrase, but few people, including those responsible for naming this law, bother to check. As a result, it is perhaps inevitable that jumpstart (and doublecheck, dripdry, and hardboil) will become the standard treatment. The name of the law also commits an error in its treatment of start-up. Again, such an error isn’t surprising. Yes, startup looks more likely to be pronounced â€Å"star tup† than â€Å"start up,† so the hyphen is helpful, but why, then, do we spell breakup (â€Å"brea kup†?) and makeup (â€Å"ma keup†?) without hyphens, yet shake-up is hyphenated? In the long run, such questions are moot: Before long, as with the clamped-together verbs mentioned in the previous paragraph, start-up and shake-up will likely, like breakup and makeup before them, lose their hyphens. Is that a bad thing? Such evolution is common in English: Many originally hyphenated compound nouns, such as to-day and black-bird, and nouns with prefixes, such as anti-matter, lost their hyphens along the way. Writers are increasingly omitting the hyphen from mind-set and closing it, as well as omitting the hyphen from light-year and leaving it open or closing it. What’s a careful writer to do in the midst of such evolution? Don’t contribute to the confusion: Always consult a reputable source such as a dictionary or a style guide, and use the standard treatment. But, you may protest, do I have to look up every word before I write it? No, but as I used to half-jokingly tell my students when I taught editing, if you’re not absolutely sure you’ve treated (or used) a word correctly, pretend that to err is a capital offense, and act accordingly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Opening Lines to Inspire the Start of Your StoryExpanded and ExtendedAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

The organization of financial (debt, equity, foreign exchange, Essay

The organization of financial (debt, equity, foreign exchange, derivative) and commodity markets and their role in international trade and economic performance - Essay Example At maturity of specific time period, the bond issuers not only repay the principal amount of debt but also the periodical interest payments to the bond holders (Berk and Martin, 2011). Stocks are the equity instruments mainly issued by the corporations for an indefinite time period. Stockholders become the owners of the corporations and play a key role in the decision making process of the company. Stock holders can buy and sell the stocks in the stock market such as New York Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange etc. (Babu, 2012). Foreign exchange market deals in the currencies of various countries such that it provides the mechanism for trading the foreign currencies. The difference between the buying and selling price is called as the spread which is the profit of the trader. Foreign currency markets work round the clock thus, minimizing the arbitrage opportunities (Sheeba, 2011). Derivatives are the hedging instruments which provide the holders the opportunity to mitigate the risk against the undesired movements of financial securities. Common types of derivatives include forwards, futures, swaps, and options (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2008). Commodity market comprises of various commodities such as metals, energy, foods, etc. These commodities are regulated by the commodity exchanges such as New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Financial markets and commodity markets are the major indicators of the international economic prosperity such that in times of booming periods, the prices of the instruments traded under these markets are at their peak whereas in times of depression, these prices steeply

Political Economy of Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Economy of Japan - Essay Example †¢ The national authorities had been in favour of trade liberalization Japan had historically been in favour of trade liberalization and deregulation of all trade barriers. Prior to 1960, Japan had imposed strict trade restrictions in the form of quotas and tariffs. However, gradually these impediments were lifted so that the domestic industries gathered the technical skills to compete with the external players. Nevertheless the national authorities had been cautious about the protection of the domestic sector or the indigenous firms. But, all its qualms were erased when the newly adopted trade policy became a huge success in 1963, which was prominent through soaring economic growth rates. Despite the high success of trade liberalisation, the nation experienced trade deficits in the early 1970s, mainly due to hikes in oil prices. Hence, the nation submerged in a phase of high inflation. This initialised the government to tighten its monetary policies and control the flow of money in the nation, leading the nation to a period somewhat similar to that of a recession. These external factors also made them impose certain restrictions on their international trade arena (Ho, 1977). †¢ The national authorities of Japan had been more or less against liberalisation and deregulation between 1970s and 1990s The Japanese economy, unlike its neighbours had remained stringent regarding international trade relations prior to the East Asian crisis of 1997.

Ethical issue at Starbucks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ethical issue at Starbucks - Research Paper Example However, recent discoveries show an otherwise picture (Cross et al 2009). According to Rhetoric Society of America et al (2004), Starbucks has been covering up many things such as serving milk with GM growth hormone in US. Besides, it has been running relentless campaigns of bursting unions. According to Schultz et al (2011), the company is also accused of attempting to block the attempts of Ethiopia to improve the coffee grower’s livelihoods. Furthermore, it has also petitioned a federal judge to accept in past sexual history evidence of a former employee aged 16 years when she took sexual harassment case to court. Despite the fact that the company has sold as standard Fair-trade Coffee since 2009 in all its stores in UK, the rest of the operation globally on the uptake has been slower. The firm has been criticized even for its operations in US by Organic Consumers Association also dragging its feet in Fair-trade launch (Michelli 2007). In addition, Gilbert (2008) points out the order by the US court on Starbucks to pay low wage staff more than $100million in California in a ruling that the workers improperly shared with their bosses some tips although was overturned subsequently after a successful appeal. The lawsuit against Starbucks was for using tactics that are anti competitive to eliminate their competitors. The employees of Starbucks would give out their coffee rights as free sample outside the small shops of coffee in their neighborhoods, thereby gaining more profit and business for themselves. Furthermore, Bussing-Burks (2009) add that they sometimes even tried to buyout other shops of coffee near them. They would sometime sign leases for almost 3 times of the market price to make the landlords not rent it out to other sellers of coffee. Marie et al (2009) adds that Howard Schultz the chief executive officer earned a pay rise of 25% after a cost of $580 million slashed from the company in the year 2009. By analyzing the actions of Starbucks, it is unethical because the stores of small coffee give much to the people in the towns they are located compared to what Starbucks does. Majority of people love small coffee shops with reasonable coffee prices in their surrounding towns. On the other hand other people would be contented with Starbucks. However, Kachra (1997) explains that although you might love Starbucks, you would not like a coffee shop that has been in existence in your town for long being faced out of business. According to Schultz et al (2007) the small coffee shops found in most towns gives happiness to more people unlike Starbucks which overcharge their coffee. It is very unethical for a firm like Starbucks to overprice their products since they know they are alone in the market after displacing other businesses therefore people will lack other options. Moreover, they disregarded other small business by being selfish and negatively facing them off gaining all the clients and profits. Fellner (2008) observes th at the company did not value people but considered them as sources of profits. Their technique of expansion does not have goodwill and they are also not motivated rightfully. Simon (2009) observes that the company does not also comply with their set legislations. This is because Starbucks motto clearly elaborates they will treat their clients dignity and respect. However, no dignity or respect is shown to their clients or even the communities. According to Olsen (1994), Starbucks

Life And Work Of Little Richard Music Essay

Life And Work Of Little Richard Music Essay For years, people all over the world have dubbed Elvis Presley the King of Rock N Roll. His notoriety spans throughout almost every country and references about him can be understood in every culture. Contrary to popular belief, though, Elvis was not the originator of so many controversial topics in the fifties and sixties. While Elvis appealed mainly to the white crowds, Richard Wayne Penniman, also known as Little Richard, was performing for multicultural audiences with the same erratic music and flamboyant dance moves that made Elvis so controversial; so why is Elvis considered the king? Little Richard was one of the most influential and innovative artists of the rock n roll era, and did it in a time where no one else was doing anything like it. Regardless of popular belief, Little Richard is the first king of rock n roll. Richard Wayne Penniman was born on December 5th, 1932 in Macon Georgia. He was third of twelve children in his family. He was born to Charlie and Leva Mae Penniman into the impoverished area of the city. The Penniman family was very religious, with both Richards father and grandfather working as preachers in the area. In fact, church is where his singing career began when his parents formed a family singing group called The Penniman Singers that consisted of Richard, his parents, and his siblings. Continuing in his religion, Richard had the opportunity to experience many different types of religion and churches. His favorite was the Pentecostal church because of its fun, dancing, and music. Richard also became a faith healer in the church so that he could place his hands on people, pray for them, and they claimed to feel better afterward. Little Richard was influenced by many people throughout history. He was involved in many travelling performing shows such as Sugarfoot Sams International Show, Dr. Hudsons Medicine Show, and Billy Brown and his Orchestra, where he gained his stage name, Little Richard. In this time period, he was heavily influenced by the gospel singers of the 30s and 40s, and one of the biggest impacts was made by Sister Rosetta Tharpe. When Richard was at one of her concerts in 1945, she called him on stage to sing a song with her because she had heard him singing in the lobby before the show. As she was one of his favorite singers at the time, this event had a big impact on Richards life. He was also heavily influenced by artists like Marion Williams, Mahalia Jackson, Brother Joe May, Esquerita, and Billy Wirght. Billy Wright also helped Richard get his start in the professional music career by setting him up with his first contract. In 1951, Little Richard signed with RCA Camden records and began to try to find his sound without much success. He was struggling to find a sound that worked for him as an artist, and his label wanted him to sound more like other artists like Ray Charles, who was very popular in this time period. When Richard was out of his contract with RCA in mid 1953, he signed with Peacock Records. He was still having difficulties finding something that fit his personality and style. He released a record a year for four years and still didnt have a hit. In 1955, his contract was bought from Peacock Records by Specialty Records and he began working with Robert Bumps Blackwell. In a frustrating recording session, just when Blackwell was almost ready to give up on Richard and told the band to take a break, Richard jumped up on stage and started plunking out a tune on the piano that would eventually become one of his most popular songs, Tutti Frutti. Richard had been playing this song on stage for ye ars prior when he wasnt under contract and Blackwell was stunned by the fresh sound. He loved it so much that he immediately wanted Richard to record it. The only problem was that the song was not commercially acceptable as it was originally written. The label hired Dorothy La Boistre to clean up the lyrics in phrases such as, Tutti frutti, good booty to change them into, Tutti Frutti, aw-rooty. The song became very popular. The success of this first hit was followed by 16 hit singles in the following three years. Little Richard was slowly but surely taking the music industry by storm. Some other hits that were notable were Rip It Up, Long Tall Sally, Lucille, Good Golly, Miss Molly, Keep A-Knocking, Girl Cant Help It, and Slippin and Slidin'. Long Tall Sally was one of his most noted songs and hit number six on the RB Billboard charts. Another favorite was Girl Cant Help It because it was written for the movie with the same title starring Jane Mansfield. Richard appeared in a few movies during this time period, mainly to provide a movie soundtrack. When asked about those movies, Little Richard reports that the white executives tried to contain him and his style. He said, They didnt want me letting myself go. They kept wanting me to be stiffer, telling me Heres how a black man would perform this. I said. Now how would you know that?' Little Richard was a very unique person and he never stopped being hims elf. Between 1955 and 1957, many of Little Richards popular songs were re-done by other artists including Elvis Presley, Pat Boone, and Bill Haley. His popularity as an artist was growing and his fan base was continuously growing and becoming more diversified. Elvis Presley and Pat Boone both covered Tutti Frutti. Boones version outdid Little Richards when it came to record sales. Almost directly after, Boone did a cover of Long Tall Sally, presumably expecting the same results. This time, however, Little Richards original recording got better reviews and peaked higher on Billboards pop charts. The same was true when Presley and Bill Haley each released a version of Rip It Up and neither gained the reaction that Little Richard did. Little Richard was not only a role model for the sound of many of the pioneers of rock n roll, he was an advocate for controversial issues of the time period. Little Richards concerts were known mainly for their tendency to get extremely out of control due to his outrageous personality and performance style. He made history at a concert in Baltimore, Maryland when there were reports of police having to restrain people from jumping off balconies, and the show had to be stopped twice so that police could remove screaming fans from the stage. The fans that got onstage were attempting to gain souvenirs from Richard by ripping them off his body. It also goes down in history as being one of the first concerts where ladies ever threw their undergarments onstage for the artists. With this type of concert response, its no wonder Richard was caught up in constant parties and questionable acts throughout the mid 1950s.

Causes and Effects of Homelessness Essay -- homeless poverty

Homelessness is a problem virtually every society suffers from. There are many things that cause people to become homeless, such as unemployment, relationship problems, and being evicted from ones domicile either by a landlord, friend or even a family member. However, with every cause there must be an effect. Some of the effects of one becoming homeless, besides the obvious change of lifestyle, are various health problems which often times may lead to death. Many people find themselves in a predicament when they are living with a partner and the two decide to go their separate ways. Some people may not be able afford the cost of living on just their income alone, so when two people terminate a relationship where one depends on the other, both are often left homeless for a period of time. Unemployment is another major cause of people becoming homeless. When people lose their jobs and fail to find another within a reasonable amount of time, they will not be able to pay their rent or mortgage on time or even at all, causing them to look else where for shelter. Many people are not fortunate enough to have a family member that is willing, or capable, of taking them in and supporting them. The main cause of homelessness comes from people being evicted from their place of residence either by their parents, friends, or land lord. Parents will often kick their kids out of the house because they can not financially support them anymore, or t hey are just simply tired of their kids bumming off of them when they are perfectly capable of supporting themselves or at least contributing to the cost of living expenses. So many people are forced to live on the streets because of something as little as a relationship problem. All homeles... ...on someone, which is death. Homeless people die every day for various reasons. Some may die from malnutrition due to lack of food, some may die from being abused, beaten or murdered, and some may die from drug overdose. In one out of every four deaths in homeless people the cause of death is murder. One out of every six homeless people will attempt to take their own lives. In addition a homeless person’ life expectancy is approximately twenty years less than that of a person who is not homeless. There are many causes and effects of homelessness and it continues to be a problem in virtually all societies known to man. Regardless of what the causes of someone becoming homeless are, all homeless people will eventually suffer from some or all of the effects of being homeless, rather it be malnutrition, mental illnesses, abuse, drug addictions, or even death.

Volcano

The evaporating of harmful gases, earthquakes, and some evidences from the manhole are the manifestations showed that an underground volcano was forming under the city. This means that there was already lava under the city and the ground cannot take the pressure anymore so it formed a volcano. The physical changes in the movie are the breaking of glasses from buildings, breaking of buildings, cracking of the ground, boiling of water from the pond, injured people, the melting of metal, and the falling down of some properties. The chemical changes are the burning of trees and people, formation of the volcano and its eruption, the ashfall, and the lava turning to rocks when mixed with water. These changes are driven by some factors in the environment such as the formation of gases underground, and the eruption of the volcano. The eruption affected the place by destroying buildings and properties, injuring people, loss of lives, and the panicking and crying of the citizens. I learned that we should always be alert, caring, trustworthy, and we should have teamwork and cooperation. We should be alert so that when disasters like this happen to our community, we’ll know what to do and we can evacuate safely. We should be trustworthy so that other people will believe us and we should trust one another. We should be caring and concerned to each other and other people. In disasters like this, we can do small heroic acts which can save lives of millions of people that means very big to them. We should do heroic acts not because we want to be recognized but because it came from our heart. Last but not the least, we should have teamwork and cooperation so that problems can be solved quickly and we can aim for success.

English Teaching Abbreviations Explained

English Teaching Abbreviations Explained You might be a bit confused by the all the English teaching abbreviations that are used in the profession. Here is a list of the most common English teaching abbreviations that are used in the profession with an emphasis on ESL / EFL teaching. ELT - English Language TeachingESL - English as a Second LanguageEFL - English as a Foreign Language The main difference between these is that ESL is English taught to foreign language speakers living in an English speaking country like the United States, Canada, England, Australia, etc. English as a foreign language, on the other hand, is taught to those wishing to learn English for their study/ work / hobby needs but who live in countries where English is not the first language. Teaching Abbreviations to Know Here are some more important abbreviations related to teaching, teaching certificates, and English exams: AAAL - American Association for Applied Linguistics ACTFL - American Council on the teaching of Foreign Languages AE - American English BAAL - British Association of Applied Linguistics BC - British Council BEC - Business English Certificate - Cambridge business English exam certificate BrE - British English BVT - Bilingual Vocational Training CAE - Certificate in Advanced English - the fourth Cambridge Exam Cambridge Exams - The standard in English examination throughout the world outside of the USA (where the TOEFL is preferred). CALI - Computer-Assisted Language Instruction CALL - Computer-Assisted Language Learning CanE - Canadian English CAT - Computer Adaptive Testing CBT - Computer-Based Teaching CEELT - Cambridge Examination in English for Language Teachers. Tests the English competency of non-native teachers of English. CEIBT - Certificate in English for International Business and Trade for advanced levels. CPE - Certificate of Proficiency in English - the fifth and the most advanced of Cambridges series of exams (roughly comparable to a score of 600-650 on the TOEFL). CELTA - Certificate in English language teaching to adults (Cambridge/RSA Teaching Certificate also known as C-TEFLA) DELTA - Diploma in English language teaching (Cambridge/RSA Language Teaching Scheme) EAP - English for Academic Purposes ECCE - Exam for the Certificate of Competency in English (Michigan University) - lower level. ECPE - Exam for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (Michigan University) - higher level. EFL - English as a Foreign Language EGP - English for general purposes EIP - English as an International Language ELICOS - English Language Intensive Courses to Overseas Students. Government registered centers teaching English to overseas students in Australia. ELT - English Language Teaching ESL - English as a Second Language. ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages ESP -English for Specific Purposes (business English, English for tourism, etc.) ETS - Educational Testing Service FCE - First Certificate in English - the third of Cambridges series of exams (comparable to a score of 500 on the TOEFL and 5.7 on the IELTS). GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test. The GMAT measures general verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills. GPA - Grade Point Average GRE - Graduate Record Examination - an evaluation test for graduate admission to colleges and universities in the U.S. IATEFL - International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language IPA - International Phonetic Association K12 - Kindergarten - 12th grade. KET - Key English Test - The most elementary of Cambridges series of exams L1 - Language 1 - native language L2 - Language 2 - the language you are learning LEP - Limited English Proficient LL - Language Learning MT - Mother Tongue NATECLA - National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults (UK) NATESOL - National Association of Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages NCTE - National Council of Teachers of English NLP - Neurolinguistic Programming NNEST - Non-Native English Speaking Teacher NNL - Non-Native Language MTELP - Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency OE - Old English OED - Oxford English Dictionary PET - Preliminary English Test - The second of Cambridges series of exams. RP - Received Pronunciation - standard British pronunciation RSA/Cambridge C-TEFLA - Certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults. A professional qualification for prospective EFL teachers. RSA/Cambridge D-TEFLA - Diploma of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Advanced qualification for EFL teachers who have already completed the C-TEFLA. SAE - Standard American English SAT - Scholastic Assessment (Aptitude) Test - pre-university entrance exam in the USA TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language TEFLA - Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults TEIL - Teaching English as an International Language TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - the most common English proficiency exam for North American universities and colleges, also accepted by some British universities and employers as proof of English proficiency. TOEIC - The TOEIC (pronounced toe-ick) is a Test of English for International Communication. VE - Vocational English VESL - Vocational English as a Second Language YLE - Young Learners English Tests - Cambridge Examinations for young learners

Raisin in the Sun Bio. essays

Raisin in the Sun Bio. essays A Raisin in The Sun can be seen as the evolution of a Young male into manhood. Lee Younger enters the movie portrayed as a young male thrown into having the responsibilities of being a husband. It seems he has not yet become a man, however, as he doesn't seem to have control of his responsibilities and his ideas which he plans to use in order to achieve his dreams seem to be very poorly thought out. A husbands responsibilities are universally thought of as being able to support his family and raise his children so they are morally in line with what he believes in. Walter's problem, however, seems to be that he is building his supposedly well- thought-out plan of investing money in a liquor store into something he is infatuated with. By creating this infatuation, he is not able to achieve his responsibilities. The turning point in Walter's life seems to be the way lots of people change who are going down the wrong path in life, he made a huge mistake. When mama finally gave in to Walters desire for money by giving him the responsibility to manage the remaining money from the insurance check after she had put the down-payment on the house, Walter gave in to his infatuation of investing in the liquor store. He doesn't realize the risk, however, and the deal goes sour leaving him with none of the money mama had given him. After committing this mistake, Walter's family consoles him, and realizes how foolish he had been. This single mistake caused a man and his family to finally come together and act and think on the same line. The theme I found according to this reading of the play is one in which a man is unconsciously headed down the wrong path, and it takes a huge financial mistake in order for him to realize how foolish he had been. Finally, he is headed down the right path which his family helps him achieve by consoling and comforting him after he makes the huge mistake. ...

Is Turkish law incompatible with EU membership Essay

Is Turkish law incompatible with EU membership - Essay Example Ten years ago Turkey applied for accession to the European Union.Till today the accession has not be granted.Mainly because of the huge overall concern that Turkey is not what is perceived to be a truly democratic and free countryOne largely ignores the fact that not half a century ago that what was mostly a divided and warring section of Mediterranean countries like Greece, Spain and Portugal is now today an integrated and peaceful Europe and the European integration project in which Turkey wants to join, has brought Europe together into a cohesive whole creating a 'security community' within an ever growing community where there is a "democratic peace". Former authoritarian and militarily dominated countries have come together. And the conditionality for the membership 'peace and cooperation' has been the most potent tool for the drawing together of diverse cultures and groups such as French, German, Poles, Hungarian and Romanian countries. Dialogue and a mutual sense of security e xists where earlier there was only confrontation and suspicion. Till today Turkey's dream of integration into the EU is still a dream. A virulent debate still rages over whether Turkey will strengthen EU's 'democratic zone' or destroy it and undermine the functioning of the EU through its action, most of which is considered as unlawful in the EU.The most prominent argument is that Turkey is a hardliner and the regions surrounding Turkey is filled with instability, violence, terrorism and political instability with hard-line Islamic fundamentalism. But internationally prominent figures like George Bush and Condoleeza Rice, Tony Blair are all for the process of Turkey's integration into the European Union. Olli Rehn (assumed office as EU Commissioner for Enlargement on 22 November 2004,) is the President of the European Commission responsible for Enlargement of the European Union (ENP), which was adopted in 2003. EU borders are being stretched now to the Middle East and World borders are breaking down. Increasingly Turkey is starting to play a prominent role. It is shedding the coercive aspects of its political views and laws are becoming much more liberal and dependent on dialogue and cooperation, dismantling prejudices and promoting mutual trust. The Portuguese Foreign Affairs minister recognized this and after the Brussels Council meeting in 2005 he said 'the US will be pleased and Bin Laden will be disappointed'. This was the meeting where it was decided that talks on Turkey accession to the EU would start. With this accession to the EU it's credibility and influence in world politics and the Muslim world will increase significantly. Prominently opposition was because the Turks did not allow freedom of expression. For a long time challenging status quo in Cyprus amounted to treason and the Anan Plan was criticized and applauded in turn. The Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdoan (wanted a "win-win" solution) Discourse of this kind was a new phenomena and a novel one in Turkey and undoubted this was the pressure that was created due to the EU and the prospect of accession. On 12th September 2005 was published the 12 cartoons by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten which showed the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in a variety of humorous or satirical situations. Turkey and the Muslim world clashed with the western world. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's nomination as NATO's new secretary-general due to his stand in 2005 in this issue lead to his leadership being strongly opposed and the rights and the freedom of expression in the Muslim world being strongly questioned. It seemed to be incompatible with the U.N declaration of human rights. Muslims complained about an 'ongoing smear campaign' in Denmark against Islam and warned that negative reaction could result in Muslim countries and Muslim communities in Europe. They called on the prime minister "to take all those responsible to task under law

J.R.R. Tolkien Biography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

J.R.R. Tolkien Biography - Essay Example Tolkien completed his education at the height of the World War I. It was then the society’s expectations for the youths to volunteer into the military (White 75). However, Tolkien chose not to become a volunteer in the British army but instead enrolled in a degree program. After completing his degree course Tolkien chose to join the military as a lieutenant instead of taking a civilian job (Zimrack web). He retained his service to the military despite encountering the first-hand witness of execution his closest friend and college colleagues who served in the military. His ill health, however, prevented him from being deployed in the front line.After the end of World War I, Tolkien got his first job with the Oxford English dictionary where he worked on the etymology of words (Chance 105). His work with the Oxford English dictionary earned him a teaching position at Leeds University. He later became the youngest professor of Leeds in his time. Although Tolkien was a dedicated ac ademician and a writer, he had a keen interest in wars and matters of national interest. Although he once served in the military, he had a negative attitude concerning wars. He also objected other European ideologies such as Stalinism and imperialism. In addition, to the surprise of many Tolkien was totally against racism.In conclusion, Tolkien lived a successful life with a legacy. His thinking and actions that surpassed the expectations and norms of the society are the main sources of his success. His success.

Pschychological effects of Teenage Pregnancy Research Paper

Pschychological effects of Teenage Pregnancy - Research Paper Example This encouraged the researcher to get interested in the subject and to make a quantitative endeavor that throws light on the facts of the subject. Since the subject of teenagers having children is an ongoing discussion, the researcher is interested in evaluating the reactions of teenage mothers to the results of the research study. The evaluation helps us understand how human service organizations provide services for teenage mothers and whether or not the services are adequate to attend to the problems of the rising number of teenage mothers. â€Å"If teen pregnancy is related to depression, then girls who become parents at a young age will have a higher frequency of suffering from depression.† The study assumes importance because of the possibility that an early pregnancy can be important causal event in altering the life course of adolescent mothers (Whitman et al. 13). The researcher intends to verify the hypothesis by undertaking a survey and consolidating its results The principles of Informed Consent, beneficence and nonmaleficence, justice in the distribution of benefits, relationship of trust and scientific integrity will be followed. Ethical considerations as prescribed by the American Psychological Association (APA) will be followed to the extent possible.

Gas and Soft Drinks Essay Example for Free

Gas and Soft Drinks Essay 1- That would be inelastic. Even though people gripe about the rising prices, that doesnt stop people from stopping by the gas pumps to fill up. Elastic is more like candy bars or soda; if priced at 50 cents, there will be high demand, but if the price rises to 2 dollars, the demand will go down. Because there are many alternative brands for Coca Cola that have more or less the same taste. When the price of coca cola rises, demand decreases because consumers will find alternative brands that taste the same but at a lower price, therefore demand is elastic. Demand for soft drink as a whole is inelastic because whether or not the price increases/decreases, demand would not decrease/increase by a whole lot, since its the consumers preferred choice of drinks (just like milk is inelastic). Just because the price increases, doesnt mean that consumers will start to drink water all the time, theyll just drink less amounts of soft drink than usual (and vice versa). Elastic means by increasing the price, the demand for that product decreases as well. For example when the price of lamb increases, people will shift to chicken. We say the demand for lamb is elastic. Inelastic means, no matter how much the price changes, people still use it and the demand doesnt change a lot. Same as your example, Although the oil price increases, but the demand for oil didnd decrease. 2-petrol is also sold from especialy designed petrol pumps which costly to buld and operate . in the other hand coke and soft carbonated drinks is sold everywhere and can be sold to anyway and any gae. patrol selling you must be an adult and hold a drivers licience . Gas in the long term has higher elasticity of demand. meaning since in short term people do not have much choice,so they consume whatever is available at whatever price. 3- the coke is advertosed on over hundered tv channels around the world and it is the best known trademark in the world is sold in about one hundred and forty countries to 5. 8 billion people in eight different languguages . The cross price elasity of demand would be for the coca cola since the demand for it is growing A third example of cross-price elasticity is between Coke and Pepsi. If the price of Coke increases by 10%, then the demand for Pepsi will increase by 20%. This results in a cross price elasticity between the two of 2. Like the example above, these two would be substitues since the cross-price elasticity is greater than zero. http://mbaecon. wikispaces. com/file/view/cross_2. gif/30502983/cross_2. gif.

The Internet and Intellectual Property Laws Essay -- Internet Online

The Internet and Intellectual Property Laws With the emergence and growth of the internet, intellectual property laws are much harder to enforce and many people are saying that they are outdated and obsolete. Intellectual property allows you to own your ideas, thoughts, and creativity as you would own a piece of tangible property. The human mind is a creative tool that comes up with ideas, designs, schemes, and inspirations of all kinds. Intellectual property views these ideas as being property. The ideas must also have commercial value and be a tradable commodity otherwise there would be no point to protect it. Intellectual property is basically the ownership of ideas. If one were to write a novel, for which the idea was conceived in there mind, they could copyright that novel so that no other person could steal that idea and write another novel on it. Copyright is a type of intellectual property. The main types of intellectual property are patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. There are many issues arising abou t copyright and intellectual property due to the technological advances in the past ten years or so. A patent is a way to protect your invention. A patent makes sure that no other person can make, sell, offer for sale, or import your invention for a certain amount of time, in Canada it is 20 years. Since you have put a lot of time and effort into creating and producing your product, a patent prohibits others from copying your creation so all of your time doesn’t go to waste. This allows you to properly market your creation and prevent competition in the early stages of your commercialization effort. Patentable material includes any â€Å"new and useful art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of ... .../31intell.htm> Intellectual Property. No date. Government of UK. 26 Jan. 2003 > Intellectual Property in Health Research. No Date. HRC 2 Feb. 2003 Levy, Steven. â€Å"Issues of Intellectual Property & Copyright for Educators†. Newsweek. 27 Feb. 1995. 26 Jan. 2003 McCullagh, Dean. â€Å"Judge: Kazaa can be Sued in US†. 10 Jan. 2003. 1 Feb. 2003 Overbye, Morten. â€Å"Teen Cleared in Landmark DVD Case.† 7 Jan. 2002. CNN. 26 Jan. 2003 FootNotes 1Baumer and Poindexter (pg42) 2http://www.bountyquest.com/patent/whatisip.htm 3http://news.com.com/2100-1023-980274.html?tag=lh 4http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/01/07/dvd.johansen/

An Analysis of William Gibsons Idoru Essay -- Gibson Idoru Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Gibson's Idoru is a novel thick with implications and extrapolations related to the oncoming and (present) age of electronic para-reality. Stylistically, it is far from perfect, but in theme it has a firm grasp on the concept of the simulacra as it mimics, masks and replaces reality.    Gibson's characters are rarely paintings of great depth. While I would strongly disagree with the assertion that they are archetypes cut out from a mold, I would still note that they are not particularly rich or personal. This probably derives from the author's style of writing which is the radical end of the spectrum of "showing, not telling," so that we are shown the characters' pasts, physical status, and present situations, and as readers we are to intuit the logical psychological conditions associated with those factors. Gibson has rich situations, not rich characters.    That's why I find it so strange that the New York Times Book Review wrote, "Chia is one of [Gibson's] most winning creations." I fail to understand the logic. It's as though, by making her young and in a strange situation, we're to develop an instant affinity for her. Now obviously, Gibson himself is not the one to decree that his characters are strong or weak. So it is not a flaw on the part of his writing when a reader attributes an archetype to one of his characters, but I would tend to think that, by design or simple lack of skill, Gibson writes his characters a little flat. (Which, in the context of a discussion of simulacra, makes it all the more amusingly ironic that book reviewers would attribute what they would call a "hidden" level to the quality of the writing not otherwise apparent.)    Another stylistic tool Gibson employed wa... ...and eventually defines reality? It was a simply computer, just like Idoru was simply a novel. Yet the seashells in the make of that case serve to create a fantasy as readily and importantly as the words on paper serve to create a reality (and, paradoxically, the reality in which those seashells existed.) Simply because each is not real does not disrupt the validity of their creations, for if that were true, then the seashells would never have existed in the first place, even in our minds.    Gibson understands this closely, and Idoru does an excellent job of illustrating it. While not technically perfect, it is effective, and creates an image which is useful for us to learn from.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Gibson, William. Neuromancer. (Ace Books: New York 1984)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   _____, Idoru. (Berkeley Books: New York 1996)   

Participant Observation and Grand Theory Essay

Bronislaw Malinowski, with his ground-breaking field work of the Trobriand Islander community in the beginning of the 20th century still today counts as a pioneer, if not the founder of the British Social Anthropology. In his famous book Argonauts of the Western Pacific. An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagos of Melanesian New Guinea that was first published in 1922 he develops an elaborate methodological framework for ethnographical research, also known as ‘participant observation’. This method will highly influence the anthropological way of approaching its field of study and hence its theoretical landscape from then on. Looking at Malinowski’s description of the clan system of the Trobriand community, his descriptive and specifying style of formulation becomes apparent: â€Å"Each of the four clans has its own name: Malasi, Lukuba, Lukwasisiga, Lukulabuta. (†¦) There are special combinations of the clan names with formative roots, to descrive men and women and the mixed plurality belonging to the same clan: Tomalasi – a Malasi man; Immalasi – a Malasi women; Memalasi – the Malasi people (†¦). Near the village of Laba’I, on the northern shore of the main island, there is a spot called Obukula, which is marked by a coral outcrop. Obukula is, in fact, a ‘hole’ (dubwadebula), or ‘house’ (bwala); that is to say, one of the points from which the first ancestors of the linage emerged. † (Malinowski 1929: 496 f. , italics in original) This very nuanced and case specific example of the material gained from his methodological approach gives rise to the question if Malinowski’s heritage of participant observation has forever distanced Anthropology from bringing forward grand theories? To be able to consider and discuss this question, it is important to first define what Malinowski circumscribed when he laid out his dogma for ethnographical research by the term participant observation. Secondly, a closer inspection of the dictum ‘grand theory’ is indispensable for our purpose and will be clarified in the second section of this essay. Subsequently, we will look at these two concepts and their relationship to one another in section three in order to approach the question whether Anthropology can be viewed as a science able to produce grand theories. I. Participant observation In the foreword to Argonauts of the Western Pacific Malinowski states that he has â€Å"lived in that [Trobriand Island] archipelago for about two years (†¦), during which time [he] naturally acquired a thorough knowledge of the language. [He] did [his] work entirely alone, living for the greater part of the time right in the village. † (1966: xvi). This statement already contains the essence of participant observation in fieldwork. The hallmark of this methodological way of collecting data is the immersion of the researcher into her or his field of study over a long period of time and the personal part taking in the interactions of the people in the community studied. When Malinowski defined this new approach of ‘first-hand’ observation he broke with the, at that time prevailing tradition of ‘armchair’ ethnography. In this prior approach, ethnographers compiled data gained from historical sources to deduce theories about certain aspects of a usually ‘native’ community (Osterhoudt 2010). One of the main contributions of Malinowski’s new method to anthropological theory was that by participating and observing behaviour in the sample community he found out that a discrepancy between actual behaviour and narrative statements exists. â€Å"The smoothness and uniformity, which the mere verbal statement suggest as the only shape of human conduct, disappears with a better knowledge of cultural reality. † (Malinowski 1979: 83). This discovery in itself already composes a point of criticism towards the preceding ethnographical ‘arm-chair’ approach to data collection and evaluation. Even though participant observation is based on a seemingly broad and intuitive research design, it would, however, be incorrect to assume that this approach would be free of any directive principles on how to collect relevant data. Therefore, Malinowski describes how first, the researcher must â€Å"possess real scientific aims† (Malinowski 1966: 6) and be familiar with the theoretical background of anthropology. Further, the researcher should live in the field among the natives all by herself/ himself, and lastly the researcher has to stick to special and strict scientific methods, such as drawing â€Å"tables of kinship terms, genealogies, maps, plans and diagrams† (idib. 1966: 10) to collect, prepare and record her/his data. The previous example of the clan system provides a sense of the detailed and case specific information that is obtained by the application of participant observation. Besides the kind of the data collected, it should also be looked at the area of research and Malinowski’s suggestion of the subject to be studied. He proposes that the â€Å"field worker observes human beings acting within an environmental setting, natural and artificial; influenced by it, and in turn transforming it in co-operation with each other. † (Malinowski 1939: 940). Thus, he focuses on the individual as a starting point and its relation to, and mutual dependence on a social group. The inquiries of a researcher will hence have to include a â€Å"specific study of the individual, as well as the group within which he has to live and work. † (idib. 1939: 950). The collective life within that group or society is widely to be seen in certain types of activities, ‘institutions’ such as the â€Å"economy, education, or social control and political system in place† (idib. 1939: 954). These institutions, as he points out, can be seen as a fruitful base to investigate the individual’s motives and values and they will provide â€Å"insight into the process by which the individual is conditioned or culturally formed and of the group mechanisms of this process. † (idib. 1939: 954). II. Grand Theory In the following, the dictum ‘grand theory’ will be specified and by doing so distinguished into two different tendencies of understanding the concept. Wiarda (2010) defines a grand theory in his book Grand Theories and Ideologies in the Social Sciences as â€Å"those large, overarching explanations of social and political behavior—liberalism, Marxism, socialism, positivism, corporatism, political culture, institutionalism, psychoanalysis, rational choice theory, environmentalism (Jared Diamond), sociobiology, and now chemistry and genetics—that give coherence to the social sciences, help us to organize and think about change and modernization, and give us models to understand complex behavior. † (Wiarda 2010: x) This definition of grand theory as an ‘overarching explanation’ is in line with Anthony Good’s (1996) understanding of a ‘generalizing science’ that produces â€Å"universal, descriptive and predictive laws† (idib. 1996: 34). Here a grand theory is understood as a theorem providing a universal and structural framework that gives meaning to particular and individual phenomena ‘on the ground’. In this process the â€Å"importance of the local and the contingent, (†¦) the extent to which our own concepts and attitudes have been shaped† (Skinner 1985: 8) builds also a part of the universal framework. The second tendency to conceive the idea of grand theory goes a step further and is mainly characterized by C. Wright Mills application of it. He vigorously criticised the concept in his book The Sociological Imagination (1959): â€Å"The basic cause of grand theory is the initial choice of a level of thinking so general that its practitioners cannot logically get down to observation. They never, as grand theorists, get down from the higher generalities to problems in their historical and structural contexts. This absence of a firm sense of genuine problems, in turn, makes for the unreality so noticeable in their pages. † (idib. 1959: 33) As this quote shows, Mills’ understanding of a grand theory goes beyond our first definition. In this second understanding Mills implies that scientists generating grand theories are engrossed in their endeavour to build abstract, normative and all-embracing frameworks and thus neglect the study of the ‘meaning’ behind their constructs. The individual with its particular values and interpretations, as well as variety on the scale of the actual area of research fall behind. III. Participant Observation and its relation to Grand Theory Taken the just outlined conception of grand theory influenced by Mills and putting it in relationship with Malinowski’s methodology of participant observation, the answer to our question whether or not Malinowski’s heritage barred the way of Anthropology to ever produce grand theories appears unambiguously to be ‘yes’. Participant observation in its very nature is close to the individual and aims to explore, over a long period of time, which social and cultural forces influence the human being in a specific setting. Therefore, with regards to Mills conception of grand theory, Anthropology has a birth defect called participant observation that will always prevent it from producing highly abstract grand theories, which stand in no relation to the circumstances from where they were deduced from. A closer look reveals that Malinowski’s understanding of the anthropological formation of theory aligns with Mills criticism towards highly abstract grand theories: â€Å"It would be easy to quote works of high repute, and with a scientific hall-mark on them, in which wholesale generalisations are laid down before us, and we are not informed at all by what actual experiences the writers have reached their conclusions. (†¦) I consider that only such ethnographic sources are of unquestionable scientific value, in which we can clearly draw the line between, on the one hand, the result of direct observation and of native statements and interpretations and on the other, the inferences of the author, based on his common sense of psychological insight. † (Malinowski 1966: 3) Here Malinowski differences between two approaches of data processing. One approach leads to mere ‘wholesale generalisations’ and the other approach also includes the ‘actual experiences’ the researcher faced on the local level that explain on what assumptions and observations her or his generalizations are based on. He hence supports the notion of Anthropology as a science of producing generalisations, as long as they are comprehensible and in direct relation to the reality on the ground. Malinowski’s ethnographies exist to a vast amount of descriptive details that are very specific to certain social groups or individual preferences and he has hence often been criticized as an ‘empiricist’ (see Firth 1957). Also, one could argue that his attempt to put his findings in a neat structured box with columns, as he has done in his article Group and Individual in Functional Analysis (1966) seem rather compelled. Nevertheless, he was able to provide social science with universal and generalizing frameworks on, inter alia, on how social institutions function in relation to society. He states that â€Å"social institutions have a definite organisation, (†¦) they are governed by authority, law and order in their public and personal relations, while the latter are, besides, under the control of extremely complex ties of kinship and clanship. † (Malinowski 1966: 10). Malinowski’s suggestion to use institution as a starting point for social and cultural analysis has â€Å"produced integrated descriptions instead of loosely classified catalogues of traits, and has stimulated the fuller recording of case material from actual behavior as a supplement to the listing of ideal patterns. † (Murdock 1943: 443). Following Malinowski’s ethnographic method and theory construction therefore aims to create a firm framework of the â€Å"social constitution† that â€Å"disentangle[s] the laws and regularities of all cultural phenomena from the irrelevances. † (Malinowski 1966: 10f. ). His approach is thus far more that only an accumulation of meaningless observations of an individuals life in a very specific society. Considering these arguments, Malinowski approach can, indeed, be seen as congruent with our first tendency to understand grand theory. The answer to our initial question should hence be that Anthropology is a science that can certainly produce grand theories in the sense of generalized frameworks and universalistic theories, without neglecting the importance of the â€Å"local and the contingent† (Skinner 1985: 12). Furthermore, Anthropology can be viewed as an established science with its own field of study being the human being and its social group as well as their mutual dependencies and influences. â€Å"Anthropology stands in a clear relationship to the other basic science, because it is concerned with studying phenomena at one clearly discriminate level vis-a-vis those other sciences. † (Good 1996: 32) IV. Conclusion and Outlook As just set out, if the question is, if participatory observation was the downfall of grand theory in the anthropological work field, my answer to it would be ‘no’, depending on the definition of grand theory. The science of Anthropology certainly had to withstand some rough winds of criticism, for instance as Wood (1996) lays out, with its strong focus on ‘meaning’ and â€Å"actors’ understanding of ‘facts’ rather than ‘facts’ themselves† (idib. 1996: 31). Some might even buy into Radcliff-Browns (1977) proposal that due to its inconsistency of attribution of meaning to commonly used scientific terms â€Å"social anthropology reveals itself as not yet a formed science. † (idib. 1977: 28). In my opinion, however, it was not the launch and implementation of participant observation as introduced by Malinowski in the late twenties of the 20th century that caused a rupture in Anthropology as a grand theory producing science. A more significant menace came 50 years later when Malinowki’s diaries that he wrote, while he was conducting research at the Trobriand Islands were published. These diaries unveiled the he spend a lot of time with Europeans during his fieldwork, and it unfolds the emotional difficulties that Malinowski as fieldworker experienced. Statements such as â€Å"this drives me to a stage white rage and hatred for bronze-colored skin† (Malinowski 1989: 261) imply that he was a man thinking in discriminating racial terms, who did not have such a good rapport with the people he studied after all. These disclosures and inconsistencies between his ethnographies and his emotional encounters raised serious doubts on the validity of Malinowski’s theoretical conception and methodological approach of participant observation, and thus questioned the anthropological stance as an established science in general. Especially James Clifford’s critique on Malinowski and his later to be published book Writing Culture: The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography (1986), together with George Marcus has created a controversy and critical debate with a strong impact on the anthropological work field. The writing culture debate resulted in a ‘crisis of representation’ that implied to question every ethnographical voice. This shaped a new postmodern â€Å"genre of self-reflective research report† (Clifford 1993: 119; trasnl. C. R. ), where the unanimous voice of the author has to be subject to a consistent reflexion process and the emphasis is put on polyphony and complexity. In my opinion, this postmodern ‘angst’ of the anthropological author to be too determinate in her or his statements and conclusions, led to a trend that was far more hazardous to Anthropology as a grand theory producing science, than the introduction of Malinowski’s participant observation methodology. To make myself clear, I am not claiming that the criticism on Malinowski’s diaries and the postmodern episode was in itself a curse on Anthropology. I highly value the positive impact it had, such as, inter alia, the sensitization of the ethnographer. He or she has to be aware of her or his own position of power in the society studied, and her or his mutual influences on the informants. However, when it comes to extracting and generating universal laws, I believe it is majorly important for Anthropology as a science to not dwindle in a postmodern bulge of relativizations, but confidently create grand theories with regards to the actual phenomena observed. Thus, I strongly agree with Anthony Good (1996) who states that â€Å"if anthropology is not a generalizing science, it is not worth doing. † (idib. 1996: 30; italics in original). Bibliography Clifford, James; Marcus, George E. , (1986) â€Å"Writing Culture. The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. †, Berkley,: University of California Press Clifford, James, (1993) â€Å"Halbe Wahrheiten† In: Rippl, Gabriele (Hg. ): Unbeschreiblich weiblich: Texte zur feministischen Anthropologie, Frankfurt am Main,: Fischer-Taschenbuch-Verl. Firth, Raymond, (1957) â€Å"Man and Culture: An Evaluation of the Work of Malinowski†, New York,: The Humanities Press. Good, Anthrony, (1996) â€Å"For the Motion: Social Anthropology is a Generalizing Science or it is Nothingâ€Å" from Ingold, Tim (ed. ), Key Debates in Anthropology pp. 30-36, Oxon,: Routledge.

Stages of Cognitive Moral Development

Stages of Cognitive Moral Development American History X is a movie that reveals what individuals go through sometimes in order to reform themselves into better people both morally and ethically. Derek Vinyard, the main character, is the individual who experiences tough times in order to find his true identity. Throughout the movie, references are made to Derek's past with the use of flashbacks. Danny, his younger brother, idolizes him. As a result, it takes extra effort from Derek to attempt to prevent Danny from going down the wrong road that he had once traveled. Derek was brought up in a household in which his father expressed racism toward minorities, especially blacks and Hispanics. For instance, when the entire family was sitting at the dinner table, Derek's father made it a point to explain to Derek that affirmative action is totally unconstitutional. From this, Derek became part of an organization that called themselves the DOC. The members of this group displayed hatred and disrespect to minorities through their actions and verbal abuse. While part of the DOC, Cameron Alexander, the founder, informed Derek that he wanted him to be the leader. Derek took the position with open arms and was accepted by those underneath him as the authority. However, Derek ran into some serious trouble with the law when he was imprisoned for murdering two blacks. The two blacks were attempting to steal his car and that was how he reacted. Derek showed no remorse whatsoever for what had had just done. During Derek's stay in prison, which last three years, his views toward minorities changed. Derek landed a job in prison with a black individual. At first, Derek was reluctant to carry on any sort of conversation with him. But, as time passed on, a friendship between the two was formed. In addition, a former black high school professor, Dr. Sweeney, visited with Derek and discussed racial issues. At this point, Derek has di... Stages of Cognitive Moral Development Stages of Cognitive Moral Development American History X is a movie that reveals what individuals go through sometimes in order to reform themselves into better people both morally and ethically. Derek Vinyard, the main character, is the individual who experiences tough times in order to find his true identity. Throughout the movie, references are made to Derek's past with the use of flashbacks. Danny, his younger brother, idolizes him. As a result, it takes extra effort from Derek to attempt to prevent Danny from going down the wrong road that he had once traveled. Derek was brought up in a household in which his father expressed racism toward minorities, especially blacks and Hispanics. For instance, when the entire family was sitting at the dinner table, Derek's father made it a point to explain to Derek that affirmative action is totally unconstitutional. From this, Derek became part of an organization that called themselves the DOC. The members of this group displayed hatred and disrespect to minorities through their actions and verbal abuse. While part of the DOC, Cameron Alexander, the founder, informed Derek that he wanted him to be the leader. Derek took the position with open arms and was accepted by those underneath him as the authority. However, Derek ran into some serious trouble with the law when he was imprisoned for murdering two blacks. The two blacks were attempting to steal his car and that was how he reacted. Derek showed no remorse whatsoever for what had had just done. During Derek's stay in prison, which last three years, his views toward minorities changed. Derek landed a job in prison with a black individual. At first, Derek was reluctant to carry on any sort of conversation with him. But, as time passed on, a friendship between the two was formed. In addition, a former black high school professor, Dr. Sweeney, visited with Derek and discussed racial issues. At this point, Derek has di...

The Chaldean Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II

The Chaldean Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II Name: Nabà »-kudurri-uÅŸur in Akkadian (means Nabà » protect my child) or NebuchadnezzarImportant Dates: r. 605-562 B.C.Occupation: Monarch Claim to Fame Destroyed the temple of Solomon and started the Babylonian Captivity of the Hebrews. King Nebuchadnezzar II was the son of Nabopolassar (Belesys, to Hellenistic writers), who came from the Marduk-worshiping Kaldu tribes living in the extreme southern part of Babylonia. Nabopolassar started the Chaldean period (626-539 B.C.) by restoring Babylonian independence, following the fall of the Assyrian Empire in 605. Nebuchadnezzar was the most famous and important king of the Second Babylonian (or Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean) Empire, which fell to the Persian great king Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. Accomplishments of Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar restored old religious monuments and improved canals, as other Babylonian kings had done. He was the first Babylonian king to rule Egypt, and controlled an empire that extended to Lydia, but his best-known accomplishment was his palace - a place used for administrative, religious, ceremonial, as well as residential purposes especially the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Babylon, too, lies in a plain; and the circuit of its wall is three hundred and eighty-five stadia. The thickness of its wall is thirty-two feet; the height thereof between the towers is fifty cubits;9 that of the towers is sixty ​cubits; and the passage on top of the wall is such that four-horse chariots can easily pass one another; and it is on this account that this and the hanging garden are called one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Strabo Geography Book XVI, Chapter 1There were in it also several artificial rocks, that had the resemblance of mountains; with nurseries of all sorts of plants, and a kind of hanging garden suspended in the air by a most admirable contrivance. This was to gratify his wife, who, being brought op in Media, among the hills, and in the fresh air, found relief from such a prospect.Thus writes Berosus [c. 280 B.C.] respecting the king....Josephus In Answer to Appion Book II Building Projects The Hanging Gardens were on a terrace supported by brick arches. Nebuchadnezzars building projects included surrounding his capital city with a double wall 10-miles long with an elaborate entry called the Ishtar Gate. 3] On the top, along the edges of the wall, they built houses of a single room, facing each other, with space enough between to drive a four-horse chariot. There are a hundred gates in the circuit of the wall, all of bronze, with posts and lintels of the same.Herodotus The Histories Book I.179.3These walls are the citys outer armor; within them there is another encircling wall, nearly as strong as the other, but narrower.Herodotus The Histories Book I.181.1 He also built a port on the Persian Gulf. Conquests Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish in 605. In 597, he captured Jerusalem, deposed King Jehoiakim, and put Zedekiah on the throne, instead. Many leading Hebrew families were exiled at this time. Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Cimmerians and Scythians [see Tribes of the Steppes] and then turned west, again, conquering Western Syria and destroying Jerusalem, including the Temple of Solomon, in 586. He put down a rebellion under Zedekiah, whom he had installed, and exiled more Hebrew families. He took the inhabitants of Jerusalem prisoner and brought them to Babylon, for which reason this period in Biblical history is referred to as the Babylonian captivity. Also Known As: Nebuchadnezzar the GreatAlternate Spellings: Nabu-kudurri-usur, Nebuchadrezzar, Nabuchodonosor Additional Resources Sources for Nebuchadnezzar include various books of the Bible (e.g., Ezekial and Daniel) and Berosus (Hellenistic Babylonian writer). His many building projects provide archaeological record, including written accounts of his accomplishments in the area of honoring the gods with temple maintenance. Official lists provide mainly dry, detailed chronicle. Sources Seat of Kingship/A Wonder to Behold: The Palace as Construct in the Ancient near East, by Irene J. Winter; Ars Orientalis Vol. 23, Pre-Modern Islamic Palaces (1993), pp. 27-55.Nebuchadnezzar King of Justice, by W. G. Lambert; Iraq Vol. 27, No. 1 (Spring, 1965), pp. 1-1Images of Nebuchadnezzar: the emergence of a ​legend,, by Ronald Herbert Sack