Monday, September 30, 2019

Racial Divides in The Last of the Mohicans Essay

Throughout James Fennimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans a common theme of interracial friendship and love and the difficulty it takes to overcome such an obstacle, is shown strongly in the work. In the novel Cooper shows how the America people of European decent treat those that are native, by showing how negatively they treat the Native Americans. Chingachgook and Hawkeye have a friendship that is genuine and deep, bypassing the normal relationship between that of a white man and a Mohican Indian. Interracial love and romantic relationships are condemned in The Last of the Mohicans, for example when, Cora, the older daughter of Munro, is approached by Magua and he explains his desire for their marriage it is preceded that their relationship is uncomfortable as well as awkward whereas Uncas and Cora’s mutual relationship ends in a terrible tragedy. Cooper makes it apparent that race was important in each individual’s acceptance and respect in the early American community, but the bond and friendship between Hawkeye and Chingachgook is stronger than the American community’s influence; there is also a common theme of interracial romantic relationships being impossible because of how Cora’s relationships with Uncas and Magua both come to an end. Numerous critics agree that Cooper’s novel makes the relationship between the Native Americans and the white Americans noticeably different from their affiliation with their own race. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans shifts its action back in time to the mythopoetical realm when the future of American hung in the balance between the primitive and the civilized, between the French and the British, between the white and red men.† (Burt 1). Burt suggests that with the treatment between the characters it shows America at a different stage, one that is still being built on and not quite finished in construction. Burt also suggests that That the last of the Mohicans is honest in Cooper’s portrayal of the interaction that is between the two main races of the novel, all the way to the depths of the â€Å"psychology of Native Americans and their place in American culture and conscience.† (Burt 1). The racial conflicts in the novel are shown when â€Å"multiple cultures interact without physical conflict, settle their differences through dialogue.† (Rinne 15). The conversation that is presented throughout the novel seems to help settle some of the disputes, between many individuals like Alice and Magua, a relationship that exemplifies how white and red men confront one another. This concept of interracial interaction between the people of the novel, despite the bond between Hawkeye and Chingachgook, is shown clearly that it is not a pleasant connection. â€Å"As they traversed that short distance, not a voice was heard amongst them; but a slight exclamation proceeded from the younger of the females as the Indian runner glided by her unexpectedly and led the way along the military road in her front.† (Cooper 17). Alice shows her fear towards that of the Native blood, unlike her sister Cora, Alice struggles with others more. She is afraid and a symbol of the people that are not always shown in Cooper’s novel. As she continues to look at him, â€Å"an indescribable look of pity, admiration, and horror as her dark eye followed the easy motions of the savage.†(Cooper 17). She represents the way many of the other women of the time felt; uneasy and unsure of these people of any different race. Alice’s background is why she is chosen to represent the white population, since she is of pure blood. Throughout this novel the other American’s are shown as treating the Natives with little respect because of racism, believing that with their possessions such as their clothes, weapons, and education they are to be held to a higher standard and supreme to the Natives that surround them. In The Last of the Mohicans Cooper begins a trend with the creation of Hawkeye and Chingachgook’s relationship a â€Å"prototype for Ishmael and Queequeg, Huck and Jim, The Lone Ranger and Tonto–† (Burt 1). Hawkeye and Chingachgook have â€Å"a stark, stripped human relationship of two men, deeper then the deeps of sex.† (Burt 1). Cooper shows just how deep of a friendship these two men can have looking past all of the racial boundaries that are in position from the surrounding society. Despite the way interracial relations between the civilized and the savage were looked down upon Hawkeye and Chingachgook’s relationship continues without any such interference. Cooper makes the relationship important especially in the times of need, during the battle scenes and while they complete acts that make it clear that Hawkeye and his group are the protagonists of the story. This is a strong and deep connection between the two men making a statement for the time period, in which the story is set in. The constant reoccurrence of Hawkeye and Chingachgook’s relationship as friends in the Cooper’s novel shows the power of this symbol. The two men constantly look out for one another’s well being, Chingachgook gives Hawkeye information and reassures him his â€Å"ear shall drink no lie.† (Cooper 32) simply because they are friends. As the book continues the two men and the bond that is between them is proven to be deeper then the expectation of the average American community of the time. Through their dangerous journey they stumble upon much conflict, yet instead of burdening their friendship, it only builds their relationship as friends. Without one another they would have not made their journey through the forest protecting the young women as they did. Despite the thoughts of the Americans their relationship made things better rather than if they had not sought help from their friendship. Parts of Cooper’s novel â€Å"The last of the Mohicans derives its power from exploring threats to racial purity. Uncas and Cora deviants from the white norm threaten to cross radical lines and must be killed.† (Burt 3). Whereas â€Å"Heyward and Alice are free to marry and reproduce,† (Scalia 2) because unlike Cora and Uncas are following the â€Å"white norm.† Cooper sends the message that interracial romance and love is predestined for failure. Cora and Magua’s relationship is awkward despite Cora’s initial attraction towards the Indian. Cora and Uncas relationship ends in the terrible tragedy of death, because of her refusal to marry Magua. Cooper also suggests â€Å"it is Cora’s dark blood that accounts for her boldness†¦ accounting for the mutual yet sublimated attraction of both Cora and Uncas.† (Blakemore 43). Blakemore explains that their relationship contained mutual feelings towards each other even though their r elationship is considered unacceptable. From the beginning of the novel the factor of interracial coupling is there because of Cora’s mother being of a different race. Although the element is there Cooper also implies that these relationships are hopeless, for example when Magua and Cora’s relationship is uncomfortable and unnatural. â€Å"‘Listen’ said the Indian, laying his hand firmly upon her arm as if willing to draw her utmost attention to his words; a movement that Cora as firmly but quietly repulsed by extracting the limb from his grasp.† (Cooper 121). Cora does not let Magua touch her despite his efforts to keep her under his control. Where like Magua and Cora’s relationship is a failure so is Uncas and Cora’s because it ends in tragedy of each characters death. â€Å"Magua recoiled a step; and one of his assistants, profiting by the chance, sheathed his own knife in the bosom of Cora.† (Cooper 413). Cora is killed before her and Uncas are allowed to love one another fully. Although this relationship is considered improper their desire for one another is still persistently shown throughout the novel. In conclusion, James Fennimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans is a powerful novel filled with many different issues involving interracial tribulations. Using some of the main characters Cooper is able to show how white Americans would treat the Native Americans negatively. Cooper also keeps in mind the different type of relationship that is built between Chingachgook and Hawkeye, which happens to be deep and strong. Also, the romantic aspect of relationships that is represented in The Last of the Mohicans is clearly shown to be an impossible happening for the characters. The Last of the Mohicans shows the importance of race in the early American community and how treatment towards those who are different is shown, yet despite the fact that interracial friendship is frowned upon Hawkeye and Chingachgook keep a firm grip upon their friendship; a final theme is the troubles that form between when two of different races are to fall in love. Cooper does a beautiful job showing each of his interracial interaction points clearly in his novel. Work Cited Blakemore, Steven. â€Å"†Without a Cross†: The Cultural Significance of the Sublime and Beautiful in Coopers The Last of the Mohicans.† Jstor.org. University of California Press. Web. 20 Jan. 2012. Burt, Daniel S. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans.† The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novels of All Time, Revised Edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom’s Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. 20 Jan. 2012. Cooper, James Fennimore. The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757. New York: New American Library, 1962. Print Rinne, Craig. â€Å"White Romance and American Indian Action in Hollywood’s The Last of the Mohicans.† Jstor.org. University of Nebraska Press. Web. 20 Jan. 2012 Scalia, Bill. â€Å"The Last of the Mohicans.† In Werlock, Abby H.P., ed. The Facts on File Companion to the American Novel. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2006. Bloom’s Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. 20 Jan. 2012

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Book Report on Farewell to Manzanar Essay

In the early year of 1942, the families of Japanese people are being ordered to start a move to Manzanar, California; the Wakatsuki family is one of them. Many Japanese accept the move because they are afraid of Caucasian aggression, but some simply see it as an adventure. Families have to put on identification number tags on their collars. Riding on buses to Manzanar, Jeanne falls asleep on the bus, nearly half of which is filled with her relatives, and wakes up to the â€Å"setting sun and the yellow, billowing dust of Owens Valley. (pg 19) As they enter the camp, the new arrivals stare silently at the families already waiting in the wind and sand. Upon arriving, just in time for dinner, â€Å"the mess halls weren’t completed yet† (pg 19) seeing a line formed around the soon to be finished building blocking a good part of the wind. Only seeing tents and barracks, half built buildings that were unending. There were cracks in the floors, only one light bulb per room, gaps in the walls, an oil stove for heat, and not very much space at all. â€Å"We were assigned two of these for the twelve people in our family group. † (pg. 1) With all the confined spacing for the families, you can tell there was a lot of tension between everyone. The food they had made for us to eat was not in our culture at all. â€Å"The Caucasian servers were thinking that the fruit poured over rice would make a good desert. Among the Japanese, of course, rice is never eaten with sweet foods, only with salty or savory foods. † (pg. 20) On top of the food being served wrong, their latrines were not very useable. â€Å"The smell of it spoiled what little appetite we had. † (pg. 31) â€Å"My mother was a very modest person, and this was going to be agony for her, sitting down in public, among strangers.   (pg. 32). What some of the other women did was drag in a big cardboard carton and put up as walls so no one could see. The reservoir shack was just outside of camp. â€Å"My brother-in-law Kaz was foreman of a reservoir maintenance detail, the only crew permitted to work or to leave the camp limits the night of the riot. † (pg. 78) The guys that were on this detail slept on cots in a shack. When they turned off the lights in the shack at night and everyone was laying down it was so dark that you couldn’t see anyone or anything in the shack.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Effective Strategies For Cross-Cultural Communication Research Paper

Effective Strategies For Cross-Cultural Communication - Research Paper Example With the completion of systemic and structural transitions, the leaders of the new employee groups are appointed and trained on the core leadership courses that involve the inclusion of tolerance when dealing with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The leaders are informed on the essentials of communication, and how positive communication strategies motivate the workers and instill good organizational behavior. After carrying out the Integration activity, the company bonds the employees together, questioning about their experiences and the advantages they have acquired from the process of acquisition.  With the completion of systemic and structural transitions, the leaders of the new employee groups are appointed and trained on the core leadership courses that involve the inclusion of tolerance when dealing with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. The leaders are informed on the essentials of communication, and how positive communication strategies motivate the workers and instill good organizational behavior. After carrying out the Integration activity, the company bonds the employees together, questioning about their experiences.   To measure the impact of the outcomes of the training process to alleviate the stresses of cross cultural communication. In Microchip, the company achieves its goals every year, with the results reflecting an 80%achievemnt in purpose fulfillment. It is evident from the case of Microchip that the main solution to the difficulties in communication is training.

Friday, September 27, 2019

See the attachment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

See the attachment - Coursework Example It is the objective of this essay to proffer a strategy assessment of DHL Company, as a global organization, with the specific aims of addressing the following concerns: (1) an identification of the organization’s companywide strategy; (2) a determination of the specific aspect of the strategy being focused on; (3) the competitive advantages of DHL; (4) the competitive strategies employed; and (5) an exploration of any identified issues on global management. The analysis of the organization would be used analytical tools such as SWOT and PESTLE analysis for a more comprehensive illustration of its competitive advantage on a global scale. The management report is designed to proffer an assessment of the global strategy of DHL to be â€Å"The Logistics Company for the World† (DHL: Corporate Portrait, 2010) where focus would be on logistics and mail. The specific strategies to support the attainment of the global strategy would focus on improving customer orientation, a concentration on the digital and physical solutions in the dialog marketing, providing a more secure electronic communications system, improving employee involvement and commitment, promoting communications through cross-divisional experience and enhancing leadership culture through improving the incentive scheme. Particularly, DHL envisioned an expansion through â€Å"its airfreight operations in Asia in a move linked to the inauguration of its expanded central Asia hub in Hong Kong and the launch of its north Asia hub in Shanghai† (Wallis, 2008, p. 38). By identifying and enumerating the organization’s internal resources and the factors that influence its external environment through both SWOT and PESTLE analyses, the report would clearly indicate the viability of the global strategy to sustain leadership in the logistics industry. DHL Company boasts of being â€Å"an express shipping multinational company operating in

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Knowledgenagment Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knowledgenagment - Personal Statement Example Knowledge management in organizations has three dimensions that are characterized by strategic dimensions that highlight the importance of knowledge and its management in a firm’s strategy (Liebowitz and Dalkir 144). Managerial dimensions entail the management and assessment of organizational knowledge. According to Liebowitz and Dalkir (139), operational dimensions highlight the development and utilization of knowledge and intellectual assets. Bloom’s taxonomy refers the classification of learning outcomes into three domains which include cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains. Cognitive domains are mostly emphasized by educators due to their ability to enhance the efficiency and performance of workers in an organization (Liebowitz and Dalkir 94). This domain is divided into six domains namely: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Affective domains are characterized by people’s emotional abilities and skills to react to different situations and circumstances. This domain is mainly concerned with employee awareness and their growth in terms of attitudes, feelings and emotions towards their responsibilities. Affective domains have five divisions which include receiving, responding, valuing, characterization and organizing. Psychomotor domains refer to workers’ abilities to physically manipulate tools and gadgets like electric saws and screw drivers. The domain focuses on developing, growing and improving behavior and skills (Liebowitz and Dalkir 173). Bloom never categorized this domain, but other educators have divided it into seven division. They include: complex overt response, mechanism, perception, set, guided response, origination and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Analytical chemistry assignment 12 questions Essay

Analytical chemistry assignment 12 questions - Essay Example In other cases, the matrix can constitute the interferent, which alters the results of the chemical analysis procedure. The accuracy of a chemical measurement explains how close the results obtained are to the true value. It is essential to establish the accuracy of a chemical measurement before interpreting the results obtained from the measurement. To determine the accuracy of an analytical measurement, one is required to calibrate it with a known standard. For instance, you can determine the accuracy of a weighing scale by comparing it with a fully functional one. Calibration refers to the process of comparing two measurements or methods whereby one is of a known magnitude or accuracy, made using a standard device or procedure and the other made in as alike a way as possible using a second device or method. The second device or method is usually referred to as the unit under test. To calibrate an analytical method, one needs to compare the results of the measurement to a set standard and making adjustments as required. The steps involved in making a chemical measurement include: selection of an analytical method, sample collection, sample processing, elimination of interferences, measurement, and calculation of results and estimation of the reliability of the results. To collect toxic fumes from a room, a known volume of the contaminated air is drawn through a glass fibre filter. The sample is then desorbed using the appropriate chemical substance and then analyzed by gas chromatography using a flame ionisation detector. Care should be observed to avoid inhalation of the fumes during the collection and analysis process. Urine collection methods vary depending on the analyte being tested. Drugs differ in the way in which they are metabolized in the body, including the components that are excreted through the urine. Depending on the analyte being investigated, urine samples can be collected during different times to

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Fitness Club System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fitness Club System - Essay Example The basis of this system is to manage effectively the available resources involved in The Fitness Center namely the members, fitness consultants and the higher management of the company involved in strategic decisions. The first section details out the primary purpose to come up with an IT solution for the company and the advantages to the stakeholders of the company. It follows with the roles of the people involved in this project. The Information system deployed here will help the company and its members in identifying their individual goal and contribute to the overall objective of the company to create a competitive edge over others in the similar business. Enveloping an information system, which happens to be quite a erode of time, effort and money, would put the company in the digital world to manage all its business processes, may how small or big it be, effectively creating a record of the activities and covering all the deficiencies of the manual system. Members: The current and prospective members would use the system to feed in their personal data and reason as to which they have joined the Fitness center. The members may have various objectives while joining the center. Some are for simple fitness programs while others have different objective. The system would take care of all those and keep the latest details about performance and other measures such as future interests. Solution: This system provides with user inputs to a large variety of questions to analyze their needs and future goals to get them the best they desire. Constant monitoring is a very important activity. They form a major part of the system and handle a lot of tasks relating to the members activities and alignment to several other programs and future interests. They interface with the management giving valuable information regarding members and their

Monday, September 23, 2019

Text analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Text analysis - Essay Example If an individual believes something is right, or moral, they will act in a way to show the belief. When one is immoral, they will deliberately break belief and create an opposing viewpoint of morality through conscious actions. The concept of amoral is when one won’t make a judgment based on the moral distinction with lack of sensibility toward right or wrong. Action toward personal preference or situation is done instead. The last application to morality is of nonmorality. When one is acting with nonmorality, there is no sense or judgment of right or wrong (Thiroux, 2006). 2. Consequentialist, or teleological ethics, is based on ethics in which one acts upon as a sense of duty and rules. A nonconsequentialist, or deontological view of morality won’t act out of duty or responsibility. Instead, the actions come from the belief that acting in a certain way is the right thing to do and is because one values something. The difference between these two is based on the intent and thought process. While the end action is the same, the thought process of why the morals should be implemented differs. 3. With ethical egoism, one takes a moral position based out of self – interest, profit, return or benefit. The contract to this is psychological egoism, which states that an individual always acts or reacts to a situation out of their self – interest or happiness. The difference in situations is based on the desired outcomes. With ethical egoism, the self interest is to get a benefit while the psychological egoism is based on the happiness one believes they will get by acting in an ethical way while psychological egoism has self benefits from the mind. 4. The cost – benefit analysis, or end – justifies the means approach to morality is one which an individual uses logic of what will happen in the end to approach actions. For instance, one will decide on actions that are either moral or immoral with

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Emerging New Diseases Within the Community Essay

Emerging New Diseases Within the Community - Essay Example It was found that the diseases developed were mainly related to respiratory problems, pulmonary diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Zanobetti et al., (2003) have found that pollutants are major factors for respiratory and heart diseases. Asthma and bronchitis have become increasingly common amongst the children and adults leading to extensive health problems. The heart diseases and more cases of kidney malfunction have also been reported regularly. The severity of the cases makes it imperative that root cause is identified and addressed. The community has been conscious of the environment and ensured that air pollution due to transport system is maintained within the limit by using eco-friendly transportation. But it is found that the recent industrialization, especially the establishment of Gas Company could be responsible for the emerging new diseases caused due to air and water pollution. It is found that the effluents and waste material from the gas company are contaminating the local water resources and environment. The water sample taken from the stream has testified existence of active chemicals that have a significant impact on the respiratory and pulmonary system of human being. The presence of poisonous gases in the environment has been due to ineffective treatment by the gas company. It is also found that the local stream which is the main source of water for the community is not only damaging to the environment but also for the health and survival of human beings. The community therefore needs to be proactive in containing the spread of these diseases. It is essential that people must come together and ensure that gas company must stop its operation till it can effectively treat its effluents and other dangerous contaminants so that air pollution, as well as water pollution, is totally eliminated.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Example for Free

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are very prominent African American individuals throughout history. They fought for what they stood for but in many different ways. As we all know in history there are no two great men that are alike. Their many beliefs may have blossomed from the households they came from and how they grew up. King grew up in a middle class family and was well educated. While, Malcolm X grew up in an underprivileged environment that was very hostile with barely any schooling. Martin Luther King Jr. was always against violence, throughout his entire ministry. He always stood his ground, and he stood out because eventhough he may have been physically attacked, he never reacted with violence. Martin Luther King Jr. followed the Christian faith. Malcolm X was a Muslim, and believed in Muslim principles. His most famous line was â€Å"By any Means Necessary†. He believed in fighting back physically. Whatever had to be done to get freedom he was all for it whether it be violence or nonviolence. Although later in life he visited Jerusalem, and met other Muslims. He changed his views, and became nonviolent. Both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. had uncompromising love for their people. They both wanted see Black people in the best possible position. They were both religious figures that used religious to provide structure, morality, courage, determination and unity in Black people. They were both killed before they reached their 40th birthday.They both stood 4 freedom,they were both assassinated and they both liked Afro-American women.Different religions but both were men of god. Malcolm X was a Muslim and Martin Luther King jr was a Christian. Malcolm X was a Black nationalists and Garveyite. Malcolm X did not believe in an integrated society between Blacks and Whites. Malcolm X believed that Black people should build a world for themselves controlled by themselves that specifically addressed the needs and desires unique to Black people. MLK wanted his movement to be peaceful, while X was a radical extremist who wanted A.A. rights to be violent..Martin Luther King wanted to get things accomplished without aggression or violence, and Malcolm X did not. Martin Luther King wanted everyone to coexist peacefully and wanted to be counted as an equal, and Malcolm X wanted there to be a clear segregation of the White people and Black people in America, with different areas for each to live, because he felt that they would never get along. Martin Luther King Jr was an integrationist. He believe in one American society based upon the promises of the founding fathers of America that all men were created equal and had the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He believed that it was Black peoples right to be first class citizens of America and all that it entailed. After Malcolm X left the Nation of Islam he went to Mecca to complete one of the five pillars of Islam which is El Hajj The holy pilgrimage. After that experience he begin to take on a world view against injustice and tyranny everywhere. Martin Luther King jr take on a similar stance sparked by the Vietnam war. He too saw the importance of fighting injustice worldwide.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Area Study Merging with Cross-National Approach

Area Study Merging with Cross-National Approach Overview Are area studies and a cross-national approach really that different or they have more in common than we might expect? I think it is the latter, having three major similarities. First, these studies have increasingly merged to seek systematic explanations that cut through regions, which had been thought to be fundamentally different or exceptional (such as Latin America). As such, the second similarity is that they have also come to share some roles, such as confirming a theory. Third, the rise of mixed method approach that can combine area study and cross-national approaches further illuminates not only the second similarity but also a common and ultimate goal shared by the two approaches, which to expand our knowledge. At the same time, how they go about playing similar roles and accomplishing the shared goal remains as a major difference. In other words, to answer the second question, each approach is better suited than another to answer particular types of questions. Area studies that are often in qualitative nature ask for conditions necessary or sufficient for particular outcomes to occur, while cross- national approach that tend to be in quantitative in nature is much suited for asking the average effect of an independent variable on such outcomes. Similarities: Area Study Merging with Cross-National Approach Once again, I think area studies and a cross-national approach have come much closer to each other, having three major similarities. The first major similarity is that both studies seem to have sought systematic explanations that cut through regions. While it is straightforward that a cross-national approach seeks such accounts, I argue that this similarity has emerged due to a change in seeing what area study should be. Fundamentally, area study is a study that focuses on particular areas or regions of the world. In the mid 20th century, an area study approach had particularly been used as a â€Å"cookie cutter† strategy. That is, it ‘snips’ out regions or areas that do not conform to accepted ideas or particularly the ones that are studied through the scope of â€Å"ethnocentrism† (Wiarda 1993, 16). Thus, the study is driven by the idea—â€Å"what works in one context may not work in another† –and utilized to understand not just deviant or outlier but ‘exceptional’ cases (Wiarda 2005, 2). For instance, O’Donnell’s area studies on Argentina and Brazil (1973; 1976) caught grater attention in the 1970s; he challenged Lipset’s modernization theory (1959; 1960) that came out a decade ago based on Western states as a widely accepted idea displaying the positive relationship between economic development and democracy. Contra rily to Lipset, O’Donnell showed that a process of modernization actually yielded a bureaucratic-authoritarian regime in the ‘richest’ countries in the region. Dependency theorists, such as Frank (1969) and Dos Santos (1971) also elevated the importance of area studies by arguing that Latin American economies would not follow the path of Western states because the region was exploited as ‘satellite economies’ by the West and ended up contributing to the Western modernization. Recently, Mainwaring and Perez-Linan (2003) empirically demonstrated a non-linear relationship between economic development and democracy in Latin America; they concluded that â€Å"Latin American exceptionalism† existed in the mid to late 20th century because of distinctive economic policies (ISI) and a link between political elites. Regardless of Mainwaring and Prez-Linan’s work, however, I see area study to increasingly become a ‘lesson-drawing’ approach (Wiarda 2005). Instead of pointing out regional distinction and exception as an end goal, these differences are used as lessons for building a ‘mega-theory’ or producing systematic accounts regarding comparative politics. This is in part because of the rise of other area studies focusing on the Middle East and East Asia, which show their paths towards democracy that are distinct from both Western states and Latin America. These studies, therefore, diminish Latin America exceptionalism. In addition, area studies, namely of O’Donnell’s (1973; 1976) have come under much attack for being ad hoc explanations, since Latin American turned to re- democratize in the 1980s. All of these factors have then called for a more systematic investigation for providing an account, which identifies common and different conditions c ontributing to such outcomes (Acemoglu and Robinson 2006). For instance, Acemoglu and Robinson (2006) recognized Lipset’s modernization theory as one of four paths, rather than ‘the only path,’ and sought conditions that make democratization likely, using the cases of Argentina, Singapore, and South Africa. O’Donnell’s later work with Schmitter (1986) on Latin America also merged with Przeworski (1991) and Haggard and Kaufman (1995), which utilized cases from various regions, such as the Philippines, South Africa, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Nepal. These studies have then provided a powerful account, suggesting the entrance and exit or authoritarianism to depend on a strategic bargaining between political (military) and economic elites in the wake of economic downturns. Hence, the first major similarity is, once again, a tendency of both area studies and cross-national approaches to seek systematic accounts that cut through regions. While cross-national approach is essentially thought to have such a goal, area studies have come to understand the need of the goal, while no single region seems to stand as entirely exceptional or can be isolated from the rest of the world. As such, the second similarity is that they have also come to share some roles. When area studies, at least some parts of the studies, have come close to cross-national approach theoretically, these studies can play a similar analytical role as well, namely the role in confirming a theory. The theory of political activism may be a good example. Mainly based on Western states, including the United States, empirical cross- ational studies have suggested that well-established democracies have increasingly faced a â€Å"legitimacy crisis† or increase in â€Å"democratic deficits† (Norris 2011, 3- 5). Using a wide range of indicators such as a declining civic engagement or voter turnout (Teixiera 1992; Putnam 2000), declining party loyalties (Aldrich 1995; Dalton et al. 1984), and surveys, they show dissatisfaction and decrease in confidence in national governments (Norris 2011). As such, Fung and Drakeley (2013) conducted an area study focusing on East Asia, ranging from South Korea to Indonesia and Cambodia, and confirmed that even in ‘transnational democracies’ face similar challenges with old democracies or what Norris (2011) calls ‘democratic deficits.’ The area study shows that East Asian states are remarkably similar with Western democracies in a sense that democratic regime may be ‘flawed’ but not ‘broken.’ In turn, cross-national studies can also confirm a theory based on area studies. For instance, Lipset’s modernization theory on the basis on Western Europe has been reinforced with a growing number of empirical cross-national studies (Boix and Stokes 2003; Epstein et al 2006), although debatable (e.g. Przeworski and Limongi 1997; Kennedy 2010; Teorell 2010). Geddes (2003, 351-365) explicitly stated the literature on modernization theory has become much more â€Å"persuasive† because â€Å"large-n studies have begun to play a greater role in the comparative development fields.† Third, the rise of mixed method approach that can combine area study and cross-national approaches further illuminates not only the second point but also a common and ultimate goal shared by the two approaches, which to expand our knowledge. For instance, Liberman (2005) recently suggested a mixed-method approach, called nested analysis, which is a research design employing both a Large-N statistical analysis and small-N case studies for in-depth investigation. In particular, this approach advocates the use of a large-N analysis as a guide to draw a subsequent small-case N analysis for two different purposes: a model-building tool for testing an outlier case and a model-testing tool for confirming an online case. Coppedge (2002) is a good example of the nested analysis; he developed a large-N study to determine the need of an area study on Venezuela, which appeared to have a large portion of residuals since the 1990s. Fish (2005) also employed a mixed approach, which conducted a larg e-n analysis and the Russian case study. Similarly, King et al (1994) and Brady et al (2006) also suggest a mixed approach, which, though unlike Liberman, utilizes area studies to draw a large- n analysis. For instance, Krieckhaus (2006) briefly reviewed areas of Latin America, East Asia, and Sub- Saharan Africa to argue distinctive effects of democratic governance on economic growth. This area study thus confirms not only a null relationship between the two variables in cross- national studies but also the positive and negative relationships that appear when empirical analyses are conducted separately. In short, these mixed approaches show that area studies and cross-national studies can reinforce their finding or give a valid reason for each to be conducted; and ultimately, these mutual roles highlight the most important similarity –both studies contribute to enhance our knowledge in comparative politics (Walt 1999). Different Questions and Approaches At the same time, how they go about playing similar roles and accomplishing the shared goal remains as a major difference. In particular, area studies are usually qualitative in nature, with some exceptions (e.g. Mainwaring and Prez- Pinan 2003). This means that, as I mentioned sometimes, area studies are a small-n or case study, which intensively examine particular events with careful attention to historical and cultural contexts. King et al (1994) similarly argue that a small- n study is better at conducting a descriptive inference, which is the â€Å"process of understanding an observed phenomenon on the basis of a set of observations† (55). As such, area studies are particularly suited for asking two questions. The first one is, â€Å"what are conditions necessary or sufficient for a particular event to arise?† Returning to the works by O’Donnell and Schmitter (1986), Przeworski (1991), and Haggard and Kaufman (1995), they essentially found economic downturn and ‘authoritarian bargaining’ between political and economic elites as crucial and interactive conditions that change the likelihood of a regime change. Acemoglu and Robinson (2006) as well as Boix (2003) also constructed a model where the level of income inequality and capital mobility to interactively alter the probability of democratization, as they contribute to power relations between political elites and mass citizens. Area studies are also suited for questions that identify important actors. The identification of domestic actors is crucial because they, according to Mahoney (2011, 115), â€Å"create†¦structures, which in turn shape subsequent actor behaviors, which in turn lead to the development of institutional structural patterns† It is also important, as Walt (1999, 12) points out that the main task of political science research is to produce â€Å"useful knowledge about human social behavior.† As such, the above studies are also praised for identifying important actors, such as political elites, business actors, and military, which are â€Å"black boxed† (Rueschemeyr et al. 1992, 29) in Lipset’s modernization theory and subsequent empirical studies that focus on the relationship between economic development and democracy (e.g. Prezeworksi and LImongi 1997; Epstein et al 2006; Boix and Stokes 2003; Kennedy 2010; Teorell 2010). Ziblatt (2006: 322) commented, â€Å"their accounts improve upon the agentless structural functionalism implicit in modernization theory by reasserting the primacy of collective actors resources, preferences, and strategies.† Teorell (2010, 151) also argues, â€Å"The key theoretical virtue of this novel approach is that it integrates the previous †¦traditions by providing structural conditions explaining preference and actions of ordinary citizens, in turn affecting the strategic choices made by political elites.† In turn, cross-national studies are naturally equipped with a larger sample size and conducted through statistical or quantitative analyses. As such, they are better suited for asking, â€Å"what is the average effect on an independent variable on the same or similar outcome seen across the world?† (Mahoney 2011; King et al 1994). Put differently, King et al (1994) argues that, while area studies tend to be good at descriptive inference, large- n studies are better suited for causal inference—that is—to â€Å"demonstrate the causal status of each potential linkage in such a posited mechanism the investigator would have to define and then estimate the causal effect underlying it† (86). For instance, Boix and Stokes (2003, 531), building on Lipset, specifically concluded, â€Å" A simulation of the results shows that for low and medium levels of development, the probability of a transition to democracy grows by about 2 percent for each $1,000 increase in per capita income.† Similarly, Kennedy (2010, 797) notes â€Å"a 1% increase in per- capita GDP above the country mean† increases the probability of democratic transition. These specific numbers would not come out of area studies; for instance, although Haggard and Kaufman (1992) identified economic downturn as a crucial condition for a regime change, they do not specify exactly how bad the economic situation has to be; it was rather relative judgment in comparing cases.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Mental Health Effects of Maquiladora Work on Mexican Women :: Essays Papers

The Mental Health Effects of Maquiladora Work on Mexican Women: Sources of Stress and its Consequences â€Å"The U.S.-Mexican border es una herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. . .†-- Gloria Anzaldua Introduction Submerged in the impoverished urban border culture which they helped create, the maquiladoras draw young women north from all over Mexico’s interior. The women migrate with hopes of acquiring jobs in the booming foreign-owned factories and are plunged into a new border â€Å"country† that is far from a promised land. Maquiladoras are a financial endeavor for foreign industrialists who hope that by situating factories in Third World countries they will substantially cut production costs. The industrialists have been accused of taking advantage of Mexico’s cheaply accessible labor force and less restrictive health and safety codes in order to achieve these lower production costs. While preliminary surveys on the effects of maquiladora work on women’s physical health show little to no adverse side effects, researchers and advocates are not completely convinced that long term health effects will prove positive. The emotional and psychological stresses of working in a maquiladora are tremendous and should be examined just as seriously as the physical effects. The female workers live a life of insecurity, instability, oppression, submission, and exhaustion. They face jolting lifestyle changes and even when working full time, have trouble making enough money to cover basic living costs. They are pawns in a First World economic strategy that hopes to wring as much cheap labor out of the women as it can, paying female workers in Mexico’s northern states an average of only four dollars a day for workdays that typically run from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.. High levels of stress accountable to both working in the maquiladora itself and the to lifestyle it promotes attribute to depression, substance abuse and even physically manifested ailments. This paper will examine the different sources of stress that affect the mental health of female maquiladora workers in an attempt to understand the overa ll health issues of the border culture. Overview of Potential Stressors Affecting Mental Health A great majority of maquiladora employees are young women who have migrated to the border area from â€Å"supporting agricultural [regions]† (Cravey, 6). Migration, itself, is a complicated process which could have profound affects on the mental health of maquiladora workers. Migration has been found to have negative effects

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau and the Voices of the Oppres

Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau and the Voices of the Oppressed      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many writers who dedicated much of their work towards representing the voices of the oppressed. Among them are Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry David Thoreau. Although these authors were dedicated to the same cause they approached the subject from their own perspective, reflecting on an issue that was relevant to their position in life. Their literature was used to address, or in some cases attack, problems within society such as race, equality, and gender. The voices of Stowe, and Thoreau were used as an instrument in representing the injustices of those who had no one else to protect them. Oddly enough, this protection was from the very government which declared "equal rights" for all men. Harriet Beecher Stowe is perhaps best known for her work entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a heart-wrenching story about the treatment and oppression of slaves. Uncle Tom’s Cabin brings to life the evils of slavery and questions the moral and religious values of those who condoned or participated in such a lifestyle. While the factual accuracy of this work has been criticized by advocators of both slavery and abolition it is widely believed that the information contained was drawn from Stowe’s own life experiences (Adams 62). She was the seventh child and youngest daughter in her family. She was only four years old when her mother died, which left the young Harriet Beecher little protection from her "Fatherà ¢s rugged character and doctrinal strictness" (Adams 19). To further complicate matters she was aware that her father preferred she had been a boy. According to Adams, although Stoweà ¢s childhood was not entirely unhappy she would never forget... ...n Wilderness is Thoreau." Henry David Thoreau: Studies and Commentaries. Ed. Walter Harding et al. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickenson UP, 1972. 19. Slavery Source: "Biographical ketch of the Authoress." Stowe, Harriet Beecher: Uncle Tomà ¢s emancipation, earthly care and heavenly discipline; and other tales and sketches. 1853. fiche E441.S645 no.354, card 1. xx. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. "Declaration of Sentiments." The Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ,1998. 2035. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. "Uncle Tomà ¢s Cabin." 1852. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2325, 2326. Thoreau, Henry David/ "Resistance to Civil Disobedience." 1849. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2090, 2094. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau and the Voices of the Oppres Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau and the Voices of the Oppressed      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many writers who dedicated much of their work towards representing the voices of the oppressed. Among them are Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry David Thoreau. Although these authors were dedicated to the same cause they approached the subject from their own perspective, reflecting on an issue that was relevant to their position in life. Their literature was used to address, or in some cases attack, problems within society such as race, equality, and gender. The voices of Stowe, and Thoreau were used as an instrument in representing the injustices of those who had no one else to protect them. Oddly enough, this protection was from the very government which declared "equal rights" for all men. Harriet Beecher Stowe is perhaps best known for her work entitled Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a heart-wrenching story about the treatment and oppression of slaves. Uncle Tom’s Cabin brings to life the evils of slavery and questions the moral and religious values of those who condoned or participated in such a lifestyle. While the factual accuracy of this work has been criticized by advocators of both slavery and abolition it is widely believed that the information contained was drawn from Stowe’s own life experiences (Adams 62). She was the seventh child and youngest daughter in her family. She was only four years old when her mother died, which left the young Harriet Beecher little protection from her "Fatherà ¢s rugged character and doctrinal strictness" (Adams 19). To further complicate matters she was aware that her father preferred she had been a boy. According to Adams, although Stoweà ¢s childhood was not entirely unhappy she would never forget... ...n Wilderness is Thoreau." Henry David Thoreau: Studies and Commentaries. Ed. Walter Harding et al. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickenson UP, 1972. 19. Slavery Source: "Biographical ketch of the Authoress." Stowe, Harriet Beecher: Uncle Tomà ¢s emancipation, earthly care and heavenly discipline; and other tales and sketches. 1853. fiche E441.S645 no.354, card 1. xx. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. "Declaration of Sentiments." The Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ,1998. 2035. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. "Uncle Tomà ¢s Cabin." 1852. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2325, 2326. Thoreau, Henry David/ "Resistance to Civil Disobedience." 1849. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter et al. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998. 2090, 2094.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Perceptions of California

California is a well-known and acknowledged state of the US and had a long history that affected many people ranging from the European explorations where they came in contact with Native Americans. The American domestic policies that had a profound effect on their future existence on Earth to the Japanese internment camps where hundreds of thousand Japanese Americans lost their homes. There are other events that affected people's perception:The Mexican- American War for the conquest of California, the California Gold Rush, history of slavery in California, and many more.It is not just the history that affected people's perception, but what is portrayed in the media and entertainment industry. TV shows like Beverly Hills: 90210, The O. C. , etc. Different people have different perceptions about California, even Californians have varied opinions due to the incidences that happened in the state. It has changed how they see themselves in the state, how they think the state sees them, and also how their life in California affected their identity. In the essay â€Å"Invisible Men† by William Langewiesche, he talks about life as an illegal immigrant.The illegal immigrats didn't have the opportunity to come legally or for the luxuries, they came to the US to make a better life and to help their family back home. Some immigrants might think once they get across, they get to live like they deserve. But when they actually do cross, it's not what they expected. They cross the border finding out California is a hell hole and is insanely hard to become successful. They find out that they're not wanted by the natives living in the state, they have to live as vermin cowering in the dirt, hiding from the predators known as the border patrol.They have to scavenge for jobs to make ends meet. â€Å"Living in twilight lives camped out beneath freeway underpasses and deep inside barely accessible canyons, a few thousand undocumented laborers hide out from the U. S. Border Pa trol by night while seeking-minimum-wage work by day. † (130). The American people see the illegal immigrants as parasites leeching from Americans, taking jobs from the American people for less pay because they are desperate to find better employment opportunities.They would get low-paying jobs (usually two dollars an hour), and that's still better then what they would receive in their homeland. What American would be willing to work for two dollars an hour as a janitor or maid? Not many. In the essay farmers would hire illegal immigrants just because they would work for less and are essential for their survival. â€Å"Most of the remaining farms in San Diego County are just such family operations, unable to survive without illegal workers. † (137). â€Å"The small farmers are not necessarily bad people, but they lack the economies of scale.Rather than comply with burdensome regulations pertaining to the living conditions of farm workers (whether illegal immigrants or not), they have simply dropped out of the system† (137). The main goal of the illegal immigrants in California is to survive. They don't look like they have any goals of living in a huge house with luxuries. Their main priority is trying to support their family in Mexico, avoid the border patrol, and having enough money to survive. â€Å"They were paid by check every 2 weeks, and if they did earned about nine thousand dollars a year, of which they might mail six thousand dollars to their families in Mexico. (138). In the essay â€Å"The World of Our Grandmothers† by Connie Young Yu, she talked about what life was like as a Chinese immigrant. No doubt, both minority groups had it rough in America and even though they were both treated as inferior beings, they would still rather live in America than their home country. They both found living in California as a constant struggle for survival. Unlike immigrants from Mexico, Chinese immigrants were allowed to go to the U. S . But they had to go through physical examinations and interrogations to determine their right to live in the U.S. Also before Chinese immigrants were accepted by the U. S. In the 1800s. The population was growing so much and the immigrants who kept coming in are unskilled workers that work for less. It made the American's attitudes become negative and hostile against the Chinese. In the essay she would talk about her grandpa trying to escape from a group of whites who tried to stone him, he ran so fast that he lost his hat. Life was more difficult as a Chinese immigrant because they would get murdered or assaulted by whites. Such unprovoked assaults upon unoffending Chinamen are not a rare occurrence†¦ † (P101). Females would be sold into slavery by their desperate parents. â€Å"Females are a little better than slaves, they are looked upon as merchantable property , and are bought and sold like any other article or property. † (P. 101). Some would rather stay in China and be killed during infancy than be born in the U. S. Later they made acts like the Chinese Exclusion Act where they cut down the ratio of Chinese men and women, which made the population drop dramatically.Mexican immigrants who got their citizenship got to stay in the U. S. but for Chinese immigrants they would lose their U. S. Citizenship because of the exclusion acts. Some acts would make any U. S. born woman who married to a man â€Å"ineligible for citizenship†. They would have to give up their birthright and be deported back to China. Both Mexican and Chinese immigrants had it difficult because of the time they came to the U. S. and how they got there. For the Chinese they came in the 1800s where slavery was still allowed and people were closed minded back then.Some Mexican immigrants got into the America by crossing the border illegally, So they had to now avoid the border patrol and try to get a decent job with their status. They made it hard on themselves. How ever, the Japanese started immigrating to America during the mid 1900s where they they had easier than they Mexicans and the Chinese, because slavery was abolished by then and many other things that were factored in. But they had a cruel twist of fate, where their home country attack Pearl Harbor during World War II.It caused paranoia all over America and resulted in the containment of all Japanese Americans. In Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston essay, â€Å"Manzanar, U. S. A. † It talks about life as a Japanese American during World War II. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were rounded up and sent to detention camps. Life in the camps wasn't hard at all, they had swimming pools, schools, boy scouts, churches, etc. They did not try to rebel against the camps they just went with the flow.They went by the phrase â€Å"Shikata ga nai† which meant â€Å"It cannot be helped, It must be done† They had the mentality of going with the fl ow. Life wasn't difficult in the camps, everybody worked together and made it a perfect little community. By comparison, life was easier for the Japanese then the Chinese and the Mexican Immigrants because even though the Japanese Americans lost their homes, they were given reparations of $20,000 and an apology. They did not have to hid from the border patrol or get deported back to their country.There are many events that happened in California. People perceptions of California solely depends on what they experienced in the state. It shapes how they think and how they are. Mexican and Chinese Immigrants see California as a hellhole, where you are basically the scum of the earth. Survival was the main goal they were trying to achieve. However the Japanese lived easy lives until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But even though they were rounded up and sent to camps, they still went with the flow. They knew it had to be done.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Catholic Baptism

Roman Catholicism relates itself to broader and more dominant religion of Chrisitinity. They share a large number of similarities in terms of biblical references(Contender Ministries, 2005). From the immaculate conception of Mary to the trinitarian belief. They share the deity of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and was resurrected after three days. Its history started with Peter the Apostle. Being the rock where Jesus Christ appointed his church, Peter along with the other apostles started their â€Å"ministries† and traveled around Europe and to other continents to spread the Word of God and life of Jesus Christ(Religion Facts). From then on the appointment of a pope became a necessity in the survival of the church. Peter being the first pope and considered as the spiritual heir to the leadership of Jesus, Catholics subject themselves in its ruling. The pope administers and heads a hierarchy of religious leaders from the lowest parish priests to cardinals. Also, the crusades have contributed greatly in the acceptance of the Catholic church around Europe. Almost all of the beliefs of the Catholic church is similar to the beliefs of other â€Å"varieties† of Christianity. Being based from a central bible, it follows the teachings of prophets, apostles, and disciples. Also, the concept of a single god with three personas, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ as both divine and human are shared among Catholics. Examples of distinctive beliefs are the leadership of the pope, the existence of purgatory in afterlife, and transubstantiation or the use of bread to represent the body of Christ (Religion Facts). Also, catholics venerate saints as intermediaries to their prayers to God. Catholics gather in their Eucharistic celebration called mass. The mass is usually held weekly, specifically on Sundays, to commemorate the gospels and teachings of Christ. It constitutes gospel readings, a homily or sermon, utterance of certain prayers like The Lord's Prayer, songs, sacrifices, and communion. Communion symbolizes the last supper where Christ shared bread and wine to His apostles. The structure of a Catholic Church is patterned from that of St. Peter's Bassilica. It has a large facade that resembles a large altar due to the presence of stone statues of saints. Inside it has a dome over the altar where the ceremonies are being held. Churches also commonly have a grotto in veneration of Mary's apparition in Lourdes, France (Queen of Peace Productions). Similar to other â€Å"varieties† of Christianity, Catholicism practices baptism. Baptism is included in the seven sacraments they follow to attain eternal salvation(Contender Ministries, 2005). The practice originated from the story in the bible where the Apostle John poured water on Jesus. It is believed that through baptism we are cleansed of our original sin and are now welcome to the chruch of God. In baptism, a person is being poured with holy water over a large basin under the sign of the cross. This marks the acceptance of the person being baptised to the church of Christ. Before the person is poured with water, the presiding priest asked the people present to renounce the devil and the sins accompanying it and follow the teachings of God. On this respect they show their rejection of evil and thus cleanses them particularly the person being baptised from their original sins (Cathechism of the Catholic Church). Also, the utterance of the Apostle's Creed is done for this purpose. The person being baptised wears white clothes to signify his acceptance of Christ. The whole ceremony is very solemn, though there were jokes on the number of guests which become the godparents of the person being baptised. there feeling of oneness is present among the attendants. The ceremony suggests a feeling of relief for the person being baptised, because again another person is introduced to a religion with its moral and spiritual teachings.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Ap World History Chapter 12-14 Vocabulary

Tarek Sahyoun AP World History Unit 3 Vocabulary * Bedouins are pretty much the stereotypical Arabs because of their culture based on herding camels and goats * I would have liked to be a Shaykh if I lived in a Bedouin society because they usually possessed large herds. * It is a Muslim practice to pray toward the city of Mecca. * I was surprised to hear that Muhammad's flight to Medina began the Muslim calendar. * The Umayyad clan dominated Mecca, and later became a Muslim dynasty. * Muhammad is the prophet that started the religion of Islam, which even today is a major religion. My grandmother reads the Qur'an in her free time. * If one is Muslim, one must always have faith in the Umma. * Muslims must pay zakat to the mosques to allow them to keep functioning. * The Five Pillars are the set of rules that all Muslims must follow. * Caliphs were doubted by many because they took the place of Muhammad although there were no official procedures to have someone follow the prophet. * Ali was the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad. * Abu Bakr had the privilege of succeeding Muhammad as the first caliph. * The Ridda Wars following Muhammad's death restored the unity of Islam. Jihad was the Islamic holy war. * Mu'awiya was the first Umayyad caliph and had a capital was Damascus * Today, Sunnis make up most of the Muslim population. * Today, Shia’s make up the minority of the Muslim population * Mawali people had many restrictions, although they were granted the right convert to Islam. * Dhimmis were known as â€Å"the people of the book† who originally included the Jews and the Christians. * The Abbasids dynasty succeeded the Umayyads after a long rivalry had ended. * Hadiths are â€Å"traditions† of the prophet Muhammad Wazir was the chief administrative official under the Abbasids * Dhows were used by Arab merchants, and helped them be very successful in quick trade. * The Ayan was the wealthy landed elite that emerged under the Abbasids * Al-Mah di failed to reconcile Shi'a moderates to his dynasty and to resolve the succession problem. * Harun al-Rashid was the most famous of the Abbasid caliphs * Buyids were Persian invaders of the 10th century that captured Baghdad * The Seljuk Turks were nomadic invaders from central Asia * There have been several accounts of Crusades in history of the world. Salah-ud-Din reconquered most of the crusader kingdoms. * Ibn Khaldun was a great Muslim historian * Al-Razi was a scientist who was incorrect, and classified all matter as animal, vegetable, and mineral. * Al-Biruni –was an advanced scientist who calculated the specific weight of major minerals. * The Ulama was made up of Islamic religious scholars. * Al-Ghazali was a brilliant Islamic theologian * Sufis were Islamic mystics, and spread Islam to many Afro-Asian regions. * Mongols were central Asian nomadic peoples, and later had one of the largest empires in the world. Chinggis Khan was a Mongol ruler, who would later play a large role in the history of the Mongols. * Mamluks were rulers of Egypt who descended from Turkish slaves * Muhammad ibn Qasim is respected because he was once the Arab general who conquered Sind and made it part of the Umayyad Empire * Although they are Arabic numerals, they are actually Indian. * Mahmud of Ghazni was ruler of an Afghan dynasty. * Muhammad of Ghur was a Persian ruler of a small Afghan kingdom. * Sati was a very cruel way of dying, for widowed women had to be burned with their deceased husbands. Bhaktic cults were Hindu religious groups who stressed the importance of strong emotional bonds between devotees and the gods or goddesses. * Kabir was Muslim mystic who played down the differences between Hinduism and Islam * Shrivijaya was the trading empire based on the Malacca straits * Malacca was a flourishing trading city in Malaya that was established a trading empire after the fall of Shrivijaya. * Demak was most powerful of the trading states on the north Java c oast. Stateless societies -societies of varying sizes organized through kingship and lacking the concentration of power found in centralized states * Maghrib is the Arabic term for northwestern Africa * The Almoravids built an empire reaching from the African savanna into Spain * The Almohadis built an empire reaching from the African savanna into Spain * Ethiopia is a Christian kingdom in the highlands of eastern Africa * Sahel is the term for the extensive grassland belt at the southern edge of the Sahara. Sudanic states are states trading with north Africa and mixing Islamic and indigenous ways * Mali is a state of the Malinke people centered between the Senegal and Niger rivers * Juula were Malinke merchants who traded throughout the Mali Empire and west Africa * Mansa was title of the ruler of Mali * Ibn Batuta was an Arab traveler throughout the Muslim world * Kankan Musa was legendary because of the wealth distributed along the way on a pilgrimage to Mecca. * Sundiata created a unified state that became the Mali Empire. * Songhay was the successor state to Mali. * Hausa states combined Islamic and indigenous beliefs. East African trading ports were urbanized commercial centers mixing African and Arab cultures. * Demographic transition is the term for the change from slow to rapid population growth. * Nok was the central Nigerian culture with a highly developed art style. * Yoruba was a highly urbanized Nigerian agriculturists organized into small city-states. * Luba peoples created a form of divine kingship where the ruler had powers ensuring fertility of people and crops. * Great Zimbabwe incorporated the greatest early buildings in sub-Saharan Africa * Justinian was a Byzantine emperor who failed to reconquer the western portions of the empire. The Body of Civil Law was the emperor Justinian's codification of Roman law. * The Byzantine weapon consisting of mixture of chemicals that ignited when exposed to water was known as Greek fire. * Icons are ima ges of religious figures venerated by Byzantine Christians. * Iconoclasm was the action of breaking of icons. * Manzikert was the Seljuk Turk victory which resulted in loss of the empire's rich Anatolian territory * Cyril and Methodius were Byzantine missionaries sent to convert eastern Europe and Balkans. * Kiev was a commercial city in Ukraine established by Scandinavians. Rurik is regarded as founder of Kievan Rus' in 855. * Vladmir I was a ruler of Kiev that converted kingdom to Orthodox Christianity. * Russian Orthodoxy was a Russian form of Christianity brought from Byzantine Empire. * Yaroslav was the last great Kievan monarch. * Boyars were Russian land-holding aristocrats. * Tatars were Mongols who conquered Russian cities. * The Middle Ages is known as the period in western European history between the fall of Roman Empire and the 15th century. * Gothic architecture is an architectural style developed in Western Europe. Vikings were seagoing Scandinavian raiders who disrup ted coastal areas of Europe. * Manorialism was a rural system of reciprocal relations between landlords and their peasant laborers during the Middle Ages. * Serfs were peasant agricultural laborers within the manorial system. * The three-field system was the practice of dividing land into thirds, rotating between two different crops and pasturage. * Clovis was a king of the Franks. * The Carolingians was royal house of Franks. * Charles Martel was the first Carolingian king of the Franks. * Charlemagne was a Carolingian monarch who established large empire in France and Germany. Holy Roman emperors were political heirs to Charlemagne's empire in northern Italy and Germany. * Feudalism was a personal relationship during the Middle Ages by which greater lords provided land to lesser lords in return for military service. * Vassals were members of the military elite who received land or a benefice from a lord in return for military service and loyalty. * The Capetians were a French dyna sty. * William the Conqueror invaded England from Normandy. * The Magna Carta represented principle of mutual limits and obligations between rulers and feudal aristocracy, and the supremacy of law. Parliaments are bodies representing privileged groups. * The Hundred Years War was a major conflict between England and France. * Pope Urban II organized the first Crusade in 1095. * Investiture is the practice of appointment of bishops * St. Clare of Assisi is the founder of a woman's monastic order * Gregory VII is a pope who attempted to free church from secular control; quarreled with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV over practice of lay investiture of bishops * Thomas Aquinas was a creator of one of the great syntheses of medieval learning. Scholasticism is a dominant medieval philosophical approach. * Troubadours gave a new value to the emotion of love in Western tradition. * The Hanseatic League was an organization of north German and Scandinavian cities for the purpose of establishing a commercial alliance * Jacques Coeur’s career as banker to the French monarchy demonstrates new course of medieval commerce * Guilds stressed security and mutual control; limited membership, regulated apprenticeships, guaranteed good workmanship; held a privileged place in cities * The Black Death significantly reduced Europe's population. Columbus referred to the Native Americans as Indians. * Toltecs established capital at Tula following migration into central Mesoamerican plateau; strongly militaristic ethic, including cult of human sacrifice. * Aztecs also known as the Mexica established a large empire. * Tenochtitlan became center of Aztec power. * Calpulli were clans in Aztec society. * I think it would be pretty cool to work on a Chinampa. * Pochteca specialized in long-distance trade in luxury items. Inca socialism was an interpretation describing Inca society as a type of utopia * The Inca was a group of clans centered at Cuzco. * Pachacuti began the military campai gn that marked the creation of an Inca empire * Huayna Capac brought the empire to its greatest extent * Split inheritance is an Inca practice of ruler descent * Curacas were local rulers who the Inca left in office in return for loyalty. * Tambos were supply centers for Inca armies Quipu -system of knotted strings utilized by the Incas in place of a writing system; could contain numerical and other types of information for censuses and financial records * Period of the Six Dynasties -era of continuous warfare (220-589) among the many kingdoms that followed the fall of the Han * Wendi -member of prominent northern Chinese family during the era of Six Dynasties; established Sui dynasty in 589, with support from northern nomadic peoples * Li Yuan -Duke of Tang; minister for Yangdi; took over the empire after the assassination of Yangdi; 1st Tang ruler * Ministry of Public Rites -administered the examinations for state office during the Tang dynasty * Jinshi -title given students who p assed the most difficult examinations; became eligible for high office * Chan Buddhism -call Zen in Japan; stressed meditation and appreciation of natural and artistic beauty; popular among the elite * Mahayana (Pure Land) Buddhism -emphasized salvationist aspects of Chinese Buddhism; popular among the masses * Wuzong -Tang emperor (841-847); persecuted Buddhist monasteries and reduced influence of Buddhism in favor of Confucianism * Khitan nomads -founded Liao dynasty of Manchuria in 907; remained a threat to Song; very much influenced by Chinese culture * Zhao Kuangyin -general who founded Song dynasty; took royal name of Taizu * Zhu Xi -most prominent Neo-Confucian scholar during the Song dynasty; stressed importance of applying philosophical principles to everyday life * Wang Anshi -Confucian scholar and chief minister of a Song ruler in 1070s; introduced sweeping reforms based on Legalism; advocated greater state intervention in society * Southern Song -smaller surviving dynast y (1127-1279); presided over one of the greatest cultural reigns in world history * Jurchens -founders of Jin kingdom that succeeded the Liao in northern China; annexed most of Yellow River basin and forces Song to flee south * Grand Canal -great canal system begun by Yangdi; joined Yellow River region to the Yangtze basin * Junks -Chinese ships equipped with watertight bulkheads, stern-post rudders, compasses, and bamboo fenders; dominant force in Asian seas east of the Malayan peninsula * Flying money -Chinese credit instrument that provided vouchers to merchants to be redeemed at the end of a venture; reduced danger of robbery; an early form of currency * Footbinding -male imposed practice to mutilate women's feet in order to educe size; produced pain and restricted movement; helped to confine women to the household * Bi Sheng -11th c artisan; devised technique of printing with movable type; made it possible for China to be the most contemporary literate civilziation * Taika refo rms -attempt to remake Japanese monarch into an absolutist Chinese-style emperor; included attempts to create professional bureaucracy and peasant conscript army * Fujiwara -mid-9th c Japanese aristocratic family; exercised exceptional influence over imperial affairs; aided in decline of imperial power * Bushi -regional warrior leaders in Japan; ruled small kingdoms from fortresses; administered the law, supervised public works projects, and collected revenues; built up private armies * Samurai -mounted troops of the bushi; loyal to local lords, not the emperor * Seppuku -ritual suicide in Japan; also known as hari-kiri; demonstrated courage and was a means to restore family honor * Gumpei wars -waged for five years from 1180 on Honshu between the Taira and Minamoto families; ended in destruction of Taira * Bakufu -military government established by the Minamoto following Gumpei wars; centered at Kamakura; retained emperor, but real power resided in military government and samurai * Shoguns -military leaders of the bakufu Hojo -a warrior family closely allied with the Minamoto; dominated Kamakura regime and manipulated Minamoto rulers; ruled in name of emperor * Ashikaga Takuaji -member of Minamoto family; overthrew KamaKura regime and established Ashikaga shogunate (1336-1573); drove emperor from Kyoto to Yoshino * Daimyos -warlord rulers of small states following Onin war and disruption of Ashikaga shogunate; holding consolidated into unified and bounded mini-states * Choson -earliest Korean kingdom; conquered by Han in 109 BCE * Koguryo -tribal people of northern Korea; established an independent kingdom in the northern half of the peninsula; adopted cultural Sinification * Sinification -extensive adaptation of Chinese culture in other regions * Yi -dynasty (1392-1910); succeeded Koryo dynasty after Mongol invasions; restored aristocratic dominance and Chinese influence * Trung Sisters -leaders of a rebellion in Vietnam against Chinese rule in 39 CE; demons trates importance of women in Vietnamese society * Khmers and Chams -Indianized Vietnamese peoples defeated by northern government at Hanoi * Nguyen -southern Vietnamese dynasty with capital at Hue that hallenged northern Trinh dynasty with center at Hanoi * Chinggis Khan -born in 1170s; elected supreme Mongol ruler (khagan) in 1206; began the Mongols rise to world power; died 1227 * Tumens -basic fighting units of Mongol forces; made up of 10,000 cavalrymen divided into smaller units * Tangut -rulers of Xi-Xia kingdom of northwest China; during the southern Song period; conquered by Mongols in 1226 * Shamanistic religion -Mongol beliefs focused on nature spirits * Batu -grandson of Chinggis Khan and ruler of Golden Horde; invaded Russian in 1236 * Golden Horde -one of four regional subdivisions of the Mongol Empire after death of Chinggis Khan; conquered and ruled Russua during the 13th and 14th c * Prester John -a mythical Christian monarch whose kingdom supposedly had been cut of f from Europe by the Muslim conquests; some thought he was Chinggis Khan * Ilkhan khanate -one of four regional subdivisions of the Mongol empire after the death of Chinggis Khan; eventually included much of Abbasid empire * Hulegu -grandson of Chinggis Khan and rule of Ilkhan khanate; captured and destroyed Abbasid Baghdad * Mamluks -Muslim slave warriors; established dynasty in Egypt; led by Baibars defeated Mongols in 1260 * Kubilai Khan -grandson of Chinggis Khan; conquered China; established Yuan dynasty in 1271 * Chabi -influential wife of Kubilai Khan; demonstrated refusal of Mongol women to adopt restrictive social conventions of Confucian China * Nestorians -Asian Christian sect; cut off from Europe by Muslim invasions * White Lotus Society -secret religious society dedicated to overthrow of Yuan dynasty * Ju Yuanzhang -Chinese peasant who led successful revolt against Yuan; founded Ming dynasty * Timur-i-Lang -last major nomad leader; 14th c, known to the West as Tamerlane ; Turkic ruler of Samarkand; launched attacks in Persia, Fertile Crescent, India, southern Russia; empire disintegrated after his death in 1405 * Ottoman Empire -Turkish empire established in Asia Minor and eventually extending through the Middle East and the Balkans; conquered Constantinople in 1453 and ended Byzantine Empire * Ming Dynasty -replaced Mongal Yuan dynasty in China in 1368; lasted until 1644; initially mounted large trade expeditions to southern Asia and Africa; later concentrated on internal development within China * Zheng He -Muslim Chinese seaman; commanded expeditions throughout the Indian Ocean * Renaissance -cultural and political elite movement beginning in Italy circa 1400; rested on urban vitality and expanding commerce; produced iterature and art with distinctly more secular priorities than those of the European Middle Ages * Portugal, Castile, and Aragon -regional Iberian kingdoms; participated in reconquest of peninsula from Muslims; developed a vigorous military and religious agenda * Vivaldi brothers -Genoese explorers who attempted to find a western route to the â€Å"Indies†; precursors of European thrust into southern Atlantic * Henry the Navigator -Portuguese prince; sponsored Atlantic voyages; reflected the forces present in last postclassical Europe * Ethnocentrism -judging foreigners by the standards of one's own group; leads to problems in interpreting world history

Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay

When Everett sees his daughters again for the first time since he’s escaped, they recognized him and their dad at first, but then remembered that their mom told them that he had been hit by a train and died. After hearing that, Everett goes to find Penny to which he discovers that not only has she changed the girls’ last names to her maiden name, Wharvey, but Penny got engaged while he was gone and is in line to get married the next day to her modern-day suitor, William T. Walldrip. Penelope did the complete opposite. Many suitors came to â€Å"woo† her after believing that Odysseus had died. She put them off with a trick, telling them that she would marry one of them once she finished the funeral shroud for Odysseus’ father, which she wove by day and secretly unravelled by night. She managed to deceive them for three years by doing this. After the three years, she was caught and the suitors demanded a decision. She cleverly came up with another scheme, an archery contest; a challenge that is nearly impossible for all but Odysseus. She did whatever she could to hold them off because she had hope that Odysseus would come home. On the other hand, these women have very different stories with many similarities. They were both confident in their decisions throughout the entire story. After Everett goes to jail, Penny is seeking out a new husband with better qualities than he has, one whom she says has to be â€Å"bona-fide† and can provide for her and the girls. Penny knows what she thinks is best, so she finds herself a â€Å"suitor†, Walldrip, that meets her standards. Penelope is left with a baby boy while her husband, Odysseus, is trying to find his way back home for 20 years after the Trojan war, and on top of that, her house is invaded by at least 100 suitors that are all trying to convince her to marry one of them. Penelope sees the suitors as nothing more than a bunch of greedy pigs and wants them out. These ladies know what they want and will do strive to accomplish it. They’re both fit for their husbands in their own ways. Odysseus and Penelope are both cunning, clever, and always thinking of a plan. Everett and Penny, though not sharing the same characteristics as Odysseus and Penelope, are quick-tongued, know-it-alls, and think in a selfish manner. The story of the loom symbolizes the queen’s, Penelope’s, clever and cunning tactics. The contest of the bow and axes is another example of her craftiness. In O Brother, Where Art Thou, Penny is known for saying: â€Å"I’ve spoken my piece and counted to three. † every time something doesn’t go her way, and if it doesn’t get fixed, she walks away; an example of her â€Å"know-it-all† attitude. Everett is always telling Delmar and Pete things like, â€Å"You two are just dumber than a bag of hammers! † They, Everett and Penny, are both always looking out for themselves. Everett tricked the boys into breaking out of jail, which lengthened their sentences, just because he heard that Penny was getting remarried. Penny found herself a new man, â€Å"a suitor† who met her standards and could help support her family. Finally, both Penelope and Penny put their husbands to the test before trusting them. Penelope tells the maids to move the marriage bed and once Odysseus sees this he quickly fills with anger because that bed was made special, made from a firmly planted tree trunk. She automatically knows it’s Odysseus. Penny had forgotten about Everett as if he had really been hit by a train and died. Once Everett proves that he’s just as â€Å"bona-fide†, she plans to marry him as soon as he finds her original wedding band. They both take their husbands back, but there was a catch in order for them to trust the men. These stories are completely different, yet alike in some situations. They were both single mothers while their husbands were gone. Penelope was loyal to Odysseus, but Penny couldn’t care less about Everett. They were both fit for their husbands in different ways, and were the reason their husbands wanted to come home. Overall, these women were both self-confident and strong-willed throughout either story, whether they were wives from the late 1930’s or Ancient Greece

Saturday, September 14, 2019

A Class Divided Personnel and Industrial Psychology

In the classic film, â€Å"A Class Divided†, schoolteacher Mrs. Jane Elliot devised and conducted a lesson plan to show her students exactly how discrimination comes about. Outraged by what she saw occurring in the nation, Mrs. Elliot conducted this lesson with a class of third graders the day following the assassination of Martin Luther King.Mrs. Elliot set the stage for differentiating between blue eyed and brown-eyed children. Her goal was to have her students experience what it felt like to be discriminated against. She had previously discussed the issue of discrimination with her students and thought the seemed to understand and was in fact upset by Dr. King’s death; they did not recognize the discrimination in her class exercise until it was over and pointed out to them.Mrs. Elliott’s lesson divided her class by eye color. She had two groups, the brown eyes students and the blue eyed students. She told the students at the start of the day, that the blue eye s group was comprised of the smarter and nice students. She gave them special privileges as a result of their favored designation.The students in the brown eyed group were treated poorly, with negative comments and unfair rules. She was surprised to see how the children accommodated these roles. The brown eyed students suddenly did poorer on tests and acted differently. The blue eyes group took on a posture of superiority and was mean to the brown eyed students.In class she purposely commented on the superiority of blue-eyed children in order to set them against the brown-eyed students. She then reversed her statement the following day. When she revered her treatment of the students, the student’s behavior reversed. The brown eyed students became superior and the blue eyed students began doing poorly. It became clear that as an authority figure, what she said was believed. Even parents did not question her statement.The thesis of this experiment was that people accept and act upon what people of authority or social stature. The film depicting her classroom experiment was mad in 1985 for the PBS show FRONTLINE. The film was entitled A Class Divided. The film included a follow-up on Mr. Elliot’s students, who were young adults at the time the film was made. Thee film was followed by similar stories of experiments in other settings.The implications of this film on psychology are broad based. It demonstrates the impact of authority and social stature. The lessons learned as a result of this film help us to understand how the influence of authority and socials stature can be used in both positive and negative ways. It helps us to understand why and under what conditions people will blindly follow others.2. Malcolm Gladwell, New York archives: Personality plus Overview of the articleThis article, written by Malcolm Gladwell, was printed in the September 2004 edition of the New Yorker critiques the use of personality tests. The tests discussed are those largely used in the employment arena. Gladwell gives the history of the development of various tests and then their common uses, his personal experience and his assessment of the test as an employment tool.The article is extremely easy to read and interesting. Gladwell provides background on some of these commonly used tests, which would be of surprise to employers using them.   The backdrop for the testing assessment is the story of a lieutenant in the US Army, Sandy Nininger.He explains that Niniger was an unlikely soldier given his calm, thoughtful demeanor. Nininger however, developed into a fierce soldier and was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his WWII service.   Gladwell goes through the various personality tests and wonders how any of these tests might have noticed the trait in Nininger that made him such a warrior, when he was better known for drinking tea and listening to classical music.The history of the Myers Briggs is somewhat comical as Gladwell write s. He explains that the test was the brainchild of mother-daughter socialites, seeking to better understand the men in heir life and relationship between men and women. The Myers brigs was developed based on Jung, but according to Gladwell, these woman knew or understood very little about Jung’s theories. In fact, he makes it clear that Jung would have never agreed with the basic tenant of the Myers Briggs.Gladwell met with a psychologist and underwent the Thematic Apperception Test which required him to compose stories for pictures. The psychologist then looked and themes in Gladwell’s stories and gave him a report. While Gladwll understood the assessment and found the psychologist to be quite perceptive, he expresses concern regarding the amount of subjectivity in this test assessment. A different psychologist could have come to an entirely different conclusion.Finally, he discusses the services of a company called Developmental Dimensions International (DDI). This c ompany assesses prospective employee’s strengths and weaknesses by spending a day with the person in a simulated workday. There person is given a job for the day and then assessed on a variety of levels. Gladwell spent a day with the company and received an assessment that again, he could understand but questioned the subjective nature of the assessment.Gladwell, in summary reminds us that while personality tests are frequently used by employers, there is much subjectivity and room for interpretation. He acknowledges the fact that these tests are fun and the results are interesting, he cautions the use of them as meaningful assessments. He concludes by asking if any of the test he reviewed, would have been able to predict Sandy Nininger's personality traits.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Ann Arbor Probation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ann Arbor Probation - Essay Example Due to this department being a state agency it reports directly to the governor and as a result, is indirectly influenced by citizen voters. This influence, fortunately, does not affect the day to day workings of the probation department. Management of the field operations administration falls directly on the correctional facilities management administration and then back to the director’s office. The political aspects rarely directly affect the workings of the probation department in this respect. The strengths of a tall hierarchy as seen in our local probation department is that they have the full power of the state of Michigan supporting their decisions and a clear chain of command allowing for a much better approach regarding efficiency. The weaknesses would originate from the political side and could potentially cause disruptions in service if allowed to directly affect the daily working of the department itself. Given the insulating effect of multiple layers of structure, the political leadership is, however, hampered in its ability to truly affect change at a base level within the organization itself. Would it be possible for this agency to move to a flat hierarchy and still maintain positive control of the daily workings within the department, the short answer would seem to be no. However, if the flat hierarchy was approached with a private mentality looking to a profit based outlay the possibilities begin to open up. For instance, using a flat hierarchy and a profit based structure for employees and management one could potentially prevent loss of command control through the use of financial motivation among the staff and individuals working there. The idea would be to base bonuses on a net profit/loss approach and drive productivity to reflect a desire for additional money.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Discussion about the Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion about the Product - Essay Example In 1991, Pixar contracted with Disney to product three computer-animated feature films which started with Toy Story.2 The partnership evolved until the current amalgamation. Pixar’s claim to fame is its revolutionary method of producing animated feature films and is the basis of its success. The animated feature film produced by Pixar departs from the traditional method of painting and drawing its shots. Instead, by virtue of its RenderMan and other software products, Pixar choreographs its movements and facial expressions via its computer software.3 Pixar’s greatest contribution to the film industry is its â€Å"three-dimensional-looking animation.†4Pixar, since its inception has â€Å"accounted for† approximately one quarter â€Å"of the animation box office.†5 Pixar competes primarily in the Motion Picture Production and Distribution industry although it does compete in Media and Video productions as well as Computer Software which includes Multimedia, Graphics and Publishing Software.6 Pixar’s main competitors are Vanguard Films another Computer Graphics’ production company as well as DreamWorks and the major motion picture producers such as Universal Studio, Sony, Warner Brothers and MGM. Certainly independent film producers offer some level of competition as well. However, Pixar’s quality films and its track record, having won eight academy awards has proved Pixar with a brand name that safeguards its position in the feature film industry.7 As Wharton Marketing Professor Jehoshua Eliashberg observes: Moreover, Pixar as a brand is firmly established in the film market. Its amalgamation with Disney and even stronger brand name not only fortifies Pixar’s place in the feature film market but serves to strengthen it. In today’s film industry, the average consumer already has an expectation that any film

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Should Middle School Students be Drug Tested Essay

Should Middle School Students be Drug Tested - Essay Example As the report highlights  the outcome of its adversity cannot be assessed at the initial stage of direct or indirect consumption of substance. But diagnosis at the earliest can minimize its catastrophic effects through awareness imparting process by which one can abstain from further abuse of drugs. Otherwise, it may generate several problems to the users, to their family and the community itself. Lack of mental stability and restlessness may lead into personality disintegration of the user and, therefore, they may fail to take right decision as per the demands of the life situations. One who frequently consumes drugs and substances like sedatives may lose control over his or her behavior and this may extend to become a social problem. Drug addiction among school children may badly reflect in their academic performance as well as their overall understanding, and may force them to be at a below average.According to the essay findings  the initial consumption and use of the drug ma y result in health problems like insomnia, excitement, gastrointestinal disturbance and psychomotor agitation and so on. Drug users and addicts usually deliver poor social responsibility, hesitate to cooperate with others, their intellectual levels may decrease day by day, they may feel inferiority complex, minimize sociability, and may express fear when facing others.  Drug testing among middle school students is not universally approved because school managements and parents usually give consent to do so but they may not bother about the misuse of medical examination without the readiness and willingness of the clients.

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Biomedical Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biomedical Engineering - Essay Example Before the body part is replaced, compatibility of the biomaterial and the living tissue is of great consideration (Ratner 2004). Biocompatibility is the acceptance of the synthetic biomaterial by the immediate and surrounding tissues and by the body generally (Paul & Kelvin 2009). Appropriate host response is shown by lack of blood clotting, normal heating and resistance to bacterial colonization. It is essential therefore to study the biomaterial composition and also the way in which they react with the environment in which they are put which is the surrounding tissue (Pruitt 2011). Hence, biomaterial selection involves the logical sequence of analysis of the problem, consideration of the requirement and consideration of the biomaterial properties. Biomaterials that match the properties of the bone and teeth These biomaterials have their physical characteristics that are needed to match the properties of the teeth or bone being replaced with (Ratner 2004). The mechanical properties of these biomaterials involve tensile testing that provides data on the characterization of the biomaterial. ... Good heat conductors hence have high conductivity. Coefficient of thermal expansion or thermal expansion coefficient It is by definition the fractional increase in length of a body for each degree (in centigrade) rise in temperature. ?=?L/Lo oC-1 ?T Where ?L is the change in length Lo is the original length of the biomaterial ?T is the change in temperature The values of ? are very small like for amalgam biomaterial, the value of ?=0.0000025 oC-1P.P.M Table showing the thermal conductivity coefficient of different biomaterials in parts per million (P.P.M) The original length of the tooth and the length attained when there is temperature change are calculated in order to determine the length of the biomaterial to be used in teeth filling. Expensile structures ensure that the biomaterial conforms to the irregular bony defects (Paul & Kelvin 2009). This also helps prevent the undesired movement of the fibroblast into the graft site and these yields in optimizing the quality of the repla ced bones. Coefficient of thermal expansion is widely considered in filling materials such as for the teeth with cavities. The above table shows different thermal conductivity values of different conductors used as biomaterials. Thermal diffusivity (D) Thermal diffusivity is defined by the equation; D=K Cp? Where, K is the thermal conductivity Cp is the heat capacity ? is the density A low value of thermal diffusivity is preferred however there are occasions when the high diffusivity level are preferred to the low ones like if the base material to be used is denture. It is necessary since it retains a good response to both cold and hot stimuli in the mouth (Ratner 2004). Physical properties Physical structures and stability of the