Tuesday, November 26, 2019

ESL Lesson Plan for Paired Conjunctions

ESL Lesson Plan for Paired Conjunctions Paired conjunctions are often used in both spoken and written English to make a point, give an explanation, or discuss alternatives. Unfortunately, not only are they difficult to use, but their structure is also rather strict. For this reason, this lesson is a straight forward, ​teacher-centered, grammar lesson focusing on written and oral production of the target structure. Aim: Grammar focus on the use of paired conjunctionsActivity: Teacher introduction followed by sentence completion, construction and, finally, oral drill workLevel: Upper-intermediate Outline Introduce paired conjunctions by asking students to give reasons for some simple event. Take two of the suggestions and construct target structure sentences using paired conjunctions. For example: Either John has stayed at home or he has been held up in traffic.Explain the structure of the paired conjunctions: both...and; not only...but also; either...or; neither...norDistribute worksheets and ask students to match the sentence parts to match both columns to make complete sentences.Ask students to complete the second exercise by combining the ideas to make one complete sentence using one of the paired conjunctions.Focus on oral production skills by asking paired conjunction questions on the separate teacher sheet. Paired Conjunctions Match the sentence halves to make a complete sentence. Sentence Half A: Both PeterNot only do we want to goEither Jack will have to work more hoursThat story wasStudents who do well not only study hardIn the end, he had to chooseSometimes it isI would love to take Sentence Half B: but we have enough money.neither true nor realistic.not only wise to listen to your parents but also interesting.and I are coming next week.either his career or his hobby.both my laptop and my cell phone on holiday.but also use their instincts if they do not know the answer.or we will have to hire somebody new. Combine the following sentences into one sentence using paired conjunctions: both ... and; not only ... but also; either ... or; neither ... nor We could fly. We could go by train.She will have to study hard. She will have to concentrate to do well on the exam.Jack is not here. Tom is in another city.The speaker will not confirm the story. The speaker will not deny the story.Pneumonia is a dangerous disease. Small pox is a dangerous illness.Fred loves traveling. Jane wants to go around the world.It might rain tomorrow. It might snow tomorrow.Playing tennis is good for your heart. Jogging is good for your health. To the teacher: Read the following aloud and have students use paired conjunctions to respond. Example: You know Peter. Do you know Bill? Student: I know both Peter and Jack. You like tennis. Do you like golf?You dont know Jane. Do you know Jack?You are studying Math. Are you studying English?You need to work on the weekend. Do you need to work in the evening?You dont eat fish. Do you eat beef?I know your country has good universities. Does England have good universities?He collects money. Does he collect stamps?They havent visited Rome. Have they visited Paris? Follow up with a paired conjunction quiz.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Biography of Amiri Baraka

Biography of Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934–January 9, 2014) was an award-winning playwright, poet, critic, educator, and activist. He played an influential role in the Black Arts Movement and served as poet laureate of his native New Jersey. His career spanned decades, though his legacy is not without controversy. Fast Facts: Amiri Baraka Occupation: Writer, playwright, poet, activistAlso Known As: Leroi Jones, Imamu Amear BarakaBorn: October 7, 1934 in Newark, New JerseyDied: January 9, 2014 in Newark, New JerseyParents: Colt Leverette Jones and Anna Lois Russ JonesEducation: Rutgers University, Howard UniversityKey Publications: Dutchman, Blues People: Negro Music in White America, The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones/Amiri BarakaSpouse(s): Hettie Jones, Amina BarakaChildren: Ras Baraka, Kellie Jones, Lisa Jones, Shani Baraka, Amiri Baraka Jr., Obalaji Baraka, Ahi Baraka, Maria Jones, Dominique DiPrimaNotable Quote: â€Å"Art is whatever makes you proud to be human. Early Years Amiri Baraka was born in Newark, New Jersey to postal supervisor Colt Leverette Jones and social worker Anna Lois Jones. Growing up, Baraka played the drums, piano, and trumpet, and enjoyed poetry and jazz. He especially admired the musician Miles Davis. Baraka attended Barringer High School and won a scholarship to Rutgers University in 1951. A year later, he transferred to the historically black Howard University, where he studied subjects like philosophy and religion. At Howard, he began using the name LeRoi James but would later revert to his birth name, Jones. Expelled before graduating from Howard, Jones signed up for the US Air Force, which dishonorably discharged him after three years when communist writings were found in his possession. Although he became a sergeant in the Air Force, Baraka found military service troubling. He called the experience â€Å"racist, degrading, and intellectually paralyzing.† But his time in the Air Force ultimately deepened his interest in poetry. He worked at the base library while stationed in Puerto Rico, which allowed him to devote himself to reading. He took a particular liking to the works of the Beat poets and began writing his own poetry. After his discharge from the Air Force, he lived in Manhattan, taking classes at Columbia University and The New School for Social Research. He also became involved in Greenwich Village’s art scene and got to know poets such as Allen Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara, Gilbert Sorrentino, and Charles Olson. Marriage and Poetry As his interest in poetry deepened, Baraka met Hettie Cohen, a white Jewish woman who shared his passion for writing. The interracial couple married in 1958 against the wishes of Cohens Parents, who cried at the news of the union. Together, the couple started Totem Press, which featured the writings of beat poets like Allen Ginsberg; they also launched Yugen literary magazine. Baraka edited and wrote criticism for the literary journal Kulchur as well. While married to Cohen, with whom he had two daughters, Baraka began a romantic relationship with another woman writer, Diane di Prima. They edited a magazine called The Floating Bear and started the New York Poets Theater, along with others, in 1961. That year, Baraka’s first poetry book, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note, debuted. During this period, the writer became increasingly political. A trip to Cuba in 1960 led him to believe that he should use his art to fight oppression, so Baraka began to embrace black nationalism and support Cuban president Fidel Castro’s regime. In addition, his complicated personal life took a turn when he and Diane di Prima had a daughter, Dominique, in 1962.  The next year saw the release of Baraka’s book Blues People: Negro Music in White America. In 1965, Baraka and Cohen divorced. A New Identity Using the name LeRoi Jones, Baraka wrote the play Dutchman, which premiered in 1964. The play chronicles a violent encounter between a white woman and a black man on the New York subway. It won the Obie Award for Best American Play and was later adapted for film. The 1965 assassination of Malcolm X led Baraka to leave the mostly white Beat scene and move to the predominantly black neighborhood of Harlem. There, he opened the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School, which became a haven for black artists such as Sun Ra and Sonia Sanchez, and led other black artists to open similar venues. The rise of black-run art venues led to a movement known as the Black Arts Movement. He also criticized the Civil Rights Movement for embracing nonviolence and suggested in works such as his 1965 poem â€Å"Black Art that violence was necessary to create a black world. Inspired by Malcolm’s death, he also penned the work A Poem for Black Hearts in 1965 and the novel The System of Dante’s Hell the same year. In 1967, he released the short-story collection Tales. Blackness and the use of violence to achieve liberation both factor into these works. Baraka’s newfound militancy played a role in his divorce from his white wife, according to her memoir How I Became Hettie Jones. Baraka himself admitted as much in his 1980 Village Voice essay, â€Å"Confessions of a Former Anti-Semite. (He denied choosing the title for the essay.) He wrote, â€Å"As a Black man married to a white woman, I began to feel estranged from her †¦ How could someone be married to the enemy? Barakas second wife, Sylvia Robinson, later known as Amina Baraka, was a black woman. They had a Yoruba marriage ceremony in 1967, the year Baraka published the poetry collection Black Magic. A year earlier, he published Home: Social Essays. With Amina, Baraka returned to his native Newark, where they opened a theater and residence for artists called the Spirit House. He also headed to Los Angeles to meet with scholar and activist Ron Karenga (or Maulana Karenga), founder of the Kwanzaa holiday, which aims to reconnect black Americans to their African heritage. Instead of using the name LeRoi Jones, the poet took the name Imamu Amear Baraka. Imamu is a title meaning spiritual leader in Swahili, Amear means prince, and Baraka essentially means a divine blessing.† He ultimately went by Amiri Baraka. In 1968, Baraka co-edited Black Fire: An Anthology of Afro-American Writing and his play Home on the Range was staged to benefit the Black Panther party. He also chaired the Committee for Unified Newark, founded and chaired  the Congress of African People, and was a chief organizer of the National Black Political Convention. By the 1970s, Baraka began to champion the liberation of â€Å"third-world† peoples across the globe rather than black nationalism. He embraced a Marxist-Leninist philosophy and became a lecturer in 1979 in the Africana studies department of the State University of New York, Stony Brook, where he later became a professor. He was also a visiting professor at Columbia University and Rutgers University and taught at the New School, San Francisco State, University of Buffalo, and George Washington University. In 1984, Baraka’s memoir, The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, was published. He went on to win the American Book Award in 1989 and the Langston Hughes Award. In 1998, he landed a role in the feature film Bulworth, starring  Warren Beatty. Later Years In 2002, Baraka received another honor when he became New Jersey’s poet laureate. But an anti-Semitism scandal ultimately drove him from the role. The controversy stemmed from a poem he wrote after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks called â€Å"Somebody Blew Up America?† In the poem, Baraka suggested that Israel had advanced warning of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The poem includes the lines: Who know why Five Israelis was filming the explosionAnd cracking they sides at the notion†¦Who knew the World Trade Center was gonna get bombedWho told 4000 Israeli workers at the Twin TowersTo stay home that day Baraka said that the poem wasn’t anti-Semitic because it referenced Israel rather than Jews as a whole. The Anti-Defamation League argued that Baraka’s words were indeed anti-Semitic. The poet served as New Jersey’s poet laureate at the time, and then-Gov. Jim McGreevey attempted to oust him from the role. McGreevey (who would later resign as governor for unrelated reasons) couldn’t legally force Baraka to step down, so the state senate passed legislation to abolish the post altogether. When the law took effect on July 2, 2003, Baraka was no longer poet laureate. Death On Jan. 9, 2014, Amiri Baraka died at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, where he had been a patient since December. Upon his death, Baraka had written more than 50 books in a wide range  of genres. His funeral took place Jan. 18 at Newark Symphony Hall. Sources Amiri Baraka 1934-2014. Poetry Foundation.Fox, Margalit. Amiri Baraka, Polarizing Poet and Playwright, Dies at 79. New York Times, 9 January, 2014. Amiri Baraka. Poets.org.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Gender and Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gender and Work - Essay Example been expected to find work and earn for the livelihood of the family, and the women have stayed home, bearing children, caring for the immediate needs of the family. From the 1950s onwards, new trends were observed as women have been prompted by financial constraints to find work and also help sustain family needs. Such trends grew to more significant proportions, to the current trends which have now been observed in society. Men and women are now equally expected to find work, have careers, or simply work for themselves, not necessarily for their families. Regardless of the seeming egalitarian situation such work conditions have created, issues on discrimination have still been observed. Moreover, such issues have also been very much apparent as far as leadership or managerial positions are concerned. The male: female ratio for managers in organizations very much favours more men occupying leadership roles. However, organizations are often quick to dismiss such trend, arguing that t he difference is mainly caused by the fact that men are more interested in gaining managerial roles, and that women can have as much chance to be leaders much as men. This argumentative essay shall analyse the issue or contention that: Women are being discriminated in the workplace in relation to leadership or managerial roles and positions. This essay shall first provide facts relating to statistical figures on women versus male leadership ratio in organizations. Next, it shall argue on one hand how women are still being discriminated against for leadership roles. A different perspective on the argument will also be presented. Also, both sides of the argument will be considered in order to indicate a logical and well-evidenced position on the issue. A conclusion will summarize the arguments and provide a clear and logical answer to the issue raised. A reflective analysis will also provide a personal perspective on the issue. Although women are already making up a huge proportion of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business Paper (1750 words) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Paper (1750 words) - Essay Example This helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice by equipping them with practical skills (Lowden, 2011). How then did the LIAISE business simulation provide me with an opportunity to develop my business strategy skills, marketing skills, financial management skills, team effectiveness as well as the acquisition of graduate employability attributes which make me a preferable candidate to work as a marketing manager in your Electronic Company? A business strategy is defined as a means through which businesses set out to accomplish their set objectives by carefully allocating resources in different departments. The choice and execution of a business strategy depends on its core business and the scope of its operations (Johnson et al, 2005). For example, the LIAISE business simulation’s scope was to source products from suppliers and then market them to the customers with a view of attaining a huge market share with high income customer base through brand expansion and increasing supply routes from various manufacturers. During this simulation programme, I learnt that there are several types of business strategies that can be pursued by businesses to achieve their goals. One of the most sought strategy that is applicable in LIAISE business simulation is growth. When a business is interested in expanding its operation to achieve a greater market share, there is need to allocate time, money and human resources for development of new products, venturing into markets, as well as investing in new businesses. Competitive advantage is also a vital business strategy as it ensures that a business is able to survive its rivals, not by copying their products, brands and strategies, but by effectively competing with them. A business can attain competitive advantage by selling products at relatively lower price than the competitors (Gary et al, 2008). However, this strategy requires that the business grow to a certain margin so that the company can enjoy

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Hamlet - Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Shakespeare Essay Hamlet is a moral avenger in a corrupt and unjust world. He is the only person who questions the moral atmosphere of Denmark but is driven to act irritationally because of the distress placed on him by the world. Hamlet struggles with his duty to his father, his disillusionment with himself, his revenge on Claudius, his mother’s sudden remarriage, the purpose of the ghost and the corrupt nature of Denmark. By not informing the audience of the intentions of the ghost, Shakespeare keeps them engaged by creating disillusionment through Hamlet’s struggle for the truth. Furthermore, Shakespeare continues to engage audiences by presenting ideas of duty and corruption which are shown largely through the characterization of Hamlet. Hamlet struggles with his thoughts and feelings. The degree to which his alienation and melancholy signalled in his behaviour varies from production to production due to his father’s death. ‘O that this too too solid flesh would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew, or that the everlasting had not fixed his canon ’gainst self-slaughter. O God, God, how weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of this world! (Act 1 Scene 2). This quotation is Hamlet’s first soliloquy which signifies his first thoughts about suicide and how the world seems â€Å"weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable†. It conveys that he sees the world as a neglected garden grown foul. It also uses extended metaphor to articulate his strong desire to rest in peace. In other words, Hamlet finds suicide a desirable alternative to life in a painful world but this option is closed to him because it is forbidden by religion. Hamlet exposes the range of his depression: weariness, despair, grief, anger, nausea, loathing and disgust, resignation. The importance of this soliloquy lies in its establishing of Hamlet’s personality and revealing his mental condition. It presents Hamlet’s struggle for life and the disillusionment he feels towards the world. Through this, the audience therefore gain a closer relationship with Hamlet, and are absorbed by him because they are able to resonate with his circumstances, as he is faced with enduring truths of the human condition. Hamlet’s disillusionment with himself is largely driven by the disgust towards his mother’s sudden remarriage. In Act 1 Scene 2, Hamlet is dressed in black, signifying grief for his dead father. His appearance contrasts strikingly with the costumes and attitudes of the courtiers celebrating the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude. In this soliloquy, Hamlet describes his intense disgust at his mother’s second marriage to his despised uncle so soon after his father’s death. ‘Hyperion to a Satyr†¦those shoes were old with which she following my poor father’s body’ (Act 1 Scene 2). He describes the haste of their marriage through irony, noting that the shoes his mother wore to his father’s funeral were not worn out before her marriage to Claudius. The technique metaphor and juxtaposition are used to recall his dead father as infinitely superior to Claudius (his father was â€Å"so excellent a king†, a â€Å"Hyperion† which is the sun god; while Claudius is a bestial â€Å"satyr†, a lecherous creature, half-man, half-goat). He recalls how tenderly and protectively his father loved his mother, and how passionately she loved him. Hamlet condemns the marriage and struggle to accept that his mother betrayed his father but sorrowfully vows silence. Here, the audience is engaged through a deep understanding of Hamlet’s emotional feelings and the circumstances of betrayal in a relationship. Hamlet’s struggle for the truth of the Ghost’s intentions engages audiences with many possible interpretations that follow. In Act 1 Scene 4, Hamlet’s meditation on human nature is interrupted by the appearance of the Ghost. He sees it as ‘a questionable shape’, and the question it poses for him will haunt him for much of the play: is it good or evil? Hamlet’s uncertainty whether the Ghost is an agent of God or the Devil is expressed in three vivid antitheses and three rhetorical questions: â€Å"Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned, bring with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, by thy intents wicked or charitable†¦say, why is this? Wherefore? What should we do? † (Act 1 Scene 4). The Ghost claims he is the spirit of Hamlet’s father and orders him to revenge his murder. In Shakespeare’s time, revenge was forbidden by state and Church alike. The Church considered revenge as a sin for which the revenger’s soul was damned, condemning him to suffer everlasting torments after death. Therefore, the Ghost is seen by audiences as a devilish spirit sent to tempt Hamlet into an action that will result in his suffering for eternity. Here, audiences are engaged through Shakespeare’s dramatic treatment of Hamlet’s struggle for the truth and his disillusionment with the Ghost. Hamlet is hungry for revenge, but unsure if he knows the truth. His thoughts, emotions, and desire for action struggle with each other. In the soliloquy of Act 4 Scene 4, triggered by Fortinbra’s ruthlessness, Hamlet begins to realise his excessive over-thinking. It dawns upon him that he had been thinking too much and acting too little. ‘Now, whether it be bestial oblivion, or some craven scruple of thinking too precisely on th’event†¦I do not know why yet I live to say this thing’s to do, sith I have cause, and will, and strength, and means to do’t’. Due to his delays in action, Hamlet criticizes himself as a coward, with insults in the soliloquy ‘O what rogue and peasant slave am I! why, what am I! ’ (Act 2 Scene 2). Hamlet is self-abusive in his expressions and shows deep depression through the comparison of himself to the lowest and most worthless thing he can think of. Hamlet himself is more prone to â€Å"apprehension† than to â€Å"action†, which is why he delays so long before seeking his revenge on Claudius. Hamlet’s struggle to take action builds the climax throughout the play and keeps audiences engaged with the many questions and interpretations that follow from his indecisive and uncertainties to bring action upon his duty to his father. Hamlet is polarised due to his disillusionment with the corrupt state of Denmark. Denmark is frequently described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and many observers interpret the presence of the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating that ‘something is rotten in the state of Denmark’ (Act 1 Scene 4). This personification indicates that King Claudius is what is â€Å"rotten† in Denmark. The line spoken by Marcellus help create the sense of corruption that will grow increasingly throughout the play. He expresses disgust at the physical corruption that follows death in the metaphor ‘Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay,/ might stop a hole, to keep the wind away’ (Act 4 Scene 1). As Hamlet surveys the rather pathetic remains of Yorik, he realizes that even a praised man like Caesar has by now become a bit of clay that may be used to patch a lowly farmhouse wall. Like the body of a king going through the guts of a beggar, as part of the naturalness of the cycle of death, he presents the idea that the body of man is part of the earth and goes back to earth. Hamlet becomes especially concerned with the meaning of existence in addition to that of those around him, and he finds it difficult to reason what may become of him after his worldly life. He questions whether man’s spirit is important and after all, does the legacy people leave behind really matter when they’re dead? Consequently, Hamlet hesitates to take action upon his revenge on Claudius and struggles to find an answer to the questions he consistently asks himself. Here, audiences are presented a rather detached view of events that continues to engage them through the dramatic treatment of struggle and disillusionment of Hamlet. In conclusion, it is clear that Hamlet’s life contains many minor problems that make up the big problem. The Ghost of his father appearing to him is what began Hamlet’s morality and excessive thought. Thus, melancholia causes Hamlet a lot of grief and struggle to remain alive in this ambiguous world. Hamlet questions his own nobility, and deciding that he must die to be noble is a contributing factor in Hamlet’s lack of haste in murdering Claudius. Further, the internal struggle between contemplation and action, as well as the struggle to accept human mortality itself represents the audiences’ own struggle to comprehend the nature of tragedy. His struggle with uncertainty and the conflict that emerges between fate and freewill have a universal relevance as they continue to be key existential concerns, which strike a chord with contemporary audiences.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

A Pharmacist :: essays research papers

A Pharmacist Being a pharmacist is much harder than what you probably thought it was. Pharmacists in a hospital have many, many responsibilities. They must be very careful that they have measured the medication correctly, because one little mistake can be potentially fatal. Pharmacists must know what many of the medications do, and if there are any side effects and incompatibilities with other medications the patient might be on. For example, a person might be taking a medication for another problem, and if the physician and pharmacist don't notice that condition, the prescribed medication might cause a deadly interaction. This does not happen with all drugs, but it happens with a few, and you certainly don't want a result like that. The pharmacist must also make sure that the patient does not have any allergies against that type of medication. Pharmacists should also know generic brands of medication that might save the patient's money. They must know any differences between the brand name and the generic name, such as drug interactions, side effects, and how it should be taken. Some responsibilities of the pharmacist include making intravenous solutions and operating the TPN, which takes intravenous solutions and adds vitamins such as amino acids. They also refill storage bins in the Emergency Room, where doctors can get them if a patient needs them immediately. Charles Rudolph Walgreen Sr. Is the founder of Walgreens. When he was twenty, he borrowed twenty dollars, and moved from Dixon, Illinois to Chicago. Throughout pharmacy school, he worked for pharmacies in the day and went to school at night. When the United States went to War with Spain in 1898, Walgreen was enlisted as a private. There were many diseases in Cuba, and Walgreen fell sick. The doctor was so sure that Walgreen was going to die, that he put Walgreen's name on the casualty list, and newspapers told of his death! When Walgreen returned from the war, he worked as a pharmacist for a man by the name of Isaac W. Blood. He later bought out Blood's pharmacy. Customer service was very important to Walgreen. Often, he would answer the phone himself, then tell the delivery boy what the prescription was and where to deliver it. He would converse with the customer, so that usually the prescription would come before the customer had hung up the phone. In 1909, he purchased one of the busiest pharmacies in Chicago with a partner,

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

How Much Land Does a Man Need Essay

Realism, as the word implies, deals with reality as its subject, that is, putting emphasis on what is happening in the real world, rather than stressing emotions as a source of aesthetic experience. In literature, it often focuses on moral or ethical choices such that it gives emphasis on the actions by the characters rather than the actual plot of the story. Characters are also portrayed with motive, more often than not, in relation to the view of their social class. In realism, sensational and dramatic elements that are often found in naturalism and romances are avoided. The short stories â€Å"The Bet† and â€Å"How Much Land Does a Man Need? † are examples of literature in the style of realism which focuses on the ethical choices of the characters in relation to their social class. â€Å"The Bet† focuses on the materiality of the world. It gave contrasts to the materialistic world view of the banker, and the simplicity of the young man in the story. Although the question at the beginning is whether or not the death penalty is worse than life imprisonment, the story has not given an answer to it (it was not its intention to answer this anyway), but rather, it presented views of morality. It altogether despises materiality. The young man at the end of the story proclaimed: â€Å"It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a mirage†¦ I marvel at you who exchange heaven for earth. I don’t want to understand you† (Chekrov). Like â€Å"The Bet,† â€Å"How Much Land Does a Man Need? † criticizes the human sense of materiality. The story, however, shifts its focus on greed. It differs with â€Å"The Bet† in the sense that while â€Å"How Much Land Does a Man Need? † does not necessarily condemn acquiring material possession in this world, it presented a question of how much of this material possession does man really need. Pahom, the main character in the story, was given the opportunity to acquire land of his own, but was overcome by greed many times throughout the story. In the end, this greed was the cause of his death. The moral of the story is that man should only take what is necessary for living, nothing in excess. The story also implies that man cannot take in death what man possess in life. Works Cited Chekrov, Anton. â€Å"The Bet† Tolstoy, Leo. â€Å"How Much Land Does a Man Need†

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Realism and the Future of World Politics Essay

First and foremost it is important to remember that state interest or state preference operates in an anarchic environment. The international system is inherently unstable and is aptly characterized by widespread anarchy. Due to the absence of a suprastate or overarching Leviathan authority, states are placed in inevitable and perpetual competition, described as the security dilemma. This has been evidenced by the state of European affairs since 1789. Because of the anarchic nature of international affairs, states are perpetually concerned with their survival. For realists, the international system is a â€Å"dog-eat-dog world† and ensuring survival is paramount for any and all states. According to Hans Morgenthau, pioneering German political scientist and an early proponent of realist thought, due to the inherent instability of the international system, the fundamental national interest of all states is to â€Å"protect [its] physical, political, and cultural identity against encroachments by other nations† (Morgenthau, 1952). Specifically, threats to states are determined by their relative power vis-a-vis one others in the international system. The structure of the system – the distribution of power and capabilities state wide – is important because threats or challenges facing a state which affront the national interest should be â€Å"calculated according to the situation in which the state finds itself† (Waltz, 1979). Thus, power and security requirements are paramount in attempting to define state interest and what motivates states to act. Furthermore, Power and wealth supply the means for states to survive, to meet their security requirements, and thus to continue to compete in a system in which other states are necessarily either actual or potential threats. State officials ad policy analysts are therefore advised realistically to asses the distribution of power; they should overcome their ‘aversion to seeing problems of international politics as they are’ in order to objectively asses the national interest in light of the distribution of power. Every state, that is, must pursue its national interest â€Å"defined in terms of power† (Morgenthau 1952) because this is the surest road to security and survival (Weldes, 1999). If we apply the realist conception of states power and apply it to the future of the international world, conflict over resources and war will be a defining feature of the international system. Europe has been plagued by conflict since the late 18th century and despite global interdependence and the existence of multilateral organizations in the form of the UN and the European Union, there is little evidence to suggest that armed conflict is not the future of international affairs. Nationalism, a concept created in Europe, has been responsible for much armed conflict over the past three centuries. Nationalism in International Affairs Nationalism is an important force in international relations and has been so for centuries. As a basic principle of the international order, concepts of state sovereignty are intrinsic to our understanding of the world system. Accordingly, the international system is predicated upon the existence of nation-states and nationalism is a belief or sense of identity within the nation. The Treaty of Westphalia established the principle of state sovereignty, another fundamental principle of the international order which established the nation-state as an autonomous political entity. Similar to tribalism or a sense of social kinship, nationalism as a potent political force began in Europe in the late eightieth century and was connected with a decline in overall religiosity, the development of industrialization, Enlightenment thoughts and a concerted effort by political elites to â€Å"build states†. By inculcating a sense of nationalist fervor in the citizens of their respective countries, elites have been able to manipulate nationalism for political purposes. Mass mobilization towards a variety of specific causes through an appeal to nationalist sentiment has been used as a political tool for centuries. Although not exclusively a negative force, nationalism remains an important ordering principle of the international system and a force to be reckoned with (Waltz 2000). Concluding Remarks Keeping in mind our realist conception of state interest, conflict will be an inevitable feature of the international system in the next 50 years. Europe has descended into bloodshed and armed conflict and has been the feature of the European continent for centuries. When global war broke out in 1914 dreams of world peace and prosperity were shattered. Accordingly, the First World War was arguably one of the most traumatic episodes in the history of international affairs. Geopolitically speaking, the First World War (also described as WWI in this essay) was unprecedented in both scale and sheer loss of human life. Never before had the world witnessed such carnage and violence perpetuated through the use of modern technology. The First World War touched much of the world the implications of this conflict reverberated across the globe. In addition to WWI, Europeans states fought dozens of wars and were home to countless revolutions aimed at changing the political order. From the French Revolution to the Spanish Civil War and the â€Å"War to End All Wars†, World War II, the history of Europe since 1789 has been wrought with conflict with nationalism playing an important role in the outbreak of violence.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Huffman Coding Sychronized Multimedia Integration Language

Huffman Coding Sychronized Multimedia Integration Language EIE 380 Web-based Multimedia SMIL Mini-Project ReportDEPARTMENT OFELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION ENGINEERINGEIE380 Web-Based MultimediaSMIL Mini-ProjectProject ReportDate: 19th April, 2010IntroductionNowadays, lecturers often use Powerpoint or a blackboard when teaching in a classroom. However, Powerpoint and blackboards are difficult to describe multimedia presentations. To describe multimedia presentations, Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) could be used.SMIL is a W3C recommended XML markup language for describing multimedia presentations. It can be used for timing and controlling streaming media clips. Media items like text, image, video and audio files can be included in SMIL. In this mini-project, SMIL would be used to create a presentation for Huffman Coding.ObjectivesThe objectives of this project are to generate a simple multimedia slide show using SMIL and to present one conceptual idea for the course materials of EIE380.About the ProjectThis project generates a simple multimedia slide show using SMIL to teach the basic concepts of Huffman Coding.JuliasetsdkjpegtreeIn the beginning, it gives a brief introduction in Huffman Coding. Then, the Huffman Algorithm is described. A Huffman Coding example will then be given in gif file to illustrate how to pick two nodes having the lowest probabilities and then create a parent node for them. The parent node is then assigned the sum of the children's probabilities. After that, a gif file will be given to illustrate to users how to encode the system. Users can then choose a symbol to see the codeword assigned to the corresponding symbol. After seeing the codeword, users can learn the prefix property of Huffman coding. They can click on a symbol and see that a shorter codeword will never form the start of a longer codeword. Next, a gif file will be given to demonstrate the...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Avon, Mary Kay and Estee Lauder Resume Animal Testing

Avon, Mary Kay and Estee Lauder Resume Animal Testing In February of 2012, PETA discovered that Avon, Mary Kay, and Estee Lauder had resumed animal testing. The three companies had each been cruelty-free for over 20 years, but since China requires cosmetics to be tested on animals, all three companies now pay for their products to be tested on animals. For a short while, Urban Decay also planned to start animal testing but announced in July of 2012 that they would not test on animals and would not sell in China. While none of these are completely vegan companies, they have been considered cruelty-free because they did not test on animals. Urban Decay takes the extra step of identifying vegan products with a purple paw symbol, but not all Urban Decay products are vegan. Testing cosmetics and personal care products on animals are not required by U.S. law unless the product contains a new chemical. In 2009, the European Union banned cosmetics testing on animals, and that ban went into full effect in 2013. In 2011, U.K. officials announced an intention to ban animal testing of household products, but that ban has not yet been enacted. Avon and Animal Testing Avons animal welfare policy now states: Some select products may be required by law in a few countries to undergo additional safety testing, which potentially includes animal testing, under the directive of a government or health agency. In these instances, Avon will first attempt to persuade the requesting authority to accept non-animal test data. When those attempts are unsuccessful, Avon must abide by local laws and submit the products for additional testing. According to Avon, testing their products on animals for these foreign markets is not new, but it appears that PETA removed them from the cruelty-free list because PETA has become more aggressive advocates in the global arena. Avons Breast Cancer Crusade (funded by Avons popular breast cancer walk) is on the Humane Seal list of approved charities that dont fund animal research. Estee Lauder Estee Lauders animal testing statement reads, We do not conduct animal testing on our products or ingredients, nor ask others to test on our behalf, except when required by law. Mary Kay Mary Kays animal testing policy explains: Mary Kay does not conduct animal testing on its products or ingredients, nor ask others to do so on its behalf, except when absolutely required by law. There is only one country where the company operates – among more than 35 around the world – where that is the case and where the company is required by law to submit products for testing – China. Urban Decay Of the four companies, Urban Decay had had the most support in the vegan/animal rights community because they identify their vegan products with a purple paw symbol. The company even distributes free samples through The Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics, which certifies cruelty-free companies with their Leaping Bunny symbol. While Avon, Mary Kay, and Estee Lauder may have offered some vegan products, they had not specifically marketed those products to vegans and did not make it easy to identify their vegan products. Urban Decay had planned to sell their products in China, but received so much negative feedback, the company reconsidered: After careful consideration of many issues, we have decided not to start selling Urban Decay products in China . . . Following our initial announcement, we realized that we needed to step back, carefully review our original plan, and talk to a number of individuals and organizations that were interested in our decision. We regret that we were unable to respond immediately to many of the questions we received, and appreciate the patience our customers have shown as we worked through this difficult issue. Urban Decay is now back on the Leaping Bunny list and PETAs cruelty-free list. While Avon, Estee Lauder, and Mary Kay claim to oppose animal testing, as long as they are paying for animal tests anywhere in the world, they can no longer be considered cruelty-free.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Votes for Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Votes for Women - Essay Example He was in a very powerful position, as there was no Liberal MP who could even try to oppose him. It is well known that Asquith was totally against the campaign for women's vote right. Partly this was so because of the way he considered the voting: he did not think there was need for each individual to need to have a vote, he considered that such representation was more an issue of representing a class or community. That is why one man could represent the ideas of all of his family. Moreover, there were lots of serious problems facing the Parliament within 1900 - 1914, and Asquith was sure that "women's rights to vote" was a minor issue. In addition he paid no attention to demonstrations while he was sure that they did not reflect people's thinking. There was another aspect. If the law giving women the vote was ever going to be passed, it would have to happen in the Parliament. That means that such parties as the Liberals, the Conservatives and the Labour Party would have a part to play. It is false to think that all male politicians were opposed to female suffrage. In fact the Labour Party supported it, and leading Labour figures were deeply involved in the case. A substantial part of the Liberal Party supported it as well, together with many leading Liberals, including Churchill, Sir Edward Grey, and Lloyd George. Nevertheless there was much opposition to it among the Conservatives, as was vividly depicted in conservative Lord Curzon's speech in 1912. In society those who were against the female suffrage used a wide range of arguments, in 1900 many of the opponents to the movement simply considered that it was self evident that women were not intended to vote. To put it differently women should not have the vote because they simply were females. This was probably the position of most citizens in the country. It is worth mentioning that when people began to rationalise the opposition, occurred women who spoke out against female suffrage. The first group of people who opposed the movement were the people who considered the system to be fine and could not be improved further. Those people objected to giving anyone who was not already eligible to vote the right to do so. They had the vote right themselves, and feared any franchise extension. An elitist system of government and objection of widening the democracy was their major belief. As the debate over enlargement the pool of voters grew, arguments against women's suffrage began to occur. One of them was that all government, in England and in the Empire, rests on physical force, which women do not possess, or do not want to contribute to it because of their constitution. The idea is that women are too physically weak and it is not in their nature to be soldiers. The second aspect of the argument was that women influence would evidently help the introduction of pacifism into society. In relation to the Empire there were two further argument lines. One meant that if women got opportunity to gain power in Britain, a demand for the