Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Enusring Coherence in Curriculum Research Paper

Enusring Coherence in Curriculum - Research Paper Example The design should also offer room for advancement both of the curriculum structure as well as the curriculum content. Its application should also be practical in terms of implementation and should not contain any contradictory statements and strategies. These components relate directly to a coherent curriculum in my learning environment. The systematicness component ensures that all the activities in a curriculum are well connected to each other. This kind of connectivity assists in making the curriculum to be more coherent and, thus, promoting its ability to achieve its objectives. The completeness component ensures that all the parts of the curriculum are complete and that they have adequate contents. This promotes the connectivity of one part of the curriculum to the other, and, thus, making the curriculum to be coherent. The advancement component of the system design for curriculum provides room for advancement of the curriculum content. Through the advancement of the content, th eir connectivity and relationships can be enhanced, thus making the curriculum to be coherent. Practicability component makes all the parts of the curriculum to be easy to administer. ... Another best quality is that both of them assist in the selection and organization of learning experiences for effective instruction and achievement of learning objectives. Another very important quality of these two models is that they both provide a way of designing a mean of evaluation of the curriculum and its content. According to Erickson (2002, p. 44), â€Å"a coherent curriculum is one that holds that makes sense as a whole and one that has parts which are unified and interconnected†. The three best qualities of these two curriculum models I researched about promotion of unification of the different parts of the curriculum. They also promote the interconnection of various parts of a curriculum and they help the curriculum to make sense as a whole. They also enable the various parts of the curriculum to make sense and, hence, they are very fundamental in the promotion of coherence of the curriculum. Among the two models that I researched, the one which could be most eff ective in my current educational environment is the Tyler’s Model. This is because this model being among the modernism model is clearer, more simplified, more useful, and more comprehensive compared to the Gerlach and Ely Model. According to Dennis (2002), this model is appropriate for large scale mass education and it is also good for basics. Since my current educational environment involves teaching basics to a large group of students, this model will be the most appropriate for such an environment. Curriculum design There are various â€Å"Knows† in a curriculum design. One of them is what the students should know by the end of the curriculum. The other one is what the student

Monday, October 28, 2019

Enabling Learning and Assessment Essay Example for Free

Enabling Learning and Assessment Essay 1. The purposes of assessment Assessment is the process of evaluating an individual’s learning. It involves generating and collecting evidence of a learner’s attainment of knowledge and skills and judging that evidence against defined standards. Tummons suggested that: ‘With assessment we can: * Find out if learning has taken place; * Diagnose learners needs; * Provide public acknowledgment and certification of learning * Allow processes of selection to be carried out; * Provide way to evaluate learning programmes; * Motivate and encourage learners.’ Tummons (2009:5) Written justification of assessment methods I have chosen to do Holding and aiming in the prone position, I would do this by getting the SUT in the tramline formation. This is where they will number off in pairs, so all the No.1’s on one side of the room whilst all the No.2’s are on the other side of the room. I will get the No.1’s to conduct the drill when I give the word of command. The No.1’s will be ensuring they adopt the prone position correctly, going through the 9 key point check list and taking aim on the target. Whilst this is happening the No.2’s will be observing throughout looking for any mistakes. Once the No.1’s have completed the drill I will go down the line asking the No.2’s if they observed any mistakes. By doing this I am getting the SUT to give out peer assessment on the progress of his/hers drill on the weapon system as this can develop and motivate student. The student will also have their own self assessment; this is where the students are assessing their own progress  throughout the lesson. These methods encourage the SUT to make decisions about what has been learnt so far, and to reflect on aspects for further development. Once the No.1’s have completed the drill, the same process will happen with the No.2’s and the No.1’s looking and observing for any mistakes. Whilst all this is going on I will be looking for any mistakes as I watch from one end of the tramline formation, this is called tutor assessment and can help give feedback to the student to guide them on their strength and areas of development. This is also known as formative assessment so it can provide for me a continuous source of information about the students’ progress, improvement and problems encountered in the learning process, so I together we can develop their confidence and competence on the weapon system. 2. Practical assessment a) Aim The aim of a practical assessment in a classroom environment is to ensure that when handling a weapon system that the necessary measures and safety precaution is carried out correctly and sufficiently. It is my aim to make sure that the SUT carry out the drills correctly, if however people are struggling to adapt to the new drills then it’s up to me the instructor to change my approach to the individual learning style. b) Reason for selecting practical learning assessment We use practical assessment in the army especially when teaching a particular subject like Skill at Arms to help us as a teacher to confirm that the SUT have understood the correct handling of the weapon. It’s not only a confirmation for the teacher but a confirmation for the individual that he/she has took on board the new skill and knowledge they have been taught in the lesson. During the lesson, when I have demonstrated a new drill, the SUT are required to imitate the drill whilst I explain and demonstrate it, taking it step by step. Once I am happy that the SUT have grasped the new drill, a confirmation is done to ensure that the SUT understands the new  weapon drill. This will be done when I give the word of command and the SUT carrying out the drill without any help or guidance as I watch and observes for any mistakes that the SUT may do. In order for the SUT to use blank or live ammunition on exercise or on the ranges, they are required to pass a Weapon Handling Test (WHT) which is a critical practical assessment as it is part of their summative test and needs to be done twice a year. I will give a number of instructions which the SUT must complete correctly and confidently in order to pass. There is no time limit and they are allowed one mistake on each stage of the test. This assessment is to show that he/she has the knowledge and skill to handle the weapon with blank or live ammunition with confidence. For assessment of practical activities, the potential barriers should be considered and reasonable adjustments developed that meet the needs of the individual learner. Many of the adjustments for a practical assessment are similar to those of a written assessment. We must however be aware of the learners/individual learning styles as this will vary across each lesson we teach. If we look at Fleming understanding of learning styles which he used the terminology of VARK, he stated that people can be grouped into four styles of learning: * Visual – Seeing. * Aural – Listening and talking. * Read/Write – Reading and writing. * Kinaesthetic – Doing. (Gravells 2012:40) The SUT will come under one or more of these learning styles and as I have seen it in the past whilst teaching, I have to adapt as a teacher to accommodate to their preferred learning style which means I have to plan and break down my lesson to ensure all SUT get the full benefit of what is being taught to them. Sue Crowley of the IFL stated: Often new teachers teach as they were taught, then perhaps as they would like  to have been taught, and finally they realise different ways and a wider spectrum of teaching and learning approaches are needed and available. (Gravells 2012:40) A statement in which I agree upon as my thought process was similar but when teaching SUT it’s taught me to adapt my teaching skills to benefit the individuals so they can get the best outcome during the lesson. c) Conduct of the practical assessment The SUT will be assessed throughout the lesson and this can be done in many ways as it is classroom based, this will be an informal assessment. As the SUT reacts to the word of command for example; ‘For inspection port arms’ they are to carry out the necessary drill in which I will observe for mistakes. Observation is a good way to assess the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the SUT. When observing, it enables me to see how well the SUT are doing, letting them make mistakes as long as it is safe, especially when dealing with a weapon so they can learn from their own mistakes. Once the drill is complete I can ask each individual if they made any mistakes and give them self assessment, otherwise I can give negative or positive feedback to the SUT. Observation is good within our training establishment as it assess the SUT competence, skills and attitudes when dealing with a weapon and the observation can follow on with a question to check the knowledge and understanding. SUT training can be assessed in two other ways and they are called peer assessment and self assessment. For the instructor to see this happen, the students will pair up and work as a team. Whilst one SUT does the drill on the weapon whilst the other partner watches for mistakes, this is called peer assessment, but at the same time SUT who is carrying out the drill can self assess as he/she goes along. If the student was to carry out the Load, Ready, Unload drill, their partner can look in for any mistakes and as the instructor asks the observer from each team if there were any mistakes, this can be useful to develop and motivate the SUT. Peer assessments can be affective as SUT feedback is given skilfully, but other students may think more about what their peers have said than about what the instructor have said. 3. Question assessment a) Aim The aim of a question assessment is for the instructor to see if the SUT can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the subject being taught to them. It also helps when asking a question to the SUT that they have to think about their answer. b) Conduct of a Question assessment During each lesson throughout the army, as an instructor we will always ask the SUT questions of the particular topic that we have been learning about before moving on to the next topic or next stage of the lesson. This is formal or informal assessment and is used to assess cognitive ability which can be used whenever the instructor wants to assess the knowledge and understanding of SUT. When giving a lesson on Skill at Arms, ‘Different combat position.’ The instructor will always give an explanation of why we do it and when to incorporate the positions for example, on the ranges or when we are on operational tour, followed by a demonstration. As the instructor has given the explanation and demonstration, we will go through the demonstration again whilst the SUT imitate you as you take them through step by step. Whilst doing this process we normally ask the SUT questions on the next stage of the movement, pausing for a second and then state the name of the learner who can answer. This way, all SUT is thinking about the answer as soon as you have posed the question, and is ready to speak if their name is asked. This assessment not only help the instructor to confirm that the individual or group know the answer but helps their peers to understand it as well. We also do oral written assessment, as this is part  of the minimum core, for example before I start the lesson I would ask the SUT to take out their note books and pens. I will ask them a number of questions in which they will write their answers in their note books which will be marked before the lesson take place. If for some reason some of the SUT get a few questions wrong I will ensure that I make a plan in the evening to go through the questions or drill in which they got incorrect so that they are at the same stage as all the other SUT. Asking questions to the SUT and for them responding in giving the answers back to the instructor is self assessment and peers assessment so that the SUT know what areas they are good at and what areas they need to work on. However it’s good for the tutor assessment to understand how the SUT progress is going by conducting these assessments. C)  Advantages| Disadvantages| Problems can be solved| SUT don’t know the answer| Question being answered| SUT can be put on the spot| Understanding people’s views and opinions| | Gives people a voice| | 4. Reflecting on how feedback has informed your learners’ progress and achievement Feedback is a vital part of the learners’ training at the army foundation college as it informs the SUT on their progress and achievement. To make sure it is effective it is important that we develop rapport, mutual respect and trust between the instructor and the SUT. During a Skill at Arms lesson it is important to give effective feedback as this informs the SUT on how well they are doing or on what areas they might need to work on. I try to give out the best feedback as I can to the SUT or the individual as I know this will help reassure, boost confidence, encourage, motivate and develop their knowledge, skills. It can help the SUT to maximize their potential and professional development at different stages of training, raise their awareness of strengths and areas for improvement, and identify actions to be  taken to improve their performance. 5. Reflecting on how feedback from others has informed your own professional practice On the 1st November 2012, I conducted a lesson on pain relief (Morphine) which was observed by an assessor. I felt that the lesson was well structured, planned and I got the key learning points across to the SUT. Once the lesson ended I sat down with my assessor and was given feedback on my lesson. The written feedback said this: The session had a clear and important content to communicate. This was achieved and checked by the test. A stronger introduction would set the scene and provide guidance to learners of what they had to do during the lesson. Focus on the test/know the purpose of the test. The conclusion could tell learners what to do with the test papers and how this will be an aide memoire. Test was very well created, covering all key learning and checking recall, understanding and application. It could be improved with clear guidance i.e. working individually without referring to their notes. As this was ‘assessment for learning’ as well as ‘assessment of learning’ learners could work individually, with a partner and finally as a whole group to get the answers/self assessment and check learning. You could get feedback on results from the test by asking those who got 100% to stand up – an energiser, positive motivation and a simple measure for you. This feedback has opened my eyes a lot clearer as I was more channelled to delivering a simple but constructed lesson. Just by delivering a stronger introduction can make the learner motivated to learn, which I didn’t realise until someone made it aware to me. It was a good motivation and energiser to hear from the assessor that the test paper was well created which gave me that sense of pride. However when it came to handing out the test paper, giving the SUT a certain amount of time to do it in and once they had completed it they would mark their own paper as I went along with the answers. Just from what the assessor has written in the feedback it can give  the learner self assessment and check their learning, so in future I will take more time on how I construct the test and how to mark it as this will give me a feedback on the progress of the SUT. 6. Reference List: * http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/inclusive-teaching/barriers-to-learning.php Date accessed 8.11.12 * Tummons J – (2009) Assessing learning in the lifelong learning sector. Exeter: Learning Matters * Gravells A (2012) Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector. London: Learning Matters * www.faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Essay About Family: The Wives Tales :: Personal Narrative essay about my family

I am convinced that my mother and my father found solace in each other because they could no longer bear the madness of their brothers and sisters. Most of my aunts and uncles have second names to mark their exceptionality. My father’s eldest brother is called â€Å"Urgent† because he only calls when he needs money and always tells the kids to leave the message: â€Å"Urgent. Urgent, tell your dad to call me back urgent!† My father’s youngest brother calls himself â€Å"Castro† because his first name is Fidel. This brother shaves his head and wears a goatee to look more like the real Castro. My mother’s brothers and sisters are no better. One of Mom’s brothers married a woman named â€Å"Daughter,† which is just beyond me. Really, her parents must have been at their wits’ end; I wonder whether they had so many daughters that they surrendered to making all the children’s names alike. Mom’s sister, Rajo, â€Å"Auntie Money,† is the most fun, especially during tax season when she tries to convince her accountant to get her a deduction for all the gifts, trips, and baubles she buys her nieces and nephews. Chandra is the most laughable of Mom’s seven sisters. Aunt Chandra is always trying to pass her â€Å"pearls of wisdom† down to everybody, making herself look foolish to great public audiences. In Guyana, she held an elite position at the national post-secondary school, teaching who knows what. I often wonder at the ignorance and superstition behind the things she says. At one of our frequent dinner parties, the ladies in the kitchen were having a conversation about motherhood and how hard it is to choose between staying home with their kids and going back to work. While everyone else settled down to eat, Chandra, Mom and I busied ourselves making pepper sauce, cleaning the clutter off of countertops and refilling bowls of food. Conversation halted as the clacking of spoons, smacking of tongues, and the machinations of eating and drinking supplanted the lively chattering. Chandra took the opportunity to offer up a piece of her mind: â€Å"You know, guys, I have always noticed that I had my kids when there’s a full moon. Babies can only be conceived under a full moon. I am telling you, those scientists don’t know it yet. But I know.† I could not keep myself from laughing. Amazingly, Fidel’s wife, Nadira, reproached me, â€Å"No, it’s true.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

My Favourite Brands

My favourite brands are: NOKIA: I am using NOKIA cell phone since last 6 years, still I don’t have any complaint about it, its battery life, reliability, and easy to use features are common in all the phones and its customer related services like once they exchange battery (CLV4) due to some technical reason, on that day itself. SONY: People say that XYZ Company provides better services after sales, but I belief in SONY because if you have SONY gadgets you don’t need services (at all in many case) or very frequently. I have SONY Walkman, Camera, Laptop but I never visited Sony service centre for the same, also â€Å"Made in Japan† tag play an important role to building a brand. DABUR: In many FMCG product categories and Ayurvedic products like Chayawanprash, toothpaste, Honey, Hair oil, I prefer DABUR products because it has quality products with more than 100 years of experiences also since my childhood i am using all these products so I have develop a strong taste for these products. REYNOLDS: I have been using REYNOLDS pen since my School days, I tried many more pen in between but in examination or any other Test which is important to me I prefer only Reynolds pen (white body & blue cover Reynolds 045) that one I am still using. It provides you best quality at cheaper price with belief of Reynolds. HERO HONDA: I learnt bike with Hero Honda CD 100 SS which we have in our house 10 years ago. In those days they promoted Hero Honda as â€Å"Desh ki Dhadkan† that influenced me at that time. Hero Honda also have many products depends on the needs of the customers, Splendra is the most sold model of Hero Honda which I have now-a-days that gives you strength that it is most trusted bike in the market.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Kate Chopin’s the Awakening Essay

The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is caught by the contradictions between the way others see her and the way she sees herself. The novella is a story narrating her awakening and discovery of self. â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. †¦ How few of us ever emerge from the beginning! † The narrator is remarking at Edna’s boldness and uniqueness as an independent woman on a quest for self-discovery. And the narrator also points out â€Å"How many souls perish in [the beginning’s] tumult! † which serves to predict the chaos that comes about as Edna’s awareness grows – and can also be read as a remark foreshadowing her death. The female role that involves bearing children and being a â€Å"perfect† wife is also an important aspect of the society represented in The Awakening. While this lifestyle suits someone like Adele Ratignolle, Edna finds it unbearable and oppressive. She loves Robert and he inspires her, but her awakening at Grand Isle was complex — She does not simply find a new love interest, she finds a new way of appreciating and living life. Robert is more of an excuse and an occupation rather than a full explanation for her transformation. Even though Edna’s awakening means she suffers from the resulting self-awareness, the year of joy and understanding that accompanies this suffering is worth more to her than a lifetime of the semi-conscious submission that defined her former existence. The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life. † According to Edna, to live with self-awareness offers an existence far richer than a life lived according to the restricting â€Å"illusions† that are imposed by the expec tations of others.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Epsilon Eridani Information

Epsilon Eridani Information Ever hear of Epsilon Eridani? Its a nearby star and famous from a number of science fiction stories, shows, and movies. This star is also home to at least one planet, which has caught the eye of professional astronomers. Putting Epsilon Eridani into Perspective The Sun lives in a relatively quiet and fairly empty region of the Milky Way galaxy. Only a few stars are right nearby, with the closest ones being 4.1 light-years away. Those are Alpha, Beta, and Proxima Centauri. A few others lie a bit farther away, among them Epsilon Eridani. Its the tenth closest star to our Sun and is one of the closest stars known to have a planet (called Epsilon Eridani b). There may be an unconfirmed second planet (Epsilon Eridani c). While this nearby neighbor is smaller, cooler and slightly less luminous than our own Sun, Epsilon Eridani is visible to the naked eye, and is the third closest star that is viewable without a telescope. Its also featured in a number of science fiction stories, shows, and movies.   Finding Epsilon Eridani This star is a southern-hemisphere object but is visible from parts of the northern hemisphere. To find it, look for the constellation Eridanus, which lies between the constellation  Orion and nearby Cetus. Eridanus has long been described as a celestial river by stargazers. Epsilon is the seventh star in the river that extends from Orions bright foot star Rigel.   Exploring this Nearby Star Epsilon Eridani has been studied in great detail by both ground-based and orbiting telescopes. NASAs Hubble Space Telescope  observed the star in collaboration with a set of  ground-based observatories, in the search for any planets around the star. They found a  Jupiter-sized world, and its very close to Epsilon Eridani. The idea of a planet around Epsilon Eridani is not a new one. Astronomers have studied this stars motions for decades. Tiny, periodic changes in its velocity as it moves through space indicated that something was orbiting the star. The planet gave mini-tugs to the star, which caused its motion to shift ever so slightly. It now turns out that, in addition to the confirmed planet(s) that astronomers think are orbiting the star, there is a dust disk, likely created by collisions of planetesimals in the recent past. There are also two belts of rocky asteroids orbiting the star at distances of 3 and 20 astronomical units. (An astronomical unit is a distance between Earth and the Sun.) There are also debris fields around the star, leftovers indicating that planetary formation did indeed take place at Epsilon Eridani.   A Magnetic Star Epsilon Eridani is an interesting star in its own right, even without its planets. At less than a billion years old, its very youthful. Its also a variable star, which means that its light varies on a regular cycle. In addition,  it shows a lot of magnetic activity, more so than the Sun does. That higher rate of activity, along with its very fast rotation rate (11.2 days for one rotation on its axis, compared to 24.47 days for our Sun), helped astronomers determine that the star is likely only about 800 million years old.   Thats practially a newborn in star years, and explains why theres still a detectable debris field in the area.   Could ET Live on Epsilon Eridanis Planets? Its not likely theres life on this stars known world, although astronomers once speculated about such life signaling us from that area of the galaxy. Epsilon Eridani has also been suggested as a target for interstellar explorers whenever such missions are finally ready to leave Earth for the stars. In 1995, a microwave survey of the sky, called Project Phoenix, searched for signals from extraterrestrials that might inhabit various star systems. Epsilon Eridani was one of its targets, but no signals were found.   Epsilon Eridani in Science Fiction This star has been used in many science fiction stories, TV shows, and films. Something about its name seems to invite fabulous stories, and its relative closeness suggests that future explorers will make it a landing target.   Epsilon Eridani is central in the Dorsai! series, written by Gordon R. Dickson. Dr. Isaac Asimov featured it in his novel Foundations Edge, and it is also part of the book Factoring Humanity  by Robert J. Sawyer. All told, the star has shown up in more than two dozen books and stories and is part of the Babylon 5 and Star Trek  universes, and in several movies.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Edited and expanded by  Carolyn Collins Petersen.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Two Party System - Why Democrats and Republicans Win

Two Party System - Why Democrats and Republicans Win The two party system is firmly rooted in American politics and has been since the first organized political movements  emerged in the late 1700s. The two party system in the United States is now dominated by the Republicans and the Democrats. But through history the  Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans, then the Democrats and the Whigs, have represented opposing political ideologies and campaigned against each other for seats at the local, state and federal levels. No third-party candidate has ever been elected to the White House, and very few have won seats in either the House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. The most notable modern exception to the two party system is U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a socialist whose campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination invigorated liberal members of the party. The closest any independent presidential candidate has come to being elected to the White House was  billionaire Texan Ross Perot, who won 19 percent of the popular vote in the 1992 election. So why is the two party system unbreakable in the United States? Why do Republicans and Democrats hold a lock on elected offices at all levels of government? Is there any hope for a third party to emerge or independent candidates to gain traction despite election laws that make it difficult for them to get on the ballot, organize and raise money?   Here are four  reasons the two party system is here to stay for a long, long time. 1. Most Americans Are Affiliated With a Major Party Yes, this is the most obvious explanation for why the two party system remains solidly intact: Voters want it that way. A majority of Americans is registered with  the Republican and the Democratic parties, and thats been true throughout modern history, according to public-opinion surveys conducted by the Gallup organization. It is true that the portion of voters who now consider themselves independent of either major party is larger than either the Republican and Democratic blocs alone. But those independent voters are disorganized and rarely reach a consensus on the many third-party candidates; instead, most independents tend to lean toward one of the major parties come election time, leaving only a small portion of truly independent, third-party voters. 2. Our Election System Favors a Two Party System The American system of electing representatives at all levels of government makes it almost impossible for a third party to take root. We have what are known as single-member districts in which there is only one victor. The winner of the popular vote in all 435 congressional districts, U.S. Senate races and state legislative contests  takes office, and the electoral losers get nothing. This winner-take-all method fosters a two-party system and differs dramatically from proportional representation elections in European democracies.   Duverger’s Law, named for the French sociologist Maurice Duverger, states that a majority vote on one ballot is conducive to a two-party system ...  Elections determined by a majority vote on one ballot literally pulverize third parties (and would do worse to fourth or fifth parties, if there were any; but none exist for this very reason). Even when a single ballot system operates with only two parties, the one that wins is favored, and the other suffers. In other words, voters tend to choose candidates who actually have a shot at winning instead of throwing their votes away on someone who will only get a small portion of the popular vote. By contrast, proportional representation elections held elsewhere in the world allow for more than one candidate to be chosen from each district, or for the selection of at-large candidates. For example, if the Republican candidates win 35 percent of the vote, they would control 35 percent of the seats in the delegation; if Democrats won 40 percent, they would represent 40 percent of the delegation; and if a third party such as the Libertarians or Greens won 10 percent of the vote, they would get to hold one in 10 seats. The basic principles underlying proportional representation elections are that all voters deserve representation and that all political groups in society deserve to be represented in our legislatures in proportion to their strength in the electorate. In other words, everyone should have the right to fair representation, the advocacy group FairVote states. 3. Its Tough for Third Parties to Get on the Ballot Third-party candidates have to clear greater hurdles to get on the ballot in many states, and its difficult to raise money and organize a campaign when youre busy gathering tens of thousands of signatures. Many states have closed primaries instead of open primaries, meaning only registered Republicans and Democrats can nominate candidates for the general election. That leaves third-party candidates at a significant disadvantage. Third party candidates have less time to file paperwork and must collect a greater number of signatures than do major party candidates in some states. 4. There Are Just Too Many Third Party Candidates There are third parties out there. And fourth parties. And fifth parties. There are, in fact, hundreds of small, obscure political parties and candidates who appear on ballots across the union in their names. But they represent a broad spectrum of political beliefs outside of the mainstream, and placing them all in a big tent would be impossible. In the 2016 presidential election alone, voters had dozens of third-party candidates to choose from if they were dissatisfied with Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. They could have voted instead for libertarian Gary Johnson; Jill Stein of the Green Party;  Darrell Castle of the Constitution Party; or Better for Americas Evan McMullin. There were socialist candidates, pro-marijuana candidates, prohibition candidates, reform candidates. The list goes on. But these obscure candidates suffer from a lack of  consensus, no common ideological  thread running through all of them. Simply put, theyre too splintered and disorganized to be credible alternatives to the major-party candidates.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

About Semiramis Also Known as Sammu-Ramat

About Semiramis Also Known as Sammu-Ramat Shamshi-Adad V ruled in the 9th century BCE, and his wife was named Shammuramat (in Akkadian). She was a regent after her husbands death for their son Adad-nirari III for several years.  At the time, the Assyrian Empire was considerably smaller than it was when later historians wrote of her. The legends of Semiramis (Sammu-Ramat or Shammuramat) are likely embellishments on that history. Semiramis at a Glance When: 9th century BCE Occupation:  legendary queen, warrior (neither she nor her husband, King Ninus, is on the Assyrian King List, a list on cuneiform tablets from ancient times) Also known as: Shammuramat Historical records Sources include Herodotus in his 5th century BCE. Ctesias, a Greek historian and physician, wrote about Assyria and Persia, opposing Herodotus history, publishing in the 5th century BCE. Diodorus of Sicily, a Greek historian, wrote Bibliotheca historia  between 60 and 30 BCE.  Justin, a Latin historian, wrote Historiarum Philippicarum libri XLIV, including some earlier material; he probably wrote in the 3rd century CE. Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus reports that she invented the idea of eunuchs, castrating males in their youth to be servants as adults. Her name appears in the names of many places in Mesopotamia and Assyria. Semiramis also appears in Armenian legends. The Legends Some legends have Semiramis raised by doves in the desert, born the daughter of the fish-goddess Atargatis. Her first husband was said to have been the governor of Nineveh, Menones or Omnes. King Ninus of Babylon became captivated by the beauty of Semiramis, and after her first husband conveniently committed suicide, he married her. That may have been the first of his two biggest mistakes in judgment. The second came when Semiramis, now Queen of Babylon, convinced Ninus to make her Regent for a Day. He did so - and on that day, she had him executed, and she took the throne. Semiramis is said to have had a long string of one-night-stands with handsome soldiers. So that her power would not be threatened by a man who presumed on their relationship, she had each lover killed after a night of passion. Theres even one story that the army of Semiramis attacked and killed the sun itself (in the person of the god Er), for the crime of not returning her love. Echoing a similar myth about the goddess Ishtar, she implored the other gods to restore the sun to life. Semiramis is also credited with a renaissance of building in Babylon and with the conquest of neighboring states, including the defeat of the Indian army at the Indus River. When Semiramis returned from that battle, the legend has her turning over her power to her son, Ninyas, who then had her killed. She was 62 years old and had ruled alone for almost 25 years (or was it 42?). Another legend has her marrying her son Ninyas and living with him before he had her killed. Armenian Legend According to Armenian legend, Semiramis fell in lust with the Armenian king, Ara, and when he refused to marry her, led her troops against the Armenians, killing him. When her prayers to raise him from the dead failed, she disguised another man as Ara and convinced the Armenians that Ara had been resurrected to life. History The truth? Records show that after the reign of Shamshi-Adad V, 823-811 B.C.E., his widow Shammuramat served as regent from 811 - 808 B.C.E. The rest of the real history is lost, and all that remains are stories, most certainly exaggerated, from Greek historians. Legacy of the Legend The legend of Semiramis attracted not only the attention of Greek historians but the attention of novelists, historians and other storytellers through the centuries since. Great warrior queens in history have been called the Semiramis of their times. Rossinis opera, Semiramide, premiered in 1823. In 1897, the Semiramis Hotel was opened in Egypt, built on the banks of the Nile. It remains a luxury destination today, near the Museum of Egyptology in Cairo. Many novels have featured this intriguing, shadowy queen. Dantes  Divine Comedy  describes her as being in the Second Circle of Hell, a place for those condemned to hell for lust:  She is Semiramis, of whom we read /  That she succeeded Ninus, and was his spouse; /  She held the land which now the Sultan rules.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Classical Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Classical Mythology - Essay Example He writes: "As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and therefore have no belief in 'tradition' or a common myth-kitty... To me the whole of the ancient world, the whole of classical and biblical mythology, means very little, and I think that using them today not only fills poems full of dead spots but dodges the poet's duty to be original." (Larkin 1983:69) Larkin has a right to his view but from what we have witnessed, literature from Renaissance till today is in awe of Greek and Roman mythological characters. And when we discuss mythology, we simply cannot ignore the role played by Homer in reinforcing myths. And one of his key epics dealing with images of classical mythology was Iliad. In this paper, we shall focus on the role of heroism in ancient world with reference to Iliad and how a modern hero borrows from ancient definition of a hero. Homer's Iliad presents the oldest yet most enduring picture of hero and heroism. Who is a hero and what constitutes heroism are questions that Iliad answers but in a manner which may not appeal to modern sensibilities. For us today, hero is a man of who is sensitive, courageous and responsible with compassion for the community. However apart from courage, no other attribute mattered for construction of a heroic figure in Greek epics of ancient times. Homer follows tradition when he creates heroe s and develops a heroic code in his work Iliad but there are occasions where the poet tried to deviate from conventional picture of a hero and from these deviations emerge a new and more reformed image of heroism. A modern day hero borrows from ancient picture of a hero in terms of enduring courage. However a serious distinction must be made here. When we talk about modern hero in this paper, we are only referring to modern mythical heroes like superman and Spiderman and not necessarily heroes in ordinary literature. This distinction is made because while in the ancient plays, heroes were people with extraordinary courage and strength, in modern literature, a protagonist is called a hero and he can be as weak or flawed as any ordinary person. Fishwick explains this difference in these words: "Different ages and cultures vary the heroic personality, but all heroes are true to their age. Whatever their situation, the motives they urge are elementary, the morality they advocate is obvious. History is not very effective without people, and people are ineffective without leaders. The search for heroes is inherent in human nature. Pre-literate societies allow men, heroes, and gods to stand on a footing of tolerable equality. In remote areas of the world men are still deified in their own lifetime. The idea of aloofness in super-human power comes late in history." (Fishwicck, 1954: 3) Homer's ideal hero may have many shades but he is invariably a traditional image of ruthless ambition and unbridled courage at least for most of the epic: "Everywhere can be found, reshaped according to shifting cultural standards, the ideal hero, chevalier sans pear et sans reproached, the crafty hero, the boaster, the grim and aging warrior, the slightly buffoonish hero, the aged king, the warrior virgin, the wise counselor, or the young reckless fighter." (Cedric H. Whitman: p. 26) Homer's heroes most notably, Achilles and Agamemnon were products of a society that weighed a man's worth in terms of public honor.

Modern management techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Modern management techniques - Essay Example It is noteworthy that construction as a process consists of a wide range of activities including building and infrastructure assembling. Examples of activities in the construction industry include residential construction, bridge erection, roadway paving, large-scale painting jobs, and demolitions. The management of the construction industry comprises of project manager among other personnel. The project manager ensures that there is smooth operation in the industry. Conversely, the construction manager and design engineer who assumes the role of a supervisor assists the manager. Construction is a hazardous involvement and construction workers are thus, exposed to hazards while delivering their services. These hazards include unguarded machinery, electrocutions, falling from rooftops, and acquisition of injuries from construction equipments. Therefore, the employers and workers need to work towards reducing these hazards. In order to achieve this, the identification, reduction, and hazard elimination is essential. Management, therefore, should work towards reducing these hazards, and failure to accomplish will lead to failure to accomplish organizational goals and objectives as described by Emre (2007, p.200). Effective and successful execution of activities industry achieved by putting in place effective planning, budgeting, scheduling, and ensuring safety in the construction site. Construction as a technical and complex process requires specialization, the four fields of construction that is; industrial construction, heavy, civil construction, residential building construction and commercial building construction require that the industry employ specialist in each field. Each of these construction projects should put in place a unique team, design, construction, and project maintenance with an effort of ensuring success in the industry. Technological changes in the modern society have profoundly

Friday, October 18, 2019

Journal Entry Week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal Entry Week 6 - Essay Example For instance, Sebenius notes that business dealings in China are influenced by local political groups even in private companies, which might surprise American business professionals (p.7). In case of Germany, major board-level decisions involve labor force participation. Cultural differences also cause serious confusion in identifying the actual decision makers. Different cultures follow different norms and have different meanings to trust, faith, relationship, and ethics. These differences could startle the ignorant business personnel. In some countries, decision rights are even vested with the shareholders, which could become terrible cause for concern when foreign companies invest in these shares; moreover, shareholder regulations are different in different countries. Sebenius also points out that informal influences can cause significant say in a deal; these informal groups can assume different forms in different countries (p.7). Hence, it is important to realize and understand w ho these informal groups are before signing any deals. Through illustrations explaining such influences of cultural difference, Sebenius attempts to clarify that cross-border negotiations would require acquisition of clear understanding of other cultures, their influential people, roles, and various other groups that might influence the negotiation and the business. Sebenius (p.10) also enlightens us with some suggestions to deal with people from different cultures to arrive at successful negotiations. For instance, in top-down authoritative cultures, negotiations must be made directly with the authoritarians rather than any subordinates; however, it is also important to obtain an awareness of other informal groups in such cultures. Negotiation process also differs in different cultures. In some cultures, the negotiators aim at win-win whereas in some they only think about their advantage. This article also introduces various types of

Quantitative data analysis( By using IBM SPSS ) Essay

Quantitative data analysis( By using IBM SPSS ) - Essay Example It helps to identify the case that has the outlying values. When the initial_output and final_output is taken together for a study, we must examine whether there are outliers in both these variables, unlike there is only one outlier in initial_output so that we can omit both of those extreme cases coming out of initial_output and final_output for any further analysis (like correlations, regression etc..) so that the statistical analyses would be perfect. The following tables and diagrams depict the same. Now by analysing the final_input and final_output variables together, we observe that only case number 58 is the outlier, shown in both the initial_output and final_output box plots. So we can omit that entry for analysis involving the variables initial_output and final_output. Interpretation: From the above t-table, we observe that there is a significant difference between the initial_output and final_output (t value is significant with probability 0.000) which indicates that the training programme is effective. From the above box plot, it is observed that the final output of the case number 58 is outlier, which indicates that in one weeks training programme, the output of case number 58 has tremendously improved in one week training programme compared to the other respondents. Also we notice that case numbers 37 and 55 are extreme low outliers in 1 week training programme. There is no effect of training programme for these outliers. Interpretation: From the above output, we observe that the final output of 1 week training programme is tremendously appreciable when compared to other training conditions ie. 1 day training programme or no training programme. The homogeneous subsets indicate that there is a significant difference between the 1 day and 1 week training programmes but there is no significant difference in the final output between

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Human Resource Info Systems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Human Resource Info Systems - Assignment Example the concerned scenario, it has been determined that Castle’s Family Restaurant can be termed as a chain of restaurants comprising eight restaurants spread all over north California. Presently, this restaurant chain is facing an issue regarding effective human resource (HR) management. The prime focus of this discussion will be towards effective evaluation of the current management issue within this restaurant chain. Special emphasis will be provided regarding the implication of Human Resources Information System (HRIS) within the functionality of this restaurant chain to increase the efficiency of the work process and simultaneously save significant amount of time as well as money. Based on the case scenario, it can be ascertained that the name of the business which is being assisted is Castle’s Family Restaurant, a restaurant chain business which is established in north California. It has got multiple branches spread all over the area. The restaurant chain can be considered as a large service sector operating within that area and by taking into consideration its current level growth within United States (US) market, it can be stated that the restaurant business has been attaining gradual success and profit. These restaurant business processes have also been significantly contributing in terms of the nation’s quarterly and annual gross domestic product (GDP) figures (National Restaurant Association, 2014). Taking about the business environment, it can be said that this restaurant chain employs a substantial workforce of around 300-340 employees who are placed in eight restaurants of the business. It serves multiple customers and thus requires effective management (Agarwal & Garg, 2012). Correspondingly, by taking into consideration the present management issue within this restaurant chain, it can be stated that the need of a centralized monitoring and control system is of paramount importance. Currently, the staff and the daily process management within

Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics - Research Paper Example Ethics assumes that people are rationale beings, and they are free. These assumptions are critical since they affect the level of people’s moral responsibility. Ethics involves two objects, which are physical or nonphysical. In the physical object involves the doer of an action while nonphysical object consists of the act being performed by the doer. Moral acts of human are viewed as being official ethical objects, because they comprise moral values. Therefore, in each decision that man makes, either in business or government, we are always subjected to approach such issues, if they are moral judgments, or whether they are objective. Ethics entails individuals to express insights in aspects of reality, instead of sheer feelings, requirements, decisions, or conventions among others. The aspect of ethics is based on theorizing it as an issue of free and intelligent decision that seeks the intelligent fit for what is right and acceptable in society. Ethics is founded on a set of ethical and moral principles. These principles are binding to all businesses and governments and must be seriously observed. The ethical values override all human rationalism, weakness, ego and personal errors. The government and business employers are integral in ensuring that the ethical aspects of society are upheld. There are numerous values that have spurred successful corporations to the peak of the business world, as they have managed to withstand the time test, and enhanced the development of such organizations. Ethics entails that businesses should be honest in their operations, toward their customers and surrounding community. Honest businesses are always observant of set legal laws and accountable to their mission. However, dishonest businesses are locked in continuous scandals that have not only split their reputation but as well led to critics questioning their ethical relevance. By partaking in highest ethical standards businesses is entailed to embrace integrity and w hich enables them to connote their strength and stability. Businesses that exhibit integrity indicate completeness as well as soundness in a person’s temperament and that of their organization. Similarly, companies that exhibit responsibility are considered to be ethical. Those that take accountability and responsibility for their actions, helped to maximize, on respect and cohesion, in society. Responsible businesses do not blame others, claim victimhood or pass the buck and refuse to take responsibility of what they have caused. Actions indicate the ability for one to be responsible both in little and massive things; thus ensuring that ethical values are maintained (Menzel, p.21). Ethics also entails businesses to provide quality products to their customers. Quality entails more than producing the best product but should comprise every aspect of the organization’s activities. Businesses that offer quality have a profound sense of self-respect, pride in achievement, a nd thoughtfulness that influences all things. Ethic is exhibited when businesses communicate professionalism and quality. Furthermore, ethics requires businesses to be trustworthy and respectful in their operations. Trust helps companies, to attain customer confidence, in their product and business, and it becomes exceedingly hard for a business to get it back, once it is lost. Conversely, respect is considered to

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Human Resource Info Systems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Human Resource Info Systems - Assignment Example the concerned scenario, it has been determined that Castle’s Family Restaurant can be termed as a chain of restaurants comprising eight restaurants spread all over north California. Presently, this restaurant chain is facing an issue regarding effective human resource (HR) management. The prime focus of this discussion will be towards effective evaluation of the current management issue within this restaurant chain. Special emphasis will be provided regarding the implication of Human Resources Information System (HRIS) within the functionality of this restaurant chain to increase the efficiency of the work process and simultaneously save significant amount of time as well as money. Based on the case scenario, it can be ascertained that the name of the business which is being assisted is Castle’s Family Restaurant, a restaurant chain business which is established in north California. It has got multiple branches spread all over the area. The restaurant chain can be considered as a large service sector operating within that area and by taking into consideration its current level growth within United States (US) market, it can be stated that the restaurant business has been attaining gradual success and profit. These restaurant business processes have also been significantly contributing in terms of the nation’s quarterly and annual gross domestic product (GDP) figures (National Restaurant Association, 2014). Taking about the business environment, it can be said that this restaurant chain employs a substantial workforce of around 300-340 employees who are placed in eight restaurants of the business. It serves multiple customers and thus requires effective management (Agarwal & Garg, 2012). Correspondingly, by taking into consideration the present management issue within this restaurant chain, it can be stated that the need of a centralized monitoring and control system is of paramount importance. Currently, the staff and the daily process management within

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Environmental Problems and Solutions Case Study

Environmental Problems and Solutions - Case Study Example Whenever more energy has been trapped than needed, it effect can increase the climate of the earth. There are certain reasons because of which these gases trap more energy than needed. Nature has kept the atmosphere in such a balance that any meddling in its route or cycle may harm the entire cycle. The present atmosphere of our planet is according to needs of human body. But time and again man has meddled with this cycle. The excessive use of explosives either during the war or on testing basis is the basic reason for the increase in global atmosphere. The explosives used in the wars carry dangerously poisonous and hot gases that mix with the greenhouse gases 2and result in the trap of more heat than needed. Similarly, the factories emit poisonous gases. Here the developed countries like USA and EU are the greater contributors, because they have more factories than the rest of the world. The underdeveloped countries are also adding to this global warming because the vehicles used are normally so deplorably in a bad condition that they emit many times more poisonous smoke than the normal order. These haphazard practices of human beings are resulting in certain damages to the natural cycle of life. The global temperature has been changed rapidly. ... The ecosystem of our planet is also getting becoming chaotic, because of the human folly. This folly creates a vicious circle, where each problem exacerbates other problems which feedbacks into each other. A recent research of population trends, climate change, increasing pollution and emerging diseases found that 40 percent of deaths in the world could be attributed to environmental factors. Actually the ecosystem3 has been set in such a way that every species depends on the other. If one gets disturbed or destroyed, the other will definitely suffer. Sometimes even the entire species are wiped out because of certain human irregularities and indiscipline. The ozone layer is also getting damaged day by day. The destruction of ozone layer is also increasing the UV-radiation, that combined with higher ocean temperature, cause the reduction in carbon dioxide trapping mechanism of the oceanic phytoplankton biomass ,which adds to global warming process. When the warming reaches a certain level, it releases huge amounts of greenhouse gasses trapped in the permafrost. This enhances the global warming, and the polar destruction of ozone, and so on. Global warming also results in the rise of sea level. The general scientific law that liquid expands on heating is quite applicable to the rise in sea level. When the seawater gets warm, its level rises 4resulting in irreparable loss and damage to the land. Many islands disappear completely. Millions dollars worth property and business is obliterated in a few seconds. History is witness to the fact that more people have died by the after effects of the natural catastrophe than the catastrophe itself. Floods and

Monday, October 14, 2019

Anchoring and Adjustment Essay Example for Free

Anchoring and Adjustment Essay Negotiator biases are an important part of knowing how to present a negotiation in the most positive light. Negotiators must also be flexible in offering that which the party or parties find acceptable. A bias to be discussed will be that of anchoring that part of a negotiation the negotiate is willing to accept. A second bias is that of framing the outcome for the party as enticing as possible. Availability of information will be the final bias discussed. In discussing these biases the goal is to become a negotiator capable of avoiding these through heightened awareness. Anchoring and Adjustment What is it about the product or presentation you are offering that is attractive to the other party that will create a positive outcome. The bias of anchoring and adjustment is applying appropriate value to the service, product, or presentation being offered. An example would be purchasing a product on e-bay. One of the attractions of bidding on e-bay, is the automatic bidding feature. The buyer places a particular value upon the product. The seller may or may not have a set price. For the purpose of this example, the seller has not set a particular price. The product is a prized, hard to find Christmas item that your three year old child must have. While you are willing to make a sacrifice, what is the sacrifice worth to you? The buyer puts into play a price that is reasonable to him/her. While also putting in the maximum amount he/she is willing to pay for the product. The minimum bid is placed at 500 dollars. A friend of yours knew you were seeking this particular item for your child and offers to sell the item for 750 dollars. An anchor has been set, a specific value on the item your child desires. One advantage is that you can see the condition of the item, where the e-bay seller has offered a picture. Framing Outcomes Framing outcomes presents a bit more complex bias in negotiation situation. Risk is introduced as a threat to the negotiation process. This bias is one in which the negotiator must be able to know the different types of risk and guess at the risk another party is willing to accept. In the example set above, all three risks could be put into action or play. The buyer could decide to be risk-neutral and attempt to bring the friends price to the acceptable offer of the maximum bid offered on e-bay. The second option is risk-averse which would be to accept the neighbors offer without negotiation, in other words the offer is accepted without challenge. The third option, risk-seeker would involve the person willing to accept the loss if the he/she is outbid on e-bay and thus the childs disappointment. Missing a cue such as the willingness to take risk could be vital in the outcome of the process. The neighbor in our scenario definitely has the advantage of the endowment effect. As owner of the desired item he/she is most likely placing a higher value on the prized Christmas toy that may be acceptable. The effect of ownership serves as a bias in that the item has come to have more value, in the mind of the seller. A situation which may leave the seller holding a useless toy, once the holiday season has passed. Availability of Information This would seem to be one of the most vital parts in negotiation. The negotiator should have most if not all the information that is possibly available. However, it seems likely, that this step though important could also be easily missed. The article pointed out that information can easily be misconstrued due to the attachment a person may or may not have to the process. Continuing in the example of the desired toy; How vital has it become in the buyers mind to attain the toy for the child? Have there been news reports showing long lines and large shortages of the availability of the toy? Have advertisements for the desired item been more frequent, thus making the item much more valuable to the child? How willing is the parent to avoid tears and disappointment on Christmas morning? In the process of negotiation the importance of information, must in some way, be mined by the negotiator to create the desired outcome. Knowledge is always a valuable thing, whether this is revealed to the relevant parties is not important. The negotiator should know about the parties being worked with, as well as the desired outcome and that which makes the outcome desirable. Conclusion Awareness of the biases in negotiation are important to the would be person who chooses to arbitrate or mediate in decision-making. The three problems outlined above are all important and complex. The arbitrator must have the skill of being able to know the value of that outcome which is most desirable and palatable. The negotiator should have an excellent working knowledge of human behavior and those actions that may come into play during a negotiation. The negotiator must be willing to study and learn, not only the process of negotiation, but what makes the desired outcome, just that? An arbitrator or mediator works toward an outcome agreeable to all parties, creating a win-win situation, known or unknown to the involved parties. Awareness of negotiator biases provides access to those traps a negotiator may become entangled. Through higher knowledge and awareness the would be negotiator should be able to avoid those biases before becoming a problem.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Encroachment in the North East Region of Nigeria

Encroachment in the North East Region of Nigeria DESERTIFICATION OR DESERT ENCROACHMENT can result from a change in climate or from human action, and it is often difficult to distinguish between the two. This has commonly led to confusion and misconceptions. A temporary or long-continued deterioration of climate may accentuate the harmful consequences of human occupation of the land and vice versa. It has often been suggested that mans activities have resulted in climatic deterioration, but this is difficult to substantiate. In any case it is important to attempt to assess the relative contribution of climate and man in the process of desertification in order to decide on the ameliorative measures that can best be taken and to estimate the likelihood of their success. Deserts are not expanding everywhere in Africa. Irrigation has converted what had been desert into highly productive cropland; afforestation has at least locally reclaimed the waste. However it is widely thought that the Sahara, the Kalahari and other desert and semi-desert regions are expanding. Why should this assumption be made? It has not always been based, I would suggest, on sound evidence. Students of classical writings in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were led to conclude that North Africa had been much more highly productive in Roman times. Many of them were inclined to explain the deterioration in terms of desiccation, though as early as 1828 the Copenhagen botanist Schow showed that it was unlikely that the temperature and rainfall of the region were very different in classical times from his own. Colonial administrators in the early twentieth century, comparing conditions at the tropical desert margins with those described by late nineteenth century explorers and seeing the ruins of ancient imperial capitals in the Western Sudan, also convinced themselves that the rainfall was diminishing Foresters and agriculturalists dismayed by the destructive land use practices of cultivators and graziers, so different from those they knew in north-west Europe, warned the governments of the African colonies of the dangers that threatened. As a result the idea of desert expansion, of an advancing Sahara, became firmly rooted  in the minds of the public at large. At the present day we find popular works on environmental deterioration conveying the same messages. Thus the Ehrlichs write the vast Sahara desert itself is largely man-made, the result of overgrazing, faulty irrigation, deforestation, perhaps combined with a shift in the course of a jet stream. Today the Sahara is advancing southward on a broad front at a rate of several miles per year. The recent dry years and their consequences may seem to substantiate such crude assessments of the situation. The African deserts are not man-made dustbowls; they are to be ascribed primarily to the continents geographical position. Africa lies almost entirely within 30 ° of the equator and a large part of its total area is occupied by dry descending air and receives little rain. Furthermore, the temperatures at low altitudes are generally high throughout most of the year so that water losses from land and water surfaces are high, especially in the tropical regions of low rainfall and relative humidity. The Sahara and the Kalahari are to be explained primarily in these terms. The Namib desert is associated with the cold Benguela current offshore, and in East Africa locally dry and semi-desert areas lie in the lee of highlands which have already drained the moist air masses from the oceans. Nevertheless, there are very extensive marginal areas where land use practices determine whether they shall be productive or unproductive in the long term. A great deal has been learned about African deserts in the last few decades. Aerial and space photography and the work of scientists in a number of fields have greatly extended our ability to appreciate the nature of the desert lands and the processes at work on their margins. We have the long series of publications of UNESCOs Arid Zone Research Symposia; there have been WMO and FAO studies of semi-arid regions; the University of Arizona has published Deserts of the World, an appraisal of research into their physical and biological environments (1968) and Arid Lands in Perspective (1969). The publications of the Pan-African Congresses on Prehistory and the Quaternary, of ASEQUA (Association Senegalaise pour lEtude du Quaternaire de lOuest Africain), and of Dr van Zinderen Bakker in his series on the Palaeoecology of Africa have  brought together the results of the investigations of a host of geologists, geographers,  archaeologists, botanists and other specialists, all of whose w ork has a bearing on the subject we are considering. Soil scientists and hydrologists, foresters and agriculturalists, anthropologists and historians have all made their contributions to our pool of information and we should now be in a much better position to view the whole question of desertification in its true perspective than were our predecessors a generation ago. Let us try to do this, by examining first the question of changing climates, then the nature of human interference, and finally the ways of measuring desert encroachment and the possible means of taking action against it. It has not been found possible to distinguish clearly any simple long term trends or regular periodicities in the climate, though many attempts have been made to do so, and it is necessary to adopt an empirical historical approach to the subject. In tracing what is known of the history of Africas climate it is useful to gain perspective by looking at the changes over the last century against the background of the last several thousand years. As pointed out by R. O. Whyte, we should distinguish major changes in climate, in or out of pluvial lasting thousands of years, from minor changes lasting hundreds of years, and from variations or trends which are experienced for 10 to 50 years.1 Each time-scale has its own biological significance. The shorter period variations are superimposed on the longer period fluctuations, and we must recognize  that as we attempt to penetrate further into the past, so our ability to distinguish minor oscillations diminishes and only the major changes can be detected. The role of man:- Mans role in desert encroachment is a very ancient one. He has known how to make fire since late Acheulian times; for almost 10,000 years he has herded his animak at the desert margins and grown his crops in the more favoured areas. He has established large settlements and cut wood for fuel and buildings over a similar period. Burning of the vegetation is possibly not a very important agency in the process of desertification; grass and trees in vulnerable areas are generally too sparse to burn readily. An exception to this general rule might be woodland alongside watercourses which has probably been largely eliminated in many semi-arid regions of Africa, possibly by fire. Gallery forest is a prominent feature of the savanna lands, and the concentration of what vegetation there is in deserts like the Sahara alongside watercourses is very striking. In the intermediate zones, streamside vegetation is sometimes less evident than one might expect it to be. Burning might possibly be the ex planation. A careful study of ERTS imagery would throw much light on the timing and areal incidence of burning. Heavy grazing by wild animals cannot be entirely ruled out as a cause of desert encroachment in the past. Certainly the eighteenth and early nineteenth century accounts of the enormous herds of antelope at the margins of the Kalahari and in the arid parts of Kenya, for example, suggest that their effect on the vegetation must have been very great. Animal populations increase and decrease in waves and the peak populations may not coincide with the maximum availability of food. However, the balance between available food and the bio-mass is probably better kept by wild animal species with varied food preferences than by man and his livestock. It seems likely that browsing and grazing by wild animals may maintain grassland conditions and that with their replacement by domestic animals woodland made up of thorny species of shrubs and trees may replace the grass. This seems to have occurred notably in the Karoo of southern Africa in recent decades. Bush has moved east and north replacing sweet grass veld, while extensive areas in the west are said to have become virtual desert. The nomads and their herds of cattle, roaming the margins of the Sahara, resemble game animals on Serengeti in adjusting their movements to the availability of water and pasture. However their movements have been increasingly restricted by political frontiers, taxation arrangements, and the occupation of grazing land by agriculturalists. Particularly important in this respect are the dry seasons grazing lands that have been taken over for irrigation. At the margins of the Kalahari, the pastoralists of eastern Botswana live in large villages and take their herds out over the extensive gracing land to the west in the dry season. This seems to be a sensible response to the natural conditions. However, there is always a tendency for the herds to build up in good years and then the numbers are kept high in dry years so that the pastures are eaten out. In recent years the risks of desertification as a result of overgrazing has increased as a result of three factors: The increase in numbers of livestock in many areas, e.g., north-east Nigeria. It would be useful to have more information about this. Doubling of numbers in a decade seems to have occurred in some areas, although livestock numbers are notoriously inaccurate. The increasing proportion of cattle in small herds often belonging to sedentary cultivators and herded by small boys, who cannot wander far, resulting in local overgrazing while other areas with pasture -main ungrazed. The provision of water in certain areas, such as parts of the artesian basin near Lake Chad, resulting in cattle remaining near wells and eating out the grazing round about instead of moving off to the rivers and other areas with dry season water and grass. The risks of serious deterioration are greatest when a succession of good years is followed by a period of long-continued drought. Woodcutting is a serious matter in many areas. Pastoralists are partly to blame. In places like Tibesti they cut foliage to feed their camels and use branches to build enclosures for their goats. However it might be noted that a considerable part of the woody growth in some areas springs from posts that were used for the enclosures and have taken root. Another threat comes from the demand for fuel in towns. The people in the surrounding countryside find the sale of wood to the townpeople a useful supplement to their meager cash incomes. K. J. Mortimore and J. Wilson have estimated that nearly three-quarters of Kano citys firewood consumption of some 75,000 tons per year for its population of 300,000, is brought in by donkeys mainly from within a radius of about 20 km. Although there is a return cargo of manure (over 10 per cent of the total applied to the intensely cultivated fields around the city), this trade represents the felling of thousands of trees every year. As Kano and simi lar towns grow at rates of 5-10 per cent annually, one can expect the woodland around to become very sparse. Alongside roads, at a distance from the larger settlements, wide areas are also being cleared by people who add to their income by making charcoal which is then carried into town by passing lorries. When the woodland has disappeared from such areas only animal dung remains for fuel for local consumption, and all the sylvan produce, honey, fruits and beans, medicaments and so on, are lost. Woodland in agricultural areas, as in the Sudan zone and the Sahel, is particularly important. It provides foodstuff for animals and man; it brings up nutrients from below that are released to the base-poor sandy soils from the decaying leaves and from the substances washed off the leaves; it brakes the speed of the wind, reduces the rate of evaporation at the end of the rains and the risk of soil blowing away towards the end of the dry season, and it provides shade for man and beast. Not least, it has an aesthetic value in improving the appearance of the landscape. Particularly important is the Winterthorn, Acacia albida, which is in leaf during the dry season and yields beans from great woody pods before the rains come. Multiplication of this tree should be  encouraged throughout the Sudan and Sahel. Cultivation in marginal areas during periods of higher than normal rainfall is especially dangerous, and is perhaps the main cause of desertification against which it may be necessary to take preventive action. When dry years follow years of relative plenty, ploughed soil-or soil from which the sparse cover of natural plants has been eliminated by cultivation-is at the mercy of the winds. The fine clays and silts are carried away as dust, and the sand drifts into dunes.The effect is likely to be irreversible except at great cost. Measuring the rate of desert encroachment In 1882 land classified as either desert or wasteland amounted to 9-4 percent of the total land on Earth. In 1952 it had risen to 23-3 percent. I give this quotation not because it is true but because it is meaningless. No definitions are given and it is not dear whether the difference between the figures is the result of the spread of desert conditions or, much more likely, whether definitions of desert and availabi lity of knowledge were different on the two occasions. However, it does bring out the point that it is extremely difficult to measure and state in numerical terms the rate of desert encroachment-though less difficult now than it was in the past. In the past there has been a good deal of reliance on such indicators as the  movement of towns and tribes, and on the chance observations of travelers and the tales they were told. Writing in 1921, F. Migeod noted that the capital of Kanem was shifted to positions successively further south; Bovill brought together additional historical evidence of the encroachment of the Sahara on the Sudan. Both were writing soon after the dry period of the early twentieth century. In 1935 E. T. Stebbing produced a map of West Africa showing the present advance of sand and attempted to estimate its rate of progress. The basis for all such calculations was very flimsy, but figures of 200 km. in 200 years were commonly given. The rainfall gradient from south to north in West Africa is remarkably regular and mean values diminish northwards by about 100 mm. per 100 km. in the Sahelian zone, so that the kinds of changes in the precipitation that are likely to have taken place cannot alone explain suc h a shift. All the writers pointed to the depredations of nomads, firing of forest lands and so on. Similar alarm bells were rung in East and South Africa and in all these areas government commissions were appointed to investigate. They confirmed that rainfall was not progressively decreasing, but agreed that the vegetation cover was deteriorating and in some areas water-tables were falling and rivers drying up. There is an interesting exception to the usual story of Hearing of the vegetation  being followed by a fall in the water-table. It was found in northern Nigeria in the 1950s that in spite of the spread of cultivation and the destruction of woodland in western Bornu, in the preceding 25 years the water-table had risen phenomenally, levels rising in some wells by more than 100 feet and perennial springs breaking out to feed small lakes.84 It was postulated that the destruction of woodland, by reducing the loss by transpiration of water brought up from depth by the tree roots, had increased the volume left to percolate deeply into the pervious sedimentary rocks. Similar reports come from West Australia and East Africa, and it seems that we may not be able to use the height of the water table by itself as a sound indicator of desertification. On the whole we are concerned with the vegetation cover, its completeness or  otherwise, its composition and its productivity. In assessing the rate of change in any or all of these we are faced with the difficulties of very great variability over short distances according to soil, slope, availability of water and, above all, intensity and manner of land use. Quantitative assessments of the plant cover at a particular place and at a particular time can now be made by using suitable sampling and statistical procedures, and extrapolating from the sample areas by using aerial photographs and other methods of remote sensing. It may be possible to monitor changes in the situation from season to season by satellite observations. Changes over a long period of time can now be assessed by comparing air photographs taken at intervals of 25 years in many of the  desert marginal areas. The Trimetrigon photography taken by the US Air Force of much of Africa during the Second World War could b e particularly useful in this respect (consisting of strips of vertical photos with obliques on either side). In some areas, such as Morocco and parts of southern Africa, photographic cover is available spanning an even longer interval of time. Opportunities for comparative studies of this kind do not seem to have been widely exploited and might be encouraged. One of the more interesting attempts to use air photographs to trace the shifting of the edge of the desert  is that of M. Clos-Arceduc who, from a study of the nature of the vegetation patterns in the Sahelian zone known as brousse tigree has come to the conclusion that they indicate a shift south of the vegetation zones through 150 km. in the Niamey region over 2 centuries or less. Combating Desert Encroachment Except for arid areas that yield oil, and the limited irrigated areas near the Nile, Niger, Senegal and Lake Chad, the lands at the margins of African deserts are poor and not likely to be highly productive. There is little to be said in favour of great schemes for climatic amelioration involving, for example, the diversion of great rivers such as the Zambesi and the creation (or reconstitution) of great lakes like those that existed in the humid periods of the Pleistocene. Such lakes would be extremely expensive to make, they would flood land which is now productive, and it is unlikely that they would lead to an increase of rainfall that would yield returns in any way commensurate with the costs involved. It is conceivable that the destruction of rain forest in the Congo basin, for  example, may have reduced the rainfall of areas further from the equator; by how much it is impossible to say. There is no question of afforestation in such a region on a scale sufficient to restore th e situation. In special circumstances cloud-seeding may be found to be rewarding, and it is possible that in the future ways will be found of modifying the general circulation advantageously. I would not regard any of these as being of much concern to us at present. At present, populations in the semi-arid lands of the continent are increasing at rates of about 3 per cent annually, as they are elsewhere in Africa. In the near future, however, it is possible that the rural population, especially the pastoral population, may decline. This has already happened in parts of the Sahara and Libya affected by oil production. There are three trends that are more generally effective. Firstly, young people going to school are becoming literate and have greater expectations than their parents had; secondly, people are consuming more and have the desire to consume more than they did; thirdly, people are congregating more near roads and in large towns. It is just as important to keep track of these changes in the human geography of the desert margins as it is to monitor changes in the vegetation cover and to calculate trends in precipitation. If effective measures are to be taken against desertification, the people involved must be persuaded of the advantages to themselves. Wherever possible measures should be of a positive rather than of a restrictive character. Thus, if it is inevitable that people are going to concentrate in large settlements in sensitive areas, then as well as attempting to regulate the felling of trees for fuel and timber, authorities may be able to cheapen alternative supplies of fuel and construction materials, provide young fruit trees at low cost, and so on. Perhaps the main problems are presented by pastoralists, whose traditional  systems do not fit neatly into the framework of a modern state. Nomadic flexibility is an advantage to people living in fluctuating, marginal environmental conditions, and nomadic mobility allows good use to be made of variable grazing. Settlement of pastoralists is expedient politically and has some economic advantages, but the greater rigidity seems to involve considerable risks of disaster when the drought years come again, as they will. In UNESCOs Use and Conservation of the Biosphere, it is noted that nomadism as a careful pastoral continuum is the least traumatic of human influences and as a form of husbandry utilizes areas which could not be utilized by man in any other way. I think we have yet to find a better alternative.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Films and Media Misrepresenting Race Essay -- Matrix Racism Blacks Ess

Films and Media Misrepresenting Race abstract: In many ways technology makes access to academic work, research and employment easier and faster. However, I am concerned that technology is too often chosen over humanity. Historically,representations of African Americans in technological media tend to value "white" bodies at the expense of Black bodies (Stam and Spence, 1983). Further, recent studies show (Zickmund 2000), in fact, the ways in which some World Wide Web sites make it easier for hate groups to spread their misinformation, contributing to the devaluation of black bodies in technological media. Together, these media representations can be understood in terms of a digital devide between technological "haves" and "have-nots". Film and new media play integral roles in misrepresenting race. The film,The Matrix, reflects these problematic representations of race. Yet it provides critical metaphors for African Americans who contend that we are controlled by beings other than ourselves, and that our bodies must first b e filtered through white bodies to be considered valuable. introduction The 1999 movie The Matrix is considerably more than entertainment for me. It experiments with the idea that we are all pawns of other beings. The Matrix leads the viewer into a world where humans are controlled by secret mechanical forces wishing to enslave humanity. Through critical thinking the humans in The Matrix are able to break the chains of bondage and reclaim their divine nature. Like the characters in The Matrix, I have often felt that I was trapped in an alternate reality, that everyone else around me is trapped as well, pawns in a game, and more importantly, I wonder what would happen if we resisted... ...e Spence, "Colonialism, Racism, and Representation: An Introduction," from Braudy, Leo and Cohen, Marshall, eds. Film Theory and Criticism 5th. ed. (New York : Oxford University Press,1999) Crane, David, "In Medias Race," from Kolko, Nakamura, Rodman, eds., Race In Cyberspace (New York: Routledge,2000) Marx, Leo, "Information Technology in Historical Perspective," from High Technology and Low-Income Communities (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999) Mitchell, William, "The City of Bits Hypothesis", in High Technology and Low-Income Communities (Cambridge,MIT Press, 1999) Latimer, Christopher P. "New York State Forum for Information Resource Management Rockefeller Institute of Government". (Albany, NY:NYSFIRM, 2001) Zickmund, Susan "Approaching The Radical Other: the Discursive culture of Cyberhate" from the Cyberculture Reader (London/New York: Routhledge,2000)

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Why Did People Vote for the Nazi Party

Why did people vote for the Nazi party? ~ Young Unemployed Man 1929 I have decided to vote for the Nazi party. Right now our country is in a depression, and our people are suffering from misery and poverty. Adolf Hitler has promised to make our country a better place by overcoming these problems. His plans for us are so great. He believes in a brighter future for our country. We shall see his dream appearing before our very eyes. In a speech Adolf Hitler gave; he said, â€Å" I’ve made it clear the German nation will be restored only when the German people find their inner strength once more! He believes in our people and our country. He wants the country to become a better place not only for him but also his supporters. He believes he is able to restore our country to its former glory, before World War 2 and the treaty of Versailles. He believes in creating a pure nation, made up of only us Germans. He shows the true weaknesses of democracy. The weaknesses only some people k now of, he shows how unorganized and chaotic their business is.He wants to show us that we have made the wrong decisions in the past and that there can be a new future. A future, which will be filled with hope and discipline. This hope helps us to continue on, and look forward to the future. The promises he made goes out to everyone of all classes, but the most important one he made was to give work to the unemployed. Unemployment is the reason why the country is failing. So when the Nazi party is elected I can finally feed my family again, we can keep warm in the winter and maybe even afford little luxuries.The country will no longer be seen as a disappointment but as a haven, for those people like me, who have nothing but a few scrapes to live off of. The Nazi party has made big promises in which I believe will help our country achieve success. Not only that but it will benefit all of us in the country. All other parties’ promises seem like a disappointment in comparision. Those promises are only a minor achievement but our country wants to create power and purity. â€Å"Heil Hitler! †

Methods of Research

Price Scientist conducts research on a daily basis. The purpose of this research is exploration, description, explanation, and application. In the area of criminal Justice things are getting researched all of the time. Take murder for example, the police have to explore to find out what actually happened. They have to describe the events leading up the the murder. They have to explain the facts to try and come up with a suspect. Finally, they have to use the process of application to put it all together so they can make an arrest.When using the different purposes of research it Is important to examine each purpose by Itself because each purpose has Its own different aspect when It comes to research design. The exploration stage Is the first stage that researchers begin with when using research methods. â€Å"This stage is typically done for three purposes: to satisfy the researcher does curiosity and desires for better understand, to test the feasibility of undertaking a more extens ive study, and to develop the methods to be employed in any subsequent studies. (Grossman, 2014) A researcher will use the exploration take of research when they want to find out about something that there is little known about. Take drugs for example; let's say a researcher wants to find out how bad the drug problem is in the United States. There are a couple categories that a researcher may want to explore. Such as; â€Å"how many were arrested for drug sales or possession each year and how many hours per day do drug dealers work and how much do they make? † (Misfield & Babble, 2009) The next purpose of research is description. The researcher explores and then describes what they explored.For example; the U. S. Census, â€Å"the goal of the census Is to describe accurately and precisely several characteristics of the U. S. Population, including race/ethnicity, age, sex, household size, and income. † (Grossman, 2014) The description stage is widely used in the crimina l Justice field. For example; it is used to describe a certain crime problem that a certain city or state may be having. It can be used to measure how much burglary is committed in the city of Joplin, Missouri. The descriptive stage is used to answer the questions what, when, where, and how something happened.The third stage of research is the explanation stage. The explanation stage attempts to describe why something happened. The description and the explanation stages work together. The descriptive stage explains what happened the explanation stage explains why It happened. Take the burglary rate In Joplin the descriptive stage tells you how much burglary Is committed and the explanation stage will tell you why burglary is committed in Joplin. Application research: evaluation and policy and problem analysis. An example would be â€Å"determining whether a program designed to reduce burglary actually had the intended effect. (Maxwell & Babble, 2009) Criminal Justice organizations gather all their research from exploration, description, and explanation in the application process to come up with a conclusion for all their research. There are four different stages of research that the criminal Justice organizations use to find answers to things that are unknown and also to find out the what, where, when how, and why things happen. Most researches that are done contain all four stages of research. For example take auto theft. A researcher would use the exploration stage to learn about the case.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Modern Accounting Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern Accounting Systems - Essay Example Contrary to ‘paper-based accounting systems’, where older documentations are hard to assess because the amount of paper rises with the passage of time, modern systems can conveniently show old records as well as trends supported by past years. Executives can check with old financial plans and cost data to advance existing estimations. When exterior circumstances modify, modern systems have the capability to forecast outcomes for various situations, letting administration to develop estimating with forecasts for all eventualities. While not capable of eliminating ‘human error’, modern accounting systems have confirmation abilities that lessen the occurrence of such mistakes. â€Å"Once the data is entered correctly, it is permanently captured and reading errors are eliminated† (Turner & Weickgennant, 2008). Programmers can configure fields so that the system just allows information in the right design. They can inflict information confirmation so the s ystem verifies whether the information is rational, and discards it if it is not. These actions perk up the accurateness of information as well as the consistency of management estimates, lessening costly errors within operations based on such information.The objective of nearly all companies is to make a profit. Accounting lets company owners to trace report and evaluate their company’s financial records. Accounting offers information involving â€Å"earnings, the cost of merchandise sold, operating expense, assets, liabilities and owner’s equity†.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Globalization and neoliberalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Globalization and neoliberalism - Essay Example With the Indian neighborhood, they act out their Indian culture. Specifically, the youth act out their Indian American youth culture. Such culture is characterized as musical and dance to the fusion of American hip hop, techno, and reggae with Hindi film music and bhangra. In addition, the Indian American youth they use Indian style nose rings and bindis to complete their cultural trimmings. The American Indians Indian body art to complete their Indian American description (Maira 33). John Clarke, Stuart Hall, and other theorists belonging to the Birmingham school emphasized the American Indians create a unique culture by setting up social rituals which underpin their collective identity and define them as group. The group adopts and adapts material objects and acknowledges them in distinctive styles which express the collectivity embodied in rituals of relationship and occasion and movement. This can be called ritual. Ritual is used in the sense of cultural practice that makes an â€Å"agreement† between enduring cultural structures and the current situation. The Birmingham theorists classified the second generation Indian Americans as a subculture. The latter blurred the link between the cultural construction of youth as a distinct category and the creation of a teenage market (Maira 34). The Birmingham theorists emphasized the Indian youth culture are based on rituals that resist the values inherent in the dominant culture or the overall disposition of cultural power in society as a whole. The creation of a subculture is to comply with the personal, economic, and political crisis that American Indian youth are confronted as they reach adulthood. David Harvey (Harvey 25) affirms the Maira theory of Neoliberalism. The American Indian youth must survive in the American Environment. To do so, the American Indian must comply with neoliberalism concepts. Under the concept, the American Indian â€Å"blends† into the American economic environment in order

Monday, October 7, 2019

Business in china and korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business in china and korea - Essay Example The conflicts with North Korea prevented South Korea from concentrating more in economic sector. In short, doing business in a country depend on many internal and external parameters. This paper briefly analyses the business prospects in Chin and Korea. Mao Zedong was succeeded in implementing a cultural revolution in China through the October revolution. But it is difficult to recognize Mao as the architect of modern China. Deng the visionary leader followed by Mao was the architect of modern China. Mao was more adamant in the implementation of the tight communist principles whereas Deng has given the communist principles more liberal look and a human face. Mao was more focussed on ideological warfare and class struggle whereas Deng shifted his attention towards the practicability of communist principle in economic progress. Lieberthal (2003) has mentioned that the political considerations in Beijing dictated the pace and thrust of the reform process throughout the 1980’s (Lieberthal, 2003, p.123). Mao failed to recognize that the biggest population of China need more practical solutions than the one mentioned in the communist manifesto. On the other hand, Deng realized that for China like a heavily populated country, princ iples on papers may not help and practical solutions were required. Gittings, (2005) has mentioned that political reformation process undertaken by Deng was the result of his realization that the economic reforms would be ineffective unless the party could also be reformed (Gittings, 2005, p.173). Politics were dictating the Chinese administration before Deng and it was difficult for the business people to start a private business in China before the Deng administration. Deng has realized that the government alone may not be able to tackle China’s problems and the cooperation of the private capital is essential for the