The Themes of Love and Loss in My Last Duchess, La Belle...

The Themes of Love and Loss in My Last Duchess, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, When we Two Parted, and Villegiature Works Cited Missing The poems, My Last Duchess, La Belle Dame Sans Merci and When We Two Parted and Villegiature by Robert Browning (1812-1889), John Keats (1795-1821), Lord Byron (1788-1824) and Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) respectively, have all been written in the nineteenth century. All these poems deal with the different aspects of love and the different attitudes of lovers towards their beloved, after parting or during times away from each other (Villegiature). Brownings My Last Duchess shows the possessive and dominant type of love where the Duke, who is speaking throughout†¦show more content†¦But, what people in such relationships fail to realise until it is too late is the downside to this sort of relationship, not only for the dominated, but also for the dominating, as such an obsession with ruling over another eventually led the Duke to murder his wife. Though most people would not have taken as drastic a measure as the Duke, the poet probably uses such a negatively powerful result to emphasize on the harmful aspects of such a relationship. Also, this poem follows a strict rhyme scheme and has a conversational rhythm. It is written in iambic pentameter, which probably conveys the conflict within himself between what he says and what he really is - a murderer! Furthermore, this sort of communion does not hold many positive aspects for the partner who lets himself/herself be controlled by the other either. In La Belle Dame S ans Merci, the knight says, And that is why I sojourn here/Alone and palely loitering/Though the sedge has witherd from the lake/And no birds sing, the sad condition of the knight here emphasizes on the downbeat to this type of love and the sad, lonely image (from winter) is used to create a greater impact on the reader. This dominating type of affection

Main Theories Of Major Political Thinkers Essay - 3882 Words

Introduction: Major political thinkers provide so many theories about forms of state and government, qualities of citizens and qualities of rulers as well as about social and economic development of a state. They also provide anticipation about how the political situation of the world may be changed with the change of decades. Their intention behind the giving of these theories was to give an idea about a refined form of state and government. But all theories of major political thinkers cannot be applied in the modern world due to their limitations. We can see some of the theories are completely inapplicable; some are partly applicable in the modern world and applying all of their theories we cannon ensure the best result we desire. In this paper we will discuss the theories of major political thinkers and the limitations of the theories that create obstruction in terms of appliaction in the modern world. Now here appears a question, among a huge numbers of political thinkers who are the ‘m ajor’ political thinkers. A thinker may be treated major on a number of grounds: power of reasoning, originality, extent of influence and so on (Adams and Dyson, 2003). So when we look for major political thinkers some famous names come in the first place and they are the names of Greek philosopher Plato (427-347 bce) and Aristotle (384-322 bce); British thinker Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Locke (1632-1704); French dreamer Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-78); Italian thinkerShow MoreRelatedPolitical Science And Political Philosophy Essay3559 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction Political science is a an academic discipline. It is a part of social science which discuss about government and politics. It generally analyses the methods and policies of government. It is the systematic and analytical study of political and government institutions. The procedure and process of governmental policies is explained in political science. In order to define and analyze political science many political thinkers have given different theories. They practiced political scienceRead MoreThe World Of Politics And Political Theory1717 Words   |  7 Pages Of the various thinkers examined in history, many have contributed to the world of politics and paved the way for our modern day government. Not only have they built up a forum for how policymaking is organized and overall studied, they have also illuminated new ways to carry out our judicial systems. Two of the major component thinkers that attributed to the growth of politics as a whole were Aristotle and Plato. These two philosophers not only presented new theories but also changed how legislationRead MoreThe Recent Engagement Of Contemporary Islamic Thought With Modernity875 Words   |  4 PagesSerhan Tanriverdi Contemporary Islamic Thought Dr. Ermin Sinanovic Reflection Paper The Recent Engagement of Contemporary Islamic Thought with Modernity in the West Modernization theory has been one of the master theoretical narratives to understand the major institutional and cultural transformation from traditional societies to modern ones. It was developed by the founders of sociology and has dominated the widespread understanding and explanations of many social differentiation processes includingRead MoreThe Enlightenment By Thomas Paine And John Locke1709 Words   |  7 Pagespeople began to operate within society. The ambition was lead by the attempt to break free from the past, overturning old ideas and moving forward. 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The belief in the inherent goodness of humanity, and the power of reason, and the advances of science led toRead MoreThe Rise Of Classical Economics1713 Words   |  7 Pagesand eighteenth centuries, mercantilism was at the forefront of economic thought. This economic theory advocated a surplus of exports to increase the amount of money held by a nation. Mercantilism also called for a large poor population, strict government regulations and high tariffs on imported goods. These type of policies fueled anti-trade results and international conflicts, catapulting thinkers like Adam Smith, Thomas M althus and David Ricardo onto the economic scene. These new, progressiveRead MoreIs Democracy Promotion A Mask For Hegemonic Power?1546 Words   |  7 Pagesinternational peace and protect human rights. However, realists claim that democracies promote their values and principles in order to fulfill their national interests. Marxist thinkers disagree with both and state that capitalist democracies are using the promotion of their ideas as a mask for expanding their markets. Liberal thinkers say that the spread of democracy will lead to peace. Immanuel Kant was the first who talked about the liberal peace. In the essay â€Å"On Perpetual Peace†, Kant’s intention wasRead MoreThe Enlightenment Paradigm Shift Within The Era1628 Words   |  7 PagesThe Enlightenment Paradigm Shift The Enlightenment era, between the 1500s and 1800s was a predominately intellectual movement that saw the development of new ideas, major changes in Church-State relations and scientific discoveries that are still fundamental today. Until the Renaissance and Reformation period the Church, from the ancient to medieval ages, had total domination. The Renaissance era set the ball rolling for the Enlightenment with the beginning of scientific inquiry and search forRead MoreEverlasting Changes During the Enlightenment1512 Words   |  6 Pagesimproving intellect and the human society. Scholars congregated at coffeehouses to debate and further their learning in a far less formal many than institutions. Enlightenment thinkers were a unique group intolerant of church and state and sought out to establish an improved way of life. Reason based science and religion were major controversial components of the Enlightenment. These two topics were discussed and debated constantly as conflicting ideologies and beliefs took shape. Influential scientistsRead MoreA Theory Of Justice By Rawls1317 Words   |  6 PagesIn his book ‘A Theory of Justice’, Rawls was dissatisfied with the traditional philosophical arguments about what makes a social institution just and about what justifies political or social actions and policies. The utilitarian argument holds that societies should pursue the greatest good for the greatest number. This argument has a number of problems, including, especially, that it seems to be consistent with the idea of the tyranny of majorities over minorities. The intuitionist argument holds

A Biography on Carl Sandburg Essay Example For Students

A Biography on Carl Sandburg Essay A Biography on Carl SandburgCarl Sandburg was a great man. His life was one of fame, once he beganwriting. He inspired many people. He also became an American Marvel. His worksstill remain read even today, 30 years after his death. His life was an interesting one. His parents immigrated to the US fromSweden. His parents moved to Galesburg, Illinois. He attended public schools. At the age of thirteen, he had to give up public school and go to work to helpearn money for his family. First, he drove a milk truck. Next he worked in abarber shop Then he went on to change sets in theater, operated a brick kiln,and worked as a carpenter, house painter and dishwasher. When he was older, hejoined the fight against the Spanish in the Spanish-American War. He spent along eight months in Puerto Rico. After the war, he went to Lombard College. Afterwards , he went on to work as an organizer for the Social-Democratic Partyin Wisconsin, during 1907 through 1908. That was also the year he got married. He also wrote for the Leader, a newspaper in Milwaukee. He then went on to thecity of Chicago. There, he wrote for the two newspapers, the Daily News and theDaybook. He liked writing for newspapers some, but his true passion was poetry. Some of his early poems were published in the Chicago newspapers he worked for. With his love for poetry grew, the demand for his poetry also grew. Inthe year 1916, at the age of thirty eight, he published the book, Chicago poems. Two years later, at the age of forty, he published Cornhuskers. The publicloved these two marvelous books. Other poets accepted them as wonderful. In the1920s he became so popular, that he quit journalism to write full-time as acareer. He also moved away from the black ink to write songs. Some wereaccepted into songbooks, such as The Songbag, and The New American Songbag. Sandburg was then transformed into an American Marvel. he was veryinterested in the Ideas of Democracy and Liberty. He was inspired by great men,such as Abraham Lincoln, who was shot eighteen years before Sandburgs birth. He was so inspired that he wrote a book about the mans life. It was calledAbraham Lincoln: The war years volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4. These were published inthe year 1939, at the late age of 61. The series was so strong and powerful, itwon a Pulitzer prize. Some of his all-American works include the following: TheChicago race chariots(1919), Mary Lincoln , Wife and Widow(1932), RootabagaCountry(1922), and Potato Face(1930). In summary, Sandburg was and all-American great guy. He led a life ofmany social statuses and worked his way to the top. He wrote many great works. And finally he proved himself to be an American marvel. Carl Sandburg was agreat man.

Marketing as a business process

Marketing has long become an inherent business process in every for-profit organization. Moreover, it is believed that the performance of modern companies is largely dependent on the effectiveness of their marketing strategies. This paper will be aimed at showing why this activity is important for modern businesses.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing as a business process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In particular, it is necessary to define this concept and provide examples that demonstrate its significance. On the whole, one can say that marketing can impact almost every aspect of a company’s performance and shape its long-term policies. First, it should be noted that there are various definitions of marketing. This variety can be explained by the fact that scholars can look at this concept from different perspectives. For instance, Stephen Shaw (2007) discusses the term mostly from the standpo int of customers and their needs or values. He argues that marketing is a process of anticipating, identifying and meeting the needs of clients (Shaw, 2007, p. 1). In turn, other authors pay more attention to the activities involved in the process of marketing. For instance, Amy Hurd, Robert Barcelona and John Medrum (2008) define marketing as â€Å"purposeful planning and execution of the pricing, place, and promotion of ideas, goods, and services† (p. 167). Thus, one can see that the definitions of marketing can differ significantly and none of them can be rejected. Overall, I believe that marketing is every activity of organization that is aimed at creating and delivering value to customers, business partners, and community in general. In this case, the term marketing includes such elements as product development, research, promotion, pricing, after-sale services, and so forth. Although these definitions differ from one another, they indicate that marketing is essential fo r successful performance of an organization. At this point, it is necessary to explain why marketing is of great importance for businesses. First, one should mention that a company can achieve good results only if the management understands the needs of customers and succeeds in gaining the loyalty of these people. In his definition, Stephen Shaw (2007) also focuses on the importance of identifying the expectations of clients (p. 1).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is why many companies are engaged in marketing research. In particular, they conduct surveys in order to determine what their customers expect from a product or service and what kind of things they may like or dislike. For example, one can mention that hotels use such technique focus groups, in-room questionnaires, and online surveys in order to understand the needs of their guests (Pride Ferrell, 2011, p. 1 87). Without achieving this goal, these organizations will lose their competitive advantage and their profitability may decline. Thus, one can argue that marketing is essential for maintaining good relationship with clients. This is one of the reasons why business administrators pay so much attention to marketing activities. Additionally, this example suggests that marketing can significantly affect. The thing is that successful companies usually take into account the opinions of their clients and they may change a variety of things on the basis of such surveys, for instance, quality control policies, HR management, or production process. Secondly, marketing is essential for differentiating the products or services of a company. As it has been noted before, organizations have to create value for customers. In other words, they have to bring certain benefits to a customer and prove that no other company can offer similar products or services. The firms can focus on various aspects of their products, for instance, price-quality ratio, design, user-friendliness, or reliability. Marketing activities help a company to differentiate its products from the products of its competitors. For example, one can mention such a company as Apple that usually emphasizes the design of their technologies and their user-friendliness (Nieto-Rodriguez, 2012, p. 107). Good product differentiation is one of the reasons why this corporation occupies leading positions in the industry (Nieto-Rodriguez, 2012, p. 107). So, the task of marketing managers is to choose a particular advantage of a company’s product or service. They should also find out what kind of things their customers value. Provided that a company does not cope with this task, it may lose its competitive advantage over other firms, because customers may not pay attention to the offerings of this organization. Thus, marketing ensures that the products of a company remain visible to the potential clients.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing as a business process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Finally, one should mention that marketing is instrumental for increasing people’s awareness and about the company, its products, services and the benefits that it can bring to the clients. Managers, who are responsible for developing the marketing strategies, should be able to determine how promotional messages of a company can be best communicated to potential customers (Mullin, 2010, p. 35). Firms have to determine the channels through which they can interact with their clients (Mullin, 2010, p. 35). For instance, they can choose television, Internet, radio, or printed media such as newspapers or magazines (Mullin, 2010, p. 35). Managers have to choose the most optimal combination of media channels to make sure that customers know about the products of the organization. In this regard, one can mention that companies ha ve to take into account that their customers may have various lifestyles, and managers should determine how they actually learn about the company or its products. For instance, some people can prefer printed media, while others pay more attention Internet and television. Thus, one can see that the task of managers is very complex, but it man be essential for the profitability of a business. In this regard, one can mention that companies have to spend millions on commercials in order to attract customers. However, very often their attempts do not achieve success because the marketing messages of a company do not reach the target customers. On the whole, these cases demonstrate that marketing can profoundly effect the company’s relations with client, its competitive position, and product development. Successful marketing strategies are essential for the performance of every organization. Companies have to accept the idea that in the competitive environment, the best strategy is to create and bring value for customers whose opinions can affect business outcomes. This is the critical point that managers should remember. Reference List Hurd, A., Barcelona, R. Meldrum, J. (2008). Leisure Services Management. New York: Human Kinetics. Mullin, R. (2010). Sales Promotion: How to Create, Implement and Integrate  Campaigns that Really Work. Berkeley: Kogan Page Publishers. Nieto-Rodriguez, A. (2012). The Focused Organization: How Concentrating on a  Few Key Initiatives Can Dramatically Improve Strategy Execution. New York: Gower Publishing, Ltd.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pride, W. Ferrell, O. (2011). Marketing. New York: Cengage Learning. Shaw, S. (2007). Airline Marketing and Management. New York: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. This essay on Marketing as a business process was written and submitted by user Trystan Parsons to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How To 10x Your Content Ideas With Sujan Patel From Web Profits

How To 10x Your Content Ideas With Sujan Patel From Web Profits Have you struggled to come up with content ideas about your niche that are significantly better than what’s already out there? Also called 10x content, this type of content is important for appealing to both search engines and the readers who are going to end up buying from you. Today’s guest, Sujan Patel, is the co-founder and GM of Web Profits, a growth marketing agency. He’s been quoted in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur, among other publications, and today Sujan is going to talk to us about generating 10x content ideas that will help you succeed as a marketer. Some of the topics that you’ll hear about today include: What Web Profits is all about, what Sujan does, and other projects that he’s working on. How Sujan stays focused on 10x growth as evaluates content ideas, from brainstorming to the narrowing-down process, and how publishing fits into the 10x growth plan. Why it’s so important to publish lots of quality content, consistently. Sujan’s process for generating great ideas for content: How he comes up with ideas and how he makes sure it will be effective in terms of SEO. Some of Sujan’s favorite brainstorming methods and tips. Sujan’s best advice for a marketer struggling to come up with 10x ideas. Powered by PodcastMotor Actionable Content Marketing powered by By 00:00/00:00 1x 100 > Download file Subscribe on iTunes Leave Review Share Links: SujanPatel.com Web Profits Growth Mapping Podcast Quora ContentMarketer.io MailShakes Email Outreach Playbook Sujans Customer Delight Playbook If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Sujan: Quotes by Sujan: â€Å"Staying focused means saying no to a lot of things.† â€Å"One piece of content can be used multiple different ways when you apply different formats.† â€Å"If you’re writing things that are on par with what others are writing, go back and double that part. Go deeper.† â€Å"The best way to build a personal brand is to leverage blogging.†

how the media portrays women essays

how the media portrays women essays Due: 5-14-01 Literacy How does the media portray women today? Some studies have suggested that the media's portrayal of the "ideal body" for women has had a big impact on the increase in women's body dissatisfaction. Research also proposes that this media exposure is linked to the increasing occurrence of eating disorders and body image disturbances. We do know that the media and other psychology solely cause eating disorders. Emotional, and developmental factors play a big role. It does not appear necessary, however, to investigate the effect the media has on women and eating disorders. Past research has emphasized the way media images affect peoples abilities to accurately estimate their own body size. The conclusions have been that eating disorder patients and women showing high body dissatisfaction tend to overestimate their body size after viewing thin female models. These findings show that certain women are affected by exposure to the media's ideal women, but it has not explained why only some women are affected. A recent Australian study attempted to determine which women are affected by investigating how women feel about their own bodies and how this alters their perceptions of female celebrities. Ninety-six female undergraduate psychology students from the University of Sydney participated in this study. Students took the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), which measured their concerns about their own body shape. Students suspected of having an eating disorder were not included in the study. Participants were then shown one accurate and six distorted photogra phs of thin and heavy female celebrities and were asked to choose which photograph portrayed each celebrity's true body shape. Participants were separated into low-body-shape-concern and high-body-shape-concern groups. The high-body-shape-concern group judged the thin celeb ...

Successful Reintegration into the General Education Setting Research Proposal

Successful Reintegration into the General Education Setting - Research Proposal Example Teachers and parents of these students will help in providing necessary information such as the challenges that are deemed to hinder reintegration process. The proposed study will span for three months whereby participants who are students with special needs will be undergoing the normal intervention therapies provided by their respective educational organizations. Students with special needs learn for five days with majority of them being in boarding schools and the researcher will try as much as possible not to disrupt the normal school schedule. Therefore, researches will be conducted from break time up to lunchtime. Participants will receive training as a group for three hours per day in five days, which will be an additional training since they are taken through such sessions by their trainers. The researcher will have a team of trained personnel who will assist him in providing this training to the children with special needs. Training sessions will be starting immediately after the introduction and familiarization whereby the team of IEP will be beginning to train the students using the approaches explained under subheading â€Å"analysis†. Effective application of these approaches will help in evaluating the teachability of these students among other behaviors that the research team might find important to monitor. Various approaches will be used so that the research team can analyze them later and establish the most effective one. The researcher will get information from agencies taking care of these students by requesting them to answer questions that will be submitted via email. After these three months sessions, the researcher will recommend students who will be found to be ready for reintegration to the general education. Assessment of the programs for students with special needs will be administered by researchers who are not

Dubai Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Dubai - Essay Example At the macro level there is yet another set of activities including the changes and modifications to existing infrastructures and the organizing of the event through to the end (Henderson, 1988). Event management industry is necessarily entwined here with the event to such an extent that all consequential and subsequent strategic decision choices available down the line from the planning consultant to the manager are determined by the very structural dimensions and contingency imperatives. While many stakeholders – internal and external – would show an equally great amount of interest in the successful outcome of the urban planning process, there can still be countervailing interests that seek to prevail over the rest. The degree of influence that each stakeholder group has on the next outcome of the planning process is determined by a number of internal and external factors such as the social, economic and political problems of each stakeholder group and a possible assessment of costs and benefits arising from the level of planning (Hoevel, 2007). Stakeholders such as citizens, private business organizations, contractors, suppliers, government concerns, property developers, foreigners working and residing in Dubai, condominium dwellers, local government authorities and so on all have a stake in such outcomes. Though Post-Fordist influences can be seen in Dubai to a certain extent it’s the single urban model of structure that Alonso, Muth and Mill s advocated in the 1960’s is visible everywhere in Dubai. The City of Dubai, unlike many other Middle Eastern countries, is located at the heart of the Gulf for all commercial purposes. Overall this analysis focuses on the urban planning methodologies, infrastructure and structural flexibility intended to engender systematic and constant growth of the City over the years to come. Such huge urban planning activity necessitates

International order from 1945 to 1969 Essay Example for Free

International order from 1945 to 1969 Essay Introduction By the end of Second World War in September 1945, world had seen human tragedies and devastation of civilizations on an unprecedented scale. The enormity of disaster had brought complete social, economic and political chaos in the countries involved in the war, requiring long term restoration and rebuilding projects (Cottam and Woodby, 1998). The victorious countries, with the only exception of USA, fared hardly better than the defeated Axis nations. The creation of UNO in 1945 to restore peace and order in the world brought a sense of general relief in world and people felt that after 6 years of intense violence stability and tranquility were returning back. However, almost as the War ended sharp ideological and strategic differences emerged between the two new superpowers, USSR and USA that pushed the world from World War to Cold War. The countries that fought against Axis powers during war years were now polarized against each other in communist and democratic factions pursuing political and strategic agendas against each other. The US led democratic world was wary of the dangers of totalitarian society under the communist rule, as marked in the Stalin’s USSR (Robbins, 1988). As the dangers of communism became manifest, USA realized that its status of a true world-power required it to take effective actions and develop long term plans in promoting the ideals of democracy justice , and liberty that had shaped the free world since past two centuries. The rift between these two opposing factions assumed serious proportions in the Berlin Crisis, Korean War, Cuban missile crisis, Czechoslovakian invasion of USSR and finally Vietnam war; events that defined the period ranging from 1945 to 1969. The Strategic Condition after 1945 The strategic affairs of world saw a revolutionary changeover with the atomic strike on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Laver, 2005). Previous to the atomic age, the strategic considerations generally involved three dimensions of land, sea and air forces. However the post war strategic planning defined defense just in two dimensional terms, where air, land and sea forces were categorized as conventional system and atomic weapons, including atom bombs and atomic missiles constituted the nuclear dimension of the strategy (Laver, 2005). As Laver (2005,) points out, under the new strategic system, the approaches were apparently limited to mere identification of the more appropriate strategy between conventional and nuclear. The real strategic situation however did not unfold itself as simply as it was made to be sound on paper. There were a broad range of issues in creating an optimum strategy and policy in the deployment and use of nuclear weapons within the new international framework that required a total departure from previously established norms and tactics. According to Laver (2005) some of the major issues affecting the new strategic policies were 1. Development of new technology to effectively implement the nuclear option. 2. New defense equipments that meet the nuclear requirements. 3. Mobilizing resources for effectively equipping the armed forces with a perfect combination of conventional and nuclear weapons. 4. Evaluation and measurement of economic, political and social fallouts of nuclear strategies throughout the world. These issues occupied the US foreign and strategic completely, especially in the wake of nuclear buildup in the USSR that created a possible threat of global nuclear catastrophe between the two superpowers. The first American nuclear strategy was forwarded in 1950 that proposed that national defense strategy should be build around the concept of containment. The core of the policy was simple- halting communism through combined conventional and nuclear strength of USA. In 1953, the policy of containment was replaced by policy of deterrence where nuclear option superseded the conventional strategy. However this policy was exposed as inefficient by Henry Kissinger who argued that US lacked sufficient conventional force to check communist expansion throughout the world and that implementing nuclear option towards this end would be catastrophic for the world. The end result, as put forward by Kissinger, would be US inaction and inability to counter the growth of communism (Kissinger, 1957). Kenney recognized the utility of this idea and he established the predominance of conventional strategy over the mindless destructive potentiality of nuclear option. The Vietnam War of 1960s offered US to test its conventional strategy and the incomplete success and the delayed results brought realization that the conventional strategies required further investment of resources and technology in the way of establishing democratic ideals and principles in the world. Cold War is referred to the period from 1945 to 1990 where the strategic conflict and conflicting ideologies of US and USSR that had enveloped world under a continuous shadow of war. The terror of mutual nuclear holocaust was the only factor that prevented both countries from fledging an all out war. Cold War originated due to different political, economic and strategic standings of both USA and USSR after the end of Second World War that created a hostile world environment (Dobson and Marsh, 2001). Three reasons have been put forward to explain the origin of the Cold War. US had emerged as a colossal economic power after the War but it failed to help USSR in building up it war ravaged economy and society, whereas Western Europe received massive funding and help from the US. The second reason was contrasting economic policies and world view of USA and USSR that pitted USA’s democratic and individual ideals against totalitarian and centrally planned philosophy of Soviet Russia. The third major reason was clash of geo-political interest and ambitions of the two superpowers. Driven by the mutual misperceptions and fear of each other’s intentions, ambitions and power, USA and Soviet Russia acted in ways to ostracize each other from their exclusive zones. In 1947 Marshall Plan of USA, that aimed to provide financial assistance in preventing an immanent collapse of Europe, sought to keep USSR out of the entire project. USSR, growing deeply suspicious of USA’s expansionist policies reacted by closing Western access to Berlin, creating first major crisis of the Cold War in 1948. Events unfolded dramatically with US led forces providing airlift to Berlin through 1948 and 1949, USSR responding by closing Western’s access to most of eastern European nations and creation of NATO in 1949 (Dobson and Marsh, 2001). These events firmly sequestrated the two sides and sealed any possible chances of reconciliation. With the outbreak of Korean war in 1950 and USSR’s expansionist policies in South East Asia, USA prepared itself for an all out diplomatic, ideological and if required armed intervention to combat its sworn enemy. The Cold War essentially transformed into a battle of showdown with both the countries trying to outmatch other by trade embargos, increasing efforts of polarization, espionage and technological race to develop greater horde of nuclear weapon and space research. The second major crisis of the Cold War was precipitated in the form of Cuba missile crisis. US intelligence information reported deployment of USSR’s nuclear missile in Cuba with range and payload to strike major US cities and places of strategic importance. There was intense pressure on the then President Kennedy to respond to crisis by military intervention in Cuba. However this step involved risks that the crisis may evolve into a full fledged nuclear war between USA and USSR. Restrain from Kennedy and right diplomatic measures helped to avert a major nuclear disaster. The final episode marking the international order from 1945 to 1969 was civil war in Vietnam in 1965 and the US intervention that led to more than 50, 000 US casualties and international embarrassment for US policymakers. Reference Cottam, M. L, Woodby, S. (1988). The Changing Agenda: World Politics since 1945. Westview Press: Boulder Dobson, A. P. and Marsh, S. (2001). U. S. Foreign Policy since 1945. Routledge: London. Henry Kissinger, Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy New York: Harper, 1957, Laver, H. S. (2005). Preemption and the Evolution of Americas Strategic Defense: Parameters. Volume: 35. Issue: 2. Robbins, K. (1988). The World since 1945: A Concise History. Contributors: Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Zoos Should be Banned :: Zoo Animals

Zoos are an unsuitable environment for wild animals and should, therefore, be abolished. Firstly, zoo animals are kept in a very confined area compared with their vast natural habitat. Secondly, breeding programmes are far less successful than zoos claim. Thirdly, zoo animals are exposed to many diseases and other dangers. Zoo animals are usually kept in very cramped enclosures and do not behave like their wild counterparts. Polar bears, for example, are given about 10 metres of walking space whereas in their Arctic home they roam for many hundreds of kilometres. Similarly, primates, big cats and birds are often confined in cages where they lack exercise and stimulation. Many animals develop unnatural habits such as pacing back and forth or swaying from side to side. Supporters of zoos argue that they help to conserve endangered species, but in fact they are not very good at this. Even the world famous panda-breeding programme has been very costly and unsuccessful. Also, zoo life does not prepare animals for the challenges of life in the wild. For example, two rare lynxes released into the wild in Colorado died from starvation even though the area was full of hares, which are a lynx’s natural prey. The zoo is an unnatural environment that exposes animals to numerous dangers. Diseases often spread between species that would never live together naturally. For example, many Asian elephants have died in US zoos after catching herpes from African elephants. Furthermore, zoo animals are often exposed to chemicals, solvents and other toxic substances. Finally, it is common for visitors to tease and provoke caged animals. In conclusion, therefore, it is not true to say that zoos are educational or they help to protect endangered species.

The Bells: An Analysis

Some the literary elements that Poe uses in the bells are onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, repetition, and rhythm. Onomatopoeia which is the formation of word by imitation of a sound made or associated with its referent, it is used in line 3 with the phrase tinkle tinkle, tinkle. Alliteration is the commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group, used in verse 2 lines 10 and 12 â€Å"frantic fire† and â€Å"desperate desire. Assonance is a resemblance of sounds, also called vowel rhyme, used in line 1 â€Å" sledges, bells. † Repetition is the act of repeating something, used in line 3 â€Å" tinkle, tinkle, tinkle. † Rhythm is the movement or procedure with uniform or patterned recurrence of a beat or accent, the rhythm of the bells is what makes it lyrical The Bells represents life and how it happens. In the first stanza silver bells are introduced. The silver bells make a tinkle sound w hich is the sound of a small bell. Therefore the silver bells represent youth and excitement. In the second stanza the golden bells represent wedding bells. These bells symbolize maturity and growing up but also represent one of the happiest times of someone’s life as they are getting married which is a joyful time and at this point of the poem the bells are no longer tinkling as they now are chiming. In Stanza 3 brazen bells are played, these bells are terrifying as they shriek and go higher, and higher. The bells represent what is coming forth as they clang clash and roar. The Brazen bells are not chiming they are loud and obnoxious. Stanza 4 has iron bells playing that make people shiver with affright. The iron bells symbolize death. They are played in the silence of the night and it is silent at funerals because people are mourning and hear the moaning and groaning of the bells. This is how the 4 stanzas symbolize a person’s life. They are young and excited then as they get older and get married they are happy then loud bells tell that tragedy is near and finally death overtakes all people.

Central Dogma Paper

The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology was founded by Francis Crick in 1958. A central dogma of biology provides an explanation as to how gene expression occurs. The central dogma is the main thesis of molecular inheritance. It states that DNA makes RNA, which makes protein. Genes control the traits by controlling which proteins are made. The process of Central Dogma of Molecular Biology is when DNA transcripts into RNA and then translates into protein. Transcription is the transfer of genetic information from DNA forming into RNA.The differences between DNA and RNA are the sugar that’s in DNA which is called deoxyribose and ribose for RNA which does not have sugar. When DNA replication begins, it begins at a specific point in the DNA molecule called the origin of replication site. The enzyme helicase unwinds and separates a portion of the DNA molecule. After the DNA polymerase separates a portion of the molecule it then initiates the process of replication in which DNA polyme rase can add new nucleotides to a pre-existing chain of nucleotides.Therefore, replication begins as an enzyme called primase and it assembles an RNA primer at the origin of the replication site. The RNA primer consists of a sequence of RNA nucleotides, complementary to a section of the DNA strand that is being prepared for replication. The RNA primer is then removed and replaced with a sequence of DNA nucleotides. Then Okazaki fragments are synthesized and the RNA primers are replaced with DNA nucleotides and the individual Okzaki fragments are bonded together into a continuous complementary strand.During transcription deoxyribose nucleic acid is formed into another nucleic acid which is ribonucleic acid or RNA. Transcription begins when RNA polymerase binds onto the double stranded DNA molecule. RNA polymerase moves along the strand of DNA making a complementary single stranded RNA molecule. Here’s a good thing you could remember, take the root word ‘scribe’ ou t of transcription and think of it was a person who writes copies of important documents because that is what scribe means.Next is translation, it is the process of using the code in RNA to put together the protein and translation is a word that describes the transfer of information from one to another. Translation begins when messenger RNA binds to the ribosome. The RNA passes along the ribosome and brings out 3 nucleotides at a time. While that’s happening the amino acid that is being carried is also being transferred to the amino acid chain. After that is done the ribosomal complex falls apart and the protein is released into a cell.During protein synthesis, amino acids build a protein molecule that’s, of course, called protein synthesis. Synthesis means ‘putting together’, so that is a good way to remember protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is the cellular process of building proteins. Translation has a part of the central dogma that is also included in protein synthesis and transcription is not. Translation is just the decoding of RNA to make a chain of amino acids that will then, later, turn into protein. Overall in central dogma, DNA is simply the instructions to making proteins.

Free Essays on The Person Who Killed Abraham Lincoln

? John Wilkes Booth, born May 10, 1838, was an actor who performed throughout the country in many plays. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a racist and Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. He hated Abraham Lincoln who represented everything Booth was against. Booth blamed Lincoln for all the South's ills. He wanted revenge. In late summer of 1864 Booth began developing plans to kidnap Lincoln, take him to Richmond (the Confederate capital), and hold him in return for Confederate prisoners of war. By January, 1865, Booth had organized a group of co-conspirators that included Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlen, John Surratt, Lewis Powell (also called Lewis Paine or Payne), George Atzerodt, and David Herold. Additionally, Booth met with Dr. Samuel Mudd both in Maryland (where Mudd lived) and Washington, and he began using Mary Surratt's boardinghouse to meet with his co-conspirators. On March 17, 1865, the group planned to capture Lincoln who was scheduled to attend a play at a hospital located on the outskirts of Washington. However, the President changed plans and remained in the capital. Thus, Booth's plot to kidnap Lincoln failed. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Two days later Lincoln spoke from the White House to a crowd gathered outside. Booth was present as Lincoln suggested in his speech that voting rights be granted to certain blacks. Infuriated, Booth's plans now turned in the direction of assassination. On the morning of Friday, April 14, Booth dropped by Ford’s Theater and learned that the President and General Grant were planning to attend the evening performance of Our American Cousin. He held one final meeting with his co-conspirators. He said he would kill Lincoln at the theatre (he had since learned that Grant had left town). Atzerodt was to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at the Kir... Free Essays on The Person Who Killed Abraham Lincoln Free Essays on The Person Who Killed Abraham Lincoln ? John Wilkes Booth, born May 10, 1838, was an actor who performed throughout the country in many plays. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a racist and Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. He hated Abraham Lincoln who represented everything Booth was against. Booth blamed Lincoln for all the South's ills. He wanted revenge. In late summer of 1864 Booth began developing plans to kidnap Lincoln, take him to Richmond (the Confederate capital), and hold him in return for Confederate prisoners of war. By January, 1865, Booth had organized a group of co-conspirators that included Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlen, John Surratt, Lewis Powell (also called Lewis Paine or Payne), George Atzerodt, and David Herold. Additionally, Booth met with Dr. Samuel Mudd both in Maryland (where Mudd lived) and Washington, and he began using Mary Surratt's boardinghouse to meet with his co-conspirators. On March 17, 1865, the group planned to capture Lincoln who was scheduled to attend a play at a hospital located on the outskirts of Washington. However, the President changed plans and remained in the capital. Thus, Booth's plot to kidnap Lincoln failed. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Two days later Lincoln spoke from the White House to a crowd gathered outside. Booth was present as Lincoln suggested in his speech that voting rights be granted to certain blacks. Infuriated, Booth's plans now turned in the direction of assassination. On the morning of Friday, April 14, Booth dropped by Ford’s Theater and learned that the President and General Grant were planning to attend the evening performance of Our American Cousin. He held one final meeting with his co-conspirators. He said he would kill Lincoln at the theatre (he had since learned that Grant had left town). Atzerodt was to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at the Kir...

6 Top Tips on How to Write a Business Plan - Proofed

6 Top Tips on How to Write a Business Plan - Proofed 6 Top Tips on How to Write a Business Plan Whether you’re a new startup or an established business with big ideas, preparing a business plan is the first step to ensuring success. But what do you need to know when writing one? 1. Know What You Want to Achieve Before you start writing a business plan, think about who it is for and what you want to achieve. All business plans set out a strategy and a step-by-step action plan, but exactly how you do this and what your plan should feature may depend on several factors. These include: Whether the plan is for internal (e.g., yourself or a manager) or external use (e.g., investors) Your objectives (e.g., securing funding or expanding into new markets) The period of time your business plan covers Once you know this, you can tailor your writing accordingly. For instance, if your plan involves securing outside investment, you may need to â€Å"sell† your business more strongly. You might even want to prepare slightly different plans for internal and external use. 2. Do Your Research A business plan is more than just an idea. It also needs to show the reader that you’ve considered all the circumstances involved in running a business. Consequently, as well as explaining what your business will do, consider how it fits into existing markets and who your main competitors will be. This will help you estimate the expenses and expected financial performance for your plan, which is also vital information. 3. Short Is Good You want your business plan to be read? Then try to make it as clear and concise as possible. Time is money, after all, and nobody is going to read a 100-page document, no matter how great the ideas within are. As such, it can help to focus only on the most important information in your plan. The report arrived. Its, um, comprehensive. You should also include an executive summary at the start of the document. This provides a brief overview of the key points of your plan. Ideally, this will encourage time-pressed readers to see what you have to say and give the rest of the plan a look! Think of it as a bit like a written elevator pitch. 4. Use Appendices If you’ve followed the advice in point three above, you may have cut some material from your business plan. But don’t chuck it in the trash just yet! Any additional research or information can be included in an appendix at the end of the document. This shows that you’ve done the hard work to prepare your plan without the main document becoming bloated. 5. Professional Formatting First impressions matter. And this means the presentation of your business plan matters, too. Make sure your plan looks professional by: Adding a title page Using page numbers and section headers Including visual aids (e.g., charts, graphs, or illustrations) Ensuring all fonts and formatting are clear and consistent None of this should come at expense of the content, which is far more important. But taking a little time to tidy up your plan will help the reader follow it and show you are serious about your work. 6. Proofread Carefully! Whether your plan is for internal or external use, you need to check it carefully before you are finished. Even small errors will look bad, and the editing process also gives you a chance to review the content. An extra pair of eyes can really help on this count, so feel free to get in touch with our team today.

Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation - Essay Example In this case, my organization’s building complex is the project for which risk mitigation actions are required. First, the project is to be subjected to a thorough risk assessment individually by the project management personnel. The risks assessed are to be compiled into one entity. Risk handling is determined by the nature of the risks identified and the personnel assigned particular risks to monitor, especially those that are not transferred in nature. The personnel’s duty is to monitor the identified risk and report to the risk management team and initiate response actions in respect to that particular risk. A detailed description of the risk is provided to enhance teamwork since precise information is key to the success of risk management through effective communication among the team members. In fact, at this stage the main objective is to identify risks and provide a detailed description to be used to determine potential and most appropriate solutions (riskinstit ute.org). I would employ the five methods of risk identification for the building complex project. First, documentation reviews would be quite essential in order to determine the complications caused by the apparent risks and other related requirements as well. For instance, a review of the project design and the planned implementation would be best tackled by the use of this method. Consequently, identifying inconsistencies between the proposed activities and alternative practices with projects’s internal operations would be easily handled. In addition, this would facilitate an effective means to identify and solve any conflict in the process of risk management activities. The success of this activity is absolutely dependent on effective information gathering. Information gathering method entails thorough brainstorming, interviewing the persons involved and analyzing the cause of every particular risk identified. To obtain the most possible volume of ideas, I would employ br ainstorming and interviewing since external and internal parties involved in the project would make an equal contribution. This would enable a team work spirit since the project owners, shareholders and the end users or rather clients are given an opportunity to provide their insights, which could not be identified without involving them in the process. Overall, the concept is a SWOT analytical approach to potential challenges to the project. This enhances project management since a breakdown of the information gathered through interviews and brainstorming activities is applied in the most appropriate way to tackle the risks identified. Additionally check list analysis is another method I would use to solve the multiple tasks, which are similar in nature fro this project. For instance, one on one interview with customers on their concerns in regards to the project would gather information on every aspect that affects them directly on completion of the project. Therefore, it would be appropriate to conduct interviews on all issues either correctly or sub-divide them for respective issues. In either way, the activity seeks to gather the customers' point of view on the project and interview correspondence would provide first hand information thus appropriate for other related aspects of the project that require customers input. Finally, I would employ

Hair-hashish analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hair-hashish analysis - Essay Example The controversies attracted acts of violence and occasional threats during the early years of the show, and even became a basis of legal actions when the show opened on tour and other cities. Another reason that supports the theme of the paper is the nature of themes used in the 1960 hippie movement. The themes are described in terms of targets, goals, and beliefs of the hippies. Some of the themes illustrated in â€Å"Hashish† came as a result of protests by American youths on the wrong things they saw such as: environmental destruction, racism, sexual repression and sexism, corruption in politics, depersonalization from technologies, and violence. â€Å"Hashish† illustrates restrictive gender roles and the rejection of discrimination (Horn 176). This was a symbol of equality between women and men. A popular theme illustrated in â€Å"Hashish† is the drug use. In the song, Hair Cast talks about drug use among the generation and addresses the revolution. The drug problem has been intensively addressed as a proliferation in the community of all mood altering, illicit and physically dangerous drugs. The drugs also lead to problems such as crime, threat of crime, disease, violence, loss of productivity, growing number of users in welfare of the public, over-crowding of the penal institutions, congestion of court system, diversion of tax from productive areas, erosion of our civil rights, and corruption of law enforcement agencies. Hair Cast in â€Å"Hashish† song, addresses the theme of drug scene through the aspects involved such as remorseful mood and depressed tone featured in the lyrics. Drug use was associated with nudity and sexual freedom. This was a subject of notoriety and controversy. Nudity... In summary, this research paper has addressed the themes of the song in detail and illustrated how the aspects of the song such as musical tone, structure and lyrics represent the mentioned themes. This has been done through listening to the song and analyzing the lyrics and tone and other specific aspects of the song that represent the themes. It is pivotal to note that â€Å"Hashish† by Hair Cast takes a bold approach in addressing the dissociative counter culture, drug use and scene and individual concerns such as race and tribe, sexuality among other sensitive themes in sixties. The themes are reflected through aspects of the song such as tone, structure, background, music and lyrics. This paper has illustrated an analysis of aspects of â€Å"Hashish† from Hair in sixties, and how the song relates to sixties both as a whole and as individual movement through the musical tone and structure and song background and lyrics.

An evaluation of the recruitment strategies at HiTec Essay

An evaluation of the recruitment strategies at HiTec - Essay Example If HiTec focuses on recruiting graduates to fill these vacancies, they will require training to keep up with the fast-paced evolutions in technology that support business operations as graduate maintain limited experience in modern IT. As illustrated by Gustafson (2002), this can be very costly from a financial perspective without guarantees of return on investment in a business environment where many graduates recruited struggle to keep up with the pace of technology development. Therefore, it is more conducive to keeping recruitment efforts low-cost, which makes recruitment of high-skilled employees already working in competing companies more viable for HiTec as this strategy reduces the need for ongoing and costly training to ensure recruited graduates are capable of keeping up with the pace of technology development. Primary issues facing HiTecHiTec currently has an insufficient recruitment methodology, consisting of headhunters and newspaper advertisements. Whilst this strategy brings the organisation thousands of applicants, these advertisements are not grabbing the attention of high-skilled employees with strong skills in advancements in modern IT technologies. Hence, for all of the time invested sorting through these applications, the company still maintains vacancies as not all applicants maintain the proper skill-sets needed to give the organisation competitive advantage. With headhunters representing such high costs without guarantee of return on this investment, the business maintains opportunities.

Application of Anthropological Concepts Essay Example for Free

Application of Anthropological Concepts Essay Concepts in anthropology, especially those which describe, predict, explain, and evaluate the behavior of groups or categories of people are termed as general or explanatory concepts. Kinship, marriage, religion, race, class, and language are some of the general concepts being studied in the field of anthropology. In a way, general concepts can also be used to create models that will facilitate hypothesis testing. In essence, this type of concept is generally a medium of creating specific concepts – concepts which represent a part of a general phenomenon. One may argue that it is difficult to delineate the boundary between a general and a specific concept. However, it should be noted that general concepts represent realities magnified by the rigours of scientific investigation. In some cases, general concepts are known as ideal types (although this is fairly incorrect since ideal types are measurements of existing systems – although derived from it). In this essay, two academic articles or books will be presented to highlight some important concepts applied in the study of anthropology. The first article is a review of Bronislaw Malinowski ethnographic study in the Trobriand Islands. This article focuses on the general effect of kinship to the latent system of a preliterate society and vice-versa. The general thesis of Malinowski study is summed up as follows: Kinship determines the structure of law; law determines the structure of the society. His thesis will be explained in detailed in the following pages. The second article is an ethnographic study of Indian reservations in the United States. Race is the central concept in this article. The thesis of the article is; modernization in the United States erased the Indian notion of race as embodiment of cultural identity. Kinship and Law Firth (1980), in his review of Bronislaw Malinowski study on the Trobriand Islands, identified two types of laws: civil law and criminal law. The first one is positive law governing all the phases of tribal life. The second type is made up of rules safeguarding such institutions as chieftainship, exogamy, rank, and marriage. Thus, the â€Å"civil law, in contrast to criminal, is the ‘law obeyed and not the law broken’† (Firth, 1980:73). The creation of a law system in the Trobriand Islands, according to Malinowski, is essentially based on kinship. The system of law was created to foster greater solidarity among kin or family members. This was later extended to clans outside the immediate kin. Thus, the first type of law (civil) was essentially created out of this purpose. Formal rules governing chieftainship, rank, marriage, and exogamy were essentially derivations of the former. According to Malinowski, since the law was created to maintain kinship ties, it has therefore four senses. Here are as follows: (1) the law of cultural determinism, (2) the law or rule of native conduct, (3) the law of order and maintenance, and (4) the mechanisms of law when breach occurs. In essence, these senses of the law determine the shape or form of preliterate societies. In general, kinship and law are highly associated concepts since they determine the outcome of social relationships. Specifically, according to Malinowski, societies as old as those found in the Trobriand Islands do not need a definite set of laws to define its kinship structure since rules are essentially derived from kin systems. Race and Modernity Lynch (1974), in his ethnographic study on Indian reservations, argued that the modernization process occurring in the reservations was generally dangerous for the whole Indian community in the United States. The dangers are as follows; 1) The basic assumptions of Indian-American culture are radically changing. For example, close family ties are becoming absent in some Indian reservations; 2) Race assumptions are also changing. In the past, â€Å"race† for Indians refer to â€Å"common cultural identity. † Nowadays, American Indians associate race with â€Å"stereotype labeling of an oppressed minority. † In short, the term race was used to convey a â€Å"glorious statement of cultural identity† in the past in contrast to its derogatory sense nowadays. 3) And, the modernization process is creating mediums for racial discrimination. For example, before 1960, it was illegal for Indians to work in mines unless certified by the Employment Bureau (this had been eliminated in the late 1960s, although Indians still face the insecurity and discrimination in the workplace). The author concluded that the modernization process of Indian reservations in the United States had been based on false assumptions; assumptions derived from the West. According to him, â€Å"it provided a glimpse of their future as well, a glimpse made all the more comforting to the West by the assurance it gave †¦ path to modernity† (Lynch, 1974:186). References Man and Culture: An Evaluation of the Work of Bronislaw Malinowski. 1980. Ed Raymond Firth. Britain: Redwood Burn Limited. Rethinking Modernization. Ed. John Poggie and Robert Lynch. 1974. Political Modernization in a Native American Community. Connecticut: Greenwood Press.

Norman Schwarzkopf :: essays research papers

Norman Schwarzkopf Norman Schwarzkopf and I are alike in many ways. He and I both have family in Germany. His father lives in Germany and my great grandparents live in Germany. He served in Vietnam and so did my grandfather. Norman and I also have many differences. His family has a popular military background and my family does not. He lived his whole life through the military and I am not going to do that. Norman also followed in his father’s footsteps that I am also not going to do. Now you see how many ways Norman and I are alike and different. Norman has accomplished many tasks in his lifetime, which I have not gotten a chance to yet. Norman Schwarzkopf got an education at West Point Military School and at Valley Forge Military Academy in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Valley Forge is a historic place known for its forces in the American Revolution. Almost all of Norman's family joined the military. His dad was in the military all of his life just as Norman was. The Schwarzkopfs are very well known in the military. Norman Schwarzkopf made many life choices in his military career. First, he chose to join the military following his father’s footsteps. Second, he chose to go to Valley Forge because the school he was attending, West Point, only taught students up to the tenth grade. One of his most important choices was in Vietnam. One of his fellow soldiers was shot and he carried him to safety when Norman already had four gun shot wounds in him. He was awarded three silver stars and controlled the air, ground, and water forces. I think anyone interested in joining the military, is currently in the military, or is just interested in these kinds of books, should read this biography by Libby Hughes. Others should think that Norman is a hero and that he should be widely known.

Middle East Colonization

In the early days of Western Civilization, imperialism and colonization was a primary means of economic and sphere of influence expansion. That is, a country such as France, Belgium or Great Britain would expand their empire by marching their armies into smaller and less powerful nations and conquer. After conquering the nation, the sovereign government would become a subject of the colonizer and the colonizing nation would then appropriate the resources of the dominated country in order to enrich the economy of the colonizer as well as providing further infrastructure for further expansion. It is no surprise that the European powers found the Middle East to be an area of the world that was a prime target for colonization. In addition to the incredible oil reserves, the Middle East also had a host of other natural resources and export materials that proved quite tempting. Actually, very little temptation was required as numerous countries set about incursions into the Middle East to acquire territory and resources. In many instances, whether it be during the Crusades or during more modern situations such as the French-Algerian War, these colonial conquests would lead to incredible unrest, fighting and instability in the region. What events were the inciting incidents of the colonization of the Middle East? There were several including France (under Napoleon) invading Egypt in the late 1700’s, an incursion that is considered the first European campaign of colonization of the Middle East by a European power. Of course, further incursions by European nations, particularly the British Empire, would perpetuate into the region of the Middle East and North Africa. This, of course, lead to violent suppression of the indigenous people as well  as eventual colonial uprisings over the year and, oftentimes, these uprisings would become quite bloody and violent. Eventually, the entirety of the Middle East and North Africa fell under the control of the European nations. The land and resources of the indigenous peoples were appropriated in a violent fashion. In some instances, bloody wars of conquest would carry on for years and, even after their conclusion, insurgent violence would perpetually continue.Because of this, the image of the European powers by those people who inhabited the regions of the Middle East was generally highly negative. This should come as no surprise as the presence of a foreign military power in the midst of what was once a sovereign territory alone would give rise to negative images. When this is coupled with the fact that the military powers would instill puppet and client governments into the territory in order to suppress the independence of the people whose land has been occupied, it is understandable that a great deal of resentment towards the foreigners would develop. This becomes even more complicated as the military invader starts to procure the natural resources of the indigenous people in order to feed the economy of the foreign power. In other words, the wealth derived from the natural resources of the colonized territory becomes the booty of the invader. Because of this, the local economy collapses and the quality of living takes a huge nosedive. Poverty and pestilence sets in and there is  little that the indigenous people can do to reverse such a situation. In the Middle East (as well as elsewhere in the world) the need to overthrow the foreign colonists became a tremendous priority. Numerous revolutionary movements started with the primary goal of removing the foreigners from the land.   From this scenario, there developed perpetual problems between the people of the Middle East and those who live in the Western World, problems that have never been resolved to this day. What drove the Europeans to push such a brutal campaign? To a great degree, the motivating factor was a sense of arrogance and superiority that justified the conquest. Often, the dogmatic belief of â€Å"civilizing† an underdeveloped world provided a moral grounding in the obvious invasion and suppression of a body of people. This is exactly what occurred in the Middle East during the early days of colonization and even exists to a certain degree to this very day. To say that great resent built in the Middle East towards European nations would be a dramatic understatement. This resentment festered throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th Century and yielded a great number of colonial rebellions designed to remove the imperial invaders. While the nations of the Middle East eventually all achieved independence, resentment remained. The current situation of Europe’s involvement in the Middle East oil trade, in fact, still stokes the fires to this day.      

Air Pollution Summary 5

? Air Pollution Nicole Ergler Axia University of Phoenix Robert Orben once said â€Å"There's so much pollution in the air now that if it weren't for our lungs there'd be no place to put it all. † Did one ever think of how much pollution they are breathing in every day? Does one ever realize in what ways they are contributing to air pollution? Air pollution is environmentally a global catastrophe. However, the human population does not have the correct knowledge of how to help the environment from these harmful pollutions. How does the human population help stop contributing to air pollution? Air pollution is a persistent problem within the United States as well as worldwide. Air pollution is a matter in which human and animal’s lives are lost. (Quotationspage. com 2007) According to Columbia Encyclopedia (2008), air pollution is contamination of the air by harmful gases in amounts that are known to endanger the health of humans and animals. Combinations of gasoline, automobile emissions, and burning coals and oils all produce several types of air pollutions. According to Encarta. msn. com (2009), fossil fuel emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution. According to Encarta. msn. com (2009), air pollution can come to our environment in the forms of snow and rain as well. Air pollution can harm a human and/or an animal as well as the environment. Corruption of plants, vegetables, aquatic life, humans, and drinking water are all examples of ways air pollution effects the environment. Air pollution causes respiratory diseases, loss in emotions, fatigue, headaches, loss of sense of direction, and decreased control of muscles and visual sharpness. A child’s lungs and the lung’s capacity are much smaller than a grown adult’s. How does a child react to air pollutants when the child has asthma? Researches Liu, Poon, Chen, Dales, Frescure, Montuschi, Ciabatonni, and Wheeler (2009) conducted a study on how air pollutants such as: sulfuric dioxide and nitrogen oxides, effected children with asthma. The conclusion to their study was significant. While there was a noticeable decrease in the airway function of lungs, there was also an increase of damage done to the child’s airway passage. In conclusion, air pollutants are much more potent and harmful to a child with asthma. Pollution to the Earth causes global warming. According to Encarta. msn. com (2009), global warming is the significant accretion of temperature in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land. According to Encarta. msn. com (2009), scientists believe Earth is currently experiencing a period of increased, fast warming brought on by increasing levels of greenhouse gases, in the atmosphere. Global warming exists when greenhouse gases trap heat and sun light in the Earth’s atmosphere. According to Thinkquest. org (2002), green house gases include but are not limited to: carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane. Electrical pollution, when fossil fuels are burned creating energy, is a main source of energy used by humans that causes global warming. veryday fossil fuels are burned to create a source of energy. Therefore, pollution is seeping into the Earth’s atmosphere sickening adults, children, and animals. How can humans attack air pollution? According to Calef and Goble (2007), in 1990 California took its’ approach to zero vehicles on the road that produce vehicle emissions. California Area Resources Board conducted a plan to take all battery operated electric vehicles off the road and replace them with zero emissions vehicles. Today, zero emissions vehicles are known as hybrid cars. California Area Resources Board wanted to make the plan mandatory and sell only the zero emissions vehicles in a set amount of time. However, oil industries and popular automobile manufacturers brought controversy to this factor. The United States did not mandate the plan or follow through with the zero emissions vehicles plan. Now, in the year of 2009, hybrid cars are on the market. Although hybrid vehicles regularly cost about $5,000. 00 more than a battery operated vehicle, it will help contribute to saving the environment. Physorg. com 2009) There are dozens of other ways to help the environment. Using environmentally safe products for cleaning and killing pests are ways to improve pollution around your home, work, or school. Throwing away cut grass or trees at a local garbage company saves from waste in the yard. An individual can make a recycling bin at home to make it easier to recycle. Picking up after pets is a chore t hat most individuals cannot somehow manage. However, picking up after pets is a manageable chore and can also help attack air pollution. Carpooling, walking, or taking public transportation to work, home, shopping, or even school are easy ways to reduce vehicle emissions. Drying laundry on the laundry line outside instead of in a gas operated dryer will help conserve energy and decrease gas pollution. Simple tasks can help the environment, why not start now? (Lastormwater. org 2009) A plan is in desire need to help attack air pollution. In order to conduct a plan to attack air pollution, one must have research air pollution. Identifying sources of air pollution is a good start in order to be able to attack air pollution from those sources. Talk with school principals, city council, and representatives with the government about the plan. Because knowledge of air pollution and its effects is rare, develop an educational curriculum in which children will be able to put the attack into action. Develop a presentation for adults about the severity of air pollution and how the adults can contribute to helping. Speak with teachers and parents about the educational curriculum in which the children will be learning about attacking air pollution. Schedule dates and times that one can be available to the school in order to present the educational curriculum about air pollution. Schedule dates and times that one can be available to the city council in order to present the information to the adults. Pass out flyers to local businesses, schools, and homes about both programs. Present all information to both students and adults at all scheduled times. Firstly, I will research information on air pollution, its sources, and all effects to the environment, humans, and animals. Next, I will develop an educational curriculum for both students and adults. Then I will speak with all school principals, the city council, and the government in order to get my plan permitted. I will then speak with teachers and parents to educate hem on the benefits of the educational curriculum about air pollution. Next, I will schedule dates and times that is convenient for me, the city council, and the school’s teachers to present the information. I will speak with the local newspaper in order to get my flyers passed out with the newspapers for each time that I am going to prese nt the information at the city council. I will present all information to both students at schools and the adults at the city council at all scheduled times. Finally, I will conduct a website which will provide all the information that I have conducted and presented. In conclusion to my website, I will make myself available to any school, function, or city council that would like to have me as a guest to present my information. Researching information on air pollution, the sources of air pollution, and the effects of air pollution will be conducted from months one to five. During month’s two to three, I will develop an educational curriculum for both students and adults. Also during month’s two to three, I will speak with all necessary authority in order to get my plan permitted. During month three, I will speak with teachers and parents about the benefits of my educational curriculum. During month four, I will schedule dates and times for my information to be presented to both the city council and the schools in my county. I will also speak with the local newspaper during month four in order to get permission to distribute a flyer included in the newspaper about all scheduled dates and times that I will be holding a presentation. During month five, I will present all information that I have conducted at that specific point. Also during month five, I will establish a website that will hold all the information I have conducted. Students and adults both will benefit from my plan. As said in the above information, people from all around the world are unaware of the effects of air pollution. Presenting this information will help them better understand how air pollution is harming our environment, humans, and the animals that live in our environment. Presenting this information will also put a start to learning more about air pollution. Some teachers may like to include the effects of air pollution and how we can attack air pollution in their own daily or weekly educational curriculum. During month five of my plan, I will be concluding to the conduction of my website that I am available to present my information at any school, function, or city council conference. I am hoping to get a response from my conclusion in order to get the word out about air pollution. Challenges may be an issue before being able to present my information. I may not be permitted by schools to present my information to their students. Parents and teachers may not agree with the education curriculum that I have developed. City council may not see air pollution as a problem to our environment. Individuals may not ask me to participate as a speaker at any functions, schools, or city council conferences. However, I will continue to attempt to get my word out on air pollution if this may occur. In order to have success from my plan on how to attack air pollution, I will need government, global, and our society’s support. The government will also need to troubleshoot the effects of air pollution as well as how to attack air pollution. Globally, individuals should participate in helping to attack air pollution. Globally, individuals should take notice to my plan and establish a plan to present information in their own communities. Society should face the facts about the consequences of air pollution and take in the information on how to attack air pollution. In conclusion the above information, air pollution, again, is a global catastrophe. It has harmed and killed many species of animals. It has also caused humans and animals illnesses. Our environment is screaming for our help, for we are the only ones who can help. The environment cannot do this on its own. References Quotationspage. com. (2007). Quotation Details. Retrieved on May 14th, 2009 from http://www. quotationspage. com/quote/1033. tml Columbia Encyclopedia. (2008). Air Pollution. Retrieved on April 18th, 2009 from http://plus. aol. com/aol/reference/airpollu/air_pollution? flv=1 Encarta. msn. com. (2009). Air Pollution. Retrieved on April 18th, 2009 from http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761577413/air_pollution. html Liu, L. , Poon, R. , Chen, L. , Frescura, A. M. , Montuschi, P. , Ciabatonni, G. , Wheeler, A. , Dales, R. (2009). Acute Effects of Air Pollution on Pulmonary Function, Airway Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Asthmatic Children. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(4), 668-674. Thinkquest. org. (2002). Global Warming. Retrieved on April 18th, 2009 from http://library. thinkquest. org/CR0215471/global_warming. htm Calef, D. , Goble, R. (2007). The Allure of Technology: How France and California Promoted Electric and Hybrid Vehicles to Reduce Urban Air Pollution. Policy Sciences, 40(1), 1-34. Physorg. com. (2009). Hybrid Cars Pros and Cons. Retrieved on May 14th, 2009 from http://www. physorg. com/news10031. html Lastormwater. org. (2009). How You Can Help. Retrieved on May 14, 2009 from http://www. lastormwater. org/Siteorg/residents/howucnhp. html

The theoretical developments of Modernism and Postmodernism The WritePass Journal

The theoretical developments of Modernism and Postmodernism Introduction The theoretical developments of Modernism and Postmodernism IntroductionReferencesRelated Introduction Sociologists Cohen and Kennedy   (2000) have traced the emergence of ‘modernity’ to the 17th century and the dawn of the revolutionary Enlightenment age which brought about historic changes and influenced European societies by dramatically transforming primary and secondary institutions. The term ‘modernity’ encapsulates the progress of society, from primitive civilisation through modern era characterised by industrialisation and capitalism and arriving at the current post-modern state of globalisation which is shaping contemporary society at an ever increasing momentum (Giddens, 2002). The Industrial Revolution in Western Europe throughout the mid-eighteenth century and the French Revolution of 1789 gave rise to the realisation of democracy which free-thinking people demanded (Browning, Halchi and Webster 2000:166). This radical defining feature of Enlightenment brought about significant changes in society and in the way people thought about the world (Cr aib, 1997). In short, science became the basis or the main source of knowledge and the notion of ‘people’ and ‘democracy’ replaced ‘religion and the monarchy’ as the main platform of government (Kirkby, 2000:503). Previously agricultural and rural societies were transformed by urbanisation and industrial productions. These developments collectively led to the emergence of modern society and modernity. Lyotard suggests that modernity is not an epoch but a mode within thought, speech and sensibility and which is governed by the Idea of emancipation (1997:24). Depending on the philosophies of history or the grand narratives that attempt to organise this mass of events, the Idea of emancipation is framed in many ways. There is the Marxist narrative of emancipation from exploitation and alienation through the socialisation of work, the capitalist narrative of emancipation from poverty through techno industrial development, the Aufklrer narrative of emancipation from ignorance and servitude through knowledge and egalitarianism etc.(Lyotard, 1997:25). Whatever the narrative, universal freedom or fulfilment of all humanity is regarded as the end product, however elusive it may be. Similarly, the movement of emancipation in modernity is one in which the third party who are initially external to the emancipator avant-garde, join the community of speakers. It is an only you and me tradition. However, in the course of the last fifty years the principles behind the grand narratives of emancipation have become invalidated. Auschwitz is a prime example that refutes the doctrine that ‘all that is real is rational, and all that is rational is real’. (Lyotard, (1997:29). Hence, Postmodernism developed with the growing signs of the failing of modernity. It grew out of a profound dissatisfaction with the modernist project of enlightenment and reason. It holds that rational thinking and scientific perspectives have fallen short in providing the ‘truths’ they were once presumed to hold. During the industrial era, science, rationality and technology were thought to hold promises of a better, safe and humane world. However, postmodernists now question the validity of scientific enterprise often pointing to the unforeseen and unwanted consequences of resulting technologies. There is however, much difficulty in defining postmodernism. Andreas Huyssen claims that ‘the amorphous and politically volatile nature of postmodernism makes the phenomenon itself remarkably elusive and the definition of its boundaries exceedingly difficult, if not per se impossible’ (Huyssen 1988:58 cited in Earnshaw 1994:24). Hassan also concurs that there is no clear consensus about its meaning among scholars (Hassan 1985:121 cited in Earnshaw 1994:24). Nevertheless, Lyotard describes it as ‘incredulity towards metanarratives’ (1984: xxiv). Basically, Postmodernism rejects the concept of western history as ‘progress’ which was present in the sociologies of both Functionalism and Marx. They have rejected the ‘grand narratives’ and replaced them by a more dispersed and discontinuous set of narratives which, has led to a shift from structuralism to post structuralism. They have also rejected the concept of science and rationalism a s leading to truth about the world and replaced it by a model of sociology which is always open to both falsification and subjectively based biases in the paradigms that are chosen. The French philosophers Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida were important figures in constructing postmodernism. Foucault completely rejects the premodern idealist and realist claims that there are universal and unchanging truths and contends that what experts pronounce to be objective truth is really a disguised rationale for the elites to hold power and want to use it over others, especially the poor, the minorities, and women (McNicol 2005). Sociology as a discipline arose out of a series of debates which began during the period of Enlightenment between philosophers, scientists and other intellectuals about the origin and nature of human societies (Skidmore, 1979:1). During the period of Enlightenment questions began to be asked about what societies are and how they function, the relationships between individuals and societies and about social change. Different views, perspectives and ideas emerged in response to these questions leading to the development of sociological theories which are explanatory frameworks within which specific social phenomena can be understood as part of a much larger social, cultural or economic processes. Skidmore (1979:4) suggests that most sociological theories are developed out of our desire to find solutions to ‘theoretical problems’. Theories have arisen in order to explain modern societies of which Marxism, Functionalism and Interactionism are important. Marxists believe that modernity was brought about by the development of capitalist societies which comprise of two classes with different aims, always at conflict with each other. Marx’s view of society in The Communist Manifesto states ‘Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other – Bourgeoisie and Proletariat ‘ ( Marx pg 82, cited in Kidd et al 2004:135). According to Marx the bourgeoisie or the ruling class own the means of production (land and factories) whereas the proletariat or working class work for the ruling class to survive. This forced labour alienates people from their true nature and identity as ‘the work is external to the worker†¦not part of his nature, that consequently he does not fulfil himself in his work but denies himself, has a feeling of misery, not of well-being†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢(Marx cited in Kidd et al 2004:135). Thus, capitalism makes peopl e slaves to work, oppressing and dulling their senses and alienating them from their true identities. Marxists view society as a system having an economic base infrastructure which shapes everything in society and a superstructure which includes all the major agencies of social control such as education, politics, medicine, and religion. The superstructure inevitably reflects the interests and desires of the dominant bourgeoisie class. Human relationship in this society is defined in terms of money and position in the division of labour. Individuals are shaped by power and authority and social order is maintained through force. People are seen as commodities that can be brought and sold to the highest bidders (Kidd et al 2004:135). Functionalists, on the other hand believe that modern societies developed out of consensus and mass production using industrial technology. Functionalism emerged from biology and sociology and states that ‘society is an organism which requires people and organisations to perform functions in maintaining social order’ (Rojek 1995:36 cited in Hermans 2003:27). It examines society through a functional framework which stresses that everything no matter how strange, out of place or harmful they may seem all serve a purpose. Functionalists consider society as a system having interconnected parts all working together to form a whole. Hence, social institutions like family, religion are analysed as part of the social system rather than as isolated units. Bohm states that the world is a system of interrelated parts, and each part makes a necessary contribution to the vitality of the system (Bohm, 2001). Division of labour according to Functionalists is based on meritocracy where people are rewarded on the basis of their achievements and capabilities. People are not discriminated on the basis of class, gender, or race. They further contend that roles and identity in modern society are achieved and not ascribed and society ensures that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the most qualified persons using social stratification. This ensures effective role allocation and performance to the positions in society. Society hence, moulds people to perform societal functions. In short, functionalism maintains that the dominant condition of society is order reinforced by stability and consensus and not conflict based on coercion and dissention. Interactionism in sociology grew out from the works of Charles H Cooley, George H Mead, and John Dewey. According to Interactionists, society is created through our constant action and interaction with each other and not through structures or systems of society. They contend that the structures and systems of society do not create or shape our thoughts, actions, and behaviours but that people as reflective and thinking beings create their own identity in modern society. This is because according to Blumer ‘human beings interpret or define each other’s actions’ (Blumer 1962:19 cited in Rosenberg 1983:153). People are able to anticipate and weigh possible reactions to their behaviour because social situations are seen from the perspectives of others. Interactionists believe that individuals create their own social world through interactions or sharing and it is through that, that social order is maintained. This is in contrast to the views of functionalists and Marxists where social order is imposed upon people. This however leads to difficulty in understanding where power in society comes from. Social change in their view occurs when the position and communication with each other changes. Postmodernism however, is the view that society has now entered into a new phase which is fundamentally different from the societies described by functionalists, Marxists, or interactionists. Society is now increasingly fragmented and not built on the value consensus described by functionalists not class division described by Marxists because new social divisions have arisen based on gender, sexuality, ethnicity etc. People can now have varied identities rather than being classified as middle or working class people. The characteristics of post modernity have been identified in terms of work, culture, identity, globalisation, and knowledge. According to Michael J Piore (1986) capitalist societies have now entered into a post-Fordist era where work is now organised according to the principles of flexible specialisation (Cited in Haralambos et al, 2004: 641). As consumers are increasingly demanding more specialised products, technology is helping industries meet the changing demands resulting in a decrease in the mass-production of articles. These developments have resulted in flexible working practices and flexible specialisation. People no longer expect a job for life but are continuously driven to increase skills that lead on to job satisfaction. Postmodernists believe that people’s behaviour and sense of identity comes from the images that they consume via the media. This is contrary to the meritocracy beliefs of functionalists and class beliefs of Marxists. Taylor states that ‘society has now been transformed into something resembling an endless shopping mall where people now have much greater choice about how they look, what they consume and what they believe in’ (Cited in Moore et al 2001:20). Postmodernism is also characterised by cultural diversity and pluralism in a range of social context like family, media, youth culture etc. Consumption has now become the central defining feature of post-modern culture where global marketing of cultural forms like cinema, music and computer games and global expansion of trans-national companies have enabled consumption on a global scale. Postmodernists also contend that people in the post modern society cannot put their faiths on great truths. They insist that truth is both unattainable and irrelevant in the post modern world. They stress on the relativity of knowledge, ideas, and lifestyles and that one explanation is in principle as good as another and should be judged on how useful and helpful people find them. Since society is changing education is also going through profound changes in terms of purpose, context, and methods. The difference in modern and post-modern conditions of knowledge lies in the purpose of knowledge (Lyotard, 1984). The dissemination and generation of knowledge in modernity is justified in relation to the grand narratives and its contribution to liberty, pursuit of truth and the betterment of humanity. Rationality, discipline, and scientific investigations are legitimised by the grand narratives which also form the basis for the development of state supported educational practices. In post modernity however, the purpose of knowledge is ‘performativity’ which is taken to mean ‘the optimising of efficient performance’ (Usher et al 1997:14). Education is necessary in order to develop transferable skills, self-motivation, self-supervision, and creativity to meet the rapid pace of globalisation and technological changes in the present world. According to Usher (1997, cited in Webb et al 2004: 145) education in the modern society is controlled by the state and takes the ‘one size fits all’ approach whereas in the post-modern society it is controlled by the communities and is diverse and customised to the needs of individual learners. Education is fixed in time and space and takes place during a fixed period of an individual’s life in modern society whereas it is more flexible and learning takes place throughout an individual’s life in order to meet the needs of the changing economy in post-modern times. Similarly, in modern society education is teacher led where learners are passive recipients of knowledge whereas in post-modern education the learners are active participants who learn through their own experiences. Thompson (1992) too, argues that education is changing to meet the differing needs of diverse communities as societies become more fragmented. Postmodernists reject the fact that education produces class inequalities but rather diversity. They envisage a diverse education system that responds to the need of different individuals and groups. They are sceptical of the functionalist claims that education produces shared values and social solidarity, of liberal claims that human potential can be achieved through education and radical claims that education can produce equality of opportunity in a just society. Usher and Edwards (1994) say, ‘Postmodernism teaches us to be sceptical of foundationalism in all its forms, of totalising and definitive explanations and theories and thus of the dominant taken-for-granted paradigms in education, whether these be liberal, conservative or progressive’ (cited in Haralambos et al 2004:128). In their analysis of education postmodernists us e the concept of subordination where the powerful elite control disempowered groups and classes, and marginalisation where the social, political, economic, and educational processes push powerless groups to the edges of society. Consequently, as demarcation between formal and informal education institutions are continuously breaking down adult education is filling up some of the spaces created by the fragmentation of the modern educational systems and is closely linked to post-modern consumption. According to Usher et al (1997) adult education has been particularly responsive to the post-modern trend towards greater choice and diversity. Individual needs are met through greater tailoring of the content and pace of education through flexible and distance learning programmes. According to Bryson adult education in modernity is seen as ‘all the activities with an educational purpose that are carried on by people engaged in the ordinary business of life’ (1936:3-4). It is a voluntary learning activity initiated by learners themselves. The motives being personal improvement, remedial, occupational, liberal, political, or relational. However, in post-modern times adult education has become more of a consumer product involved in lifestyle choices where it is more of a playful leisure activity rather that a purposive goal orientated one. Knowledge is valued on the basis of its usefulness and its ability to be exchanged for money in the labour market rather than for just providing ‘the truth’. Furthermore, since it can be consumed, many people are consuming it to escape from oppression and disadvantage. Usher et al say ‘there are many groups who see empowerment in terms of the increased consumption of desired goods†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (1997). Therefore, new forms of provision and delivery in the contemporary education landscape are developing. Open and distance learning has increased in prevalence where ‘the post-modern phenomenon of space-time compression has meant that learners and providers become increasingly available to each other on a global scale’ (Edwards 1994 cited in Usher et al 1997:23). The diverse desires of a diverse range of adult learners are readily satisfied by ODL provision. The relationship between learning, face-to-face interaction and pre-planned curricula is fractured without the need to attend specific places of learning at specific times. The postmodernist interpretation of contemporary society is that fragmentation, diversity, difference and multiple identities are replacing cohesion, convergence sameness, and singular identities in working, civic, and private lives. This is true of the UK’s population which has become inundated with immigrants from different nations, speaking many different languages and dialects. There are refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers, family migrants and members of settled communities who are in turn, not homogeneous (Dalziel and Sofres (2005), Ivanic et al (2006), Baynham et al (2007) and Pitt (2005). Although diverse, there are some commonalities within and across these groups and there is a wide spectrum of needs and expectations. Learners from these groups bring diverse educational, cultural, employment backgrounds, life experiences, histories and skills. Their circumstances affect what they want to learn as well as where and how they want to learn. Their motives to learn t he English language varies from securing and progressing in sustainable employment, accessing services, supporting children and taking up opportunities to participate in community and cultural activities. Hence adult education in the form of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) as an activity is seen as becoming more urgent and central. The nature of ESOL how it is talked about, how it is practised, and how it is affected by other areas of social policy has changed over time and continues to do so. The 2000’s saw an unprecedented policy focus on adult education via the Skills for Life strategy which in turn grew out of the Moser report to the Department of Education (DfEE 1999). Adult ESOL in the UK has been included under the Skills for Life policy umbrella along with adult literacy and numeracy. The attempt to fit adult ESOL into generic Skills for Life pedagogy built up tensions as it is distinct, and a generic one-size-fits-all focus threatened to sideline the needs of ESOL learners. With the publication of the working group report, Breaking the Language Barriers (DfEE 2000) ESOL entered wholly into the adult basic skills agenda. This brought about the creation of a statutory ESOL Core Curriculum (DfES 2001), a new teacher training framework and qualifications mapped against the national standards. With t he Leitch (2006) report, the drive for an across-the-board improvement in the skills base of the UK arose so that the country could compete in the global market. This strengthened the connections in policy between learning in the Further Education sector and business. ESOL departments in colleges are expected to provide work linked courses and cooperate closely with local employers through various programmes. Similarly, the rapid rate of globalisation, technological and social changes is making it extremely imperative to up skill or reskill. Firms are being forced to increase efficiency through down sizing, out sourcing and providing flexible working practices. Even low skilled workers are expected to have basic literacy, numeracy, and IT skills along with the ability to learn and adopt. Both the government and individuals themselves are seeking opportunities to raise their qualifications and skills to enhance employability and avoid the fate of being marginalised in developed societies. (Hutton, 1995). As such, education and training programmes are required to produce more people who have higher levels of language competency and skills. The ESOL policy therefore aims to respond to the global economic changes by seeking ways to increase the general level of language competency and skills of learners. The values expressed in the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum (AECC) mainly corresponds to the Reconstructivism value system which focuses on the knowledge and skills relevant to the learner’s everyday life needs and the practical needs of society. The strategies used are community-based learning, group work, role-playing, inquiry, and discussions which are in line with post-modern perspectives of learning. These strategies require learners to process new materials and make personal sense of it. It involves the practise of high-order mental skills such as creativity, evaluation, synthesis and analysis and also practise common skills like the ability to work with and communicate with others (Petty 2004:219). Learners and teachers work together to uncover, solve, and propose solutions to selected problems. Reconstructionists believe that students learn more, remember it longer, and apply it to new situations better if they learn through experience rather than through being told to do s omething. Hence, AECC is a learner centred curriculum which focuses on the learning needs and future goals of learners and finds meaning from student feedback. Since focus is on learners it provides direction for the curriculum and forms the basis of a post-modern curriculum design. As the nation’s population has become diverse with multiple identities, educators have sought instructional practices that will expedite English language acquisition in a practical, efficient, and meaningful way. Amongst the plethora of theories that have evolved Constructivism is deemed as the post-modern technique of knowledge. It is the main underlying learning theory in post-modern education (Braund 1966). The basic idea behind this theory is that knowledge is constructed or invented in the mind which opposes the modernist mindset which says that knowledge is discovered rather than constructed. Knowledge is seen as a human construction, tentative and conjectural, which keeps on undergoing revision as learners acquire more experience. Usher and Johnston assert that this experience is not to enumerate the knowledge gained and become a better person but, is an end in itself, leading to further experience (1997:10). Constructivists and postmodernists ‘leave behind one-size-fits-all methods and negotiate activities and objectives based on the needs of the learner, using knowledge of learning styles and multiple intelligences and encouraging meta-cognition and self-reflection in order to increase students’ self knowledge and capacity for making conscious meaning’ (Diaz-Rico, 2008). Likewise, they stress on the fact that collaborative learning or the sharing of experiences and ideas through language makes language both a personal and social construction (Zahorik, 1995:10-13). This is in contrast to the modernist view where individual consciousness is seen as the absolute origin of knowledge and action (Hadden, 1997:19). Consequently, Task based instruction has been chosen as the best method of language teaching by post-modern ESOL teachers. The ‘learning task provides a framework for meaningful interaction to take place, using ‘purposeful’ situations which ref ine cognition, perception and affect’ (Breen and Candlin, 1980:91). According to Ellis, tasks can be seen as tools for constructing collaborative acts. He states that tasks cater for learning by providing opportunities for learners to use new language structures and items through collaboration with others, subsequently engaging in more independent use of the structures they have internalized in relatively undemanding tasks and finally using the structures in cognitively more complex tasks (Ellis, 2003:178). Task based learning combine many features of post-modern education, viz. collaboration, autonomy, student-centeredness and negotiation of meaning. Tasks involve the learners in their learning which in turn promotes active decision making, problem-solving, critical thinking and responsibility of learning. It also includes formative self-assessment which requires learners to set goals, assess their achievements and reflect on their needs. This is a key aspect of post-modern education which considers every learner to be unique having a unique learning style. Despite education being greatly influenced by postmodern practice, according to Taylor (1992:2) Postmodernity is not just a new theory in sociology but rather a challenge which questions the very bases of conventional sociological understanding. Incredulity as referred to by Lyotard is a scepticism that results from discrepancy between modernity’s ideas and promises and the actuality of the oppression and destruction that characterises the contemporary world. Postmodernity however cannot provide an alternative grand narrative making it impossible for adult educators to completely disinvest from the ‘grand narratives’ despite gradually losing faith in them. This is evident in the fact that adult educators cannot avoid talking in terms of ‘progress’ while at the same time doubting whether more of the same will automatically continue to do so (Usher et al 1997:7). In other words, modernist discourse provide us with ways of talking and knowing which we ca nnot readily dispense with and postmodern attitudes enable us to recognise this. Although postmodernism lacks a concrete model, consumerism has taken the place of science, religion, and reason. People see themselves as consumers and producers. One implication of this on education is that it is seen as a product having a customer service. Learners are viewed as customers who are allowed to select the products they desire and the nature of the delivery of the products. This is a fundamental paradigm shift from the traditional model of education where students accepted the school’s prerogative in defining the nature, purpose, and methods of the educational experience. Learners are now able to look for the best deals, feel a sense of entitlement, negotiate, and can become litigious if disappointed. Education these days teach that truth is relative, all cultures are equally deserving of respect, and all values are subjective. We cannot however ignore the fact that Western culture continuously comes under severe criticism and racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia are considered to be universally evil. Subject matter of courses have shifted dramatically away from traditional fare as colleges and universities are increasingly offering courses that are non traditional which focus on themes of sex, race, gender. Similarly, the Open University is an example of a postmodern education organisation which uses a more flexible approach to teaching. It uses electronically mediated communication to advertise and teach within higher education both domestically and globally. Although postmodernism seems to have evolved in the higher education sector of the UK it has not been openly received by the education system as a whole. Schools are still bound to the concept of performativity like nationwide league tables and standard attainment target tests and the education system continuous to be shaped by wider political and economic forces which postmodernists tend to ignore. According to Apple (1997 cited in Haralambos 2004:730) types of knowledge that are valued by postmodernists particularly cultural theory, are not highly valued or seen as important in the exercise of power. Instead he believes that ‘technical/administrative knowledge’ is considered to be of the highest value and people gain position, power, and influence by possessing such knowledge. Apple argues that contemporary societies are still run by capitalism and we should not allow postmodernists make us think otherwise. Furthermore, although consumption has increased in importance the nature of consumption still depends upon income which is in turn is determined by occupation and social class. Hence, much disparity still exists in education as it relates to racial, ethnic, or disadvantaged groups. The national curriculum still represents a male-dominated, European-centred, Western and capitalist culture and contributions of underrepresented groups like Asians, Africans, the economically disadvantaged etc. are still not included. A culturally diverse curriculum is still to be created in order to reach all the learners especially those marginalised in contemporary schools. This however remains at odds with the centralisation of power in the hands of the government. Hence, although postmodenists have been anxious to attack all grand narratives they have avoided claiming their approach as a coherent theory. Conversely, they have attempted to offer an explanation for what and how education works which in itself can be regarded as a theory. Having said that, postmodernism lacks sufficient empirical research to test its propositions. Although it does represent an important social theory, it fails to live up to the promise of sociology or to develop a set of scientifically and empirically tested propositions about how the social world works. References Baynham, M., Roberts, C., Cooke, M., Simpson, J., and Ananiadou, K., (2007) Effective teaching and learning ESOL London: NRDC Bohm, R. M., (2001) A Primer on Crime and Delinquency Theory Wadsworth Belmont CA Breen, M.P., and Candlin, C. (1980) The essentials of a communicative curriculum in language teaching Applied Linguistics 1/2, 89-112 Browning, G., Halcli, A., and Webster, F. 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