How has chemistry made your life better? Essay

Chemistry is one branch of knowledge that grew from human curiosity about the world and has played a central role in the development of the modern world. Chemistry is the study of the composition of matter, the stuff things are made of, and the changes that matter undergoes. Now, we may not think chemistry plays such a big role in our life but it perhaps more than any other branch of science has bettered our lives. Almost anything we touch today has benefited from chemical technology, and there for chemistry has had a huge influence on human life. Chemistry is truly a powerful tool. It can create a better future for us, or if misdirected, can lead to our doom. It’s important that we study chemistry everyday and understand its principles. Chemistry helps us understand ourselves and the world we live in better. Chemistry has played a major part of helping agriculture. Agriculture has been made several times more efficient by the development of man-made fertilizers and pesticides. Not only has chemistry done that for agriculture but it has done much more. Everyday chemists develop hardier and more productive then ever plants. Advances in plants and the understanding of plant hormones will strengthen the number of plants in the world and increase the world’s food supply. Agriculture belongs to the branch called organic chemistry. Chemistry plays major parts in medicine and biotechnology. Each year because of chemistry more and more medically important substances such as vitamin C, penicillin, and asprin are produced. Not only does chemistry help produce all different types of medicine but also every day medicines are being improved and discovered for different types of reasons. Medicine and biotechnology belong to the branch called biochemistry. Almost forever people have used chemistry to create amazing materials. A long time ago early chemists would create iron from iron ore by heating the ore with carbon. Chemistry has not only helped to develop iron, but it has also played major roles in developing many different mixtures of metals and other materials. Plastic today plays a huge part in our lives and was developed with the use of chemistry! Plastics have incredible properties and  characteristics which include being light weight and extremely strong. Plastic has helped lead to the development of automobiles, making them safer, lighter, sturdier, and even more energy-efficient. Materials belong to the Analytical branch of chemistry. As I have shown in my mini essay chemistry plays a major part in our lives. Chemistry has not only made one persons life better but every ones. The advances in chemistry everyday not only promise to improve human health but also to give man understanding and control of the process of life. It is essential that we study chemistry and understand its principles. Without chemistry the world may never have been like it is today!

Reality and the Existence of God Essay

When Descartes decided to tear down his beliefs and start fresh, he needed a foundation upon which to build his ideology. When judging what reality is, God must be considered. He/she must be taken out of a religious concept and proven to exist, exist in a way in which we cannot be deceived into only thinking is real. The proof of the existence of God in this way forms the backbone of Descartes’ further forays into proving what is reality. God, being the supremely powerful, all-knowing all-seeing force that created the world and everything in it, was central in most 17th century philosophies. When investigating the importance of god in Descartes’ philosophy, one must first understand the science of the times. The basic principle of mechanism is that everything in the universe could eventually be explained in terms of mechanical laws, and with these laws there is no free will. The universe moves like a complex clock, with everything pre-determined and in accordance with the laws of matter. Pierre Simon de Laplace stated â€Å"We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of the past and the cause of the future. An intellect which at any given moment knew all of the forces that animate nature and the mutual positions of the beings that compose it, if this intellect were vast enough to submit the data to analysis, could condense into a single formula the movement of the greatest bodies of the universe and that of the lightest atom; for such an intellect nothing could be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes. † (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Mechanism_%28philosophy%29) Unfortunately for mechanism, the mind is impossible to define in mechanical terms, as it is not a corporeal substance that can be measured. Descartes responds to this problem with dualism, saying that the mind is a â€Å"thinking thing† which is the essence of himself. This â€Å"thing† doubts, believes, hopes and thinks, all the while existing only in a metaphysical sense as a non-extended, thinking thing; while the body is a non-thinking, extended thing. With this he had a clear and distinct idea of both mind and body, and whatever he could conceive, God could create. This led him to believe that the mind could be separate from the body, a substance whose essence was thought. Thus the idea of dualism was founded by the existence of God. As Descartes did not completely agree with mechanism or materialism, he had to essentially obliterate all his beliefs, wipe his proverbial slate clean, and start again. To reevaluate what was real and what was false, Descartes had to doubt everything, including the existence of God, and if he/she exists, whether or not God was a deceiver. Descartes put forward the question of whether or not there are any attributes to the idea of God which couldn’t have originated in himself, God being â€Å"infinite, eternal, unchangeable, independent, supremely intelligent, supremely powerful†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He came to the conclusion that none of these attributes could have come from him alone, as he possesses none of them. In this sense, God must exist. He then postulates the hierarchy argument, where the idea of God could not have been thought of by him, or man in general, as the attributes seen in God belong to some higher form. It does not matter that he cannot â€Å"grasp the infinite†, or touch the attributes of God as he himself is finite; the very nature of something being infinite is that it cannot be grasped by something finite. Thus, since the ideas of God are in some higher form, they must be the truest and most clear and distinct of all Descartes’ ideas. He then decided to ask how he could have received the idea of a perfect being from God, as he has never encountered such from the senses. He comes up with the idea of a craftsman, who, when he invents something, may fiddle and change parts of his creation as he chooses. The idea of God, in Descartes’ mind, could not be changed or interfered with; therefore he could not have created it himself. This leads to the belief in the idea of God being innate in him. He again uses the idea of a craftsman, with the idea of God as a â€Å"mark of the craftsman† stamped on his work, man. Descartes’ then postulated that he could not exist with the innate idea of God in his mind without God existing. This fostered his belief that God could not possibly be a deceiver, since for something to be fraudulent or deceitful it has to have some defect, which in God there is none. This began to form the foundation on which Descartes would continue to prove existence through methodical doubt. After he determined that yes, God exists, Descartes turned his attention to truth and falsity. He has determined that God would never deceive him, as wanting to deceive is a sign of malice or weakness, traits not pertaining to God. If God, then, does not deceive him, errors on his part must be of his own judgment. He uses God as a benchmark, saying he is somewhere between God and nothingness, between supreme being and non-being. In meditation number four, again he uses the craftsman analogy, that the more skilled the craftsman, the more perfect the creation. Since God created Descartes, he must be perfect, which leads him to believe that his making mistakes may be better than not doing so. Human free will is an issue that philosophers of every generation tackle in some form or another, and Descartes was no exception. When dealing with will, he believed that will is simply one’s ability to do or not do something, to accept or reject a proposition. This will is such that when a decision is presented to us, we have no sense that we are pushed one way or another by any external forces. He believed that freedom is strengthened by natural knowledge and divine grace, and that since God gave him the power of willing, it cannot be the cause of his mistakes. Simply, a mistake is made when one’s will extends beyond their intellect, when one applies will to matters they do not understand. This philosophy states that God has given him the freedom to choose his destiny in situations of which he does not have complete understanding, a view quite inconsistent with the beliefs of the time. Descartes could not have been an atheist and have come to the conclusions he did. The science of the time was a rigid belief that everything in the universe was bound by the laws of matter, and that it moved like a complex clock, everything pre-determined from the time it was created. A strong supporter of the idea of dualism, Descartes believed that the mind was not bound by the laws of matter and was intangible, a substance whose essence was thought. Since God created him, whatever he could conceive could also be created by God which is the founding principle of dualism. When he began to tear down his belief system, he needed a foundation on which to build his new knowledge. He proved the existence of God by using the hierarchy theory, that since none of the traits of God could be attributed to himself, they must have come from God. With this knowledge, Descartes tackled truth and falsity, the essence and existence of material things, and the real distinction between mind and body. All of which in some for or another were based on his foundation: that God exists and is not a deceiver. If he could prove the existence of God through methodical doubt, he could prove anything. He made this quite clear near the end of his fifth meditation; â€Å"I see plainly that the certainty and truth of all knowledge depends strictly on my awareness of the true God. So much that until I became aware of him I couldn’t perfectly know anything.

Land tenure reform in Zimbabwe Essay

Write an essay in which you discuss land tenure reform in Zimbabwe / South Africa or Namibia. In your discussion use the perquisites for land tenure reform identified by van de Wall. Then evaluate whether these perquisites for land tenure reform are still acceptable inn your study. Table of Contents_____________________________________________________Page: Introduction Perquisites for land tenure reform by van de Wall Land reform in Zimbabwe Is van de Wall’s perquisites still relevant to Zimbabwe’s land reform Conclusion Bibliography INTRODUCTION With the independence of Zimbabwe the new government implemented land reform in order to relieve the increasing population pressure on the country. I will discuss the perquisites of land reform by van de Wall and compare that to the land reform tenure of Zimbabwe. Discussing whether or not van de Wall’s perquisites are applicable to Zimbabwe’s land reform. PERQUISITES FOR LAND TENURE REFORM BY VAN DE WALL: â€Å"Land-tenure reforms present a major challenge to policymakers, such as reducing rural poverty while avoiding socially unacceptable inequalities in land ownership and living standards† (Ravaillon and van de Walle 2008). Van de Wall puts forward certain requirements in order for successful land reform. The rural population must actively take part in the land reform tenure as the programme is aimed at boosting the previous disadvantaged population of the country. In order to do so Steward, du Plessis, Mazibuko  and Moloi (2010:82) state: â€Å"one needs qualified and skill staff as land reform actions imply high costs in surveying, registration, resettlement and so forth† The government must be active in the reform to minimise constrains that prevent the rural population from accessing credit, support and technical services and infra-structural development. Also to attend to job creation for the farming community who has lost there land due to reforms as farming is often there only livelihood and means of income. It’s important to stress that the settlement of farmers should be on the farmers own account and that they should be self-sufficient and accept responsibility for their livelihood. Government must as a priority provide resources and clear policies to enable farm dwellers to realise their land rights also provide farmers with security in respect of land rights and that legislation affords protection. Farmers must receive compensation should these rights be violated – farmers must be protected from evictions and have secured tenure not linked to employment. LAND REFORM IN ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe became independent in the 1980’s when most fertile farmlands were predominantly owned by white / commercial farmers. This was a problem as â€Å"population density was low in the large commercial farm areas whereas in small farm areas overpopulation beyond carrying capacity was predominant and most farms have become too small to earn a living† (Blanckenburg1994:329). The black population of Zimbabwe was promised fertile farming land after independence – which was â€Å"bought† from the profitable, commercial and predominantly white farmers. These pieces of land was given to previously disadvantage black people so instead of a few commercial farms only being owned by the minority (white) it was now subdivided into smaller pieces of arable farmland and given to the black population. The vision of the government was to increase employment and income distribution between white and black people IS VAN DE WALL’S PREQUISITES STILL RELEVANT TO ZIMBABWE’S LAND REFORM? No, van de Wall stated land reform must be given to skilled and educated people, whereas the Zimbabwe government preference inexperienced settlers and liberation fighters. The Zimbabwe government abolished the following Lancaster House Agreement of 1979. Stating the willing buyer (government), willing seller (farmer) principle whereby the selling farmer could decide whether or not to sell their farm was – abolished by the  government who could determine independently which farms to acquire. The new land owners did not poses the skills to efficiently run farms which led to the crash of the tobacco industry. CONCLUSION The land reform act of Zimbabwe was politically orientated eventually leading up to such a point where farmers where murdered and land was forcefully taken with inadequate compensation. Where Zimbabwe was once seen as a major food and economic leader they now the poorest country in Africa even though there leader president Mugabe is the richest man in Africa. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ravallion,M and D. van de Walle.2008. Land in transition:Reformand Povertyin Rural Vietnam. Washington,DC Policy Research Paper 2951/ New York: The World Bank/ Palgrave Macmillian Steward, PDS, du Plessis, IMM, Mazibuko, SG, Moloi, R. 2010. Only study guide for DVA3702. Pretoria: University of South Africa

Policy paper on current international problem Essay

Policy paper on current international problem - Essay Example The Palestinian community has also recently been fractured by the Fatah/Hamas split, adding a new and potentially explosive dynamic to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Despite decades of attempts at resolving this conflict, we are at an impasse and without a resolution in sight. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict remains one of the most enduring and complex disputes of modern times. Although many believe that current fighting began with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, historian Benny Morris traces the origin of this conflict to early Jewish settlement in the Ottoman region of Filastin (modern day Israel/Palestine) as early as 1881 – 67 years before the state of Israel was created. As such, he describes the conflict as a Zionist-Arab dispute and not solely as a problem between modern day Israelis and Palestinians (Morris, 2001). The origins of the dispute between Israelis and Palestinians are important today because two key issues between the warring parties remain largely unchanged since the late ninetieth century. For more than one hundred years these two fundamental issues have driven, contributed to, and exacerbated the protracted nature of this conflict. The first major issue is territorial and the question of land. At its very core, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a conflict over land; a tiny sliver of land, semi arid and dry, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and roughly the size of New Jersey (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008). The second major issue is the juxtaposition of Israeli and Palestinian identities; competing nationalisms which were at odds decades before the establishment of the modern state of Israel. It is these two core issues, disputed land and competing nationalisms, which are fundamental to the conflict and which must be tackled with vigor if one seeks to resolve the crisis. Historically speaking, few places on earth share the religious importance of present-day

Policy Issues in the Criminal Justice System Essay

Policy Issues in the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example Indeed, never before in history has the controversial practice appeared to be under such a threat. These people consider the death penalty to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment. They argue that it is a part of a barbaric ancient world and as such it no longer has any place in our contemporary world. This is a popular opinion. But upon critical consideration, the idea that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment does not stand up to scrutiny. Just because something had been used for many millennium does not mean it is barbaric or obsolete. People in the past knew a great deal about human nature; Michelangelo, for example, painted the Sistine Chapel. He was not a barbarian. The truth is we need to look at the death penalty in the contemporary world and examine its effectiveness. We need to look closely to see if it is cruel and unusual punishment or if it is an effective and responsible way to punish murderers and allow society to act as it feels is necessary in the fa ce of certain heinous crimes. Society needs to be able to make a statement about the worst crimes. One of the few developed countries to still use the death penalty is America. In America today capital punishment is legal in around thirty-seven states. It enjoys substantial popular support (Clark County). Most Americans do not believe it is cruel and unusual punishment. They believe it is an appropriate form of censure. ... If it is cruel—and that is an open question—it is plainly in response to the cruelty of the acts committed by those who have received the death penalty. The truth is that there is a strong argument that the death penalty is a deterrent to those who seek or plan to commit heinous crimes—this would therefore justify those who suggest the death penalty is beyond the pale. The death penalty prevents people from committing crimes. No one criminal wants to end up subject to capital punishment and on death row. That is only part of the argument in favour of capital punishment however; more than that, the death penalty is the ultimate sanction that society can take against those who commit the most serious crimes. As a whole society needs a mechanism through which to express their extreme displeasure at acts of extreme violence. This simply make sense. Many scholars also believe it works effectively as a deterrent (Mappes, 98). Those who study criminology and who take a serious interest in this question, often agree that the death penalty has that kind of impact. The statistics, however, may not be so clearly demonstrative. The reason why statistics are so open to misuse and manipulation by death penalty opponents is the fact that many murders committed by murderers are not actually first degree and do not involve a lot of premeditation. They often occur on the spur of the moment or by negligence. For these sorts of crimes, death penalty is not much of a deterrence—and this fact will be reflected in the statistics used by opponents. In fact, it is difficult to think there is much of a correlation between crime rates and capital punishment to begin with. Homicide is but a very small portion of crime

Philosophy of Math Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy of Math - Scholarship Essay Example This question turned out to be extraordinarily difficult, and mathematicians have been struggling with it ever since" (Clay Mathematics Institute, 2008). Ornes (2006) finds a way to simply, yet humorously, define the conjecture by saying, "Say you're walking down a street, and you encounter a strange and complicated shape whose surface sports peaks and valleys, mountains and molehills, but no holes. If you were a mathematician, you may want to study the way that functions behave on it. Poincar's conjecture says that no matter what it looks like, it's a sphere. The conjecture gives mathematicians a short and easy way to identify a deformed blob as a sphere in disguise." (2) Read the article by Colyvan on indispensability of math. You will find it at: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mathphil-indis/ . Describe the "indispensability argument" and briefly discuss one objection (ie, state an objection and say why you think it a good one or a poor one.) According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2008, pg.

How can human resources (people) working in the bureaucratic Essay

How can human resources (people) working in the bureaucratic Intelligence Agencies affect the outcome of interagency collaboration efforts - Essay Example olicymakers are all in a mad scramble about addressing the problem of intelligence failure that made the 9/11 terrorist attack by the Al Qaeda successful. Emerging policies concerning the intelligence community demonstrate a preference for a closer interagency collaboration as this was the factor widely blamed for the 9/11 attacks. However, the sixteen agencies and departments that comprises the American intelligence community will undoubtedly find it difficult to make the transition from an existing way of doing agency business to a new and more collaborative way because it require the human resource to withdraw even temporarily from bureaucratic philosophy. Here, agencies must spurn something that they have least respected and cherished. In addition, an agency must be willing to discard its culture if necessary, or, if possible, break it up into components, some of which might warrant being salvaged and recycled. This is the reason why human resource is pivotal in achieving interagency collaboration. This paper will address how human resources working in the bureaucratic Intelligence Agencies affect the outcome of interagency collaboration efforts. Specifically, this paper will discuss why each individual human resources, available to Intelligence Community Agencies, have more a more significant and influential role towards increasing interagency collaboration and integration than the technological advances and high budget resources they work with. Presently, there is an excessive dependence on high-tech intelligence in the United States military establishment, including a tight integration between the technical intelligence and conventional military intelligence and that it could be problematic as demonstrated by the fighting in Iraq. (Posner, p. 70) There are several studies that show why human resource is significant in interagency cooperation in the intelligence community – a role that is even more significant than technological advances and budget

The benefits and necessity of bilingual education in schools and Essay

The benefits and necessity of bilingual education in schools and universities - Essay Example The debate on bilingual education has been something that has been ongoing since the 1960s when the equality of different Minority groups in the United States was first asserted.This is because there were many American citizens who could not speak fluent English,but were quite fluent in other languages such as Spanish and FrenchToday there are many schools that champion the case of bilingual education. In some of such schools, the students are in English as well as their native languages. Comprehending the disadvantages as well as advantages of a bilingual education can help people to develop an impartial perspective on the necessity of giving the educational system a bilingual structure. While many people may think bilingual education is ineffective and unnecessary, I have discovered it to be otherwise. Why Bilingual Education is Unnecessary. There are many people who feel that the bilingual system of education will not be beneficial for English speakers in the long run. For example , in English speaking nations, there are people who feel that adopting a bilingual system will compromise the students’ grasp of the English language. To others, it appears that adopting a bilingual system is giving too much power to foreign elements within their own nation (Sizeron). To them, the effort to become a part of the society lies with the foreigners who relocate to English speaking nations. The citizens of an English speaking nation should not be inconvenienced in different ways in order to make foreigners feel that they are accepted by society. Another reason why some people may be against bilingual education in their schools is because they do not wish to be forced to start learning new languages. Bilingual education systems inevitably result in a larger fraction of citizens who speak two languages clearly. From there, it is quite easy for the reigning government to make the decision that it will have an additional national language. This means that it is not jus t the students who will be compelled to learn the new language. The English speaking citizens of the nation will also be compelled to learn the new language in order to be able to navigate around public systems that may start operating in two different languages. Not all people are talented and able to learn other languages easily. For many people, learning a new language is quite a difficult undertaking. Another reason why some people oppose the structuring of a bilingual educational system is that it might cost more than can be dedicated to expanding a nation’s educational system. Using different languages in different nations, states, or cities in the same region means that there will have to be different facilities to cater for the speakers of all languages. This will also further strain the educational systems of most countries which do not even fully cover the existing programs (National Latino Children’s Institute). Opponents of the bilingual educational system also often stress that children may be confused if they are suddenly required to start speaking different languages and master all of them. From their point of view, subjects such as English can only be mastered through the ‘immersion’ method. This means that the student has to have the opportunity to speak this language in all settings in order to become accustomed to it. Introducing a new language means that students will have to learn two languages concurrently. This could mean that none of the languages become well mastered. Why Bilingual Education is Necessary. According to the proponents of bilingual education, there are many reasons why bilingual educational systems are beneficial both for students as well as the general society. In addition to allowing children to develop a feeling for cultural pluralism, there are academic as well as cultural benefits associated with speaking two languages right from childhood. According to a research documented by

Energy Resource Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Energy Resource Plan - Essay Example energy production systems pollute the environment through emission of green house gases in to the atmosphere, which adversely affects humans and animals through climate change and health related issues (Carlson 2005). The renewable energy includes the energy sources that can be that can be used over and over again. It includes energy sources such as solar, geothermal, wave and wind energy, amongst other self-sustaining alternative energy sources. However, in order for renewable energy to be sufficient, large amounts of sources need to be harnessed, since they produce a relatively little energy. In other words the ratio of the energy produced to the energy source harnessed is relatively small compared to the non- renewable energy, whereby a small amount of the energy source produces substantial amount of energy. However, once used, these sources are irreplaceable (Schaeffer 2007). These include coal and petroleum products amongst others. They are a major cause of environmental degradation through emission of green house gases in to the atmosphere, and water pollution through oil spills as well as land degradation through mining of coal. The first and most important thing that each person ought to do in order to conserve the environment is to minimize the use of non-renewable energy. This will help in reducing the rate of environmental degradation through energy production from non-renewable sources. This can be accomplished through the use of solar energy for lighting, wind energy, and natural gas among other renewable energy sources. Electrical appliances, especially the air conditioners, refrigerators and lighting should remain switched off whenever they are not needed. People should also use energy efficient equipment such as less fuel consuming vehicles or the use of bicycles instead of vehicles that consume high energy as well as emitting green house gases to the environment. People should also insulate their living rooms more in order to minimize heating

Brief Case Studies - Week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brief Case Studies - Week 7 - Essay Example They are listed in different stock exchanges of the world as well. Under such circumstances, it becomes quite complicated as well as costly to prepare the financial statements under different reporting requirements. IFRS issued by IASB provides the treatment of fair value accounting of property, plant and equipment which is currently not supported US GAAP issued by FASB. However, with the increasing adoption of IFRS, it is very likely that US GAAP will also add the similar treatment for fair value accounting of Property, Plant and Equipment. b) Fair value accounting has the biggest disadvantage of valuing property, plant and equipment on the basis of subjectivity. When measuring fair values of the property, plant and equipment, several subjective assumptions are taken by the evaluators which pose question marks upon the objective approach towards financial statements. Thus, the financial statements become less attractive to be compared with other financial statements of other entitie s due to lack of objectivity element. c) The fair value accounting for property, plant and equipment has the similarity with that of investment accounting. Under both types of accounting, if the fair values of the asset are increased, then stockholders’ equity is also increased directly such that it has no impact on the net profit of the entity. However, in case of decrease of the fair value of property, plant and equipment, and investment, the amount of decrease is expensed out in the income statement which directly decreases the profitability of the entity. After that the decreased amount of net profit is credited to stockholder’s equity. This mechanism is set out in order to apply the principle of conservatism which states that the entity should not anticipate any profits but it must anticipate all the losses. The fair value accounting for property, plant and equipment and investment accounting consider this principle as the unrealized gains are credited directly to equity whereas unrealized losses are charged as an expense in the income statement thus reducing the profitability of the entity. Analysis of Statement of Cash Flows (Case 16-3) a) 1. As far as depreciation is concerned, it is an item of non-cash expense. To make it very clear, it is not a cash flow. However, the reason behind including depreciation in cash flow statements is the elimination of effect of depreciation from calculating net cash flow increased or decreased. In order to arrive at the corrected figure of cash flows, the depreciation amount needs to be added in the net profit as it was deducted previously when calculating net income in the income statement. Since it is a non-cash expense, therefore, it does not decrease the cash flows. Because of this, it is added in the cash flow statement in order to provide the correct amount of cash flows. 2. Even though share issued for acquiring land is not a cash transaction, however, the substance of this transaction is based on share. If the company is going to buy back these shares, it would have to complete this transaction by providing consideration in cash. Under existing scenario, cash is not directly involved, but a significant investment is made, therefore, this transaction is shown as a separate schedule in the cash flow statement and not included in the mainstream working of calculation of cash flows. 3. Gain on sale of investment is also non-cash income therefore its treatment is similar to that of depreciation. Since the amount

Alpha Lipoic Acid what is it, and how does it improve (help) Essay

Alpha Lipoic Acid what is it, and how does it improve (help) peripheral neuropathy and insulin resistance - Essay Example The metabolic dysregulation associated with DM causes secondary pathophysiologic changes in multiple organ systems that impose a tremendous burden on the individual with diabetes and on the health care system. The two broad categories of DM are designated type 1 and type 2. ALA has been shown to be useful in type 2 diabetes mellitus, and in order to understand the mechanism of action of ALA in control of DM and DM-associated complicating conditions, such as, neuropathy, it is important to understand the pathophysiologic and biochemical mechanism of these conditions (Boulton, 2005). A prominent biochemical feature of type 2 DM is insulin resistance. This group of disorders is characterised by a pathogenic process that leads to hyperglycemia through variable degrees of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and increased glucose production. Type 2 DM is characterized by three pathophysiologic abnormalities: impaired insulin secretion, increasing peripheral insulin resistance, and excessive hepatic glucose production. Obesity, particularly visceral or central as evidenced by the hip-waist ratio, is very common in type 2 DM. Adipocytes secrete a number of biologic products, namely, leptin, TFN-alpha, free fatty acids, resistin, and adiponectin that modulate insulin secretion, insulin action, and body weight and may contribute to the insulin resistance. As expected, in the early stage of the disease, glucose tolerance remains normal despite insulin resistance since the pancreatic beta cells compensate by increasing the output of insulin. As insulin resista nce and compensatory hyperinsulinemia progress, the pancreatic islets in certain individuals are unable to sustain the hyperinsulinemic state (Huebschmann et al., 2006). Diabetic Neuropathy Diabetic neuropathy occurs in approximately 50% of individuals with long-standing type 1 and type 2 DM. It may manifest as polyneuropathy, mononeuropathy, and/or autonomic neuropathy. As with other complications of DM, the development of neuropathy correlates with the duration of diabetes and glycemic control; both myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers are lost. Because the clinical features of diabetic neuropathy are similar to those of other neuropathies, the diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy should be made only after other possible etiologies are excluded (Boulton et al., 2004). The most common form of diabetic neuropathy is distal symmetric polyneuropathy. It most frequently presents with distal sensory loss. Hyperesthesia, paresthesia, and dysesthesia also occur. Any combination of these symptoms may develop as neuropathy progresses. Symptoms include a sensation of numbness, tingling, sharpness, or burning that begins in the feet and spreads proximally. Neuropathic pain develops in some of these individuals, occasionally preceded by improvement in their glycemic control. Pain typically involves the lower extremities, is usually present at rest, and worsens at night. Both an acute and a chronic form of painful diabetic neuropathy have been described. As diabetic neuropathy progresses, the pain subsides and eventually disappears, but a sensory deficit in the lower extremities persists. Physical examination reveals sensory loss,

Analyzing the Argumentation and Persuasive Tactics in Song Lyrics Essay Example for Free

Analyzing the Argumentation and Persuasive Tactics in Song Lyrics Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tupac Amaru Shakur also known as 2Pac or Makaveli was an American rapper. He is a successful recording artist in his genre of Rap, a successful film actor, and a social activist.   He was recognized in Guiness Book of World Records as the highest-selling rap artist with over 75,000,000 albums sold worldwide, including over 50,000,000 in United States.   Above all that achievement, his first album was entitled 2Pacalypse Now which was not successful and sold so few.   The single entitled â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up,† was one of the different singles that was included in the Top 10 Billboard Singles which was on 1993.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The single â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up† was one of the most played songs of 2Pac.   The song centered on being   able to fight violence and how to rise above abuse.   2Pac showed his compassionate side in this song which paved way for a significance in women’s attitude towards abuse.   2Pac has focused in this song the significance of hope and being able to pick up oneself after a hardship and abuse.   Just like the other songs of 2Pac, the single â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up† also aimed at the problems of young black females, growing up, violence, and hardship in racism problems.   He has emphasized the importance of keeping the head up and never giving up in spite the difficulties. Statement of Fact   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The song of 2Pac entitled â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up† has focused on being able to stand up after a fall and never lose hope.   It is evident in the song that hope is a major theme in it, as seen in these stanzas: â€Å"Baby don’t cry, you got to keep your head up even when the road is hard, never give up (you’ll be alright) Baby don’t cry, you got to keep your head up even when the road is hard, never give up (you’ll be alright).†Ã‚   2Pac has even emphasized the reality in what has been happening in the real world which is said as, â€Å"Now here’s a story bout a woman with dreams so picture perfect at thirteen, an ebony queen beneath the surface it was more than just a crooked smile nobody knew about her secret so it took a while I could see a tear fall down her black cheek sheddin quiet tears in the back seat; so when she asked me. What would you do if it was you?.†   Ã‚  As well in this lines, â€Å"Couldn’t answer such a horrible pain to live through I tried to trade places in the tragedy I couldn’t picture three crazed niggaz grabbin me For just a moment I was trapped in the pain, Lord come and take me Four niggaz violated, they chased and raped me Even though it wasn’t me, could feel the grief Thinkin with your brains blown that would make the pain go No! You got to find a way to survive cause they win when your soul dies.   The significance of the obvious oppression and abuse to women are seen in the society just given a bigger picture in this song. III. Argument   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2Pac’s song â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up† has open my mind to the importance of hope and never giving up in times of difficulties and hardship which was more focused in women’s abuse in this song that gives compassion to women in distress.   Different from other songs of 2Pac which tackled on ghettos and racism, this song of hope has even risen from other 2Pac’s singles.   This song has been a chart topper in the Billboards in the year 1993 which was obvious that the audience and people are aware and has given interest in the song â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up†, and people can relate to such issue of today. Definition of Terms: Ya – other word for â€Å"your† Hope – expectation and desire combined Keep – retain possession Niggaz – African American or Black Americans Refutation and Counterarguments   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The song â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up† was a very inspiring song of hope and never giving up but has some deficiencies in it in it’s delivery of words and using inappropriate language of referring to   person like the ones mentioned in the song like: â€Å"nigga,† â€Å"niggaz,† and â€Å"wild-ass.†Ã‚   These languages are not appropriate for children and teens that will be listening to it and may give way for improper conduct due to lack of education to the right words to be said.   No question about the theme and purpose of the song but the point stressed is the courtesy of referring women in a decent and proper way.   No word greater than the word â€Å"woman, lady or girl,† is describable of. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2Pac’s purpose of the song â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up,† is greatly appreciated in spite of the words used.   In memory of Tupac Amaru Shakur or 2Pac who passed away last September 13, 1996 due to a shooting incident, his legacy will always be remembered and be always in our hearts as well as his songs left with us.   In the single â€Å"Keep Ya Head Up,† 2Pac’s compassion, hope, never giving up, and concern to women’s welfare was evident and seen in this perspective.   Together with Makaveli’s passing, was an honor of his achievements and continuous appreciation of his work and talents in music and being a social activists in human rights. Sources: Keep Ya Head Up Lyrics. Vibe Magazine November 1996 Issue. Baltake, Joe.   Tupac Taps Into Cultural Marvel, Sacramento Bee, November 14, 2003 P.TK26.

Intentionalist vs Functionalist | The Holocaust

Intentionalist vs Functionalist | The Holocaust History of the Holocaust The Functionalist vs. Intentionalist Debate Historians have been attempting to uncover the true reasons behind the Holocaust since the day it ended. Since the 1980s there has been a significant divide between two major groups of historians: those called the functionalists, and those called the intentionalists. The general term intentionalist is typically defined as a person who essentially constructs a case around the decisive impact of particular individuals or events (Claydon, John). A functionalist is one who reacts specifically against the intentionalist approach and builds up a picture of what happened through meticulous research†¦without any preconceived ideas (Claydon, John). Therefore when speaking of the Holocaust, intentionalist historians focus completely on Hitler. They believe that it was his idea (or intention) all along to preserve the Aryan race by exterminating Jews and other racial and ideological groups that the Germans saw as enemies. On the other hand, functionalist historians say that it was not Hitl ers master mining that caused the Holocaust and the Final Solution. They believe in a number of various reasons inside and outside of Germany such as too many failed attempts at emigration, middle ranking German officials putting the idea in Hitlers head, and bureaucratic or economic motives and wartime pressure. This debate was at its prime during the 1980s and early 1990s. Before that, the majority of people completely blamed Hitler, taking the intentionalists side almost without question. Today, more historians have taken a position in the middle, claiming that Hitler was at fault but that it was not necessarily his plan since the first day he came to power. I agree with middle, as I believe its nearly impossible to come to a conclusion on which party is more accurate. Some intentionalist historians include Lucy Dawidowicz, Andreas Hillgruber, and Gerald Fleming among others. They believe that Hitler had his plan from 1920 or earlier, and that was to exterminate the Jewish population. These beliefs come from a variety of different reasons. Some say his childhood corrupted him, causing him to create this blue-print like plan for a genocide (Julian, George). Others blame it on his central role and strong dictator skills, arguing that he controlled everyone underneath him and knew about everything that was happening amongst the Nazi Party, making it inevitable that his actions were to blame. Most intentionalists claim that his plan was written out in his autobiography, Mein Kampf or My Struggle, where he says a few lines which give away his plan, proving that his intentions stemmed long before he came to power, and that it was as if Hitler fantasized of murder. Some, such as Lucy Dawidowicz, say that Hitler saw World War II as the perfect opportunity to implement his plan, but that it had been on his mind for up to twenty years prior to when it actually happened. Andreas Hillgruber often refers to speeches from the Nuremburg Trials, where he quotes Hitler and claims that the genocide never would have happened if it werent for Hitler. One example is Hitler saying, The final goal, however, must steadfastly remain the removal of the Jews altogether (ADL, 2001). Another quote is him explaining, This struggle will not end with annihilation of Aryan mankind, but with the extermination of the Jewish people of Europe (ADL, 2001). The word extermination is key because it is proof that he intended on a genocide at some point. These quotes prove Hitlers evil personality and make it easy to point fingers, but is still possible for a functionalist to argue that in the first quote he used the term get rid of, which could mean deport, and in the second quote, it could have been from 1941 after the final solution was created. This again proves that both sides have strong points and it is nearly impossible to prove one completely accurate. Functionalist historians include Ian Kershaw, Christopher Browning, and Hans Mommsen. Unlike intentionalists who believe the Holocaust stemmed from Hitlers early ideas around 1920, these historians believe that the Holocaust did not actually start until around 1941. The reasons for this is the multiple failed attempts to deport the Jewish prisoners out of Germany, and also the military losses in Russia. Fuctionalists argue that other parties besides Hitler himself had strong anti-semitism views and acted on their own. Extreme functionalists even believe that Hitlers ideas came from middle ranking German officials in occupied Poland and spread to Hitler (Haberer). Aside from other people influencing Hitlers actions, it is also said that the certain circumstances influenced his actions. Proof often used by functionalists to defend Hitler is that he did start out with sterilization acts such as what he used on the disabled, to purify and prevent genetic deviants, but when that didnt wor k he was forced into the final solution. It has also been said that after failing to deport the Jews, the Nazi party was forced into the decision to have to kill them after forcing them into Ghettos and not knowing what to do with them. They say there was no place to put them, so they had no other option but to kill them. This relates to the idea of the Territorial solution that some functionalists believe in. Some say that what they really wanted was simply for the Jews to be in their own, far away land, expelled from Germany. At first, they planned to create a reservation near Poland, but it was vetoed by Hans Frank, the Governor-General of occupied Poland. In 1940 they came up with the Madagascar Plan; the idea to deport the entire Jewish Population to Madagascar. When that didnt work, functionalists argue that the territorial solution turned to the Jewish Question which eventually, in 1941, was forced to turn into the Final Solution. The final solution was the only term that act ually meant extermination. As I stated earlier, I find it nearly impossible to come to a conclusion. Many historians in the middle of the spectrum claim that both sides use the same evidence but just read into it differently. One example is a quote by Adolf Hitler, If at the beginning of the War and during the War, twelve or fifteen thousand of these Hebrew corrupters of the people had been held under the poison gas, as happened to hundreds of thousands of our very best German workers in the field, the sacrifice of millions would not have been in vain (Wasiak, Kjersti). An intentionalist would read this and say that this is proof that Hitler had a plan to kill out the entire Jewish population all along. A functionalist would read this and argue that this was only the solution after previous solutions had failed. Another example is the various quotes from Hitlers autobiography. Many times does he mention getting rid of the Jewish race. The only problem is that intentionalists automatically assume he means kill, whereas the functionalists think it could mean put in another country. I personally would side in the middle of the spectrum along side with historians such as Ian Kershaw and Yehuda Bauer. In their articles and books they seem to have the impression that Hitler was the driving force behind the Holocaust, but was not necessarily to blame. He did at one point want to exterminate the Jews, but it was not necessarily his plan all along from 1920, that some others could have influenced his actions and ideas. For years and years, historians have been struggling to find reasons for the Holocaust, reasons for Adolf Hitlers actions. Over time, two main parties have been created. The Intentionalists put complete blame on Hitler, saying that since 1920 it was his plan to create a genocide and kill off the entire Jewish race. The functionalists argue that many internal and external factors helped create the final solution, including other individuals and their views, countries impacts during the war, and failed attempts to do what the Nazi party originally wanted, leaving no other choice but murder. There are countless essays, books, and articles from both parties, all of which with valuable evidence. For me personally, I believe its difficult to completely side with one party. I believe that Hitler was the main force behind the Holocaust and the Final Solution. Whether or not his idea was implanted in his brain as a child, or the day he came to power, or even in1941 right before the Final Solu tion was made, is still not proven. The debate is ongoing and has evolved as the years have gone on. Immediately following the holocaust, it was automatically assumed by most that Hitler was completely to blame. As more evidence was uncovered, people began to question how one man could be so powerful and so evil, and the functionalist side began to grow. And finally today, although there still remains individuals on the far left and far right, it is common for historians to be in the middle, picking pieces from each side.

Why are walls important?

Why are walls important? Why are walls important? Walls are very important parts of buildings, they have several useful functions: * Protect us from dangerous animals and people * Provide shelter from elements such as wind and rain * Makes a ‘secure home * Bears the loads of the roofs, floors and furniture Block work Standard blocks are 6 times larger than standard bricks, this means that bricklayers can build the wall more quickly, therefore taking less time and reducing labouring costs. For the walls, the external walls will be cavity walls made from aerated concrete blocks and the internal walls will be made from dense concrete blocks. The reasons for these choices will be explained further on. What are and Aerated Concrete blocks and why I have chosen Duncan Marshall (2008) says that; Aerated blocks consist of water, cement, pulverised fuel ash, sand and lime. Aerated concrete blocks are very versatile as they can be used in many different parts of the building, such as party and solid walls, cavity walls (internal and external leaves) and foundations. We will be using Celcon aerated concrete blocks, which are BBA certified (British Board of Agrà ©ment, which is the UKs major authority offering approval of construction products). Sizes (in mm): 215 125 440 Reasons for using Aerated blocks for the inner and outer leaf: * Good thermal insulation (Thermal conductivity is 0.15W/mK, Thermal conductivity is the ability of a material to transmit heat, the lower the value the better) * Easy to handle for labourers/bricklayers, as theyre relatively lightweight and can be cut and chased * Closed cell structure means they have good water penetration resistance * Good fire protection Class O surface spread of flame (the best rating) * Non combustible * Relatively strong (Strength 3.6 N/mm ²) What are Dense Concrete blocks and Why I have chosen them? Dense concrete blocks consist of cement, aggregate (fine and coarse). We will be using Celcon Hi (7) Strength blocks. Sizes (in mm): 215 150 440 Reasons for using dense concrete blocks for the internal walls (party/solid walls): * Very strong (7.3N/ mm ²) * They provide a good surface for most renders and plasters * Good sound protection This is an illustration of a building regulation (part A) for the compressive strength needed of walls. For the external walls it will be a cavity wall comprising of aerated concrete blocks (7.2N/mm2), and the inner walls will be a solid wall of dense concrete blocks (7.3N/mm2). Height of wall Length Minimum thickness Not exceeding 3.5m Up to 12m 190mm for whole height Exceeding 3.5m but not 9m Not exceeding 9m 190mm for whole height 9m 12m 290mm from base for 1 storey and 190mm for remaining height Exceeding 9m but not 12m Not exceeding 9m 290mm from base for height of 1 storey and 190mm for rest of height Exceeding 9m but not 12m 290mm from base for the height of 2 storeys and 190mm for rest of height This is a table from the building regulations (Part A) about the thickness of walls. For our design, the internal and external walls both exceed 290mm, therefore the walls will have the correct thickness. Mortar Mortar is needed to bond the blocks together to provide stability for the wall, therefore building. It also seals gaps between the blocks to prevent water getting through the gaps when it rains. Blocks (aerated and dense) Duncan Marshall (2008) recommends our buildings will have a mortar ratio of 1:1:6 (cement: lime: sand). The reason for having a low amount of cement (cement provides the strength) compared to the sand (sand gives volume), is that making the mortar not that strong is so that it doesnt limit movement and will cause cracks in the joints rather than the concrete blocks. This mixture is recommended by a professional concrete company, therefore it wont be too weak, as then the mortar will fail. Jointing/pointing bucket_handle.gifAll of the buildings will have the bucket handle design. This is because Duncan Marshall (2008) says it helps seal the joint, also it compresses the mortar slightly and the shape improves resistance to water penetration. Walls Quoins Out of these three different types of bonding block work we will use 5 (reveal quoin), because its the most simple bond, therefore easier for bricklayers to build the wall, and reducing the likelihood of errors occurring. Also 3 bonding will be used if needed to keep the whole wall to the correct dimension. Cavity Walls For all our cavity walls in our buildings, they will be partial fill cavity walls. Kingspan Insulation says; one of its main advantages is that it prevents rain getting to the inner leaf, which would cause dampness in the walls, therefore weakening the walls. One disadvantage with partial fill cavity walls happens in the physical construction of the wall takes place, if the walls arent sealed completely, airflow in the wall leads to an enormous amount of heat loss within the wall (shown by red areas in 2). This can be caused by dirty ties and mortar snots, which are pieces of mortar which have dropped into the cavity, and cause moisture. 125 75 20 125 20 Block Cavity Insulation Plasterboard 365mm F . Cavity Walls Wall ties Duncan Marshall (2008) says; as we are having a partial fill cavity we have to use this special tie with plastic retainer. In the 2004 Regulations (Approved Document A) there is a requirement to use stainless steel ties. Building regulations says the tie should be bedded at least 50mm in each leaf. In terms of the tie angle, it should be slightly sloped toward the outside leaf; otherwise the other leaf will get damp. Cavity Walls Movement joints The materials that make up a wall will expand and contract because of reasons such as temperature and moisture content. Because concrete blocks are made of cement, they will shrink slightly. Therefore, the big sections of wall need to be shortened to accommodate for the movement, if movement joints are placed correctly, this will prevent the wall from cracking. Duncan Marshall (2008) says that the movement joints of internal concrete block walls should have movement joints approx every 6 metres, but the 1st joint should only be 3 metres away from a corner or bend in the wall. We will incorporate this into our designs. Cavity Walls- Jambs The blue line is the window Damp proof course prevents water penetration from the jamb of the window frame Cavity Walls Lintels Duncan Marshall (2008) say that the lintels carry the distributed load of brickwork across the top of the window frame. Lintels can be up to lengths of 4500mm and when constructed should have at least 150mm bearing on the wall either side. Lintel with insulation to prevent cold bridging, cold bridging happens when heat is lost from the inside of the building to the outside because the material (this case the lintel) is the ‘bridge for the heat loss. When the insulation is there, it has a higher thermal conductivity than the lintel (galvanised steel), so the heat ‘bridges to the insulation and not outside the building. 10 This is very important concept of insulation, that also applies to cavity and solid walls where insulation is used. Insulation External Walls Insulation boards are used to keep the heat within a room/building so that the living/working conditions are favourable. We will have WT20 insulation boards (size is 1200x600x20mm) from warmtiles.co.uk Board Sizes Thermal Conductivity (W/mK) Resistance (k-value) U-value (W/m ²K) Weight (kgs) 1200 x 600 x 20 mm 0.029 0.69 1.45 0.45 The U value is the amount of heat which will flow through 1 square metre of a wall for every degree in temperature difference between the inside and outside. Resistance is the resistance to heat flow of a material of a given thickness. Now I can calculate the U-value for the walls. U value for cavity walls (Thickness/Thermal Conductivity = Resistance) This transitions into weep holes; weep holes allow the water to exit the cavity. As we are only using blocks, we will use plastic weep holes that are placed every 450 mm. Weep holes, damp proof courses and the bucket handle mortar are excellent parts of the wall that allow it to prevent water penetration. Cavity Walls-Sills Cavity Walls joining cavity walls to internal walls This is how we will join the inner leaf to the internal walls, also where two internal walls (could be party walls) join, it will be toothed in. Walls Door and Window frames (Openings) The building regulation below specifies the sum of openings (w1+w2) shouldnt be more than 2/3 ‘L. Opening heights should be less than 2.1m, and the width less than 3m. This ensures the wall is not weakened significantly under compression by openings. We used this formula for a standard room (not disabled). Length of whole wall Door sizes Thickness= 40mm 2040 mm 826mm Windows A very common part of walls, and obligatory for accommodation buildings are windows. Window sizes (British Standard: 2003) 1050 mm 1800 mm *Purple segments are windows that open (white arrows indicate what direction they open), orange segments are fixed. This type of window is called ‘Left-hand multi light. Sound Control One of the functions of the walls is to control the airborne sounds, such as aeroplanes and cars travelling outside of the building. The internal walls will be made out of dense concrete blocks, as this provides good sound protection. Celcon aerated blocks also have just as good of a level of sound protection. Osbourn and Greeno (2007), say the Sound reduction index (SRI) is a way of measuring the effectiveness of construction insulating airborne sound. We will have a block cavity wall which is plastered, this has a SRI number of 49, and 150 mm dense concrete walls which have a SRI number of about 46. These are relatively acceptable SRI values to be used in construction. Finishes There are different finishes you can have for aerated concrete blocks; plastered, rendered and painted. For the outside of the external walls we will render the walls (10mm wide). For internal walls (dense concrete blocks) we will have plaster boards (20mm wide). Cement Rendering After the mortar and blocks are bonded, render will be applied. For our design we are using aerated concrete blocks for the external walls, therefore we should not use strong renders (Duncan Marshall, 2008), because when the dense mix shrinks, it will go past the limit of stress that the blocks can handle, therefore cracking will occur. Our building will have a very similar aesthetic appearance to this building (right), except for the colour. References David Littlefield, et al., 2008, Metric handbook, 3rd Edition, Duncan Marshall ,2008, Construction Website 0809 (unframed construction) http://learn.lboro.ac.uk/file.php/1183/UWE08/index.htm Dereck Osbourn and Roger Greeno, Mitchells Introduction to Building 4th Edition Julian McKenzie (Lectures) Sizes of concrete blocks http://www.sigexpress.co.uk/Aerated-Concrete-Blocks/Celcon-100mm-Standard-Block.htm Partial Fill Cavity Walls http://www.insulateonline.com/index1.htm?walls2.htm~main Insulation Boards http://www.warmtiles.co.uk/category.php?id_category=17 Analytical Essay: The Teaching Of Speaking Analytical Essay: The Teaching Of Speaking The theme of the research paper is The Teaching of Speaking. For the teacher it is very essential to know how to teach speaking foreign language correctly and to be able to do that. That is why there are several methods and manners how to give the knowledge in an easier manner to the students. The aim: To investigate what methods are used to teach speaking are used mostly and find out as many as possible teaching speaking methods. The enabling objectives: to find out and study theory on the teaching of speaking(mention the theme) to collect and summarize the gained data to draw conclusions The research question: Which methods are used to improve teaching the teaching of speaking? The methods of research: analysis of the theoretical material case study The tools of research and data collection: analysis of the teaching of speaking methods 1.THE TEACHING OF SPEAKING What is speaking? In fact, speaking is an action carrying out the information or expressing feelings and emotions, persons thoughts in spoken language. Speaking is also the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts (Chaney, 1998, p. 13). By the teaching of speaking is meant to produce the English speech sounds and sound patterns, use word and sentence stress, intonation patterns and the rhythm of the language, select appropriate words and sentences according to the proper social setting, audience, situation and subject matter, organize their thoughts in a meaningful and logical sequence and use language as a means of expressing values and judgments (Online 2). 1.1Strategies for Developing Speaking Skills According to the internet source, students often think that the ability to speak a language is the product of language learning, but speaking is also an important part of the language learning process. Effective instructors teach students speaking strategies using minimal responses, recognizing scripts, and using language to talk about language (Online 1). These strategies can help students to enlarge their knowledge of language. If the students are confident in speaking, it would be more easier to receive the other information while learning. 1.1.1Using minimal responses Language learners who are not confident about their ability to participate successfully in oral disscussions often listen in silence while others do the talking. One way to encourage such learners to begin to participate is to help them build up a stock of minimal responses that they can use in different types of exchanges. Such responses can be especially useful for beginners (Online 1). Minimal responses are predictable, often idiomatic phrases that conversation participants use to indicate understanding, agreement, doubt, and other responses to what another speaker is saying. Having a stock of such responses enables a learner to focus on what the other participant is saying, without having to simultaneously plan a response (Online 1). 1.1.2Recognizing scripts Some communication situations are associated with a predictable set of spoken exchanges a script. Greetings, apologies, compliments, invitations, and other functions that are influenced by social and cultural norms often follow patterns or scripts. So do the transactional exchanges involved in activities such as obtaining information and making a purchase. In these scripts, the relationship between a speakers turn and the one that follows it can often be anticipated. Instructors can help students develop speaking ability by making them aware of the scripts for different situations so that they can predict what they will hear and what they will need to say in response. Through interactive activities, instructors can give students practice in managing and varying the language that different scripts contain. 1.1.3Using language to talk about language Language learners are often too embarrassed or shy to say anything when they do not understand another speaker or when they realize that a conversation partner has not understood them. Instructors can help students overcome this reticence by assuring them that misunderstanding and the need for clarification can occur in any type of interaction, whatever the participants language skill levels. Instructors can also give students strategies and phrases to use for clarification and comprehension check. By encouraging students to use clarification phrases in class when misunderstanding occurs, and by responding positively when they do, instructors can create an authentic practice environment within the classroom itself. As they develop control of various clarification strategies, students will gain confidence in their ability to manage the various communication situations that they may encounter outside the classroom. 1.2How to teach speaking According to the given internet sources, now many linguists and teachers consider that students can improve their communication and speaking skills working into groups together with other students and playing real-life situations in the target language. To achieve the goal of speaking well, the students need to improve their language fluency (speaking smoothly), pronunciation (saying words properly) and enunciation (saying words and phrases clearly) (Online 4). Fluency comes from practice. Every English speaking person cannot improve speaking smoothly in some two months, it comes after longer time. T o get to the aim, there should be made speech of long, complicated sentences. For example, to build more fluent speech, a helper could be discussions, presentations, role plays, negations, debates, interviews and meetings. Pronunciation is the ability to say words properly with the correct sounds in the correct places (Online 4). To make words sound correctly, it can take very long time to develop the pronunciation. As suggested in the internet source, the student should focus on working on specific vowels, trouble consonants, and working on understanding movement and location of mouth and tongue when making sounds (Online 4). In phonetics, enunciation is the act of speaking. Good enunciation is the act of speaking clearly and concisely (Online 5). If the enunciation of the speech is pure, others will not be able to understand speakers speech. To avoid misunderstandings in the communication towards others, according to the internet sources, the student should pay attention to trouble word combinations, reductions, sentence and word level stress points and sentence level intonation patterns. 2.WHICH TEACHING METHODS ARE MORE PREFERABLE FOR STUDENTS THEMSELVES If there were a questionnaire, the aim of it would be to clear up which of the teaching methods are more understandable and useful for the students themselves. No one can answer to this question more precise and honestly as the students. CONCLUSIONS The teaching of speaking means that the teacher gives the knowledge to the student how to communicate with others, to produce sounds, words correctly and clearly, to use precisely intonation patterns, to choose appropriate themes which to speak to the proper social setting and audience. There are a lot of teaching methods which can be used in the teaching process, but, in my opinion, more preferable methods are those who are easier and understandable for the students. For instance, to make your speech more fluent and clearer, it can be enough to read articles with complicated vocabulary and sentence structure aloud every day. Rounding up, if the teacher is teaching in a simple manner and understandable for students. THESIS Speaking is an action carrying out the information or expressing feelings and emotions, persons thoughts in spoken language. Many linguists and teachers consider that students can improve their communication and speaking skills working into groups together with other students and playing real-life situations in the target language. To build more fluent speech, a helper could be discussions, presentations, role plays, negations, debates, interviews and meetings. Fluency comes from practice. Every English speaking person cannot improve speaking smoothly in some two months, it comes after longer time. Effective instructors teach students speaking strategies using minimal responses, recognizing scripts, and using language to talk about language.

GCSE Business Studies - Starting a Business - Business Plan - Sporting

GCSE Business Studies - Starting a Business - Business Plan - Sporting Glory Business Plan a) Name: Sporting Glory b) Address: High Street, Sutton, Surrey. c) Limited Company/Partnership/Sole Trader: Sole Trader - Will go public (PLC) if business is successful. d) What does your business do? The business will sell quality affordable sports clothes and equipment through a retail store. e) Date you started trading: The business will start trading early 2003, depending on how quickly the business is set up. f) Aims: To sell quality sports clothes equipment that is affordable, covering a wide range of sports and customers needs. g) Products/Services offered: The business will offer sports clothing and equipment manufactured by big well known sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Umbro etc. h) The Market: The market will be the sports market and the business will be targeting teenagers and young adults who want to be fit and have the latest sports and trendy gear. The market is very big as many other business selling similar products are already established and running smoothly. Therefore competition will be hard to put off as it consists of well known and accepted shops such as All Sports, JJB Sports etc. i) Personnel: The entrepreneur/businessperson will be Murtuza Husain (myself) who has thought up the business idea and is also investing his personnel money into ...

The Dialectical Model in Comparative Perspective Essays -- Science Phi

Mankind has not always isolated itself from nature. For the majority of his history, man recognized a need for a dependent and intimate relationship with nature. Nature was his provider and caretaker, a benevolent nurturer intending no harm, a model now known as organic. As the human mind began to increasingly fashion matter to fit its purpose, however, technological innovation began to supplant nature as manà ­s perceived source of sustenance. Thus technology began its ongoing ascent, becoming a means to subdue a primitive nature and raise man above his lowly origins. In short, a new hierarchical model of nature coalesced. Nevertheless, this relatively new paradigm could not entirely displace its predecessor, which evolved into an impotent longing embodied in the pastoral model. Human beings oscillate in their desires for these dominant models of nature, each possessing appeal within appropriate contexts. This underlying struggle suggests their inadequacy as singularly accurate dep ictions of nature, and a third model must replace these outdated modes of thinking. The dominant models serve as guides to this third model; a few modifications of their flaws actually help form its foundation. This model is known as the dialectical model, and consists of a unity of all opposites and entities. While every model of nature seeks to engender a proper appreciation of nature, many are inconsistent on this point; this observation explains why they must generally suppress all others. The dialectical model attempts to remove such a need by discarding the notion of an independent human existence. By analyzing these models through history and contemporary examples, the dialectical model emerges as a resolution of many inconsistencies in previous mo... ...ted. An integrated, cognizant existence within an undivided nature provides the entire basis one needs to evaluate human activities. Proper examination of the whole is born of proper placement of the self. Works Cited Redclift, Michael, and Graham Woodgate, ed. à ¬Sociology and the Environment. Social Theory and the Global Environment. London: Routledge, 1995. Ross, Carolyn, ed. Writing Nature. New York: St. Martinà ­s Press, 1995. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. à ¬Nature.à ® Ross 421-423. Oates, Joyce Carol. à ¬Against Nature.à ® Ross 458-463. Handouts: Bibliographical Information Unavailable Martin, Emily. à ¬Body Narratives, Body Boundaries.à ® Merchant, Carolyn. à ¬Nature as Female.à ® Nash, Roderick. à ¬Wilderness and the American Mind.à ® Representations: Maxim. Feb. 2001. 16 Feb. 2001 16 Feb. 2001 < http://www.particleadventure.org/frameless/chart.html>

Inspirational ideas and thinking Essay

How can a certain story thrill our sense and especially our understanding about the real world? The Lord of the Rings is a story depicting the people’s thirst and desire for power which caused them to oppress mankind and the battle between good and evil. Tolkien created this story during the first ever made world war and continued it until the Second World War happened. Eventually, Tolkien was determined by taking the challenge of making a world symbolized by mythology. Back in his period, he loved tale telling to children and at those children that he was inspired to create the hobbit’s existence. This story is considered as better than that of the other fantasy stories because lord of the rings tells more about reality, the story was not made just to entertain nor thrill the readers and watchers of the book and movies, rather because the movie depicts more about true events. You can even see patterns of similarity in some of the world’s history in the different parts of the trilogy. The story wanted readers to realize that there are such people in earth that possesses greed of power and that greed causes them to create cruelty to mankind and destruction to other territory, nation, and to the person himself. The lord of the ring story can be like our socio-political and also economical structure which was tended to be showed by creating the film. The film was made for people to clearly envision and comprehend the world (Eaton, 2003). The lord of the ring has been successful because people appreciated its artistic way of showing the parallelism between the story itself and the reality about the world in which it is hidden. The film was said to be making everyone believe that there are really changes that had happened in the world; from a world of calmness and peace into a chaotic world of war. It showed the history when a person desired and went on chasing for the power to certainly have the authority above all people, a person who really wanted to rule the world. This part was depicted when everyone seemed to desire the ring’s power and all the troubles in the story then started in the journey of the ring bearer (Eaton, 2003). In the story of the lord of the ring, a lot of enemies were chasing the ring bearer because they wanted to have the power, battles always happen because â€Å"Frodo† the ring bearer does not want to hand the ring to those who are evil. It is showed in the reality when two countries were starving for the power, the power that will make them to be above all, which is depicted by the ring, caused them to plan for destruction to each other’s territory. And a lot of people were killed who innocently knew nothing about the war (Eaton, 2003). Like the story part of the two towers, it is seen from a certain people, in the desert country part of the earth, who wanted to conquer the middle earth through their power, but had failed from successfully doing so, they are now dead but still their aim was said to be alive because of their avid followers who continuously plan for another conquer (Eaton, 2003). The story of the twin towers of the Lord of the Rings is about the hunger for power in order to be the king that has the authority above all. The middle-earth is depicting the real world in which they both have the same characteristics of cruelty and greed for power. Another example event of this that can be seen from the events on the history is about the World War II in which a certain leader of a certain territory and a dictator of another territory merged their full power and invaded another territory to conquer. It was the history of domination of a certain continent of the world with the use of power and authority (Eaton, 2003). The story of the Lord of the Ring was based on a reality which inspired the writer of the story. It started from a true story of history about war in where the author grew up. The languages, in which the author of the book wrote, came from a place whose dialect was never listed as a part of that place’s language. The author developed it with the combination of his own styles of language and created then the language for his elves character (Society. , 1996-2007). Tolkien wrote his epic making the ring as a material thing that depicts the evilness, it is explained that the ring has its own willing power; it has the power to control the person who uses it no matter what the person do to stop it from its willing power (Novelguide.com, 1999-2007). According to the author, the ring cannot be used for good purposes but rather it is only used for doing evil things and that it controls the person no matter how strong he resist from doing something evil (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). Tolkien said that the ring is evil in its nature which comes from both human’s inner initiative and an outer force that commands him (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). In reality, I can say that the â€Å"ring† is the power with the combination of being greed possessed by a person; it is what makes them do evil. An over desire for power and authority makes people lose their heart in exchange for ego contentment. The ring is believed to be an evil in nature because it corrupts the person’s kindness and change it into strong desires. The ring drags the person to do extremes which is unstoppable because it has an unending power. According to Tolkien the ring is a symbol of strong power. In the trilogy of the ring Frodo sees a lot of knight riding horses only when he wears the ring and loses sight of them when he removes it from his finger (Novelguide.com, 1999-2007). It is also like the evilness that power can arise to a person’s character, that because of the privileges that the power gives that certain person that he could not see the negative side of those things he tend to do; that only if he lose his power would he understand what he had caused and only when he lose his power would he return to his true self again. Power is like a chest of gold that will make a person capable of obtaining everything that he or she desires for him or herself that’s why it can bring out the evil side of a person. It can change a person from a goodhearted one into a greed and cruel person. In reality many of the listed people in history were written because of their negative leadership or cruelty to mankind because they have in their hands an uncontrollable power. Like when an authoritative and powerful man in the World War II told his soldiers to kill all the Jews. It was an act of evilness that he was able to do because he possesses a lot of power in him that blinded him from the distinction between good and evil (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). The author of the story said that a man who has the ring will not be able to die but will not also be able to acquire more of his life; rather he will continue his life until such time that the evilness will conquer him (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). This statement of the author tends to explain that a person who acquired great power and used it for evilness will never die, it is because he may be written in history with all the negative things he had done. But then the darkness will conquer his soul in exchange (Novelguide. com, 1999-2007). The lord of the rings by Tolkien does not have gods; people rely on their selves as in reality which is considered the philosophy of communism by Karl Marx in which states that people rely on their capabilities and that God exist only in people’s mind because they tend to seek for someone to save them. The evilness occurs because people abuse their powers and tends to have and desire more power that that of what they already posses. In the trilogy of the lord of the ring, Frodo with his other companions such as Sam, Aragorn, and Gandalf went to a dangerous journey heading the place of Mordor where they planned to totally destroy the ring. In their journey, the ring bearer with his friends had gone through a lot of fights against the dark ones. This scene depicts how people tend to stop the true evil in this world, which they seek of a way of how to destroy the force that creates evil even in a life threatening way. The movie tended to show that it is better to lose ones life that that of to lose the life of the crowd. Another interpretation that could be made through the story in relation with the World War II is that Tolkien depicted the ring as the noxious weapon used in the war. That certain weapon is the atomic bomb which killed a lot of innocent people and ruined a lot of territories (Roch, 2005). It is said that Tolkien indeed based his work from the real war of the early ages in which it mirrors the two territories’ true event which is horrifying. The two places were said to be Mordor and the dreadful devastation of Shire in the lord of the rings trilogy (Roch, 2005). The characters of evil or the soldiers of the evil Lord Sauron whose appearance are like decaying body of dead people are also based from the authors experience during the war (Roch, 2005). When Tolkien went back to his place, the place was literally ruined and he saw a lot of corpses which no one can endure to stare at because of its decaying appearance (Roch, 2005). The place of Mordor may also be depicted to the ruined or wrecked place after the world war; the trees were all destructed, all plants are destroyed as well as the soil turned out to be black which turned to be a mud (Roch, 2005). I could say that the author depicted the ring as everyone fears to hold because it is self destructive and also it is so powerful to destroy anything and anyone else. In the World War II, people were also afraid of the bomb which Tolkien said that the ring symbolizes because in the same way, they both may lead into cruel outcome. In the story of the lord of the rings’ last part which is the return of the king, Frodo and the others succeeded in destroying the king and soon gave a new hope to all the people in their territory because they were able to have a new king in which Aragorn has portrayed. In reality with the world war II, after the cruel dictator was missing not knowingly what happened to him, the people had a new hope for a new peaceful life because the evil was already destroyed. In consideration with evilness and goodness, the trilogy of the lord of the rings has symbolized the world’s essential elements; the good and evil. The good ones are symbolized by hope, changes, and other more that results into goodness, while the evilness or darkness are symbolized by ignorance and the lost of hope. In the story the elves are covered with a white light that brightens, it is a symbol of their being the good ones that they reflect something which is the contrary of evil. The evil ones appear to be ugly like decaying bodies and their place was a wrecked one full of darkness. Tolkien made the Lord of The Ring following and basing on the patterns of the World War I and II events. Depicting his comprehension on reality and placing it in the context of a fantasy that everyone could appreciate even without understanding its real meaning. Though there are a lot of differences and distinction between his created world and the world he wanted people to understand, they were said to be fitting each other in terms of evil and good. Tolkien depicted the characters in the story, the events and other aspect basing on the good and bad side of possession of great power. Also he showed in the story how friends and comrades try to console each other in times of crisis. Tolkien tend to show how certain people tend to share each other’s difficulties in times of troubles and that in a certain world full of hidden cruelty, everyone needs help in order to get through it and in order to make through it all. Now I understand that the main meaning of the trilogy of the lord of the ring in which the original author Tolkien tended his readers to understand is the cruelty which is caused by the over possession of power. That the book explains about the possible negative effect of power to a person which had appeared in the story in a patterned way. I could also say that I believe in Tolkien when he said that great power can corrupt a person’s heart.

High Gas Prices Threaten Northern Nevada’s Economy

The article ‘Oil costs threaten Nevada's economy’ in the Reno Gazette-Journal is about how the rising gas prices are expected to cause economical hardship for Northern Nevada.The problems stem from the fact that tourism is very important in this area with most of the tourism business coming from people driving from California (Cox, 2007).   With the high gas prices people are not expected to travel as much, meaning that the tourism is going to be lower in this area.Less tourism means less money coming in and that is not good for the economy of this area.   The effects are expected to be seen over the next couple of years and will likely affect Northern Nevada only since the rest of the state gets most of its business from tourists traveling by air.   The overall conclusion of the article is that rising gas prices are going to cause a drop in tourism in the northern parts of Nevada, but the likelihood of this impact is going to be something that can be overcome and should not devastate this area of the state.The impact on the state of Nevada, according to the article, is one of a short term nature that is a localized issue and will not affect the whole state.The cause of the issue is that high gas prices are causing people to travel less and the economy in northern Nevada relies heavily upon people visiting, mostly from those driving in from California (World Now, 2001-2007).   The fact that the economy of the area is so dependent upon travel means that when travel decreases, business decreases (Cox, 2007) and money is lost.According to the article, it is likely to be a problem that will surface over the next couple of years, but it something that can probably be handled and will not cause long term problems with the economy of Northern Nevada.   Nevada has seen such hardships before and managed to survive through them, so it is predicted that the state will come through this just fine, too (World Now, 2001-2007).Based upon the information given by the expert in the article, the whole state is not going to impacted just the northern part (World Now, 2001-2007) and basing my opinion on this, I believe this is not a huge issue the state will need to deal with.Las Vegas is the biggest attraction in the state and it is located in the south, so it is really doubtful that the economy of the whole state is going to see a huge impact by gas prices.   Overall, the effects will likely be minimal on a state wide level and mainly concentrated to the northern area.   Ã‚  With that in mind it really does not seem like a major issue that should worry people in Nevada.   It is not going to cause the economy to take a nose dive or anything of that nature.It seems Nevada has handled such problems before and the businesses should be able to survive despite the issues (Cox, 2007).   While it may be hard for the next couple of years, Northern Nevada will bounce back.   It is a popular tourist destination and is bound to stay th at way despite the cost of gas.   Perhaps the only downfall is going to be the effect on small businesses, which may not be able to survive the hard times.  Ã‚   A little loss over an extended period of time could make it hard for a small business to afford to be able to operate.In my opinion, gas prices are hurting business and people all over the country, so the problem is not really unique to Nevada.   However, as it states in the article, Northern Nevada is a big concern due to the fact that the majority of business comes there from people who are driving into the area (Cox, 2007).   It would make sense that as gas prices rise, people are going to be using cheaper methods of travel and may go elsewhere that they can get to by air.So, in the long run, it is likely that this impact will be felt pretty hard by those businesses in the north, but with all the information and opinions expressed on the past occurrences of rough economic times, there is little doubt that this ar ea will not have problems bouncing back.   It is a short term problem that will probably not cause long term effects.   Additionally, it is not going to effect the whole state, but rather just business in the north.   

On Some Motifs in Baudelaire

Seminar Questions 1. Modernism- Benjamin, Walter â€Å"On some Motifs in Baudelaire† Question 1: In â€Å"On some Motifs in Baudelaire† Walter Benjamin argues that extended exposure to stimuli, or shocks, in the environment alters the human experience of our world and creates a conditioned reaction within the crowd. How does this overstimulation shape our current society and was Benjamin correct in warning against it? Walter Benjamin implied that our minds are not equipped with the facilities to handle these shocks.These develop into environmental stressors and thus our decision-making skills are weakened and we just follow the person in front of us. While over stimulation is an epidemic in current times I do not believe it has created mindless hordes of people. The biggest effect of over stimulation is an individual’s continuous partial attention. Not being able to focus on one thing means focusing on multiple tasks and then not doing any of them completely. Our minds rapidly switch between a variety of separate channels.Initially, this may lead to fatigue. However, the mind can build off of this and become stronger. This is why current culture deems louder, brighter, faster, and shocking media as â€Å"better†. For society to notice anything it needs to be an attention grabber, and when society is constantly focusing on a variety of media you are bombarded with I do not agree that these shocks create a conditioned reaction within the crowd but I do believe they create them within the individual.An individual’s need to process multiple channels of information at once allows information that isn’t sold as the biggest, brightest, and best to fall through the cracks. ? Question 2: Walter Benjamin’s description of a flaneur as a â€Å"detached observer† describes a spectator who seems to maintain their individuality from the crowd. One that can break free from rationalized understandings while being opened up to new perspectives and experiences. Do modern cities and their architecture embrace the idea of the flaneur? Modern architecture embraces the alienating nature of modernity.It creates cities that encourage crowds and a fast-paced way of life. Commercial typologies like malls, subway systems, and high-rise office buildings create a certain environment that do not encourage individual reactions. When something is designed to garner a similar reaction from different types of people it lessens the chance for chaos and also allows a behavioural expectation to be set within a certain environment. When people are expected to react in similar ways it allows the people in charge to be better prepared for distinctive instances.Police can work better, government can create more effect universal policies and transportation can run smoother. Therefore, it benefits the rulers of a city to for modern architecture to follow the same instances. Perhaps the flaneur is the architect, but the vision and idiosyncrasies that the architect tries to instill within each project get syphoned out through different real world factors. Factors that include: budgets, client’s tastes, feasibility, and materiality. These factors chip away at truly city changing architecture and create an environment where the same projects continue to get churned out.

Ap European History Reading Questions-Chapter 15

1. The upmost important reason for economic and social problems that troubled Europe from 1560 to 1650 was an incredible inflation among other things. The Spanish empire brought tons of gold back to Europe and caused the value of gold to plummet. Since this was a situation that Europe had never experienced, they didn't understand it. More gold was supposed to be good, right? Suddenly prices started to rise for no reason. Also in Spain, unlike gold, there was very little silver being produced at the time and therefore pirate attacks began to take place.Other problems facing Europe during this time include, population decline, plague, economic warfare, and famine. As a result of all these problems, social tension was greatly increased, all involved with a â€Å"crisis† at hand. 2. Although initially caused by religious issues, by the mid 1630s the Thirty Years War had become a dynastic conflict between two Catholic powers; France and the Hapsburgs. As the Battle of the Boyne and the Jacobite risings the '15 and the '45 in Scotland were directly linked to religious ideas that the TYW was the last religious war in Europe are therefore mistaken.Really, a more accurate name for the Thirty Years’ War would be, ‘The first modern war' would be more accurate. New tactics, deployments, equipment and methods were introduced in European armies which were widely adopted within a decade by almost all armies and all further developed over the next few decades. 3. The Military Revolution refers to a radical change in military strategy and tactics with resulting major changes in government. The concept was introduced by Michael Roberts in the 1950s as he focused on Sweden 1560–1660 searching for major changes in the European way of war caused by introduction of portable firearms.Roberts linked military technology with larger historical consequences, arguing that innovations in tactics, drill and doctrine by the Dutch and Swedes 1560–1660, which maximized the utility of firearms, led to a need for more trained troops and thus for permanent forces. These changes in turn had major political consequences in the level of administrative support and the supply of money, men and provisions, producing new financial demands and the creation of new governmental institutions. Thus, argued Roberts, the modern art of war made possible — and necessary — the creation of the modern state. † 4. Women were viewed as being spiritually weaker than men, and more susceptible to demonic influence, and this meant that women tended to be suspected of being witches much more often than men. However, this was not a consistent pattern found throughout Europe. In some regions, there were more men convicted of witchcraft than women, in the Lorraine region of France for example, and in Iceland, where the overwhelming majority of convictions were of men.Overall though, about 75% of those executed for witchcraft were women. So ultimatel y what this suggests about women in the 16th and 17th centuries is that women were not nearly as important as men in society during this time. 5. Absolutism pertains to an absolutist state, where all power, or sovereignty is made in the ruler. These rulers claimed to have divine right, meaning they ruled by the grace of God and were responsible only to God. However, these absolute monarchs respected the basic laws of the land.They controlled interest groups within their territories and created bureaucracies as well, in which the offices held public/state positions, directing the economy to the benefit of the king. Absolute monarchs also kept permanent standing armies and created new methods of compulsion. Louis XIV of France was an aggressive expansionist. He followed in the footsteps of Cardinal Richelieu in that aspect. His foreign policies were mainly against the Habsburg dynasty's power and the ownership of French-speaking territories by nations other than France.Hence, his fore ign policies included many wars. He took over the Spanish Netherlands and some of the United Provinces of Holland, and Franche-Comte. However, his aggressive advances caused alliances to be formed against him which included the Habsburg domains of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, England, and Holland in all of their incarnations. Eventually, Louis XIV could not defeat the alliances, and some acquired territories were lost again in treaties, even French colonies. 6.The reign of Peter the Great marked the emergence of a decisive Russian influence in European affairs, an influence that would last into the twenty-first century. It was Peter who inaugurated modern Russia's vigorous and aggressive foreign policy against its three neighboring states, Sweden, Poland, and the Ottoman Empire. Through the Great Northern War (1700-1721), he decisively broke Sweden's supremacy in the Baltic, while his wars against the Ottoman Turks and his interference in the internal affairs of Poland set prece dents that later Russian rulers would follow in subsequent decades.These great strides made by Russia in Eastern Europe were to a considerable extent the result of Peter's extensive program of reforms, which touched all facets of Russian life. 7. Although it may sound strange, it was Napoleon who was majorly responsible for the transformation of Brandenburg-Prussia. Napoleon invaded half of Europe and also the most German states. Only East Prussia remained free and became the leader in the â€Å"Befreiungskrieg† (Freedom war) against France. It was this war against Napoleon 1812-1815 that created a common German national feeling.This transformation is still evident in modern society of Germany today. 8. In the later fifteenth century- the period of the ‘refoundation of the Crown’, in Sir John’s Fortescue’s phrase- there was a marked change in the structure of politics and hence in the nature and role of faction also; a politics of many centres becam e a politics of one. To begin with, in the feebly strange grasp of Henry IV the monarchy had descended into being one noble faction among many- and not necessarily the strongest.The fact became manifest from 1456 when the King abandoned the government of the kingdom: the court withdrew from London to Coventry in the heart of the Lancastrian lands, and the national revenues were diverted from the Exchequer and used directly- like the income of any other lord- to pay for the royal household and the royal retainers. Henry was now only effectively Duke of Lancaster and he was soon to loose that. 9. The main issue was a disagreement between the king and Parliament about who had ultimate political power.King Charles believed in Divine Right, the idea that he was king because God wanted him to be. Further, as the king's power was God given, no earthly power or person could justly remove it from him. Parliament saw themselves as the elected representatives of the People and therefore believ ed they should have ultimate political authority, even over the king. Thus, when Charles needed money, Parliament would refuse to cooperate unless Charles addressed alleged abuses of his power first. This always led to political deadlock, and eventually to civil war.Puritans took control of Parliament's war effort during the First English Civil War, and by 1646 and the end of the war extreme Puritans known as Independents had taken control of the military, The NMA. Using the NMA as his power base, Oliver Cromwell was able to intimidate Parliament into the execution of Charles I, The abolition of the Monarchy, and the establishment of the Commonwealth. The main change was that, on the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, Parliament ensured that the King had a guaranteed annual income that was enough both to live off his own, and pay for the ordinary expenses of state and expenses. 10.The Dutch Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands, the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces, was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and ultimately the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands. Alternative names include the United Provinces Federated Dutch Provinces and Dutch Federation. 11. Art reflected the political and social life of the second half of the seventeenth century primarily through mannerism, which reflected environment attempt to break down renaissance principles.Baroque however, reflected search for power and just the will to control all people during that time. Then, literature reflected political and social life during this time through writing research on a new type of stage, known as the â€Å"golden stage of literature. † Literature was a major component of this time period also in that in was an era of many great dramas and playwrights such as the still-praised today, William Shakespeare. 12. Form s of monarchy differ widely based on the level of legal autonomy the monarch holds in governance, the method of selection of the monarch, and any predetermined limits on the length of their tenure.When the monarch has no or few legal restraints in state and political matters, it is called an absolute monarchy and is a form of autocracy. Cases in which the monarch's discretion is formally limited (most common today) are called constitutional monarchies. In hereditary monarchies, the office is passed through inheritance within a family group, whereas elective monarchies are selected by some system of voting. Historically these systems are most commonly combined, either formally or informally, in some manner. For instance, in some elected monarchies only those of certain pedigrees are considered eligible, whereas many hereditary monarchies have legal requirements regarding the religion, age, gender, mental capacity, and other factors that act both as de facto elections and to create si tuations of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject to effective election. ) Finally, there are situations in which the expiration of a monarch’s reign is set based either on the calendar or on the achievement of certain goals (repulse of invasion, for instance. )