Driver Education Key Vocabulary for English Learners

Many ESL speakers and learners are required to take driver education courses to obtain their driver license from the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). In the United States, each state DMV provides a different written test (for example the California DMV has a different test than the Florida DMV or the NY DMV). International driver licenses also sometimes require a written test. The key vocabulary provided is based on a standard DMV written test and is broken up into categories such as Nouns (Persons, Types of Vehicles, Dangerous Situations, etc.) Verbs, and Descriptive Phrases. Study these keywords to help you or your classes better understand driving manuals and driver education courses. Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Nouns Persons bicyclistdriverofficerpassengerspedestrianspoliceman Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Types of Vehicles and Car Parts bicyclebrakechainsequipmentheadlightslightsmirrormotorcyclepickup trucklicense plateseatsignalssteeringtirestow trucktruckvehiclewindshield Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Dangerous Situations accidentalcoholcollisionconvictioncrashdangerdrugsemergencyevidencefoghazardinjuryinsuranceintoxicantslawsoffensereactionriskwarning Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Driving arrowdistanceDMV (Department of Motor Vehicles)documentDUII (Driving while Under the Influence of an Intoxicant)guideID (Identification)identificationinstructionlicensespeed limitmovementpermitprivilegeregistrationrestrictionsrequirementssignsspeeding Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Roads crosswalkcurvecurbdistrictdrivewayexitfreewayhighwayintersectionlanepavementrailroadramproadwayroundaboutroutesidewalkstop lightsstop signtraffic lights More Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Verbs approach a roadavoid an accidentbe alert while drivingbrake a car (step on the brakes)change laneschange lanes, tirescheck, look into mirrorcrash into somethingcross a roaddamage somethingdrive a car, drive defensivelyenforce a lawexit a roadfollow a car or vehiclehit a car, an objectinjure a personinsure  a vehicle or carmerge onto a roadobey a layobtain a permit or licenseoperate a vehicleovertake a car or vehiclepass a car or vehicleprotect passengersreact to a situationreduce speedrefuse to take a testride in a carshow identificationsignal a turnskid on the roadspeed (drive above the speed limit)steer a car or vehiclestop a car or vehicleturn a car or vehiclewarn another driverwear safety beltsyield to (oncoming) traffic Key DMV Driver Education Vocabulary: Descriptive Words (Adjectives) and Phrases amber lightsapproaching car or vehiclebehind somethingcommercial vehicleconvicted driverdisabled passengerflashing lightshazardous situationinterstate freewayintoxicated driverlegal documentlicensing departmentmanual transmissiononcoming trafficone-way streetout-of-state license plate, driverpedestrian crosswalkposted signprohibited by law, movementrecreational vehiclereduced speedreplacement tirerequired by law, equipmentsafety feature, seatslippery roadsteering wheelstraight roadsuspended licensetwo-way streetunsafe driving, driver, vehiclevalid drivers licensewarning signals, lights

The Chemistry of Knowledge Essay - 1905 Words

The Chemistry of Knowledge Hippeas thought he had all the answers. â€Å"I have never found any man who was my superior in anything,† he boasted. Then he meets Socrates. Though he had made thousands of public speeches about virtue, a dialogue with the wisest of Athenians leads Hippeas to confess that he â€Å"cannot even say what [virtue] is† (Hippeas 70). Lesser Hippeas discredits Hippeas but offers little more than a negative definition of knowledge. Meno, Phaedo, and the Republic provide a more comprehensive discussion of the definition, the good and the teaching of knowledge. The following pages will explore Plato’s theory of knowledge and will conclude with an examination of organic chemistry at Swarthmore College. According to Plato,†¦show more content†¦Meno provides a more grounded discussion of Plato’s ideas about the acquisition knowledge and about his conception of the soul. According to Plato, the immortal soul provides the potential to gain knowledge: â€Å"there is nothing which [the soul] has not learned, so it is no way surprising that it can recollect the things it knew before† (Meno 71). Recollection is a process of â€Å"searching and learning† (71) whereby a person extracts knowledge from the memory bank of their soul. Socrates’ dialogue with a slave reveals that any person can give a â€Å"right answer of their own accord,† (Phaedo 111) given sufficient information and an able interrogator. The recollection of opinion can subsequently be translated into knowledge when it is stirred â€Å"stirred by questioning† (Meno 78) and discussion yields â€Å"an account of the reason why† (90). In Meno, Plato introduces the idea that knowledge and the Good are inextricably linked. Lesser Hippeas alludes to the moral neutrality of skill and broaches the subject of wrongdoing in conjunction with knowledge. In Meno, Plato first refers to the relation between knowledge and the good: â€Å"there is nothing good that knowledge does not encompass† (80). Moreover, Plato insinuates that the knowledgeable man knows no evil. Plato’s Sun analogy in the Republic makes more explicit the relationship between knowledge, understanding, truth, the soul and the Good. The sun emits light and bestows sight to the eye.Show MoreRelatedPersonal Knowledge And The Chemistry Field1339 Words   |  6 PagesShared knowledge is assembled by a group of people. For example, biology is an enormous subject comprised of work done by many people over hundreds of years. To add to this knowledge, individual scientists can perform experiments. The results from these experiments are then taken and written in research papers, a very basic version being a lab report. If enough experts from the chemistry field agree with the results, then they can be accepted, used, and taught in that particular field of biologyRead MoreOur knowledge of chemistry, and the many ways that it surrounds us has helped us better understand500 Words   |  2 PagesOur knowledge of chemistry, and the many ways that it surrounds us has helped us better understand the world we live in and the ways in which we can use chemistry to better our world, and improve our exploration of it. Chemistry in Astronomy: Although it may not seem like there is much use of chemistry in the world of astronomy, knowing that everything is made of the elements in one form or another, astronomy must have some use of chemicals, and surprisingly there are many. For starters what powersRead MoreChemistry Galvanic Cell1634 Words   |  7 PagesStage 2 Chemistry Investigation Folio: Practical – Galvanic Cell Name: YY Names of Partner: ZZ Part A Investigation Design Proposal: Purpose of Experiment: To determine the effect of concentration of reactants on the current produced by a galvanic cell. Hypothesis: The greater the concentration of solution in the two half cells reacting with the two metals to produce current, the greater the flow of current will be produced from the galvanic cell. Independent Variable: ConcentrationRead MoreHow Can We Define Teachers Cognitive Goals For Chemistry Lab1302 Words   |  6 PagesImplementing the study cycle to the structure of the First-Year Chemistry Laboratory to enhance their conceptual knowledge Yoko Toriyabe TH 885: Teaching College Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Francisco State University Research questions How can we define teachers’ cognitive goals for chemistry lab? Can implementation of the modified study cycle to chemistry lab coursework improve students’ conceptual knowledge and motivate them to self-directed learning? Background DifferentRead MoreThe Ethics Of Energy And Environment1087 Words   |  5 Pagesseemingly ordinary objects by using a few reagents. I became a regular follower of such shows and thus began my love for Chemistry. During my undergraduate studies, I discovered that Analytical Chemistry formed the backbone of these so-called magical techniques,which further influenced me to get a higher degree in Analytical Chemistry. Another topic that gave me inspiration toward chemistry was sustainability of energy and environment. Being a citizen of a developing country, I observed energy crisis andRead MoreThe Cartoon Guide to Chemistry by Larry Gonick1400 Words   |  6 Pages The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry by Larry Gonick and Craig Criddle is a non-fiction book that utilizes visual images and cartoons to cover the basics and intricacies of Chemistry. It consists of two-hundred and fifty-six pages and was published by Collins Reference on May 3, 2005. It covers topics such as chemicals reactions, solutions, acid basis, and chemical thermodynamics in unique fashion that makes chemistry fun and easy to learn as well as understand. The book has no consistent build up orRead MoreChemical Reactions And Transformation Of Matter1146 Words   |  5 Pagesanalytical, biological, inorganic, organic, or physical chemistry. Chemists also have a good variety of workplaces such as laboratories, hospitals, private companies, government agencies, or colleges and universities. I was always curious how things were made up what formed from what and so on so forth but these are only a few of the reasons I want to go into the chemistry field. Chemistry began in Egypt when they started gathering knowledge about matter and organizing it into systems, developingRead MoreThe History of Chemistry Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesThe History of Chemistry Chemistry is the science of the composition and structure of materials and of the changes that materials undergo. It is also used in improving standards of living, making it possible for such substances as rubber, nylon, and plastics to be made from completely different materials. New materials and new properties of old materials are always being discovered. Some earlier products discovered from chemical reactions are ceramics, glass, and metals. Dyes and medicinesRead MoreChemistry in Everydaylife1042 Words   |  5 PagesChemistry is a big part of your everyday life. You find chemistry in daily life in the foods you eat, the air you breathe, your soap, your emotions and literally every object you can see or touch. Here s a look at some everyday chemistry. Elements in the Human Body Steve Allen, Getty Images Your body is made up of chemical compounds, which are combinations of elements. While you probably know your body is mostly water, which is hydrogen and oxygen, can you name the other elements that make Read MoreEssay about The History of Chemistry and Technology883 Words   |  4 Pages The History of Chemistry is ancient, starting at 1000 B.C to present time. Chemistry has evolved drastically over the centuries. the first civilization to take over chemistry were the Egyptians and Babylonians founded practical knowledge concerning the arts of metallurgy, pottery and dyes, but didnt develop a systematic theory. In this period of time tons of civilizations tried to figure out the life of chemistry and how it worked. A basic chemical hypothesis first emerged in Classical Greece

Warriors in Peace the Economic Life of the Samurai Class Free Essays

string(258) " Villages that engage in agriculture were called noson aside from them there were the mountain villages the sanson in which upland and forest production was their mode of production and lastly the villages that depend on fishing the gyoson \(Nakane, 1990\)\." University of the philippines, baguio| WARRIORS IN PEACE| THE ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE SAMURAI CLASS IN TOKUGAWA JAPAN| | ANIDA, CESNA CO| 3/20/2013| The warriors of Japanese history the samurai belongs to the upper class of the society. During the Warring States and before that samurai were used as killing machines ready to slay anyone who was against with their masters. But during this time of peace, samurai have no war to fight anymore. We will write a custom essay sample on Warriors in Peace: the Economic Life of the Samurai Class or any similar topic only for you Order Now Despite their high status in the society their economic life is not proportional to it all. They only depended on the rice-stipend given to them by their daimyo and was produced by the farmers. | Table of Contents Introduction2 Short History of the Samurai2 Establishment of Tokugawa Japan3 The Economy4 The Samurai of Tokugawa Japan5 Change of Perspectives6 Social and political Position of the Samurai6 Role in the Economy9 Role in the Fall of Tokugawa11 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 Introduction This paper aims to explain primarily the economic life of the samurai class during the Tokugawa Japan. Moreover this also covers the economic structure of the Tokugawa Japan as well as political and social feature, because discussing Japanese economy alone is impossible without covering some of the political and social facets of this country. To make this paper possible records and book archives were studied and analyze. By studying this paper the colorful and vibrant everyday life of the samurai was discovered and what did they contribute to make the modern Japan possible. The life of the samurai was full of extremes from loyalty to the way of death, their economic life to their social status and other paradoxes of their life. Reading this paper will help you to understand the long running history of the one of the most beautiful cultural achievement of the Japanese including their way of thinking and deep rooted sense of identity. Short History of the Samurai Originally from the old Japanese word saburahi which means ‘to serve’ (Ikegami, 1995), samurai class emerged from the Heian period around ninth or tenth century when land became the most important asset and must be protected. There were three groups were the samurai class began. First, the protectors of the aristocratic family in urban areas which also served as police evolved into warriors. Next the kondei or ‘stalwart youth’ was bestowed by the government with power to protect their lands and borders from barbarians and lastly the private soldiers that were systematized to defend the shoen or estates of the local elites against bandits or the government itself. Some families that established power developed military expertise and became regional forces (Andressen, 2002). Example of this was the early samurai family from the Heian period – Taira and Minamoto. The power of the samurai class became further recognized because the establishment of the Karakura peiod in 12th century by Yoritomo Minamoto. This was the first official government lead by the military shogun or by the shogunate which means literally ‘Barbarian-Subduing Generalissimo’ (Nakane, 1990). Yoritomo was able to rise up in power because he sought support from the samurai class then after usurping the power he created a semi centralized regime with the imperial court on the other side. These were the two power structures governing the medieval Japan but eventually the shogunate was able to monopolize the power whereas the emperor became a mere symbol. This lasted until the fall of Tokugawa in 1868 which was succeeded by the Meiji Restoration. Establishment of Tokugawa Japan The period of Warring States in Japan was the time of chaos and political instability that eventually cause scrappy political and economic control. The shogunate loses their grip in power while the regional feudal lords arose and fought each other to be on top. One of these feudal lords was Oda Nobunaga from Owari. He wanted to bring the Japan into a one nation state and use the banner Tenka Fubu which means ‘extension of military rule throughout the land’. Unfortunately he was not able to bring this to reality because he was killed by his own vassal Akechi Mitsuhide. But later on he was succeed be his loyal follower, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. By brutal force he was able to win this position by killing Oda’s slayer and murdering his rivals. After the death of Hideyoshi he was succeeded by Tokugawa Ieyaso, by succeeding the seat he benefitted in the land that Oda and Hideyoshi unified. He was the one that established the Tokugawa Japan. He created the bakuhan system wherein the bakufu was the central government under them was the 270 daimyo domains (Nakane, 1990). This was the political framework of this period which the Tokugawa shogunate seized the power. Tokugawa Japan lasted 265 years of peace from 1603-1868 (Tokugawa, 2009). The Economy The early Japan was basically a feudal society which means that they were an agricultural based society. The economy depended on land-tilting and crop planting, rice was there main crop and staple food and peasant-farmers dominated the population. Before the official inauguration of the Tokugawa Japan one of the most important propellers of order and stability especially in terms of the economy was the policy that Hideyoshi delivered which was originally planned by Oda. The Taiko Kenchi which refers to the nationwide cadastral survey where the land was surveyed and a uniform official measurement for rice was created called kyo-masu. Thru this nationwide standardization the process of calculating the rice production by means of koku was introduced. This system was called kokudaka system where a certain locality was manage by a daimyo and in that village it was required to produced 100,000 koku of rice measured in kyo-masu (Nakane, 1990). After the death of Hideyoshi which marked the inauguration of Tokugawa Japan by Tokugawa Ieyaso the kokudaka system remained a policy on the economy. Ieyaso benefited in what Oda and Hideyoshi established and accomplished. Tokugawa Japan was the last stage of agricultural society of Japan. Villages that engage in agriculture were called noson aside from them there were the mountain villages the sanson in which upland and forest production was their mode of production and lastly the villages that depend on fishing the gyoson (Nakane, 1990). But still the main source of income came from the agricultural sector and rice production which can be pointed in the richness of the land of the provinces that generated massive agricultural making. More than agricultural economy of Tokugawa Japan also another phase that defined this period was their closed-door policy or sakoku jidai that was implemented by the bakufu. This solidarity significantly contributed to Japan’s peace and stability by focusing in the internal affairs of the country. The Samurai of Tokugawa Japan In general there was a paradigm shift in the life of the samurai class in the Tokugawa Japan. This transformation happened in their different facets of life. From political, economic and social there were changes in which gave more color and life in the history of samurai. From the brutal and violent warriors they became administrative officers that planned and over looked the lands in where their daimyos was taken post. Samurai now were not allowed to tilt the land and became a farmer at the same time. Instead of learning the art of killing they became also scholars and artist that contributed in the cultural history of Japan. These very men that were once only used as soldiers in war became the leaders that govern and guide Japan in their building of a strong and firm nation. Change of Perspectives Like what had been said above change became an element of this period for the samurai. Historically the samurai class was established to become human machines that will be used to protect and to serve their lords with lifelong loyalty. But from the transition of the Warring states to Tokugawa era their identity will change and transform into a simple foot soldiers into leaders that will build an empire. Because of Hideyoshi’s ‘Sword Hunt’ in 1588, the samurai class became a pure samurai class. Sword Hunt restricted peasants to hold swords and other weapons while samurai were not allowed to become farmers. This policy resulted to the rigidity of the social structure in Tokugawa Japan which was only fully executed in the term of the 3rd shogun Iemitsu (Sansom, 1963) where he considered this policy hereditary and fixed. Social and political Position of the Samurai The military class includes all weapon-holding family which starts from the warlords to the poorest samurai. Inside of the classes there were sub-structures. Clear distinctions were between upper and lower class samurai. Upper class rode horses while lower class travels only using their feet (Kublin, 1973 ). Koshogumi were the personal attendants to the daimyo belongs to the upper class and other samurai belonging to this class were chief minister, high officials, Confucian scholars as well as doctors. After that, were the lower samurai class and on top of it were calligraphers and then the stable keeper the nakakosho. Other attendants of the daimyo were the tomokosho and those who do the duties of patrolling and guarding the gate and the estate. The lowest of the class were the ashigaru the common foot soldiers (Bellah, 1957). Mobility between these sub-structures was so small that within the 265 years of Tokugawa only hand-full movements in these sub-structures were recorded. Despite these micro-distinctions inside this class, the samurai were highly privileged people. In Tokugawa Japan the basis of the social hierarchy was not wealth but power. The position in the society was based on value system: prestige correlates directly with power (Bellah, 1957). Position in the society was legal and hereditary; wealth has less importance than status. The samurai class does not belong to the common people unlike the other classes– farmers, artisans and merchants. Samurai class was above these classes and had the right in using their swords against the people belonging in the lower class in any chance they disrespect a samurai. Even though Tokugawa Japan was a time of peace the swords of a samurai was not just for decoration but a sign of their social status. Also samurai was the only asides from the nobility that were allowed to use surnames. Politically just like their social status the samurai hold much of the power and control in governing the Japanese people. The very fact that the bakufu or shogunates belong to the warrior class was an evidence of their political domination in Tokugawa Japan. After the bloody war during the Warring States the samurai class have no wars to fight and peace was almost everywhere therefore they were the ones that filled the government position and became officials. This undertaking can be narrated in correlation to the education of the samurai in this period. Because of the problem in unemployment in the samurai during the beginning of Tokugawa Japan the shogunates educated the warrior class and see the potential of them working as officials and government workforces. Ieyasu stated that learning and military arts should be equally pursued (Kublin, 1973 ). These resulted to the employment of the samurai as teachers in military arts and sciences, officers and clerks in the feudal and bakufu government. Moreover some became intellectuals and artist. These war soldiers became steward of the lands of their daimyo being more than just their soldier but their loyal attendees and personnel. These teachings that the samurai class undertake, especially by the upper echelon, came from Song Neo-Confucianism. The change in the system required new models and values to be applied in the military government. Therefore, the scholars and intellectuals develop beliefs system which will work for this kind of regime. The Bushido or â€Å"the ethics or the way of the warrior† was a code created and harmonized only in the early Tokugawa period, during the middle of 1660’s. Though the way of the samurai already existed on the early periods, the samurai were expected to have a life of discipline and loyalty, it was rarely expressed consciously as a structured ideology centered around a preoccupation with moral behavior (Ikegami, 1995). It was only during the time of Tokugawa that the need for a national philosophy has to be established and it was the bushido. In this philosophy the samurai were projected as leaders by showing the people the example of life-long loyalty. Civil officers charged with the moral and intellectual guidance of the masses. It was also credited that a samurai not doing his ‘moral obligation’ was no different to ‘bandits and drifters’ (Tokugawa, 2009). Also the samurai were also expected to not to think about money or anything that concerns it. The responsibility of the samurai was more than a fighter but he should be a model of morality in doing his duty as a loyal servant to his master, to be wise and a man of character wherein he will lead the people. From the beginning of the; feudal society it was the ethics of loyalty, discipline and obedience that held it together. It was the foundation. Samurai were expected from the beginning to sacrifice their lives for their masters. This is how the samurai culture became really unique and a foundation to the Japanese wholeness. The samurai distinctive belief in honor was the basis of unique cultural style and identity. Samurai were called haji aru mono which means â€Å"those men with a sense of shame†. This was also another factor that separated them with other classes– they would sacrifice and give their live for by doing this was an honorable act (Ikegami, 1995). The way of the samurai or bushido became the national ethic of Tokugawa (Bellah, 1957). Its basis in the new interpretation of the Neo-Confucianism developed the Tokugawa Japan’s civil service with a strict code of moral values. All in all the social status and education of the samurai which help them to hold the political position in nation building became their way in creating a national identity and a sense of unification, for the samurai were the nation’s leaders that guided their people by showing example of loyalty, discipline and morality which resulted in building a strong and unified country. Role in the Economy It may be said that this paper already focus on the wrong direction, but let me clarify again the reason why spending a notable pages in explaining the social and political role of the samurai in Tokugawa Japan. I believe by narrating these aspects the reader will able to see the real position of the samurai in the Japanese society. It will shred light in understanding the significance of the samurai class in the nation building of Japan. So as I take to the main study of this paper I would like to keep in mind everything that was already discussed and told about the samurai. As told by history before the establishment of the Tokugawa Japan, samurai were also farmers, they were peasant-warriors. They avoided battles during the harvest time or in the plantation itself. Throughout the Warring States, 15th and 16th century there was a risk that a village would become a battleground for the samurai (Tokugawa, 2009). This problem was solved by the Sword Hunt of Hideyoshi by that unemployment flooded the population of the samurai. Mostly those who belong to the low ranking samurai, that sparked the ronin (samurai that were master less or free samurai) revolt of 1651 (Sansom, 1963). The population of the samurai was only a 5 to 7 percent of the total population of Japan (Tokugawa, 2009). Their economic life was really unique versus with their other contemporaries in other countries that also belonging to the warrior class, the knights of Europe for example. The mode of production of the Tokugawa Japan was feudal which means that they rely highly on agricultural means in producing their resources. The land was rich and Japan feudal society was a rice economy. Rice was the primary commodity and it was not monetized. Surprisingly, samurai did not own any lands and belongs to the â€Å"parasitic class† (Bebedict, 1946). This is why it was said above that the samurai class was different in other warrior classes of that time. Their economic wealth did not reflect their social status at all. Samurai class was said to be â€Å"parasitic class† because they were pensioned by the daimyo and received only stipends from the rice production that time which was produce by the peasant-farmers. Their houses and lands were basically not their property but only given to them by their daimyo. This stipend was fixed for the family of the samurai (Bebedict, 1946). During the Tokugawa Japan the feudal lords or daimyo were subjected to the bakufu government wherein to subdue them their han (the land they were conducting) were not given to them permanently but daimyos were in a continual rotation. After sometime the shogun will send another daimyo in change of the daimyo that was posted on that land. This system affected the samurai that they will follow wherever their daimyo will go. They were both living in the castle town ‘assigned’ to the daimyo. These factors now clearly show how the samurai is dependent to his daimyo. The loyalty between the samurai and to his lord Tokugawa Japan was based on the unending war that were happening that time but after that their relationship became primary economic in nature. It was also mentioned earlier about the micro-structure inside the samurai class. This discrepancy in position also affects how much the stipend of a samurai was. The higher the rank of the samurai the larger amount of rice was given to him and vice versa. Higher class samurai receive sufficient amount to support his family while the lower did not receive enough. Therefore, some have to supplement themselves by creating handicrafts and some engaged in secretive trading enterprises (Bellah, 1957). Another implication of this stipend-system in the samurai was that some part of their stipend was converted to money in order by selling it to merchants to buy commodities other that rice. But this doing became only eminent during the later years of Tokugawa. Higher ranking samurai were the ones that collect tax in terms of rice and their share in the harvest was about 40 percent (Tokugawa, 2009). While high ranking samurai were taught polite accomplishments the lower class learned writing and arithmetic to prepare in clerical work. Because of this the lower class became very influential in actual administration (Bellah, 1957). Now it was described how poor the economic position of the samurai class can get no matter how high their social status. This crisis became worst when the rice-dependency declined in the later years of Tokugawa Japan in 18th century. Japan was slowly becoming a money economy and the value of rice started to deteriorate. Moreover, wealth rested on the hands of the merchants that were the lowest in the social structure. The variety of goods or commercial commodities that can be bought by money increased, the importance of the rice within the national economy dropped (sharp) (Tokugawa, 2009). The implication of this to the samurai as well as to their daimyo was they became poorer and some were suffers with large debt. Merchants became richer and samurai became poorer, moneylending became of part of their life were the borrowers were the samurai and those who lend the money were the users that were mostly merchants too. Furthermore, some samurai were able to acquire money by selling their statuses and rights (Bellah, 1957). Also when they arranged with a merchant an adoption of the merchant’s son in the samurai family the samurai family will be able to attain wealth while the merchant will be able to obtain status. Samurai were poor people that only depended on the rice stipends given to them by their daimyo and produce by the farmers. They were expected to be contented with everything that they have for they were perceived not to live in a comfortable way of living. Their top priority should be their loyalty to their master and guiding the people with their discipline and moral values. Their duty in the government should not be motivated by any compensation per say. But this was not the whole picture. Tokugawa Japan started to decline and the rice based economy was starting to be not able to support the growing demands of the country. Money became powerful and merchants became richer while those who were sitting in the government itself were becoming poorer. These challenges piled up in front of the bakufu and to add to these pressures were the external factors. Other countries like the Dutch and Americans were finding their way in this close country of Japan. Role in the fall of tokugawa Shift in the economic system of Tokugawa Japan during the middle to the last years cause the gradual fall of it. Rice production was still important and rice still remained as Japanese staple food but its role as the basis of wealth and means of acquiring commodities eventually decline when the economy became more monetized. More commercial commodities were being produce and consumed that implies a more sophisticated urban living. This marked the end of the agricultural society of Japan and modernization was already peeping in the horizon. Though in the late 18th century the economy of the Tokugawa was changing the main schema of power shifts still remain political. This was where the role of the samurai came in. There was a huge discrepancy between the wealth of the classes those merchants that belongs to the lower class were the richest and most economically stable rather than the daimyo with their samurai who manage the land and the government itself. Order was able to maintain because of the strong authoritarian principle leading the country. Also the economic revolution in Japan did not trigger war but instead it created more unity between the rising merchants and the government. The Shingaku movement led by Ishida Baigan was an economic movement membered by many merchants in the late Tokugawa. Instead of stratification between the bakufu and the merchant class this movement parallels its ideology to the existing moral principles that time. The way of the warrior or the bushido should be also the way of the merchant as Baigan implies. Merchants should become greedy industrialist. But like the samurai should serve the people but assistance with the empire and the profit they acquire is just a reward of their services (Bellah, 1957). The samurai honesty and loyalty should as be modeled. More than being a role model of the merchants, the samurai class worked and moved in the coming modernization of the old Japan. It was the lower samurai class that was responsible for the restoration of 1868 (Bellah, 1957). Because the lower samurai was the one assigned in the doing the clerical and government jobs they were the ones that know the real situation and seeing that poverty became rampant and the system was no longer effective, the coup d’etat was launched and they were able to overthrow those in power and established back the meaning of the emperor, that it was in his name that the people of Japan will be unified. This was popularly known in history as Meiji Restoration and from the ranks of the lower samurai the new government was formed. The restrictions between classes were abolished and the samurai class was encouraged to enter industry. Samurai were the Meiji architects; they were the one that provided the initiative and leadership that the merchants were not able to develop (Bellah, 1957). The economic change indeed propelled the change in Tokugawa Japan but the primary tool and reason remains political. The young leaders of the Meiji Japan were able to see the need for more national power that could be paralleled with the Western countries. By them we saw an uprising of an Asian power that shook the whole world in the upcoming years. Conclusion The history of Japan cannot be complete without knowing the samurai. Samurai were not just simple foot soldiers but eventually they became the unifiers and leaders of Japan. It was the warrior class that pacifies every people in Japan. We saw in the history of Japan how samurai took part in shaping every periodization in Japan. Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and finally Ieyasu Tokugawa were an example of the role played by the samurai in the shaping of Japan. Interestingly though samurai held a very high position in the society and respected, their economic life was not that prestigious. Samurai were taught to be disciplined and simple in the way that they live. That is why they just depend on the stipend given to them by the daimyo and farmers. It was against in their morals to be associated in money. Aside from their financial mentality, samurai were expected to have loyalty more than everything. They were expected to give their very lives to their masters. This was where the control and monopoly of the samurai came from. This kind of social upbringing and rigidity in the life of the samurai cause him to be a man of ambition and achievement. Samurai should grab every opportunity to keep his word and morals. This is the kind of leaders the Meiji Restoration had and the secret to the success of the Japan. People were taught of discipline and loyalty. Morality that will serve not only themselves but to properly embody the role they have for the society. By this it is clearly see how a samurai was created our time and this was shown in the very history of Japan. These warriors are not motivated by money or wealth and it is very obvious in their economic status. But these warriors were propelled by their sense of loyalty and morality. Works Cited Andressen, C. (2002). A Short History of Japan from Samurai to Sony. Australia: Allen Unwin. Bebedict, R. (1946). The Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Pattern of Japanese Culture. Boston Cambringe: Houghton Mifflin Company Riverside Press. Bellah, R. N. (1957). Tokugawa Religion: The Values of Pre-Industrial Japan. Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press The Falcon’s Wing Press. Ikegami, E. (1995). The Taming of the Samurai: Honorofic Individualism and the Making of Modern Japan. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Kublin, H. (1973 ). Japan. ( Rev. Ed. ). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Olenik, W. S. (2005). Japan: Its History and Culture (4th Ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill. Sansom, G. (1963). A History of Japan 1615-1867. Stanford, California: Stanfrd University Press. Tokugawa, T. (2009). The Edo Inheritance. Tokyo, Japan: Intertional House of Japan. Morton, W. S. ; Olenik, J. K. (2005). Japan: It’s History ; Culture (4th Ed. ). McGraw-Hill. Nakane, C. ; Oishi, S. (Eds. ) (1990). Tokugawa Japan: The Social and Economic Antecedents of Modern Japan. University of Tokyo Press. How to cite Warriors in Peace: the Economic Life of the Samurai Class, Essay examples

Edith Wharton’s novel Essay Example For Students

Edith Wharton’s novel Essay Lily Bart, the central character in Edith Wharton’s novel, The House of Mirth , was born into the fringes of high society in late nineteenth century New York. She developed a, â€Å"lively taste for splendour†(page 30) and a fear of, †dinginess†. (page 35). Everything within this social circle is measured in monetary value, people and things alike are treated as commodities. This is the only way of life Lily knows, and without the financial means to sustain herself, Lily is destined to be a victim of this commodification of people and objects. Victim is defined in the Oxford Concise Dictionary , as a, â€Å"person or thing harmed or destroyed in the pursuit of an object or in gratification of a person†. Commodifiaction is defined as â€Å"the action of turning something into, or treating something as a commodity† and commodity is defined as, â€Å"an article of raw material that can be brought and sold†. It was Mrs Bart who had raised Lily to value the finer things in life and fear the â€Å"dinginess†(page 35) that she associated with those who did not have money, or those who did not choose to spend their money on luxury. When Mrs Bart died, she died, â€Å" of a deep disgust. She had hated dinginess, and it was her fate to be dingy†(page 35). But Lily’s mother alone is not solely to blame for this want, Lily says of her need for luxury, .. I suppose (it was) -in the way I was brought up, and the things I was taught to care for. Or-no I won’t blame anybody for my faults: I’ll say it was in my blood (page 226) Although Lily felt that she should not blame anyone else for her high tastes she does not blame herself. She uses the excuse that it was in her blood that her fate to live for splendour was predetermined. Lily therefore sees herself as victim, a victim because it was her fate. Mrs Barts parental guidance did help to shape Lily’s value for the extravagant. It was Mrs Bart who taught Lily to value her beauty. Lily was told by her mother, â€Å"after they had lost all their money† (page 28) that Lily’s asset was her beauty. Mrs Bart saw the potential for trading Lily’s beauty for a rich husband, so they would have the means to sustain themselves in ‘high society’. Mrs Bart saw Lily’s beauty as: .. the last asset in their fortunes, the nucleus round which their life was to be rebuilt. She watched it jealously, as though it were her own property and Lily it’s mere custodian; (page 34) by treating Lily’s beauty as a commodity, she was treating Lily the person to which that beauty belonged, as a commodity. Lily also sees her beauty and therefore herself as a commodity. So from the age that Lily ‘came out’ her purpose in life, bestowed upon her by her mother and her ‘predetermined fate’, was to marry wealth. For Lily like any good victim, there are always flaws to even the most water tight plans. Lily’s first challenge to her goal of , â€Å"marrying a great deal of money† (page 83) is the constant threat of time. Lily Barts physical beauty, is a perishable commodity. Miss Bart is first introduced to the reader at the not so tender age of twenty-nine, the commodity of physical beauty only depreciates in value with age. This sense of time running out for Lily to secure her fortunes is always present, . she was frightened by the two little lines near her mouth, faint flaws in the smooth curve of her check. and it seemed an added injustice that petty cares should leave a trace on the beauty hich was her only defence against them (page 28) Ironically when Mr Van Alstyne, discusses Lily posing for a portrait, he talks of how, â€Å".. the picture’d appreciate a hundred per cent in ten years†. An item such as a portraiture of beauty, would only ever gain value with time unlike her physical beauty. The name, â€Å"Lily† would have been seen by the reader, (at the time the novel was first published) as a reference to the â€Å"art nouveau† panting style witch often exaggerated a woman’s â€Å"capacity to be decorative† (xxiii), by depicting women, â€Å"in explicitly floral terms†(xxiii). Great Barrier Reef EssayRosedale says to Lily as his reason for the proposition, â€Å"money doesn’t seem to be of any account unless I can spend it on the right woman†(page 175). Because Rosedale does not belong to the same social set as Lily’s friends, although, â€Å"Rosedale’s millions had a faintly seductive note.. † (page 176) she does not accept his offer of marriage. But as Lily loses her rank in the social hierarchy, she begins to realise that these moral values that she holds are the values and morals of people with money. . a woman’s dignity may cost more to keep than her carriage; and that the maintenance of moral attribute should be dependent on dollars and cents, made the world appear a more sordid place than she conceived it (page 169) Woman are not meant to worry about fiscal matters, but because Lily is not wealthy she has to concern in herself with such matters. The first major step towards her social downfall, is when against her value, Lily asks Mr Trenor to help her to invest her money â€Å"She understood only that her modest investments were to be mysteriously multiplied without risk to herself†. Lily is stepping outside the social norm as it is seen as unacceptable for a woman to borrow money. It is to Rosedale that Lily turns when she falls out of favour with high society, she asks him to reconsider his proposal of marriage, but as she has lost her social standing, if he married Lily now he would also lose his own social standing â€Å"If I married you now I’d queer myself for good and all, and everything I’ve worked for these years would be wasted†(page 256). Rosedale, the self made man, has had a taste for the high life and is to sacrifice his perceived ‘love’ (page 256) in the pursuit of a more quantifiable social success. It is for this same reason that Lily is unable to marry the man she loves. Sheldon, the man who’s marriage proposal Lily rejects for his lack of wealth; is the only man that Lily thinks she has ever loved. Because love is an unquantifiable commodity, Lily is unable to appreciate it’s true value. Sheldon who sets himself apart from others in Lily’s social circle, feels that he is â€Å"amphibious† as he can live in both worlds, that of the dingy and of high class. Sheldon is keen to point out his objections to the, â€Å"decorative side of life† in which Lily belongs but is unable to show Lily a better alternative. For all his objection to the values of the upper class, Sheldon himself sees Lily as a commodity, â€Å"He had a confused sense that she must have cost a great deal to make† (page 5). By viewing Lily as a decorative object he has stepped into the role of the society of which he feels Lily is â€Å"a victim†(page 7). So ultimately Lily has become a victim of a society that commodifys people. This is the society that Lily has seen as the only way of life. A world that sees woman only for their decretive value. Without wealth, or the potential to sustain the only way of life she new, even with her beauty she was unable to obtain the lifestyle that she so craved. As Lily loses sight of life, for the first time she feels comfortable with herself, she begins to feel as though she is not alone, â€Å"she suddenly understood why she did not feel herself alone. It was odd-but Nettie Struther’s child was lying on her arm† (page 323). Lily in death finally realises that commodities are not the most important thing in life. This child who is with Lily holding her does not see the world in terms of commodities. The baby is represents Lily’s ability to love an emotion that she has never been able to commodify and therefore understand. A child is a blank canvas that has no need for the materialistic world that Lily Bart belongs. All a child needs is warmth sustenance and love, it is with this thought that she dies. Lily would not have true victim if she had not realised her own misgivings in life before she was able to stop them.

Life On The Mississippi Essays - Fiction, Literature,

Life On The Mississippi ?Life on the Mississippi', by Mark Twain, is a signet classic. It is a romantic history of the great Mississippi River and autobiography of Mark Twain's early days as a steamboat man. It has many interesting stories about nights on the watch and brawls between the men aboard. This is Twain's own experience on learning to navigate the mighty Mississippi. Mark Twain is one of America's greatest writers of all time. His real name was being Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He introduced us to the stories of ?The adventure's of Tom Sawyer', ?The Prince and the Pauper', and Mark Twain's finest novel ?Huckleberry Finn'. ?Life on the Mississippi' is 383 pages long. It has about forty lines on each page and nine to eleven words on each line. The book has a lot of southern dialect, which makes you feel the mood of the story, but is also harder to read. This book is much like Twain's later books in which it is intended for the more adventurous types so that you can follow the every move of young Sam. In my personal opinion, a trip down the Mississippi on a steamboat is quite boring and not adventurous. ?Life on the Mississippi' is much like ?The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' and ?Huckleberry Finn'. Critics rank this book in the twain canon with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. This book has been made in to a movie. It was PBS-TV presentation of ?Life on The Mississippi'. I do not know if the movie is better or if the movie corresponds with the book. I have not seen the movie. This book is unusual in the way that it is setup. It starts off talking about Sam's childhood and then goes to his adult years all in one chapter. The change over is not consistent. There is a time lapse there. Mark Twain's purpose for writing this book was to tell about years of being a steamboat man on the mighty Mississippi. He tells all he can remember from his loves to his enemies. There are many characters in this. First there is young Sam. Sam is a young Mark Twain. Sam pays 500 dollars so he can ride along on a boat to learn the Mississippi so that he can one day become a steamboat pilot. Horace Bixby is the steamboat captain who took the cub Sam. Uncle Mumford is Sam's uncle who is a mate on a lot of boats, he was also at West Point for four years. Tom is also a young cub like Sam. He is also one of Sam's better friends on the ship. Mr. Drown is an old businessman that gets himself into a lot of trouble on the ship. Finally there is Mr. Pellicrew. He is a riverboat passenger that is caught bringing life jacket on the boat because of his fear of drowning. A quote that I found meaningful is ?Well, I can follow the front hall in the dark if I know it is the front of the hall; but suppose you set me down in the middle of it in the dark and not tell me which hall it is; how am I to know I think that Sam showed Mr. Bixby up on this little fight. Mr. Bixby knew he was wrong, but still got his last word in by saying, ?Well, you've got to, on the river!? Another quote that stood out to me was in chapter one. ?The world and the books are so accustomed to use, and over-use, the word ?new' in connection with our country, that we early get and permanently retain the impression that there is nothing old about it.? I think this mean that people are changing with the times and that the are excepting as well. This book is a non-fiction book that is not up to dates because like Twain said in the book the river is always changing. He was right about that. The book does have photographs, which were taken during the PBS-TV movie ?Life on the Mississippi,? in the middle of the book. The only way that I would recommend this book to a friend was if he liked the river and stories about the river. My

Free Essays on Christopher Pikes “The Listener“

Plot Synopsis: â€Å"The Listeners† by Christopher Pike The story begins in present day LA during the last few days of FBI agent David Conner’s career. At age 39 Conner A 15-year veteran of the FBI is retiring for good after the murder of his girlfriend and the accidental death of the young girl David was sent to rescue on his last assignment. David believes that he indirectly caused both of their deaths and because of this he has lost his faith in Truth, Justice and the American way, unlike his good friend and boss Ned Calendar who at the age of 70 is also about to retire. Ned gives David one last assignment which he insists only he can handle, and after a short briefing and much deliberation, David is on a plane to Boise Idaho to investigate a Channeling group headed by Anthropologist Dr. Spear, a strange man with a mysterious past. Channeling is a new age term, which is basically going into hypnosis and allowing entities to speak through you. David is curious as to why the FBI would be concerned with such matters and Ned reluctantly informs him that the FBI had come across some memoirs that spear wrote in which he talks about an entity that the group channeled. This entity which calls itself the Big Mind described certain classified information within the government and when the FBI checked it out they found that the Big Mind’s information was correct. They are concerned about how much the Big Mind knows so they want to sent an agent undercover as a reporter to investigate the group on their retreat. When David arrives in Boise the first members he meet are identical twins, Vera and Lucy. Lucy had discovered her talent a year ago when she was working as a massage therapist during her senior year in Stanford. She often used Applied Kinesiology or locking of the muscles to learn things about her clients, eventually she realized she didn’t need to use AK to learn things about people, that the answers just popped... Free Essays on Christopher Pike's â€Å"The Listenerâ€Å" Free Essays on Christopher Pike's â€Å"The Listenerâ€Å" Plot Synopsis: â€Å"The Listeners† by Christopher Pike The story begins in present day LA during the last few days of FBI agent David Conner’s career. At age 39 Conner A 15-year veteran of the FBI is retiring for good after the murder of his girlfriend and the accidental death of the young girl David was sent to rescue on his last assignment. David believes that he indirectly caused both of their deaths and because of this he has lost his faith in Truth, Justice and the American way, unlike his good friend and boss Ned Calendar who at the age of 70 is also about to retire. Ned gives David one last assignment which he insists only he can handle, and after a short briefing and much deliberation, David is on a plane to Boise Idaho to investigate a Channeling group headed by Anthropologist Dr. Spear, a strange man with a mysterious past. Channeling is a new age term, which is basically going into hypnosis and allowing entities to speak through you. David is curious as to why the FBI would be concerned with such matters and Ned reluctantly informs him that the FBI had come across some memoirs that spear wrote in which he talks about an entity that the group channeled. This entity which calls itself the Big Mind described certain classified information within the government and when the FBI checked it out they found that the Big Mind’s information was correct. They are concerned about how much the Big Mind knows so they want to sent an agent undercover as a reporter to investigate the group on their retreat. When David arrives in Boise the first members he meet are identical twins, Vera and Lucy. Lucy had discovered her talent a year ago when she was working as a massage therapist during her senior year in Stanford. She often used Applied Kinesiology or locking of the muscles to learn things about her clients, eventually she realized she didn’t need to use AK to learn things about people, that the answers just popped...

The power of pull Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The power of pull - Essay Example to goods and services that is different from yester years, indeed the 21st century organization is sitting on â€Å"melting iceberg†, oblivious of the urgency needed to make changes to the new business model that would ensure their survival. Hagel, Brown, and Davison (2010) have analyzed the paradigm shift that has been occurring in the world of business over the past decades, especially the past two decades. Indeed, the current business environment is characterized with endless stream of knowledge, interconnected workforce, blurred borders with increased global movement of knowledge, talent and capital, and a shift in power balance, where the power has moved from corporations to the consumers, and employees have also have power without necessarily being in trade unions. All these changes have mainly been due to changes in technology and liberalization of the business world. Organizations are increasing finding newer ways to attract, retain and develop talent, even as employees’ priorities and motivations change with changes in generations. It is only in this new business environment that you find employees working as a virtual team or a big percentage of an organizations employees working from home. It is in thi s business environment that sales made online for a given business may by far exceed offline sales. However, despite these quite clearly notable changes, most organizations, especially those that have existed for a long time, are still focused on doing things the way they have always done. They still hold on to the old culture oblivious of the changing business landscape. Like the penguins in Kotter and Rathgeber (2005) work, the organizations are complacent in the way things have always been done, and are unaware that their iceberg is melting. Newer emerging 21st century organizations are coming up and taking advantage of the shift and surpassing older established organizations in business performance. Such include the Amazon which in only a few years

The four models of corporate governance as outlined by Letza et al Essay

The four models of corporate governance as outlined by Letza et al - Essay Example Letza et al's journal was based on an extensive survey and critical review of the different theories and concepts that exist in corporate governance. Based on this comprehensive study, they identified four main approaches of perceiving corporate governance. This include: 1. Principal/Agent or Finance Model. 2. The Mypoic Market Model 3. Abuse of Executive Power Model and 4. Stakeholder Model Each of these models of corporate governance provide the basis for the perception of the importance and significance of corporate governance in organisations. Although each of them carry different merits, none of them seem to be universally accepted. This paper examines the four models of corporate governance as outlined by Letza et al (2004). The paper will undertake an analysis of the key features of each of the model. The paper will compare and contrast the approaches for each of the models and assess the future survivability of each of the concepts Corporate Governance Corporate governance re fers to the ways that businesses are ran (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2006). Corporate governance is about how the top level managers charged with stewardship roles in the organisation carry out the task of safeguarding assets and meeting the core vision and mission of the organisation. The development of corporate governance has come with several issues and situations that have had important impacts on the relationship between shareholders and strategic leaders of organisations. Major scandals that rocked the corporate world like the Enron matter played a role in facilitating rules and principles that define the corporate governance terrain today (Clarke, 2005). Important components of businesses played various roles in shaping corporate governance rules and regulations. Short Termism V Sustainability Most businesses are faced with a major dilemma of whether they should acquire short term results or work for the development of the longer term interests of the business. In dra wing the balance between shortermism and sustainability, most businesses are concerned with four key things (Aras and Gowther, 2009 p282). These include: 1. Societal impact: That is the impact of the business on the society. 2. Environmental impact: The impact of the business on the natural environment. 3. Organisational culture: The relationship between organisational and internal stakeholders like employees. 4. Finance: The acquisition of adequate returns commensurate with the risks taken. These four important factors play a major role in determining the terrain and activities of the organisation. The major corporate collapses like Enron were attributed to blatant disregard for some key elements of these four components of businesses (Clarke, 2005). Thus, they all played roles in defining the creation of corporate governance rules and systems. Although there is still evidence of shortermism in corporate organisations, there is still some important roles that corporate governance s tandards and roles play in promoting sustainability in business (Eyatt, 2005). Risk Management One of the roles that corporate governance plays is that it helps in the creation of risk management systems to ensure that the board of directors monitor and control risks in organisations (Fraser and Harvey, 2007). â€Å"Company business models should be explained and the board should be responsible for determining the

Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education Essay

Contemporary and Critical Issues in Education - Essay Example One of the main challenges faced by the current educational system is to build an existing strength in order to create an excellent educational experience along with the successful outcomes for learners of all ages. With this concern, leadership is required throughout the modern education system. It is worth mentioning that leadership for learning is considered as a process through which educational system can initiate changes in its cultural environment in order to increase the learning ability perceived by the learners. Leadership for learning is conducted with an aim to offer a wide range of opportunities to the learners which in turn assists them in order to gain highly beneficial experiences. In addition, leadership for learning enhances the career opportunities as well as develop confidence amid the learners’ by enhancing their talents and abilities (Education Scotland, 2007). Leadership for learning is provided with the assistance of staffs possessing variety of skills and core competencies. For instance, it can be conducted with the help of pre-school staffs in order to establish interests for learning amid the children connecting them with imaginative and purposeful play in their learning process. Similarly, it can be executed with the guidance of teachers who build the confidence of learners in order to attain the skills to become leaders in their personal learning process.

PESTEL Analysis of Petrochemical Gulf Markets

PESTEL Analysis of Petrochemical Gulf Markets GCC countries are almost representing the best miscellaneous prudent wealth among the Middle East countries with more stability at their political situation and homogenized society. This is in addition to relaxed position within their neighborhood countries. However, the main social problem is that its citizens are representing less that 50% of the total population of the country. Further, GCC countries are enjoying a political stable regime; moreover, there are not such unexpectedly shifting in business regulations and procedures within GCC countries. In addition, there are some other threats around the Middle East but it has not affected seriously at GCC countries business such as the conflict between Palestinians and Zionists and the war in Iraq. However, there is some risk from Iran, because it attends to acquire nuclear weapons. This is besides the illegally occupying of Iran into three islands of the UAE (Abu Musa, the greater and the lesser Tunbas). Economy: The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) is an oil-based region by the largest persistent oil reserves in the globe; 483.7 billion barrels, 40.2 percent of the worlds total crude oil reserves, OPEC accounts at 78 percent of the worlds total proved oil reserves. Nonetheless, this area ranks as the biggest producer as well as an exporter of petroleum and plays a key role in the world generally along with the OPEC in particular. Thus, the six countries of the GCC region are taking pleasure in a remarkable economic growth that is expected to remain in excess of the medium-term. However, the GCC economy is anticipated to continue through $1 trillion within the year of 2010, making an almost three-fold raise in just five years. However, four GCC countries which are the portion of the OPEC together with KSA, UAE, Kuwait, as well as Qatar account for 51 percent of the total OPEC reserves and 46 percent of the total OPEC crude oil production for the states of GCC area, oil as well as gas represent s just about 73 percent of the total export earnings. Furthermore, oil along with gas sector accounts for lots 63 percent of governments revenues and 41 percent of its GDP. In addition, here, we have to say that the district is continuing its economic adjustment program additionally currently its focus is to attract domestically, regionally, as well as foreign private sector investment involved in oil as well as gas, power generation, telecommunications, along with real-estate sectors. The rush ahead in oil prices, the rising up of fiscal along with external; balance of payments positions, moreover improvements toward the business atmosphere have combined to produce an impressive infrastructure improvement. Therefore, in June 2010, there was practically $2 trillion worth of GCC projects announced, planned or else underway, mostly related in the rule of construction, oil, gas as well as petrochemicals sectors. The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) areas economy has doubled in size during 2004 to 2009. Moreover, a combined official GDP of the area grew by the rate of 12.5 percent within 2009 toward $812.95 billion measured into a growth rate of 17.3 percent to $722.49 billion in 2008. On the other hand, the strong economic performance is endorsed to secure global oil demand; better geopolitical situation; acceleration of growth measures; powerful boost in privatization activities; growth of assets of central banks along with the strength of the GCC corporate sector. For that reason, nominal GDP is expected to grow powerfully through a 25.8 percent toward $1022.62billion within the year 2009 and is the project to develop at an 8.8 percent to $1112.08 billion in 2010. In original terms, the economy of the area grew via 5.5 percent in 2008 compared near a rate of 5.8 percent in the year of 2009. Moreover, it is expected to grow at the rates of 5.8 percent and 6.5 percent in 2010 as well as 2011 respectively. Social: The Societies in the GCC countries are combining of the conservative as well as advanced another attractive than in several of the further countries in the Middle East region. Conceivably due in the piece to the widespread level of development that has been accomplished along with the success of the GCC countries in integrating up to date technology keen on their society with no considerable disruptions. The state religion of the GCC countries is Islam. However, there are people of other religions in the GCC countries such as Hindus, Christians and others. Anyone who wants to continue along with setting up a business in GCC countries should follow the Islamic rules. The official language of the GCC countries is Arabic but English is the language of business. On the other hand, the Arab Gulf states all have substantial revenues from oil and gas and have remarkably little local citizens. This has grown their related per capita incomes to greater than those of their neighbors consist. To join the labor shortages they provide significant quantities of temporary non-citizen economic migrants mainly from South Asia as well as South East Asia, chiefly the Philippines in addition to Indians. In the earlier stage, there were additional remarkable numbers of immigrants coming from Jordan (mainly of Palestinian origin) as well as Egypt. Technology: The GCC countries are one of the ideal locations to market products and services to Middle East and Asia. The users of Information Technology cover all aspects of society, private, consumer businesses, and governments, military in addition to educational facilities. The field has been used primarily through the Internet for business purposes. The governments in the GCC countries act as a matchmaker, to assist businesses and private users to take advantages of the information technology revolution. GCC countries are enjoying the highest advances in communications technology comprise considerably widened the range of services carried through the network. Satellites, besides microwave radio, as well optical cable links, besides digital switching in addition to transmission, offer a potential for the enhancement of quality and for the expansion of right to apply to the most remote areas. The world is presently a perfectly integrated information network. Environment: The GCC countries face a quantity of environmental problems, driven through people pressure, particularly in the cities where metropolitan growth has taken situate. Property degradation, especially, appropriate to desertification in several parts of the district is becoming progressively more critical. Nevertheless, the most severe problem is that of the fast turn down in fresh water accessibility. On the other hand, it is widely known that oil continues to control the worlds energy supply as well as the regions energy sector. GCC oil exports expansion in addition to contribute to advanced incidents of oil spills from offshore extraction along with transportation, foremost to elevated hydrocarbon concentrations in the waters of the Arabian Gulf that negatively have an effect on the desalination production progression, as well human health, in addition to the environment. Legislation: Although legislation are almost similar at the GCC countries, as we find most of them were driven out of Islamic Sharia. On the other hand, for the civil laws, there were two sources at the GCC countries, the first one from the Egyptian laws, which were initially driven out from the France laws. The other source of the GCC countries was the Jordanian laws, where they were driven out from the British laws. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: The GCC countries economy has many positive points that make GCC countries economy strong and we can summarize these points in the following: GCC countries are applying the open economy policy in most of its states. The mighty prestigious location for GCC countries between Asia and Africa continents GCC countries advance ranked among countries that export oil. Policies and procedures that the governments apply ought to support the economy. GCC countries Provide different facilities for investors (local and foreign), like: no restrictions on the foreign currencies, competitive import fees (4%), no taxes on the personal and companies income (except oil companies and the branches of foreign banks) and other facilities. The GCC countries governments offer many investment opportunities for investors in all sectors in most of its countries. The GCC countries governments build many industrial cities and free zones in different places in GCC countries that have all the services that need. Weakness: The GCC countries economy weaknesses are summarized in these points: Financial Frauds in some GCC countries economy from transferring money and no restrictions in loans (UAE and Bahrain). GCC countries currencies are linked with the US dollar and this cause a change in the value of the GCC countries local currencies as the change in the US dollar. Legal system in GCC countries tie to the ruling elite Opportunities: The GCC countries economy has many opportunities, because it is now in the growth period. We can summarize the opportunities in these points: The GCC countries have the opportunity to change from depending on oil as a main source of funds to other sources (non-oil sectors). The GCC countries have enough funds to improve all the sectors. There are many facilities to export GCC countries products to other countries especially Middle East countries. Threats: The inflation fluctuation within GCC countries is representing high threats to their economies. The continuous changing in oil prices which is affecting badly the budgets of GCC countries. Political environment in the neighborhood area might effect on the foreign investments.

Gun Control Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights gives people the right to keep and bear arms. The ideas of setting strict laws that allow only hunting rifle use, and laws that allow more freedom has been argued over for many years. The best argument protecting the Second Amendment is that people have more security when possessing a gun. Although this is possibly true, gun control provides much more than comfort for the people. The second amendment has some benefits, but many dangers also come with having the right to own a gun. One of these dangers includes violence and death with our youth. If Gun Control laws are put into action, they will help prevent deaths of innocent people who carry guns. Gun Control will also help prevent terrorism against us or anyone else with the terrorists using guns from our own country. Gun control will also help prevent robberies and other treacherous hostage situations. In order to shelter the populace of the United States, we have an obligation as voting citizens to enact a strict Gun Control law ridding all weapons, except for hunting rifles, from public use. According to the NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey) the fifty-four and a half percent of people that threaten an attacker with a gun are more likely to get a gun drawn out in return. The other percentage of the victims who use self-protection or do not do anything have a much better chance of getting away without the attacker pulling out a gun (Gun). Under a strict Gun Control law, when a holdup happens, the attacker is less likely to have a gun, and even if the attacker did somehow obtain a firearm, the victim would not have one to use carelessly and get himself killed. Crimes with Gun Control will be much less violent for the people that obey the law, and most criminals will be deterred from even attempting a crime if they cannot buy a gun. Similarly, Gun Control will help prevent terrorism of this country. Terrorism, now a big issue for the United States, can be prevented in many cases if Gun Control laws are put into affect. Many terrorists use easily concealed guns that come from the United States, getting the guns from either exportation or in the country. America cannot suffer as a victim of many more terrorist attacks, and Gun Control laws will help filter out terrorist attacks. Research done by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) shows that ... ...n our country and others. Gun Control will help protect the guiltless people of our nation from violent attacks and robbery. The best thing Gun Control will prevent is violence with our youth because Americans need to preserve the lives of the next generations to come. Controlling handguns means that everyone and their friends can enjoy life more without worrying about being held up at AM-PM, or being caught up in the middle of a very dangerous terrorist attack. When deciding on gun control, think first about preserving the safety of the citizens of this nation. Works Cited Buchanan, John M. â€Å"Gun Play† Christian Century   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  17 May 2003: 3 â€Å"Brady Campaign.† Brady Campaign   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12 Oct. 2003. â€Å"Calm Before The Storm The Littleton School Massacre† Court TV’s Crime Library   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12 Oct. 2003. â€Å"Is a Gun an Effective Means of Self-Defense?† Guncite   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12 Oct. 2003. â€Å"CNN- State by State Look at Gun Laws in the U.S.† CNNi   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12 Oct. 2003. â€Å"HELP Network – Firearm Injury Prevention State Status Report† Help Network   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   12 Oct. 2003.

Political Effectiveness Essay

7. 1 How far is the elected government able to influence or control those matters that are important to the lives of its people, and how well is it informed, organised and resourced to do so? Rating M The elected government in the Philippines has a long way to go to fully fulfill and succeed in turning the philippines around. Although, it does show promises. With organizations like the league of provinces where it aims to â€Å"ventilate, articulate, and crystallize issues affecting provincial and metropolitan government administrations. It likewise serves to secure, through proper and legal means, solutions to problems confronting the locales†(â€Å"league of provinces†, n. d. ). Some of its programs include expand revenue base which is an activiy that taps funds that may be used as grants to calamity affected provinces. (â€Å"league of provinces†, n. d.). Another government project that is trying to improve the quality of life in the philippines include the Diversified Farm Income and Market Development Project (DFIMDP) with aims to ensure the availability of financial resouces to help the department of agricultue develop market to promote competition for agriculture and fisheries(â€Å"Philippine LGU Assistane Portal† n. d. ). 7. 2 How much public confidence is there in the effectiveness of government and its political leadership? Rating L. The funny thing about the philippines is that even though the public protests a lot the there is really little that they can do(excluding the edsa 1 and 2 incident) but nonetheless the philippine citizens are unhappy about the government elect. Various scandals like the ZTE scandal have tainted philippines politics. Protests are happening left and right protests like the one last april 2008 marking the 61st birthday of PGMA(â€Å"the earth times†, 2008. ). A clear sign that the people have lost faith in her as a leader. 7. 3 How effective and open to scrutiny is the control exercised by elected leaders and their ministers over their administrative staff and other executive agencies? Rating L For several years now the philippines has been experiencing extrajudicial/political killings clear sign that the government and people in power are not open for criticism and objection. The year 2006 was a bad year in the philippines in terms of political killings and disappearances. Researched conducted by the human rights watch confirms that countless victims were killed in 2006 and that the military had a hand in most of the killings(â€Å"the human rights watch†, 2007.). 7. 4 How extensive and effective are the powers of the legislature to initiate, scrutinise and amend legislation? Rating L I rated this low because during the 13th sentor angara criticized that the 13th congress has passed the lowest number of laws in the last 20 years in an article by Ron Pelovello the senate in the last two years has passed only nine bills that were signed into law and only a couple of public works-related bills from the house of representatives it is also said that it has been the worst congress in 20 years(Pelovello, 2006. ). 7. 5 How extensive and effective are the powers of the legislature to scrutinise the executive and hold it to account? Rating VL This was clearly seen when the legislature failed to bring down gma after her alleged cheating in the 2004 elections (Del Pilar and Alpha Company, n. d. ). Also legislature failed again after the ZTE scandal (Einhorn, September 26). We can only hope that after 2010 we will have a better and more powerful legislature. 7. 6 How rigorous are the procedures for approval and supervision of taxation and public expenditure? Rating L 7. 7How comprehensive and effective is legislation giving citizens the right of access to government information? Rating VH Information today is very accessible with the internet and the effectiveness of the press and media nothing stays hidden and this is true with the very public case of the ZTE scandal where PGMA cancelled a controversial $330 million deal (Einhorn, September 26). This was a very open scandal and a very public trial. 8. 0Civilian control of the military and police 8. 1How effective is civilian control over the armed forces, and how free is political life from military involvement? Rating L I think the politics in the Philippines will never be free from military involvement several coup d’etat have struck the Philippines over the years the most recent would be that of trillianes. This would be his second coup attempt the first was in 2003. A clear example that the military is not as controlled as we would want them to be, the civilian control has to be improved. 8. 2 How publicly accountable are the police and security services for their activities? Rating L An article Romero and the AFP stated that the police is viewed by Filipino respondents as the most affected by corruption. Also globally the police are viewed as the most affected with petty bribery (Romero, 2007. ). 8. 3 How far does the composition of the army, police and security services reflect the social composition of society at large? Rating H 8. 4 How free is the country from the operation of paramilitary units, private armies, warlordism and criminal mafias? Rating VL The country has a long way to go before being completely free from private armies and paramilitary units. Events like the Oakwood mutiny that occurred 5 years ago (Remollino, 2006.) remind us that we are still a very unstable country in terms of paramilitary units. As for private armies the manila times published last year an article stating that the PNP admitted that there are 93 private armies nationwide (Manila Times, 2007), an alarming number that has to be brought down in order for our country to reach its full potential and take its place as a developed country. 8. 5 What measures, if any, are being taken to remedy publicly identified problems in this field, and what degree of political priority and public support do they have? Rating VL.

Math Curriculum Plan of Study

Math Curriculum Plan of Study High school math typically consists of three or four years of required credits along with additionally offered electives. In many states, the choice of courses is determined by whether the student is on a career or college preparatory path. Following is an overview of suggested required courses in a curriculum, for either a student going on a Career Preparatory Path or a College Preparatory Path along with electives one might find at a typical high school. Sample High School Career Preparatory Math Plan of Study Year One–Algebra 1 Major Topics: Real NumbersLinear EquationsSystems of EquationsExponentsPolynomials and FactoringQuadratic EquationsRadicals Year Two–Liberal Arts Math This course is intended to bridge the gap between Algebra 1 and Geometry by building on the students algebra skills to help them prepare for geometry.Major Topics: Exponents and RadicalsAlgebraic Expressions and PolynomialsLinear and Quadratic EquationsSystems of Linear Equations and InequalitiesCoordinate GeometryTwo-Dimensional FiguresProperties of congruent and similar trianglesRight TrianglesSurface Area and Volume Year Three–Geometry Major Topics: Length, Distance, and AnglesProofsParallel LinesPolygonsCongruencyArea Relationships and the Pythagorean TheoremCoordinate GeometrySurface Area and VolumeSimilarityIntroduction to Trigonometry and Circles Sample High School College Preparatory Math Plan of Study Year One–Algebra 1 OR Geometry Students who completed Algebra 1 in middle school will move directly into Geometry. Otherwise, they will complete Algebra 1 in ninth grade.Major Topics Included in Algebra 1: Real NumbersLinear EquationsSystems of EquationsExponentsPolynomials and FactoringQuadratic EquationsRadicals Major Topics Included in Geometry: Length, Distance, and AnglesProofsParallel LinesPolygonsCongruencyArea Relationships and the Pythagorean TheoremCoordinate GeometrySurface Area and VolumeSimilarityIntroduction to Trigonometry and Circles Year Two–Geometry or Algebra 2 Students who completed Algebra 1 in their ninth grade year will continue with Geometry. Otherwise, they will enroll in Algebra 2. Major Topics Included in Algebra 2: Families of FunctionsMatricesSystems of EquationsQuadraticsPolynomials and FactoringRational ExpressionsThe Composition of Functions and Inverse FunctionsProbability and Statistics Year Three–Algebra 2 or Precalculus Students who completed Algebra 2 in their tenth-grade year will continue with Precalculus which includes topics in Trigonometry. Otherwise, they will enroll in Algebra 2.Major Topics Included in Precalculus: Functions and Graphing FunctionsRational and Polynomial FunctionsExponential and Logarithmic FunctionsBasic TrigonometryAnalytic TrigonometryVectorsLimits Year Four–Precalculus or Calculus Students who completed Precalculus in their eleventh-grade year will continue with Calculus. Otherwise, they will enroll in Precalculus.Major Topics Included in Calculus: LimitsDifferentiationIntegrationLogarithmic, Exponential, and Other Transcendental FunctionsDifferential EquationsIntegration Techniques AP Calculus is the standard replacement for Calculus. This is the equivalent of a first-year college introductory calculus course. Math Electives Typically students take their math elective in their senior year. Following are a sampling of typical math electives offered in high schools. AP Statistics: this is the study of collecting, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data.

prevention is better than cure Essay Example

prevention is better than cure Essay Example prevention is better than cure Essay prevention is better than cure Essay Essay : Prevention is better tnan cure is a wise saying which han comedown to us since ages. It holds true for ever. The wisdom of the saying lies in the fact that a little effort in the early phan of a problem helps to solve it before it becomes too difficult to be solved. This principle is always observed by wise people to succeed in life. Those who do not observe this principle usually suffer even if they are intelligent and hard- working. Observance of this principle becomes a part of ones nature ; indifference to his principle also becomes a bad habit leading to uneasy consequences. If one sees symptoms of a disease, it is advisible to immediately go to the doctor, get it diagnosed and follow the treatment. Any negligence at the earlier stages of a disease leads to complications and deterioration. Going to the doctor at a late stage will not only mean more expense but may also endanger the life of the person. Prevention is, therefore, better than cure. Unclean state of affairs in ones household can lead to any diseases. The members of ones family can catch malaria or any other disease owing to the mosquitoes that multiply in an unclean place. Stagnant water, dirty latrines, unclean floors and dirty and stale food, over-ripe fruits and the like can cause so many diseases whose cure will cost a lot of botheration and money. It is better to remove all these unclean habits and prevent the occurrence of the disease. Prevention is better than cure again. If one is a student, it is better to study regularly. If one ignores ones lessons in the early stages so as to work hard during the examination days, one is in for trouble. Ones early carelessness can cost one success in the examination. One should study tile lessons regularly in keeping with the requirements of the class, under instructions of the teacher, if one wants to fare well in the examination. One should prevent failure than face the failure and try hard to overcome it. One may have to hire a costly tutor or lose ones health†physical and mental†to recoup the lost time. Prevention is better than cure again. The principle also holds good in the matter of building good habits. If a person wants to develop good habits? » he must lay a sound foundation for them. To keep to the morals and principles of good character, it is desirable to avoid bad habits of drinking, smoking, etc. Once one starts on the wrong lines, there is no end to the dirty ways. It is always better to avoid dirty habits from early childhood. We should nip the evil in the bud from the very beginning. prevention is better than cure By vikigaJraJ

Strategic Management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategic Management - Article Example The article looks at various issues concerning strategic management at various organizations. For instance, the article addresses the concern of why some CEOs remain in office during a performance downturn while other managers don’t. This they argue through a social status perspective which is a key highlight in strategic management. The authors argue that a personal board channel embeddedness – as reflected in the sum of outside directorships – plays an essential role in dismissal management decisions. Furthermore, the authors predict that a high status of the managers relative to the COB protects unproductive CEO against dismissal during the comparative salience of board network outsiders always counters this impacts, in the long run. This is done so well by the author through data from German. Despite the fact the fact that the article may be partly criticized for the inability to offer sufficient data, the article is good in addressing contemporary issues in strategic management. The article helps address concerns that arise during depression and as such offers long lasting solutions. The article is also focused on improvement and further development of various theories and practice of strategic management. One can also argue that it is well detailed and designed to appeal to both practicing CEOs and academicians in the

The Scramble and Acquisition of African Colonies Essay

The Scramble and Acquisition of African Colonies - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the European countries that colonized Africa were Italy, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain. Their colonization of Africa was because of power struggles and competition for supremacy in Europe. The scramble was a rapid colonization of the African continent after the European powers acquired colonies in 1880-1900. The scramble was pushed by the economic, social, and political evolution that Europe was going through. It developed in the nineteenth century due to the collapse of the slave profitability, abolition,  and the European expansion. During the late nineteenth century, European countries like Britain were suffering growth deficit in its balance of trade. The imperatives of capitalist development spurred the European scramble. Thus, the goal of European intrusion was economically driven. Their objective was to find assured sources of raw materials, guaranteed markets, and profitable investment outlets. Their countries had limited resources and also highly populated. They dispersed themselves to the African continent to scramble and acquire colonies. During their trade with Africans, they realized that the continent was endowed with various minerals. Imperialism was also induced by the demand for raw materials unavailable in Europe. Africa had cotton, tea, rubber, diamonds, palm oil, copper,  and cocoa. The European consumers had grown accustomed to the products of the raw materials. The European industry as well had grown to depend on the raw materials from the continent of Africa. The European powers’ was another major factor for scrambling to acquire the African colonies. The population in Europe had grown so much, and it could no longer support the population. To manage a struggle for power amongst its people, they had to acquire new territories. As a result, some of its citizens were shipped to Africa to start an empire of their own. They also scrambled to acquire the African colonies, so that they could be able to achieve the aspect of â€Å"balance of power.† The colonies were viewed as tools of negotiation, useful as items of exchange at periods of international bargains. They also regarded colonies with the large native population as a source of military power during the colonial wars.