The Concept Of Cultural Erasure, Inequality And Violence

Postcolonialism: The Concept of Cultural Erasure, Inequality and Violence Colonization can be dated back to 1492 with the Spanish venture led by Columbus. Colonialism is defined as â€Å"The policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically† (Oxford Dictionary).This expedition spread European influence worldwide, in places such as China, Lebanon, India, and Antigua. European influence is still prevalent today through the crossing of racial lines and shifting of cultures towards a more ‘civilized’ way of living. Colonialism is still prevalent today, in the form of postcolonialism. Postcolonialism can be defined as America’s benefaction to nations worldwide that include dynamic influences in things such as: government, culture, education and economy. One of the concepts erected from colonialism is globalization. Since globalization is a direct effect of colonial ism, it is no surprise that globalization influences the same categories as postcolonialism (government, culture, education and economy), making the two concepts almost synonymous— with minimal differences. Globalization is defined as the integration of economics and communications of nations through increased contact by technology. Globalization dominates the economic and social side of the field while postcolonialism dwells in the cultural and educational aspects. This European ‘gift’ has contributed to global conflicts,Show MoreRelatedModern Society s Criminal Justice System3383 Words   |  14 Pagesin the government s favour. In a way, the phrase ‘tough on crime’ has become consolidated as one word in our language as political speech deliberately uses it repetitiously. On a metalinguistic level, the phrase ‘tough on crime,’ in relation to cultural behaviours, is used to alleviate of the fear of a disordered society. An utterance which serves a performative function in language and communication in which political figures may utilize security speech acts to obtain certain public responses (HuysmansRead MoreCalculus Oaper13589 Words   |  55 PagesObviously there is a connection here. I believe that much feminist theory and criticism is stranded on this shoal. My organizing impulse is the belief that it is not enough for feminist thought that specifically lesbian texts exist. Any theory or cultural/political creation that treats lesbian existence as a marginal or less natural phenomenon, as mere sexual preference, or as the mirror image of either heterosexual or male homosexual relations is profoundly weakened thereby, whatever its otherRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagestheir willingness to share their time with this competing â€Å"labor of love† and to forgive our own gaps between common sense and common practice. David A. Whetten Kim S. Cameron PREFACE xxi This page intentionally left blank MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   ââ€"   The Critical Role of Management Skills The Importance of Competent Managers The Skills of Effective Managers Essential Management Skills What Are Management Skills? Improving Management Skills An Approach to Skill Development

Global Warming Is A Real Event - 978 Words

For many years we have been warned about global warning. There have been many efforts especially by the American people to go green in an effort to slow the human contribution to global warming. But just because we have been told that global warming is a real event and we should fear it, does that make this event a fact or phenomenon? As a critical thinking student I took time to look into the validity of global warming to decide if the validity of such an event. What is global warming? Global warming is the increase in the earths overall temperature. This increase in temperature takes place not only in the atmosphere but oceans as well. With the increase in temperature comes many other factors. These other nfacctors include but are not limited to the melting of ice around the world, acidic rain, and higher ocean levels. The effect of global warming is commonly compared to that of the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect is when a greenhouse absorbs heat an radiation from the sun it subsequently increases the temperature of the house that plants are housed and grown. The purpose of this essay is to provide you as the reader with both arguments of whether global warming is in fact an actual occurring event or if this is a phenomenon based merely on perception. In this paper I will be able to in detail describe both sides of this argument and decide whether for myself the validity of each. Those who believe that global warming is a real event caused by the human raceShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming And The Greenhouse Gases1720 Words   |  7 PagesMany people know that global warming is an issue in today’s world because news media and politicians always talk about global warming and the greenhouse gasses. It seems like an issue that is not going to go away, and it is going to stick around for some time. As early as in 2006, Al Gore, the former vice-president of the United States, said that the burning of the fossil fuels was one of the reasons that increased the amount of carbon dioxide, and he said that if carbon dioxide could melt the polarRead MoreClimate Change : A Changing For A Brighter Future1485 Words   |  6 Pagesproblems were arising. Problems such as is there enough water, food and resources were questions of the past. Recently, the new question has revolved around climate change and its effect on mankind. The reason no one questions climate change and global warming is because not so many people saw a tremendous difference in the earth s temperature. However, as the temperature started to rise slowly each day, it became warmer in the long run and people realized that there was a problem. As of today, climateRead MoreClimate Warming : Global Warming Essay1095 Words   |  5 PagesCurrently, the temperature of the earth’s climate system continues to rapidly increase which leads to global warming. Global warming, by definition is the â€Å"gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants†(Webster’s). There are many reasons why global warming occurs, such as human activities and the increasing of gases; for instance carbon dioxide in theRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects On The World1074 Words   |  5 PagesIt would be a rare week indeed with out hearing about global warming on the television or radio, or reading about it in the newspaper or an online blog. There have been many opinions from an abundance of points of view on the subject. Scientists, politicians, and environmentalists have all weighed in on the debate, and each of them is passionate about their beliefs. Some issues brought about due to global warming are polar ice caps melting, glaciers receding more and more each year, and risingRead More Pollution Essay: Don’t Blame Me for Global Warming1033 Words   |  5 Pagesspoke of the horrendous situations stemming from global warming. This makes no sense; with the facts and information that we have received over the years they still support this preposterous idea. Humans do nothing to contribute to global warming; the irregular climate events are just natural occurrences. These occurrences are no stranger to our history either. (â€Å"Global Warm Up†)(â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth†) The most recent case of significant warming was between the years 1850 and 1940. Most scientistsRead MoreGlobal Warming : We Are All At Risk1555 Words   |  7 Pagesmankind is global warming. More than 97 perecent of the world scientists believed that human activities mainly the burning of fossil fuel caused global warming. Exacerbated by global warming, the occurrence of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, droughts, rising sea level, floods,and heatwaves are becoming more frequent and sever. In the past two decades global warming induced extreme weather affected almost half of the world population. The scientific evidence is now clear that global warmingRead MoreGlobal Warming Has Become A National Distraction1071 Words   |  5 PagesIt would be a rare week indeed without hearing about global warming on the television or radio, or reading about it in a magazine or an online blog. There have been many opinions from an abundance of points of view on the subject. Scienti sts, politicians, and environmentalists have all weighed in on the debate, and each of them is passionate about their beliefs. Some issues brought about due to global warming are polar ice caps melting, glaciers receding more and more each year, and rising oceanRead MoreGlobal Warming: Fiction or Truth? Essay example1369 Words   |  6 PagesTrue or false; global warming is a catastrophic event that is occurring by natural and human means that is causing global temperature to rise and that can lead to many disasters? This has been an issue that hundreds and maybe thousands of scientists and citizens have debated about back and forth. The thought of global warming existing is a strong claim that many and most people have been backing up. Reliable sources have claims and evidence that is sufficient to prove global warming but other reliableRead MoreImpact Of Global Warming On North Carolina1728 Words   |  7 PagesRepercussions of Global Warming in North Carolina To begin to comprehend the scope and dynamics of the projected effects of Global Warming on different sectors of North Carolina one has to understand the basics of this particular phenomenon. What exactly is Global Warming? According to EPA.gov: â€Å"Global warming refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near Earth s surface. It is caused mostly by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Global warming is causingRead MoreGlobal Warming : An Inconvenient Truth Essay1200 Words   |  5 Pages Global warming is defined as the process of gradual growth of average annual temperature of the atmosphere, the Earth, and the oceans. Global warming and climate change threaten the very existence of earths inhabitants. In 2006, former senator Al Gore created an amazing award winning documentary on global warming named â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth†. Yet there are still skeptics that can t decide on whether global warming is actually facts or a theory. People need to wake up and realize that this is real

Tensions in Colonial Society free essay sample

Both the Bacon Rebellion and the Pueblo revolt were ignited by the mounting apprehension of preserving safety and a way of life as white settlers and Native Americans come together on the same land. Because European settlers were trying to settle on land already occupied by Indians, many conflicts arose. For many white settlers, as was the case in the Bacon Rebellion, the clash of the two races caused an uneasy apprehension. The white settlers felt threatened by the Native Americans, and, as a result, resorted to unnecessary violence. In the Bacon Rebellion, this ongoing tension caused farmers to kill many Indians, even friendly ones. For many Native Americans the clash of the two races resulted in tension as the white settlers tried to change the Indian way of life. This was true of the Pueblo Indians in present day New Mexico who felt threatened by the Spanish because they were trying to impose an unfamiliar, Christian life on the Indians. We will write a custom essay sample on Tensions in Colonial Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page With both groups we see a common tension: people are feeling threatened as a result of Native Americans and hite settler interaction. As with these uprisings, tension created by Indian/colonist interaction in colonial America often erupted into violence and rebellions. While the Pueblo revolt was mainly the result of Indian/Colonist conflict, the Bacon rebellion had many more aspects to it. The Bacon rebellion was inpart fueled by the strain between the most elite Americans and everyone else. For Bacon and his friends, who were upper-class Englishmen who came to America, the tension came rom resentment toward the Virginia elite for not including them. For the farmers, it was the belief that the elite government did not understand or sympathize with the danger Indians posed to farmers. When the two groups teamed up to fight out the tension against the elite, many Indians and innocent colonists were killed and injured. The deaths occurred when colonists vented their frustrations by taking matters into their own hands against the Indians and, later, fighting against the litists. The Bacon rebellion started because of uneasiness about the Indian situation, but it ended as a full on war with the elites. It was this end that reflects the growing tension between the elite and the common people of American colonial society. Colonial society in America was a new frontier for those that settled there. As with anything new, problems and tensions arose and these growing tensions were reflected in uprisings, such as Bacons Rebellion and the Pueblo Revolt. One of the ain tensions of colonial America was the result of two very different cultures, the Indians and the Colonists, wing for survival in this new situation. Other tensions arose when tight knit elitist groups excluded and disregarded the well being of others. Tensions between races and different social classes werent new to history. Nevertheless, their ubiquitous quality does not make them any less significant, nor did it help the colonists when the tensions exploded into Bacons Rebellion and the Pueblo revolt.

Morse Telegraph Essays - Telegraphy, Morse Code, Samuel Morse

Morse Telegraph Morse Telegraph In the beginning of the industrial age, cities were expanding and railroads were growing, but people couldn't get messages or news to other people fast enough. There were some electrical communications, but all were to slow or to complicating. Railroads were growing to fast, they were connecting cities to each other, and there needed some form of communication of some sort fast enough to past messages around. That is what Morse system of telegraphy did. In the early 19th century, all of the essential components necessary to construct an electrical communication system had been discovered. The most important of these were the battery by Volta, the relationship between electric current and magnetism by Oersted, and the electromagnet by Henry. It now remained for someone to find a practical method to combine these technologies into a working communication system. Some commercial electrical communications systems existed in Europe as early as the 183Os. A classic example of this is the English "Needle Telegraph". The needle telegraph required two or more lines to form a complete circuit. It was also relatively slow and the design of the transmitting and receiving instruments was complex. Something simple and efficient was needed. Samuel Finley Breese Morse invented the Morse system of telegraphy in the 1840s in the United States. "Morse Code" is essentially a simple way to represent the letters of the alphabet using patterns of long and short pulses. A unique pattern is assigned to each character of the alphabet, as well as to the ten numerals. These long and short pulses are translated into electrical signals by an operator using a telegraph key, and the electrical signals are translated back into the alphabetic characters by a skilled operator at the distant receiving instrument. It has also been acknowledged that Morse's partner Alfred Vail very likely assisted in the development of the code and the instruments used to transmit and receive it. Morse telegraphy became the standard method of electrical communication in both the United States and Europe due to its simplicity and ability to work on inferior quality wires. In 1851, countries in Europe adopted a new code known as "continental" or "international" code. This new code was a modification of the original Morse. The new code eliminated the characters using spaced dots, which were found to cause errors in transmission on undersea cables. The new code became the standard for all telegraph work except in North America where the original Morse was used on all landline circuits (except for undersea cable). The applications of the Morse telegraph were many. The best known of these to the public was the commercial telegram service. The railroads were an early and enthusiastic user of the Morse system, which improved the efficiency, and safety of railroad operations manifold. The Associated Press was originally an alliance of Morse telegraph services and operators dedicated to news dispatches. Industry found the telegraph indispensable for the transmission of business related communication including information on stocks and commodities. The American Civil War was the one of the first demonstrations of the military value of the telegraph in the control of troop deployment and intelligence. Even the flow of oil through pipelines was controlled by Morse telegraph. The railroad and the steamship improved communications within nations and across the world. Britain introduced an inexpensive postal system, which further improved communication. Messages that once would have taken days to arrive now took minutes or seconds. In 1851, the first underwater telegraph cable was installed under the English Channel. It made rapid communication between Britain and the continent possible.

Biography of Samuel Morse, Inventor of the Telegraph

Biography of Samuel Morse, Inventor of the Telegraph Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791–April 2, 1872) is famous as the inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code, but what he really wanted to do was paint. He was a well-established artist when his youthful interest in electronics resurfaced, leading to the communications invention that changed humanity until it was overshadowed by the telephone, radio, television, and, finally, the internet. Fast Facts: Samuel F.B. Morse Known For: Inventor of the telegraphBorn: April 27, 1791 in Charlestown, MassachusettsParents: Jedidiah Morse, Elizabeth Ann Finley BreeseDied: April 2, 1872 in New York, New YorkEducation: Yale College (now Yale University)Spouse(s): Lucretia Pickering Walker, Sarah Elizabeth GriswoldChildren: Susan, Charles, James, Samuel, Cornelia, William, EdwardNotable Quote: What hath God wrought? Early Life and Education Samuel F.B. Morse was born on April 27, 1791, in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the first child of noted geographer and Congregational minister Jedidiah Morse and Elizabeth Ann Finley Breese. His parents were committed to his schooling and the Calvinist faith. His early education at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, was undistinguished, except for his interest in art. He next enrolled in Yale College (now Yale University) at age 14, where he focused on art but found a new interest in the little-studied subject of electricity. He earned money by painting small portraits of friends, classmates, and teachers before graduating in 1810 with Phi Beta Kappa honors. He returned to Charlestown after college. Despite his wishes to be a painter and encouragement from famed American painter Washington Allston, Morses parents wanted him to be a booksellers apprentice. He became a clerk for Daniel Mallory, his fathers Boston book publisher. Trip to England A year later, Morses parents relented and let him sail to England with Allston. He attended the Royal Academy of Arts in London and received instruction from Pennsylvania-born painter Benjamin West. Morse became friends with poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, several accomplished painters, and American actor John Howard Payne. He adopted a â€Å"romantic† painting style featuring heroic characters and epic events.  In 1812, his plaster statuette The Dying Hercules won a gold medal at the Adelphi Society of Arts exhibition in London, and his painting of the same subject received critical acclaim at the Royal Academy. Family Morse returned to the U.S. in 1815 and opened an art studio in Boston. The next year, seeking portrait commissions to earn a living, he traveled to New Hampshire and met Lucretia Pickering Walker, 16, in Concord. They soon became engaged. Morse painted some of his most notable work at this time, including portraits of military leader  Marquis de Lafayette  and President  George Washington.   On Sept. 29, 1818, Lucretia Walker and Morse were married in Concord. Morse spent the winter in Charleston, South Carolina, and received many portrait commissions there. The couple spent the rest of the year painting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. A year later, Morses first child was born. While living with his family in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1821, Morse painted more distinguished individuals, including cotton gin inventor Eli Whitney and dictionary compiler Noah Webster. Morses second child was born in 1823 and his third child arrived two years later, but tragedy followed. One month after the birth of his third child, Lucretia Morse died suddenly at age 25 and was buried in New Haven before he could return. Interest in Electricity Resurfaces In 1827, Columbia College Professor James Freeman Dana presented a series of lectures on electricity and electromagnetism at the New York Athenaeum, where Morse also lectured. Through their friendship, Morse became more familiar with the properties of his earlier interest. In November 1829, leaving his children in the care of relatives, Morse left for a three-year tour of Europe, where he visited friends Lafayette and novelist James Fenimore Cooper, studied art collections, and painted. While raising his family, painting, lecturing on art, and viewing works by the old masters, Morses fascination with electronics and inventions never disappeared. In 1817, he and his brother Sidney patented a human-powered water pump for fire engines that worked but was a commercial failure. Five years later, Morse invented a marble-cutting machine that could carve three-dimensional sculptures, but it couldnt be patented because it infringed on an earlier design. Meanwhile, advances in electronics had been moving the world closer to a device that could send messages over vast distances. In 1825, British physicist and inventor William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet, which would be a key component of the telegraph. Six years later, American scientist Joseph Henry developed a more powerful electromagnet and demonstrated how it could send electric signals over long distances, suggesting the possibility of a device such as the telegraph. In 1832, on his voyage home from Europe, Morse conceived the idea of an electromagnetic telegraph during conversations with another passenger, a doctor who described to Morse European experiments with electromagnetism. Inspired, Morse wrote in his sketchbook ideas for a prototype of an electromagnetic recording telegraph and a dot-and-dash code system that would bear his name. Later that year, Morse was appointed professor of painting and sculpture at the University of the City of New York (now New York University), but he continued to work on the telegraph. Developing the Telegraph In the fall of 1835, Morse built a recording telegraph with a moving paper ribbon and demonstrated it to friends and acquaintances. The next year he demonstrated his prototype to a professor of science at the university. Over the next several years, Morse demonstrated his invention to friends, professors, a House of Representatives committee, President Martin Van Buren, and his cabinet. He took on several partners who helped with the science and financing, but his work also began to attract competitors. On Sept. 28, 1837, Morse began the patent process for the telegraph. By November he was able to send a message through 10 miles of wire arranged on reels in a university lecture room. The next month, after completing the paintings he was working on, Morse set aside his art to devote his full attention to the telegraph. At this point, other men- including the doctor on Morses 1832 return voyage from Europe and several European inventors- were claiming credit for the telegraph. The claims were resolved and in 1840 Morse was granted a U.S. patent for his device. Lines were strung between many cities, and on May 24, 1844, Morse sent his famous message- What hath God wrought?- from the Supreme Court chamber in Washington, D.C., to the B O Railroad Depot in Baltimore, Maryland. By 1849, an estimated 12,000 miles of telegraph lines were being run by 20 American companies in the United States. In 1854, the Supreme Court upheld Morses patent claims, meaning that all U.S. companies using his system had to pay him royalties. On Oct. 24, 1861, Western Union completed the first transcontinental telegraph line to California. After several breaks, a permanent undersea Atlantic Cable was finally laid in 1866. New Family Back in 1847 Morse, already a wealthy man, had bought Locust Grove, an estate overlooking the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York. The next year he married Sarah Elizabeth Griswold, a second cousin 26 years his junior. The couple had four children together. In the 1850s, he built an Italian villa-style mansion on the Locust Grove property and spent his summers there with his large family of children and grandchildren, returning each winter to his brownstone in New York. Death On April 2, 1872, Samuel Morse died in New York. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Legacy Morses invention changed the world, as it was used by the military during engagements, newspaper reporters filing stories from the field, far-flung businesses, and others. After his death, his fame as the inventor of the telegraph was obscured by other communication devices- the telephone, radio,  television, and the  internet- while his reputation as an artist grew. At one time he didnt want to be remembered as a portrait painter, but his powerful, sensitive portraits have been exhibited throughout the United States. His 1837 telegraph instrument is in the  Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington,  D.C. His Locust Grove estate is a national historic landmark. Sources Samuel F.B. Morse: American Artist and Inventor. Encyclopedia Britannica.Samuel F.B. Morse: Inventor. Biography.com.

How to Format an Ebook for Kindle

How to Format an Ebook for Kindle Congratulations!   You’ve finished your book.   If you’ve polished your manuscript and had it edited, you’re ready to publish on Kindle.   Not much in life is free anymore, but publishing a Kindle book is.   You can format a Kindle book yourself and upload it to Amazon for no charge.   Here’s how. First, SAVE your manuscript as a new doc so you’ll have a copy of the original.   You won’t be able to use the Kindle version for anything else once you’re done. Margins should be around .5 top and bottom, .8 for left and right margins. Don’t use more than three or four line spaces to separate text- more than that can cause text to break to a new page on smaller readers such as i-Phones. Use font sizes of 16pt or smaller- a title with a lot of text can easily run over to a second line. Be sure to include a title page and brief copyright notice. Marketing tip:   If you’ve written other books, you can include them on an â€Å"Also Option: you can make the chapter titles in the Table of Contents into clickable links Don’t include page numbers or page breaks- just let the text run on.   Otherwise, the finished product will be a mess!   You can, however, insert page breaks at the end of chapters. Don’t add headers or footers. Amazon usually indents paragraphs during formatting, so I suggest not adding any.   But they sometimes change their process.   If your final uploaded version doesn’t show indents, .3 is a good indent for paragraphs. Include a line space between each paragraph for a little more â€Å"white space.†   Also, shorter paragraphs are more visually appealing on a Kindle reader or i-Phone than longer ones. When you’ve finished formatting (and spellchecking!), save the file so you have a final copy for Kindle, then save it again TO A DIFFERENT FOLDER as â€Å"Web Page, filtered.†   If you don’t save it to a different folder, Word will automatically transform the doc you just worked on into the html file, and then you won’t have the original (which you might like to use to create an EPUB version or PDF later). Then page through the html file to make sure it looks okay (use the Paragraph tool on the toolbar to check the number of line breaks between paragraphs).   Go to Amazon’s Bookshelf (https://kdp.amazon.com), click on â€Å"Create a New Title,† and follow the instructions to upload the book.   You can also use the Cover Creator tool to create a cover at that point. After you upload the interior of the book, BE SURE TO PREVIEW IT using the Amazon previewer.   There will probably be errors, and readers who write book reviews on Amazon are not always kind about typos or formatting errors in the books they read (this is why editing is so important).   You can fix and re-upload it as many times as you need to in order to make it perfect.   Remember, you’re creating your reputation as a writer with every book you publish. Best of luck!   And Happy Writing!

International Environment & Business and Europe Assignment

International Environment & Business and Europe - Assignment Example A few rounds of expansion have occurred, prompting the development of the Single Market. (ILZKOVITZ et al) The late promotion of ten new Member States significantly expanded the span of the Internal Market, while constituting in the meantime a test to its fitting working. From one perspective, the increase of the focal and eastern European nations has expanded the pool of shoppers and has furnished firms with extra chances to draw on a more extensive reach of near preferences portraying the diverse Member States. (ILZKOVITZ et al)This is a wellspring of further dynamism and proficiency in the Internal Market. (ILZKOVITZ et al)Then again, while the economic progressions prompted by this expansion have been consumed easily and there is no proof of problematic effects on the item and work markets, the expanded disparity among the Eu25 parts has enlarged the dangers of pressures inside the Internal Market (ILZKOVITZ et al) A Commission study inspected the economic measurement of the 2004 development. It reasoned that the developed Internal Market has gotten to be, notwithstanding the expanded economic disparity among its present parts, more coordinated and element. Specifically, the promotion of the focal and eastern European nations has expanded the potential profits of the Internal Market. (ILZKOVITZ et al)It has expanded the pool of purchasers yet it likewise furnishes firms with extra chances to draw on the more extensive reach of relative preferences that portray the diverse Member States.

Health Needs Assessment Proposal (2,000 words) Essay

Health Needs Assessment Proposal (2,000 words) - Essay Example HNA for the two boroughs; getting started, identifying health priorities, assessing the health priority, planning for change and lastly reviewing the entire process. Newham is the most ethnically diverse borough in London, experiencing the highest birth rate and having one of the highest rates of deprivation, ill health and early deaths (NHS 2009, pp. 91). According to Aston-Mansfield.org (2011, p. 4) the most recent data on employment in Newham indicates that it had the lowest employment rates in London, standing at 56.2% in 2008-09 and 59.5% in 2009-10 in comparison to London’s averages of 62.7% and 68.1% for the two years respectively. The diverse culture and high levels of deprivation and unemployment translate to existence of several health problems and health inequalities in Newham and thus lower health and wellness levels than London’s average. Redbridge on the other hand enjoys a similar or better health and well-being than London’s or England’s average as evidenced by significantly lower levels of most health considerations such as drug abuse, accidental injuries and teenage conceptions and generally a greater life expectancy (JSNA 2008, p. 58). The borough is similarly considerably multicultural, and bears health inequalities and problems (Trust for London and New Policy Institute 2010, Redbridge 2007, pp. 74-75). The decision to select these two boroughs was informed by the fact that they share a lot of considerations in terms of health needs assessment and yet have totally different health achievement profiles. The considerations for this step include the choice of population and the justification, the objectives of the HNA, the stakeholders to be involved, the resources required, the challenges and ways around them and lastly appraisal of the step (Cavanaugh and Chadwick 2005, p. 23). The populations selected in this proposal are the inhabitants of Newham and Redbridge boroughs. The subpopulations under question in both the boroughs are the

College Student Essay Example for Free

College Student Essay College life is changing for nearly every student. From meal plans and roommates to study abroad and college finances. College life can be a difficult thing to get used to and handle. There will be a lot of time where you doubt yourself and your decision. A lot of student became overwhelm by the requirement of college, the change that took place too fast. No matter how prepared you think you are for college, there are still of shock when you come and have to deal with responsible, the stress of school. and adapting to college campus. The most frequent complaint heard from college students is that their professors are out to fail them and ruin their chance at getting a career. But, what they need to understand is that the professors job is not to force you to do your work, they will not follow you home to make sure that you do what you have to in order to pass the class. Responsible,that seem to be the thing a lot of freshman students seem to lack. They think that they can get away with the same thing that they have been getting away with in high school, that their teacher will pressure them to do their homework and class works in order to pass the class. What they need to understand that they are paying for the education that they are getting, it is up to them if they choose to take it seriously or not. However, it is hard for some kids to go from a high school where their teacher would be on their back about the work their missing work to a college student where the professor would tell them what they need to do and it is up to them if they complete the work or not. On our defence, it hard sometime to go from having some one holding your hand to having to do everything on your own. In your first year of high school, the teacher tell you that they are not here to babysit anyone, they are here to prepare you for college. Yet,they would still hold student hand through the whole process and some can’t break through that phase and take responsible for their own success. what they should do if they are having a hard is to seek help, go see a tutor, work out a time management schedule for your self, and work on doing thing by your self. Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility. One of the great destroyers of college students is the belief that thing are very complex, and falling victim to stress. Stress in student happens when student are trying to adjust to college life, emotionally or mentally. Students today face many issues in their life that may clash with their college life like family problem, loss of employment, and school related issues. Student under a lot of stress can end up having depression which could cause student to believe that they are not living up to others expectation or their own expectation. Student end up giving up on their dream and getting some where in life and start doing poorly in school. Most students do not know how to handle the stress they have so they use alcohol, drugs or cheating as a stress reliever. It doesn’t get rid of the feeling you are having it only increase and get more complex until you can handle it no more. if you feel this way go see a student counslor , call a 24-hour help ling, or just find a good friend and tell them hoe you been feeling and together you can get the help you need. In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers. A majority student go out of state for their college experiences, the desire to get a degree at a university can be a rewarding experience but it can be a challenges to living on campus. For many it is the first time outside of the protection of their family’s security. Coming from parent that used to provide all they need and set the boundaries they went by. When they unleash to the life of a college student where the same life they used to live don’t apply any more. Some student take advantage of their new found freedom to try new thing like drinking, smoking, parties out with friend, wasting hundreds of dollar ruin their college years. Other fall under the pressure and fall prey to depression and bad thoughts. Taking advantage of your freedom can be in a good way like joining clubs, and spending your money wisely. If you new friend want you to join with them smoking and drinking then you need to get a new group if friend that would have a positive influences on you. The only time success occurs before work is in the dictionary. Too many student enter college thinking that theres nothing but good time, friendship, and a new change of direction. They soon come face to face with the challenges and struggles of college life. The challenge of having to take care of their education, having to depend on yourself for success. The struggle of feeling like you are a fail to everyone around you. The difficulty of getting used to all you used to know. They need to keep in their mind â€Å" Before you can work smart, you must work hard†. Opportunities don’t just happen, you need to create them.

The Harmful Effect of Feminism Essay -- Papers Feminism Argumentative

The Harmful Effect of Feminism Feminism is defined as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. It began as an organized activity on behalf of women?s rights and interests. This concept was developed to help women earn a place in a predominantly male society. Unfortunately over the years, the intentions of feminism have become distorted, not only by anti-feminists, but also by the feminists themselves. The principle of equality for women and men has turned into a fight in which feminists wish to be better than men. Feminism has been twisted and misunderstood so much that it has become a harmful idea. Michael Levin, a professor of philosophy and author of the book Feminism and Freedom, faults feminism for trying to impose an inappropriate equality on men and women that conflicts basic biological differences between the sexes (Levin, Taking Sides, 42). Women are not the same as men, neither physically nor psychologically. In the past, men tended to be the stronger more powerful gender, while women have traditionally been viewed as the weaker, more feeble one. The untrue assumption that men and women are the same in their ways of thinking and physical capabilities leads to the failure of the feminist message. Their agenda of eliminating all observable differences between men and women is doomed to fail and will inflict more pain than gain in the process. Recognizing the differences between the sexes and allowing each to do what they are strongest at will in the long run make society stronger, more efficient, and more effective. The first problem Levin tackles is the one of socioeconomic inequalities; simply said, the pay and job position differences between men and women. Levin... ...sensitive interaction. Even though society has distorted the ideals feminism was founded upon, some of the remaining true roots still hold true. While women are gaining equal opportunities in society, they need to not diminish the importance of working together with men to form a functional society. The widespread idea of quotas needs to be analyzed. People should be accepted into college or hired for a job because they are the most qualified, not because of their sex. Society has demented feminism as a harmful dogma because it has been an excuse, almost a cop-out by women who do not want to work for their acceptance. Both men and women need to realize the necessity that exists for each other to make society work. Bibliography: Works Cited Levin, M. ?Feminism and Freedom? Transaction Books, 1987. Excerpt form Taking Sides, 44-50.

Causation of Crime Essay

The two theories I chose to compare and contrast are the Trait and Choice theories. These two theories explain why people commit crimes but differ in reasoning. I found that the main difference in between the two is that the choice theory states that if people want to commit a crime they will if the benefits outweighs the punishment. The trait theory differs because it deals with testosterone and whether or not people with lower IQ’s are more liable to commit crimes. When looking at the two theories you will see that the first theory is more straightforward and the second one leans more towards taking the blame away from the individual and placing it their traits. I like the fact that the choice theory states that if a person is going to commit a crime they are going to do it. Not only does this theory cover the fact that the person committing the crime weighs his or her options but might also do it out of enjoyment of act. The trait theory takes the responsibility away from the individual and places it on traits such as testosterone. I feel that this theory allows people to commit crimes and later on say that it was due to producing too much testosterone or use their IQ as an excuse to escape the fact that they committed a crime. Making the person accept responsibility for their actions it what should happen and the choice theory seems to lean more towards that as opposed to the trait theory. I would associate the guns and crime trend to the choice theory. The reason for this is because most people who commit crimes with guns already have the intention to use it. This means that they already made up their minds and have chosen to commit the crime. For instance gang crimes that involve guns, these individuals use guns, in their minds, to gain territory or even for retaliation. In a ten year span that covers 1997 -2007 there were 650 homicides (Krueger, 2007), this means that 650 times the people have made the conscious choice to kill someone. Out of those numbers, 290 of them have been by shootings (Krueger, 2007). That is some real food for thought when you add the choice theory into the equation. Gutierrez, K. (2007). Albuquerque metro area saw 54 homicides in 2007. Scripps Newspaper Group. Retrieved from: http://www.abqtrib.com

Descartes vs Locke Essay

Socrates once said, â€Å"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing. † Several philosophers contradicted Socrates’ outlook and believed that true knowledge was in fact attainable. This epistemological view however had several stances to it, as philosophers held different beliefs in regards to the derivation of true knowledge. Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of true knowledge, while in Empiricism, true knowledge derived from the senses. Rene Descartes, a rationalist, and John Locke, an empiricist, were prime examples of epistemologists who were seen to differentiate greatly within each of their philosophies. However, although Descartes and Locke’s ideas did contrast in that sense, they both shared common concepts that helped mould the basis of their ideas. Descartes and Locke both agreed that there were things in life that exist that we can be certain of. For Descartes, human experiences did not provide sufficient proof of existence. He indicated that through his Dream Conjecture and his Evil-Demon Theory (Paquette 205). Descartes stated that we cannot be certain if reality is a dream or not, thus questioning our existence (Paquette 205). In his Evil-Demon Theory, Descartes claimed that for all he knew, an evil demon could be putting thoughts into his head, making him think that reality was true when it was in fact false (Paquette 205). Ultimately, all this thinking resulted in Descartes coming to the conclusion that the one thing we could be sure of existing is the mind (Newman 2010). This can be seen through his most famous quote, â€Å"I think therefore I am (Kaplan 2008). † Descartes claimed that since he was able to doubt and think using his mind, his mind must exist (Paquette 205). Similarly, Locke was also sure of existence. He believed that every object was made up of primary qualities as well as secondary qualities (Paquette 212). Secondary qualities rely on how a person senses the object subjectively, and is experienced differently depending on the individual (Paquette 212). Examples of secondary qualities include colour, taste, and sound (Paquette 212). Primary qualities, however, are objective and include aspects such as an object’s height and weight (Paquette 212). Through this, Locke claimed that the existence of objects can be made certain due to the primary qualities it possesses (Paquette 212). Similar to Descartes, Locke believed in a sense of existence. However, in his view, the facts from the primary qualities proved the object exists because the object exists within itself (Paquette 212). Descartes and Locke also believed in some sense of the external world. Descartes claimed that there is in fact an external world, however it does not exist outside people’s minds (Paquette 206). Since Descartes was a rationalist, he believed that the only method to acquire true knowledge was solely through the mind (Moore 2002). Through the process of doubting existence, Descartes realized that the mind exists (Paquette 205). He went further into thought and concluded that since he, an imperfect person, has knowledge of perfection, something perfect has to exist to have put that knowledge in his mind. From there he claimed the existence of God (Newman 2010). Descartes then stated that a perfect god would not deceive his people, indicating that the material world exists (Newman 2010). Therefore through this thinking process, Descartes came to the conclusion that the real world is of the mind, and the external world is everything else that falls into the material world made by god (Newman 2010). Like Descartes, Locke also believed in an external world. As an empiricist, Locke relied heavily on the senses to provide true knowledge (Moore 2002). He shared Aristotle’s belief that the mind is a blank slate, also known as tabula rasa, at birth (Paquette 211). Our sense experiences thereafter provide us with knowledge to fill in those slates (Paquette 211). In Locke’s â€Å"Representative Theory of Perception,† also known as Epistemological Dualism, he stated that material objects exist and are separate entities from human beings (Paquette 227). However, he also believed that objects exist in the mind as psychological entities (Paquette 227). Locke concluded that people can taste, smell, touch, and see the external world which, in turn, becomes impressions in our minds (Paquette 227). Descartes and Locke are thus seen to be similar in the sense that they both believed in an external world. Descartes and Locke both had a process for understanding knowledge as well. As a rationalist, Descartes believed in innate ideas; that all humans were born with some knowledge (Paquette 206). This differentiates from the empirical view that the mind is a blank slate at birth (Paquette 211). Descartes also used intuition and deduction to establish truth (Kaplan 2008). He believed that intuition is direct knowledge which can be known without ever sensing or experiencing it (Paquette 206). Deduction however, is where you start with a premise, or a statement you believe to be true, and then determine more truths based on that origin (Paquette 206). As shown, Descartes focused on the thinker and the thinking process when determining true knowledge (Paquette 206). Rather than a thinking process, Locke believed that understanding knowledge came from a process based on our senses (Paquette 211). He believed that when the external world triggers any of our five senses, those experiences turn into sensations (Paquette 211). Those sensations then turn into impressions in our mind, thus adding knowledge onto the slate in our mind which was once blank (Paquette 211). He claimed that our mind reflects on the impressions we received from our sensations (Paquette 211). Locke then stated that those reflections turn into an idea which can be either simple, or made up of a bundle of simple ideas called complex ideas (Paquette 211). Like Descartes, Locke is seen to use a process for finding knowledge as well. There are many aspects to Rene Descartes and John Locke’s philosophies that are clearly distinct from one another. However, it is essentially incorrect to claim that rationalist Descartes and empiricist Locke bear no similarities. The two epistemologists are seen to share a similar base within each of their philosophical ideas. Through the many differences between Descartes and Locke, their basic concepts of existence, the external world, and the process for obtaining knowledge are quite similar to each other. This connexion illustrates that although the ideologies people possess on life vary to a great extent, there can always be some sense of a common ground that brings us all together. Works Cited Kaplan, R. Philosophy – In our time. BBC – Homepage. BBC News. , 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Newman, L. Descartes’ epistemology.

Battle of the River Plate - World War II

Battle of the River Plate - World War II The Battle of the River Plate was fought December 13, 1939, during World War II (1939-1945). With World War II looming, the German Deutschland-class cruiser Admiral Graf Spee was dispatched from Wilhelmshaven to the South Atlantic. On September 26, three weeks after hostilities commenced, Captain Hans Langsdorff received orders to begin commerce raiding operations against Allied shipping. Though classified as a cruiser, Graf Spee was the product the treaty restrictions placed on Germany after World War I which prevented the Kriegsmarine from building warships exceeding 10,000 tons. Utilizing a variety of new construction methods to save weight, Graf Spee was powered by diesel engines instead of the typical steam engines of the day. While this allowed it to accelerate more rapidly than most ships, it required the fuel to be processed and cleaned before use in the engines. The separation system for processing the fuel was placed aft of the funnel but above the ships deck armor. For armament, Graf Spee mounted six 11-inch guns making it much more powerful than a normal cruiser. This increased firepower led British officers to refer to the smaller Deutschland-class ships as pocket battleships. Royal Navy Commodore Henry Harwood1 heavy cruiser, 2 light cruisers Kriegsmarine Captain Hans Langsdorff1 pocket battleship Tracking Graf Spee Obeying his orders, Langsdorff immediately began intercepting Allied shipping in the South Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans. Having success, Graf Spee captured and sank several Allied vessels, leading the Royal Navy to dispatch nine squadrons south to find and destroy the German ship. On December 2, the Blue Star liner Doric Star succeeded in radioing a distress call before being taken by Graf Spee off South Africa. Responding to the call, Commodore Henry Harwood, leading the South American Cruiser Squadron (Force G), anticipated than Langsdorff would next move to strike the River Plate estuary. The Ships Clash Steaming towards the South American coast, Harwoods force consisted of the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter and the light cruisers HMS Ajax (flagship) and HMS Achilles (New Zealand Division). Also available to Harwood was the heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland which was refitting in the Falkland Islands. Arriving off the River Plate on December 12, Harwood discussed battle tactics with his captains and began maneuvers in search of Graf Spee. Though aware that Force G was in the area, Langsdorff moved towards the River Plate and was spotted by Harwoods ships on December 13. Initially unaware that he was facing three cruisers, he ordered Graf Spee to accelerate and close with the enemy. This ultimately proved a blunder as Graf Spee could have stood off and hammered the out-ranged British ships with its 11-inch guns. Instead, the maneuver brought the pocket battleship within the range of Exeters 8-inch and the light cruisers 6-inch guns. With the German approach, Harwoods ships implemented his battle plan which called for Exeter to attack separately from the light cruisers with the goal of splitting Graf Spees fire. At 6:18 AM, Graf Spee opened fire on Exeter. This was returned by the British ship two minutes later. Shortening the range, the light cruisers soon joined the fight. Firing with a high degree of accuracy the German gunners bracketed Exeter with their third salvo. With the range determined, they hit the British cruiser at 6:26, putting its B-turret out of action and killing all of the bridge crew except the captain and two others. The shell also damaged the ships communications network requiring conning instructions to be passed via a chain of messengers. Crossing in front of Graf Spee with the light cruisers, Harwood was able to draw fire off Exeter. Using the respite to mount a torpedo attack, Exeter was soon hit by two more 11-inch shells which disabled A-turret and started fires. Though reduced to two guns and listing, Exeter succeeded in striking Graf Spees fuel processing system with an 8-inch shell. Though his ship appeared largely undamaged, the loss of the fuel processing system limited Langsdorff to sixteen hours of usable fuel. Around 6:36, Graf Spee reversed its course and began laying smoke as it moved west. Continuing the fight, Exeter was effectively put out of action when water from a near miss shorted out the electrical system of its one functioning turret. To prevent Graf Spee from finishing off the cruiser, Harwood closed with Ajax and Achilles. Turning to deal with the light cruisers, Langsdorff returned their fire before withdrawing under another smokescreen. After diverting another German attack on Exeter, Harwood unsuccessfully attacked with torpedoes and suffered a hit on Ajax. Pulling back, he decided to shadow the German ship as it moved west with the goal of attacking again after dark. Following at a distance for the remainder of the day, the two British ships occasionally exchanged fire with Graf Spee. Entering the estuary, Langsdorff made a political error in making port at Montevideo in neutral Uruguay rather than the friendlier Mar del Plata, Argentina to the south. Anchoring a little after midnight on December 14, Langsdorff asked the Uruguayan government for two weeks to make repairs. This was opposed by British diplomat Eugen Millington-Drake who argued that under the 13th Hague Convention Graf Spee should be expelled from neutral waters after twenty-four hours. Trapped in Montevideo Advised that few naval resources were in the area, Millington-Drake continued to press for the ships expulsion publically while British agents arranged to have British and French merchant ships sail every twenty-four hours. This invoked Article 16 of the convention which stated: A belligerent war-ship may not leave a neutral port or roadstead until twenty-four hours after the departure of a merchant ship flying the flag of its adversary. As a result, these sailings held the German ship in place while additional forces were marshaled. While Langsdorff lobbied to for time to repair his ship, he received a variety of false intelligence which suggested the arrival of Force H, including the carrier HMS Ark Royal and battlecruiser HMS Renown. While a force centered on Renown was en route, in reality, Harwood had only been reinforced by Cumberland. Completely deceived and unable to repair Graf Spee, Langsdorff discussed his options with his superiors in Germany. Prohibited from allowing the ship to be interned by the Uruguayans and believing that certain destruction awaited him at sea, he ordered Graf Spee scuttled in the River Plate on December 17. Aftermath of the Battle The fighting off the River Plate cost Langsdorff 36 killed and 102 wounded, while Harwoods ships lost 72 killed and 28 wounded. Despite severe damage, Exeter made emergency repairs in the Falklands before undergoing a major refit in Britain. The ship was lost following the Battle of the Java Sea in early 1942. With their ship sunk, the crew of Graf Spee was interned in Argentina. On December 19, Langsdorff, seeking to avoid allegations of cowardice, committed suicide while lying on the ships ensign. Following his death, he was given a full funeral in Buenos Aires. An early victory for the British, the Battle of the River Plate ended the threat of German surface raiders in the South Atlantic. Sources Royal New Zealand Navy: Battle of the River PlateLangsdorff of the Graf Spee

How to Paint Composite Materials

How to Paint Composite Materials Composite materials are mixtures of different fibers bound together by a hardening resin. Depending on the application, composite materials may or may not require painting. Painting is a good way to restore or change the color of the composite after the original finish has faded. The best methods of painting depend on the type of materials in the composite. Following are step-by-step instructions for painting some of the most common composites. You may also want to check with the manufacturers recommendations. Painting Fiber Cement Composites Use a pressure washer to clean. Wait two-four hours for the cement composite to dry.Apply a primer.Wait two hours or so for the primer to dry.Apply the paint same way you applied the primer. Wait about two hours for the paint to dry. Painting Wood Composites For exterior wood composites, use a pressure washer with a low-pressure tip to clean. Wait two hours for the composite to dry.For interior wood composites, dust with a broom.Using a roller, coat with an acrylic latex primer. Use a paintbrush for any areas you cant reach with a roller.Wait two hours or so for the primer to dry.Use satin or semi-gloss latex paint on interior wood composites. Use acrylic enamel on wood composites inside the house. Apply acrylic latex paint the same way you applied the primer. Wait four hours until dry. Painting Composite Decking Mix one part bleach with three parts water.Using rags, a roller, or a brush, apply the bleach solution liberally to all surfaces.After half an hour, scrub the surfaces.Rinse off the solution and residue.Using very fine sandpaper (220 grit) lightly sand all the surfaces.Wash off dust and dirt with a household detergent or commercial cleaner made for cleaning composite decks.Rinse thoroughly.If you are going to paint the deck, prime with an exterior latex stain-blocking primer made for plastic materials. Do not prime if you plan to stain the deck instead of painting it.For painting, use a high-quality latex floor and deck paint in a satin or semi-gloss finish. For staining, use a high-quality acrylic latex solid color deck stain recommended for composite decking. Painting Fiberglass Composites Fill holes or imperfections with fiberglass putty. Smooth out the putty with a putty knife. Let it cure completely.Sand with heavy sandpaper (100 grit) to remove excess putty or any paint. After the composite is fairly smooth, switch to 800 grit sandpaper and sand until the composite is very smooth. You can use an orbital sander or sand by hand.Use a dry rag and acetone to remove dust, grease, and debris.Apply a primer. Most primers work on fiberglass, but its a good idea to double check with the paint store on the best one to use. Wait two hours or so until the primer is dry.Spray or use a brush to apply the final coat of paint. Wait until the paint is dry.Apply another coat of paint or apply the clear coat. Always use a clear coat after the last coat of paint; it will seal the paint and help protect the paint from the elements. Final Words On Painting Composites As with any paint job, thorough preparation is the key to a good looking and long lasting paint job on composite materials. Follow recommended safety precautions on the products you use. For example, wear gloves when working with fiberglass. Wear liquid-resistant gloves using bleach. Wear eye protection when sanding, using bleach, and when working with fiberglass.

Viking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Viking - Essay Example Simpson (1967, p11) propounds, "In medieval Scandinavian languages, a vikingr is a pirate, a freebooter who seeks wealth either by ship-borne raids on foreign coasts or by waylaying more peaceful seafarers in home waters. There is also an abstract noun viking, meaning 'the act of going raiding overseas'". This definition hints to the historic approach of delineating the term Viking by referring to them as the looters and raiders of the lands of Scandinavia. It takes one to an era in history when Europe was under constant attack of these raiders often referred to as Vikings. These people were pirates by nature and looted the wealth of most of the British coastal lands including England, Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands etc. However, this approach does not identify all of the people from Scandinavia as the Viking, rather it points to certain activities as raiding, pirating and plundering to identify them. Hence, a Viking according to this definition is a person engaged in brutal attac ks at the foreign lands by the seaways in the quest of wealth contained in those areas. Gibson (1987, pp11-15) also relates to the word 'Viking' as those pirates who were born to fight, made to break and fostered for bloodshed. Hence he refers to the era when a great part of Europe was under the raid of the Vikings coming mainly from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. He says, "The Vikings are a mighty nation with huge bodies and great courage. They do not know the meaning of the word defeat, they never turn their backs on their enemies, but slay or are slain". This definition is a bit closer to the one presented at first and only different in the sense that it ties the term not with individuals but with a nation or a race of people with regard to the historical event during 750 and 1066 C.E. Gibson (1987) signifies the term Viking with those sturdy people of Scandinavia who were fearless and stood bravely in the face of war and death. They considered warfare as a symbol of courageousness and even associated these feats with their religious faiths. The connection between these two definitions is that both relate to history and illuminate the term in its specific context. The same people and the same individuals indulged in raiding Europe in retrospective. Whatever might be their objectives, circumstances and consequences; they were driven by the availability of wealth in specific areas of Europe leading them to brutal invasions. After having learnt the basic definition of the word Viking or assessing the idea encompassed with its usage, one also comes across some contradictory views on its illustration. Goldsmith (2004) illuminates that the word 'Viking' is misunderstood many times owing to the history that encompasses the word. She says that some might associate the term with violence, brutality and savagery, while in the linguistic sense it means simply a 'merchant or a warrior'. Therefore, the term 'Viking' simply means someone who travels or an alien. In other words, she attempts to state that the word does not necessarily indicate someone brutal or vicious. It simply signifies that if the term 'Viking' is to be taken in pure linguistic form, irrespective of the history associated, it plainly refers to a traveller rather than a brutal tribesman or a raider of North. Conclusion All the above-mentioned definitions and approaches concerning the term Viking, apart from its linguistic sense, refer to the tribesmen of North who were mainly

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Personal statement - Essay Example I have been a part of many activities at my university due to this quality and confidence. I have many hobbies in life- ranging from reading to many kinds of sports. I have set several goals for myself, professionally and personally. One of my goals is to become a very successful professional in life. My academic area of interest has always been accounting and finance therefore I wish to work in the field of accounts and finance. Finance and accounting is considered to be the backbone of every business because of which CEOs acquire degrees in this field more than any other field. I wish to take this course since it is very broad in nature and offers open doors to many fields like public accounting, government jobs, private sector jobs etc. I have always been efficient with numbers and figures which is a good quality for a person in this field. I think that accounting and finance requires a person to have good analytical skills and logic. I have studied accounts and finance before as well, therefore possess basic knowledge about the concepts that are involved in it. This h as allowed me to enhance my analytical skills and directed me to explore more in this field on my own. My grades in mathematics have always been commendable that have helped me to develop logic and reasoning skills. The prevailing times of the global recession demands the knowledge of accounting and finance so that companies can cut their costs to the minimum. Such tasks are possible by strict accounting in the company. Companies are now fully aware of the fact that efficient internal controls should be deployed in the company to take care of their accounting and finances. Due to this fact, I feel I would be able to contribute a lot to my future organization if I have the knowledge of finance and accounting. I find this field of work challenging and exhilarating since

Health Care Enterprise (IHE) implementation Essay - 1

Health Care Enterprise (IHE) implementation - Essay Example Some studies conducted in practices of surgery and others in out-patient clinics (Littman, 1991). At the beginning of the literature reviews of search strategy to enhance the process of thinking regarding the focus and topic of the most important literature (Hunnicutt, 2010). The research conducted using the keywords; non-attendance rate, patient not turning up, no-shows, preoperative education, did-not- attends theatre utilization and preoperative teaching (Gupta, 2009). For the search to be refined techniques such as Boolean connectors (AND, OR), ex â€Å"preoperative patient education† quotations (â€Å"x†), ex. (non-attendance rate and theatre utilization) were applied. This aided in the achievement of the exact or accurate information and also saved time. Furthermore, this forwarded the search used to track the publishing of information by examining the lists of references that selected studies preferred and looked at the citations (Malika, 2005). Scott sought for non-attendance reasons from patients and a barium enema was requested. Literature proves the reasons of non-attendance as generally classified as multi-factorial (Wicker, & Oneill, 2010, 249). They differ in healthcare practices, settings, and/or times (McLaughlin, 1994). The impression given to the reader is that results change according to other factors. The validity and reliability of the used measures are reported clearly and precisely (Woodhead, & Wicker, 2005, 141). The overviewed literature is quite replete with evidence of the importance of improving the patient-hospital communication (Dickson, 2008). The communication was improved by the interventions of reminders from telephone and personal contacts with the patients (Stolt, 2009, 5). The interventions were used in most studies and shown the effectiveness in reducing the rates of non-attendance (Stolt, 2009,

The Acoustic Phonetics English Language Essay

The Acoustic Phonetics English Language Essay The chapter Vowels, acoustics events with a relatively open vocal tract deals with the examination of the various acoustic properties that can result when the vocal tract is in relatively open configuration. The chapter discusses primarily the sounds produced when the narrowest point in the vocal tract is not sufficiently constricted for modes of vibration for which the average airflow is not large enough to cause a significant pressure drop at the constriction. This configuration is normally associated with vowel sounds. The author explains formant bandwidths for vowels by describing the vocal tract as a pole or a tube and when this has no branches or cross modes and the source of sound is a volume velocity source at the glottis, the transfer function to the volume velocity at the mouth opening is an all pole function. When the shape of the vocal tract is changed due to the position of the body of the tongue or any other structure the frequency at the glottis also changes. at occasi ons there are acoustic losses in the vocal tract and these are due to various reasons such as vocal tract walls, viscosity, heat conduction and radiation. The author has used a graph to explain the acoustic loss caused by these factors, and it also measures the frequency. The data in the graph was obtained from sweep-tone measurements, in which estimates of the transfer function were made by applying a transducer to the neck surface and measuring the sound pressure radiated from the mouth using a sinusoidal source. The glottis were closed when the measurements were made. From the graph it is under stood that there is a difference in frequency between male and female and radiation casuses the most of acoustic loss. The two figures also show the average values of the bandwidths of the first three formants for several vowel configurations were 54 , 65, 70 Hz respectively, with the first formant band varying from 39 to73 Hz for different vowels. In the high frequency range above about 2 000 Hz , a major contributor to the bandwidth is acoustic loss is radiation but there is also considerable variability in the format bandwidths at these frequencies depending primarily on the size of the mouth opening and the cavity affiliation of first format frequency. High vowels: A number of acoustic, physiological and auditory factors combine to define a category of vowels that are produced with a high tongue body position and a low first formant frequency. The impedance of vacal tract walls contributes to stability of first format, the tongue surface in the lateral direction can be shaped to produce a stable acoustic output (atleast tongued body positions) that is insensitive to the degree of contraction for the muscles controlling tongue height and the auditory responses to sound with a low with a low f1 appears to have distinctive properties. Front back distinction We find a common acoustic consequence of front back displacements of the tongue body independent of tongue height. Forward movement of the tongue body causes an increase of the second formant-frequency to maximum value consistent to the types of constrictions that are possible for the different tongue heights. This maximum value is higher for the high vowels than for the low vowels. For the highest tongue body position, and, to some extent for the intermediate position, the third and fourth formants combine with the second to produce a center of gravity of the higher frequency spectral prominence that is higher than F2. front vowels then are always characterized by a broad minimum or empty space in the spectrum in the mid frequency between F1 and F2. For a back tongued body, on the other hand ,F2 is displaced to value that is maximally low and close to F1 for a proper selection of the tongue body position. In the case of the non low vowels, a value of F2 that is lowest and closest to F1 and can be reached by rounding the lips. An acoustic consequence of an F2 value that is low is low and close to F1 is that the amplitudes of higher frequency peaks in the spectrum are low relative to the amplitudes of F1 and F2 peaks and probably do not play a significant role in determining vowel quality. Electeomyographic data show a sharp distinction in the muscle activity involved in producing front and back vowels. Data reported by Baer et al. show that all back vowels exhibit activity of the stylogloccus muscle, which is oriented to displace the tongue body backward and upward. This muscle is specially active for non low back vowels. Front vowels on the other hand, show no activity of the stylogloccus muscle. A neutral vowel is defined as a vowel produced by a vocal tract configuration that has uniform cross-sectional area along its entire length. Whilst no vowel articulation can actually meet this requirement accurately, the vowel in heard and some productions of schwa can approximate this configuration. For such vowels, and only for such vowels, the vocal tract can be treated mathematically as a single uniform tube closed at one end (the glottis) and open at the other (the lips) for the purposes of calculating the resonances of the vocal tract. The acoustics of vowels are fairly well understood. The different vowel qualities are realized in acoustic analyses of vowels by the relative values of the formants, acoustic resonances of the vocal tract which show up as dark bands on a spectrogram. The vocal tract acts as a resonant cavity, and the position of the jaw, lips, and tongue affect the parameters of the resonant cavity, resulting in different formant values. The acoustics of vowels c an be visualized using spectrograms, which display the acoustic energy at each frequency, and how this changes with time. The first formant, abbreviated F1, corresponds to vowel openness (vowel height). Open vowels have high F1 frequencies while close vowels have low F1 frequencies, as can be seen at right: The [i] and [u] have similar low first formants, whereas [É‘] has a higher formant. The second formant, F2, corresponds to vowel frontness. Back vowels have low F2 frequencies while front vowels have high F2 frequencies. This is very clear at right, where the front vowel [i] has a much higher F2 frequency than the other two vowels. However, in open vowels the high F1 frequency forces a rise in the F2 frequency as well, so an alternative measure of frontness is the difference between the first and second formants. For this reason, some people prefer to plot as F1 vs. F2 F1. (This dimension is usually called backness rather than frontness, but the term backness can be counterintuitive when discussing formants.) In the third edition of his textbook, Peter Ladefoged recommended use of plots of F1 against F2 F1 to represent vowel quality. [4] However, in the fourth edition, he changed to adopt a simple plot of F1 against F2, [5] and this simple plot of F1 against F2 was maintained for the fifth (and final) edition of the book. [6] Katrina Hayward compares the two types of plots and concludes that plotting of F1 against F2 F1 is not very satisfactory because of its effect on the placing of the central vowels, [7] so she also recommends use of a simple plot of F1 against F2. In fact, this kind of plot of F1 against F2 has been used by analysts to show the quality of the vowels in a wide range of languages, including RP British English, [8] [9] the Queens English, [10] American English, [11] Singapore English, [12] Brunei English, [13] North Frisian, [14] Turkish Kabardian, [15] and various indigenous Australian languages. [16]Rounding is generally realized by a complex relationship between F2 and F3 that tends to reinforce vowel backness. One effect of this is that back vowels are most commonly rounded while front vowels are most commonly unrounded; another is that rounded vowels tend to plot to the right of unrounded vowels in vowel charts. That is, there is a reason for plotting vowel pairs the way they are. The usual description of vowels in respect to their phonetic quality requires the linguist to locate them within a so-called vowel space, apparently articulatory in nature, and having three dimensions labeled high-low (or close-open), front-back, and unrounded-rounded. The first two are coordinates of tongue with associated jaw position, while the third specifies the posture of the lips. It is recognized that vowels can vary qualitatively in ways that this three-dimensional space does not account for. So, for example, vowels may differ in degree of nasalization, and they may be rhotacized or r-colored. Moreover, it is recognized that while this vowel space serves important functions within the community of linguists, both the two measures of tongue position and the one for the lips inadequately identify those aspects of vocal tract shapes that are primarily responsible for the distinctive phonetic qualities of vowels (Ladefoged 1971). With all this said, it remains true enough that a lmost any vowel pair of different qualities can be described as occupying different positions with the space. Someone hearing two vowels in sequence and detecting a quality difference will presumably also be able to diagnose the nature of the articulatory shift executed in going from one vowel to the other. Esophageal talkers may have reduced intelligibility due to both time domain and frequency domain variability. The unpredictable nature of esophageal speech can cause problems when automatic procedures are used in applications such as long-distance telephone messages. The current study compared a standard coding algorithm (LPC-10e) with a novel approach to determining voiced periods (vocal tract area functions) in the speech of esophageal talkers. The results of the study showed that the sentences synthesized with the vocal tract area function algorithm were more intelligible than those synthesized with the standard LPC-10e algorithm. Supplemental information, such as vocal tract area functions, may be useful in determining voiced epochs when variability in vocal parameters is high. In the last 40 years, many vocal pedagogy authors have written about the need for appropriate vowel modification. Modification involves shading vowels with respect to the location of vowel formants, so that the sung pitch or one of its harmonics receives an acoustical boost by being near a formant. The goals of such modification include a unified quality throughout the entire range, smoother transitions between registers, enhanced dynamic range and control and improved intelligibility. Elite singers, whether they consciously recognize they are modifying vowels or not, become experts at making subtle changes in vowels as they sing, or they do not have consistent careers. Modification concepts which have been widely accepted are summarized below: Although there is a strong correlation between voice classification and formant frequencies, due to subtle articulation and anatomical differences, formant frequencies are unique to each individual. The amount of modification needed varies with the size of the voice, the weight of the voice, the duration of the note being considered, the dynamic level, and how the note in question is approached. Sensitive singers report that the amount of modification they need may vary daily and also during the day, depending on how much they have warmed up. Vowel formants are frequency bands, not one specific pitch. Precise tuning of each note in a piece is not very practical nor is it acoustically beneficial. During a rapid passage, a singer may not have enough time to adjust for optimal resonance on each vowel on each note; moving on to the next note in the passage smoothly is a greater priority than exact tuning of each tone. Males and females tune differently. In general, males seek to match harmonics above the fundamental to a formant, while females, especially in the upper voice, tend to reinforce the fundamental itself by matching it to the first or lowest formant. Several general rules for modifying vowels exist (as summarized by Titze): (a) formant frequencies lower uniformly by lengthening the vocal tract (either by lowering the larynx or protruding the lips or some combination of both); (b) formant frequencies are lowered uniformly by lip rounding and raised by lip spreading; (c) fronting and arching the tongue lowers the first formant and raises the second formant, while backing and lowering the tongue raises the first formant and lowers the second formant; (d) opening the jaw raises the first formant and lowers the second formant. Vocal fold vibration for voicing is achieved by the combined efforts of muscular tension, tissue elasticity and aerodynamic forces. The vocal folds are initially drawn together by the activities of the various laryngeal adductor muscles. As the folds come together the velocity of air passing through the glottis increases which results in a pressure drop between the medial edges of the folds (Bernoulli effect) causing them to be sucked together. Pressure then builds up below the closed glottis until the folds are forced apart and the cycle repeats (Van den Berg, 1958; 1968). One necessary condition of voicing is that subglottal pressure exceeds supraglottal pressure (the transglottal pressure difference) (Ohala, 1983; Sawashima and Hirose, 1983). The activity of the larynx during phonation causes the airstream flowing out of the lungs to be broken up into a rapid series of puffs due to the opening and closing of the vocal folds . Each burst of compressed air escapes through the glottis at high speed and collides with the column of air inside the vocal tract. This causes an acoustic shock wave which is propagated to the outside. The spectrum of the periodic glottal waveform is a line spectrum comprising harmonics which occur at multiples of the fundamental frequency. According to theoretical calculations (Fant, 1960; Rosenberg 1971), the glottal tone for normal phonation has a spectrum that falls off at about 12dB per octave. Other phonation types, as described by Laver (1980), display different glottal tone characteristics. Vowel sounds are most frequently described with reference to their formant characteristics which provide an indication of the resonance positions and hence the articulatory shape for the vowel production. Early speech perception studies (Delattre, Liberman, Cooper and Gerstman, 1952; Miller, 1953) showed that the frequencies of first three formants were the most important cues to vowel identification. These findings have been supported by several subsequent analyses (Fox, 1985, Kewley-Port and Atal, 1989; Klein, Plomp and Pols, 1970; Rackerd and Verbrugge, 1985; Shepard, 1972; Terbeek, 1977). The first formant has been shown to be associated with the auditory quality of height and the second formant with the auditory impression of the front/back dimension, or, more correctly, degree of constriction and point of maximal constriction . Ladefoged, De Clerk, Lindau and Papà §un (1972) remind us that degree of lip opening, or protrusion, pharyngeal width and larynx height also contribute to modifications of acoustic output. Lindblom and Sundberg (1971) found that all formants were lowered by lip rounding but that for palatal configurations, F3 was particularly affected. Hà ¶gberg (1995) also found that lip area was an important factor in the determination of F3 for the front vowels. When the first two formants are plotted on axes with certain directional and scaling characteristics, the vowel relationships closely resembles the traditional auditory vowel map . Such vowel spaces, with axes F1 and F2, rely on the concept of the vowel target which is the part of the vowel least influenced by its surrounding phonetic context. The vowel target is where the articulators, and therefore the formants, are moving the least and is referred to as the steady-state component of the vowel. The target is considered to be either a point in the time course of the vowel or else a section of time during which the vowel position remains stable. A single point is often used to provide an estimate of the target position, and for most vowels this can be assumed to be approximately mid way though the nucleus . Several authors have noted the problems inherent in the target theory for vowels citing the difficulties often encountered in establishing steady state components by eye or by automatic extraction procedures (Benguerel and McFadden, 1989; Nearey and Assmann, 1986). Van Son and Pols (1990), however, examined five different methods of identifying vowel targets and found that the use of the different methods made little difference to the results of their experiments. The conventional method of depicting the F1/F2 does not adequately represent the multi-dimensional nature of vowel quality. Delattre et al. (1952) showed that the third formant influenced listeners judgements of vowel quality and more recent experiments have determined that the higher formants have a combined influence on vowel perception. The combined upper formant is referred to as F2 prime (F2) (Bladon, 1983; Bladon and Fant, 1978; Carlson, Fant and Ganstrom, 1975; Paliwal, Lindsay and Ainsworth, 1983). Delattre et al. (1952) suggested that the ear averages formants that are close together. Carlson, Ganstrom and Fant (1970) tested this hypothesis for Swedish vowels concluding that all vowels could be effectively synthesised using two formant approximations. Chistovich and colleagues found that formant averaging or integration occurred only if two formants were situated within a critical distance of 3 to 3.5 bark (Chistovich and Lublinskaya, 1979 and Chistovich, Sheikin and Lublins kaya, 1979). More recent studies have examined global spectral features suggesting that the F3 F2 difference is a more accurate way of identifying vowel frontedness. Syrdal and Gopal (1986) have shown that the separation between back and front vowels is more closely linked to the F3 F2 difference than the F2 F1 difference. It is important to recognise, however, that F3 and F4 vary more than F1 and F2 as a result of speaker characteristics whereas they are relatively stable across vowel categories in contrast to F1 and F2 which vary greatly as a result of vowel quality. The higher formants are therefore less effective carriers of phonetic information than the lower formants (Harrington and Cassidy, 1999). Vowels can be described in terms of the centre frequencies of the first three formants at the vowel target (or targets for diphthongs). Vowel duration and other dynamic spectral information contribute to a more complete description but the extent of this contribution remains unclear. Contextual environment as well as suprasegmental factors plays an important role in the ultimate realisation of the vowel phoneme and so such characteristics must be carefully controlled in phonetic research. Physiological differences between speakers also affect vowel characteristics and such effects must be accounted for in phonetic research and minimised if necessary. One method of minimising physiological effects is to use one of the many normalisation procedures available to reduce variance but care must always be taken when manipulating data to ensure that phonetic accuracy is preserved. The question of sex specific articulations remains open as researchers have been unable to adequately model male to female vowel behaviour. Acoustic data provides an accessible means for hypothesising about articulatory behaviour and it is customary, in phonetic discussions of vowel characteristics, to use articulatory labels to refer to auditory and acoustic properties (Ladefoged and Maddieson, 1990). Articulatory discussions provide convenient global labels for describing acoustic effects, however, specific articulatory detail should not be ascribed to acoustic vowel data.

Essay --

Rudyard Kipling’s seminal poem, â€Å"The White Man’s Burden† resonated amongst American policymakers in the aftermath of the War of 1898. For a price of twenty million dollars, the Spanish relinquished their control of the Philippines to the United States, thereby transforming America into an overseas empire. As statesmen in Washington considered their new Pacific possession, they viewed the archipelago as a moral liability rather than a strategic asset. The first formal evaluation of the prospects for Filipino independence came in February 1900, when President McKinley dispatched the â€Å"Philippine Commission† to Manila to compile a report on the subject. In this paper I consider their assessment through a social lens. I argue that while McKinley’s emissaries strove for objectivity, preconceived notions of national identity, race, and civilization influenced their judgment. Ultimately, the Commission viewed American-ness as a prerequisite for i ndependence. Background The Spanish had maintained colonial authority over the Philippines since Ferdinand Magellan laid claim to the islands in 1521. For over three hundred years the Spanish government, aided by friars from the Catholic Church, used Manila as a naval base and cultivated the hinterland as a source of cotton. Filipino aristocrats across the archipelago learned Spanish, and helped to disseminate the Catholic faith to the majority of animists and sabians — worshippers of the moon and stars. Although many friars were seriously engaged in helping the Filipino peasants, over time they gained a reputation for exploitation and corruption. In response to these grievances and to an absence of representation in the colonial legislature, community political leaders began in the early 19... ...mission rejected the prospect of Philippine independence primarily because the population deviated from the western concept of the â€Å"nation.† The masses of the people are without a common speech and lack the sentimentality of a nation. The Filipinos are not a nation, but a variegated assemblage of different tribes and peoples, and their loyalty is still of the tribal type (pdf one 192). . . their lack of education and political experience, combined with their racial and linguistic diversity, disqualify them, in spite of their mental gifts and domestic virtues, to undertake the task of governing the archipelago at the present time . . . should our power by any fatality be withdrawn, the Commission believes that the government of the Philippines would speedily lapse into anarchy The Filipinos are not a nation, and there can be no political being that we call a people,

Byzantine Art

At first, it is very obvious that these two structures; the Dome of the Rock, and the Great Stupa in Sanchi, are physically very different form their local surroundings. They are both in the shape of a typical Byzantine martyrium, something that is designed to house Godly relics, and that is exactly what they were both orginally designed to do. The Dome of the Rock is covered with Gold, a symbol of wealth and honor, and can be seen for miles.Its round top was something somewhat unconventional at the time, and difficult to build, so this also showed the builders their commitment to setting up something worthy or worship. Like the Stupa, it is covered with passionate inscriptions pertaining to how their prophet inspired them. Both structures are covered with the patrons’ favorite quotes, or passages from their holy books, and detailed with many ornate and intricate artworks that details how the patrons loved and contemplated their belief systems.The rounded structure also carrie s sound better than a square building, so speaking inside one of them would be more effective. Unlike the Stupa, that basically immortalizes Buddha; the Dome represents all 3 major religions. The Muslims built it, they consider it theirs. They also believe that it is the place where Mohammed ascended into Heaven. It fell into the hands of Israeli’s after the 6 Day War, and they consider the building site the original ‘Holy of Holies’ mentioned in the Old Testament, and think it is an abomination that Muslims would try to force God’s hand by rebuilding a Temple before God does.It also fell into Christina hands at some point, and they embedded their own inscriptions on the wall, trying to claim it as their own as well. Buildings that were originally meant to be places of rest and reflection have eventually become a place that breeds hostility, such as the Dome, and a place that is left in disrepair as in the Stupa. In the end I can only conclude the true rel igion resides inside of the person who embraces it. Honour, Hugh & John Flemming. The Visual Arts: A History (seventh Edition) Place of Publication: XXX , Publisher, Year of Publication.

Freedom in our time Essay

In times of war or in times of peace, in prosperity and in difficulty, United States has always seen from abroad as the embodiment of liberty. This has been the nation that, with its mistakes and wise moves, has eagerly defended freedom in the world. In spite of how different we might seem because of our skin colors, religions or backgrounds, freedom is the value that we all cherish most in our lives and it permeates every aspect of our society. Throughout history, many American men and women have valiantly fought and died for their freedom and the freedom of others. Like the American patriot Patrick Henry declared in his speech in 1775 â€Å"Give me liberty or give me death†, he wanted to let people know that he would rather die than live under tyranny and oppression. Read more: Dbq how did the constitution guard against tyranny essay In the seventeenth century in Europe, there was no religious freedom, Jews were persecuted in the old world and in England you belonged to the Church of the country or you went to jail. Immigrants came from across the globe in the nineteenth century to be free from religious oppression; they came to America, the country where a man could be himself. Albert Einstein, who emigrated from Germany in 1933, stated that â€Å"as long as he had any choice, he would stay in a country where political liberty, toleration and equality of all citizens before the law were the role† (56). Freedom is the ability to act as you choose; it is the right to do as one pleases, but always keeping in mind the popular saying of â€Å"my rights end when yours begin†. We have to respect the freedoms of others. Even if we do not agree with some people’s opinions, we still should respect and listen to them. But the truth is no one is absolutely free, government and even ourselves set limits to our freedom. In our daily life, we stress out over many things such as our jobs, careers, family and more; we live afraid of failure, loneliness or death. People cannot act freely when they are subjected to a constant fear of being punished, censured or abused. As long as there is something in our lives that perturb or bother us, we are no longer free. No matter how free we believe we are, there is always an invisible chain that fetters us. Slavery in our time (even if it does not have that name) shows when a person renounces to being himself and allows others to manipulate him or decide for him. The slave does not decide for himself about what he wants or what is better for him. He acts because he is told to do so, without questioning the orders he receives, even if his actions go against his principles or harm people they care about or society. In the nations, governments control freedom through laws that citizens have to follow. Law is connected with human responsibility for his actions and it is a way to ensure that our society is fair to all. In order to make it possible for all of us to live in harmony, the law restricts some people’s freedoms, in order to allow others to enjoy it. Freedom is a privilege that people too often take for granted. We seem no to value the lives that men and women sacrificed in battle for freedom and our rights. Without them, none of what we have now would be even possible. But when something is given to you, it does not mean as much to you if you would have earned it yourself, and in our case we were born with our freedoms handed. Our society has changed tremendously throughout history, and the meaning of liberty has done it too. Nowadays, women for example, have freedoms that by trivial they might seem, we did not have before, like the right to vote, to choose the person we want to marry or to go to college and study whatever we decide. We can now develop our talents and be what we want to be. The U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights bestow Americans freedoms and rights. I think today people are more likely to know the most popular songs, than the freedoms the Bill of Rights grants them. We cannot protect something that we do not understand and many Americans do not have an understanding of the freedoms they regularly enjoy. Defending our rights is a primary responsibility of being citizen. The ignorance, the lack of education and knowledge make a lot of people to blindly accept all the values and doctrines that others want to impose them. We should exercise our freedom to its fullest extent. One example of this is voting. We are not obliged to do it, but what better way to get involved in our community than by participating in the electoral process? Every single vote counts and it is our duty as citizens to choose our own leaders. The Bill of Rights, guarantees, in words, freedoms Americans didn’t want to be without. The free speech is guaranteed in the first amendment, and most people agree that is one of the most important freedoms we have. It allows us to express ourselves and speak our minds. In some countries, a person cannot say what he or she thinks because it will be considered a threat to government and will have to face the consequences. Freedom of speech and choice make people responsible for their words and actions. The freedom of the press exists in almost every country, although few nations have a press as free as the USA’s. This freedom is not possible when people cannot own the printing, paper and ink like in Cuba, where the freedom of the press is substantially restricted. The radio stations and television cannot exercise liberty when the electromagnetic spectrum belongs to the State and the license might be revoked. Neither can freedom prevail when the Government buys the silence of the media with state propaganda or the justice permits thieves to sue journalists that denounce corruption. Americans enjoy the right to express themselves and to be informed about how they are being governed. There are many facets to the meaning of freedom, but compared to other countries United States is blessed with it, even though the dualism of limitations and freedom will be always present. CITED WORK Einstein, Albert. The world as I see it. New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006, p. 56.