#8220;Compare and Contrast Essay Sample on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad #8220;

#8220;Compare and Contrast Essay Sample on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad #8220; While â€Å"Apocalypse Now† is based loosely on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, there are many key differences that contrast the two works. The differences in â€Å"Apocalypse Now†, however, highlight the main points of Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness is set in the European imperialism era, whereas â€Å"Apocalypse Now† is set during the Vietnam war in Cambodia. This difference makes the reader think of the moral justification of both settings, bringing out one of the controversial aspects of the book. The main characters in each work differ slightly, and because of this we see Marlow as more of a self-seeker whereas Willard is the dutiful green beret. These differences bring out characteristics of Heart of Darkness that we as a reader might not have noticed otherwise. The first difference, visible from the beginning, is the two different settings. Wether it’s the Vietnam War or imperialism, the characters have the sense that they can do whatever they want in the foreign lands. There are no rules of society in either places. â€Å"Apocalypse Now† deals more directly with a war, whereas Heart of Darkness can be seen as an attack on Africa. This difference makes the reader think more closely about what exactly imperialism is. It can be seen as a war that is hidden, lurking underneath the image of the white man’s burden. Perhaps Conrad uses Heart of Darkness to expose the dangers and illusions connected with imperialism. Both war and imperialism are morally questionable. â€Å"Apocalypse Now† serves as a commentary on the way society now accepts war the way Europe used to accept imperialism, as seen in Heart of Darkness. Another major difference is between the characters of Marlow and Willard. Willard is in his position because he was told that he was to kill Kurtz. His journey down the river is less of a personal experience than Marlow’s. Marlow, on the other hand, is self-motivated. His journey comes from his yearning for adventure and for change. He is unsure of his final goal until long into his trip, and even then he is unclear what his purpose is. As Marlow is re-telling his story, he is realizes and acknowledges that his sharing of the story is incomplete. Marlow says that â€Å"when you have to attend toincidents of the surface, the realityfades. The inner truth is hidden–luckily, luckily† (61). In watching â€Å"Apocalypse Now† and comparing the two journeys, the reader realizes just how much of a personal experience Marlow’s journey is. Without the comparison of Willard, who is under specific orders, we might not realize this important fact. Another difference between Willard and Marlow is how each one metaphorically â€Å"looks over the edge†. Willard stands on the steps of the Cambodian Village, looking out at all the people bowing to him. This scene shows Willard’s power in the community, but he chooses to throw down his machete and leave. Willard’s â€Å"edge† here is deciding wether or not to stay and rule the people. He could become the god to the village that Kurtz had been and supplant his position. The â€Å"edge† in Heart of Darkness, however, represents death. Marlow uses the edge metaphor many times to talk about Kurtz, â€Å"he had made that last stride, he has stepped over the edge† (132), and also to represent himself , â€Å"I had peeped over the edge myself.I had been permitted to draw back my hesitating foot† (132). The comparison between the two interpretations brings forth a better clarity of their meanings. Reading Heart of Darkness without watching â€Å"Apocalypse Now† is possible. After seeing the movie, however, Marlow’s character is better defined. In contrast to Willard, we see just how naive Marlow is at the beginning of his journey, and his unawareness of the cruelty of imperialism. We also see how the setting Heart of Darkness in Africa during imperialism is crucial to the story. There must be moral inconsistencies between Marlow’s observations of the treatment of the natives, and the rest of Europe’s opinion. Comparing the two works not only helps us better understand Heart of Darkness, but it draws our attention to points that we might have otherwise realized in reading the novel alone.

The Role of Motherese in Acquiring A Language Essays

The Role of Motherese in Acquiring A Language Essays The Role of Motherese in Acquiring A Language Paper The Role of Motherese in Acquiring A Language Paper The speaking style used by caretakers around the world when addressing infants is often called motherese or parentese (Ferguson, 1964). Motherese is the style of talking used by mothers when addressing their eighteen to twenty-four moth old toddlers and has been shown to be preferred over adult-directed speech by infants when given a choice (Fernald, 1985). Moreover, the exaggerated stress and increased pitch typical of infant-directed speech assists infants in discriminating phonetic units (Karzon, 1985). From birth, a child encounters an immediately facilitative environment allowing him/her to participate as a conversational partner and as the childs communicational behavior develops, the mother naturally attempts to persuade more verbal participation from the child by altering her own behavior. Initially the mother provides object names to the childs vocalisations but soon begins to request labels and by the middle of the childs second year the mother is requesting and labeling at an equal rate, establishing dialog. The mother helps to form the childs speech by distinctly distinguishing between acceptable and unacceptable responses, ensuring the childs verbalisations are not direct imitations but responses to fit specific slots in the dialog. In order to aid learning the mother provides consistency, such as the amount of time devoted to dialog, the rate of confirmation and the probability of reciprocating (Bruner, 1978). Additionally, the mother modifies her speech and when taken together, are called motherese (Newport, Gleitman Gleitman, 1977) or parentese. Mothers use paralinguistic variations as well as linguistic alterations as the manner of presentation may be more important than the content of dialog. According to Sachs (1985), the mother produces modifications using a broad range of pitches and loudness and overall, her pitch is higher than in adult to adult conversations. A range of different languages present this pitch contour however some variation is seen (Bernstein, Ratner Pye, 1984). Infants will respond to intonation patterns before they comprehend language and prefer high, variable pitch (Fernald Kuhl, 1987). The mother also modifies her rhythm and timing. The duration of vowels is longer than in adult to adult conversation and there are longer pauses between utterances, this rhythm is also seen in signing mothers of deaf children (Fernald, 1994). Compared to adult to adult speech, motherese exhibits, greater pitch range, especially at the higher end; lexical simplification characterised by the diminutive (doggie) and syllable reduplication (consonant-verb syllable repetition); shorter less complex utterances; less dysfluency; more paraphrasing and repetition; limited, concrete vocabulary and a restricted set of semantic relations; more contextual support and more directives and questions. Conversational style with infants is short and with toddlers it is even shorter as less adult utterances are spoken. During the second half of the childs first year the mother decreases the length of her utterances and this is positively correlated with improved receptive language skills by the child at eighteen months (Murray et. al. , 1990). A mother aids the process of learning a language in which the child uses what he/she knows to decode more mature language, also known as bootstrapping, by maintaining a semantic-syntactic correspondence (Rondal Cession, 1990). For example, by way of motherese, the child finds it easier it decipher the syntax of the mothers utterances. Directed speech from the mother to the child adapts and the childs language matures as motherese is well tuned to the childs language level (Owens, 1986). The rate of change in language level is initially slow however it speeds up with age. The complexity and the length of the mothers utterances most primarily change between twenty and twenty-seven months alongside the period of rapid language change for the child. However, at any given time the syntax is mostly consistent (Wells et. al. , 1983). Infant-directed speech also is altered at the phonetic level and these alterations are argued to help infants learn. In a recent study, women were recorded while speaking to their two-month-old infants and to another adult in the United States, Russia, and Sweden (Kuhl, 1997). Mothers used the vowels /i/, /a/, and /u/, in both settings, and their speech was analysed. The results demonstrated that the phonetic units of infant-directed speech are acoustically exaggerated. The results show a stretching of the acoustic space encompassing speech. Exaggerating speech not only makes it more distinguishable for infants, it highlights critical parameters used in the native language. This may aid the childs discovery of the dimensions of sound used in their native language. Mothers addressing infants also increase the variety of exemplars they use, behaving in a way that makes them resemble many different talkers is a feature shown to assist category learning in second-language learners (Lively, 1993). In recent studies, language-delayed children show substantial improvements in measures of speech and language after listening to speech altered by computer to exaggerate phonetic differences (Merzenich, 1996) Mothers addressing infants make other adjustments that appear to aid learning. When introducing new words, parents repeat the word often in stereotyped frames (Wheres the __ , See the __ , Thats a __ (Peters, 1983), which highlights the items in sentence-final position. They also present new words in a great variety of contexts, which would highlight the transitional probabilities of the new words against a variety of contexts (Goodsitt, 1993). This data suggests that the modifications made by adults unconsciously when they speak to infants plays a role in helping infants map native-language input. Motherese involves many re-casts by the adult. Re-casts occur when an adult repeats a childs speech, while adding complexity and expanding vocabulary. Re-casts expose the child to new forms and structures, while providing more fuel for language acquisition than would immediate imitation (Goodluck, 1986). An example of a re-cast is a child saying up whilst the mother follows with yes, mummy will pick you up. In these re-casts there is also a tendency to avoid using personal pronouns such as I and you since both can be very confusing to the child. It is difficult for the child to recognise that you can be applied to more than one person hence, the parent most often than not refers to both herself and the child using the respective nouns mummy and child for example. In both English and French the amount of parental labeling or naming varies with the age and development of the child but a relationship still exists between the amount of adult labeling and the childs consequent growth in vocabulary (Graham Sippola, 1995). Choi Gopnik (1995) produced evidence to suggest that initial parental emphasis on nouns from Mandarin, Korean, Italian, and English is not universal although gesturing and use of noun labels in English decrease with development regardless. Nouns become replaced with verbs to describe actions being performed by objects (Schmidt, 1996). The steady rhythmic flow of the dialog depends on the structural resemblance of the mother and child utterances as well as on the association of the mothers speech relative to the environment. Through the use of turn-passing strategies the mother encourages and allows the child to participate however refrains from using turn-grabbing or turn-keeping behaviours. Consequently, the child is not a solo linguist with the endeavor to learn the language code; the large majority of the analysis, synthesis and abstraction is performed by the mother (Moerk, 1985). Undeniably, the language input and motherese to which is child is subject to is influenced by the childs characteristics (Yoder Kaiser, 1989). The types of toys children chose to play with or are presented with, can manipulate the amount and types of language produced by the mother (OBrien Nagle, 1987), dolls for example promote role play and hence promote larger amounts and variety of language from parents. Furthermore, simplifications to language by adults logically must reflect cues from the child, although parents arent aware of their alterations as they are not consciously trying to teach a language. Not only is much of the speech addressed to the child adapted for the childs linguistic level according to the amount of child feedback and participation but speech not adapted is simply not processed by the child (Snow, 1986). In effect, children play an active and important role in choosing the utterances to which they will respond. Lack of response from the child informs the parent that communication has broken down, which may instigate the linguistic changes in the parent to take place. It is logical to conclude the key to adult linguistic changes is the child (Furrow Nelson, 1984). The pragmatic aspects to the mothers speech are likely to be related to either the referential or the expressive style of the child as referential children tend to name frequently whereas expressive children participate in more conversation. Mothers to referential children use more descriptive words with fewer directives, additionally, these mothers make more utterances in a given situation then mothers with expressive speech (Benedict Klein, 1983). Furthermore, Ochs Schieffelin (1994) report children do not require a syntactically and phonologically simplified input in order to acquire language, as the use of motherese is not universal across all cultures, however it is still very widespread regardless. There also seems to exist a great variation in the styles of social interaction and the form of motherese across different cultures (Lieven, 1994). However, it is possible that these other cultures compensate for their lack of motherese through simplifying language development in other ways, such as via emphasizing everyday communal life (Snow, 1995). The rate of a childs linguistic development is only not correlated with the complexity of the childs input. The most important factor to motherese isnt the form of what it directly said to the child but the content, in particular, children who learn the fastest are those who receive most encouragement and acknowledgment for their utterances (Ellis Wells, 1980). Gross (1978) demonstrated the value of extended replied by adults that in result amplify the comments of the children. This conclusion was drawn because, children who showed the most rapid linguistic development were those whose mothers asked their children more questions and gave more extensive replies to their childrens questions (Howe, 1980). In conclusion, much remains to be learned about language acquisition however it can be deduced that motherese is beneficial to a childs acquisition of language regardless of whether it is completely necessary for language development or not. The aim of motherese may not be to teach language however it facilitates development through providing an opportunity for children to practice, improve, and enhance their language abilities. The caregivers efforts combined with the childs own influences produce a suitable relationship for the input, feedback, acquisition and practice of language. Motherese may also serve to aid a child in the acquisition and comprehension of language particular rules which are otherwise largely unpredictable principles of universal grammar. However, factors such as socio-economic background, where toys promoting language utilasation cannot be bought will hinder the effects of motherese regardless of whether motherese is in effect or not; birth order, position in the family, and siblings also have an effect on early language development, this is because single children have a greater opportunity to communicate effectively with adults as compared to children with many siblings as may therefore develop language at a faster pace. Ethnicity, parents mother tongue and parents work hours are more examples of factors that directly affect the success motherese can have on childrens language development. Consequently, for a child to fully benefit from the effects of motherese he/she must boast optimal conditions, if this is not possible, as is the case with many individuals, motherese may not act as beneficially as possible, however it will still serve to assist in language acquisition.

Application for the Georgetown University Personal Statement

Application for the Georgetown University - Personal Statement Example The Georgetown University’s (GU) Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service has been deemed as the most appropriate academic endeavor that fits one’s personal and professional goals. I have always been intrigued and genuinely interested in politics since I was young. When I first knew about GU in the 8th grade from various peers whose family members and close of kin have pursued higher education there, I knew it is where I want to graduate from. It has always been my dream school. I am a gregarious individual, competitive and very confident in a positive way. I am a fast learner and manifested consistent eagerness to learn more and to excel in whatever endeavors I delve into. I struggled with my education at first by inadvertently making marginal choices but I appropriately learned from my mistakes. These minor setbacks made me the person I am today and I believe I am a better person who has clearly identified my goals. I am fighting the odds by pursuing Foreign Service, es pecially in my region; but it is my strong contention that through the ideals and values promoted by GU through the School of Foreign Service, I would be an instrumental contributor to our shared commitment for justice, equality and the universal availment of the common good. I am also particularly interested in empowering women and in promoting the value of diversity within conformity and adherence to ethical, moral and legal standards. I honestly believe that by being accepted to the program, I would be on my way to fulfilling a crucial task of doing what has originally been destined for me – all for the glory of God.

Events Leading to the Creation of DHS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Events Leading to the Creation of DHS - Essay Example In a quest to prevent similar events as those of 9/11, specifically through assessing the events and circumstances that facilitated the orchestration of such a massively deadly event, the government was willing to assess any options and allocate any resources necessary that would prevent a similar occurrence. As such, the government had three main options to choose from that included sharing of power between various agencies, leaving the overall control to the White House, or establishing a congressional control. Critical decision was impending bearing in mind that the country was facing a challenge that was bigger than any natural disaster the country had seen before. This was bigger because in the history of the U.S, the only agency that had been mandated primarily to deal with terror treats was FEMA but it was still small as its capabilities were only domestic. Such previous ideas suggested that handling future possibilities that are connected with protecting the lives of Americans would require a broader entity. This suggested amalgamation of various agencies with the key idea in mind being central coordination of activities and sharing of information rather than centralizing the idea on mere control.

Analysis of a single element paper either the Open Boat or the bride Essay

Analysis of a single element paper either the Open Boat or the bride comes to yellow sky - Essay Example Indeed, the society of Yellow Sky is not patriarchal in a rigid sense; rather women or brides do not fit perfectly in the wilderness of that society where there is no guarantee of life and natural death. Therefore, men do not want to leave their wives as widows with several children. In this rough and tough society, Potter marries a woman in order to avoid conflicts and rivalries with Wilson and ultimately he becomes successful. But at the end, changes occur in his life as well as in the society of ‘Yellow Sky’. This paper will argue that though the bride is a minor character, she is the symbol of changes in the crude male culture of ‘Yellow Sky’. Indeed, Crane has successfully used different literary elements such as characterization, and ‘conflicts and contrasts’ in order to highlight the bride as a symbol of change. In the story, the anonymous bride is in contrast to the crude, male culture of the city, Yellow Sky. This crude male culture of the city is vividly evident in the story. Potter’s marriage is in a clear conflict with the people’s expectation of Yellow Sky. Here, people marries â€Å"as it please[s] them, in accordance with a general custom† (Crane 1). In this macho culture, taking a bride is a wonder. If the bridegroom is a famous marshal, the amazement of the city-dwellers can â€Å"only be exceeded by the burning of the new hotel† (Crane 1). Indeed, taking a bride is considered as a severe injury to one’s manliness. After marrying, Jack Potter is heavily perplexed with the prospect of the amazement of people. Prior to reaching the city, he is afraid of telling his friends, by telegraph, about his marriage. He is more afraid of meeting his townspeople as a married than to face his competitor, Scratchy Wilson. He plans to reach his house from the st ation quickly by any means in order to avoid meeting the people, as the narrator says: â€Å"He

The alternative globalisation

The alternative globalisation Introduction Globalisation is an ongoing process by which countries and their economic, political and social spheres integrate on a daily basis. Being part of national states, people become citizens of the world. In the course of daily activities, individuals increasingly come into contact with people from different backgrounds, with unlike beliefs and values and they learn to live and work in a globalised world. Countries become interconnected and interdependent. Thus, now there is no doubt that globalization has become the dominant factor in the development of world civilization. United Nations General Assembly, which brought a record number of participants to an important meeting 189 countries, signed over 300 agreements, and at the end of the session the UN Millennium Declaration was concluded. Main provisions of the declaration were as simple and accessible facts as freedom, equality, solidarity, security, tolerance, respect for nature and mutual responsibility. As a result, the Millennium Summit formalized globalization as a new global ideology, defining the world order of the 21st century. However, examining the structure of current globalisation, we face some issues that this phenomenon introduces. The popularity of the modern concept of globalization is primarily due to the economic and social achievements of developed countries dictating its terms to the world market. As a result, the gap between poor and rich countries broadens; development based on competition, profit-making, cost-reduction and increasing market shares expands. And therefore, the need for an alternative globalisation arises around the globe. This essay is divided into four main parts. First part focuses on three major schools of thoughts, which give characteristic descriptions of globalization from different perspectives. Second part of this essay concentrates on the chronology of globalisation the way that international trade was liberalising and production received a global character. Third, introduces readers to main problems of the current globalization and discusses why the alternative to the current globalisation is required. Finally, the last section offers the analysis of things that could be done differently in todays globalisation, examines whether an alternative globalisation is possible or not, and concludes with an optimistic summary table consisting of a number of significant changes that are necessary for peaceful transition, in a long-term period from the current globalisation to an alternative one that this essay offers. Three Perspectives on Globalisation There is no single definition of Globalization and at the same time there is a big debate about its characteristics, classification, its impacts and causes. It is possible to differentiate the following three schools of thought: the hyperglobalists, the transformationalists and the sceptics. The goal of each of the following schools is to characterise distinctive features of globalization from different points of view. Hyperglobalisers, such as K. Ohmae and R. Reich believe that global economy has an important impact on humanity and politics; they argue that the market is borderless and economy is single, global and integrated. Todays world economy is genuinely borderless. Information, capital and innovation flow all over the world at top speed, enabled by technology and fuelled by consumers desire for access to the best and the least expensive products (Ohmae, 1995). We are living through the transformation that will rearrange the politics and economics of the coming century. There will be no national products or technologies, no corporations, no national industries. There will no longer be national economies (Robert Reich, 1992, p. 3). The sceptics, such as P, Hirst and G. Thompson suggest that globalisation is largely a myth. They believe that the extent of existing globalisation is exaggerated and that the increase of global trade has happened only in major developed economies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. The international economy is one in which processes that are determined at the level of national economies still dominate and international phenomena are outcomes that emerge from the distinct and differential performance of the national economies. The international economy is an aggregate of nationally located functions (Hirst, Thompson, 1999, p. 10). The third group is defined by Held and McGrew as transformationalists, which includes such authors as Rosenau (1997) or Giddens (1990). They assume that globalisation plays an essential role in fast economic, political and social changes that are restructuring world order and modern societies nowadays. Globalisation denotes the intensification of worldwide social relations and interactions such that distant events acquire very localised impacts and vice versa (Held, McGrew, 2007, p. 2). Globalisation concerns the transformation of local, and even personal, contexts of social experience. Our day-to-day activities are increasingly influenced by events happening on the other side of the world. Conversely, local lifestyle habits have become globally consequential. Chronology of Globalisation There is also no single agreement about the time globalisation has emerged, opinions about the chronology of its appearance and development vary depending on how one looks at the meaning of globalisation. Some might say that globalisation is a recent development, others could state that it has began far back in history, while thirds would argue that globalisation has not yet started at all. I see the beginning of globalisation in the rise of international production and international trade, formation of which refers to the 1970s-1980s. It has started with oil and energy crisis in 1973-1974, when state enterprises started to show the signs of inefficiency. States were not able to react to the impulses of the world market and to reduction of production costs. This, on one hand, led to reduced profitability or even to losses in some industries in developed countries. And on the other hand, it led to significant discrepancies between the national conditions of reproduction in the course of industrialization the rates of wages, education level and workforce skills, interest rates, price of raw materials and energy. Due to those facts, numerous attacks on government business and the requirements of its liquidation were taking place; the privatisation of state property according to the neo-liberal theories has started. The liberalisation was one of the tools for successful globalisation, which appeared in two forms. Firstly, reduction of tariffs, elimination of non-tariff barriers, simplification of import and export procedures occurred based on numerous international agreements. In other words, there was a reduction of restrictions on access and operations in the global market. Secondly, there was a change in domestic legislation relating to foreign economic relations, such as the elimination of quotes for import and export, removal of restrictions on foreign capital in the domestic market. As a result, labour-intensive, material-and environmentally-polluting industries started to be relocated to developing countries. In addition, scientific and technological advancements have created opportunities for the spatial separation process (such as capital-intensive and energy intensive processes) and placement of the individual phases in accordance with the prices of factors of production. At the same t ime, improved transportation and communication allowed the interaction of these scattered productions at relatively modest cost. As a consequence of all above mentioned factors, production received a really global character today. We can say that todays world became interdependent and interconnected; because one countrys well being very much depends on the cooperation with other countries. As an example we can take the production of cars, it is scattered on the companies in different countries around the globe. And entrepreneurs in each country are responsible for a specific phase of production design, production of engines and electrical equipment, the manufacture and marketing. In the 1950-1960s, each company worked in the market limited by national borders. However, today restrictions on movement of goods and services across national borders have decreased and international manufacturers of the world market can move quite easily. (ORoukre, Williamson, 1999). We can now see that the cause of globalisation was a capitalist ideology, based mostly on profit-making and cost-reduction, which has a lot of positiv e as well as some negative effects on the worlds development. In the next section, I would like to focus on some of those negative effects problems of the current globalisation. Problems of the Current Globalisation This section focuses on main three issues political, economic and social that I believe require changes in current globalised world. One of the main economic problems of globalisation is related to the following question: Who is benefiting from globalization? In fact, rapid growth is typical only for a small group of rich countries; while the least economically developed countries have much lower growth rates and their gains from globalization are minimal. If we take an example of trade discussion of Uruguay Round, which was finished in 1994, we can see that the advanced industrial countries of the world, such as the US and the EU, received the biggest share of the gain and the poorest countries have actually worsened off. Developed countries still preserve tariffs against the poor countries at the rate of four times higher than the tariffs they have against other rich countries. Their whole tariff structure is directed against trade with poor economies, which effects lowering the price of the export goods of them and hurt their economies. (Stiglitz, pp. 172-173). If national and international political processes are influenced by money, there should be no illusions in understanding that power in decision-making processes relating to the global economy remains mostly with those countries, firms and organizations that are economically the strongest. (Helleiner, Gerald, 2001) The second problem arising is a political one and relates to the potential regional or global instability because of interdependence of national economies on global level; so called butterfly effect appears. National security and nation-states depend on the activities of other countries and decisions of governments in neighbouring states more and more in todays globalised world. (Michael Zurn, 2005, pp. 235-244). Local economic fluctuations or crises in one country can have regional or even global implications. This possibility is not merely theoretical, but is very real, and the current financial crisis confirms that. Peter Evans argues that inability of the state to impose even a modicum of collective discipline on private economic elites at the national level (most crucially in the United States) undercuts productive dynamism. (Peter Evans, 2008, p. 280) And the last issue that I would like to bring up is related to social aspect. The main goal of a global market and current capitalist globalization is rapid accumulation of wealth, which hardly meets any human and social needs. Lets take a simple example of one corrupt government that accepts investment money from a multinational company. People who live in that particular country have no choice but to work for that company, at the same time company does not pay workers enough money to afford sufficient food, healthcare and education. The company has promised to the government that it will develop their countrys economy. However, people are starving and diseases are spreading in the crowded conditions in which they live. Some people realize the damage and start to fight to get their country back on track, but those people are usually being arrested and being sent to jail. The multinational companies as well as government of that country make huge profits while people suffer and die. The irrational pursuit of profit often harms the environment and conflict with other social values. The imbalance causes a broad wave of protest, which is not welcomed by governments and companies and as a result brings social problems, inequality and fear to confront the current political regime. (Sklair, 2008). Alternatives to the Current Globalisation Based on the problems described in the previous part of my essay, I would like to propose some necessary changes to the way globalisation develops nowadays. With the reference to the economic issue, I would say that in order to have more balance as to benefits of the globalisation and the world trade, globalization must be more regulated and countries should collaborate better. Developed and developing countries have to act co-operatively, so that the gap between poor and rich does not widen more and more each year, but it has to start narrowing. However, there are no institutions, particularly democratic institutions to do that effectively. In order to make globalization more manageable and seek to base it on principles of solidarity, it is important to reform and strengthen the role of such international organizations as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Expanding ties of international organisations with non-government al organizations might be one of the examples for the reform (Lindert, Williamson, 2001, pp. 30-35). The role of media plays an important role and therefore media must be fairer and more opened. Media nowadays is driven by consumerist forces, and not by all citizens. People around the world are not being helped to recognize that most important issues overcrowded cities, quick spread of new infections, global warming, growth of worldwide disparity, destruction of the environment are all part of the same global process called globalisation. People should be aware that these issues do not just happen, but they all are related (Cavanagh, Mander, 2004, pp. 52-54). The next range of issues is related to the fragility of the international economic and political systems that follow from interdependence and interconnection of countries around the globe. We can see that local economic, financial and sometimes even political instability in one country can have regional or in some cases even global effect. Therefore, I suggest that states must be more local oriented and solve national problems first, but at the same time they should be able to react promptly to global issues, because states continue to be essential actors in determining the global regime. The same applies to business world, in order to be successful in the global competition, companies need to think globally and act locally. Practice shows that businesses which are able to design globally for narrow local requirements and which follow broaden your vision, yet narrow your focus will generate growth and success. (Pinto, 2004). The idea of globalization that bigger is better is wrong. I t involves lack of concern with local issues and overrides locality. In connection with this agenda the concept of glocalization has been introduced. It became an aspect of business jargon during the 1980s, which originates form Japan, where the general issue of the relationship between the particular and the universal has historically received almost obsessive attention (Miyoshi and Harootunian, 1989). Glocalisation is a double process firstly, institutional and regulatory activities move from the national scope upwards to regional or global scopes and downwards to the scope of individual or local. Secondly, economic activities and inter-firm networks are transforming at the same time to become more localised and transnational (Swyngedouw, 2004). With regards to the social point, I would like to argue that the current globalisation is very capitalist one which prioritizes the growth of private income over the creation of employment and other social aspects of our lives that are important both for individuals and for the community as a whole. (Sklair, 2008). Global economy needs global ethics, reflecting respect for human rights and recognition of personal and social responsibility. Horst KÃ ¶hler, the managing director of the IMF states that people living together in local communities have always recognized and responded to common moral principles, such as sharing with those who have less, and protection of the vulnerable. As the world has become more integrated and interdependent, the scope for applying such fundamental values has widened (KÃ ¶hler, 2002). I believe that the WTO and the IMF should address the problem of reducing poverty deeper, by creating employment, improving healthcare and education systems and therefor e improving quality of living standards in all countries around the world. In the following table, I have tried to summarize some of significant changes that are required for peaceful transition, in a long-term period, from the current globalisation that we have to a globalization that is more regulated, more oriented on local aspects and focused more on social sector. Conclusion In a last decade of the twentieth century, the term globalization became one of the most frequently used in the analysis of contemporary international relations, and continues to be actively used to characterize global political, economic and social processes. However, the current globalisation is mostly influenced by the interests and guidelines of economically developed countries and their ideological preferences. These factors leave their imprints on the development of globalisation, accelerating or slowing it down, and give specific nature to certain aspects of this phenomenon. Main requirements of an alternative globalization are the equality for all nations, people and countries, as well as regulation of specific areas of the worlds development with the help of strong democratic international institutions. This essay shows that an alternative globalization is essential for sustainable development of the world, and if the right steps and efforts are taken worldwide, an alternative to the current globalisation will be possible to implement. An alternative globalization as described in this essay would bring together countries and people in single global equitable and prosperous area, despite all the crises, failures and deviations, which is in everyones interests. References: Alison Brysk, 2002. Globalization and Human Rights. University of California Press Anthony Giddens, 1994. Beyond Left and Right: The Future of Radical Politics. Polity Press David Held and Anthony McGrew, 2007. Globalization/Anti-globalization: beyond the great divide. Polity Press Erik Swyngedouw, 2004. Globalisation or Glocalisation? Networks, Territories and Rescaling. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 17(1), pp. 25-44 Helleiner, Gerald K, 2001. Markets, Politics, and Globalization: Can the Global Economy Be Civilized? Global Governance, 7 (July), pp. 243-263 Horst KÃ ¶hler, 2002. Working for a Better Globalization Available at: http://www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2002/012802.HTM [Accessed 23 March 2010] J. Cavanagh, J. Mander, 2004. Alternatives to Economic Globalizaion: a better world is possible. Berrett-Koehler Publishers J.E. Stiglitz, 2008. Making Globalisation Work. The economic and social review, Columbia University, USA, 39 (3) Jim Pinto, 2004. Think Globally, Act Locally. Automation World K. H. ORoukre and J. G. Williamson, 1999. Globalization and History: The evolution of a Nineteenth-Century Atlantic Economy. Achorn Graphic Services Kenichi Ohmae, 1995. The End of the Nation State. Free Press Paperback Edition. Leslie Sklair, 2008. The Emancipatory Potential of Generic Globalization. The Berkeley Electronic Press Available at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a918201775db=all [Accessed 23 March 2010] Masao Miyoshi and Harry D. Harootunian, 1989. Postmodernism in Japan. Duke University Press Michael Zurn, 2005. From Interdependence to Globalisation, Handbook of International Relations. Sage publications P. H. Lindert, J.G. Williamson, 2001. Does Globalization Make the World More Unequal? Harvard University and University of California Available at: http://128.97.165.17/media/files/GlobalUnequal_10_252.pdf [Accessed 23 March 2010] Paul Hirst and Grahame Thompson, 1999. Globalization in Question. Polity Press Peter Evans, 2008. Is an Alternative Globalization Possible? Politics Society, 36, pp. 271 298 Available at: http://pas.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/36/2/271 [Accessed 23 March 2010] Robert F. Bruner, 2004. Think Globally, Act Locally. Batten Institute at The Darden School Foundation Robert Reich, 1992. The Work of Nations: preparing ourselves for 21st-century capitalism. Vintage Books Roland Roberson, 1995. Global Modernities. Glocalizaion: Time-space and homogeneity-heterogeneity. Sage publications, p. 25-41.

Masters of Disguise :: essays research papers

Finding good day care can certainly pose a problem these days, unless, of course, you're an African widow bird. When it comes time for a female widow bird to lay her eggs, she simply locates the nest of a nearby Estrildid finch and surreptitiously drops the eggs inside. That's the last the widow bird ever sees of her offspring. But not to worry, because the Estrildid finch will take devoted care of the abandoned birds as if they were her own. And who's to tell the difference? Though adult widow birds and Estrildid finches don't look at all alike, their eggs do. Not only that, baby widow birds are dead ringers for Estrildid finch chicks, both having the same colouration and markings. They even act and sound the same, thus ensuring that the widow bird nestlings can grow up among their alien nestmates with no risk of being rejected by their foster parents. MASTERS OF DISGUISE Things aren't always as they seem, and nowhere is this more true than in nature, where dozens of animals (and plants) spend their time masquerading as others. So clever are their disguises that you've probably never known you were being fooled by spiders impersonating ants, squirrels that look like shrews, worms copying sea anemones, and roaches imitating ladybugs. There are even animals that look like themselves, which can also be a form of impersonation. The phenomenon of mimicry, as it's called by biologists, was first noted in the mid-1800s by an English naturalist, Henry W. Bates. Watching butterflies in the forests of Brazil, Bates discovered that many members of the Peridae butterfly family did not look anything like their closest relatives. Instead they bore a striking resemblance to members of the Heliconiidae butterfly family. Upon closer inspection, Bates found that there was a major advantage in mimicking the Heliconiids. Fragile, slow-moving and brightly coloured, the Heliconiids are ideal targets for insectivorous birds. Yet, birds never touch them because they taste so bad. Imagine that you're a delicious morsel of butterfly. Wouldn't it be smart to mimic the appearance of an unpalatable Heliconiid so that no bird would bother you either? That's what Bates concluded was happening in the Brazilian jungle among the Pieridae. Today, the imitation of an inedible species by an edible one is called Batesian mimicry. Since Bates' time, scientists have unmasked hundreds of cases of mimicry in nature. It hasn't always been an easy job, either, as when an animal mimics not one, but several other species. In one species of butterfly common in India and Sri Lanka, the female appears in no less than three versions. One type resembles the male while the others resemble two entirely different species of inedible butterflies. Butterflies don't "choose" to mimic other butterflies in the same Masters of Disguise :: essays research papers Finding good day care can certainly pose a problem these days, unless, of course, you're an African widow bird. When it comes time for a female widow bird to lay her eggs, she simply locates the nest of a nearby Estrildid finch and surreptitiously drops the eggs inside. That's the last the widow bird ever sees of her offspring. But not to worry, because the Estrildid finch will take devoted care of the abandoned birds as if they were her own. And who's to tell the difference? Though adult widow birds and Estrildid finches don't look at all alike, their eggs do. Not only that, baby widow birds are dead ringers for Estrildid finch chicks, both having the same colouration and markings. They even act and sound the same, thus ensuring that the widow bird nestlings can grow up among their alien nestmates with no risk of being rejected by their foster parents. MASTERS OF DISGUISE Things aren't always as they seem, and nowhere is this more true than in nature, where dozens of animals (and plants) spend their time masquerading as others. So clever are their disguises that you've probably never known you were being fooled by spiders impersonating ants, squirrels that look like shrews, worms copying sea anemones, and roaches imitating ladybugs. There are even animals that look like themselves, which can also be a form of impersonation. The phenomenon of mimicry, as it's called by biologists, was first noted in the mid-1800s by an English naturalist, Henry W. Bates. Watching butterflies in the forests of Brazil, Bates discovered that many members of the Peridae butterfly family did not look anything like their closest relatives. Instead they bore a striking resemblance to members of the Heliconiidae butterfly family. Upon closer inspection, Bates found that there was a major advantage in mimicking the Heliconiids. Fragile, slow-moving and brightly coloured, the Heliconiids are ideal targets for insectivorous birds. Yet, birds never touch them because they taste so bad. Imagine that you're a delicious morsel of butterfly. Wouldn't it be smart to mimic the appearance of an unpalatable Heliconiid so that no bird would bother you either? That's what Bates concluded was happening in the Brazilian jungle among the Pieridae. Today, the imitation of an inedible species by an edible one is called Batesian mimicry. Since Bates' time, scientists have unmasked hundreds of cases of mimicry in nature. It hasn't always been an easy job, either, as when an animal mimics not one, but several other species. In one species of butterfly common in India and Sri Lanka, the female appears in no less than three versions. One type resembles the male while the others resemble two entirely different species of inedible butterflies. Butterflies don't "choose" to mimic other butterflies in the same

Boston Artwork Essay

The public artworks that I chose are Asaroton 1976 (Unswept Floor) and Boston’s Famed Rainbow Tank. The similarities of these artworks are that they are both available in public view and that they are unique types of artwork. There is not much like the Rainbow Tank or the Asaroton ’76 types, as they were original ideas of the artists. Considering the effect that they have on people, both artworks seem to blend in the everyday life of those who see it in a regular basis. The Asaroton is being walked around and stepped around, while the Rainbow Tank contains liquefied natural gas. It’s as if the artwork has naturally been there, a part of everyone’s ordinary lives despite the fact they are extraordinary creations (Millis, 1997). The Asaroton ’76 is an artwork like no other, as it is composed of bronze replicas of everyday waste and debris of the market, which is then embedded in concrete. At first glance, the artwork just seems to be a deformity or an abnormality in the road (Harries/Heder Public Art, 2006). But if you look at it closely, you will see the intricate details and designs embossed on the concrete walkway. In relation to this, it is situated in a segment of the street which forms a major crosswalk. Many people pass it or walk over it everyday, but they don’t seem to mind. To them, the artwork is already a part of their everyday lives. Boston’s Famed Rainbow Tank is actually a gigantic tank of liquefied natural gas which was painted with five huge swaths of color, artistically placed as though they’re just strokes of a paintbrush (NPR, 2001). The colors are yellow, orange, blue, vermillion, and purple. With the way the tank is painted, it’s as if it was just a large canvas for an abstract artwork. The stripes actually doesn’t resemble anything, but according to those who gaze at this gigantic work of art, they see faces of prominent personalities, whether they’re our friends or foes (images of Ho Chi Minh, Fred Flintstone, Saddam Hussein). The Asaroton ’76 is situated in the busy, open air produce market on Blackstone Street. The place it is embedded is a part of a major crosswalk, so you can just imagine how many people walk over it or pass it during the course of the day. Heavy motor traffic is also present during the day, so we can say that this artwork is not something that we keep in museums or galleries, as it is best appreciated in public. Boston’s Rainbow Tank is situated somewhere along Boston’s waterfront, the industrial part of the area. The rainbow tank is such a massive structure that many people can see it without having to get close to it. There were restaurants just around the area, and the rainbow tank has been a common view for the urban dwellers. The tank holds a good spot in everyone’s heart, as it was made originally as a sign of peace, and now it remains a masterpiece unique from any other artworks. The effectiveness of Asaroton ’76 in conveying an artistic message is incomparable, as it artfully depicts some of the common things that we see everyday. It immortalizes the debris of everyday life, which seem to reflect back to us, how we oftentimes don’t recognize these stuff as artistic or as anything valuable. With the Asaroton, we are able to see how these things, no matter what they are, can be a very good subject for a wonderful work of art. It’s main difference with the Rainbow Tank is obviously the size, and also the feeling it conveys, as it serves as a reminder of the things we usually neglect or ignore, as for the Rainbow Tank, it is a sign of peace, that’s why it conveys a feeling of happiness to the viewers. The Rainbow Tank is effective in its purpose of spreading peace, as it conveys a feeling of peacefulness and childish joy, despite the size of the structure. People who look at it tend to smile, even without a reason. Its mere presence in the area brings and assurance of peace for the people, though in reality, it could easily be a target of terrorism, with all the natural gas it contains. References: Harries/Heder Public Art. (2006). Asaroton 1976 (Unswept Floor). Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://www. harriesheder. com/asaroton. htm Millis, C. (1997). An opinionated, irreverent look at Boston’s public art. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://www. bostonphoenix. com/archive/art/97/08/21/PUBLIC_ART. html NPR. (2001). Boston’s Famed Rainbow Tank Inspires Admiration, Scorn. Retrieved June 9, 2008, from http://www. npr. org/news/specials/response/home_front/features/2001/nov/rainbowtank/011105. rainbowtank. html

How valid is the view that Germany was treated leniently in essays

How valid is the view that Germany was treated leniently in essays The treaty of Versailles was signed on the 28th of June 1919 by the Weimar government. The French, British, and American governments designed the peace settlement in order to place blame on Germany for starting the war. The consequences being that the German government would have to pay reparations, as well as loss of one third of land and most of the colonies. This caused total out rage within the German public, as they had always been led to believe that it had been a defensive war, through propaganda. There is much historical debate over how leniently the Germans were treated in the settlement. John Maynard Keynes supports the view that Germany hadnt been treated fairly, although facts such as the treaty of Brest-Litovsk point to a more lenient approach. In this essay a full examination of how Germany was treated in the settlement, and if it is a valid view that the settlement was lenient will be given, with close reference to factual evidence and historic debate. The German public were outraged after the signing of the treaty, as popular belief was that it had been a defensive war and in no way was Germany to blame. The treaty was looked upon as harsh and unfair, with a grave humiliation placed over Germany. Today German honour is dragged to the grave, one papers view on the settlement. The agreement was that Germany would loss 1/3 of her land and would have to pay reparations totalling to 6600 million. Thus crippling her as the removal of Alsace and Lorraine an important industrial area would make it harder for Germany to pay the reparations back. Also restrictions were placed on her army and industries were taken over, such as the Rhineland. Germany however wasnt consulted over the terms and the leading powers dictated them to her, causing more frustration amongst the German population. The German foreign minister Brockdorff-Rantza commented that the bases of the treaty, which w...

Four Dimensions of Human Resource Management Practice Essays

Four Dimensions of Human Resource Management Practice Essays Four Dimensions of Human Resource Management Practice Essay Four Dimensions of Human Resource Management Practice Essay Human resource environment is a great factor which can directly affects employees morale and productivity if not properly managed. After internal and external environmental factors are well taken care of, employee can concentrate on their task at hand. A positive and friendly environment makes work more enjoyable for the employee and it help to develop sense of belonging to the organization. Areas of the management of human resource environment includes Strategic human resource management which combined human resource practices with organizations business policies to helps the organization to achieve its goal. It involves a pattern of planned human resource deployment and activity which can improved the organizations productivity. Next, we need to ensure that the organizations human resources management practices are complied with federal, states and countrys law. As the organization is set-up for business. Policies are being developed to support its operations. We need to determined if these policies are legal with the legislative and regulatory agencies of the country. This is critical to the organization as legal issues can affects organizations operation and become a burden to organizations success and survival. Lastly, we look at design and review of jobs that can motivates and satisfies the employee and therefore, increasing productivity and maximizes customer service with better quality of work. With motivated and satisfied employee, there will not be much changes of the companys human resource as people are happy with their work and unlikely to leave the organization. : This result in a reduction in resources need to train new employee annually. Acquiring and preparing human resources As customer needs for new product and services, organizations need to forecast the number of employees need and type of workers that meets the demand. Organization have to measure its present human resources configuration and relates it to future demand. Base on its knowledge of the workers personality, organizations need to decide on termination of service for unproductive employee, promotion and also plan for employees retirement. Getting the right people to replace them can be quite challenging task. This area includes recruitment, employee selection, human resource planning and training for workers to perform their task. They have to keep a lookout for potential individual who are able to deliver what customer wants. It is important to minimize errors in selection and placement of employee as it affects the organization ability to compete with rivals and also the applicants life. Employee will not do well in wrong area of job scope allocated and will in future become a burden to the company and effects ones social life. Training helps employee to develop skills which is need to perform for task base on organization requirement. As the employee can do his job well, he will become positive and motivated to make more contribution for the company and therefore, improve productivity. Assessment and development of human resources Managers and employee have the necessary skills to perform current job and to develop new skills to be able to cope with future assignment as more advance method of operation and technology have been introduced to the organization. In this area of human resources management, we need to measure the employees performance in term of weakness and strength and plan necessary development for them. Preparing the employee for future work roles and resolve any issue that is affecting them in work. We also need to ensure that employee have the competencies necessary for the task for organizations present and future operation. Educating employee with organizations long term goals and values in the industry. Develop interest for employee to work for the organization, creating a relationship between the organization and the employee. Justification for productive employee by promotion and bonus will retain them from competitors. Discipline and layoff unproductive employee as they are obstructive to organization progress and fellow employee. The objective is to achieve an ideal employment relationship and working environment that will benefit both the company and employee. Compensating human resources Pay and benefits are used to reward employees contribution to the company and also to attracts new workers. Other than interests in work, the next incentives that workers look forward to is pay and benefit. Positive influence on new work design, new technology and quality demands on production can be damaged if employee are compensated unfairly. This area of human resources management includes creating of a good pay system, reward employee contributions and provide them with benefits for working in the company. Using salary and benefits to recognize and reward employee base on performance, seniority and skills will helps to retain experience and productive personnel. Frequent change of employee will result in a slow down in companys operation as they are lack of experience and cohesiveness.

Glider 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Glider 1 - Assignment Example This paper declares that a glider usually has got 3 forces acting on it while in flight in comparison with 4 forces that normally act on an aircraft that is powered. Both kinds of aircrafts are all subjected to drag, weight, and lift forces. For the powered craft, there is the engine thrust that opposes the drag; however, there is no thrust for glider. A glider must generate lift so as to oppose its own weight for it to fly. For lift to be generated, a glider ought to move via the air. A glider’s motion via the air produces drag. In the case of an aircraft that is powered, the drag is opposed by the engine’s thrust; however, the glider lacks an engine to produce thrust. With nothing to oppose the drag, a glider will rapidly slow down till it can no longer produce adequate lift to resist its weight, and falls down to the ground finally. This report makes a conclusion that it does not matter the length of the moment arm is to be employed. This is because both short as well as long moment arms are endowed with their advantages as well as disadvantages respectively. For instance, a disturbing force normally has a superior impact on an arm that is short as compared to one that is long. A long moment is slow to respond to stabilizing forces and thus loses its earlier advantage to a short one. However, on throwing, a glider with short moment arm recovers more rapidly due to stabilizing properties, whereas a longer moment ship usually attains more height before it finally recovers fully, going into a straight glide.

Organizational Behavior Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Behavior - Case Study Example Secondly Turner found that the activities of the concern lacked due organizing elements which made the organization suffer from financial and strategic crisis. Thirdly the President felt reluctant to enhance the communication activities amongst the people working in the management groups thereby restricting teamwork and sharing of resources. Fourthly owing to lack of proper communication the President failed to learn the right potential of his managerial team which thereby rendered in reducing motivation and productivity. Fifthly, Cardullo reflected a sense of adamant and destructive attitude in his dealings with subordinate team members. In addition to being rough with people, Cardullo declined to understand the potential of the advices and suggestions rend from the subordinates thus reflecting a total disregard to such. Sixthly, Cardullo owing to his shortsightedness declined to understand the advantages that the firm would receive in incorporating the new strategies produced by Tu rner but continued focusing only on the outcomes-dropping margins and financial health. Thus the President of Modern Lighting Incorporation reflected a continuing sense of being reluctant to the problems and issues faced in by the people both at the managerial and subordinate level. The President hooked on to his own ideas only and disregarded any form of communication in regards to formulating strategic decisions in regards to gaining on in margins and markets. Ineffective organization and decision making activities coupled with lack of communication and teamwork worked to enhance the failure of the corporation in regards to falling margins. Behaviors and Activities of Individuals Illustrating an Impact on the Issues An effective leader requires effective communication with the people employed in the different levels of the concern pertaining to managerial and subordinating ranks to gain potential feedbacks and suggestions. Such level of interaction would help the manager gain pote ntial information to formulate strategic decisions (Singla, 2010, p.453-454). In regards to the case Pat Cardullo is found to avoid having any form of potential communication with managerial members like Jamie Turner and other subordinate members like Tim Kelly and Ernie Dennis. Lack of proper communication thereby tends to create a rift between the people employed in different levels thereby jeopardizing productivity and motivation. Further Pat Cardullo focused on independent working rather than working based on rationalistic argumentation between people working in parallel positions or between managers and subordinates. Working based on rationalistic arguments tends to increase productivity rather than working in an independent fashion (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2008, p.359). Again Pat Cardullo is found to work on setting a managerial objective of gaining on in margins without rendering possible insights to his team about the process in accomplishing such. He is also observed to be in flexible to the ideas rendered in by subordinates and managerial team to gain on margins and dependable on short run objectives (Koontz and Weihrich, 2006, p.93). Finally Pat Cardullo is observed to promote groupism in the company through using Julie Chin in gaining information about activities of Janie Turner. The extent of groupism tends to create distortion in organizational relationships