I will add that myself it is a team collaboration, I dont neeed a Essay

I will add that myself it is a team collaboration, I dont neeed a cover page either - Essay Example Competence and Qualifications of Team Collaborator My educational background as graduating with a Bachelors of Science and Management, in conjunction with my work experience as a paramedic, has equipped me to prepare myself for the roles and duties as team collaborator. I have good communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills that have been developed through courses taken in the academe, such as: Communication Skills for the Human Services Professional and Human Motivation, among others. In this regard, with the BSM degree where management courses predominate, the functions of planning, coordinating, organizing and controlling have been learned, practiced and applied. These qualifications, traits, and skills make me competent to assume the role of a team collaborator to ensure that all group activities, consistent with the respective member’s duties and responsibilities are relayed, monitored, and any ensuing problems could be addressed, as needed. Reference Task Manage ment Guide. (2011).

American education Essay Example for Free

American education Essay Education in China is growing. Over the past years Chinas education system has been attempting, and been successful in improving the education in China. China for many years did not put much emphasis on education. China was more traditional, meaning they were more interested in farming and working. Prior the 1840 education in China was only for the elite, the high class. The main purpose of education was to train what China called gentlemen or high officials. This is the time of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who introduced China to the Royal Examination System, which is used to select imperial officers. Chinas education was very rigid and it focused highly on technology thus China has a high rate of illiteracy. Early Chinese students were not very well rounded; they were limited in what they could study. For example a student of science would not know much about Humanities, and vice versa, a student of Humanities would not know much about science. This approach of learning narrowed the range of knowledge that a Chinese student might have. This would limit the students thinking and restrict their future development. When a student is limited in what he of she can do then that will dramatically decrease the number of jobs that they have to chose from. American education is a lot different than the early Chinese education. In America, school is for developing critical thinking skills. American education teaches students to apply what they learn in the class to the outside world. They teach students to think outside of the box and how to think deep and to apply critical thinking skills. Critical thinking is expected in America, as for China they are more knowledge focused. The Chinese function more on memorization of knowledge and facts, again this limits them in their thinking. Chinas education is based on training for entrance exams for college; this time of exams is known as black July. They memorize a lot of facts and then repeat them on a test. In America they teach how to apply what we learn to many different problems, to see if the students can figure them out. Chinas system is very competitive. The students compete with each other because there is limited space in college and there are limited jobs, in their marrow fields. This increases the pressure on the students, students at times commit suicide or run away from home and often suffer form depression because the pressure is so great on them, form their family and also themselves. Unlike most American students Chinese students are eager to learn and work really hard, they want to be the best that they can be for themselves and also for their family. China is making a lot of reforms on their education approach today. They are slowly adopting some of the western worlds principles. They are beginning to encourage students to study in more than one field, such as if a students is studying mathematics they also can, and often do study another subject such as science. This is broadening the students horizons and allowing them to be more rounded in their capabilities. This also increases the job types that they might be able to do. The Chinese are beginning to put more of an emphasis on critical thinking than they have in the years past. This takes some of the pressure off of the students and evens it out a little more, because if the cant find a job and all they have is one skill then they will suffer and be left out working maybe a low rate job. If a student has more flexibility in what he or she can do then there will be more options for them in the job field. The education systems of China and America are more and more beginning to resemble one another. A few differences that still exist today are that the American schools are more centered on the students and interaction learning while the China schools are more teacher- focused and lecture oriented. American schools also encourage the students to debate with the teacher and ask questions during class. China has a phrase called saving face; this means that the students would rather not know the answer than to ask a dumb question. Teachers dont encourage questions during class and dont allow much debate. There are both strengths and weaknesses to both Chinese and American education methods. Chinese students study hard and often. They are viewing school as a privilege and a competition while most Americans view school as boring and tiresome. While Americans struggle with memorization and discipline, they are strong in critical thinking. American students are more rounded and able to apply what they have learned too many different things, whereas the Chinese are somewhat limited. I would have to say that all in all both systems have their positives and their negatives but as the years progress, improvement in each country will also.

Loving v. Virginia Essay -- Miscegenation

Miscegenation: Noun; Marriage, cohabitation, or sexual relations between two members of two separate races. Most commonly used in reference to relations between African Americans and Caucasian Americans (blacks and whites.) In 1960’s nearly 4 out of every 225 marriages was interracial. This was frowned upon in the early to mid 1900’s and this is what two people, Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving had to face. Racial indifference or a racial supremacy has been an issue in America as long as it has existed. It began with the Native Americans on this soil we thrive on today. The whites of the time pushed the Natives of what land they could and fooled them off of the rest of it. They took their children, and tried to conform them into a race they were not, and never would be. From there on, our nation grew larger and more independent. In 1619, 127 years after North America had been discovered, a Dutch man traded his cargo of Africans for food. This gave our nation its first g roup of â€Å"servants.† The uproar of slavery did not start until the 1680’s as far as the records show. The idea of slavery gave some, not all, Caucasian Americans the idea that they were better than the blacks who worked for them. Mind sets like these set the ball in motion for anti-miscegenation laws. 41out of our 50 states had these laws at one time, leaving only 9 states without ever having an anti-miscegenation law. These states being: Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey. 15 of these states abolished these laws only after the Loving V. Virginia case which was ruled on the 12th of June, 1967. That day, this couple got what they had wanted more than anything. They’re home back and their love to be a... ...icant. This one for many families today is very important. These cases are also the reason why during a census you have the opportunity to check multiple races, instead of just one. This case stirred debates of gay marriage, which is a matter of personal opinion. It is up to you whether that is a pro or a con. As we can now see, Loving v. Virginia opened plenty of doors. It took a couple that were strong and would not be beat down by hearing their marriage was illegal or how wrong they were. Richard and Mildred Loving did what every interracial couple wanted to do; make a difference. The couple gained the right to move back to their home with their families, to stay in their hometown peacefully, and to hang their marriage license on the wall and know that it is now recognized by every state. Race made no difference to them, it shouldn’t to anyone else either.

A Study of Warfare in Europe Between 1300 and 1500 Essay

Since the introduction of gunpowder into Europe, it has gone on to dominate warfare into the twentieth century. With the development of the first European guns in the fourteenth century, armies were given use of a weapon which was to radically alter most of the ways of making war which had been established during the Middle Ages, and changes began to be seen within only a few years. It is, however, questionable whether the nature of these early changes constituted a revolution in the methods of war, and even more so whether guns had by 1500 made a great deal of impact on the character of war as it had existed in 1300. In assessing whether a revolution had taken place (or at least whether one was in the process of happening) by 1500, it is necessary to examine three areas: the effectiveness of guns during the period; the extent of their use in conflicts; and finally the changes which resulted from the employment of the new weapons in war. The first reliable sources which assert the existence of guns appeared in the 1320s, and from the late 1330s the number of references to them rose dramatically. The early guns were of large calibre and used almost exclusively for sieges, although as early as Crà ©cy in 1346, the English â€Å"fired off some cannons which they had brought to the battle to frighten the Genoese.† Guns were made in one of two ways. Firstly, there were cast metal guns, usually of bronze, which were made at the foundry. These were usually the better weapons because they were made of a single piece of metal and therefore were less likely to burst apart on firing. The second method was arranging wrought iron strips into tubes which were then bound together with iron hoops in much the same way as barrels were made. The advantage of these guns was that iron was a much cheaper metal than bronze (but could not be cast), but being made of many pieces faults were more likely to develop, causing either the release of explosive pressure through the sides of the barrel and therefore a reduction in the power of the shot, or even the complete bursting of the gun. This structural weakness was compounded by the inclusion of a detachable breech (such guns were far easier to build) which often detached itself on the discharging of the weapon. Despite their lack of quality, however, iron guns were the more numerous due to their comparative cheapness, although smaller guns tended to be made chiefly from bronze both because of the difficulties of constructing small guns from iron  strips, and because they required less metal than the great bombards. The sizes and types multiplied from their modest beginnings until there were guns ranging in size and type from great bombards used for reducing entire cities, to handguns used as anti-personnel weapons. The early role played by artillery was in sieges, where its effectiveness was soon widely appreciated. â€Å"Broadly speaking, the use of guns meant that sieges could be brought to a conclusion much more quickly.† Cannons, with the ability to throw stones with great force over a flatter trajectory and with more accuracy than the old siege engines, could bring an end to a siege in a few weeks where previously it might have taken several months. In 1437, the castle of Castelnau-de-Cernà ¨s was â€Å"broken down during the said siege by cannon and engines, and a great part of the walls of the same thrown to the ground, so that it was in no way defensible against the king’s enemies.† On occasion, the mere presence of bombards could be enough to induce swift surrender, cities preferring capitulation to large-scale destruction by cannon fire. As artillery was added to armies in increasing amounts during the 1400s, wars became far more fast-moving affairs. The French employed artillery on a large scale in reducing the English fortresses in Normandy and Gascony, while huge, cumbersome bombards were used to good effect by the Spanish in the Reconquista. Such was the effectiveness of artillery by 1500 that Machiavelli could declare that â€Å"No wall exists, however thick, that artillery cannot destroy in a few days.† The successes which the early guns had in siege warfare led to the bombard being a vital part of any country’s armoury. The use of the counterweight trà ©buchet, which had been in existence in Roman times, failed to decline until the 1380s and was still listed as an active weapon in some French arms inventories until the 1460s. This shows the gradual nature of the introduction of gunpowder artillery (perhaps caused by shortages of materials for the cannons or unwillingness to invest in them when a prince already owned trà ©buchets), but there was little doubt that guns were becoming by far the better siege weapons. Their importance gave rise to a kind of ‘arms race’ in France in particular, with cities in the contested areas of the Hundred Years War assigning the acquisition of guns a high  priority. Charles the Bold’s army included a substantial artillery element in his war with the Swiss (although he was perhaps not a good enough general to make effective use of it), while in 1494, Charles VIII invaded Italy with â€Å"†¦an army of 18,000 men and a horse-drawn siege-train of at least forty guns. Even contemporaries realised that this marked a new departure in warfare: in 1498 the Venetian Senate declared that ‘the wars of the present time are influenced more by the force of bombards and artillery than by men at arms’.† Despite their undoubted worth, however, artillery did have a number of disadvantages at this time. Perhaps the main one of these is the chronic difficulty of moving the heavy guns, especially over land. Philip the Good of Burgundy experienced such problems in his war with Ghent in 1452-3: â€Å"Such was the weight of a great bombard which he borrowed from the town of Mons that all the bridges between Mons and Lille had to be strengthened with iron supports for its passage. During the journey, the gun fell into a ditch, and took two days to be extricated by men using lifting equipment specially constructed for the purpose.† Transport was easier by river, but clearly this limited the movement of the artillery. It is partly because of these transport problems that artillery (with the exception of handguns) was used little during open field battles. Particularly when manoeuvring was of critical importance to an army, the last thing a commander would want would be to have to wait for the artillery, which would be slower than the rest of his force, and be unlikely to be able to move away from roads. Due to a lack of enthusiasm for such a cumbersome battlefield weapon, field artillery developed little in the early days of gunpowder, and the large cannons which were used on battlefields tended to be immobile siege guns which had been hastily adapted. Not only did the lack of mobility of cannons cause problems for armies on the march, but it also restricted their usefulness on the battlefield itself. The absence of effective gun carriages meant that artillery tended to be fixed rather than able to be aimed, the guns being mounted on wooden frames or simply positioned on mounds of earth. Their slow rate of fire (not only because of the time taken to load them, but because it took time for the  guns to cool down between shots) and their limited range at this time was another weakness, which led to them being easily overrun. Soldiers could wait at the limit of the guns’ range until the first salvo had been fired, then charge, reaching them well before the next shots could be fired, and disable the guns. The weaknesses of artillery on the battlefield were such that, â€Å"Even during the second half of the fifteenth century cannons were only used occasionally in pitched battles.† Handguns were of more use on the battlefield, having none of the transport problems of the heavy artillery and having a great deal in common with the crossbow, a weapon of proven worth. Like the crossbow, the handgun was a specialised anti-personnel weapon, and was ideal for firing at large exposed masses of soldiers where it could inflict considerable damage. The advantages which handguns had over crossbows was their superior hitting power, (of which Pope Pius II remarked, â€Å"No armour can withstand the blow of this torment, and even oaks are penetrated by it,†) and their relative cheapness due to the simplicity of their construction. As their accuracy improved and the numbers of trained marksmen increased, they came to supersede the crossbows in European armies, but by 1500 this process was by no means complete, the two weapons frequently working side-by-side in battles. While the slow rate of fire of handguns meant they could not stand independently in battle and needed the support of troops armed with close-combat weapons, they became an accepted auxiliary weapon in many armies. Despite the increased use of gunpowder weapons in battle, they were by no means always successful. Superiority in artillery was no guarantee of victory, as Charles the Bold discovered at Grandson and Morat in 1476. At Agincourt, the French gunners were pushed to one side by their own men at arms and played no significant role in the course of the battle. There are, however, examples of the successes of guns in battle, hinting at the success they were to achieve in the future. The Battle of Castillon in 1453 showed the devastating effects of crossfire: â€Å"Talbot imprudently attacked the [French] camp which led to the intervention of the French battery commanded by Giraud de Samian, a highly respected cannoneer. ‘He grievously injured  them because with each shot five or six fell dead to the ground’.† With the increased use of guns, deaths and injuries caused by them came to be recorded in greater number: â€Å"In 1442, John Payntour, an English esquire, was killed by a culverin shot at La Rà ©ole. Four years previously, Don Pedro, brother of the king of Castile, had been decapitated by a gunshot during the siege of the castle of Capuana at Naples†¦In April 1422, one Michael Bouyer, esquire, was languishing in prison at Meaux, ‘gravely ill and mutilated in one of his legs by a cannon shot, in such a way that he cannot aid himself’†¦It was becoming obvious that the gun could not only batter down fortifications, but could kill, and kill selectively from afar.† It is clear that by 1500, guns had come to be an everyday part of European armies. While the use of firearms on the battlefield tended to be limited to handguns, these were gradually replacing the older bows as the main auxiliary shot weapon. Cannons had made a huge impact on the conduct of siege warfare, bringing sieges to an end comparatively swiftly, and becoming indispensable in great armies. Although there were bound to be initial troubles with what was after all a relatively new weapon, notable successes were being recorded, especially in sieges, and the gun was definitely here to stay. To constitute a revolution, though, the growing use of such weapons would have to have changed not only the methods of making war, but also the outcome and the character of conflicts. What, then, were the consequences of the increased use of gunpowder? One of the largest series of changes happened in the area where the new guns were at their most effective, that of siege warfare. The advantages which a defending army could gain by hiding within fortifications had been understood for a long time. During the ‘High Middle Ages’, the war zones of Western Europe had become studded with castles and forts, and wars came to be characterised not by swift manoeuvre and open field battles, but more through long, drawn-out sieges. The failure of an attacking army to take a castle was likely to cause it a great deal of problems. If bypassed by an army, a defending garrison could retake control of the surrounding countryside from its secure central base and conduct raids on the enemy’s army and supplies (especially as fortifications tended to be located at  communications centres). Failure to take a large number of castles could result in their garrisons uniting to form an army capable of defeating the enemy force in the open field. In short, territory could not be conquered without gaining control of the fortifications within it. The effect of the introduction of effective siege guns with the capability of breaching the walls of castles was to bring the advantage in siege warfare away from defence and more towards the attacking force. With guns able to bring about the capitulation of fortresses within a few weeks or even a few days, there was a diminishing prospect of the defending country being able to organise an army in time to relieve the besieged. It would seem that the introduction of cannons had, for a time at least, called into question the efficacy of defence by small, dispersed garrisons defending fortifications. Had the use of siege guns not produced a defensive reaction, it seems possible that the castle could have been made redundant and defensive armies driven to do battle in the open field on equal terms with their adversaries. Attacking innovation, however, did produce defensive reaction, which in turn provoked counter-reaction from besiegers, and this greatly altered the nature of siege warfare during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Guns, of course, were not exclusively weapons of attack. Defensive firearms were an early experiment which had some effect in maintaining some sort of defensability of fortifications in two ways. Firstly, by firing at the besieging army from the castle walls, defensive marksmen and cannoneers could take advantage of the short range of early guns by making it very hard to position bombards close enough to the walls to cause damage. By refusing to give the besieging army the freedom to position guns wherever they liked, the defenders could in this way keep the enemy at ‘arms length’. The second way in which guns could be used to defend fortifications was not to defend the walls from destruction by cannon fire, but to provide crossfire against enemy troops when the time came for them to attempt to storm the castle, a function which crossbows were able to perform, but were of inferior effectiveness and more expensive than handguns. This use of defensive firearms caused changes in the way in which attackers  approached sieges. Guns being fired into the besiegers’ camp necessitated the greater use of cover, in particular for the bombards which were placed nearest to the castle walls for much of the siege. To this end, trenches were dug and wooden shields or hoardings were constructed to protect the soldiers and their guns. Trenches provided some degree of effective protection against most weapons, while the hoardings gave protection to the guns, which usually had to be positioned in more exposed locations in order that they could target the walls before them, against everything but powerful firearms. â€Å"Jean de Bueil could advocate the siting of a besieger’s camp before a beleaguered fortress on the model of the fortified entrenchments dug at Maulà ©on, Guissen, Cherbourg, Dax, and Castillon fifteen years before. Trenches, he wrote, were to be dug from one part of the siege to another, covered by hoardings. Ease of contact and movement between the units of the encircling forces could thus be ensured.† Further success could be gained by the besieging forces by employing not only large bombards to break down the walls, but also smaller guns to pick off individual defending troops. This would not only prevent defensive gunners from having the luxury of completely free shots at their enemies, but would limit the effectiveness of attempts to repair breaches in the walls. The use of guns in both attack and defence produced perhaps the biggest changes in siege warfare in the form of changes to the fortifications themselves. The castles which existed before the widespread use of cannons were ill-suited to withstand the accurate and powerful impact of cannonballs. Trebuchà ©ts had been of more use in lobbing stones over the walls to cause damage inside castles than in actually causing breaches, and so the walls were built tall and flat so as to be better able to resist being scaled by soldiers. Such walls provided a large target for cannon fire, and their flatness meant that the full force of the shot was directed straight into them. Rather than rebuild entire castles, lords were often forced through reasons of cost to opt for the next-best solution of adaptation. Scarping the walls with banks of earth or masonry was tried in an attempt both to thicken the walls, and to turn the blows of cannons into more glancing shots, with the added bonus that sloping walls meant that siege ladders became ineffective. While it was a sound theory to avoid  square-on impacts from cannonballs, scarping was of limited value, and where this was an adaptation to an older castle, in many cases it weakened the walls by placing extra weight on them. Gunports were a further adaptation to fortifications which occurred as a result of the introduction of guns. These were holes put in the walls of the castles, often where arrow slits had been, to allow small guns to be fired from a position of relative safety. They were frequently positioned in the towers or gatehouses of castles to provide flanking fire along the walls where it was anticipated any attacking soldiers would have to stop before being able to push on into the castle. This modification was quite cheap and easy to put in place, and was used across Europe. One method of improving the efficacy of defensive fire both against attacking troops and forces sitting back and besieging was the greater use of defensive outworks built of earth or masonry. Not only could this ‘forward defensive’ strategy force enemy guns further back from the castle proper, but it also provided a further opportunity to enfilade soldiers as they advanced. Boulevards or artillery towers could be built in ditches forward of the walls with a clear line of fire along the trench. As the enemy soldiers advanced, they would have to spend time negotiating the ditch during which the fire from the outworks could take its toll. â€Å"At Dax, Guissen and Cadillac, in 1449 and 1451, the French encountered heavy resistance from such outer works constructed by the defenders.† The ultimate defence against besiegers armed with guns, though, was the fortification based on the angled bastion. It was this defence which was coming increasingly into use by 1500 which decisively swung the balance of power back in favour of the defenders. The bastion was essentially a gun platform for siting heavy guns which needed the freedom to be turned and fired against the enemy camp wherever it was in relation to the castle, a freedom which could not be obtained firing through gunports. These towers were thrust forward of the walls to keep the enemy back and were built the same height as the rest of the castle (unlike traditional towers), perhaps to facilitate the movement of guns around the walls, or perhaps because of the high cost of taller towers. The entire structure was squat, making it a smaller target and allowing the guns at the top of the walls to maintain fire at targets close to the foot of the fortification, and scarped to produce more glancing blows from cannonballs. This last objective was also achieved by projecting the bastions at a different angle to the rest of the wall, so that in effect only the wall would receive square-on blows. It could be said that round castles and round towers would present no flat surfaces to be hit squarely, but to build such fortifications would make flanking fire along the walls at best difficult. Round bastions were built, but left dead ground where guns could not reach, while entire castles built on a circular model would need many projecting towers to provide fire along the walls. With the angled bastion, fire could be given along the entire base of the tower from guns positioned in the walls, while fire along the walls could be provided from gunports in alcoves in the bastion. It seemed for a while that the destructive power of cannons would lead to a decisive shift towards the attackers in siege warfare which would perhaps bring an end to the dominant role of fortifications in warfare. However, defensive tactics adapted to the situation in a number of ways, ensuring the survival of the castle and the siege. It can be said, though, that although the nature of warfare overall was not changed, the nature of sieges changed significantly as a result of the use by both attackers and defenders of gunpowder weapons, and because a new type of castle had been born. If guns provided a temporary revolution in the balance of sieges, then the bastion was equally as revolutionary in restoring the old balance. â€Å"By resisting the new artillery and providing platforms for heavy guns [the bastion] revolutionised the defensive-offensive pattern of warfare.† While cannons produced many changes in the conduct of sieges, changes of similar magnitude cannot be seen in open field warfare. Cannons, lacking effective carriages to allow them to keep pace with their armies and to manoeuvre on the battlefield, were little used until the late fifteenth century. Handguns, despite coming to be as accepted a weapon as the crossbow, failed to produce any noteworthy changes. Possessing greater hitting power than the crossbow, but similar weaknesses, including slow rate  of fire, they were unable to establish themselves as anything more than an auxiliary weapon. While the Swiss were to use handguns in their successful pike square formations, their role could be (and often was) performed equally well by crossbowmen, and European armies continued to be based on knightly cavalry and close-combat infantry. The handgun of the fifteenth century was simply another auxiliary shot weapon, and, â€Å"The arquebus, or match-lock musket, did not finally oust the crossbow from French armies until 1567.† Nonetheless, the importance of guns increased during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries until they became an essential part of major wars. One of the results of this was to make war a much more large-scale thing in terms of money, and to put serious warfare (involving conquest and therefore sieges) out of reach of the pockets of anybody but princes. Artillery was very expensive. â€Å"It was one thing, in accordance with ancient ways, to expect a man at arms to come to the host equipped with his own horses and armour, but no one, in the new conditions of war, expected a master of artillery to provide his own cannon.† On a national level, the introduction of guns further widened the gap in military potential between rich and poor countries, underlining the superiority of countries like France over countries like the Italian states. It can be asked to what extent gunpowder weapons revolutionised notions of chivalry and whether the attitudes of people altered as a result of their experiences of the new guns. There is a good deal of late mediaeval literature which shows that many people despised them. They were an indiscriminate weapon which had no respect for social status, meaning that princes could now be killed from afar by peasants and artisans. This went against the traditional chivalric notion of individual combat among equals. Guns were also seen as cowardly, because of the belief that the gunner, hiding behind the smoke from his gun, did not put himself in mortal danger by firing, yet could still take the lives of others. Many saw guns as being instruments of the devil, with the noise and fire created being seen as having come from Hell itself. A popular attitude during the early days of guns in Europe is shown by Cervantes when he wrote, blessed be those happy  ages that were strangers to the dreadful fury of these devilish instruments of artillery, whose inventor I am satisfied is now in Hell, receiving the reward of his cursed invention, which is cause that very often a cowardly base hand takes away the life of the bravest gentleman; and that in the midst of that vigour and resolution which animates and inflames the bold, a chance bullet (shot perhaps by one who fled, and was frightened by the very flash the mischievous piece gave, when it went off) coming nobody knows how, or from where, in a moment puts a period to the brave designs and the life of one that deserved to have survived many years†¦ It is unlikely, however, that this attitude was held by the majority of people at the time. Shot weapons were nothing new, and had been in existence and used on a large scale for many years. There was little difference between a knight being killed by an arquebus or by a longbow. The large-scale use of guns by most European armies demonstrates that while there might have been some degree of chauvinism against firearms, princes were still quite prepared to use them, and indeed the church positively encouraged their use at a time when the Turkish threat to Christendom was increasing. There is little evidence that captured gunners were treated any differently to any other captured commoners (and by 1500 it was by no means guaranteed that gunners would not in fact be noble), and overall, society had little difficulty in accepting the place of artillery in modern warfare. Guns were ‘domesticated’ and given names, taking on characters of their own, and, â€Å"By the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the early modern era, gunpowder weaponry had simply become a feature of everyday life. Guns had become so conventional that they began to be used in celebrations, in fashion, and in crime. Ultimately, guns even became virility symbols.† This growing acceptance represents in part a change in attitudes brought about by the realisation that guns were of considerable use, but mainly it is a result of the rather superficial nature of chivalry at that time. There was a tendency for people only to behave according to the rules of chivalry when either it suited them to or when they could afford to. Princes, when faced with an adversary armed with artillery could not afford to confine themselves to criticising such ‘bad sportsmanship’ but had to respond in kind, an option which they were more than willing to take. In assessing whether gunpowder’s introduction caused revolutionary changes in Europe before 1500, it is necessary not only to examine the specific changes which arose, but moreover to assess whether warfare in 1300 had significantly changed in character by 1500 as a result of the use of guns. The answer to this has to be a definite no. The armies of 1500 made extensive use of guns, but these had not revolutionised the makeup of armed forces. The dominance of cavalry had persisted throughout the two centuries, and its only serious challenge had come in the late fifteenth century with the pike square, which by no means relied on guns. While the use of cannons had transformed the methods used in conducting sieges, only temporarily had there been the prospect of altering the nature of war away from the innumerable fortress battles which characterised the period. Gunpowder weapons had failed to bring an end to the siege as an important aspect of war, and could only act as a supplem entary weapon on the battlefield. Overall, despite the numerous changes which the increasing use of guns had caused, it is possible to agree with J. R. Hale’s assertion: â€Å"Gunpowder, in short, revolutionised the conduct but not the outcome of wars.†

Does Modern Technology Make Life More Convenient, or Was Life Better When Technology Was Simpler?

Does modern technology make life more convenient, or was life better when technology was simpler? As a matter of fact, nowadays, technology plays an important role in people's life, to extent they cannot imagine their lives without role of technology, simply, because they live in the speed time. I mention bellow how technology makes life more convenient. First and foremost, today's generation is not like old generation. For instance, in the past people did face many difficulties when they perform their duties, especially when they clean their clothes, whereas, today everybody cleans her or his clothes by washing-machine which makes their life more comfortable. moreover, it protects their hands from chemical elements which is in the soap of washing clothes, so, washing-machine is so important and required. Secondly, students are the most people who need technology in their life, especially the Internet, today’s students are more open for the world rather than before, for instance, in the past students just used the books to do their search because their subjects were easy, simple and short, whereas, nowadays students are more development, advance and independence. Therefore, they need something which helps them to perform their search such as Computer with Internet because their searches are wide and include many information which cannot find them easily from books, thus, they use internet to find these information. In this way, they overcome the difficulties which students were face them before. In conclusion, I believe that technology makes our modern life more convenient, although, there are advantages and disadvantages of the effect of the technology on ourselves but the advantages are more than disadvantages, especially, when we back to home in the summer, we need something cold to during from the refrigerator or cold weather from the AC. there is not argument the life before was simple and quite but there was difficulties in performing the duties.

Nurse Residency essays

Nurse Residency essays Study design based on outcomes of the UHC graduate nurse residency program The AACN/University Health System Consortium (UHC) Residency Program was designed to expand the capacity of the universitys baccalaureate nursing program and to develop a residency program to improve the competency of novice nurses. According to the study, the programs retention rate statistic of 89% was an improvement upon published reports indicating that the average nursing turnover rates of new graduates was 40-50% during the first year of employment. (AACN/UHC Nurse Residency Program, 2006, AACN website) To better test the outcomes of the findings of the UHC graduate nursing program study to increase retention, satisfaction, and overall professional competence, graduates of the newly development program should continue to be assessed with three evaluative instruments. However, these evaluations should be measured against the scores of graduates of a variety of less structured or more traditional nursing program. Given the variety of nursing programs in existence across the country, ideally a sampling of a wide variety of other programs should be selected, but with a similar group composition of age, gender, and previous academic preparation. Also, to assess the specific success of the developing UHC program, previous retention rates and former graduates reports of self-efficacy before the program was instated should be used for a comparison, as well as the national retention rate of nursing graduates. The retention rate from the selected control sampling should also be compared against the experimental group. The control group is actually likely to be a better contrasting measurement, given that the control sample will have a population similar in demographics to the experimental population of UHC nursing residents, and thus factors such as previous education level will have less of an influence upon the results. ...

Signs Youre Meant to Go to Law School

Signs Youre Meant to Go to Law School Think that law school is for you? Law school is notoriously expensive, hard, and often boring. Moreover, jobs are hard to come by, not as lucrative as depicted by TV, and certainly not as interesting. Many law students and graduates are dismayed to learn that a career in law is nothing like they imagined. How do you avoid disappointment and disillusionment? Make sure that you are going to law school for the right reasons and after seeking the right experiences.   1.  You Know What You Want to Do With Your Degree Law school is for making lawyers. Be sure that you want to practice the law. Sure, law degrees are versatile  Ã‚  you do not have to be a practicing attorney. Plenty of  lawyers work in other fields, but a law degree isn’t needed to work in these areas. Should you seek an extraordinarily expensive degree and acquire massive loan debt to get a job that does not require your degree? Make sure that you know what you want to do and that a law degree is essential to accomplishing your career goals. 2.  You Have Some Experience in Law Too many students apply to law school without having spent even an afternoon in a legal setting. Some law students get their first taste of the law on their internships, after a year ​or more of law school. What’s worse is that some of these inexperienced law students decide that they dislike working in legal settings but after investing the time and money in law school stick it out and potentially become more miserable. Make an informed decision about whether law school is for you based on having some experience in the field. Entry level work in a legal environment can help you see what a legal career is really like a lot of paper pushing and decide if it is for you. 3. You Have Sought Career Advice From Lawyers What is a career in law like? You can spend time in legal settings and observe, but it’s always useful to get the perspective of a few lawyers. Talk to experienced lawyers:  What is their job like? What do they love about it? What isnt so fun? What would they do differently? Also approach more junior lawyers. Find out about their experiences transitioning from law school to a career. What was their experience on the job market? How long did it take to find a job? What do they like best about their career, and least? What would they do differently? Most importantly, if they could do it over, would they go to law school? In today’s difficult market more and more young lawyers answer, â€Å"No.† 4. You Have a Scholarship With three years of tuition and expenses running $100,000 to $200,000, deciding whether to go to law school is more than an educational and career decision, it is a financial decision with life-long repercussions. A scholarship can ease that burden. Recognize, however, that scholarships are renewed only when students maintain a given GPA and grades are very tough in law school. It is not uncommon for students to lose scholarships after the first year of law school, so beware. 5. You Cannot See Yourself Doing Anything Else in Life Than Practice Law Be honest. It is easy to make this claim, but research job options and do your homework as outlined above. Whatever you do, do not go to law school because you do not know what else to do with your life. Make sure that you have an informed understanding of the field and what success in law school requires. If so, prepare your law school application and plan ahead.

Postal Service Wants to Offer Payday Loans

Postal Service Wants to Offer Payday Loans Even though it loses massive quantities of it every year, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) wants to loan you money. Short-term â€Å"payday† loans are just one of the financial services the USPS has proposed offering though Post Offices in order to serve the scores of American â€Å"unbanked† individuals and families, while protecting them from predatory payday lenders and, of course, bettering its own dismal financial status. According to a report from the USPS’ inspector general, one in four U.S. households lives at least partially outside the financial mainstream without bank accounts or using costly services like payday lenders – and spends an average of $2,412 each year just on interest and fees for such alternative financial services. â€Å"Many of the 34 million financially underserved households - representing 68 million adults - are treading water very close to the economic edge,† wrote the inspector general. â€Å"Unexpected expenses can push them over the brink into homelessness or bankruptcy, which come with broad social and economic costs.† The inspector general estimates the USPS could bring in almost $9 billion a year by capturing just 10% of the $89 billion spent on alternative financial services in the U.S. every year. â€Å"Postal financial services may appeal to many customers who feel abandoned by major financial institutions,† states the report. â€Å"Postal organizations have an unmatched ability to reach consumers from diverse backgrounds.† As the report notes, many international postal services are already garnering significant new revenue by offering financial services. Of course, the USPS also hopes to make money by charging interest on these short-term loans, but at a far lower rate than those charged by traditional payday lenders. USPS Brand Payday Loan vs. Traditional Payday Loans The USPS inspector general suggests the Postal Service could offer short-term – payday – loans with interest rates of 28%, compared to the average interest rate of 391% charged by traditional payday lenders. For example, a person borrowing $375 from a traditional payday lender would end up having to pay back a total of about $896, including $521 in interest and fees. The same $375 borrowed from the USPS would end up costing only $423, including $48 in interest and fees. â€Å"That single loan from the Postal Service could effectively put $472 back into a consumer’s pocket, which he or she could then use on more economically productive expenses,† stated the report. â€Å"If even one-tenth of the 12 million Americans who take out a payday loan each year got this hypothetical Postal Loan instead, they could collectively save more than half a billion dollars a year in fees and interest.† In addition, says the inspector general, short-term Postal Service loans would allow the estimated 10 million unbanked U.S. households which cannot afford high-interest rate payday loans to borrow the money they need. â€Å"There is a wide range of consumers who need access to small-dollar credit, and the Postal Loan could strongly appeal to these different types of borrowers,† noted the inspector general. â€Å"For example, people whose income varies throughout the year, consumers with no other avenues to credit, families with unexpected expenses, and others.† Finally, contends the report, affordable Postal Service loans would help people break the â€Å"cycle of debt,† that forces them to borrow more money to make payments on existing loans. According to a 2104 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, more than 80% of payday loans are either extended or followed by another loan less than two weeks later. While the â€Å"average† interest rate for traditional payday loans may be 391%, the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has warned consumers of online payday lenders charging interest rates of 650% USPS Vows Not to Compete with Banks If you own a bank, don’t worry. The inspector general makes it perfectly clear that the USPS has no intention of becoming a bank or even competing with banks. Instead, says his report, in offering small short-term loans and other financial services, the Postal Service would â€Å"greatly complement† the services offered by banks. Correctly noting that banks are closing branches in inner city low-income and rural areas nationwide, the inspector general says the USPS would help banks â€Å"fill the gaps in their efforts to reach the underserved.† And remember, â€Å"The Postal Service also is among the most trusted companies in America, and trust is a critical element for implementing financial services,† he added. Also See: Postal Services Wants to Deliver Groceries

Biology Lab Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Biology Lab Report - Essay Example There is necessity, especially in sports, where athletics are continuously striving to better themselves, to understand the relationships between cardiovascular fitness and exercise. Though the aforementioned cardiovascular responses to exercise and the factors that influence them are very complex this laboratory report contrives to seek relationship between one such response – heart rate – with exercise in a time-dependent manner. The Step Test will be applied to a total of ten subjects divided into two groups of five each. One group will be allowed to have more than six hours of sleep while the other will be allowed to have less than six. The hypothesis will be tested by counting the heart rates of the subjects at regular intervals during the test and compared to assess whether it holds true. Each subject steps up and down a low platform about 8 inches from the ground. He/she steps up and down for 3 minutes at the rate of 30 steps per minute. Each step is comprised of an up and down at a constant rate. A metronome is used to ensure that the stepping is constant for each subject. Each subject’s pulse rate will be measured using three fingers pressed over the radial artery in the wrist. The pulse rate will be tested for 30 seconds and multiplied by 2 to get the heart rate per second. There will be a count before the test (normal pulse rate) and another immediately after (pulse rate after stress). The subject should be made to sit quietly during the counting. The pulse rate for each subject should be counted at intervals of 30 seconds after the test till it returns to normal. There should be the first count immediately after the test and, thereafter, the next count should be made after 30 seconds rest. Thus, there should be alternate 30 seconds counts followed by 30 seconds rests till the rate returns to normal. The average heart rate

Sale Of Goods Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Sale Of Goods - Coursework Example He also found that the books in another container were about gardening instead of politics. The books in the third container conformed to the terms of the contract of sale. There are some statutes that favor David in respect of the books that were about gardening. S 13(1) of Sale of Goods Act 1979 states that, â€Å"Where there is a contract for the sale of goods by description, there is an implied condition that the goods will correspond with the description.†1 According to the given facts, David made a contract for goods that fit a particular description i.e. the books entitled How to win votes. There was an implied condition that the books must have been the same. Books about gardening were unrelated to the terms of the contract. ... He also has a right to reject the books because there has been a breach of condition. The contract between David and Obama is a non-severable contract. This means that S 11(4) is applicable which states that, â€Å"Where a contract of sale is not severable and the buyer has accepted the goods or part of them, the breach of a condition to be fulfilled by the seller can only be treated as a breach of warranty, and not as a ground for rejecting the goods and treating the contract as repudiated, unless there is an express or implied term of the contract to that effect.†3 One of the containers had the books that were in perfect condition and were in conformity with the contract. David cannot reject those books. However, when he rejects a part of books, he would have to treat the breach of condition as a breach of warranty and would not be able to treat the contract as repudiated. He would be entitled to claim damages from Obama for the loss that he has sustained due to the delivery of wrong books. Obama’s view that David can easily on-sell the books based on gardening is of no consequence because the delivery of those books was not a part of the contract. Their contract was made through emails. This means that a written record of their conversations can be obtained easily. David discovered that the entire contents of one container were badly damaged. Obama is denying any responsibility for that and the Jardine Carriers, with whom Obama had contracted for the carriage of the books, say that it has â€Å"nothing to do with them† because there was no contract between JC and David. The contract between Obama and David was made on CIF terms. CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) means that the seller delivers when the goods

Social desirability effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social desirability effect - Essay Example Field study is one of the methods employed by researchers in studying human behavior. Field studies are undertaken in a natural setting rather in a structured environment (Kitayama & Cohen, 2010, p. 220). It involves a naturalistic observation wherein researchers discreetly observe behaviors that occur in a natural setting. Field study also entails observation of individual’s reactions to stimuli or events designed by researchers in the natural setting (Kitayama & Cohen, 2010, p. 220). This particular method of study is interesting as it offers an in-depth detail of a social phenomenon. However, the results derived from these studies fail to provide objectivity as it relies on the researcher’s judgment. The means to improve such method become an interesting area of study. Field study can serve as an insightful means of defining group behaviors. Wimmer and Dominick (2010) stressed that field studies possess an advantage of being nonreactive. Reactivity refers to the effe cts of the subject’s awareness of being observed or measured on her or his behavior. The objectivity of studies often suffers from subject’s awareness of being observed (p. 225). Sevilla, Ochave, Punsalan, Regala, and Uriarte (1992) reiterated that there are variables in social psychology that cannot be explored through experimentation (p. 154). Thus, field study offers insights into these phenomena. It presents a great breadth and depth of understanding unattainable by quantitative researches (Shepard, 2004, p. 50). Shepard (2004) stressed that findings in a particular situation may not be applicable to other situations. In addition, most field studies fail to employ standardized measuring devices. Researchers rely on subjective interpretation and judgment. The researcher’s judgment is vulnerable to biases and blind spots (p. 50).

Health and Social Research Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Health and Social Research Methods - Essay Example Libya is one of the rich countries of the world located in the region of North Africa. The population of Libya is around six million. 22.1 percent lives in  the  rural area. Average life of the people is around 75 years. Mortality rate is around 6.9 under the age of 5. Libya is an oil-rich and upper middle-income country located in North Africa region with a population of slightly above six million, out of which 22.1 percent lives in a rural area. (Toebes et al., 2013). The Libyan Red Crescent is a Voluntary aid organization, was formed in 1957. The purpose was to provide medicines and other medical facilities in the cities of Libya. Record shows that the health system needs to improve in Libya. The volunteers of this organization are doing their work properly in providing the medical aids to the people affected by the disasters. The volunteers of this organization are improving themselves by providing relief to the general public (Ahsan Ullah, 2014). Their motive is to help humanities specially disabled persons to ensure that they are provided free and better medical treatments. Their development programs are the evidence of their intention of  the  work. The additional work of this organization is to prevent the people from disease, providing healthy food, protection of poor people, preparation for disasters, donate blood, recovery of the disease and organizing programs to maintain peace in the society (Martin et al., 2014). The volunteers of Libya Red Crescent Organization are providing better services of medical aid facilities to the people who are injured in the disasters. The volunteers have several issues, which have to be resolved. However, there is a need for research to identify and examine the issues faced by the volunteers. The employees of the organization address some of the issues lack of training and motivation. There is a need to find the issues, inspect them get

MIS infrastructure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MIS infrastructure - Assignment Example Grid computing has helped Xerox Corporation to coordinate in solving a common problem because it entails a collection of computers which is often geographically dispersed. For grid computing, an issue is broken into pieces and spread to many machines, enabling faster processing power than could happen on a single system. Devices use a percentage of their processing power is leaving more unused processing power thus putting together thousand of single computers to build a supercomputer that can handle intensive duties. The smart grid is used to bring electricity using two-way digital technology. Cloud computing assists Xerox Corporation in resource utilization and applications hosted remotely on the internet. Xerox Corporation also uses virtualized computing to create multiple efficient machines on single computing devices, where a data center is used to house MIS and related elements such as storage systems and telecommunications. Sustainable data centers help in the reduction of car bon emissions, minimizes the needed floor space and chooses a geographic location.Xerox Corporation help companies to establish their strength and weaknesses because of the performance record of the employees, revenue report among more. For Xerox, it supports the communication of the people and planning tool. The system is useful in Xerox because it helps the company perform directive marketing and promotion activities, for example, availability of customer feedback can assist the business to align business processes.

Causes of the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of the Civil War - Essay Example uncertainty about the wars  causes  has driven historians back to the sources time and time again, with the result that we have gradually enlarged our knowledge and deepened our understanding of our greatest national crisis. Hence I find the prospect of a continuing debate, however much it may annoy those who find it disagreeable to live with uncertainties, the best promise that research and writing in this period of American history will continue to have vitality (Stampp, 1992). The point is that wars including The American  Civil  War usually happen due to the number of reasons and not because of one definite reason. People who take part in the war may often have different reasons for that. This question is worth-discussing, so in the given paper we will try to identify the possible reasons of American Civil War. Notwithstanding that slavery represented serious  ethical problem of 19th century, many average citizens of the United States were not interested in it. Some of them even had never met a slave. The politicians on the contrary showed great interest in slavery. They understood that the economy of the South was grounded upon slavery and would be completely destroyed with its abolishment. Thus, they tried not to leave any threat to slavery unnoticed; furthermore many of them were slave-owners and did not want to loose their wealth and privileges and accept the new way of life that democratic North tried to impose on them. In the North of the country politicians had different attitudes towards slavery. Some of political leaders were abolitionists, as well as many average citizens who worked in the area of religion or in journalism. Many citizens had neutral position. Anyway, it is necessary to note that while today we consider slavery from the point of view of ethics and morals, in the 19th century it represented

MIS infrastructure Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

MIS infrastructure - Assignment Example Grid computing has helped Xerox Corporation to coordinate in solving a common problem because it entails a collection of computers which is often geographically dispersed. For grid computing, an issue is broken into pieces and spread to many machines, enabling faster processing power than could happen on a single system. Devices use a percentage of their processing power is leaving more unused processing power thus putting together thousand of single computers to build a supercomputer that can handle intensive duties. The smart grid is used to bring electricity using two-way digital technology. Cloud computing assists Xerox Corporation in resource utilization and applications hosted remotely on the internet. Xerox Corporation also uses virtualized computing to create multiple efficient machines on single computing devices, where a data center is used to house MIS and related elements such as storage systems and telecommunications. Sustainable data centers help in the reduction of car bon emissions, minimizes the needed floor space and chooses a geographic location.Xerox Corporation help companies to establish their strength and weaknesses because of the performance record of the employees, revenue report among more. For Xerox, it supports the communication of the people and planning tool. The system is useful in Xerox because it helps the company perform directive marketing and promotion activities, for example, availability of customer feedback can assist the business to align business processes.

Falling in Love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Falling in Love - Essay Example I was looking at the most beautiful crescent blue eyes with long fringed eyelashes. My whole world had come tumbling down with dazzling stars! ‘Are you okay?’ He had enquired in a deep husky concern that had sent a shiver of excitement down my spine. I was dumbstruck and could only nod. I could feel my world going round and round. I was staring and then a little coughing woke me up from my stance. The guy was smiling and offered his hand. I took his hand and stood up. I could not look into his eyes for I was still very embarrassed at being caught staring in such a public place! He was gently pushed me towards the perfume section and before I could protest, he had bought two bottles of the Chanel 5, one having the smell fragrance as the one which was smashed into thousand pieces and the other one which I had wanted but could not afford. He then took me for a cup of coffee and I can still remember how the hours had flown. It was mutual love at first sight. Falling in love is total magic because it completely changes you and makes you feel at the top of the world. You find the things to rejoice in the most weirdest of situations and cry at the drop of a hat. It seems as if the nature rejoices in your happiness and lets you discover things about you that you were never aware of. Indeed, I did not know that I could become a book lover but then I had not met the love of my life! It is funny but I had become a highly cheerful and optimist person from the shy individual who would always be looking at the gloomiest aspect of things. I wonder if other people also discover whole new world of good things when they fall in love. My love had also become my soul mate. He told me much later that he had also experienced the same magical moments and had loved my silence with the same passion as he had loved my voice which he found to be very soothing. He was quite stressed

Assessing Corporate Culture Essay Example for Free

Assessing Corporate Culture Essay 1. Scheins approach to assessing organizational culture a. Strengths of scheins approach to assessing organizational culture Schein defines and describes culture as any one of many elements of organizational culture. The culture of an organization can be viewed and treated like other structures within an organization. Certain organizations such as by-laws, committees, and chain of command flow charts, may serve to answer basic questions such as â€Å"how do we interact with the external environment?† and â€Å"how do we order ourselves internally?† As an organization responds to these questions, the responses become core assumptions. These core assumptions become the frames through which the organization interprets the world round it. In place of questionnaire or instrument that utilizes typologies, Schein prefers clinical research model of assessing organizational culture. In this model of organizational culture investigation, the researcher gets much more directly involved within the organization by acting as participant observer or ethnographer. He suggests that members of the organization will more openly respond to the researcher and the investigation because the members of the organization think they have something to gain by collaborating with the researcher. Schein believes that valid data on the culture of the organization will only be collected when the researcher is perceived as the consultant who is seeking to help the organization and has the best interest of the organization in mind. Schein admits that the clinical model of evaluating organizational culture assumes that the researcher intervenes in the culture of the organization. If the organization perceives that the researcher is helping to make changes that will benefit the organization, then the research will accurately yield the cultural dynamics of the organization. b. Weaknesses of Schein approach to assessing organizational culture The results gained from qualitative result are limited to specific cases under investigation. Direct comparison cannot be made between the results from other studies unless the research is specifically designed in that manner. Furthermore, results cannot be generalized to other settings and links to organization’s performance are rarely explored. One significant weakness to Schein’s approach (qualitative method) is the time needed for data collection and analysis which makes the research more costly and time consuming 2. Cameron and Quinn approach a. Strengths of Cameron and Quinn approach to assessing organizational culture Cameron and Quinn provide an evaluation tool called the organizational culture assessment inventory (OCAL). The OCAI is a survey instrument established on a theoretical model called the competing value framework. This framework is valuable for organizing and interpreting various phenomena within an organization. The competing values framework refers to whether an organization strives for flexibility and individuality or stability and control, whether or not an organization is focused externally or internally. The purpose of the OCAI is to discern the relative strengths of these culture types within a given organization. Used over time, the OCAI can measure culture changes within the organization. Cameron and Quinn observe many cases in the business world where culture change is the key to increasing organizational effectiveness. The four major culture types proposed by Cameron and Quinn embody these competing values: clan-internal/control; adhocracy-external/flexible; market-external/control; hierarchy-internal/control. In fact pure control (hierarchy), compete (market), collaborate (clan), or create (adhocracy) are extremely rare. Most of the company cultures that have been diagnosed using Cameron and Quinn’s organization culture instrument indeed have a strong secondary component. Cameron and Quinn identify the cultural and organizational competencies that give rise to value creation. It explains how cultural and leadership competencies can be profiled which, in turn, can lead to a diagnosis of culture gaps, cultural congruency and cultural strength. 3. London first united church Cameron and Quinn’s model is appropriate for this church. This approach is built around clan, adhocracy, market and hierarchy. These four maps themes were also used in the analysis of how organizational culture of London first united Methodist church chances with structural inventions. The church is both an organization and an organism. As such, the church has a lifecycle development built into it: birth, growth, reproduction, decline, and death. The church itself historically has through several changes. Change as renewal is a major aspect of the Methodist movement. Much of the rise and fall of the Methodism can be traced to how the church was willing, or not, to change. Oftentimes, organizations experience growth and/or renewal because of structural changes within the organization. The four maps themes therefore fit this church.

What Are The Driving Forces Behind Globalisation Politics Essay

What Are The Driving Forces Behind Globalisation Politics Essay From the end of World War Two there has arisen a trend within international relations towards increasing regional cooperation and integration.After the collapse of the Berlin wall this process has rapidly accelerated. Today there are a myriad of Regional Integration Agreements (RIA) that span all continents, regions and conceivably all nations in a complex web of political, economic, social and cultural ties European integration is one of the longest standing and most deeply integrated examples; however Asia, Africa and the Americas have all seen the need for greater cooperation and integration within respective regions. Exactly who, why and how states integrate varies greatly. As time passes and confidence grows between partners there is a trend towards a deepening of interaction and cooperation/integration may very likely extend to areas outside those originally envisaged. It can be considered that regional integration/cooperation is globalisation at a regional level, or globalisation is regional integration/cooperation on a global scale. Has increased regional integration and cooperation led to globalisation, or has globalisation led to greater regional integration and cooperation? Regionalisation and Globalisation are difficult to separate. While conceptually it is easy to recognise that regionalisation applies at a regional level there is considerable overlap. You may view the world as a system of international anarchy dominated by the nation state and motivated by national self interest; or you may have a somewhat more optimistic view of international relations and see people striving to work together for mutual benefit under a global system of systems where communities are divided into many varying subsets determined by historical, cultural, geographical and ideological factors. Regardless of viewpoint the, fact that the world is becoming more int egrated is impossible to deny. Kofi Annans quote at the start of this paper is very apt in highlighting this. Arguing against regionalisation, whatever your view on the relationship between regionalisation and globalisation, is like arguing against the laws of gravity. The aim of this paper is to determine the driving forces behind processes of regional integration and cooperation. This will be achieved by first defining what regional integration and cooperation is. This will be followed by a discussion of how regions integrate and cooperate and for what reasons using examples from Europe, South East Asia and Africa. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the driving forces behind regional integration and cooperation. WHAT IS REGIONAL INTEGRATION? Confucius once said If names are not right, words are misused. When words are misused, affairs go wrong.  [4]  With a myriad of terminology such as regionalism, globalism, regionalisation, globalisation, regional integration, global integration and so on, it is easy to misuse words and become confused by them. The problem with globalisation is that by its very nature it is complex and all encompassing. Regionalisation, which I will define as globalisation at the regional level, is therefore complex and all encompassing at a regional level. Following this logic it is therefore apparent that regional integration as a concept differs from global integration only in the geographic boundaries you place around it. So as to simplify this problem and free us from misunderstanding we need to be very clear about what regional integration is, what regional cooperation is and how these relate to the wider global environment. So that confusion is not introduced the concepts of globalisation, regionalisation, globalism and regionalism need also to be placed firmly in context. Globalisation is a term that refers to the acceleration and intensification of mechanisms, and activities that are allegedly promoting global interdependence and perhaps, ultimately, global political and economic integration.  [5]  Regionalism is defined as intensifying political and/or economic processes of cooperation among states and other actors in particular geographic regions.  [6]  Therefore regionalisation is a term that refers to the acceleration and intensification of mechanisms, and activities that are allegedly promoting regional interdependence and perhaps, ultimately, regional political and economic integration. Globalism would then be intensifying political and/or economic processes of cooperation among states and other actors throughout the world. To reiterate, globalism and regionalism are political processes consciously undertaken by states whereas globalisation and regionalisation are labels for the overall affect of the external environment, at either a gl obal or regional level, that therefore affects the choices politicians make. For obvious reasons globalisation is a much more prevalent term than regionalisation and likewise regionalism is much more prevalent than globalism. You may enquiry as to why this is and why this point is being somewhat laboured. The point is that globalisation represents the unknown or the influences outside a nations direct control. It is human nature to inflate your fears and concerns and therefore labelling the current environmental effects as a globes worth of issues is more concerning that focussing on your local or regional issues. To confront these issues however it is human nature to focus on what is being done closer to home. Thus the environment (globalisation) has a wider focus than the solution (regionalism). Integration and cooperation are best conceived as labels for progress along a line of increasing interdependence. Individual nations may start with limited or no interaction, progress to a point where they are cooperating and then reach a point where they can be considered integrated. The exact differentiation between whether a nation is cooperating partially integrated or fully integrated is outside the scope of this paper. Needless to say the example of a more integrated region is that of Europe while I will use South East Asia as an example of region that is best described as closer to cooperation than integration. To reinforce this integration is best thought of as a process. The process of integration can be viewed as comprising of four elements. The first part of the process is a movement towards greater cooperation between integrating states; another element is the transference of authority to an authority above that of the state; homogenisation of values is, whether intended or not, an outcome of increased integration; and finally the emergence of a regional/global civil society can be argued to be both a cause of and result of integration.  [7]   So what becomes more integrated during a process of integration? Integration can occur in many areas of political concern. Economic, security and social/cultural are the main areas of integration considered. Integration is a political decision made by nations leaders for political purposes. The reasons why and how integration occurs is almost as diverse as the opinions of world leaders and the challenges faced by them. Therefore in order to understand more clearly how integration comes about we need to investigate some examples of regional integration. EUROPEAN INTEGRATION Europe is considered by many as the example of the region that has progressed furthest down the road of integration. After World War Two Europe was economically ruined, socially stressed and politically divided by what was to become known as the iron curtain. The United States provided encouragement in the form of the Marshal plan to rebuild and strengthen Western Europe against the spectre of Communism in the east.  [8]  Europeans also felt a growing need to strengthen themselves against irrelevance in a bipolar world.  [9]  ,  [10]  These early security fears of Europe led to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949. Economically the first evidence of European integration is in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951. The aim of the treaty was to contribute, through a common market for coal and steel, to economic expansion, growth of employment and a rising standard of living. The treaty created a supra national agency to oversee aspects of national coal and steel policy such as levels of production.  [11]   The end of the Cold War in 1989-91 has seen a further spur to European integration. With the fall of the Berlin wall and the dismantling of a bipolar world, Europe was able to incorporate further countries within an increasingly diverse framework of integration. While much of the integration was led by economic considerations, there has been increasingly greater integration at the political and social levels also. The Maastricht treaty was signed by twelve European nations in 1991 establishing the European Union (EU). Since then the EU has progressed further down the path of integration with the latest treaty being the Treaty of Lisbon that entered force on 1st December 2009. The EU now consists of twenty seven countries with a number of candidate nations awaiting entry sometime in the future.  [12]   As mentioned earlier, it was a desire to strengthen Europe against a competing ideology during the Cold War that was the first step in European integration. As it transpired, democracy proved superior to communism in the long run. Economically, liberal capitalism has enabled Europe to outperform the centrally controlled socialist markets of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. With the fall of the Berlin wall it became even more apparent that liberal market philosophies provided a basis for greater efficiency and greater competitiveness. Europe in general and the EU in particular serve to highlight this point. OTHER REGIONS MOVE TOWARDS INTEGRATION While Europe is the most advanced down the path of integration, other regions have not been idle. South East Asia is an example of a looser cooperation in the form of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN was formed in 1967 between Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. Since then membership has expanded to include Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam. South East Asian integration is an example of cooperation being used to build confidence amongst developing nations. ASEAN has always been very mindful of being overly legalistic and binding. The ASEAN way of doing business has become synonymous with building close personal relationships between leaders, being flexible and non-binding in decisions and adhering to a respect of other nations sovereignty including undertaking a non-interference policy with respect to other ASEAN nations internal matters.  [13]   Despite criticisms of being all talk and no action and providing legitimacy to the military junta in Myanmar, the ASEAN way has shown a remarkable ability to engender cooperation and trust between its members. When ASEAN was first established most members were newly independent nations and the Cold War was in full swing. Indonesia was perceived by some as a threat and it was therefore felt that the best course of action was greater engagement to build confidence and trust between nations in the region. Therefore ASEANs initial aims were for social and cultural interchange. As time has passed and members have grown comfortable with each other aspects of cooperation have become feasible. Economic and military cooperation has increased and the level and diversity of programs conducted within ASEAN has increased. ASEAN now emphasises cooperation within three pillars. These are security, social/cultural and economic. As confidence has grown, ASEAN nations have also reached out further afi eld to first East Asia; in the form of ASEAN plus three (APT), in which China, Japan and South Korea are members; the East Asia Summit, which adds India, Australia, New Zealand and potentially soon Russia; through to the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in which twenty seven nations are involved.  [14]   Like Europe, South East Asian leaders made political decisions that the security and prosperity of their respective nations lay in greater cooperation and collaboration. Given their shared colonial experiences and wary of being used as superpower pawns during the Cold War, ASEAN leaders charted a course where they could find common cause with neighbouring Asian nations and through cooperation achieve stability and then economic prosperity. Social/cultural cooperation served as a confidence building measure; increased confidence lead to greater stability and greater Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); and greater FDI led to economic growth and prosperity. While Europe is an example of developed nations integrating and South East Asia provides an approach by developing nations, they are by no means the only examples. The North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA), comprising Canada, the United States and Mexico was the North American response to the challenges of a globalising world and provides and example of the trend towards integration across the global North-South divide.  [15]  MERCOSUR and the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) are likewise South American moves. Africa has had mixed success in achieving successful integration through the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), although of late as the African Union (AU), there appears to be more success even in this region.  [16]   NAFTA started with a free trade agreement between Canada and the United States and was expanded to include Mexico in 1992. NAFTA is an important example of a move towards integration between two developed economies and a developing economy. Integrating economies with such diversity of economic institutions has been challenging but successful. NAFTA has also led to greater integration throughout the Americas overall with the signing of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in 2001.  [17]  It is considered by some that NAFTA in particular and other moves towards regional integration were in response to a Fortress Europe mentality.  [18]   WHAT ARE THE DRIVERS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION? Regional integration is nothing new. Historically however regional integration was achieved through conquest or colonisation.  [19]  Since the end of World War Two there has been a growing trend of regional Integration via treaty or international agreement. Although currently regional integration is often associated with economic reasons, fundamentally regional integration is a political decision and based on political considerations. Individual nations respond to the global climate to address their needs and move forward as a society. Amongst the most basic of national needs is that of stability and security both from internal and external threats. It has been argued that one means of protecting a nation from external aggression is to become so interdependent that aggression becomes too expensive to consider.  [20]   Under the bipolar structure of the Cold War many states were looking for ways to provide additional security from the threat of superpower conflict. While global war or nuclear holocaust was one level of concern, another was the threat of becoming a victim of a proxy war between the superpowers. While Western Europe was focussed on a very real threat from communism behind the iron curtain, other regions such as South East Asia had concerns from communist insurgency or the domino theory. Overall however the Cold War effectively divided the globe into two essentially disconnected parts. So while regionalism could occur in between some nations, others were excluded because they were either on the other side of the iron curtain or determined not to take sides with a superpower. With the end of the Cold War this brake was suddenly released and a flood of connections were soon to be realised. Figure 1.1below provides a graphical representation of the dramatic increasing occurrence of regional integration agreements after the end of the Cold War.C:UsersAkoDocumentsMTATTerm 1MTAT UM MODULE 2010AUFB 5102AssignmentGraph1.jpgToday the number of Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) continues to multiply. The WTO notes: The surge in RTAs has continued unabated since the early 1990s. Some 462 RTAs have been notified to the GATT/WTO up to February 2010. Of these, 345 RTAs were notified under Article XXIV of the GATT 1947 or GATT 1994; 31 under the Enabling Clause; and 86 under Article V of the GATS. At that same date, 271 agreements were in force.  [21]   It is apparent from these figures that regionalism is continuing to be desirable for nations. It is worth pointing out again that economic integration is only part of the overall picture. Security and social/cultural integration also continues. The United States in particular is active in many regional security agreements. Whether they are treaties, agreements or understandings many nations in the world today have sought and continue to seek greater cooperation and integration of military capabilities to meet their regions security needs. NATO is the largest example of this and again the most advanced with regard to the level of standardisation and integration achieved. Within South East Asia the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) between Malaysia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand is a smaller example. Social/Cultural integration can take many forms. From labour laws, immigration policies, education exchanges, tourism and even sporting competitions the world has increasingly become integrated. Often social integration is a first step. Sports in particular offer an easy, non-threatening manner in which people of one nation can learn about another. Regionalism is readily apparent in sport with examples such as the European cup in football, the Super fifteen rugby competition in the southern hemisphere, the National Hockey League (NHL) in Canada and the United States. While the increase in regional integration of sporting competitions is not as significant or prevalent as economic integration it serves as a reminder that integration can take many forms and is not just a single dimensional phenomenon. Having looked at regional integration in terms of economic, security and social/cultural terms it is apparent that regional integration has been a significant phenomenon, particularly in terms of economic integration since the end of the Cold War. There is no doubt that regional integration is a political decision based on politicians seeking to do what is best for their respective nations and citizens. So what are the driving forces behind regionalism? It is generally considered that there has been two major phases of regionalism since the end of World War Two. The first phase occurred under the bipolar structure of the Cold War and saw regionalism used as a means to bolster regions abilities to deal with the security challenges of the Cold War. With the end of the Cold War in the early 90s globalisation became the driver for regionalism as regions sought to achieve competitive advantage and economy of scale economically.  [22]   There is plenty of academic debate over how globalisation has influenced the trend towards regionalism. Some consider regionalism has been undertaken to protect a region from the effects of globalisation while other argue that regionalism is driving globalisation. This has lead to the terms open and closed regionalism. Closed regionalism is where a region attempts to protect itself from the external world by reducing barriers within the region while maintaining barriers to those external to the region. The trend however has been away from closed regionalism and towards open regionalism. Open regionalism is where a region integrates so that their common market gains in attractiveness to foreign investment and improves in terms of overall economic efficiency.  [23]  It is worth noting that that it is now against WTO rules to form a regional trade agreement where greater barriers are imposed on external nations.  [24]   CONCLUSION Looking back to the discussion on definitions earlier in the paper it is now clear that the driving force of regional integration has to be the contemporary environment. Globalisation is dominating the contemporary environment. Globalisation is a label intended to simplify descriptions of an increasing inter-connectedness, interdependency and increasing complexity of human interaction throughout the globe. As much as globalisations knockers wish it to go away, Kofi Annans analogy with gravity highlights the futility of fighting globalisation. Globalisation is a logical result of improved communication and transport technology. People are increasingly aware what is going on everywhere in the world. Personal contact with people from other nations and cultures is providing greater insight into the basic humanity of all peoples. With greater visibility however also comes greater fear and concern. Global society has many layers and those layers are increasingly accessible to all. Human so cieties all have the same basic needs but globalisation can appear to threaten as much as it offers. Regionalism is a graduated response to a scary external world. People cling to those they are more familiar with and feel safer because of this. Politicians are no different to anybody else. Whether it be an authoritarian regime that wants to protect itself from a threatening world or a democratic leader that has to consider the views of the people more directly, all politicians respond in some way to the external environment. It can be argued that the end of the Cold War was a driver of regionalism. But the end of the Cold War is just a signpost in history. If it were a driver why is regionalism continuing to occur? The significance of the end of the Cold War is just that a line dividing the world from itself was removed. Regionalism occurred before, during and after the Cold War. The reason regionalism is so topical is simply because the rate of occurrence has dramatically increased in this so called second phase of regionalism. Cheap instantaneous communication is rapidly engulfing the globe. Accessible and affordable transportation is available to a large proportion of the worlds population. This easy contact with the global community will continue to drive every significant issue for at least the next fifty years.

The Outer Banks of North Carolina Essay -- Observation Essays, Descript

As I walk towards the ocean with the sand warm beneath my feet, the waves lap at my ankles, seeming as if they want to pull me out to sea. The sun rises over the horizon, reflecting off the waves and shimmering like gold. The salt air smells tangy as it stings my nose with the smell I crave while I am away from the ocean. The Outer Banks in North Carolina has been my favorite place to go from my first memories. I look forward to going there every summer because there at the ocean I feel at home. It is a place where I can forget every stress in my life and be totally at peace. It is a place where my family can spend time together, not like at home where we all have activities and places to be. The Outer Banks is not a beach where the ocean is forgotten; there is no partying and no boardwalks, nothing but nature to fill your days there. The beach is not crowded to the point where it is hard to even walk to the beach ,and looking for shells is not even an option. This beach is a very pe aceful and surreal place. The noises of people do not overwhelm you at this beach; all you can hear are the sea gulls and the waves. My family, including aunts, uncles and cousins and some extended family, has been going to the Outer Banks for quite a few years now. It is a place where we can all be together without the chaos of our everyday lives. This is always where we have gone for vacation; we have taken other trips but always manage to make it there, too. While we are all at the beach it gives us time to spend with each other, unlike home where everyone is too busy with their own lives. We can catch up on stories from each other’s lives and not be caught up in the bustle of everyday life. Every evening we eat dinner together and then take a wa... ...n. When a sting ray swims past you or a jelly fish is there in the water beside you, again there is a realization of just how much is going on under the water that is not seen. The waves can make you feel so insignificant when you get tumbled head over heels in the water and you have no control over yourself. Only after experiencing this can the powerfulness of the waves be realized. There are many reasons the ocean is my favorite place to be. These range from the atmosphere and people at the ocean to the scenery experienced while there. It is a time for me to be free from all the hassles in my life and to "get away from it all," even if it is only for a week. The ocean should be enjoyed for what it is. Loud noise and all the hustle and bustle of boardwalks should not exploit it. At the ocean I can feel at home and at peace because it is my favorite place to be. The Outer Banks of North Carolina Essay -- Observation Essays, Descript As I walk towards the ocean with the sand warm beneath my feet, the waves lap at my ankles, seeming as if they want to pull me out to sea. The sun rises over the horizon, reflecting off the waves and shimmering like gold. The salt air smells tangy as it stings my nose with the smell I crave while I am away from the ocean. The Outer Banks in North Carolina has been my favorite place to go from my first memories. I look forward to going there every summer because there at the ocean I feel at home. It is a place where I can forget every stress in my life and be totally at peace. It is a place where my family can spend time together, not like at home where we all have activities and places to be. The Outer Banks is not a beach where the ocean is forgotten; there is no partying and no boardwalks, nothing but nature to fill your days there. The beach is not crowded to the point where it is hard to even walk to the beach ,and looking for shells is not even an option. This beach is a very pe aceful and surreal place. The noises of people do not overwhelm you at this beach; all you can hear are the sea gulls and the waves. My family, including aunts, uncles and cousins and some extended family, has been going to the Outer Banks for quite a few years now. It is a place where we can all be together without the chaos of our everyday lives. This is always where we have gone for vacation; we have taken other trips but always manage to make it there, too. While we are all at the beach it gives us time to spend with each other, unlike home where everyone is too busy with their own lives. We can catch up on stories from each other’s lives and not be caught up in the bustle of everyday life. Every evening we eat dinner together and then take a wa... ...n. When a sting ray swims past you or a jelly fish is there in the water beside you, again there is a realization of just how much is going on under the water that is not seen. The waves can make you feel so insignificant when you get tumbled head over heels in the water and you have no control over yourself. Only after experiencing this can the powerfulness of the waves be realized. There are many reasons the ocean is my favorite place to be. These range from the atmosphere and people at the ocean to the scenery experienced while there. It is a time for me to be free from all the hassles in my life and to "get away from it all," even if it is only for a week. The ocean should be enjoyed for what it is. Loud noise and all the hustle and bustle of boardwalks should not exploit it. At the ocean I can feel at home and at peace because it is my favorite place to be.

The Prodigal God: Younger Brother vs. Older Brother

Writing II-1st Younger Brother Sin vs. Older Brother Sin Luke 15:11-32 is one of the most famous parables in the Bible. It is the parable of the prodigal son. This parable is about a son who runs away with his inheritance, wastes all of it, and then comes back home to his father’s open arms. Tim Keller goes more in depth into this parable with his book The Prodigal God. In this book, Keller compares the two sons’ sins, â€Å"two brothers, each of whom represents a different way to be alienated from God, and a different way to seek acceptance into the Kingdom of heaven† (9).Throughout the book, comparisons can be made between the younger brother’s sin and the older brother’s sin. The younger brother was selfish and wanted his inheritance immediately so that he can go party. The older brother follows all of the rules to get things and doesn’t want his brother to come back. Throughout The Prodigal God, comparison can made between the two brother s’ sin in that both of their intentions are selfish and they both want control. Tim Keller’s book is more than just discussing the parable of the prodigal son.While the tradition seems to focus more on the younger brother and his sins, Keller goes more depth with the older brother and his faults, â€Å"Most readings of this parable have concentrated on the flight and return of the younger brother-the ‘Prodigal Son. ’ That misses the real message of the story, however, because there are two brothers, each of whom represents a different way to be alienated from God, and a different way to seek acceptance into the Kingdom of heaven† (9). The first way that the older brother and the younger brother’s sins are similar is that both of their intentions are selfish.With the younger brother, he wanted his inheritance early so he could go and party. â€Å"The young man humiliates his family and lives a self-indulgent, dissolute life. He is totally out of control. He is alienated from his father. † (39) This behavior showed he wanted freedom for himself and that he was impatient. Keller goes on to say that the younger brother thought of his relationship with his father as unimportant and he only wanted him for his possessions. He says that once he got tired of the relationship, he basically said that he was tired of it and he wanted out.Even though the older brother is different, his sins are still of the same context. He obeys all of his father’s rules so that he appears to be a good son, yet he is only doing these things to take advantage of his father so that he can get what he wants. â€Å"Elder brothers obey God to get things. They don’t obey God to get God himself- in order to resemble him, love him, know him, and delight in him. So religious and moral people can be avoiding Jesus as Savior and Lord as much as younger brothers say they don’t believe in God and define right and wrong for themselve s† (49).The second way in which the younger brothers and the older brother’s sins are similar is that they both want control. â€Å"There are two ways to be your own Savior and Lord. One is by breaking all the moral laws and setting your own course, and one is by keeping all the moral laws and being very, very good. † (50) Both brothers sought to control the father. The younger brother wants the inheritance to have control over his own life. â€Å"He wanted to make his own decisions and have unfettered control of his portion of wealth. (41) The younger brother felt he could handle is life without any help, but he needed earthly treasures so that he could feel powerful. The older brother is keeping all of the rules so that he can get his way with his father. â€Å"Elder brothers do good to others, but not out of delight in deeds themselves, or for the love of the people or the pleasure of God† (70). The older brother feels his obedience should keep his fat her obligated to him. When his father offers the younger brother forgiveness and a feast, the older brother is angry because he has lost control over his father.The obedience the older brother kept for so many years seems to be futile. â€Å"It is impossible to forgive someone if you feel superior to him or her. †(63) When looked at more closely, the younger brother and older brother show an unexpected similarity in their sins throughout the parable of the prodigal son. Keller states in his book The Prodigal God that the goal of this book is to lay the essentials of the gospel, and to either introduce or reassure the message of both this story and the gospel. This parable is thought of as one of the best readings in the Bible to help someone grasp the understanding of God’s love.