Report On The Prince By Machiavelli Essays - Machiavellianism

Report on The Prince by Machiavelli 1. Major themes in the book. The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, is one of the first examinations of politics and science from a purely scientific and rational perspective. Machiavelli theorizes that the state is only created if the people cooperate and work to maintain it. The state is also one of man's greatest endeavors, and the state takes precedence over everything else. The state should be one's primary focus, and maintaining the sovereignty of the state one's most vital concern. The state is founded on the power of its military. Therefore, a strong military is vital to maintaining the state. Machiavelli believes that men respect power, but they will take advantage of kindness. He believes that when given the opportunity one must destroy completely, because if one does not he will certainly be destroyed. The prince should lead the military, and he has to be intelligent. An effective politician can make quick and intelligent choices about the problems that constantly arise before him. He must also have virtue, which means he is strong, confident, talented, as well as smart. A prince cannot be uncertain, because uncertainty is a sign of weakness. Fortune controls half of human's actions, and man's will control the other half. Virtue is the best defense for fortune, and virtue must be used in order to keep fortune in check. The prince must take advantage of situations based solely on if it is best for the state. He should choose his decisions based on contemporary and historical examples. A prince cannot consider whether his acts are moral or immoral, and he instead must act in an unbiased manner for the state. Also, it does not matter how the state achieves its goals, as long as these goals are achieved. Finally, regardless of the personal morality involved, the prince should be praised if he does good for the state and berated if he hurts the state. Machiavelli's principles have widespread influence, and they are quite similar to some of Thomas Hobbes ideas in Leviathan. 2. What does Machiavelli think of "the people" in the course of human history? Machiavelli has a very low opinion of the people throughout history. In general, he feels that men are "ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceiver." "They shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours. They would shed their blood for you ... but when you are in danger they turn against you." Machiavelli basically has little respect for the people, and he feels as though they have not earned much either. He uses this as justification for the use of fear in order to control people. He also feels that men are "wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need not keep your word to them." This sense of fairness justifies breaking one's word to men. Machiavelli also writes about how hard it must be for a prince to stay virtuous. He concludes that with so many wretched men around virtue is hard to create in oneself. "The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous." Overall, Machiavelli is very pessimistic about the abilities of the people. He feels that after examining people through history, his conclusions of wretched men are correct. 3. Discuss Machiavelli's opinions on the uses of cruelty to accomplish certain goals. Machiavelli tells us that the sovereign must take whatever action is necessary to maintain order in society. In time this will result in the most compassionate choice too. Machiavelli explains that, Cesare Borgia, by using cruelty was able to achieve order and obedience in Romangna. This contrast with the inaction of the Florentines, who allowed internal conflict to develop in Pistoia, resulting in devastation of the city. Therefore, a number of highly visible executions can be a very effective means of controlling the people and in preventing a major out break of violence and murder. Machiavelli also cites the tremendous military successes of Hannibal. Even though Hannibal led an army of different races over foreign soil, he never had any dissension because of his reputation of extreme cruelty. Machiavelli further concludes that it is difficult to be loved and feared simultaneously. Hence, one should always prefer to be feared than to be loved. During adverse times, the fear of punishment is far more effective in maintaining control than depending people's goodwill and love. Finally, excessive leniency will lead to ruin, because leniency is seen as a sign of weakness. A good historical example

Animal Rights and Position

Animal Rights and Position Animal Rights and Position- Animals Used Essay Kelley 1 Jessica Kelley Dr. Gordon 04/05/2015 Animal Rights- Controversial Essay Section I: To Assert a Position Never in my 17 years of existence have I had an animal from a pet store. I have taken in a ferret and hamster from friends, caught a lizard and kept it for many years, won fish at the fair, and rescued dogs off of craigslist. Out of the six dogs I have had, none have been purebred or costed more than 50 dollars. This however, does not mean they did not receive the best of care including shots, spay and neuter, and healthy diets. While companions such as dogs seem normal in the household, not everyone is a suitable owner for animals. Owners should be able to support pets financially and emotionally and reciprocate the endless love and loyalty pets give to owners. It is very disheartening when someone does not realize the pain they are inflicting on their supposed companions and even worse when they do. Owners like these should be stripped of their pets and denied the adoption or purchase of any other animals. Those like our furry friends at home are not the only animal under attack though. Animal rights have been an ongoing controversial issue and grows ev ery year. Animals are used for a variety of different testing, clothing and entertainment. Animal rights is a philosophy that claims animals should have rights or interests equal to those of humans (Levine, 9). Some people cannot Kelley 2 possibly see or even think that animals can have rights too because animals are so vastly different than us humans. People should give equal support to the interest of animals as they do to the interest of humans. Any animal should not be put through experiments, or hunted down and killed to make fur coats. What about being held captive in Zoos and Aquariums; even though most times they are treated right, they are still locked up. In other words, do you not think they feel like their in jail? Should they not be returned to the wild to roam free? Captive animals whether it be in a lab or a zoo, suffer every year. Section II: To Support a Position- Animal Testing The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) was founded in 1824. Now, there are activist groups worldwide, from Colombia to Australia, that protect the rights for all animals (Rochford, 24). What is the definition of animal experimentation? It is when scientific researchers use animal experimentation for medical and veterinary research to enhance human health and sometimes even the the welfare of other animals (Cothran, 68). Millions of animals die and are tortured in painful tests also in order to determine the safety of cosmetics. A popular example is eye shadow and soaps being tested on rabbits, pigs, rats, dogs and an array of different animals. In many of the cases, tests are a failure and the results do not help prevent or treat human illness or injury. We have all seen the gruesome and sad pictures online in ads set by activist groups. No cosmetic companies are required to experiment animals, yet there are millions of innocent animals tested each day. Kelley 3 Some companies still choose to do these brutal and unnecessary tests, saying that they establish safety of both the products being tested and the components being tested on. Most of the tests used on animals are eye, toxicity, and skin irritant tests. The majority of the public opinion is against this type of testing because it is cruel and not necessary. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspects all laboratories where animals are used for tests and enforces the federal laws regulating the treatment and care of the animals. The Body Shop is a well-known retailer for beauty products who, in the eighties, was one of the first companies who came out with a â€Å"not tested on animals† label on their products. Later, many companies followed. Now, thousands of beauty and body care products bear the label. â€Å"Animal liberationists do not separate out the human animal so

Evaluation of Montenero Governance and Economic Reforms on the Way to Essay

Evaluation of Montenero Governance and Economic Reforms on the Way to EU Membership - Essay Example This essay presents a comprehensive analysis of modern political and economic developments in Montenegro, which is pursuing its further ties with the EU. Montenegro’s conclusion of its Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiation with the European Commission will pave the way for eventual integration with he European Common market . The tiny nation of just 620,000 has done so ahead of Serbia whose European ambitions have been stalled with its refusal to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Montenegro looks poised to follow Croatia and Macedonia in actively negotiating accession negotiations. Greater political stability was achieved with the democratic elections held in September in the year 2006 after the narrow win in the referendum in May, with just 55.5% of voters giving a go signal for independence. Djukanovic, with his party in power has even greater leverage to pursue governance reforms in line with democratic principles as one of the main prerequisites into entering the European Union. Held in a fee and fair manner and in line with international standards, the parliamentary elections placed Montenegro was seen favorably by the international community in its capacity to address political reforms and implement them. In terms of legislation, Montenegro has strengthened its anti-corruption drive. Key legislations for improved public procurement and conflict of interest legislation are set to be passed and the Law on Free Access to Information was signed (par 10). Also for the first time as a signal towards greater Montenegro accountability, 1,692 public officials submitted reports on their income and property (par10). Djukanovic in an interview published in the New York Times said that his government managed to pass 140 laws and many more regulations in his past term as Prime Minister, with focus on reforms on the economy, education and administration. As to criticisms that implementation has been slow, he said that the "effects of this reform job will be witnessed only after 5 years" To further cement its legal democratic framework, Montenegro has to craft a

Measuring Bank Liquidity Using Publicly Available Information Assignment

Measuring Bank Liquidity Using Publicly Available Information - Assignment Example In comparison to savings banks in Germany, big commercial banks have a volatile return on equity. In the UK, Barclays, HSBC, RBS, and Lloyds are the big commercial banks that dominate the market thereby causing limited competition. However, in the US, financial systems are market-based and thus financed from the issue of securities. Single factor sensitivity analysis is used to measures changes in the portfolio in relation to interest rates, share prices, and exchange rate while scenario analysis uses simulation to determine risk (Drehmann and Nikolaou 2010, 50). Liquidity risk will indicate a bank’s ability to meet short-term and long-term liabilities for going concern purpose. Higher proportions of short-term debts will indicate a higher liquidity risk. Such banks will be subjected to a higher minimum capital requirement by the regulatory authority. The regulatory capital is then linked to the riskiness of its asset portfolio. To evaluate liquidity both on and off-balance sheet items can be added and weighted to evaluate the correct value of the risk-adjusted assets. Tier 1 capital will entail retained earnings, equity, and reserves while tier 2 capitals will compose revaluated items, unrecognized reserves, and gains on securities. Concentration measurement gives a clear picture of the competitiveness of a bank in the international banking industry. The indices used for measurement are the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and the Gini coefficient. Both the Herfindahl and Concentration ratio methods take into account the largest institutions in account when determining their values. Structure-conduct-performance analysis deals with the concentration of firms in the market, individual conduct of firms and profitability. It is evidenced that there is a statistical econometric correlation between the measure of market structure in the banking industry and profitability. Therefore, the market share of the international bank will indicate its ability to mitigate liquidity.

The History of Literacy instruction in Spanish and in English Essay

The History of Literacy instruction in Spanish and in English - Essay Example At least one scholar, who is listed in the article, began to take on traditional concepts that had existed up until that time. In 1999, Goodman’s classic What’s Whole in Whole Language was written on the topic and, once translated into Spanish and Venezuela, came widely distributed among the region. The book was so popular that it was translated into English six years later. In the 1980s publications about literacy in Spanish began to reflect an understanding of the psycholinguistic view. As early as 1984, Dubois began questioning traditional, word-based approaches of teaching reading in favor of taking a psycholinguistic view. In 1989, Goodman’s classic What’s Whole in Whole Language was translated into Spanish in Venezuela and widely distributed throughout Latin America. The demand for the book was so great that it generated a newer translation into Spanish only six years later. When one scholar affiliated with the author moved to Mexico, the materials in the local schools were changed thanks to ideas and those of other constructivist educators. In fact, the first grade primer of the series tells one in the article that, â€Å"showed the drastic difference this text represented from the former government-approached text, Mi Libro Magido (My Magic Book), with its practice sheets that required students to repeat syllabus and practice penmanship. In the 1990’s the government started to take better control in controlling educational methods. According to the case study the practice of phonics is more likely to be constructive when students are taught the different sounds of words and then are taught be blend them together. Other, more traditional approaches take longer and a lot of people are opposed to change, but administrators, scholars, and teachers really believe they have something here being able to teach the same thing easier and in a shorter period of time. This is the mark of phonics

Gene Krantz Leadership Case Study

Gene Krantz Leadership Case Study According to many theories and best practices, leadership extensively affects the organisational performance. Moreover, many studies suggest that leadership is either a trait (e.g. Stogdill, 1974) or driven by behaviour ( e.g. Shamir and Howell, 1999). In our assessment of Krantzs leadership role Traits theory In Apollo 13, elements of traits related to leadership was included and strongly demonstrated by Krantz with a compelling vision and strong culture. This included seven values: drive, desire to lead, honesty and integrity, emotional maturity, and intelligence. However, integrity was found to be a superordinate value without having the other values far less significance. Given the stress and contiguity of the Apollo 13 crisis, it is noticeable that the traits of a true leader differ depending on time and context. (Ahn, Ettner, and Loupin, 2012) Drive Krantz was perceived as highly driven and capable of prioritising and communicating issues and needs during unsettled situations as he provided guidance and psychological safety for his team members. (McDermott, Kidney, and Flood, 2011). He was also directing the actions of the team towards a specific goal of getting the astronauts safely home. Desire to lead and good judgment Krantz has a distinctive desire to lead with effective decision making which was far more about accumulated wisdom he had but more of him building an open environment with openness, accountability and honesty (Sonnefield, 2002) Honesty and integrity Integrity can be explained as the unwavering devotion to a specific ethical or moral value. (Ahn, Ettner, and Loupin, 2012). The significance of integrity of Krantz towards the Apollo 13 crisis was essential even when the team was devastated he ensured that all obligations are met to work on the astronauts safe journey home. Self Confidence It is the leaders awareness of his/her inner-competencies. This includes self- assurance and self-esteem that s/he can make a difference. This allows the leader to influence others effectively in the appropriate and right ways. This characteristic affects attitudes; tendencies and emotional influence to others. (Belasen and Frank, 2008) Again, Krantz was a very self-confident leader. When he described that they will not fail in bringing the astronauts safely back home although his team thought it was impossible. But he never doubted that the mission will be accomplished successfully, and despite the resistance of many team members, he did things the way he thought best. Emotional Maturity Krantzs emotional intelligence had a great impact for his leadership role. According to ( Mayer and Salovey,1997) it is the skill to connect or disconnect from emotions relying on the efficiency of emotions in a specific situation. And Krantz demonstrated that clearly by engaging in his self- reflection which enabled him to contribute to a stronger sense of self identity and understanding his team and their actions. (McDermott, Kidney, and Flood, 2011) Intelligence Gene Krantz is an intellectual leader but his IQ was not higher than his followers. But he had strong perceptional, reasoning and verbal abilities which lead to a productive outcome as he didnt have any difficulties communicating with his subordinates. Job Related Knowledge Not only Krantz the engineer -had the job related knowledge as he was a flight director for many years, but also the ability to learn from his subordinates experiences and applied that learning to new and different situation. He was able to derive meaning from all kinds of experience in the NASA team with his learning agility -which is different from basic intellect- according to the changing circumstances during the crisis. (Povah, 2012b) Determination A sense of urgency was clearly identified by Krantz during the Apollo 13 crisis which gave the capacity to impart an action- orientation towards achieving results. He has the desire to get the job done as he was persistent and dominant. He battled against pessimism and focused on solving the problem despite all obstacles faced them. He was proactive with his team but still directing his team to achieve the goal. Trust Integrity Competence Conisistency Loyalty Openness Leadership Behaviours Style The leadership Style Krantz used was more Democratic rather than Autocratic or Laissez-Faire Style. He listened to his team and encouraged different point of views. However, there was a time limitation to do more analysis. Krantz pulled one flight control team out of its normal role to work on solutions for the crisis. He moved staff from team to team to bring specific skills, knowledge and expertise. He kept directing them towards the goal as his leadership was the key factor of successfully accomplish the mission although it was considered the successful failure. Managerial/Leadership grid (Blake and Mouton) One of the most well-known approaches to leadership The Managerial Grid developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton (1964) was used to analyse the leadership style of Krantz. He had to achieve the goal of getting the astronauts safely back home (Task) and at the same time, manage his team (People). His main concern was to ensure that his subordinates get the job done without failure based on obedience, trust, respect and support. His team was responding with involvement and enthusiasm. Using the grid which forms a matrix of possible leadership styles to analyse how he used his skills and intelligence in working with and through other people for results as shown in Figure 1. (Sui Pheng and Lee, 1997) Figure 1.1: Krantzs Leadership style associated with Managerial Grid Source: (Sui Pheng and Lee, 1997)   Ã‚   According to the managerial Grid, Krantz was an effective team leader. He was contributing to the crisis and committed to getting the job done. Although he was concerned about the result of getting astronauts back home and pushed his subordinates to the limit, he was motivating the team while empowering them with trust, respect and commitment. This sound leadership style is also inspired by the McGregor Y theory. Situational Approach Fiedlers Contingency Model Leader- Member exchange theory Authentic Leader Transformational Leadership Apollo 13 movie told the story of a crisis that could have ended tragically. It required transformational leaders to articulate a clear vision that would allow the constituents to take on leadership roles based on their experiences, needs, values, morale and strengths. Through innovation and creative problem solving they were able to collaboratively work towards their new vision to getting the astronauts home safely. This was successfully achieved as the leaders used idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration to lead constituents through this catastrophe. In summary, this report reflects the leadership demonstrated in Apollo 13 using many leadership theories. Our use of the Leadership Trait Theory, Situational Leadership and leadership grid provided a more behaviour- specific focus on interpersonal skills concepts.  

An examination of how Sherlock Holmes abilities and techniques, :: English Literature

An examination of how Sherlock Holmes' abilities and techniques, allied to his personal characteristics, enable him to solve crimes There are many reasons to explain why Sherlock Holmes is one of the world's most famous fictional detectives. However, the main reason for this is that not only are the stories complex, but the actual character of Sherlock Holmes has extreme depth, with some subtle elements of his character only becoming apparent when he is in certain situations. This is why Sherlock Holmes is one of the most, if not the most interesting fictional characters to study. One of Holmes' most famous professional characteristics is his power of observation. An example of this is where Holmes is examining a room "Why, it's a dummyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is fastened to a hook" (The Speckled Band). This is a very unlikely thing for a normal person to observe; but not for Sherlock Holmes! However, Holmes' powers of observation would be worth nothing without his excellent reasoning and deduction abilities. An example of this is connected to the quote above (from The Speckled Band). After Holmes discovered that the bell pull (rope) was a dummy, and taking into account only facts that may be considered, by lesser men, insignificant he solved the mystery of a woman's death. "It would crawl down the rope.... sooner or later she must fall victim" (The Speckled Band). It is by Holmes' use of reasoning and deduction that one of his most famous personal characteristics also comes to light. This is his characteristic of making people around him feel beneath him, in other words, Holmes has a high level of self-esteem. He astounds people with his intelligence. He pretends that he does not mean to do this "I do not wish to make a mystery" (A Scandal in Bohemia). There is but one case that I have come across in which Sherlock Holmes is outwitted by someone, and when he realises that he has been outwitted, he is amazed "Holmes staggered back, white with chagrin and surprise" (A Scandal in Bohemia). He is especially amazed that it is a woman that has outwitted him. This has some, but only a slight, effect on his belittling characteristic "He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late" (A Scandal in Bohemia). Holmes has a great store of knowledge that he has acquired over many years at his disposal, and this helps him greatly in his cases "my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enabled me to pronounce as an Indian cigar" (The Boscombe Valley Mystery). This yet again proves just how intelligent Sherlock Holmes is.

Annotated Bibliography by Kapil Muradhia Professor

Kapil Muradhia Professor- Danielle Cochran English-101. 600 September 16th 2012 Annotated Bibliography In 20th century, every human being on the earth is familiar with television, internet and other form of media. We can see the effect of these forms of the electronic media in our daily life. It is helpful to us in lot of ways. The following bibliography reveals the different aspects of electronic media. Bissel, Tom. â€Å"Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter† † They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff.New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 349-362. Tom Bissell in â€Å"Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter† emphasize the importance of video games in our life. Tom supports his affection with the video games by telling his story with a popular video game â€Å"Fallout-3†. He also compares different modes of entertainment, like movies and novels, with video games. According to Tom, Storytelling is the most important t hing for the movies, novels and video games, but video games storytelling is counterfeit.Tome states, even though the video games are frustrating sometimes but he will keep returning to this form of entertainment. Gladwell, Malcolm. â€Å"Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted† They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 312-328. Print. Malcolm Gladwell in his article â€Å"Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted† explains the point that why we don’t need to tweet the revolution on social media.To prove his point, he takes the example of a Black revolution from 1960. Malcolm points out, how a revolution started by four students became huge without the help of any social media. Malcolm also believes in power of social media. Any revolution can turn into bigger size, if social media is used, according to Malcolm. Malcolm states that Facebook and Twitter are tools for keeping up with the people you would never meet or following the people you never met. Stein,Jeannine. â€Å"Watching T. V Shortens Life Span, Study Finds†.Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, January 12, 2010. Web. January 18, 2010. In â€Å"watching T. V Shortens Life Span, Study Finds† Jeannine Stein reveals the fact that how watching T. V every day is shortening our life span. Australian Heart Association conducted a study on 8800 men and women and they found that eighty five percent of them, who were watching T. V for one hour every day, were patient of obesity and diabetes. Jeannine says that watching T. V for one hour every day will raise the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 18%.Jeannine believes that we need to spend our time in some physical activities rather than sitting in front of T. V. Johnson, Steven. † Watching T. V Makes You Smarter† They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 277-294. Print. â€Å"Watching T. V. Makes You Smarter† by Steven Johnson is an idea that if we watch T. V, it will make us smarter. In order to support his idea, Steven is comparing the different television shows shown in different time period in the United States television history.Steven is trying to prove, what is good for our children and what is not. Steven believes that television is a tool of brain enhancement. Steven states that instead of keeping the kids away from violent shows or tawdry content, the real challenge for the parents should be whether a given show engages or sedates the mind. Steven believes that smart culture is not something that we force on our children, it is something we share. Stevens, Dana. † Think Outside The Idiot Box† They Say I Say with Readings. Eds. Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, Gerald Graff.New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012 295-298. Print. Dana Steven’s â€Å"Thinki ng outside the Idiot Box† is a huge criticism of the idea that watching TV makes us smarter. Dana believes that if watching TV makes us smarter then we need to watch a lot of TV or watching TV should be the only thing to do in our life. Dana states that grown-ups should be trusted to judge their own shows. According to Dana, she would love to watch a lot of TV, if she gets paid for it. Dana thinks that the idea of considering the T. V. as tool of brain enhancement is hilarious.

Joan of Arc Essay Essays

Joan of Arc Essay Essays Joan of Arc Essay Essay Joan of Arc Essay Essay Essay Topic: Saint Joan Throughout the life of Saint Joan of Arc she showed and proved that she possessed three outstanding virtues of Justice, courage, and spirituality. Joan of Arc was one of the first women that ever Joined an army and everyday she showed that she was courageous and Just. Saint Joan also proved that she was Just when she refused to lead an attack against innocent civilians even though the general gave her specific orders dodo so. It is also known that Saint Joan hated seeing anyone in a type of bloodshed or pain. Even though Saint Joan was Just it did not keep her from being courageous. One way Saint Joan proved that she was courageous was by being a women and leading the French army in fifteenth century when at the time being a women in the army was unacceptable. But even as a child Saint Joan of Arc showed much courage. Once as a child a man with an ax came out of the woods threatening to kill everyone and as everyone ran away little Joan of Arc approached him, talked to him and convinced him to set the ax down and stop the threats. As many courageous acts Saint Joan made it was her spirituality that kept her going at times she did not know exactly what to do. It was most likely Saint Jeans spirituality that helped win every battle considering before every battle she would give great praise to God. Another example of Jeans spirituality Is how she heard voices from God every since she was a child to when she was a young adult. These voices as well helped her through Just about everything from the point when she was fighting battles to when she was trying to find the Dauphin In a large crowd. Even though Saint Joan of Arc was put through many tough obstacles In life her character did not change and she remained Just, courageous, and spiritual throughout her life.

A Day in Malaysia essays

A Day in Malaysia essays A Malaysian Day is not to be conceived as a day celebrated by Malaysians to symbolize any particular occasion. Indeed it should denote a typical day of any Malaysian, a microcosm of what is in the daily life a Malaysian amidst the rapid developments in the urban areas and the well-conserved rural environment. My story is spun from my experience during a five-day holiday in Malaysia. Youre going back to Malaysia, my parents announced unexpectedly, handing me air tickets, thus ending weeks of indecision as to where I was to spend my month-long winter break. I was to spend four days in Malaysia, my birth place, a place I hadnt seen in 16 years, since we moved to Birmingham. Day 1 All doubts seemed to fade however, as I stepped on board Malaysia Airlines aircraft. I was greeted warmly by the smiling kebaya-clad air stewardesses of the airline. Hours seemed to fly as the flight progressed, leaving London in the evening and arriving at dawn in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. I gazed out of the window, awed by the rolling acres of palm trees which sprawled over the humongous oil palm estates. We landed in the space-age designed Kuala Lumpur International Airport. After two hours of transit, I caught a connecting flight to Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, the southern state situated in Borneo. Greeted by my granddad at the airport, I was whisked away on a bumpy 3-hour drive to Sri Aman, where I boarded a boat to Lemanak. Low hanging trees formed canopies at some parts of the river, emitting an eerie green glow as we manoeuvred our way along it. I dipped my hands into the murky brown river, only to be warned by the boatman that it was infested with crocodiles. Needless to say, my hands made a hasty retreat and I spent most of my time looking at croc-like logs drifting down the river. I arrived at the Iban longhouse, the traditional wooden home which sits on stilts. I was gr...

The New Right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The New Right - Essay Example First coined by the YAF or Young Americans for Freedom in a 1962 article, it became widely used in the late 70s. I was also able to trace it back, in part, to the American â€Å"New Deal† opponents Brent Bozell and Clarence Marion, both writers who were pioneers of what later became a Southern strategy. Other major proponents of the movement were Friedrich Havek and Peter Viereck, whom I believe were two of its most eminent intellectual forbearers. The social changes that were blowing through America in the 60s and 70ms were not well received by everyone. Following the Roe vs. Wade ruling that established abortion rights; a fervent movement for the protection of unborn children was established1. I also see the Equal Rights Amendment as the driver of anti-feminism, which took root with some Americans contending that it eroded the traditional unit of the family and its values. From the readings, there was obvious shock among some Americans at what they viewed as sexual permissiv eness in magazines and film, whereas the gay and lesbian rights movement was attacked as sinful. With ever-increasing rates of crime and divorce, some Americans increasingly blamed the social maladies on America’s liberal welfare system2. ... However, by this time, there was not a lot that was new about this economic and political conservatism. In 1964, I already see that Barry Goldwater had made the repudiation of the â€Å"New Deal† his presidential campaign driving point, declaring that the government was running a dime store New Deal3. Increased welfare and social spending was to be cut to reduce tax burdens on families and individual Americans, whereas government regulations also needed to be reduced in order to re-establish personal freedoms and economic growth. In my opinion, the idea of a â€Å"New Right† took off in the 70s with foreign competition penetrating American markets, which caused people to believe that Goldwater was right. The New Right movement, therefore, was and not surprisingly, strengthened by the financial resources of big American corporations. The Christian Right was another linchpin for the movement, especially with numbers that had swelled since the 50s in the evangelical denomi nations. In fact, between 1963 and 1978, the number of born-again Americans had risen from 24% to 40%4. They had numerous faces, although I think the most important were fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell and the Pentecostalism leader Pat Robertson. I find it remarkable that, in spite of their deep theological divisions, all leaders in evangelical America agreed that there was moral decay in the country. The main points they rallied against were homosexuality and its effect on the family, the â€Å"abandonment† by the woman of her family role, liberal media, and its effect on the youth, and courts for â€Å"banning† religion public schools. In fact, even Catholic Americans agreed with their sentiments, claiming that the Democratic Party had been spending time chasing gays,

Cooperative Learning in Elementary Education Research Paper

Cooperative Learning in Elementary Education - Research Paper Example This will help to ease up students who might find it difficult to interact for fear of being judged. The follow-up activity will concern organizing the students into small groups. Each group has the responsibility of accomplishing a particular task. The next step in introducing cooperative learning will be assigning roles and responsibilities of each member of the group. This activity helps in the organization of work and contributes positively to timely and effective learning (Tomlinson, 2004). The positions of some of the members of the group can be the ‘starter’, ‘taskmaster/encourager’, ‘reader’, ‘praiser’, ‘researcher’, or recorder. The starter is the person who initiates the processes or supervises the uses of materials. The encourager is responsible for motivating other members of the group to contribute positively. The reader can make sure everyone in the group has identical information and understand the goals of the task. . The praiser is responsible for reinforcement of contribution from others. The researcher obtains additional information needed by the group while the recorder puts down the proceedings on paper. The responsibilities are not necessaril y restricted to any one person. The above is an example of how cooperative learning can be implemented in an elementary classroom. However, the age of the students demands constant check up by the teacher to ensure that the learning process is on the right