The Digestive System Example

The Digestive System Example The Digestive System – Coursework Example number The digestive system Different types of foods come along with different nutrients such as vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and proteins. These nutrients are often a source of energy and material to the body cells. The problem is that most of these nutrients cannot be used by the body for energy in the form in which they are eaten. Hence, before these nutrients are absorbed and carried to the body cells, they need to be broken out and changed into smaller, usable pieces. This is the work of the digestive system with the help of the digestive organs. The digestive process is a rigorous task carried out by the digestive organs working together in the digestive system (Hoffman, 53). Of concern is whether it is possible to live without one or more of the digestive organs. Each and every digestive organ has its own distinctive role. For this reason, it is impossible to live without one or more digestive organisms. However, the small intestine does the most work of any diges tive organ. This is the point where food is broken down by physical grinding as well as special proteins known as enzymes that work on food at the molecular level. In addition, the small intestine is where almost all of the useful nutrients are absorbed into the body. By this time, all that is left for the large intestines is waste in the form of undigested food. Other digestive organs such as the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder are not part of the twisted tube through which food travels but play important roles in the digestive system (Scott & Fong, 16). Regardless of how minor a role a digestive organ contributes to the digestive system, failure to have one of the digestive organizations can lead to digestive breakdown. Therefore, every digestive organ plays a detrimental role in digestion, and however minor it may appear, its pathology may lead to incomplete digestion.Works cited Hoffman, G. Digestive System. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2008. Print. Scott, A. & Fong, E. Body S tructures and Functions. New York. Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.

The Culture, History and Religion of the Indus Valley Civilization Essays

The Culture, History and Religion of the Indus Valley Civilization Essays The Culture, History and Religion of the Indus Valley Civilization Paper The Culture, History and Religion of the Indus Valley Civilization Paper Essay Topic: The Long Valley The term civilization denotes the well developed and advanced state of a society possessing historical and cultural unity in which the people live together in communities. Referring to ancient civilizations means referring to the earlier settled and stable communities, upon which the subsequent development of states, nations and empires were based. Studying ancient civilization is the same as studying the early history of humans. Ancient history can be well understood and studied as far back as 3100 BC, because men began to write from that point of time. These ancient people made a proper record of events and this has made their study easy. However, human beings had existed before that period and civilizations that existed before the invention of writing can be studied by means of archeological excavations (Civilization). The first civilizations existed in Mesopotamia and Egypt in the Middle East, in the Indus Valley of Pakistan, in the Huang He valley of China, on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea and in Central America. The common characteristic of these civilizations were that they had built cities, developed scripts for writing, learned about using metals and making pottery. They domesticated animals and used them for their transport purposes. During their period some of the world’s complex constructions were constructed (Stearns and Langer). The Indus valley civilization flourished in the valley of the Indus River, which is located in Pakistan. Archeologists discovered the Indus Valley civilization in the year 1924. These ancient farmers had grown vegetables, grains and domesticated animals on the river bank. This civilization dates back to 4000 BC. The emergence of the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and other small villages occurred in the year 2700 BC. Primitive Indians developed complex irrigation and drainage systems and discovered the art of writing. Their cities were fortified and they constructed pubic houses, palaces, baths and granaries for agricultural purposes. The ancient Hindu scripture, written around 1500 BC, the Rig Veda contains information that the Aryans had conquered the Indian civilization. Nomadic people of the Eurasian steppes were known as Aryans who introduced a caste system into the Indian civilization. During that time Brahmanism flourished (Shaffer, Indus Valley Civilization). Information about ancient peoples can be gathered from written records, carved inscriptions and archaeological excavations. Agriculture was a decisive factor in changing the life of mankind. Farming resulted in permanent settlements, which later on developed into cities. Agriculture was a major source of food and with the availability of sufficient food, there was an increase in the population. This increase in the population brought about the easy availability of people who could perform different tasks and develop the required knowledge to construct complex structures. This surfeit of food enabled the development of professions and trades in addition to agriculture (Guisepi). Agriculture requires a considerable amount of water and the main sources of water that were available to the ancient people were the rivers, streams and rainfall. Thus, the very first civilizations flourished along the river banks. Subsequently, people began to harvest rain water in the rainy season. The development of most of the ancient civilizations was in this fashion. The increase in the population brought about the development of communities into villages. Since, other trades were also prevalent; there was considerable development in the manufacture of goods and in the arts. Initially, these people stored food in animal skin gourds, which were later replaced with pottery. They learned to weave cloth from wool and flax and built houses with brick, stone and wood (Guisepi). Ancient people studied the movement of planets to determine the seasons. Further, the science of mathematics was developed as calculations were required to arrive at a correct decision. Later on they learned how to create calendars, which helped them to calculate the onset of the seasons and they divided the land among themselves for farming purposes and social reasons. Moreover, they learned to measure the land and the seeds and grains that they produced. Further, it was required to maintain a record of the measurement of various objects for future needs. Writing was invented as it became necessary to record events in the form of letters. Prior to the invention of writing, people had recorded their activities in the form of pictures and objects representing their intentions. Egyptian hieroglyphics is the best example of this ancient writing system based on pictures and most of the early writings were inscribed on stone tablets (Green and Black).

Social Performances of Shell Company Research Paper

Social Performances of Shell Company - Research Paper Example Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies is one of the largest global groups of energy and petrochemicals companies with around 101,000 employees in more than  90 countries and territories. Shell is expanding rapidly to other countries and they have almost monopolized the global energy market with their huge financial capabilities and resources. Most of the Shell companies are operating independently in each of the countries by the people who know the needs of the community and the environment well. They have the authority and autonomy to make all normal business decisions. One of the major success factors of Shell Company is their respect to the community in which they operate. Unlike many other corporate giants, Shell is keen in spending a portion of their profit for the wellbeing of the society or community in which they operate. Moreover, they are giving more emphasis to the environment protection. Social performance is accepted as the core of their business strategy for sustainable development.Most of the big companies declare their corporate social responsibility and these declarations often lie on paper alone. On the other hand, Shell is not like that. They don’t have much belief in public declarations and they don’t like the publicity for their actions. They are normally done things with least publicity compared to other big companies. Shell company has reportedly paid approximately $36 billion in taxes and royalties from 2005-2008 to the Nigerian government which can be used to promote development, reduce poverty and support econ omic growth4. It is a well-known fact that Nigeria is a poor country which is struggling to find enough resources to eradicate poverty.  Ã‚  

What's a Gaffer Do Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What's a Gaffer Do - Assignment Example Lighting, its effective designing and timely execution is crucial for the success of any shot, making the man responsible for the whole affair central to the art of filmmaking. According to Iggy, one of the leading gaffers in the filmmaking and who is also an avid blogger, the prerequisites for working as a gaffer is the acquisition of technical knowledge and a sound know-how of the equipment (Iggy, n.p.). For having an executive position, creativity and decision making skills are extremely crucial as well. Gaffer unions and guilds do exist; they offer internships as well as support for a gaffer while s/he is under employment. For example, the Motion Picture Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians Local 728 is one such organization listed on the IATSE website that works to support gaffers in the filmmaking industry (IATSE 728). An initiation fee is usually mandatory to gain membership in such unions. A gaffer’s importance to filmmaking cannot be emphasized enough since it is on e of the most pivotal roles in the entire process of cinematography. Effective management of the lighting on the set ensures a brilliant filming of a scene; hence, the correlation between a good gaffer and the success of the film is strong. Best Boy Electric is the assistant to the gaffer in the filmmaking industry.... To get started as a best boy, it is not necessary to have an academic degree since it is sound technical knowledge and effective organizational skills that determine a best boy’s success on the film set. As far as internships in the field are concerned, there are plenty of opportunities for a prospective best boy to learn the tricks of the trade, either under the mentorship of a professional gaffer or by enrolling in technical assistance programs offered. For instance, the Film New Orleans webpage offers a list of individuals who can assist upcoming technicians to train as best boys (Film New Orleans). The medium of filmmaking is extremely dependent upon the efforts of the best boy, especially in the productions phase, making the job central to the lights, camera and action. A Dolly grip is one of the posts that is related to the cinematographic field of filmmaking. Responsibilities of a dolly grip revolve around the technical supervision and operation of the camera dolly. A w ord known to filmmakers, the Media College defines a camera dolly as specialized equipment, a lot like a track, along which the camera moves (Camera Moves). The camera dolly not only allows the cameraman to take smooth shots but also facilitates the capturing of shots from multiple angles. Since a dolly grip is responsible for the operation of the camera dolly, the post is very closely related to that of a cameraman and thus falls under the camera department. In essence, it is a post linked with the production process of filmmaking. As is the case with most of the production department related posts, a dolly grip does not require prior academic achievements to be able to enter the field. Moreover, since the dolly grip is required to handle and

Safety of Larry Essay Example for Free

Safety of Larry Essay Morton resolves to leave the potentially violent playground because he reasons that the other man is very unreasonable and that engaging this man in any further dialogue would yield nothing beneficial. The father also seeks to ensure the safety of Larry his son far from the haughty taunts of the troublesome Joe. After the second reading. What does the narrator know about the wifes thoughts and feelings that is important to understanding the ending? The story’s narrator is aware that the wife senses a debilitating feeling of defeat and inadequacy whenever she faces a situation whereby unreasonable behavior triumphs over sensible behavior. These sentiments make the wife to be unsatisfied with Morton’s act of submissively leaving the troublesome father and child. The wife thus thinks that her husband is inefficient in agitating for his rights. She thus repeats the derisive ‘You and who else? ’ statement that the arrogant man utters in the park. What do you think this incident means to the wife? To the wife, injustice is depicted as trampling over justice according to the events that transpire at the park. Moreover, her husband demonstrates that he is weak and defenseless through is action of choosing to ignore the other man’s taunts. What other things do you notice? After analyzing the actions of the various characters, I have noted that Morton is a sensible and refined man who would not get involved in a physical confrontation just for the sake of it. Rather, he depicts a mature personality that allows him to have adequate patience to put up with the unreasonable mean’s behavior. What questions do you still have? I am not sure whether Morton really avoids being involved in a physical tussle with the other man just because of the silliness of such an action or because he fears being physically hurt by the obviously bigger man. Conversely, the wife’s actions are not clear as to whether she treasures violence or harbors violent tendencies.

Pediatric and Adult Migraines Essay -- Health Head Aches Essays

Pediatric and Adult Migraines Many people are surprised to find that children get migraines. It is one of those illnesses that are associated with adults only. A migraine is an intense, pounding headache with nausea that occurs infrequently. The headache starts around the eyes, the forehead, or the sides of the head. Bright lights and loud noises also make the headache worse, and any movements make this headache worse. Migraines last from a few hours to a few days in serious cases (1). Over 8 million children get migraines a year, which results in over 1 million lost schooldays cumulatively. 20% of adolescents in high school suffer from migraines as well. Pediatric migraines commonly stop when a child becomes an adult. Migraines occurring prior to puberty are about evenly split between boys and girls, and after puberty many more girls than boys experience them. Older children experience migraine pain typically on only one side of the head. Younger children, however, experience pain on both sides of the head. Some people also see a "warning aura," which is a pattern of lines or shadows in front of their eyes as the headache starts (2). Types of migraines are therefore classified as either common (no aura warning) or classic (with aura warning). Aura symptoms usually occur 30 to 60 minutes before the acute headache and generally are resolved by that time (3). Why are pediatric and adult migraines different? There are many different stimulants that trigger a migraine headache. Certain foods, like cheese, processed meats, chocolate, caffeine, MSG, nuts, or pickles are common triggers. Stress and too much exercise can also trigger an attack (1). Most children with migraines have a family history of ... ...ds.com/Health/Advice/migrainetreatme_zyg_gn.html 5) Aromaa, M. et al. "Pain Experience of Children With Headache and their Families: A Controlled Study." Pediatrics 106 (2000): 270-275 . 6) Hermann, C. and Blanchard, E.B. "Psychophysiological Reactivity in Pediatric Migraine Patients and Healthy Controls." Journal of Psychosomatic Research44:2 (1998): 229-240. 7)Sartory, G. et al. "A comparison of psychological and pharmacological treatment of pediatric migraine." Behaviour Research and Therapy 36 (1998): 1155-1170. 8) Pivate Pharmacological Information site, greeat online pharmacist answers to questions about metoprolol medication. http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/metopro.htm 9) Gerber, Wolf-Dieter et al. "Slow cortical potentials in migraine families are associated with psychosocial factors." Journal of Psychosomatic Research 52 (2002): 215-222.

Talkshow on Rom Whittaker

Romulus Whitaker was only four years old when he caught his first snake in the country estate that he shared with his mother and sister in northern New York State. It was the beginning of a fascination with reptiles and a journey to conserve nature. Although born in the United States in 1943, Rom Whitaker grew up in India where he nurtured his passion for reptiles exploring the wild as a student in a boarding school up in the mountains in south India. Dr. Whitaker is one of India's leading herpetologists and conservationists. His efforts have helped to put numerous endangered wildlife on the conservation map.The world-renowned herpetologist and author is changing perceptions of reptiles through his innovative work while championing the cause for conservation of India’s rich biodiversity. (He’s 69) In an exclusive interview Romulus Whitaker shares some of his thoughts and interesting experience through the course of his work. 1. What is it about reptiles that got you fas cinated about them? My love affair with reptiles began before my ‘age of reason', in fact I was catching and keeping snakes at the tender age of 5 years at Hoosick, NY I found my first snake, a Dekay's snake and I was hooked.I Kept a terrarium full of local snakes and when I was seven I moved to India, the land of snakes. Over the years my interest broadened to all herps. 2. Were your parents or friends influential in your decision to go into herpetology as a profession? My mother in particular was very supportive of my ‘unusual' interest and bought me books by Pope, Ditmars etc. 3. Where is your favorite herping spot in the world? I guess my best place in Agumbe, Karnataka State, near the west coast of India, where we have one of our research stations. 4.What herp in the wild still gives you chills and sends your excitement levels through the roof? What herp is at the top of your list to find in the wild? I guess the king cobra tops the list but I get great pleasure in seeing any of the wonderful herps we have here in the wild. Well, having found a lot of species in a lot of places I guess it's just the mere idea of finding ‘new' species, which I've never seen in the wild, which excites me. 5. Aside from the conservation programs you’ve set-up, do you keep any herps as personal pets?Nope, no herp pets. We live on an 11 acre farm with Russells vipers, cobras, kraits, saw-scaled vipers, rat snakes, trinket snakes, vine snakes and so on, so there are rarely ‘dull' moments here. 6. What’s the best avenue people can help your conservation trusts and efforts? People can donate out right of course but perhaps more of them might be interested in coming over to India on a ‘paying volunteer' program which allows people to stay on site and do work to help keep the research and general work going, bringing their own special inputs. 7.Any advice for students looking to get into the herpetological field? Handling venomous snakes? I think the best way is to attach yourself to an existing herp program in any capacity just to get that experience and to work with people who are obviously doing it right and learning from them. 8. Do you think the increase of interest in the herp-keeping hobby has helped or hindered reptile & amphibian conservation? I can't say much about the herp keeping hobby, I know that it should be done responsibly and people should learn and know where their animals are coming from.If most of the herps on the market are from captive bred stocks fine, but taking them from the wild can be a fatal rip-off and that has hammered several species worldwide. 9. What are some of the most fascinating aspects of your job as a Reptile Expert? Every day is a fascinating experience, simply because so little is yet known about reptiles, as compared with more ‘obvious' creatures like birds and butterflies. Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that once you have studied and been close to reptil es long enough, you realize that they too are complex beings with individual personalities, some nice and some not so nice.Venomous snakes have their tremendous killing power yet they are timid and shy and want nothing more than to stay clear of horribly dangerous human beings. I don’t have dull moments except for when I have to go into the awful city to do some chore like renew my driver's license! 10. In the course of your career, you must have had several close and dangerous encounters with crocs, komodo dragons and snakes. Is there any incident that stands out in your mind which left you completely speechless? It's kind of hard to say which experiences stand out as being exciting and memorable, in my kind of life excitement is never far away.Perhaps the incident that sticks in my mind is the first time I encountered a king cobra. It was in Agumbe (where we now have a research station) and I saw the black tail of a large snake disappearing into the bushes. Thinking it was a large, harmless rat snake I did what any snake hunter would do, I leaped on it. I managed to grab the tail and in my now prone position I looked up to see the hood of a large king cobra spread over me and a pair of not so friendly eyes glaring down at me. I needed no more encouragement and quickly released the king cobra's tail and rolled out of the way.Luckily the snake didn't want to tangle with me any more than I wanted to tangle with it and it slid away into the forest. Phew! 11. What are the challenges you have faced to dispel some of the misconceptions people have about reptiles? The main challenge is to get people to realize that their old folk tales and beliefs about snakes are usually wrong and that the reality of snakes and other reptiles is of course much more interesting than these old tales. People have a tendency to think that wild animals are ‘out to get them' when actually it's just the opposite. 2. Do you think there is adequate support / assistance for cons ervation of reptiles today or more can be done? How? Certainly reptiles are still not too high in the popularity charts and there is always a need for understanding the misunderstood creatures that we share the planet with. More media exposure to the facts about reptiles, their usefulness to us in controlling rodents and cleaning the waterways (in the case of crocs) and controlling harmful insects in the case of lizards, will certainly help their plight. 13.What do you hope people will take away from your work and films on reptiles? Is there anything you would like to do in the future? Well, I know people are not going to start hugging reptiles overnight, but I do feel we are making headway by writing, making films and bringing people to the Madras Crocodile Bank and teaching them about the wonders of the reptile world. What will I do in future? Probably just what I'm doing right now. One project is to promote research on snake venoms and the perfection of the anti-venom serum again st snakebite in India. All good fun!

Explain the Causes and Consequences of the Iraq War Essay

On the 20th of March 2003, US cruise missiles and bombs were dropped on Baghdad, Iraq’s capital city. The target was the then Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein’s and his closest aides, who were believed to be in a meeting. It would be the start of a conflict that would still be going strong seven years later. Even after so many years of US-led invasion, the reasons for invading Iraq are still debated worldwide. As Allawi (2007) argues ‘in the history of conflicts and wars, there are few instances that match the invasion and occupation for complexity of motive and ambiguity of purpose’[1]. As a result, the Iraq War or otherwise known as ‘Operation Iraqi freedom’ was to become one of the most controversial wars to date especially because of the overwhelming international hostility. It is one of the most important events that affected the world, radically changing 21st century international relations. This essay will be structured as follows the first section will explore the causes of the war. It argues that the main cause of the war was the perceived threat of Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction. This study further argues an attempt to bring democracy to the country and getting rid of the country’s authoritarian leader was another cause of the Iraq war. The second section will explore the consequences such of the war from four different perspectives: the humanitarian consequences, the military consequences, the political consequences and finally the economic consequences. This will be followed by a conclusion. Hallenbery and Karlsson (2005) argue that the September 11th attacks on the twin towers in 2001 to some extent led to the Iraq invasion. The attack on the twin towers is one of the events that changed the world forever. Soon after the attacks, the then president, George Bush Jr, publically televised America’s War on Terror. The first of America’s target was Afghanistan, in particular the Taliban ‘who openly supported the Al-Qaeda’[2]and ‘allowed Afghani territory to be used for training camps and bases’[3]. However even after the invasion of Afghanistan, America was still concerned about possible threats. The US concluded that the September 11th attacks showed that ‘some countries could ally themselves with terrorist movements’[4] and most importantly provide them with weapons of mass destruction. Bush was especially concerned by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. It was well known that during the 1980/90’s, Saddam had access to weapons of mass destruction. He had used them on his own people, killing thousands of innocent Kurds during the attack on Halabja[5]. Furthermore Saddam showed persistent hatred towards the west, especially America. The perceived threat of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction was the main cause of the Iraq War. As already mentioned, soon after the September 11th attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan, Bush placed is attentions onto Iraq. Both the US government and the UK government argued that the invasion of Iraq was necessary for a number of reasons. Firstly, it was seen as part of the axis of evil, alongside Iran and North Korea, accused of seeking weapons of mass destruction and helping terrorism. Secondly, Saddam’s regime was linked to Al-Qaeda. It was feared that he might pass the weapons of mass destruction to Al-Qaeda who could potentially use them against western democracy’s. Thirdly, Iraq was accused of not only possessing WMD’s but was developing more deadly ones[6]. During 2002, speech after speech, Bush argued that world faced a common problem; Iraq. He pledged to work with the United Nations to deal with the issues posed by Iraq. By the end of 2002 the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1441; they gave their final opportunity to Saddam to comply with its disarmament obligations of face serious actions. However, by 2003, the US, UK and Spain introduced the ‘second resolution’ arguing that Iraq failed to take the final opportunity provided by the UN Security Council to disarm. The second resolution meant the authorisation of immediate force to disarm Saddam’s Iraq. [8] However, France’s president Jack Chiroc argued that they would veto the resolution. Crisis talks were held with the leaders of the US, UK and Spain resulting in the withdrawal of the resolution. The very same evening, President Bush televised a live conference warning that if Saddam Hussein did not leave Iraq in 48 hours the result would be ‘military conflict commenced at the time of our choosing’[9]. Therefore the main cause of the Iraq War was the threat of Saddam Hussein’s claimed WMDs. Prior to the invasion, American policy makers also emphasised ‘the broad benefits likely to result from the removal of Saddam Hussein’s authoritarian regime into a ‘cultivation of a democratic regime’[10]. They argued that democratization of Iraq would improve the well being of Iraqi citizens, politically and economically. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, the democratization of Iraq would help stimulate greater economic prosperity and promote further democracy in the rest of the middle east – a region historically characterised by authoritarian governments where there is a wide spread of conflict, instability and widespread poverty[11]. Moreover it was claimed that the democratization of Iraq would set the stage for the settlement of conflicts that had plagued the Middle Eastern region for decades which would mean the chance to create lasting peace. [12] This next section will examine the consequences of the Iraq war. Soon after the US entered Iraq, the Ba’ath party quickly crumbled. Many of the key members were killed soon after the invasion began. Saddam Hussein on the other hand, went on the run. This left the the country without a leader. Nine months after the war had begun, on the 14th of December, Saddam was finally captured. His capture would be the biggest, and some say only, accomplishment of the Iraq War. Shortly After his rise to power, Saddam’s ruthless tendencies came to light. For example he would often use violence to achieve his political goal, murdering any of his rivals. He invaded neighbours Iran in 1990 and Kuwait in 1991. He also created a secret police. The most disturbing of his actions could be seen in the events in small Kurdish town, in northern Iraq, called Halabja. As a result of Kurdish opposition, ‘Iraqi aircraft dropped canisters believed to contain a lethal cocktail of the nerve agents sarin, tabun, VX and mustard gas on the town’[13]. Over 5,000 civilians died, most to be believed women and children. Thousands of more were permanently affected[14]. Time and time again, Saddam showed no remorse about killing his own people. It is also believed he was also responsible for the deaths of his own daughter’s husbands. Altogether, although there is no official count of how many deaths Saddam caused, it is estimated to be around the region of 400, 00 to 50,000. Soon after his capture, Saddam was put on trial for crimes against humanity. He was found guilty killed and sentenced to death by hanging. He was hanged on the 30th December 2006. The removal of the brutal, ruthless, remorseless and genocidal leader is therefore seen a positive consequence of the Iraq War. Another consequence of the Iraq war is the failure to bring stability and democracy into the country. As already mentioned previously in this study, one of the causes of the war were to democratize the country which would in turn result into stability of not only the country but the whole region. The US led coalition were able to take Iraq within a matter of weeks as the Iraqi army proved weak. Instead the coalition forces faced a guerrilla style war. Insurgency intensified shortly after the war began. It seemed that almost, everyday there was a new story about some type of suicide bomber attack. However even after seven years, such attacks in Iraq are still are nearly an everyday occurrence. For example, the latest attack which happened on the August 17th 2010, 57 Iraqi recruits and soldiers were killed in Baghdad, while 123 were seriously wounded by a suicide bomber who blew himself up at an army recruitment centre[15]. The consequence of this latest attacks is that even after seven years, coalition forces have failed to stabilize the country. Interestingly, Wehrey et al (2010) argues that the removal of Saddam ‘upset a traditional balance of power in the region'[16], bringing further instability into the country. Traditionally, the balance of power in the region involved Iran and Arab nations. However with the Iraq war, the balance of power has now shifted towards Iran. Wehrey et al (2010) further argues that this shift in the balance of power has led to widespread concern amongst Arab states because of how easily Iran can ‘manoeuvre in the core of the Middle East, from Lebanon to Gaza'[17]. Therefore one of the consequences of the war and the removal of Saddam has ‘created the perception of increased vulnerability on the Arab side’. [18] The attempts to bring democracy have also failed. Iraq is no more democratised then before. This can be proven by the recent election results. Although elections were successfully held in 2005 to create a transitional national assembly whose main purpose was to create a constitution. As a result Prime Minister Nouri Maliki was able to formulate a government. However the recent election results have so far not been so successful, as six after Iraqi’s went to the polls, no winner has been declared due to delays and claims of vote rigging. The importance of the 2010 elections was great as the party who one would be the first to rule over a fully sovereign Iraq since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. [19] However the months of political instability has brought about fears of insurgency violence arising to levels seen between 2003-2006, where violence was at its highest. One of the major consequences of the war has been the huge loss of life. The BBC estimate that over 90,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed in since the beginning of the war. It estimated that nearly 5,000 casualties from the coalition forces[20]. However the number of causalities, both civilian and military, have been falling in the last few years. The loss of creditability of both the US and UK governments have been another consequence of the war. Mitchell argues that a number of policy errors were made by both governments. He argues that ‘opinions were not debated, intelligence was selectively used, the invasion lacked sufficient force, there was a failure to anticipate on insurgency and postwar planning was poorly devised. There has been widespread anger that the reasons for war were found true, therefore as some claim, making the war unjust and illegal. In the case of the British Government, the then prime minster, Tony Blair, popularity had fallen hugely as many believed he had led the country into war under false pretences. Wehrey et al (2010) make an interesting point. They argue that once consequence of the Iraq war is that is ‘has provided an anti-Western motivational focus and consolidated pre-existing grievances’[21]. The beginning stages of the war particularly from 2003 to 2006, presented a narrative of resistance to the US led invasion that proved powerfully ttractive to people across the region ‘whose immediate local grievances may have been unrelated to Iraq itself but who nonetheless may have been inspired toward violence by the war’[22]. Furthermore Al-Qaeda, successfully portrayed Iraq as the most striking example of an infidel invasion of an Arab Muslim land[23]. The economic consequences of the Iraq war have also been great. Reports have suggested that the cost of the war for the US is over three trillion dollars. Before the war, Iraq’s economy was weak due to decades of economic mismanagement by Saddam. Although Iraq was oil rich- it had huge debts due to Saddam’s wars in Iran and Kuwait. Furthermore economic sanctions from the UN during the 1990’s heavily affected Iraq’s economy. The country was never quite able to bounce back from the sanctions despite the large oil reserves. The impact of the war has worsened the situation. Unemployment it at an all time high and rebuilding infrastructure that was destroyed by the war, has been slow. The war has also brought about the problems of refugees. The United Nations commissioner for refugees argues that there are nearly one million refugees as a result of the war and roughly about 1. 5 million internally displaced person ‘a third of who are living in settlements or camp-like situations in extremely poor conditions’[24]. In conclusion, the main cause of the Iraq was the belief that Saddam Hussein was in possessions of weapons of mass destruction. Although it was no secret that Saddam had access to WMDs in the past, UN inspections would later find no evidence of them. Another cause for war was the belief that the overthrow of Saddams brutal regime would allow the democraztisation of the country which would improve Iraqi lives and lead to economic prosperity. Futhermore it would enable peace in a region which was riddled by conflict and instability. The toppling of saddam’s authoraitive rule and then eventual capture of the ruler was one of the rare success stories of the war. However this seems to be the only one. An attempt to bring democracy to the country has yet to be achieved; the casualities of the war have been high, people have lost confidence in governments and some have argued that the war has led to increased terror levels and consolidated an increased anti-western focus. Only time will tell the full extent of the wars further impacts. With America preparing to end its combat mission and end the number of American troops in Iraq, Iraq’s future looks dim. Even after six months of Iraqi’s going to the polls, a government has still not been formed. Fears are growing that Iraq still may not have the ability to provide security for itself or to be able to govern. Although Iraq may have got rid of their despot leader, the already weak country may have become even weaker as a result of the war.

eletion essays

eletion essays The two main candidates for the election of 2000 are George W. Bush and Al Gore. Al Gore, of course, being the current Vice President. I have never been into the whole politics game. But, know that I am 18 years old I feel I should start paying more attention to political issues. I don't know if I am going to vote this year, and if I did I don't know who I would vote for. I really don't know much about either canditate. All I know is that Gore is Vice President to Clinton, and we all know how most people feel about Clinton. In order for me to make a judgment on who I am going to vote for I would like to know where each canditate satnds on different political issues. Some of the issues I will be covering are abortion, crime, drugs, education, environment, and gun control. These are the issues I am most interested in, and I would like a president who agrees with me on a good portion of these issues. To start off, I am going to state where I stand on each of the isssues. I then will sat e where each presidential canditate stands on each issue. The first topic I would like to discuss is abortion. Abortion is kind of a big thing to me. I am one of those who is against abortion. I feel abortion is kind of like murder. I know it is easy for me to say that abortion is wrong, because I have never gotten a girl pregnant before. I understand that some tees make mistakes and want to correct those mistakes. But, I feel more people should stand up for their mistakes and take some action. Instead of having the baby aborted, the parents should put the child up for adoption. What if that kid was going to come up with a cure for cancer? I bet the parents would not want o abort the child then. Abortion is one area I agree with Bush. Bush wants to cut down the amount of abortions given out the whole year. Bush also wants to turn the choice of having abortions over to the state. Gore, on the other hand, wants to leave the choice in the w ...

The Whiteness of Nerds

The Whiteness of Nerds 1. The anthropological study of Mary Bucholtz (2001) was conducted in the Bay City High School in 1995-96, and the article under review represents her findings on the discourse of whiteness, blackness, and super-whiteness exercised through acceptance of particular socio-linguistic roles by students known as ‘nerds’.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Whiteness of Nerds specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The author investigates the linguistic mechanisms such as the usage of appropriate, super-standard English grammar, pronunciation, and choice of lexicon (full refusal from the youth slang, and its usage only to imply the division) as the way nerds distance themselves from other white students, and black students. The key criterion they use to articulate their division is intelligence and its realization through language. The topic of racialization of the notion of ‘whiteness’ not on ly visvis blackness, but inside it, involving the gradation of whiteness, is explored (Bucholtz 2001: 86). 2. The issue highlighted in the present article is the way racial markedness of certain groups of youth in the modern American society is achieved through the usage of certain linguistic forms, and the way this phenomenon is introduced in the notion of ‘whiteness’ that used to be considered a solid category juxtaposed to ‘blackness’. 3. The importance of the author’s argument is in the segmentation of the white society according to linguistic norms similarly to a wider division between larger groups of population, i.e. African American and European American students. The way language ideologies perform cultural work of division within a single socio-cultural group has not yet been explored in full; therefore, the cultural segmentation presented through linguistic means, and the potential for creating a particular profile of the group by means of using linguistic markers has much potential for future research. 4. The author ties her findings and conclusions to the research on language ideology and explores the subculture of nerds through such linguistic processes as iconization, fractal recursivity, and erasure (Bucholtz 2001: 88). She explains the detachment strategies of nerds on the basis of these ideological tools.Advertising Looking for critical writing on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More 5. There are several implications of Bucholtz’s line of argument relating to the volume of original material processed in the course of the discussed research. As for the meaning of intelligence as the main marker for ‘blackness’ and ‘whiteness’, as well as the measure of whiteness that can also differ widely across the group of all white people, there is comprehensive evidence of its essential meaning for all discursive ma rkedness cases discussed. Thus, for example, the notion of ‘hillbillies’ (as the degraded form of whiteness) can be assessed according to the intelligence criterion (Bucholtz 2001: 84). The example of African American students concealing their intellectual potential at school not to be accused of â€Å"acting white† and not to be called a â€Å"brainiac† also certifies the strong impact of not only inter-racial markedness, but the measures of intra-racial markedness that at times are even stronger than the inter-racial forms. Secondly, the process of creating a language ideology is welded in the sound body of evidence, which is genuinely persuasive. The study of Irvine and Gal 2000 is outlined and then utilized on a set of examples from the students’ interviews (Bucholtz 2001: 88). The way the author selects the fragment of interviews and explains the usage of certain terminology by the ideological view of certain elements of a subculture as ingrain ed and typifying is logical and efficient in the whole research. 6. The author has used the observational method, and applied the structured and unstructured interviews with the students of Bay City High School. 7. The ability to create socio-cultural markedness of one’s language, nerds in particular, may be considered the main strength of Bucholtz’s article. The exploration of the tools and strategies applied by nerds to underline their intelligence, and the role of intelligence in the estimate of ‘whiteness’, are also the strong sides of the research. However, the study lacks the generalization potential – observation in one school and for only one year is not enough to articulate the socio-linguistic characteristics of a specific demographic group in action. More comprehensive and longitudinal studies are required to make the study’s hypotheses stronger. 8. The present article represents much food for thought in shaping the knowledge about various aspects of communication on the broader scale. It is possible to assess more practical aspects of the unifying and separating power that one language may have within one culture.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on The Whiteness of Nerds specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As Miller, Esterik, and Esterik note (2010: 327), any language has strong ties to the culture in which it is spoken; it shaped the culture in the historical discourse of its formation, and makes it distinct from any other culture with another unique language. However, nowadays some subdivisions of a language may shape the unique appearance of certain subcultures, and give both positive and negative attributes to them. The notion of the relationships between language and class is also reinforced with the help of Bucholtz (2001). The issue of nerds striving to take a higher rank due to the usage of super-standard English, and the attrib ute of ‘hillbillies’ as degraders in the scale of the social class, show how the usage of certain linguistic norms shapes a certain image of language users, both unintentionally and by their deliberate effort. Hence, the language has become a strong instrument in shaping one’s identity, and it may be manipulated accordingly by a certain subculture or group.

Army Leadership - the Role of the Non-Commissioned Officer Essay

Army Leadership - the Role of the Non-Commissioned Officer - Essay Example These roles are to be performed by individual NCO corps as well as the NCO leaders. NCO vision The NCO vision requires that an NCO corps should be grounded in tradition, heritage and values that embody the perpetual learning of values and Warrior Ethos. In terms of roles, the vision requires that NCOs should be capable of training, leading and motivating soldiers. In terms of leadership, their chief role within the military organization is being a direct leader to the military officers. After the training of new recruits, NCOs are assigned to be the key direct leader and a trainer for crew, team and individual at the unit level (Chiefs of Staff, US Army, 1997). According to Fitton (1990), the NCOs are required to lead by example. This means they are expected to understand and practice the ethical requirements of soldiers and perform their duties diligently so as to give a practical lead to the other soldiers. Their role modeling is important for the military personnel because they ar e the most visible leaders within the military organization. The NCOs are required to provide inspiration, motivation and purpose for the other military officers because soldiers look to their NCOs for inspiration, solutions and directions/guidance. Due to their training, long-term service or experience in the military, an NCO officer should be capable of training other officers based on experience. They are supposed to help the soldiers to answer or overcome the challenges experienced in the contemporary operating environment by training them to prepare, cope and perform well no matter the prevailing situation. This means that they should be able to give high quality training to the soldiers. This training they give to the soldiers is also suppose to prepare them for their mission ahead and so they always stress on physical hardening and the basics of field craft. They do this because the need for physically and mentally fit soldiers will not be reduced by the tools provided by tec hnology (Bainbridge, 1976). The NCOs are senior to the soldiers they live, train and work with on daily basis and it is therefore their role to take care of the other soldiers. They are required to balance the mission for the military organization and the welfare of the soldiers. Each NCO should develop and demonstrate as a genuine concern about the well-being of the soldiers they are training or leading. Taking care of the soldiers also entails preparing them adequately to face any challenge that lies ahead of them. In order to achieve this, the NCOs ensure that they give the soldiers enough physical training and military practice for example clearing terrorists from urban strongholds or caves, or carrying heavy loads (Bainbridge, 1976). According to FM 7-22.7 (2002), it is the responsibility of the NCOs to set, maintain and enforce high-quality standards and discipline within the military organization because they are the standard bearers. They should ensure that all soldiers comp ly with the expected rules, discipline levels and military operation standard for example, military appearance. They are supposed to correct all military officers who do not wear their uniform properly while teaching them the right standards of military appearance. In connection to this, they are required to inspect for proper and serviceable equipment and clothing for their soldiers. The role to enforce military standard and discipline should be done

The Acceptance of the Conspiracy Theories Assignment

The Acceptance of the Conspiracy Theories - Assignment Example The authors open their article by claiming that conspiracy theories are not only common in America, but also Americans highly believe them. The authors then proceed to explain the meaning of conspiracy theory. They define conspiratorial belief as strong conspiratorial belief of an individual in conspiratorial terms. Further, the authors explain two major predispositions, which drive the acceptance and belief of conspiracy theories. These include: Partisan and conspiratorial predispositions. In their finding, the authors conclude that conspiracy information significantly influences the thinking of the information receivers and that predispositions exist as concerns conspiratorial thinking.In the article â€Å"Dead and Alive: Beliefs in Contradictory Conspiracy Theories,† Wood et al. explore the beliefs that surround conspiracy theory. The authors begin by defining conspiracy theory, which they define as the secret collusion of influential people or organization to achieve some objective (1). The authors conduct two different studies to prove that conspiracy theory can result into a monological belief structure. According to the authors, conspiracy theories exhibit correlation with each other. They assert that even mutually incompatible theories of conspiracy exhibit positive correlation. As such, belief in one conspiracy theory relates to the beliefs in other theories. Further, the authors hold that coherence with undoubted worldviews leaves no or little for contradiction in personal beliefs.