The Design And Production Of Artifacts - 5691 Words

Neri Oxman Introduction Over the long trajectory of architectural design history, the design and production of artifacts has been characterized by the growing separation of form-making from its natural foundations in material conditions. In contradistinction to craft production (Sennett 2008) in which material and form are naturally intertwined into a tradition of making, modern design and production have historically evolved away from this integration towards the compartmentalization of form-making as a process independent of its sources in material knowledge. At least since the Renaissance, with the emergence of architectural theories, form-making, as the production of form inspired by theory, has become an autonomous body of knowledge.†¦show more content†¦Eventually, this non-material approach to the design and the automation of construction were to be reinforced under the command of computer aided design. The digital revolution, which marked the change from analog to digital technology, has transformed the designer?s drafting board into a digital canvas. Form, it seemed, was now divorced completely from the physical reality of its manifestation. Granted, these new design spaces afforded much liberation in terms of formal expression, but it has also broadened the gap between form and matter and made the hierarchical and sequential separation of modeling, analysis and fabrication processes infinitely more pronounced. The implementation and broad absorption of enhanced computational design tools in architectural practice has, since the early nineties, motivated a renaissance of the formalist project in architecture; geometrically complex shapes became emblems of creativity in digital design environments and supported the design mastery of complex geometries in form generation. This formal and geometric design orientation has also addressed ?free form? design and architecture along with t heir enabling technologies as part of the larger design phenomenon of the ?mass customization? of ?non-standard? form. Today, perhaps underShow MoreRelatedscope of technology Essay932 Words   |  4 Pagesaspects in every technology to an artifact selected from Friedman’s essay â€Å"The World is Flat†. The six aspects include first the skills, techniques, human activity forms, or socio-technical practice; second, resources, tools, and materials; third, technological products or artifacts; fourth, end, intention or functions; fifth, background knowledge; and lastly, social context in which the technology is designed, developed, used, and disposed of, and the artifact that I will apply is Nike. In ChildrenRead MoreThe Land Of Israel And Palestine1478 Words   |  6 PagesThis is a Greek lekythos which is usually used to store ointment, oil, and sometimes adorn graves. This artifact was found in the land of Israel/Palestine. This paper will examine how this object was produced, what kind of style was used in its production and what it meant to individuals at the time. On a larger level, trading objects like this one during the Persian Period represent the strength of local tastes and cultures over nationalistic tensions between Greece and Persia. â€Æ' 2. IntroductionRead MoreThe Record Of Praxis Experience1723 Words   |  7 Pagesgreat engineering design to keep on striving for more efficient and effective solution no matter how great the present design may be as there is no limit on the number of ways current engineering design can be improved. Throughout this RoPE is a reflection of my numerous engineering design endeavors and how each experience contributed to my current definition of engineering design. Artifact 1: Teardowns$ Product Teardowns Taking apart commercial products to evaluate quality of design decisions We dismantledRead MoreVersion Control Essay1339 Words   |  6 Pages\textbf{Architecture and design decisions} Architect /supervisor developers\\\hline \textbf{Expert supervisor} Highly recommended Recommended\\\hline \end{tabularx} \end{table} DCVC, On the other hand, depends on the situation where developers have higher maturity and expertise to handle more high-level and long term tasks \cite{14}. It has the ability to take architectural and design decisions. Moreover, DCVC should ensure the standardization of coding and naming conversions as well as design and architectureRead MoreThe Study Of Speech Movements745 Words   |  3 Pages Moreover, speech production distorts the magnetic field, masking or mimicking neural activations in the final readings. A proposed solution to the artifacts is the use of a brief stimuli and an event-related design that could help distinguishing the BOLD (blood-oxygen level dependent) signals from the signal artefacts; another technique involved the removal of images collected during the motions. However, this precluded the study of longer speech and the use of block designs (which provide betterRead MoreEvent Detectionification And Event Identification960 Words   |  4 Pagescommuniti es, the research team has selected the Design Science Research (DSR) methodology for this research as it is well suited to create an artifact as a solution to a research problem [16]. The main artifact to be developed for that problem was a Mobile-Based Information System (MBIS) for farmers. In that process, many supporting artifacts were also created in the form of architectures, models and theories. DSR consists of 3 cycles: Relevance, Design and Rigors. The research team went through muchRead MoreThe Challenges, Solutions, Models, Tools And Tools1080 Words   |  5 Pagesintegrated in shared project workspaces. The software design process involves many iterative cycles of development before arriving at a deliverable which can be deployed on a production server for live use by customers. Any inconsistency in one module can impact the overall software design and lead to expensive overruns in the project development schedule. More importantly, any anomalies found after the release of the software product on the production server can have severe ramiï ¬ cations to the productsRead MoreThe Concept Of Requirements Traceability1551 Words   |  7 Pagesenvironment and the trace left by those elements on requirements.† In general, traceability is a process of inter-relating the different requirements identified by the stakeholders at different levels of software development life cycle and various project artifacts. This inter-relation is used to establish the scenarios of a specific use case within a system or application and test those scenarios using test-cases. In any software development project, requirements should be easily traceable and for this, theRead MoreHow Music Has Impacted My Life Essay1524 Words   |  7 Pagesprojects as well, often under the pseudonym, Bartholomew Cubbins (â€Å"Jared Leto: Biography†). He made his directorial debut in the documentary Artifact (2012), discussing the challenges he faced in the music industry. This year, he directed Great Wide Open (2016), a nature documentary (â€Å"Jared Leto: Biography†). While documentary filmmaking differs from Hollywood productions, it would not come at a surprise for Leto to direct a feature film, perhaps one h e acts in as well—much in the vein of Woody Allen orRead MoreAn Project On Investigative Journalism1025 Words   |  5 PagesMethodology My proposal focuses on a particular set of cultural practices, organizations, productions, and identities, such as those mobilized by the performance of investigative journalism in Chile in a post-authoritarian moment. I am particularly acknowledging culture’s conception as a process and a set of practices and not a collection of things (Hall, cited by Rose, 2016: 2), constituted by â€Å"interworked systems of construable signs† by which culture is actually a context within which â€Å"social

The Physics Of The Atomic Theory - 1404 Words

Name: Ernest Rutherford Date of Birth: August 30, 1871 Lived: Nelson, New Zealand Which Scientists influenced this Scientists work? Why? I believe that the scientists before Rutherford would have inspired him to investigate in Atoms. This may of occurred because there was a conspiracy towards the atoms due to nobody actually seeing them. What part of the Atomic Theory did they investigate? Ernest Rutherford was responsible for a many different discoveries such as radioactivity and nuclear physics. He discovered alpha and beta rays, found the laws of radioactive decay, and identified alpha particles as helium nuclei. Most important, he postulated the nuclear structure of the atom this structure was known as Rutherford model. Rutherford overturned Thomson s model in 1911 with his well-known gold foil experiment in which he demonstrated that the atom has a tiny, heavy nucleus. Rutherford designed an experiment to use the alpha particles emitted by a radioactive element as probes to the unseen world of atomic structure. Ernest Rutherford publishes his atomic theory describing the atom as having a central positive nucleus surrounded by negative orbiting electrons. This model suggested that most of the mass of the atom was contained in the small nucleus, and that the rest of the atom was mostly empty space. What model did they use to explain their theory (draw the model) What research/experiment did they conduct to test their Theory? Was their experiment successful?Show MoreRelatedThe Physics Of The Atomic Theory1297 Words   |  6 Pagesresearch of numerous chemists and physicists. The atomic theory is the building block to the study of matter, just as the atom is the building block to all matter. Around 400 BCE was when the Greek philosopher Democritus, alone with his teacher Leucippus, the idea of the atom was born (the word atom comes from the Greek word â€Å"atomos† or â€Å"atomon† meaning â€Å"that which cannot be split†). This was a completely new concept, and Democritus’s theory stated that atoms were indestructible and homogenousRead MorePhysics And Physics : Atomic Theory2392 Words   |  10 Pages In chemistry and physics, atomic theory is a scientific theory of the nature of matter, which states that matter is composed of discrete units called atoms. It began as a philosophical concept in ancient Greece and entered the scientific mainstream in the early 19th century when discoveries in the field of chemistry showed that matter did indeed behave as if it were made up of atoms. The word atom comes from the Ancient Greek adjective atomos, meaning uncuttable. 19th century chemists began usingRead MoreThe Physics Of The Atomic Theory1519 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"What is the world made of?† That question has puzzled scientists and philosophers for centuries. The atomic theory was first proposed in ancient Greece around 400 BC and has continued to evolve through the centuries to finally evolve into the current theory we have today. We now know that the subatomic particles that make up the atom are no longer the fundamental particles of the universe because even they are made of smaller particles called â€Å"quarks.† The continuous study of atoms will allow usRead MoreThe Physics Of The Atomic Theory964 Words   |  4 Pagesenergy in all kinds of matter. The atomic theory became a very important piece in chemistry because it explained the atomic structure and how it worked. Important scientists that helped contribute to this theory were people like John Dalton and J.J. Thompson which helped establish a foundation to the theory, as well as create experiments that helped provide evidence of their findings. John Dalton was an important scientist that established the atomic theory. His theory was as follows: 1.All matter isRead MoreThe Physics Of Atomic Theory1142 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment of atomic theory, and made science changing discoveries that are still today quite impressive, even in comparison to modern day scientists. There are countless scientists involved in the evolution of atomic theory, but less than 50 have majorly impacted the way we view atomic theory today. Discovery and experimentation on the atom first began in the Greek Era with scientists as old as Democritus and Aristotle. Democritus was believed to be the first person to touch on the atomic theory. He statedRead MoreThe Physics Of The Atomic Theory800 Words   |  4 Pages Atomic Theory The ancient Greek the word atom means indivisible. It was used to describe the smallest indivisible piece of a matter. He believed that all matter could be broken down using femtometers. Atoms were perceived to be indestructible. Atom was derived from the greek word atomon or atomos meaning indestructible. This fundamental atomic theory was developed by a scholar named Democritus. He was a pupil of the famous philosopher Leucippus. From Democritus’ original Atomic TheoryRead MoreEssay about Enrico Fermi and the Development of the Atomic Bomb1013 Words   |  5 PagesEnrico Fermi and the Development of the Atomic Bomb The 20th century saw many important discoveries which impacted people worldwide. Great discoveries were made in the realm of science and technology which lead to the atomic age. One of the leading pioneers in the area of physics was Enrico Fermi. Without his contributions, the atomic bomb may not have been developed or would have possibly been postponed. Enrico Fermi was born into a family who had enough money to live comfortably. FermiRead MoreBiography of Albert Einstein1573 Words   |  7 Pages Einstein was able to apply directly to the Eidgenà ¶ssische Polytechnische Schule (Swiss Federal Polytechnic School) in Zà ¼rich, Switzerland. Lacking a high school diploma, he failed the entrance exam but got exceptional marks in mathematics and physics. Because of this, he was admitted to the school provided he complete his formal schooling first. He went to a special high school run by Jost Winteler in Aarau, Switzerland. He graduated in 1896 at age 17. He became lifelong friends with the WintelerRead MoreThe Discovery Of The Atom1384 Words   |  6 Pageswhich made a theory â€Å"The idea that all matter is made up of tiny, indivisible particles, or atoms, is believed to have originated with the Greek philosopher Leucippus of Miletus and his student Democritus of Abdera in the 5th century B.C. (The word atom comes from the Greek word atomos, which means â€Å"indivisible.†)† (InfoPlease Atomic theory) After that theory scientists started Wondering about this theory and a lot of Scientists made up Models and conducted Experiments to Explain this Theory. In thisRead MoreNiels Henrik David Bohr was born in Copenhagen on October 7, 1885. His parents were Christian Bohr800 Words   |  4 Pagesphysociolgist and was responsible for sparking Niels and Harold’s interests in physics while they were still in school. Their mother, Ellen needeler, came from a family distinguished in the field of education. Niels Bohr parents were well-educated parents. Niels Bohr became interested in physics at a young age. He studied physics thought his undergraduate and graduate years. He worked hard to earn a doctorate in physics in 19911 which he received from Copenhagen University. The next year, 1912, Bohr

Living, Loving, And Learning Buscaglia Reflection Essay Example For Students

Living, Loving, And Learning: Buscaglia Reflection Essay Living, Loving, and Learning: Buscaglia ReflectionWhile reading Leo Buscaglias book, Living, Loving ; Learning, I wasable to reflect back on some of the experiences I have had in my life that havehelped to make me the person I am today, and I was able to look into the futureat what I would like to become. I was able to see how well I know myself andwhat I have to offer others. I was able to see the things I dont like aboutmyself and determine some of the ways I can make myself better. This is some ofwhat reflecting on my life and looking ahead while reading Buscaglia has taughtme. A. You Cannot give to anybody what you do not have.I went to Juab High School in the small town of Nephi, Utah. Likemany other small town high schools, football coaches and P.E. teachers doubledas Algebra teachers and Science teachers. This allowed our school to make fulluse of the limited teachers and resources that it had. There was a lot oftalented people that taught at Juab and some of them made great teachers andcoaches, but some of them didnt. Sometimes it ended up that the footballcoach/algebra teacher cared a little more about tomorrows football game than hedid about ensuring his algebra students knew how to balance equations, andsometimes the P.E./Science teacher cared a little more about the teaching thetennis unit than she did about teaching the four life processes. Those teachers were also the ones that had to relearn the algebra andscience lessons a few days before they taught them to us, because on paper theywere qualified to do the job, but as far as knowing the material and having aninterest in what they were trying to give to us, nothing was there. Have youever tried to get someone excited about a subject that you knew nothing about?Have you ever had a math teacher that sent you across the hall to get help fromsomeone else because he didnt understand what he was trying to teach you? Itcan be pretty hard sometimes to get excited about something if your teacherdoesnt get excited about it. These teachers tried to give us something thatthey didnt have. When I was in middle school I had another teacher that tried to giveus what she didnt have. She was the health teacher, but because of someaddictions to drugs, she really wasnt very healthy. It was sad, because shetaught us from the book that certain drugs are addictive and we should take careof our bodies. We knew that she knew this information first hand because shewas always on drugs. Many days she was so buzzed up that the teacher next doorwould come ask her to hold it down because she was yelling instead of speakingand didnt even know it. Other days she would fall asleep on her desk while wewatched whatever we wanted to on TV. There was more than one time when thestapler ended up in the garbage when the bell rang and woke her up! We alllearned how drugs can mess people up because we saw her every day, but I wonderhow valuable she thought the lesson would be to us because it was something sheobviously didnt believe in? You cannot give to someone what you do not haveyourself.Busca glia makes over and over the point that knowledge and loveare both things that we can gain and gain, yet we are able to share them withothers without ever depleting our own supply. Because as teachers we need tohave the skills to teach our children to love themselves and to become the bestthey can be, I think it is so important that we dedicate the time that we havefor living, to loving and learning. I am going to become the best Valerie thatI can be, because then I can give others the knowledge and the love to becomethe best Johns, Kates and Ashleys that they can be. B. Risk TakingBuscaglia tells us the importance of being ourselves. For me,sometimes being myself means taking a risk. All of us have our own littleviews of what we think others see as being normal, and we all have innatetendencies to try to either fit into the category of normalcy or to totally goagainst what the crowd is doing just to be different. I lived in Salt Lake for one month. At the restaurant where Iworked there was a wide variety of people. One of my friends had a mild case ofschizophrenia and was haunted by his inability to deal with reality. If he wentinto the grocery store and saw a group of people laughing and joking, heautomatically thought that they were laughing at him. As a result of hisparanoia, he had a hard time making close friends and as a result of that madehimself an easy target for peer pressure. He would do anything at all to feelaccepted by others, simply because he wanted so much to be what he viewed asnormal. Essay on The Presidential Election : Barack Obama And Obama EssayWhether it is raking leaves for the neighbors or teaching achild to read, those whom we serve are going to know that they are someone whois important, as will we when we serve them. By giving service, we have ledsomeone back to themselves. We have given love. D. ChangeBuscaglia talks a lot about making changes. We cannot progressif we do not take the necessary steps to making changes in our lives. It isthrough examining our lives, determining what we do and do not like, and thenworking hard to make the changes necessary to become better. Change is notsomething that happens over night, but must be worked at continually in order tomake the change become a long lasting one. When I was a little girl, I had the bad habit of biting my fingernails. Sometimes I would chew them so far down that they would become very sore andsometimes even infected. My older sister Kathy had long, beautiful nails that Iwas pretty envious of, and I decided that I was going to have fingernails justlike that. It took a LOT of will power not to bite my fingernails ( though nowlooking back Im not sure why I enjoyed chewing them so much!), but finally Iwas able to stop. My nails grew very slowly at first, and were extremelybrittle, but eventually they grew to be strong and healthy. I was pretty proudof myself and made sure that my entire family knew what a good job I had doneand how beautiful they were. My sister Angie, then also a biter of nails, gottired of hearing about it awfully fast! One night, with the assistance of Kathywho was just out for the adventure of it all, Angela cut all of my fingernailswhile I was asleep in order to teach me not to brag! I decided that unless Iwanted to lose my hair next, which grew much faster than Angelas and I mad esure she knew it, bragging had better be the next change that I make in my life. Through the years I have made several changes when I have seensomething about myself I didnt like. When I read Buscaglia, I took the littlelook at my life again and set goals to make some changes. One of them was tostop arguing with my older sister Allison. I dont know how feasible it is tomake such a goal, but I decided Id make an extra effort. The fact that Iveset the same goal not to argue with her a hundred or more times previously isjust proof that change takes a continuous effort, not just one event, in orderto make the efforts effective and make the change long lasting. I decided thatI am going to let more of the little things she does that annoy me slide by, andto stop doing things just to annoy her. That is just the first steps. AfterIve got those down, Ill look at the situation again and work on something else. If I work hard, impossible though it may sometimes seem, the change can be madeand I will be a better person because of it. E. To me, life is Gods gift to you. The way you live yourlife is your gift to God. Make it a fantastic one. p. 83I chose this quote from the writings of Buscaglia because itties up all of his ideas into one little bundle. If you were to give someone agift and then watched them neglect it, abuse it, or destroy it, your feelingswould be hurt and you would be pretty upset. But if you were able to see themshow it off to their friends, love it, and take care of it, you would feel likethat person appreciated the gift and it would be almost like a gift to you. Upon reading this quote is where I took the opportunity to look intothe future. The gift that God gave me is a wonderful one. Sometimes I have ahard time seeing my life as being wonderful because I make so many mistakes. But life is wonderful because life is about making mistakes. It is what we dowith them that is important. I know that God always sees me as being wonderful. God loves me. He gave me life. God wants me, and every other person, tobecome the very best that we can be, and then to become even better. He wantsus to nurture life, to love life, and to live it. Lets do our best.

Terrorism Act in Canada free essay sample

The impact of the Anti-Terrorism Act on the Muslims and Arabs in Canada The Anti-terrorism Act in Canada and its effects on the Muslim and Arabic communities September 11, 2001 marked a catastrophic change not only in American society but in every western state including Canada. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon have had a ripple effect, spreading to the entire world and terrifying thousands of people. Following these attacks, world populations were devastated and governments faced a never-before seen need to make laws governing this new form of terror.Countries like the United States of America, United Kingdom, and Canada have passed anti-terrorism legislations that define â€Å"terrorism† and how to respond and prevent such attacks. Generally speaking, some scholars and ordinary individuals argue that the new anti-terrorism Act in Canada may aim to combat terrorism but it also violates the rights of certain individuals. The new Act gave the au thorities especially the police task forces the power to investigate suspect terrorist cases without worrying about the charter of rights and freedoms. We will write a custom essay sample on Terrorism Act in Canada or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This ends with the question of security of state versus the rights of individuals.They argue that the shock and the disbelief that infected the Canadian Government after the September attacks to take a fast and effective legislation to protect the country from a prospective threat, â€Å"pushed the government to implement the Bill C-36 that was turned to be the Anti-terrorism Act in four months only after the September Attacks without thinking about the consequences of this new law. † (Andreychuk) Firstly we should know what is the Bill C-36 or the Anti-Terrorism Act to examine whether or not it affected some minorities in Canada.As stated above, the Bill C-36 was a quick response to the September Attacks in the USA. Bill C-36 was first introduced in the House of Commons by Justice Minister Anne McLellan on 15 October 2001. The Bill defines â€Å"terrorist activity† as an act that is committed â€Å"in whole or in part for a political, religious, or ideological purpos e, objective, or cause. † (Mazer). The new Act gave the investigative branch of the police and the CSIS more powers to investigate the very private details of the lives of the suspect terrorists.Also the act put more restrictions on the immigration policies as well as the security measurements in the airports and the borders as well as the seaports during the amending of existing Act like information security Act (Carter). In addition to these new restrictions, the accused person has no right to see or to know the evidence which the government has against him. Even when the Act was amended in 2008, the only person who can see a summary of the evidence is a lawyer who was appointed by the government and he can’t shoe this evidence to the accused.From the practical point of view, the most minorities in Canada to be affected by these new measurements are the Muslim minority in particular and the Arabic minority in general. The inclusion of religion as a motive for ‘terrorist activity’ within the Act may cast a pall over one’s faith. The Muslim and Arab communities of Canada have already expressed that many of their members consider that they have fallen victims to racial or cultural discrimination because of the Act. We can say that the bad luck has accompanied the Muslims in this issue.Currently and unfortunately all the terrorists are coming from an Islamic background like Afghanistan, Pakistan or Chechnya. This forced not only our government but also most of the government in the world to link terrorism to Islam as a religion. The government will not stay silent until a big disaster happens as in the case of September attacks, London attacks as well as Madrid attacks. If we look at the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, we may find some sections that have been violated by the new Terrorism Act. Sections eight to fourteen have been extremely infringed after the attacks.Thousands of individuals have been seized in a way that violates the charter. Another shift that happened to our tolerant society is that the supreme court of Canada has shifted the nature of its rulings regarding the infringement of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. â€Å"There has been a clear change of mind, within the Court, regarding the authority of international human rights law, at least where highly sensitive security matters are involved, such as deportation of political refugees suspected of being linked with terrorist organisations. † (Coutu Giroux)The party that argues that the Muslims and Arabs have been affected negatively by the Anti-terrorism Act might prove their argument by comparing it with the American Patriot Act which was the American anti-terrorism act. In the American version of the anti-terrorism legislation it condemned any discrimination against Arab Americans, Muslim Americans and Americans from south Asia and affirmed that â€Å"the concept of individual responsibility for wrongdoing is sacrosanct in American society a nd applies equally to all religions, racial and ethnic groups†( Roach 72) . If we read our Anti-terrorism Act we won’t find such a clarification.But from a practical point of view, this clarification didn’t immune the Muslims in the USA from profiling but at least it affirmed the principle of equality. On the other hand there is another party that advocates that agrees with the anti-terrorism Act and denies that it is targeting the Muslim and Arabic minorities in Canada. On the other hand, we can’t blame the government for such actions, whether or not that the religion is the driving force to these kinds of attacks. The government is working hard to ensure that the Canadian nation live in a secure and stable climate so that we can maintain our economic supremacy.Also it is working hard to ensure that the history will not blame it for neglecting national security issues like terrorism. From this perspective the government had this kind of response to the September cowardly attacks. The other counter party argue that the Arabic and the Islamic communities are not under persecution or any kind of discrimination according to religion or origin. They argue that these new Anti-terrorism Act is applied on every Canadian citizen whether he is Muslim, Christian, Jewish or any religious background.It is applied on every citizen regardless of his ethnic background whether he is polish, Scottish, Arabic or French. In the airports the safeguards don’t ask the passengers about their religion or ethnic background if they are travelling from Canada but the passengers who are coming to Canada from suspicious countries, that help the terrorist organizations or have this kind of organizations on their lands such as: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the government tends to have more restrictive laws regarding them because they are the most likely individuals to be terrorists.It is important to mention that the government of Canada put three justifications to the new Act when it was introduced. Firstly, the Anti-terrorism act is in compliance with the charter of rights and freedoms. Secondly, the current criminal law is deficient in protecting the national security of Canada from similar attacks to those ones that happened in the US. Finally, the new act enhances the charter values. I’ll go over each one of them briefly. Firstly, the government argued that the crimin al law was inefficient in keeping the Canadian territories safe from future terrorist attacks. They argued that the police forces don’t have the required tools to prevent Canada’s own September 11 so there was an urgent necessity to give the police force and the CSIS these tools to do their job to protect our country. Secondly the government argued that the new Act didn’t violate the human rights stated in the charter. The minister of justice stated that â€Å"the act was subject to a very thorough review on Charter ground and that its measures have been designed so they will respect the values of the charter, and, we expect, survive legal challenges† (Roach 75).Thirdly, the government argued that the new Act didn’t not only violate the charter rights but it did enhance these rights as well. The government argued that the new Act embodied new provisions regarding hate crime propaganda against any religious minority in Canada. The government officials were aware of the Tsunami of hate propaganda and crimes that will be resulted after the Septe mber attacks against Muslims and Arabic minorities that’s why the new Act was popular and it has been supported by a lot of people who were worried about the hate crimes.Also the Act allowed the deletion of any content on internet that might refer to be hate propaganda against Islam. In same time the government argued that the Act promoted the value of equality between the individuals because the law is applicable to everyone in the country. Finally it is clear that the Anti-terrorism Act or Bill c-36 has been criticized and debated from every level in the society from the ordinary individuals who are saying that the Act violated the rights and freedoms of Muslim and Arabic minorities in Canada, to our government which is defending the new Act.In my personal opinion, the government is free to pass laws and legislations to protect our national security because if any terrorist attack happened, every on in the country will blame the government from not preventing the great loss in lives and money. But it is important to say the government should try to balance those laws with our own freedoms and regulations as long as our national security is protected. In same time, I see that Muslim and Arabic minorities are not affected badly by this law because this law is ap plied to all Canadians not Muslims only.

my inspirational awakening essays

my inspirational awakening essays How do you describe one of your best friends? Do you talk about his natural talent? Do you say how great a guy he is? Or do you say how he is just a dork? Cody Werner, is someone who I can say a lot about, and still not even come close to describing him adequately. He is a renaissance man, an individual who possesses a distinct personality that sets him apart. Simply put, he is like no one else I have ever met. Cody keeps it real in the face of opposition, even when no one else is baking him up. He is someone who is consistently dedicated to what he believes. Cody's actions have proven this many times, and Ive often found myself looking at them for inspiration. At school, his uniqueness is misinterpreted. His laid back attitude is misconceived as laziness. His unique opinions are sometimes thought of as insulting and taken personal; when in fact Cody only making observations. He sees the world like no else. I met Cody three years ago when I moved to Santa Rosa. Since then I have been inspired countless times to remain true to myself. At a time where so many people are narrow-minded and hypocritical, Cody has kept it real. I went to Lake Tahoe with him recently. It was around three a.m. and we were both hungry. We had just come from the casinos to search for some, real, non-over priced food. We drove around for about 15 minutes, but no places were open. Just as we had given up hope, we drove past a Dennys, not what we had in mind. Never the less we were hungry and willing to save a few dollars on bargain food. As we sat in our booth, Cody observed a young man sitting at the bar, no more than ten feet away from us. Cody observed this gentlemen as he ate his food and talked with a woman, who Im guessing was his girlfriend. After a few minutes of watching this man, Cody really got in to it. "What the fk? Dude, that really pisses me off... look at this guy over here. ...

Top 10 Events in Race Relations This Decade (2000-2009)

Top 10 Events in Race Relations This Decade (2000-2009) The first decade of the new millennium saw extraordinary strides in race relations. New ground was broken in film, television and politics, to name a few. Just because accomplishments have been made in race relations doesnt mean theres no room for improvement, though. Tensions continue to run high over issues such as illegal immigration and racial profiling. And a natural disasterHurricane Katrinarevealed that racial divisions remain strong in the United States. So, whats in store for race relations between 2010 and 2020? Judging from the events on the race relations timeline of this decade, the skys the limit. After all, who in 1999 couldve guessed that the new decade would see Americas first black president ushering in, what some have called, post-racial America? Dora the Explorer (2000) Which cartoon characters did you grew up watching? Were they part of the Peanuts gang, the Looney Tunes crew or the Hanna-Barbera family? If so, perhaps Pepe Le Pew was the only animated character you came across who spoke two languagesin Pepes case, French and English. But Pepe never became as famous as his Looney Tunes companions Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird. On the other hand, when Dora the Explorer arrived on the scene in 2000, the series about an adventurous bilingual Latina and her animal friends proved so popular it has grossed billions of dollars. The popularity of the show proves that girls and boys of all ethnic groups will readily embrace Latino characters. It has already paved the way for another animated show with a Latino protagonistGo Diego Gowhich features Doras cousin. Dont expect Dora to be upstaged by Diego, or any other animated character, for that matter. As her audience evolves, so does she. Doras look was updated in early 2009. Shes grown from tot to tween, wears fashionable clothes and includes mystery-solving among her adventures. Count on Dora to be around for the long haul. Colin Powell Becomes Secretary of State (2001) George W. Bush appointed Colin Powell Secretary of State in 2001. Powell was the first African American to serve in the role. A moderate in a conservative administration, Powell often clashed with other members of the Bush administration. He announced his resignation from the position on Nov. 15, 2004. His service was not without controversy. Powell came under fire for his insistence that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction. The claim was used as justification for the U.S. to invade Iraq. After Powell stepped down, Condoleezza Rice became the first African-American woman to serve as secretary of state. Sept. 11 Terrorist Attacks (2001) The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001 left nearly 3,000 people dead. Because those responsible for the attacks were from the Middle East, Arab Americans came under intense scrutiny in the U.S. and continue to be today. Arguments arose over whether Arabs in America should be racially profiled. Hate crimes against Middle Easterners rose markedly. Today, xenophobia against individuals from Muslim nations remains high. In the 2008 presidential campaign, a rumor spread that Barack Obama was Muslim to discredit him. Obama is, in fact, Christian, but just the insinuation that he was Muslim cast suspicion upon him. In November 2009, the Middle Eastern community braced itself for another backlash when Major Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded dozens in a murderous rampage at the Ft. Hood military base. Hasan reportedly shouted Allahu Akbar! before the massacre. Angelina Jolie Puts International Adoption in the Spotlight (2002) Transracial adoption was nothing new when actress Angelina Jolie adopted son Maddox from Cambodia in March 2002. Actress Mia Farrow adopted children from various racial backgrounds decades before Jolie, as did singer-dancer Josephine Baker. But when the 26-year-old Jolie adopted her Cambodian son and went on to adopt a daughter from Ethiopia and another son from Vietnam, she actually influenced the public to follow suit. Adoptions of children in countries such as Ethiopia by Westerners went up. Later Madonna would make headlines for adopting two children from another African nationMalawi. International adoption has its critics, of course. Some argue that domestic adoption should be prioritized. Others fear that international adoptees will be forever disconnected from their native countries. Theres also the notion that international adoptees have become status symbols for Westerners much like designer handbags or shoes. Halle Berry and Denzel Washington Win Oscars (2002) At the 74th Academy Awards, Halle Berry and Denzel Washington made history by winning Oscars for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. While Sidney Poitier won a Best Actor Oscar for 1963s Lilies of the Field, no black woman had ever won a top acting honor from the Academy. Berry, who won for Monsters Ball, remarked during the ceremony, This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll . . . its for every nameless, faceless woman of color who now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. While many were elated by the groundbreaking wins of Berry and Washington, some in the African-American community expressed dismay that the actors won Oscars for portraying less than admirable characters. Washington played a corrupt cop in â€Å"Training Day,† while Berry played an abusive mother who moves in with the white man who participated in her late husband’s execution. The film features a graphic sex scene between Berry and Billy Bob Thornton that also garnered criticism, including from actress Angela Bassett who said she turned down the part of Leticia (the character Berry plays) because she didn’t want to be a â€Å"prostitute on film.† Hurricane Katrina (2005) Hurricane Katrina touched down in southeastern Louisiana Aug. 29, 2005. One of the deadliest hurricanes in American history, Katrina took more than 1,800 lives. While residents with the means to leave the area evacuated before the hurricane hit, impoverished residents of New Orleans and surrounding areas had no choice but to stay put and rely on the government for assistance. Unfortunately, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was slow to take action, leaving the most vulnerable residents of the Gulf region with lack of water, housing, healthcare and other necessities. Many of those left behind were poor and black, and President George W. Bush and his administration were criticized for not taking swift action because impoverished African Americans were apparently not a priority to them. Rallies for Immigrants Take Place Nationwide (2006) Although the United States is a nation of immigrants, America remains divided over the surge of immigrants into the country in recent decades. Opponents of immigration, particularly illegal immigration, regard immigrants as a drain on the country’s resources. Many resent having to compete for work with immigrants willing to work for extremely low wages. Supporters of immigrants, however, cite the many contributions newcomers to America have made to the country. They argue that immigrants don’t tax the nation’s resources but, in fact, boost the economy through their hard work. In a show of support of immigrants to America, a reported 1.5 million people demonstrated from coast to coast on May 1, 2006. Immigrants and their advocates were told to stay home from school and work and not patronize businesses so that the nation could feel the impact of what life would be like without immigrants. Some businesses even had to shut down on May Day because their companies depend so heavily on immigrant labor. According to the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington D.C., about 7.2 million undocumented immigrants hold jobs in the United States, making up 4.9 percent of the overall labor force. About 24 percent of farm workers and 14 percent of construction workers are undocumented, the Pew Hispanic Center found. Each year on May 1, rallies continue to be held in support of immigrants, arguably making immigration the civil rights issue of the millennium. Barack Obama Wins Presidential Election (2008) Running on a platform of change, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama wins the 2008 presidential election to become the first person of African descent chosen to run the United States. A multiracial, multigenerational coalition of volunteers helped Obama win the campaign. Considering that African Americans were previously denied the right to vote, forcibly segregated from whites and enslaved in the United States, Obama’s successful presidential bid marked a turning point for the nation. Anti-racist activists take issue with the notion that Obama’s election means that we’re now living in a â€Å"post-racial† America, though. Gaps between blacks and whites remain in the education, employment and healthcare sectors, to name a few. Sonia Sotomayor Becomes First Hispanic Supreme Court Justice (2009) The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States paved the way for other people of color to break ground in politics. In May 2009, President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor, raised by a single Puerto Rican mother in the Bronx, to the Supreme Court as a replacement for Justice David Souter. On Aug. 6, 2009, Sotomayor became the first Hispanic judge and the third woman to sit on the court. Her appointment to the court also marks the first time judges from two minority groupsAfrican American and Latinohave served on the court together. Disney Releases First Film With Black Princess (2009) â€Å"The Princess and the Frog† debuted nationwide Dec. 11. The film was Disney’s first with a black heroine. It opened to largely positive reviews and topped the box office its opening weekend, grossing approximately $25 million. Despite its relative success in theatersthere are reports the film hasn’t doesn’t as well as recent Disney features such as â€Å"Enchanted†controversy surrounded â€Å"The Princess and the Frog† before its release. Some members of the African American community objected to the fact that Princess Tiana’s love interest, Prince Naveen, wasn’t black; that Tiana remained a frog for much of the film rather than a black woman; and that the film portrayed Voodoo negatively. Other African Americans were simply overjoyed that someone who resembled them was joining the ranks of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and the like for the first time in Disney’s 72-year history.

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Operations Management - Essay Example In operation, technology is beneficial for handling and developing practices in both product and service distribution and comprehensive supply chain management. In present days, efficient process administration becomes essential for transitioning from traditional to modern industrial economy. The information flow related with the operational processes is a key motivation for employing more and more information technology (IT) based initiatives. The prime motive for implementing IT in operations management is to increase the speed, flexibility, dependability, and quality of operation procedures such as supply chain management, production management, quality management, and inventory management. IT can help to decrease the cost of excess time by reducing unnecessary operations in business (University of Virginia Darden School of Business, 2011). Technology in Operations Management The improvements in technology have changed the crucial features of operations management in several organ isations. Modern tools and technologies have been integrated in the plan and the operation of service and production systems. The ubiquity of IT including computers and internet has become obvious for many operations (Lari, 2002). Technology in Manufacturing Operations In current days, the technological advancements have presented new prospects for organizations to generate competitive advantage. Through employing technology in manufacturing procedure, organisations try to respond quicker to the requirements of customers, accomplish extensive selection of product offering and preserve high level of output. In the operations management of the manufacturing sector, technology can deliver exclusive benefit to organizations by providing superior products and services to the consumers. Technology can provide following benefits for manufacturing operations: Better machine operation: Technology based system can allow organisations to use machine to their highest capacity for manufacturing product faster Flexibility: Technology often improves the flexibility in arranging various works in an orderly way and it allows organisations to respond to the changes rapidly Simplicity of production change: Through technology, organisations can accommodate any modifications in production plan or procedure. Technology enables organisations to manage compound manufacturing operations with lesser effort and preferred quality Expansion of production: Technology helps organisations the flexibility to expand their production with response to the growing demand of market (Mahadevan, 2010). Analysis of Proctor & Gamble Proctor & Gamble which is one of the leading organisations in consumer products seeks to decrease the manufacturing expenses and increase the productivity of the organisation. To sustain in the leading position, Proctor & Gamble (P&G) needs to manufacture products quicker with less overhead expenses. It was necessary for minimizing the manufacturing cost of products. Thus, Proctor & Gamble had employed Predictive Adaptive Control (PAC) technology and ‘Overlapping Feed Technology’ in their manufacturing operations for achieving better speed and constant accuracy on production. P&G selected the Lima manufacturing facility for first implementation of those technologies to improve the material transfer procedure. As a result of PAC and

Argumentive Essay...on means of elevation by martin delaney Essay

Argumentive ...on means of elevation by martin delaney - Essay Example The societal practices which subjugate the blacks can never be the means of elevation and be construed as part of the welfare state that respects the essential dignity of the individual. I agree with the issues enunciated in the article and would like to put forth my arguments thus: Humankind has access to the lore of religious literature, the relentless sermons on morality in religious palaces, lectures and symposiums on moral emancipation of the free colored people. Scores of legal enactments to safeguard the rights of the blacks are passed and yet what are the ground realities? All this remains on paper. The reformation and welfare measures are pursued half-heartedly. The religion can preach, but as for effecting economic transformation and raise the standard of living and standard of life it has done little. It can fill the mind with noble thoughts for a while, but it cannot fill the hungry stomachs. Until now, religion as it is practiced today, has not provided any hopes to the blacks to reach the level of whites in any segment of life. In a democracy politics dominates every aspect of life of a citizen. A good political system builds a human being; the bad one breaks. Even a good political system can only go the extent of laying down noble societal principles. Its actual implementation as for its day to day disposition will have to be taken care of by the concerned individuals and the regulating authorities. It is easy for the white man to make progress for individual advancement, but the black encounters obstacles at every stage. The prevailing system is designed thus. In every vocation, the white man is in an advantageous position, and the black man is at the receiving end. The white man controls production and the black man is a helpless consumer, and he has to buy on the terms and conditions set out by the white man. He has no options to challenge the craftiness and the salesmanship of

How Do Narcotics Affect the Body Essay Example for Free

How Do Narcotics Affect the Body Essay The term, narcotics is often used to refer to any illegal drugé Å¾Ã¦ ³â€¢Ã¦ ¯â€™Ã¥â€œ . That could include anything from prescription pillsto cocaine. However, narcotics does actually refer to a specific type of drug as well. So, before we delve into this type of drugs effects, lets first define it. What Are Narcotics? Though narcotics is a term thrown around referring drugs in general, it actually refers to drugs that are derived from opium which originates from the opium poppy plant, and is related to heroin, morphine, and other drugs common to opiate addiction. The confusion between the generic vs. specific terminology has gotten so bad, some experts have turned to calling narcotics opioids to help stifle the confusion. Common types of narcotics include barbiturates, benzodiazepines, heroin, opium in the form of morphine andcodeine, oxycodone and Vicodin.Ã¥ · ´Ã¦ ¯â€Ã¥ ¦ ¥Ã§ ± »Ã¯ ¼Å'è‹ ¯Ã¤ ºÅ'æ ° ®Ã¥ â€œÃ§ ± »Ã¨  ¯Ã§â€° ©Ã¯ ¼Å'æ µ ·Ã¦ ´â€ºÃ¥â€º  Ã¯ ¼Å'é ¸ ¦Ã§â€°â€¡Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ â€"å• ¡ How Do Narcotics Affect the Body? Narcotic drugs can affect the body in various ways. There are of course legitimate uses for them, like treating pain, anxiety, aggression and even diarrhea. Ã¥ ½â€œÃ§â€ž ¶Ã¤ ¹Å¸Ã¦Å"‰ä »â€"ä » ¬Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¥ Ë†Ã¦ ³â€¢Ã§â€ ¨Ã©â‚¬â€Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦ ² »Ã§â€"â€"çâ€" ¼Ã§â€"ݕ ¼Å'ç„ ¦Ã¨â„¢â€˜Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ¾ µÃ§â€¢ ¥Ã¯ ¼Å'甚è‡ ³Ã¨â€¦ ¹Ã¦ ³ »Ã£â‚¬â€š However, they are highly addictive and what starts out as a prescribed medication can often turn into an illegal situation of prescription pill abuse. Other side effects include drowsiness, flushing, upset stomach, urinary retention and respiratory depression. It is very easy to become dependent on narcotics due to your bodys building up of a tolerance to the drugs. This means you have to take more and more of it to feel the same way. What Are the Dangers of Narcotics? Even though recreational users of these drugs experience an overall sense of wellbeing while high, there are numerous dangers that go along with their ingestion. Toxicity can develop, which could cause you to lose motor coordination and slur your speech. Whats especially dangerous about narcotics like heroin is that they are taken into the body by means of a needle, which puts you at risk for developing skin infections, hepatitis and even HIV/AIDS. While the drug itself is dangerous, in this case, it is often the method by which it is put in the body that can cause the most harm. Other problems include a likelihood of overdosing. Even though you build up a tolerance to the drug over time, you still require more and more to feel the same effects. At some point, you could experience respiratory depression and could even die. What Steps Should Be Taken to Stop Narcotics Abuse? Trying to quit using narcotics is not an easy process. No one ever said it was. However, you can do it with the proper sort of guidance and help; especially during the detoxification process which can be extremely unpleasant. That means enlisting the help of a top detox center, and enrolling in a drug treatment program that helps you go through the withdrawal process without feeling pain and then deal with the mental and emotional reasons you sought out narcotics use in the first place. Perhaps even more important than going torehab, is the maintenance afterward. It can be difficult to try and reenter society after beating adrug addiction without a program to get you started. Thats why it would be a good idea to stay in an ongoing treatment program that allows you to talk with people just like you and receive the support you need. Only then can you beat your addiction to narcotics for the long-term. The Effect of Part-Time Jobs on Students While academics are the main focus of college students, many will also spend their college years in part-time employment. In the report Student Employment and Higher Education: Empiricism and Contradiction, members of the American Educational Research Association reported that more than 50 percent of students attending four-year colleges work part time. The reasons for working may varyearning funds for tuition or spending moneybut many benefits exist beyond the paycheck. Balancing a Schedule * Balancing a part-time job while attending classes full-time will force a student to balance their schedule. A March 2009 study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics says students with part-time work reduce the time spent on homework, sleeping, socialization and life maintenance by 84 percent. A student employee will need to learn how to not let the decrease on time spent on studying show in her academic performance. Experiencing Workplace Culture * Classroom learning is important, but the culture of workplaces and offices are hard to impart within the classroom. Holding down a regular position outside the classroom will allow students to gain firsthand experience in office culture and politics, which will be helpful upon graduation and their first full-time job. Its All Who You Know * In todays weak economy, it is even more crucial for students to make as many valuable connections as possible. Working part time for a campus office or off-campus organization will allow students to network outside their social circles, giving them valuable recommendations and contacts for their full-time job search. Accountability and Responsibility * According to Work on the Campus: Benefits for Student and Institution by Mary Roark, Values, skills, emotional maturity, personal identity and integrity are fostered through (on-campus) employment experiences. Student-employees will learn to be accountable for their actions in a non-classroom or home environment, and experience how responsibility is delegated and evaluated in an office. Basic Skills * Many on-campus part-time jobs will give students the opportunity to learn administrative skills, such as phone and email etiquette, office electronics troubleshooting, and meeting manners. Gaining such skills while in school will place a student-employee ahead of the curve when they enter the full-time workforce. IMPORTANCE OF ENGLÄ °SH: In today’s global world, the importance of English can not be denied and ignored since English is the most common language spoken everwhere. With the help of developing technology, English has been playing a major role in many sectors including medicine, engineering, and education, which, in my opinion, is the most important arena where English is needed. Particularly, as a developing country, Turkey needs to make use of this world-wide spoken language in order to prove its international power. This can merely be based on the efficiency of tertiary education. Consequently, English should be the medium of instruction at universities in Turkey for the following three reasons: finding a high-quality job, communicating with the international world, and accessing scientific sources in the student’s major field. The first reason for why English should be the medium of instruction at universities in Turkey is that it helps students find a high quality jobs for students to find. In business life, the most important common language is obviously English. In addition to this, especially, high-quality jobs need good understanding ability and speaking in English. Therefore, companies can easily open out to other countries, and these companies generally employ graduates whose English is fluent and orderly. For example, the student who is graduated from a university which takes English as a major language will find a better or high-quality job than other students who don’t know English adequately. In other words, the student who knows English is able to be more efficient in his job because he can use the information from foreign sources and web sites. He can prepare his assigments and tasks with the help of these information. Therefore, undoubtedly, his managers would like his effort or prepared projects. In addition, many high-quality jobs are related with international communication and world-wide data sharing. University graduates who are in a international company and business are needed to communicate with foreign workers. For instance, if their managers want them to share the company’s data, they are expected to know English. Moreover, they will even have to go business trip for their company. Absolutely, all of these depend on speaking English;as a result, new graduates have to know English in order to get a high-quality job, and the others, who don’t know English, may have lack of communication and be paid less money. The second and the most important reason, for English to be the medium of instruction in the Turkish higher education system is that it enables students to communicate with the international world. In these days, in my opinion, the most important thing for both university students and graduates is to follow the development in tecnology. For this reason, they have to learn common language. Certainly, they should not lose their interest on communicating with the world. However, some of the university students can’t obtain English education in their university. Unfortunately, these people may lose their communication with worldwide subjects and topics. In short, they will not communicate foreign people. To prevent these people from lacking of speaking English, universities’ administration will provide English education to them. In addition, university students can use some specific hardware and software of computers with their English to communicate others. For example, the Internet, which, in my opinion, is the largest source in the world, based on English knowledge and information. Also, most of the softwares such as â€Å"Windows†, â€Å"Microsoft Office†, â€Å"Internet Explorer† are firstly written in English, and these programs are the basic vital things for communication over computer. That is to say, even in a little resarch about something, they need these programs and the Internet to find necessary sources and information. The last reason for favouring English as the medium of instruction of Turkish universities is that it faclitates accessing information. All of the students have to do some projects or homeworks which are related with their field during the university education. In these projects or homeworks, they have to find some information which is connected with their subject. They find sources from English web sites and books, but they have to replace these data to their projects. During these process, if they know English, they will not come across with any difficulty, but if they don’t know, even they may not use these data. As a result, the student who knows English will be more successful at his/her project. For this reason, to obstruct possible inequity between students, management of universities should accept English as a second language in order to provide accessing information to the students. In short, university students need to know English to access information. All in all, the education in universities should be done with English for three reasons. First, students who know English are able to find their favourite job related with their field. Second, they can communicate with others internationally. Third, as a major language in universities, English makes accessing information easy for students. In my opinion, internationally, people need one common language. For many years, English has been the common wold-wide language, and it will be in the future. For this reason, if you want to follow trends, new gadgets and technology, modernization of the developing world, you have to know English whatever age you are in.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells Essays -- War Worlds H.G. Wells Essays

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells Homo-Superior? War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells is a fiction story written about war and mankind’s coming of age. It is also a philosophical novel with many deep meanings underlying the shallow looking one-hundred-eighty-eight page book. The subject of this novel is Science Fiction and there are not many that can even compete with Wells in terms of how superior his word descriptions are. He simply does wonders with the imagination of the reader. Obviously the whole book is about the struggle mankind faces, but it is not always with aliens, they are actually more of a good way to represent what Wells really believed. He believed man is dominant, yet should remember how big the universe is and that the possibility of life far more intelligent than ours is very great. The narrator, who is also the main character tells War of the Worlds in first person. He describes everything from the man’s denial, to the invasion, the battles, and the aftermath. In the beginning he discusses the possibility of other life forms existing. When the aliens invade they do not communicate, just organize and destroy all resistance and population centers. The author journeys along all of England fleeing the invaders and always being updated from various people about the news. The climax comes when he walks into a town to find all the aliens dead from bacteria, and the denouement is when he finds his wife. The movie â€Å"Independence Day† is the best way to describe this story to someone who has never read the book before. The two are strikingly similar. In both the aliens invade without warning and destroy everything with their superior technology. People know about the aliens before they arrive ahead of time in each story, but do nothing because of denial and public hysteria. The study and autopsy of aliens are described in the two. There are differences though. There are no heroes in the book, but in the movie there are. Our technology is useless in the book and in the movie it wins it for us. In a sense the endings are the same because a computer virus is what causes the aliens’ shields to go down in the movie and biological viruses kill the aliens in the book. Still when I think about it, â€Å"Independence Day† is the best way to modernize the story. Pre World War One England is the setting for the story. It fits ... ... the stupidity and courage of men. He did a great job of doing both. This book is really a classic because so many people know about it and still read it today, and it is over a hundred years old! It reminds me of how the U.S is today. Sure we are the greatest nation on the planet, however we still need to be reminded that we do not control everyone. We should be more humble and that is how the author felt as well. All the time I see on the news how people rebel and complain about stuff. When it comes down to it they don’t do jack! They just want to bitch about how the system cheats them. There were characters in the book like this in the novel too. The most significant thing to me in the whole book, and I’m sure it is to most readers too, is the fact that germs killed the aliens. Not some secret weapon, or a hero, but the every day cold. This really humbles man. In the end there is hope. The hope that man finally understands that he is not so great and how lucky he can be. Hope that we will learn from our mistakes and take them to heart so that if this happens again, we will be ready. So the one question remains, and I leave it up to you†¦are we Homo-Superior?

Martin Luther King. American Rhetoric Essay

Martin Luther King Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While giving his speech, Martin Luther King used pathos as well as ethos and logos. By using pathos, King intended to make the people hate racism. King states that Negroes have been crippled by â€Å"†¦chains of discrimination†¦ (American Rhetoric, 2001)†By this statement, King intended to make the whites realize that they have broken the promises drafted in the constitution. While using ethos, King uses the example of bad check. This is seen when he states that denying Negroes their civil rights shows that, â€Å"†¦America has given the Negro people a bad check†¦(American Rhetoric, 2001)†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While using logos, King refers to the Emancipation Proclamation that was signed by Lincoln in a move to end slavery. While addressing the crowd, King states that Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation to end, â€Å"†¦the long night of their captivity†¦ (American Rhetoric, 2001)† The main objective of this statement was to inform the crowd that that even Lincoln, a very prominent figure in the US history, was against racism. References American Rhetoric. (2001). Martin Luther King, Jr. Retrieved on 1 January 2015 from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Source document

Learning disabilities and special education

The Article on Learning Disability provided by Psychology Today details the various dimensions of learning disability which thrusts on the following: its definition, symptoms, causes, and treatment. To start off, learning disability refers to the child’s difficulty of translating to their brain what their visual and auditory senses produce. The symptoms of this disorder are categorized into the following: â€Å"language disorders, developmental speech disorders, academic abilities disorders†, and the other category which includes certain coordination disorders and learning handicaps not covered by the previous terms. There is no single concrete explanation to why this disorder has developed but several theories accounted several factors such as errors in fetal brain development, genetic, use of alcohol and drugs, problems during pregnancy, and toxins in the child’s environment. All of these factors contribute to one’s understanding of the existence of such kind of disorder. Several steps have been taken to minimize the adverse effects of this learning disorder such as medication and therapy (MedicineNet Inc, 2002). From a psychological standpoint, I appreciate the various theoretical offerings on the causes of learning disorder of this article. However, I believe that one of the important dichotomies in psychology was underrated by this work, i.e. the genetic vs. environment consideration. Although genetic factors complemented by the cellular basis of learning were considered, the social environment of the child definitely plays a role here as well. This article should have explored on this aspect too. Psychological studies, indeed, have shown that both genes and environment are major determinants of many major human processes (Smith et al., 2003). In addition, the socialization process goes with it too. Although this article is mainly about learning disabilities, the inclusion of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, though spurious for this matter, is a beneficial one. It was able to present how learning disability becomes an inevitable consequence of the presence of ADHD. Further, it goes to show several remedial processes that one may undergo to defeat the effects of ADHD and learning disorder – such as medication, therapy, and educational options. The social impact of learning disorder was also mentioned in this article, which is a valuable aspect to look on. Children who suffer from this disorder also suffer from frustration and low self-esteem. Indeed, this is serious matter. The good thing is that several laws have been passed in relation to this problem. First, children with this disorder are guaranteed of free public education which is intended to respond to their specific needs (MedicineNet Inc, 2002). This is supported by a particular stipulation under section 200.2 of Part 2 Regulations of NYS school codes which specifies that an arrangement of special education programs and services for a preschool student with a disability shall be made. This is a very important undertaking in relation to the development of children with learning disorder (New York State Education Website, 2005). This regulation acknowledges the differences of children’s learning development and gives special focus and treatment on children with deficiency on this. How valuable is this if you would ask me? Very much as it goes to show that the state moves toward the enrichment of every member of the society and further, this move minimizes the inequality set forth by this kind of disorder. This claim can is substantiated by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 which ensures equal job opportunity among people with learning disorder. This also orders employers to make reasonable accommodations to workers with this disorder (MedicineNet Inc, 2002). The importance of parental and academic factors in the detection of learning disorder, which was highlighted in the article, can also be seen on the Individual evaluation and reevaluation stipulation under 200.4 which states that developmental and educational information of the student must be gathered plus a physical examination, observation of the student in the educational placement, and a social history are all required (New York State Education Website, 2005). The need for social history underscores the importance of the child’s social environment as a determinant of LD, which is concurrent with the previous point that I have raised. Second, the importance of parental role was accounted for in this stipulation. The information gathered from the parent is required in the evaluation of students with learning disability. In conclusion, learning disability is as crucial as how we perceive it to be. It affects an individual’s normal functioning; and worse, it affects the attainment of one’s fullest potential. But on a lighter note, several measures have been formulated. Thus, the partnership of parents, teachers, and the state is an important element in assisting children with learning disorder. Further, this partnership has the capacity to help these children in attaining their precious little dreams. REFERENCES New York State Education Website (2005). Regulation of the Commissioner of EducationPart 200- Students   with Disabilities. Retrieved October 27, 2006 from Smith, E.E. et al. (2003). Atkinson & Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology 14th edition. Australia: Thomson & Wadsworth.

A Play Topaz by Marcel Pagnol

A Play Topaz by Marcel Pagnol It is difficult for an honest man to live in a corrupt world. This is the premise of Marcel Pagnol’s play entitled Topaze. An honest man in a corrupt world is like a fish out of water. In the said play the protagonist adhered to a set of values that are alien to the people that have adapted to a belief system that was rooted in corruption (Pagnol 10). Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Play Topaz by Marcel Pagnol specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If this is the case, then, the future looks bleak for those who aspire to follow the right path. It is therefore important to answer the query with regards to the difficulty of living in a corrupt world. However, a closer reading of the play will reveal that Pagnol did not write about the difficulty of living in a corrupt world, instead, he focused on the difficulty of attaining success. An honest man is an alien in a corrupt world. He possesses values that are counter -intuitive to a corrupt man. This can be seen in the early part of the story wherein the reader is cautioned about the foolishness of seeking after immoral gain (Pagnol 9). In the case of the protagonist named Topaze, he was naive enough to believe that the world he lived in shared his values (Popkin 164). His name symbolizes a precious stone in the midst of useless decaying matter. Corruption in its basic form means something is unable to survive till the end. A piece of meat left in open air cannot see the end of the week because the decomposing flesh is consumed by elements of decay. A precious stone on the other hand is precious not only because of its beauty but its staying power. Thus, a corrupt man may enjoy the trappings of wealth but unable to enjoy the true meaning of life. The rich man in the play wore beautiful clothes but endures the pain of a broken family (Pagnol 15). The wife of the wealthy patriarch possesses all the fine things that money can buy but goes home to an empty house because her husband spends the majority of his time with his mistress. The author said that it is better to suffer evil rather than to enjoy the fruits of immoral actions (Pagnol 9). An honest man may not be able to afford gold and diamonds but he can go home to a family that loves him. He can enjoy life with a wife that treats him with respect. In addition, an honest man can produce children that treat him with respect. Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There is one thing that can be expected in the life of a corrupt man and that is to replicate the same manner of thinking through his children (Pagnol 10) Consider for instance the way the son of the rich man tried to manipulate the system as he desired to achieve academic excellence without putting in real effort in his studies (Pagnol 11). Going back to the query regarding honesty, one can argue that an honest man can live in a corrupt world. However, it is difficult to attain success. Topaze can survive in a corrupted world, but he found out that it is impossible to succeed (Pagnol 139). There is a big difference between the idea of survival and success. Survival means the ability to live in a society with just the bare essentials. It is living in constant worry that there may not be enough food for the family. It is a life without assurance of permanent shelter and access to healthcare. This is illustrated through the transformation of Topaze from a poor teacher to a man of wealth and power (Pagnol 135). A successful person on the other goes beyond survival. He and his family enjoy privileges that are inaccessible to other people Success is understood as the accumulation of wealth and everything that goes with it. Success is the capability to provide comfort for the family. Success means the assurance of access to solutions for almost every conceivable need. This was illustrat ed by the evidence of accumulated wealth when Topaze displayed the fruits of his labor like an office with all the trappings of power and titles that speak about his status in the community (Pagnol 183). Nevertheless, Topaze’s life was also an example of the price that has to be paid in terms of exchanging a happy and peaceful life with one that is full of stress and inner turmoil (Pagnol 141). A successful person provides all these things. But a poor man does not have access to resources that enables him to attain success. As a result there is great temptation to bend the rules and sometimes to break them in order to accumulate wealth that leads to success. At the end Topaze succumbed to the temptation because he could not resist not only the charm of wealth but the beauty of women (Pagnol 183). In the end Topaze was not only seduced by wealth but also by the charms of a seductress (Pagnol 183). Thus, it can be said that an honest man can live in a corrupt world but it woul d be very difficult for him to find success.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Play Topaz by Marcel Pagnol specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conclusion The play entitled Topaze seems to argue that an honest man cannot live in a corrupt world. But a closer reading of the play will reveal that an honest man can live in a corrupt world but will find it difficult to attain success. The difficulty lies in his decision not to violate the principles instilled in his mind and heart. Although an honest man may not find success, he can survive in a corrupt world. Nevertheless, he may find it extremely difficult to remain honest for long. Pagnol, Marcel. Topaze. Paris: Aux Grandes, 1930. Print. Popkin, Debra. Modern French Literature. MI: Ungar Press, 1977. Print.

The Meanings of the German Verb Ausmachen

The Meanings of the German Verb 'Ausmachen' The German verb machen is a very common regular verb with the basic meaning of to make or to do. It gets plenty of mileage all by itself, but by adding the prefix aus-, machen turns into something even more interesting - and takes on many more meanings. (It can add other prefixes, notably an-, but well concentrate on aus- here.) Understanding German verb prefixes is an important part of learning German vocabulary and German verb conjugation. As we shall see with ausmachen, a prefix can make BIG changes in the meaning of a German verb. Although the essential meaning of aus (which is also a dative preposition) is out and ausmachen can mean turn off/out (the light) or put out (a fire), that is only one of its many meanings (in German or English). Lets examine this versatile verb, which has no fewer than ten different meanings, depending on the context. The ten basic meanings listed below are generally ranked in the order of how frequently the verb is used in that meaning, but this is not an exact science. Each meaning also has one or more German synonyms listed along with the English meaning. Ausmachen (là ¶schen) English Meaning: to put out, extinguish, douseExample: Kannst du die Kerzen bitte ausmachen? (Can you please douse/extinguish the candles?) Ausmachen (abdrehen, ausschalten) English Meaning: to switch off, turn off(Note: The opposite is anmachen to switch on, turn on another verb with several different meanings.)Example 1: Machen Sie bitte das Licht / den Fernseher aus! (Please turn off the light / the TV.)Example 2: Sie mà ¼ssen das Gas zuerst ausmachen, bevor sie die Reparaturen machen kà ¶nnen. (They have to turn off the gas before they can make the repairs.) Ausmachen (stà ¶ren, rgern)(etw macht jdm etw aus) English Meaning: to bother (sb), mind, object toExample 1: Macht es Ihnen etwas aus, wenn ich rauche? (Do you mind if I smoke?)Example 2: Es macht mir nichts aus, ihm zu helfen. (I dont mind helping him.) Ausmachen (ermitteln, entdecken)(etw/jdn) English Meaning: to make out (sth/sb), spot, determineExample 1: Ich kann ihn nicht ausmachen, weil es zu dunkel ist. (I cant make him out because its too dark.)Example 2: Es ist noch nicht ausgemacht, dass er seinen eigenen Putsch politisch à ¼berlebt. (It hasnt yet been determined that he will survive his own coup politically.) Ausmachen (ins Gewicht fallen) English Meaning: to make a differenceExample 1: Was macht es schon aus? (What difference does it make?)Example 2: Es macht gar nichts aus! (It makes no difference at all!) Ausmachen (vereinbaren) English Meaning: to agree to, agree on, set up (appointment)Example 1: Wir mà ¼ssen nur noch ausmachen, wo wir uns treffen. (We just need to agree on where well meet.)Example 2: Wie ausgemacht, habe ich das Auto am Flughafen gelassen. (As agreed, I left the car at the airport.) Ausmachen (austragen) English Meaning: to sort (sth) out, settle (a case, a dispute, an issue, etc.)Example 1: Das mà ¼ssen wir mit ihm ausmachen. (We have to sort that out with him.)Example 2: Kà ¶nntet ihr diesen Streit nicht unter euch ausmachen? (Cant you guys settle this argument among yourselves?) Ausmachen (auszeichnen) English Meaning: to be (all) about, be the essence of sth, make (up) sth, make sth specialExample 1: Was macht das Leben aus? (What is life all about?)Example 2: Arbeit / Liebe macht das Leben aus. (Work/love is what lifes about.)Example 3: Ihm fehlt alles, was einen richtigen Manager ausmacht. (Hes missing everything that goes to make a real manager.) Ausmachen (betragen) English Meaning: to amount to, add up to, come toExample: Der Zeitunterschied macht neun Stunden aus. (The time difference is/amounts to nine hours.) Ausmachen (ausgraben) English Meaning: to dig up (dialect, regional)Example: Sie haben die Kartoffeln ausgemacht. (They dug up the potatoes.)

Old Testament Prophets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Old Testament Prophets - Research Paper Example A study of the scriptures shows that Joseph and Mary were David’s descendants even though their family lineages are different. The fulfillment of the conditions of the covenant by man was very crucial since, fulfillment led to blessedness while failure to fulfill or obey led to discipline or curse. The prophetic message or utterance entails forth telling, which is the explanation of current occurrences and foretelling, which entails what will happen in the future. God’s relationship with the children of Israel through covenants necessitated the prophetic utterance of the Old Testament prophets, correcting them when they strayed and encouraging them when they felt discouraged. In the book of the major prophet Jeremiah, the results of violating the covenants are very well documented, denoting the very great relationship between the covenants and prophecy in the Old Testament.3 Words, prophecies, wars and blessings are all shown to take place in accordance to what God has said many years earlier. It is in the book of Jeremiah where the chosen people of God are taken into captivity, with Jeremiah earning the tag â€Å"the weeping prophet† as he weeps continually , warning of impending judgment to a people and Kings who disbelieve and even have him thrown into prison. The exile into Babylon was a very distressful happening but one that could have been avoided had the chosen race heeded prophetic utterance, where God had warned that one of the consequences of disobedience would be exile to other nations. Though the prophets were speaking with their own voices, they were giving forth Gods mind and counsel to the children of Israel. God Some of the covenants that God established with His people include the one that He made at Aden as narrated in Genesis 1:28 -30 where God gave man the responsibility to procreate and fill the earth, with a promise to bless him.4 Man was also given the responsibility of taking care of the garden of Aden, having domin ion over the animals and taking care not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which was at the centre of the garden. After man rebelled and ate of the tree of knowledge and evil, God made the Adamic covenant too, because the relationship between God and man changed since man had not kept his part of the bargain. 5 The serpent was cursed, God made the first promise of a redeemer, who would come through the lineage of Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaac Jacob Judah and David. The woman was placed under the headship of man and would from then on suffer pain at childbirth. Man also suffered the loss of the garden of Aden where life was easy and henceforth got into a life of hard work due to the resultant cursing of the ground for his sake. He would from that time on suffer sorrow and have a shortened lifespan and also suffer the pain of death. God later made covenant with Noah after the flood which had been occasioned by man’s rebellion, leading to the destruction of the whole world with water except Noah and his family. God promised never again to harm his people with water, setting a bow in the sky to act as a reminder to man of God’

Discussion12 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion12 - Assignment Example embassies as well as the 9/11 attacks in the U.S. soil. U.S. counterterrorism efforts have led to $1 trillion being spent in unending wars. Also, overreliance on oil has led to global warming as a result of emission of green house gases from the burning of gasoline. 2. The idea of America keeping up with the war against communism cannot be ruled out in totality. Instead, I hold the opinion that America should oppose communist’s regimes that deny citizens their basic rights. It is evident that Democracy stands out as the best system of governance as it takes a way power from few individuals and gives it to the people. It is very dangerous to entrust power to just few persons as their selfish interests can drive them into risking the lives of an entire nation. For example, North Korea is a communist state whose leader, Kim Jong-un, is putting the lives of the nation at risk by manufacturing nuclear weapons. Similarly, Hong Kong has recently been protesting against poor leadership in Beijing. Unfortunately, the citizens are denied the power to choose their preferred leader as communist regimes do not provide for that. Therefore, I think United States should continue promoting democracy across the world by setting a good example of how democ racy gives the citizens power. In situations where there is extreme violations of human rights in communist state, America as the leader of the world should intervene by setting up with the right systems of government that can protect the citizens. 3. The idea of immigration into the U.S. is common because of the many opportunities that the country offers. In fact, before I came to America I always had that it is a country of great opportunities. I have come to realize that many people migrate into the U.S. year in search of better jobs, better education, and better life. However, life as an illegal immigrant is not easy as every day you are under constant watch of security officers.

American Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Media - Essay Example It is a sincere and honest self-examination of the foreign and domestic policies of America. Amidst the widespread patriotic hysteria and solidarity reawakening post the September 11th, the author braves to tackle the Sovietization of American politics and media, which seek to slander dissent or disagreement of any kind. He brings the present administration under scrutiny as well as exposing the hypocrisy of the so-called "liberal" American press. In his book, the foreigners have complained about the American's domination of a world which is poorly understood by them and who "sanctimoniously boast of democratic virtues while ignoring our complicity in the crimes of authoritarian regimes, and destroy other countries' deep-rooted cultural traditions by exporting our crass culture of self-indulgence and haste."(Bryce Christenson, American Library Association) While feelings of American patriotism and nationalism is at an all time high,Hertgaard brings the reader to the task of self-examining the truth behind those very sentiments. But his weakness lies in the manner he address es his readers in a tone which is a bit too superior even while elaborating the perceptions of the rest of the world. "Americans ne America's foreign policy has been put up for questioning in his book where he writes: "Americans need to have an honest discussion about our conduct overseas: Where it is wise Where it is not How often does it correspond to the values of democracy and freedom that we regularly invoke, and how important it is whether we practice what we preach If Americans want a healthy relationship with the six billion people we share the planet with, we need to understand who those people are, how they live, what they think and why. This is not charity, it is self-interest. America may be protected by two oceans and the mightiest military in history, but we know we are not untouchable." This statement has been taken further by Parag Khanna in his favor of open democracy where he states that America's independence can no longer depend on its security even if it's flanked by two oceans and neither can it count on its prosperity despite the country's production. The answers they were seeking were found in Washington in early October 2003, where a major program of public dialogue was launched by sixteen organizations, representing ideologies across the political spectrums. "The People Speak: America Debates Its Role in the World" is the name of this initiative which hosted numerous discussions on American foreign policies amongst communities across the nations. The four resolutions up for discussion which were: whether the US should use Pre-emptive military force to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction; what conditions should exist before the US takes part in military intervention overseas; whether America should focus more on non- military issues like the environment, poverty and health; whether America should demonstrate a stronger commitment to internationalinstitutions and international law It was also found that in the Islamic world, the image of America had drastically fallen over the past couple of years with only 15% of respondents giving favorable opinions on the United States, right from Turkey to Indonesia, which had

International Mergers Essay Example for Free

International Mergers Essay Recent years have seen waves of mergers and acquisitions occurring in the international arena. Whilst the nature of such M A activity has enlarged from being mostly IT focussed in the 1990s to include other areas like consumer goods, automobiles, and metals in the 2000s, its intensity remained unabated until the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008. Although M A activity in the domestic space has continued to occur despite the high failure rate of such initiatives, international M A s face the additional challenge of having to overcome issues of different national cultures. The recent break-up of Daimler Chrysler evidences the difficulties that such initiatives face and the enormous harm that can occur if they do not work. This dissertation attempts to investigate the numerous challenges that confront the managements of the two concerned organisations, the hazards posed by such challenges, and the measures that can be adopted to overcome them. Table of Contents Serial Details Page Abstract 2 1. Introduction 5 1. 1. Background and Overview 5 1. 2. Definition of Problem 8 1. 3. Aims and Objectives 12 2. Literature Review 14 2. 1. Motivation for International M A Activity 14 2. 1. 1. Strategic Objectives 14 2. 1. 2. Other Drivers of International Mergers and Acquisitions 18 2. 2. The Cultural Context 20 2. 2. 1 National Culture 20 2. 2. 2. Organisational Culture 23 2. 2. 3 The Impact of Culture on International Mergers and Acquisitions 25 2. 2. 4 Overcoming Cultural Differences in International Mergers and Acquisitions 32 3. 0 Research Methodology 38 3. 1. Research Questions 38 3. 2. Choice of Research Methodology 38 3. 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Methods 39 3. 4. Choice of Methodology 41 3. 5. Primary and Secondary Data 41 3. 6. Ethics 42 4. 0 Data Collection 43 5. 0 Findings and Analysis 48 6. 0 Conclusions 52 Bibliography 53 1. Introduction 1. 1. Background and Overview Corporate mergers and acquisitions (M A) are an accepted form of external growth and are becoming increasingly common with time. With business corporations having realised the benefits of M A activity in terms of growth in sales, increase in capacity, accessing of new markets, obtaining of technology and skills, acquisition of brands, savings in costs, and achievement of synergies in areas of sales, production, and costs, it forms an integral component of the objectives and strategies of most forward looking and ambitious business firms (Gaughan, 2002). Two decades of globalisation, along with progressive development of technology, intensification of competition, increasing pressure on costs, and the continual emergence of new equal skill/ lesser cost production and service centres in Asia, East Europe, and South America are accentuating the need for consolidation and for achieving leadership in costs and quality, the basic tenets of Michael Porter’s theory of competitor advantage (Gaughan, 2002). Such developments are also increasing the number of companies searching for appropriate M A opportunities. The enormous changes that have taken place in the global, economic, political, and trade scenario have added another dimension to the issue of M A activity, that of international mergers and acquisitions (IMA). These pertain to those mergers and acquisitions that take place beyond the borders of specific countries and which are also known as global or cross border M As. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, the emergence of East European countries, the formation of the European Union, and the dismantling of trade barriers led to a significant increase in M A activity between European countries. Apart from the remarkable developments in Europe, the last two decades also saw a wave of trade liberalisation and economic and financial reforms sweep through the developing world, and the emergence first of China and then of India on the global economic scene, bringing with them huge markets, strong production and service skills and cheap costs (Gaughan, 2002). With western businesses having realised the import of the enormous business opportunities that are constantly being generated on a global basis, the lid has been taken off IMA activity, which is now increasing furiously, particularly in the USA, the UK, and Europe. â€Å"While USA has always been the pioneer in merger and acquisition activities, UK too has registered high levels of mergers and acquisitions. With the European countries gaining momentum in mergers and acquisitions, international mergers and acquisitions also received a major boost. † (International Mergers and Acquisitions, 2009) IMA is taking place in â€Å"different forms, for example horizontal mergers, vertical mergers, conglomerate mergers, congeneric mergers, reverse mergers, dilutive mergers, and accretive mergers† (International Mergers and Acquisitions, 2009). Whilst IMAs are also driven by the same motives as regular M A activity, international M A helps companies in accessing markets in distant lands, allows companies to build global competitive advantage, and otherwise leads to build up of Foreign Direct Investment. IMA activity is also far more complex than regular M A actions because of the presence of far greater complexities that arise from companies having to deal with different political structures, governmental regulations and policies, economical situations, and investment and other laws (Gaughan, 2002). Despite the presence of such obstacles, international M A activity was gathering pace until the onset of the financial crisis, which has effectively put all commercial and business activity in a state of suspended animation. â€Å"2006 was a record year for acquisitions worldwide when, for the first time, the annual value of these transactions exceeded US$ 4 trillion, and cross-border acquisitions alone amounted to a record high of US$ 1. 3 trillion (Larsen, 2007). This trend continues in 2007, given that the transaction value of global acquisitions in the first three months of the year reached US$ 1. 13 trillion, setting up a record for the busiest first quarter in acquisition history. † (Rottig, 2007) The size of North American IMA activity increased practically by 100 % in 2006 to USD 242 billion from USD 132 billion in 2005. The value of IMA deals in Europe in 2006 touched USD 451 billion (Rottig, 2007). Whilst the most of IMA activity took place in the US, it was followed by the UK and Germany (Rottig, 2007).