The Leadership of Saladin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Leadership of Saladin - Essay Example Saladin is known to have founded the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Mecca Hejaz, and Diyar Bakr (Saladin 1). He has also won battles against crusaders which highlights his exemplary chivalric and merciful nature. This paper will take a closer look at the leadership style which Saladin has employed in order to gain the wide recognition both in his times and in the current era. The first section will give an overview of the general leadership style, followed by an account of how this style is reflected in Saladin's actions and words. In order to fully understand the personality of the leader, this paper will also give an account of Saladin's strength and weaknesses and compare his style with the five challenges of leadership. Lastly, the author will compare his leadership style with Saladin. Taking account of how Saladin's life, the battles he fought, and what he stood for, it becomes apparent that he can be classified as a charismatic leader. Before going further, this paper wants to clarify how a charismatic leader is described and characterized. A charismatic leader set the group's direction by establishing goals and motivating its followers in attaining the established objectives. The charisma of the leader will significantly help in instilling a dose of motivation to other employees. Five distinct behavioural attributes of a charismatic leader includes vision and articulation, sensitivity to the environment, sensitivity to members' needs, personal risk taking, and performing unconventional behaviour. Thus, a charismatic leader always stands out and is able to win people through his charisma. This type of leadership strategy often capitalizes in winning the trust of his subordinates in order to succeed. In order to describe his way of influencing people, Hillenbrand notes that Saladin made "himself known to the rank and file soldiers in the army, creating bonds of loyalty and solidarity, and enhancing corporate morale." It can be seen that instead of keeping emphasizing his position as a general by keeping his distance with his subordinates, Saladin has exerted effort in winning the trust of his members by making joining them in their conversation and establishing friendly relationship with them. Through the use of his charisma, Saladin is able to win the support of his subordinates and enable him to convince them into going to war with them and win the battle. It should also be noted that through this dealings with his subordinates, Saladin is able to instil inspiration and psyche his soldiers for victory. The charisma of Saladin becomes a significant influence and driver in the performance of his members. Hillenbrand (515) characterizes Saladin as a leader whose "presence could snatch victory from the jaws of defeat." This is exemplified his army's conquest of Acre where Saladin "stood firm with a handful of men until he was able to withdraw all his men to the hill and then lead them down into the battle again, shaming them into turning and fighting." This illustration indicates how the charisma of Saladin has worked in order to motivate his soldiers. Currently, there are five practices which indicate exemplary leadership: model the way; inspire a shared vision; challenge the process by taking risk, accepting, and seeking challenges; enable others to

Marriage vs Living Together Essay Example for Free

Marriage vs Living Together Essay Marriage vs Living Together Marriage is the legal union of a man and woman as husband and wife. It is also defined as the union between two people that are recognized by cultural or religious tradition. Older generations would feel that living together was disgraceful. The only way that living together was seen as acceptable was to be married. There are several differences between being married and living together such as the status in the government, status in the religious community, and status in each others eyes and each others families eyes. Television writers and producers are slowly making pop culture more diverse, but that does not mean every non-white character on television represents a step forward. Some programs seem not to do anything but pump racial stereotypes into the public eye. From geeky and pathetic Asian characters to a biracial genie who is literally an object in a white lady’s house. Another example would be from the show called , â€Å"Rob Schneider†, This new comedy is about Rob Schneider’s character attempting to connect with his wife’s large Mexican family, most of whom do not like him. It seems as though he’s supposed to be a sort of Archie Bunker character who makes awful stereotypical jokes and then is promptly dismissed by, you know, reality, but in this world the stereotypes seem to be true – the members of Maggie’s family are almost entirely defined by their Mexican-ness, right down to the mute, diminutive grandmother with a shrine to Jesus in her bedroom. We’re all for more Latino characters in primetime, but this is a pretty horrifying way to do It. (Victoria Mcnally, mar. , 2012) Children movies, television shows, and commercials are not immune to the typical racial stereotyping. In our increasingly ever-changing society, children are deeply drawn into television viewing and their consumption of television programming varies by ethnicity. Ethnic portrayal in children’s advertising is an important public policy and self-regulatory topic that may influence children’s self-perception and brand perception. Another show that promotes stereotypical behavior in television programing would be the Glee Club, that s essentially a show about the performing arts and the arts have always had an association (earned or perceived) as being gay friendly. If a guy tells someone that they are a dancer, they will assume he is gay. Glee stereotypically has gay characters. In conclusion, even commercials such as tide have shown racial stereotypical antidotes in them for example have you seen the latest Tide commercial where a â€Å"sassy black woman† is sitting on a bench getting very annoyed with being told she cannot wear white jeans after Labor Day. She actually gets up, starts with the neck swivel and the hand, and says she will do whatever she wants because Tide will keep her jeans white, â€Å"Not white-ish, not eggshell, and not ecru, whatever that is. † But pure white. Just another way of showing that no matter what genre of television programming, stereotyping is a part of it. Mostly due to television trying to appeal to different types of audiences to include ethnicity, sex and age.

Migration and Disease in Africa during European Imperialism Essay

The Relationship between Migration and Disease in Africa during European Imperialism During the era of European Imperialism, from approximately 1880 to 1930, an increasing number of Europeans began to colonize West Africa. Because of this colonization many African natives migrated eastward, inadvertently transporting diseases to which the East Africans were not immune (Ransford 76). This phenomenon can be explained through examining the implications of geographical isolation, the effects of large-scale migration, and alluding to a specific example of disease transference in Africa from the west to the east. Because of geographic isolation, human societies develop either genetic or cultural defenses against certain types of disease, an adaptation that keeps them free from major endemic devastation (Patterson 3). K. David Patterson, Associate Professor of History, describes the African environment as â€Å"extremely dangerous for outsiders† and goes on to say that Europeans â€Å"generally found Africa’s ‘fevers’ and ‘fluxes’ deadly until the beginning of tropical medicine in the late nineteenth century† (7). Similarly, once the geographic and cultural barriers between West and East Africa were broken down, they became extremely vulnerable to the other’s infectious diseases (Azevedo 121). Nevertheless, Europe had still not entered into the scene, maintaining the balanced east versus west arrangement. Fear of the diseases, unsavory climate, shallow rivers and impassible swamps all deterred Europe from colonizing Africa (Ransford, 8). However, beginning in the late nineteenth century, the deterrence was outweighed by the pressures of European Imperialism, and many Europeans fled to the African front. ... ...n Congo, specifically. It is extremely detailed in content, yet covers a variety of issues including imperialism, disease, climate, and indigenous tribes of the African Congo. http://www.rbm.who.int (Roll Back Malaria – WHO) A link that describes the malaria issues facing Africa currently. Malaria, along with sleeping sickness had a profound effect on the history of Africa during the Imperialist era. Specifically, this website advertises Roll Back Malaria which is an international mission to increase and hopefully help prevent future malaria epidemics. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trypanosomiasis/default.htm (CDC) This link goes to the Center for Disease Control and provides some basics about West and East African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). It also includes a weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR).

Catcher in the Rye †Study notes as a related text for Belonging Essay

The Catcher in the Rye is set around the 1950s and is narrated by a young man named Holden Caulfield. Holden is not specific about his location while he’s telling the story, but he makes it clear that he is undergoing treatment in a mental hospital or sanatorium. The events he narrates take place in the few days between the end of the fall school term and Christmas, when Holden is sixteen years old. Alienation as a Form of Self-Protection: Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded from and victimized by the world around him. He continually attempts to find his way in a world in which he feels he doesn’t belong. As the novel progresses, we begin to perceive that Holden’s alienation is his way of protecting himself. He uses his isolation as proof that he is better than everyone else around him and therefore above interacting with them. The truth is that interactions with other people usually confuse and overwhelm him, and his cynical sense of superiority serves as a type of self-protection. Holden’s alienation is the cause of most of his pain. He never addresses his own emotions directly, nor does he attempt to discover the source of his troubles. He desperately needs human contact and love, but his protective wall of bitterness prevents him from looking for such interaction. Alienation is both the source of Holden’s strength and the source of his problems. Belonging to the School Community/ a group The school community’s collective allegiance to the football team enables them to belong to each other: â€Å"Anyway it was the Saturday of the football game with Saxon Hall†¦It was the last game of the year and you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn’t win†. Pg. 2 (Pencey Prep is a school the main character, Holden went to) The use of the verb, ‘supposed’, demonstrates the expectations of the community. The high modality of the verb, ‘suicide’ highlights the strength of their connection Holden’s sarcastic tone mocks their sense of belonging, thus segregating him. â€Å"There was about three inches of snow on the ground (at Pencey Prep after dinner one night) and coming down like a madman. It looked pretty as hell, and we all started throwing snowballs and horsing around all over the place. It was very childish, but everybody was really enjoying themselves.† Pg. 31 This anecdote demonstrates a sense of belonging to peers in the school community. Plural pronoun, ‘we’ and the adjective, ‘all’ demonstrates the all-encompassing sense of belonging across the group. â€Å"It wasn’t allowed for students to borrow faculty guy’s cars but all the athletic bastards stuck together. In every school I’ve gone to, all the athletic bastards stick together†. Pg. 37 The conjunction, ‘but’ Repitition of ‘athletic bastards’ The adjective and negative ‘bastards’ The repetition of the adverb, together’ Demonstrates the way in which individuals are connected through a common interest. Whilst, the negative connotations of, ‘bastard’, elucidate Holden’s negative view on this group of people and suggests that he does not belong to this group. Holden’s Absence of Belonging â€Å"Practically the whole school except me was there.† Pg. 2 Adjective, ‘whole’, in relation to the noun, ‘school’, juxtaposes against the personal pronoun through the use of the conjunction, ‘except’. This highlights Holden’s isolation from the community. â€Å"I’d just got back from New York with the fencing team†¦I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway†¦The whole team ostracized me the whole way back on the train.† Pg. 3 Verb, ‘ostracized’, demonstrates Holden’s exclusion and the use of the adjective, ‘whole’, exemplifies the full extent of his exclusion. â€Å"I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead†¦.Boy, did I feel rotten. I felt so damn lonesome.† Pg. 42 Repetition of the abstract noun, ‘lonesome’ highlights Holden’s sense of isolation. The verb, ‘wished’ and adjective, ‘dead’ suggest the negative implications of a bereft sense of belonging. â€Å"It was even depressing out in the street. You couldn’t even hear any cars any more. I got feeling so lonesome and rotten, I even felt like waking Ackley up.† Pg. 44 The adjectives, ‘depressing’, ‘lonesome’ and ‘rotten’ convey his disconnection from his environment and his defiled sense of belonging. Everybody was asleep or out or home for the week end, and it was very, very quiet and depressing in the corridor.† Pg. 45 The pronoun, ‘everybody’ is all-inclusive and the repetition of the adverb, ‘very’ emphasizes the loneliness and sense of solitude Holden is feeling, implied by the adjective, ‘depressing’. â€Å"In fact, nobody was around my age. They were mostly old, show-offy-looking guys with their dates.† Pg. 62 The combination of the pronoun, ‘nobody’, the personal pronoun, ‘my’ and the abstract noun, ‘age’ convey Holden’s absence of belonging in that he is unable to find commonalities or connect with the people around him. Lack of Belonging- the distaste for his environment (Mostly Place) â€Å"It was a horrible school (Pencey Prep), no matter how you looked at it†. Pg. 2 Adjective, ‘horrible’, illustrates Holden’s aversion to his surroundings. â€Å"They kicked me out (of school)†¦I was flunking four subjects and not applying myself and all. They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself†¦.but I didn’t do it. So I got the axe† Pg. 3 Adjective, ‘frequent’ and noun, ‘warnings’, demonstrate Holden’s awareness of the situation. The conjunction, ‘but’ and the negative, ‘didn’t’ demonstrate his lack of action. Thus, illustrating Holden’s role in the lack of belonging that he is experiencing. â€Å"Pencey was full of crooks†. Pg. 3 The negative connotations of the noun, ‘crooks’, to represent the students at Pencey highlight Holden’s distaste for those around him and the adjective, ‘full’, highlights the abundance of these people, he is unable to connect with. â€Å"One of the biggest reasons I left Elkon Hills was because I was surrounded by phonies†. Pg. 12 The use of the noun, ‘phonies’, to describe the students at his previous school and the use of the adjective, ‘surrounded’, implies that he feels trapped in a world in which he does not belong and with people whom he does not connect with. â€Å"I hated that goddam Elkon Hills†, Pg. 12 The verb, ‘hated’ and negative connotations of the adjective, ‘goddam’, illustrate Holden’s repugnance towards his environment. â€Å"For one thing the room was too damn hot. It made you sleepy. At Pencey, you either froze to death or died of the heat†. Pg. 19 The juxtaposition of ‘froze to death’ and ‘died of the heat’, demonstrates Holden’s discomfort and lack of connection and contentness in the world around him. The incorporation of the noun, ‘death’ and verb, ‘died’, conveys the severity of his distaste for his environment. Holden’s Search for a Sense of Belonging â€Å"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it†. Pg. 16 The verb, ‘wish’, used with the noun, ‘friend’, suggests Holden’s yearning to establish a connection with someone. â€Å"But finally after I was riding for a while the cab driver and I sort of struck up a conversation. â€Å" Pg. 74â€Å" Would you care to stop off and have a drink with me somewhere?† I said. Pg. 75 The noun, ‘conversation’ and the question within the direct speech imply Holden’s search to belong through aiming to establish connections with people. â€Å"I damn near got my coat back and went back to the hotel, but it was too early and I didn’t feel much like being alone.† Pg. 77 The noun, ‘being’ and adjective, ‘alone’ demonstrate Holden’s wish to fulfill his sense of belonging. â€Å"What I did do though, was ask the waiter to ask old Ernie if he’d care to join me for a drink.† Pg. 78 Throughout the novel, Holden’s loneliness and absence of a sense of belonging is conveyed however so are his attempts to establish connections with people. He asks cab drivers and waiters etc. if they would care to have a drink with him. This is illustrated through the noun, ‘waiter’, the verb, ‘join’ and the personal pronoun, ‘me’ â€Å"Boy, I felt miserable. I felt so depressed, you can’t imagine. What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed.† Pg. 89 (search for belonging through family) The repetition of the adjective, ‘depressed’ highlight the issues within Holden’s emotional and mental well-being. The verb, ‘talking’ and noun, ‘Allie’ conveys Holden’s search for belonging as he is aiming to communicate with his deceased brother Allie, whom he shared a connection with. Belonging To Oneself â€Å"They gave me this crumby room, with nothing to look out of the window at except the other side of the hotel. I didn’t care much. I was too depressed to care whether I had a good view or not.† Pg. 54 The adjective, ‘crumby’ conveys Holden’s affliction to his environment and absence of belonging to place. Holden’s inability to belong to himself is also highlighted through the adjective, ‘too’ and abstract noun, ‘depressed’. â€Å"’I can’t sit in a corny place like this cold sober. Cantcha stick a little rum in it or something? (Holden asks the waiter).’†. Pg. 62 Holden’s reliance on alcohol is evident here as he is unable to connect with people or his environment and does not have a well-established and stable sense of belonging to himself. This is achieved through the pronoun, â€Å"I†, adjective, ‘corny’ and abstract noun, ‘sober’. â€Å"In the first place it was one of those places that are very terrible to be in unless you have somebody good to dance with or unless the waiter lets you buy real drinks instead of just Cokes. There isn’t any night club in the world you can sit for a long time unless you can buy some liquor and get drunk.† Pg. 68 Holden’s absence of sense of self is exhibited here, which has an impact on his ability to find belonging through place, through his reliance on alcohol. This is demonstrated through the adjective, ‘terrible’, the verb, ‘dance’ and noun, ‘drinks’. The adjective, ‘drunk’. Belonging to Family â€Å"I certainly wouldn’t have minded shooting the crap with old Phoebe (Holden’s younger sister) for a while. You should see her. You never saw a little kid so pretty and so smart in your whole life. She’s really smart†¦As a matter of fact, I’m the only dumb one in the family.† Pg. 60 The use of the colloquial phrase, ‘shooting the crap’, demonstrates Holden’s attempt to connect with his sister. The repetition of, ‘so’ used in conjunction with the adjectives, ‘pretty’ and ‘smart’, demonstrate Holden’s adoration of his sister. The adjective, ‘dumb’ used by Holden to describe himself juxtaposes against those used to describe his sister, while the adverb, ‘only’ creates a divide between Holden and his family, thus implying his absence of belonging. â€Å"When she (Phoebe) was a very tiny little kid, I and Allie used to take her to the park with us, especially on Sundays. Allie had this sailboat he used to like fool around with on Sundays and we used to take old Phoebe with us. She’d wear white gloves and walk right between us, like a lady and all†. Pg. 61 The anecdote evokes Holden’s sense of connection with members of his family, his brother Allie and sister Phoebe. Belonging through Friendship â€Å"I know old Jane like a book-I still couldn’t get her off my brain. I knew her like a book. I really did. I mean, besides checkers, she was quite fond of all athletic sports, and after I got to know her, the whole summer long we played tennis together almost every morning and golf almost every afternoon.† Pg. 69 The repetition of the simile, ‘like a book’, conveys the connection through friendship that Holden has with Jane. The adverb, ‘together’ and repetition of the adjective, ‘every’, further emphasize this connection and achievement of a sense of belonging through friendship.

Murders and Aggravated Assault

Aggravated assault and murder are some of the most heinous crimes that occur in our society today.   It is stated in the news that there are around 1-4 cases of murders and around 300 reported victims of aggravated assault in every 10,000 people per year. Moreover, the data still vary depending on the type of country’s progress. It follows that as the country is more developed, the crime rates are higher. Both the aggravated assault and murder involved more than one party of conflicting views which leads to infliction of harm over the other party. The crimes mentioned are considered to be the worst crimes in our society and the perpetuators are subjected to long time in prison depending on the place where the crime is committed. Different countries have different punishments for murder and aggravated assault. (Answer.com, 2006) Although the two crimes results to serious physical damage, they usually differ according to some factors. Aggravated assault takes place when an individual is provoked or pushed to do such act. Moreover, the situation or the defendant himself is the reason why the event took place. The use of a deadly weapon to attack an individual and causes a serious physical injury or even death to that individual is also a classification of aggravated assault not to mention it is also an element in murder. On the other hand, murder, also termed as killing, is associated with premeditation which means that there is an intension to harm or to kill in murder unlike in the aggravated assault. In this regard, the person who committed the crime planned and escaped from that act. Therefore, one can only be charged and accused by murder if s/he commits the elements actus reus and mens rea which are Latin for â€Å"guilty act† and â€Å"guilty mind†.   Therefore, murder differs with aggravated assault if there is the presence of malice or intension to harm the other individual.   (Investigation, 2004) References: Answer.com. (2006). murder.  Ã‚   Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://www.answers.com/topic/murder Investigation, D. o. J. F. B. o. (2004). Aggravated assault. from http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/aggravated_assault.html   

When It Was Legal to Mail a Baby

When It Was Legal to Mail a Baby Once-upon-a-time, it was legal to mail a baby in the United States. It happened more than once and by all accounts, the mailed tots arrived no worse for wear. Yes, baby mail was a real thing. On January 1, 1913, the then Cabinet-level U.S. Post Office Department - now the U.S. Postal Service  - first started delivering packages. Americans instantly fell in love with the new service and were soon mailing each other all sorts of items, like parasols, pitchforks and, yes, babies. Smithsonian Confirms Birth of Baby Mail As documented in the article, â€Å"Very Special Deliveries,† by curator of the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum Nancy Pope, several children, including one â€Å"14-pound baby† were stamped, mailed and dutifully delivered by the U.S. Post Office between 1914 and 1915. The practice, noted Pope, became affectionately known by letter carriers of the day as baby mail. According to Pope, with  postal regulations, being few and far between in 1913, they failed to specify exactly â€Å"what† could and could not be mailed via the still very new parcel post service. So in mid-January 1913, an unnamed baby boy in Batavia, Ohio was delivered by a Rural Free Delivery carrier to its grandmother about a mile away. â€Å"The boy’s parents paid 15-cents for the stamps and even insured their son for $50,† wrote Pope. Despite a â€Å"no humans† declaration by the Postmaster General, at least five more children were officially mailed and delivered between 1914 and 1915. Baby Mail Often Got Very Special Handling If the very idea of mailing babies sounds sort of reckless to you,  don’t worry. Long before the then-Post Office Department had created its â€Å"special handling† guidelines for packages, children delivered via â€Å"baby-mail† got it anyway. According to Pope, the children were â€Å"mailed† by traveling with trusted postal workers, often designated by the child’s parents. And fortunately, there are no heartbreaking cases of babies being lost in transit or stamped â€Å"Return to Sender† on record. The longest trip taken by a â€Å"mailed† child took place in 1915  when a six-year-old girl traveled from her mother’s home in Pensacola, Florida, to her father’s home in Christiansburg, Virginia. According to Pope, the nearly 50-pound little girl made the 721-mile trip on a mail train for just 15 cents in parcel post stamps. According to the Smithsonian, its â€Å"baby mail† episode pointed out Postal Service’s importance at a time when traveling long distances was becoming more important  but remained difficult and largely unaffordable for many Americans. Perhaps even more importantly, noted Ms. Pope, the practice indicated how the Postal Service in general, and especially its letter carriers had become â€Å"a touchstone with family and friends far away from each other, a bearer of important news and goods. In some ways, Americans trusted their postmen with their lives.† Certainly, mailing your baby took a lot of​ plain old  trust. The End of Baby Mail The Post Office Department officially put a stop to â€Å"baby mail† in 1915, after postal regulations barring the mailing of human beings enacted the year before were finally enforced. Even today, postal regulations allow the  mailing of live animals, including poultry, reptiles, and bees, under certain conditions. But no more babies, please. About the Photographs As you can imagine, the practice of â€Å"mailing† children, usually at costs far lower than regular train fare, drew considerable notoriety, leading to the taking of the two photographs shown here. According to Pope, both photos were staged for publicity purposes and there are no records of a child actually being delivered in a mail pouch. The photos are two of the most popular among the extensive Smithsonian Photographs on Flicker photo collection.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Quotes

'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath Quotes The Bell Jar  is a famous autobiographical novel by Sylvia Plath, though it was first published under the pseudonym, Victoria Lucas. The novel has been banned and challenged because it deals with mental illness, suicide, and the female experience. Some have claimed that students may be inspired to commit suicide after reading about Esther Greenwoods struggle with mental illness but these claims are unfounded. Here are a few quotes from The Bell Jar. Doreen singled me out right away. She made me feel I was that much sharper than the others, and she really was wonderfully funny. She used to sit next to me at the conference table, and when the visiting celebrities were talking shed whisper witty sarcastic remarks to me under her breath.- Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, Chapter 1 There is something demoralizing about watching two people get more and more crazy about each other, especially when you are the extra person in the room.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 2 After Doreen left, I wondered why I couldnt go the whole way doing what I should any more. This made me sad and tired. Then I wondered why I couldnt go the whole way doing what I shouldnt, the way Doreen did, and this made me even sadder and more tired.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 3 The sickness rolled through me in great waves. After each wave it would fade away and leave me limp as a wet leaf and shivering all over and then I would feel it rising up in me again, and the glittering white torture chamber tiles under my feet and over my head and all four sides closed in and squeezed me to pieces.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 4 I hate handing over money for what I could just as easily do myself, it makes me nervous.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 5 Buddy kissed me again in front of the house steps, and the next fall, when his scholarship to medical school came through, I went there to see him instead of to Yale and it was there I found out that he had fooled me all those years and what a hypocrite he was.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 5 What a man wants is is an arrow into the future and what a woman is is the place the arrow shoots off from.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 6 She was a fat middle-aged woman with dyed red hair and suspiciously thick lips and rat-colored skin and she wouldnt even turn off the light, so hed had her under a fly-spotted twenty-five-watt bulb, and it was nothing like it was cracked up to be. It was as boring as going to the toilet.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 7 So I began to think maybe it was true that when you were married and had children it was like being brainwashed, and afterward you went about as numb as a slave in a totalitarian state.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 7 If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then Im neurotic as hell. Ill be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 8 I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery- air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, This is what it is to be happy.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 8 Show us how happy it makes you to write a poem.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 9 I had decided I would put off the novel until I had gone to Europe and had a lover.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 10 But when I took up my pen, my hand made big, jerky letters like those of a child, and the lines sloped down the page from left to right almost diagonally, as if they were loops of string lying on the paper, and someone had come along and blown them askew.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 11 There was a uniformity, as if they had lain for a long time on a shelf, out of the sunlight, under siftings of pale, fine dust.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 12 I am I am I am.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 13 I am climbing to my freedom, freedom from fear, freedom from marrying the wrong person, like Buddy Willard, just because of sex, freedom from the Florence Crittenden Homes where all the poor girls go who should have been fitted out like me, because what they did, they would do anyway...- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 18 The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head. I was open to the circulating air.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 18 Doctor Nolan said, quite bluntly, that a lot of people would treat me gingerly, or even avoid me, like a leper with a warning bell. My mothers face floated to mind, a pale reproachful moon, at her last and first visit to the asylum since my twentieth birthday. A daughter in an asylum! I had done that to her.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 20 There would be a black, six-foot-deep gap backed in the hard ground. That shadow would marry this shadow, and the peculiar yellowish soil of our locality seal the wound in the whiteness, and yet another snowfall erase the newness in Joans grave.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar,  Chapter 20 There ought, I thought, to be a ritual for being born twice- patched, retreaded and approved for the road.- Sylvia Plath,  The Bell Jar

Synonyms for Answer

Synonyms for Answer Synonyms for Answer Synonyms for Answer By Mark Nichol Answer is a word of noble pedigree- it dates back nearly a thousand years in its original sense of â€Å"swear against† (from Old English andswaru). However, it’s bland and neutral, and a variety of synonyms with more precise connotations exist. Reply often has a sense of a thorough reaction to a communication, though it can simply refer to an answer in general. Response, on the other hand, has a sense of â€Å"a prompt or spontaneous reply,† though it can also be applied to more extensive communication (sometimes clarified with a modifier in such phrases as â€Å"measured response†). Replication, a formal extension of reply, is usually employed only in legal contexts and is better known as a synonym for duplication. Rejoinder and retort connote some tension in the communication: Rejoinder implies that the original statement was a criticism or an objection, while retort suggests that the reply is (or is perceived as) an attack; to point out the animosity involved, a retort is often described as â€Å"cutting† or â€Å"short.† Return can be used as a synonym for retort. The colloquial term comeback, meanwhile, describes a quick response that attacks the person making the original statement and is meant to diminish or insult him or her. A take, on the other hand, is a subjective but emotionally neutral response to something- generally, a statement of analysis or opinion on an event or an issue. Though colloquial, take is commonly used in writing, followed by the preposition on (as in â€Å"What’s your take on the matter?† or â€Å"Smith offered his take on the incident.†). A rebuttal is not a response per se, but it is an act of disproving by offering an argument or evidence against a statement. Similarly, a refutation is a claim that something said or written is false (the distinction between rebuttal and refutation is that the latter is not necessarily supported by evidence or an effective argument.) An informal abbreviation expressing a request for an answer is RSVP, from the French phrase â€Å"Rà ©pondez sil vous plait.† Though plait means â€Å"please,† many who use the phrase are unaware of the literal translation and redundantly ask respondents to â€Å"Please RSVP†; pointing out this duplication seems to be a lost cause and will probably result in a rejoinder or a retort. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect ObjectsYay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other AcclamationsHow Do You Determine Whether to Use Who or Whom?

The use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis, staging and therapy of Essay

The use of ultrasonography in the diagnosis, staging and therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma - Essay Example Also, the incidence of HCC worldwide varies according to the prevalence of hepatitis B and C infections. In the US, the incidence is 4 cases per 100,000. In areas such as Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the rates are as high as 120 cases per 100,000 (Stuart, 2006). It occurs more commonly in men than in women. The median age of diagnosis the United States and Europe  is 65 years. In the African and Asian countries where the incidence is high, the age of diagnosis can be even in the 4th and 5th decades. The median survival from the time of diagnosis is generally 6 months. Length of survival depends largely on the extent of cirrhosis in the liver. Cirrhotic patients have shorter survival times, and in cases of  portal vein occlusion, the prognosis is even worse (Stuart, 2006). Cure  through surgery  is possible in less than 5% of all patients. Due to the multifocality nature of the tumor and invasion of the tumor into portal vein, surgical resection can be performed only in 20% cases (Wu, 2005). Death in HCC occurs due to hepatic failure, cachexia, variceal bleeding or even due to tumor rupture and bleeding into the peritoneum. The patients generally present with symptoms related to cirrhosis like pruritus, jaundice, variceal bleeding, cachexia, pain in the hepatic region, increasing abdominal girth, splenomegaly and hepatic encephalopathy (Stuart, 2006). The etiology of cirrhosis could be alcohol induced, infections due to Hepatitis B or C, hemochromatosis, aflatoxin or even primary biliary cirrhosis, androgenic steroids, primary sclerosing cholangitis, 1-antitrypsin deficiency, Thorotrast radioactive contrast, oral contraceptives, and porphyria cutanea tarda (Stuart, 2006). In about 80% of cases, cirrhosis is the cause. However, 20% of cases are due to noncirrhotic, nonviral causes (Ulmer, 2000). Liver being the largest organ in the body varies considerably in size and configuration from

Analysis the Marine Corps hymn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis the Marine Corps hymn - Essay Example the shores of Tripoli† and â€Å"To the Shores of Tripoli† which are the first two lines of the first stanza had been coined by 1850, part of the Marine Corps lore then. The Marine Corps Hymn features several literary devices that serve to emphasize its message, give its rhythm, and point to the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. I chose to analyse the Marine Corps Hymn for its place in the hearts of the Marine Corps and reassign message to U.S. nationals. The Marine Corps Hymn which has three stanzas tells the story of the pride that officers serving in the Marine Corps have in what they do for their country. While the first stanza is a proclamation of what the Marine Corps do, the second stanza is a declaration of their commitment to the service of the nation wherever and whenever they are needed. The last stanza which takes on a more celebratory tone passes a message of good will to those in service to the nation as Marines while at the same time serving as a declaration that the streets of the U.S. are always guarded by the Marine Corps. The hymn is which makes mention of different settings including the Halls of Montezuma, Shores of Tripoli, far-off Northern lands, and tropic areas is itself set in no particular place or environment. The hymn features the Marine Corpse as the main character. The Marin Corps tell of their character in the hymn. In the verse, â€Å"First to fight for right and freedom† (6), the Marine Corpse present themselves as people who are brave and committed to the good of the nation. One of the literary devices that feature prominently in the hymn is repetition. In every stanza, the phrase United States Marine is repeated. The repetition of the phrase serves to give emphasis to the fact that the Marines are proud of who they are and their service to the country and are greatly committed to their work. This is evident in the lines, â€Å"We are proud to claim the title   of United States Marine† (1). Yet another device that is evidently

Leading by Example Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leading by Example - Assignment Example Politics entails making the masses believe on the candidate’s potential (Luce, 2008). As such, the society will hardly grant a candidate who lacks convincing words an opportunity to execute actions. This indicates that an action only strategy cannot proliferate well in the contemporary world dominated by the media and technology (Lattimer, 2009). Apparent evidence is the Obama campaigns and leadership. Obama’s appealing performance over the campaign was attributable to his strong media command (Lattimer, 2009). For instance, in his initial stages, he managed to beat Clinton by outshining her in media debates. As such, he was able to market his ideologies to the masses hence realizing considerable popularity. Importantly, we witness the influence of the media in the present leadership with the frequently scrutiny of the world’s leaders. Media provides an avenue through which the society can challenge leader’s actions. According to Shah (2012), leaders are presently investing heavily on media and only individuals capable of handling words’ politics comfortably will survive. Indeed, Luce (2008) affirms that the harsh challenges, which faced Clinton’s presidency during the eve of his tenure, undermined his popularity considerably. Evidently, the contemporary leaders cannot alienate their leadership career with the media influence hence understanding the position of the stage is a common tactics of

Mortgages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mortgages - Essay Example According to Boleat and Coles, the common trend is that after getting a gainful employment and after completing studies, most people will always opt to buy a home which is consider a wise investment since the homeowners would soon avoid paying rent, which takes up a big chunk of a person’s total earning (18-19). It is because of this reason that mortgage products have become very popular across the world and they have enabled many people become homeowners. However, mortgage facilities present certain problems to the borrowers, which will be discussed in this present essay and even how they affect the economy of the United States. Secondly, the essay will discuss recent act of legislations or proposal by the United States’ federal government that pertains to the problems that would be highlighted. Current problems faced by mortgagors and even the mortgage industry The nature of mortgage facility is that the borrower pays a monthly premium plus interest which is flexible meaning that the rate of the interest may increase or decrease depending on the market condition. Baily stated that borrowers’ problems usually arise when the rate of interest in the mortgage market increases while their income, which they use to repay the mortgage, remains steady (68-71). This therefore, creates a scenario whereby the borrower is unable to satisfactory pay the monthly premiums and interest, which then forces the bank to enact the foreclosure agreement that would leave the borrower homeless. Such a problem derails the entire economic growth of the United States, which is still on a recovery phase, and unemployment is still an issue since according to Baily lower purchasing power by the consumers who are servicing high interest rate means low demand for goods and products (33-35). Boleat and Coles also lamented that presently borrowers have been locked with high interest rates despite the fact that the rates have significantly decreased with the improved perfo rmance of the economy after the 2008 to 2010 financial crisis. Banks are only willing to allow a customer to switch to a cheaper rate if they are additionally using other products offered by the bank. This practice violates the directive issued by the Financial Service Authority that required lenders to treat the ‘captive’ customers fairly (89-93). In regards to the banking industry, the main problem that they face is the increased regulation that was imposed on the industry especially with the new laws such as the Dodd-Frank law that requires banks to tighten their lending requirements (Boleat and Coles, 109-112). For example, while evaluating the suitability of a prospective borrower banks currently do not consider earnings that are variable such as bonuses and commissions of which in some profession they make up the biggest percentage of the total earnings of an individual. This has resulted into banks loosing potential business and at the same time denying potential borrowers the chance to have a mortgage product. Equally, the national economy also suffers because there is decrease in the demand for houses since not many people can get a mortgage product, and this generally fails to promote economic growth. New mortgage rules Christie wrote that early this year the United States’ federal government issued rules for the mortgage industry and they were simply aimed at protecting homeowners who were facing foreclosure. Among the new rules that were introduced are restrictions that prevent mortgage lenders from repossessing homes whose owners are currently seeking modification of their loans. Moreover, according to the new rules lenders cannot enact the foreclosure agreement until the borrower fails to make payments for more than 120 days. Secondly, the

Reaction for the five creation stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaction for the five creation stories - Essay Example People are meant to emulate and carry on with these stories. This is lest they forget and lose a part of their lives that may be important for future generations. I did not particularly like some of the stories mainly because they tend to be different, yet they all talk about the coming to existence of a people. It is these differences that bring about division in some areas of the land. This is even in the past when they were just a few people in the land. Islam, for example, has its own creation story where they believe that the first man and woman were made in heaven and sent to earth to procreate. All these differences, in my opinion, bring forth disunity among the people on earth, and I am sure this is not how the Supreme Being intended. There are some differences that exist in these stories. An immediate example would be the story of the Mi’kmaq where man is made from a lightning bolt, which differs from the Blackfoot story where man was made from mud from a turtle’s mouth. Also, the Mohawk community believed that their creator had a wife (Sky Woman), who led to the beginning of the world. In the Ojibwa creation story, Kitchi-Manitou had a vision where he envisioned possibility that ultimately led to the creation of everything in the world. The vision provided Kitchi-Manitou with the ability to see about life and death on earth, sorrow and happiness. The interdependence he envisioned made it clear that every creature would need another for survival. Some of the similarities that exist in some of the creation stories include the presence of earth and all its possessions to aid in man’s survival and sustenance. The sun is present in all parts of the creation story as a means to show of the life that exists on earth, and how it is meant to serve the people and act as a source of energy. In all the creation stories, there is the presence of first man and these creation stories make communities believe that they are descendants

Growth, Development, and Economic Transformation Essay

Growth, Development, and Economic Transformation - Essay Example This would result in lesser inequality when a particular level of GDP per capita is achieved because of the trickling down of growth benefits. Furthermore, as economic growth takes place, people’s incomes grow and the resulting structural changes in the mindset and attitudes of people invoke them to become environmentally conscious which leads to ‘greener’ measures in the society, thereby reducing the rate of environmental degradation. The other aspect is that increased incomes and environmental awareness can induce governments to impose tighter environmental controls thereby enhancing environmental quality. Another theoretical framework to explain this is the â€Å"self-regulatory market mechanism† associated with the exchange of natural resources within an economy (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998). The stock of natural resources tends to decrease during the early growth stages which results in increased prices. This price signaling mechanism then induces lower explo itation of natural resources at subsequent stages in economic growth (due to high prices) (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998) (World Bank, 1992). Due to this reason, economies also tend to shift towards technologies that are less resource intensive. Thus, the shape of the Kuznets’ Curve (see Appendix 1) is not only explained by enhanced environmental government expenditure but also the price signaling mechanism of the free markets (Torras & Boyce, 1998). One school of thought argues that the present rate of environmental degradation has a tendency to enlarge in the long run, hence, government policy should aim at more rapid economic growth in order to climb up the hump or the turning point soonest possible. However this maybe a tedious process, taking several years before the curve slopes downward; the longer the wait the higher the abatement costs. Hence, the policy of waiting for the relationship to become negative can be potentially damaging. A more appropriate policy is to â€Å"tunn el through† the curve and to flatten it through government interventions such as subsidies on energy and agrochemicals and property rights on natural resources. It is also important to note that developing nations cannot follow what their developed nations did in early stages of development (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998). Infact, the amount of greenhouse emissions inherited by today’s less developed nations is much higher than that inherited by their developed counterparts in similar stage of development. Infact, several resource-intensive industries have shifted from the North to South, thus putting the latter at a disadvantaged position. In the absence of an international government, international environmental policies under the umbrella of ‘sustainability’ are required to enforce both wings (the developed and developing) to cut down environmentally harmful emissions. The change in proportions of labor and capital across various sectors in an economy is one of t he most significant features of economic progress of a nation. Research by Clark, Kuznets and Chenery has produced solid evidence for the notion of decline in the role of agricultural (primary) and secondary sectors of an economy and the simultaneous increase in the role of tertiary sector as the economy develops (Clark, 1940). However, in recent years there has been growing consensus amongst researchers such as Maddison, Buera and Kaboski that while the

Reaction for the five creation stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reaction for the five creation stories - Essay Example People are meant to emulate and carry on with these stories. This is lest they forget and lose a part of their lives that may be important for future generations. I did not particularly like some of the stories mainly because they tend to be different, yet they all talk about the coming to existence of a people. It is these differences that bring about division in some areas of the land. This is even in the past when they were just a few people in the land. Islam, for example, has its own creation story where they believe that the first man and woman were made in heaven and sent to earth to procreate. All these differences, in my opinion, bring forth disunity among the people on earth, and I am sure this is not how the Supreme Being intended. There are some differences that exist in these stories. An immediate example would be the story of the Mi’kmaq where man is made from a lightning bolt, which differs from the Blackfoot story where man was made from mud from a turtle’s mouth. Also, the Mohawk community believed that their creator had a wife (Sky Woman), who led to the beginning of the world. In the Ojibwa creation story, Kitchi-Manitou had a vision where he envisioned possibility that ultimately led to the creation of everything in the world. The vision provided Kitchi-Manitou with the ability to see about life and death on earth, sorrow and happiness. The interdependence he envisioned made it clear that every creature would need another for survival. Some of the similarities that exist in some of the creation stories include the presence of earth and all its possessions to aid in man’s survival and sustenance. The sun is present in all parts of the creation story as a means to show of the life that exists on earth, and how it is meant to serve the people and act as a source of energy. In all the creation stories, there is the presence of first man and these creation stories make communities believe that they are descendants

What Does a Study of Scandinavian Experience Tell Us about the Essay

What Does a Study of Scandinavian Experience Tell Us about the Relationship between Globalisation and the Welfare State - Essay Example As the report declares neoliberal argumentations show that an open economy, as well as a global market where the forces of the market will make the rules, will â€Å"compel all States to converge towards a neoliberal political system which will involve significant cutbacks in States' market interventions as well as the renunciation of States' commitment to redistribution and equality†. In this sense, liberal economic principles, as are present in a global economic environment, will need to be adopted and adapted by the states as well in their programs. This discussion researches that with strict reference to the Swedish model, some show that the model is in a significant crisis and that this crisis has started and continued during the 90s. The explanation for this crisis would be concluding the need for a state to remain competitive in the 21st century, alongside the private actors. The reason for this bears the economic justification of competition: a foreign investor is much more likely to choose a state where the economic policies the state has implemented are more permissive, less aggressive, more flexible. Why choose a state where you would have to pay an additional salary in taxes for each of your employees, when you can choose a country with a permissive legislative system and a location where you could trim your human resource related costs as close to 0 as possible? Globalization is often associated with a diminishment in state sovereignty as private actors.

Age of Exploration Essay Example for Free

Age of Exploration Essay The age of exploration had many varied effects on the countries involved, mainly Spain, France, and England. By establishing a prosperous empire in South America by conquering the native people, Spain became vastly wealthy off of the gold collected by its native subjects. However, since the native people were dying off rapidly due to the foreign diseases brought over by the Conquistadors, as well as malnutrition and fatigue, Spain and Portugal were the first to introduce slavery to the New World by replacing them with African slaves brought over by Portuguese slave traders. The silver mining by these slaves caused world trade to increase. Often, silver brought to Europe from America was then traded with China and other Asian countries, making silk, porcelain, and Indian spices more prevalent in Europe. Products from America that became popular in Europe included corn, potatoes, pineapples, and sugar cane. Many cultures spread and combined with others: Spanish missionaries converted natives to Christianity, which then combined the new Christian beliefs with the natives’ cultural traditions. Another example, Arabian coffee with American sugar became quite popular throughout Europe. Although saying that anyone who crossed the Atlantic (at least when referring to modern theories) truly discovered America is ridiculous, I believe that the first to do so was Leif Eriksson and his group of Vikings whose settlement was found in Canada. According to the Greenlander saga and the Eric saga, his father, Eric the Red, a Viking outlaw, discovered Greenland. In order to establish himself as a man separate from his father, Leif sailed to the west in order to discover his own land. He sailed west because there had been a rumor in Greenland for the past fifteen years of a merchant sailing from Iceland to Greenland whose ship had been blown off course in a storm. According to the rumor, the merchant claimed that there were three separate lands west of Greenland. Around the year 1000, Leif purchased the merchant’s ship from the story, and obtained directions from the same merchant. He set sail only for a few days, which was reportedly was miserable due to the conditions on the open boat. On this expedition, they were seeking trees, which were scare in Greenland, but abundant in what is now northern Newfoundland, Canada, where the party landed. Leif named the new land Vinland after the wild grapes found there and the wine the grapes produced. Shortly thereafter, the settlers began to erect a settlement and scouted the land. In 1960, the archeologist and set out to find the fabled Vinland, using a four hundred year old Icelandic map and descriptions from the sagas. On the very northern tip of Newfoundland, they came across an area of mounds and ruins near a small town. Because the ruins predated the settlement of the area, the locals had always believed that Native Americans created the mounds. In fact, through almost seven years of painstaking excavations and radiocarbon testing, it was proven that the ruins were of a settlement dating back to the year 1000. Various artifacts found at the site also confirmed its Norse origins. Archeologists have gone so far as to pinpoint which ‘house’ was Leif Eriksson’s, based on size and complexity of the structure. I believe that Leif Eriksson was the first to cross the Atlantic and settle in America because of many factors. The radiocarbon dating of the site which puts it at 1000 C. E. immediately eliminates any of the explorers from the age of exploration, as well as the Chinese in 1492, in addition to the obvious implausibility of traveling above Canada in ice riddled waters in a flimsy wooden vessel. A case could perhaps be made for the merchant in the sagas who started the rumor, but as with all epic stories, the Icelanders who were the ones to transcribe the sagas based on oral stories, may have simply added him in as a fictional supporting character. Because of this and other equally plausible scenarios, I have to concede that Leif Eriksson was the first to reach the New World by crossing the Atlantic. There is confusion among certain people about whether America was colonized because of a desire for more money on the part of England or because the colonists were seeking religious freedom from the Roman Catholic Church. This confusion stems mainly from the watered down version of Jamestown and the Mayflower that we teach students at a young age. While it is true that Puritans did indeed come to the New World seeking religious freedom, the initial desire to colonize America was all about the desire for wealth. Because of Spain’s conquests in South America, the gold it had acquired from the natives and silver mining had made the country vastly wealthy and other nations were eager to get their share of the riches. America also had an abundant supply of farmland at a time when many farmers had small farms that they toiled over in an effort to merely support their families. In addition, as more settlers moved to America and created a demand for indulgences that they were accustomed to in Europe, the companies that sold such items made more money because of the higher prices the settlers had to pay in order to accommodate shipping costs. In short, while religious freedom was a noble and idealistic dream, it wouldn’t benefit anyone or make any money, which is what people were chiefly concerned with. How would America be different if it had been settled one hundred years later, in 1592? To begin with, it probably would not be called ‘America’. America is so named after Amerigo Vespucci; however, as he died in 1512, it is unlikely that we would have been named after him. Perhaps we would be named Raleigh, after Walter Raleigh, a British explorer of both North and South America in our actual history. Christopher Columbus would not be in history books, as he would not have been to Raleigh. Native Americans thus would have never been referred to as Indians. Because of our late start as a nation, it is reasonable to assume that certain historical events in our country would be delayed, let us say, fifty years or so. Because colonization was delayed, it would take longer for tensions to raise between the colonists and the French, so the French and Indian War would not have started in 1689, but around 1739 instead. This in turn would delay the Seven years war and thus the taxed imposed by the British that led to the American Revolution, which would now begin in 1825. Thus, we would have the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1826 and become our own country in 1833. Or alternatively, because of the differing technology, we might have lost the war and still been English today. But lets assume that we won and Raleigh was founded. I believe the Civil War would have been delayed as well until 1911, three years before World War One started. Both world wars, because we did not start them, would have happened the same years as they actually did, 1914 and 1939 respectably. However, I believe that the issue of civil and women’s’ rights would have been later in coming, perhaps in the 80’s. We would probably be dealing with racism more than gay rights today, if that were the case. And our music would be behind as well, so 60’s music today would then be 80’s music now.

Brave New World 3 :: essays research papers

Brave New World: “Oh, my God, my God!'; In 1932, Aldous Huxley first published the novel, Brave New World. During this time, the ideas that Huxley explored in his novel were not a reality, but merely science-fiction entertainment. Brave New World confronts ideas of totalitarianism, artificial reproduction, anti-individualism, and forever youth- ideas which were not threatening in the 30’s. In the 1930’s, the high ethical standards people maintained and the limited amount of scientific knowledge did not allow for the acceptance of the types of ideas found in Brave New World. These values include abstinance, family structure, and life-long marriages- issues that had little to no importance in the Brave New World. As we begin the new millenium, our increasing scientific knowledge has taken our curiousity beyond ethical consideration, and Huxley’s novel has become much closer to a reality than it was 65 years ago. Today, Huxley’s Brave New World parallels current advances in genetical engineering, cloni ng, the lowering of moral standards held by the general mass, and the obsession people have with looking young. Theses new discoveries of genetical engineering and cloning closely parallel the process of giving birth in the Brave New World. In Brave New World, people are born artificially in test tubes. Everyone is condidtioned to be the same: to share the same characteristics, their way of thinking, and their ideas. People who claimed individual thought against the community- such as Bernard in the beginning of the novel- were considered to have a defect from a lab mistake during birth, and were ostracized from the community, until they conditioned themself to think like the rest of the community. Scientific development in both genetical engineering and cloning, have made the idea of anti-individualism closer to a reality. Genetical engineering enables parents to choose characteristics for their child, creating a “poster child'; which ultimately ends in every child becoming a poster child and all looking the same. Although genetical engineering is currently under ethical scepticism, and the cloning of humans is illegal, it is still possible to eventually end all diversity (except possibly between ethnic groups as in Brave New World). Huxley says: Ninety-six identical twins working ninety-six identical machines!… You really know where you are… Community, Identity, Stability… If we could bokanovskify [a method whereby a human egg has its normal development arrested and whereupon it proceeds to bud, producing many identical eggs] indefinetly the whole problem

Sonic Case Study :: essays research papers

Executive Summary Beginning with one restaurant, Sonic has become the largest drive-in chain in the United States. While they are smaller than their competitors, they are still leading in sales growth, customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. Sonic restaurants saturate the southern U.S. This gives them the opportunity to expand to other area. However, Sonic is reluctant due to the colder climates and their basis as a drive-in restaurant. Sonic should look at adding or combining capabilities to it’s restaurants to increase competitiveness and make it easier for them to expand into other areas without limiting themselves. Situational Analysis In 1953, Troy Smith, the founder of SONIC and World War II veteran, was living in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Troy dreamed of owning his own restaurant business. In fact, he had already tried twice. Troy first owned a small diner called the Cottage Cafà ©. The income he received was barely enough to make a living for himself and his family. Troy sold the Cottage Cafà © and bought a bigger restaurant. His next business, the Panful of Chicken, was so successful that he tried opening more. Unfortunately, fried chicken didn't do well in early 1950s Oklahoma and Troy closed his Panful of Chicken restaurant. Troy then owned a steak house that had a root beer stand attached. This root beer stand, called The Top Hat proved more profitable and eventually outlasted the steak house. While traveling to Louisiana, Troy saw some homemade intercom speakers in use at a local hamburger stand. He contacted the innovator in Louisiana and asked him to make an intercom for the Top Hat. He then hired some local electronics wizards to install the system. He then added a canopy for cars to park under and servers to deliver the food right to customers’ cars. During the first week after the intercom was installed, the Top Hat took in $1750. With his new partner, Charlie Pappe, four more Top Hats were opened. However, their lawyers informed them that the Top Hat name was copyrighted. They changed the name to Sonic to go along with the restaurant slogan of "Service With the Speed of SoundSM."1 In 1973, a group of ten principal franchise owners became the officers of the company. Shares were offered to each store owner. Because of the amount of stock offered, Sonic became a publicly traded company with 165 stores in the chain. Between 1973 and 1978, Sonic grew tremendously. 800 new stores were opened and a Sonic School that formally trained new managers was established.

Books and e-books Essay

Some people believe that printed books are no longer necessary in this digital era, as all writings can be stored electronically. Others think print books till play important role. Discuss both views and give your opinion.  In the past few years, e-books have been sold or downloaded for free in large numbers on the internet. These books and e-readers are challenging convention reading habits making the sales of traditional books decreased. But it still needs much consideration before eliminating altogether the need for printed books. There is no doubt that e-books are able to offer huge amount of information with feather like weight. Readers do not have to face the difficult choice of which book should be taken with on vacation, as one single e-reader like kindle or Nook would hold all the books you might want to read on the trip with no extra space in suitcase being wasted. E-books are also strong contenders when it comes to pricing. Because they are delivered in digital format, a part of the overhead including printing, storing and distribution can be avoided. And many classic books are free online, which is a boon to readers who only need a partly review or reference from those books. However, we cannot ignore a fact that the popularity of digital books can be a bit daunting for many readers who are used to going to the local book store, browsing the aisles and perhaps reading any chapter before purchasing. Or, there still are some senior readers who are reluctant to buy and learn to use an e-reader instead of holding a real book and making note wherever they want. Then when we talk about personal book collections, electronic ones can hardly be involved. Privately owned printed books can typically be displayed neatly as part of the household collection. These books may build up a reader’s spirit world and be good company as having friends being around. The bottom line is that both printed books and e-books have something to offer. We cannot simply eliminate the use of any single format because they are needed in different situation by various kinds of readers. They are all  making life better.

Delivering a Persuasive Speech

Delivering a Persuasive Speech Douglas A. Parker August 13, 2001 |  Amazon Products | |Subject(s):   Language Arts/Reading and Public Speaking |Links of Note | |[pic] | |Overview:  Ã‚   Students need to understand that how they say something and how they physically present |Persuasive Essay Topics  form| | | |themselves are just as important as what they say.By understanding the dynamics involved in effective |Curious Castle Classroom. | | | |persuasive speaking, students will improve their overall confidence in communicating. | | | | |Purpose:   The purpose of this lesson is to improve students’ oral persuasion techniques by understanding |Writing the Persuasive | | | |the appropriate speaking skills.The lesson is presented in second person, making it more meaningful as a |EssayCurious Castle | | | |resource for the students, and easier for the teacher to use as a handout. |Classroom | | | |Objectives:  Ã‚   Students will be able to: | | | | |1) Demonstrate the appropriate classroom public speaking and listening skills (e. . , body language, |[pic]   | | | |articulation, listening to be able to identify specific examples of the speaker's coordination of talking |[pic] | | | |and action) that would be necessary to influence or change someone's mind or way of thinking about a | | | | |topic. | | | |2) Define the elements of persuasion. | | | | |3) Recognize the elements of personal credibility. | | | | |4) Develop methods to analyze other students’ speeches. | | | | |5) Understand outlining main ideas. | | | |6) Create a persuasive speech. | | | | |Resources/Materials:  Teacher-prepared topics for persuasive speeches. | | | | |Assessments:  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Class will assess each speaker's performance in terms of voice and body coordination, | | | | |and in terms of persuasiveness.Each class can develop performance assessments such as rubrics to | | | | |facilitate this process. | | | | |Teacher's Anticipatory Set: | | | | |During class discussion, define and explain how people make decisions based on what they see and hear. | | | |Explain that sometimes we have to use skills to convince others about our positions. Have the students | | | | |recall and list their own experiences trying to convince their friends about something, and then ask them | | | | |to share these with the class. | | | |   | | | | |Activities and Procedures:   Delivering a Persuasive Speech   | | | | |   | | | | |The Procedure | | | | |Pick a proposition that not everyone would agree with such as: â€Å"nuclear power plants are superior energy | | | | |sources. †Ã‚   Write a 6 to 8 – minute speech in outline form to persuade the group. | | | | |The Lesson:  Your Voice and Body are Your Best Tools | | | | |You are a natural persuader! You have done it all your life.Every time you enter a conversation, you | | | | |engage in elementary persuasion techniques. It is true, that any time you make a statement of fact, you | | | | |are asserting its validity and assuming that your listener agrees. | | | | |This speech goes further than a normal conversational assertion: now you have to assume that not everyone | | | | |will agree with you from the start, and it is your job to make them see things your way.The goal of this | | | | |speech is to change someone's mind or way of thinking about a topic. This is not a speech to sell, as you | | | | |do not ask that the listener do anything except to agree with you or to begin to listen to your way of | | | | |thinking. Your message is, of course, very important in this speech, but your voice and body language are | | | | |even more important. Here you will see how your delivery can help. | | | |There are several important aspects of presentation to keep in mind: | | | | |1)  Body language  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ make sure that you have a proper posture. If your shoulders are sagging and your legs | | | | |are crossed, you will not appear as being sincere and peo ple just will not accept your message. | | | | |2)  Articulation  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ articulation means how your total vocal process works. There are several steps to this | | | | |entire process.First, you need air from the lungs, your vocal cords in your larynx must be working, your | | | | |mouth and tongue must be in sync, and you have to make sure that you have got some saliva in your mouth to | | | | |keep things oiled. You should be aware of your physical makeup to be able to understand how you speak. | | | | |3)  Pronunciation  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ pronounce each word. Avoid slang, except to make a point, and do not slur your words. | | | | |Avoid saying, â€Å"you know. | | | | |4)  Pitch  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ pitch refers to the highs and lows of your voice. Whatever you do, avoid a monotone! | | | | |5)  Speed  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ your speed, or pace, is an important variable to control. Between 140-160 words per minute is | | | | |the normal pace for a persuasive speech. Any faster and you may appe ar to be glib; any slower and you | | | | |sound like you are lecturing.If you are not sure about your speed, tape yourself for one minute and then | | | | |replay it and count the number of words you used in the minute! The human ear and brain can compile and | | | | |decode over 400 spoken words per minute, so if you are going too slow your listeners' minds are going to | | | | |start to wander as the brains finds other ways to keep themselves occupied. | | | | |6)  Pauses  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the pause, or caesura, is a critical persuasive tool. When you want to emphasize a certain | | | | |word, just pause for one second before; this highlights the word.If you really want to punch it, pause | | | | |before and after the word! | | | | |7)  Volume  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ volume is another good tool for persuasive speech, but you should use it with caution. If you | | | | |scream all the way through your speech, people will become accustomed to it and it will lose its | | | | |effectiveness. On the other hand, a few well-timed shouts can liven up the old speech! Try to â€Å"project† | | | | |or throw your voice out over the entire group – speak to the last row. | | | |8)  Quality  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ quality of voice is gauged by the overall impact that your voice has on your listeners. | | | | |Quality of voice is the net caliber of your voice, its character and attributes. Try to keep your vocal | | | | |quality high; it is what separates your voice from everyone else's. | | | | |9)  Variance  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ variance of vocal elements is your most important consideration of all! One of the most | | | | |persuasive speakers in modern history was Winston Churchill.One of his most remarkable qualities was his | | | | |ability to vary the elements of his voice. He would start with a slow, laconic voice and then switch gears| | | | |to a more rapid pace. People were light-headed after listening to him! Even if you have no desire to run | | | | |for political office, you ca n still use the tools of variance. Change your pitch, volume, and speed at | | | | |least once every 30 seconds, if only for just one word. Never go more than one paragraph without a vocal | | | | |variance.This keeps your group locked into your speech, if for no other reason than it sounds | | | | |interesting! Let the words speak for themselves; reflect their nature through your voice. If you use the | | | | |word â€Å"strangle,† say it with a hint of menace in your voice. If you say the word â€Å"heave,† let the group | | | | |feel the onomatopoeic force behind it. If you say the word â€Å"bulldozer,† make it sound like a titan | | | | |earthmover, not like a baby with a shovel. | | | |The Strategy: Appear Rational | | | | |When you are trying to convince someone of something, you must first establish your credibility, or in | | | | |other words, you must sell yourself before you sell your message. If people feel that you are not being | | | | |reasonable or rational, you do not stand a chance. You must be committed to the ideals and goals of your | | | | |speech and what you are saying. Do not use words such as â€Å"maybe† or â€Å"might†- use positive words such as | | | | |†will† and â€Å"must.    | | | | |You are the authority figure in this speech, so you had better supply enough information to prove your | | | | |points so that you can seem knowledgeable, and you had better know your material cold. People can usually | | | | |spot someone who is trying to â€Å"wing† a speech. You should also appear to be truthful -even when you are | | | | |really stretching a point. If you do not appear to be earnest, even if your message is the 100% truth, | | | | |people will doubt your word and tune out your speech. | | | |Lastly, do not be afraid to show a little emotion – this is not a sterile or static speech. Your body and | | | | |voice must match the tone of your words. If your language i s strong, you must present a physical force to | | | | |go along with your delivery. | | | | |The Comments and Goals | | | | |Self-control? | | | | |You cannot sit back and let your words do all of the talking.You must use your total self to deliver your| | | | |message, and this means that you will have to expose a little of your personality to the group. Your group| | | | |will be supportive. | | | | |The Group Reaction | | | | |The group has two major criteria to consider after each member's speech. First, the delivery. Were the | | | | |speaker's body, words, and actions in synchronization and harmony? Did one support the other or was there | | | | |tension between the body and the voice?Secondly, were you persuaded? Why or why not? Discuss what makes| | | | |a persuasive speech work and how the intangibles effect a positive outcome. | | | | |More Information? | | | | |For more information and help with public speaking, contact:   | | | | |http://capital. net/~bps2/   | |

Effects of British Colonial Rule in India Essay

The colonization of India and the immense transfer of wealth that moved from the latter to Britain were vital to the success of the British Empire. In fact, the Viceroy of British India in 1894 called India â€Å"the pivot of our Empire †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I examine the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the subcontinent. Besides highlighting the fact that without cheap labor and raw materials from India, the modernization of Britain during this era would have been highly unlikely, I will show how colonial policy led to the privation and death of millions of natives. I conclude that while India undoubtedly benefited from British colonial rule, the negatives for the subject population far outweighed the positives. . Colonialism, by definition, is exploitative and oppressive, with the rulers enriching themselves at the expense of those they rule. Generally speaking, colonizers dominate a territory’s resources, labor force, and markets; oftentimes, they impose structures — cultural, religious and/or linguistic — to maintain control over the indigenous population. The effects of the expansion of European empires, which began in the 15th century, on the colonized can still be felt today. Some historians, for example, argue that colonialism is one of the leading causes in income inequality among countries in present times. They cite patterns of European settlement as determinative forces in the type of institutions developed in colonized countries, considering them major factors in economic backwardness. Economist Luis Angeles has argued that the higher the percentage of Europeans settling in a colony at its peak, the greater the inequality in that country so long as the settlers remained a minority, suggesting that the colonizers drained those lands of essential resources while reaping most, if not all, of the profits. In terms of per capita GDP in 1995, the 20 poorest countries were all former colonies, which would seem to bolster Angeles’ contention. There are, however, competing views on how much underdevelopment in today’s poorest countries is a byproduct of colonial rule and how much of it is influenced by factors such as a country’s lack of natural resources or area characteristics. For poet, activist and politician Aime Cesaire, the verdict was in: Colonizers were â€Å"the decisive actors †¦ the adventurer and the pirate, the wholesale grocer and the ship owner, the gold digger and the merchant, appetite and force, and behind them, the baleful projected shadow of a form of civilization which, at a certain point in its history, finds itself obliged, for internal reasons, to extend to a world scale the competition of its antagonistic economies. This is not to suggest that Western European nations were the first and only countries to pursue imperialistic policies or that nothing good came out of colonial policies for the subject population. Dinesh D’Souza, while arguing that colonialism has left many positive as well as negative legacies, has stressed that there is nothing uniquely Western about colonialism, writing: â€Å"Those who identify colonialism and empire only with the West either have no sense of history or have forgotten about the Egyptian empire, the Persian empire, the Macedonian empire, the Islamic empire, the Mongol empire, the Chinese empire, and the Aztec and Inca empires in the Americas. † For this paper’s purposes, however, I will focus on the British Empire, its colonizing efforts in India (1757-1947), and the effects British policy had on that subject population. A couple of caveats before examining the British-Indian relationship: experiences differed from colony to colony during this period of European imperialism; India was unique in the colonial experience because of its size and history. It also should be noted that India was rather unique among colonized lands during this era for at least two reasons. First, South Asia was â€Å"already a major player in world commerce and possessed a well-developed trading and financial world† by the time Europeans arrived. Indigenous administrative structures already existed for taxation purposes, while commerce within the country and throughout the continent offered prospects of giant profits. Second, British India, which included today’s India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, was a region so large that there were areas in which Britain exercised direct control over the subject population and others where it exerted indirect control. It is exceedingly difficult, therefore, to extrapolate from one experience to another. Although it is impossible to determine how India would have developed had England never established a dominating presence there, I find the results of British colonialism to have been a mixed bag for India: the negatives, however, far outweighed the positives. Liberal and democratic aspects of British colonialism in India played a significant role in leading to a democratic South Asia following Indian independence in 1947. Yet, the British — first through the East India Company and then through direct government control — held almost all of the political and economic power in India during the Empire’s expansion and apogee, guaranteeing the Indian economy could not evolve and/or function independent of the ruling power’s control; ensuring raw materials extracted from Indian soil would go towards British manufacturing industries mostly without profiting the vast majority of Indians; and leading to lives of privation for millions of indigenous subjects. Although there have been arguments made that, in political and economic terms, south Asia was backwards until the arrival of Europeans, recent research has debunked that myth, showing the region to have possessed healthy trading and financial structures prior to the Europeans’ arrival. British Colonial Strategy in the Subcontinent Imperial powers followed two basic strategies when colonizing. They either allowed a large number of Europeans to settle overseas (known as Settler Colonies) or sent a much smaller number – usually less than 1 percent of the population — to serve as administrators and tax collectors (known as Peasant Colonies). Britain followed the latter strategy in regards to India. The percentage of English people in India in 1913, for example, was only 0. 1 percent of the country’s population; by comparison, they accounted for over one-fifth (21. 4 percent) of the population in South Africa and Losetho during the same period. As previously mentioned, Britain exerted both direct and indirect control over the Indian subcontinent. Areas of indirect control are called â€Å"native states. These were controlled by Indian rulers who wielded considerable power over the internal administration of the land, while the British exercised complete control over the area’s defense and foreign policies. When looking at this two-pronged approach Britain took in establishing an Indian colony, the economist Lakshmi Iyer has argued that there is a differential long-term effect on areas the Empire controlled directly compared to areas in which it basically outsourced control. Rather than expropriating Indian land, which was negligible, the English taxed Indian land, producing considerable revenues and inducing the indigenous population to shift from traditional to commercial products (e. g. tea). Areas that were directly under British control today have significantly lower levels of public goods relative to areas that were not under direct colonial rule. In 1961, for example, districts (administrative divisions below state level) that had been under direct control of the British Empire had lower levels of primary and middle schools, as well as medical dispensaries. Present-day differences between directly and indirectly controlled areas, Iyer argues, are most likely the result of differences in internal administration during the colonial period because once the British left in 1947, all the native states were integrated into independent India and have since been subject to a uniform administrative, legal and political structure. The Company and the Crown By the middle of the 18th century, there were five major European colonial powers — the Dutch Republic, France, Great Britain, Portugal, and Spain. From about 1850 on, however, Britain’s overseas empire would be unrivaled; by 1901, the empire would encompass 11. 2 million square miles and rule about 400 million people. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, India was Britain’s largest and economically most important colony, an â€Å"empire within an empire. † It should be noted that although this period coincided with the birth of the Industrial Revolution historians and economists have cast doubt on whether industrialization was the sine qua non for British imperialism. They have noted that England’s first major advance into the Indian subcontinent began in Bengal in the middle of the 18th century, long before large-scale mechanization turned Britain into the â€Å"workshop of the world. † Historian P. J. Marshall, in studying early British imperialism, has written: â€Å"As a blanket term the Industrial Revolution explains relatively little about British expansion in general at the end of the eighteenth century. † While Marshall and others may be correct in asserting the British would have pursued empire even without the Industrial Revolution, its advent impacted colonial policy in that it required expanded markets and a steady supply of raw materials to feed the country’s manufacturing industries. Cotton, for example, was one of the driving forces behind the evolution of Britain’s modern economy. British traders purchased raw cotton fibers from plantations, processed it into cotton cloth in Lancashire mills, and then exported them to the colonial markets including India. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, India had been the world’s main producer of cotton textiles, with a substantial export trade. By the early nineteenth century, however, Britain had taken over dominating the world market for cotton textiles based on technology that lowered production costs . â€Å"This dramatic change in international competitive advantage during the Industrial Revolution was surely one of the key episodes in the Great Divergence of living standards between Europe and Asia. † Britain’s 200-year run ruling India began in the mid-17th century when the British East India Company set up trading posts in Bombay, Madras and Calcutta. In 1757, Robert Clive led Company-financed troops – led by British officers and staffed by native soldiers known as sepoys — in a victory over French-backed Indian forces. The victory at the Battle of Plassey made the East India Company the leading power in the country. It would dominate India for just over 100 years, the area it controlled growing over that time to encompass modern Bangladesh, a majority of southern India and most of the territory along the Ganges River in the north of the country. The East India Company’s control of Bengal alone yielded taxes of nearly  £3 million; by 1818, its territorial revenues in India stood at  £22 million, allowing it to finance one of the world’s largest standing armies. This established British rule well before the Industrial Revolution could have played any major role in Britain expanding its overseas empire, strengthening historians’ – Marshall, et al. – arguments regarding the significance, or lack thereof, of the role mechanization in England had in the country’s expansionist efforts. The fact remains, however, that Britain in the 19th century would become the world’s leading industrial power and India a major source of raw materials for its industry. What’s more, the subcontinent’s population of 300 million would constitute a huge source of revenue and a gigantic market for British-made goods. Although, the English expanded gradually in India during those first 100 years of colonization, once the British government gained control of the country’s administration following the Indian War of Independence in 1857, India was virtually incorporated into the British Empire and became its â€Å"crown jewel. † During the life of the Britain Empire, India was its most profitable colony. Examples of huge returns on British investments in India based on surviving business records are plentiful. To give two examples: Binny and Co. , which was founded in 1799 with 50,000 rupees in capital, returned profits of 140,000 rupees only 12 years later; and William Mackinnon’s Indian General Steam and Navigation Co. , which began trading in 1847 and whose assets five years later were valued at more than nine times the original capital of 72,000 rupees. The 1852 prospectus of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia, and China stated that â€Å"bearing in mind the very high rate of interest which prevails in the East and the very lucrative nature of the Exchange Business †¦ a very large Annual Dividend may be looked for with certainty. British investment in India increased enormously over the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. According to economist James Foreman-Peck, by the end of 1911, 373 stock companies were estimated to be carrying on business exclusively or almost exclusively in India, yet were registered elsewhere, with the average size of those companies (railways accounted for nearly half of the capital, and tea plantations about one-fifth) dwarfing the far more numerous – 2,463 — Indian-registered companies. The discrepancies between the two are stark. The companies registered outside India had paid-up capital of â‚ ¤77.979 million and debentures of â‚ ¤45.353 million compared to â‚ ¤46.251 million and â‚ ¤6 million, respectively, for Indian-registered companies. According to Foreman-Peck, â€Å"The magnitude of foreign investment and the rate of return on it, broadly defined, have been seen as a means by which empire imposed burdens on colonies and boosted the imperial nation’s economy. † This was not an idea that could only be gleaned in hindsight. Writing at the end of the 19th century, historian Brooks Adams wrote the following: â€Å"Probably since the world began no investment has yielded the profit reaped from the Indian plunder. The amount of treasure wrung from the conquered people and transferred from India to English banks between Plassey and Waterloo (fifty-seven years) has been variously estimated at from $2,500,000,000 to $5,000,000,000. The methods of plunder and embezzlement by which every Briton in India enriched himself during the earlier history of the East India Company gradually passed away, but the drain did not pass away. The difference between the earlier day and the present is that India’s tribute to England is obtained by ‘indirect methods’ under forms of law. It was estimated by Mr.  Hyndman some years ago that at least $175,000,000 is drained away every year from India without a cent’s return. † Plunder and Famine At the time Britain established its colony on the subcontinent, the Indian economy was based predominantly on agriculture. Iyer has shown that since the Indian economy was so dependent on farming, British annexation policy focused on acquiring land with the most agricultural potential, guaranteeing that land taxation would be the East India Company’s/British government’s biggest source of income throughout the colonial period. In 1765-66, the East India Company had collected â€Å"the equivalent of  £1,470,000; and by 1790-1791, this figure had risen to  £2,680,000. † To ensure the land-revenue system, known as â€Å"tax farming,† would continue to supply money to the East India Company’s treasury, the Company introduced the Permanent Settlement of Bengal in 1793, an agreement between it and absentee landlords, known as zaminders. Through this policy, peasants who worked the land became the tenants of the zaminders, who, for themselves and the tax collectors, extracted as much as possible from those who cultivated the land. This settlement created a class of Indian landowners loyal to the English and a division in the rural society between the tenants and landlords, which last well into the 20th century. Indian climate is characterized by the monsoon, which generally includes nine months of dry weather followed by three months of rains known as the monsoon. At least once in a decade, the monsoon fails to arrive and a drought occurs. Indians for centuries had set aside a portion of crops to ensure there would be adequate food in times of drought. This practice was so successful that between the 11th and 18th centuries, India experienced only 14 major famines; yet, from 1765-1858, when it was under East India Company control, India suffered through 16 major famines, followed by an average of one famine every two years under British Colonial Office rule from 1859-1914. Under British rule during the 18th century, over 25 million Indians died of famine between: 1 million between 1800 and 1825, 4 million between 1825 and 1850, 5 million between 1850 and 1875, and 15 million between 1875 and 1900 ; more than 30 million deaths occurred from famine between 1870 and1910. Why did tens of millions die from starvation under the East India Company and the British Raj? Why, comparatively speaking, did so many famines occur under Britain’s watch? Historian Laxman D. Satya argues the famines were price-induced and that timely government intervention could have prevented millions of deaths from starvation. State intervention was minimal, however; Lord Curzon acknowledged once that a famine in Indian excited no more attention in Britain than a squall on the Serpentine. Like other European imperialists in the late 18th century, Britain – first through the East India Company – followed a laissez-faire doctrine whereby government interference in the economy was anathema; in addition, famine later was seen as a natural way to control overpopulation. According to Satya, â€Å"†¦ any act that would influence the prices of grains such as charity was to be either strictly monitored or discouraged. Even in the face of acute distress, relief had to be punitive and conditional. † The powers that be also began using famine labor to build an infrastructure – railways, roads – ensuring that revenues would continue to increase, expenditures would be kept low; worst of all, the new infrastructure allowed for the exportation of grain that could have fed the starving. Studies have shown that even in years of official famine – Britain only recognized three periods of famine — there was never a shortage of food grains. The problem was that with prices for grains so high and wages stagnant, most people could not afford to buy them. As an example, during the Indian Famine of 1887-88, nearly 44 percent of total exports from Berar, one of the hardest hit provinces, were food grains. Between 1874 and 1903 the province exported an average over 40 tons of grain, and Satya has shown that this could have amounted for nearly 30. pounds of food per person. Historian and social commentator Mike Davis has cited even evidence that grains were exported to Europe for speculative trading while millions were dying of starvation. Since the primary concern for the government was maximizing returns on investments, it didn’t prioritize famine relief, considering those expenditures wasteful; therefore, relief camps were â€Å"deliberately kept in remote locations and beyond the reach of the physically weakened population. What’s more, people seeking relief were required to work on colonial projects as a condition for receiving food – as little as 16-22 ounces of food for a minimum of nine-10 hours of often grueling labor Fearing that Indian nationalists would take to the newspapers – in general, the government had a comparatively lax policy toward the press — the Raj implemented tight press control through various laws including the Newspaper Act of 1908 and the Indian Press Act of 1910. It’s important to note that despite these and other attempts at press censorship, a large number of vernacular newspapers were published throughout the country and played an integral role in creating a nationalist/political consciousness in India.