Feminism has nothing to tell us about the Reality of War, Conflict and Hard, Cold Facts

Feminism has nothing to tell us about the Reality of War, Conflict and Hard, Cold Facts International politics is a vast field; it entails many concepts such as wars, revolutions, global gender inequalities, demands for global human rights, as well as international trade. In order to understand international politics, the focus is usually turned to international relations theory (Griffiths, OCallaghan Roach 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Feminism has nothing to tell us about the Reality of War, Conflict and Hard, Cold Facts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For some duration, the international arena has been majorly controlled by many-centered theories that have attempted to explain global politics. However, this phenomenon changed from the end of 1980s, and at the beginning of 1990s, with the advent of feminism as a theory of international relations. Women became conscious of their role in the global arena. This essay discusses the validity of the statement as to whether feminism has anything t o state about the reality of war, conflict and hard, cold facts. Griffiths, OCallaghan and Roach (2008) state that feminism studies women from a perspective of being subjects of knowledge, but not mere objects; although feminism was studied in other social sciences, the function of gender in the international relations has been practically and theoretically sidelined. In the contemporary study of the discipline, several feminist thinkers have stated their political consideration from gender-blind position, and have been biased towards favoring male gander in the society. Over the last two decades, feminism has cropped up as a major concept in the international relations (Sullivan 2002). The main idea of this feminism drive was to confront the basic biases of the discipline. The move aim was to emphasize the ways where women were separated from the analysis of the country, international political and international economic situation and global security. The beginnings of internal rel ations feminism were associated with a more general ferment in the field, often referred to as ‘third debate’ (Dunne, Kurki Smith 2007). Early feminists challenged the field of the international relationships to examine the level of the reorientation and the level of the understanding of the international politics in case gender were a major category for analysis and synthesis and women’s experiences were part of the matter.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The feminism entered the international relations right at the time when the feminist theory was considered as the one deserving attention in the society. Considering the reasons for the emerging of the feminist theory, the problem of uneven and imbalanced relationships between men and women within the concept of the historical social movement is basic one (Elshtain 1995). Therefore, it ma y be stated that the main idea of the feminist theory in the modern society is to comprehend the current existing social order. Unfairness and tyranny may be considered as the main issues of transformation of the social opinion and its direction at feminism theory (Ackerly, Sterm True 2006). There are many different approaches to feminism as different social schools considered it and believed them to be as liberal, Marxist, radical, socialist, psychoanalytic, standpoint, post-colonial and postmodern. Feminism in international relationships may also be considered within these theoretical traditions. Searching for literature devoted to the problems of feminism, many sources may be considered within liberal points of view, however, looking at the situation in general, making the focus on foreign policy, considering public opinion and analyzing various international relationships from the point of view of the feminism, this movement managed to classify themselves as post-liberals. Addi tionally, many women who take par in the international relationships are sure that hey may be considered at the international arena and should be added to the theoretical frameworks (Dunne, Kurki Smith 2007). Gender is considered as one of the categories for analysis in this case. However, the differences which exist between women themselves may cause the division between two groups or labels, post-modern or post-colonial approaches. The impact of these approaches on women is various as well. There is the problem that many women have focus on the issues and problems in the international relation which bother only female part of the mankind. On the one hand, it is important to protect women from rape, trafficking, prostitution, domestic service and too complicated homework.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Feminism has nothing to tell us about the Reality of War, Conflict and Hard, Cold Facts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, feminists focus only on the aspects they are interested in and it prevents the representatives of this movement to view the general picture and to stress the priorities which may be absolutely different from what feminists consider. At the same time, the importance of the feminists is that they managed to show the life of simple individuals from different angles. Feminists focused their attention not on the society and mankind as a whole, but on separate groups of people and on individuals at the margins of world politics. This diversity of feminist thought should not be considered as the means for the research and analysis in the nature of international relations (Tickner 1992). Being committed to ‘celebration of diversity’ (Sylvester 2002, p. 125), feminists in the international relationships have managed to follow different approaches in their research. Working in this direction, feminist movement challenges the ‘disciplining’ (Sylvester 2002, p. 68) effects of the discipline. At the same time, many representatives of the feminism would vigorously resist such division of the assistance they implement. Instead of identifying the main idea of feminism or developing a set of the beliefs the movement is directed at, it is more important and constructive to show the practical importance and the validity of application of the feminist theories into life (Sylvester 2002). The novelty of the feminism movement and the approach in general has lead to the situation that debates between International Relations feminists have been subdued even though most of the female representatives had absolutely different thoughts and ideas. The self-criticism between different ideas is reduced to minimum and cannot impact the general position of each of the opinions. This may have been contributed by the relative newness of the approach (Sullivan 2002). Therefore, one of the main ideas of feminists in the international relations hips is to make sure that they are heard. Having their principles and ides, they want to create the situation that their approaches and considerations are implemented into life. The shift of focus from women related gender issues to gender in general, took place not only in the literature, but also in the policies that have been geared towards development. However, this move was not without its critics. Sylvester (2002) argues there are some situations when the ‘mainstreaming’ of gender that begun to adopt the term.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, this has created a sort of differences between the intentions of feminists aimed at focusing on hierarchical and unequal relations in the society, and how those intentions were really implemented in the society. In reality, the situation was used for minimizing the political and contradicting character of relationships between women and men in the society (Reus-Smit Snidal 2008). Jabri OGorman (1999) hold that development of the literature sources devoted to women and to the development of the feminism show some noteworthy trends in feminist international relationships. The focus on both sides of gender, therefore, has allowed feminist international relations reconsider the hierarchical structures of imbalance between women and men, the same reasons also allowed the system to consider the women’s subordination. It I impossible to contradict the fact that women are mostly placed on different levels depending of various factors, such as their trace, class, nation ality and geographic setting, at the same time, many women have a definite similarity, the location at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale in all societies (Enloe 1983). For many international relationships feminist theorists, the location of women to the liberal literature on the international economy is problematic as it does not bring out the power structures that are supposed to improve the women standing on the international stage, but it instead covers these structures. This put women at disadvantaged position (Steans 2006). Having examined the feminism theory, does feminism then offers solutions to the reality of war, conflict and hard, cold facts? To answer this query, the relationship between conflict and feminism will be explored. The relation between masculinity and war has been the main idea for feminist research. While the manliness of war cannot be denied as the fact, militaries must toil to convert men into soldiers, to teach them and to prepare them to fight. It is important to remember that the same behavior in the direction of women is considered as something unnatural and the behavior in such a way is considered as not the ‘womanly’ (Tickner 1992). There is one more image of a soldier which offers self sacrifice in order to protect women, children and the vulnerable groups of people in the society. The belief that young males fight to defend themselves, has been a significant driving force for the recruitment of military forces (Risse Simmons 2002). There were times when women were invisible for military services, however, the acceptance of women in the military services in some specific countries make this issue more problematic. Thus, men are unable to ignore women as a fact in the military services. The opportunity and the desire of women to take part in the military services, to participate in the military operations and their presence at the war are the reasons which may place women at the same level with men at the inte rnational arena. Even though military remains a male affair, the presence of women there has changed it. Additionally, public opinion should be considered. Looking at the situation in the Gulf War of 1991 where women died in war, people were really disturbed with the situation and this fact should not be contradicted. Therefore, the presence of women at the war puts them in the situation where they on the one hand, they are motivated by the liberal principle of equality, and at the other hand they are women and they are to be protected. The protection of women and their position as warriors seems incompatible. The presence of women at war is considered differently by various directions in feminism. Liberal feminists believe that equality should be present at everything and they are sure that women at war are exactly what they need to make sure that feminism is flourishing. However, many radical feminists believe that women should reject fighting in men’s wars. In fact, certai n radical feminists claimed that women have a special purpose, they are to bring peace to the world society, therefore, the presence of a woman in the army should have only the peaceful purposes, without wars (Elshtain 1995). Women are fighting for the same rights and attitude as to men. It is important to understand that the presence in the military service and the participation in the war make them equal. At the same time it shows that men are unable to lead wars individually. The presence of women at the war also points at the inability to have a piece. The peaceful development in the international relationships becomes more complicated affair as even women aimed and carrying piece at the society are war directed and want to take part in the military services (Goldstein 2003). However, there are still those women who are aimed at carrying peace in the society. These women want to show their care and maternity feelings. The importance of these women at the international arena is t hat they encourage others for negotiations. Thus, these women give hope to others and it is really important. Performing such function, women place themselves different to men. However, it does not mean that this difference is negative. Women are different from men and trying to show their similarity and equality they are more distinguished and may be considered as unique (Reus-Smit Snidal 2008). Considering the example of the women’s behavior when their peaceful nature served to the settling of the conflicts, the elimination of the nuclear conflict between the powers during the Cold War may serve as a good example as well as the Women’s Strike for peace in the United States in the early 1960s (Sylvester 2002). Defended personal right as mothers women are able to impact the situation in the whole society as it is difficult to imagine the situation when government supports the course to support for nuclear containment (Enloe 1983). There is an opinion that peacefully d irected women and warlike men lead to antagonisms that threaten the validity of feminist projects (Enloe 2000). Sullivan (2002) states that even though peaceful direction of women may impact some decisions, it is unable to change existing gender situation. This allows men to dominate in politics. Still, the gender differences are omitted when meaning support for war (Jabri OGorman 1999). Despite the rise of feminism in the milieu of international relations, there is still a key disparity between academics of international relations in both genders (Goldstein 2003). In conclusion, it should be stated that feminism has much to say about the reality the reality of war, conflict and hard, cold facts. It has been considered that men are more directed at war while women are aimed at peaceful consideration of the situation, still, the desire to remain equal, the feminism movement and culture make the priorities to change. Reference List Ackerly B, Sterm M, True J. 2006. Feminist methodol ogies for international relations. Cambridge: Cambridge Unversity Press. Dunne T, Kurki M, Smith S. 2007. International relations theories: discipline and diversity. New York: Oxford University Press. Elshtain JB.1995. Women and war. Chicago: University of Chicago. Enloe C. 1983. Does khaki become you? The militarisation of womens lives. Michigan: South End Press. Enloe C. 2000. Making feminist sense of international politics. California: California Press. Goldstein J. 2003. War and gender: how gender shapes the war system and vice versa. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. Griffiths, M, OCallaghan T, Roach S. 2008. International relations: the key concepts. London: Taylor and Francis. Jabri V, OGorman E. 1999. Women, culture, and international relations. London: Lynne Rienner. Reus-Smit C, Snidal D. 2008. The Oxford handbok of international relations. New York: Oxford University Press. Risse T, Simmons B. 2002. Handbook of international relations. London: SAGE. Steans J. 2 006. Gender and international relations: issues, debates and future directions. New York: Polity. Sullivan M. 2002. Theories of international relations: transition vs. persistence. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Sylvester C. 2002. Feminist international relations: an unfinished journey. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tickner A. 1992. Gender in international relations: feminist perspectives on achieving global security. Columbia: Columbia University Press.

Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product

Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product Publishing Should Be About Prose, Not Product By Mark Nichol When I’m not at my mountaintop hermitage, contorting myself into a lotus position in my capacity as a grammar guru, I do freelance copyediting. I accept just about any project offered to me, but today I rejected an assignment perhaps the first time I’ve ever done so. What was so heinous about the project that this promiscuous peruser of prose turned it down? Well, for one thing, it was a manuscript of an academic book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that except that much is wrong with it. Scholars (or the grad students or ghostwriters they delegate the actual writing of scholarly content to) are notoriously atrocious for their leaden prose and their ignorance of the fundamentals of capitalization, punctuation, and other basic elements of writing. Unfortunately, however, such inept writing is rampant in scholarly journals and academic books usually not only because their publishers seem not to expect or require anything better but also because they either pay copy editors so little that only inexperienced ones need apply or they omit copyediting from the editorial process altogether. In my case, I had done several projects for a company that some scholarly publishers outsource their editorial-production work to, but I was hesitant to take on another assignment. The first problem is that the company pays by the page, not by the hour, which discourages excellence in editing. The second is that the per-page rates for heavy, medium, and light editing are all much lower than the industry standard, and the expected rate of completion is higher. The third is that the company’s assigning editors generally evaluate projects as requiring light editing. With some types of writing much fiction, informal essays, and the like it’s fairly easy to minimize editorial intervention without shame. But when it comes to formal writing that is ostensibly to be held to a high standard, it is painful and stressful (for me, at least) to withhold treatment: I feel like a doctor applying Band-Aids to someone who’s been shot or stabbed or mauled. Nevertheless, I cautiously accepted another project from this company, and I almost immediately regretted it. The writing was not incoherent (as some content I’ve worked on for this client has been), but it was clumsy, and I bristled at the thought of earning half the equivalent of my normal hourly rate to dust the shelves when they needed sanding and refinishing. So I apologetically (but promptly) notified the assigning editor that I was returning the assignment unfinished. Back in the ancient mists of time (the mid-1980s, to be more precise), my first publishing gig was an entry-level job at a San Francisco publisher of humanities books and journals (long since, of course, swallowed up by a megacorporation, but still publishing under its own imprint). In the journals division, we worked meticulously and extensively to transform often-inept writing into prose that was a pleasure to read; one freelance copy editor, in particular, should have had his name on the cover of all the journals he worked on, so extensive was his rewriting (which no writer or journal editor, to my knowledge, ever complained about). Unfortunately, permission to indulge that pride of craft is an exception these days, and much of the trade-publishing industry has similarly compromised its integrity by valuing profit over prose. I’m fortunate to have two trade-publishing clients, one that produces mostly pop-culture titles, including a lot of movie tie-ins that are frothy and fun, and another that puts out progressive, reflective titles about making the world a better place. (And each company, in its own way, is doing great good.) What’s fortunate, above and beyond the fact that I would actually buy and read many of these books I’m paid to edit while they’re in raw form, is that the editors I work with are allowed to take pride in shepherding their projects, and I am in turn respected for my skill and given the time and the freedom to practice my craft with care. (And though the pay is not exceptional, it’s respectable.) Sorry you had to read through all that to get to the writing tip, but I think it’s worth your while. Here’s today’s lesson: If you are fortunate enough to be in a position to have your writing published in a professionally produced manner a book, a magazine or journal, a newspaper, a newsletter, or even on a Web site insist on being accorded the dignity of having it edited with due diligence. That may not be easy to do consistently, at least early in your career, but strive to get to a place where the publisher that agrees to distribute your work is one that will take care to prepare it thoroughly. So much otherwise promising, potentially compelling writing is corrupted by careless editing, or a lack of editing at all. (You’ve all seen books and other publications with writing that could easily have been improved or with embarrassing typographical errors.) Is that how you want the work that you have labored over to be released out into the world? Conduct research on publishers, read their output, and determine which companies take pride in what they produce. Let writers and readers unite to reward publishers that respect producers and consumers of the written word, and punish those that see prose as nothing more than product to move along the conveyor belt with as little expense and effort as possible. 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 Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 10160 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†50 Plain-Language Substitutions for Wordy Phrases

Things I Would Mostly Miss about US Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Things I Would Mostly Miss about US - Assignment Example The assignment "Things I Would Mostly Miss about US" presents the opinion of the author regarding moving abroad. The author tells what things he would most miss about the United States of America like the personal interaction, having advanced technology, efficient transport systems, US civil rights, etc.America has a state of art public infrastructure including better roads and offices. Therefore, I would mostly miss efficient transport systems that have no congestions. Security with a more advanced system that limits crime rate. There is crowd civilization in the US in cases of the demonstration when problems arise. US civil rights that are lost once you are in a foreign country. General hygiene high standard levels maintained in the US compared to India. Weather that does not reach an extreme level as those experienced in India. Living away from family and friends who have always been around will be hard. Have American lifestyle that allows wearing of anything.I would feel highly e xcited to learn Indians culture for a better understanding of the people in the country. Learn a new language from the native community during the assignment period. It would be most interesting to develop international friends to improve personal and work profile. Experience working with people from different cultures. Get a large compensational package that comes with working on overseas. Get promotional opportunities through posts available abroad. Receive cheap medical cover from Indian medical centers compared to the US.

Accounting Changes Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting Changes - Case Study Example counting principles like Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), clerical errors etc (Arens, Beasley, and Elder, 2009). When restatement occurs, particularly out of negative reasons, then the confidence of shareholders is changed and the stock price is reduced. The organization selected for this report is Ener1 which restated its financial statement of December 31, 2010 and March 31, 2011. In order to reflect the impairments of its investment in Think Holdings the company restated its financial statement of December 31, 2010 as the transaction had been previously recorded in the financial statement of March 31, 2011 instead of financial statement of December 31, 2010. In addition to this, the company restated its financial statement in order to record accounts receivables with Think Global and loan receivables including accrued interest with Think Holdings in the period of December, 2011 (The Wall Street Journal, 2011). Also the revenues with Think Holdings and Think Global have to be recorded within the period they have occurred so that the financial statement of the company follows the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). One of the major responsibilities of the management is to reflect the true value of the company in the financial statement and when financial statements are prepared they should reflect the true financial position of the organization (Khan, 1993). Financial statements of Ener1 did not include revenues, accounts receivables and loan receivables during the period within which they occurred and, therefore, the value showed by the financial statement of Ener1 did not reflect its true value. However, it is the responsibility of the management to ensure that the transactions are recorded within the period when they occur. In addition to this, it is important for the management to ensure that the financial statements of the organization are prepared according to the accepted

Non traditional threat to US Essay Example for Free

Non traditional threat to US Essay In my opinion the most pertinent Non-traditional threat to the US is the economy. It is the single most important, globalized, and un-accounted for problem in the US. The current problem is so bad that the US economy is days away from a (partial) default. This would be the first default since possibly the 1700s at the founding of the nation. The problem with this is the US green back is the reserve currency of the world (all or most investments are made in US dollars). If the US defaults it will cause a ripple effect that will make the 2008 global financial crisis look small in comparison to the lobal catastrophe that will occur. The reason most investments are in US dollars is because dollars have historically been the most stable currency in the modern age. The US defaulting on its debts has both internal and external effects. The total of US government debt is over $ 16. 9 trillion. (US Debt Clock) Of that debt, $ 4. 8 trillion is owned by governmental agencies. This includes agencies such as the social security (holds over $2. 5 trillion dollars). Of the public debt, foreign investors own $5. 7 trillion. Keep in mind this is Just the actual government debt; effects of a default would be uch bigger. The US reached its debt ceiling in 2012. The US constitution 14th Amendment, Section 4 directly forbids the government from defaulting on its debt. Thus to cope with the debt ceiling being reached the government has been taking extraordinary measures in order to pay their debts (for instance suspending investments on individual pension funds). When these measures are exhausted, the government will not bring on a global economic collapse as they default on all their bonds. They will Just be forced to balance the economy to match their spending with their collected revenue. This is a very different issue (still with its problems) to a full default. What is important is that a full default is likely to not happen. The brinksmanship between the rogue Republicans and the government would only threaten a technical default on the shortest-dated US government bonds, because their shorter lives mean their maturity date is nearer than the rest of the governments safe assets. The problem here, as ever, is not whether the federal government is able to repay the principle from these bonds, but the short-term methods used to make these repayments. The US treasury would still be seen as a safe investment, albeit in more economically uncertain times, and thus bonds would probably rise in price believe it or not, the US government 10-year bond decreased in price after news that the media reported a default was unlikely. Though we are quick to forget, there have been 17 government shutdowns between 1976-1996 and the debt ceiling is raised almost every year a full default never happens. This brinksmanship is historically common, and it is the media and politicians that fuel the political fire by indicating that this is the year where it will default.

Comparing Roman and Greek Art Essay -- Ancient Rome Greece History Art

Comparing Roman and Greek Art Throughout history art has consistently reflected the cultural values and social structures of individual civilizations. Ancient art serves as a useful tool to help historians decipher some important aspects of ancient culture. From art we can determine the basic moral and philosophical beliefs of many ancient societies. The differences in arts purpose in Greece and Rome, for example, show us the fundamental differences in each culture's political and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of his empire. This change in the meaning of art from Greek to Roman times shows the gradual decline in the importance of intellectualism in ancient western culture. The earliest example of how art reflects the basic moral and philosophical belief systems in individual cultures is seen in the Ancient Egyptian empire. The art of this time was highly idealized and mainly focused on displaying the divinity and importance of the Pharaoh. The most famous examples of this Theocratic influence on art are the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Chefren. The massive size and artistic perfection of these works, which were mainly dedicated to expressing the divinity of the Pharaoh, show that Egyptian society was based primarily on mythological law. The highly idealized, mythological style of Egyptian art suggests that Egyptian culture as a whole was not concerned with scientific and mathematical truths. Arts reflection of culture and society extends to the Greek and Roman empires, and shows the import... ... a symbol of the supreme authority he held over his empire. At his feet, a small sculpture of Cupid was carved in an attempt to show Augustus?s divine lineage (Cunningham, 150). Every aspect of this portrait is highly idealized and centered around the greatness and divinity of Augustus. Because little attempt was made to capture the actual physical appearance of the Emperor, this sculpture can not be considered a portrait but more accurately, a profile of greatness. Such works display the political domination and lack of originality in Roman art. The simplification of art during this period reflects an overall simplification of thought and decline in the importance of intellectualism in western culture. Work Cited Cunningham, Lawrence S., Reich, John J. Culture and Values; A Survey of Western Humanties. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1994.

How Bias Influences Critical Thinking

How Bias Influences Critical Thinking – Week 1 A recent decision that I had to make that involved both critical thinking and a bias was while I was at work. I am in charge of the back office, and often have to deal with patients ordering materials when they come in for their exams, and then not wanting to pay for them, or not understanding their insurance benefits. In some instances this leads to mistakes being made on the offices end, and the patient is either not charged enough or over charged.Either way, when the patient comes to pick up their order they are not pleased with the office and I am left to make a quick decision, but still put some critical thinking into it. The biased that is involved in this decision is the loss aversion, I am usually not looking to gain anything from the situation, but prevent or reduce my losses. The particular situation, a patient ordered a year supply of contacts, was only charged for half the supply though. When they came to pick it up, t he mistake had been caught and the additional charges were applied to their account.They were told multiple times that they had paid in full for the amount discussed, and was aggravated when they now had a balance. In an effort to keep the patient happy, and returning to the office for their supplies in the future, I had to make a quick yet rational decision to reduce the price of the product; covering our cost only, leaving no profit to be made. This made the patient happy, and they remain a loyal patient. My critical thinking was defiantly affected by biased, and I was trying to reduce my losses, rather than focus on making a profit. Chapter 1. Critical Thinking, Pg 14.

Explain why the open war Essay

World War 1 had begun in August with both sides certain that their sudden attacks with cavalry and infantry would create a war of rapid movement, which would bring them a swift victory. The ending of this possibility and build up towards a stationary war of fixed entrenchment was not only due to the failure of the Schlieffen Plan and Plan XVII, but the problems in communications, problems faced through tactics and strategies and the role of the commanders throughout the planning and progression of the war. The possibility of further outflanking movements was gone. The initially hastily constructed trenches of the allied forcers took on a more permanent look as two massive armies consisting of over 4 million men faced each other over 800 kilometres of continuous trench lines from the coast of Belgium to the Swiss border. For the next four years, the rival commanders struggled and blundered in an attempt to find a way to break the stalemate, which had emerged by the end of 1914. In order to break the stalemate there were two major offensives remembered from 1916, which both failed but were attempts none the less. Both sides had become aware that it was easier to hold a defensive position than it was to launch an offensive. However, this did not stop them, launching repeated disastrous offensives, relying on weight of men, artillery and supplies to crumble the opposition through attrition and each side endeavored to weaken the other. The generals decided only a ‘big push’ would be able to break through the enemy lines and restart the war of rapid movement. This was not achieved until the attrition of 1915-18 finally weakened the German lines in mid-1918. The Schlieffen Plan, originally devised by Alfred von Schlieffen, the then German Army Chief of Staff, in 1905, was the German Plan which would they would implement to avoid a war on two fronts. Schlieffen argued that France had to be defeated as soon as possible in the event of a great European War. If that were to happen, Schlieffen realised that Russia and France would be unwilling to continue fighting. In addition, Schlieffen estimated that it would take Russia six weeks to mobilise her forces in preparation for war against them. Thus, he reasoned that Germany would have six weeks in which to defeat France and surrender. On August 2nd 1914 the Schlieffen Plan was put into effect and the German Army began its advance upon France through Belgium. The delicate plan was upset with the early arrival of the British Expeditionary Force under Sir John French, significant resistance by the Belgian Army, resistance of the Belgians and the early arrival of Russian Forces. The German implementations and strategies relied too heavily on the Schlieffen Plan itself. The plan greatly depended on speed and movement, the strict deadline of 42 days was impractical, this unreasonable goal was pushed further away from the Germans. General von Moltke did not follow through the original Schlieffen Plan; instead, he had shifted the numbers of the planned armies and therefore altered the balance for the plan to work. All these events led up to the Battle of the Marne, the first major battle on the Western Front. The French Allied victory at this battle marked the failure of the Schlieffen Plan, and the death of any German hope for a quick decisive victory. The German forces were not only to blame for the reason of stationary war during 1914, the problems with the French Plan XVII also contributed to the fact.

Comparison of Egyptian and Mesopotamian Art essays

Comparison of Egyptian and Mesopotamian Art essays Egyptian and Mesopotamian art share both similarities and differences. For instance Mesopotamian art focused on less monumental structures, while embracing a pronounced literary element that Egyptian art lacked. Because of the constant threat to Mesopotamian societys security, a lot of their architecture created to fulfill the purpose of protection. It was made to impress yet intimidate the visitors to their cities; so as to present themselves as strong people. However Egyptian art wasnt meant as protection, their work mostly represented empowerment and control. This can be seen in their architectural work of places, shrines, and temples. These differences have their roots, partially in cultural differences, as Mesopotamians lacked access to the great stones that Egyptians could import for their monuments. Egyptian also were able to organize laborers to build these great temples, however this was difficult for the Mesopotamians whose soils were constantly under attack. The differences owed something, finally, to different beliefs, for the Mesopotamians were not as concerned as the Egyptians were, with preparations for the afterlife, which so motivated the great tombs and pyramids that have made Egypt and some of the pharaohs immortal in human memory. Comparisons in politics, culture, economics, and society suggest civilizations that varied substantially because of largely separate origins and environments. The distinction in overall tone was striking, with Egypt being more stable and cheerful than Mesopotamia not only in beliefs about gods and the afterlife but also in the colorful and lively pictures the Egyptians emphasized in their decorative art. Also striking was the distinction in internal history, with Egyptian civilization far less marked by disruption tha n its Mesopotamian counterpart. Therefore Mesopotamian art portrayed this insecurity and the attacks they face. In terms of similarities both of th...

How to Set Up Classroom Learning Centers

How to Set Up Classroom Learning Centers Learning centers are places where students can work in small groups within the classroom. Within these spaces, students work collaboratively  on projects that you provide, with the goal to accomplish them in an allotted amount of time. As each group completes their tasks they move to the next center. Learning centers provide children the opportunity to practice hands-on skills while involved in social interaction. Some classes will have dedicated spaces for learning centers, while other teachers who are in classrooms that are smaller and tight on space, may need to be prepared to create makeshift learning centers as needed.  Typically, those that have decided Learning Spaces, will have them located in various spots around the perimeter of the classroom, or in small nooks or alcoves within the learning space. The basic need for a learning center is a dedicated space where children can work collaboratively.   Preparation The first component of creating a learning center is to figure out what skills you want your students to learn or practice. Once you know what to focus on you can determine how many centers you will need. Then you can prepare: The materials needed for each center and place them into separate folders or baskets so they are ready for the students.A list of rules and behavior expectations to present to the students before the centers begin.A sign for each center so the students know which center to go to next.Clearly stated directions for each learning center. It is best to laminate the directions so by the time the last group gets to the center it will still be in one piece. Setting up the Classroom Once you have prepared the learning center activities now it is time to set up your classroom. The way you choose to set up your classroom will depend upon your classroom space and size. Generally, all of the following tips should work with any class size. Groups should consist of a minimum of three students and maximum of five students. This gives children the opportunity to be able to complete tasks on time, and be able to move around the classroom freely.Use all areas in the classroom for centers: Rugs, reading areas, and even outside the classroom door. If youre tight on space, you might group desks together to create individual work areas. These are all examples of a good set-up if you are teaching reading groups or doing a mini-lesson while the students are participating in centers.Organize the materials for each of the learning centers in baskets, folders or totes and place them in the specific learning center space. This will ensure that all of the components of the activity are organized. This also makes it easy for you to clean up and store materials, especially if the activities happen often.  Assign each student to a group and center, then have them rotate through centers as scheduled. You can also assign each group or ce nter a color so the children know where to go to next. Use a countdown clock to help students better manage their time.   After each center is completed, allow time for the students to place the center materials back for the next group. Have a basket where the students put their completed center work. This makes it easier for you to have all of the completed work in one place. Presentation Take time to present the rules and directions for each learning center. It is important that students understand the expectations of each center before letting them go on their own. This way if you are using center time to work with individual students you will not be interrupted. Point out or physically bring the students to each center when explaining the directions.Show students where the directions will be located.Show them the materials that they will be using in each center.Explain in detail the purpose of the activity they will be working on.Clearly explain the behavior that is expected when working in small groups.For younger children, role play the behavior that is expected in the centers.Post the rules and behavior expectations in a place where students can refer to them.Tell the students the phrase you will use to get their attention. Depending upon the age group, some younger students respond to a bell or hand clapping rather than a phrase.

KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATION AND NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Assignment

KNOWLEDGE, INNOVATION AND NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - Assignment Example Such information may include those in applications, specific markets and users. Proper harnessing of these information resources, can contribute enormously to making innovation effective in the organization. Also, organizations partner with others to fulfill specific business goals and objectives. In doing so, invaluable knowledge resources can be created. If a structured approach exists for capturing and sharing these resources, it can aid the innovation process tremendously. It must be added that, a structured approach to acquiring organizational knowledge can by itself be self-financing, in that knowledge is an important source of sustainable wealth creation. It is also cost-effective to the organization in the sense that projects that are unlikely to succeed on the market can be identified on time by the structures created and abandoned. Such an approach sharpens the innovative process and thereby increases Institution of the needed structures is only part of the process of making innovation effective in an organization. In addition to that, there must be a well defined strategy and also a supportive culture for the process. It has been estimated that around 30 percent of western consumers would be aged 50 by 2009. Available reports indicate that this age group would like to maintain youthful looks (Pitman, 2006). Hair care products with anti-ageing properties should therefore be appealing to them. Financially, this category of users is more endowed than their younger counterparts and therefore spends more money on such products. Targeting this category of consumers with naturally occurring hair care products should find ready acceptance with them. Developing a natural hair product for this market would require a seven step processes to be followed. These steps are (i) new product strategy development (ii) idea generation (iii) idea screening and evaluation (iv) business analysis (v) product development (vi) market testing and (vii) commercialization. Many manufacturing companies have a clearly defined new product development strategy that defines the role a particular new product is to help fulfill its overall objectives. Such a policy sharpens the focus of the idea generated for the company. This also prevents the company from dissipating its resources on work that does not help achieve its vision and goals. The naturally occurring hair product with anti-aging properties to be developed is strategically consistent with the company's objective of being recognized as an environmentally friendly. The conception of the idea of producing a naturally occurring hair product emerged from desk research. The researcher came across articles that extolled the properties of some hair care ingredients as well as the emerging trends among male adults to maintain their youthfulness. On the strength of these pieces of information, the idea to manufacture a hair product was conceived. Subsequently, several alternative ingredients were explored. Several product ideas