The Duchess Of Malfi By John Webster an Example of the Topic Literature Essays by

The Duchess Of Malfi By John Webster The Duchess of Malfi is a work of genius that has placed John Webster firmly among the best playwrights in literature. It is a tragedy in the tradition of the Elizabethan revenge play but it considerably modifies and enriches that tradition. The central motif is revenge, but the revenge is not taken as a sacred duty but out of selfishness and vindictiveness. The motif for revenge is dishonorable and our sympathies tend to be towards the victim of the revenge rather than with the avengers. Webster was successful in making the revengers, the Cardinal and Duke Ferdinand, look repugnant and detestable, while the traditional revenger was always capable to rouse the admiration and sympathy of the audience. Here we admire the innocence and fortitude of the Duchess, and in proportion hate the two brothers as monsters of inequity. This gives the uniqueness and originality to the play. Need essay sample on "The Duchess Of Malfi By John Webster" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Like most of the other playwrights of his age, Webster too did not invent a story but found the same from a real sequel that was later historied by William Painter in his Palace of Pleasure (1567). The facts of the historical Duchess are as follows: in 1490 she married when she was twelve, and was widowed at the age of twenty. After Antonio Bolonga became her major-domo in 1504, she fell in love with him and secretly married him for which only her maid was a witness. This wedlock was revealed only after the birth of the first child and the arrival of the second caused rumors. When her brothers watched, Antonio took the children leaving her behind pregnant with a third. She was deserted by her household when she confessed about her marriage and after banishment, the Duchess, her children and her maid was taken to Malfi by her brothers and was never heard of again. University Students Often Tell EssayLab professionals: I'm not in the mood to write my paper. But I want to spend time with my girlfriend Professional writers suggest: College Essay Helper Best Website To Buy College Papers College Essay Writing Essays Online In characterization, The Duchess of Malfi is an immense advance over other contemporary plays. The Duchess, the central figure, is a stoical figure who bears misfortune with calm resignation and fortitude. Opposed to her and devout to destroy her are the three Machiavellian figures Duke Ferdinand, the Cardinal and Bosola. But the characters cannot be divided so easily into good or bad. They are beyond the implications of such a division as they are very intricate and puzzlingly complex. The wicked characters have some good in them. That is why Ferdinand goes mad seeing the face of his dead sister; even Bosola is moved and decides to avenge her death. The Duchess is one of the finest creations in Elizabethan drama; no other female character outside Shakespeare surpasses her in vividness and subtlety. Her persecution transforms and her despair renders her personality a lofty and stoic touch. The scene of the play is laid in Italy. The setting to the play is provided by contemporary Italian court life. It is the Italianate Hell. The courts are those of the small independent states into which Italy was divided at the time. They are dominated by dukes and cardinals who are surrounded by their dependents, mistresses and spies. This world when combined with ambition, revenge and lust, motivate deeds of sensational violence. These are usually elaborately planned by those who perpetrate them. Disguise may give the murderer access to his prey; poison may be administered so unobtrusively that none suspects a crime within; the murderer may commence operations by subjecting his victim to an ordeal designed to break the spirit; or he may even try to engineer the victims eternal damnation. There is absolutely no element of surprise in the characters being occasionally haunted, or believed to be haunted, by the ghosts of the perished ones, and that some characters collapse into utter madness. Webster, in this play, shows forth a world that is replete with luxuriousness, deceit, ruthlessness, passion, viciousness and subtleness. Functional imagery adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the play. The most important image that dominates the play can be identified as prison or trap that indicates confinement. In hiring Bosola to spy on their sister, the Cardinal and Ferdinand are setting a trap; and as men trap wild creatures in order to kill them, so the Duchess, if trapped will be killed. The Duchess secret marriage is literally confined within the walls of her chamber, and in this sense as Cardinal says: The marriage night Is the entrance to some prison. The marriage symbolizes a prison in another sense too, for the Duchess, movements and emotions are restricted as those of a prisoner. Physical corruption is suggested by diseases such as leprosy and consumption. There are frequent references to poison and some to magic and witchcraft. Animal imagery is frequent in the play, and is an expression of the degeneration and corruption of man. It suggests the element of bestiality in man. The element of a true story will be enhanced by catchy dialogues. Websters dialogue is undoubtedly dramatic and appropriate. It is light and discontinuous, rapid or deliberate, as the situation demands. The light and the discontinuous line and the occasional, momentary regularity create a style wholly appropriate to a drama of interplay between passion and conscious thought, contrasts of appearance and truth, and inter-relationships of characters who often try to live only for themselves. Webster wished to show a fragmentary and disordered world and at the same time to suggest that there is a fixed order at the back of things. The dramatic dialogue both orders and disorders continuity and disruption. The story of the Duchess of Malfi, the main plot, and the story of Julia, the sub-plot, is skillfully interlinked to form a single whole. First, the same characters figure in the two stories and, second, there are strong parallelisms and contrasts between the sexual behaviors of the two women mentioned. Besides the indomitable skill in plot construction, the dramatist has succeeded in contriving a number of scenes and situations whose effectiveness on the stage can never be questioned. Undoubtedly the play represents the age in which it was born which characterized the publics disillusionment with the human condition, the loss of confidence in mans aspirations and the haunting dread of death. Bibliography Drabble, Margaret. (ed) Duchess of Malfi, The" The Oxford Companion to English Literature. Oxford University Press, 2000. Foakes, R.A., Shakespeare and violence, Cambridge University Press, 2003, pg-9. Fox, Timothy.

A comparative study of Omani employees’ perception toward managers’ leadership styles and management competences in public and private sectors. The WritePass Journal

A comparative study of Omani employees’ perception toward managers’ leadership styles and management competences in public and private sectors. Introduction A comparative study of Omani employees’ perception toward managers’ leadership styles and management competences in public and private sectors. IntroductionBackground of the StudyProblem StatementResearch Question and ObjectivesBackground Literature ReviewMethodologyLimitations / Ethical ConsiderationsReferencesRelated Introduction Leaders are fast becoming recognised as the key to success for organisations across the globe and as such studies on how leaders are created and how leaders interact with others are becoming much more prevalent (Chemmers, 1997). That said, the area of leadership in the Oman context has been largely overlooked when it comes to academic study and it is here that the research is going to focus. Leaders within business are increasingly being perceived as those who are responsible for either the success or the failure of the organisation in question and therefore their role within the organisation and the perception that others have of them are likely to be critical to their actions. Leadership has both an extrinsic and an intrinsic role. Firstly, it could be argued that leadership reflects the way in which the public view the company or the perceptions that those outside of the organisation have of how the company manages its operations; secondly, leadership looks at the way in which the employees and those who work directly with the managers are inspired and encouraged to perform in a suitable manner to meet with the organisation’s goals (Chemmers, 1997). Merely defining what is meant by â€Å"leadership† and the various styles that are seen to be available for such leaders is an academic study in itself, with one of the most accepted definitions being that of Chemers (1997, p.1) who stated that leadership is seen as â€Å"a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task†. This type of collaborative approach will form the basic underlying concept of leadership, regardless of the jurisdiction in which it is operating. Following on from this background understanding the research will then go on to look at how leadership in Oman can be developed to achieve greater commercial success with reference to the distinction between public and private sector organisations. Background of the Study Although there has been a large amount of general literature in the area of leadership and the emergent theories of leadership that have come about in recent years, there has been a small level of understanding regarding the role of leadership within the developing region of Oman. It has been suggested by Dorfman in 2004 that one of the main difficulties is that organisations in Oman are typically not very transparent with their operations and this can make it harder to identify any form of business strategy, let alone one that is rooted in the perceptions of individual employees. Taking an internal view of the way in which an organisation works is a crucial element of then looking at the role of the leader and how they can influence the performance of employees. It is argued here that one of the key issues is, in fact, that the political context of the region has a real and direct impact on the organisation and the types of leadership that are likely to be effective. Crucially, it i s also necessary to look at the cultural and political factors that are at play within Oman and not to simply assume that Arab culture will prevail. As a further point, by way of background, it is also noted by Dorfman that in Oman (as is the case in many developing regions) the public sector is often the driving force with internal practices, such as leadership development emanating from public sector agendas. Finally, it is worth noting that Oman itself is a relatively small country when looking at population, with a total of 3.5 million. On the face of it, the country has many similar characteristics with its Arab neighbours and is also subject to rapid economic growth; however, it is suggested in this paper that Oman has a unique geographical and political scope which encourages the organisations, both public and private, to outperform other countries in the same region (Haligan, 2007). There are arguably multiple factors that are likely to impact on how leadership is dealt with in Oman and these will be considered in greater detail in the thesis when comparing the approaches in the public and private sectors. These are briefly identified by Haligan in 2007 and include the political development in the region and the British influence, in particular. Issues of religion and culture are also thought to be important in the region and these are arguably factors that remain prevalent, even where there are economic changes or there are factors that may otherwise impact on the operation of the business. Problem Statement The problem statement for this research paper is to look primarily at the comparison between the public sector and private sector leadership skills, with reference to the employees’ perceptions of their leaders. Although this is a relatively specific area of study, there are potential issues that need to be looked at surrounding the study, in order to ascertain the impact that the various leadership styles have on the perceptions of employees and therefore on their ultimate behaviour. Employee behaviours are arguably linked to the leadership style, but it is also expected that other underlying factors, such as religion, culture and politics will have an impact. A comparison between public and private sectors may provide a greater understanding of these issues and the ways in which leaders can improve their own behaviours, in the future, to influence the performance of their employees. Research Question and Objectives The question here is to undertake a comparative study of the role of the managers and their leadership styles, from the point of view of employee perspectives, in both the public and private sectors in Oman with a view to presenting overall findings. In order to be able to provide a balanced response to this research question, there are several other objectives that need to be looked at, so that the answer to the research question can then provide future guidance, which can add value to those involved in corporate Oman. Firstly, there is a requirement to understand the various leadership styles that may be employed by leaders and the way in which these are likely to develop within the workplace. Factors that may impact on the choice of leadership approach will also be looked at, with reference to the corporate climate in Oman. For example, it may be thought that the political context is relevant to the leadership style and that this will then be different in the public and private sectors. Similarly, it may be argued that religion or culture plays a much greater role than whether or not the organisation is public or private sector orientated. Secondly, as well as the actual factors that influence leadership styles, the next part of the research is to look at the impact that leadership styles have on employee perceptions of the leaders themselves, or indeed the organisation. The ultimate aim of this research is for those involved in leadership to be able to understand how they can influence employee behaviours to the benefit of the organisation, in the future. With this in mind, the research question will need to be broken down, to understand the factors that are present but unchangeable and those which can be influenced, so as to create a more balanced view as to what leaders and managers can do to change the operation and the perceptions of their employees within the workplace. Background Literature Review Despite the fact that there is a large amount of literature available in terms of leadership styles, all of which will be looked at as part of the main research, the real essence of this research will be to look at leadership in the context of Oman and Omani culture. Over the years, it is argued that Omani culture and how it deals with politics, in particular, is that it has supported a participative leadership approach as being the dominant form of accepted leadership within the culture. This was the subject of the discussion in the paper of Eickleman, (1987) who found that the people of Oman, in general, operated by consultation, with leaders being largely selected based on merit, rather than on succession. This type of underlying culture is important as a means of understanding the prevailing culture and the likely employee perceptions of their leaders. Specific research in the area of Omani business has also taken place, identifying that the way in which leaders are selected by priests within the community by merit from a religions context which offers an opportunity for further analysis within the commercial context. Arguably, this type of social selection was also seen to be prevalent when Al-Ghailani researched the area, in 2005, considering how this then influences human resources practices. It was found in this research that the use of social criteria was often seen as important when it came to recruitment and promotional decisions. This was evidenced in the 2005 research by the fact that it was found that many religious leaders were petitioning the public sector to recruit family members into certain roles. He found that there were essentially two different leadership structures in operation, the first looking at merit and the notion of recruiting to fill a need and the second based on family and cultural issues. This two fol d approach suggests that leadership is unlikely to be a black and white scenario and perceptions are going to vary from person to person not just from organisation to organisation. By looking at other areas of research into leadership and therefore the employee perceptions that emerge as a result of the leadership, it can be seen that there are very distinct opinions, with those such as Farazmand, (2006) noting that this social element in fact complements leadership and improves perceptions, rather than being a detriment to the European and Western approach. A specific research paper that looked at the leadership values in Oman was undertaken by Neal et al (2005), which found that positive leaders were seen as those displaying attributes of strong charisma, being largely interactive and also having a degree of authority inherent in their attitude. This indicated that those successful leaders in Oman were not actually far remote from the Western ideals. In particular, Neal et al. found that an effective leader in Oman needed to be concerned with the personal welfare of all of the employees and that a further level of respect is given to the use of legal authority, which is seemingly logical given the high level of bureaucracy within the region. Methodology The methodology that is going to be used in the research here is inductive in nature, as it will look at the observations and actions of the various different managers, before then attempting to produce an overall theory that could ultimately apply across both private and public sector organisations. The first step of this research, therefore, is to undertake a full literature review and analysis of the leadership approaches and those factors that theoretically have a means of determining the different perceptions which are going to emerge from employees in relation to the leadership skills displayed. From this general theoretical understanding, primary research in the form of case study interviews will then be undertaken, with the author looking specifically at two organisations, one in the public sector and one in the private sector. Although it is recognised that ideally several different organisations should be looked at, it is noted that the reality is such that focusing on two organisations will allow for sufficient depth of comparison between the styles of leadership. This will then be used to produce a theory and a set of suggestions as to how the information can then be applied to establishing a set of recommendations for managers across Oman and indeed across other simi lar jurisdictions. Limitations / Ethical Considerations A key limitation which has been identified is that the case study element will only look at one organisation from the public sector and one from the private sector. It would be desirable to look at a broader range of organisations and even to undertake such research over a period of time, to ascertain how these issues change and the long term impact of culture and politics, at that point in time. There may also be concerns that the employees will not be as open as they could be, due to concerns about what their manager will think; therefore, anonymity is crucial and is something that needs to be taken to the forefront when collecting data. References Al-Ghailani, R. (2005). Equal opportunity in public office in principle and practice: An empirical study of the Omani Civil Service. Doctoral dissertation, University of Hull, Hull. Al-Hamadi, A., Budhwar, P., Shipton, H. (2007). Management of human resources in Oman. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1), 100-113. London Chemers M. (1997). An integrative theory of leadership. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, CA, Publishers. Dorfman, P., House, R. (2004). Cultural influences on organizational leadership. In R. House, P. Hanges, M. Javidan, P. Dorfman, V. Gupta (Eds.), Culture, leadership and organizations, the GLOBE study of 62 societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Farazmand, A. (2006). Public sector reforms and transformation: Implications for development administration. In A. Huque H. Zafarullah (Eds.), International development governance. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/Taylor and Francis. Halligan, J. (2007). Leadership and the senior service from a comparative perspective. In B. Peters J. Pierre (Eds.), Handbook of public administration (pp. 63-74). London: Sage. Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Jabbra, J., Jabbra, N. (2005). Administrative culture in the Middle East. In J. Jabbra O. Dwivedi (Eds.), Administrative culture in a global context. Whitby, ON: de Sitter. Neal, M., Finlay, J., Tansey, R. (2005). â€Å"My father knows the minister†: A comparative study of Arab women‟s attitudes towards leadership authority. Women in Management Review, 20(7/8), 478-498. Riphenburg, C. (1998). Oman: Political development in a changing world. Westport, CT: Praeger. Winckler, O. (2000). Gulf monarchies as rentier states: The nationalization policies of the labor force. In J. Kostiner (Ed.), Middle East monarchies: The challenge of modernity (pp. 237-256). London: Lynne Rienner.

What do UEL students think about the future of university education Assignment

What do UEL students think about the future of university education - Assignment Example Initial research studies identified many different arguments about the future of education, including structural changes to the classroom, distance learning through e-systems, increasing tuition costs and even more interactive tools and instruments based on changing curriculum in-line with business evolution. The most common theme identified was the presence of e-learning as a foundation for the future of university education.   E-learning is the use of various electronic applications and systems to promote educational learning. These include â€Å"Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classroom development and digital collaborations† all delivered through the Internet, satellite television, CD-ROM and intranet systems. According to a recent report published by the Sloan Foundation, e-learning systems have achieved a 12-14 percent growth rate since 2006. In the United States alone, as one example, there are currently 3.5 million students using online education systems within higher education environments (Mihai, et al.). It is forecasted that e-learning will, by 2014, be in 81 percent of global universities. Another recent study with a sample population of 289 respondents, 189 of which were from higher education environments and 100 from corporations, identified current usage of electronic learning. In the study, 44 percent of respondents used blogs to teach, 53 percent video podcasts, 71 percent online courses, 56 percent social networks, 66 percent text messaging and 49 percent mobile broadband.

Financial Statement and Operating Indicator Analysis Essay

Financial Statement and Operating Indicator Analysis - Essay Example The current ratio is a liquidity ratio and indicates the extent to which an organization can cover its short term liabilities by its liquid assets. It is calculated by dividing the total current assets in the organization with the total current liabilities.This ratio seeks to examine the revenue of the organization as a function of its expenses. It includes the revenues of the organization from all sources in its calculation. The ratio is usually derived by dividing the net income of the organization with the total revenue. A high ratio means that the organization can cater for its costs efficiently, and indicates profitability. On the other hand, a lower ratio indicates that an organization could be experiencing financial difficulties, and may not have the ability to give viable returns to investors (Chandra, 2010).A major challenge concerned with financial statement analysis relates to the inability of the statements to recognize the seasonal qualitative changes, which occur in the course of normal business. These changes include changes in management, government policies, as well as labor strikes. Such changes affect the financial position of the business, thus including them in the financial analysis is significant. Therefore, users of analysis should require financial analysts to assess the implications of such factors on the organization’s profitability, and report to them (â€Å"Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives†, 2008).

Labor & Management Relations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Labor & Management Relations - Research Paper Example As for employees, the job market in the United States has been turned upside down in the last couple of years, as a major result of the economic turmoil facing the country (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011), the average unemployment rate across the United States remained steady for February and March 2011 at an estimated 8.8%. Thus, while working for a company like Wal-Mart may not be ideal, it may be one of the few forms of employment that many Americans are able to secure under the current economic circumstances facing the country today (Glasmeier, 2006). Unfortunately, the retailer is taking obvious advantage of the desperation of customers and employees. In remaining a major force in the retail industry, gaining power through the economic crisis on multiple levels, the actual costs behind its low prices are definitely not a part of the organization’s publicized marketing strategy (MSNBC, 2005). ... These customers do not need to be made to feel badly about their shopping experience, Wal-Mart has an opportunity that they are failing to realize. At this point, they have a massive market share, which will most likely return to what it was prior to the 2008 economic collapse, in the next couple of years when the economy bounces back from its brief devastation; based on historical data (Microsoft, 2011). However, without implementing a training program that drives customer loyalty through employee satisfaction, Wal-Mart has the potential to lose their significant gain, to competitors like Target, when unemployment rates are down and the economy is booming once again (Microsoft, 2011). Thus, this paper will examine the many reports of federal law violations and unacceptable human rights standards to which the big-box retailer has become accustomed in its time of economic prosper and impermanent power. According to Cram (2005), â€Å"In 2002, 43 distinct charges were filed against Wa l-Mart for violations of the National Labor Relations Act and since 1995, 60 complaints have been filed against Wal-Mart with the National Labor Relations Board.† In response to these charges, this paper will also recommend implementation of a training project that will ultimately help to improve the image of Wal-Mart in the eyes of its most important assets, its human resources. Assessment The number of employee complaints and lawsuits against Wal-Mart for its poor, and in some cases illegal, employment and employee relations practices that have been steadily rising throughout the past decade, makes this problem worthy of addressing; particularly at the local level where managers have

Failure At The Battle Of Britain History Essay

Failure At The Battle Of Britain History Essay In the summer of 1940, the Battle of Britain was fought between the Royal Air Force of Great Britain and the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany. The assault was Hitlers attempt at decimating Britains air force and morale, enabling a full-scale seaborne invasion of Britain. The failure of such an ambitious undertaking marked Germanys first significant defeat and became a turning point in World War Two. More than seventy years later, historians continue to debate over the reasons for the failure of the Luftwaffe, prompting an investigation to answer: To what extent was the Luftwaffe responsible for their failure at the Battle of Britain? This essay analyses both sides of the debate; either that the RAFs successes were the most important cause of Germanys failure, or that it was the errors of the Luftwaffe that proved decisive in Britains victory. Utilizing the views of historians such as Stephen Bungay, RJ Overy and JP Ray, this essay also employs some primary sources to consolidate both arguments, and forms a conclusion to the investigation. Although the Luftwaffe were not perfectly suited to the task of singlehandedly eliminating Britains key defences, being a support force rather than a strategic one, the sheer number of pilots and planes that they had at their disposal, combined with the fact that they did not have to defend anything themselves, should have guaranteed a German victory. Instead, the constantly shifting strategy and bad leadership combined with flawed intelligence complicated the operation. Additionally, Britain benefited from the leadership of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Air Marshal Hugh Dowding, while being aided by their radar early warning system and the advantage of fighting within friendly territory. In conclusion, however, the Luftwaffe was still the clear favourite and it was only through their mistakes that the RAF was able to survive. Introduction The Battle of Britain, part of the Second World War, began in the summer of 1940, on the 10th of July. An entirely aerial battle, Hitler initiated the assault as a preliminary phase of his invasion of Britain, codenamed Operation Sea Lion. The Luftwaffe was meant to neutralize the RAF and Britains other key defences, enabling the German Navy to land and discharge troops. Not only was this failure a psychological blow to the Nazi war effort, but also more significantly it thwarted Hitlers planning for the German invasion of the USSR, for which timing was crucial. The Luftwaffe was overconfident as a result of its successes across the rest of Europe, but it failed to anticipate the conditions of a battle fought exclusively in the air; understandably, since the Battle of Britain was the first entirely aerial conflict. Hermann Goering, the commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, assured Hitler that he could guarantee control of the skies above the channel, protecting the German invasion for ce from the RAF. Not only did the Battle last far longer than intended, but also the Luftwaffe failed their objective, forcing Hitler to postpone Operation Sea Lion indefinitely  [1]  . Both during the Battle and in the years following it, the British cleverly capitalised on the propaganda value of their success. This gave rise to the initial popular view that it was the courage and resilience of the RAF that had repelled the Luftwaffe through sheer determination, overcoming the numerical odds. Indeed, Churchill would often mention in his speeches and later his memoirs the importance of the Few  [2]  . However, orthodox historical investigations adopted a more analytical and less sensationalist view that Britains inherent advantages of radar and friendly territory tipped the scales in their favour, combined with the heroism of the pilots and Britains impressive fighter production and sound leadership  [3]  . An alternative revisionist view emerged later as records out of Germany came to light, stating that despite all of this Britain would still have lost if the Luftwaffe had not conducted their campaign so poorly  [4]  . After all, it is undisputed that the Germans had greater numbers of planes  [5]  and more importantly, capable, experienced pilots. The fact that such a key event continues to be a subject of intense debate merits an investigation into what actually was the more decisive factor. Therefore the following research question is still very relevant today: To what extent was the Luftwaffe responsible for their failure at the Battle of Britain? While both sides of the debate provide compelling evidence, ultimately, for all of the RAFs courage and advantages, the Luftwaffe should have been able to overwhelm them with sheer brute force and elementary tactics, but the extent to which the Luftwaffes mistakes altered the course of the Battle led to Britains victory. The RAFs responsibility for the result There can be no doubt that the RAF showed an unprecedented level of resilience and intelligence in dealing with the German threat, and despite all of the propaganda associated with it, there is a great deal of evidence that supports this orthodox view. One of the major contributors to this success was the system implemented by Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding, aptly named the Dowding system of defence. Dowding organized a structured system of command and networked intelligence, with several scattered Sectors reporting to four groups, and each group then filtering and passing on the necessary information to the central Fighter Command Headquarters  [6]  . The Dowding system ensured that Fighter Command was able to receive a clear and updated picture of the Battle at all times. This was in no small part due to the implementation of Radio Direction Finding (RDF) also known as radar, which was instrumental in ensuring that Fighter Command knew exactly when and where the Germans were attacking. Since its inception in 1935, Dowding had personally championed the radar system. Furthermore, the use of radar was cleverly organised; Fighter Command controlled the radar, but each sector was able to control its airfields and observers, enabling local control that avoided the potential delay of waiting for Fighter Commands directions. Additionally, as Fighter Command directly received radar, if the Luftwaffe succeeded in bombing a station, Fighter Command would continue to function unimpaired. On the 7th of September 1940, the Luftwaffe attacked London with 400 bombers escorted by fighters. This attack tested the efficiency of the system; once the Germans were detected by the radar and confirmed as three waves of aircraft, the commander of 11 Group, Keith Park, sent six of his squadrons to combat the first wave while holding the remainder of the group for the other two, saving fuel. Meanwhile, 12 Group and 10 Group were deployed to protect 11 Groups vulnerable airfields from German bombers  [7]  . Dowdings system was able to eliminate the Luftwaffes advantage of surprise  [8]  , allowing the British to send out the precise number of aircraft exactly where they were needed to thwart the Germans; and this became a vital component of Britains victory, especially since the Germans refused to recognize the threat of it. Another factor in the result of the Battle was the ability of the British factories to replace lost and damaged aircraft. Britains fighter production was far better than Germanys, approximately 500 per month against just over 150 per month by the Germans  [9]  . In addition, these aircraft were Hurricanes and Spitfires, high quality planes that were more than a match for Germanys own Bf 109s and 110s  [10]  . The rapid rate of production ensured that the RAF never had a shortage of operational aircraft, although the same could not be said of their pilot reserves.  [11]  . This impressive level of production was primarily due to Lord Beaverbrooks ability to deregulate the processes used for aircraft production, in his capacity as Minister of Aircraft Production. With Churchills help, Beaverbrook managed to persuade British citizens to donate pots, pans and even fences and railings to be used in factories in a scheme dubbed Saucepans to Spitfires  [12]  . Churchill ofte n lauded Beaverbrooks success, during these weeks of intense struggle and ceaseless anxiety, claiming that his personal buoyancy and vigour were a tonic  [13]  , and on the 2nd of August 1940 he appointed Beaverbrook to the War Cabinet. The results of Beaverbrooks efforts were directly reflected in the number of operational airplanes, which rose from 560 to 730 between June and November  [14]  . The orthodox view gives great importance to Dowdings excellent tactical deployment of his aircraft in determining the RAFs victory. Dowding was aware from the beginning that the number of trained pilots available was always dangerously scarce; a notion supported by accounts from fighter pilots that emerged after the war, claiming that they were often scrambled three or four times a day  [15]  . Despite strong suggestions from 12 Group Commander Trafford Leigh-Mallory and the leader of 242 squadron Douglas Bader to attack the Germans head on in a massive fire fight, Dowding held firm with his strategy of utilizing his early warning system to send out a small number of planes to intercept the Germans where they were most needed. Furthermore, during the last days of the Battle of France, Dowding refused to send out any more squadrons to the aid of the French, recognizing that Frances defeat was inevitable  [16]  . During the Battle of Britain, 11 Group, which often bore the brunt of the German attack, frequently requested Fighter Command for support from the other Groups. Indeed, some of the pilots in 11 Group who later recounted their experiences have criticized Dowding for putting too much strain on Air Vice Marshal Park  [17]  , although it is unlikely that these pilots would have sympathized with the general strategy after the ordeals they were put through. Dowding also understood that the RAF had an essential advantage in fighting over friendly territory; firstly, an RAF pilot who ejected from his plane could easily be rescued and returned to the front-line, whereas German pilots would become prisoners of war, or drown in the Channel. Considering that out of the more than 800 planes shot down, only 507 RAF pilots were killed, this was extremely valuable given the RAFs lack of reserve pilots  [18]  . Secondly, the Luftwaffe was operating out of France, which meant they had to waste precious fuel crossing the English Channel, whereas the RAF planes took off much nearer to the points of interception.  [19]   Another aspect of the RAFs ingenuity that worked in their favour was their quick adaptation of aerial combat tactics. The nature of the Battle of Britain was such that both the RAF and the Luftwaffe were initially unprepared for the scale and pace of the fighting that was conducted. As per the training manual, RAF pilots initially used a conventional formation with two wingmen flying behind the leader at a fixed distance, which limited their ability to defend the leader  [20]  . By contrast, the Luftwaffe sent fighters operating in a two pair formation around their bombers, and towards the end of July the RAF had already adopted this strategy. Wing Commander H. R. Allen of 11 Group believed that if the RAF had used this method from the beginning, they would have been several times more efficient at destroying German aircraft  [21]  . Since Allen was a pilot who actually fought in the Battle, it is reasonable to assume that he would have been able to evaluate this effectively. Also, the RAF modified their standard squadron formation, using part of the squadron flying in three lines, while the rest flew above and to the rear, offering better defence and ready replacements for any losses in the front  [22]  . Another important tactic employed by the RAF was to send their faster, more agile Spitfires against the German Messerschmitt 109s, while allowing their Hurricanes to eliminate the slower and more vulnerable German bombers. Britains adaptability helped to conserve their limited resources and efficiently engage the enemy, offering crucial tactical gains. While the RAF were busy fighting the Germans in the skies, Britains Prime Minister Winston Churchill was equally active in rallying Great Britain behind their courageous Royal Air Force. Churchills skills as an orator and motivator undoubtedly played a part in Britains victory. Although Hitler could be equally charismatic, he showed very little interest in the Battle, deferring responsibilities to Goering while he focused on Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the USSR  [23]  . Churchill wrote in his memoirs Their Finest Hour how he cannot speak too highly of the loyalty of Mr Chamberlain, or of the resolution and efficiency of all of my Cabinet colleagues, and yet Churchill himself was constantly visiting various Group stations and Fighter Command, asking for updates and estimates of progress  [24]  . A notable example of this was Churchills arrival at 11 Groups Headquarters in Uxbridge on the 15th of September, and remained in the Group Operations room with Air Vice-Marsh al Park for most of the battles duration  [25]  . In addition to this, Churchills address to the House of Commons on the 18th of June famously spoke of Britains finest hour and of how never has so much in the field of conflict been owed by so many to so few. These speeches helped to boost the morale not only of the public, but more importantly that of the overworked RAF pilots  [26]  . Moreover, Britain also benefited from the intelligence it received. During the Battle, both sides overestimated the enemys losses while underestimating their own, partly to increase morale, but also due to the chaotic circumstances that made it extremely difficult to gather reliable intelligence. According to Stephen Bungay, Britain also overestimated the overall strength of the enemy force, judging Luftwaffe front line strength to exceed 5000 when in reality there were around 3000 German aircraft with 900 reserves. This discouraged an all out Big Wing assault, which would have negated Britains advantages and caused careless losses  [27]  . Furthermore, by the time of the Battle the British were able to decode German messages using their Enigma machine; although some historians argue that Fighter Command was unaware of the Enigma breakthrough until as late as October  [28]  . The RAF were also aided by a branch of the observer corps known as Y Service, which yielded unprecede nted results simply by listening in to various German radio frequencies  [29]  . These aspects of the RAFs intelligence network compounded by the Dowding early warning system ensured that the RAF were alerted of the Luftwaffes moves as much as possible. The many advantages that the RAF both inherently began with and later cultivated enabled them to put up a strong defence, resulting in the Luftwaffe coming off worse in nearly every exchange. In a stark contrast to the Luftwaffe, the RAF prospered under an efficient system of intelligence, tactical adaptability and reliable leadership. There can be no doubt that these were important contributors to their victory, to a limited extent. The Luftwaffes responsibility for the result Hitler commanded his Luftwaffe to maintain air superiority over the Channel and Island.  [30]  While the Luftwaffe outnumbered the RAF, an important point to note is that of the 3000 aircraft sent to Britain, only 1200 of those were fighters, while the 1800 bombers were far more vulnerable against the Hurricanes and Spitfires  [31]  . One of the most costly failures of the Luftwaffe was their wayward tactics and strategy. This was explicitly demonstrated in the inexplicable gap in the offensive between the British evacuations of Dunkirk on the 4th of June and the final launch Operation Eagle Attack (the codename of the assault) on the 13th of August  [32]  . During this period, both sides were able to replace their losses after the Battle of France, however since Britains production was much higher than Germanys, the Luftwaffe effectively weakened their position by waiting. Moreover, the minor intermittent raids conducted by German aircraft gave Britain a chance to test and perfect the Dowding system  [33]  . Additionally, this delay was compounded by a lack of focus in the German plan of attack; the Luftwaffe was attempting to attack merchant convoys on the Channel, British airfields and radar stations in the South as well as fighting a war of attrition by engaging RAF airplanes. The overall result of the se endeavours was that while there was some success in each of these objectives, it was very limited  [34]  . No targets were actually crippled beyond repair, especially since Hermann Goering considered attacking the radar stations a waste of time and resources, a clear display of ignorance that made the system all the more effective for the RAF. Perhaps the single most detrimental decision made by the Luftwaffe was the decision to switch bombing targets from the RAF airfields to the British cities. Many historians have attributed this to an accidental German bomb dropped on London, which prompted retaliation against Berlin, thus enraging Hitler to the point of ordering the destruction of London  [35]  . This proved to be a turning point in the Battle for a number of reasons. Firstly, it gave the RAF much-needed breathing space to repair airfields, train new pilots and deploy them. Secondly, Fighter Command could now organize its groups around London and concentrate its forces, instead of having to stretch them across the south coast. Thirdly, in London air raid shelters had already been constructed throughout London which somewhat limited civilian casualties, as the attacks on the countryside were abandoned  [36]  . A further point is that the journey to London took the German fighters and bombers, who were operating out of Normandy and Belgium, to the limit of their fuel capacity, offering them mere minutes of flight time over the city. Ironically, even Goering seemed to immediately realize this, commenting its stupid to drop bombs on cities.  [37]  While the orthodox views confidently identify this as the saviour of the RAF, revisionists have argued that although it gave Fighter Command some breathing space it was an inevitable tactic given that the bombers damage to the airfields was limited  [38]  . Although there is disagreement over the extent to which this affected the outcome of the Battle, it was a factor that cannot be ignored; this respite was complemented by the RAFs high fighter production that allowed them to recoup their losses quickly. While Great Britain was able to rely on Churchill and Dowding to bolster their resolve and devise effective strategies, the Luftwaffe deteriorated under the command of Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering. Not only did Hitler overestimate the Luftwaffes capabilities as an attack force by expecting them to singlehandedly eliminate British defences, he made matters worse by ordering the Luftwaffe to bomb London, purely as a result of his political outrage over the raid on Berlin. Churchill publicly denounced Hitlers inability to grasp aerial warfare, Herr Hitler is using up his fighter force  [39]  . Goering on the other hand did not actively coordinate his forces as his British counterpart Dowding did, nor did he make any effort to motivate his pilots; as German ace Adolf Galland claims, he went about it the wrong way  [40]  . However, being a contemporary German source, it is important to note that a pilot like Galland would prefer to blame the strategy of his officers for the de feat rather than the performance of pilots such as himself. As the tide of the Battle began to turn, the leadership flaws were exposed and this made the Luftwaffe even more impotent, which proved to be a necessary component of the RAFs success. Another aspect of the Luftwaffes failure was their unsuitability as a force for the task that was put to them. This view is supported by many revisionists, who investigated German records after the war and came to the conclusion that the Luftwaffe was a support force, designed to aid the Wehrmacht (Army) by bombing key targets ahead of the armoured advance on the ground  [41]  . The only Air Force the Luftwaffe had to contend with prior to the Battle of France was the Polish Air Force, who fought valiantly but ultimately had too few planes, all of which were also obsolete  [42]  . Furthermore, despite Goerings confidence that he could destroy the RAF, the Luftwaffes planes were unsuited to the task. While the Bf 109 could outmanoeuvre a Spitfire at high altitudes, it was limited both by a low fuel capacity, and the fact that it had to protect the low flying Ju 87 dive-bombers  [43]  . By 1940 Germany had not yet developed long-range heavy bombers, since Goering believed t hat dive-bombers were sufficient for any assault. While the Ju 87s and 88s were accurate, they were unable to defend themselves against Hurricanes and Spitfires, which allowed the RAF to pick them off with ease once their fighter escorts had been dealt with. This became a huge problem when the Luftwaffe began bombing London, which was even further north, as the Bf 109s only had an effective range of 125 miles  [44]  . This problem was highlighted on August 15th 1940, when 30 German bombers were shot down at the cost of two Hurricanes, which also demonstrated that in daylight, the German aircraft were even more vulnerable  [45]  . Furthermore, Keegan believes that because the Luftwaffe had more bombers than fighters, their fighter strength was insignificantly greater than the RAF condemning their operation from the beginning. Clearly, the Luftwaffe was completely unprepared for their operation, and in the war of attrition they came off worse as a result. Many of the tactical errors made by Goering were based on faulty intelligence received, and this was responsible for much of the self-inflicted damage. Firstly, in the Air Intelligence Departments report, the Dowding system was labelled as rigid and inflexible, and this was partly the reason that Goering dismissed the radar stations as insignificant targets. This was undoubtedly a costly mishap; the radar eliminated the Luftwaffes much-needed element of surprise and there were only six proper attacks against the radar stations during the course of the Battle  [46]  . Not only was Britains overall fighter strength underestimated, but fighter production itself was also underestimated, with intelligence estimating 230 planes a day while the reality was well over 400  [47]  . The intelligence department suffered from managerial deficiencies; there were several different agencies attempting to curry favour by providing positive (and false) reports, which would even conflict with e ach other at times. Goering received a report that the Bf 110 could hold its own against the Hurricane, which complicated battle tactics later when the reality emerged and the Bf 110 squadrons had to be reinforced with the superior Bf 109s  [48]  . This was a key flaw that separated the Luftwaffe from the RAF, and this allowed the RAF to maximise the useful implementation of their intelligence without facing effective retaliation. In addition, while Britain may have benefited from overestimating German losses by boosting morale, the same did not apply to the Luftwaffe. The overestimation of RAF losses bred complacency, and Goering was often made to look foolish by confidently asserting that the RAF would be destroyed within the week only to have the Battle continue to drag on  [49]  . At one point Goering was under the impression that the RAF only had 100 operational fighters, while the reality was more than 700  [50]  . The bad estimates of numbers, the underestimation of radar and the overestimation of German fighter capability all created an atmosphere of arrogance and complacency, which proved detrimental to the Luftwaffe. Although the Luftwaffe should have prevailed through sheer force of numbers, it was constantly let down by unfocused strategy, distracted leadership and incorrect intelligence. Also, the overconfidence of Goering ensured that crucial problems were not rectified in time, and this created a sluggishness that was uncharacteristic of the nation that had Blitzkreiged across Western Europe, and unacceptable given the circumstances of the Battle. Conclusion There is a great deal of sound evidence and judgement on both sides of the argument. It would have been unfair to entirely discount the orthodox view in favour of the revisionist. After all, the RAF was fighting on friendly territory, their early warning system eliminated the German element of surprise, they were highly motivated by their leaders and any tactics which may have initially been obsolete were quickly adapted, turning the RAF into one of the best Air Forces of World War Two and certainly one of the most experienced. Additionally, a high rate of fighter production supported by civilian initiatives enabled the RAF to maintain and expand its front-line strength over the course of the Battle. The Luftwaffe, meanwhile, benefited from superior numbers and experienced personnel. However, the Luftwaffe were more suited to providing support for the Army, rather than engaging another air force, as indicated by their large quantities of outdated and unsuitable bombers. During the Battle, the Luftwaffe suffered a number of setbacks, as a result of their lax leadership, meandering strategy, and faulty intelligence from sycophantic and competitive agencies. The most debilitating demonstration of this was the decision to switch bombing targets from airfields and other military installations to British cities, allowing the RAF time to recover and replace their losses, while accomplishing very little instead. Although the RAF put up an excellent defence, the objective that the Luftwaffe were assigned, to pave the way for the invasion force and weaken or destroy the RAF should have been possible based on their numerical superiority; certainly prior to the Battle there was very little hope for Britain. Furthermore, it is important to understand that rather than two separate developments of the Battle, the German mistakes and British successes

Smallpox :: essays research papers

Smallpox   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was a disease that was caused by a virus. The virus spread when an uninfected person came in direct contact with a sick person and breathed in the virus. Usually, the virus was in tiny drops that were coughed up by the sick person. After about two weeks the infected person would develop a high fever and muscle aches and pains. After about three days of fever the person would break out in a rash all over his or her body. At first it looked like red spots, but these spots gradually became blisters that were about the size of a pencil eraser. After about five days of rash, the fluid in the clear blisters turned to pus. The more pus spots that a person had, the more likely he or she was to die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were two main types of a smallpox virus. Variola major, which killed about 20 percent of the people who were infected and variola minor, which killed about 2 percent of its victims. If a person did not die, the pus gradually dried up to form scabs that dropped off after one or two weeks. The pus spots on the face often left permanent scars known as pockmarks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was known to the ancient peoples of China, India, and Egypt. Pharaoh Ramses V died of it in 1157 BC. It spread wherever large numbers of people moved, and it was a very serious problem in cities where people lived close together. It first reached Europe in the fifth century, and it was one of the leading causes of death in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was brought to the Americas many times during that period, first by the Spanish conquerors and later by African slaves, where it wiped out many native American populations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindu god Krishna is believed to have loved milkmaids because of their beautiful, unscarred, complexions. Milkmaids, of course, spent a lot of time around cows, which are carriers of cowpox, a virus similar to the smallpox virus. In 1796 the British physician, Edward Jenner, after noting that milkmaids were spared the smallpox, demonstrated that if he infected the skin of someone with the scab of a cowpox sore, that person would not get smallpox. This was the beginning of vaccination. During the next 130 years, the practice of vaccination was gradually adopted by health workers in all parts of the world, but the disease still survived in many places where not enough people were vaccinated. Smallpox :: essays research papers Smallpox   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was a disease that was caused by a virus. The virus spread when an uninfected person came in direct contact with a sick person and breathed in the virus. Usually, the virus was in tiny drops that were coughed up by the sick person. After about two weeks the infected person would develop a high fever and muscle aches and pains. After about three days of fever the person would break out in a rash all over his or her body. At first it looked like red spots, but these spots gradually became blisters that were about the size of a pencil eraser. After about five days of rash, the fluid in the clear blisters turned to pus. The more pus spots that a person had, the more likely he or she was to die.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were two main types of a smallpox virus. Variola major, which killed about 20 percent of the people who were infected and variola minor, which killed about 2 percent of its victims. If a person did not die, the pus gradually dried up to form scabs that dropped off after one or two weeks. The pus spots on the face often left permanent scars known as pockmarks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smallpox was known to the ancient peoples of China, India, and Egypt. Pharaoh Ramses V died of it in 1157 BC. It spread wherever large numbers of people moved, and it was a very serious problem in cities where people lived close together. It first reached Europe in the fifth century, and it was one of the leading causes of death in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was brought to the Americas many times during that period, first by the Spanish conquerors and later by African slaves, where it wiped out many native American populations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindu god Krishna is believed to have loved milkmaids because of their beautiful, unscarred, complexions. Milkmaids, of course, spent a lot of time around cows, which are carriers of cowpox, a virus similar to the smallpox virus. In 1796 the British physician, Edward Jenner, after noting that milkmaids were spared the smallpox, demonstrated that if he infected the skin of someone with the scab of a cowpox sore, that person would not get smallpox. This was the beginning of vaccination. During the next 130 years, the practice of vaccination was gradually adopted by health workers in all parts of the world, but the disease still survived in many places where not enough people were vaccinated.

Why Women Smile

In our culture, friendliness is conveyed through a smile and it is agreed in the discipline of Anthropology that the smile is something that carries across all cultures. In every human society, smiles convey the same emotions: happiness, pleasure, excitement and other positive feelings. However, smiles seem to mean different things between the men and women, of our culture, who exchange them. As my step father said, a woman who smiles is seen as friendly, but also more likely single. Simply put, smiling is an attractive quality and most people flock to a warm smile like moths to a flame.For women, smiling could mean many things. I, among others, have often feigned a smile in nervousness, irritation, awkwardness and sometimes false happiness. In intimate settings, a natural smile shows a person is enjoying her or himself and the other people present. In professional settings, especially that of customer service, a smile, feigned or not, is a requirement. It makes the business seem war m and open to all but smiling on the job and even in less formal environments can lead to problems for women. Unwanted attention is often gained through a broad, seemingly genuine smile.In Amy Cunningham’s essay, Why Women Smile, she mentions, â€Å" We smile so often and so promiscuously†¦ that the Smiling Woman has become a peculiarly American archetype† (325). On many occasions, I’ve heard of a man who yells at a woman on the street to â€Å"Smile baby! It ain’t that bad†. Smiling seems to have become something of a social requirement. To the observer, the smile-less supposed curmudgeon might be falsely interpreted. She must not be happy because she is not smiling. This particular individual could have trouble with smiling due to nerve damage, being in deep thought or maybe she has just suffered a death of a family member.Whatever the circumstances, the stranger has decided that he does not like her frown, for it must be so intolerably unat tractive that he has taken it upon himself to make a statement. On a daily basis, the public is reminded by the media that being attractive is important and a beaming smile is attractive. To be plain, humorless and rejected by men was a stereotype given to suffragettes in the early twentieth century, as the book Women’s Rights: Changing attitudes 1900-2000 (11) mentions. Smiling has been labeled as an essential quality for women in our country.Smiling is a social grace that could easily be sexualized because it opens the door for interaction and a lot of female to male interaction ends up involving sex. After all, women and men are made by nature to reproduce with each other, therefore sexuality between the two is biologically inherent. Even though this is the case, the act of smiling itself is not the root issue, it is merely the outer skin of the conflict. In the book, Female Chauvinist Pigs, Ariel Levy spoke about the episode of the Tonight Show, in May 2003, which Katie C ouric guest hosted.Couric later commented that she wanted to show America her â€Å"fun† side on the Tonight Show, but in truth she was exposing more than being fun, or even being sexual. Really what she was showing was that she was open to a certain sort of attention- which is something that we specifically require if we are going to think of a woman as hot. Hotness doesn’t just yield approval. Proof that a woman actively seeks approval is a crucial criterion for hotness in the first place. (32) A smile can convey openness, submission, a willingness to socialize, playfulness and that a person is seeking not only attention, but approval.When smiling and nodding at what a customer or someone we have interest in has to say, the speaker may feel good about themselves and may gain a sparked interest in the listener. To be engaged in socialization likely means openness to more socialization. This is the point where the message of a smile can become tangled in a web of misco mmunication. Again, Ariel Levy mentions, â€Å"For women, and only for women, hotness requires projecting a kind of eagerness, offering a promise that any attention you receive for your physicality is welcome. (33), and smiling is the first step down a road to attention gained through behaviorism, a philosophy of psychology that deals with learning through experience. In a man’s world, a woman who smiles is a predictable woman. Through a set of past experiences of women smiling or not smiling, a man can asses what these facial expressions mean. To men, a smiling woman is a friendly woman and a friendly woman is a potential mate. It is a simple, easy to understand, thought process. To the contrary from a woman’s eye, smiling could mean many an emotion or thought.A female passerby could have multiple reasons to willfully smile other than a males sexually attractive qualities. She could be thinking about how she has been promoted at work, is happy about the weather, her new pet fish is on her mind or she may have simply remembered a good memory that took place nearby, all while happening to make eye contact with this stranger. The stranger does not know she is very pleased about her new pet fish and therefore jumps to the assumption that her smile was directed blatantly toward him.She does not know him, therefore he must be attractive or she would not have thrown him that suggestive facial expression. As well, women are taught from a young age to smile eagerly because women are supposed to be nice. Girls play with baby dolls and domestic utensils like miniature ovens when boys are playing with miniature military equipment and G. I. Joes. Women are to be the kind and maternal sex while the men are to be the aggressors. Smiling at a passersby is the polite thing to do, the lady like thing to do. For women, it is a reflex.In her article in the online magazine XOJane, S. E. Smith wrote and article about the issue of not constantly smiling in public and the response of the â€Å"smile baby guyâ€Å", a male stranger who tells women that they should smile in public situations. It's always smile baby guy talking to a woman or someone he reads as a woman. This is about the fact that ladies need to look pretty, and furthermore, that ladies need to be in good moods all the time. Telling people to smile is about telling them that you think they're in an unacceptable mood†¦It's yet another reminder of the ways in which women are expected to perform for the public, to put up a â€Å"good face† at all times or face the consequences. (1) These consequences that a women could face can range from social labeling to ostracization to violence. If women, the gentler sex, are not smiling like they are expected to be, something must be wrong and men, being the aggressors must do something to fix or stop it. A woman such as my mother, who takes her job seriously and is stoic when necessary gains labels such as cold and unapproachable. This is not the case, but she happens to lack that veneer smile that should be plastered across her face at all times. She is at work to get her job done and this means that smiling is not always appropriate. A friendly, non-threatening smile has become the appropriate archetype for women. Women have allowed a perpetuated image of femininity, of predictability and kind nature, to exist, mainly through our smiles. It has become an expectation for us. Amy Cunningham states, To limit a woman to one expression is like editing down and orchestra to one instrument.And the search for more authentic means of expression isn’t easy in a culture in which women are still expected to be magnanimous smilers, helpmates in crisis, and curators of everybody else’s morale. (330) Women in America have become beacons of eagerness to the outside world. According to Cunningham, in the 1800s, attractive women began to appear in many types of advertisements. Society got the idea that smiling was a natural trait for women and the women of the time caught on and began to emulate the pictures they saw. 328) This confuses people of other cultures when they encounter American citizens. We have much less formality when addressing strangers and authority figures, and we tend to flash our smiles automatically. When the McDonald’s chain restaurant was introduced in Moscow in 1992, the American’s who ran the businesses were extremely discouraged when the employees wouldn’t crack smiles when greeting customers, who I presume, also did not smile. (329) As a society, it seems that we do not consciously recognize our tendency to over use our smiles for any old occasion.Our teeth are used when anxious, in happiness and in an attempt to be socially pleasing. Along with our unrealistic images of smiles come unrealistic expectations of reality. Our faces are lying to us. Gaining respect is also a plight that the smile has caused personally and professionally for the female gender as a whole. If women are treated as sweet and domestic, expected only to fulfill the stereotype of the kind, listening role, we can not state our opinions thoroughly. It is time that the gentle sex make a new image.Levy explains, It no longer makes sense to blame men. Mia Leist and plenty of other women are behind the scenes, not just in front of the cameras, making decisions, making money, and hollering â€Å"We want boobs. † Playboy is a case in point. Playboy’s image has everything to do with its pajama-clad, septuagenarian, babe-magnet founder, Hugh Hefner†¦ But in actuality, Playboy is a company largely run by women. Hefner’s daughter Christie is the chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises.The CFO is a middle-aged mother named Linda Havard. The Playboy Foundation†¦ is run by Cleo Wilson, and African-American former civil rights activist. A woman named Marilyn Grabowski produces more than half the magazine’s photo features. (35 ) At this point, not only do we fill the roles of the smiling, sexy woman, but women everywhere are working in jobs that continue to further the attitude that we have a specific purpose. That purpose being a thing to look at. A thing that looks good, a thing that smiles.It is hypocritical for women to take part in these careers, however as later mentioned by Ariel Levy, in her interview with Christie Hefner, she asked her how she (Christie) felt about young women aspiring to be in Playboy magazine. Her response was, â€Å"The reason why I think it’s perfectly okay is because the way women see being in the magazine is not as a career bust as a statement. † (40) Levy goes on to explain, An actress or a mother sure, but a lawyer or an executive not necessarily. Putting your tush on display is still not the best way to make partner or impress the board.The only career for which appearing in Playboy is a truly strategic move is a career in the sex industry. (43) Smiling doe s not prove that we are intellectuals or have intense work ethics. Smiling does not show all of the hard physical labor we have done or the hours we have put into studying to earn our bachelors, masters and PHDs. Smiling does not show that we wish to better ourselves more than our grandmothers dreamed was possible. Mostly, smiling shows the world that we believe we are content with the status quo.We must fight back against the stigmas we are furthering in our culture. Smiling is the start. If we can cut back on smiling and only use our grins for genuine happiness, in spontaneous joy, we can begin to move onward. If we can show that smiling has a certain meaning, that the connotation it currently possesses is an inaccurate portrayal of our intelligence, wants and needs, we can gain more respect. The wish for a better future must be fulfilled through showing our own society and eventually the world that we do not meet the standards of a smile, but that we exceed those standards.

Red Flag Laws Definition

Red Flag Laws Definition Red flag laws are gun violence prevention laws that allow courts to order the temporary confiscation of firearms from persons deemed to pose a risk to others or themselves. Key Takeaways: Red Flag Laws Red flag laws are state gun violence prevention laws which allow police to confiscate firearms from persons deemed by a court to pose a risk to others or themselves.As of August 2019, 17 states and the District of Columbia had enacted red flag laws.After deadly mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, President Trump and a bipartisan group of Congress members have indicated their support for red flag laws. Along with gun control proposals, such as universal gun-buyer background checks, raised in the aftermath of shootings like those in Sandy Hook, Parkland, El Paso, and Dayton, demands to enact â€Å"red flag† laws have become common. As of August 2019, 17 states and the District of Columbia had enacted red flag laws. Red Flag Law Definition and Mechanics Red flag laws permit police or family members to ask a state court to order the temporary removal of all firearms from persons believed to present a danger to others or themselves. In deciding to issue such orders, known variously as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) or Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVROs), the courts consider the past actions and statements- including those posted on social media outlets- made by the gun owner in question. If the court decides to issue the order, the gun owner must surrender all firearms to the police for a specified period of time. In addition, the person named in the order is banned from buying or selling guns during that period. Refusing to fully comply with a red flag protective order is a criminal offense. Guns seized under the order are returned to the owner after a set period of time unless that period is extended by the court. Examples of evidence required by the courts to justify granting gun confiscation orders include: A recent act or threat of violence (involving a firearm or not)Evidence of serious mental illnessHistory of domestic violenceReckless use of a firearmEvidence of substance abuse or alcoholismSworn testimony by witnesses The specific legal provisions of red flag laws and how they are enforced vary from state to state. Are Red Flag Laws Effective? Connecticut was one of the first states to enact a red flag law in 1999. According to a 2016 study published in the journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, the 762 gun removals under Connecticuts â€Å"risk warrant† law from October 1999 through June 2013 resulted in one suicide prevented for every ten to eleven gun seizures executed. The study concluded that â€Å"enacting and implementing laws like Connecticut’s civil risk warrant statute in other states could significantly mitigate the risk posed by that small proportion of legal gun owners who, at times, may pose a significant danger to themselves or others.† Are Red Flag Laws Constitutional? Many gun-rights advocates say that red flag laws infringe on gun owners’ Second Amendment right to â€Å"keep and bear arms,† as well as their right to due process of law as provided by the U.S. Constitution. Guns, they argue, are personal property, and both the Fifth and 14th Amendments specifically provide that the government- including the courts and police- may not deprive citizens of property without due process of law. The argument is based on the fact that the court hearings held to decide if an individual poses a threat are held ex parte, meaning that the person whose guns might be temporarily confiscated is not present at the hearing. This, critics say, violates the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of the right of accused persons to a face-to-face confrontation with witnesses against them.   However, hearings on all types of restraining and protective orders are typically held ex parte out of concern for the safety of the complainant and witnesses.   Red Flag Law Debate A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted in April 2018 found that 85% of registered voters nationwide support laws that would â€Å"allow the police to take guns away from people who have been found by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others.† States with red flag laws have reported similar levels of public support for the legislation. In March 2018, the National Rifle Association (NRA), which had helped defeat red flag legislation in Utah and Maryland, suggested it might be open to such laws under a strict set of conditions, including a court finding by â€Å"clear and convincing evidence that the person in question poses a significant risk of danger. Despite this statement, the NRA went on to help block red flag legislation in Arizona in 2019. In Congress, virtually all Democrats and a few Republicans are receptive to red flag laws. The day after the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, killed 31 people, President Donald Trump urged states to implement red flag laws to remove guns from â€Å"those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety.† In televised remarks from the White House on August 5, 2019, Trump stated, â€Å"We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process.† States With Red Flag Laws As of August 2019, red flag laws had been enacted in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Twelve states enacted red flag laws after the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, left 17 dead. The states of California, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington, had enacted red flag laws prior to 2018. The 17 states and District of Columbia (in red) that had enacted red flag gun violence prevention laws as of August 2019. Creative Commons With only slight variations, all current red flag laws allow family members and law enforcement to petition a state judge to issue ERPOs directing the confiscation of all guns from the individual they believe poses a threat to their safety. In all cases, the petitioner must present evidence of why the gun owner poses a threat to others, as well as to himself or herself. If the ERPO is granted, the named individual’s guns are confiscated and held by police for a set minimum period, after which the gun owner must prove to the court that he or she no longer poses a risk in order to get their firearms back. Here is a list of who is allowed to request the issuance of an ERPO gun removal order in each state: California: Family, household members, and law enforcementColorado: Family, household members, and law enforcementConnecticut: One state attorney or any two police officersDelaware: Family, household members, and law enforcementDistrict of Columbia: Family, household members, mental health professionals, and law enforcementFlorida: Law enforcement onlyHawaii: Family, household members, teachers, medical professionals, coworkers, and law enforcementIllinois: Family, household members, and law enforcementIndiana: Law enforcement onlyMaryland: Family, household members, certain health professionals, and law enforcementMassachusetts: Family, household members, and law enforcementNevada: Family, household members, and law enforcementNew Jersey: Family, household members, and law enforcementNew York: Family, household members, school administrators, and law enforcementOregon: Family, household members, and law enforcementRhode Island: Law enforcement onlyVermont: State attorneys or the off ice of the state attorney general only Washington: Family, household members, and law enforcement As of August 2019, the state legislatures of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina were considering red flag legislation. Federal Red Flag Gun Control Legislation In February 2019, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, introduced the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (S. 506), which would offer grants to assist states in developing red flag laws and make possessing a firearm in violation of a state red flag law a felony violation of federal firearms law. On August 5, 2019- the day after the El Paso and Dayton shootings- conservative Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated that he would propose bipartisan legislation to encourage more states to adopt red flag laws. Sources and Further Reference Williams, Timothy (August 6, 2019). What Are Red Flag Gun Laws, and How Do They Work? New York Times.Parker, George F. (2015). Circumstances and Outcomes of a Firearm Seizure Law: Marion County, Indiana, 2006-2013. Behavioral Sciences the LawLaGrone, Katie. (July 30, 2018). More than 450 people in Florida ordered to surrender guns months after gun law took effect. WFTS Tampa Bay.Dezenski, Lauren. Trump backs red flag gun laws. What do they actually do? CNN. (August 5, 2019).Lindsey Graham pushes red flag bill to curb gun violence. Politico. (August 5, 2019).

Pakistan Early Civilizations History

Pakistan Early Civilizations History From: Library of Congress Country Studies From the earliest times, the Indus River valley region has been both a transmitter of cultures and a receptacle of different ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. Indus Valley civilization (known also as Harappan culture) appeared around 2500 B.C. along the Indus River valley in Punjab and Sindh. This civilization, which had a writing system, urban centers, and a diversified social and economic system, was discovered in the 1920s at its two most important sites: Mohenjo-Daro, in Sindh near Sukkur, and Harappa, in Punjab south of Lahore. A number of other lesser sites stretching from the Himalayan foothills in Indian Punjab to Gujarat east of the Indus River and to Balochistan to the west have also been discovered and studied. How closely these places were connected to Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa is not clearly known, but evidence indicates that there was some link and that the people inhabiting these places were probably related.An abundance of artifacts have been found at Harappa so much so, that the name of that city has been equated with the Indus Valley civilization (Harappan culture) it represents. Yet the site was damaged in the latter part of the nineteenth century when engineers constructing the Lahore-Multan railroad used brick from the ancient city for ballast. Fortunately, the site at Mohenjo-daro has been less disturbed in modern times and shows a well-planned and well-constructed city of brick.Indus Valley civilization was essentially a city culture sustained by surplus agricultural produce and extensive commerce, which included trade with Sumer in southern Mesopotamia in what is today modern Iraq. Copper and bronze were in use, but not iron. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were cities built on similar plans of well-laid-out streets, elaborate drainage systems, public baths, differentiated residential areas, flat-roofed brick houses and fortified administrative and religious centers enclosing meeting halls and granaries. Weights and measures were standardized. Distinctive engraved stamp seals were used, perhaps to identify property. Cotton was spun, woven, and dyed for clothi ng. Wheat, rice, and other food crops were cultivated, and a variety of animals were domesticated. Wheel-made pottery some of it adorned with animal and geometric motifs has been found in profusion at all the major Indus sites. A centralized administration has been inferred from the cultural uniformity revealed, but it remains uncertain whether authority lay with a priestly or a commercial oligarchy.By far the most exquisite but most obscure artifacts unearthed to date are the small, square steatite seals engraved with human or animal motifs. Large numbers of the seals have been found at Mohenjo-Daro, many bearing pictographic inscriptions generally thought to be a kind of script. Despite the efforts of philologists from all parts of the world, however, and despite the use of computers, the script remains undeciphered, and it is unknown if it is proto-Dravidian or proto-Sanskrit. Nevertheless, extensive research on the Indus Valley sites, which has led to speculations on both the arch aeological and the linguistic contributions of the pre-Aryan population to Hinduisms subsequent development, has offered new insights into the cultural heritage of the Dravidian population still dominant in southern India. Artifacts with motifs relating to asceticism and fertility rites suggest that these concepts entered Hinduism from the earlier civilization. Although historians agree that the civilization ceased abruptly, at least in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa there is disagreement on the possible causes for its end. Invaders from central and western Asia are considered by some historians to have been destroyers of Indus Valley civilization, but this view is open to reinterpretation. More plausible explanations are recurrent floods caused by tectonic earth movement, soil salinity, and desertification. By the sixth century B.C., knowledge of Indian history becomes more focused because of the available Buddhist and Jain sources of a later period. Northern India was populated by a number of small princely states that rose and fell in the sixth century B.C. In this milieu, a phenomenon arose that affected the history of the region for several centuriesBuddhism. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, the Enlightened One (ca. 563-483 B.C.), was born in the Ganges Valley. His teachings were spread in all directions by monks, missionaries, and merchants. The Buddhas teachings proved enormously popular when considered against the more obscure and highly complicated rituals and philosophy of Vedic Hinduism. The original doctrines of the Buddha also constituted a protest against the inequities of the caste system, attracting large numbers of followers. Until the entry of the Europeans by sea in the late fifteenth century, and with the exception of the Arab conquests of Muhammad bin Qasim in the early eighth century, the route taken by peoples who migrated to India has been through the mountain passes, most notably the Khyber Pass, in northwestern Pakistan. Although unrecorded migrations may have taken place earlier, it is certain that migrations increased in the second millennium B.C. The records of these people who spoke an Indo-European language are literary, not archaeological, and were preserved in the Vedas, collections of orally transmitted hymns. In the greatest of these, the Rig Veda, the Aryan speakers appear as a tribally organized, pastoral, and pantheistic people. The later Vedas and other Sanskritic sources, such as the Puranas (literally, old writings an encyclopedic collection of Hindu legends, myths, and genealogy), indicate an eastward movement from the Indus Valley into the Ganges Valley (called Ganga in Asia) and southward at least as far as the Vindhya Range, in central India. A social and political system evolved in which the Aryans dominated, but various indigenous peoples and ideas were accommodated and absorbed. The caste system that remained characteristic of Hinduism also evolved. One theory is that the three highest castes Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas were composed of Aryans, while a lower caste the Sudras came from the indigenous peoples.At about the same time, the semi-independent kingdom of Gandhara, roughly located in northern Pakistan and centered in the region of Peshawar, stood between the expanding kingdoms of the Ganges Valley to the east and the Achaemenid Empire of Persia to the west. Gandhara probably came under the influence of Persia during the reign of Cyrus the Great (559-530 B.C.). The Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., and he continued his march eastward through Afghanistan and into India. Alexander defeated Porus, the Gandharan ruler of Taxila, in 326 B.C. and marched on to the Ravi River before tur ning back. The return march through Sindh and Balochistan ended with Alexanders death at Babylon in 323 B.C. Greek rule did not survive in northwestern India, although a school of art known as Indo-Greek developed and influenced art as far as Central Asia. The region of Gandhara was conquered by Chandragupta (r. ca. 321-ca. 297 B.C.), the founder of the Mauryan Empire, the first universal state of northern India, with its capital at present-day Patna in Bihar. His grandson, Ashoka (r. ca. 274-ca. 236 B.C.), became a Buddhist. Taxila became a leading center of Buddhist learning. Successors to Alexander at times controlled the northwestern of region present-day Pakistan and even Punjab after Maurya power waned in the region.The northern regions of Pakistan came under the rule of the Sakas, who originated in Central Asia in the second century B.C. They were soon driven eastward by Pahlavas (Parthians related to the Scythians), who in turn were displaced by the Kushans (also known as the Yueh-Chih in Chinese chronicles).The Kushans had earlier moved into territory in the northern part of presen t-day Afghanistan and had taken control of Bactria. Kanishka, the greatest of the Kushan rulers (r. ca. A.D. 120-60), extended his empire from Patna in the east to Bukhara in the west and from the Pamirs in the north to central India, with the capital at Peshawar (then Purushapura) (see fig. 3). Kushan territories were eventually overrun by the Huns in the north and taken over by the Guptas in the east and the Sassanians of Persia in the west.The age of the imperial Guptas in northern India (fourth to seventh centuries A.D.) is regarded as the classical age of Hindu civilization. Sanskrit literature was of a high standard; extensive knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, and medicine was gained; and artistic expression flowered. Society became more settled and more hierarchical, and rigid social codes emerged that separated castes and occupations. The Guptas maintained loose control over the upper Indus Valley.Northern India suffered a sharp decline after the seventh century. As a result, Islam came to a disunited India through the sam e passes that Indo-Aryans, Alexander, Kushans, and others had entered. Data as of 1994. Historical Setting of IndiaHarappan CultureKingdoms and Empires of Ancient IndiaThe Deccan and the SouthGupta and Harsha

The Relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia Essay

The Relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia - Essay Example The specific aspects of each character of the play as well as the relationships among these different characters have attracted critics to undertake vital studies which bring out essential truths about the play. Thus, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is one of the essential topics of discussion with regard to the characterization in Hamlet which can help the readers comprehend the influential aspects of the characterization in the play. There are conflicting views among the critics regarding the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia. While there is an important argument by several critics that the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia was true and a true love story, while another strong view which suggests that it was not true love story. There have been several complex elements in the character of Hamlet as well as Ophelia which make it even more complicated to understand the relationship between the two characters. Along with the complexities in the two characters, t he intricacy concerning the most important theme of the play, i.e. revenge, also make it difficult to make a straightforward conclusion about the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia. ... ctory references to the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia can never be resolved to the satisfaction of everyone May Shakespeare have been purposely ambiguous Hamlet is not a love story. Who first rejected whom is not crucial to the central dramatic issue. Polonius has ordered Ophelia to deny Hamlet access, and she says she has done so. Hamlet has said he would cut himself off from all normal ties, and Ophelia reports that he has, in effect, said good-bye to her, an implication that is confirmed by Hamlet's detached control at the opening of the Nunnery Scene." 1Therefore, it is significant to comprehend the facts about the true nature of the relationship between the two characters. This paper makes a reflective analysis of the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia which is essential to comprehend some of the fundamental aspects of the characterization as well as the overall plot of the play Hamlet. In the play Hamlet, the development of the characters has a major role in determining the plot and themes of the play and the relationship among the various characters is the central factor contributing to the credibility of the tragic elements in the play. Thus, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is the single most important factor illustrating the developments of the characters and characterization. There is essential love relationship between the two, though there are critics who disagree with this argument. "He [Hamlet] is in love with Ophelia, and the two lovers are in harmony with one another and with the purest and highest impulses of their own hearts. They are a pair of 'star-crossed lovers,' like Romeo and Juliet, who fell in an unequal strife, from the circumstances of the outer world. Hamlet struggles betwixt love and duty; his malady is as

A report on a research topic linked to the BP share price Essay

A report on a research topic linked to the BP share price - Essay Example The reason for this fluctuation is elaborated in the report by considering each year’s share price performance. The raw data available regarding the share price of BP is divided into three parts, considering five years and four years intervals. The data is analysed in order to study the movement of share price during the periods, along with operation of the company. The technical analysis in form of graphical representation of raw data is employed in order to examine movement of shares over the years. The report highlights the main aim of the study, along with three research questions, which describes the aim. Lastly, the report ends with a conclusion and recommendations pertaining to performance of the share price of BP. Before undertaking a research, realizing the research aim is very important so as to define what the researcher desires to find out. However, the research objective describes the process, which will help in achieving the proposed aim. The main aim of the study is to examine performance of the share prices of BP PLC, over the period of 2000-2013. Share price movement is observed in order to draw a conclusion on performance of the company over the years. In order to find answers to the abovementioned research questions, technical analysis has been employed. Technical analysis refers to forecast of financial price movements in the future based on the past data available for a particular stock. The price actions are studied in order to get a clear picture of movement in share prices. The technical analysis helps to determine the share price trend as bullish or bearish and accordingly, future movement of the share is established. It helps to invest money in trade since the analysis provides an idea regarding trend of the market. The movement in share prices is described in form of graphical representation by dividing the raw price data of BP shares into three parts; considering the interval to be 5 - 5 - 4