Materials, Tips, and Tools to Help you Learn French

Materials, Tips, and Tools to Help you Learn French Learning French is an ongoing and involved process. You cant learn how to speak French overnight, and you probably cant learn on your own, no matter how many books and CDs you buy. What you can do is use this free website to supplement your learning: to get another explanation of something you didnt understand, to get extra practice between classes, and to brush up on what you once learned but have now all but forgotten. Learn French Online Learn French at About.com offers hundreds of lessons and thousands of sound files to help you learn French. If you are just starting to learn French, begin with one of these: Learn French - hundreds of online French lessons, plus study tips and sound filesFrench e-course - Learn just the basics with this 7-day introductory email courseFrench for travelers - Learn greetings, numbers, food, and other practical vocabulary for a trip If you are looking for a particular French lesson, try my Find it! page.   Learn French Offline There are also plenty of offline tools that you can use to learn French: Beginning FrenchFrench audio tapes/CDsFrench dictionariesFrench for kidsFrench grammar booksFrench learning softwareFrench schools About Learning French Not sure yet whether you want to learn French? Keep reading: What is French? - Some facts and figuresWhy learn French - What is learning French good for?Learn French as an adult - Yes, it is possibleIs Spanish easier to learn than French? - Compare them and then decideWhat is the best way to learn French? - Figure yours out Practice your French Dont forget that you also need to practice the French you learn. Daily FrenchFrench practice ideasOvercoming speaking anxiety

Virginia Apgar Biography, Creator of Key Newborn Test

Virginia Apgar Biography, Creator of Key Newborn Test Virginia Agpar  (1909-1974) was a physician, educator, and medical researcher who developed the Apgar Newborn Scoring System, which increased infant survival rates. She famously warned that use of some anesthetics during childbirth negatively affected infants and was a pioneer in anesthesiology, helping to raise the respect for the discipline. As an educator at the March of Dimes, she helped refocus the organization from polio to birth defects. Early Life and Education Virginia Apgar was born in Westfield, New Jersey. Coming from a family of amateur musicians, Apgar played violin and other instruments, and became a skilled musician, performing with the Teaneck Symphony. In 1929, Virginia Apgar graduated from Mount Holyoke College, where she studied zoology and a premed curriculum. During her college years, she supported herself by working as a librarian and waitress. She also played in the orchestra, earned an athletic letter, and wrote for the school paper. In 1933, Virginia Apgar graduated fourth in her class from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and became the fifth woman to hold a surgical internship at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York. In 1935, at the end of the internship, she realized that there were few opportunities for a female surgeon. In the middle of the Great Depression, few male surgeons were finding positions and bias against female surgeons was high. Career Apgar transferred to the relatively new medical field of anesthesiology, and spent 1935-37 as a resident in anesthesiology at Columbia University, the University of Wisconsin, and Bellevue Hospital, New York. In 1937, Virginia Apgar became the 50th physician in the US certified in anesthesiology. In 1938, Apgar was appointed Director of the Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center - the first woman to head a department at that institution. From 1949-1959, Virginia Apgar served as professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In that position she was also the first female full professor at that University and the first full professor of anesthesiology at any institution. The Agpar Score System In 1949, Virginia Apgar developed the Apgar Score System (presented in 1952 and published in 1953), a simple five-category observation-based assessment of newborn health in the delivery room, which became widely used in the United States and elsewhere. Before the  use of this system, delivery room attention was largely focused on the mothers condition, not the infants, unless the infant was in obvious distress. The Apgar Score looks at five categories, using Apgars name as a mnemonic: Appearance (skin color)Pulse (heart rate)Grimace (reflex irritability)Activity (muscle tone)Respiration (breathing) While researching the systems effectiveness, Apgar noted that cyclopropane as an anesthetic for the mother had a negative effect on the infant, and as a result, its use in labor was discontinued. In 1959, Apgar left Columbia for Johns Hopkins, where she earned a doctorate in public health, and decided to change her career. From 1959-67, Apgar served as head of division of congenital malformations National Foundation - the March of Dimes organization - , which she helped refocus from polio to birth defects. From 1969-72, she was the director of basic research for the National Foundation, a job that included lecturing for public education. From 1965-71, Apgar served on the board of trustees at  Mount Holyoke College. She also served during those years as a lecturer at Cornell University, the first such medical professor in the United States to specialize in birth defects. Personal Life and Legacy In 1972, Virginia Apgar published Is My Baby All Right?, co-written with Joan Beck, which became a popular parenting book. In 1973, Apgar lectured at Johns Hopkins University, and from 1973-74, she was the senior vice president for medical affairs, National Foundation. In 1974, Virginia Apgar died in New York City. She never married, saying I havent found a man who can cook. Apgars hobbies included music (violin, viola, and cello), making musical instruments, flying (after age 50), fishing, photography, gardening, and golf. Awards and Accolades Four honorary degrees (1964-1967)Ralph Walders Medal, American Society of AnesthesiologistsGold Medal of Columbia UniversityWoman of the Year, 1973, Ladies Home JournalAmerican Academy of Pediatrics prize named after  herMount Holyoke College created an academic chair in her name

Contract Law in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contract Law in UK - Essay Example Once a certain matter has been decided by a higher court applying the rules and law laid down through the ordinance affecting that particular issue, then for lower courts it will become a precedent to be followed, save in some conditions when the facts of two cases can be distinguished by the lower court. There is two-fold relationship between the two. Once a law has been drafted and implemented in the form of ordinance then it is for the courts to decide cases in the light of the existing law. But sometimes when there are certain loop holes in the law or some kind of ambiguity is there then the court can adjudicate over that matter and it becomes a precedent decision to be followed by the lower courts and executive too. An ordinance once drafted and notified by the govt. becomes a law and if it concerns commercial law then it automatically becomes a source as from then on the business activities has to conducted according to the new or amended rules laid down by that particular ordi nance. Similarly, when a higher court for e.g. the supreme court gives a decision on a commercial dispute and in the process gives a new interpretation to the law applicable to it and gives a new meaning to it then from thereon it becomes a precedent for the lower courts and the executive to follow and can be considered as a source of commercial law for that matter. 2) The Central London Properties v. High Trees House case is based on the English Contract Law and is based on the doctrine of Promissory Estoppels. The brief facts of the case are Central London Property Trust (CLPT) owned a block of flats which it leased -- for 2250 pa -- to High Trees Ltd (HT), Due to the resultant war the occupancy was low and HT negotiated with CLPT to reduce the cost of the lease to 1250 pa for the period 1940-1945. It was done. But after the war was finished the demand increased again and there was hundred percent occupancy. CLPT sued HT for the full cost of the lease, as per the original agreement. However, the Court dismissed the petition on the rule of Promissory Estoppel, which means that one party to a Contract indicates in certain terms to the second party that he (the first party) will not insist on his full rights under the contract, and based upon that promise the second party does or abstains from doing a certain act. The Second Party after making a certain promise can not go back and claim its full rights. The Court applied the above principle in this case and said that the agreement to reduce the rent was a promise between both parties and subsequent to that HT has acted on that promise, now at this stage CLPT can not be allowed to claim all its rights according to the original agreement as HT has already acted on the promise given by CLPT and it will be subject to Promissory Estoppel. 3) In this case there was a contract between Claudine who operates an import /export company in Tsuen Wan and a transport services company KCR through its manager for a load of a client's furnishing supplies to be sent by train to Guang Zhou. Though nothing was mentioned on the written contract about when the journey will be made but according the principles of contract law where, by the contract, a promisor is to perform his promise without application by the promise, and no time for performance is specified, the engagement must be performed within a reasonable time. In

Family Business and Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Family Business and Business Management - Essay Example Many of the world’s leading publicly listed corporations are operating under the category of family business. For instance, corporate giants like Walmart, Samsung Group, Tata Group, and Foxconn are some of the well-known family businesses in the globe.   From the viewpoint of the family business consultant Schneider, there are eight major elements including purpose, structure, organizational culture and relationships rewards to shareholders, potential mechanisms in the organization, leadership, strategic and operational performance outcomes, and financial performance outcomes influencing the development of a healthy family business (para 4). The purpose is the factor determining the existence and long term sustainability of a family business. The major reason for the failure of many family businesses is that there exists ambiguity and lack of agreement on the vision, priorities, and goals of the business. Hence, a healthy family business will be characterized by clearly stated business goals and priorities. In addition, it is commonly seen that many family business ventures do not survive beyond the generation of the founders due to lack of foresightedness. In contrast to this, a strong family business will have a well-defined family philosophy that facilitates the continuation of the business beyond generations and sets a framework for the future operations of the company. According to Schneider, â€Å"structure is the architecture of grouping people in the family business† (para 5). The author continues that the structure of the family business has to necessarily fit the purpose and the current environment of the business.

Market fragmentation Essay Example for Free

Market fragmentation Essay Because the PLC (product life cycle) focuses on what is happening to particular product or brand rather than on what is happening to the overall market, it yields a product-oriented picture rather than a market-oriented picture. Firms need to visualize a market’s evolutionary path as it is affected by new needs, competitors, technology, channels, and other developments. In the course of a product’s or brand’s existence, its positioning must change to keep pace with market developments. Consider the case of Lego. LEGO Group. Lego Group, the Danish toy company, enjoyed a 72 percent global market share of the construction toy market; but children were spending more of their spare time with video games, computers, and television and less time with traditional toys. So Lego recognized the need to change or expand its market space. It redefined its market space as â€Å"family edutainment†, which included toys, education, interactive technology, software, computers, and consumer electronics. All involved exercising the mind and having fun. Part of LEGO Group’s plan is to capture an increasing share of customer spending as children become young adults and then parents. Stages in Market Evolution Like products, markets evolve through four stages: emergence, growth, maturity, and decline. EMERGENCE. Before a market materializes, it exists as a latent market. For example, for centuries people have wanted faster means of calculation. This need was successively satisfied through abacuses, slide rules, and large adding machines. Suppose an entrepreneur recognizes this need and imagines a technological solution in the form of a small, handheld electronic calculator. He now has to determine the product attributes, including physical size and number of mathematical functions. Because he is market-oriented, he interviews potential buyers. He finds that target customers vary greatly in their preferences. Some want a four-function calculator (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) and others want more functions (calculating percentages, square roots, and logs). Some want a small hand calculator and others want a large one. This type of market, in which buyer preferences scatter evenly, is called a diffused-preference market. The entrepreneur’s problem is to design an optimal product for this market. He or she has three options: 1. The new product can be design to meet the preferences of one of the corners of the market (a single-niche strategy). 2. Two or more products can be simultaneously launched to capture two or more parts of the market (a multiple-niche strategy). 3. The new product can be design for the middle of the market (a mass-market strategy). For small firms, a single-niche strategy makes the most sense. A small firm does not have the resources for capturing and holding the mass-market. A large firm might go after the mass-market by designing a product that is medium in size and number of functions. A product in the center minimizes the sum of the distances of existing preferences from the actual product, thereby minimizing total dissatisfaction. Assume that the pioneer firm is large and designs its product for the mass market. On launching the product, the emergence stage begins. GROWTH. If the new product sells well, new firms will enter the market, ushering in a market-growth stage. Where will a second firm enter the market, assuming that the first firm established itself in the center? The second firm has three options: 1. It can position its brand in one of the corners (single-niche strategy). 2. It can position its brand next to the first competitor (mass-market strategy). 3. It can launch two or more products in different, unoccupied corners (multiple-niche strategy). If the second firm is small, it is likely to avoid head-on competition with the pioneer and to launch its brand in one of the market corners. If the second firm is large, it might launch its brand in the center against the pioneer. The two firms can easily end up sharing the mass market; or a large second firm can implement a multiniche strategy and surround and box in the pioneer. MATURITY. Eventually, the competitors cover and serve all the major market segments and the market enters the maturity stage. In fact, they go further and invade each other’s segments, reducing everyone’s profit in the process. As market growth slows down, the market splits into finer segments and high market fragmentation occurs. This situation is illustrated in figure 11.8(a) where the letters represent different companies supplying various segments. Note that two segments are unserved because they are too small to yield a profit. Market fragmentation is often followed by a market consolidation caused by the emergence of a new attribute that has strong appeal. Market consolidation took place in the toothpaste market when PG introduced Crest, which effectively retarded dental decay. Suddenly, toothpaste brands that claimed whitening power, cleaning power, and sex appeal, taste, or mouthwash effectiveness were pushed into the corners because consumers primarily wanted dental protection. Crest won a lion’s share of the market, as shown by the X territory in Figure 11.8(b). Figure 11.8 (a and b) Market Fragmentation and Market Consolidation Strategies However, even a consolidated market condition will not last. Other companies will copy a successful brand, and the market will eventually splinter again. Mature markets swing between fragmentation and consolidation. The fragmentation is brought about by competition, and the consolidation is brought about by innovation. DECLINE. Eventually, demand for the present products will begin to decrease, and the market will enter the decline stage. Either society’s total need level declines or a new technology replaces the old. Thus an entrepreneur might invent a mouth-rinse liquid that is superior to toothpaste. In this case, the old technology will eventually disappear and a new life cycle will emerge. AN EXAMPLE: THE PAPER-TOWEL MARKET. Consider the evolution of the paper-towel market. Originally, homemakers used cotton and linen dishcloths and towels in their kitchens. A paper company, looking for new markets, developed paper towels. This development crystallized a latent market. Other manufacturers entered the market. The number of brands proliferated and created market fragmentation. Industry overcapacity led manufacturers to search for new features. One manufacturer, hearing consumers complain that paper towels were not absorbent, introduced â€Å"absorbent† towels and increased its market share. This market consolidation did not last long because competitors came out with their own versions of absorbent paper towels. The market fragmented again. Then another manufacturer introduced a â€Å"superstrength† towel. It was soon copied. Another manufacturer introduced a â€Å"lint-free† paper towel, which was subsequently copied. Thus paper towels evolved from a single product to one with various absorbencies, strengths, and applications. Market evolution was driven by the forces of innovation and competition. Dynamics of Attribute Competition Competition produces a continuous round of new product attributes. If a new attribute succeeds, several competitors soon offer it. To the extent that many airlines serve inflight meals, meals are no longer a basis for air-carrier choice. Customer expectations are progressive. This fact underlines the strategic importance of a maintaining the lead in introducing new attributes. Each new attribute, if successful, creates a competitive advantage for the firm, leading to temporarily higher-than-average market share and profits. The market leader must learn to routinize the innovation process. Can a firm look ahead and anticipate the succession of attributes that are likely to win favour and be technologically feasible? How can the firm discover new attributes? There are four approaches. 1. A customer-survey process: the company asks consumers what benefits they would like added to the product and their desire level for each. The firm also examines the cost of developing each new attribute and likely competitive responses. 2. An intuitive process: entrepreneurs get hunches and undertake product development without much marketing research. Natural selection determines winners and losers. If a manufacturer has intuited an attribute that the market wants, that manufacturer is considered smart or lucky. 3. A dialectical process: innovators should not march with the crowd. Thus blue jeans, starting out as an expensive clothing article, over time became fashionable and more expensive. This unidirectional movement, however, contains the seeds of its own destruction. Eventually, the price falls again or some manufacturer introduces another cheap material for pants. 4. A needs-hierarchy process: (Maslow’s theory). We would predict that the first automobiles would provide basic transportation and be designed for safety. Later, automobiles would start appealing to social acceptance and status needs. Still later, automobiles would be design to help people â€Å"fulfil† themselves. The innovator’s task is to assess when the market is ready to satisfy a higher-order need. The actual unfolding of new attributes in a market is more complex than simple theories suggest. We should not underestimate the role of technology and societal processes. For example, the strong consumer wish for portable computers remained unmet until miniaturization technology was sufficiently developed. Developments such as inflation, shortages, environmentalism, consumerism, and new lifestyles lead consumers to re-evaluate product attributes. Inflation increases the desire for a smaller car, and a desire for car safety increases the desire for a heavier car. The innovator must use marketing research to gauge the demand potency of different attributes in order to determine the company’s best move. Summary: * Each stage of the PLC calls for different marketing strategies. The introduction stage is marked by slow growth and minimal profits. If successful, the product enters a growth stage marked by rapid sales growth and increasing profits. There follows a maturity stage in which sales growth slows and profit stabilize. Finally, the product enters a decline stage. The company’s task is to identify the truly weak products; develop a strategy for each one; and finally, phase out weak products in a way minimizes the hardship to company profits, employees, and customers. * Like products, market evolves through four stages: emergence, growth, maturity, and decline.

The Man Named Arnold :: essays research papers fc

Joyce Carol Oates’ â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† tells us about the life of Connie who has no guidance in life, because her family has not provided any moral support to help through her teenage life. She only knows about popular culture and not the consequences that comes with it. Without proper direction to face problems, Connie is confronted by Arnold Friend who has a plan to do some grotesque things to her. This encounter between them causes a power struggle between them that provides Connie downfall toward potential death. Arnold’s proclaimed supernatural ability controls and manipulates Connie’s mind and spirituality to strip her of any dignity that exists within.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Arnold had â€Å"a special interest in Connie† to carry his deed in taking her soul or something from her (619). He has knowledge about everything Connie is involved, because he has devil like qualities to take control of her destiny. A lack of experience to face problems or people like Arnold can affect the thought process into making a logical decision therefore doing things without knowing what will happen at the end. Arnold’s presence provides a dominant feeling to Connie who does not know Arnold’s intentions. He takes advantage of pop culture to find out how to get to her though music, clothes, and boys. Arnold was somewhat outdated to the time, but he was still close enough to trick Connie into thinking he was a teenage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bennett 2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Connie can not possibly be prepared for what Arnold has in store for her, since she was not properly taught about having morals. The family did not have any strong ties with each other to protect Connie from any harm. She decided to â€Å"stay home alone† to avoid any conflicts with her family (617). When Arnold comes, she is drawn to him physically causing him to know that she is under his control. There is no hope for Connie since she does not know what to do about Arnold. How can this situation be avoided without a strong knowledge of the opposition? This was a question that never came into the mind of Connie. The only thing she was really worrying about was what was Arnold going to do if she did not go with him. Connie is scared to the fact that she can not believe this is happening to her. This does not happen in popular culture and music, but it happens in reality.

Salman Rushdie

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is unarguably one of the most controversial contemporary English novelist. His novelistic sensibility is individualistic and entrepreneurial, making him a literary risk-taker even at the age of 58. He hates all orthodoxies-religious as well as literary. His literary iconoclasm has won him a distinguished place in pantheons of worlds contemporary writers. Whereas his religious iconoclasm has made him an infamous figure amongst the Muslims worldwide. He stands for free speech in writings. His novels are often political statements. ‘The Satanic Verses’ brought this Indian born Muslim uthor violent ire from Muslim world. The novel was interpreted as blasphemous and an insult to prophet Muhammad. Overnight Rushdie became an iconoclast for his blasphemy. It was the first instant in modern times that a government had issued a death sentence ‘ fatwa, in Islamic fashion’ to a foreign national. And the censorship on this novel by the Islamic c ountries caused much international diplomatic crisis. The Western and the Muslim world was now culturally divided. The core value of ‘ freedom of expression ‘ was pitted against the ‘intolerance for insult to Prophet. Muhammad’ , the messiah of Muslims. The novels of Salman Rushdie evoked much controversy even before The Satanic Verses. Rushdie as a writer played the role of an ‘antagonist to the state. ’ Many have called Rushdie an intellectual who criticizes or ridicules nearly everything. It is this intellectual daring that offends and embitters people. His books attack and revile the Gandhis and modern India, the leadership in Pakistan,American foreign policy,fundamentalist Islam and Britain et al . He critisizes the West for their social, cultural and political colonialism. His ttacks come with his charecteristic non-chalance, typical of him. If Rushdies views are to be interpreted, ‘ insults’ are justified as a part of artistic freedom which should ensure liberty to ‘offend’ cherished beliefs. Rushdie is a self-confessed aposta te. This further provokes the ire of Muslim clerics. This essay begins by assuming that ‘intellectualism’ is not an end in itself and therefore should be sensitized to the needs of global audience. Reason in art should not evoke passions, else, it shall defeat it’s own purpose. An artists reason should be in harmony with his own passion for art. In ‘Kahlil Gibran’s’ words , a man’s reason and passion are the rudder and sails of the seafaring soul. If either of them is broken he can but toss and drift or be at standstill in mid-seas. There is even a school of thought advocating ‘Art for art’s sake’. Politicizing art has it’s own perils . A political statement made through a literary or artistic work in truth further divides the society. History is replete with examples of civil unrest caused when artist makes a political statement through his work of art. Hence, the people are ‘right to be offended’ by Rushdies novels. However, Rushdies novels have often offended people because of misinterpretation or rumors. He has been considered to be siding with the West instead of the Islamic Orientalists. The language of the book ‘ English’ was a matter controversy. His novels have been considered to be based upon flights of literary imagination, subjectivity and unscientific facts. Hence there have been numerous complaints about the novels inaccuracies; lack of critical appraisals and historical research. The Muslim world limits free speech as a part of it’s religious ethics and ethos. They are not yet prepared for he concept of free speech and blasphemy against religion. The gulf between the Christian West and Muslim Middle-East remains and has Historical roots mentioned in the holy books like Bible and Qur’an. Hence any artistic work by an individual iconoclast might be considered as a war propaganda of America and Britain against Islam. What adds fuel to this fire is that despit e the passionate protests by the Muslim world many Western governments didn’t ban The Satanic Verses. The Western media widened the gulf between the Muslim protesters and Rushdies supporters. Far from peace making efforts it spiced the affair. Rushdie earned $ 2 million USD in the first year of publication of ‘The Satanic Verses’. The ‘ Fatwa’ ,bans and international protests only gave Rushdie more publicity. The public got the much wanted spice. The West has become immune to taboo and sacrilege. Blasphemy is nothing new. Many controversial and dangerous works of art are freely available in the West. Blasphemy against Jesus doesn’t shock the West anymore. The Nazi holocaust portrayed in many films sells defying controversies. There is much cynicism in the West. Perhaps a consequence of too much progress with materialism. Consequentially, there is utter disregard to human sensitivities. The West just can not understand the cultural apparatus in which the Muslims are brought up. Islam is most sacred to them. Satanic Verses thus caused hurt and anger to the Muslims. The media too turned away from the Muslims during and after the Rushdie Affair. Muslims felt estranged and isolated. The West gauges other societies with their ability to assimilate into their own society. Muslims were portrayed as narrow- minded ‘fanatics’ and ‘fundamentalists’ because they were ‘anti-democratic’ and ‘anti- liberal’. After the Rushdie Affair the anti-Islamic sentiment was reborn in the West. The anti-Islamic tradition has been depicted in Western literature even in the Medieval period. Rushdie offended the Muslims with direct derogatory references to Prophet Mohammad and his companions. The texts in his novel ‘ The Satanic references ‘ cast aspersion on the chastity of the supremely revered prophet Muhammad. He rebukes the Muslim society to the extent of calling it Jahil ( Ignorant). Western critiques use their own yardsticks to measure Muslim reactions and literary attacks on them. Muslims have been ontinually offended by Rushdie. Adding insult to injury his publishing company, Random House, announced publishing a new paperback edition of The Satanic Verses on April the 7th 1998; the day Muslims celebrate Eid Ul-Adha, the holiest day of the Islamic calendar ( Abdul Adil's article ‘Rushdie Provokes Muslims', The Muslim News, 24th April 1998). Rushdies adventures with the pen don’t end up with ‘The Satanic Verses’. He paints a dismal and grotesque picture of Pakistan. Many orthodox patriotic Pakistani Muslims would protest it. He describes Pakistan as being caught between bscurity and march towards modernism. In the novel ‘Shame’ he makes a mockery of the political turmoil, military coups, corruption and censorship on art in Pakistan. In his characteristic style he chooses the characters of his novels based upon real life political figures. He writes political satires that insensitively ridicule these political figures and the political establishments themselves. In ‘The Moor’s Last Sigh’ Salman Rushdie lashes at Hindu fanaticism. Rushdies ‘Hindu fanatic character’ is convinced of eliminating Muslims from India. Bombay bursts into flames of communal riots. He comments Bombay is no more the city of his youth days – the bustling metropolis. He now describes it as a city of religious fanatics and mafia dons. The book is about the countries departing from harmless and innocent way of life. In the novel the downfall of a family portrays the downfall of a nation. The Rushdie compares Hindu fundamentalism with the Nazi racist ideology justifying minority genocide. Rise in Hindu fervor, popularly known as ‘the saffron surge’ can be considered as a representation of a Hindu political stance. His comparative analysis with Nazism in World War –2 Germany is taking things a little bit too far. This might offend many Hindu conservatives. In this way Rushdie exaggerates the spurt in Hindu activism to the extent of being destructive to India as a secular nation. In ‘Midnight’s Children’ he accuses Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India of assuring the Hindu majority vote by appropriating the images of Hindu Goddesses. He accuses right wing Hindu’s of distorting History and accuses them of taking revenge from History. He criticizes all political parties in India on some or the other ground and spares none. Conclusion : Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the people are right in being offended by Rushdies novels. He doesn’t censor his own flamboyant spirit as a writer. His personal dislikes bias his literary works. Iconoclasm should be ventured if it is tolerable. Rushdies daring intellectual attacks in his literary works reflect his insensitivity towards peoples core beliefs. What offends people even more is that he doesn’t regret the damage that people assume he causes. Perhaps he is too ahead of the people in time. A fact that he himself doesn’t realize. The gulf between the liberal West and the predominantly Oriental. East can’t be bridged overnight. Especially not with a few strokes of the pen. In an ideological conflict between these two rival parties other groups with vested interests make gains. For example : the Western media, the oil companies etc. 9/11 and it’s aftermath have heightened the tension and sensitivity in the relations between the West and the Muslim world. In this scenario his novels could be even more offensive. They could act as catalysts and trigger violent protests. The 9/11 terrorist attack has once again opened the wounds and the scars left by crusades in the course of History. Rushdie is anti-establishment. He has to take this stance as he is by nature against all orthodoxies. His works are political statements in themselves. The political satires he writes win him political ire. He makes rivals not only out of individuals and groups but also out of political establishments. Even the purpose of his intellectual activity, journey and destination are unknown. Sheer intellectual activity leads nowhere. Intellect is like a knife that cuts both ways. It hurts both the parties. The sea of life can be crossed only in an arc of faith.

The Yanomamo and the Fierce Anthropologist

The Fierce Anthropologists The controversy revolving the tribe of the Yanomamo and the professionals linked to anthropology has caught the world’s attention. Rapid and unforeseeable events have set the tone for the controversy. The study of these Amazonian Indians, who live in regions of the Venezuela and Brazil border, has turned in western exploitation. Accusations about of unethical anthropologist are abundant, but little facts about such accusations are evident. The grand attention that these events have attained has turned into a focus on larger issues in anthropological practices.By comparing the approach and relationships of other research projects, we can identify just ethical standards. Most of the controversy stems from the publications about the Yanomamo tribe by anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon. His 1968 volume Yanomamo: The Fierce People made the tribe famous due to good writing and extensive interaction with one of the most isolated people on the planet. But ultim ately, the way that he portrayed them–violent and fierce–is what attracted wide audiences.Much of his books and his video productions are centralized around the theme that the Yanomamo have an immutable trait of violence. According to Chagnon, he collected data, interacted with opposing Yanomamo villages, and received testimony to arrive to his findings. His researched was very lucrative; his book sold more than 4 million copies, which is well beyond the average of other ethnographies. He not only gained financial benefits, he began to be praised and attacked by people around the globe. People accused Chagnon of exaggerating the fact that violence is a part of their culture.For instance, French anthropologist Jacques Lizot, who lived with the Yanomamo for more than twenty years, said that violence is periodic; it does not govern their social life for long periods of time. It is worth noting that Lizot was accused of homosexual acts with young Yanomamo and distributing guns. Others, like Kenneth Good, accused Chagnon of sensationalizing violence, which he elaborated in his book, New Yorkers: The Mugging and Murdering People. He explains that just because violence occurs within the Yanomamo, does not mean they should all be generalized as violent.Good also received backlash for his research because he married a young Yanomamo girl, whom he now has three children with. Another compelling argument came from the studies of Brian Ferguson. He identified Chagnon’s representation of violence as a historical situation. He states that there is a spike in violence during contact with Westerners. As it relates to Chagnon, because he brought western manufactured goods, such as steel and iron tools, he disrupted trading relationships, which lead to inter-village violence for the unequal access of those scarce and desired tools.Among all the accusers, journalist Patrick Tierney gave the controversy the most attention. Tierney’s book, Darkness in E l Dorado: How Scientist and Journalist Devastated the Amazon, explored the affects of Yanomamo’s exposure to the outside world. Published in 2000, the book accuses Chagnon of misrepresenting the Yanomamo as fierce people, being responsible for warfare by interrupting trading relationships, staging film scenes, fabricating data, giving unsupported claims of being the first to contact with the Yanomamo, violating Venezuelan law, and overall unethical practices.The next set of accusations involves geneticist James Neel, who joined Chagnon in the fieldwork of the Yanomamo in 1968. He accuses Neel of helping the measles epidemic worsen because he provided outdated vaccines and misadvised the Yanomamo, which resulted in the deaths of thousands. Many of these accusations were prevalent since Chagnon’s work in the 1960’s, but Tierney’s publication brought them together for mainstream audiences. Subsequently, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) was comp elled to launch an investigation on the controversy.After investigating the abundant accusations, the AAA exonerated Neel from worsening or causing the measles epidemic, found insufficient evidence to charge Chagnon with all of Tierney’s accusation, but did find that he did not have the Yanomamo’s best interest in mind. It is undisputed that this controversy is repelling. Even if all of the accusations were false, the mere accusations show that ethical standards were broken. Surprisingly, the controversy does reap some positive consequences; it encourages personnel–within and outside the field–to consider the appropriate standards that anthropologist should be held to.Ethical questions arise, such as: how an anthropologist explains and gains consent from the targeted group, what is just compensation, or the dynamics and limits of ‘doing no harm’ to the subjects. The unbalance of power between the anthropologist from developed societies and th eir isolated subjects is a relationship that needs to be treated with delicacy to avoid exploitation. We can compare the relationship that researcher and filmmaker John Marshall had with the Juhoansi people of the Kalahari Desert for ethical analysis.John Marshall first went to the Kalahari in 1950 and researched the Juhoansi for fifty years thereafter. His relationship with the Juhoansi was one of friendships. He, alike other anthropologist, compensated the Juhoansi for their cooperation with western goods, but he did not stop there. During one of Marshall’s visits, he found the Juhoansi living in government settlements, which provided food relief and low wage jobs, but also inflicted alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and the lack of independence.In the late 1970’s, Marshall began to advocate for more water access and agricultural opportunity from the government. Because there was such a significant interruption to the traditional way of Juhoansi life, desired changes beset different challenges. Marshall justly compensated the Juhoansi and kept their best interest in mind to avoid causing harm to them. The latter characteristic is one that is of greatest importance because harm can come in direct and indirect ways that are temporary or permanent.The American Anthropological Association standard, labeled the ‘do no harm’ rule, is one that anthropologist often have little ability to prevent. At bare minimum, anthropologists almost always interrupt a group’s way of life when doing research and compensating with goods that are scarce to their environments. Interruptions in general, require adjustment and adaption, and when dealing with groups that have customs and traditions that have not changed for possibly hundreds of years, those adjustments are problematic and often prove to be vitally harmful.For instance, Chagnon’s and other Yanomamo researchers brought western goods and weapons into their community, which created a n interruption in trading and likely contributed to their state of warfare. Further, John Marshall also unintentionally created a significant interruption when his tire tracks that he created during his visits facilitated the contact with government entities, which ultimately changed most of the Juhoansi traditional ways of life.The difference between the two examples is that Marshall actually returned and improved their situation by advocating to their interests. Chagnon not only used more coercive techniques in gaining cooperation, there is also no trace of tangible efforts made to improve the harm he contributed to in the Yanomamo community. If the AAA standards were altered to ‘do not harm only while researching’ or compensate for cooperation, little ethical analysis would be needed, but that is not the case. Doing no harm to the group is indefinite and needs to be examined even after research is complete.Additionally, a â€Å"just† amount of compensation mea ns that it needs to be fair, not just in the context of the region researched, but also that of the western entities benefiting from it; i. e. ten machetes given to the Yanomamo for an ethnography research is not equivalent $500k and advancement in the anthropologist respective career. Alike the Yanomamo, the Juhoansi continue to face challenges due to outside interference. However, their interference mostly comes form governmental entities, and the Juhoansi have been assisted by Marshall and treated ethically by other anthropologists, like Richard Lee.On the other hand, the Yanomamo face problems from miners camping in their territories, destruction of the environment by mining and other outside forces, along with other governmental issues, but it is also clear that the Yanomamo have been significantly exploited by the western world. This could be because of the lack of oversight and/or due to little ethical standards. In any case, these unfortunate chain of events should serve a g reater purpose to the ethical standards of practicing anthropologist and aspiring students.

Gabriela Mistral Essay Example

Gabriela Mistral Essay Example Gabriela Mistral Essay Gabriela Mistral Essay Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) Gabriela Mistral was the first Latin American woman to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. She was born in Vicuna in northern Chile in 1889. Her parents were Petronila Alcayaga, a school teacher of Basque descent and Jeronimo Godoy Alcayaga Villanueva, a vagabond poet and school teacher of Indian and Jewish ancestry. Mistrals birth name was Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. Lucila and her older sister Emelina were raised in Montegrande by their mother after the father deserted them when Lucila was three years old. At the age of nine, Lucila started attending school, but did so for only three years. At school she discovered her love of poetry and started writing her own poems. She also assumed the name Gabriela Mistral. She continued her education at home with the help of her sister who was a teacher and who encouraged Gabriela to become a teacher as well. At age sixteen she moved to La Cantera to take a job and fell in love with a young railway worker. The relationhip didnt last and two years later the young man committed suicide. The only item found in his posession was a postcard from Mistral. This affected her deeply and she wrote Sonetas de la Muerte (Sonnets of Death) to express her feelings. : After receiving a diploma in 1912 which allowed her to teach secondary school, Mistral obtained a teaching position near Santiago. Soon she was able to publish some of her poems in various periodicals and entered Chilean literary circles. She published three poems from Sonnets of Death in 1914 for which she won a national prize in poetry. In 1918, she was appointed director of a secondary school for girls located in rural Punta Arenas. The rough terrain of Punta Arenas became an inspiration for a series of poems entitled Patagonian Landscapes. In 1922 Mistral accepted the invitation of Jose Vasconcelos, the Mexican minister of education, to start educational programs for the poor in Mexico. She introduced mobile libraries to rural areas to make access to literature easier for everyone. Later, she edited a book of poetry and prose entitled Readings for Women. In addition, she traveled to other countries to study their methods of teaching. In 1923, Mistral was awarded the title Teacher of the Nation by her own government. In 1922, she published the first volume of her collected poems entitled Desolacion (Desolation). In it she expressed her feelings toward pain and death. Ternura (Tenderness), published in 1925, was a collection of poetry for children which celebrated the joys of birth and motherhood. Her later collections were Questions (1930) and Tala (1938). She also wrote fables and continued publishing in periodicals. The dominant themes in her poetry were love, death, childhood, maternity, religion and the beauty of nature and of her native land. She also had a burning desire for justice. As Mistral was becoming famous, she was asked to attend conferences and make speeches. She became Chiles representative abroad for almost twenty years, including at the League of Nations, at the United Nations and in various consulates. Evenutally, Mistral settled in the United States and taught at Middlebury and Barnard colleges and at the University of Puerto Rico. In 1945, Gabriela Mistral was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. She accepted it on behalf of Latin America. Her poetry has now been translated into other foreign languages, including English, French, Italian, German and Swedish. Gabriela Mistral died in the U. S. in 1957. Her body was flown to Chile and she was buried in Montegrande. [pic]

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Quotes on Women, Equality Life

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Quotes on Women, Equality Life One of the best-known of the mothers of woman suffrage, Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped organize the 1848 womans rights convention in Seneca Falls, where she insisted on leaving in a demand for the vote for women despite strong opposition, including from her own husband. Stanton worked closely with Susan B. Anthony, writing many of the speeches which Anthony traveled to deliver. Selected Elizabeth Cady Stanton Quotations We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.Truth is the only safe ground to stand upon.But when at last woman stands on an even platform with man, his acknowledged equal everywhere, with the same freedom to express herself in the religion and government of the country, then, and not until then, will he be able to legislate as wisely and generously for her as for himself.The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice.The happiest people I have known have been those who gave themselves no concern about their own souls, but did their uttermost to mitigate the miseries of others.I am always busy, which is perhaps the chief reason why I am always well.Whatever the theories may be of womans dependence on man, in the supreme m oments of her life he can not bear her burdens. (from Solitude of Self) Nature never repeats herself, and the possibilities of one human soul will never be found in another. (from Solitude of Self)Because man and woman are the complement of one another, we need womans thought in national affairs to make a safe and stable government.Woman will always be dependent until she holds a purse of her own.A mind always in contact with children and servants, whose aspirations and ambitions rise no higher than the roof that shelters it, is necessarily dwarfed in its proportions.It requires philosophy and heroism to rise above the opinion of the wise men of all nations and races.Womanhood is the great fact in her life; wifehood and motherhood are but incidental relations.Women have crucified the Mary Wollstonecrafts, the Fanny Wrights, and the George Sands of all ages. Men mock us with the fact and say we are ever cruel to each other.Men say we are ever cruel to each other. Let us end this ignoble record and henceforth stand by womanhood. If Victoria Woodhull must b e crucified, let men drive the spikes and plait the crown of thorns. So long as women are slaves, men will be knaves.It would be ridiculous to talk of male and female atmospheres, male and female springs or rains, male and female sunshine . . . . how much more ridiculous is it in relation to mind, to soul, to thought, where there is as undeniably no such thing as sex, to talk of male and female education and of male and female schools. [written with Susan B. Anthony]To throw obstacles in the way of a complete education is like putting out the eyes.The prejudice against color, of which we hear so much, is no stronger than that against sex. It is produced by the same cause, and manifested very much in the same way. The negros skin and the womans sex are both prima facie evidence that they were intended to be in subjection to the white Saxon man.Women of all classes are awakening to the necessity of self-support, but few are willing to do the ordinary useful work for which they are fitted.The heyday of womans life is the shady side of fifty.I think if wo men would indulge more freely in vituperation, they would enjoy ten times the health they do. It seems to me they are suffering from repression. [at the 1893 Parliament of the Worlds Religions] The new religion will teach the dignity of human nature and its infinite possibilities for development. It will teach the solidarity of the race that all must rise and fall as one. Its creed will be justice, liberty, equality for all the children of earth.The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of womens emancipation.The memory of my own suffering has prevented me from ever shadowing one young soul with the superstitions of the Christian religion.Among the clergy we find our most violent enemies, those most opposed to any change in womans position.I asked them why one read in the synagogue service every week the I thank thee, O Lord, that I was not born a woman. It is not meant in an unfriendly spirit, and it is not intended to degrade or humiliate women. But it does, nevertheless. Suppose the service read, I think thee, O Lord, that I was not born a jackass. Could that be twisted in any way into a compliment to the jackass? More About Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton BiographySolitude of SelfComments on Genesis: Excerpt from The Womans Bible, Stanton About These Quotes Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Â  This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not be able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote.

The High Cost of Cool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The High Cost of Cool - Essay Example It is explained in the video that what the popular culture industry does is doing â€Å"whatever works †¦ with most people† (â€Å"The MTV Machine†). The â€Å"prematurely adult† nature of both the â€Å"mook† and the â€Å"midriff† is a way of giving shape to a consumer at a youngest possible age (â€Å"The Midriff†). And on the other hand, the â€Å"mook† and â€Å"midriff† become the ultimate images of youth (â€Å"The Midriff†). These two terminologies have been explained in the below-given description: The â€Å"mook† is a hopelessly immature male whose grotesque and inappropriate antics are elebrated for their transgressions, whereas the â€Å"midriff† is a female sexualized beyond her years whose emotional immaturity makes her ripe for inclusion of fantasies for sexual exploration (Ladousa, 51). This self-images propagated among the youth have an influence of their own on the young people but youth culture is too complex a matter to be controlled merely by specific media-promoted self-images. But still the young people are prone to such stereotyped imagery, to an extent. Natoli has called attention to the fact that the present generation in the US has been called the â€Å"Mook and Midriff Generation† (93). Especially, the â€Å"mook† and â€Å"midriff† culture has a patriarchal message that tells a girl that â€Å"your body is your best asset† (â€Å"Midriff†). The threat that these images pose to the youth in terms of stereotyping is that â€Å"your son or daughter, and grandson or granddaughter is getting hammered with the pressure to be a mook or a midriff† (Pratt, 28). It can be seen that though the â€Å"mook† and â€Å"midriff† images are time bound, they are going to have an impact on the teenagers and the chil dren who grow up every moment exposed to the media images of