Dawes Severalty Act 1887 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dawes Severalty Act 1887 - Essay Example Those who lived in reservations were also acknowledged as Indians (Tripathy, 2006, pp.318-319). The colonial state provided rules to assess the â€Å"Indianness† of an individual for the purposes of giving grants or land allotments (Tripathy, 2006, p.318). In 1887, the government passed the Dawes Severalty Act 1887 (hereinafter called the Act), which aimed to divide Indian lands into individual or family-owned parcels of lands and this involved identifying who the Indians were, so that they could be entitled to land allotment. This essay aims to describe and to assess the Act, with respect to its impact on American Indians, specifically the Cherokees. The Dawes Severalty Act 1887, also known as the General Allotment Act, outlined procedures that aimed to divide communal Native American territories into individual or family-owned properties (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). Government agents were in charge of these allotments. This approach opened around 90% of Indian land to non- Indian settlement (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). In numerous instances, the government paid Indians a per-capita share of these lands' sales price (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). ... The Cherokees had not been greatly affected by the Act at first, although far-reaching negative results shaped their social and political organizations too. The positive effects of the policy are that it prepared families and children to think of themselves as farmers and landowners, and it also allowed proper land titling. Reformers wanted Indians to live as farmers and landowners, so that they could fit into the agricultural industry of that time (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). Unfortunately, the idea of â€Å"the Jeffersonian yeoman image† became â€Å"outdated† during the late nineteenth century, when America swiftly industrialized (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). Another positive effect of the Act is that it allowed proper land titling (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). It was easier for the government to allot lands to private owners, instead of treating large parcels of land as communal Indian territories. The Act, however, had more negative than positive effects. The A ct broke tribal governments and family relations and resulted to reduction of Indian territories. First, the Act broke traditional extended family relations, because families had to live far away from each other. Tribal leaders had to part with some of their wives and children, since their lands were divided among their children and wives (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). Second, the Act also reduced the role and power of tribal governments (Native Americas, 1997, p.20). The Bureau of Indian Affairs' publications underscored that policies like the Dawes Act aimed to curtail the functions of tribal leaders and to enhance the political power of the state over Indians. Third, the Act only opened many lands to be owned by the

Macbeth and Famous Tragedies Essay Example for Free

Macbeth and Famous Tragedies Essay Macbeth is one of the most famous tragedies of Shakespeare. It is divided into five acts focusing on Macbeth and sometimes other characters that affect Macbeth. The two main characters in the play are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who are well-developed. After Macbeth killed King Duncan of Scotland, he and his wife, Lady Macbeth, became King and Queen of Scotland. However, they did not have peaceful life as what they wanted. They always felt worried and insecure. In act five scene five, when Sayton, Macbeth’s servant, told him of Lady Macbeth’s death, he talked to himself as his response to this news. Macbeth thought that time went slowly: â€Å"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time;† The soliloquy of Macbeth means that how the days stretched out. Each day is the same as the one before and they would continue to do so until the end of time. It made Macbeth felt bored, so time perhaps went slowly to him. We could see another reason why Macbeth felt time went slowly. Actually, Macbeth is not a bad man. He loved Lady Macbeth so much. Therefore, he was convinced to be the murder of King Duncan by her so that they had the power to do whatever they wanted. Those days were yesterdays and past time of him. He wanted to come to tomorrow because each tomorrow means the last day of all yesterdays when Macbeth spent to kill people. The looking forward could make time go more slowly than it was. Beside, after Lady Macbeth to whom he spent all his love died, life for him was not meaningful any more. It also made him as well as people in the situation like him feel the days went slowly. With the great ability of using figurative language and the exquisite style of writing, Shakespeare contributed to the success of the play especially act five scene five that is best-known part of the play.

Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin Artaud :: LeRoi Jones Dutchman

Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin Artaud In LeRoi Jones's play, "Dutchman," elements of realism, naturalism and non-realism abound. The play features characters such as Clay, a twenty-year-old Negro, Lula, a thirty-year-old white woman, both white and black passengers on a subway coach, a young Negro and a conductor. All of these characters take a ride that, for each, ends with different destinations and leaves the audience to sort through the details and find conclusions themselves. In this play, Jones uses realistic, naturalistic and non-realistic elements to convey social issues such as racism in the author's own disillusioned style. Jones's portrayal is supported with the influences of Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud, whose own disillusionment enhanced their works and greatly diversified theatrical conventions. "Dutchman" is a play that should be talked about by its audience so they can take part cleanse themselves of the issues within, therefore, as many conclusions can be drawn by the individuals exposed in this play as there are numbers of people that have seen or read it. Realism and naturalism arose out of a world which was increasingly becoming scientifically advanced. Airplanes,railroads, automobiles, steamboats and communication advances such as television, radio, the telephone and the telegraph increased the speed and the amount of information that human beings can send. Realism and naturalism " . . . arose in part as responses to those new social and philosophical conditions (Cameron and Gillespie, pg. 335)." Following in a realistic style, Jones sets his play in contemporary times and in a contemporary place- the subway. Jones sets the scene with a man sitting in a subway seat while holding a magazine. Dim and flickering lights and darkness whistle by against the glass window to his right. These aesthetic adornments give the illusion of speed associated with subway travel. Realists believed that the most effective purpose of art was to improve humanity by portraying contemporary life and its problems in realistic settings. Jones depicts racism and murder in a modern setting to remind us that racism and racially motivated murders are not issues only relegated to our nation's past, nor is the issue of institutionalized racism. Jones also used non-realistic elements in his play and was probably influenced by Bertolt Brecht in doing so. Brecht once wrote that " . . . to think, or write or produce a play also means to transform society, to transform the state, to subject ideologies to close scrutiny (Goosens, 1997)." Jones was influenced by Brecht by producing a play in a revolutionary poetic style which scrutinizes ideologies of race. Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin Artaud :: LeRoi Jones Dutchman Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin Artaud In LeRoi Jones's play, "Dutchman," elements of realism, naturalism and non-realism abound. The play features characters such as Clay, a twenty-year-old Negro, Lula, a thirty-year-old white woman, both white and black passengers on a subway coach, a young Negro and a conductor. All of these characters take a ride that, for each, ends with different destinations and leaves the audience to sort through the details and find conclusions themselves. In this play, Jones uses realistic, naturalistic and non-realistic elements to convey social issues such as racism in the author's own disillusioned style. Jones's portrayal is supported with the influences of Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud, whose own disillusionment enhanced their works and greatly diversified theatrical conventions. "Dutchman" is a play that should be talked about by its audience so they can take part cleanse themselves of the issues within, therefore, as many conclusions can be drawn by the individuals exposed in this play as there are numbers of people that have seen or read it. Realism and naturalism arose out of a world which was increasingly becoming scientifically advanced. Airplanes,railroads, automobiles, steamboats and communication advances such as television, radio, the telephone and the telegraph increased the speed and the amount of information that human beings can send. Realism and naturalism " . . . arose in part as responses to those new social and philosophical conditions (Cameron and Gillespie, pg. 335)." Following in a realistic style, Jones sets his play in contemporary times and in a contemporary place- the subway. Jones sets the scene with a man sitting in a subway seat while holding a magazine. Dim and flickering lights and darkness whistle by against the glass window to his right. These aesthetic adornments give the illusion of speed associated with subway travel. Realists believed that the most effective purpose of art was to improve humanity by portraying contemporary life and its problems in realistic settings. Jones depicts racism and murder in a modern setting to remind us that racism and racially motivated murders are not issues only relegated to our nation's past, nor is the issue of institutionalized racism. Jones also used non-realistic elements in his play and was probably influenced by Bertolt Brecht in doing so. Brecht once wrote that " . . . to think, or write or produce a play also means to transform society, to transform the state, to subject ideologies to close scrutiny (Goosens, 1997)." Jones was influenced by Brecht by producing a play in a revolutionary poetic style which scrutinizes ideologies of race.

Sign Of The Crimes :: essays research papers

Sign of the crimes Members of a citizens anticrime group in Linesville, PA., have a new mystery to solve: Who stole their crime watch signs? Five signs and poles were removed from roadsides around Linesville in Crawford County. "We don't know if it was somebody trying to get even," said Ed Barker, chairman of the North Shenango Township Crime Watch chapter. "We don't think it was kids, because the signs were gone, post and all." You're under abreast Michael Copp, 18, Sheffield Lake, Ohio, was charged with stealing his mother's credit card to pay for his 18-year-old girlfriend's breast enlargement surgery. According to a police report, Copp's mother, Gaelene Pakrandt, told officers she had closed the account because her son charged $2,100 in car repair bills. Police said Copp reopened the account without his mother's knowledge after he found the card in a drawer. He charged $2,496 to the card to cover the surgery. Most items purchased with a stolen credit card are confiscated and returned by police. But this case is a little different. Death race 2000 PHILADELPHIA, PA - Tamika Ross, 26, is being held for trial on charges of the murder of Nathaniel Davis. Apparently Ross ran over Davis' hat with her car. When Davis confronted the driver a dispute erupted and Davis allegedly hit Ross. That's when the mother of five took matters into her own hands and ran him over with her car, killing him. When questioned, police quoted Ross as saying, "He hit me so I ran him down." Dead man gets 2 years A man was sentenced last week to two years in prison for faking his death three times to beat drunk driving charges. Peter C. Gentry was first arrested in 1991, but an official looking death certificate sent to authorities said he had died in a Los Angeles auto crash, and the case was dismissed. In 1994, he was arrested again and sent in another death certificate. A year later, Gentry was again arrested and supposedly died this time of "denzor hemorrhagic fever" in Africa. There is no such disease. Soul-mate! not cellmate! Karim Lackey, Philadelphia, PA was acquitted last week of fatally shooting Phillip Shirdan, 42, after his lawyer claimed that Lackey had been the victim of "mistaken identity." Two of Lackey's alibi witnesses claimed they were with him watching the "Soul Train Music Awards" on TV at the time Shirdan was killed in a lounge.

Theo Georgiades

Dramatic irony is a feature of many plays. It occurs when the development of the plot allows the audience to have more insight about what is happening than some of the characters themselves. Iago is the source of much of the dramatic irony in Othello, informing the audience of his intentions. Characters may also speak in a dramatically ironic way, saying something that points to events to come without understanding the significance of their words. The opening scene is laced with dramatic irony, all of which centres on Iago. Roderigo fails to see that a man who admits he is a self-serving conman – â€Å"I am not what I am† – might also be fooling him, and Brabantio is unaware of the aptness of his line â€Å"Thou art a villain†. Iago has exposed himself very early and we watch fascinated as he manipulates others. In Act I, Scene III, we almost admire Othello's â€Å"free and open nature†, as Shakespeare states, but we are worried that Othello is gullible enough to be taken for a ride. His choice to place his wife in Iago's care is frightening, although it shows his high opinions of him. We are given two menacing hints about the future progress of Othello's marriage when the senators leave; Brabantio warns Othello against trusting Desdemona, while the first senator tells Othello to â€Å"use Desdemona well†. These lines are examples of dramatic irony; hints to the audience about the way the plot will develop. In Act III, Scene III, Othello is under pressure from the moment he enters. He is able to order his wife, although he seems nervous throughout his dialogue with her at the start of the scene. There is acknowledgment in his line â€Å"I will deny thee nothing†, as we are very well aware that this line is very true. We might feel that Othello is already on the threshold of disaster, even before Iago's words get to him properly. As Desdemona leaves Othello says â€Å"Excellent wretch [†¦] come again† (see lines III.3.90-2). These lines suggest that Othello will be completely lost if his love is shattered. Note the two words in these lines that hint at the trouble to come: â€Å"perdition† and â€Å"chaos†. The audience will be aware of the dramatic irony of these lines. Also found in Act III; Scene IV is packed with dramatic irony. This sad scene focuses on Desdemona. Emilia's purpose in this scene is to remark on what she sees and hears. She introduces the subject of Othello's jealousy, enabling us to value just how much naive confidence Desdemona has in her husband. We quickly learn that we can rely on her judgement; Emilia accurately guesses that it is jealous thoughts which trouble Othello. Emilia is also intelligent in her description of jealousy; â€Å"It is a monster/Begot upon itself, born on itself†. Later on in the play we will see the excellence of these words. Shakespeare fills this scene with examples of alarming dramatic irony, for example Desdemona's words at lines 25-9 and 30-1. In spite of the fact that she lies to her husband about the loss of the handkerchief, we are likely to feel much sympathy for Desdemona. She does not appreciate the danger she is in, signified by her words at line 30 and is alarmed by her husband's description of the handkerchief and his repeated requests to see it. Shakespeare's play Othello is a play where dramatic irony prevails practically everywhere. The audience is not just an observer, but a kind of judge one might say, having enough information to evaluate the significance of certain words stated by characters that are none the wiser; and can therefore sit back and enjoy the art in the villain's skills aswell the excellence of Shakespeare at play.

Famous Quotations About Marriage and Married Life

Famous Quotations About Marriage and Married Life Anybody who has been in a happy marriage will confirm that the key to a happy married life lies in the bedrock of trust and friendship. Marriage spells out a lifetime of love. With trust, you can overcome all odds. Build your marriage into a rock-steady relationship with trust. For more secrets to a successful marriage, read these quotes about marriage. Quotes on Marriage HomerThere is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends. Robert C. DoddsThe goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together. Lyndon B. JohnsonOnly two things are necessary to keep ones wife happy. One is to let her think she is having her own way, the other, to let her have it. Pearl S. BuckA good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love. Rainer Maria RilkeA good marriage is that in which each appoints the other guardian of his solitude. Simone SignoretChains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. That is what makes a marriage last more than passion or even sex! SocratesMy advice to you is to get married. If you find a good wife, youll be happy; if not, youll become a philosopher. Martin LutherThere is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage Iris MurdochThe absolute yearning of one human body for another particular body and its indifference to substitutes is one of lifes major mysteries. Nanette NewmanA good marriage is at least 80 percent good luck in finding the right person at the right time. The rest is trust. Morris L. ErnstA sound marriage is not based on complete frankness; it is based on a sensible reticence. Dave MeurerA great marriage is not when the perfect couple come together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences. Helen Gahagan DouglasWhen a marriage works, nothing on earth can take its place. Paul TournierThis is what marriage really means: helping one another to reach the full status of being persons, responsible beings who do not run away from life. Mignon McLaughlinA successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Honore de BalzacOne should believe in marriage as in the immortality of the soul. Benjamin DisraeliIt destroys ones nerves to be amiable every day to the same human being. Robert AndersonIn every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage. Sydney J. HarrisAlmost no one is foolish enough to imagine that he automatically deserves great success in any field of activity, yet almost everyone believes that he automatically deserves success in marriage. George EliotThat quiet mutual gaze of a trusting husband and wife is like the first moment of rest or refuge from a great weariness or a great danger.

Blue-Ringed Octopus Essay Essays

Blue-Ringed Octopus Essay Essays Blue-Ringed Octopus Essay Paper Blue-Ringed Octopus Essay Paper The blue-ringed octopus lives in shallow reefs and tide pools in the Pacific Ocean. normally at deepnesss runing from 0 to 20m ( Sheedy and Beasley. 2003 ) . There are four sorts of blue-ringed Octopuses ( genus Hapalochlaena ) : ( 1 ) the greater blue-ringed octopus ( Hapalochlaena lunulata ) ; ( 2 ) the southern blue-ringed octopus or lesser blue-ringed octopus ( Hapalochlaena maculosa ) ; ( 3 ) the blue-lined octopus ( Hapalochlaena fasciata ) ; and ( 4 ) Hapalochlaena nierstraszi. first described in the twelvemonth 1938 from a individual specimen found in the Bay of Bengal ( Blue-Ringed Octopus. 2007 ) . The blue-ringed octopus uses its cuticular chromatophore cells to camouflage itself until it is provoked. Before it is provoked. its colour may change from dark brown to dark xanthous ( Interesting Animals ) . Once provoked. the octopus fleetly changes its colour to bright xanthous with either bluish rings or lines. The blue-ringed octopus typically hunts little pediculosis pubiss. anchorite pediculosis pubis. and runt. In add-on. the octopus is of all time ready to seize with teeth its aggressor if provoked or stepped on ( Blue-Ringed Octopus ) . Although it grows to a maximal length of 200mm when its organic structure is wholly dispersed out. and normally appears to be about the size of a golf ball. the blue-ringed octopus may kill a human being with a bite within proceedingss ( Sheedy and Beasley ) . The human being bitten by a blue-ringed octopus does non experience hurting. Rather. he or she would foremost experience nauseating. At the same clip. his or her vision would go hazy. After a few seconds. the person would turn blind. He or she would besides lose the sense of touch. besides going unable to talk or get down. Three proceedingss subsequently. the human being is expected to turn paralytic. and go unable to take a breath ( Interesting Animals ) . BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS Page # 2 The toxicant of the blue-ringed octopus is contained in its spit. The spit comes from two secretory organs. each of which is every bit large as the encephalon of the octopus. Poison from one of the secretory organs is used on the chief quarry of the blue-ringed octopus – the crab. This toxicant is comparatively harmless to human existences. The toxicant from the 2nd secretory organ is the genuinely harmful one. incorporating some maculotoxin which is a neurolysin that can turn out to be stronger than the venom of all animate beings found on land. The venom besides contains 5-hydroxytryptamine. spreading factor. tyramine. histamine. tryptamine. octopamine. taurine. acetylcholine. and Dopastat ; and is 10. 000 times more powerful than nitrile ( Blue-Ringed Octopus ; Sheedy and Beasley ) . This toxicant. of class. serves as a defence against marauders. The blue-ringed octopus is known to either secret its toxicant in the locality of the quarry. delay until the quarry is immobile before it devours its quarry ; or merely leap out and enfold the quarry in its tentacles and seize with teeth it ( Interesting Animals ) . The most toxicant octopus in the universe is a soft-bodied being. Besides like the remainder of the octopuses in the universe. it has eight weaponries or tentacles ( Interesting Animals ) . The blue-ringed octopus lives in crannies or holes ; burrows as a agency of deriving protection ; and advertises its toxicity when provoked like all other octopuses. What is more. the blue-ringed octopus hatches from an egg ( one of 60-100 at a clip ) and is about the size of a pea at the beginning of its life. This octopus grows and matures instead rapidly until it reaches its grownup size. Its life anticipation is around two old ages ( Sheedy and Beasley ) . BLUE-RINGED OCTOPUS Page # 3 Mentions 1. Blue-Ringed Octopus. ( 2007. March 11 ) . Wikipedia. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Blue-ringed_octopus. ( 15 March 2007 ) . 2. Interesting Animals. Did you cognize? Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. didyouknow. org/index. hypertext markup language. ( 15 March 2007 ) . 3. Sheedy. John. and Same Beasley. ( 2003. April 1 ) . The Blue-Ringed Octopus. Earlham College. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www. earlham. edu/~sheedjo/blue-ringedoctopus. htm. ( 15 March 2007 ) .

The Gender Differences in Conflict essays

The Gender Differences in Conflict essays The purpose of my research is to examine the differences between men and women when it comes to conflict in their relationships. I am defining a relationship as a friendship, romantic, or unromantic association. Conflict is something that is generally present at one time or another during a relationship. If a conflict is not resolved, this could lead to the dissolution of the relationship. By examining the differences in the way each gender handles conflict, conflict should be easier to overcome. Not only how each gender handles conflict, but how each perceives it as well. If there is a significant difference in the way men handle x conflict and women handle x conflict, this can be used as a tool by knowing how each other will react. Research on this topic is important because most people are involved in relationships that will go through conflict at some point in the association. No matter how educated one is, conflict is going to be an obstacle to overcome. Knowing the gender diff erences when it comes to conflict will helps us explore methods and techniques that can be used to resolve conflicts. Conflict is a natural part of a relationship. Conflicts can occur in even the healthiest relationships. Unfortunately, conflict always seems to have such a negative connotation to it. Understanding conflict can make you a better communicator in your personal relationships. Present studies suggest that women are more likely than men to assert themselves when attempting to resolve a relationship conflict (Hojjat, 2000). Men, however, tend to avoid direct conflict and engage in conflict management behaviors that range from conciliatory to avoidant (Hojjat, 2000). My belief is that this can come down to the biological innate differences within men and women. It has been suggested (Hojjat, 2000) that women can cope with conflict within the context of strong negative affects much more competently than can men. Men rec...

Fast Food Industry Marketing Towards Children Essay

Fast Food Industry Marketing Towards Children - Essay Example This essay deeple analyzes not only fast-food market and it's effects on everyday life of children, but also focuses on political and philosophical purposes of such market. The political agenda brings us to identify â€Å"problems† with capitalism: the creation of multinational conglomerates that â€Å"don’t care about its customers†. These require us to ask if the â€Å"harms† this food present morally require government regulation and censorship. Advertising, that is discussed in this essay simply does not have the coercive power which critics allege. Marketing cannot force products upon the innocent, vulnerable, and gullible children. It may be useful to distinguish the advertisement—a simple statement of words—from action in a purchase. The nature of advertising and marketing precludes any possibility of coercion when it comes to persuading children to convince their parents to buy them products which, if used in excess, can be incidental ly harmful. The blame for childhood obesity rates lies with parents and those who control what children eat. The absurdity of the claim that a corporation, constantly concerned with what is necessary for maintaining its very existence, is responsible for what children eat is so obviously absurd that it need not be discussed. In conclusion, claims about marketing to children rely on untenable philosophical doctrines like determinism, misconceptions of persuasive advertising, and mischaracterizations of the adolescent human being are discussed.

The growth diagnostic on Tunisia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

The growth diagnostic on Tunisia - Assignment Example In the end of 1987, Bourguiba was replaced by Zine el Abidine Ben Ali as the president, he had a smooth time in his government until December 2010 when nationwide protests started over the issues of high rate of unemployment, corruption by the government officials, increasing poverty and increased prices of edibles and fruits and this protest aggravated in jan’2011 which resulted in the killing of hundreds of people. Ben Ali dismissed the government on 14th January 2011 and he left the country on the same day and by the end of Jan’2011, the Prime Minister of the country announced that a National Unity Government will be formed and he announced Fouad M’Bazaa as the president of Tunisia for the interim period. Geography: It is situated in Northern Africa and it is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and it is present between Algeria and Libya. On the world map, its geographical coordinates are 34 00 N, 9 00 E. total area of Tunisia is about 163,610 square kilometer s which is comparatively larger than Georgia. It shares international boundaries with Libya and Algeria and the span of these boundaries is 459 km and 965 km respectively. Its Coastline spans about 1,148km. Climate of Tunisia is quite variable as in the northern region of the country, the winters are mild and rainy but the summers are dry and warm and in the southern region of the country, there is desert. Tunisia is a blend of hilly regions in the north and there are hot and dry plains and also the semiarid area of southern region of the country which joins the Sahara Desert. Tunisia has a lots of natural resources including petroleum, phosphates and metals like iron ore, lead and zinc. About 17% of the land of this country is used for agricultural proposes. The disposal of toxic and waste material is ineffective and poses a serious risk to the health of the community living in there. Other potential natural hazards include the pollution of the drinking water with the sewage and th ere are limited amount of fresh water reservoirs, there is a trend towards increase deforestation as well as soil erosion which results into the desertification of the country. Tunisia holds the strategic location in the central portion of the Mediterranean; nowadays, Malta and Tunisia are having mutual talks to make use of the continental shelf between the two countries especially for the exploration of natural resources like Oil. People of Tunisia: The population of Tunisia will be about 10.6 Million in July 2011 and it is 78th biggest country population wise of the world. About 70% of this population is of the productive age i.e. from 15-64 years, the population growth rate of the country will be 0.978% in 2011. The birth rate is 17.4 births/1,000 population and the death rate is 5.83 deaths per 1000 population. Urban population constitutes about 67% of the total population with 1.5% annual rate of urbanization, the major city of Tunisia is its Capital that is Tunis and its popul ation was about 759,000 in 2009. Infant mortality rate of Tunisia is around 26 deaths among every 1000 live births and the life expectancy at birth is about 75 years. As AIDS is quite a prevalent disease in Africa so for information proposes the adult prevalence of AIDS is less than 0.1% in 2009 and the total number of AIDS patients in Tunisia are about

Nevada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nevada - Essay Example Early white settlements were Spaniards headed by two Spanish explorers Father Francisco Atanasio Dominguez and Father Silvestre Velez de Escalante both were looking for the route that connects the San Buenaventura River into the Rocky Mountains down to the Pacific, however none were unearth. On the same occasion another Spanish Friar again aim to locate the route but instead find himself into Las Vegas. When Spain had befallen, Mexico ceded Nevada, this is the time when the Paiute tribes became slaves and were exported by the Mexicans. Nevada was teeming with natural resources that perhaps that is one of the motivations of the newcomers to settle in the place. Exploration had started off during 1821 when Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson's Bay Company of Great Britain and Jedediah Smith of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company followed by others entered the opposite ends of Nevada seeking new beaver ponds and the elusive river, the San Buenaventura. Several explorations aimed to locate the my sterious San Buenaventura River but none of them ever finds it. The end of the Mexican War started to be the second phase of the Great exploration towards the frontier of Nevada. The discovery of gold had further the determination of many explorers.

Metropolis by Giorgio Moroder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Metropolis by Giorgio Moroder - Essay Example With this on hand, the paper will dwell on the view of the movie as women are the source to evil, and how the role of women changed as the movie unfolds. Metropolis The movie, Metropolis, released in 1927, is based on the novel by Thea von Harbou. The movie is a silent film, which was directed by Fritz Lang, who is a German filmmaker. Metropolis was a futuristic city with airplanes, flyovers, and high rise buildings used and occupied by the higher class. This population lives with all the amenities to used and enjoy, such as sports, libraries, cinemas, and the like. On the contrary, beneath the highly urbanized city are the workers who control the functions of the machines used in Metropolis. The workers strive to survive the daily routine of hard work, darkness, and even death below the lively and well-developed city. The movie evolves on the resistance of the workers towards the master of Metropolis, Joh Fredersen. Along with this, the story escalates to the development of the love story between Freder, the son of Joh Fredersen, and Maria, a daughter of a worker who aims for freedom and equality. Freder, as the son of the master of Metropolis, has the freedom to enjoy all the goodness and luxury in life. However, one day, Maria went to the Eternal Garden and brought the children of the workers there, where Freder was also present. Freder, intrigued of the passion he saw in Maria, followed them to the underground city where he saw the laborers suffer and die. The incident that he witnessed rose his concern for the workers. For this reason, he decided to take the place of a worker and was also invited to take part in the meeting that Maria organized to bring hope to the workers. In the meeting, Maria spoke of hope, and that one day a savior with the hand and the heart will come to unite their cities. At the same time, Joh Fredersen had witnessed the power that Maria had over the workers, which made him fear her. For this reason, he assigned Rotwang, a scientist , to create a robot in the likeness of Maria, and to use the robot to gain the loyalty of the workers. However, the robot Maria became out of control and led the workers to destroy the machines underground, not knowing that the machines were built to save their city from flood. Chaos came to being; however, Maria and Freder were able to save the children of the workers, and Freder became the hand and the heart that united the workers and his father (DiMare 346-348). The Portrayal of Women in Metropolis Metropolis is a science fiction film, which has the female persona represented by the cyborg Maria or the robot Maria and the human Maria. The cyborg Maria is linked with the â€Å"social chaos, and revolution suggests that these are not just economic problems: they are also sexual problems† (Brockmann 87). It is also important to note that the cyborg Maria was not created to do the typical activities a robot is expected to do. She was created and given the likeness of the huma n Maria, who poses a threat as reality, and technology unites in her (Ascott 311). Furthermore, the female cyborg, in this case Maria, is a character in the film that is mostly defined as a problematic individual torn between her ability to reproduce and her robotic ability. Most of the time, the character of the female cyborg portrays two roles, which is a hero or a villain. In this case, the cyborg Maria is described by Claudia Springer as an

History Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History Midterm - Essay Example causes, influencing factors, and the events that led to the French revolution, critical differences in the arguments presented have been realized year to year. Edmund Burke cannot hide the hatred he harbored for France1. To Burke, the French revolution was set to be a total failure, and one that could see France move down the ladder in terms of social, economic, and political performance. Another person that closely moved towards this viewpoint is Alexis de Tocqueville. Alexis associated the French Revolution with some negativity across social, economic, political, and religious concerns2. Arguments and counterarguments on French revolution draw myriad claims as to what exactly the revolution was set to achieve. The anticipated ruins that the French revolution was set to realize did not come short of the expectations. If anything, these expectations were way much surpassed. In this respect, the concerns, arguments, and analysis of the situation were not expected to match or relate in any way. While some parties present before, during, and after the revolution felt that the revolution was actually set for a fundamental course, others felt that it was primarily destructive altogether. On the same note, personalities linked to the revolution had their personal issues and concerns to deal with in relation to the French revolution. All these combined brought for the discussions, debates, claims, and arguments made by Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, Alexis de Tocqueville and Napoleon Bonaparte among others. On his part, Thomas Paine was concerned about the uncertainty that surrounded the whole revolution process. It is important to highlight that French lasted for up to ten years, a period within which predetermining the upheavals involved would be critically uncertain. Most importantly, Paine focused on the actual aftermath of the French revolution on the society, religion, economy, and politics in France and all other nations that felt its impacts. On the other hand,

Metropolis by Giorgio Moroder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Metropolis by Giorgio Moroder - Essay Example With this on hand, the paper will dwell on the view of the movie as women are the source to evil, and how the role of women changed as the movie unfolds. Metropolis The movie, Metropolis, released in 1927, is based on the novel by Thea von Harbou. The movie is a silent film, which was directed by Fritz Lang, who is a German filmmaker. Metropolis was a futuristic city with airplanes, flyovers, and high rise buildings used and occupied by the higher class. This population lives with all the amenities to used and enjoy, such as sports, libraries, cinemas, and the like. On the contrary, beneath the highly urbanized city are the workers who control the functions of the machines used in Metropolis. The workers strive to survive the daily routine of hard work, darkness, and even death below the lively and well-developed city. The movie evolves on the resistance of the workers towards the master of Metropolis, Joh Fredersen. Along with this, the story escalates to the development of the love story between Freder, the son of Joh Fredersen, and Maria, a daughter of a worker who aims for freedom and equality. Freder, as the son of the master of Metropolis, has the freedom to enjoy all the goodness and luxury in life. However, one day, Maria went to the Eternal Garden and brought the children of the workers there, where Freder was also present. Freder, intrigued of the passion he saw in Maria, followed them to the underground city where he saw the laborers suffer and die. The incident that he witnessed rose his concern for the workers. For this reason, he decided to take the place of a worker and was also invited to take part in the meeting that Maria organized to bring hope to the workers. In the meeting, Maria spoke of hope, and that one day a savior with the hand and the heart will come to unite their cities. At the same time, Joh Fredersen had witnessed the power that Maria had over the workers, which made him fear her. For this reason, he assigned Rotwang, a scientist , to create a robot in the likeness of Maria, and to use the robot to gain the loyalty of the workers. However, the robot Maria became out of control and led the workers to destroy the machines underground, not knowing that the machines were built to save their city from flood. Chaos came to being; however, Maria and Freder were able to save the children of the workers, and Freder became the hand and the heart that united the workers and his father (DiMare 346-348). The Portrayal of Women in Metropolis Metropolis is a science fiction film, which has the female persona represented by the cyborg Maria or the robot Maria and the human Maria. The cyborg Maria is linked with the â€Å"social chaos, and revolution suggests that these are not just economic problems: they are also sexual problems† (Brockmann 87). It is also important to note that the cyborg Maria was not created to do the typical activities a robot is expected to do. She was created and given the likeness of the huma n Maria, who poses a threat as reality, and technology unites in her (Ascott 311). Furthermore, the female cyborg, in this case Maria, is a character in the film that is mostly defined as a problematic individual torn between her ability to reproduce and her robotic ability. Most of the time, the character of the female cyborg portrays two roles, which is a hero or a villain. In this case, the cyborg Maria is described by Claudia Springer as an

Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Research Project - Essay Example ucted studies on the relationship between language anxiety and performance have indicated the existence of a negative relationship between language barrier and the overall performance of a learner. To an extent, the effects of language anxiety severely affect the performance of a learner. The extent of these effects is obvious during language tests, when learners are put under the pressure of time constraints and of success. This study focused on the issue of language anxiety and its effects on Saudi learners’ test performance. A questionnaire was used to identify learners’ different levels of language anxiety. Later, the learners were subjected to a standardised test to determine their anxiety levels. The results from the study indicated that the correlation between anxiety scores and test had adverse effects on the students’ performance in the tests. From the findings, suggestions were made on the need for more attention to be made on language anxiety. Methods of reducing language anxiety among students during tests to improve their performance are also suggested. Language anxiety, comprising of the various types of fears, worries, or nervousness related to learning or using a foreign language in communication has been the subject of research for a long time. The feeling of discomfort associated with a person using a foreign language both in learning and communication in comparison to the ease of using mother tongue is justified. Experts in the field of anxiety and psychology hold that learning anxiety successfully has negative effects in the performance of a student, which at times can lead to adverse results. The ease of understanding questions in a test, the time taken in understanding and answering a particular question and the comfort while answering questions are the various factors that affect the level of performance of a student. Time is essential in tests as success is determined by the ability to answer either all or most of the questions. If a

Caparisoned like a man Essay Example for Free

Caparisoned like a man Essay In this act, the weary travellers purchase a cottage and a flock of sheep from Corin. This quick financial exchange might seem humorous to the audience, as it is very unrealistic and theatrical. The audience can also see that strangers, for example Corin, are fooled by Rosalinds disguise  In Act III Scene Two, Celia teases Rosalind, who wants to find out who wrote the poems about her, and nailed them to trees. She reminds Celia that she is a woman, although she is caparisoned like a man. This might also be a reminder to the audience that Ganymede is female. Finally, when Celia admits that she knows the poet is Orlando, Rosalind, dressed as Ganymede, is distressed. She is distressed because she knows she wont be able to let him woo her if he thinks she is a man, Ganymede, instead of his love, Rosalind.  Rosalind: Alas the day! what shall I do with my doublet and hose?  However, she then realises that in a mans attire, she is able to speak to him (Orlando) like a saucy lackey, which she then does for the rest of the play. She teases him about his love, and says he does not look like a man in love. Throughout this scene, Rosalinds motive to disguise herself as a man has now changed from practical reasons to personal ones; to find out how much Orlando loves her, and perhaps to educate him, on how to love her. For example, in Act IV Scene 1, when Orlando is an hour late for their meeting, she shows that if he would have done that to Rosalind, Cupid hath clapped him o the shoulder. Through her disguise, which she uses to her full advantage, she playfully suggests to him that she will pretend to be Rosalind so he can woo her. This Orlando feels able to do, so he can say what he wanted to say when they first met, in Act I Scene 2, and she can hear what she never expected to hear, because they are not bound by social expectations, as Orlando does not know Ganymede is Rosalind. Their relationship stays fun and lively, because he can be open and honest, and express his emotions, and she can willingly accept his proposals, for example in Act IV Scene 1: Rosalind: But come, now I will be your Rosalind in a more coming-on disposition; and ask me what you will, I will grant it.  Orlando: Then love me, Rosalind.  Rosalind: Yes, faith, I will, Fridays and Saturdays and all.  In the play Shakespeare questions the rigid rules of societys wooing of that time, since he wrote the play with the idea of a traditional romance; (an archetype) a boy meets a girl, they fall in love, and marry happily ever after after overcoming several obstacles and misunderstandings. However, Shakespeare was forward thinking of his time, letting Rosalind orchestrate the wooing, which was very unconventional. As we can see from Act III Scene 4, Rosalind is a very strong and intelligent character, as she has tricked Orlando into wooing her, even though she is dressed as a man. She is also very witty, a characteristic she only feels able to express properly when she is disguised. She is perhaps the wittiest person in the play, apart from Touchstone, who is a professional comedian, after having been a fool or jester at the court for many years. In Shakespeares time, royal men at court showed their wittiness by putting down a fool. He is someone we call a stooge nowadays. However, Touchstones jokes and puns are less friendly than Rosalinds, whos aim is simply to tease or humour people, and not make fun of them, like Touchstone does. Today, Rosalinds role is a sought-after part, since it is one of Shakespeares only good main female characters. The reason for this is that the roles of his time were pre-dominantly male, as there were no female actresses then, and men had to act female parts, which would not have been desirable. This adds humour to the play, from the audiences perspective, because the players with female roles, e.g. Celia and Rosalind, were young adolescent males. So, Ganymede was a teenage boy, acting a female (Rosalind), dressed up as a man. A particularly humorous moment is when Orlando attempts to kiss Ganymede, for two reasons. One is that the player acting Orlando is attempting to kiss his true love, Rosalind, even though he doesnt know this. But, from the audiences point of view, this is also funny since the actor Orlando is attempting to kiss another man. Even now, cross-dressing is found humorous, explaining why people watch cabarets and pantomimes. Further on in the play, in Act III Scene 4, we see Rosalind and Celia alone together. Alone with Celia, Rosalind does not pretend to act masculine, instead she talks about her love to Orlando in a feminine way, and Celia teases her.  Rosalind: Never talk to me: I will weep.  Celia: Do, I prithee; but yet have the grace to consider that tears do not become a man.  Then, Corin comes in, and invites them to see Phebe and Silvius together. They do so gladly, and Rosalind takes another opportunity to use her disguise to her full advantage: she insults Phebe, somewhat cruelly.  What thought you have no beauty-  As by my faith, I see no more in you  Than without candle may go dark to bed However, this has an adverse effect, since Phebe falls head over heels in love with Ganymede, who in fact is Rosalind. This is another way Shakespeare has brought comedy to the play using the dramatic device of disguise, for Rosalind is, like she says, unable to return the love. From this we also see that Shakespeare did not think about relationships of the same sex, presumably because that would be too forward of his time. Also, it was illegal to demonstrate homosexual relationships; Oscar Wilde was put in jail, 200 years later for his gay relationships. Using the dramatic device of disguise, Shakespeare also uses Rosalind to expose the shallowness and absurdity of conventional modes of wooing, in Act 4 Scene 1. This is when Ganymede mocks Orlando, which was very unconventional of that time, since normal women did not act like that; they were supposed to be very gentle, docile, etc.  However, in Act IV Scene 3, Shakespeare does make Rosalind seem more feminine again, since Ganymede faints, after hearing Orlando was hurt. Fainting was not seen as a manly tribute, which nearly gives away to Oliver than Ganymede is a woman. You lack a mans heart. When Ganymede awakens again, Rosalind admits that she is tired of disguising herself, and hiding her feelings, I would I were at home.  This is not the only time Rosalind makes the mistake of showing her female characteristics. In Act III Scene 2, Rosalind nearly gives away that she is female while Corin is there because Touchstone makes up an offensive poem about Rosalind and she reacts to it vehemently.

Importance Of Story And Drama For Teaching

Importance Of Story And Drama For Teaching The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of story and drama as a teaching element in children literature. How do teachers scaffold childrens learning through story and drama in Turkey? Also what is the effect of using creative drama method on attitudes and reading strategies in Turkish lessons? In the study literature review and interview was used to investigate how much literature teachers apply story and drama techniques in their literature classes and how they are practical or useful on Turkish childrens learning who are studying in middle schools. Population of this research is Turkish secondary school teachers who have experience in story and drama teaching. As a sample, it was interviewed 4 middle school Turkish literature teachers to learn their teaching experiences and attitudes to research topic. Collected data was analyzed and consequently findings indicated that story telling and creative drama methods had significant effect on make and begin and carry on a relationship, self control social skills and learning well by experiencing in Turkish lessons. INTRODUCTION Childrens literature is for readers and listeners who are about 2-14 years old. Childrens literature is a resource no literature teacher can do without. This study investigates a sample of pieces that are middle schools Turkish children literature according to scaffolding childrens learning through story and drama. Scaffolding is a well-known metaphor widely used in education and language teaching to describe the guidance, collaboration and support provided by teachers to lead children to new learning (Read, 2006). Stories and drama share a number of features, which make it natural to integrate and combine them in scaffolding learning during language lessons with children (Read, 2007). When working with children, storytelling and drama techniques can be integrated and combined in multiple ways to provide robust and flexible scaffolding. This underpins and props up childrens learning in initial stages. It also provides appropriate support as they gain in confidence, and opens the way to new learning and the internalization of language and skills in enjoyable and creative ways (Read, 2006). Then what is literature? Literature is thought, experiences and imagination shaped into oral or written language that may include visual images. Children learn best in social situations, when content is meaningful and is interrelated. And literature is so available for these applications. Research Questions are; What are the importance of story and drama as a teaching element in Children Literature in middle schools especially based on life experiences of Turkish Language and Literature (TLL) teachers? How do you scaffold as a teacher to childrens learning through story and drama in secondary schools? How children literature scaffolds their effective learning by using drama and story in Turkish lessons. It could be analyzed effects of drama technique examining by how the effect of the creative drama method on the attitude and reading strategies in Turkish teaching, effects of creative drama method on the reception of some social skills, and evaluation of the attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards creative drama. On the other hand, it could be analyzed effects of storytelling technique examining by evaluation of the attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards children literature and children literature course, the function and importance of tale in language acquisition cultural worth instruction process, evaluation of the attitudes of parents who have 4-10 Years old children towards children literature and children books in Turkey. It was considered to analysis and combine effects of story and drama based on these topics. LITERATURE REVIEW In this study literature review and interview was used to investigate how often literature teachers apply story and drama techniques in their literature classes and the researches that have already been done about the topic how they are practical or useful on Turkish childrens learning who are studying in middle schools. On this research project topic, there was no specific thesis or research that points out directly this study which includes both story and drama features. For this reason, it is preferred that to classify and analysis each researches that have already been done about the topic. By this way, it was considered to analysis and combine effects of story and drama, attitudes of Turkish teachers, Turkish teacher candidates, and parents to story and drama. Thats why; it was analyzed that 6 of studies are on the effects of children literature that 3 of them are directly related with drama and 3 of them are related with story during Turkish Language lessons with children. Thes e studies contains well studied on research methodology, sample or population, and evaluation etc. After analyzing of collected data consequently findings were combined and indicated that story telling and creative drama methods had significant effect on make and execute a work with a group, begin and carry on a relationship, self control social skills and learning well by experiencing in Turkish lessons. Examined research studies are chosen from especially from Turkish educators intentionally to analyze how often they use and how are practical or useful on Turkish childrens learning who are studying in middle schools. Because of there was no specific thesis or research that points out directly this study it is chosen to inform two most closest researches to this research project topic in drama and story head topics. The first one is done by Fatma KÄ ±rmÄ ±zÄ ± Susar, Pamukkale University in Denizli Turkey, in 2008. This article was efficient to identify the effects of using creative drama method on attitude and reading strategy in Turkish lesson. Drama has a language all of its own and draws on various forms of literacy. Students develop literacy skills in many ways through the range of activities they participate in during the drama class. In the study experimental design with pre and post test control group was used. There were 75 fourth grade students (female=37, male=38) in Turkish classes. The study was conducted in a primary school Ä °zmir, Buca, during 2005-2006 education year and lasted seven weeks in data collection, reading comprehension attitude was reading scale and reading strategies scales was used. In the experimental group creative drama technique, in the control group Turkish course teaching program was applied. In data analysis Mann Whitney U-test were u sed. This test can be used for very small samples. It can also be used when the variable being recorded is measured using an arbitrary scale which cannot be measured accurately (e.g. a color scale measured by eye or a behavioral trait such as aggression), (Billiet 2003). As a result, creative drama method was more effective on using reading comprehension strategies than Turkish Lesson teaching program group. The second research study is done by Hasan BaÄÅ ¸cÄ ± in 2007. This study had take place in National Education Journal which is published by Turkish Ministry of Education in Ankara. This study gave a direction to this research project because it was the closest study to this research. And also it helped to this study to examine attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards children literature and children literature course based on story books and storytelling on lessons. The purpose of the study was to investigate the attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards children literature and children literature course. A 35 item children literature attitude scale prepared to find out attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards children literature and children literature course was given 180 third year students at the Turkish Teacher Department of the Faculty of Gazi Education, Gazi University in 2004-2005 academic years. It was found out that attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards children literature and children literature course are generally positive. The findings were evaluated on three dimensions according to the gender, teaching program and lesson success marks towards the results of the research. There were no significant gender differences found between male and female candidates and the type of teaching program (primary program or secondary program) attitudes towards children literature. Nevertheless, there is a significant difference in attitudes of the Turkish teacher candidates towards children literature and children literature course with respect to children liter ature lesson success based on grades. As a result, it was seen that using story and drama techniques in literature lessons are effective if it is done by systematically. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design: In this study interview was used to know how much literature teachers apply story and drama techniques in their literature classes. Four middle school Turkish Language and Literature teachers were interviewed to learn their life experiences, case problems like learning difficulties, comprehension skills and effects of using story and drama on childrens learning in middle school. It was determined that how were the teachers attitude towards using story and drama in their lessons. There were some Turkish lesson researches that have already been done about this research beside these studies and it was found that if teachers use them effectively in classes they were so practical or useful on Turkish childrens learning who are studying in middle schools. The advantage of interview was that the researcher could adapt the questions as necessary, clarify doubt and ensure that the responses are properly understood, by repeating or rephrasing the questions. Especially in my research project the literature teachers attitude to the importance of story and drama as a teaching element in Children Literature was so essential because the research project would both study on literature review and teachers life experiences. Sampling: The research project was related to the Turkish Language and Literature teachers who have experiences about teaching in middle school classes. Thats why; 4 following TLL teachers were interviewed about the topic. Population of this research was Turkish secondary school teachers who have experience in story and drama teaching. As a sample it was chosen to interview 4 middle school Turkish literature teachers to learn their teaching experiences and attitudes to research topic. The limitation of this study was having limited sample to interview. Yet, to recover this limitation the teachers are tried to chosen variously cities, schools, genders, teaching experiences. The interviewed teachers and interview questions are shown below: A Female, 30 years Turkish Teacher in TED Ankara College, Ankara. B Female, 8 years Turkish Teacher in BLIS College, Ankara. C Female, 3 year Turkish Teacher in Private Istanbul College, Istanbul. D Male, 15 years Turkish Teacher in Iskenderun Public School, Hatay. Interview Questions: Do you use story and drama to catch childrens attention to literature class in middle schools? And how often do you use them? What are the beneficial activities do you use in childrens literature in middle school? What are the limitations about using these activities in class environment? According to your experiences, in which ways this age group of children do learn best? Could you give a specific example on this topic according to your teaching memories? DATA ANALYSIS In this study, for data analysis it is preferred so separate questions and answers topic by topic that according to the teachers who are interviewed on storytelling and drama techniques to scaffold childrens learning. 3 teachers answered about using story and drama to catch childrens attention usually at the beginning of the lesson to catch students attention, interest, and curiosity. Just 1 teacher said that he uses rarely based on students motivation and amount of the class but he informs that he was working in a public school and amount of the classes were so high. Yet he added also using this activities sometimes help students social and communal. Using beneficial activities teachers answered this question in groups of shown below: Memory nails (1) Novel rooms (2) Empathy model (1) Hot seat play (3) Role playing (4) One teacher answered she uses Memory Nail activity which is efficient when analyzing story or novel in class. The activity aims creativity and subjectivity. Teachers want from students to produce a scene from story or novel using significant objects, characters, images which are take place in story. It could be done in a shoe box in 3 dimensions or if opportunities are limited students could prepare a poster too. Two teachers, who are working in a private school, informed that they were using Novel Rooms to make students engage with the lesson. Each student brings an object that take place in the novel and they produce a room then students talk about why they choose this object and its importance for the novel. One teacher said that we usually use Empathy Model when we are analyzing the characters of novels or stories. Hot seat play was the one of the popular activity that teachers informed. It was building an empathy with the character of novel. Four all teachers informed them all u se role playing especially in drama texts to encourage students to be social and communal. It was realized that like each activity was up to teachers creativity. Teachers could change or add something to activity according to students learning needs. Almost all teachers agree that these techniques if they are well-applied arouse interest; attention and curiosity of students and that make vocabulary memorable more easily. Most of teachers said that they made pupils think from within the story and explore significant issues. By using guided questioning techniques, children think about the implications of the characters actions and analyze their behavior. They all referred to that is a kind of transferring action that gives children an opportunity to relate and apply their understandings from the story to their own lives. Although there are so much positive effects of story and drama, it is referred that there are also limitations about using it. First of all, three teachers agreed that if the class is crowded, it is hard to control the class according to class management. Four all teachers agreed that keeping students on task is also difficult when they are using these activities. Yet in contritely teachers agreed that children learn easily because of these techniques are playful and so engage with their real life. Thats why; they suggests about arranging the class atmosphere by using preparatory work before using these techniques. These preparatory works could be small games and activities connected with story and drama. As another point, it is said that, public schools are so willing about using these techniques but they are less trained about this issue. By this way, they wanted to improve themselves and investigate. They found 2 different and interesting events about this issue. At that time, I as a researcher learned a different thing almost at the end of this study. One of them is a research center in Ankara University called Child and Young Literature Application and Research Center. (Ankara ÃÅ"niversitesi, Çocuk ve Genà §lik EdebiyatÄ ± Uygulama ve AraÃ…Å ¸tÄ ±rma Merkezi (ÇOGEM)) and the other is an International Storytelling Conference which was April, 9th 2011 in Istanbul. It is hoped that this kind of works helps teachers and students. There are the web site addresses of these events at the end of references section to look at in detailed. CONCLUSIONS In this study, it was realized that stories and drama share a number of features (Read, 2007), which make it natural to integrate and combine them in scaffolding learning during language lessons with children. As research topic scaffolding describes the guidance, collaboration and support provided by teachers to lead children to new learning, it is preferred to show conclusion part, synthesis of data analysis and literature review, could be shown below point by point like a ladder. Using storytelling and drama techniques help; Attention, interest, curiosity at the beginning of the lesson. Using storytelling and drama techniques help catch students attention, interest, and curiosity at the beginning of the lesson. Increase students motivation Motivating students can be a challenging in sometimes, for example there are so many technologies and distractions that adolescents have. Make students engage with the lesson Children are encouraged to engage with the lesson through prediction, hypothesizing and using their imaginations. Make students social and communal Both stories and drama are take place in classes. They makes students increase their social skills such as cooperation, collaboration, listening. Multiple intelligences Stories and drama provide opportunities for students to use different combinations of their Multiple Intelligences. Connection with daily life It was oblivious that students learn best when they make connection with their daily life because they are concreting the abstract information. Transfer previous information This stage gives children an opportunity to recall and transfer their previous information. Internalize The final stage and desired outcome is that children internalize information from story and drama.

Situational Leadership and Empathy :: Leader Leadership Qualities Business Essays

What can we say about leadership? Leadership is a concept, way of life, and aspect of continuous evolution. Trying to narrow down or pinpoint an exact definition to be applied to this term is non-existent. Rather you can only apply certain aspects of this term to better understand it. The area which I will go into is â€Å"how situational leadership coincides with empathy as far as generating a successful or non-successful leader.† First let us look at what situational leadership is. Situational leadership is seen as a leadership method according to the present situation you may be in. A true exceptional leader is not one who has a set method on how he/she leads, but rather an evolutionary method that situational leadership requires. Let me elaborate more on this. Let us say Roger Smith (a project manager from XYZ Construction Company) worked on a project down at Seattle for about a year and had to deal with the common problems associated with projects such as change orders, sub-contractor disputes, scope issues, and weather conditions. Roger Smith handled the Seattle project as he saw fit with prior experience and knowledge that he has about the industry. Now let us modify the situation. Let’s give Roger Smith the same type of project. Identical in size, cost, and scheduling but this time it will take place 4 years later along with the location being in China rather than Seattle. Will Roger Smithâ €™s way of leading that he used in Seattle be successful in China? The outcome points towards no. Why would that be the case if the project is basically identical? For one, we have a different setting location. The labor issues, construction specifications, and laws are dealt with differently in China. Not only that, but the people he would be working with are raised and exposed to a totally different culture. With that, Roger can not approach or deal with people the same way. He would have to understand their culture to better adapt which is an aspect of empathy which I will get into more detail later. That is just one example of situational leadership needing to be applied to succeed in a project. For an additional clarification, http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/sitleader.htm defines situational leadership as, â€Å"In simple terms, a situational leader is one who can adopt different leadership styles depending on the situation.† With those aspects at hand, someone can apply this concept in their progression of becoming a successful leader.

America Needs More Immigrants :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

After political security, there is nothing that the Republic needs so much as bone and sinew, for the development of its vast resources . . . we want flesh and blood, men, women, and children, to assist in fulfilling that intention. —Editorial from the Commercial and Financial Chronicle, published in August 12, 1865—as the re-United States reels back from the divisiveness of the Civil War (Abbott 156) When my ancestors came to the U.S. in the 1800s to help build the transcontinental railroad (enabling intracontinental commerce on an unprecedented scale), it was very true that immigrants contributed to America’s economic prosperity. Does this remain true today? Today is a very different time than the aftermath of the Civil War. Or is it? Now, the U.S. is also reeling back from wars, albeit of very different sorts: the Cold War and the latest series of riots in the cities. The U.S. is turning inwards, wanting to rebuild its infrastructure and inner cities. Pre-eminence in various scientific areas and the education of its citizens, who are, by world standards, lagging educationally, are again prime national goals—much as they were following the Civil War. Skills and labor are needed. Although not as powerfully delineated as in a North-South segregation, the American population is still bitterly divided over many issues—one of which is immigration. Would immigration aggravate our problems, especially unemployment and social tension, or benefit us, as it did previous to and following the Civil War? Throughout the 1800s, conservative politicians were adamant that immigration would compromise political security; and native Californian miners, laborers, and farmers feared that the Chinese would drain America’s resources and take away jobs. The tragic results of such fears were the trial of Sacco and Vanzetti, ending in the execution of two innocent Italian immigrants accused of espionage, and the massacres of Chinese miners in the western states. These early detractors of immigration were proven wrong as America grew from a second-rate nation to the most powerful economy in the world. Today, as reflected in the headlines, calls for immigration restriction have renewed the national debate: Should current levels of immigration continue in the U.S.? â€Å"How many can America absorb?† is a constant refrain, reflected in poll after poll.

Leader Styles Essay

Style Kimberly Burrow HCS 457 May 20, 2013 Dalynn Campbell Leadership Style This essay is on the different leadership style from a historical person of my choosing. The successful management styles of this person also the leadership styles. The score of my Leadership and Team Self-Management Assessment the class was asked to perform. The leadership styles and traits of my historical person. The traits that I can learn from my historical person and the traits and styles my historical person can learn from me. Historical person Leonard D. Schaeffer was a successful leader in Blue Cross of California. He was the president and CEO who helped orchestrate the transition into Wellpoint, which is the second largest publicly traded health care company in the United States. By 2004, Schaeffer built Wellpoint into a 19 billion dollar operation. Schaeffer oversaw the merger with Anthem Health Care. Schaeffer brought a wealth of public policy and experience and government knowledge to the board as senior adviser to Texas Pacific Group (TPG). He served as an Administrator of the United States Health Care Financing Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Harvard Business School, n. d. ). Successful management style The management theory Schaeffer uses in 1986 when he was recruited for president and CEO at Blue Cross of California. Schaeffer was the visionary of making the company the 40 million dollars that he was informed the company should make that year he became president and CEO. He fired 3,000 employees, the CFO, and sold everything that was not nailed down. Schaeffer tarted HMOs in Blue Cross of California, his theory was, â€Å"if you look at Americans, they don’t know much about health policy, but they know a lot about the rights and privileges of consumers† (A conversation with Leonard Schaeffer p. 27). He went public with WellPoint, sold 20% to the public. That gave the company capital, acquisition capital, and stock. The company began to diversify risk, economic regions, differ ent regulators, and different opportunities. This style of management is in the influence of culture. Schaeffer stated † You need different management techniques at different times. If you look back on the history of our company, the first stage is the turnaround. You need top-down, autocratic, â€Å"Here’s what you are going to do. † â€Å"Why? † â€Å"Because I told you to do it. † Top-down, directed, tell people what to do. You don’t have to be right, you just have to keep moving (A conversation with Leonard Schaeffer p. 27). Successful leadership style The leadership theory Schaeffer used was the democratic leadership. With the motivation with internal drives and impulses. He made decisions, set goals, worked toward achievement, and informed task to be done. The autocratic leadership Schaeffer used had little trust in employees and systematically exclude them from decision making. His leadership behavior helped the organization achieve its objective. When individuals gets to the point he or she realizes they can not run a company alone that is participative management. They bring people in that add and create value. Autocratic style is occurs when leaders have meetings and members suggest things and the leader takes the best suggestions and uses it without members voting. Leaders should shifts from internal concerns to external concerns to ensure the company is running well and is providing consumers with the companies product. With external concerns the leaders should give up the day-to-day control. They may impact and control the company but they can not control the external environment (Schaeffer). The score of my Leadership and Team Self-Management Assessment My score for the leadership and team self-management assessment was 50. The score total explains that I have excellent team leadership skills. Leading a team, management needs to bring together diverse talent, define goals, arrange efforts, and manage the relationships between team members (McBride, 2012). The team leader with skills in authority to set directions, democratic leadership if the team is successful, and the ability to re-establish team relationships if there is an issue. A good leader can find the teams strengths and outline the purpose of the team. Each member is unique in his or her own way rather it is their age, race, their motivation, or his or her ethnicity that brings diversity to the team. A manager should listen to the members of a team and offer their thoughts to lead a positive discussion. Keeping up-to-date with training will help leaders or manager with teams on the projects of his or her organization. Leonard Schaeffer leadership styles and traits In Schaeffer’s early career his leadership style was â€Å"Autocratic Leadership. † He realized that autocracy is the most painful, least enjoyable, and has its place if in a turnaround situation (Schaeffer, 2002). After his autocratic leadership in turning around the company, he realized he had to change his leadership style. The company began to focus on creating innovative products and excellent customer service, along with any decision instead of no decision. His role to ensure the organizations long-term success when the company changed so he had to change. Schaeffer changed from autocratic leadership to participative leadership style. The participative leadership style at the company they set four or five clear goals for the team to meet and gave them free rein to meet those goal as long as they stayed on budget. He laid out specific strategies for each goal. Managers had to take responsibility for meeting these goals. Researcher Rinsis Likert from the University of Michigan explanation what â€Å"Participative Leadership Style† is, â€Å"requires that the CEO receive suf? cient information from employees to make important strategic decisions but that he or she leave the implementation of strategy up to the line managers† (as stated in the Leadership Journey). Schaeffer changed his style of leadership when the company could deliver on its promises to customers and investors. Schoeffer’s style changed to â€Å"The Reformer† that demonstrates what is possible. He has several meeting with people outside the company to discuss health care practices, policies, and government representatives. As reformer he is the point person for tough questions. During his leadership journey Schoeffer has created concrete goals, and has wore different leadership caps that alter the way he assess a business situation. Even though past leadership styles worked each new situation is different. He has learned to pay attention to the teams dedicated to fulfill the goals. The traits from Leonard Schaeffer I can learn Throughout the years Schaeffer has developed different traits on leadership and learned from the traits and advanced to better trait. The traits that I can learn from is the participative leadership style. The participative style is to set several goals and let the team work on the project as he or she wishes. The traits Leonard Schaeffer can learn from me I know that with each situation there is a different leadership style that can be used to completer the project. The traits that Schaeffer can learn from my leadership is empathy for those who work report to him. When leaders treat employees with empathy the team there tend to be a better influential in getting the team to take initiative. If there is bad behavior in the team a good leader knows how to guide the team. This essay is on the different leadership style that Leonard Schaeffer used throughout his career. He started with a company that was on the verge of bankrupt and turned the company around. Schaeffer management style was democratic in the beginning and at the end his style was autocratic of his career at Blue Cross of California. My score on the Leadership and Team Self-Management Assessment was a 50, which is an excellent team leadership skills. The skill of diversity in leading a team is good behavior skill. Schaeffers leadership style and traits started with autocratic leadership changed to participative leadership style and ended with Schaeffer’s style as the reformer. The trait I can learn from Schaeffer is participative style, and the style Schaeffer can learn from me is empathy. References Harvard Business School. (n. d. ). Great American Business Leaders Of The Twentieth Century. Retrieved from http://www. bs. edu/leadership/database/leaders/leonard_d_schaeffer. html McBride, S. (2012). Team Leadership Skills. Retrieved from http://www. themanagersguide. co. uk/team-leadership-skills. html Porter-O’Grady, T. ; Malloch, K. (2007). Managing for success in health care. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby, Elsevier. Shortell, D. S. (n. d. ). A Conversation with Leonard Schaeffer. Retrieved from http://s ph. berkeley. edu/pubs/magazine/mag_sp06/pdf/schaeffer. pdf Sullivan, E. J. ; Decker, P. J. (2009). Effective leadership and management in nursing. (7th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Child Development Observation Essay

The setting of where I observed the baby was at my house in the family room. The family room can be pictured as a square. The door to enter the house is in one corner of the family room. To the left of the door there is a mirror on the wall and next to the mirror there is a single person couch. The color of the couch is brown. That sits in the corner adjacent to the corner where the door is. Then, there are the sliding doors to enter the patio and in the corner adjacent to the couch there is a big, black television. Next to the television, my baby’s pink Winnie the Pooh play yard. Next to that is her small pink and brown, vibrating bouncer. Then there’s the last corner of the room which opens to the bedrooms. This is the room where the observation took place. The baby I observed is my nephew, Gabriel. He is four months and three weeks old. He will turn five months on the 22nd of this month. He was wearing a blue jean overall with a brown onesie that has little puppies. He also had some soft tennis shoes on. They are white with a navy blue stripe on each side each shoe. He barely has any hair and he has no teeth. In twenty minutes, Gabriel was very active. I started observing as soon as he woke up from a nap. He began by stretching both of his legs straight out and his left arm stretched straight up towards his head and his right arm stretched up towards the sky. My boyfriend then picked him up and started talking to him. Gabriel started laughing and kicking his feet back and forth, starting with his right foot and continued by alternating each kick with the opposite foot. He stopped laughing and shoved both of his hands in his mouth. He made himself gag. He was then tickled again and started laughing. Again he began kicking his legs, left then right. He grabbed his face with his left hand. He started to get hungry. While his bottle was being prepared, he began sucking on his left hand and he began to make sucking noises. As my boyfriend got the bottle close to Gabriel’s face, his eyes popped open and he opened his mouth. While he ate, he moved his right hand over his face and made sucking and snorting noises. He was also just looking around while eating. He was about a quarter done with his bottle, when he stopped eating and started pushing. Both of his hands clasped together and he made a noise which let us know that he was pushing. All of a sudden, I heard him pass gas but it wasn’t just gas. The gas came with a little surprise. He kept his fists closed and kept pushing. He was pooping. Once he was done, he gave a big smile and started kicking his legs again. He also began sucking on his hands. My boyfriend laid him on the floor on top of his blue, fuzzy blanket. Gabriel began making cooing noises. As my boyfriend began taking off Gabriel’s clothes, he continued kicking and making cooing noises. As his diaper was coming undone, Gabriel started laughing. My boyfriend got a hold of his legs and took off his diaper. Gabriel just began sucking on his hands again. Gabriel’s mom saw him and took his hands out of his mouth. She gave him a pacifier. He began rubbing his eyes with both hands. He then began to cry. My boyfriend put his clothes back on and continued feeding him. Gabriel was lying with his feet dangling off of my boyfriend’s leg. His right arm was around my boyfriend’s back and his left arm was on his stomach. He was making a sucking sound and was opening and closing his eyes. Gabriel jumped when he heard a loud noise. He opened his eyes and his left arm went straight up into the air. He was calmed down and closed his eyes again. His left arm dangled to his side. He stayed like that until he finished eating. He was stood up straight and burped. He fell asleep and he was laid in my daughter’s play yard with his arms to the side and his legs spread apart.

Reading Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 29

Reading Response - Essay Example The documentary shows how movements are using women’s sexuality to advocate for women rights. The documentary relates with other texts, articles and movies that advocate for women rights using women’s sexuality. Arielle Loren article authored in 2011 and titled "is Beyonce the Face of Contemporary Feminism" is a compelling text that raises the urge of the reader to know more about feminism. Loren asserts that, young women, especially those in 20s showcase their different aspects of their womanhood , for example, being sexy without having an identity crisis. From this article, it becomes evident that powerful women could create movements that advocates for gender roles and end of discrimination. I realized that women could use their womanhood to achieve anything in the world. The author means the men would be powerless if the women withdraw certain advantages. One question raised is â€Å"What is the importance of woman’s sexuality in advocating for equal gender rights?† The other question is "When will women start embracing their womanhood and use it to their

Critically evaluate claims that there has been a transformation in the Essay

Critically evaluate claims that there has been a transformation in the character of biomedicine and the emergence of a new paradigm for health care at the start - Essay Example e used in order to explain the development of health and illness within a particular society or among a specific part of the population (using as criteria the gender, the ethnicity and so on). From a different point of view, it is suggested by Eisenberg (1977) that disease is a different concept from illness. In fact it is stated that disease could be better described using the following description: ‘physicians diagnose and treat ‘diseases’’ (Eisenberg, 1977, 11) whereas ‘†¦ patients suffer ‘illnesses’’ (Eisenberg, 1977, 11). On the other hand, in accordance with a study of Helman published by Ember et al. (2004, 733) ‘traditional classification of illness can be divided into four classes: natural, supernatural, personal and social’. In other words, health is closely related with the social and cultural characteristics of a specific society. The level of technology developed within the particular society could be also regarded as having a significant impact on the health conditions of the specific population. Under these terms, the development of biomedical model of disease/ health can help in order to understand all the aspects of health and disease within a particular society or in relation with a specific part for the population (gender, race and class inequalities could be observed in this case regarding the level of health provided to people within a specific state). The main characteristic of biomedical model of disease/ health is the fact that the above model regards health as the absence of disease. In this context, all theories referring to the relationship between health and disease could be equally applied in order to examine the credibility of this model in all its aspects. In accordance with the study of Turner (1987, 9, in [2]) ‘the model assumes that all human dysfunction might eventually be traced to such specific causal mechanisms within the organism and it presupposes a clear mind/body distinction where ultimately the

Independent Readings in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Independent Readings in Management - Essay Example Kabani also recommends utilization of social advertising that she argues that will attract more customers and reach a wider share of market. She finally recommends that businesses should take advantage of evolving search engine marketing and integrate marketing activities for better results (Cho Web). 2. Another challenge is that the recommended techniques are available to everyone thus putting marketing at arms race where every business strives for the next edge over its competitors. High level of competition may be expensive and stressful because of the constant need of acquiring new machines and software as well as training employees on emerging practices. 3. Apparently, all marketers are gearing towards more efficient and most effective way of marketing, this may lead to homogenization in both products, and their style of promotion since replication is very easy in digital technology. This will therefore make it difficult for consumers to distinguish between products and enhance public pessimism regarding the process of

US Unemployment Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

US Unemployment Problem - Essay Example Connectively, unemployed people include all those people who have been laid of temporarily from their work. Unemployment rate may be determined by taking the number of unemployed people as a fraction of labour force. Whereby, labour force may be obtained by adding the number of unemployed and employed people. In 1948, the United States unemployment rate was reported to be 5.81%, this rate decreased up to 2.5% in 1953. Additionally, unemployment rates continued to increase significantly even in 1982, whereby 10.8% unemployment was reported. Additionally, in 2001 the rate of unemployment was reported to be 5.6% and increased up to 6% in 2003(Amadeo, paras 4-8). The rate of unemployment continued to escalate significantly especially during 2008 economic recession. Research indicates that an unemployment rate of 10.2% was reported on October 2008. However, on January 2008, the rate of unemployment among different groups was as follows: 7.0 percent female adults, 6.9 percent male adults, 3.2 percent Asians Amercans, 24.2% teenagers, 9.2 percent Hispanics and 13.3 percent Africans Americans. Currently, unemployement rate was reported to be 7.6 percent on March 2013.Therefore, Understanding unemployment problems is very vital not only to individuals but also to all sectors of the economy. This is because it acts as an economic indicator of whether an economy is developing or not. This may further help the US federal government to identify fiscal and monetary measures to address the problem of unemployment (Woirol, 10-15). US Unemployment Problem The reason why unemployment rate that was reported by the US government could be misleading is because the official unemployment data released by the government does not reflect the true states of affaires on the economy. This is because the rate does not include all the relevant components for computing the rate of unemployment (Hardson, para1). According to economist such as John Williams, the government reported a national unemployment rate of 7.9% and a 9.8% unemployment rate in California as at January 2013. On the contrary, unemployment rate was reported decreased up to 7.7% on March 2013, indicating a 0.2% decline in official unemployment rate (Hardson, para2-3). According to Williams this could be misleading because when making computation the national unemployment excludes the discouraged workers and include only those people have been actively looking for a job within a period of four weeks. This means those people who had given up in looking for a job are not included in unemployment figures. This consequently makes the official unemployment to be significantly lower that the actual unemployment on the ground. In above connection, other economist asserted that the official unemployment do not show any significant improvement and this could be another reason for having a misleading rate of unemployment (Hardson, paras7-10). Additionally, the government does not make reviews to the previous unem ployment rates making the official unemployment to have a significant difference from the previous unemployment rates. Connectively, gross domestic product, consumer price index and unemployment figure have been politicised by political leaders for personal gains.. This has consequently led to an increase in cases of misleading unemployment figures. Lack of full disclosure to public on with respect to which data was adjusted in coming up with unemployment rates has contributed an increase cases of misleading rates of unemployment (Hardson, paras10-22). In order to solve unemployment problems, the

Research Data Analysis (using SPSS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Research Data Analysis (using SPSS) - Essay Example There are many factors that have significant effect on generating managers and successful businesses and organizations. Such factors are related to benchmarks that a company can use to determine if the company has been doing well during the past year or years. The most important of them all is the net income or we can call it by the name turnover. The main purpose for people to put up a business, whether the organization is a partnership, a corporation or even single proprietorship, is to generate net income in order for the business to continue survive for many years. Another benchmark that must be considered is the effect of daily expenses on the net income. When the expenses increase, this will result to a decrease in net income. But when the expenses decrease, the result will be an increase in net income. The chief executive manager in the XXXX Company has indicated that they have problems in staffing. The company is in real need of experienced staff. Staffing is the process of hiring skilled workers and maintaining present skilled workers. Even if the skilled worker is asking and is being paid higher than a newly hired or inexperienced work applicant, the skilled worker will be worth the higher pay because the skilled worker can work faster and create better quality products than newly hired employees. Most customers prefer to buy a high quality product at a higher price because the customers believe that such items will last longer and satisfy the delicate high quality services. One way of lessening expenses is to hire part time staff during peak seasons. It is the time when many customers arrive. In this case, it usually happens during Christmas vacation and other important events. A third benchmark that ought to be taken into account is the increase or decrease in net sales that the company has generated during the past year or years that it has been in business. When the net sales will increase, the net income will also increase. But when the net sales will decrease, the sad result is that the net income will automatically be lesser.To improve the operational and financial aspect of the business some measures that were taken was the training and retraining of employees. This has contributed much to the improved performance of the employees, according to the chief executive manager interviewed. Competitive salaries comparable with the competitors are given to well performing employees to retain their loyalty. Furthermore, annual salary increases based on performance will encourage employees to outperform the benchmarks or quotas agreed upon during general meetings between management and employees affected. Another action that was taken to improve its operating and financial performance was the up to date study of the products, marketing plans and current market share of company's competitors. The study will help much to increase the net income of the company. Another step taken by this executive is to keep a database of present customers. Constant communication with the clients regarding company offers that would satisfy the clients' needs was a priority strategy of the executive here. This has been made

Azerbaijan Essay Example for Free

Azerbaijan Essay The country was among the birthplaces of mankind and is located at the heart of ancient civilizations. Furthermore the country is known to be among the most progressive and secular Islamic societies. Aside from having been the first Muslim country to have operas, theater plays, and a democratic republic, Azerbaijan today is among the Muslim countries where support for secularism and tolerance is the highest. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world, was established in 1918, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. Azerbaijan regained independence in 1991. The Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion but the majority of people adhere to the Shia branch of Islam, although Muslim identity tends to be based more on culture and ethnicity rather than religion and Azerbaijan remains as one of the most liberal majority-Muslim nations. The pre-Turkic Azerbaijani population spoke an Iranian language called the Old Azeri language, which was gradually replaced by a Turkic language, now known as the Azerbaijani language from the 11th century onward until it became completely extinct in the 16th century. To distinguish it from the Turkic Azerbaijani or Azeri language, this Iranian language, is designated as the Azeri language (or Old Azeri language), because the Turkic language and people are also designated as Azeri in the Persian language. Azerbaijan is in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia, straddling Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It lies between latitudes 38Â ° and 42Â ° N, and longitudes 44Â ° and 51Â ° E. The total length of Azerbaijans land borders is 2,648 km (1,645 mi), of which 1007 kilometers are with Armenia, 756 kilometers with Iran, 480 kilometers with Georgia, 390 kilometers with Russia and 15 kilometers with Turkey. The coastline stretches for 800 km (497 mi), and the length of the widest area of the Azerbaijani section of the Caspian Sea is 456 km (283 mi). The territory of Azerbaijan extends 400 km (249 mi) from north to south, and 500 km (311 mi) from west to east. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the countrys center. There are also three mountain ranges, the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, and the Talysh Mountains, together covering approximately 40 percent of the country. The main water sources are the surface waters. However, only 24 of the 8,350 rivers are greater than 100 km (62 mi) in length. All the rivers drain into the Caspian Sea in the east of the country. Since the independence of Azerbaijan in 1991, the Azerbaijani government has taken drastic measures to preserve the environment of Azerbaijan. But national protection of the environment started to truly improve after 2001 when the state budget increased due to new revenues provided by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Within four years protected areas doubled and now make up eight percent of the countrys territory. Since 2001 the government has set up seven large reserves and almost doubled the sector of the budget earmarked for environmental protection. Azerbaijans diverse landscape affects the ways air masses enter the country. The Greater Caucasus protects the country from direct influences of cold air masses coming from the north. That leads to the formation of subtropical climate on most foothills and plains of the country. Meanwhile, plains and foothills are characterized by high solar radiation rates. Rivers and lakes form the principal part of the water systems of Azerbaijan; they were formed over a long geological timeframe and changed significantly throughout that period. This is particularly evidenced by fragments of ancient rivers found throughout the country. The countrys water systems are continually changing under the influence of natural forces and human introduced industrial activities. Artificial rivers (canals) and ponds are a part of Azerbaijans water systems. From the water supply point, Azerbaijan is below the average in the world with approximately 100,000 m? year of water per km?. The first reports on the richness and diversity of animal life in Azerbaijan can be found in travel notes of Eastern travelers. Animal carvings on architectural monuments, ancient rocks and stones survived up to the present times. The first information on the animal kingdom of Azerbaijan was collected during the visits of naturalists to Azerbaijan in 17th century. Unlike fauna, the conce pt of animal kingdom covers not only the types of animals, but also the number of individual species. There are 106 species of mammals, 97 species of fish, 363 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians and 52 species of reptiles which have been recorded and classified in Azerbaijan. The national animal of Azerbaijan is the Karabakh horse, a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse endemic to Azerbaijan. The Karabakh horse has a reputation for its good temper, speed, elegance and intelligence. It is one of the oldest breeds, with ancestry dating to the ancient world. Azerbaijans vegetation consists of more than 4,500 species of higher plants. Due the unique climate in Azerbaijan, the vegetation is much richer in the number of species than the flora of the other republics of the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan is divided into 10 economic regions; 66 rayons and 77 cities of which 11 are under the direct authority of the republic. Also, Azerbaijan includes the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. The President of Azerbaijan appoints the governors of these units, while the government of Nakhchivan is elected and approved by the parliament of Nakhchivan Self-ruling Republic. Tourism is an important part of the economy of Azerbaijan. The countrys large abundance of natural and cultural attractions make it an attractive destination of visitors. The country was a well-known tourist spot in the 1980s; yet, the Nagorno-Karabakh War during the 1990s crippled the tourist industry and damaged the image of Azerbaijan as a tourist destination. It was not until 2000s that the tourism industry began to recover, and the country has since experienced a high rate of growth in the number of tourist visits and overnight stays. In the recent years, Azerbaijan has also becoming a popular destination for religious, spa, and health care tourism. Around 95 percent of the populations are Muslims. 85% of the Muslims are Shia Muslims and 15% Sunni Muslims, and the Republic of Azerbaijan has the Second highest Shia population percentage after Iran. There are some other faiths practiced among the different ethnic groups within the country. By article 48 of its Constitution, Azerbaijan is a secular state and ensures religious freedom. Of the nations religious minorities, Christians are mostly Russian and Georgian Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic (almost all Armenians live in the break-away region of Nagorno-Karabakh). The culture of Azerbaijan has developed as a result of many influences. Today, Western influences, including globalized consumer culture, are strong. National traditions are well preserved in the country. Some of the main elements of the Azerbaijani culture are: music, literature, folk dances and art, cuisine, architecture, cinematography and Novruz Bayram. The latter is the traditional celebration of the ancient New Year. Novruz is a family holiday. The traditional cuisine is famous for richness of vegetables and greens used seasonally in the dishes. Fresh herbs, including mint, dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leeks, chives, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress, are very popular and often accompany main dishes on the table. Climatic diversity and fertility of the land are reflected in the national dishes, which are based on fish from the Caspian Sea, local meat (mainly mutton and beef), and an abundance of seasonal vegetables and greens. Saffron-rice ploy is the flagship food in Azerbaijan and black tea is the national beverage. Azerbaijan–Turkey relations have always been strong with the two often being described as one nation with two states by the ex-president of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Elchibey due to a common culture and history, and the mutual intelligibility of Turkish and Azerbaijani. Turkey has been a staunch supporter of Azerbaijan in its efforts to consolidate its independence, preserve its territorial integrity and realize its economic potential arising from the rich natural resources of the Caspian Sea. The countries share a short border, with the Aras River separating Turkey from the Nakhchivan exclave for just a few kilometers. Today, the relationship with Azerbaijan represents the most important bilateral partnership in current Turkish foreign policy while Azerbaijani foreign policy affirms its relationship with Turkey as one of its most enduring bilateral relationships, as evidenced in aligned political affairs, mutual cooperation in the areas of trade, commerce, finance, technology, academics, as well as the arts and sciences; the sharing of government and military intelligence, and joint combat operations and peace keeping missions carried out between Azerbaijani Armed Forces and Turkish Armed Forces.