Textual Analysis Of Western Europe In South-West India Essay

Textual Analysis Of Western Europe In South-West India - Essay Example For example, one set of authors might indicate the absence of nothing positive to learn from  one  part of the world. On the other hand, a different set of authors might provide a positive viewpoint of the same part of the world provided by the first set of authors. Nonetheless, the differences in the differing viewpoints are a result of the different undertakings that these authors carried out in order to build their opinions and justifications for their viewpoints. In their separate articles, Richard Grove and James D. Tracy provide two different viewpoints of Europe’s involvement in the South East Asia during the Renaissance period. In this case, the two authors use different sources to provide evidence about two differing sets of societies in South East Asia that Europeans interacted with during this period. On  one hand, Grove presents a dark side of the region during the time the Dutch East India Company carried out its operations. In this regard, Grove’s ar ticle depicts a region whose leaders represented an illustration of ways not to govern territories since the authors used sources that identified the leadership of the Asian region as despotic. In effect, Grove does not identify any influential role that the region played in Europe. On the other hand, James D. Tracy's article identifies the region as influential in developing medicine and botany in Europe. In this case, Tracy’s sources outline the influential role of the South East Asia society in developing classification systems and defining contemporary medicine and botany. Hence, this expose is an analysis of these differing viewpoints and identifies the authors disagreement due to the various sources used in developing the two disagreeing articles. In a synopsis, Grove’s article is a description of what the Portuguese and Dutch learnt from their interaction with the indigenous communities in South-West India. The author indicates the simulation of an awareness of the wider world in Western Europe. In addition, the author indicates that the voyages and the explorations enabled the development of natural history and the status of government. In this case, the article seems to indicate that the Dutch and Portuguese and the entire Western Europe benefited from their interactions with South-East Asia. For example, as the first explorers, the Portuguese had earlier settled and occupied territories of the indigenous people of South-West India. In line with this, the Portuguese explorative agenda was instrumental in accelerating the renewed interest in botanic gardens and medicine, which was through the knowledge offered by the indigenous communities in South-West India.1Conversely, the author argues that the Dutch’s replacement of the Portuguese in South-West India also benefited the Dutch since they interacted with the local communities and established a relationship that contributed to modern-day medicine and classification system.2 To del iver the argument about the benefits that the Portuguese and Dutch accrued from these communities, the author argues that European and Asian constructions of nature are a result of the South-West India and the Leiden botanic gardens incorporation.3 The author identifies two texts as core in the diffusion of botanic gardens into the explorative nature of the Europeans. The first of this text is the Coloquioso by Da Orta while the other text is Hortus Malabaricus by Van Reede.4 The author identi

Infringement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Infringement - Essay Example Section 10 of the Trade Mark Act 1994 states. A person infringes a registered trade mark if he uses in the course of trade a sign where because – (a) the sign is identical with the trade mark and is used in relation to goods or services similar to those for which the trade mark is registered, or, in specifically addressing the question at hand concerning Adam, (b) the sign is similar to the trademark and is used in relation to goods or services identical with or similar to those for which the trade mark is registered, there exists a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public, which includes the likelihood of association with the trade mark. In English statute or case law, there is no definition for what is use as a mark. Use as a mark will depend on the facts of each case, in particular, the nature of the mark and the goods and services concerned. English case law indicates that the judges are looking for use which is taken by the public as a badge of origin, in other w ords as an indication that the goods and services are from a particular trader. This requirement is not the same as a requirement that the relevant public should know the identity of owner’s of trade marks, but nevertheless associate the marks of products with a particular trade origin. It will be more difficult for an applicant or proprietor to show use as a trade mark with very non-distinctive marks or where the use has been mainly in conjunction with another trade mark.

Foreshadowing is the essential part of Steinbecks style in Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Foreshadowing is the essential part of Steinbecks style in Of Mice and Men Essay Steinbeck, in my opinion, has one of the most unique styles of writing which is not only effective but also inspirational. The fact that he puts the whole plot and the ending right in front of us (at the beginning, in every section and even in the name) and we dont recognise it easily is truly fascinating. Hints of the grand finale could be found nearly everywhere in the novella. In the beginning of the play we learn that Lennie likes to pet soft things. He starts off by petting a mouse and then petting a puppy, of which he kills both as a result of his unrecognised brutal strength. The puppy was all innocent and fragile and Curleys wife was seen in the same way which foreshadows the killing of Curleys wife. The idea of Curleys wife knowing the history of Lennie with pets and his blindness about the strength he possesses and still allowing him to stroke her hair was particularly considered peculiar by me. The only way I managed to justify this was that perhaps she was unaware of the dangers at that particular time as she was too caught up in the moment of perhaps she wanted to be rid of her depressive and oppressive life. Perhaps she was just fed up of her failure of her dreams and living a life of such misery that she thought of death to be the only way out and maybe death by the hands of Lennie seemed like a good idea because he was still considered to be childish meaning the element of innocence could be attached to him. Foreshadowing plays a huge role in indicating towards the fact that Lennie wont make it alive to the end of the novella. The opening sets a pleasant mood to the story, it makes the world seem peaceful and lively then these feelings transforms into a darker and a much more sorrowful aura. The extract Ill put the old devil out of his misery right now was said by Carlson to Candy. This action foreshadows the death of Lennie; He can be personified as Candys dog as his main purpose is also to accompany George hence when Lennie/ the dog is of no use or has exceeded his limit then he will be put down. This also highlights one of the theories attached to this story in perspective; the idea of Darwins Survival of the fittest theory. The natural environment and settings could also emphasise Darwins theory as it was linked to nature but the quote also shows that a weak element in the food chain (Carlson) preys a weaker member of the food chain (the dog) and later on we learn that George (a weak member of the food chain) kills Lennie (a weaker member of the food chain in terms of mental abilities) regardless what the intents where. Furthermore, the death of Candys Dog and Lennie is pretty identical which can contribute to the method in which Lennie was murdered. The dog was shot in the head which was the same way Lennie was killed. The quotes I ought to of shot that dog myself and He wont even feel it. shows that the idea of George killing Lennie himself rather than getting some else to do it is being suggested to George. Additionally, the second quotes highlights that its all for the best and this action is being taken for the greater good. In Addition, I should have done it myself said by Candy also suggests and foreshadows that George will be the murderer of Lennie. Candy realised afterwards and in a way regretted that he didnt kill his dog, his best companion, himself, in the same George wouldnt want Curley to kill Lennie so he would commit the murder himself. This could be considered a gesture of loyalty and love that now Lennie wouldnt have to suffer anymore or it could also be a sign that George was just fed up of carrying Lennies burden around on his back. In my judgement, I would question Georges actions because I believe there are always other ways of getting around the situation and who gave George the right to take someones life. In conclusion, the element of foreshadowing is the main and one of the most important techniques which the novella is based on. Foreshadowing and hints of the future aspects of the story could be found at nearly every stage of the novella and I think that this doesnt only make the story interesting but it also clamps the reader in deeper and deeper, it makes a readers hunger to find out the ending even more and more. In my opinion, Of Mice and Men is one of the most inspiring storys Ive read not only plot and content wise but also writers techniques wise.

Effectiveness of Active Learning Over Passive Learning

Effectiveness of Active Learning Over Passive Learning In this study, there has been a thorough examination and careful observations which show, that within passive learning although a primitive form of learning there is also some kind of active learning taking place. There is no clear difference between the active and passive learning and there is some kind of active learning taking place within the passive learning which is unconsciously being ignored. In reality, active learning is the measurement of the extent to which the learner is challenged to use his or her mental abilities while learning. The effect of various teaching and learning strategies show the clear impact of active forms of teaching and learning techniques on higher level students but there are still some factors that are posing a great barrier to active learning at secondary levels. These barriers involve curriculum, content, teaching pedagogy, school and classroom environment, behaviour, social factors and new electronic media (mobiles and social networking sites) be ing the worst. In order to create a better active learning environment within secondary schools, there is strong need for giving more autonomy to teachers within the classes. There are also some factors which have been discussed that could influence the students involvement within the classes which also hinders the active form of teaching and learning. There is also a need to realise that there are several teaching and learning styles that one could use to gain same learning skills that are again ignored unconsciously. Each and every learning activity has a different processes that could initiate the active form of learning within the brain even though they are regarded as active or passive learning in the real world. Teachers also have to realise that there are some students who prefer to learn through a passive style of learning as opposed to an active style of learning which may hinder them in a number of ways. Context: I have been teaching in a comprehensive girls school where 70% of the students are from an Minority Ethnic Background. The school accommodates over 1000 students with over 100 teachers from diverse back grounds. I was initially covering for a member of staff, when the position became vacant and I applied and was appointed to the post. The problem arose when I began teaching MFL as there had been a tendency of learning through passive teaching over a number of years. The behaviour in general of the pupils was good with some odd occasions of bad behaviour. There was a mix tenedency and attitude towards innovation and active learning by the students and the language faculty. The majority of my students were from an ethnic background, learning to improve their Urdu language. The major problem students faced was in relation to reading and writing skills because of the alien nature of the writing style of Urdu language. The students speaking and listening skills were very good due to their social environment and the electronic media around them. There is a huge difference between two sets of skills and it is very hard to correlate most of the time. There were students who were forced to learn Urdu by either parents or their peers and were there without any love or passion for the subject. Also the students were not willing to accept the new changes such as the new teacher, teaching style and the presence of opposite gender within their classes. There was a change within the school at management level and was a move towards a change in teaching methodology and assessment. The higher management was trying to implement the OFSTED lesson observation criteria throughout the school. The behaviour management system also went under changes and some staff members had problems in understanding and implementing them within the classes. Alongside these factors there was a huge task of assessing the pupils within all the four essential skills within MFL (Listening, speaking, reading and writing). I had few lesson observations that did not go well because of the behaviour problem and by being defensive as I was teaching more passively than active. I had implemented various strategies within the class of which some worked very well and some of them were disaster. One of them was the introduction of the active form of learning and teaching upon which some classes appreciated the new strategies and techniques where as some gave an insight of the problem that could arise when introducing the active form of learning and teaching within the classes. Analysis of Problem: Active learning is probably more striking for learners than passive forms of leaning. Learners are supposed to be more motivated and interested when their mental activity is challenged and when they can make decisions about their own learning. The retention capabilities are also greater in case of active learning as compared to passive learning as per figure 1.By being involved in some of the decisions related to their own learning the learners can connect to their prior knowledge and their needs more optimally. As a consequence, they will learn all the kinds of valuable skills, such as social skills, decision making skills and taking responsibility. In addition, by finding out things independently, they can follow their own interests and motivation. In reality, active learning is the measurement of the extent to which the learner is challenged to use his or her mental abilities while learning. The passive learner does the same in less content as passive learning is mainly involved in the initial phases where as active learning enhances the passive learning. There are various types of learning skills that could structure the focus of process-oriented instruction such as cognitive skills, meta-cognitive skills and affective-motivational skills. (Simon et al, 2000). The cognitive skills involve deep learning strategies like comparing, overview skills like summarising, criticising and structuring, reviewing and generalising, schematising, and transfer skills like considering potential and essential conditions of use. Meta-cognitive skills involve planning of times and planning for leaning, realistic goal setting, orientation on goals and outcomes, regular inspection and testing and finally restarting and reflection on process and outcome. There are two main types of communication which occurs within the class named one way and two way communications. Within One-way communication, Listener has little or no opportunity to respond straight away and directly. A teacher must make assumptions about the listeners skill level, prior training, and understanding of the material being communicated. Therefore, errors like the following could be made by the teacher: making the material too difficult, making the material too simple, making assumptions which are not fully shared by the audience, thus making it impossible for them to understand what is being said. Other characteristics: faster transmission less accuracy, potential lack of common vocabulary. Within Two-way communication, there is a flow of information among and between individuals. Because of the opportunity for immediate feedback, many of the assumptions that one makes under one-way communication about skill level, prior training, and understanding of the material being communicated get tested immediately. Other characteristics: slower transmission, greater accuracy, time to develop a common vocabulary. According to Bergquist et al (1975), Psychological effects of one-way communication on students. Frustration the student cannot easily communicate or ask for clarification of teacher information. Apathy a lack of involvement and interest in what is going on. Fear students dont want to talk in front of the group for fear of being put down or for fear of making the teacher angry. Dependence students expect the teacher to give all the necessary information. Most become unable to judge the value of the information. Hostility and/or aggression-they may cheat or quit coming to class Three other learning styles are more likely to result in classroom participation; they are: Collaborative: This style is typical of the student who feels he can learn the most by sharing his ideas and talents. He cooperates with teachers and peers and likes to work with others. He sees the classroom as a place for social interaction as well as content learning. Participant: This style is characteristic of the student who wants to learn subject content and likes to go to class. He takes responsibility for getting the most out of class and participates with others when told to do so. He feels that he should take part in as much of the class related activity as possible, but he does little that is not part of the subject outline. Independent: This response style is characteristic of the student who likes to think for himself. He prefers to work on his own, but he will listen to the ideas of others in the classroom. He learns the content he feels is important and is confident in his learning abilities Research shows that students do not have just one style but that instead they have several in varying degrees and in various situations. It is not necessary to have a battery of psychological instruments to assess these styles, since an awareness of your students behaviours will give you clues as to which ones are operating. A more formal way of obtaining this information is to give each student the description of the various learning styles (without the descriptive word) and ask them to rank the styles on a scale of most and least like them. A tabulation of that information may give you useful information about the predominate learning styles in your classroom. (Bergquist et al, 1975) Students exhibit a number of learning styles in their approach to the classroom. Three that are related to a lack of involvement are: Avoidant: This response style is typical of a student who is not interested in learning subject content in the traditional classroom. He does not participate with students and teachers in the classroom. He is uninterested or overwhelmed by what goes on in the classes. Competitive: This response style is exhibited by the student who learns material in order to perform better than others in the class. He feels he must compete with other students in the class for the rewards of the classroom, such as grades or teachers attention. He views the classroom as a win-lose situation where he must always win. Other students are unlikely to join this student in participation because of the win- lose nature of the interaction. Dependent: This style is characteristic of the student who shows little intellectual curiosity and who learns only what is required. He sees teachers and peers as sources of structure and support. He looks to authority figures for guidelines and wants to be told what to do. Consequently, this student is unlikely to initiate or have much that is original to say in class discussions Analysis of Intervention (Solution): Learning to collaborate and learning from collaboration means acquiring skills like dividing tasks between group members, leading a group, learning together, monitoring group progress, defining group goals and group learning goals, negotiating and co-structuring knowledge, coordinating cognitive and social communicative actions and creating a supportive collaborative climate (Simon et al, 2000). Another important factor is the ability to regulate own learning which is the regular increase of independence in thinking and learning through systematic scaffolding. Simons and Zuijlen (1995) have suggested the following sequence: working independently, Learning strategically and self directed learning. When working independently the learning goals, the learning strategies, the time and place of leaning, the way of testing and feedback is determined by the teacher or learning environment. Students just have to fulfil assignments and learning will occur if and when they obey. (Simon et al, 2000) When learning strategically, students should have freedom of choice related to the learning strategy such as what kinds of learning approach to take, when and where learning will take place. In self-directed learning students have more freedom even though the learning goals remain under teacher control and for example with respect to choice goals, self testing and or feedback/judgement procedures. As described by the Simon et al (1995), In the beginning stages of any learning the simpler forms of independence should occupy more time than the more complex ones with a gradual increase of time for more complex forms. Whereas more complex forms of independence can regulate and only be practiced with respect to themes where one has relative high level of expertise. Simply there should be more independent work with some strategic learning relating to topics at beginning stages which will provide more room for strategic learning, also in relation to less familiar topics and some room for self directed learning about familiar topics. More importantly, by demonstrating and discussing them with each other on a regular basis, the important thinking, learning and regulation skills are made public. One of the main obstacles to learning and think is that these processes are hidden and remain invisible (new learning ref), the students dont realise that all human beings have many different ways to approach tasks instead of believing their way is the only possible way for learning new things. Interventions aimed at fostering students development of active general self regulated learning and conditional or metacognitive knowledge about learning have involved specifically designed learning how to learn programs as well as integrated programs where learning how to learn is embedded within regular discipline instruction. Simpson et al, (1997) especially mention the problems of limited transfer of the learned strategies to new situations and the lack of long term evaluation data. One well know successful program of that kind emphasise integrated learning to think, integrated learning to learn and integrated learning to regulate learning and thinking (Simons et al, 1997). In integrated programme, students are induced to activate their existing knowledge and strategies about learning, to reflect on their own and alternative approaches to learning, and on the impact of different learning styles on the quality of learning outcomes in their particular discipline area as well as in general. A major advantage of integrated programme is that they can be implemented with, and benefit learners of all ages, all levels of development and across all fields of study. Cognitive interventions during regular instructions rely on reflection, persuasion, awareness raising as well as constructive frictions (Vermunt Verloop, 1999) in order to raise challenge students possible misconception about learning. Carrying out such interventions during the actual process of learning is particularly well suited to raise students awareness of the relationships between learning strategies and learning outcomes. Evaluation (analysis of findings/evaluation of impact): Active learning is defined as a form of learning in which the learner uses opportunities to decide about aspects of learning process or the extent to which the learner is challenged to use his or her mental abilities while learning. In reality, there is no clear difference between active and passive learning. It is more a dimension a matter of less and more than dichotomy. In other words in active learning the learners make their own time planning, they choose learning goals and activities they like, they test their progress, they take care of their learning and understanding on their own, and they reflect on errors and successes. Thus active learning also involves preparation, execution, regulation, control, feedback and maintenance of learning activities by learners. (Simon et al, 2000) In independent active learning, it is not so much the number and quality of decisions about learning that count but how much activity is asked from the learner. Are the students figuring out things on their own? Are they working without teacher supervision? Are they working together as a group? Are they thinking while learning? The goals and kinds of activities, the control and regulations as well as the feedback and maintenance of the learning are under teacher control. The major findings after the research show the same findings as Riemersma Veugelers, 1997; Van Hout-Wolters, 1994; Veugelers, 1999 (cited in Simons et al, 2000) have identified a number of factors contributing to the difficulties in the implementation of active forms of learning. School Management and organisation: Some schools provide very few opportunities for active learning to students because of too many traditional teacher directed classes and insufficient self study hours in their time table. School experience problems with changing the curriculum to fit in with the learning-to-learn lessons or with integrating learning to learn instructions in the content lessons. Teachers: Many teachers are not highly motivated to give attention to active learning as they do not see the benefits of it within the subject matter and argue that these activities take up too much valuable time. Other teachers want to concentrate all their attention on the instruction of content knowledge as otherwise it will affect their results or grades. This results in creating chaos amongst the students relating various new forms of teaching and learning. The use of active learning within the class makes teaching more intensive and time consuming, while teacher salaries remain the same. Also not all the teachers possess sufficient knowledge and skills to foster active learning and to supervise their students in active self directed learning. Most teachers would need to develop forms of instruction which are fundamentally different from those they are currently using and familiar with. Particularly the greatest barrier of all is the fact that faculty members efforts to employ active learning involve risk that students will not participate, learn sufficient content or use higher-order thinking. There is also a misconception or fears that faculty members will feel a loss of control, lack necessary skills, or be criticised for teaching in unconventional ways. However, each barrier or obstacle and type of risk can be successfully overcome through thoughtful and careful planning. Learners are not always motivated to invest much time and energy in gaining the new skills either. They do not always recognise the usefulness of these skills, or they dread the needed effort to learn them (Rabinowits , Freeman, Cohen, 1992, (cited in Simons et al, 2000)). Students often hold strong beliefs and persistent approaches to learning especially failure fearing students prefer to learn a whole paragraph by heart than to understand and remember the main issues. Students in especially secondary schools are not very interested in the subject matter instead they go to school to meet their friends; learning seems to be more or less a side issue. Such students prefer to follow teacher directed lessons, than to engage in self directed activities. Individual differences between students create problems such as attention seeking students who attract more attention as well as causing disruption. Some students get little teacher attention during individual study hours as they ask ver y few questions and thus are offered little supervision. A failure to periodically solicit student feedback in a subject about how it is progressing. Are students getting out of the subject what they want? Are the classroom procedures and methods used well? Are there some things that you are doing which students dont like (for example, lecture, clarity of presentations, unfriendly manner)? Information on these factors not only helps make the classroom atmosphere better but it also creates an atmosphere where students feel the teacher is interested in what they have to say. This has a tendency to transfer into content areas as well. Contents: There are specific learning skills which are considered most important by a school or teacher. There still appears to be a lack of good learning-material within the subject areas in which active learning is incorporated. Snow and Lohmans (1984) argument that direct training of content related cognitive strategies may be counterproductive for more able students because they have already developed effective models of learning. Therefore students were provided with opportunities to witness the mental activity of more able individuals, and then encouraged to practice the strategies with guidance in a socially supportive environment. While some students learn to self regulate their learning without much tuition or prompts, others need guidance, not only to acquire the strategies but also to develop the conditional knowledge necessary to know how, when and where to these strategies can be applied appropriately (Hattie, Biggs, Purdie, 1996; Winograd Hare, 1988, (cited in Simons et al, 2000)). There are several techniques or strategies that are regarded as Passive learning strategies used for the externalisation of mental activity such as think aloud and expert modelling that provide a learner unique insight into the thinking processes of an expert. While scaffolding, cognitive coaching, reciprocal teaching and other forms of guided learning are expected to provide the support necessary to develop the skills and confidence for independent use of techniques. Two popular strategies based on problem-solving model take account of the case study methods of instruction and guided design. Whereas other active learning pedagogies worthy of teachers use include debates, cooperative learning, role playing, drama,simmulation, and peer teaching. College teachers are commonly facing problems and complaining that the secondary school teachers are not playing their roles properly as they are wasting their time in games or activities rather than giving attention to reading or improving cognitive skills. Where schools and parents fail students at school, when they get to college they lack the capacity to concentrate on anything for longer than about 10 minutes at a time. Such students have been failed by their schools and teachers, its too late, as in many cases, for them to change and their chances of a decent education/job are already finished. Conclusions and Recommendations: Active learning is also important for teachers. Motivational and burnout problems of teachers are likely to decrease if students are more motivated and more actively engaged in their own learning. Besides, teaching becomes more intellectually challenging when students are learning actively and independently. An excellent first step in promoting active teaching and learning is to select strategies with that one can feel comfortable. Low-risk strategies, on the other hand, are structured and planned, naturally of short duration, focused on subject matter that is neither too abstract nor too controversial, and well-known to both the students and the faculty members. The modification of traditional lectures (Penner 1984) is one way to incorporate active learning in the classroom. Discussion in class is regarded as one of the most widespread strategies promoting active learning with good reason. If the objectives of a subject are to encourage long-term retention of information, to inspire students toward further learning, to allow students to apply information in new settings, or to develop students thinking skills, then discussion is preferable to lecture (McKeachie et al. 1986). Bergquist et al (1975) have described the following factors within Getting Students Involved in the Classroom. Encourage exclusive dialogue with the teacher and not between students. This fosters a lack of involvement since students must compete with each other for the kings ear. Front to back seating arrangements encourage one-way communication. It is hard to talk to the back of someone elses head. Front to back seating arrangements discourage students from talking among themselves but they do focus attention on the teacher . Students who feel pressurised into attending every session are less likely to want to participate. An overemphasis on grades and grading, constantly stressing the importance of material for the midterm or final, how important a good grade in your subject is, and how much you appreciate good students will lead to a lack of involvement. Students are less likely to be involved when the name of the game is to get a grade and not learning something that might be of value to them. If active self regulated learning is to increase in school, at university and in the workplace, there is a need for learners to be equipped with the skills, confidence and commitment for active learning across tasks and situations. It also requires the educational context to provide the opportunities and affordance for active and independent self regulated learning to take place and be valued. All of the above help create an atmosphere where students do not want to get involved (The non-involvement cycle). Consequently, they begin to behave that way, which leads the teacher to assume they are apathetic and uninterested, thus the teacher continues to treat them in ways that lead to more apathy and uninvolvement. Thus a self-fulfilling prophecy begins to emerge. Even though active learning provides a great benefit within the teaching and learning arena the question still remains whether the students at secondary school are ready for this change. Research completed with higher level students indicated that when the learning skills and behaviour reached a mature state the majority of the students were there to learn. Whereas at secondary schools, there are several issues that require attention at a higher level such as behaviour issues within schools and classes, teachers training, teachers right with in the classes, more freedom with the curriculum, specially designed curriculum to promote active teaching and learning including others. In a recent article in the Guardian news paper, Mortimore, P (2010) reiterates that teachers are the solution not the problem. This means the profession attracting, and keeping, the most talented and the best-motivated people. It also means the government allowing teachers reasonable autonomy in how they teach. If the officials address the following issues, there will possibility of promoting active learning at the secondary level.

The Chechen Wars Essay -- Islam in the North Caucasus 2014

From Western audiences, Chechnya—whether as an autonomous oblast, a sovereign state, or a war zone—has never received much consideration. Just one of dozens of ethnic groups within Russia who have declared since the end of the Soviet Union their right to self-rule and self-determination, the Chechens’ struggle for independence was drowned out in the cacophony of calls for independence during the 1990s. However, in a world so greatly affected by the events of September 11, 2001 and given the role of Chechen separatist groups in bombings of Russian apartment buildings in 1999 (which killed more than 300) and the hostage-taking of a Russian theater in 2002 (which resulted in the deaths of 130 Russians and 30 rebels), the rhetoric of Islamic fundamentalism and the terminology of terrorism has brought the Chechen people to the forefront of international concern (Trenin & Malashenko, 2004, p. 45). Yet the roots of the conflict in Chechnya, which have spurned two wa rs with the Russian Federation over the past two decades, are defined neither by terrorist activities or the Islamists who have recently come to typify the most virulent of the separatist rebels; rather, the origin is in the centuries long forging of a group that has faced common persecution from the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation. Ethnicity compounded with a new emphasis on fundamentalist religious ideology has greatly complicated a struggle that has benefited the economic and political interests of groups as disparate as elected officials, crime bosses, business leaders, and international governments (Politkovskaya, 2003). War has wrought the economic and social collapse of Chechnya and simultaneously embarrassed a Russia giant whose parti... ...thcaucasus.pdf Jaimoukha, A. (2005) The Chechens: A Handbook. New York: Routledge. Meier, A. (2005). Chechnya: To the Heart of a Conflict. New York: W. E. Norton & Company. Nikolaev. Y. V., Ed. (2013). The Chechen Tragedy: Who is to Blame? Cormack, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. (March 19, 2013) Oliker, O. (2001). Russia’s Chechen Wars: 1994-2000. Washington: RAND. Politkovskaya, A. (2003). A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya. University of Chicago Press Tishkov, V. (2004). Chechnya: Life in a War Torn society. Berkeley, California: The University of California Press. Trenin, D. V. & Malashenko, A. V. (2004). Russia’s Restless Frontier: The Chechnya Factor in Post-Soviet Russia. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for Peace. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1538-165X.2005.tb01379.x/abstract

Arvay’s Epiphany in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee Essay -- Hurston’s

Arvay’s Epiphany in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee In the middle of Chapter four, we find Jim and Arvay in the middle of a journey to the courthouse; the reader, halfway through the journey from the top of the page encounters an interior journey as Arvay travels within herself. This four-line passage serves as a milestone marking the beginning of the narrative, which is a journey across the landscape of the life of Jim and Arvay’s relationship. The passage begins with â€Å"The elements opened above Avery and she arose inside of herself†(57). The first clause of this sentence has a poetic eye focusing on an atmosphere, or an aura rising and expanding around Arvay’s form, perhaps circular, like the break in clouds whereby a ray of sunshine appears, suggesting even further, the halo, or the circle of seraphim as described in the words of the prophets. The coordinating conjunction â€Å"and† begins the second clause, implying the synchronous relation between the outer sky change, and the inner event of rising â€Å"inside of herself.† In this sense her experiences, her conversation with Jim, her anxieties about her â€Å"secret sin,† her religious drive converge and for a brief space are unifying, interlocking, affirming and redeeming. The mystical language employed reveals a kind of â€Å"interpenetration.† That this epiphany comes at the moment when she is discussing her own rape with the man that raped her shows the way in which she thinks about her experiences. Also, this passage shows how Jim speaks to her in ways that produce thoughts and feelings that she cannot seem to find words for annunciation. Her mystical language contrasts sharply with Jim’s straightforward sentences, recalling the title of the novel, Seraph on the Sewanee. After reading... ... complex allowing no passage to Jim or anyone else. The epiphany resulting from her sacrifice â€Å"under the mulberry tree† exemplifies how Jim talks to her, but she cannot respond in ways that he can understand, leaving her helpless to the world around her while Jim is continuously carrying her off over further horizons. Throughout the book she continues this movement upward and outwards into the world, though with the limits of her tongue. In the end, as she becomes reconciled with the world she discovers the â€Å"Resurrection† where â€Å"Human flesh was full of mysteries and a wonderful unknown thing†(350). If the epiphany at the conclusion of the novel marks point Omega, then the Alpha point comes in this passage in the middle of Chapter four at the moment she tries to place her relationship with Jim, and the suffering from the rape within her understanding of the Cosmos. Arvay’s Epiphany in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee Essay -- Hurston’s Arvay’s Epiphany in Hurston’s Seraph on the Suwanee In the middle of Chapter four, we find Jim and Arvay in the middle of a journey to the courthouse; the reader, halfway through the journey from the top of the page encounters an interior journey as Arvay travels within herself. This four-line passage serves as a milestone marking the beginning of the narrative, which is a journey across the landscape of the life of Jim and Arvay’s relationship. The passage begins with â€Å"The elements opened above Avery and she arose inside of herself†(57). The first clause of this sentence has a poetic eye focusing on an atmosphere, or an aura rising and expanding around Arvay’s form, perhaps circular, like the break in clouds whereby a ray of sunshine appears, suggesting even further, the halo, or the circle of seraphim as described in the words of the prophets. The coordinating conjunction â€Å"and† begins the second clause, implying the synchronous relation between the outer sky change, and the inner event of rising â€Å"inside of herself.† In this sense her experiences, her conversation with Jim, her anxieties about her â€Å"secret sin,† her religious drive converge and for a brief space are unifying, interlocking, affirming and redeeming. The mystical language employed reveals a kind of â€Å"interpenetration.† That this epiphany comes at the moment when she is discussing her own rape with the man that raped her shows the way in which she thinks about her experiences. Also, this passage shows how Jim speaks to her in ways that produce thoughts and feelings that she cannot seem to find words for annunciation. Her mystical language contrasts sharply with Jim’s straightforward sentences, recalling the title of the novel, Seraph on the Sewanee. After reading... ... complex allowing no passage to Jim or anyone else. The epiphany resulting from her sacrifice â€Å"under the mulberry tree† exemplifies how Jim talks to her, but she cannot respond in ways that he can understand, leaving her helpless to the world around her while Jim is continuously carrying her off over further horizons. Throughout the book she continues this movement upward and outwards into the world, though with the limits of her tongue. In the end, as she becomes reconciled with the world she discovers the â€Å"Resurrection† where â€Å"Human flesh was full of mysteries and a wonderful unknown thing†(350). If the epiphany at the conclusion of the novel marks point Omega, then the Alpha point comes in this passage in the middle of Chapter four at the moment she tries to place her relationship with Jim, and the suffering from the rape within her understanding of the Cosmos.

EU economic relation with MERCOSUR Essay

Introduction MERCOSUR (Southern Common Market) was established in 1991 as a customs union and common market between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Chile and Bolivia later joined as associate Mercosur members. Since mid-2000, they have been engaged in negotiations with the EU to establish a free trade area covering both regions. History in the Making On May 28, 2004, EU and MERCOSUR trade representatives convened in Guadalajara, Mexico to continue an ongoing negotiation process. MERCOSUR holds a comparative advantage in a wide range of agricultural produce, which composes more than half of its total exports, while Europe is particularly strong in industrial and capital markets, such as automobiles, telecommunications and banking. Their complementary economies seem ideally suited for engaging in free trade, with each component of the bloc specializing in their specific fields of strength. However, import quotas and tariffs, intended to protect MERCOSUR members’ infant industries as well as high cost European farmers, present mountainous obstacles to the realization of any free trade agreement. At the May 28 summit, both sides tentatively agreed to open their markets to foreign competition. The EU and MERCOSUR have each shown a willingness to make difficult concessions in order to see their negotiations come to fruition. The Border is Closed The European Union’s protectionist agriculture regulations insulate locally grown produce from foreign competition. Cultivatable land, a precious and scarce commodity on the continent, is extraordinarily expensive. Hence the European Parliament instituted subsidies, import quotas and tariffs to keep the region†s relatively inefficient agro-industry afloat by regulating prices on the European market. These policies have effectively kept MERCOSUR products out of the European market as the EU refused to negotiate on opening its markets up to foreign competition by the raising of its quotas and the lowering of its tariffs. However, European negotiations have recently made important concessions aimed at expediting the process. The EU Common Agricultural Policy of 2003, which significantly reduced Europe’s farm subsidies, coupled with an increase in import quotas and a lowering of tariffs, have strengthened MERCOSUR’s confidence in the positive outcome of trade talks. Europe’s reluctant acquiescence to MERCOSUR’s demands is an attempt to pursue a strategy aimed at obtaining greater access to South American markets where European industries and sectors (such as automobile, telecommunication, banking and computer production) have excelled in the past and appear to have an even more prosperous future. Like its European counterpart, MERCOSUR has traditionally been averse to granting greater access to these markets, defending its protectionist policies with an infant industry argument. These industries are too small, it maintains, to compete in the world market, and therefore opening its borders at this time could destroy domestic firms. However, the South American Common Market has recognized the significance of Europe’s offer, and in return, has allowed for ever greater access to its telecommunication and banking industries. Partners in Decay There is a downside to the growing ties between Europe and MERCOSUR. Europe’s courting of MERCOSUR is at best undermining the fabric that binds the fragile G20 together. G20 members fear that the EU-MERCOSUR agreement could provide unfair access to markets, which would be illegal according to the World Trade Organization (WTO) standards. According to these, Most Favored Nation Status (MFN) cannot be reserved for specific countries, but must be shared among all applicable WTO members. According to some G20 members, including China, India, South Africa and Brazil, the European Union’s decision to engage in trade talks with MERCOSUR is a stratagem to undermine the G20, an organization that could potentially cause serious problems for both the EU and the United States. Restructuring the Map An accord between the two giant trading blocs has the potential to upset and shift the balance of power in the global trade arena, not only affecting the G20 but also challenging US economic hegemony in the Western Hemisphere. A â€Å"leading light in the Cairns group of agricultural exporters† and a founding member of the G20, Brazil’s political clout in the international community is growing exponentially. Its ability to command greater respect in political and economic agreements has persuaded the EU to offer greater concessions to MERCOSUR and is forcing the United States to reformulate its position on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). There is no doubt that Brazil is using the EU-MERCOSUR trade agreement, and the commercial bonanza it should bring, as a weapon to increase its bargaining power in forthcoming FTAA talks with Washington concerning farm subsidies. The election of two left-leaning presidents in Brazil and Argentina, as well as a shift away from a Western Hemisphere trade pact toward a more amicable courtship with Europe, reflects a fundamental change in Brazilian and Argentine politics as well as in their strategy in dealing with the US. Neither government wants to be considered, as Brazilian President Lula stated during his presidential campaign, an â€Å"annexation† of the United States. In 2004, worries over progress in negotiations deepened as the co-chairmanship of the FTAA rotated to the United States and Brazil. Unfortunately, the inability to compromise by the proposed trading bloc’s two major powers has stalled progress on the realization of such an agreement. It also has persuaded a newly confirmed pessimist MERCOSUR to look across the Atlantic for an opportunity to further its global thrust and self-interests. The United States’s reluctance to discuss any reductions in farm subsidies during recent FTAA trade rounds has hindered the chances of signing a Free Trade Area of the Americas agreement by 2005, the projected year for it to be announced. Meanwhile, Europe has slipped into the foreground, prepared to equal or even replace the United States as the dominant trading power on the South American continent. The United States’s hegemonic status in the Americas is in peril. To maintain a semblance of the status-quo, Washington will have to concede to demands for a slash in farm subsidies if it wishes to reignite the negotiation process, or at least keep it alive, and to maintain itself as the predominant regional superpower, the US will be forced to compromise. The EU-MERCOSUR free trade agreement without a question is a threat to the United States’s dominance in the region. Europe’s belated decision to open its agricultural markets to foreign competition leaves Washington in a precarious position at the negotiating table with its Latin American counterparts. Previously, the EU and the US held the same line regarding agricultural subsidies; both argued that the subject should be addressed at future WTO trade rounds rather than through bilateral trade agreements. If it now wishes to remain competitive with Europe in the South American market, Washington will have to address the issue of the subsidies and import quotas that up to now have plagued many of the Latin American countries. With the EU now retreating from its long held protectionist position, the US can no longer expect to walk away from negotiations with a victory in hand which places Latin America in a dependent position in the FTAA. Scraping Bottom: US-Latin American Relations There is no question that US-Latin America relations are at their lowest point in a generation. Clearly, when it has come to leadership and a strong moral stance regarding US policy initiatives towards Cuba, Venezuela and Haiti, Secretary of State Powell has provided no leadership and certainly no vision. By default, such leadership fell into the hands of Otto Reich and a small band of venomous rightwing ideologies headed by Otto Reich, Roger Noriega and Dan Fisk, who held their places because Powell allowed them to be imposed on him. As a career propagandist and huckster-ideologue, Otto Reich built his professional existence on disseminating public disinformation along with a capacity for extremist politics that have done incalculable damage to the maintenance of a balanced and responsible regional policy. Almost single-handedly, he has bent and distorted US-Latin American relations and has produced a level of odium that cannot be easily recalled in the recent chapters of the bilateral relationship between the two hemispheres. His legacy hardly serves that word, filled as it has been with vulgar rhetoric, meretricious analysis, Rasputin-like conspiracies, and an inability to distinguish responsible behavior from that of a low quality goon. He, together with his fellow alumni from former Senator Helms’s tawdry regional policy-making workshop at the Senate’s foreign relations committee, the State of Department’s Roger Noriega and Dan Fisk, have gone a long way to pollute US hemispheric ties so fundamentally that it will take a generation to undo. From a Caribbean, Andean or South American standpoint, the EU-MERCOSUR pact strengthens their respective chances for a fairer and freer FTAA agreement. The United States can no longer treat its hemispheric partners as subsidiaries of a holding company which it controls now that Europe has presented itself as a viable second option for a binding trade relationship. Living in an era of increasingly free global trade, the EU-MERCOSUR pact could be a refreshing change from a history of largely self-serving and US-dominated agreements. The trade agreement between the European Union and MERCOSUR could come to rival the Free Trade Area of the Americas as a major hemispheric economic force, even if both are achieved. As the United States’s soft power continues to decline in the region, Europe’s global stock looks increasingly more appealing. If the US wishes to maintain its traditional position astride the Western Hemisphere, it must learn from its European counterparts how to stop talking down and start talking to Latin America. Internet References: REDES / Friends of the Earth Uruguay: http://www.redes.org.uy/ L`Observatori de las Transnacionales (LO’T), research group focusing on Spanish TNCs in Latin-America. Contact: David Llistar david.llistar@debtwatch.org Red Mexicana de Accion Frente al Libre Comercio (RMALC): http://www.rmalc.org.mx/ Transnational Institute (TNI): http://www.tni.org/altreg/index.htm Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO): http://www.corporateeurope.org/ Alianza Chilena Por Un Comercio Justo y Responsable (ACJR): http://www.comerciojusto.cl/index.htm Asociacion Latinoamercana de Organizaciones de Promocion (ALOP): http://www.alop.or.cr/