The Kite Runner Hero free essay sample

The Kite Runner, based on his personality traits and actions towards Amir baba is the victim. He is very pressuring, unsympathetic and hypocritical towards his son Amir, and his actions cause Amir to make horrible decisions. Throughout the story Amir is pressured to be like Baba when he was a kid. The problem arises that he is not athletic like Baba was and would rather read and write. Baba doesn’t understand how Amir could be this way and doesn’t approve of his interests. In this scene it shows how Baba would share his frustration with his friend Rahim Khan. He’s always buried in those books or shuffling around the house†¦. I wasn’t like that he said angrily almost frustrated†(21). Baba is also very un-sympathetic towards Amir. Amir tries his very best to please Baba and Baba won’t even give him anything in return. Amir writes a short story that he is very proud of. We will write a custom essay sample on The Kite Runner Hero or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He goes to show it to Baba and he doesn’t even look at it. â€Å"I clear my throat and told him I’d written a story†¦. Baba gave a thin smile that conveyed no more than feigned interest ‘that’s good’ he said†¦ then nothing more, he just looked at me†(31). This really hurt Amir because all he wanted was a little praise from his father. Baba’s little to no interest in Amir makes him do crazy things to fight for his love. For instance Amir went to the extreme when he sacrificed his best friend, Hassan’s health for a little praise from baba. â€Å"Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba†(77). Amir would have most likely never done this if baba just gave him some respect. Other then Babas lack of being sympathetic towards Amir, the biggest reason Baba is the villain in the story is because he is a hypocrite. For all of Amir’s life he wanted to be like Baba. He wanted to get praise from Baba, do what Baba does, and be who Baba is. Although what Amir finds out is that Baba isn’t as perfect as he thought. Turns out Baba had been keeping a secret from Amir his entire life. Baba had lied to Amir and never told him about his bad past and some of the bad things he did. Amir found out Baba had cheated on Amir’s mother with his best friends wife. Which what soon lead to finding out that Amir’s best friend, the boy he let get raped for Baba’s love was really his brother. When Amir finds out about this he is so angry and wants to take back all he had done for Baba. â€Å"How could he hide this from me?.. I’m thirty-eight years old and my whole life has been a lie†(223). After all those years he thought Baba made himself look so great when in reality he had been lying to him and had a dark past hidden. Generally baba is a bad guy. He mistreats his own son and by doing this it makes Amir react negatively. Most times in life bad kids come from bad parents, and in this case that is very true for Amir and Baba.

Haiti essays

Haiti essays Want to send this story to another AOL member? Click on the heart at the top of this window. PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Haitian authorities released an opposition candidate and four associates Saturday, nearly three weeks after they were arrested following regional elections, an opposition leader said. Authorities dropped charges of incitement to violence against candidate Jean Limongy and the four others, said Evans Paul of Limongy's Space for Concord five-party coalition. Limongy, a candidate for a lower house seat, and the others were arrested May 23, two days after local and legislative elections. More than 2 million Haitian voters, about 60 percent of the electorate, cast their ballots in the violence-free elections. The Lavalas Family party of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide gained control of the upper house and was leading in most lower-house races as vote counting continued this week. Since the vote, police have arrested at least 37 opposition candidates and activists. Sixteen have been released. Space for Concord militant Laurore Noel, who was arrested with Limongy, remained in prison in Petit-Goave jail, about 35 miles southwest of the capital, Paul said. On Wednesday, three candidates projected as the winners for seats on the Port-au-Prince city council under Aristide's Lavalas Family banner were arrested on charges of having false police identification cards. Elections for legislative seats in Haiti's troubled Grand'-Anse district, where the vote was delayed due to technical difficulties, are set for Sunday, officials said. Haiti has been without a Parliament since President Rene Preval dismissed legislators in 1999 to resolve a power struggle. Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, r ...

How to Begin a Sentence With And or But

How to Begin a Sentence With 'And' or 'But' According to a usage note in the fourth edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, But may be used to begin a sentence at all levels of style. And in The Kings English (1997), Kingsley Amis says that the idea that and must not begin a sentence, or even a paragraph, is an empty superstition. The same goes for but. Indeed either word can give unimprovably early warning of the sort of thing that is to follow.   The same point was made over a century ago by Harvard rhetorician Adams Sherman Hill: Objection is sometimes taken to employment of but or and at the beginning of a sentence; but for this, there is much good usage (The Principles of Rhetoric, 1896). In fact, it has been common practice to begin sentences with a conjunction since at least as far back as the 10th century. The Usage Myth Persists Still, the myth persists that and and but should be used only to join elements within a sentence, not to link one sentence to another. Here, for instance, is an edict found recently on an English professors Composition Cheat Sheet: Never begin a sentence with a conjunction of any kind, especially one of the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so ). This same fussbudget, by the way, outlaws the splitting of infinitives  - another durable grammar myth. But at least the professor is in good company. Early in his career, William Shawn, longtime editor of The New Yorker magazine, had a penchant for converting sentence-initial buts into howevers. As Ben Yagoda reports in When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It (2007), Shawns habit inspired one of the magazines writers, St. Clair McKelway, to compose this impassioned defense of but: If you are trying for an effect which comes from having built up a small pile of pleasant possibilities which you then want to push over as quickly as possible, dashing the readers hopes that he is going to get out of a nasty situation as easily as you have intentionally led him to believe, you have got to use the word but and it is usually more effective if you begin the sentence with it. But love is tricky means one thing, and however, love is tricky means anotheror at least gives the reader a different sensation. However indicates a philosophical sigh; but presents an insuperable obstacle. . . .But, when used as I used it in these two places, is, as a matter of fact, a wonderful word. In three letters it says a little of however, and also be that as it may, and also heres something you werent expecting and a number of other phrases along that line. There is no substitute for it. It is short and ugly and common. But I love it. Know Your Audience Still, not everybody loves initial but. The authors of Keys for Writers (2014) note that some readers may raise an eyebrow when they see and or but starting a sentence in an academic paper, especially if it happens often. So if you dont want to see eyebrows raised, ration your use of these words at the beginnings of sentences.   But in any event, dont start scratching out your ands and  buts on my account.

LANGUAGE TESTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

LANGUAGE TESTING - Essay Example This form of direct oral testing is known variously as "oral interview", "oral test", or "oral examination". I will refer to it here as "oral examination", as I am dealing mainly with examinations in a university context. The literature on language testing has identified a number of unsolved problems with oral examinations. Much of the discussion has centred on the issues of validity and reliability, but problems in the practical administration of oral examinations have also received comment. The fundamental problems with oral examinations are those of reliability (i.e. the consistency with which different examiners mark the same test, or with which the same examiner marks a test on different occasions) and validity (i.e. whether or not an oral test assesses what it sets out to assess). The reliability of oral examinations has been seen as a serious problem right from the start of research on this topic. Spelberg et al. (2002) report very low correlations, averaging only .41, between the marks of different examiners, although Taguchi (2005) points out that "the nine examiners who marked sixteen candiates [ . . . ] in this study did not have marking schemes, were given no training, were unstandardized and were given no criteria for judging candidates ability", so the discrepancies in their judgements are perhaps not such a surprise. Spelberg (2000) describes the usual ways of testing oral ability as "impressions from memory or haphazard interviews" and writes that "the vast majority of cases [ . . . ] are not reliably separated into levels of speaking ability by this approach, because of the complexity of the language and non-language factors involved". Michael (2001) states that for tests based on free conversation "the problems of sampling, and reliable scoring ar e almost insoluble, unless a great deal of time and many

Improvements to the Law as Introduced by the Defamation Act 2013 Essay

Improvements to the Law as Introduced by the Defamation Act 2013 - Essay Example In line with this, the new Act aims to protect not only the right of each person to express themselves verbally or in writing but also the need to protect the reputation of each person. To serve this purpose, Defamation Act 2013 was enacted on the 25th of April 20132. On top of setting grounds on freedom to express one’s own thoughts and ideas and the need to protect the reputation of another person or a business entity, the said Act also applies to the need to control libel tourism. As such, the Act extends legal protection to website operators by entitling them for a defence in case the website operator is not the one who posted personal comments or statements that could seriously offend other people5. In line with this, the Act requires all individuals and business organizations to submit significant evidences that can prove their claim on defamation. Under section 5(3)(a) of Defamation Act 2013, it was clearly stated that website operators are given the equal opportunity t o prove themselves that they are not the one who posted harmful statements online. Thus, the Act guarantees protection to all website operators provided that they can identify the right person who posted harmful statements. Furthermore, any forms of moderation made by the website operators with regards to the hurtful comments made by other people in their website(s) can validate their defence. 7. Philosophical lens can be used to investigate how the society would view the concept of freedom of expression within the modern society and perhaps how the Defamation Act 2013 would fit or can be altered to fit in the concept of freedom of expression8. In line with this, reasons why Defamation Act 2013 has failed to provide any significant improvements to the existing law will be tacked in details. 2. Justification on Claims 2.1 Control on Libel Tourism In 1936, Lord Atkin defined libel as a defamatory statement that can somehow cause injury to another person’s reputation. Good examp les of libel include publicly commenting on other people due to hatred or purposely disrespecting or ridiculing another person which aims to destroy his own self-esteem9. In line with this, libel tourism occurs when the claimants for libel case is not residing in the same country where the defendant is currently residing (i.e. online libel cases, etc.)10. A good example of libel tourism is the case of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal v Forbes magazine whereby a journalist was legally sued for underestimating the Prince’s fortune by $9.6 billion11. Defamation Act 2013 aims to prevent forum-shopping in such a way that claimants cannot just file a defamation case in London if they have no links to UK. By setting a clear ground or guidelines on libel tourism, it is possible to limit or reduce the number of unimportant claims on defamation. With this in mind, the enactment of Defamation Act 2013 could somehow contribute to the decrease in the number of legal charges on defamation12. The United Kingdom is a member of the European Union (EU)13. Despite the changes in UK’s latest Defamation Act, question arises as to whether or not the Defamation Act 2013 can make significant change in the defamation law in UK. First of all, there is no change in EU Law or law affecting European nationals. Since UK is a member of the European Union, it means that all existing EU laws could somehow affect the defamation law in UK. For instance, the Rome I Regulation is a contractual obligation that administers the choice of law among the members of the European Union14. Since UK is a member of the European Union, this country is not legally exempted wherein the defendant can have the option for a choice of law. Likewise,

Atomic mass unit Essay Example for Free

Atomic mass unit Essay Substance Z is sodium carbonate because the relative atomic mass of X calculated is 22. 99. The actual relative atomic mass of sodium is 22. 99. Hence, we can conclude X is sodium. 6) If de-ionized water was added into the volumetric flask beyond the calibration mark, the exact concentration of the solution of standard Z will decrease but the number of moles of substance Z will still remain the same. Assuming that the volume of the solution of substance Z made is still 250 cm3, the number of moles calculated in that 250 cm3 solution of substance Z will be less because of the decrease in concentration. When the number of moles calculated decreases, the mass of one mole of substance Z will increase because of the equation (). Number of moles is inversely proportional to mass of one mole of substance Z or relative molecular mass of substance Z. 7) If an air bubble is initially entrapped in the burette tip and is passed from the burette during the titration, the recorded volume of HCl used will increase although the actual volume used to reach the end point of the titration is still the same. The calculated number of moles of HCl used will increase. The number of moles of Substance Z calculated will also increase. The calculated mass of one mole of substance Z will be lower because of the equation (). The number of moles is inversely proportional to the mass of one mole of substance Z or relative molecular mass of substance Z. Discussion Element X was correctly identified as sodium and substance Z is sodium carbonate. The relative atomic mass of element X was accurately determined. The percentage error of the calculation is zero. Conclusion The relative molecular mass of substance Z can be correctly identified by knowing the amount of hydrochloric acid that reacted with a known amount of Substance Z. Substance Z is sodium carbonate with a calculated relative molecular mass of 105. 99g.

Act One Of Othello Essay -- essays research papers

What Is Shakespeare’s Achievement In Act I Of Othello? Shakespeare’s own personal aim was not to write a social and political reflection of his era, as many contemporary readers believe, it was; purely and simply, to entertain his audience. This does not mean that there can be no social and political reflections within Othello, it means that the reflections are there, not for the sake of social and political commentary, but for the sake of entertainment and pleasure. Aristotle explained in â€Å"Poetics† that the audience’s pleasure consists not merely in observing the play, but criticizing, evaluating and making comparisons. These activities produce pleasure, thus it is not a mindless pleasure. There must be intellectual and emotional engagement on the spectator’s part. According to Aristotle, to stimulate the intellectual engagement of the audience and thus create this pleasure in the spectator, a masterful piece of art or literature must contain a degree of ambiguity in its ideas. This is the reason for the social commentaries that Shakespeare includes in his work: The play commences with two characters apparently arguing over money. Shakespeare immediately sets the mood of conflict for the remainder of the play, it is important because the reader at the outset is given a choice; who to believe and who is right. Shakespeare instantly sets about creating the mood of ambiguity which will result in the reader contemplating and analyzing the situation in hand. This will, according to Aristotle, create pleasure for the audience. As with all Shakespeare’s plays, Othello is written (for the very vast majority) in a form of verse and with a definite rhythm. This helps the general flow of the text, and when the rhythm is broken, we are alerted to a significant event or to a particular trait in a character. When Iago tries to insult and animalize the â€Å"Barbary horse† Othello, to Brabantio (line 108), verse reverts to prose and we are alerted to the evils behind Iago’s deeds. Shakespeare, so far, is strictly adhering to Aristotle’s guidelines and certainly understands â€Å"the essential qualities of art itself†. In â€Å"Poetics† it is explained that â€Å"language into which enter rhythm, harmony and song† will create â€Å"each kind of artistic ornament† necessary to â€Å"imitate an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude† (Aristotle’s description of tragedy). In the... ...r and battle against the Turks, and heeds Othello to prepare to depart for Cyprus. Brabantio, before his depature, turns to Othello and warns him against trusting Desdemona, for she has â€Å"deceived her father† and may thee†. The subconscious seeds of mistrust have been planted in Othello’s mind by Brabantio, this is dramatic irony and warns the audience that the future of the marriage will not be as smooth as the naà ¯ve lovers expect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the act finishes with the almost satanic Iago warning of his deception to come, he shows us that the â€Å"Barbarian and a super-subtle Venetian† will not live calmly. If the audience is in any doubt as to Iago’s feelings for the Moor, he explains â€Å"I hate the Moor†. He goes on to outhline the plan of â€Å"double knavery† that he shall use to split the lovers in an act of serious deception.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first act of Othello signals to the audience the coming themes of love and war, deception and trust and arguably; stereotypes. The issues Shakespeare brings to light, create thought and internal debate, this leads to the pleasure that Aristotle described; and achieves Shakespeare’s primary aim – to entertain.

Ptlls Level 3 Theory Assessment 1

UNIT 1 PTLLS LEVEL 3 THEORY ASSESSMENT (1) / JOHN A F BRADY @ MERCIA 2011 Describe what your role, responsibilities and boundaries would be as a teacher in terms of the teaching / training cycle. The role of the teacher is to facilitate the learning aims of the taught group on behalf of them and their service provider. Examples of overall learning aims include the passing of knowledge-based examinations, the demonstration of a skill or competency and, in some cases, a combination of all such elements. The teacher’s responsibilities are a set of specific actions grouped to achieve desired learning outcomes. These responsibilities cover two distinct areas, namely the pastoral and the pedagogic. The former includes student health & safety and behaviour management, the latter teaching methods and student engagement. In this context, the term ‘boundaries’ describes the social contract between the service provider, teacher and learner group. Boundaries are concerned, for example, with service limits and the establishment and policing of codes of conduct. The teaching/training cycle is comprised of five activities, namely:- (i) the identification of needs, (ii) lesson planning and design, (iii) teaching the lesson and the facilitation of learning, (iv) assessing learner achievements, and (v) evaluating the contribution made of the teaching methods used. Identifying needs combines data collected before student induction, e. g. returned application forms and observations made at induction, e. g. during ice-breaker activity. My specialism of teaching adults English as a foreign language needs to ascertain a student’s ability to listen, read, talk and write. My role here includes assessing whether a student’s subject ability is appropriate or would be better addressed in a ‘special needs’ context. My understanding of the material and institutional teaching environments will also inform how best to cater for students with mobility issues/learning difficulties. Design and planning concerns the pedagogic and the pastoral. For the former, a series of lesson plans need to be devised to enable students to learn the syllabus content required by the awarding authority. Pastoral activities include social and institutional induction, e. g. ice-breakers, site-tours, H&S and other professional/legal requirements. A lesson is taught by the teacher and learnt by the student. A teaching responsibility is to gain insight into student ways of learning and to adjustdelivery to further facilitate learning. Consideration of inclusivity, diversity, behaviour and student inter-action will also improve teaching/learning performance. Assessing adults learning English as a foreign language is a challenge. The teacher needs to use proceedures as laid down but remain flexible enough to guage nuances between those whose vocal skills may disguise poor written skills vice versa. Assessment must be systematic, collated and intelligible to others. Evaluation likewise should be systematic and collated with clearly defined outcomes. Student feedback, CPD and self assessment are critical for the improvement of teaching performance and learning outcomes. (Recommended 300 – 500, actual 429 words,excluding titles)

Gregor and Othello: Disillusionment Essay

An illusion is something that we think is real but is actually not. We produce illusions when our minds play tricks on us. When we discover the truth, we feel a terrible sense of disillusionment. This is when we discover that what have known all along has been false. Disillusionment thugs at our innermost core and lead us to deep misery. The characters of Gregor Samsa in Franz Kafka’s â€Å"The Metamorphosis† and Othello in Shakespeare’s play of the same title both experience this sense disillusionment. They both think that the thing that they believe in is real but towards the end of their lives, they discover that what they have believed in are just illusions. When Gregor Samsa turns into a giant insect, he notices the transformation but he still believes that he is still the human Gregor. Even if he notices that he turns into an insect, he is not worried. What he is worried about is that he is late for work and that his boss might get angry at him (1085). He forces himself to get up and thinks that what he has to do even if he sees that he has turned into an insect is to get dressed, have breakfast and catch the next train to work. Gregor’s illusion is that the world will treat him as Gregor the human even if his appearance has turned into an insect. It is an illusion because everybody who sees Gregor sees only the monstrous insect and not Gregor. He tries to make everyone understand that he is still Gregor but being turned into an insect, he talks like an insect and the insect noises that he makes are not understood by his family. The family sees a giant insect and hears insect noises. So even if inside that insect shell, there’s still Gregor who thinks human thoughts and feel human warmth and affection, outside, he is not Gregor anymore. His illusion is that others will see him as human and not as insect. There’s even a point in the when Gregor’s insect body grows on him that he starts to enjoy moving and using his new kind of feet. He learns to crawl around his room, on the wall and on the ceiling. When Gregor’s sister, Grete, notices Gregor’s behavior, Grete thinks that they should get rid of the furniture inside Gregor’s room to allow Gregor to crawl more freely (1098). Gregor initially welcomes the suggestion but is startled because he notices that with that suggestion, he is actually allowing his family to think that he has really turned into a crawling insect (1099). So he scared Grete and his mother while they are carrying the furniture out. Gregor holds on to his illusion that his family will eventually see that he is still Gregor. He always makes it a point to be courteous to his family. Since his family cannot take his hideous appearance especially his sister Grete who comes to his room for food, Gregor hides his body whenever he senses Grete getting inside his room. There is even one time when he labors for four hours just to cover his whole body for his sister Grete (1097). But as days pass, it becomes evident that Gregor’s family members will not look or relate to him as a human. Gregor’s disillusionment happens when he gets out of his room to get closer to Grete who is playing violin for the lodgers. When the lodgers and Grete see him, Grete tells everyone with Gregor in front of her: You just have to try to get rid of the idea that it’s Gregor. Believing it for so long that is our real misfortune. But how can it be Gregor? (1107) When Gregor hears his sister he becomes sad, returns to his room and dies in misery that he really cannot be Gregor anymore to his family. Othello’s illusion is that his wife is cheating on him. This is not real but Othello is tricked and made to believe of his wife’s infidelity. It is Iago, one of Othello’s men who cunningly produces the illusion in Othello’s mind. In Act 1 Scene III of the play, Iago makes a speech about his intention for tricking Othello. He hates Othello, â€Å"I hate the Moor†, because Othello does not make him Lieutenant. Instead, Othello chooses Cassio whom Iago believes to be less experienced and qualified (Shakespeare Act I Scene III Lines 383-404). Iago uses Cassio and even his own wife, Emilia to achieve his plot of ruining Othello by making him believe that his wife is having an affair with Cassio. Iago asks Emilio who works for Desdemona to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief given to her by Othello. Emilia does not initially suspect of Iago’s evil plot; she gets the handkerchief and gives it to Iago. Iago then puts the handkerchief in Cassio’s room (Act III Scene IV). This is what Iago uses to make Othello believe that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio and Othello believes him. Othello’s disillusionment happens after he has killed Desdemona for believing that Desdemona is cheating on him. In Act V Scene II, Emily tells Othello that Desdemona loves him and that Desdemona does not give Cassio the handkerchief as token of her love (Lines 226-229). Othello confirms this with Iago’s behavior. As Emily is divulging the Iago’s evil plot, Iago kills Emily and runs away (Act V Scene II Line 239). Othello recognizes his foolishness, â€Å"O fool! O fool! O Fool! (Act V Scene II Line 322) The disillusionment leads Othello to misery and takes his own life. The characters of Gregor and Othello both hang on to illusions and feel a terrible sense of disillusionment upon learning of the truth. Disillusionment is a universal human emotion. As in the case of Gregor and Othello, disillusionment always result in pain for us humans because pain is the result of the destruction of that part of us that keeps us ignorant. The pain that comes with disillusionment signals that something in us is destroyed: our illusion and ignorance. Works Cited Kafka, Franz. â€Å"The Metamorphosis. † Literature World Masterpieces. 4th Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996, 1084-1110. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Othello the Moor of Venice. † The Compact Bedford Introduction to Drama. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 5th Ed. New York: Bedford’s/St. Martin, 2005, 246-288.

Military Equipments and the Technology of China in Early Modern World

Military Equipments and the Technology of China in Early Modern World Introduction Various developments have been seen in the chronological evolution of man. The increasing brain capacity during the past developments of man led to more ability of man to make tools that could be used for various services. It is important to realize, from the prehistoric times, that while other animals concentrated in ways of surviving in the natural world endowed with different resources, man has been in a constant struggle to shape the natural resources to suit his interest.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Military Equipments and the Technology of China in Early Modern World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The need to develop defensive mechanisms by man can be traced back to the prehistoric times. Homo erectus or the â€Å"upright man† made cleavers and hand axes that were used for hunting of prey and protection against predators (Bentley Ziegler, 3). This man also invented fire and r ealized that it could also be used to scare away other animals. With these developments, man could exercise more control over the world’s natural resources. He pioneered different parts leading to the distribution of this species to different parts in the world. The need to develop protective mechanisms continued with the man’s evolution into the modern man. There emerged organized groups for purposes like communal hunting and gathering of fruits. With the development of languages of communication, a need to have groups of individuals organized into some collective system with some leader, and the various other societal factors that were seen to be influencing human behavior, there has been an increasing need by these units to have protection from external attack from other neighboring/ rival units. The differences that were witnessed in the way of life of the early man and that of modern man are also evident in the types of weapons that they developed. The early man i n the Stone Age period developed tools from stone carvings. Then followed the wooden age with tools developed from woodcarvings. This developed into use of metals, in the Iron Age in 1700-1500 B.C (East west dialogue, para.24) for making tools like knives, spears, bows, and arrows with latter developments that are witnessed currently. With increased civilization, tools that are more modern were developed by man in various parts of the world. The civilization was, however, not even. Some parts of the world developed faster than the others did in terms of technology. Thesis Statement The increasing intelligence of man led to his invention of better ways of survival. This led to development of weapons for human protection that led to the increasing desire by different nations to conquer and rule the whole world, resulting into wars that have been witnessed among nations since the medieval times. As a result, early civilization in a nation often results in conflicts between the members of the nation that can lead to decrease in development rates.Advertising Looking for research paper on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More China in the medieval period The medieval period is viewed differently by different scholars regarding the beginning and end of the period. However, it is approximated to be between fifth century A.D and fifteenth century A.D (Lombardi, para.2). During this period, there were various political developments recorded in China. The early periods saw the reunification of China to form a United China. The end of this period saw China being conquered by the Mongol Empire. The Tang dynasty is one kind of leadership that was seen in China between the seventh and the tenth centuries (Eras of elegance, para.3). The united China had vast territories endowed with many resources making its capital city the richest city in the world at the time. During their reign, the Tang promoted trade be tween united China and other countries and promoted social growth in terms of educational programs. Improvements were also seen in the infrastructure like roads within the country. They could then access the neighboring countries and tried to conquer Korea in the seventh century but failed. They continued to be influential in the neighborhood and Korea later adopted their model of leadership (Eras of elegance, para.3). Tang dynasty disintegrated and ended in the middle of the tenth century and was succeeded by the Song. The political movement that would later yield the Yuan dynasty can be linked to Genghis Khan who initiated moves to conquer Asia in 1190. Twenty years later, he led the Mongols and invaded China. The Mongols continued with their operations and captured Moscow thirty years later. Kublai Khan then established his reign that would see the foundation of the Yuan dynasty in China. This dynasty lasted for over a century in China and it was later overthrown in 1368 (Eras of elegance, para.3). The Mongols tried to invade more countries and failed in certain instances. The Mongol Empire at this time consisted of several nations Asia like China, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and many others (Eras of elegance, para.3).. China after medieval period The Ming Dynasty followed the Yuan dynasty and took back the Chinese rule under the powers of the locals of the country. It was a period following the collapse of the Yuan dynasty in 1368 and ended around 1644. It is generally known as ‘period of stable, effective government during which some important new institutions developed’ (Twitchett, 9). Various developments were seen during this period some of which had been initiated by the early dynasties. The period saw the maturation of the political development that were initiated during the Tang dynasty and promoted by the Yuan dynasty of the Mongol empire. The civil service became poor powerful in exercising control over the whole society and there was very little opposition from the ruled concerning the extent to which the autocratic rulers could exercise their control.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Military Equipments and the Technology of China in Early Modern World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This would lead to the full authority of the rulers to have ability to exercise control on whatever they wished to towards the end of the dynasty. The rulers were assisted by scholars who followed the Confucian doctrines. They managed to expand their territory to incorporate other neighboring regions that were not ruled by the past dynasties (Twitchett, 10). The number of the provinces that formed the Ming Empire also increased from the previous three to around thirteen towards the end of the dynasty (Twitchett, 13). The management of boundaries between these administrative units and the neighboring units required a well-established defense syste m that was the reinstated by the Ming rulers. The Ming dynasty lasted for 277 years and had sixteen rulers from the same lineage (Twitchett, 16). The Qing dynasty took over from the Ming dynasty and ruled between 1644 and 1911. It was founded by the Manchus people of the northeast. Under their rule, Qing Empire acquired more territories and exercised their authority over a wider region than the other dynasties. The rulers followed the Confucian doctrines in their leadership and exercised their authority regarding the Chinese culture (Hearn, para.2). The doctrines promoted good leadership skills and required that one act in a manner that he would like to be adopted by any other person ensured good governance in China during this period. It was observed that ‘the court became a leading patron in the arts as China enjoyed an extended period of political instability’ (Hearn, para.2). Two other groups of artists were also active in China namely the traditionalists and indivi dualists. However, this good leadership lasted for a while and was threatened latter by the ideological differences from within and outside the territory. The empire segregated and was seen as a failure towards meeting the development objectives. As a result, the development pace that had been set in China reduced drastically towards the end of the eighteenth century and was very low until about few decades ago when mechanisms were developed to rejuvenate the nation (Wang, 178). Early civilization in China It is important to note that China developed technologies thousands of years before the technologies were adopted by the other parts of the world like Europe. There are evidences of the ancient cities that were developed by early men in some parts of China (Bentley Ziegler, 13). Generally, civilization began in China thousands of years before the same was seen in the western countries. The developments were attributed to the teachings of Confucius (551-476 B.C) who asserted that unlike wild animals, man could be ruled by principles of reason (East west dialogue, para.7).Advertising Looking for research paper on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The technology that was used in agriculture ensured that the country had enough food that led to the growth of population making it the most populous country in the world. The extraction and use of iron metal in China began far much earlier than they did in the European countries (East west dialogue, para.29). This led to the earlier development of more superior tools in China than in other country in the world. Farming and other economic activities could be carried out effectively. The trend continued in China until few centuries ago. In fact, during the 1700s, China could be regarded as the largest and one of the richest countries in the world. It could also boast of being the country with the best system of government at the time. However, some factors from within and outside the Qing Empire that prevailed in China lead to dissolution of such a powerful governance system in the early 1800s. The long serving Qing Empire decayed and failed in its desires to establish a more civiliz ed state. Conclusion and restatement of thesis It is thus worth pointing out the consequences of the early civilization that was seen in China. The adoption of modern technology in agriculture was seen in China several years before similar technologies were developed and adopted in other countries. This led to the growth in population of the country and allowing for other techniques like development of weapons. This was followed by a series of governments some from non-Chinese rulers. There were increased desires by the emperors to conquer and rule many neighboring China. The system of government that was adopted in China for a long period seemed perfect but the ideological differences due to the many people in a cosmopolitan country led to disintegration of the government due to conflicts of interest. The country, which had been in the forefront in urbanization, once again experienced a reverse migration with the individuals moving back to the rural areas. Further research in techn ology was threatened and the individuals adopted farming techniques that required even more labor like the introduction of a plow pulled by man. Techniques were then being used that were inferior to those that were used thousands of years earlier. This trend continued and other nations from the European and American continent borrowed the technology from the Chinese applied the techniques to improve their socio-economic and political developments. Countries like the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, and the dissolved USSR are now termed as the worlds industrial powers while China who was the founder of much technology is still regarded as a developing nation. Thus, early civilization in country may be a threat to the national development. Bentley, Jerry H and Ziegler, Herbert F. Chapter 1: The basic history in Traditions and Encounters: A Global perspective on the past. London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2011. Web. East west dialogue. â€Å"The Science Technology Ancient C hina Taught the West.† Ancient Chinas Technology. 2011. Web. Eras of elegance. â€Å"The medieval era (476-1450).† Eras of elegance. N.d. Web. Hearn, Maxwell K. The Qing Dynasty (1644–1911): Painting. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2011. Web. Lombardi, Esther. Medieval  Period: Where did it All  Begin? 2011. Web. Twitchett, Dennis C. The Cambridge History of China: The Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644. Volume 8, Part 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Wang, Gabe T. China and the Taiwan issue: impending war at Taiwan Strait. Lanham: University Press of America, 2006.

How to Use Agile Project Management to Organize Your Marketing

How to Use Agile Project Management to Organize Your Marketing Are you sick of emergencies, of last-minute deadlines, and the stress of messy workflows? If so, agile project management might be just the strategy you need to use. Chances are great that you’ve heard of it before, but do you know how to use agile methodologies in your marketing? Today we’re going to talk about just that with Andrea Fryrear, the president and lead trainer at Agile Sherpas. She’s going to talk to us about what agile marketing is and how you can use it to prioritize your projects. Sit back, relax, and get ready to learn some high-value information that will help your business succeed. Information about Agile Sherpas and what they do. What agile marketing is, what it focuses on, and what the most popular methodology is. The difference between Waterfall and agile marketing. How agile marketers prioritize their projects. The concept of boundaries and why multitasking doesn’t work. Andrea also talks about the importance of saying no. How agile marketers can focus on the projects that make the most impact. How to build obstacles and roadblocks into your workflow. Tips on using Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban for agile marketing. What you can do first if you are a marketer who would like to start using agile project management as part of your marketing strategy. Links and Resources: Agile Sherpas Scrum Kanban Scrumban podcast@.com If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Andrea: â€Å"Limiting our work and focusing is the only way we’re gonna get to the point of doing really good, high-quality work that’s focused on the audience.† â€Å"Scrum has the best PR agency of any of the agile methodologies.† â€Å"I would say don’t try to eat this whole elephant in one big bite.†

A Case of Lengthier Annual Reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Case of Lengthier Annual Reports - Essay Example It also includes the company’s mission statement and pertinent financial statements (Holmes, Sugden, & Gee, 2008). While annual reports used to fall considerably below the 100-page mark during the last decade, a survey by business advisory firm Deloitte shows that in 2010, the average length of annual reports has reached an all-time high of 101 pages (Deloitte, 2010). Interestingly enough, the lengthiest reports are littered with more advertisement-like photographs and captions than relevant narratives and figures. These are the supposed culprits of reports being lengthier than they used to be. Such a phenomenon is of primary interest because of the impact that this has on the ability of such reports to serve their true purpose. Questions arise as to whether lengthier reports actually provide readers with more information or additional confusion? Do the long reports indicate that companies are revealing more of their respective businesses’ actual performance or are they merely an effort to gloss over weaknesses that new regulatory rules aim to draw out? Do lengthier reports mean more substance or just more clutter? This paper attempts to provide answers to these questions and adequately support the claims made herein by extracts from actual company annual reports. Company reports included are those of Ericssion, Carlsberg, and Walmart. Reasons for the increasing length of annual reports According to Isobel Sharp, an audit partner at Deloitte, annual reports are significantly increasing in length because companies are now revealing their company’s business risks and even having important performance indicators disclosed in their reports. Moreover, corporates now provide a director’s responsibility statement, a requirement introduced around four years ago as a consequence of EU’s Transparency Obligations Directive (Deloitte, 2010). Essentially, the many rules that are brought up in recent years are also being blamed for the cons istently rising trend in annual report length. However, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) of UK points out that company reports in general are trying to please too many users at the same time, hence the almost unstoppable increasing trend in the length of annual reports (UK FRC, 2010). Preparers try to put in as much additional information as they can in an attempt to make the reports as appealing to current and prospective investors as possible (Campbell & Slack, 2008). One company that illustrates this is the 163-page Annual Report by the Carlsberg Group of companies which feels so much more like a 163-page advertisement, with pages that are more fitting in a magazine than in a business report. On the other hand, Boeing’s annual report cannot be more straightforward in its layout and content. Yet, the company needed 156 pages to provide all the data needed and required by regulatory institutions. These two examples illustrate that the burgeoning lengths of annual report s are both a result of additional requirements from regulatory institutions, and the trying-to-please-everybody approach of report preparers. If these requirements are further increased in the future, then lengthier annual reports may definitely be expected. Experts are even hinting that 200 page mark may not be far from being surpassed considering the current trend of adding more and more arguably irrelevant pages to annual reports. More words: For better or for worse? Preparers of annual reports reveal that because of the need to effectively inform shareholders of what is happening in the business, and the need to be able to satisfy the disclosure rules set by regulators, more words are apparently needed (The FRC, 2011). However,