Music ethnography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Music ethnography - Essay Example In a special interview of one of the natives who claimed to have attended every Pow Wow Festival since he was five years old, he said the festival often takes a whole week. Whereas this still takes place, the March event was not one of the special occasions that called for a week’s celebration of dances, music and culture of the First Nationals of America. Obtaining historical information about the event that has become popular over the ages was easy given the fortunate friendship I struck with the old man (probably 76 years). He had so much interest in the event that his knowledge of every detail of the event was more refined than obtainable in a cultural encyclopedia. Abukcheech Adahy explained the significance of the event from its origin. From the senior native’s knowledge, the word â€Å"powwow† comes from Naragansett term â€Å"powwaw† that has the meaning of a â€Å"Spiritual Leader†. It is used to describe a gathering of Native Americans of any tribe. Abakcheech is a member of the planning committee for Pow Wow Festival, and he revealed that planning for the occasion begins close to a year before the event. In essence, Pow Wow Committee starts planning for the following years as soon as one festival is over. For this year’s event, the festival was sponsored by assortment of colleges and unive rsities, American Native Communities within California, Tribal Organizations, American Native Club and Native American Studies Program. Performance on the occasion is highly choreographed and organized. The Pow Wow Committee is responsible for securing location of the event, hiring head staff of the event and recruiting vendors to sell merchandise related to the cultural occasion. These include foods and artifacts as well as costumes and traditional attire that the performers use in the event. The head staff of Pow Wow Festival is usually chosen as an honor to a person’s dedication to the

How would the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act come in toplay in terms of Essay

How would the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act come in toplay in terms of Globalized Ethics - Essay Example ell as organizations residing within the US or in any other country from paying or accepting bribes from foreign nationals in return for governmental favors or in order to expedite a particular process. This provision also applies to foreign firms and nationals residing within the US and who are caught in the act of bribery. The act includes issuers whose securities are registered in the US even of the person or the organization is outside the US territory (Osajda, 2010; Glynn, Kobrin & Naim, n.d; Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). Thus the FCPA has a broad reach both within and outside the US and is striving to bring an end to corruption on the global front. The main focus of the act is the purpose for which the money is being transacted. While the act does not interfere with payments made for undertaking routine governmental duties, it imposes heavy fines on those who indulge in corruption (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act). In order to prohibit such illegal laundering of money in other world countries the US appealed to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to issue a recommendation on anti-bribery to its constituent countries. Though the move was initially opposed by the Germans, French and British, it has over the years gained support from these countries who have also adopted suitable measures to combat bribery within their countries. In addition adopting legislative measures to prohibit bribery the OECD has further taken several initiatives to urge countries around the word to pass laws on criminalization of bribery that would help them to achieve zero-tolerance against corruption (Glynn, Kobrin & Naim, n.d). 2. Glynn, P., Kobrin, S. J., & Moises Naim. (n.d). The Globalization of Corruption. Institute for International Economics, Publications. Retrieved Jan 8, 2013, from

Mediation and Advocacy Literature Review Essay Example for Free

Mediation and Advocacy Literature Review Essay In the human services field there is a combination of areas that require mediation and advocacy. Human services consist of and utilize a number of disciplines. Mediation is usually defined as a process in which an impartial third party helps parties resolve a dispute or plan a transaction by assisting their negotiations. Approaches, however, can vary considerably. Many mediators tend to use the same approach regardless of the situations of the parties. But others are flexible and do whatever will work. Each approach has potential advantages and disadvantages. Advocacy is helping or assisting those within a special population acquire the services they need. Advocacy is when someone supports you to speak up about a certain thing. It aims to make sure that an individuals opinions and/or plight are heard and understood. Many disputes are presented when working as a mediator and an advocate in the human services field. Advocacy and Mediation necessitate a person to stay unbiased in order to assist individuals resolve their issues. The roles of advocates and mediators also come with restrictions which if not followed, could lead them to have severe legal problems. Mediators recognize that research is essential to the advancement of knowledge and that all investigations must be conducted with respect for the rights and dignity of participants and with concern for their welfare. Specifically, the conditions of the Human Subjects Experimentation, as designated by the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States Federal Government, shall be adhered to. (www.mediate.com) Being an advocate can present ethical, moral and legal issues, ethical issues are presented everywhere within advocacy. Those advocates have the ethical liability to act with honesty and sincerity. Advocates have the moral responsibility to help clients and social reasons. The most difficult task in their obligations is the legal and ethical limitations they face when taking on their cases. Some of the most rigorous limitations include laws regarding defamation or even hate crimes. These hate crimes are not only at hand in relation to racisms. An increase in hate crimes has been seen towards and in relation with same-sex marriages. These advocates are faced with the intricate task of protecting these people from hate crimes and must at the same time uphold their ethical and moral obligation to their clients regardless of their own personal beliefs (Barsky, 2007). The assimilation of advocacy and mediation plays a vital role within all human services agencies. These positions are highly recommended to unbiased knowledgeable individuals seeking to help improve society. Advocates support and preserve their stance on their meticulous beliefs and do so in an organized group fashion. A mediator in contrast assists people with decision making; they provide alternatives to their problems through coordinated counseling or support groups. Mediators strive to assist in a wide array of approaches and provide both parties with the best tools and documentation in order to realize a positive result, nevertheless mediators do not make the final decisions as they are only there to facilitate both parties to a arrive at an agreement (Barsky, 2007). Mediation and advocacy also allow clients to become familiar with the laws and limitations in relation to their issues in hopes to eliminate further escalations of the issue; whether it is a social or legal topic. Advocacy allows people the opportunity to defend their personal beliefs and voice what he or she believes to be right or wrong. The presence of these two entities allows the resolution of conflicts and conflic ting beliefs from escalating in to violence or further legal actions. Whether it may be defending the basic human rights or the difficult topics of parental rights or partial custodies; mediators provide an undeniable crucial Advocates understand the complex interface between the individuals and even the communities in which they live in. Being around the individual helps the advocate and mediator access and determine what type of people they are around and see how society interacts with their lives. The individual’s behavior would provide insight into what makes them comfortable; so there want be a need for barriers. Advocates and mediators recognize this type of closure and are specialized in learning how to gain the individuals trust. Advocates and mediators also distinguish how an individual lives with one another and can determine a lot about their lifestyle. Human services act as advocates as well when trying to determine any needs that have not been facilitated for clients. The needs could be great but it is up to human services to determine whether its assistance at home, medical and school issues for their children if they have any because unfortunately when adults are having problems, they do reflect on their children. Children are easiest to please but when their parents are having issues at home it can be emotionally offensive to the children if the parents aren’t careful, going to counseling and getting their children involved could help determine the cause and hopefully find a solution. In conclusion I have discovered that mediators and advocates provide a strong backbone for the different disciplines that encompass human services. Human services, advocates and mediators are all allowed to form a positive and engaging environment with the individuals that they relate with. Advocates work with clients in order to help them negotiate more effectively on their own behalves while also acting on behalf of one client. Human services are aware of their own cultural backgrounds, principles, and ethics, recognizing the prospective impact on their relationships with others. Human services advocate for the rights of all members of society, particularly those who are members of minorities and groups at which discriminatory practices have historically been directed (National Organization for Human Services, 2009). Connecting mediation and advocacy to human services involves all parties fully engaged in helping individuals surpass their disputes. Obtaining commitments and considering alternatives are good negotiation ethics that a professional must encounter to have a balanced reasonable connection with their clients (Barsky, Chapter 3 , page 78, 2000). References: Barsky. A.E. (2000). Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professional (2nd ed.). Retrieved From the University of Phoenix eBook Collection database. Mediation Council of Illinois. (1999, August). Standards of Practice for Mediators, Illinois Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www.mediate.com/articles National Association of Social Workers. (2011). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from http://www.socialworkers.org

The Us Containment Policy History Essay

The Us Containment Policy History Essay Power extension has always been a subject that fascinated me. There are countless ways in which groups of individuals can maintain interests of their communities and protect them from possible threats. This phenomenon has been known to the humanity ever since the first human got off the tree and straightened up. The more sophisticated tools we started using, the more dangerous the threat has become. First armies were created, followed up by intelligence services and counter-intelligence services investigating threats both foreign and domestic. By means of diplomacy, diversion, espionage, and violence mighty rulers were trying to guarantee national security by influencing the circumstances on different levels think of Vaticans interference in French politics via Cardinal Richelieu or Charlemagnes orders to execute thousands and convert the others forcefully into Christianity during the Saxon Wars. This concept remained unchanged for centuries and reached its peak in the 20th century, materializing in three terrifying wars of which one is also known as the Cold War. For me as a person interested in power extension is the latter an episode that cannot be overemphasized. For this reason I decided to devote my PWS to it. However, originally intending to write as much as possible about the Cold War and the mutual American and Russian relations precisely, I had to delimit the subject in order to comply with the quantitative requirements laid upon me. By means of a selection I chose the aspect of the Cold War which I found by far the most interesting, namely the basic assumptions of the post-war American politicians of how to prevent the communism from spreading, also known as the containment policy (derived from contain to keep something under control), and the political and military actions of the American Administration in which these communism-countering ideas can be recognized. In my paper, being as a matter of fact a written work of reference based on numerous sources, I will try to answer the question of how successful the containment policy invented and applied by the American policymakers in the years 1945-1949 turned out to be and to what degree it prevented the communism from spreading. Despite the subject concerns a short period of five years there is much to be written. It is never easy when it comes to explaining political decisions and therefore it is highly necessary to mention the underlying grounds, of which the gradual development led to the measures in question. So will my paper begin with the description of the primary reasons resulting in the introduction of the containment policy. Having described the latter I will focus on what I personally consider as the core of my work a summary of deductions concerning the Soviet post-war point of view written down by a high-rank diplomat working in the American Embassy in Moscow. The summary to be found in chapter 3 depicts concisely the direction that was to be given to the American foreign policy in response to the Soviet spreading ambitions. Theory and planning, however, are often not sufficient to bring the expected change. Real action is also required and so it must be addressed to in my paper in order to make the story complete. Chapter 4 will outline the efforts the US policymakers made as far as the application of the containment policy on the European political arena is considered. A careful and critical reader will find amongst lines the answer on how successful the containment proved to be. The chapter also leaves an open path for those who will attempt to imagine what the current world would look like if there were no communism-countering measures or individuals ready to devote their life to protection of democratic values. I find it necessary to mention that I wanted this PWS to be a challenge and some sort of test of my language skills since I am not a native speaker of English and my level of it is far from proficiency. I didnt choose the easiest way out which was writing this paper in Dutch a language I am much more familiar with. Instead I decided to use the opportunity to learn English vocabulary and grammatical constructions which I might not have memorized if I hadnt written it in the way I had. Before you continue reading I truly want you to know that it is not my intention to lay any idealistic beliefs upon you. On the contrary, I hope my paper will help you understand the past, which is after all necessary in order to live consciously in the present and create a future not based on ignorance of not knowing what the events taking place are caused by. Enjoy your journey back in time! Chapter 2: What were the primary reasons for the mutual distrust resulting in the introduction of the containment policy? The first section of this paper will throw some light on the background of the containment policy and, as a matter of fact, The Cold War itself. A proper comprehension of this part is necessary in order to answer the main question. After the very last tanks ceased firing and the Second World War ended, many realized how terribly destructive the war had been. It had materialized in thousands of destroyed cities and generations of young men who lost their lives in combat, not to mention civilians and their continuous fear for their lives. Many of the survivors were looking brightly at the future which was expected to bring about precious peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, only a few were aware of the threat that was about to arise. The Teheran Conference To be fully able to give a constructive answer to the question in the title we have to go back in time to 1943, from November 28 up to December 1 to be precise. The Teheran Summit was the first of the conferences held between all the members of the Big Three, giving shape to those that were about to be held within the next years. Allied leaders representing the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union pulled together in the Capital of their ally, Iran, to discuss measures that were necessary to overpower the common enemy. Apart from setting up a strategy that included synchronized operations to be undertaken from multiple directions, the Big Three agreed that they shall seek the cooperation and active participation of all nations, large and small, whose peoples in heart and mind are dedicated, as are our own peoples, to the elimination of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance[1]. This encouraging press release was definitely an important sign of taking a step forward into creating some kind of an international organization that would avoid imperfections of its predecessor, The League of Nations. Preventing aggressive tendencies of any sort would be its major goal. Next to the certainty of participation of the Soviet Union, the United States and the United Kingdom in the project the question of any role that China and France should play came up. Odds enough the Chinese politicians had not been informed about the proposed understanding at that point of time as result of their disability to form a stable government. Thanks to the Churchills telegram sent to Roosevelt we can surely as shooting state that the British Head of State was more than willing to ignore his early reluctance concerning China if the American president kept pushing on their engagement. As regard to France, it is believed that Roosevelts strong antipathy towards De Gaulle might have been a factor why Frances involvement was not taken seriously at that point of negotiations. After all, the maintenance of peace by controlling, disarming, preventing from rearming in secret and, if necessary, a blockage against a country and its bombardment seemed to be accepted by each of the Heads of State. A press release saying We await the day, when all nations of the world will live peacefully, free of tyranny, according to their national needs and conscience [1] gave a deceptive impression of a complete cooperation. The question of resetting Polish boundaries, brought up by the Russian delegation (consisting of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Defence Minister Klimentii Voroshilov), wasnt solved so easily. It was to become one of the most difficult discussion points which would dominate the Yalta Conference and caused first dents in the mutual trust between the Soviet Union and the other two allies. The Yalta Conference The second meeting of all three members of the Great Alliance was announced in January 1945. It became quite obvious that the issue of boundaries couldnt remain unresolved any longer after the Russian forces had entered on Polish soil nearly a year before on January, 2. The necessary solution was hoped to be found, as stated by Churchill, in the worst place in the world [2] Crimean Yalta. It must be mentioned that each of the participants of the summit held between February 4 and 11 was in the first place, quite logically, trying to maintain the interests of their own country. For the sake of this thesis the main bottlenecks connected to prospective mutual relations will be worked out in detail. These three completely different approaches can be summarized as follows: Winston Churchill mainly interested in the European arena and the French role in the occupation of Germany Franklin Delano Roosevelt agreement on the Far East and setting up a sort of organization of united nations Marshall Stalin the Polish question being a matter of great importance for the Soviet Union. Furthermore an interest in becoming a sphere of influence where the Soviet superiority would be accepted. The compromise about the United Nations came more easily than Roosevelt had ever expected. The deadlock on the voting procedure of the United Nations, about the right of veto to be precise, had been overcome and the number of Soviet republics, which were to participate, had been decreased from sixteen to at least two. Stalins postulates narrowed down to the issue of setting the Polish eastern frontiers at the Curzon Line a demarcation line that was proposed at the Paris Peace Conference as the eastern boundary of Poland excluding the city of Lvov with its huge percentage of Polish citizens. [3] The extremely complicated negotiations between the three Heads of State and both Polish governments (one in-exile and the second set up by the Russians) led to the adoption of the controversial Curzon Line. Stalins spreading intentions, except for the plausible argument of necessity to possess one more ice-free harbour, were perfectly described by Marshall Stalin himself to Ernest Evin, the British Foreign Secretary, saying: The United Kingdom had India and the Indian Ocean in her sphere of interest; the United States China and Japan; the USSR had nothing To guarantee the freedom of elections and establishment of democracy according to Western terms, the Big Three ratified the Joint Declaration on Liberated Europe that promised peoples liberated from the domination of Nazi Germany and the peoples of the former Axis satellite states of Europe to solve by democratic means their pressing political and economic problems'[4]. Nevertheless, the declaration above mentioned turned out to be completely meaningless as history has shown. Due to its conditional implementation and lack of binding commitments there was no legal force upon signatories to maintain the agreement. However, no violations of the Yalta agreements by Stalin were suspected at this point of time, as stated by Churchill. The impression I brought back from the Crimea, and from all my other contacts, is that Marshal Stalin and the Soviet leaders wish to live in honourable friendship and equality with the Western democracies. I feel also that their word is their bond. I know of no government which stands to its obligations, even in its own despite, more solidly than the Russian Soviet Government. I decline absolutely to embark here on a discussion about Russian good faith. It is quite evident that these matters touch the whole future of the world. [5] According to Professor Arthur Schlesinger signing the declaration by Stalin was a diplomatic blunder which became obvious just a month after the Big Three gathered in Yalta. The meetings, which were supposed to determine the best Polish democratic leader, eventually proved to be an excellent way for Soviet secret police to reach the prominent members of the former Polish resistance and make them disappear, despite the promised Soviet guarantee of immunity. It didnt take a long time before Churchills initially credulous account of the agreement transformed into the opposite conviction. By 13 March he sent a telegraph to Roosevelt with a statement that the Heads of State were in the presence of a great failure and an utter breakdown of what was settled at Yalta [6]. Twelve days later the British prime minister described the situation on the West-East border as an iron curtain, which is slowly descending. The following quotation illustrates just how dramatically the developments in the European arena were becoming. If the German people lay down their weapons, the Soviets, according to the agreement between Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin, would occupy all of East and Southeast Europe along with the greater part of the Reich. An iron curtain would fall over this enormous territory controlled by the Soviet Union, behind which nations would be slaughtered.'[7] In the meanwhile the messages exchanged between Stalin and Roosevelt, who were increasingly becoming the two bigger players in the Big Three, were full of mutual accusations of jeopardizing the vulnerable accord. The Potsdam Conference The Polish matter reached a dead end. How things developed couldnt be witnessed by Roosevelt, who died on 12 April 1945. His successor, Harry Truman, once vice-president under Roosevelt, was expected to continue the policy towards the Soviet Union initialized by Roosevelt. However, it became obvious from the beginning that the mild approach, continuously applied by his predecessor, wasnt Trumans favourite style of work. The Potsdam Conference, lasting from July 17 to August 2, aside of being a permanent confirmation of previously made agreements, became Trumans first significant opportunity to influence the US-USSR relationship, mainly because of its nuclear undertone. The US presidents decision not to fully inform Stalin about the rapid progress concerning the construction of an atomic weapon correctly delineates the prospective Trumans policy of hostility and inscrutability towards The Soviet Union. A mentioning of a new weapon of unusual destructive force [8] did not specially bot her Stalin, who was already in 1943 informed about an atomic weapon allegedly built in the West. Russian atomic project did not accelerate until Japan was bombed twice in September 1945. The order, given by Marshal Stalin to Igor Kurchatov, a leading Russian physicist, sounded more or less The balance has been destroyed. Provide the bomb (* No firm evidence of this record has remained until now but the sense of the message is kept unchanged). Chapter 3: What was the containment policy based on? In this paragraph I will briefly describe the major political events that gave shape to what is now understood as the containment policy. President Harry Truman, despite being known of his unyielding personality, lacked experience in foreign affairs and could hardly do without a number of political analysts. These happened to be influenced by the opinions of George F. Kennan (to be seen on the right hand), the prominent USSR specialist in the State Department and the charge daffaires at the American Embassy in Moscow, whose role in the process of the containment policy coming into life cant be over-emphasized. On February 22, 1946 he sent a long analysis of Soviet post-war outlook to his colleagues in the Capitol in Washington. https://blogs.princeton.edu/mudd/files/mt/images/kennan.jpg The so-called Long Telegram, of which the most relevant points are summarized below, became one of the major documents that the containment policy was based on. George F. Kennan [9] A brief characteristic of the Soviet point of view, according to the propaganda machine -The geographical and political surrounding of the USSR by capitalistic nations will eventually result in a battle for the economical leadership in the world, which will be also crucial for the fate of socialism/communism and capitalism. -Any actions, activities and happenings abroad which seem to correspond with the Soviet interests to a certain degree should be supported. In the long run the differences between capitalist countries will become too powerful to be overcome in a peaceful manner. No opportunity may be missed to turn the internal conflict into a communistic revolution. The background of the mentality The premises do not represent the point of view of an average Russian. The ordinary citizen, on the contrary to what is stated by the officials, is more than willing to contact the outside world and live peacefully. It must be kept in mind that the party is the villain The basic assumptions of the Russian propaganda machine pre-date the World War II, which makes it irrelevant and nothing more than incorrect (spoken in terms of 1940s). The premises are as much as necessary for the Russian party in order to deter Soviet citizens coming in contact with technically and economically more advanced West which might prove the fallibility of the communism/socialism. Steps that will be undertaken on the official (diplomatic) level -Increasing the outsiders perception of strength of the Soviet military arsenal and industrial development as much as social cohesion is a significant part of the national policy. On the other hand attempts will be made to conceal imperfections and weaknesses of the system. The efforts to extend Soviet political power will materialize themselves into territorial claims on the official level only after finishing unofficial preparations. Soviet participation in international organizations (as United Nations) serves only the pragmatic purposes of expanding the Soviet political influence on the international arena and reducing operational ability of others. United Nations are not seen as an instrument for a stable and peaceful world society based on interests of all nations. Even on the official level the Soviet Union will attempt to sabotage the relations between Western states and their (former) colonies in order to clear the path for the Soviet participation in policymaking. -Soviet politicians, while being abroad, will be urged to follow the strict diplomatic protocol with emphasis laid on good manners in order to increase the impression of the Soviet prestige. Suspected activities on the unofficial level, i.e. on level for which the Soviet administrations do not take responsibility I feel obliged to remark on the incredible importance of the following section. The contained statements are these that the Truman Administration (and any other following until the end of 1980s) had mostly to deal with. Actions on the unofficial level will be first of all directed to foreign organizations, movements, societies and governments that are regarded as susceptible for, what the party asserted, the Russian sense of nationalism and Marx ideas of equality. The left-wing activists, officially members of Western Labour Parties, were encouraged to work on underground lines and were intensively instructed by politicians in Moscow. A diversity of organizations and associations, such as racial, feministic or religious societies, is highly exposed to penetration. Even the subdivisions of the Orthodox Church located abroad are at risk of being penetrated. George Kennan states that organizations above mentioned will be solely used in fields of their expertise, e.g. influential orthodox activists would jeopardize any thinkable actions of Protestant politicians. Further explanations follow: Increasing industrial and social unrest and stimulation of all possible forms of disunity will result in undermining operational potential of the western states and breaking off the national confidence. In countries forced into colonial relationships outstandingly cruel actions will be undertaken to destroy relatively good relations with (former) mother countries. Simultaneously extreme left-wing parties will be preparing for not necessarily legal taking-over of political power. -Governments obviously not agreeing with the Soviet foreign policy will be kept under pressure in order to cause their eventual removal from office. Every imaginable activity will be undertaken in order to provoke the most powerful Western states against each other. Conclusions for the US Government Soviet power, not schematic in character, doesnt work by strict plans and doesnt take unnecessary hazards. It is extremely responsive to logic or force and therefore it can easily pull back and mostly does when facing a strong opposition. So, quoting Kennan, if the adversary has sufficient force and makes clear his readiness to use it, he rarely has to do so. [9] The next point the author makes has to do with the Western degree of cohesion, firmness and muster. Success of the Soviet Union, as for being the weaker force, depends to some extent on the mentioned factor. Another factor that is relatively easy to deal with is the Soviet propaganda. The destructive and generally negative character of it can be opposed by a sort of intelligent and constructive programmes. In the conclusion the author states that a calm and unprovoked recognition of the hypothetically dangerous movements must be the governments very first step. Furthermore the public education should play a bigger role. The fear of unknown can be overcome by informing the citizens about the Russian reality. After all it would result in improvement of social cohesion and make the society less vulnerable to threats from both outside and inside. Finally Kennan brings up the significance of formulating a constructive and positive picture of the sort of world the US policy makers would like to see. It is not enough to urge people to develop political processes similar to our own. Many foreign peoples, in Europe at least, are tired and frightened by experiences of past, and are less interested in abstract freedom than in security. They are seeking guidance rather than responsibilities. We should be better able than Russians to give them this. And unless we do, Russians certainly will. [10] The reaction of the Russians wasnt immediate. Nearly seven months later, on September the 27, the Soviet Ambassador to United States, Nikolai Novikov, sent a note to the highest officials of the Soviet Union that was nothing but an analysis of the Kennans Long Telegram and the US post-war foreign policy towards the Soviet Union in general. These became accessible for outsiders after the publication in Foreign Affairs magazine of the so-called X Article in July 1947, being as a matter of fact an adjusted version of the original analysis of Kennans. Novikov concluded that the American outlook is predominantly characterized by the drift towards the worlds supremacy and as well economical as military leadership. Amongst others he stated that the plans of establishing more than 480 naval bases, American mainland signalize intense intentions of hostility towards the Soviet Union. By the end of 1946 the political situation between the US and the SU reached its lowest point since the end of the Second World War. Western politicians were little by little abandoning their hope for the cooperation with the Russians and the Kennans prophecy was slowly becoming the reality. How the US officials reacted and what measures they took in order to deter foreign government representatives from embracing communism will be properly described in the following paragraph. Chapter 4: What efforts did the US government make to materialize the containment policy and with what result? The Truman Doctrine The Truman Administration received multiple signals from its British Ally about the gradually increasing difficulties of His Majestys Government to provide on-going financial help to Greece and Turkey the two states the United Kingdom had been supporting for years and which found themselves standing on the edge of a democratic collapse. In an official note dating to February 21, 1947 British informed Washington of their inability to support the mentioned states and requested for a takeover of their economical obligations. Trumans reaction came into history as the Truman Doctrine. In his speech to a joint session of Congress of March 12, he emphasized the moral obligation of the American state to provide assistance to the peoples of Greece and Turkey in order to establish a democracy and restore the authority of the government. In regard to Greece the President stated that the British aid issued in the preceding years wasnt sufficient to supply the weak and not able to operate indepe ndently army and fight communist insurgents dislocating the Greek state. Turkey, on the contrary, didnt need financial assistance so desperately at that point of time. Nevertheless due to a historic background of Greece and Turkey being stubborn rivals for decades it was necessary to split the money equally in order to avoid future claims of injustice or, even worse, anti-Western tensions. Truman concluded that the US Government was the only institution in the world able to prevent Greece and Turkey from becoming what the totalitarian states in the period of the Second World War were regimes of minorities getting their path clear by means of violence and suppression. I find it interesting to mention that the presidential Congress speech is also known as the Trumans containment speech. Clark Clifford (Trumans advisor), asked in 1972 about the nickname, said: we were concerned about preventing Soviet control of larger areas of the world than they already controlled [11]. Although the word containment wasnt even said once by Truman in his speech, the measures supposed by him concentrated on opposing the activities mentioned in the fourth point of Kennans Long Telegram namely the actions of the Soviet party conducted on unofficial level. Greek communist freedom fighters were not powered by Marxs ideals but by Stalins money and military arsenal. As result of it the most of the $338 million sent by the United States to Greece was spent on military equipment. The concept of supporting European nations economically, drafted in March 1947 and perfectly outlined by the President Truman in his Congress speech, was just a momentary restoration programme, which had to prevent Greece and Turkey from falling into the hands of communism. How this financial aid, meant only for the time being, transformed into a long-term supportive programme will be depicted in the following section. Marshall Plan The Marshall Plan, although originally not intended to be a part of the containment policy as stated in the May 23 report of the Policy Planning Staff, became a significant step forward taken by the American Administration, influence and actions of which were gradually becoming more visible on the international political arena. The Policy Planning Staff (PPS), created by George Kennan at the request of the Secretary of State George C. Marshall, was given the task of, taking a long term, strategic view of global trends and framing recommendations for the Secretary of State to advance U.S. interests and American values.'[12] In the context of the European Recovery Program, as the so-called Marshall Plan was officially known, it came down to investigating multiple possibilities of supporting financially the European communities in order to solve their war-caused economical problems and bring them to the level of self-sufficiency. To avoid sceptical publicity criticizing Americans for th eir interventionism in European affairs, aid would be exclusively launched if the formal initiative came from Europe. Besides it was required that the program would evolve on the Old Continent and that its leaders would take the fundamental responsibility for it, while the US would limit themselves to a supportive program of such an undertaking by financial means. Knowing the tensions between the US and the Soviet Union, Kennan and the other members of the PPS didnt want the European Recovery Program (ERP) to be a reason for the further isolation of East from West. Although speculating on Soviet reluctance, the inventors of the Marshall Plan included in their project the participation of the Eastern nations in an early stage. By leaving the door open the American policymakers could verify the Soviet attitude towards the plan, which eventually would give proof of their good or bad faith. Kennan and his co-workers were convinced that this offer would not remain without response, since economical co-operation of Soviet satellite countries with the US would result in weakening of Soviet control in these states. On June 5 1947 the first signals concerning the Marshall Plan were sent out to the outside world. The Harvard speech of Secretary Marshall, being an announcement of conditions and proposals above mentioned, didnt meet much of approvement at the other side of the Iron Curtain. Already after a couple of multipartite conferences the Soviet delegation under wings of Molotov turned down the negotiations. According to the diary notes of Vincent Auriol, the French president at that time, Molotov said amongst other things that the project would divide Europe [13] which testified the bad faith of the Soviet party. The September speech of Soviet deputy foreign minister Andrei Vyshinsky to the United Nations General Assembly was its final confirmation. He stated that the Marshall Plan was a firm violation of the 11 December 1946 resolution of the United Nation, which declared that distribution of economic resources by a state may not be used as an instrument of political pressure. According to Vishinsky the Russian government saw the European Recovery Project as an attempt to put European states in American sphere of influence and to intervene in their internal affairs. In Soviet opinion the plan would result in splitting Europe into two antagonistic blocs, of which the Western one, led by the United States, would develop a certain hostility towards democratically ruled Eastern European countries and the Soviet Union in particular. The splitting up of the Russians gave the American politicians an opportunity to give the aid programme a hoped-for direction. As stated by Michael J. Hogan, an adviser to the US Department of State, the Marshall Plan was about to become a protective measure to counter the Soviet threat and serve as an extension of the containment policy [14]. Â  Unlike Soviet satellite states, which dropped off under pressure of the Soviet Union, the sixteen Western neighbours gathered at a conference in Paris, which lasted from July 12 up to September 22, and was intended to give shape to the financial requests that would be presented to the Americans. Unfortunately due to disunity of the European leaders concerning the final amount that would be asked for and their unwillingness to shift part of political responsibilities to a collectively created international body, which was known as the Committee of European Economic Cooperation (CEEC), Kennan and his Policy Planning Staff did not receive an acceptable report. There are a huge number of details concerning the Marshall Plan being brought to life, which I would like to work out narrowly. Unfortunately I have to limit

Leonardo Da Vinci Essay -- Biography Artist Da Vinci Bio Essays

Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452 in Vinci, Tuscany, during a time called the Renaissance. His creations of art and advancements in science not only surpassed those of his time, but have contributed to the fundamentals of modern day technology and are arguably the greatest in history. Many of da Vinci’s paintings remain today as proof of his pioneered techniques, brilliance, and talent. The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language defines â€Å"renaissance man† as â€Å"[a] man who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences.† This is a term still used today, and its derivation is obvious. Many people in the Fourteenth to Sixteenth Centuries were skillful artists and scientists, but Leonardo da Vinci was the quintessential Renaissance man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Renaissance was a time of economic stability. Originating in Italy and eventually expanding to other parts of Europe such as Germany, France, and England, the Renaissance was an era of renewed interest in literature and art and emphasized autonomous thought and creations. The philosophy of humanism, an idea stressing the importance and distinction of individuals, is thought to have originated during this time (â€Å"Renaissance† Encarta). Italian writers struggled to discover and preserve earlier works by Romans and Greeks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There was one main cause for the Renaissance and the economical boom; a population increase. The Crusades caused a spark in trade due to interactions with other cultures. Trade routes were established and eventually became crowded. Therefore, existing towns grew into cities, and new ones were conceived. As towns grew and became crowded, there arose a need for expansion. People traveled more and interacted with other cities and cultures, which was forbidden under the feudal system. This interaction and constant traveling, along with military encounters, increased trade even more. The feudal system began to break down.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The exports brought money, and Italian rulers and nobles, as well as the governments of cities, became wealthier because of the merchants: â€Å"These merchants exerted both political and economic leadership and their attitudes and interest helped to shape the Italian Renaissance† (â€Å"Renaissance† World History 345). They also donated generously in support of the arts. Soon, cities became comm... ...e course of art in Western civilization, and his scientific studies in the fields of anatomy, optics, and hydraulics were the basis for many of the developments of modern science. The variety of his interests and the depth of his brilliance made him the quintessential Renaissance man. Works Cited â€Å"Early Renaissance† Microsoft Bookshelf ’95. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corp. 1995. Hale, John R. Renaissance. New York: Time Inc., 1965. â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci.† Da Vinci Museum on the Web. Online. Internet. February 28, 2000. Available: http://www.davinci-museum.com/davinengl1.htm â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci.† Microsoft Encarta ’99. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corp. 1998. â€Å"Piero della Francesca† Microsoft Bookshelf ’95. CD-ROM. Microsoft Corp. 1995. â€Å"The Renaissance.† Who and When? The Renaissance: Artists and Writers. 1998. â€Å"The Renaissance in Italy.† World History: Connections to Today. 1999. Richter, Irma A. The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1952. Snyder, James. Northern Renaissance Art: Painting, Sculpture, the Graphic Arts from 1350 to 1575. Phoenix: Prentice-Hall, 1985. Turner, A. Richard. Inventing Leonardo. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1993.

Evolution of The Catholic Church :: Essays Papers

Evolution of The Catholic Church Over the last thirty years, the Roman Catholic Church has undergone changes. These changes range from the position of the Alter to the language of the Mass. This paper will illustrate a broad overview of changes in the Catholic Church after the 1960s Before the 1960s, Mass was said in Latin. The priests and the parish both knew the prayers, songs, and Scriptures in Latin. Around 1965, the Catholic Church realized that the people did not understand all of what they were saying. They began to do the Mass in English. This increased active participation. Today, if a person would want hear a Mass in Latin, they would have to do some traveling. For instance, Our Lady of Mount Carmel offers Latin Masses. A parishioner may go Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:15P.M. or on Thursdays at 10:10 A.M. There is also a Saturday Mass at eight O’clock A.M. The Sunday schedule is thus, eight o’clock and 10:30 A.M. For more information, check out their web site. Http://www.archden.org/archden/parishes/pp150.htm Catholic schools have undergone significant changes also. It use to be that it cost nothing to go to Catholic schools. Now there is a splendid idea of tuition. Tuition makes it difficult for some families who would want to send their children to Catholic schools. Many kids end up in public facilities, for that very reason. Another difference is that the schools use to be run almost completely by nun, brothers, and priests. The institutions enforced a very strict dress code. Students were to wear their uniform to class. There is still a dress code, some schools offer a dress-down Friday. On this day, the kids may wear whatever they would like, within reason. Kindergarten is a new luxury. Many older people never went to Kindergarten, it was not offered. Years later, you could send your children to a public school for it. Now it is part of the curriculum. It is a very exciting attribute. Catholic schools have also experienced a significant increase if enrollment. Sister Catherine T. McNamee states that "this years total Catholic School enrollment of 2.

The Crisis Of Underperformance Education Essay

Education is considered as the most valuable tool for human edifice † ( Barineka Nbina, 2010 ) . Education nationally is recognized as the greatest investing in the state that can convey civilisation, development and socio-economic advancement. The twenty-first century is characterized by promotion in scientific discipline and engineering ( Okebukola, 1996 ) . â€Å" In his survey Barineka Nbina ( 2010 ) point out that every state is endeavoring to accomplish scientific and technological discovery with their environment. Therefore, the instruction of scientific discipline and engineering is going more demand and activity oriented than earlier † . Existing research suggest that Information and Communication Technology ICT has been integrated into capable instruction ( Hennessy et al, Granger et Al, Jamieson-Proctor et Al ) . The hapless criterion of scientific discipline in secondary schools nationally remains as a major issue. Badr ( 2010 ) reference that 70 per cent of 10,000 secondary school pupils that were surveyed in Egypt said that uninspiring learning discourage so to prosecute farther instruction in scientific discipline watercourse. â€Å" Teachers need to comprehend ICT as chiefly a tool for learning and larning across the course of study although there are foundations accomplishments in ICT that pupils need to larn before they can take part to the full in an ICT-rich schoolroom. † ( Tin, 2002 ) . ICT is an indispensable facet of everyone ‘s day-to-day life with about every sector recommending for the usage of ICT to carry through its undertakings. The bing research survey shows that the usage of ICT as a back uping tool in instruction is a precedence for about all states but advancement has been uneven. There is significant difference adulthood within and between schools within the state in footings of ICT. A really low per centum of schools have embedded ICT into the course of study, and show high degrees of successful and appropriate ICT usage to back up learning across the state. Reynolds e.tel ( 2003 ) in his findings revealed that several instructors reveal that ICT has surely raised criterio n and presentation of work, while many of the instructors from most schools still see ICT as uneffective and clip cachexia. Reynolds e.tal ( 2003 ) further reveals that these findings reveal that the attack of learning differs from school to school.3. Research Problem and Aims ( Required words 150 and Actual words 209 )Problem statementThe crisis of underperformance of our instruction and preparation system remains a major issue. The criterions of public presentation in our instruction system are really low. Although in 2010 the base on balls rate increased by 6.8 % to 67.5 % . , but there is still a concern with hapless public presentation in Science. Science larning requires skilled and specialist instructors who provide quality inputs in the schoolroom. Barineka Nbina ( 2010 ) found that every state is endeavoring to accomplish scientific and technological discovery with their environment. Therefore, the instruction of scientific discipline and engineering is going more demand an d activity oriented than earlier. Badr ( 2010 ) reference that 70 per cent of 10,000 secondary school pupils that were surveyed in Egypt said that uninspiring learning deter them to prosecute farther instruction in the scientific discipline. Possibly the hapless public presentation in Science is due to miss of instructor ‘s resources.PurposeThe purpose of this research is to look into the current resources used by instructors to learn, the effects that affects those resources and to better the academic competences and ICT acceptance in instruction of scientific discipline in secondary schools by planing an e-teaching intercession tool. This will give the consequences to enable those who would make good in the programme to be eligible for entry into a sheepskin programme in third instruction.4. Literature Review ( Required words 1000 and Actual words 1195 )Theoretical modelThis research will be grounded on Technological credence theoretical account ( TAM ) model and Task-techno logy tantrum ( TTF ) theoretical account. TAM construct specifies that â€Å" the causal relationships between system design characteristics, perceived usefulness the grade to which a individual believes that utilizing a peculiar system would heighten his or her occupation public presentation † ( Davis, 1989 ) , perceived easiness of usage â€Å" the grade to which a individual believes that utilizing a peculiar system would be free from attempt † ( Davis, 1989 ) , attitude toward utilizing, and existent use behavior ( Davis, 1989 ) . â€Å" TAM provides the overall enlightening representation of the mechanisms by which design picks influence user credence, and should hence be helpful in applied contexts for prediction and measuring user credence of information engineering † . TTF theory holds the theory that engineering will merely be used if its capablenesss are fiting to the demands of the undertaking to be performed and it ‘s more likely to hold a posi tive impact ( Goodhue and Thompson, 1995 ) . Technology that does non offer sufficient advantage it will non be used. The ground of uniting these two theoretical accounts is because it captures two different facets of user ‘s picks to use information and communicating engineering. Dishaw et Al ( 2002 ) indicate that â€Å" Both facets, attitude toward the IT ( TAM ) and rationally determined expected effects from utilizing the IT ( TTF ) , are likely to impact user ‘s picks to utilize IT. TAM will be used to look into on the factors that affect ICT tools acceptance by instructors for learning scientific discipline. TTF will be used to analyze the impact of ICT tools that are presently available to help instructors.Use of ICT in ClassroomsAl-Zaidiyeen et Al ( 2010 ) conducted a research in â€Å" Teachers ‘ Attitudes and Levels of Technology Use in Classrooms: † their findings revealed that the degree of ICT usage by rural secondary schools instructors is low, this implies that ICT are barely of all time used for educational intents by instructors in rural secondary schools. â€Å" Teachers are more likely to integrate ICT usage in their schoolroom if they see its relevancy to their direction and are convinced that the design of instruction package is compatible with educational ends and the single acquisition demands of pupils. † ( Al-Zaidiyeen et Al, 2010 )Use of ICT as medium for learning scientific disciplineYucel et Al ( 2010 ) in a survey of â€Å" Models to research Turkish instructors ICT integrating phases and the factors that affect ICT integrating † indicate that a batch of ICT integrating to instruction has failed because instructors were unsure about how ICT could be integrated into the course of study. Yucel ( 2010 ) indicate that in order for instructors to be able to utilize ICT they should be equipped with the necessary accomplishments and cognition. Flick and bell argues that although ICT is a buzzing word in this century but still â€Å" few instructors really do non understand how engineering is used in scientific dis cipline, nor can they adequately describe the relationship between scientific discipline and engineering. † Flick and Bell ( 2000 ) indicate that â€Å" If the intent of engineering in scientific discipline instruction is to heighten scientific discipline instruction and larning instead ( than for the engineering ‘s sake entirely ) , a different attack is necessary † . Flick and Bell ( 2000 ) further provinces that instructors should look at engineering as a manner of assisting pupils explore subjects in more deepness and in more synergistic ways. Bell and Flick reached these consequences by garnering thoughts from cognition of research, K-12 learning experience, and learning experience in scientific discipline instructor instruction with engineering.Teachers ‘ Knowledge and Attitudes towards ICT usageYucel et Al ( 2010 ) consequences revealed that there is no relationship between instructor ‘s negative attitude and instructors ‘ cognition on ICT . Yecul et Al ( 2010 ) reached these consequences by transporting out correlativity analysis between dependant and independent variables. Yucel et Al ( 2010 ) further indicate that â€Å" attempt seeking to better instructors ‘ attitudes is non likely to hold a direct impact unless their feeling of ego adequateness is improved † . Yecul et Al ( 2010 ) consequences contradict with Al-Zaidiyeen et Al ( 2010 ) consequences. Researchers globally believe that the usage of ICT tools for educational intents depends upon the attitudes of instructors toward the engineering ( Summers, 1990 ; Al-Zaidiyeen et Al, 2010 ) . Al-Zaidiyeen et Al ( 2010 ) reached the consequences by appraising indiscriminately selected 650 instructors in Jordan, in the usage of ICT, and the degree of attitude of instructors towards the usage of ICT.ICT Adoption betterment intercessionsTrainingAdeyinka et Al ( 2007 ) in the survey of an appraisal of secondary school instructor ‘s utilizations of ICT : deduction for farther development of ICT ‘s usage in Nigerian secondary schools suggests that in order for instructors to be technological progress, they need to go to ICT workshops.5. Research Methodology ( Required words 200 and Actual words 612 )This research will consist of 3 stage ‘s, each stage will lend in better shaping this survey. This survey will use instance survey and a descriptive study method to let the research worker a graphic description of how secondary school instructors are doing usage of ICTs.Phase 1: To analyze the current instruction intercession tools that are utilized in secondary schools for instructors to better Teach scientific disciplineA instance survey will be used in which an interview with KwaZulu natal secondary schools scientific discipline instructors will be conducted to analyze current methods of ICT ‘s that are utilized as support tool for them to learn scientific discipline better. Lone instructors from class 10,11and 12 w ill be interviewed. The interview inquiries will consist of both open-ended inquiries and close-ended inquiries. Examples of inquiries to be asked such as: 1. Which ICTs tool do instructors hold entree on? 2. What is the adequacy degree of the assorted facets of ICT availability/ entree in your school? Datas collected from these interviews will be used to better derive insight on the current ICT tools of learning scientific discipline that are used in secondary schools. This information will assist for theoretical coverage on current toolsPhase 2: To look into the factors that are impacting the use of those toolsA descriptive study method will be used, whereby class 10, 11 and 12 scientific discipline instructors will be handed a questionnaire in KwaZulu natal secondary schools to analyze the factors that are impacting the use of instructors back uping tool to learn scientific discipline better. The research variables for this stage are: instructors demographics, instructors ‘ perceptual experience about the sensed easiness of utilizing ICT, Teachers perceived utility of ICT, instructor ‘s old ages of experience, teacher ‘s cognition all these are independent variables, the dependant variable will be, Perceived usage of ICT by instructors to better Teach scientifi c discipline All points in collected information from the questionnaire will be subjected to a factor analysis spontaneously. A varimax rotary motion will be used to pull out factors. Likert type grading will besides be applied across all points. Stepwise arrested development techniques will be employed to explicate discrepancy the factors that are impacting the use of ICT scientific discipline instruction tools. Descriptive and illative statistics will besides be employed.Phase 3: To plan and prove an e-teaching intercession tool for helping instructors to learn scientific discipline betterOn the completion of the first two stages, the factors will be known. An appropriate intercession e-teaching tool will be designed and experimented with the purpose of measuring the effectivity it has on the instruction of scientific discipline in secondary schools. The experiment will affect five instructors from class 10 to 12 who will be selected from rural and urban schools in KwaZulu natal state of South Africa.