Turkmenistan Facts and History

Capital: Ashgabat, population 695,300 (2001 est.) Major Cities: Turkmenabat (formerly Chardjou), population 203,000 (1999 est.), Dashoguz (formerly Dashowuz), population 166,500 (1999 est.), Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk), population 51,000 (1999 est.) More recent census figures are not yet available. Government of Turkmenistan Since its independence from the Soviet Union on October 27, 1991, Turkmenistan has been a nominally democratic republic, but there is only one approved political party: the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan. The president, who traditionally receives more than 90% of the vote in elections, is both head of state and head of the government. Two bodies make up the legislative branch: the 2,500-member Halk Maslahaty (Peoples Council), and the 65-member Mejlis (Assembly). The president heads both legislative bodies. All judges are appointed and supervised by the president. The current president is Gurbanguly Berdimuhammadov. Population of Turkmenistan Turkmenistan has approximately 5,100,000 citizens, and its population is growing about 1.6% annually. The largest ethnic group is the Turkmen, comprising 61% of the population. Minority groups include Uzbeks (16%), Iranians (14%), Russians (4%) and smaller populations of Kazakhs, Tatars, etc. As of 2005, the fertility rate was 3.41 children per woman. Infant mortality stood at about 53.5 per 1,000 live births. Official Language The official language of Turkmenistan is Turkmen, a Turkic language. Turkmen is closely related to Uzbek, Crimean Tatar, and other Turkic languages. Written Turkmen has gone through a vast number of different alphabets. Prior to 1929, Turkmen was written in the Arabic script. Between 1929 and 1938, a Latin alphabet was used. Then, from 1938 through 1991, the Cyrillic alphabet became the official writing system. In 1991, a new Latinate alphabet was introduced, but it has been slow to catch on. Other languages spoken in Turkmenistan include Russian (12%), Uzbek (9%) and Dari (Persian). Religion in Turkmenistan The majority of Turkmenistans people are Muslim, primarily Sunni. Muslims make up about 89% of the population. Eastern (Russian) Orthodox account for an additional 9%, with the remaining 2% unaffiliated. The brand of Islam practiced in Turkmenistan and other Central Asian states have always been leavened with pre-Islamic shamanist beliefs. During the Soviet era, the practice of Islam was officially discouraged. Mosques were torn down or converted, the teaching of the Arabic language outlawed, and mullahs were killed or driven underground. Since 1991, Islam has made a resurgence, with new mosques appearing everywhere. Turkmen Geography The area of Turkmenistan is 488,100 square km  or 303,292 square miles. It is slightly larger than the U.S. state of California. Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea to the west, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the southeast, and Iran to the south. Roughly 80% of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sands) Desert, which occupies central Turkmenistan. The Iranian border is marked by the Kopet Dag Mountains. Turkmenistans primary freshwater source is the Amu Darya River, (formerly called the Oxus). The lowest point is Vpadina Akchanaya, at -81 m. The highest is Gora Ayribaba, at 3,139 m. Climate of Turkmenistan The climate of Turkmenistan is classified as subtropical desert. In fact, the country has four distinct seasons. Winters are cool, dry and windy, with temperatures sometimes dropping below zero and occasional snow. Spring brings most of the countrys scant precipitation, with annual accumulations between 8 centimeters (3 inches) and 30 centimeters (12 inches). Summer in Turkmenistan is characterized by searing heat: temperatures in the desert can exceed 50 °C (122 °F). Autumn is pleasant - sunny, warm and dry. Turkmen Economy Some of the land and industry has been privatized, but Turkmenistans economy is still highly centralized. As of 2003, 90% of workers were employed by the government. Soviet-style output exaggerations and financial mismanagement keep the country mired in poverty, despite its vast stores of natural gas and oil. Turkmenistan exports natural gas, cotton, and grain. Agriculture depends heavily upon canal irrigation. In 2004, 60% of the Turkmen people lived below the poverty line. The Turkmen currency is called the manat. The official exchange rate is $1 U.S.: 5,200 manat. The street rate is closer to $1: 25,000 manat. Human Rights in Turkmenistan Under the late president, Saparmurat Niyazov (r. 1990-2006), Turkmenistan had one of the worst human rights records in Asia. The current president has instituted some cautious reforms, but Turkmenistan is still far from international standards. Freedom of expression and religion are guaranteed by the Turkmen Constitution  but dont exist in practice. Only Burma and North Korea have worse censorship. Ethnic Russians in the country face harsh discrimination. They lost their dual Russian/Turkmen citizenship in 2003, and cannot legally work in Turkmenistan. Universities routinely reject applicants with Russian surnames. History of Turkmenistan Indo-European tribes arrived in the area c. 2,000 B.C. The horse-centered herding culture that dominated the region until the Soviet Era developed at this time, as an adaptation to the harsh landscape. Turkmenistans recorded history starts around 500 B.C., with its conquest by the Achaemenid Empire. In 330 B.C., Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenids. Alexander established a city on the Murgab River, in Turkmenistan, which he named Alexandria. The city later became Merv. Just seven years later, Alexander died; his generals divided up his empire. The nomadic Scythian tribe swept down from the north, driving out the Greeks and establishing the Parthian Empire (238 B.C. to 224 A.D.) in modern-day Turkmenistan and Iran. The Parthian capital was at Nisa, just west of the present-day capital of Ashgabat. In 224 A.D. the Parthians fell to the Sassanids. In northern and eastern Turkmenistan, nomadic groups including the Huns were migrating in from the steppe lands to the east. The Huns swept the Sassanids out of southern Turkmenistan, as well, in the 5th century A.D. As the Silk Road developed, bringing goods and ideas across Central Asia, Merv and Nisa became important oases along the route. The Turkmen cities developed into centers of art and learning. During the late 7th century, the Arabs brought Islam to Turkmenistan. At the same time, the Oguz Turks (the ancestors of modern Turkmen) were moving west into the area. The Seljuk Empire, with a capital at Merv, was established in 1040 by the Oguz. Other Oguz Turks moved to Asia Minor, where they would eventually establish the Ottoman Empire in what is now Turkey. The Seljuk Empire collapsed in 1157. Turkmenistan was then ruled by the Khans of Khiva for about 70 years, until the arrival of Genghis Khan. In 1221, the Mongols burned Khiva, Konye Urgench and Merv to the ground, slaughtering the inhabitants. Timur was equally ruthless when he swept through in the 1370s. After these catastrophes, the Turkmen were scattered until the 17th century. The Turkmen regrouped during the 18th century, living as raiders and pastoralists. In 1881, the Russians massacred the Teke Turkmen at Geok-Tepe, bringing the area under the Tsars control. In 1924, the Turkmen S.S.R. was founded. The nomadic tribes were forcibly settled onto farms. Turkmenistan declared its independence in 1991, under President Niyazov.

Essay on Walt Whitman - 2286 Words

Walt Whitman was looked upon as the forerunner of 20th Century poetry, praising democracy, and becoming a proclaimed poet of American democracy. He was known as the amp;quot;Son of Long Island,amp;quot; and he loved his country and everything about it. (Current, Williams, Freidel- page 292-293). Whitman lived during the time of the Civil War; a fact that increased his patriotism. Whitman was considered one of the most important American Poets of the 19th Century. (Encyclopedia of World Biography- page 249). He influenced the direction of 20th Century poets such as Erza Pound, William Carlos Williams, Carlos Sandberg, and Allen Ginsberg. Whitman praised democracy and spoke of the flesh as well as the spirit. (Encyclopedia of Biography-†¦show more content†¦Sometimes the narrator was the poet himself. (Lowen, Nancy- page 6). In other passages, quot;Iquot; speaks for the human race, the universe, or a specific character, which was dramatized. Like all Whitmans major poems, quot ;Song of Myselfquot; contained symbols. For example, in the poem he described grass as a symbol of life quot;the babe of vegetation,quot; quot;the handkerchief of the Lord.quot; Whitman praised God and nature. He exposed his gentle nature to his fellow man, and in doing so expressed his love of the world. This was a love he grew up with and carried with him everywhere he went. Whitman loved Long Island and it became a major part of his works. (Webster, Orville III- page 122). He held various jobs throughout his life. He was a printing apprentice, journalist, editor, and school teacher. Walt Whitman sold his first story to quot;The Democratic Reviewquot; shortly after leaving his teaching job. This publication was known to pirate literature from Europe to save money, but it also printed the works of Poe, Lowell, Whittier, Hawthorne, as well as other well-known American lyricists. (Webster Orville III- page 123). It was this publication which gave Whitman his first break as a professi onal writer. The editor of quot;The Democratic Review,quot; John L. O’Sullivan, was so impressed with Whitman and his work, he bought at least three more stories from Whitman that very same autumn for theShow MoreRelated walt whitman Essay1383 Words   |  6 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Walt Whitman nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Walt Whitman was a follower of the two Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. He believed in Emerson and Thoreau’s Trascendentalist beliefs. Whitman believed that individualism stems from listening to one’s inner voice and that one’s life is guided by one’s intuition. The Transcendentalist centered on the divinity of each individual; but this divinity could be self-discoveredRead MoreWalt Whitman Essay901 Words   |  4 PagesWalt Whitman Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, Long Island, New York. 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Through his summer long observation, theRead MoreAnalysis Of Walt Whitman s Whitman And Bishop 2009 Words   |  9 Pagesckenboss Nora Burghardt English 11 pd 2 2 May 2015 Exploration of the Individual in Whitman and Bishop   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Walt Whitman and Elizabeth Bishop are two of the most highly acclaimed American poets of all time, exploring themes, scenes and emotions that deeply resonate with psyche of the American public. Whitman and Bishop explore the relationship between themselves and their audience by writing about the liminal space between individual and community. As renowned poetic voices for their countryRead MoreLeaves Of Grass By Walt Whitman915 Words   |  4 PagesLeaves on Grass is collection of poems written by an American poet named Walt Whitman. The first edition was published in 1855 but, Whitman spent most of his professional life writing and rewriting Leaves of Grass, until his death in 1892 at the age of 72. 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No matter how many times bards romanticize war and battle, there is that ultimate, inherent ugliness involved in the business of killing. There is no honor or heroism in dying for your country, you just die, it is a great tragedy and there is nothing you can do about it. Mortality is always present on both sides fighting the battle; there will continuously be casualties. Suffering, misery and destitution are constant

Problem and Solution of Plastics Free Essays

The problem and solution of plastic Recently, plastic has become one of the most serious pollution problems in the world. According to a piece of news, it shows that every year worldwide plastic trash has been estimated at 260 million tons, and around ten percent ends up in the ocean. Many clean any more. We will write a custom essay sample on Problem and Solution of Plastics or any similar topic only for you Order Now As a result, in order to get back our beautiful ocean, people must recycle plastic and transform it into other energies. The tourism has become a great share that contributes to a country’s economy. Such as Maldives, every year, many people go to Maldives to take a holiday. It used to be a beautiful beach there, but now, a lot of plastic trash is thrown on it. Maybe at this moment, the economy there is not so good anymore; furthermore, the clean ocean and the good air condition are disappearing. The same situation also happens to some cities that are famous for mountains, for instance Taian, Huangshan. Their tourism is a large support to their economy. A piece of news has reported that in Huangshan, the cleaners have to climb to the mountain to pick up the plastic bags, bottles and other trash. Therefore, people must recycle plastic; it is not only good for our environment, but also beneficial to save the energies. The best action to address this problem is to recycle plastic and transform it into other energies. The first way is burning plastic in a special incinerator. The heat can be used for industrial power generation, according to a survey; it shows that recycling 1 ton of plastic saves the equivalent of 5,774 kilowatt-hours of electric energy. In addition, many companies that using plastic to generate power have established in recent years. Another way to address this problem is Hydride decomposition. This method could transform sixty to eighty percent of the composition of plastic to crude oil. Crude oil is one of the most essential fuels in the world, about eighty-eight percent of the crude oil is used to be fuel, and so recycling plastic can make a contribution to saving the crude oil. In order to realize this transformation, the government should spend more money on developing technology. Maybe it will cost much money, but once a country has an incinerator or a Hydride decomposition machine, they can be used for many years; much plastic can be transformed and a lot of energies can be saved. Thus, recycling plastic and transforming it into other energies is the best action to address this big pollution problem. Everyone in the world should not throw plastic anywhere; people should care more about the environment not always about themselves. Because a good environment is the insurance of people’s health, a clean ocean will get back to people’s life soon. The marine animals will live happy lives with their best friends-human being. How to cite Problem and Solution of Plastics, Essay examples

Role of Government in Protecting Health & Safety-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the role of government in promoting healthy practices for their citizens. Answer: Response The role of government in promoting healthy practices for their citizens is justifiable and can be supported by the fact that, health systems are gradually grappling with the effects of communicable and chronic diseases (Frieden 2013). Prevention of the reemerging of the deadly diseases depends on the initiatives taken up by the government such as proper vaccination programs, waste and sewage management programs. It has been rightly stated that mandatory immunization rules set up by the government can bring fruitful outcomes in the prevention of several viral diseases. Other governmental actions that have a wide spread implication on public health are fluoridation of water, iodization of salt and micronutrient fortification of the flour. Many of the interventions were initially controversial is widely accepted today (Kickbusch and Gleicher 2012). The mandatory immunization programs by the government can be supported by the fact that India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria has been declared as a polio free country after the extensive polio eradication campaigns and the measures taken up by the government of the concerned countries (Kickbusch and Gleicher 2012). Paternalistic approach taken up by the government may raise questions on individual autonomy but initiatives taken by the government on behalf of the masses such as tobacco control campaigns, High excise taxation on tobacco and alcohol are quite justifiable and are solely made for the public health (Frieden 2013). Furthermore, the government's initiative in the management of wastes can be supported by the evidence that the government of Canada have undertaken measures for the safe handling, transport and disposal of pre-hospital care from persons confirmed with Ebola virus disease. Such measures have prevented the spread of the virus in the community (Kickbusch and Gle icher 2012). It can be said that all the potential health benefits of the different public health action involve health care, economic and productivity gains along with the benefit of healthier and longer lives. References Frieden, T.R., 2013. Government's role in protecting health and safety.New England Journal of Medicine,368(20), pp.1857-1859. Kickbusch, I. and Gleicher, D., 2012. Governance for health in the 21st century. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

No Matter What the Beginning Is, the End Will Be the Same

Life is not very different from a Hollywood film; in fact, it is even more unpredictable, changeable, and confusing. This is one of the main questions of our existence and this is the main point of â€Å"Happy Endings† by Margaret Atwood.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on No Matter What the Beginning Is, the End Will Be the Same specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are so many true stories told about people that can serve scenarios for Oscar-winning movies. However, the major theme of all films, as well as the main concern of our life is the relationships between men and women. Love, romance, family, devotion, betrayal, role of woman in the society, unrequited love and pure love, and all that drama is what everything else revolves around. The only difference is that films almost always have happy endings and life always ends up in one thing for all people – the death. Atwood provides several example s of how the individual’s life can develop, and thus, the author suggests an idea that we should not think about what the result of our relationships will be , as life is very unpredictable, in addition, we must feel every moment of life, and live only in present. A majority of the fictional narratives focus on the relationships between man and women; in fact, this is the most popular theme that provides ideas for discussions. Margaret Atwood â€Å"acknowledged as a foremost author† (Van Spanckeren and Castro 9) succeeded in this â€Å"task† and wrote a several different, but typical stories that revolve around this theme. It consists of six parts that deal with different types of relations and various aspects of romance and love that people encounter in their everyday life. There are four main characters which are the subject matter in hands of the author, John and Mary, and Madge and Fred. In fact, it is not actually a story, but a guide on how to create one. It is â€Å"a permutational fiction in the if†¦ then mode† (Wilson 22). James P. Werlock comments on the form and style of the story: â€Å"Happy Endings† is a story about writing a story, with thoughtful advice to both readers and would-be writers (22). It provides several scenarios of the common life stories which can have different endings, however, the author provides that the outcomes will probably be the same. The six possible endings to the story of John and Mary are written as a skeleton outline† (Werlock 302). The author introduces the story to the reader with a description of an ideal life story to which everybody aspires, but the successive several stories are not so happy, though the author offers the readers a choice, â€Å"If you want a happy ending, try A† (Atwood 724). It means that men and women are free to decide what life they want to have and what the â€Å"ending† of their relationships will be.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, the ideas of fiction stories are taken from â€Å"life scenarios† which are so common. No matter, whether you are a man or woman, you want your life to have a â€Å"perfect Hollywood ending† (happy marriage, beautiful house, and wonderful children. But the reality is skeptical and ironical. Thus, the story B provided by Margaret Atwood is more look like a true one. It is a typical description of relations between man and women which can be observed in a real life. This is a typical â€Å"meat† for feminists and it is a story that â€Å"an attack against societal conventions, particularly those surrounding the roles of women† (Korb 157). She loves him and he uses her, finally she dies because of the unrequited love. Where is a promised happy end? Well, a man marries a woman, isn’t it a good ending? But the discussion of relation s of sexes is not finished yet. Let us focus on the relationships of an older man and a young woman. It is one more true life story when young girls gave love affairs with older men. Why? Who knows! May be it is love, or money, or solitude, but the outcomes almost always the same†¦ all continues in A. Another scenario is a story of devotion of women to men. She nurses him until his last breath and then devotes her life to volunteering. It is another perspective on the relationships between man and women, which also can find analogue in an everyday life. The characters are undeveloped and the stories are presented like facts, but everyone will find something familiar in every one. Continuing the theme of the relations of sexes, we can assume that there is one more issue that the author explores in the work. She definitely addresses the question of what is the role of woman in the contemporary society. Indeed, as it has already been mentioned, the author describes different life situations and different social roles women perform. But what is in the focus? What women should do in this life? If to refer to the endings that Atwood provides, we can conclude that woman should get marry. However, what is more important is what life she has before getting married. Thus, achieving her final goal (marriage) woman can be independent and live the life she wants having relations with other men, or building her career. As opposed to this, she can also be devoted to one man during all her life and â€Å"devotes herself to charity work until the end of A. If you like, it can be â€Å"Madge,† â€Å"cancer,† â€Å"guilty and confused,† and â€Å"bird watching.†Ã¢â‚¬  (Atwood 726). Thus, woman can be the leader and can be a slave of her emotions and her man, the can be a perfect businesswoman or a great housewife, she also can be â€Å"slaver† and own men hears, or she can be a prey of the man’s charm. It is her responsibility to decide, but the end will be the same†¦ Another theme in the story is a theme of a pure love. The author begins her story with the description of a pure love that lasts forever and makes two people happy. But what do we see in the stories that follow? As it often happens, pure love is rare and the one who shares it does not have a respond from his/her beloved.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on No Matter What the Beginning Is, the End Will Be the Same specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mary loved Fred and ended her life in suicide, in the next story, John kills Mary and James and himself as well, and Madge is unhappy in E after Fred dies. So, do you still want to feel a pure love? Of course, it is not necessary that everything will end up it death, eventually, there are â€Å"happy endings† in life and the author gives us a hope for better outcomes. Interpersonal relationships are very tangled and they are the hardest to maintain in life. What is more important is the end of these relationships. The author points that â€Å"the only authentic ending is the one presented here: John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die† (Atwood 726). Indeed, every person’s life will end up in death. Thus, is there some reason to struggle or change something? â€Å"The point is that both of these characters will eventually die, what matters is how and why certain things happen in their lives. That is the real story.† (Woodcock n. p.). Moreover, is there any â€Å"happy ending† at all? In the stories, the author provides the readers with the possibility to choose the ending for each story, thus, life provides people with the choice to arrange his/her life in any possible way, because, â€Å"so much for endings. Beginnings are always more fun† (Atwood 726). Thus, the short story â€Å"Happy Endings† by Margaret Atwood is a collection of several life stories which people can encounter in their everyday life. The author explores the topics of the role of the woman in society, theme of pure love and relations of sexes. But the main intention of the author is to persuade people live their lives to the fullest. Often, people do not take risks to make a desirable step to maintain relationships, such as ask someone to the date, or reject attractions. We often regret about things we did not do. The author provides that there are possibilities of risk and it is better to regret about things you did, than about things you did not do. No matter what you did in your life, you will meet the eternity. However, one should not think about it, but experience every moment of life, because middles are more interesting then endings. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. â€Å"Happy Endings.† Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanna. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008. 724-26.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Korb, Rena. â€Å"Critical Essay on ‘Happy Endings’.†Ã‚  Short Stories for Students. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 13. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. Van Spanckeren, Kathryn, and Jan Garden Castro. Margaret Atwood: Vision and Forms. SIU Press, 1988. Werlock, James P. The Facts on File Companion to the American Short Story. Vol 2. New York: Inc. Infobase Publishing, 2010. Wilson, Sharon Rose. Margaret Atwood’s Textual Assassinations: Recent Poetry and Fiction. Vol. 1. Ohio State University Press, 2003. Woodcock, Leah. â€Å"On Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Happy Endings†Ã¢â‚¬ . Web. This essay on No Matter What the Beginning Is, the End Will Be the Same was written and submitted by user Emiliano Bryant to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday The artist known as Billie Holiday, and later nicknamed Lady Day was born as Eleanora Fagan, in 1915. Billie’s childhood was a sad one. Her parents were never married and her father,Clarence Holiday who played guitar with Fletcher Henderson abandoned Billie and her mother early on (geocites). At some point in her childhood, her mother moved to New York, leaving her to care for her relatives who, according to Holiday, mistreated her. She quit school after the fifth grade, was sexually assaulted at the age of ten and was jailed for prostitution in her early teens (artandculture). One would think Billie’s tragic childhood would leave her in poverty for the rest of her life, but luckily her amazing voice and intense lyrics would boost her to fame. When Billie was eighteen she moved to New York to live with her mother. . She admired musicians like Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. Holiday’s music is known to be a mixture of Armstrong’s swing and Smith’s sound (geocites). She began singing at a popular jazz club called Pods’ and Jerry’s located in Harlem. It was there that she was discovered by John Hammond who set her up with three recording sessions with Benny Goodman. After that she performed in many clubs in New York and had a decent black following. Billie gained a wider audience when she performed with Count Basie in 1937 and Artie Shaw in 1938. This made her one of the first black singers to perform with a white orchestra (pbs.org). Being one of the first black singers to perform with a white orchestra was risky. This showed that like many other famous musicians who have disrupted an era Billie was not afraid to risk everything and go against the norm of society. Billie had many hits like â€Å"Fine and Mellow† and â€Å"Lover Man†, but none of these songs shocked the world like â€Å"Strange Fruit†, a song about a lynching in the south. â€Å"Southern trees bear a strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and bl... Free Essays on Billie Holiday Free Essays on Billie Holiday Billie Holiday The artist known as Billie Holiday, and later nicknamed Lady Day was born as Eleanora Fagan, in 1915. Billie’s childhood was a sad one. Her parents were never married and her father,Clarence Holiday who played guitar with Fletcher Henderson abandoned Billie and her mother early on (geocites). At some point in her childhood, her mother moved to New York, leaving her to care for her relatives who, according to Holiday, mistreated her. She quit school after the fifth grade, was sexually assaulted at the age of ten and was jailed for prostitution in her early teens (artandculture). One would think Billie’s tragic childhood would leave her in poverty for the rest of her life, but luckily her amazing voice and intense lyrics would boost her to fame. When Billie was eighteen she moved to New York to live with her mother. . She admired musicians like Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith. Holiday’s music is known to be a mixture of Armstrong’s swing and Smith’s sound (geocites). She began singing at a popular jazz club called Pods’ and Jerry’s located in Harlem. It was there that she was discovered by John Hammond who set her up with three recording sessions with Benny Goodman. After that she performed in many clubs in New York and had a decent black following. Billie gained a wider audience when she performed with Count Basie in 1937 and Artie Shaw in 1938. This made her one of the first black singers to perform with a white orchestra (pbs.org). Being one of the first black singers to perform with a white orchestra was risky. This showed that like many other famous musicians who have disrupted an era Billie was not afraid to risk everything and go against the norm of society. Billie had many hits like â€Å"Fine and Mellow† and â€Å"Lover Man†, but none of these songs shocked the world like â€Å"Strange Fruit†, a song about a lynching in the south. â€Å"Southern trees bear a strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and bl...

Using case law and considering any advantages and disadvantages. to Essay

Using case law and considering any advantages and disadvantages. to what extent does the doctrine of precedent depend on the hierachy of the court - Essay Example The doctrine of stare decisis is not always to be relied upon, for the courts find it necessary to overrule cases which have been hastily decided, or contrary to principle.† (Stare decisis, 2010). The doctrine of precedent is also called as stare decisis, situated at the heart of the English lawful arrangement. It is a lawful rule by which adjudicators are obligated to admiration of the precedents created by previous judgment. This doctrine also refers to the information surrounded by the hierarchical construction of the English magistrates. A judgment made by the superior court will be connected to an inferior court in the hierarchy structure. In broad expressions, this denotes that when adjudicators attempt cases that will make sure to see if a similar circumstance appears before the court. If the precedent is placed by a court of equivalent or superior rank makes a new decision, and then the adjudicator in the current case should pursue or follow the rule of law founded in the previous case attended in the court. â€Å"It is noted that the doctrine of precedent depends for its operation upon the underlying principle that the courts form a hierarchy with each court standin g in a definite position in relation to every other court. The structure of this hierarchy must now be considered for the purposes if the doctrine of precedent. Decisions of the highest courts are binding on lower courts.† (Doctrine of judicial precedent & its hierarchy of court, 2010). In most cases, it is deemed that a decision made by a higher court is a binding precedent, which a lower court cannot overrule. Also, a court should not upset its own precedents unless there is a valid reason to do so. This needs to be motivated by principles from similar and lower courts. Another aspect that needs to be considered is the extent to which equal or higher courts could set legal precedents or

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 108

Discussion - Assignment Example all, the characters and the cinematography of the movie never showed the actual scenarios on who are the antagonist and the protagonist (Nelson & Aragon, 2011). The central discussion that is evident in the film is the theme of the hubris outbreak. The cause of this argument resulted from excessive bride or ignorance from the human being. In the clip, more point of the discussion emerges when a woman decided not eat because her boyfriend went missing in action for more than five days. The other family members were telling her that he might have died because is attacked by the zombies (Nelson & Aragon, 2011). The importance of this theme is in a way that it made the scientists understand that development is not the effort to discover the primary cause of a disease after it has affected many citizens. It is significant for the scientist to have in mind that the infection have been brought by the misguided efforts that they want to control the nature (Nelson & Aragon,

Segment Analysis of The Dark Knight Rises Essay

Segment Analysis of The Dark Knight Rises - Essay Example The chief of the police Gordon is a man of conscience and determined to fight against the crime and is willing to take lessons from its past mistakes. The character of Batman was in shadows and did not appear till the rate of crimes in the city again starting to swell. The Cat woman tries to get rid of her criminal career with the help of mercenary named Bane, who asks her to hand over Batman in return. Wayne Enterprises had been into loses since Bruce had withdrawn the fusion reactor for it could be used for weaponisation. Batman was captured by Bane with the help of Kyle the Cat woman and was imprisoned. While Bane take the whole city under siege by converting the fusion from reactor into an atomic bomb, and let his gang member to loot the city. Batman after months of training successfully escaped from the jail and asked Klye Fox (the man who runs Wayne Enterprises), Blake (an able young detective), Gordon and Lady Tate (member of Wayne Enterprises executive board) for their help i n order to take the bomb back from Bane. Police force start to take over the city from Bane’s gang, while Batman tried to neutralize the weapon, it is here when Tate stabs him with a knife her true identity Talia al-Ghul, Ra’s al-Ghul’s child who was helped to escape from the prison in order to complete her father’s mission to destroy the Gotham city. While Tate was looking for the bomb, Bane was killed by Kyle. Batman rushed to get the bomb out of the hands of Tate, who before dying destroys the reactor so Batman could not stabilize the bomb by placing it again in the reactor. Batman took the bomb to bay where it detonates, in the end the city mourned over the tragic death of its superhero, but Fox finds that Bruce had fixed the auto pilot and Gordon too finds the bat signal, later Alfred (fatherly figure for Batman), finds Batman with Kyle in Florence. The young Officer Blake resigns from the police force and take control of the Bat-cave (Anthony, 2012) . Segmentation Analysis: 1) Rate of crime in Gotham City: Since the last eight years the rate of crime had been controlled by the police chief and eradicated various elements of crime nurtured by the old chief. James Gordon a good and hones officers feels himself responsible for covering up the crimes of the old chief this segment of the movie takes place as: Uzbek military militia moving toward the airfield with Dr. Pavel a nuclear scientist in a van carrying three hooded prisoners, some special ops commandos and a CIA agent were bought by the scientist. The CIA agent killed two of the prisoners while interrogating for Bane, the mercenary and when he comes to the third prisoner it was revealed that it is Bane, a C-130 emerges and his militia man takes over the commuter jet and killed everyone except for the doctor and detonates the plane. 2) Hervey Dent’s Farewell: Goth city police department gathers to mourn over the death of their ex police chief, while Gordon plans to rev eal the crimes of the last chief for which batman was held accountable, but did not as his deputy praises his effort to reduce the crime, the mayor of the city plans to remove him in the spring. The event was hosted by Bruce (Batman) who was not there and Lady Tate wants to meet him for the reasons unknown to John Daggett (a businessman). 3) Revelation of true identity of Salina Kyle: Salina Kyle the cat woman disguised as a maid in the Wayne Manor, successfully open the uncrackable safe of Bruce and took out his mother’s necklace and out of curiosity start looking at Bruce’s pictures. At the same time Bruce arrives and tries to get her but she ran away by taking a lift in the congressman’

The Semantic Barriers In Peoples Communication English Language Essay

The Semantic Barriers In Peoples Communication English Language Essay INTRODUCTION: The word semantics has its origin in Greek and is taken from the word semantikos, which means showing signs or symptomatic. The first part sema of the word semantikos means sign. Semantics is the study of meaning that is conveyed in a language. Semantics refers to specific meanings of a word, especially in academic circles. Semantic barriers, therefore, are the misunderstandings that occur by people trying to communicate an idea, but simultaneously having completely different meanings in mind for the words. Semantic barriers come from differences in language, education, and culture. Obviously if the sender is speaking in English and the receiver doesnt understand English, theres a problem. But even if the sender and receiver speak English, they may not speak the same dialect. The words they use may not mean the same thing. If we order a soda in Washington, DC, for example, well get a soft drink. If we order a soda in Detroit, well get a drink made of soda water and flavored syrup with ice cream floating in it. If one is from the United States and he is speaking to a Scot from Glasgow, the American may have a hard time simply understanding his pronunciation. And his accent may be incomprehensible to the person from Scot. The receiver may use complicated words or phrases that the sender doesnt understand, such as to ratiocinate instead of to reason, or I am extremely appreciative of your efforts in my behalf instead of Thank you. Or the sender and the receiver may have cultural differences that make it difficult for them to understand each other even if they speak the same language: A Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim all worship one God, but they think about God in different ways. In some cultures, the use of titles before names is extremely important as a sign of respect, while greeting someone weve just met using his or her first name (as many Americans do) would be considered quite rude. Most of us take for granted that all our messages are well conveyed. But in practice, all messages are not successfully channeled or received. Various obstacles, blockades, difficulties, stoppages or constrictions, known as barriers to communication, disfigure the message and make communication ineffective. These communication barriers cause confusion and conflict between persons living in the same society, working on the same job and even persons living in different parts of the world who even do not know one another. A large number of managerial problems are the result of unproductive or defective communication. Substantial fruits can be gained if communication barriers are dampened or minimized. A communication is a two-way process, distance between the sender and the receiver of the message is an important barrier to communication. Noise and environmental factors also block communication. Personal factors like difference in judgment, social values, inferiority complex, bias attitude, time pressure, communication inability, etc. broaden the psychological distance between the sender and the receiver. Semantic is the science of meaning. The same words and symbols have different meanings to different people. Difficulties in communication take place when the sender and the receiver of the message make use of words or symbols in different senses. The meaning intended by the sender may be dissimilar from the meaning followed by the receiver. People understand the message in terms of their own behavior and experience. SEMANTIC BARRIERS IN COMMUNICATION ARISE DUE TO THE FOLLOWING REASONS: CULTURAL DIVERSITIES: Most of the difficulties in communication arise because the same word or symbol means different things to different individuals according to ones culture. Lets take the example of Shiny Abraham. A funny and pity thing happened to Shiny Abraham at the 1986 Asian Games at Seoul. Despite coming first by a very wide margin in the 800 m. Race, she was disqualified and lost her gold medal for having crossed the track at the place where she should not have gone. According to her she mistook the symbol, i.e., the colour of the flag. Whereas in our country the red flag indicates danger, in South Korea white flag is used for the same purpose. Misinterpreting the white flag which had been put up at that point, she crossed the track at the wrong place and suffered a setback. Words, which are in reality symbols representing a thing, an action or a feeling, can have several meanings. As explained earlier, words which represent concrete things, e.g., car or house, tend to be understood in the same way, while abstract words like merit, effectiveness or responsibility, tend to be interpreted by different persons in different ways. Difficulty in understanding may arise even in the case of ordinary words which have different contextual meanings. Lately such difficulties are being experienced increasingly by people working in international development field. One such problem arose in interpreting the meaning of the word steps. In a training program of health workers, relating to the family health in Jamaica when a question What are some of the steps that a mother should take to make sure that her baby keeps healthy? was asked, it was found that there was no response to it. The trainees who were accustomed to only one meaning of the word- steps based on their experience, could not just make any sense of the question. UNFAMILIARITY WITH WORDS: Semantic difficulty may arise because of unfamiliarity with words. For example, because of a word of some foreign language of which the receiver has no knowledge. A technical word may not create such a problem it may be beyond the ability of the receiver to understand it. In order to make it effective, a communication must be put into words which are appropriate to the environment and mental framework of the receiver. This ensures the communication to be grasped properly and implemented effectively. A very interesting example of a communication made effective by the use of words appropriate to the environment in which they were used is provided by the following incident that took place in one of the agricultural states of the USA. A proposal for raising the salaries of the faculty members of an agricultural college was under discussion. The farmers bloc was totally against giving the raise to the college teachers they could not see why they should pay those college teachers $5000 a year just for talking 12 to 15 hours a week. Faculty representatives made no headway in their negotiations until one of them who had some farming experience, got an inspiration.Gentlemen, he told the members of the administrative body, a college teacher is a little like a bull. Its not the amount of time he spends. Its the importance of what he does! BODY LANGUAGE BEING INCONSISTENT: Semantic barrier may further be created by body language being inconsistent with the verbal communication. A manager who praises the honesty and sincerity of his or her subordinate in a sarcastic tone creates doubts in the minds of the subordinate as to the course of action he or she should adopt in a given situation in future. The same kind of barrier is created by a divergence between the verbal language and the action language of the superiors. When action and language are used jointly the actions often have more powerful influence on others actions than words do. A management may, for example, profess its belief in being guided solely by the merit of employees while making promotions. Yet if employees observe that in actual practice promotions are made on considerations other than merit, the managements professed policy is bound to be affected by a semantic barrier it is not likely to communicate anything, only the actions will communicate and what they communicate will be contrary to what had been said in so many words. CHOICE OF AMBIGUOUS WORDS TO CONVEY A MESSAGE: Semantic problems arise due to the choice of words used to convey a message. A particular word may have totally different meaning in different languages. We say Dhanyavad which means in Hindi Thank you, but the same word in Guajarati means congratulations. Differences in background and experience account for differences in the meanings assigned to particular words. Every language has its own structure and style. Semantic problems arise when efforts are made to transfer the essence or feel of a thought from one language to another. Funny situations arise due to this effort. At times the meaning is distorted to such an extent that there remains no trace of the original. During President Jimmy Carters visit to Poland, a sentence in his speech, I have deep affection for the Polish people, was somehow translated into Polish as, I lust after the Polish people. In another instance, when a leading shoe company put up this slogan on the billboard s, we will only sell you the right shoe a group of naughty teenagers asked the manager, where could they go for the left shoe. PROBLEMS ARISING FROM REGIONAL ACCENTS: In a multi lingual nation like India, many of us speak more than one language. However, most of the times the influence of the mother-tongue is quite prominent and the accent with which we speak the other languages creates interesting (and sometimes serious) barriers to communication. The problem of regional accents is not only restricted to Indian languages. We, the people of India, treat ourselves as the very rightful inheritors of the English language. It is difficult to say whether it is love, pride or prejudice, but we have so much English in our native languages that a serious look is necessary at the way we pronounce English. The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages situated at Hyderabad has done this work and found a long list of English word-pairs the pronunciation of which are rather freely exchanged for each other, notwithstanding the mess in the meanings it makes. Ship and sheep, read and rid, each and itch, beat and b it, seen and sin, eat and it, cheat and chit, leave and liveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Seem endless. The scholars at the institution have come to the conclusion that there seem to be three sets of pronunciations viz. i) Received Pronunciation of England (RPE) ii) The Anglo-Indian Pronunciation(AIP) iii) The General Indian English(GIE) or the Modified Indian English. It seems that there is a general consensus among scholars and teachers of English in the country that RP is and an unsuitable model in the Indian context because it (a) it carries certain colonial vestiges; (b) pedagogically it is unrealistic to aim at an inaccessible model; and (c) English is taught and learnt in India for a different set of purpose and norms from those in Britain. PHYSICAL NOISE: sometimes the semantic problems arise because the channel is blocked by noise. Physical noise lies in the environment. It acts as a barrier between the communicators and blocks the message from reaching the receiver. When we are trying to listen what our teacher is saying but the class is noisy; we cannot hear. We cannot hear what our friend is saying because the sound of the television in the drawing-room is too loud. We cannot read or see what is written on the chalkboard because it is reflective. All these examples represent physical noise. PHYSIOLOGICAL BARRIERS: Sometimes physiological impairment in the two communicators poses serious hindrance in the sending as well as receiving the message. If the sender has some problem and cannot speak clearly, there will be difficulty in understanding his message. If the message sent is clear but the receiver is aurally handicapped, the message may not be received. It is difficult to read very bad handwriting. Poor mimeographs lead to difficulty in reading the copies. FILTERING BY THE SOURCE: Filtering refers t sender manipulating information so that it will be seen more favorably by the receiver. When a manager tells his boss what his boss wants to hear, he is filtering information. The personal interests and perceptions of the source, thus, resulting in filtering the information. The source presents such infavourable reaction. SELECTIVE PERCEPTION: Messages are often distorted by the receivers. As in case of filtering the sender sends what he thinks will suit him, so does the receiver receives what suits him. Thus, the receivers see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear based on their needs, motivations, experiences, background and other personal characteristics. Receivers also project their interests and expectations in communications while decoding a message. The teacher who expects that boys with athletic bodies would not like mathematics actually sees them that way. It may not be true. We dont see reality; rather, we interpret what we see and call it reality. CIMMUNIUCATION OVERLOAD: In the present age of information, we are receiving information continuously, from various sources. We receive so much information that many times it becomes impossible to absorb all the information and respond to it. As a result many people tend to screen out a number of messages and fail to decode properly. In such cases, communication is either distorted or incomplete. OUR SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: As a group we have certain norms. These norms may not have logical base yet they are so deep-rooted that it is difficult to overcome them. This preconceived and unchangeable societal input prevents the receiver from receiving the message. Girls are supposed to behave like this, It is always going to be like this, are examples of this kind. Social noise blocks our communication completely. This may happen due to the fear of social criticism. Another reason is our own group loyalty. Any action by our own group is seen favourably whereas the same by the opposite group is criticized by us. SOME APPARENT FACTORS LEADING TO SEMANTIC BARRIERS: i) Sound: Equipment or environmental noise restricts clear communication. Unless the sender and the receiver is able to concentrate on the messages being sent to each other, it collides communication making the semantic unclear. ii) Ourselves: Focusing on ourselves, rather than the other person can lead to confusion and conflict. Some of the key-factors that cause this are defensiveness (we feel someone is attacking us), superiority (we feel we know more that the other), and ego (we feel we are the center of the activity). iii) Perception: If we, as a listener, feel the person is talking too fast, not fluently, does not articulate clearly, etc., we may dismiss the person. Also our preconceived attitudes affect our ability to listen. We listen uncritically to persons of high status and dismiss those of low status. iV) Messages: Communication Distractions happen when we focus on the facts rather than the idea. Our educational institutions reinforce this with tests and questions. Semantic distractions occur when a word is used differently than we prefer. For example, the word developer instead of development may cause us to focus on the word and not the message. V) Surroundings: Bright lights, an attractive person, unusual sights, or any other stimulus provides distraction and causes semantic barriers. Vi) Personal Pressure: People do not see things the same way when under stress. What we see and believe at a given moment is influenced by our psychological frames of references our beliefs, values, knowledge, experiences, and goals. Hence forth, semantic barriers are likely to happen. When effective communication is at work, what the receiver decodes is what the sender sends. A breakdown in the communication process may occur if the intended message was not encoded or decoded properly. Comments may be taken the wrong way, a compliment may be taken as an insult, or a joke might be interpreted as a put-down. There may also be barriers in the transfer process; these barriers may include: Noise, Multiple communications, Fatigue, stress, Distractions, Incomplete message, Ambiguous wording, Lack of credibility, Lack of rapport, Think in personal terms, Boring etc. Misunderstandings stem primarily from four barriers to effective communication: 1. Lack of common experience the transfer of words from the instructor to the student are often misunderstood or not interpreted correctly. A communicators words cannot communicate the desired meaning to another person unless the listener or reader has had some experience with the objects or concepts to which these words refer. Many words in the English language mean different things to different people. 2. Confusion between the symbol and the symbolized object Results when a word is confused with what it is meant to represent. 3. Overuse of abstractions over dependence of words that are of a general nature rather than specific. 4. Interference Includes physiological, environmental, and psychological interference. THINGS TO PAY ATTENTION TO AVOID SEMANTIC BARRIERS: SYNTACTICAL PROBLEMS: Syntactical problems are caused by how a sentence is structured. Many people commit structural mistakes in sentence construction while learning a second language. It is mainly because they tend to apply the grammar of their first language to the new language they are learning. Syntactical problem may create good humour but at times may give rise to serious problems. Ex: Throw mamma from the train a kiss. A nurse maid is wanted for a baby about 20 years old. COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE COMPLETE: While formulating the message it should be seen that the message should be complete in itself and should cover all the aspects of the purpose. Merely telling somebody you are good is not a complete message as it is vague. It should be at least you are a good friend. COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE POSITIVE: communications should be toned with courtesy, with positiveness. People generally tend to ignore negativeness. We are not ready to hear It cannot be done until you furnish all the information. Instead, it is easier to hear and accept It will be done as soon as you furnish all the information. Instead of Dont talk while going to the art room it is easier to communicate Go quietly to the art room. COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE TO EXPRESS AND NOT TO IMPRESS: Too much artistic language may show your art of using that language but it may not express your heart. Good communication is supposed to build a bridge between two hearts. Hence simple, straightforward, receivers language is the key. Teachers who consider themselves learned and use complicated vocabularies and sentences cause more barriers. CHOICE OF WRONG WORDS: It might sound unbelievable but sometimes just a few words can mean the difference between life and death. Language, beyond any doubt, is one of the most important vehicles of communication and we must choose our words very carefully. In larger organization people join from various backgrounds and have varying linguistic patterns. The effort is not to hurt anybodys feelings but the effort to choose correct phrases can create some humorous situations CONCLUSION: To make effective communication, First, you must be outgoing, and be confident and honest, then next find a topic that both of you are interested. But, dont forget to be a quiet listener instead talking all the time. A barrier to communication is something that keeps meanings from meeting. Meaning barriers exist between all people, making communication much more difficult than most people seem to realize. It is false to assume that if one can talk he can communicate. Because so much of our education misleads people into thinking that communication is easier than it is, they become discouraged and give up when they run into difficulty. Because they do not understand the nature of the problem, they do not know what to do. The wonder is not that communicating is as difficult as it is, but that it occurs as much as it does.

Capital Punishment :: essays research papers fc

There has been a total of 374 executions within the United States between 1976 through 1999. The methods of the executions have been electrocutions, lethal injections, gas chambers, firing squads and hangings. Electrocution: An alternating current of about 2000 volts of electricity passes through the body. The criminal is strapped into a specially constructed electric chair. One electrode is applied to the scalp, the other to the calf of one leg. The electrodes are moistened with a salt solution to ensure adequate contact. Death usually occurs within two minutes after the current has started to flow through the body. Lethal Injection A small tube is inserted in the prisoners vein to ensure easy access when its time to inject the poison. The poison is very lethal and death occurs quickly. Gas Chamber The person is sealed in an enclosure where poison pellets of gas are released. The poison pollutes the airways and stops all breathing. The gas pellets strangle the prisoner, taking his or her breath away until the veins under the skin burst. Firing Squad Receiving multiple bullets throughout the body while being shot by a firing line. Death usually occurs from a loss of blood unless shot in the heart. Hanging: Suspending the condemned person by the neck, usually with a noosed rope or cord from a frame with a crosspiece commonly known as a gallow. Death through hanging results from compression of the windpipe, obstruction of blood flow and rupture of nerve structures in the neck. The spinal cord is damaged or severed through the fracture or dislocation of the first three cervical vertebrae. (Andrews, Interquest) Take a minute and think of why most countries don’t use some of the old methods to carry out the death sentence such as: Crucifixion, boiling in oil, beheading, burning alive, crushing, stoning, or drowning. The United States is still using an uncivilized practice that has been rejected by most countries hundreds of years ago. The eighth amendment of the Constitution states against the infliction of cruel and unusual punishment. This is definitely against the Constitution that the United States hold so dearly is just one reason why the death penalty is wrong. (Morgon, p. 52-54) From a religious point of view, many of us were taught that it was wrong to kill per the Ten Commandment’s in the command, â€Å"THY SHALL NOT KILL†. This epitomizes the Divine Command Theory because this was commanded by God and therefore is good.