From the Concert of Europe to the Cause of the First World War Essay Example for Free

From the Concert of Europe to the Cause of the First World War Essay After the fall of Napoleon there was a need to create a balance of power that would preserve the peace between European monarchies. Also to redraw the map of Europe and to restore the countries in crisis after their defeat of Napoleon. The main goal of the Concert was to contain France and prevent another ascend of authority such as Napoleon Bonaparte. The origins of The Concert of Europe begin from the international conference called by the victorious allied nations in Vienna – The Congress of Vienna. It took place in September 1814 to June 1815 and is mostly considered as the precursor to today’s United Nations. The Congress was highly successful in achieving its goal, as there were no wars between European countries for almost 40 years. One could say that the Concert of Europe is still continuous, but with different players, goals and name. Thus The Concert of Vienna was first of its kind and in addition Europe had not seen such cooperation between major powers before, it nonetheless made numerous decisions that shaped Europe to its historic course. For instance France was deprived from lands Napoleon had conquered. Britain got several strategic colonial territories, also gaining control of the seas. France and Spain were restored under rightful bloodlines. However the numerous decisions and outcomes were pompous, concentrating on the needs and wants of four main powers Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain. The Concerts main accomplishment was the securing of independence for Greece (ironic) by sending fleets to fight against invading Ottoman-Egyptian armies. Thanks to three great powers, Russia, The United Kingdom and France, Greece was finally recognized as an independent nation that it is today. In Belgian revolution the Great Powers recognized Belgium as an independent state. After that the signs of collapse of the alliance started to appear. The goal of the Concert of Europe was to keep a balance of power between leading countries in Europe, but if the balance starts to change to someone’s favour then the conflicts begin to arise. The sudden development of Egypt and their successful war against Ottomans brought about fear in European powers. A collapse of Ottoman Empire could have had a destabilizing effect to every country especially to the United Kingdom. England was not only worried for loosing economic benefits and militarily strong state in Mediterranean, but also about Egypt’s close ties to France. Britain preferred a weakened but intact Ottoman Empire that would give it the strategic and commercial advantages it needed to maintain its influence in the region. This all lead to what was called the Oriental Crisis of 1840 where United Kingdom, Austrian Empire, The Kingdom of Prussia and the Russian Empire backed Ottoman Empire against Egypt. France did not accept with the terms The Concert of Europe offered to Egypt, not siding with any of the rivals, but stayed ‘neutral’. Eventually after numerous military conflicts Egypt accepted the terms and Ottoman Empire got back all its lost fleets and territories. The significant downfall of The Concert of Europe was Crimean War in 1853 when Russian Empire started its expansion, which was against the main idea of the Congress of Vienna. It was all powered by the weakening Ottoman Empire and religious disputes till Russia made its move on Constantinople which was owned by the Turks. Afterwards European powers joined in to prevent Russia from growing too powerful. Followed three years of hostilities on five theatres till Russian Empire was eventually stopped. Being the first major armed conflict in Europe after the settlement at the Congress of Vienna, Crimean War signified the downfall of the Concert of Europe. At the Treaty of Paris, signed on March 30, 1856, the real looser was Austria. Having chosen to defy the Russians in the Balkans, Austria lost main ally, and over the next few years it appeared that Britain and France were not interesting in cooperation. Moreover, the Crimean War was the collapse of the Vienna Settlement, the system that had enabled Austria, Britain, France, Prussia and Russia to cooperate and maintain peace for three decades. The Crimean War placed the basis for two powerful new nation states Italy and Germany. The new six-power European system demonstrated to be less stable than its forefather, while the expectation that political and diplomatic aims could be satisfied by war led these states to adopt ever closer alliances. The Crimean War was a turning point in European history, marking the end of the Vienna settlement, and the beginning of a new system. In spite of all, the Great Powers finally returned to war in 1914, almost hundred years after the Congress of Vienna. Alliances and common pacts all end in the course of time, lead by human needs and personal gains, sooner or later. (And the outcome is war ofc) The First World War begun with a simple murder of Austrian-Hungarian royalty, at least that is the simplified reason. In reality it only triggered the war; the actual roots of the war are much deeper and more complicated than a simple bullet in the Archdukes neck. Rise of nationalism and its movements in Europe created such secret societies that used terrorist methods to promote their views. Slavic people in Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted no longer to be a part of Austria-Hungary, but instead be to be a part of Serbia. Viewing it in this way, it could be said that nationalism led Slavic people to rebel against their occupiers that ended with the First World War Increased military and naval rivalry led not only to the belief that war was close and increase in military control of the civilian government also there was an increased cooperation between allied countries. For example United Kingdom, France and Russia held secret military talks. The British and the French naval authorities agreed that the French navy should be concentrated in the Mediterranean and the British in the North Sea. Germany and Austria also had military agreements. When the First World War began, it was to be fought by all powers because they were locked into the conflict from the beginning by contracts and alliances. European powers had formed themselves into two rival groups called the Triple Entente versus the Triple Alliance and the interests of these groups clashed in many parts of the world before 1914. Whenever a clash arose, the two groups seemed to be on the edge of war. Believably, on some level, it eventually led to hatred of each other. Contributing fact was that after 1870, the European nations began to acquire colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Their imperialistic activities led to another clash of interests. It could be said that the underlying causes for war are the same as for everything else in life. One decision affects the other to ad nauseam. It was possible that politicians knew that war was at their doorstep, but I am sure they did not know that over 15 million people will have to pay for it with their lives. Could the First World War be avoided is doubtful, because of the tense relations, rivalry and complicated alliance systems. It was a small scale war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia that transformed into world war. The same could easily happen today when China or USA supports North or South Korea over the conflict. History repeats itself and we need to learn from it. Poking your nose into other people’s business is not the smartest plan when both sides have powerful ‘’brothers’’ positioned farther back.

Features of the Flatiron Building

Features of the Flatiron Building Synopsis: This is a 5 page term paper written in MLA format explaining why any designer in the modern era should be interested in the Flatiron Building, constructed in 1902 in New York. The paper gives a description of the most captivating architectural features of Flatiron building that make it unique and admirable. The paper relies on 2 sources. The Flatiron Building Eric Nash clearly describes the Flatiron building located in New York City. Its construction was completed in 1902 and it is one of the most popular and best known skyscrapers in the world that derives its name from its iron like shape. It is an energetic combination of renaissance and gothic architectural styles. It is made up of spacious, well designed twenty-two stories which are divided into three parts, namely, the beginning, the middle and the end, just like a classical Greek column. The Flatirons striking shape and its exceptional height stretch its classical garb uneasily.1 Picture showing the beginning, the middle and the top of the Flatiron 1 Eric Nash, Manhattan Skyscrapers. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999) 121. Eric Nash clearly shows that the building was constructed using structural steel frame with extensive wind bracing purposely made to resist sideways pressure from the wind. This reflects recent acceptance of the all-steel skeleton for skyscrapers in New York. The skeleton steel framing of Flatiron building is light and less susceptible to fire damages as compared to iron, hence making the building stronger and more durable. Use of steel skeleton in construction of Flatiron made it possible for the building to be elevated higher up to twenty two storeys as opposed to load bearing walls that previously restricted the height supportable by their loads. The building was constructed on a rectangular wedge piece of land giving it its classic captivating appearance from the ground to the sky. He further argues that unlike New Yorks early skyscrapers taking the form of towers that were constructed rising from a lower blockier weight like the contemporary Singer Building, the Flatiron buildin g has limestone and glazed terra cotta faÇade which is divided into a triangular base, shaft and capital.2. Eric Nash observed that Flatirons ornate but restrained facade was made using terra-cotta panels and stone creating forms that simulate any effects of rustication, making it long lasting. Rusticated limestone is uniformly detailed from the ground of the Flatiron building to the sky to ensure that there are slim chances of Flatirons destruction by environmental conditions. The Flatirons masonry insulation, its outer skin of stone and glazed terra-cotta protects it from any harsh weather conditions which could otherwise destroy the building. Besides this, the Flatirons rustication and heavily prornamented patterns of these walls, as well as the conservatively sized windows, give the faÇades a heavy appearance, this is attractive to the eyes 3 2 Nash 123 3 Nash 125 Picture showing Flatirons outer skin Andrew Dolkart observed that the multistory oriels in the midsection, which are prominent in many of Burnhams Chicago buildings, are just barely perceptible on the busy, more enclosed skin of the Flatiron. This greater visual weigh of the repartition of the overall design into a distinct base, a repetitive midsection, and a crowning cornice extended to 22 stories, makes the whole Flatiron appear column-like, distinguishing the building from the rest. He further observed that the long, thin triangular footprint of the Flatiron extrudes up through all its twenty two stories. With all three faà §ades facing the streets, this tall, thin building was designed to always have very well-lit office spaces. At the vertex of the Flatiron building, the triangular tower, which is only 6.5 feet (2 meters) wide and a height of eighty seven Meters is seen to describe an acute angle that is roughly estimated to be 25 degrees when viewed from birds eye view. The acute angled corners bring out a drama tic, exaggerated perspective which is unique and highly admirable. 44Andrew Dolkart. Architecture Development of New York City and the Birth of Skyscraper. (Columbia: Columbia University 2009). 11 Eric Nash further observed that the most acute angle of the Flatiron points north, making the building to appear like it has a little depth like a wall leaned precariously against the sky, distinguishing it from any other building in the neighborhood. The interior of the Flatiron has strangely shaped spacious offices with their walls cutting through an angle on their way to skyscrapers famous point. This gives the building quite a beautiful and attractive look. The gravity-defying illusion of the building is further enhanced by the enormous cornice projecting aggressively from the top of the building, giving the whole affair a top-heavy appearance. The elements of Flatirons design fit in comfortably with the general development of the firm in which the building was constructed.5 According to Andrew, The unconventional triangular lot coupled with exceptional height transformed architectural conventions of Flatiron into a beautiful unique structure. The building materials used for Flatiron were cost effective, efficient and made it possible for it to be quickly erected. Flatiron was indeed a perfect architectural solution to Americas growing downtowns in the 20th century. It consists of 13,400 square meters of office space and definitely one of the Stockholms new landmarks. The striking visual presence of this uncommon vertical mass is what makes the building instantly famous both with tourists and those in the arts grappling with the nature of New Yorks modernity.6 5 Nash 136. 6 Dolkart 13. Conclusion This paper started by describing the shape and location of the Flatiron building constructed in 1902 in New York. It further discussed in detail the design and architectural features of the building that make it very unique despite the fact that it was constructed over 100 years ago. Its characteristic structural division into three parts, the beginning, the middle and the end gives it a unique appealing appearance. Its unique triangular shape design and the wedge shaped piece of land where the building was erected give it an excellent view hence it is easily distinguished from all other buildings in the neighborhood. The buildings small width of only two meters and exceptional height of eighty seven meters housing twenty two storey distinguishes it from ancient heavy wide buildings. While putting more emphasis on the uniqueness and durability of the materials in construction of Flatiron building used such as the revolutionary steel frame which is less susceptible to fire unlike iron , the limestone covering originating from the ground to the sky to protect the building from harsh weather conditions, and the white terra cotta skin in the Italian Renaissance style which gives the building a highly admirable dramatic perspective. From the findings of this paper, it is evidently clear that the Flatiron building is quite a unique building in both the structure and the design and therefore any architect or designer would be interested in its structure and design. Works Cited Nash, Eric. Manhattan Skyscrapers. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999. Dolkart, Andrew. Architecture Development of New York City and the Birth of Skyscraper. Columbia: Columbia University 2009. Sites https://hermis.alberta.ca/ARHP/Details.aspx?DeptID=1ObjectID=4665-0499 http://www.nyc-architecture.com/GRP/GRP024.htm

Neuroimaging Findings in Late Infantile GM1

Neuroimaging Findings in Late Infantile GM1 Gangliosidosis  Summary: Late infantile GM1 gangliosidosis is an extremely rare metabolic disorder with clinical features of seizure and progressive motor and mental retardation without facial dysmorphism or visceral organomegaly. We report the CT and MR imaging findings in one infant, which included abnormalities of the cerebral cortex, white matter, and deep nuclei. GM1 gangliosidosis is a rare lysosomal storage dis- ease characterized by a deficiency in the activity of lysosomal galactosidase, which results in increased accumulation of GM1 ganglioside and asialo-GA1 in the brain and of oligosaccharide in the visceral organs (1, 2). Patients with infantile GM1 gangliosidosis usu- ally have dysmorphic facial features, motor and men- tal retardation, seizures, and hepatosplenomegaly (2). The late infantile form of this disorder is extremely rare and has no clinical features of facial dysmor- phism or visceral organomegaly (1). Case Report An 11-month-old girl, the product of an uncomplicated full-term pregnancy, presented with complex febrile convulsion during an episode of upper respiratory infection. Physical ex- amination at first admission showed a hypotonic infant with macrocephaly (>97 percentile), normal facial features, and psychomotor retardation. Hyperactive reflexes and augmented startle response to noise were present. The abdomen was soft without hepatosplenomegaly. Examination of the eyes revealed a normal clear lens, dilatation of the pupil without light reflex in the right eye, and mild dilatation of the pupil with sluggish light reflex in the left eye. Fundoscopy showed no cherry-red  spots at the maculae. Deficient galactosidase activity and normal hexosaminidase, and glucosidase activity on lysosomal enzyme assay in cultured skin fibroblasts were documented at the patient’s second admission 3 months later for clonic-tonic seizures during another episode of acute upper respiratory infection. Radiologic investigation included chest radiography (also covering the abdomen), CT, and MR imaging, all of which were done on initial admission and again at follow-up. A bone survey was not performed owing to unremarkable somatic manifesta- tions. A CT scan of the brain at age 11 months showed in- creased attenuation of the bilateral thalami (Fig 1A). MR examinations at 11 and 14 months of age showed hyperintensity of the thalami on T1-weighted images (Fig 1B) whereas, on T2-weighted images, the signal intensity of the thalami was decreased (Fig 1C). The white matter myelination was mark- edly delayed, with only the splenium of the corpus callosum being myelinated and no interval improvement in myelination noted at the second MR study (Fig 1D). Discussion GM1 gangliosidosis is a rare inborn error of metab- olism caused by a deficiency of galactosidase activity resulting in failure of catalyzing cleavage of termi- nal link galactose from substrates, such as GM1 ganglioside, asialo-GM1, lactosylceramide, galactose- containing oligosaccharides, and mucopolysacchar- ides. The abnormally accumulated substances in the lysosomes of the affected cells in the CNS are mainly GM1 ganglioside and its asialo derivative GA1 as well as other minor glycolipids and glycopeptides. Visceral storage with oligosaccharides is variable and may cause organgomegaly. Three types of GM1 gangliosidosis, classified by age of onset, have been reported (1, 3, 4). Infantile GM1 gangliosidosis (type 1) is the most common and se- vere form, with clinical features of hypotonia, failure to thrive in the neonatal period, and clonic-tonic seizure activity. Coarse facial features, frontal boss- ing, dysostosis multiplex, hepatosplenomegaly, and hazy cornea may be present or become apparent in the first year of life (2). The late infantile or juvenile form (type 2) begins with progressive mental and motor retardation between 1 and 5 years of age. Seizures are common, and spastic tetraplegia devel- ops, with cerebellar and extrapyramidal signs. Decer- ebrate rigidity follows, and death occurs between 3 and 10 years of age, usually precipitated by recurrent bronchopneumonia. Dysmorphic facial features, hep- atosplenomegaly, corneal changes, and bony abnor- malities are usually lacking, and, when present, are due to a mild degree or absence of oligosaccharide acc umulation. Cerebral GM1 ganglioside storage is also less severe in type 2 than in type 1 disease (1, 2). A, Cranial CT scan at age 11 months shows increased attenuation of the thala- mus and decreased attenuation of the basal ganglia, which were isointense with adjacent white matter. B, T1-weighted axial MR image (600/ 20/2 [TR/TE/excitations]) obtained at the same time shows increased signal inten- sity of the thalamus. The white matter my- elination was markedly delayed. Note that only the splenium of the corpus callosum is myelinated. C, Corresponding axial T2-weighted MR image (2800/90/1) reveals hypodensity of the thalamus and normal signal intensity of the basal ganglia. The cerebrum showed almost no myelination of the white matter except the splenium of the corpus callo- sum. D, Follow-up T2-weighted MR image at 14 months of age shows persistent delayed myelination of the white matter. Note that no cortical atrophy is seen at this stage. Children or adults with chronic, or type 3, GM1 gan- gliosidoses may have a slowly progressive disorder in which dystonia, dysarthria, ataxia, myoclonus gait dis- orders, and extrapyramidal signs occur (4). Bony changes are minimal. Cherry-red spots at the macu- lae, which are found in about half the patients with type 1 GM1 gangliosidoses, are not seen in patients with type 2 and type 3 disease. The disorder can be diagnosed in several ways, including lysosomal enzyme assay of low galactosidase activity in peripheral leukocytes or cultured skin fibroblasts, detection of abnormal urinary oligosac- charide excretion, and rectal biopsy (2). Prenatal di- agnosis by measurement of enzyme activity in amni- otic fluid and cultivated amniotic fluid cells has also been established (5). Neuropathologic reports on GM1 gangliosidoses have shown diffuse neuronal storage with ballooning of neuronal cytoplasm in the cerebral and cerebellar cortex, basal ganglia, brain stem, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglion in type 1 and type 2 forms, and a tendency for selective storage in the basal ganglia with neuronal loss and gliosis in type 3 disease (6, 7). The cerebral white matter is gliotic and there is loss of myelin in type 1 but not in types 2 and 3 GM1 gangli- osidoses. Neuroimaging findings in patients with type 1 GM1 gangliosidoses have been reported only in a few cases. In one case, initial thalamic hyperdensity was found on CT scans and hypointense signal of the thalami was seen on T2-weighted MR images at a later stage (3). Persistent delay in white matter myelination on serial MR studies has been described in another case (8). In type 3 GM1 gangliosidoses, the symmetrical abnormal signal intensities were more selectively seen in the caudate nucleus and putamen on T2-weighted MR images (9). To our knowledge, neuroimaging findings in type 2 GM1 gangliosidoses have not been reported previously. The CT and MR findings in our case are identical to those reported in patients with Tay-Sachs disease (GM2 gangliosidoses). This may be understood be- cause the structure of gangliosides GM1 and GM2 differs only in the terminal N-acetylgalactosamine, and they are stored together with cholesterol and phospholipid; the neuronal staining reactions and ul- trastructure are identical (7). The thalamic hyperden- sity seen on CT scans in Tay-Sachs and Krabbe lyso- somal storage disorders has been presumed to be due to calcification. Calcium deposition in the thalamus can also explain the hyperintense T1 signal and hy- pointense T2 signal on MR images, although frank calcium deposition has not been reported pathologi- cally (10). Other investigators have suggested that secondary lipofuscinosis, resulting in deposits of pigmented degradation products, occurs in the thalami and cause this appearance in GM2 gangliosidoses (11, 12). In our case, the CT study showed not only tha- lamic hyperdensity but also hypointensity of the basal ganglia, which were almost isointense with adjacent white matter (Fig 1A). The MR study verified the CT findings of abnormal thalamic attenuation but not the hypointensity of the basal ganglia. MR is the only imaging technique that is capable of demonstrating the arrested myelination of the cerebral white matter in serial examinations (Fig 1C and D). Conclusion Although the neuroimaging findings of GM1 gan- gliosidoses are unique in our case, these findings could also be identified in GM2 gangliosidoses and, to some extent, in late-stage Canavan disease. Patients with late-stage Canavan disease may have dense thal- ami on T1-weighted images, as well as white matter necrosis, resulting in cavitation, and brain stem and cerebellar atrophy, which are not observed in GM1. Other neurometabolic diseases that often manifest with macrocephaly include mucopolysaccharidosis and Alexander disease. These disorders have distinct neuroimaging features and they should be distin- guished from GM1. A definite diagnosis of this rare disorder can only be made by obtaining lysosomal enzyme assay results of deficient galactosidase and normal hexosaminidase. References 1. Gascon GG, Ozand PT, Erwin RE. GM1 gangliosidosis type 2 in two siblings. J Child Neurol 1992;7:S41–S50 2. Suzuke Y, Sakuraba H, Oshima A. Beta-galactosidase deficiency (beta-galactosidosis): GM1 gangliosidosis and Morquio B disease. In: Scriver CR, Beaudet AL, Sly WS, et al, eds. The Metabolic and Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1995:2785–2823 3. Kobayashi 0, Takashima S. Thalamic hyperdensity on CT in infan- tile GM1-gangliosidosis. Brain Dev 1994;16:472– 474 4. Tanaka R, Momoi T, Yoshida A, et al. Type 3 GM1 gangliosidosis: clinical and neuroradiological findings in an 11-year-old girl. J Neurol 1995;242:299 –303 5. Tasso MJ, Martinez-Gutierrez A, Carrascosa C, et al. GM1-gangli- osidosis presenting as nonimmune hydrops fetalis: a case report. J Perinatal Med 1996;24:445– 449 6. Bieber FR, Mortimer G, Kolodny EH, et al. Pathologic findings in fetal GM1 gangliosidosis. Arch Neurol 1986;43:736 –738 7. Lake B. Lysosomal and peroxisomal disorders. In: Graham DI, Lantos PL, eds. Greenfield’s Neuropathology. 6th ed. London: Ar- nold; 1997 8. Kaye EM, Alroy J, Raghavan SS, et al. Dysmyelinogenesis in an animal model of GM1 gangliosidosis. Pediatr Neurol 1992;8:255–261 9. Uyama E, Terasaki T, Watanabe S, et al. Type 3 GM1 gangliosido- sis: characteristic MRI findings correlated with dystonia. Acta Neurol Scand 1992;86:609 – 615 10. Brismar J, Brismar G, Coates R, et al. Increased density of the thalamus on CT scans in patients with GM2 gangliosidoses. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1990;11:125–130 11. Lowden JA, Callahan JW, Gravel RA, et al. Type 2 GM gangli- osidosis with neuronal ceroid lipofusinosis. Neurology  1981;31:719 –724 12. Stalker HP, Jan BK. Thalamic hyperdensity: a previously unre- ported sign of Sandhoff disease. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 1989;10: S82

Structure of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodman Br

Structure of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚         â€Å"Almost all literary theorists since Aristotle have emphasized the importance of structure, conceived in diverse ways, in analyzing a work of literature† (Abrams 300). This essay will explore some interesting points in the structure of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† considering the time-frame, foreshadowing, suspenseful incidents, climax and denouement (Axelrod 337).    The narrative in this tale is straightforward until the narrator, late in the story, asks the reader: "Had Goodman Brown fallen asleep in the forest, and only dreamed a wild dream of a witch-meeting?† This query gives the reader the option of believing that the story is mostly a dream. The tale encompasses a period of time from sunset, when the young Puritan Goodman Brown leaves his wife in the doorway of their home, till the next morning when he returns to Salem village after spending the night in the woods.    As Brown leaves the house at the beginning of the story, his wife Faith foreshadows coming events with her reference to dreams:    "Dearest heart," whispered she, softly and rather sadly, when her lips were close to his ear, "pr'ythee, put off your journey until sunrise, and sleep in your own bed tonight. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts, that she's afeard of herself, sometimes. Pray, tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year!"      Faith’s use of dreams as an excuse for her husband to stay home on this particular evening is anticipatory of Goodman’s experience in the woods, which turns out to be possibly a dream; in other words, the bulk of the narrative could be only a dream. The devil, furthermore, introduces the ... ...ith Goodman until his dying day: â€Å"And when he had lived long, and was borne to his grave, a hoary corpse, followed by Faith, an aged woman, and children and grandchildren, a goodly procession, besides neighbors, not a few, they carved no hopeful verse upon his tombstone; for his dying hour was gloom.†    In this essay we have seen some interesting points in the structure of   â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† including the time-frame, the use of foreshadowing, suspenseful incidents, climax and denouement.    WORKS CITED    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Axelrod, Rise B. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, 2nd ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† 1835. http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/goodman/goodmantext.html   

Essay --

BRASS MASTERS, INC. â€Å"Serving your brass needs since 1950† February 26, 2014 Ms. Sabrina Nilufar Talbot Laboratories, Inc. 104 South Wright Street Urbana, IL 61801-2958 Dear Ms. Nilufar, I am pleased to report that the testing of your brass wedges is complete. You will find included a summary of our findings along with charts and micrographs of our results. A full laboratory report is available upon request. You are free to use these results as needed and to publish them as documentation for your finished brass products. Four brass wedges were tested. Two were cold rolled to a thickness of 5.0 mm and two were cold rolled to a thickness of 2.5 mm. One wedge of each thickness was then annealed for 1 hour at 350  °C. Because the wedges varied in thickness across the length, multiple cold work values were able to be recorded. Hardness and thickness measurements were taken before and after the cold rolling and after the annealing as shown in Figure 1. Generally, as cold work increased, hardness increased. As the wedges were rolled, the width slightly increased and the length significantly i...

High School and Education Essay

1a) Cultural Deprivation -Intellectual Development: development of thinking and reasoning skills. Theorists would argue that many WC homes lack educational books, toys and activities that would help stimulate a child’s intellectual development. Douglas- WC pupils scored lower on test of ability, as their parents are less likely to support their children’s intellectual development. Bernstein and Young- mothers choose toys that influence intellectual development. Criticism: WC may not be able to afford these toys etc. -Language: children fail to develop necessary language skills and grow up incapable of abstract thinking and unable to use language to explain, describe, enquire and compare. Restricted & Elaborated code; Bernstein. MC have an advantage as the elaborated code is used by teachers, text books and exams. Also MC pupils are already fluent speakers (socialisation) so they ‘feel at home’ in school and are more likely to succeed. Criticism: Bernstein describes WC speech inadeq uate. -Attitudes and Values: Parents attitudes and values are a key factor affecting educational achievement. Douglas- WC parents place less value on education. Feinstein- the lack of interest is more important than financial hardship or factors within school. Many WC subcultures have different goals, beliefs, attitudes and values from the rest of society. Hyman- WC subculture is a self-imposed barrier to educational success. Sugerman- Fatalism, Collectivism, Immediate Gratification, Present-time Orientation. WC children internalise the beliefs and values of their subculture through the socialisation process meaning under-achievement. -Compensatory Education: Policy designed to tackle the problem of CD by providing extra resources to school and communities in deprived areas. E.g. Sure Start, Education Action Zones etc. Criticism: Don’t see the real cause of under-achievement (poverty and material deprivation). -Criticisms: Keddie; CD is a myth and blames victims. A child cannot be deprived of their own culture they are just culturally different. Troyna and Williams; teachers have a ‘speech hierarchy’ where MC speech is highest. Blackstone and Mortimore; parents attend fewer parent evenings as they may work longer hours/less regular hours or put off by school’s MC atmosphere. Also may not help their children’s progress as they lack the knowledge. -Studies show that WC children are more likely to leave school from the age of 16 and are less likely to go on to sixth form and university. Also working-class children are more likely to start school unable to read, and are more likely to fall behind in reading, writing and number skills. 1b) Material Deprivation -Referred to poverty and lack of material necessities (housing/income). -Stats; 32% of WC students were considering moving out of the family home to attend university. 90% of failing schools are in deprived areas. 33% of those receiving free school meals got 5 or more A*-C GCSE grades. 90% of ‘failing’ schools are located in deprived areas. -Housing- overcrowded housing means less space to do work, play, sleep etc, and greater risk of accidents. -Diet and health- lower intakes of energy, vitamins and minerals. Poor nutrition -> weaker immune system -> lowering children’s energy levels -> get ill easier (poor attendance at school). WC children are more likely to have behavioural or emotional problems. -Financial Support- WC children lack equipment and miss out on school trips. They also make do with hand-me-downs (results in being stigmatised/bullied). Children living in poverty take on jobs (baby sitting, cleaning, paper rounds) which has a negative impact on their school work. Also very few go on to university. The government has tried to tackle this problem, e.g. EMA, raising the school leaving age and providing free-school meals. -Criticisms: Ignores internal factors and cultural deprivation. 1c) Cultural Capital -Bourdieu suggested MC culture is as valuable in educational terms as economic capital. The forms of knowledge, values, ways of interacting and communicating ideas that MC children possess are developed further and rewarded by the education system (qualifications).WC have a lack of cultural capital which leads to exam failure. They also ‘get the message’ that education isn’t meant for them thus they truant/leave school early/provide no effort. -Education, economic and cultural capital can be converted into one another. E.g. MC children with cultural capital are better equipped to meet the demands of school and gain qualifications. Wealthier parents can convert their economic capital into educational capital by sending their children to private schools, and paying extra tuition. -Gewirtz: sees how greater parental choice of school has benefited one social class more. Study; 14 London schools with interviews from parents and teachers. She found that differences in economic and cultural capital lead to class differences in how far parents can implement choice of secondary school. She identifies three main types of parents; privileged-skilled choosers (MC parents who used their economic and cultural capital to gain educational capital for their children), disconnected-local choosers (WC parents whose choices were restricted by their lack of economic and cultural capital), and semi-skilled choosers (mainly WC who were ambitious for their children but lacked cultural capital). Internal Factors (class difference) 2a) Labelling -Attaching a meaning to someone. Teachers often attach labels regardless of their ability or attitude. -Howard Becker- Did a study based on interviews with 60 Chicago high school teachers; they judge pupils to what they think is the ‘ideal pupil’. WC children were furthest (regarded as badly behaved). -Cicourel and Kitsuese- Did a study of educational counsellors in an American high school; they claimed to judge students according to their ability, however, they judged students on their social class/race- MC have more potential than WC children. -Rist- Did a study of an American kindergarten; the teacher used information about children’s background and appearance to place them into separate groups. At the front was the ‘tigers’ (MC, given complex work), ‘cardinals’ and then the ‘clowns’ (given easy work like drawing). -Sharp and Green- Did a study about a ‘child-centred’ primary school; children picked their own activities, teachers felt when a child is ready to learn they will seek help. However, teachers believed that children who weren’t ready should engage in ‘compensatory play’. Their findings support the interactionist view that children of different class background are labelled differently. They argue that the negative labelling of the WC is also the result of inequalities in wider society. 2b) Self-Fulfilling Prophecy -A prediction that comes true because it has been made. Step 1: Teacher labels pupil and makes predictions. Step 2: Teacher treats the pupil accordingly. Step 3: Pupil internalises the teacher’s expectation which becomes part of their self-concept/image, and becomes the kind of pupil the teacher believed (prediction is fulfilled). -Streaming: involves separating children into different ability groups (streams). Each group is taught differently. Studies show that the self-fulfilling prophecy is likely to occur once streamed. WC children are usually put in a lower stream as they aren’t ‘ideal pupils’. It is difficult to move up into a higher stream thus are locked into their teachers expectations -> self-fulfilling prophecy as the children live up to their teachers expectations by under-achieving. 2c) Pupil Subcultures -A group of pupils who share similar values and behaviour patterns. They emerge as a response to the way pupils have been labelled (reaction to streaming). -Lacey: Differentiation- process of teachers categorising pupils according to their ability/attitude/behaviour. Polarisation- process in which pupils respond to streaming by moving towards one of the two opposite extremes. Pro-school subculture- placed in higher streams, remain committed to the values of school and gain status through academic success. Anti-school subculture- placed in lower streams, have inferior status. -Hargreaves: There are two distinctive subcultures: Conformists and Non-conformists delinquents (a delinquent subculture that helped guarantee their educational failure). -Woods: argues that rather than seeing pupil subcultures as either conformist or deviant, it is more realistic to see a variety of possible adaptations/responses to the schooling process. Pro-school: Ingratiation (pupils who try to earn the favour of teachers), Opportunism (those who vary between teacher and peer approval), Compliance (pupils who conform for instrumental reasons), Ritualism (pupils who go through the motions), Colonisation (pupils who avoid trouble, but will deviate if there is less punishment). Anti-school: Ritualism, Retreatism (not opposed to school values, but not concerned about achieving success), Colonisation, Intransigence (deviate and aren’t bothered about the consequences), Rebellion (pupils have little regard to school values and reject school teachings). -Ball: found that when the school abolished banding, the basis for pupils to polarise into subcultures was largely removed and the influence of the anti-school subculture declined. However, differentiation continued. As a result, class inequalities can continue due to teachers labelling. -Limitations: Deterministic: assumes that once pupils are labelled, they have no choice but to fulfil the prophecy and will inevitably fail. Ignores wider structures of power: blames teachers for labelling pupils but fails to explain why. 2d) Marketisation and Selection Policies -Marketisation is a policy that introduces market forces of supply and demand into areas run by the state. Marketisation has brought in; Funding formula (giving a school the same amount of funds for each pupil), Exam League Tables (ranking schools based on their exam performance), Competition among schools to attract pupils. -A-C Economy: Schools need to achieve a good league table position to attract pupils and funding. However, this widens the class gap in achievement. The A-C economy is a system in which schools ration their time, money, effort and resources to those who will get 5 A*-C GCSEs to get a high rank. -Educational Triage: sorting pupils; ‘those who will pass anyway’, ‘those with potential’, ‘hopeless cases’. Those classed as hopeless cases are ignored (self-fulfilling prophecy and failure). -Competition and Selection: Schools with a good league table position will be placed to attract other able/MC pupils. Thus improves the school’s results and makes it more popular which increases funding. Popular schools can afford to screen out less able and more difficult pupils, unpopular schools are obliged to take the, get worse results, and get less funding. Cream skimming: selecting higher ability pupils, who gain the best results and cost less to teach. Silt-shifting: off-loading pupils with learning difficulties, who are expensive to teach and get poor results. -Attraction: creating school contracts to attract parents, buying things like pipe organs to get a ‘traditional’ image of the school (attracting the MC), grant maintained and city technology colleges provide vocational education in partnership with employers (another route to elite education). Ball et al suggests that schools spend more on marketing themselves to parents, and spend less in special needs in other areas. -Marketisation and selection – created a polarised education system, with successful, well-resourced schools at one extreme, and failing un-resourced schools at the other; blurred hierarchy. External Factors (ethnic differences) 3a) Cultural Deprivation -Intellectual and linguistic skills: Major cause of under-achievement. Many children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. This leaves them poorly equipped for school because they have not been able to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills. Also the language used by black children in inadequate for educational success. Also those who don’t speak English at home may be held back educationally. However, Mirza and Gillborn note that Indian pupils do very well despite not having English as their home language. -Attitudes and Values: Lack of motivation is a major cause of the failure of black children. Many children are socialised in a mainstream culture of ambition, competitiveness and willingness to make scarifies to achieve long-term goals. Black children are socialised into a fatalistic subculture. -Family structure: Failure to socialise children adequately is the result of dysfunctional family structure. Many black families are headed by a lone-mother; their children are deprived of adequate care because she has to struggle financially due to the absence of the male breadwinner. The absence of the father also leads to the absence of the positive role model. Charles Murray: would lead to the under-achievement of some minorities. Pryce: Asian pupils are higher achievers because their culture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self-worth. Black culture is less cohesive and less resistant to racism. Thus they have low self-esteem and under-achieve. -Asian families: Driver and Ballard: they bring educational benefits as the parents have more positive attitudes towards education, higher aspirations and are therefore more supportive. Lupton: respectful behaviour towards adults was expected from children, and had a knock-on effect in schools. Khan: parents are ‘stress ridden’, bound by tradition, and controlling. -Criticisms: Driver: ignores positive effects of ethnicity on achievement. Lawrence: black pupils under-achieve because of racism not self-esteem. Keddie: victim-blaming theory. They under-achieve because schools are ethnocentric and favour white culture. Compensatory Education: it is an attempt to impose on the dominant white culture on children who have a culture of their own. Critics propose 2 alternatives: Multicultural education: recognises values of minority cultures and includes them in the curriculum. Anti-racist education: challenges the prejudice and discrimination that exists in schools and wider so ciety. 3b) Material Deprivation -Stats: 1) Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are more likely to be in low-paid jobs. 2) 15% of ethnic minority households live in overcrowded conditions. 3) Unemployment is three times higher for African and Bangladeshi/Pakistani people. -Gillborn and Mirza argue that social class factors don’t ignore the influence of ethnicity. When we compare pupils of the same social class but different ethnic origins, we still find differences in achievement. 3c) Racism in Wider Society -David Mason: ‘Discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of Britain’s citizen’s of ethnic minority origin’. -Rex: shows how racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and how this worsens the poverty faced by ethnic minorities. E.g. housing; minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard accommodation than whites. -Noon: two people with the same qualifications and experience applied for a job. However, the white person got the job, rather than the Indian. Thus shows that ethnic minorities are more likely to face unemployment and low pay. Internal Factors (ethnic differences) 4a) Labelling and Teacher Racism -Interactionists: They see that teachers picture an image of the ‘ideal pupil’. But they see that black and Asian far from the ideal pupil. This leads them to label black pupils as disruptive and aggressive, and Asian pupils as passive and a problem they can ignore. -Gillborn and Youdell: due to racialised expectations, teachers were quicker to discipline black pupils than others for the same behaviour. -Black pupils: Teachers misinterpreted their behaviour as threatening/challenge to authority. Pupils then responded negatively and further conflict resulted. This may be why many black pupils are excluded, and their stereotypes may cause them to be in lower sets (under-achievement). -Asian pupils: Teachers assumed that they would have a poor grasp of English and left them out of class discussions or used simplistic childish language. They also felt isolated when teachers mispronounced their names or teachers expressed disapproval of their customs. 4b) Pupil Responses and Subcultures -Fuller: Study of a group of black girls in year 11. Found that the girls conformed as far as school work was concerned. They worked consistently, but gave the appearance of not doing so (positive attitude to academic success, but preferred to rely on their own efforts than teachers). Fuller sees that pupils may still succeed even when they refuse to conform, and negatively labelling doesn’t always lead to failure (no self-fulfilling prophecy). -Mirza: Study of ambitious girls who faced teacher racism. The study failed as their coping strategies restricted their opportunities and thus under-achieved. She found that racist teachers discouraged black pupils from being ambitious through the kind of career advice that was given to them. The colour blind: teachers who believe all pupils are equal but allow racism got unchallenged. Liberal chauvinists: teachers who believe black pupils are culturally deprived and had low expectations of them. Overt racists: teachers who believe blacks are inferior and discriminate against them. -Sewell: Four ways in which boys respond to racist stereotyping: Rebels (rejected both the goals and rules of school, conforming to the stereotype of the ‘black macho lad’. Saw white boys as effeminate), Conformists (keen to succeed, accepted the school’s goals and avoided stereotypes from teachers or their peers), Retreatists (disconnected from both school and black subcultures), Innovators (pro-education but anti-school). 4c) The Ethnocentric Curriculum -Ethnocentric: attitude/policy that gives more value to one culture and ignores the rest. -The curriculum is very ethnocentric (favouring white culture). E.g. in teaching languages; non-European languages are ignored (also other cultures in literature, art and music). However, in history, black history is taught, but it is focused on slavery. This may produce lower self-esteem to black pupils as this image of black people as inferior undermines them and may lead to failure. 4d) Institutional Racism -Institutional racism: discrimination that is built into the way institutions operate. -Schools tend to set schemes for the gifted and talented, and vocational schemes for the less academic e.g. black and Asians. External Factors (gender differences) 5a) Girls -Feminism: McRobbie shows that magazines in the 1970’s emphasised the importance of getting married. Whereas, nowadays, they contain images of assertive, independent women. Also soap operas now highlight the importance of self-esteem and personal choice for young women. -Family: Sine the 1970’s there have been major changes in the family. For example: an increase in divorce rates, increase in cohabitation and a decrease in the number of first marriages, increase in the number of lone-parent families (female-headed) and smaller families. These changes affect girl’s attitudes to education. Such as: the increase in female lone-parent families may mean more women need to take on the breadwinner role. This creates a new adult role model for girls- the financially independent. To achieve this, women need well-paid jobs, and thus good qualifications. Also the increase in divorce rates suggests that girls can make their own living. -Employment: 1970 Equal Pay Act (illegal to pay women less for the same job as men), Sex Discrimination Act. Women’s employment has risen due to the service sector and flexible part-time work. 1975- The pay gap between men and women has increased. Women are now breaking through the ‘glass ceiling’ (keeps them out of high-level professional managerial jobs). -Ambitions: Sharpe- study involved conducting interviews with girls in the 1970’s and 1990’s. In the 1970’s the girls felt that education with unfeminine and if they were interested, it would make them unattractive. In the 1990’s, the girl’s ambitions had changed, and thought careers are more important as they can support themselves. 5b) Boys -Feminisation of education: Schools do not nurture ‘masculine’ traits such as competitiveness and leadership. Also coursework has created differences in educational achievement. -Shortage of male primary school teachers: Strong positive male role models both at home and at school cause may cause under-achievement. 16% of men are primary school teachers. 42% said they made them work harder. Yet, Myhill and Jones found they felt male teachers treated boys harshly. -‘Laddish’ subculture: WC boys are more likely to be labelled as sissies and subjected to homophobic verbal abuse if they appeared to be ‘swots’. Boys were more concerned to be labelled by peers than girls, as it is a threat to their masculinity. Thus, WC boys rejected schoolwork to avoid being called ‘gay’. Epstein- ‘real boys don’t work’ if they do, they get bullied. Internal Factors (gender differences) 6a) Girls and Achievement -Equal opportunities policies: Policies such as GIST and WISE encourage girls to pursue a career in non-traditional areas. The National Curriculum has removed one source of gender inequality by making girls and boys study mostly the same subjects. Also schooling has become meritocentric. -Positive role models: The increase in female teachers shows that women can achieve positions of importance and giving them non-traditional goals to aim for. -GCSE and coursework: Girls are more successful in coursework as they are more conscientious and better organised. Sociologists argue that these characteristics and skills are the result of early gender socialisation. E.g. girls are likely to be encouraged to be neat, tidy and patient. This puts girls in a better place as they achieve greater success. Elwood- not the only cause of the gender gap. -Teacher attention: Teachers paid more attention to boys as they are attracted to reprimands. This may explain why teachers have more positive attitudes to girls, whom they see as cooperative, than to boys, whom are seen as disruptive. This may lead to self-fulfilling prophecy in which successful interactions with teachers promote girls self-esteem and raise the achievement levels. -Challenging stereotypes in the curriculum: Sexist images have been removed from learning materials. This may help raise girl’s success levels- more positive images of what women can do. -Selection and league tables: Girls are more likely to be recruited from good schools as they are more attractive to schools. This may create a self-fulfilling prophecy. -Feminists: Liberal- See that further progress will be made by the continuing developments of equal opportunities, and see education is a meritocracy. Radical- System still remains patriarchal. E.g. sexual harassment continues, education still limits their subject choice and career options, females are less likely to become head-teachers.

Reproductive Health Bill Essay

RH Bill would be a beneficial law to the country. It will further implement the population control of our country, strengthen the health of the people, specifically, the women, and educate the citizens, especially the teenagers, regarding sexuality, responsible family planning, maternal care and such. Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, commonly known as Reproductive Health Bill, provides access to responsible family planning methods such as contraceptives, birth control pills, IUDs and other related family planning devices. It also strengthens the over-all health of the countrymen, especially women, with the widespread distribution of the said devices. Furthermore, it provides education concerning sexuality, population limitation and responsible parenthood. With the third and final reading of this bill, it had been recently passed into law last December 17, 2012. Thirteen senators and one-hundred thirty three congressmen voted in accordance to the said bill. This law had always been a controversial issue in our county. Endless debates, divided into pros and antis, were disseminated among the region. Pros argued that nonstop births due to lack of education concerning sexual and reproductive health and family planning causes people to put their health and future at stake. In addition, they have deficient income which causes the family not to receive their basic needs which are education, food, shelter and full support for their futures. This overpopulation will in turn be a hindrance to the country’s progression. On the other side, continuous opposition of the antis, led by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, regarding immorality of the alleged law contradicts their religious beliefs. According to them, this law allows pre-marital sex before marriage with the prevention of pregnancy. This corrupts the morality of the soul of each individual, based on the Church’s teachings. However, the real issue does not reside in our personal interests and beliefs. The future of our country and the next generation is being risked if we will put first into account our religious principles. We need action. Our country has already suffered and engulfed enough from poverty. This poverty can only be resolved with the control in population, education and assurance of the health of the citizens. Reproductive Health Bill will definitely be the answer to our country’s dilemma for years. Reproductive Health Law will be a practical solution for the country’s drawbacks to economic progress. How? First, population limitation will be instigated throughout the country. Currently, Philippines is ranked 12th as the most populated country in the world. Actually, our country is fortunate because it is surrounded with abundant water and land resources, just sufficient for our needs. However, with exponentially increasing population every year, the supply of these resources will keep on diminishing. If this continues, we will experience the never-endi ng cycle of poverty. As I research, I found out that Thailand, one of our neighboring countries, had a population of 65.5 million while our country had 92.3 million. We had an estimated GDP per capita of $4,214, while Thailand’s GDP per capita is twofold of ours, $9,396. It may be concluded that population is also one of the factors that will affect the economic development of our country. The more the population is, the lesser the chances to prosper. Given that the highest population growth rate is among the poor because of lack of education about family spacing and insufficient income, it will be expected that the other children will not be provided with right education and other appropriate needs. With these, they will not contribute well in the labor force of our country. And if ever they were able to work, their mere involvement is not enough to acquire their needs. This law aims to achieve their desired fertility goals depending on their needs, principles and beliefs. With the right family s ize, parents can feed and support their children. Also, with the use of the legally and medically safe contraceptives, birth control will be a tool to terminate overpopulation, which will eventually help our country to advance economically. In addition, by means of this law, proper maintenance of the over-all health of the citizens will also be upheld by the government. Government will support and promote reproductive health services, maternal care, particularly, for the women, and of course, responsible parenthood for the parents. Problems regarding reproductive health services were cited by Sen. Pia Cayetano, chair of the Senate committees on health and demography and youth, women and children. Many poor mothers were having difficulty to avail contraceptives because local government units have passed laws forbidding the use of contraceptives. As stated by her, these were one of the reasons why these mothers are forced to send the child to relatives, giving up their children to a rich neighbor and leaving their child in a basket in front of the door of the church. This bill would be a great help especially to the poor because it provides access to â€Å"medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality† natural and modern family planning methods (sec. 2). In addition, studies show that contraceptives lower the rates of abortion, infertility, complications during childbirth, unwanted pregnancy and prevention of sexually-transmitted diseases. Due to these, people will be productive and be a great contribution to the country’s economic progress. Lastly, education concerning sexuality, responsible family planning and other reproductive health issues will be included in the process. Before, the Philippine Catholic Bishops disagree to have sex education in schools. They said that it is the responsibility of the parents to educate their children about it. However, do parents really understand the concept of sex? Will it be effective to teach their children about it if sex is a taboo because of our conservative culture? If the parents were not knowledgeable enough about sex, it will lead to confusion and curiosity of the children. Naturally, parents will teach their children not to have sex before marriage, but due to our modern societ y, the children will be tempted to do it. So, why not educate them beforehand in an effective way? This law, as stated in Sec. 12, will provide Reproductive Health Education in an age-appropriate manner taught by adequately trained teachers starting from Grade 5 up to Fourth Year High school. It will benefit the youth to have this education because the period of adolescence usually starts at the age of a 5th grader. Empirical studies conducted by the United Nations and other countries show that there are numerous benefits to the youth when Reproductive Health education would be part in their school curriculum. Proper sexual values would instill in the minds of the young which will lead to discipline and abstinence in having sexual intercourse. Several sexual partners will be avoided and eventually will prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Likewise, they will also be knowledgeable enough how to prevent early pregnancy. With the right learning and values, they will in turn be an asset for the welfare of the cou ntry. â€Å"Doesn’t every woman deserve the right to have a safe pregnancy and a baby that’s born healthy? I believe this is a very basic human right,† Katya Matanovic said. Indeed, Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 will be an advantage to our country. It encourages population control, supports proper reproductive health care of the residents and provides education to the citizens, especially the youth, who will soon be the strength of our country someday. With the passing of this law, people should maximize the benefits given by this law. The problems involving serious population growth, deaths due to childbirth and pregnancy complications and deficit education regarding the true concept of sex will soon be solved by this law.